Monday, December 20, 2010

Done!

The certificate of occupancy is a done deal! 

Brian Shelton, our contractor, moved heaven and earth (and a few subs) to make sure we could spend Christmas at the new cabin.  I was confident Brian would pull through for us, and he did.  He ought to have a red fur-trimmed hat and a white beard and drive a sleigh instead of a big red truck.  It's going to be a merry Christmas.

Right now I'm taking a quick break from trying to fit three times as much stuff into the SUV as it will actually hold.  I'm starting to work on Sophie's Choice priorities, but the Christmas tree and decorations come first.  Clothes and food follow.  And the pooch will have to make do with half the back seat instead of all of it.

I was going through some of my husband's old photos over the weekend, looking for a photo of his parents that we could take up this trip since this place was their brainstorm almost 50 years ago, and we're just building, quite literally, on their good idea.  I came across this photo of my husband's father standing on the deck of the old A-frame that burned in the Hayman fire.  The new cabin sits almost exactly on the old footprint.

A promise fulfilled


My husband tells me that his Dad was concerned that this place continue on for the family after he and his wife were gone and Bob promised him that he'd see to it that his wish was fulfilled.  It wasn't a hard promise to make as this place is my husband's favorite place on earth.

It almost looks as if he's waiting for us to show up.

Have a wonderful Christmas and happy New Year with lots of good things and times that truly matter in 2011.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Perservering

All those "ifs"...

If we get a foot of snow:

Look what's coming

If the appliances come:

Steady boys
If the wood stove comes:

Sitting in front of this is a huge part of the dream
If we pass electrical and final inspection for the all important certificate of occupancy:

But Brian knows this and is always ready for an inspection, taking pleasure in precluding the inspector's fun

Martha Stewart carpeting FAIL (accomplice, Home Depot):

After four arrival delays I pulled the plug on Martha yesterday.  A less pricey and more beautiful carpet is going in today!  Thank you Brian and Bill!
But I'm mostly packed (and it's mostly Christmas) and since we know our amazing contractor (and master craftsman) Brian Shelton is at the helm, I have confidence we're going to get through this last week, and that a week from tonight we'll be sitting inside our fabulous new cabin in front of the fire.  Cozy inside against the dark and cold of the first full day of winter, we'll raise a glass of his father's own Chivas Regal, and toast my husband's parents for this gift of a place for a family retreat, and our part in ensuring the tradition continues.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Waiting...with a bit of breath holding

Our contractor, Brian Shelton, has pulled out all the stops to insure that we get to stay in our cabin for Christmas.  We have this one good window of opportunity between work and volunteer obligations that are important to us, and let's face it, the weather in the Colorado Rockies won't make it easier to get up there as winter settles in.

Brian has all the downstairs floors installed along with the hearth.  The power is hooked up as is the propane, so now working there is easier for them since they have heat.  The propane wall heater operates without electricity and is set to keep the cabin at 50 degrees, so there's no need to worry about the pipes freezing, or the cabin doing the freeze/thaw cycle a hundred times a year (not good for it).  Last I heard the plumber was due up there yesterday to install the toilet and sinks and charge the system (running water -- imagine that!) and the electrician was installing the light fixtures.  There's been a slight delay in the carpet order, but it is now supposed to arrive at the Home Depot in Colorado Springs on the 13th, and Brian has a good sub who's promised to get it laid in the loft and on the stairs as soon as it's in hand.  The wood burning stove and appliances are scheduled to arrive and be installed one week from today, on the 17th.  The final inspection, the one for the all important certificate of occupancy, is scheduled for Monday, December 20th.  That will be a day of a bit of breath holding, though there is no way Brian would not be ready for an inspection.  If that goes well, we'll leave a day or two later for Colorado, and that will be a two day thrill ride, not from our driving (or the weather I hope -- can't control that), but from being on the way to experiencing our long time dream as a reality.

Could be the very one my Grandmother made 55 years ago
I found, quite by accident, while cruising Etsy.com, searching under "vintage cabin" -- it is very amusing what you find in that category -- something that took me back over five decades in two seconds.  My Grandma, who lived upstairs when I was a little girl, used to do wonderful crochet work, making what I guess where large doilies, and here was one on Etsy that I swear was the exact pattern I watched my Grandma, with her flashing crochet hook, magically make out of a ball of thread. I now have a small collection of them, all about the size of a sheet of paper or a little bigger.  I'm going to frame them against a dark fabric backing and hang them above the bed.  I think they're perfect cabin decor.

I second the motion...

Brian says no more pictures -- he wants us to see the cabin next in person.  It's clear he's quite proud of this cabin he designed and built, and he should be.  Having this beautiful, soundly constructed cabin to retreat to will change our lives, and it will be a wonderful change too.

Next update: Go or No Go.  We're keeping our fingers crossed and remembering to BREATHE.