2008 Barlow Reunion Trip Plan....

As we all sat down together as a family at Crown Burgers. we all have decided that each person, or couple, plans the Barlow Reunion each year and decides what to do for all of us and the rest of us would just go along. We all decided that it is MY turn to plan the reunion for the summer of 2008. So, I am going to plan this and we all do this (even though Karen comes or not next summer). This is what I decided to do, so here goes, we are going to rent one RV from Cruise America in Provo, Tony brings his trailer and we are going to the Skyline or somewhere in Ephraim Canyon. It will be on a weekend in July somewhere. So the trip is on whether you like it or not. Just remember, each of you get a turn and you can decide whatever you want to do when you get your turn. So, I choose this. I know there is like 75% in this family don't like to sleep in tents and that is why we are renting a RV. We are all helping pay for the RV rental except Tony's family because they will have their own. Karen and Rob, since you are good cooks, I choose you to be our camping cooks for the whole trip. So plan a food schedule and we all will help you pay for the food. Tony has a gas stove outside, or you can cook over the fire, or you can cook on the RV stove. That's your job, Grandma and Grandpa Barlow, your job is to entertain all the kids, Becky, your job is to watch all the dogs and make sure they don't fight. Mike and Laura, your in charge of all the drinks, I don't want Diet Coke, I want fruit punch or lemonade but you can get Diet Coke for everybody else and Tony some Mountain Dew. Tony and Shelly, you are in charge of your own toys and you decide whether or not you will let anybody drive the buggy around and stuff. Maybe you can take us to places on your Bronco. I am in charge of the trip plans. This should be fun. We can go on hikes, go fishing at community or somewhere, maybe Pete's Hole, eat good food, enjoy the fresh mountain air and the scenery, and sometimes sit in the RV and watch movies and play games. We are going for 2 nights and the RV rental is $525 for three nights plus $96 for gas. We can go for three nights if you want to because we have the RV for 3 nights but we will plan for two nights this time. So, that is it, we are all doing this trip, no exceptions.

My week off project...

My boss said to take the week off this week because we can't work on our next project yet so I decided to turn my cabin inside out. Doesn't look a lot better? I thought the blue kinda looked funny and I would rather have just natural cedar and spray a transparent oil on it. So I took all the siding down, pulled the nails out and twisted the siding around and nailed them back on. It took a good old two days. I really like it a whole lot better and it makes it more like a real cabin. Actually, it looks really beautiful! With all the knots on the wood makes it look rustic. I also installed my cabinets in the cabin, even though the doors and drawers are not made yet and I am glad I put them in before making the drawers and doors because it turns out I need to put in shorter drawers because the ladder is in the way and shorter drawers would work with the ladder there. I should be making the counter top, doors, and drawers next week when I go back to work so I can work on them after work in the shop. Soon as I get my next paycheck, I will definitely buy a stove because it gets cold in there now!

The cabinets are done.

I just laquered the cabinets I am building for my cabin today. They are made out of birch, same as mom's cabinets except mom's are stained. I just put a clear coat on mine to match the cabin. It has been a very rainy day today(Saturday the 22nd) so I did bike today to Mt. Pleasant and up to the Whispering Pines road(25 min. climb) just outside of Mt. Pleasant this morning about 9:00. Then rode back home and as SOON as got in the car, it started raining like heck and it kept raining for 4 hours. Talk about pure, pure, pure, luck! I hope Tony and everybody didn't get rained on at the Dew Tour today. I was going to the BYU game today with my counselor but there was no ticket for me. I am really glad I didn't go because I would have been miserable in the rain all day. I had more fun working on my cabinet and riding my bike in the morning than go to the BYU game anyway. The Dew Tour would have been fun too but not in the rain! Maybe the events in the Energy Solutions Arena, it would have been fun.

Another weekend project: the starting of cabinets for the cabin....

I just started on my cabinet for my cabin today by using a 4X8 laminate sheet my boss gave me the other day. I did this today after my big road ride with about 7 other riders, there are a lot more road riders than mountain bikers! It is sad, because mountain biking is a better sport. Anyways, it was fun then I decided to put the bottom cabinet together today and I was planning on putting the top cabinet together too but I ran out of time, maybe I will do the top cabinet(cabinet for dishes) during the week next week. My boss ordered some birch for me to use for the face frame, doors, and drawers last Friday. I had to pay for that though, he's going to take that out of my next paycheck. The birch wood is coming this Monday so I will be able to get this cabinet done pretty soon. I will have to work at my work in the shop to do the doors and drawers. I can do everything else at home. So, next week, I will make the face frame and skin the cabinets(the 3/16" birch plywood on the sides). So, piece of cake, I think I can get these cabinets done in a few weeks. This is a fun project and will be a boost for the cabin! I am going to put the refridgerator and a little microwave on top of the bottom cabinet and put dishes and stuff in the top cabinet. Put other stuff(who knows what?) in the drawers, for sure I will put a garbage can inside of the bottom cabinet. I can't wait to see how pretty it will look in the cabin!

My first cabinet job...

We just finished and installed the cabinets in a house in Centerville. This family lost their house last year by fire. So the contractor built a new one on the same foundation where the old house used to be on. They made the foundation bigger and built a bigger house. Always have fire insurance. This house is big and has 3 large garages with plenty of storage shelves. The owner paid $30,000 for these cabinets and they are very nice ones too, made out of oak and has swinging chairs with the bar. We put the chairs on too. The kitchen countertops was a 10 hour day job. The bathroom cabinets we did too but I didn't take pictures of those so I thought you would like to see the kitchen though.

Here's the picture of the screen door I built...

My next weekend cabin project...

After working for a while, now weekends are worthful to me because they are more funner and more worthwhile when you are working at a job. So my weekend started Friday morning at 10:30 a.m. because we were done with everything we wanted to get done and I already had 39.5 hours logged in. Anyways, I went down the lumber store and got wood, screendoor hardware, screen, and one gallon of polyurethane. I built the screen door and it took mostly all day and it works really great and looks really great with the cabin. It looks like it came with the cabin. I designed it so it looks like a pioneer type screen door. Then on Saturday morning, I went on another road ride with Stever Brown and Brian Whipple. Then after my ride, I varnished the floor, bunk beds, ladder, and the screen door. I put 2 coats of polyurethane on the bunk beds, 3 coats on the floor, 3 coats on the screen door, and one coat on the ladder. It should last long and keep everything from getting scratched.

Speedy came to our house for the first time and he is one heck of a great dog. He really likes to be around people. He really likes me and likes to be petted. He is really well-trained. Everytime I went someplace and came back, Speedy barks and thinks I am a burglar, well that's what normal dogs do too I guess, but he actually taps you on your knee everytime the phone rings, most dogs don't do that. I think that is really cool. He doesn't beg for food at the dinner table and he just sits there when you eat. I wish Sandy was like that because she is like crazy when it comes to food. Well, I got a picture of Speedy in the bathtub so I hope you'll all enjoy the picture.

Well, still more to do on my cabin, a new cabinet, a new tv stand(will make the cabinet and tv stand), fix the little part on the ceiling, get a stove, I got a fridge though, a little one I can put on the cabinet to put drinks in, and I will build a new wood porch with railings and a fancy roof over it next spring. But I got to get all the interior stuff done first. Oh yeah, I will buy a wood chair with a leather cushion on it from Wal*Mart I looked at the other day. It should be a really sweet cabin and everybody will fight over it when everybody comes and visit I hope.