Outdoor kitchen and dining area...part 3

Wow, things have come a long way.  The siding is going up and it's really starting to look like something.  It's a concrete based product that comes in panels and looks like a stacked stone.  It's a pretty easy system to put up but cutting it is another matter...because it's a concrete product.  Lots of dust involved in cutting...and blades.

Timm and Chris have been kicking butt and getting quite a bit done on the weekends.  I am so proud of them.

Look, this wall is almost done.

Stay tuned for more updates soon. 

A new outdoor kitchen and dining area...part 2

The kitchen area will be great when it's done.  The cooking area is up against the building.  We put a pass thru there to make food transfer easy.  It will hold a grill, camp stove and smoker.

Under the grill there is room to hold charcoal bins...looks like room for three of them.  That way wood chips can be stored for the smoker as well.

The prep/sink counter is 15 feet long.  I just think you can't have too much room to work on, besides there really isn't lots of counter space on the cooking counter to work on anyway.

Lots of cutting and measuring in this area so it took a lot longer to complete than I expected.  Still not sure what the counters will be...we keep talking about concrete counters or tile...not sure yet. 

Thanks to all the guys that have helped work on this porject so far.  It would be difficult to get it this far without the extra help. 

Stay tuned.

A new outdoor kitchen and dining area...part 1

What was once (many years ago) supposed to be a workshop is now becoming a dining area and an expansion to include an outdoor kitchen.  We poured some new concrete, track was laid to start some walls.

Metal studs have gone up to form walls and it really started to look like something.  We got all the studs up in one weekend. 

Watch to see what happens next.

Cassy has a great time on the mountain

We took my ATV up to Cedar City for some service.  Now I know we could have it done here in Vegas but it seems I can't even get parts here without it being a hassle, besides the folks at All Seasons treat us like family.  Any excuse to get up there is a treat for me, I just love it up there.  We headed up the mountain to hopefully see the changing colors.  We missed the spectaular event by about 2 weeks.  They've had lots of wind so most of the aspen trees were bare. The bottom half of the canyon had some awesome color, the yellows were really intense, along with rusts, reds, and deep maroons against the green pine and juniper was a sight to see. 

We ventured over through Cedar Breaks which is always an awesome sight, but it's elevation is just too high for lots of color this time of year.  Did still get some amazing views of valley though.  We made our way back over and headed to Duck Creek for lunch.  Cassy found a new friend, Jordan, an english lab about a year old outside our lunch stop.  It's amazing how many traits are the same in labs. 

After lunch we stopped at Aspen Mirror Lake so Cassy could play.  Getting out to explore is her thing for sure.  As if she wasnt excited enough, once she saw water it was game on.  She loves to swim and retrieve.  Oh, and roll around like a lunatic afterwards.  She had an awesome day.

DAT Anniversary

Last Saturday we headed out to the outskirts of Tecopa for the club's anniversary party.  We didn't take the ATV's, mine has a torn boot but we did bring out the BBQ, barrels, and a canopy for shade.  The weather couldn't have been any better...unlike last year when Timm was in charge of the event (40+ mile an hour winds at the dunes...horrible).  The morning offered a poker run for those on ATVs, the rest of us played some games in camp.  Timm and I won the egg toss.  Cassy did a great job cleaning up after those who lost.  Timm and Alan cooked lunch while I assisted, Keith relieved them so they could eat.  They were some yummy hamburgers and hot dogs...everything tasted better cooked outside, why is that.  The ATV rodeo was a real hoot!  More people participated than signed up when they saw how fun it was.  I think the sled pull was the best.  Bob and Dave won that in something like 27 seconds...maniacs those two are.  You know how Cassy loves to ride the ATV.  Even though we didn't have ours she still got to go for a ride.  Thanks Keith for the use of your Rhino, Cassy enjoyed it. 

She loves her Daddy.

Okay, it's not really an adventure, but these two really love each other.  Cassy was laying on her back on Dad's pillow but I missed that shot...dang the delay in my camera.

She did have a busy weekend with Dad though.  Cassy went to park, found a new dog to play with (a poodle with a blue mohawk), shopped at Lowes, attended the Dunes and Trails booth at the Trails Day event in Henderson, had her picture taken on the ATV, and more. What a busy Saturday that was.

Riding the Ghost Train

Over the Labor Day weekend we rode the Ghost Train on Ely, NV. We both love trains, they take you back to a simpler time and a much slower pace. I love the sound of the train on the tracks. We took the steam engine to the west, out towards Ruth and the copper mine. It is a 45 minute trip one way so it's a good deal for the price. All our years here in Nevada and this was my first time to ride this train...Timm rode it just a week or so before me on the Martin Man Reunion. (I know what you're asking...where's the post for that adventure? Haven't seen any pictures from that trip yet, when I do there will be a post.)

This route passes thru two tunnels. "Look down and away from the engine." the guide says. The steam and soot have to go somewhere you know.