Home at Last

Well I don't know how many are still with us as it has been over a month since we update this blog. But we have had people ask us when we were going to add more pictures. So here we go.

The first picture is obviously of the master bedroom. With all of the windows it seems like you are sleeping out in the fir trees.

The second is of about half of the gallery bookcase wall. It has some sense of organization and a comfortable feeling about it thanks to the help of Bethany. She spent a considerable amount of time deciding what should go where and how it should flow together. Thank goodness she was here to direct me or it would have been a jumbled up mess.

The next picture is of the living room from the gallery. It has a real relaxed atmosphere with all of the furniture in place. As we have said all along, the windows allow the outdoors in and it has an expansive feel about it.

We love the kitchen. It is spacious, yet very useful. We had 15 for dinner on Sunday. Peg's aunts & uncles plus Ian & Bethany. Another 4 last night. Mick & Debbie Strahle and Bob & Andy Simonson. Just the first of many fun occasions with family and friends. The whole design criteria for the house.

The idea of downsizing was a great one until you have to try and fit everything into a house that is over a thousand square feet smaller than the last one. It truly points out that we have collected too much stuff over the years. However what memory do you part with. Not a easy decision for me to cope with. So we still have too much stuff.

You will notice that there are still no pictures of the quilt studio, den or entry way. All areas that are still projects in the works. So that leaves it open for a few more posts to this blog.

Sorry Vic, I'm still working on it.

Take care everyone and let us know what you think.

Well folks it's done. Hard to believe that after all this time we actually can say it is where we live. People are asking if we are moved in yet and the answer is always a question of "how do you define moved in."

I usually tell everyone that all of the boxes are on the property. That's about it.

We started almost 3 years ago to the day. Peg's folks first filed the Measure 37 paperwork on June 6th, 2006. We spent the first might there on June 10th. How could we ever properly thank Peg's folks for their land, our son for his design, and the Amersons for their craftsmanship. You will have to see it to truly understand how much we enjoy the finished product.

We go to bed each evening with no sound. No traffic, no neighbors, and no sirens. Maybe a coyote or a grouse making a little noise but that's about it. The deer come and go pretty quietly.

For now you will have to settle for pictures of the outside. Ian took these last weekend when he and Bethany were out. They helped start filling the gallery bookcases with all of our "stuff" that we have gathered. It looks real nice and after we have sufficient boxes out of the way we will post a few more pictures of the inside.

The great room is pretty much intact now. With the kitchen complete, the dining room in pretty good shape and the family room portion all taken care of. (aka...The big screen is in place.)

We are working on the bedroom and Peg has her furniture in place in her room. That basically leaves the den and the garage which are my responsibility. So guess what??? They are not ready.

The one big issue that we are dealing with is that at this point we do not have e-mail at the house yet. So for those of you who are wondering why we aren't answering your messages, it is because we are not getting them.

So give us a couple of days and we will get more on here.

Take care, Ron & Peggy

Almost home!

Here are just a few pictures. The Amerson's are making some final adjustments today and say we can move furniture tomorrow. I can't believe we're finally here.

You can see by the picture in my sewing room that we made a couple trips last night with cupboard stuff. There are also clothes hanging in our closet.

The chairs are located off the east end of the house near our bedroom. A nice quiet place for morning coffee or away from the sun for an evening glass of wine.

Thanks for looking. Will post more as the moving process gets underway.

There's lots of activity at the house and it's coming to a close. We'd hoped to move in on June 5th but it looks like we'll have to wait a few days. The contractor could use a little more time and as of yesterday there isn't enough rock on the road to please the fire department to please the county to get an occupancy permit. The floors are getting their final coat today and will be drying through Thursday so no rock can be delivered during that time so not to create too much dust. So hopefully within the next week.

We have baseboards in the house and the last of the doors will be hung today. With the help of my Dad we have been working on the outside moving rocks and dirt around and planting shrubs and plants.

It's time to put the champagne in the frig. Thanks for looking.

We're almost there!

We're getting very close to having a completed house. I downloaded the pictures hoping to have the last one at the top so you could see the entry pathway. They've created a nice winding pathway with the concrete to be poured tomorrow.

Back to the top is the guest room which faces west. We put a fan in there to help with the heat that room receives from the setting sun. That room is done...can't wait to have guests!

The next picture is of the outdoor shower. The contractor suggested some tile on the side of the house instead of soapy water on the siding. Can't wait for a nice summer morning shower outside.

We spent Sunday and Monday of the holiday weekend landscaping with the help of my Dad and an abundance of rock that we have. We have some nice planting areas and you can see near the front door some decorate landscaping rocks.

We have a tentative move in date of June 5th. We are very excited!! Thanks for looking.

More Pictures

Ok, I found Peg's latest pictures so I'll be real short. I hope.

First of all a picture of the Gelbrich family taken this last Sunday morning. First time to have everyone together in a very long time. We have such an amazing family. Kids and grandkids to be so very proud of.

The fireplace has turned out fantastic. The tile that we put around it was a huge splurge, but it so sets the theme of the house in relationship to the fir trees that surround it. We highly suggest not going into Pratt & Larson in Portland unless you have just robbed a bank, but they have the most beautiful hand made tile in every imaginable motif.

The copper sink turned out nice and with the view it should make doing the dishes a little easier.

The last shot is of the master bath sinks with more of Kurt's work.

That's enough for today. Take care and be careful this weekend. Ron & Peg

Getting Closer

It's been awhile since we have taken the time to update the blog. There is so much going on up at the house that it is hard to get a chance to take any pictures without everything in the way. So here are a few quick ones and then I will try to get some taken this weekend.

Peg's Dad was the very first person to start on this project and continues to support us whenever asked. Here he is cutting us a toe for the start of the first rock wall. (Have we mentioned we have a little rock stacked arround?) With the grading left to go, no doubt he will also be the last person on the job.

The second picture of the master shower shows more of Kurt's work. We are very impessed with his craftsmanship. Thanks to his knowledge each of the tile issues has been dealt with quickly and everything looks great. Wait 'til we get a chance to show you the trees around the fireplace.

The last picture is of the first coat of finish on the floors from the den. It has really made the floors "pop" with color. A-1 Hardwoods out of Newberg have been the sub on this part of the house and to what extent I know anything about it, they have done a very good job.

Things are coming together very quickly now. The electrician is hanging lights, Kurt is finishing the tile, we have one more pass with the plumber, and Ron & Eric are working on everything from siding to trim. They are trying to get us in by the end of the month. We are so ready to move in.

Peg's in Eugene teaching. Let us know what you think and have a great Memorial Day Weekend and thank a Vet for making sure we have holidays. Ron & Peg