Circle B Ranch: HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Howdy Y'all, and Happy New Year!

Jan and I took a much needed break and wandered up to Seattle to harass our beloved Macenzie and Beau, and to look in on some great friends. We ate some great food, drank quite a bit of wine (except that we came back with more than we took), enjoyed wonderful Christmas and New Year celebrations, and generally had a fantastic time. Hopefully, all of you enjoyed a wonderful holiday season as well!

After arriving home, we were somewhat anxious to see what was going on at the house while we were gone. Our Project Manager took some time off during the holidays as well, so we didn't get the pictures we thought he would send while we were gone. This made us a bit nervous since the rock work and trim painting started just as we were leaving. Alas, what to expect??

Thankfully, there is no drama. The trim and doors look terrific, except that they are all taped under thick vinyl wraps while they are painting the walls with primer and colors. (Yes, we did peek under the wraps to make sure we liked the finish work, and we're happy to say that everything looks great!) More pictures to follow when the cleanup inside starts sometime next week in preparation for the cabinets.

Meanwhile, outside, the rock work continues at the pace of molasses in frigid weather. Soooo, slooow. But, we wanted a certain look with the stone, so it is slower going than just slapping stone on a wall. Lots of chipping and shaping, and matching color patterns. The stone masons have the patience of Job.

Prep Kitchen Room wall moving towards completion.

OMG! A completed wall!

Detached Garage wall almost done!

Yesterday, the pool guys decided to pour the swimming pool deck and lower patio. Of course, they picked the day when the evening temperatures were going below freezing, which they didn't seem to be worried about. A bit of water on the deck, some black tarp covers to radiate heat into the concrete, and they were happy campers. We saw most of it as they were doing the finish work, but we are anxious to see the deck without the tarps. Once the house is completed, the patio will be stained, and the pool deck will be coated with a non-slip product.

Steps from the deck to the side yard.

Lower patio deck with our hen scratching. The tube sticking up is for the fire pit drain.

Pad for the pool equipment and cover wall.

Fish-eye lens view of the tarps to trap heat for the concrete.

We also had a visit today from Shelley Rodrigues, who is going to be doing all of the faux, tea staining, and venetian plaster work in the house. Jan and Shelley spent a couple hours going over the final details, and didn't ask for my opinion even once :-(

Jan and Shelley completely ignoring me.

But Wait, There's More!

The fun of going back to Seattle is visiting with family and friends, who have warned us that they will be initiating 'paybacks' to Austin as soon as the house is completed. Along with the family time, we had the opportunity to visit with a number of great friends like Wayne and Carol Smith, lunch with Tak Tsang, toss in a bit of wine tasting with Bernie and Connie, and greet the New Year in with the Morels. We didn't get a chance to run down to Walla Walla, but hopefully that will happen on the next trip to Seattle.