Sunday, February 19, 2012

On We Go...

Moving poles to get ready for the logs

Spray foam insulation & caulk around the bird blocks
Well, I'm pretty satisfied with everything I have gotten done on the cabin in the last couple of weeks...

I'm shooting to get the cypress logs for the house here in March, so I have been getting ready for that. The logs have not been cut yet and it's been raining a lot lately, so I'm praying it will stop raining enough for them to get in there & cut them down!! I rented a forklift to move the telephone poles around that I will use as sacrificial logs to set the cypress on to keep them off the ground. I've also been looking at the house plans, counting exactly how many logs I will need & trying to figure out what I want to rent to unload those trucks! I'll probably be getting 4 truck loads of logs.

In the meantime, I've had a couple of guys who are going to help me build the house that have come on the scene & they are now helping me finish the garage apartment so when the house logs come, we can get to peeling & get prepared to start building the house. A lot of exciting things happening here!

As far as what we have gotten done in the last couple of weeks, we got all of the bird blocks insulated with spray foam & the edges caulked.
Trimming up the bird blocks    

Then we started adding the trim. I have lots of cypress scraps stored from our original load of logs for the garage that Stewart had cut for trim, so I got them stained & Tom put them up.












We got the windows insulated with spray foam & the trim put on and stained. They are looking really good.






Drywall finished, stain glass in

The drywall is finally finished as well & is ready for the earth plaster finish we are about to apply. A HUGE thanks goes out to David & Karen Boswell, who came & spent the weekend with me finishing up the sanding & final coat of mud. One thing about building this cabin, I have met some really special people that I never would have met if I wasn't pursuing this adventure. The drywall looks great!

We also put the stained glass in the bathroom wall & are in the process of getting the mud finished around it. I think it will be a nice touch.


Close up of stain glass in bathroom wall




















Lance Boswell did a fantastic job of scribing the drywall to the Ridge pole support log. Thanks Lance!







Just a few pictures of the drywall completed. It's really starting to feel like a cabin. Won't be long now until it's finished. It's so awesome to see the end in sight!



















Check out the tile in the shower. I'm pretty stoked about this. I was thinking it was time to pick out some tile for the shower one day & as I was walking up the driveway I remembered that 4 or 5 years ago Stewart got a big thing of used travertine tile off Craig's List for free. It had been sitting in the woods on the property that whole time. I went over to check it out & I love it! I think it's going to work perfect. One of my guys Glean started setting the tiles & showed me how to do it. It's my first tile job ever! And, I have enough travertine tile sitting in the woods to do several more bathrooms.









I'm loving this tile. It has a nice rustic feel to it. I went to Lowes & got some bronze accent tiles to throw in with it.

Another huge thanks to David & Karen Boswell. David built my awesome entrance door for me out of some cypress I had cut. The door is absolutely amazing & I actually got the idea for the door off the Log Home Builders Association website.

This is me hammering nails in the door stops. I actually have 5 layers of clothes on, as the high that day was 35 degrees. We spent about 12 hours working on the door that day, hanging it, sanding it down to make it fit properly, bolting the hinges in it, then routing out holes for the lock & handle. What a job it was & man does it look amazing!! We actually didn't get it completely finished, so once it is done I will put more pictures of the final product. Very pumped about this door!






David did a fine job building that door.

Below is the door with the door stops stained. The deadbolt lock is in, but we still need to put the handle on. More pictures to come! Up next, it's finally time for Earth Clay!! I've been looking forward to this for a while. I love to play in mud. It's the final finish for the interior walls. Stay tuned...

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Passing the Torch & the Flame Continues

I've been thinking for quite some time about the name of the blog, and have known there would come a day when it would be time to change it, though I didn't know when or what it would be. 
I believe that time has now come...

As I continue forward in life, I am finding there is a process & natural rhythm to things, just as there has been a process to grief. I've learned to lay down parts of my heart that I thought were my future, but instead were for a moment & a part of history. In the unfolding of the rhythm I have gained a strength to be able to accept reality as it is. In accepting this new reality, I've learned to step back & view my life as well as the dreams Stewart & I were pursuing with a new perspective, leading me to ask questions about where to go from here.

I am reminded of one of the first few phone conversations I ever had with Stewart when we first met. We were talking about different dreams & desires we had. I told Stewart I had a desire to build a log cabin. He said, "I do too!" I said, "But I want to build it. With my own two hands. I want to hand peel the logs & everything." He said, "Oh! That would be awesome."

It is a vision God had placed in us both. A vision I believe God wants me to continue to pursue. One that did not die just because Stewart died, but instead continues to live on in me. It's interesting to me that even though Stewart & I were building the log garage that I have been working so hard to finish ever since his death, Stewart had already laid the foundation for the house; the house that hasn't been built yet. Stewart has laid the foundation for the house, just as he helped to lay a foundation in me & as he also laid the foundation for this vision to become reality. I NEVER would have started this project if it hadn't been for Stewart. He had the courage needed to start the project. And now I believe it's my turn to have the courage to finish it.

It's a journey for me through unknown territory. There are risks & many things I will learn along the way. I believe God has spoken to my spirit that this journey of building the log cabin is a picture of learning to walk with Him through the unknowns of this life, while completely trusting in His goodness & His Sovereign plan over it all. It's about learning to let God lead me through the building process, while growing my faith & trust in Him. As I am building this cabin, God is building things in me.

As I pray through the process of walking this out, I am asking God to direct the steps of my path; believing He WILL lead & guide me every step of the way.

"I will instruct you & teach you in the way that you should go, I will counsel you with my eye upon you..."
Psalm 32:8

Even though Stewart is no longer with me to see this adventure through, I will own it & continue walking it out as God leads. Stewart's spirit will forever hold a special place inside my heart, but I will always remember that he was the igniter of this flame...