April Cabin Trip

We were lucky to have decent weather on Sat. and Sun. at the cabin. Max did some mt. biking, and made a cool slingshot. Steve split wood and made some delicious "Hot and Sour Soup" on Saturday night - it turned out great, and we may have a new "food blogger" on our hands! The trails were extra wet/muddy due to rains earlier in the week...I snapped a chain on Saturday AND Sunday!!! Good thing I purchased a new, sturdy chain tool a couple of months ago...I hate making trailside repairs like that, but, it is part of the experience. Other than that, I had a 2 really good rides. We will return to the cabin later in the week as the boys are off for Spring Break.

Random things...

The boys enjoyed snow during their mid-winter break...at least they did not miss any more school days because of it. Max has applied for the "Science/Technology" program for next year...he wrote an excellent paper on why he is interested in this program, and Steve turned it in with the other application materials. We all hope he gets in!



We had some decent weather during our latest trip to the cabin. The boys found a couple of croquet mallets by the river, no doubt washed down after the flooding earlier this winter. They had a great time using these to smash up rotten logs, hit rocks, etc. They also built a ramp to ride their bikes off of - good fun! Steve cut down a tree, and split lots of wood, and mom went, well...you know.....

Early February Cabin Trip

The weather was pretty decent this weekend - only a few sprinkles. Lots of hiking along the river, which has changed after this winter's flooding. Rex was not feeling well, and staying in his bunk most of the time. I made him chicken soup, which is his favorite when he is under the weather.

Mom, Dad and Max went on several hikes along the river. The floods increased "our" beach somewhat, so we can walk a good distance before having to cross the waterway. Tony enjoyed the river walks as well.

The MTB trails were in better shape, with many of the deep puddles gone. Very, very fast and fun!

January Cabin Trip

Finally, some decent weather for us at the cabin! Our nice neighbors, Amy and Gray stopped by. They have been building a treehouse on their lot, which is very cool! They are still putting the finishing touches on it, but it looks great now.

Steve and Max played several games of Monopoly and Stratego, while Mom and Rex hiked along the river. Because Steve left earlier on Friday, he took a drive to the town of Tahuya, and looked at the vintage fire trucks at the Tahuya Fire Station. Pretty neat!

A couple of gnarly mt. bike rides were had...by someone...who shall remain nameless...

A busy Christmas

I was working and on-call for the Christmas holiday this year, but we managed to host Gram, Doug and Mimi for a Xmas Eve dinner and gift exchange. Steve took the boys over to Auntie Susan's for Christmas dinner, and had a nice, relaxing visit with everyone. It was extra special to have 1 week old baby Ireland for this year's celebration...Rex and Max reported that she was "really cute," especially when she cried. Hopefully, I will get to see her sometime soon!

Everyone at our house loved their gifts...the boys each received laptops of their own, and various video game accessories. Steve got some cool stuff, especially the new beanie made by Gram, and hydraulic disc brakes for his bike. I love my new hydration pack, mt. bike gloves, socks and oxygenating wine glass!

We are so fortunate...another great holiday with awesome family and friends!

thanksgiving-Xmas blur...

Time is flying by...it seems like it was just Halloween. We hosted Thanksgiving with Mom, Doug, Mimi, Sis & family, and are now trying to prepare for Xmas stuff...a quick trip to the cabin this weekend was cozy and fun, as very, very wet weather forced us to enjoy indoor activities. Fortunately, Steve installed a solar panel and 2 lights for the kitchen...that, with the old wood cookstove has made it the "place to be," with all of us hanging out there, as opposed to the main cabin with sleeping loft.

A fun weekend turned short, as heavy rains wreaked havoc on area roads...many road closures due to water over them, and Steve had to "saw" our way out as trees had fallen across our access road.

Dawn's Party and Halloween

It was a busy weekend...

On Saturday, we hosted a 40th birthday party for my OR nurse buddy, Dawn. Everything was great, the food, homebrew, and especially the company!

Sunday provided party cleanup/recovery, and Trick or Treating with my 2 gangsters - they received lots of compliments on their costumes (and lung cancer warnings!)

100 Year Old Cookstove Installed!

We returned for a quick overnight so that Steve could finish installing the wood-burning cookstove. Here are some pics...it really looks awesome in person! Also, it works great - heats the room, and we cooked some pizzas in it for dinner. We were able to boil water on top of it relatively quickly, too. One of these days, I will attempt a Thanksgiving turkey...(maybe after we get the guest cabin built).

Pumpkin Carving at the Cabin

The weather was beautiful...cool, but clear. The boys carved jack-0-lanterns which were spooky-cool around the campfire. Steve got the stovepipe through the kitchen ceiling, ready to accept the 100 yr. old wood cookstove. More pics on that to come.

Shelley's new bike

Here are some pics of my new bike - it is awesome! Did I mention that is rocks, too? It kicks butt...I can SLAM it into the corners and rail the gnarliest of trails, both up and down. Trail users be warned...GET OUT OF MY WAY!

Thanks for the perfect anniversary present, sweetie!

17th Anniversary!

Hard to believe it has been 17 years...I love you, baby!

Labor Day Weekend

The weather was OK...a few showers on Saturday, Friday and Sunday were decent. The boys went fishing at nearby Howell Lake, and caught 2 trout, and several carps (carps were thrown back).

The pizza oven was put into operation, and the results were...delish!

We decided to leave on Sunday afternoon, as bad weather was expected to move in. I got in some GREAT mt. bike rides over the three days...check out my video channel at www.vimeo.com/channels/michellemoye to see the fun.

The Earth Oven Survives First Meal

It was the moment of truth...after several months of planning, building, rebuilding, repairing and rebuilding again, it was time to actually cook something in the earth oven. Guess what - it worked! Steve made breadsticks, a pizza, and "overnight oatmeal" (that one was not a complete success, but Tony enjoyed it for breakfast).

Rex's friend, Cameron joined us for the weekend...he has been to the cabin a few times before, and always enjoys the campfires and playing by the river. We all had a great time!

The Pizza Oven Chronicles - Part III

Although the second edition of our pizza oven looked great when we left it 2 weeks ago, it had several major cracks upon our latest visit. Apparently, the PNW climate is not the best for clay ovens (duh). I suggested removing the damaged clay dome and replace it with a brick structure, but Steve decided to give it one last attempt. We are keeping our fingers crossed.

Steve borrowed Bill's tractor and most of the weekend was devoted to grading/leveling certain areas, and making a spot for the future hot tub and guest cabin. He really got a lot done - thanks, Bill!

The boys biked, swam, hiked and read. Mom went on some gnarly trails, and even saw a bear (6th one this season!) All in all, a great weekend.

Memorial Day Weekend

It was wet and soggy. The pizza oven suffered rain damage, and will have to be redone, which is a bummer.

Nevertheless, we had a fun time...mountain biking, motorcycles, board games, time away from the computer and video games is always good.

Lurkers, please leave a comment...it would be great to know that someone (other than Megan and Karin) actually read this drivel.

Another layer on the pizza oven

The weather was great this weekend! Uncle Dennis came out on Saturday to help with the earth oven...he and Steve repaired cracks from earlier drying, and added an insulating layer of "cobb" (clay + hay = cobb).

The boys put in plenty of miles on thier motorcyle and quad, and Rex went innertubing on the river. Mom blew a fork seal out on the trails, but had a couple of great rides (even though my new "Panaracer Rampage" tires suck...will be switching back to the tried and true "Kenda Nevegals.") Look for more mt. biking references in the future.

Fun with clay...or not!

Another fun and busy weekend at the cabin. Last week, mom welded up a metal frame for the fire brick cooking surface on the pizza oven. Steve slid it into place, and placed the fire brick tiles to form a perfect fit. He then began construction of the dome: forming a sand pile roughly the size of the oven interior, covered with a 3-inch thick clay layer (done in two stages). Once this dries (who knows when, in our NW climate) another clay layer mixed with hay will form an insulating layer.

The boys enjoyed playing with the clay, digging holes, bike riding and a campfire.

Pizza oven is coming along

Rainy weather on Saturday did not deter Steve from continuing to work on the pizza oven. He was able to work under a tarp most of the day, and finished the brick base, which will allow for wood storage underneath. The next step will be for Michelle to dust off her welding torch and create a metal framework for the firebrick to sit upon. Stay tuned!

Rex's Victory Garden

Rex has planted and maintained his own garden for the last 4 years (well, 5 years, if you count the first 2 blueberry bushes that Uncle Dennis gave him in Kindergarten). Yes, it started with 2 blueberry plants which he lovingly cared for and harvested. The next year he added pumpkins, and a sunflower plant Max had brought home from preschool. Grandma got on board, and gave him seed packets which were planted and cared for in the following seasons. Last year he had about a dozen or so different veggies and berries in his ever-growing plot.

This year, Steve removed the boys' play structure. He and Rex shovelled out all of the bark chips. Uncle Dennis brought over a load of compost and tiller, and soon Rex's garden was ready for action!

Grandma had already dropped off some seed packets, but we all went down to McLendon's and picked out more, as well as a new pair of gardening gloves and a hoe. Steve and Rex went to work, and got it about halfway planted. Hopefully they can finish up this week.

Merry...er...Easter?

We had some unusual weather out at the cabin during our long Easter weekend. After arriving on Thursday to partly sunny skies, Steve and Rex finished the last two sections of fence. The weather report warned that a very strong storm would be moving in on Friday, bringing heavy rain and high winds. I planned on getting out for a mt. bike ride early, before the winds picked up.

Mother nature had something else in store for us, however...we awoke Friday morning to see fat snowflakes falling. Assuming it would be short-lived, we went about our usual morning routine, only to see it snowing harder, and sticking! The boys suited up and went out for some snowballs, etc., while Steve turned on the weather radio...apparenly, we were the only folks getting snow, because there was no mention of it during the forecast. By mid-day, it was steady, heavy rain, and strong winds, as promised. No bike ride for mom!

Despite being stuck indoors all day, we still had fun...Monopoly, Sorry, Mad Magazines and Peanuts. Something about the cozy cabin makes those simple things something special.

We had an Easter egg hunt during a break in the weather on Saturday, and the boys enjoyed their Easter baskets filled with candy and a stuffed creature for each.

All in all, another memorable, long weekend to conclude the boys' spring break.