Unlocking, Letting Go, Transporting
Unlocking, Letting Go, Transporting
New Story!
I am writing to you from Arizona where it has been 90 degrees and sunny. A MUCH needed break after a very long winter.
In contrast, at The Crash Pad there was a winter storm warning, and inches of snow have covered the ground. An exasperating end to an exasperating winter in Cabinland. But there is hope.
While I sat outside on a patio in AZ, right before the snow up north, my wonderful neighbor (who you will see in my latest video story), was sending me pictures of the epic melt. Luckily The Crash Pad had not floated away. It was a dramatic “end” to a dramatic winter.
We are looking forward to the end of ‘unlocking’, the arrival of Summer, and hopefully many dryer, and less stressful days.
My third story shares with you why we chose to work with an architect and what the process was like for us.
This story was a hard one to get to the finish line. Looking back isn’t always easy, and forces one to confront some challenging emotions; and Winter’s grip is not letting go this year and I find myself exhausted and drained. But I did it! And I am so excited to share it with you.
In other news, I did finally come to terms that it was time to sell my Juki. I guess I just needed to give myself time. The Juki went to a very good home and I couldn’t be happier for all of us.
And many of you are familiar with our Silverhytten.
We created many good memories thanks to this camper ~ including many good gravel biking ones. But last fall we knew it was time to move forward. We spent a MONTH living out of the camper during the cabin build last Fall, during some very stressful days. Our last night together was a cold Halloween night and we knew we were ready then to let it go. And, we had a cabin roof to pay for….
Saying goodbye is never easy, and in this case although it was hard ~ I was ready.
What I have always found is that I need to let go to move forward. I know this from moving many times, and I know this from selling many many great memory making ‘things’.
And now we are ready to move on to the next chapter, and with that…
So what’s happening up at the cabin you might ask?
May is booked with our Trades scheduled in quick succession so that we can ‘move in’ and start enjoying the cabin in about 1 1/2 weeks.
The well is hooked up!
The (temporary) propane tank was delivered and hooked up!
Final plumbing work to ready the systems is scheduled for tomorrow (Happy May Day!) and will be tested. This means we will have running water and working radiant floor heating!!! And that means…
The concrete floors will be polished after the heat and water are on ~ May 2.
The long delayed wood stove installation is scheduled for May 22, which means we can afterwards complete the roof. [Speaking of the roof we saw it without snow for the very first time yesterday, YES it went on in October and yesterday was April 29! (but today it snowed again!!!)]
The siding that continued to be delayed by weather will hopefully be going up starting tomorrow!… because ~ it needs to be finished before we can complete the roof.
The roof is scheduled for completion immediately after the stove is installed the week of May 22.
Today we ordered the refrigerator!!
PHEW! What’s next you ask? Well ~ then we are going to try to just enjoy the cabin for the Summer without working on it too seriously. It will not be completed in the inside, so we will essentially be ‘glamping’. We will have a toilet, but now shower (hello again ROAM); and we will have a temporary living and dining area. BEYOND EXCITING!
Meanwhile in Minneapolis…
Sometimes a place isn’t about a place at all. It is about a memory of a place, and a feeling. That’s how we felt recently at a new spot in our neighborhood ~ Dutch Bar. Walking in, I was instantly reminded of a Brown Café we hung out at one afternoon in Haarlem in The Netherlands. Sipping a drink, spending time together, hearing new music that would forever capture the moment for us (Zuco 103). The last three years have changed many people’s perspectives on travel, including ours. We have for many reasons ended up staying close to home. I realized after our visit to Dutch Cafe that I am lucky to be able to create new memories ~ Dutch-style now here at home. We can’t wait for better weather and many bike dates to this special spot that transports us, but firmly plants us home.
I would like to say “In April I will be working on…”, but that month is already gone and I am mentally very behind on my personal goal of one Story a month. But what is important to me is that this remains a creative outlet for me, and that there is quality over quantity. So…
Between ‘moving in’ to the cabin, gravel riding to my hearts content, my part time job, taking care of my family commitments, taking care of my health, and taking up a new hobby, I plan to start working on our next Story. As all Minnesotan’s know, Summer should be a Statewide Holiday ~ so things will definitely be slower over here for awhile (is that possible?!), but I will be back.
Thanks for reading and watching äventyr.cc, and supporting my mental health and creativity! ~DeAnn