Making it to the Big Stage at Low Gap Cafe

So, I played my first gig at Low Gap Cafe last night. Things went really well and of course I learned alot about the accoustics, which of course sucked. Next time I will use a small amp for the guitar and vocals, and sit in a differant spot. But I did get alot of nice compliments and folks telling me they enjoyed it. After talking with Nick, it seems that this will become a regular thing, even though I really sucked. It had been over a year since I played in public, and I have not been playing on a regular basis, so I was definately rusty and not at the top of my game. However, I did put out a strong set of songs when the most people were there. I am going to add some James Taylor and other more well known tunes to my song list becouse there is going to be some good crowds on the back deck this spring and summer. I am really excited to have a venue to share my tunes with folks, and just like Nick's menu, folks will be getting something unexpected from my music. Life just gets better and better up here on the mountain, and I'm loving it. What I'm not loving is painting and clear sealing and there is still a bunch to do. But I am going to stick with it till it's done, becouse after painting it's almost all woodwork, which is my strongpoint.  It's a beautiful day on the mountain, and I really need to work, but Scott and Jim are going on a hike and I would love to go.  I will post some updated photos later of the latest progress, and perhaps of a hike if I'm lucky. SYOTRS

The Doldrums

Man my shoulders are killing me, painting over your head puts your shoulders and neck in misery. But I'm sticking with it and making progress. I stained the beam in the master bath today, and I think the contrast with the ceiling is awesome. The plan is to match the stain on the beams to the stain on the ext. and int. doors, which also matches the flooring. For some reason, I was out of energy today and it took a long time for me to get to being productive. When you work every day, at some point your mind or body just forces you to take it easy, you got to get your ya ya's. The ya ya's that I'm needing are on the river, and I gotta get to her. I want to do other things right now, but I know that the most important thing is to complete the clear sealing of the ceilings. It's real easy to get distractred, just stop and listen, and it does'nt take long to start noticing the goings on in the Gorge.

The Hard Part

OK,, this sealing the ceilings is so very not fun. Worked 12 hours this weekend and completed  538 sf of the 1800 sf total, only problem is that I did all the easiest ones and left the high ceilings for last. My goal is to be complete with it all by next weekend. I can't wait to be done with this, I would rather paint something I can see. Just as soon as we are done sealing the ceiling, we can prime all the sheeterock and begin painting. The plan is to complete the mudroom and bedrooms 1st, then move to the bahrooms, and end up with the awesome room and kitchen. I'm quite sure that the whole thing will not go according to plan, and end up perfect. We are expecting snow tonight and tommoroe, so I will continue to work on the ceiliing. This job requires obsesive effort and you just got to get in a zone and commit the time. I don't like it, but I refuse to pay someone to do it. The prize is that when I am done, one of the biggest projects left will be done. Oh, it looks great! It's kinda all coming together now, and any last minute selections must be made. This is Robyn's time now and I can make suggestions, but must shut up most of the time and let her decide on all the paint colors. After finishing the ceiling, my next big thing is to mill and assemble the interior door frames, another thing that will be time consuming. But it is going good, and so many things are coming together at the same time. I am starting to smell success and it is drawing me in, pulling me to completion. Momentum is building and I am starting to realize, we will be living here within 3-4 months.  I have noticed a cool thing that happens when it gets real cold in the Gorge. Icefalls form on the cliffs from the many springs coming from the bluffs during the night, and then crash to the ground when the sun warms the cliffs the next day. This is just too cool, kinda like calving glaciers, and continues thoughout the day. There is always something to learn in the Gorge if you pay attention. I hope everyone has a great week and SYOTRS, Rog

Movin On

If only all of this ceiling had a finish on it, I could say it was done. But right now I'm concentrating on finishing the outside and it''s gonna have to wait for a little while.

Full Moon Monday

Picked up the cherry lumber from the mill today and ended up with 239 bf out of the logs that were given to me. I took all the boards directly to the kiln mill to dry and plane. It's amazing how cheap all of this milling is, and my cherry graded out at #1 stuff. The goal for the week is to get all of the cedar post up with the exception of the 2 massive ones in front, get all of the railing done, and do alot of little things on the exterior to get ready for the rock. I kinda got a lot of my running around done last week, so I hope to concentrate on construction this week. I need to completely finish the outside so I can move inside and get this puppy done. Around 10 days of  work is left on the outside, excluding the rockwork. My best guess is 2 to 3 months on the interior, but I would love to be done by the end of april. Took a hike into Hide Out Hollow on sunday with brother Scott and his buddy Jim and all our boys, we had a blast and it was quite the adventure for all of us. It is so cool to have another awesome place to hike within 5 miles of the house. Hopefully we can do a couple more hikes this winter, it feels so good getting out some, and this is what we moved here for. Meanwhile, the spring rolls that Nick cooked for me on saturday were incredible and we had another great meal at the Low Gap Cafe. I also confirmed to play a gig there on sat. feb. 18th. Hope some folks come out and join us. Have an awesome week. Hollohead

Hide Out Hollow Hike