Perfect Fall Weekend

What a beautiful weekend! Our 3rd consecutive at the property...the kids did not really want to head out there again, but it was so nice out...we had such a nice time, they were sad to leave on Sunday.

Steve finished a few carpentry chores, while the boys played with the Go-Kart, and Mom got in a couple of awesome mtb rides - the trails are in great shape! Rex also took a dip in the river (Brrr!) and we carved some jack-o-lanterns.

It will be great when we don't have to haul the trailer out to the place...we need to get the septic installed, and water lines run from the well. It will be a while, yet.

I am on-call next weekend, so the kids will have a little "break" from camping. That is all for now...enjoy the new pics!

A rainy 15th Anniversary

Steve and I took Thursday/Friday off and we all headed out after the boys were finished with school on Thursday. As soon as we arrived in Belfair, it began pouring rain....and I mean POURING! Oh well, we picked up some dinner at the Teriyaki place and set up camp. It continued to rain heavily. We made a campfire and hung out under the awning nearby.

On Friday morning we awoke to ....HEAVY RAIN. No problem, I made breakfast for everyone (and a BIG campfire). Afterward, Steve headed over to finish staining the interior of the cabins. The weather was no deterrent for the boys, who chose to put some miles on Rex's birthday present, a new Go-Kart (spoiled kid!) They have some cool, safe areas to "putt" around on (although Rex has discovered how to shift gears now!)

By Saturday a.m. the Moye Compound was one big mud puddle! The rain subsided some, going from "constant" to "intermittent" so I was able to get out on a short mt. bike ride that included a bear sighting - WOO-HOO! We had intended on staying through Sunday, but the weather report included a "High Wind Advisory" so we decided to split. We packed up and were home by 2:30pm on Saturday (I am bummed, as I really wanted to stay another night).

It was still a nice Anniversary weekend...15 years! I wish I could post a wedding photo on here, but that was long before digital cameras were the norm, although I am sure there is another way to do it. Anyway, it has been a great ride (literally) so far, and we feel fortunate and humbled as we reflect on how far we have come!

The 4th Weekend in a Row

Steve arrived at the Moye Compound early on Friday to begin staining the cabins. He was able to spray the exterior of both bldgs. before the kids and I arrived for dinner. The fumes from the stain were nearly unbearable for him, even with a respirator! He was able to get most of the first bldg. interior stained, but the rest will have to wait until he purchases goggles and a "tyvek moonsuit."

I went for a couple of mt. bike rides, and we hiked along the river, inspecting other cabins in our area. Rex has learned to "skip" stones across the water, which is very exciting.

I am on-call next weekend, so we won't be back until the weekend of our 15th wedding anniversary, and Rex's 9th birthday. It will be a 4-day stay for us, with Rex receiving a very special birthday suprise - stay tuned!

Buildings are done....

...but not funished. Rhrett Connor and his crew have completed their job, and we are very happy with the results - they really do high quality work, and were done sooner than we expected. Our next step is for Steve to stain the interior and exterior of the cabins, install flooring, wood stove, bathroom fixtures, and some other finish work. We will also apply "chinking" to the exterior of the bldgs. at some point, after the logs dry out some. We also need to get the septic system installed and plumbed in before we can really utilize the cabins.

We plan to head out again next weekend (this will make 4 weekends in a row). The kids are ready for a break, but we've got to get the stain sprayed on before it starts raining. We are really excited about how everythng is turning out, and feel very fortunate that we are able to move forward on our long-time dream of having our own cabin in the woods!

Cabin 1 Nearly Complete

We arrived at the Moye Compound on Friday night to see our first cabin building is nearly complete. This will be our main living quarters with a woodstove and sleeping loft. A second, identical cabin will be built at an "L" shape to the first. This will have interior dividing walls separating the bathroom/kitchen/ storage areas. This configuration will allow us to avoid building permits and rezoning of the land. We also plan to have a graveled area with water/septic hookup to park our trailer, giving us more flexibility to have guests stay over.

Speaking of septic, I checked the mail when we got home on Sunday afternoon, and our septic design has been approved - yay! Everything is happening so fast, but there is still a lot to do. Stay tuned!

Making progress

Lots of stuff going on at the property...the well has been completed, and the septic design is awaiting approval. Steve has been working with all of the contractors, spending extra time and trips out there to fall trees and finalize our layout.

Fortunately, Rex is very talented at operating our little bulldozer - he worked all day Saturday with Steve, moving logs and pushing dirt to make way for our cabin. The contractor, Rhett, showed up late Sunday with his crew and a truckload of logs. They already had the first building framed in by the time we left on Monday. It is looking awesome!

Check back for more updates and pictures - things are really moving along!

Another fun camping trip

We were able to camp over 4th of July weekend, and the following weekend....I have to say, we are having so much fun! The boys have been getting into mountain biking over these last two camping trips, leaving the motorcycles parked. They also played in the river and hiked up the hill behind our property to the road above, finding snakes, frogs, etc.

Steve got out for a ride on the local trails, and I did my usual route of late, 4 miles up dusty Hurd Road to the Tahuya River Trail for another 4 miles of rugged singletrack.

We are so fortunate to be able to spend this time together having fun! Steve and I hope that the boys will have fond memories of these camping trips in the years to come.