The walls are going up and a red sunset

It's starting to look like a building!

I have my very own little mountain right outside my window!

Beautiful red sun last night due to the smoke from Montana's forest fires.

And the night before, our view to the west when it's not cloudy or smoky.

Beautiful Wyoming blue sky and puffy clouds...

Well, I'm here...just where I want to be!

Here's a shot from the highest part of our property looking down on the barn and the old horse corrals. Directly to the right of the barn is the beginning of the 'bunkhouse'. To the right of that (and off the picture a little bit) will be the house.

Up here on the hill I plan to put together the old hand hewn logs from 2 old cabins and reconstruct an old log cabin.

The logs were generously given to us by our good friend Joan.

I love our view to the east of The Big Horn Mountains.

Part of the bunkhouse foundation and Steve's (our carpenter) horse trailer loaded to the max with the materials for the walls.

He'll be back out soon to start and I can't wait!

We spent a couple of hours yesterday making sure the windows will be exactly where I want them. He chalked off all the interior walls and marked the window placements. Is that ever nice to know the windows will be just for the best views.

A view to the north of the Pryor Mountains in Montana with a little rabbit brush (I think it's called) in the foreground. The dark green band are the trees along the Shoshone River.

Back in the days of the old manual cameras I knew exactly where to set my good old Nikon to have both the foreground and the background focused...I still haven't figured out how on the digital cameras...I know I can but it seems such a pain compared to my old camera.

A view last night to the northwest...the Absaroka Mountains in Montana. A little further to the left is Yellowstone Park.

 A few struggling flowers with no rain for all summer.

More to come...very soon!

Pouring the walls

Last weeks pictures,

the mountain tops are shrouded in clouds.

Looks like a gray day but still warm.

This week they are capping the crawl space and will pour the slab for the little back room.

Bunkhouse Foundation

Okay, I know...for most of you this is probably as exciting as watching paint dry!

But I'm like a little kid!

It's a big hole in the ground...and the beginning...finally!

This has been a 10 year dream and to see it start is so exciting!

We are starting with what I like to call "the Bunkhouse". This will be a place to live while the real house is being built and then the bunkhouse will become my studio.

The bunkhouse will have just a crawl space underneath to keep the furnace and water heater, etc, and maybe a little of my stuff...

I'm guessing the dusty dirt was blowing around a bit and they needed to spray water from time to time but here are the footings all ready to be poured!

You can see the different layers of stones and gravel and he said they hit gravel so the floor of the crawl space will be nice and firm.

And the footings...

Here are the forms in place for the concrete walls. They will bring in a cement truck to pour the cement into the forms (probably already have). The forms are insulated already. Once set, the wall will be back filled.

There will be a small room off to the back that will be built on a slab of concrete which will be poured next week.

Building by Mountain Valley Homes of Cowley, Wyoming

Wyoming Mountain Wildflowers

The wildflowers are spectacular this year!

(my little camera...not the best)

All photographed late July 27, 2012 in the Big Horn Mountains, Wyoming

Elevation about 9,200 feet