Memorial Day 2017

We went to Colorado last week with the intention of working on the countertops.  I took up woodworking over the winter and spring with this project in mind.

We have been using folding tables.  Folding tables are a good 4 to 6 inches shorter than countertops.  It was a point of contention for those of us taller than 5'5".

The kids and I arrived a few days before Chad and Heather and her kids in order to have enough time to accomplish everything we wanted to do.  The Boys helped me make the counter tops.  Tim proved to be a good sander.

Nathaniel mastered the Kreg Jig and drill.

Here is a picture from the previous trip showing the dining room and the folding tables used along the wall.

I made the bases at home and had them stained and ready to go.

Here are the first two countertops before staining.

Here they are after staining and applying an epoxy finish.

Here is the other table on the other side of the fridge.  We constructed these in this fashion because we needed to see what was stored and where.  Cabinet doors would have hidden things and made the use of tubs for storage almost impossible.  The tubs keep everything away from the dust and mice.

I took a break and took the kids for a joy ride.

I got tired of looking at this eyesore of a woodpile and used some of the left over lumber to make a log rack with Chad's help.

See?  Much better.

We waited till the holiday crowd passed and headed to the Sand Dunes for some down time.

The reason we go year after year is to let the kids play in Medano Creek.  It flows only in the spring and early summer with melted snow from the mountain peaks.  Yeah, it's cold but it sure is fun!

Izzy playing in the wet sand.

Back at the cabin Chad told the story of how he killed the bear that was now hanging on the wall.

That evening the dogs came in reeking of skunk.  They were immediately kicked back outside.  We left them outside all night where they barked at everything that moved.  The next morning we contacted a dog groomer in Alamosa, an hour away who was willing to tackle such smelly dogs.  There was no way those dogs were going in the car, so we tied down a dog kennel in one of the trailers and they got a long windy ride as payment for their sins.

Once clean and smelling good again they slept and exhausted sleep back at the cabin.  I have never seen them so tired or so clean.

One more look at those countertops!

Next on the agenda this summer is to go back in August and build the kitchen island.