Upstairs Downstairs, Back and Forth

June 7th

The next cabin dimension is UP!  

About the back 2/5ths of the cabin, the area above the bedroom and bathroom, will have a loft. -- about 150 square feet of living space.  The eastern section of roof over the loft is raised, the shallower angle than the rest of the roof providing adequate headroom.  With only one real bedroom in a cabin that we hope will be the frequent destination of family and friends, we wanted a space with some privacy where they could relax and sleep and where the grandkids could spread out and play to their hearts’ content without being tread on all the time.  We’re not sure what furniture will be up there -- probably a sleeper sofa or futon for seating by day and sleeping by night, and beyond that there will be a lot of floor space for playing or sleeping bags.  When we don’t have guests, this room will give us a space for getting out of the traffic pattern ourselves for everything from sewing projects to jigsaw puzzles to a quiet corner for an uninterrupted nap.  And we’re hoping the grandkids will find the overlook to the kitchen and living area below a great place to snoop unobserved.

Building is a creative process and I’ve been wallowing in it now for almost a year.  We are lucky to have a contractor that encourages our input on a daily basis -- Brian Shelton is as committed to giving us the cabin we want (and not some cookie cutter  construct) as we are.  My husband is getting better at dealing with my glee over this constant pondering and deliberation, though he still looks motion sick at times when I say “instead of [fill in the blank] maybe we should do [fill in the blank]”.  It’s fun to optimize the opportunities as they present themselves, and if you didn’t change your mind (in a timely fashion, mind you), you might as well not be here.  Brian has a great esthetic, but only we know how we live and how we want the cabin to work for us.

We’ve decided to abbreviate this portion of our time here during the build in order for Bob to conserve a week for later when we’ll be of more hands-on use in completing the cabin.  We’ve taken on the floors (“wood” laminate floating floors and ceramic tile) and all the painting and staining inside and out.  If the roofing is going on while Bob’s here it’ll be hard to keep him out of it.  Trash removal falls to us and our trusty relocated truck, as long as we are here to do it.  Right now it is collaborative, but not as active as we’d thought, so after a visit from Bob’s kids and grandkids this weekend (when we’ll all write messages to the cabin on the framing), we’ll head back to Tucson for a bit.  

I’ll likely return right after the 4th of July so that there’s someone here to answer the “do you want it like this, or this?” questions, do the final design of the kitchen, and whatever else I can to help.  I’ll put my three weeks of Tucson time to good use purchasing hardware and some lighting where the big box stores are close at hand, and haul them back up with me when Bump and I return.  Bob will fly back a short while later (though it won’t feel short) when his presence will be most needed.  As much as we hate to leave our cool mountains and the project of our lives together, it will be nice to have running water, a flush toilet and a private shower, Netflix, and a grocery store ten minutes away, even if it will be 100+ degrees every day.  

It will also be good to check on our house and garden and check in with our good Tucson friends (some of whom are checking on our house for us while we’re away).  Not that we have been deprived of a social life here -- far from it!  We have friends here we’ve been sharing dinners with now for five years (and I appreciate their tolerance of coming to a trailer for a meal), and there’s lots of interest in seeing a cabin being built to replace the cabin that stood on this land for almost 40 years before the Hayman fire took it.  With the almost total lack of phones here -- most cabins/trailers/sheds/tents here are phone free and there’s no cell reception -- it is common to have friends or interested neighbors wander over from their five acres for a look-see and a short chat and a glass of iced water or tea. 

This lifestyle has an old-time feel that we like, and along with the informality comes a genuine generosity that I find astonishing.  We’ve had offers of everything from “use our washer/dryer, satellite Internet, phone” to “use our cabin” to “I come up every Thursday so let me know if I can bring you anything from town”.  Generosity breeds generosity, and we find ourselves making offers to help dig trenches, clear timber, and “adopt” a counselor at the adjacent youth camp.  I’m not saying my Tucson friends aren’t generous -- they very much are! -- but here it’s on a more elemental level.  When you’re 16 miles of dirt road and 40 minutes from a gallon of milk or a cup of sugar and an hour from a hospital you tend to have each other’s back in a way you don’t in a more citified place.

And yes, we know how unbelievably lucky we are to be able to create a life that encompasses two such wonderful places.

Next post with this week’s work from Tucson.