Greetings!  

Yes, it's been awhile since my thoughts have graced this page.  I'm really here because a very dear friend of mine recently told me I kind of left everyone in the lurch with our Mullan 'adventure'.  I guess I never had a proper ending to the story. :) Well, recently the ending, such as it is, turned into another chapter. To make a long story short, after living in our Mullan, Idaho home 'Camp Dunmovin' (Not!) for 4 years, we decided to sell our home and make our permanent residence the small, quirky town of Ajo, Arizona.  

What was to be a short visit to see friends, who themselves had moved from Coeur d'Alene to Ajo several years ago, turned into an instant love affair with this little gem of a town in the middle of the beautiful Sonoran desert.  Neither of us would have ever considered ourselves 'desert people' before our first trip down there but the desert has a way of drawing you in. A large part of its beauty lies in its mystery. The view is endless and never the same. You are constantly surrounded by life, some of it visible, most of it not. The night skies are coal black, with the only 'visible' companions being the stars, which you can see in abundance.  It's the ones that aren't quite as visible that can give you the most pause for thought! 

Actually, I don't think the desert is a place for the faint of heart. :/ 

While we have been working on this new chapter for 2 years, we just sold our home here in Mullan in July.  Because the house itself was not the norm, we, and even our realtor, thought it would take a while to sell.  It didn't . . . and we were totally unprepared to have to move so quickly.  You know how it goes, the best laid plans . . .

When we designed and built our home, we wanted something for 'us'. We weren't worried about who would like it and whether we would be able to sell it in the future.  We thought that wouldn't be our problem. :)  We also wanted a house we would be comfortable leaving in the winter knowing the snow would be piling up all around it. There was no name for our type of house at the time we built it.  It was just a Pole Building finished off as a house.  Now, (as of July) there is an actual category in the Realtors Multiple Listings Guide called Shouse's.  Who wudda thunk it!

I'm just going to end here today with the photos of our 'Shouse' that our Realtor, Denise Lundy of Fortus Realty, had professionally taken for the listing.  After 4 years, this is how our 'Camp Dunmovin' evolved . . .

 

House, garage and our RV.  

(The house/garage actually fronts 3 streets)

The RV is our current 'home' until we get down to Ajo in November.

Living room looking into bedroom and office/studio space

Living room looking towards dining area and kitchen

Kitchen Island

Kitchen work area

Master bedroom (actually, the only bedroom!) with the bed made from recycled Barn doors

Master Bath

Next Blog I'll show you the start 

of our adventures at 

Camp Dunmovin 'South'  :)

AND NOW, FOR THE REST OF THE STORY ....

Welcome to the Kitchen.  I think I posted a photo of what we chose for our main Cabinet before, but maybe not.  I saw this somewhere so I can't take credit for the idea. This is a Stainless Steel Toolbox on Casters.  I just love the Kitchen drawer storage it gives us.  I looked at a lot of similar styles but decided on this one (Costco) because of size and the fact that it has both drawers and a Cabinet.

The drawers are perfect depth for so many of those 'odd shaped' Kitchen items.

     

One of the 'extras' we knew we wanted was a pot filler.  No more lifting a big heavy pot with water from Sink to Stove.  The convenience is all right there.   That's the funny looking thing you see there on the counter.  It just has a cold water connection which is all you need.

Our Coffee Pot is on this counter and so it's very convenient for filling that to make coffee too.  And, with the amount of coffee the two of us drink, that's major!  :)

I opted for mostly open shelving in the Kitchen. First and foremost, I like the look.  And second, I wanted the Kitchen to be convenient.  The truth is we're not getting any younger, (well ... Glen's not :) and to have things easily accessible just makes sense.  The non-open cabinets are Hickory Cabinets, the same as what we have in the main bathroom.

This is the Kitchen Island now finished.  Our friendly little Pig on the counter usually holds notes from our Grandchildren.  When they come to visit, one of them will usually write a 'love note' on it to us.  But, before the day ends, that note can be changed 3 or 4 times by another one of the Grandchildren.  It's become somewhat of a contest as to whose note will be the last one on there when they leave.  :)

sorry, this is a little dark.  This our Buffet and it is directly across from the Island.  

These shelves are to the left of the Buffet and pretty much in the center of the room.  I opted to do our wall this way because I wanted the whole open space to flow from one area to the other fairly seamlessly.  

Here's another view ...

The diningroom table.  This is one of those things that (hopefully!) will get changed  at some point.   It's a great table, it opens up to double in size, but for this space I think a narrow Farm table would be better.  I'm working on that!  :)

Now we are in the Livingroom area.  Yes, the Binoculars are always there.  Out that window we have a great view of the Mountains on the other side of Mullan.  Almost daily we can watch the Elk and Deer grazing on the hillside.  

More Livingroom area.  The Sofa is probably going to get changed at some point too.  It's soooo comfortable but we are probably going to replace it with a Sofa bed at some point.  We don't have a guest room per se, (just our RV 'guest house')  but we've had so much company since being here that we could occasionally use an extra bed.

In case you noticed, yes, I did change the big painting.
The Winter trees are what is up there now.  :)

We have two of these Brown Leather chairs (at the bottom of the photo below) that face across the livingroom to the window (with the binoculars)  For some reason I didn't get a full photo of this side.

That's my Studio space.  YES ... IT IS TINY.  :/  It was suppose to originally be our Office Space and we were going to build a separate Studio Space for me in the back yard.  The house was first priority though, so we said 'Next year' for the Studio and I would just carve out a niche 'somewhere' in the house for now.  Well, the 'Office' actually fit nicely in our Bedroom so I took over this space.  Temporarily. :)  But, other than storage for the non-daily essentials (frames, extra canvases, etc.) this works out just fine.  It is somewhast cramped right now, but I will probably only be designing Jewelry through the end of this year.  Once I stop that and just concentrate on my Artwork, this space will actually be perfect for my needs.   And, the coffee pot is just a few feet away!  :)  

Well, that is where we are at the moment.  There is still a lot of fine tuning to do inside.  But, since the weather is becoming nicer, the priority for now is the outside and the Garage (which needs a whole new makeover!)   Could almost be another whole Blog.  NOT!  :)

"THE ORNAMENT OF A HOUSE IS THE FRIENDS WHO VISIT IT."

                    Ralph Waldo Emerson

Will keep you 'posted' !

Charleen

LET'S ROCK AND ROLL !!

Well . . . Rock anyway.  :)  And we literally have tons of them! You might remember,  I mentioned that this area is called Boulder Canyon . . .

So . . . I thought, if you can't fight them, use them.  There are soooo many that I just figured I might as well make my own Riverbed which, when done, will 'flow' across the front of the house and all the way down one side.  This is the start of it here.  As late in the season as it is, I was lucky to be able to still get a few plants in so it didn't look completely naked.  Next Spring the plan is to get more plants and ground cover in.  Our Sidewalks, (below) are on the City's schedule to be replaced in the next year or so ...  :)

There is so much that has gone on this last month that I'm not sure where to start.  I really need to write more often so each Blog is not a book in itself.  :/  Reminder to self:  Procrastination ALWAYS catches up to you.

How's this for a Step ladder!  That's a 14' ladder.  I 'might' get up on it but I'd probably never get down! :/  The Electric is in!  A few trials and tribulations, (like not hearing before a weekend if the inspection passed the previous Tuesday, so we could move forward with the insulation. You are not allowed to cover ANY of the wiring before an o.k. on the inspection).  In the scheme of things though, that becomes minor compared to some of the other shenanigans we've had to deal with.  The electricians will be back to hang the lights and finish the rest off once the ceiling and walls are in.

That's my son, John, making some temporary steps for me to get up and down to the RV.  Could have really used them at the beginning of the season but we've learned, you take the help whenever you can get it! 

The Kitchen Island is in!  Sides to be finished with Beadboard ~ but, how do you like the Top?  That's the top from our 'Solid Oak' Dining room table.   (Don't cringe ... it turns out o.k.)  We actually have two tables, this one, and a Beautiful Round table made of Parawood. (Also called Rubberwood.  Parawood is from Southeast Asia and these trees are where latex and natural rubber come from :).  Both tables have had various uses in various rooms around our home.  Since we are downsizing we had to make the decision as to which one stayed.  We decided to keep the round table because, without its leaves, it takes up less space.  So, yup, decided to take the top from our Oak table and turn it into the top for the island.   My girlfriend and I found this table in an Antique store in Cashmere, Washington.  (They have the best Antique stores there.)  The tag said the table was Oak.  The top was Oak, the legs were Oak, and the underneath was Oak.  It was Oak.  It was Oak UNTIL we cut out the hole for the sink.  Then we found out that it was just a veneer over press-board on the top AND a veneer underneath.  Who would have thought there would be a veneer on the underside?  Well, it certainly made it look like it was solid Oak.  :/  Needless to say, we didn't feel nearly as guilty cutting in to our tabletop once we realized it wasn't the solid oak we thought it was!  But, it still looks pretty!  :)

Plumbing is in!

Gas Fireplace installed!  Gas Water heater installed!  

BUT THEN, YOU KNEW IT ALL WOULDN'T BE THAT EASY . . .  

The gas company came, dug up the street, ran gas to our house, patched up the street, put the gas meter in, and then they lock it until the State Inspector says all is o.k.   Meanwhile, the Heating Company came and installed our inside gas lines so we would be able to use our gas fireplace, gas hot water heater, gas stove, gas barbque, etc., etc.  Then they called for the Inspection so the meter could be unlocked.  

What we didn't know was that the State Gas Inspector was also the State Plumbing Inspector.

When I came a few days after the inspection was suppose to have taken place the meter was still locked.  AND, ... the plumbing (?) was Red Tagged.  Where did the plumbing guy come from??  I called the Heating Company who told me they didn't know why the meter was still locked ~ they passed inspection, and they didn't know anything about the Plumbing (even though they would have had to let this person in because they had the key.  How does that work?)  But, I was told they would check and call me back in  a few minutes.  No call back.  Called again.  No call back.  Its now after 5 on a Friday night.  I called their personal number (What can I say. . . it's that New York thing again  :/  )  Still no resolution though.  Would have to get back to me.  Glen calls the personal number the next day (See... he's learning!) and is now told that the State Heating Inspector is also the State Plumbing Inspector and, of course, while he was there inspecting the gas lines, he also inspected the Plumbing.

He didn't like the Plumbing.  His Red Tag comments were not very nice. :(  They led us to believe that we were going to have to tear up our concrete flooring and concrete patio and redo all the lines. All we could envision was money and time flying away laughing as they went.  Glen was not able to get a hold of him until Monday.  The weekend, to say the least, was complete Stress.  The phone conversation on Monday did not go much better.  (You know, some people should just not talk on the phone.  It is not their friend.  This person is one of them.)  He would be up Tuesday and go over everything in person.  Glen had to take that night off from work so he would be there in the a.m.  

Tuesday morning did not go as bad as expected.  Much better one on one.  No, we wouldn't have to tear up the concrete.  He could make us but he wasn't going to. : /  But, we would have to dig up across the whole backyard and partially down the driveway.  Forty-two inches deep  (the city of Mullan Water District only requires 36 inches ?)  There goes the two truckloads of gravel we paid to have hauled in so we wouldn't have all mud out there this winter :(  But, water line is now changed and comes in through the bathroom floor instead of the kitchen floor. A few other minor 'violations' on the inside, easily correctable are scheduled to be worked on next weekend.  What the heck, it's just time and money.  

 So . . . back comes Scott and his backhoe and the digging begins.

  

Of course it rained and everything turned to mud and required 3 changes of clothes for the day.

But, we got the 42" and that part passed inspection.

I did get a few more Boulders for the 'River' out of the deal though . . . 

(these can only be moved with a backhoe so not quite sure how this is going to work . . .  :/  )

  

Oh yes, the lock on the gas meter . . .   Seems that won't get unlocked until after ALL of the insulation is done, ALL of the sheetrock is up, and AT LEAST one coat of paint is on the walls.  Evidently the state doesn't allow the gas to be on while you are working on the place.  (No one we've talked to seems to have heard of that rule before . . .)  So the heat we thought we would have while we worked on the place is isn't going to exist. (29 degrees last night)  When we questioned the reasoning behind that we were just told to get an electric heater. :/  Now, call me silly, but I would think that a company that installs gas lines, gas furnaces, gas water heaters, gas fireplaces (need I go on?) in new and existing construction, would have known that.  And, call me even sillier, but I would have thought that they just might have mentioned that to us before we went to all the time and expense to install these items at this point in time when we probably won't be able to use them for several months.  Just thinkin' out-loud here mind you.

You know, even when it rains, water or otherwise, there is still a beauty to life that can't be ignored.

til next time . . .

Charleen

THE BEGINNING . . .

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   A few months back we made the decision to leave the Orchards and Vineyards of Wenatchee, WA  and move back to the Western Montana/Northern Idaho area. We actually started looking in Western Montana and eventually settled on the small town of Mullan, Idaho.  Population somewhere around 800.  It sits about 6 miles from the Idaho/Montana border in the beautiful Northern Bitteroot Mountains.  Definitely no Orchards or Vineyards here!
   
   In fact, this is the property as we first saw it . . .
   

   

   
   

   That green building (with light purple trim!) is sort of an old garage.  I say sort of because there was just a gaping hole in the front where garage doors used to be.  There was no house and that was o.k. because we decided we wanted to build our 'Forever Home' ourselves.  O.K. . . I say 'home' which most people would equate to mean a 'house'.  I want to clarify that, especially to people who have seen and/or have been to one or more of our prior homes.  I don't want to mislead anyone and send you off down the wrong path.  This is not going to be like anyplace we have had previously.  This is going to be more like our 'Forever Cabin'.   (After all, we are up in the Mountains now :)  This will be small, simple (well . . . maybe not so much) and fun.  I thought I was being clever when I came up with the term 'Rustic Industrial' to describe our plan until I googled that phrase and found literally hundreds of references to Rustic Industrial Interior Design.  Obviously not so clever after all.  The object is to do this and then, at some point, guilt free, be able to head south in the Winter.  This will be our warm weather haven and official Home.  At least, that is the plan.

   
   

   The reason I decided to do a Blog about this is because a lot of our Friends and Family keep asking 'how are things coming along on the house?'  This way, with a click of the wrist, anyone can come see the progress for themselves.  Granted, a lot of it will probably be pretty boring, BUT, I have a funny feeling, since we are building this ourselves (o.k. since hubby Glen is building this himself!), there are going to be some mis-adventures along the way that will bring a laugh or two.  As to the title of the Blog . . . We have decided to name our new Home 'Camp Dunmovin' (wait . . . it may take a minute . . . :).   Thus, The Adventures at Camp Dunmovin.

   
   

   Excavation is done.  Not as level as it should be but I'm told a truckload or two of gravel should take care of that.  :/  Sewer and water lines are laid, hooked up and actually working!  We brought our RV to the property and had access to all the amenities.  :)  Then it rained for two weeks straight and turned everything to mud  . . .

   
   

   Below:   Just before the excavation began.  You can see the walkway remnants of the original home which has been gone for many years.  When the ditches were being dug for the sewer and water lines the fella's came across an old basement buried deep in the ground.  Needless to say this caused a little diversion to the original  layout of the pipes.  :/  The patio and walks were all buried under the snow when we bought the property.  

   
   

   

   
   

   The digging has begun . . .

       

       

    

   

                              
   

   
   

   
   

   We needed to remove some of the sod and HUGE rocks that were dug up during the excavation.  We have a friend who owns a Trucking Company in Coeur d'Alene so Glen asked if he could borrow one of his trucks for the removal.  He said "Sure. Take Old Blue."  Old Blue is an old 1974 Dump truck that I'm sure is kept around more for nostalgia than anything else.  For some unknown reason I wound up having to ride up to Mullan in Old Blue with hubby.  The photo below shows us discussing whether or not I am even going to get in the truck!  (I am only including these photos because I promised you some humor.)  There was a passenger seat (of sorts) and even a safety belt, but these trucks evidently don't even necessarily have passenger seats because who in their right mind would ever want to ride along in one of these!  I felt like a mixed drink, shaken over rocks, with no hearing left, by the time we completed the 50 mile trip.  You can't talk because you can't hear.  Therefore any bad words I might have wanted to use would have all been wasted.  

   
   

   

   
   

   There is NOTHING for me to grab hold of to get myself in to the truck so  . . .

   
   

   

   
   

   The next photo I'm not showing because there is nothing funny about the look on my face once I finally got up into the truck!

   
   

     Out of the mud  . . . a smile.  

   

   
   

   Building materials to be delivered July 1st!  :)

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   Posted 36 minutes ago by Charleen Martin

   Labels: Cabin Charleen Martin Idaho Artist Moving Mullan Idaho Rustic

     

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