A few weeks ago now, old man winter arrived in the Wasatch Range. Some time before turkey and gravy we had a nice set of storms that lined up pretty well. The avalanche terrain was sketchy with an old October snow still lingering near the ground. That layer wreaked havoc on the Wasatch including the death of the legendary ski pro, Jamie Pierre. Since the shock of Pierre's passing the storms have retreated. The Wasatch winter is stalling out. Fortunately for me, the warm sunny days have afforded me the opportunity to pursue other efforts.
^Like walking the dog at sunset without freezing.
^Enjoying the last efforts of the fall colors.
^Pretty cool chill spot. Winter is taking it's time. We might as well chill and wait.
^Why not sneak in some late season biking. No sense in fighting mother nature. We just took what she gave us, and went riding instead of skiing.
^We visited Christine's mother on the Alpaca ranch that she works and lives on. This one was not shy. She came right up and posed for this photo. The pleasant weather allowed for a nice stroll around the farm grounds. The River Run Ranch is nestled in a really cool spot along the Weber River in the rural high country of Wanship, Utah.
My crazy life means I have to be flexible. The off-season includes a variety of pursuits from day to day. One day I will be working on a rental property. The next day I will be selling ad space for Telemark Skier Magazine. The day after that I could be working on a remodel project. Then there is a night shift at the airport nearly every evening. All the while training for the ski season that is late in arriving. My day job should be skiing by now, but the storm scarcity in the Wasatch has afforded me some unexpected time. Thus, I jumped on the opportunity to finish a remodel project that I've been neglecting. Needless to say, that was a popular use of my time with my wife. My brother-in-law, AJ, came out a while back and really moved this bathroom project along. He is a stud workhorse, and I could barely keep up with him. He sure was a big help. Check out this timeline of things coming together.
^Early demo stages. The toilet and sink used to be there.
^I was really excited to take a sledge hammer to the old cast iron tub. I hated that old thing, and I took satisfaction in smashing the hell out of it.
^New plumbing and tub in. Durock and waterproofing rolling.
^Durock on the floor, and ready for tile.
^Tiles on the floor, and more going up around the new tub.
^The work shop, and the supervisor. She doesn't do much work, but she is cheap, and she keeps the job site in good spirits.
^After the unexpected extra time I finally have it close enough to finished to move back in. Looking good to me. Just some sealer and a shower curtain, and I am back in business.
^Vanity and toilet are in, operational, and leak free. That is good in my book. There are still some finishing touches yet to wrap up, but I am happy to be much further along at least. The brownie points with my wife are nice too. Happy wife, happy life. She is a trooper for being able to handle my unorthodox lifestyle. Maybe that's part of my charm, maybe not. All I know is that she still keeps me around so I won't question her. Soon enough the winter will finally set in, and I won't be able to get to this kind of work much through the crazy pro skiing schedule. She is the one that has to suffer through project stages. I am glad I was able to get a chance to get this one into a livable stage before the madness does begin. I think I need a long hot shower now.