A White Christmas

The Moye Family had a great Christmas - everyone enjoyed their gifts, and we had an awesome dinner gathering at Auntie Susan's (Megan, if you are reading this, don't forget to email me the photos!) We have not made it to the cabin for about a month now due to snow...we had hoped to get out there this weekend, but....it SNOWED on the Kitsap Penninsula today (not here, yet). Reports are that there is still 1 foot of snow on the ground out there from the last few storms.

Hope all of you had a safe and wonderful holiday!

Cabin interior coming along

We have stayed in the cabin the last two weekends, but are still bringing the trailer because the bathroom/plumbing is not yet complete. Steve's friend, Patrick, came down on Saturday and they worked all day digging the crawl space, installed the shower, and completed the waste lines. They hope to work next Friday as well.

The interior looks AWESOME! It is very cozy, with the woodstove working so efficiently. The neighbors came by and took a look, and were very excited for us. We hope to inspire them to develop their property soon.

The weather has been great for this time of year (it was record-breaking flooding at this time last year). I got in a couple of great mt. bike rides, and discovered a new trail network to explore next time. We are home next weekend, but can't wait to return later in the month.

Working weekend at the Cabin

Just a quick update and photos of the cabin progress...the interior is coming along, with Stevie installing the wood-burning stove (it works great!) and some finishing touches on the interior. The historical oil lamps are THE BOMB!! I built some IKEA stuff to go inside...and put up some wall hangings. We plan to stay our first night inside next weekend.

Another update...we aquired a new family member! A chocolate lab was found wandering our neighborhood last week, so we decided to adopt him. He is about 5 yrs. old, well trained, good with kids, people, etc. Rex named him "Tony Hawk," but we just call him "Tony." He is a good boy, and enjoyed camping with us over the weekend. Sorry, no pics, but will get some up soon (he's a cutie!)

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!