To-Do(ne) List

1. Install the cell phone booster.  Check!

That’s a small, non-descript box on top of the pantry.  I now almost always can take and make a call or text, and often even get email on my smart phone.  Dwayne still wants to do some small adjustments to it and needs to finalize it’s installation, but it works!

2. Install new kitchen faucet. Check!


It has a pull-out nozzle and adjustable spray, which is about 20 generations beyond the original model, and since we do not have a dishwasher, this makes the job much easier.

3.  Install large screen TV. Check! 

 
4.  New Washer/Dryer.  Check!


Look, it actually rinses and spins the clothes mostly dry! And then the dryer actually dries them…in under in two hours.  It’s a modern miracle…and necessary for actually leaving the cabin before the last ferry leaves.

5. A new thermostat.  Check!


I arrived at the cabin on a cold November evening and the main propane stove wasn’t working and the back up wall heater also wouldn’t turn on.   Lots of phone calls (before my cell booster or my smart phone so I had to pack up all the kids and drive a mile down the road with a phone book), lots of time, lots of money, and ahem, once I plugged in the stove, the thermostat connected was broken.

6. Taking down the alders trees in the front corner of the yard.  Check!



These trees were nothing but a caterpillar attraction, and a convenient way to litter our yard and our neighbor’s.  Dwayne will eventually dig out the stumps, but it’s a first step in getting the yard to a more pleasant, less upkeep state.


7. Repurposing old wall heater space.  Check!

Since “we” (thanks again, Jim!) just did this today, it’s currently my favorite project. When we took out the broken wall heater, we’ve had a big hole in the wood wall as well as a extra electrical wires. “We” built an alcove bookshelf to house the XBox, DVDs, and games and most impressively, installed an outlet in the hobbit hole to plug in all media behind the scenes.  We were able to take out the tangle of wires and the old TV cabinet.  I love it!


8.  New deck.  Not yet. In June, hopefully.  Right now, theree are about 3 spots that you almost step through when you walk on it. 



Wow, cabins take a lot of ...resources. Still like it, though!

Spring Break Adventure: Port Townsend

Looks like a postcard?  It is.

After exchanging the cousins for a little extra sanity by meeting Julie at the ferry dock at 11am, the kids and I went on a very spontaneous adventure.  Originally, we thought about driving up to Coupeville and hanging out in town, when I remembered that the Port Townsend ferry is up that way.  We drove there with no preparation but coats, and nearly-dead phone (so no pictures of the day), a granola bar each, and a credit card. 

It was meant to be, because we parked and crossed the street with exactly 3 minutes to purchase my ticket ($3.25 one way, kids under 18 free) before we boarded.  It’s still winter hours, and the ferry leaves only every 90 minutes. 

It’s a longer trip, a full 30 minutes, and it was a rough sailing, which is perfectly pleasant with a cup of hot cocoa and several half-finished puzzles at window tables. 

Port Townsend is a perfect destination because the ferry lands within yards of the main street.  There’s cute shops, restaurants (that do not accommodate gluten-free, as we discovered), a small, delightful museum, and probably lots of other things to do with slightly dryer weather. 

We’ll go back again this summer and explore the second street, the intriguing stair steps up the steep hillside, and look for a few more Port Townsend adventures!