The Trophies

The story here starts when I went elk hunting in Montana in 2005. Even though I promised I wouldn't have anything mounted, I did take the one pictured above to the taxidermist. When asked where I thought I might hang it, I said 'perhaps the bedroom'. For some reason Diana (cheerfully) had a different idea about where it should be hung so it was put in our exercise room and now into the shop. In 2007, our son Bob went with me back to Montana to once again hunt for elk. We were out one morning and I was showing him where I got my elk two years earlier and he brought home the elk that's in the next picture. We were standing in the same exact spot. Now those of you who don't hunt do not understand the magnitude of this event, but trust me it's about as good as it gets for a hunter.

It is obviously a much nicer trophy than mine but that's Ok. It's a Dad thing. Now the bedroom hanging idea was still out so it stayed in the crate for a time but we also put it up in the shop as part of our moving out of the house. As we arranged things in the shop our bedroom area was best suited to this particular area and as you can see, things sometimes just seem to work out.

The Shop

When we tell people we moved into our shop we usually get a strange look so we thought we'd show you what we've done to make it less primitive. First of all as you can see from the above picture it comes with it's own chandelier. When it was built we insulated it, put up sheet rock and painted it. Since then we added a sink and bathroom with a shower. The basics were there we just needed to move in and get things arranged.

We brought in appliances from the house and set up our kitchen. I realize you wouldn't normally find a dryer in the kitchen but the outlet for the welder is in this corner so things that need 220 have to be there, so it sits next to the range. If you are observant you have already noticed the door is up a few inches so the dryer will vent outdoors. Also, since everything was set up for a shop, that also means the washer, which needs to be close to the water source, is in the opposite corner of the room from the dryer and drains into our one and only sink. Yes.......... the sink is on the opposite side of the room from the kitchen.

Our living room area has the necessary big screen HDTV, a must for feeling at home. My workbench has been converted to a stand for the printer and microwave. It even now holds a plant, living proof that my shop has been converted to an apartment. The shop is heated but the hanging ceiling heater was very loud when the fan came on, to the point of not being able to hear the TV, so we added a different heater, furnace actually, that is above in the storage area and now our heating system is much quieter. All in all not too bad to live in for the better part of the next year. There is one additional story to be told but it will be in the next post. Thanks for checking in.

The Views

The first picture is of our view to the south. Second is the view to the north toward Willakenzie Estate vineyards. Third is the view to the west including Trask Mountain.

Before

We are about to start our new home and these are the 'before' shots. Some items have been removed by relatives and friends who have a need for them and it's nice they can be used instead of just thrown away. Interior lights are almost all gone and all cabinets. When we get to the 'final papers' doors will be taken as well as some of the siding and breaker panels.