And The Walls Go Up

     Steve and I decided to go up to The Drunken Bear at 2:00 p.m.  Friday afternoon, May 4th, to get a few things done before our volunteer work group of friends showed up the following day.  It had been a relatively nice day, but when I got to Steve's the sky opened up and the rain came pouring down.  Steve had a large barbecue/ smoker he wanted to take to the cabin.  By the time we got it loaded into his truck, we were drenched!  The rain continued pounding down most of the drive to Monroe and traffic was already heavy for this time of the afternoon.  This is what is called "white-knuckle" driving.

     We stopped at Lowe's in Monroe to get some needed material and then again at the Sultan Bakery for an early dinner.  This is the first time we have stopped at the Bakery for dinner.  We both ordered chicken fettuccine.  For $9.95 you got a plate full of food that neither of us could finish.  It is not a five star restaurant, but the food is good and you can not beat the price.

     By the time we got to the cabin the rain had quieted down.  We worked on the small projects needed to get done before the others arrived in the morning...installing some wiring and some supports for attaching the sheetrock in a couple of places.  When we were finished, it was still raining some, so we did not build a fire outside and instead, pulled out a card table, and played a few games of cribbage and had a couple of beers.  This was the first night we would be sleeping in the cabin since we installed the toilet.  No longer would we have to get up in the middle of the night and put on clothing and shoes to go outside to relieve ourselves...now it was just a short trip to the bathroom.  Oh, life's little pleasures!

     The next morning it was still sprinkling, so once again, we did not have our usual fire outside.  We were having coffee when Robert arrived...around 7:30 a.m.  Not too much later, Joe arrived.  After a short bit of conversation, we decided to start working.  We no sooner got started when Bob and Doug arrived.  At first it was a little awkward with six of us trying to help, but in no time at all, we kind of split off in pairs and we were all doing our own projects.  With three drills and two t-bars, we were measuring, cutting and hanging sheetrock in three different areas at one time.  It was great to see so much happening. 

     Around 1:00 p.m., we broke for lunch.  By this time it had stopped raining and we were able to go out by the river.  Most of the surrounding mountains were covered in fog and clouds, but you could still see fresh snow on the trees.  Bob and Doug provided us with some great sandwiches...either tuna or egg salad, homemade dill pickles, and chips.  It was a nice and much deserved break.  After these breaks, it always seems so hard to go back to work, but that we did.  We continued working and the place was really coming together.  Joe wanted to get back to his home for the evening, so he left around 4:00 p.m.  The rest of us continued working for about another hour or so and then called it a day.

     This was the first time we were able to have a fire.  It being Cinco de Mayo, some of us had margaritas and others had Dos Equis.  Then it was time for dinner.  Steve and I thought it would be nice to treat our volunteer crew to a nice dinner.  We got the barbecue set up that we had brought up the day before and Steve proceeded to cook New York steaks and corn on the cob.  Along with potato salad and a quinoa salad, the meal was very tasty and well deserved.  For dessert, Steve had made his now famous, strawberry-rhubarb crisp...yummy.

     We sat around the fire and once again, shared stories and conversations.  Tonight was the "Super Moon".  At first we were worried that it would be too cloudy to see, but we were not disappointed.  We did not get to see it appear on the horizon, but we did get to view it through the trees and then above the treeline.  Such a beautiful sight.  It was a relatively early evening.  Bob and Doug had brought their motorhome and retreated to that, but the rest of us spent the night in the cabin...and for the first time, we were in our own separate little rooms!

     Sunday morning we awoke to a beautiful day.  The sky was crystal clear and the sun was shining bright.  Bob and Doug had stopped by the Sultan Bakery on the way up and had picked up some donuts and Robert brought some bagels and cream cheese.  It was a relaxing morning sitting around a warm campfire.  It was the weekend of the Wenatchee Lilac Festival, so people wanted to get going before the traffic started building up on Highway 2.  All of us were packed and on the road back to Seattle by 10:30 a.m.

     It was a weekend of much work, yet fun and camaraderie with our great friends!  Steve and I are so lucky to have friends that would give up their weekend to come help us!  Thank you Robert, Joe, Bob and Doug!

This is what the cabin looked like when we began.

(Picture courtesy of Robert)

Joe holding the sheetrock while

Bob is cutting out one of the holes for an outlet.

Robert sitting on his feet while he is working...ouch...how does he do that?

Doug and Robert securing the sheetrock.

Steve figuring out the angle needed for the sheetrock on the sides

of the cabin where the walls meet the ceiling.

(Photo courtesy of Robert)

After a hard day's work, almost all of the sheetrock is completed!

The snow covered trees in the surrounding mountains.

I always have to add Gunn's Peak.

It almost looks like a black and white photo,

until you see the green leaves on the right.

Steve's barbecue - a great addition!

Bob, Robert and Doug  relaxing after a hard day's work!

Sitting around the campfire on Sunday morning, Steve noticed

a plane's contrail that made it look like the mountain was erupting.