At the last minute, we were invited by one of Brandon's UVU coworkers to spend some time at her cabin up about 15 minutes from Fairview Utah. She has been trying to get us to go for a very long time. When I chatted with her a month or so ago I said we could probably make it work out next May (the cabin gets snowed in starting in November). But, then the Labor Day holiday arrived and none of her family would be there with her and her hubby. So, we decided to go. I'm so glad that we did.
Their cabin is located in a gated community which is actually quite large. It was a bit crazy to find hers, but in the end it worked out and now we will know where it is for next time. This is the front of the house.
This is the view of the cabin across the street. I took it from the upstairs window in the loft.
This is the back porch. They have a sliding glass door that leads to this area. The view from up here is incredible. They expanded the back porch a few years ago, but never got around to putting a railing up.....so I didn't let the boys go out here without close supervision.
There are in a little grove of aspen trees which open right up into a meadow with mountains in the distance. It was breathtaking. I always think about the pioneers and where they might have settled when I am in places like this.
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Peter was so excited to have a whole lot of time to sit around the kitchen table and play games. I think he played over 7 different kinds of games while we were here. Luke played a few as well. He also got to play Jeana's ipad, plus watch Star Wars. This cabin is very modern with electricity, running water (it's even hot), and solar panels. They have a done a great job at making the small space accommodate a lot of people.
This is the walkway dividing the kitchen from the living room. Sadly, I never got a good picture of the kitchen. Most of the time people were in there working.
To access the loft area you take these treacherous stairs. Steve never got around to finishing the railing on the left hand side. It's a bit frightening. Thank goodness we don't have toddlers. I understand a bit better now why their kids don't often stay overnight here.
This is one side of the loft. On the side I'm standing on, there are two twin beds facing the tv. Peter and Luke slept on those. Brandon took the bed that has all those pillows stacked onto of it. I took the bottom bunk bed which you can't see due to that tv box (Jeana and Steve are pack rats too).
They installed a bathroom upstairs after a drunk friend fell over the balcony and broke his collar bone. It was soooo nice to have even a bathroom in the loft, even if you could hear all the business that was being done in there.
These next two pictures are looking down over the railing to the rooms below. The really tall ceiling makes it all seem so spacious. I loved it. Jeana and Steve have a bunch of fun knick-knacks decorating the walls all around. Brandon told me the kitchen stove they use was one their parents received for a wedding gift - so cool!
On Monday, after breakfast, we took an adventure to the nearby beaver pond. The boys loved following Jeana through the weeds. The view was, once again, incredible and I would have loved to explore a bit longer. But, the boys only had shorts on and they kept getting their legs scratched. Next time we will be better prepared.
Peter wanted to explore on his own for a little bit. I love seeing him go off on his own adventure. Jeana says that deer are often found all over this area in the early mornings. Sadly, they weren't out there are the morning we were.
This is the view of the cabin from the backside. It's so nice to have it surrounded in the little grove of trees. It keeps things shady for most of the day.
Jeana and Steve have an old dog named Major. Luke was scared of this dog for most of our trip. He is a lazy old dog though, so he wasn't annoying. Thankfully, he doesn't have fur, so I didn't have any allergic reactions.
With just a few hours left Luke started to enjoy Major's company. Here they both are trying to spot the chipmunk that lives under the cabin. Jeana feeds it, so it gets pretty brave around people. They also have a marmot that has been popping all over the back deck. They've never seen it, but the remnants he leaves behind proves he lives somewhere nearby.
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When we were out there looking around we saw a deer underneath the cabin across the street. It was pretty amazing to sit and watch him chillin' there. Sadly, some 4 wheelers came and scared him off before I could get a decent picture.
Now that we've been, I really hope that Jeana invites us to come up again soon. It was such a nice little getaway. It took just over an hour to get there. It was nice to take my journal, some pictures to label for the scrapbook, and some books to read. I even left my phone home because there is no reception there. Loved it.
