A River Runs Through It

Devin was thrilled with Remy's vision for her bathroom.  Smooth stones form a riverbed starting at each doorway, meander across the bathroom floor, into the shower, and up the walls.  Travertine was expertly cut to match up to each stone.  The soft color variations and changes in texture are really eye-catching. 

Tiling Begins

Tiling really began over a year ago when my sister, Mindy, met a creative Cuban artist named Remy.  His medium is tile/stone and he hails from Florida where he completed intricate designs in Mindy's home.  Discussions led to our arranging to "import" Remy and his assistant, Andriel, from Florida for our project.  Arriving with several "visions" for unusual designs, the conversations, layout, tweaking, and finally cutting began.  The guest bathroom in the Hamilton Cabin was the starting place.  Variegated autumn slate was cut into different widths and laid out with offset grout lines for visual interest.  A piece of flat limestone was broken in two and rustically fit together for the bench seat. 

Music and singing filled the cabin as the guys set to work.  Calls back and forth to Jerry and Steven who supplied the slate created a parade of supplies managing to find their way into the remote wilderness.  Jerry was indispensable in making the project able to continue.  As usual, there are many people to thank, many to whom we are grateful!

Cabins and Quilts

Of course cabins and quilts go together...and if you have a talented quilter in the family you are in luck!  We have the BEST quilter ever - hands down!  Grandma is working on a beautiful quilt for Devin's bed.  The pattern is called "Star in Heaven".  Devin's bed has been custom-made in the Ozarks by Stone County Ironworks so the mattress will be a convenient height to care for her. Thank you, Grandma for preparing such a loving heirloom for Devin!

I'm dreaming of a log cabin...

I think about it...dream about it...plan...decide...figure...pray...

The whole project is fascinating.  To watch Mike and his myriad of skilled people craft a magnificent piece of art from the forest floor is completely amazing to me.  When at the Glen, I love walking around the meadow to listen to the creek.  I love hiking the road above the cabins to catch a glimpse of their angles in different stages of daylight.  On the ridge, I listen to the wind and watch the sunrise.  In the woods, the birds chirp happily in the hidden beauty of this lovely place. 

It is not "going to be wonderful"...

It is wonderful NOW!

Preparation for Plaster

The interior of the main cabin will be finished in a variety of ways.  Some of the walls have interior limestone rock with the chimneys forming a portion of the wall.  There will be logs with chinking.  And selected areas will be covered with a plaster product made by American Clay.  The result will be an old world look with rustic texture, but a break from seeing logs everywhere.  This view is in the kitchen/dining area where the walls are prepped for the application of the plaster.  I love the look of the beams next to the plaster - it really shows the individual beauty of each old beam.

Got a Light?

Big news...solar system is completely operational and tied into the cabins.  The loud grind of the construction generators has been silenced.  Light fixtures are being installed in the Hamilton Cabin.  In addition, the chinking is complete in and out on the Hamilton.  Larry, the chinker, suggested blowing sand onto the surface of the fresh chinking compound.  Sure!  We appreciate suggestions by the experts.  Results are perfect;  an old rustic, textured look with the hi-tech flexibility of the expanding/contracting properties offered in the new products.

Easter Eggs

Devin and I had a surprise for the crew today.  We often bring cookies or a cake on our site visits.  By now I feel a bit guilty if I don't bake something to take for the guys to eat after their lunch break.  Since Easter is this weekend, we filled plastic eggs with candy and instructed the crew to remain outside until we said the coast was clear.  We hid eggs in the crevices of the hewn beams, in the empty electrical outlet boxes, between the stones in the fireplace, etc.  Calling them in, we said they'd likely not done this for years.  But if they wanted their after lunch treat, they would have to hunt for it.  It was hilarious - we laughed and laughed.  It was a first - first egg hunt on a job!  Look at a construction man's Easter basket - clever!