Yeah! The cabinets are done! We finally found the right paint and they are looking good! Check out the progress...




Then you add a few handles and knobs and ta-da...beautiful cabinets!
Finishing the cabinets wasn't the only thing that's new in the cabin. Terry & Cheri found some fabulous things at IKEA to help complete the cabin. Angela's reaction captures how amazing it all is!
Another recently exciting thing is that Mike got a new engine for the tote gote!! It includes an alternator and a new gas tank. Mike still needs to set up the electric start and attach a headlight, but it works great right now with just one pull!

We've celebrated many wonderful birthdays up at the cabin, and August is no exception. Christina's 24th birthday was on Sat. August 4th, and then next weekend we celebrated our brother-in-law Steve's birthday.

The cabin still is and will always be our favorite place to go. It has been a long but fun project. Even though the inside is done we still have a lot more that we want to do. So it will be our continual project, but at least now we can go up to just kick back and relax in the new Hobo Haven!

Yeah! Cabin updates! Well, ever week things look better and better up at Hobo Haven! While we were on our Escalante trip, Mike's family made huge progress upstairs by laying the carpet and even getting beds up there. That was no easy feat as they had to take down the stairs completely to fit the beds through the loft opening.

They were also very inventive as they made their own carpet stretcher. It worked pretty well and things are looking good!


Another huge success and amazing design story is the hatch to the loft. Mike's Dad likes to go to bed early so he wanted to make something that would keep the sound out, and be sound and secure to walk on.

So the boys put their master minds to work, and came up with the perfect solution. This hatch is insulated like 5 different ways, and Terry says that you can't hear a thing up in the loft when it's closed.

Last weekend we busted out the primer and paint on the cabins. It took a little prep work before. We had to cut the lazy susan door larger, put a new siding on, fix a few holes, and redo the hinges on the old white cabinet.


Just painting everything one color made it look better than they did before, but we're not sold on the color. We need to look into getting a darker brown or something, but we'll see what we end up with.

Aussie tried to help too. :-)

The Cabinets Before...
And So Far...

We had the best Pioneer Day weekend! We went down to Escalante with a group of friends. We left on Friday morning and didn't come back until Tuesday night. This was a first time for Christina down in Escalante.
This was our first camping trip without Mike's family so we decided that we needed to start our own camping gear. In preparation of this trip we bought a tent, tarp, self-inflating mattress, hatchet, and a water filter.
We camped in a paid campsite, which had showers and flushing toilet, but not the best camping ground. It rained quite a bit, and the girls had to end up digging trenches in an attempt to save the tents.

On Saturday morning we got to enjoy Escalante's Pioneer Day Parade! Luke's mom was given the very high honor of joining her extended family on their "float." Check out this decorating!
After doing some hikes we were able to end the night with some great fireworks! We literally sat right under them. It was awesome!

Our trip was filled with so many great hikes and waterholes! The water was icy cold which felt great after hiking a few miles to get there. Check out this pictures below, and then click on the web album link on the top right to see the whole trip! We can't wait to go back there again!

Upper falls (above) Slot Canyons (below)
Mike may have found an awesome walking stick, but it was no match for Chris's Moses Rod.

That last slot was fun, but way too easy. :-) Check out the climbs on this next canyon.
We may have come out with a few bumps and bruises (Leslie), but at least we came out in one piece. :-)

Our next stop was at Devil's Garden. It was awesome climbing around and Christina even got to show Mike how brave she is by going out on the arch.

Every hike we did was amazing, but we topped off our weekend with another hike to a water hole...the lower falls! The water was cold, but not as cold as the upper falls. Of course the boys were the first ones in!