Family Mellmann

We took an afternoon drive to Absarokee so that Joerg could have his first walk through the walls and halls of our house.  The last time he was here, there was just a hole in the ground. Since my last visit, more roof trusses have gone up and the back porch overhang is starting to take shape.  This helps to give us an idea of what it will be like on the back patio, and it is very exciting.  We look forward to lots of time spent out there. While we were on site, I had a chance to chat with our neighbors to the east.  They are very friendly and will surely be very good neighbors to have.  As chatted over the fence, I had a chance to take picture of the house from a new angle.  

With the low humidity and high winds, the wildfires west of here (mostly Idaho) have brought in quite a bit of smoke.  Sometimes we can actually smell the smoke or feel it in our eyes, but mostly it just blocks out the view of surrounding mountains.  On Saturday, I attended a memorial service (I was asked to lead the music) in Paradise Valley.  On a clear day, you can see mountains in every direction all the way through the valley but, with wildfire smoke, you can only see a few silhouettes. While the daytime view is a bit smokey, the sunrise view can be quite spectacular.  This morning, the horizon was painted bright orange and when the sun came up it was an intense red.  It was gorgeous.  

It was a beautiful day here in Montana.  I went to the construction site to check on the progress.  It was very exciting to drive into the subdivision and see real action happening.  From the upper road of the community, I could get a great view of our property and the mountains in the back. Down at the site, there were piles of prefabricated roof trusses and our builder's team was setting the garage trusses in place.  The builder and I addressed some questions and then he went back to building while I took pictures.  What an experience to be able to walk *through* the house for the very first time. The front entrance. This is the kitchen window. Master Bedroom Standing on the "patio" looking into the living room. Looking toward the kitchen and pantry. The builder and one of his guys setting a roof truss. Looking through the front door area into the living room. This front entrance will be covered.  I have always wanted a covered entry.  

Today was a lovely day in Absarokee; sunny, breezy, and blue sky. Dad joined me today for a drive to the construction site.  We checked out the progress and walked the grounds then spent a few minutes chatting with the builder about windows. Status today;  floor is down (sub-flooring) and painted (to protect it from weather until the roof is up), the cement garage floor is dry and cured, and the builder was working on window "headers" when we arrived. Despite the saw buzzing consistently while we were there, it is wonderfully peaceful here. This is (roughly) the view out of the kitchen window. This is (roughly) the view out the office window. This is (roughly) the view out the master bedroom window. This is where the front door will go.  

 We're seldom shy of a good show from porch here.

 Good morning.

I brought one peck of peaches back from Utah and turned them into one of our favorite desserts, Peach Crisp.  I use my great grandmother Lydia Trimpe's recipe for this treat but most of the time I have to use apples or cherries since ripe peaches are impossible to get in Vermont.  But I don't live in Vermont anymore and it seems that ripe peaches are more accessible here, especially if you can drive about six hours south to Utah. :) One peck seems to be enough to make four 8x8 inch pans of Crisp.  I made this 9x13 inch pan for tonight and will freeze the rest of the peaches for a treat later.

When I returned from Utah, I took a run to Absarokee to see how things are progressing. More lumber has been delivered.  This should be everything we need for the framing of the house, which begins next week. The floor joists are in and ready for the sub-flooring.  That will happen early next week. The cement guys poured the garage floor.  It was a beautiful day for a cement pour (gentle breeze, cool day, and partly cloudy skies all help to prevent the cement from drying too quickly in this low-humidity climate). And electrical service has been brought to the house in the form of a temporary post.  That temporary post will go away when the full electrical panel goes in later in the construction process. Cement work is surprisingly man-power heavy.  There were five guys on the ground moving cement and one guy in the truck.  They each know their job and as long as cement is pouring, they are moving fast in order to get it where it needs to be before it begins...

I had an opportunity to take a little road trip to Utah; it was one of those two-birds-one-stone deals except I had three birds.  I could help my folks, give Joerg a little space, and spend time with my sister and her family all in one trip. Anyway, while we were there we had a chance to take in some local community life.  The community jazz band entertained local residents who were in the park to enjoy the many food truck dining options.  Dinner and a show, you can't beat that. We also got to experience true ripe peaches for the first time in a very long time (decades maybe).  Just a couple days before we arrived, Ogden Utah celebrated their Peach Days which means we arrived right when the peaches were at peak readiness and could be found at almost every roadside produce stand.  My nephew, who likes to cook and bake, made a Peach Pie and a Peach Cobbler for us to enjoy...and enjoy we did.  I enjoyed those peaches so much that as we drove out of town on our...