For the past couple of years I would end my newsletter with a section “So what’s been happening at the Crash Pad you might ask?…”. I want to catch you up, but there has been SO MUCH going on it would make the newsletter a novel. Therefore, I have decided that these updates deserve their own place in Cabin Stories. Welcome to the first installment of ~ What’s Been Happening at The Crash Pad! First up…
The Screen Porch
The last update I gave you was December of 2025, it was a short mention ~ but a big event: The Screen Porch was completed!
The day after I got the ‘all clear’ from my (first) back surgery on July 9, 2025, I drove straight up to the Crash Pad to check out the progress of the screen porch build which I had been managing from afar during recovery. These are the first pictures of the progress on July 10, 2025:
We were lucky to have found the perfect contractor for our projects, thanks to Ireland. Ireland is a bigger update for another day, but I will say here ~ because we were looking for someone to watch the Crash Pad while we were in Ireland, we connected with Dakota, a local carpenter who was starting his own construction company. We had hired Dakota to complete the siding on our exterior entryway and were so happy with the work, we asked if he would be available to do our screen porch as well.
Dakota and his father were the main workers on our project and did a great job! These are the pictures I took of the completed projects in September 2025:
And a few months later:
It felt SO great to have the outside of the Crash Pad finally completed! Had our grass been the right seed, the outside would have been fully complete (also another story).
In May of 2026 our family, with the addition of new member Nina, were finally back together again at the Crash Pad. And after spending a Summer and Autumn in this space we can all say without a doubt that this is our favorite room at the Crash Pad!
The Screen Porch is especially Solrig’s favorite space. After our furniture delivered from Ireland, and the couch was set up in the Porch, we could barely get Solrig to come in at night for the rest of the season. Content is an understatement.
We had many breakfasts here, we did yoga here, we worked out here, I had virtual medical appointments out here, I accepted a job offer out here, and best of all we had friends linger out here after a wonderful height of Summer dinner.
And now in early November 2026, as we eagerly await returning for a new season in 2027 ~ we look back with fond memories of a great Summer spent in this space and look forward to many more to come.
But enough of me typing, I made a video story for you…