Happy Holidays everyone! My parents, Shannon, and I spent a wonderful week at VML over Thanksgiving. We performed some routine maintenance as well as making some really sweet upgrades. Although we were on vacation, it was a typical cabin work week (which we all love BTW).

One of the big issues that got resolved was the leaky upper pond. I had a contractor come in, remove the old 6" outlet pipe, and replace it with a new smooth wall 12" culvert. This involved pumping down the big pond, cutting out the concrete apron, digging out the leaking material and old pipe in the bank with an excavator, installing the new pipe and fittings, back filling with clean clay fill, and seeding the disturbed areas. This repair should prevent the pond from overflowing during heavy rain and also stop the leaks that were eroding the bank. It wasn't cheap, but I am glad to finally have a pond that holds water like it should!

Mom and Shannon worked on updating the bedding and curtains in the downstairs bedroom, and as you can see, they did a marvelous job!

The girls (Mom, Shannon, and my sister) have been on me for years to replace the gigantic 1970's microwave oven that was in the cabin when I bought it. I finally relented and moved into the 21st century...

Pop and I took down the old, crappy lighted medicine cabinet in the upstairs bathroom and replaced it with a nice framed mirror and wall sconce...

And finally, the biggie... We replaced the all of furniture and bedding in the bedroom over the living room, including a new queen bed, two nightstands, a 4 drawer dresser, and a 6 drawer dresser, all handmade from dead standing aspen logs. It took an entire day and the whole team to move out all of the old furniture and bring the new bedroom suit upstairs from the delivery truck. And yes, it's just as heavy as it looks!

As you can see, it was a very productive week! I won't even begin to bore you with all of the other items and issues that got fixed, adjusted, repaired, replaced, rewired, moved, discarded, donated, or purchased. Suffice it to say, we spent virtually all of our time working on the cabin during our vacation.

A big, huge thank you goes out to Mom and Shannon for spending hours upon hours shopping for things VML needed, decorating, and adding the little things I would have never thought about that make this place great. And to Pop for his willingness to tackle any job big or small, no matter how difficult or daunting it may seem. His knowledge, skill, and determination are legendary and he's the driving force behind getting things done when we visit the cabin.

Enjoy the pictures, and I hope you all have a safe, happy holiday season!

-AT