Looking Out the Windows

June 4th

The first floor exterior walls are all framed now, as are most of the interior ones.  We are enjoying the exquisite pleasure of being “inside” our cabin looking at the views from all the first floor windows.  Needless to say, they are all wonderful; there’s not a bad seat in the house.

We’re sitting in the library in Florissant, about 16 miles of mostly dirt road from where our  contractor and his son are finished the interior first floor walls and getting ready to work on the second story loft.  As we were leaving the property a truck from Hutchinson’s Lumber was arriving with wood for the next few day’s work.  It’s an exciting process to see change every working day.

Last night our friends with the enchanted cabin across Deer Lake from us showed up as the light was just starting to fade with a bottle of wonderful Colorado wine.  We brought glasses and an opener down from the trailer and all clambered up into the framed cabin (the breeze will never be better than it is now!).  After showing them around -- here’s the bedroom, walk-in closet, bathroom, and the stairs start up from here -- Margaret and I sat in the camp chairs in what will be the dining area (with plenty of wall space for my collection of hammered aluminum trays) while Harry and Bob pulled up a window sill and we raised our glasses to the project that means so much to us and to Bob’s family.  

After our friends left, Bob and I were wondering about the role they’d played, and continue to play in our decision to make this investment and commitment to a life partially lived on the old family land in the Rockies.  What if Margaret and Harry hadn’t given us such a warm welcome, having us for dinner that night so many years ago that was my first visit to the land, and Bob’s first visit since the fire took the old cabin?  Would it have resonated quite so much with both of us, enough to start the ball rolling with the trailer?  Probably.  There was lots of love of place and family history to consider.  But the support of friends there certainly didn’t hurt.