The Babbling Brooks

Trusses together...now we wait

for the fork lift. Yesterday we lifted the six truss pieces over to the hangar pad and stood the two door header pieces up in place. The trusses and header are now bolted together and the fork lift man is scheduled for Tuesday morning.

John took the train from Whitefish to Seattle last night and is planning to bring the Champ over on Sunday (which happens to be his birthday :).  So I am here in Eureka doing my own thing for a couple of days. We've left Monday open just in case John needs an extra day to get the airplane here due to weather or some other unforeseen circumstance. The forecast is for clear skies through the week, so we figured now was the time to do this.  If he is here on Monday, we'll go to the airport and organize the lumber for the next step. We'll put the lumber up on the side walls which will help stabilze the whole structure after the trusses have been lifted and bolted into place.  Then we'll start on the back wall. So far everything has gone well with no major problems. Keeping our fingers crossed that Murphy's Law does not kick in here!

I Never Thought I'd Be A Heavy Equipment Operator...

  but here I am…I was duly chosen to drive and operate the man-lift as the weight of the man in this operation plus the weight of a piece of steel would exceed the lift capacity of the man-lift. It was the best job to have anyway, way less manual labor than setting and bolting the hangar columns. We accomplished a lot this first day. The six side columns are standing tall and waiting for the roof trusses. John estimated each column to weigh about 300 pounds. I could lift one end, but there was no way I was carrying my end across the taxiway to the pad and standing it up on end to be bolted. We are fortunate that the hangar building operation just outside the airport gate is renting the man-lift and using it only on the weekends. They said we are welcome to use it and so we are and saving ourselves big $$$ in the process by not having to rent the equipment ourselves and pay the transportation fees in getting it to Eureka. Our thanks go to Roy, local pilot and hangar neighbor, who assisted us today.  He was hanging out in his hangar when we arrived this morning. He ended up staying all day and helped with setting the columns and straightening and tightening the bolts. His assistance saved us some time today! The lumber was delivered today right on schedule. Tomorrow we plan to put the three roof trusses together. We have decided to assemble them on the ground and then hire either a fork lift guy or the crane operator we had before to lift them into place to be bolted. The manual shows a method of doing it with scaffolding to hold them in place, but it sounds kind of risky and time consuming. And so the first day of actual construction went well…no injuries J, no testiness J, and we accomplished what we’d planned J.

We're Home :)

When we were looking for property in Montana in 1997 we first looked in the Bitteroot Valley and decided that wasn't it. We drove north to Kalispell. We liked the area so much better and noticed Eureka on the map. There was not time that trip to come this far north, so we headed home and got on the internet. It was there that we first saw pictures of the area and Gateway Village. About six weeks later we came to the Tobacco Valley. As we rounded the curve at Rexford and caught our first glimpse of the valley I knew this was home. We chose our property and came home to think about it and be sure. We’ve never looked back or regretted it for a moment. Each time we’ve come to the Tobacco Valley that same feeling of home has washed over me. John says it’s been the same for him. But…coming this time was different. It happened sooner. As I drove by Kootenai Falls on Highway 2 and was about to enter Libby and make the turn for Eureka I knew then that I was finally home.   It was a beautiful and peaceful drive along Lake Koocanusa and into Eureka. After nine long years of wanting to be here and feeling like Bonney Lake was the means to make it happen, we are here and it feels good!

I stopped in Libby at the grocery store for some chicken for lunch and couldn’t help but smile at what I saw in the bakery…trout and moose cookies…welcome to Montana!

The first order of business in town was to secure storage for the overflow goods we hauled from home.  By the time I got here, John was already hard at work building shelves in our unit. We are staying in the RV park behind the Silverado Motel and Casino, twice as pricey as the other one, but twice as nice and with a much better shower J  Our first day ended perfectly with a gorgeous sunset that turned the clouds over the valley a neon pink.

We checked out the concrete pour at the airport.  The finish looks great. There are a few bolts that look a little wonky due to the wet weather we had, but John thinks they won’t be a problem as there is some tolerance built into the structural pieces and they can be hammered a little . There is one slight problem…the contractor forgot to put the two bolts in for the service door. It is on the plans and we know he knew about it because he and John specifically talked about whether to leave it where it was. Just an oversight on his part and we are waiting for him to call us back. We still have 60% of his payment, so we aren’t worried about it being rectified. We made a trip into Kalispell and Whitefish today and got the rest of the tools and items needed for the build. The lumber is being delivered tomorrow morning and then we can get at it. John is working on getting use of the man-lift that’s being used over at the huge hangar being built just outside the airport gate. He had planned on taking the train from Whitefish on Sunday night and bringing the airplane over next Tuesday.  Looks like the weather may not cooperate for that, so he has changed his reservation to Friday night and will, hopefully, return in the Champ on Sunday.

We have a big day tomorrow. I’m going to finish my Kahlua and cream and go to bed. I have no internet service here, but hope to get to town to post in the next couple of days. ‘Night all!

Going HOME!

A quick update on our progress...the packing has been completed and we are moved out of our house at last.  We hired movers to move the piano. We watched carefully and took a good look at the dolly they had so we can do it ourself next time. The storage unit in Tacoma is stuffed completely full, but all the things that need to be climate controlled (piano, artwork, photos, scrap supplies :) are in there.  The bed and mattress were the last things to go in the little space John saved. We were successful on Craig's List this week in selling off several items of furniture! Still, we ran out of room and are hauling an 8 foot trailer behind the pick-up that is full of boxes...mostly things that we'll be using when we rent a house in Eureka next spring. The back of the truck is full of the things we need to build the hangar.  My Beetle is packed full of clothes, computer stuff, my new violin(yes, I bought my own!), and more. Sunday night our neighbors invited us to a BBQ rib dinner at the Puyallup Eagles.  It was yummy and a much needed break.  Thanks, Bob and Lillian! We didn't get packed and out of town until almost 4:30 pm. As we left the neighborhood and tried to get on 214th Ave East, it took John a full 10 minutes to get a break in traffic so he could pull out with the truck and trailer. He says it was his last insult from Bonney Lake :) We spent the night at the Best Western in Liberty Lake.  John left earlier this morning for Eureka, so he can get there and find a storage unit. I'll meet him there and if we have time we'll go to Whitefish tonight for some more tools he needs.  Otherwise, we'll do it in the morning and get started on that hangar in the afternoon.

It feels great to be out of the house and leave the traffic, noise, pollution, and politics of Puget Sound behind! Catch ya all later!

Happy Birthday, Jim Bob!

Yesterday (while I was off line) would have been the birthday of my friend, "Jim Bob". He died in June.  Jim was one of my air traffic instructors and we became good friends.  I missed him and our daily conversations on life, kids, spirituality, etc. after he retired a few years ago.  He was one of the people I wanted by my side for help when the skies were crowded cause I knew I could depend on him to do what I needed without direction and we could work as a team and make a plan come together without a hitch.  It was several years before I knew his real name was Gary James.  He went by Jim only at work. He started that when he first went to work at Oakland Center, so if someone called and asked for Jim he knew it was work (this was before the days of Caller ID).  Love ya, Jim Bob!

Still packing and making arrangements...

I'd hope to get most of the packing done today, including a good start on my closet. But I spent half the day on the phone trying to change my internet plan, canceling services, and making address changes so bills will go to our PO box. The internet change was the worst.  Adam (who, of course, was in India) didn't have a clue what it was I wanted to do. He connected me to Alan (who at least spoke English with no accent and whom I could understand) who became very confused when I told him I wanted to change from an Earthlink Cable account to an Earthlink Experience account.  I had to actually read word for word what I was reading on the web site and tell him how to get there. I think we finally got it straightened out.  The change should be transparent to us. We should be able to connect with any high speed access or dial-up and use our Earthlink account exactly like we have been and keep all our addresses.  All this for only $9.95 per month. When we finally get to Eureka and get hooked up to Interbel, DSL we can still keep this Earthlink plan and not have to change our addresses to Interbel. After that I called Comcast and the garbage company to cancel and then the local water company to change my billing address.  This woman almost insisted there must be a closing date when new people are coming in. It was like she'd never heard of anyone moving out of their house and wanting the bill sent somewhere else.  Fortunately, they'd added online bill pay just last billing cycle so I can do that anyway and save having to ask my sister to forward a payment for me. I tried the power company and didn't get an answer. Not sure what that means :) So I'm hoping to finish up most of the packing tomorrow.  On Sunday I need to go to the Ghiradelli store and stock up on Dark Chocolate Truffle powder for my espresso machine! It's a long way from Montana if I run out and don't have an address for them to ship to! This is what we're down to...here is John relaxing in our comfortable home....a folding chair, a lamp on the floor beside him...watching a tiny, old, about to die TV sitting on an old end table I got from my ex-mil's garage in the 80's. Such is life when you are about to be homeless :)

Signing off for a few days. We have to take our cable modem in to Comcast tomorrow as they are closed on Sunday and we are leaving Monday morning. Not sure when I'll get back on as we'll be busy getting that hangar together instead of hanging around downtown using the wireless system or going to the library. Take care!

We've been poured!

The concrete has happened at long last.  John called last night and talked to John C's (the concrete man) wife.  She said John C had gone to check on a job at the airport to make sure it was covered cause the rain was coming down. Bingo!  Had to be ours and it was. John C says it "did not go as well " as he'd hoped cause of all the rain.  He thinks there are a couple of bolts that may be slightly off, but he told John how to tap them to get them into position for the steel pillars. We are going to wait a whole week for it to cure after this rain and cool weather. The plan is to finish the packing and storing and leave for Montana on Monday, probably arriving Monday night.  That'll give us Tuesday to do any odd errands and rest up for what is sure to be more work than we are expecting :) We are relieved that we can get started and hopefully be done in time to sneak in that visit to Legend and Shayla on our way to LAX for our flight to Hawaii on November 1.

We have stored or sold all our furniture except the bed, the nightstands holding the lamps, and the love seat.  The big TV went out the door to buyers from Craigslist last night and most of the other stuff has been sold, too. I am still sitting here at the desk and looking at the file/shelf units and no one has e-mailed or called on those, so we'll have to decided what to do with them. John painted the living room and dining room today.  Taking the furniture out meant you could see every boo-boo on the walls and it wasn't good.  Our agent tried to talk me into a beige.  Are you kidding? There's not a beige thing anywhere in my house.  It would have been so out of place.  So, it's still blue, but very pale.  I think I like it, I'll have to wait and see in the daylight tomorrow.

I Left My Head

I left my head
somewhere
today,
Put it down for
just
a minute.
Under the
table?
On a chair?
Wish I were
able
to say
where.
Everything I need
is
in it.

Lillian Moore, poet/author

And so goes my day :)

Craig's List and Packing

Those are my missions this week. I spent all morning taking photos and doing listings on Craig's List hoping to sell some of the items we don't want to move and don't need any more.  So far I've scored 2 sales (including the computer cabinet we've tried to sell a couple of times before in other venues!), and have nibbles on 3 more (including the big TV that John wants to replace, hope the guy that e-mailed on that one calls me!). The lady that bought the computer cabinet was so excited. It was the first time she'd ever looked at Craig's List and was looking for something else when she spotted my ad. It was a bonus that they live just down the road. Today I concentrated on getting the rest of my Longaberger baskets packed. Maybe it is a sign that I've gone overboard when the cabinet buyer comes in and sees all my baskets that are being packed and comments that I must be a basket consultant.  I didn't have the heart to tell her that at least half of them are already in storage :) I also got almost all the little fragile knick-knack, sentimental things bubble-wrapped and packed.  I think those are the hardest things to pack up cause they are all shapes and sizes.  I was able to tuck most of it inside my baskets for protection before they went in the boxes.  Tomorrow I'll be calling a piano mover and hoping they can move it for us in the next couple of days. John called on his way home from taking a truck load of furniture to storage to say he'd stop and bring me a Starbucks mocha.  I was looking forward to that, but the cabinet buyers came and I quickly realized that the husband, wife, and myself were not going to be able to get that thing loaded into their truck by ourselves (even using the hand truck, that thing was solid wood and HEAVY!)  So I called John and he came straight home.  We went for Chinese food at the Hunan Garden instead and had our favorite Sizzling Rice Soup!  Maybe if I work just as hard tomorrow I'll earn that mocha then :)

"Home" Again...

We are back in Bonney Lake which no longer feels like home.  Our house is a house, not our home...no pictures of grandkids allowed, art work in storage, very little furniture, sunny yellow walls just a memory. Tomorrow we begin completing the transformation by emptying the house and vacating the premises at the end of the week.  We are getting back and forth from here to Montana faster each time...not sure how that happens.  They haven't shrunk the mileage:)  We left the travel trailer sitting on our property crammed with the tools we'll need to construct the hangar and most of our clothes, etc.  We are hoping that the weather will improve to the point that on Friday John can fly the airplane over to Eureka.  I will drive the truck with the Beetle in tow.  That would mean we would have the trailer, truck, and airplane all permanently placed in Montana and those hurdles done with!  The trailer and airplane will live in the hangar for the winter, the truck we'll leave in Eureka or Whitefish and it'll be there for us when we move to Whitefish in January. We should be able to put the motorcycle into a moving truck with the furniture and belongings when the time comes.  We are hoping to get the hangar done and then leave directly for St. George for a visit with Legend and Shayla and then LAX for our trip to Hawaii on November 1st, no more returns to Bonney Lake till January.  But we'll stay flexible and see what happens!

Snow, Delay, Change of Plan, & a Risky Haircut!!

Hangar construction started Tuesday.  As we were driving to Eureka, they were excavating at the airport.  The forms and rebar were laid by the end of Wednesday and the concrete pour was scheduled for today.  But wait....... Snow!!!??? This is not normal for this time of year in the Tobacco Valley. When we woke yesterday it was very cold.  The mountains were shrouded in clouds and by afternoon it started to rain. When the clouds cleared we looked to the mountains and there it was...dusting the tops.  Our contractor said he may need to delay the pour until Monday as it was supposed to rain hard today.  When we got up, it wasn't bad in the valley, but there were nasty storm clouds out to the west.  As it turned out, it probably would have been okay to pour, but it was rescheduled to Monday.  We took the opportunity to drive to Libby to consult with a fabricator about building the hangar door frame, then on to Whitefish where we are having dinner with Dorothy and her family (except, I think I just heard the chicken pot pie hit the floor upstairs, no kidding!).  We had decided that when we returned to Bonney Lake we would move completely out of our house as we don't want to depend on someone else doing it if it sells while we are in Hawaii in November and December.  So...instead of a week of waiting and watching concrete cure, we are headed home tomorrow to pack everything up and move it to storage.  We'll be back to Montana in a week or so :)

Here I am with my new scooter (maybe, Brad may still decide he wants it in which case I'll sell it to him).  I did some practicing at the airport in anticipation of getting out on the highway.

I really needed my haircut!  I finally bit the bullet and made an appointment with an unknown stylist at an unknown salon with no recommendation from anyone.  I decided on just a trim rationalizing that no one could screw it up too bad.  I was pleased with the job and the shop!  Whew!

Just a few photos to share from our walk after the clouds cleared from the valley (Rocky Mountains at our back, looking west).  Blogging off......till we are back in Washington!

Eureka!...again...

We have arrived again in Eureka after an uneventful trip.  Our first night was spent at Wanapum State Park on the Columbia River in Vantage, Washington.  We didn’t relish making the trip here in one day as it takes longer in the truck with the trailer.  Seventy-five miles an hour just isn’t good in that configuration, especially loaded up with power tools, hand tools, miscellaneous gear, a generator, and a scooter.  We decided to stay at the Blue Mountains RV Park north of town where we had stayed before.  It is just five minutes from the airport which will be handy when we start to build.  We found a water pressure problem in the park bathrooms and reported it this morning.  They said they had it hooked up to a new well so are going to check it out.  Hope it is resolved before I want another shower!

This morning we went to the airport to see the excavation that had been done yesterday.  We found that the tarp we’d covered the building with had come off when the grommets tore in the wind.  Geez, they just don’t make stuff like they use to. John recovered the load and weighted everything down with rocks.  He pawed through the hardware box to see what was in there.  I noticed the packing list mentions almost 2000 bolts (which means we will be installing almost 2000 of them) along with other assorted doo-dads. John Chupp and the concrete crew showed up and began measuring, sawing, and hammering forms for the foundation. They were hard at work when we left.  Chupp thought he wasn’t going to have any workers, so John was going to help…but turns out he found two guys to work. 

We are now in town with the laptop fired up.  The Interbel WiFi service came right up like I expected.  What I didn’t expect was that it is $9.95 per day, not per month!  I guess that does sound more like it, but I was sure that was I had read before.  Happens when you get old J Won’t be much for us to do here the rest of the week since it looks like John won’t be needed to grunt work at the hangar site. I’m sure we can find some leisure activities to keep us busy :)

PS: Excuse any wierd formatting!  I am using Word and doing a copy and paste to get this online since I am now paying by the hour :) Typepad tends to do some odd things with Word files, but it works!

Beachin' It With the Brooks

      

Photos (left to right): Rebecca (sil) and Jean (sister), Abel (bil) and Jesse (nephew) and John, Cindy, Boris...not pictured: Paul and Bob.....The weather at the beach on Saturday and Sunday was glorious!  It started with a chilly fog, but by noon the sun was shining and there was just a little mist left over the sand.  John and I arrived at the beach house in Lincoln City, Oregon Friday night at 10:30 pm.  Abel was relieved to see us.  We aren’t usually the last ones to arrive and he was worried J  We  didn’t leave Bonney Lake until 3:00 pm when we had our storage chores and bank business done.  We moved furniture from the guest room and the master bedroom to storage and moved a bookcase from the office to the guest room.  It is almost empty now.  I swear if we move any more furniture out we won’t have anywhere to eat, sit, or sleep. John tried to go flying at dawn as the airplane will be sitting at Crest while we are in Eureka building the hangar.  This time the fog was surrounding the airport instead of sitting over the runway, but the effect was the same. He visited with Arthur and Lynn and came home.  He’s hoping he can sneak one in on Monday between the time we get home and the time we leave for Montana.  There are 8 Brooks and a dog here at the beach: Rebecca, Bob, Jesse, Jean, Abel, Paul, Cindy, John, and Boris.  Boris is a great dog.  He was a stray that showed up hungry, tired, and flea-bitten at Bob and Rebecca’s one day several months ago when we happened to be there. They put an ad in the paper, etc. and of course….there was “no way” they would keep him.  Here he is today at the beach running in the sand and playing ball.  He is well behaved and is a wonderful pet J Most of us went for a walk on the beach this afternoon.  Paul was at the casino and is on a hot streak…$1400 yesterday and $2500 today playing slots!  Maggie’s House where we are staying is a beautiful place…across the street from the beach and furnished with Pottery Barn furniture and Fiestaware dishes!  The chairs and sofas I’ve seen in the catalog and loved are here so I’ve had the opportunity to test them.  Maybe that is not a good thing!  We spent some time walking and lounging on the sand while soaking in the sunshine, visited Starbucks, and enjoyed the company.  John and I decided to leave Sunday night after dinner instead of early Monday morning, so we can get a fresh start back to Montana.

It's been a long day...

We were up at 5:30am so we could get to the building supply store when they opened at 7:00.  We got our supplies for covering the hangar and headed for Cowgirl Coffee to get mochas.  As we came out the door we were greeted by a gorgeous sunrise over Glacier Park! I didn't take a photo as we weren't in a good place for the perfect image and we didn't want to take the time to drive to a good spot :) We got to Eureka airport and it took until 10:30 to finish the job.  Of course that included the time visiting with another new hangar neighbor who came over to say "howdy".  He is a retired UPS pilot who lives in Mexico, but is planning to make Eureka his summer home.  After an early lunch at Cafe Jax we headed for home and arrived about 8:00 pm.  Gotta love that time change coming back!  We have the furniture moved downstairs that is going to storage tomorrow and have rearranged our bedroom.  I think our Feng Shiu is off, hope I can sleep!  John is going to sneak in a flight at dawn and I'll finish up the odds and ends that need to be done before we can head to Oregon to meet the rest of the Brooks family.  Later!

John Ropes A Big One In Montana!

                                  

Today was the big day! The hangar has been delivered to the Eureka airport. We started the morning with bad coffee at City Brew in Whitefish, won't go there again.  We didn't need to get to Eureka till late afternoon so we checked out the new Costco in Kalispell, right on Highway 93 was you enter town from the north...closer for us than the old one and it's big, shiny, and has a self-checkout! Yippee, no more long waits in line for a few items. Lunch was hamburgers at home.  We headed for Eureka at 3:15 so we'd have time to meet Craig and get our copy of the hangar plans back along with the approval letter from the airport board.  The hangar wasn't due till 6:30 which is also when the crane driver thought he could get there from his truss job.  At 3:30 as we are motoring north, John received a call from Carl, the truck driver.  He was in Eureka...3 hours early.  He'd found a place to park his truck and was going to take a nap :)  So, we took care of our business then went out to where the truck was.  Carl greeted us and we'd chatted for a bit when he mentioned that the other hangar on the truck was being delivered to a private air field in Burnett, near our home in Washington.  Yep, that's really close to us.  As John and I got in the car to head out to the airport we walked around the other side of the truck and I noticed the name on the other crate of hardware...OLSON!  It's a small world after all! The other hangar is being delivered to our friends, Andy and Lori, whom we worked with for almost 20 years.  What are the odds????  So, I wrote a friendly little note on the side of their crate and signed it with our names, place, and the date.  I know they'll be surprised when they see it :)  John called Nick, the crane driver.  We had to wait about an hour for him to arrive and it took about 90 minutes to unload.  There was a slight problem unloading the last package (the steel siding) as Andy's hangar door was so close to the edge of the package that they couldn't slide the straps under our package of siding.  John, Carl, and Nick finally worked it out and got it off, all 4000 pounds of siding. John was relieved that it all worked out and that the delivery is accomplished.  While we were at the airport waiting for the crane, John C., the concrete man, also came out and the two Johns pointed and gestured about exactly where the hangar belongs on the lot.  It has to be precise in relationship to the other hangars so that the airport will meet the legal requirements regarding setbacks, etc. for a precision approach in the future (aviation jargon there). We also met a hangar neighbor who is the father of the man we met yesterday and traded lots with.  This last photo is of the painful part of the whole process...handing over that cashier's check to Carl!

Hangar Coordination

We slept in this morning and almost caught up on our sleep from yesterday.  We found mochas at the Montana Coffee Traders in downtown Whitefish, then headed for the building supply center to get a quote on the lumber needed for the hangar and inquire about delivery to Eureka.  No problem there, they will deliver it to the building center in Eureka when they do their regular store deliveries (this is the same company) who will then deliver it to the airport. We made the drive to Eureka and after lunch at Cafe Jax (on their new patio!) we visited Craig E. to give him a copy of the permit. We discovered that there is a hangar planned for the near future on the lot next to us.  However, this guy wants to build 60 feet wide instead of 50 feet. That means our hangar has to move 10 feet south, Craig says the decision is ours. Well, guess what, the guy is in town from Minnesota.  John and I headed out to the airport to take a look.  We found that moving that far south would put us into a downhill situation...meaning fill dirt.  Nope, we're not doing that.  However, we determine that if the guy wants to pay the extra cost it'd be okay.  Then we discussed making a lot swap.....meaning John loses the southern exposure he wanted for possible solar panels on the south wall (we are at the end of the front taxiway, last hangar lot), but less hassle for building. John figures he could put the panels on the roof if he decided to do it.  So, we made a call and got Mark (previously know as "the guy") out to the airport.  We showed him where the fill would be needed and right away he offered to pay the cost.  Well, John says what would you think of a swap???  Mark was immediately agreeable.  It turns out he wants to do a 60' building now and later add another 40'! He is a mechanic and wants to open an FBO (fixed base operator for you non-aviators).  It'll be 6 years from now, but we'd have a mechanic right next door :) He and his Dad already are the fuel operators for the airport.  So, we made the deal to swap and called Craig.  Later in the day we went into his office to confirm the deal and will get a letter saying the airport boards approves our hangar on lot 8 instead of 9.  Afterward, we met with the concrete man and got our estimate (ouch).  He said he'd be ready to start on the 11th, but that just won't work for us, so we are sticking to the original date of the 13th.  The truck driver just called and will be at the airport tomorrow at 6:30pm.  Perfect! That is when the crane driver we found can be there! Things appear to have fallen in place and John is doing the happy dance.

John and I are bantering ideas around about the Hawaii trip, emptying our house before we go, when to move over here, etc.  We may just put it all in storage and come over here in January even if it has not sold.  We can live here at the condo for the cost of utilities. That's the place there in the photo.  There are 3 units in the building.  It's a great place and so quiet.  I can imagin being here in the snow!

Here's a couple of shots I took at our property today, down on the road.  That's Aspen Lane looking south, the road we'll come in on from the main road.  The second one is our driveway starting up the hill to where our house will be.  We were surprised to find that the building hasn't started over at the neighbors.  We thought they were supposed to have begun by now.  The power route has been staked, though, including the detour onto our property where they will put our transformer and meter (we signed an easement agreement last month for this).

We did have a showing at home yesterday.  Haven't heard on that one, but Gary called today and said there was someone from Oregon that saw it last week.  He is being transferred and they have to move to the area in 3 weeks.  They are home packing their house up and getting it on the market.  They are considering a contingent offer, so their agent wanted to know if we would look at a contingency.  We'll see what happens from here. 

That's all the news from today.  It has been a busy day, but we've accomplished a lot!

Almost "home"...

We've arrived in Whitefish after an uneventful drive.  It was nice to come a different route this time as we were coming to Whitefish rather than Eureka.  We came east on Interstate 90 to St. Regis and then north through Plains, Polson, and Kalispell along Flathead Lake.  We arrived just before 5:00pm, Mountain Time.  We had a little trouble finding Dorothy's condo and had to call, but then there she was waving us in. She has a great place.  One bedroom plus a loft and just 1 1/2 miles to Big Mountain Ski Area, about 5 miles from town.  We had a nice visit over a glass of wine after the condo tour which included where to find the bear spray for walks in the woods :)  She was telling us about the bear that ambled across right outside the back.  Such is life in Montana.  We had dinner at Stageline Pizza in town and then went to visit with Greg and Stacy (Dorothy's son).  We knew them also from St. Andrews in Sumner.  I was happy to discover that Greg has inside information that the new building going up in downtown Whitefish is a Starbucks!!  Wahoo, there's also one going up next to Home Depot in Kalispell.  The closest one now is in Missoula, 3 hours away.  I had just sent an e-mail to Starbucks yesterday asking for a store and now there will be two!  We'll see if they spill the beans (no pun intended :) about the new stores when they reply.  Dorothy is staying at Greg's tonight as she will be flying to Seattle for work in the morning.  So, John and I have the place to ourselves for the next few days.  Looks like this may be our home for a few months after the first of the year, so it's nice to get the lay of the land :)

We received a call from the driver that the hangar will be delivered to Eureka on Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning.  He is leaving Minnesota in the morning.  So, John called the forklift owner.  He is in Tucson, but had told John he had another guy who could do the job.  Well, he has bailed and says he can't do it till Saturday. Looks like we have some nosing around Eureka to do tomorrow to try to solve this dilemma.  Perhaps we can find another forklift in person that we weren't able to do by phone.  If not, looks like we will have to either go back to Plan A and have the hangar delivered to a work place with a crane a couple of miles from the airport, or try to find someone here in Whitefish with a forklift that will drive up there to do the job.  If we have it delivered somewhere other than the airport it means we will be moving 14,000 pounds of materials one load at a time to the airport with a flatbed trailer. Wish us luck!

Uneventful weekend, but stay tuned!

It has been a quiet weekend for us.  No lookers.  Not surprised by that as it is a holiday weekend, but let's hope that doesn't continue.  The man with the friend in Spokane is supposed to contact our agent after Labor Day for another look. He'll follow up if he doesn't hear from them.  Yesterday I did the deep clean to make the house shine, then went to Yuen Lui to place our order for Zachary's pictures.  Today I have been taking care of odds and ends and saw Brad for a bit when he got off work.

We will be off bright and early to Montana in the morning.  The driver was supposed to call John on Saturday to tell us exactly when the hangar would arrive at the Eureka airport.  He didn't call, but we know it is supposed to be Tuesday or Wednesday, so we need to go tomorrow.  Can't wait till the last minute when it is an 11 hour drive to get there! We'll be staying in Whitefish at Dorothy's until Thursday when we plan to leave directly for Lincoln City, Oregon to enjoy the Brooks Family weekend at the beach. On Monday, the 11th, we'll be returning home to pick up the truck, travel trailer, and tools and be off again...back to Montana for the concrete pour on the 13th.  We plan to stay there,  watch the concrete cure and start building the hangar as soon as it's ready.  That means we'll probably be there until the end of the month.  If we should get a buyer and need to have things done, I'll head back on the train and bum a ride home from the station. See you all later!

WTC: The Movie and more...

We saw World Trade Center today.  I was glad to see that the emphasis was on the heroism and compassion of those involved and not the horror and suffering of the victims.  It's not blockbuster material, but worth seeing.  Pay attention to the PG-13 rating, I wouldn't take younger kids.

We made a stop at the bank today to wish Kathy luck in her new job as Asst. Manager at the Spanaway branch.  We'll miss her! We have a promise, though, of more violin lessons and wine :)

We are planning to leave for Montana bright and early Monday morning.  Hangar delivery should occur on Tuesday or Wednesday, the driver is supposed to call John tomorrow.  We'll be staying in Whitefish with our friend, Dorothy. She'll be leaving Tuesday morning to come to Sumner as she still works the first week of the month here, but she has graciously offered us her home for next week.  We hope to leave Whitefish on Thursday, the 7th and will be headed to Lincoln City, Oregon for the Brooks Family Beach Weekend starting Friday, the 8th. We've rented a house there and I think everyone except Libby (who is at school in Wisconsin) will be there, 9 people. Monday morning, the 11th, we'll head for home to get the truck and trailer and will go right back to Montana as the concrete pour is scheduled for the 13th.  We expect to be there till the end of September building the hangar.  All this while we are trying to sell a house! If a sale occurs, Cindy will be headed home via train or bus or who knows to pack the place up, pump the septic tank, put everything in storage, and do whatever else needs to be done.  I am thinking that will require calling in some favors to load a truck!!