Houston, we have lift off!

We haven’t said much about our planned addition because there were a number of snags that had to be cleared. But finally, it is happening.

This is what we left on Monday, July 13, when we went to Cheyenne.

This is what started the next week after we came home. Progress!

Ready for the cement.

We had Kristy, Josh, & Katelyn visiting last week. We got to play in the sprinkler, staple paper, play with balls and watch the construction, among other things, like shopping and sewing.

They did get to see the cement poured for the slab. The kids got a kick out of seeing the cement trucks and watching the whole process. Katelyn was fascinated by their big boots, especially when they walked right into the cement to shovel and smooth it. The downside was the fact that they started work at 5 am and they were NOT quiet.

Katelyn and Josh got to continue the Gibson tradition of always leaving your mark whenever wet cement is in place.

Then we had to wait for the cement to cure.

Tuesday, July 28, saw the wood delivered for the framing.
Wednesday, it all started. At 5 am. It’s an interesting experience having power saws ripping through rafters and roofing waking you before the sun is up. Two guys are working the framing. They start at 5 am and quit at 2 pm. Their daily progress is amazing to me. They certainly know their job.

Wednesday

Thursday: They put the trusses up today, which was fascinating to watch. I thought they would use a crane. All it took was four guys and a notched 2 x 4. The trusses were upside-down on the walls. The guy with the 2 x 4 pushed up on the center of the truss. A guy on each end lined the ends up on the wall and a guy up on the rafters nailed a stringer along the ridge line to hold it in place. Once the trusses were up, then a guy went along the ends and nailed the beams securely to the walls.

They are putting the roof on and the working on inside walls. Dad has decided not to tackle the shingles, but we will be putting up wallboard in about 2 weeks. Anybody want to help? Bring a hammer.

Roaming Wyoming

We are back from our trip north. We enjoyed seeing a part of the country that is new to us. Southeastern Wyoming is pretty. Pretty flat, pretty sparse on trees, pretty windy, and full of pretty scenery.

This jet hangs in the atrium of C Concourse at the Denver Airport. Dad is standing under it. Pretty cool!

It was quite impressive to drive north out of Denver with the Rockies on the left and the prairie on the right. We watched the mountains sink below the horizon by the time we got to Cheyenne. Then there was nothing but rolling hills, grass, and a whole lot of sky.

We were in Cheyenne for a SARE meeting. The focus is on "sustainable agriculture" which usually means ag with few or no chemicals, small farms, and alternate ways of growing produce. We've been to these meetings before, but not in the last few years due to conflicts with NACAA in the summer. There is always a day of tours to different farms and ranches and then a day of meetings.

Our day of tours was a loop that went north out of Cheyenne and then east along the Platte River and then back west to Cheyenne. We drove by Fort Laramie. The road follows part of the immigrant trail on the north side of the Platte. We later found a map that had the "Mormon" trail marked. The Saints came through this area to this fort for supplies on their way west. We asked the local agent if you could see where the trails went. He said no, but on his ranch, which was along the river, he knew of places where you could, only he wasn't telling anyone about them.

We saw two grass-fed beef ranches, an organic co-op farm, and the University of Wyoming experimental farm that is exploring different crop rotations and doing feeding studies on cattle, among other things.

We also saw about four of these. Guess what they are. Uncle Frank could probably get it. These are unmanned missile silos. I guess they are spotted all over Wyoming and Nebraska.

Dad likes the manure part of the tours. In this case, it's part of the composting system this farmer uses.

Don't you love the front porch? The wife of this rancher teaches K-6 long distance on her computer to students all over Wyoming.


This is called a track truck. The answer to delivering feed to cattle over 4 feet of snow.

This is the view from the front porch. M-m-m-m.

The next day, Dad did his meetings and I explored Cheyenne. It's a nice town. Fairly easy to navigate, not very big (thank heavens), and beautiful weather. There are a lot of trains in Cheyenne. (I know, I know, that's why Cheyenne exists. Very similar to how Casa Grande came into being.) Lots of cowboys and a distinct western flavor to everything. They were setting up for their Frontier Days this weekend and next week. And lots of military. Evidently there's an airbase in Cheyenne. We were informed that they have no planes or airport at this base. It exists for training and missile support.

There are about 18 of these boots around Cheyenne. Each one is painted differently and has a different theme. They are 8' high and for $3000 you can have one of your own painted to your specifications. Proceeds go to the Frontier Days museum.

I went to a train museum, the state capitol, the state museum and did some drawing in the afternoon. You get a good feel for how small the population is in Wyoming when you walk into the capitol building. The door to the governor's office is right by the front door. I'm sure you wouldn't find the same setup in Phoenix or Salt Lake.

Cheyenne by the numbers:

2 - milk cans used to cook lunch for the tour. Wyomings version of a low country boil. Warning - don't put the lid on tight or lunch will explode.

6 - members in the mariachi group that sang for us at dinner Wednesday evening.

5 - boots I found during my wanderings in Cheyenne.

0 - days the wind didn't blow. I was assured the wind ALWAYS blows in Cheyenne.

On the way back to Denver, we drove up to Estes Park through some very twisty canyons. We went from 6,000 feet elevation to 10,000 feet and then back down to the flat lands. Beautiful country.

So we're home. We're anticipating Kristy's visit this week and then I'm off to San Diego for yearbook camp. The week after, we'll see everyone in Boise. Whew!!! What a summer.

The Secret Garden has a doorway

It's finished! It's done! I'm sure you were all just positive that it would never happen. But it has, so there.

What's done? The trellis. The trellis that Jeff drew the plans for. The trellis that Jeff and Matt buried the foundation blocks for. The trellis Matt and Dad cut the lumber for. The trellis that Matt and Dad stained the pieces of and it sat in the backyard for weeks. It's done.

It took Dad and I a couple of weeks and the main part of two Saturdays to get it completed. We've stared at levels until our eyes cross. We've become adept at clamping braces and drilling in screws. Dad's A-1 modification for the base braces is absolutely beautiful. In the process of completing that modification, he made a 2"x 2" out of a piece of 2" x 4". (Sorry, random trivia)

(This is the view out the kitchen window.)

So now we wait for the rose bushes to come in. Dad ordered climbing roses from Phil Bond. They will be planted on both sides of the trellis and we're going to train them up over the top.

Why, you may ask, "Secret Garden"? How many of you spent quiet hours on a blanket or in a chair in this side area? Now it's Dad's turn. A man has to put his garden wherever he can when he loses his garden in the backyard.