December

We had a nice Thanksgiving at the cabin with my mother visiting us.  Finally got some artwork on the walls.  The Christmas Tree Harvest is a lithograph by Lenore Dupree, an artist in West Jefferson (http://lenoredepree.com/), the fall Christmas Tree farm is by Virgina Wright-Frierson an artist from Wilmington (http://vmw-f.com/), the bear print was a personalized print given to us by David and Jeanette Hagwood.  The quilt from the Bob Timberlake collection had hung on the wall in our first house.  It was packed away and I decided the cabin was the perfect new home for it.  I think it looks pretty good hanging from the upstairs landing.

The fireplace has been a MAJOR project.  We had the gas log insert replaced with a sealed unit.  It required an outside exhaust so a vent cap was added to the chimney.  The new insert was a little smaller than the old so we had to rework the stone surround.  After two days of work, our marriage was still intact.  As you can see, not bad for two amateurs!  

This has been a weekend to just relax.  The morning sunrise reflecting on the mountains and sky in the west was just beautiful this morning.

We're looking forward to getting back in January for almost a full week and hopefully we'll see some snow.

Live View

Tom set up a web cam this weekend.  Sorry some of the detail is lost through the screen, but you can still see that today is a really pretty day.

http://184.0.15.35:1025/
Click on "View Video" to see the live view.

Birthday Dinner

Tom took me to dinner at J&J Chophouse in Jefferson.  The food was delicious.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/JJ-Chophouse/220184997997863?sk=app_117784394919914

Frosty Morning

Woke up to 27 degrees F and frost on Tom's truck.  B-r-r-r-r

Tom spent a large part of yesterday stripping and refinishing the front and back doors.  The wood was very weathered and needed protected.  I chose the stain color and Tom did the work :)

I spent most of the day yesterday in the kitchen cleaning out and organizing cabinets and drawers.  It was fun to unpack items I had purchased for the past several years and finally get to use them in our cabin.  I was excited to unpack the mugs we'd bought in Seagrove and the bear pillow from the NC Museum of Natural Science. 

When Tom finishes installing a new phone line for the fax, we'll go in to West Jefferson for the rest of the day.  I want to visit the Farmer's Market and a used bookstore downtown - maybe grab some lunch.

Sunday Morning

What a beautiful morning!  The sun is shining, reflecting off the orange and yellow leaves and the sky is a clear blue.  A little too cool to sit on the front porch, but the view from the dining room table is just as amazing.  As I read my Bible and the Fingerprints of God study group lesson for today, the words of the Psalmist come to mind, "When I consider your heaven and the work of your fingers,... what is man that you are mindful of him?"  The beauty surrounding our little cabin is just a small touch of what God created for us and he says that we are are ruler over it all... stewards to care for it and value it.  Tom and I are very thankful for the blessing God has given us and for the gift of this special place.

Getting Setted In

Tom watched the sunrise as he put together his desk and set up the HP Printer/Fax.  Yes, the man is planning to work at the cabin.  And no, he never sleeps!

Another visit to Wal-Mart in West Jefferson  - I'm becoming quite familiar with that place.
We also made another visit to Lowes for tools and supplies.
At the West Jefferson Farmer's Market we found some beautiful hand-forged hooks which were perfect for hanging our coats.

The Ashe County Convenience Center was quite busy this morning.  Unfortunately, it's not very close to us so we'll have to learn to not create so much trash.  We recycled a lot of cardboard and carried off several bags of garbage the previous owners left.

The Calloway Cabin is beginning to feel like home.

Closing Day

After 6 long years, we have finally realized our dream of owning a mountain cabin.  Today was closing day!  Welcome to our cabin at Calloway Forest.  Ashe County welcomed us with the fall leaves at their peak and a clear, beautiful day.  We look forward to weekend escapes to just relax and explore Ashe County.