We Missed You Little, White Cabin!

We decided to head up to the mountain, after work on Friday...  We knew traffic would be a "bear" but felt like we wanted to get up there anyway.  We arrived after dark - but the kiddos were SO anxious to get up there, they were "into" the trip.

When we arrived, it felt so good to walk in the door.  It was in good order and felt so cozy.  I was half expecting there to be spider, cob webs, and "that" musty smell awaiting us.  So I was pleasantly surprised to find it "almost" without spiders, no cob webs, and no icky smells!  Yay - the remodel worked!  :-)

Joe played Chinese Checkers w/ Samuel, and we all enjoyed hot chocolate before the kiddos decided it was time for bed (they were excited to get into their "cabin" beds!)  The boys are in the River Room, and Rachel sleeps in a cot in the bedroom w/ us.  After that, Joe and I decided to attempt a board game (Tribond.)  It was a crazy moment when we realized it had been years since we had played a game together... I mean years.  So we played 2 mean games before calling it a night. 

In the morning, the kiddos all woke up at 6am (I think Rachel secretly snuck out of our room and woke the boys up...)  And while on school morning's that is fine - a peaceful cabin weekend, meant the best thing was to start the movie "Up" and allow us another hour of sleep!

So we got up at 7am, I made some breakfast, and we got ready to head out the door... 

We ended up at the Salmon River Trail (we had no idea where we would end up when we went out the cabin door.)  And it was amazing - perfect.  It was a tad rainy, but it would stop on occasion - and the sun even managed to come out at times.  The trail followed the river and we were able to go down to it and appreciate the rapids.  The kids had a great time and Luke only managed to trip twice!  :-) 

Afterward, Joe took us to the Zig Zag Cafe for some hot chocolate and bacon (requested by Samuel.)  It was a nice way to end the hike.

When we got back, Joe worked on clearing out the gutters and getting the needles off of the roof.  A big job, but much easier when we can do it every month or so.  I worked on cleaning up the inside, while the kids played here and there (and we even made it through a couple of fights, which earned some time quite on the couches.) 

It was a really nice night/day...  I wish we had more time, but we were glad to take advantage of the time we did have!  It is such a magical little place.  We are very thankful that we get to enjoy such a lovely piece of earth!

Almost there!

It has been crazy/busy the past few weeks, so out cabin visits were infrequent “pit-stops” to drop off items that our contractor needed.  And secretly, I think the contractor was glad not to have us messing around with things, while in the middle of his many projects. 

The progress is truly amazing!  Joe was able to stop by and take a few pictures last weekend.  We are planning to head up this weekend and start to get things in order!  We are at the point of just having a few smaller projects that can be done post “move-in.”

The before/after transformation is almost unbelievable – and while there were some bumps-in-the-road (what remodel doesn’t have unexpected issues?) we are thrilled with the way it has turned out!  The contractor has done a wonderful job, and took time on the little things, which we so appreciated.  (He was aware of the family-history story, and wanted to get it right for us.)

We will get some pictures, once things are all settled, and in a more final state, but wanted to share these initial images.  Very cool!

I am not sure what my favorite part is – so many things are warming my heart:

• The floor refinish was a complete “WOW!”  That is the original flooring that my great-grandfather installed!  It is beautiful! (Thank you, MOM!)
• I love the farmhouse sink, and the way it turned out with the cabinets.
• I also love the subway tile!
• The light in the dining room:  I can just imagine hanging out, playing games, or talking with friends and family under its glow.

Before and After!

Sunny Day at the Cabin!

It was such a pretty day in the Northwest!  Finally some sunshine and a beautiful view of Mt. Hood on the way up to the cabin.  We had Samuel's soccer game in Hillsboro at 9am, and then we headed up to the mountain...

The kitchen cabinets are going in, bathroom tile is done, and the flooring is almost done!  Well, not the living room re-finish, but that will be later (HUGE thank-you to my mom, who gifted us that part of the remodel, as it was the last missing piece to getting “Frank” looking up to snuff.)  It is amazing to see the transformation of this special place.  We still have 2-3 weeks of not being able to “stay the night” but we can see the end.  And the great thing is?  No more icky smells and odd odors.  We walked in today, and it smelled fresh!

We delivered a few things for the contractor today, but mostly just wanted to get up there and see the changes with our own eyes!  The sun was shining bright, and it was the first day the kiddos just got to play outside and enjoy it.  They stayed out the whole time, ran around, dug for worms, played ninja, and burned some energy!  Joe removed the ugly trellis (we have a plan to restore the cool screens of yesteryear) and cleaned some gutters out. 

Because there wasn’t a lot of “work” to do, we all took a walk to the Brightwood store and let the kiddos pick out a treat.  It was such a nice day, and the walk was a fun adventure.  We even had a gang of motorcycles pass by, wave and honk (Rachel loved it!) 

I was reminded today of the wonderful sound of the river, refreshing breeze, and awesome mountain smells.  I can’t wait to be able to stay overnight!

2017

1948:  Note the original screened-in porch (our goal to restore!)

Kitchen Cabinets

Activity has been happenin' up at the White Cabin!

All sorts of activity has been happenin' up at the White Cabin the past couple of weeks!  There has been a lot of "root cause" findings and fixings, which is really good.  We want this remodel to be done right:  fixed, stable, clean, and good for the long-haul!

We went up last weekend, but at this point, we are in the "professional skills required" stage.  We fed the squirrels, dropped off some tile, and set a mouse trap (or maybe it should be a squirrel trap?!  Definitely need to get this one solved!)

Our contractor (Matt) has been able to spend a lot of time taking care of THE LIST (and it is long...)  

• He got the flooring done in the River Room and in the bedroom!  (We have to wait to complete it until the bath/kitchen cabinets are in.)  But it's looking great - clean, easy maintenance, etc.  We had to change the plans, given some cracking in the floor (tile wouldn't be a good long-term solution) but we found a cool alternative.
• Changed out some PVC pipes in the bathroom and kitchen.
• Tore the plywood off the north side of the river room. He said it had a ton of bugs and rot in a spacer near the ground that was nailed to the sill plate. No termites, just carpenter ants and other stuff. Applied some non toxic bug killer. Replaced what was bad, including some insulation and tar paper. He was able to flash the bottom to prevent future issues. No sign of mold or rodents in the wall.  So we found the root- cause of the water stains in the River Room, which made me very happy (SOLVED!)
• Got the CLEAN, new bathtub installed!
• Removed the "odd" vents in the wall (intended to pull the heat from the living room wood stove through, to the bedroom.)
• The most exciting (for me) was to see the subway tile go up in the bathroom!  We had dropped it off last weekend, and he sent a picture last night.  Very happy in my heart.

We had no plans of going up there this weekend (Easter!) but have decided that we might make a "quick trip" up after our Easter egg hunting tomorrow.  We are anxious to check out the progress.  And my mom is here with us, so it will be good to have her join in the adventure too.

And you want to know what is really cool?!  My mom dug-up some GREAT photos from the past!  These are not easy to find, so I am THRILLED that we have these (and I am planning some nice artwork accordingly!)   The White Cabin has definitely changed over time.  I wish we had some drawings/sketches, or more pictures with various angles, but regardless, we are starting to piece the history together.  

I am so excited to see this project taking shape.  It is going to be a perfect retreat...

1947

1948 (River Room - with the windows.)  I really like this picture...

1949

Dad, taking a picture (at the cabin.)  Again - this picture is really cool.
That's MY dad. :-)

My Aunt Carol and Dad.
LOVE this one!

The White Cabin Garden!  Before the Brown Cabin was built.
I understand Frank had quite a garden going (looks that way!)

1951 - Brown Cabin...  getting started!  Aunt Carol and Dad.

Grandpa Fred (Dad's father) - This was my dad's go-cart that he left at the cabin.

Grandma Doris

Dad - at Camp ArrahWanna

Brown Cabin - being built!

Dad, with his go-cart (at cabin)