Stairs are in! Floor is on its way...

And, here we go...
It's been a while since I posted a blog entry, so this one is heavy laden with pictures. I hope you enjoy!

A few weeks after Stewart was killed, my dad & I went out and painted the windows. It was actually my first time out since that day. I realized then that this cabin is more a piece of my heart than I realized. I feel such a peace out there, a quiet peace that is reviving & healing....

A special story I would like to share with you... 2 days before Stewart passed, we were out there together having a great day putting those windows in. It's amazing to me how fragile life really is, & how we just never know what tomorrow holds. My perspective on life & what I really need to value has shifted so dramatically; but what a blessing that is...
Just like any day, we were cutting up, flirting with eachother, laughing, sharing life, as we were putting the windows in the cabin. We were also tossing back & forth which color we wanted to paint the windows, a maple red or an olive green.
When we left that day, we were in Stewart's truck driving away. All of a sudden, Stewart quickly stopped the truck, & said, "I just have to see that cabin one more time..." He put the truck in park, & got out & turned around to stand & stare at the beautiful cabin we had created. I got out as well & walked over to Stewart, putting my arm around him as together we stared at our creation. I made the comment that I was leaning towards maple red for the windows. He said as well, "yeah, I'm definately leaning towards the red..." It was a sweet moment...

Even sweeter, is thinking back to that & the fact that something in him told him to get out & look at the beautiful cabin he had created. We didn't know it would be the last time he would ever see it... At least on this side...

That's why I went with red windows. Because of that last conversation we had about it, I knew Stewart was leaning towards the red...
I have been so blessed to have some awesome guys that have been willing to come out & help me along on the garage & get it finished. I'm so thankful for them!! Will (LHBA member), brought out some friends, & they did a fantastic job putting the stairs together. Thanks guys!
Once the stairs were built, my friends John & Kennon came out & helped me put the stairs into place. Those stairs are heavy, as you can imagine! We used a chain hoist & hooked the stairs up using straps, then hoisted the stairs into place. It took 4 hours!
We used left over cypress logs for the stairs, & I had some fir cut for the risers. I'm pretty happy with they way they've turned out.

Will had some left over wooden pegs from the timber frame home he built, so we used them on the stairs.

John & Kennon have been so awesome to come out & help me to finish this garage. Thanks guys!! We have been working to get the floors finished. Almost there as you can see. Just a little bit more.

Charles, cutting some tongue & groove flooring to pass up. Below is the underside of the flooring. We also got the first portion of electrical done, getting ready for the garage doors to be put in.

Another picture of the open living space flooring almost complete. Below, a picture looking down the stairwell.

We also got the loft floor almost finished. Below is a few pictures of the loft, flooring, & just the architecture. I'm loving the colors.
What a cool ceiling!! The acoustics in here are great!

View from the loft. It's pretty cozy up there. Check out the job John did cutting the T&G around that ridge pole support log (RPSL).

Next up, we'll get the framing finished, then we'll be ready to finish the electrical & put some doors on this thing. Stay tuned!