Sedona, AZ

Ironically, while we are writing a blog, we're actually very private people. It’s not that we keep secrets, it’s just that we prefer to keep everyone else in the dark. We have spent years perfecting the art of shining an occasional ray of light on a situation rather than trying to dim an already full blown spotlight. That being said, there have recently been some requests for a little more personality in these blog entries. In my case, introversion (pretty sure I made that word up) and the desire to please people are a package deal. Hopefully what follows will be dripping with the right dose of personality.

In a few short months we will be packing up and moving "Dentro Le Montagne", or "Into the Mountains" of Colorado. In anticipation of the move, Cameron and I have developed a CA exit strategy (actually just a pre-exit plan, but "exit strategy" makes it sound more respectable). Our plan is to visit as many "places of interest" as possible that are weekend accessible from So Cal. "Places of Interest" is all relative, I know, but one location on our list (as a couple) has always been Sedona, AZ. Reason? Not only is it the Vortex capital of the world, and breathtakingly beautiful, but Cameron and his family lived there for a short stint when he was a kid. Back to the ol' stompin' grounds we go...

Our three day vacation was mostly spent hiking, unintentionally not always on the trail. We trekked to Devil's Bridge, climbed Cathedral Rock, and tromped up to Broken Arrow and Chicken Point. No, we did not look at the hike guide and choose the most evil sounding adventures. "Sunset Site" just didn't offer the excitement we were looking for (not that we do not love a good sunset). When it was all said and done, we figured our walkabouts totaled 13-15 miles, none of which went unnoticed to our legs or feet. The phrase "my dogs are barking" was used more than once during our weekend getaway.

During one of the hikes, I was told by someone who appeared to be a guide of sorts, that I had a "natural sense for feminine healing." Both a strange and random compliment Cameron and I thought. The strange man then went on to explain how I had managed to stop on a rock platform that was situated between a triangle of trees with twisted stumps...an obvious feminine healing center of energy. Cameron and I both shrugged, continued on our way, and chalked my "sense" up to my natural ability to stop walking when I get tired and that usually happens at the top of a hill where I can see stuff. But that is just us...

An added bonus to the weekend was the opportunity to test out the Internet-learned techniques (I use this term loosely) with my new camera. Bear in mind that the camera is a 35mm so these images are scanned in and have lost some quality in so doing -- but hopefully you can still get a sense of some of the images from our weekend trip:

Some Cactoid looking object: Cathedral Rock:

In Living Color:

Whirlpool-O-Rock:

Cameron Climbed Stuff:

Chicken Point:

Water that Fell on Oak Creek:

Good thing Cameron was there to hold stuff down:

I took pictures of stuff:

Vortex (aka View):

A perfect mixture of ice, water, and rocks:

Slide Rock (not much sliding done on account of the brisk H2O): And because old habits die hard:

We would show pictures of the inside, but at this point it would just look like a fine bunch of lumber to those with no interest in blueprints.

"Dried In"

As of the 16th and January, the house is "dried in". The roofers found enough of a break in the weather to get the ice/water shield on the roof. We were told that siding is almost finished and plumbing and electrical are 80% complete. The front door is a custom fir craftsman style...thanks to Bill the Builder.

For me, the hodge-podge of colors is hard to look past. Cameron does a great job of squinting and thinking big picture. We are going to try to pick siding colors and wood stains that make the house look like it was meant to be there all along!

Doors and Windows

Getting the chance to see and walk through our soon to be home was one of the best Christmas presents of the year. Here are some updated pictures. Note that the weather has made construction tough in the last couple weeks, hence the slowed progress. The garage is complete (including openers which are now in our posession). The windows and most doors are up. The siding is being put on (not the final coloring). The plumbing and electrical work will bring in the new year. On to the pictures:

Front of the House:

Back of the House on the ridge:

View from the Front Door:Fireplace:
Poudre River at the bottom of our driveway:

"Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after."

-Henry David Thoreau

Clippin' Right Along

This is more like it! The "covered porch" is now covered.

10" Logs all around...

The view from the front porch:

The weather looks to be holding up. So far so good!

Into the Mountains

As promised, the following is an update on our building project. In an attempt to catch everyone up, we will start from the beginning. Our first time seeing the property in January 2007:

Soon after the purchase in April:

October:


Early November:

Middle of November:

End of November:

Keep in mind that the plan is to have a wrap around porch and a secondary roof. The finished project should look something like this:

Special thanks to this crew (plus Ninny)...standing by our front door... for their dedication:

Although it is hard to be watching this house go up from a distance, Cameron and I are really excited to be learning so much about the building process.

So, there you have it, now you are all caught up!

Tunnel Tag

The reason for the creation of this blog is our inability to turn away from competition. Our friend Missy recently "tagged" us with "7 Things You May, Or May Not, Know About Us". Since we are the Butlers, we have upped the ante to 10. We have also changed the game to Tunnel Tag. Here it goes:

1. We both have a hunch that the first mousetrap wasn't designed to catch mice at all, but to protect little cheese "gems" from burglars.

2. We hope that someday we will be able to put away our fears and prejudices and just laugh at people.

3. We would both like to see a nature film where an eagle swoops down and pulls a fish out of a lake, and then maybe he's flying along, low to the ground, and the fish pulls a worm out of the ground. Now that's a documentary!

4. We have recently taken to using the expression "on account of" prodigiously. Also, we have taken to using the word, "prodigiously."

5. We both believe that if you go through a lot of hammers each month, you are not necessarily a hard worker. It may just mean that you have a lot to learn about proper hammer maintenance.

6. Sometime we wonder if trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason.

7. We think that if you're in a war, instead of throwing a hand grenade at the enemy, you should throw one of those small pumpkins. Maybe it'll make everyone think how stupid war is, and while they are thinking, you can throw a real grenade at them.

8. We tend to scoff at the beliefs of the ancients. But we can't scoff at them personally, to their faces, and this is what annoys us.

9. We really believe that before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

10. We think it's funny that pirates were always going around searching for treasure, and they never realized that the real treasure was the fond memories they were creating.

Oh Katie Hardeman...you are it!

Anticipation...

The anticipation is palpable...