The End of an Era

It was a glorious long weekend in the Colorado Rockies -- crisp clean air, golden aspens quaking in the bright sun, blue skies, and snuggling at night was essential.  Our awareness that this would almost undoubtedly be the last stay in the trailer was eclipsed by the close-to-finished cabin.  What nostalgia we felt for the five good years of long visits to the Airstream was almost obliviated by the anticipation of a future of many months each year in the cabin.

Before going to the cabin itself, we climbed the red rocks behind it for the traditional view.  When I left in August the front side of the roof had just been shingled, so seeing the back half finished was new.  It was a great angle to see the variations in color and texture of the roof, a color called Driftwood.  The stain on the cabin itself had darkened a bit and was more interesting than it had been.  With the outside of the cabin 95% complete, it was easy to imagine it finished.  All that was missing was woodsmoke drifting out of the chimney.

Just over the hill

Walking down the red rock hill we could see the near completed decks and the code required landing pad at the bottom of what will be the entrance stairs.  There's almost as much outdoor living area with the wrap-around deck as indoor living area, and this outside "room" will see a lot of use.  The views to the red rocks, across the valley to Hackett Mountain, and down valley towards Cedar Mountain are spectacular, and there is much to be seen in the immediate forest by sitting quietly with a pair of binoculars, a bird book, and some patience.

Welcoming porch

The inside of the cabin had just finished being beautifully drywalled; some patches of damp remained.  It was so odd to not look through the framing to the other rooms.  We stood in the back door and took it all in before admitting to each other that it suddenly looked small to us with the walls in place, but after wandering around a bit it looked as we thought it would, cozy but not cramped.  The kitchen is clearly the heart of the cabin, and is generous in relationship to other spaces, but cooking and food are important parts of our lives (and our friends and families lives).

Kitchen area, stairs to loft behind

The loft has turned out to be a charming space with its eagle eye view of the red rocks to the east and the forest to the north.  It's amazingly private for an open space with an interesting view to the rest of the house, framed by the angles of the main roof, (the ceiling will be knotty pine) stub wall, and staircase wall (which will all be topped with a beautify clear pine wood).  It's a space I'm looking forward to sharing with guests as well as using myself.

View from the sleeping area of the loft

The day we left they were starting to paint the inside, a nice warm color similar to dulce de leche ice cream, sort of a soft buttery caramel.  The kitchen cabinets are scheduled to arrive tomorrow.  I'm not sure which will come first -- their installation or the knotty pine ceiling.  Our contractor, Brian Shelton, loves finish work, and the interior will be detailed with clear pine trim around the windows and doors as well as pine baseboards.  Interior doors will be wood.  The floors need to go in yet, as well as some plumbing fixtures, baseboard heaters, a propane heater, and the wood burning stove.  Light fixtures will be installed along with appliances.  There's a lot left to do, but everyday it will look more like a home than a building under construction.

Well insulated (we passed inspection as being
over-insulated by 16% -- thank you Brian) and
ready for the tongue and groove knotty pine

It was quite chilly while we were there -- one day didn't get to 50 and the nights were down near freezing.  It was impossible not to think about living in this well-built, exceedingly snug cabin on a blustery day (like this coming Christmas), curled up on the couch in front of the wood burning stove.  In preparation for our Christmas through New Years inaugural stay in the cabin, my husband made short work of a log pile, fuel for the new Lopi Answer wood burning stove (ours will have regular legs, hopefully sitting on my pewter bear feet from an old Fischer I had in Chapel Hill).

Stay tuned, more about our weekend to come...

The trusty old Poulan
(that's the chainsaw, not the guy)

Adding to the pile

Friends Looking Through the Windows

For six long weeks I've been away from the cabin, sweltering in the triple digit heat of Tucson, busy with docent training, and employing our desert strategies of getting out of the house for a walk when you can barely see enough to have a chance at not stepping on a rattler.  Someone forgot to give Mother Nature the memo on fall's arrival around here.

Looking from outside the back door to the front door

And then I get an email from friends who recently peered in the windows of the our cabin-under-construction before locking up their own and heading back to Wisconsin -- where I am certain it is fall.  These photos are a little fuzzy, but clearly show, along with some reflections off the windows, a cabin with interior walls being installed (likely completed and painted by now), and billows of insulation on the ceiling that will be covered with knotty pine tongue and groove.  What a treat for us to see such progress.  It's beginning to look like a home.

The kitchen walls, staircase, and our bedroom on the left

 I continue my quest for more perfect barkcloth for pillows and am looking forward to having the time to sew after the new year.

Gorgeous print of currants, just like the ones that grow on the drier hillsides around the cabin

We'll get to see the cabin for ourselves this coming weekend, flying into Denver early Friday and home late Monday.  We are quite excited to be able to see it all for ourselves and spend a little time with our contractor and friends.  There will be three chilly nights in the trailer, sort of a farewell stay since the next time we see the cabin will almost certainly be after we get a certificate of occupancy, probably for Christmas and the New Year, and what better place to celebrate this gift to ourselves and welcome in a new era of long summers in the Colorado Rockies.

Watch this space for lots of up-to-date pictures in the next week or so.  Now...where'd I put that glass of iced tea?