A new approach

Just back from a beautiful week at the cabin. Everyday was sunny and in the eighties. It was the best weather we've had up there in a long time. We did lot's of fireworks, fishing, swimming, paddle boating, etc. Julissa even caught a turtle. Unfortunately the new fuel pump on the boat motor appears to be a lemon. The boat is back at the marine getting fixed. If you are interested in playtime photos click on the photo below:

July 2011

Cheryl's mom joined us and brought her new puppy with her too. And for the first time in years, we brought our cat up. So we had 3 adults, 3 kids, 3 dogs, and a cat.

With all the good weather, we decided to take a new approach. Work a little, play a lot. Now that we have the kitchen all working, I can see that this new approach may become the norm.

We did manage to get a little work done however. We completed the sheet rock in the first of three bedrooms. Two more small rooms to go and all the sheet rock will be up.

From 2011 Cabin Work

From 2011 Cabin Work

From 2011 Cabin Work

From 2011 Cabin Work

From 2011 Cabin Work

In addition to the sheet rock I managed to install a new toilet (with a insulated tank) that won't sweat all over the floor from the cold well water. We also did some cleaning and organizing of the stuff in the garage. All in all a great week.

For the first time in history...

we have a fully functional kitchen! I am happy to announce that we now have counter tops and the sink installed an working. We were up again last weekend and of course, it rained most of the time we were there. Seems to be par for the course this year. The good news it that installing the counter tops and sink (with the exception of the drain) was an inside job. The mosquitoes were thick, so staying inside was not a bad thing.

My parents came up to spend some time with us too. On Sunday it did stop raining, so we did manage to get some time outside. My Dad helped me get the kitchen drain hooked up to the main septic line.

I am also glad to report we got our boat back from the shop and the engine is working great. Just needed a new fuel pump.

Here is how things are looking now.

From 2011 Cabin Work

From 2011 Cabin Work

From 2011 Cabin Work

From 2011 Cabin Work

From 2011 Cabin Work

Back to work

It's mid May, and we finally made our first trek up to the cabin. I am happy to report that the cabin, the garage, and the property survived the long harsh winter. No break-in's, no tree's laying on the roof, no mice nesting inside.

It was raining when we arrived, so my plans for yard work got delayed for a couple of days. We brought up a couple of old recliner chairs and also the electric stove that we bought last fall. After getting situated we got to work on the kitchen. The base cabinets finally got installed and the remainder of the kitchen cabinets did too. We then mounted the microwave in it's location above the stove and moved the stove into place.

From 2011 Cabin Work

From 2011 Cabin Work

From 2011 Cabin Work

From 2011 Cabin Work

For the first time ever we were able to cook and eat in the cabin, which was very nice since it was raining and in the 40's most of the weekend. I can not wait to get the sink and countertops installed. It feels like these years of work are starting to pay off.

End of year 2010

It's been a strange fall this year. September came in with temps way below normal while October has been fabulous with temps in the 70s and 80s. I have made 3 trips up to the lake since my last post.

My Dad joined me for a weekend run up over Sept. 18th and 19th. It was a chilly weekend, but the insulation in the cabin keep us plenty warm with just a couple of space heaters. We took a load of laminate flooring with us in anticipation of getting the "great room" floored yet this fall. I was also able to complete the remainder of my electrical work in prep for the final electrical inspection. We also took the boat out and got things ready for winter.

Friday, Sept. 24th I went back up again with my good friend Pete. Pete had volunteered to help me install the flooring because he had installed several floors in the past. The flooring went down great. It took a while getting started due to the "non-squareness" of the room, but once we got the first few rows down, it was smooth sailing. It looks better than I imagined it would.

From 2010 Work

From 2010 Work

From 2010 Work

From 2010 Work

We were not able to finish the entire floor as you can see below because I still have a cabinet to get to complete the base cabinets in the kitchen. I also discovered a little water leaking in around the front door, so I want to make sure it's fixed before covering that area with flooring.

From 2010 Work

After we finished with the flooring we moved in the refrigerator from the garage. We also moved in our kitchen table, some chairs, and dishes too. No more eating in the garage from here on out. As soon as spring rolls around, we can finish up the cabinets and counter top.

I went up again on Sunday, Oct. 10. The electrical inspector came out the next morning and did the final inspection. It's nice to have all of the electrical work completed. I closed up the cabin for the season. Usually this makes me a little sad, but it's been a productive year, and frankly I am ready for a break.

Next year I would like to finish up the kitchen first thing in the spring. A functional kitchen will be huge. My only other real goal for next year is to get a new roof on the place. Who knows, maybe next year we'll spend more time enjoying the place, than working on the place.

Starting to look like a kitchen

Once again, it's taken me way to long to get this post out. It seems like every night has been full lately. I finally found a little time during this Vikings/Saints game.

It's been about a week and a half since we got back from our last big family trip up for the year. We were up for a long weekend from Aug 27-30. Of course, this week school started, so time up from here on out will be very limited. I still have several things I would like to finish up this year, but only time will tell.

We hauled up all the kitchen cabinets we had been storing in our garage for the last two years. It's very nice to get those out of there. Of course, I just bought a stove and microwave off of craig's list so now those are sitting in our garage. Maybe I can still get those taken up there yet this year.

During our time up, we managed to get 2 coats of primer on the walls and ceiling in the "great room".

After painting it looked like this:

From 2010 Work

From 2010 Work

We also started hanging the wall cabinets and placing the base cabinets. I also got all the outlets, switches, and lights hooked up.

From 2010 Work

From 2010 Work

From 2010 Work

Like I said earlier, I have several more things I would like to complete yet this year. We are really hoping to have a fully functioning kitchen before next summer. If we can make a few more weekend trips up this year and then hit it hard next spring, I think our goal will be met.

Ready for paint

Sorry it took so long for me to update the blog. It's been a very busy summer. Anyway, we have been up to the lake a couple of times since my last post. We've had a couple of pines come down this summer, so we ended up devoting a decent amount of time to cutting up the trees. Fortunately the trees did not hit anything when they fell.

The majority of our effort inside has been the mudding, taping, and sanding in the "great room". The room is now ready for painting.

From 2010 Work

From 2010 Work

From 2010 Work

We also started sheet-rocking one of the bedrooms.

From 2010 Work

Both the boys tried water skiing for the first time. Zachary got up the first time and was a natural.

From 2010 Work

Next time we head up, we are taking paint and kitchen cabinets. It will be very nice to get those cabinets out of our garage. They've been there two years now.

It's taking shape

Got back last night from our annual week long trip over the 4th. It was a great week. Warm weather and tons of sun. We did a lot of playing in the lake. The boys are really having fun tubing this year. We also took a day trip over to the Park Rapids area to visit some friends on Long Lake.

We did manage to accomplish some things during this time as well. I am happy to say that the entire "great room" is now sheet rocked as well as the closet and most of the hallway.

From 2010 Work

From 2010 Work

From 2010 Work

More photos at:

2010 Work

I am beginning to feel the kitchen is within reach. I think the next trip we will try to get the sheet rock in the hallway finished and then get the taping and mudding complete.