Welcome to our "LOG BLOG"

OUR HOUSE ALMOST COMPLETE - FEB 2010

2010-04-19T16:18:00.002-05:00

MOVING DAY(S)....

2010-03-14T12:10:00.003-05:00

After a 2 yr wait... Moving Day actually became "Moving Week" -- and now "Moving Week II" ... Haha. Yup, we started moving in before the contractors were technically "finished"... so, March 2nd has become March 14th, and we are still not "quite" in the new house... but here are some pics of the finish-out with furniture.

NEW FURNITURE DELIVERED

2010-02-23T03:03:00.002-06:00

LESS THAN 2 weeks TO MOVE IN DATE

2010-02-19T02:36:00.004-06:00

SEARS DELIVERY YESTERDAY !

2010-02-17T20:00:00.004-06:00

We finally got our STAINLESS STEEL appliances!!!
Whohoo...

Luvin' the new Lazy Susan! (And that's just a sticker on the dishwasher.)

ONE MONTH away from Completion - update -

2010-02-07T00:17:00.005-06:00

In the past week, the kitchen got started and the upstairs kids' bathrooms were completed:

We've added ceiling fans, kitchen cabinets, dishwasher, oven, mouldings, hand rails upstairs, bathroom toilets, vanities, mirrors and (YAY!) ceramic tile in the 2 kids' tub enclosures.

Our Two-Person Bath Tub Arrived ! ! !

2010-01-15T21:09:00.004-06:00

And it is SIX FEET LONG and holds three adults sitting cross-legged. (Yes, we tried it... Hahahaha.)

The pine siding on the walls is up

2010-01-14T01:06:00.002-06:00

HAPPY 2010 ! ! !

2010-01-02T20:05:00.005-06:00

We went away for a few days over New Year's Eve weekend and came back to PROGRESS upstairs in the big house! The girls are both really excited about their rooms being done and LOVE their private bathrooms!

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2009 - update -

2009-12-25T21:40:00.005-06:00

A year ago XMAS EVE we poured the cement foundation for our "Big House" and this XMAS EVE we stained it... Whoohoo!!! 12 months later and we are finally making progress, finishing the inside of our home.

Lots of contractors and builders crawling around the place this week - the power was off and the water too - so mom and the kids flew to Las Vegas for six days.

We came home to much progress and the builder says we can possibly move in around March 2010. It was our 2nd Christmas morning in the "wee guest cabin" -- and with four of us living here fulltime and six house dogs -- we are feeling the strain. We can't wait to get moved in 'next door' early in the New Year!

Day 10: HOUSE SHELL FINISHED (doors etc.)

2009-01-23T00:05:00.007-06:00

The SATTERWHITE LOG HOME crew left at noon today... it took the guys precisely nine and 1/2 days to finish the exterior of our new log home!!! We couldn't be more excited.... and we highly recommend this builder to anyone considering a log home.

Day 9: CONSTRUCTION UPDATE (windows)

2009-01-22T08:30:00.003-06:00

The crew added the log corners and windows to the dormers on Day 9. The square posts are being changed out for thick rounds on Day 10. Satterwhite says they will be done "the shell" any day now! Amazing... if we hadn't seen it going up with our own eyes, we would never have believed it could be built so fast after 2 yrs of planning.

Day 6: CONSTRUCTION UPDATE (roof)

2009-01-21T23:42:00.006-06:00

The kiddos and their friends get the grand tour upstairs... (while Snoozy watches from below and wonders what all the excitement is about.)

Day 5: CONSTRUCTION UPDATE (2 stories tall)

2009-01-21T23:38:00.003-06:00

Amy poses in the enclosed "breezeway" to show us all how big the hallway is.

Heartbreaking... but, yes... the existing "old" cabin and the brand new one had to get notched out for the hallway (library passageway).

Day 2: CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS (8 feet tall)

2009-01-15T09:41:00.005-06:00

We are attaching the mother-in-law cabin to the main house with an enclosed breezeway (hallway). The porches and stain will match. All doors will be Texas Stars. The crew from Satterwhite Log Homes thinks the build of the shell will be done in 12 days (weather permitting). Zowie!

Day 1: NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION (4 feet tall)

2009-01-13T23:57:00.007-06:00

Wow! We are amazed... The crew turned up today before dawn and by 4 pm, we had 4 foot tall walls.... ! ! ! Holy band saw, Batman.

Log Delivery Today!

2009-01-12T21:52:00.002-06:00

A SLAB for Christmas - poured XMAS EVE

2008-12-25T00:56:00.005-06:00

A LOG HOME for CHRISTMAS........ "Thank-you SATTERWHITE LOG HOMES!"

2008-12-12T08:03:00.007-06:00

We broke ground on the NEW HOUSE yesterday.

Whoohoo!

Now, there's a big hole ready for rebar and foundation...

After 12 months of decisions, we've decided to ATTACH our new log home to our wee guest cabin. We'll maximize square feet that way and the 6 foot hallway will give grandma and teenaged son some privacy while keeping them close when they are visiting from Canada.

With the economy the way it is this Winter, we've decided not to build on the upper 8 acres (and to make the house a tiny bit smaller). The lower 6 acres is fenced, has septic already, and electric poles, so it's easier and cheaper to build on, while we keep the 8 acres and horse barn for an investment and future building ideas. (Yes, we are thinking retirement in 5-10 yrs and yet another designer log house at that time when our 3 kids are off at college.)

We are still trying to sell the house in the city to pay for it all, but it's been under renovation since August. Here's a picture of our 4 BDRM, 2.5 BA, 2 CAR home in the Medical District of San Antonio:

Many thanks to DUSTY at Satterwhite Log Homes for being so patient with us while we decided on our "dream home" plans!

Updates at Highwater - Autumn '08

2008-10-20T22:35:00.014-05:00

We have MANY things to be thankful for this THANKSGIVING! Dad has a NEW RED F150 and Mom has a NEW YELLOW PT CRUISER...

"Little Miss Buttercup" and the new go-kart for the girls even have a new carport to sleep in....

The Guest Cabin and swings all got fresh coats of stain early Fall...

PLUS, we have DOG BIRTHS out the WAZOO and MANY RESCUES! 8 litters on the ground for Christmas Puppy Sales, oh my!

We had our first BEAGLE LITTER! ....

and we are full to capacity what with the rescues we've had this month, including BOOTS, a black lab, CASSIE, a basset, and SCAMP, a yorkie.

Sean has been subdividing the outside pens and we only have 2 left to do this weekend. Two layers of landscaping timbers hold in the 8 inches of mulch in the outside runs.

We moved all the mamas so each has private indoor/outdoor access, and even the dachshund pups have figured out the doggie doors, and love to dig in the mulch.

While we still don't have a customer waiting area / pick up room, it's a goal for 2009. We can only do so much in one year.

Karen's gone back to work as puppy sales have been down and the kennel expenses have gone up. She's loving her job in the Children's Department of the New Braunfels Public Library!

Sadly, we had to sell both horses, as hay went up to 11.50 a bale and they were eating 380.00 per month. Still haven't got the foundation poured for the "Dream House" but the plans are drawn professionally and finalized. We're ready to start just as soon as the trees get cleared.

KENNEL INSIDE - "SIDE A" - FINALLY GETTING CEMENT RUNS

2008-08-10T21:53:00.007-05:00

Well, it's been over a year since we started, and the inside is still not done. Tomorrow we start with the cement dividers on "Side A" -- pens 1 thru 7.

We have 3 dachshund litters due Aug. 22nd and 2 litters due Sept. 1st so we really MUST push the contractors now. They have been less-than cooperative in the Texas heat all summer... It's been 103 degrees F daily the past two weeks and some days the thermometer has read over 110!

HOLY HOUNDS IT'S HOT!

You can see the blue tape and blue tarps. There is a TON of cement dust when the epoxy floors are sanded. Poor doggies shall have to spend the day outside.

HAPPY SUMMER!

2008-07-08T16:08:00.008-05:00

We spent a lovely July 4th at Highwater with our puppies and all the puppy customers who came to pick up their babies this week.

We've been bathing 3 litters and watching them go to their new homes.

PENS INSTALLED INSIDE KENNEL - "SIDE B" COMPLETE

2008-06-17T19:58:00.008-05:00

Finally got the cement curbs done and the custom gates welded inside the kennel building on the right side - "Side B". The brand is American Kennel Club, but we had to have them cut and modified. Don't they look professional?

The doggies are really happy and love the air-conditioning & non-slip green floors too! It is a relief to finally have the kennel functioning for doggies and customers (if only on the one side).

NEW PORCH SWINGS (Mother's Day Gift)

2008-05-24T14:29:00.004-05:00

We got 2 new wooden porch swings! Aren't they great?

New Street Sign

2008-05-20T17:10:00.003-05:00

Puppy customers were getting lost, so we had this sign made up for the main street.

7 KENNEL RUNS COMPLETE

2008-04-02T21:06:00.005-05:00

Here is a photo of Pens 13 & 14 complete with:

-a combined play yard

-pine bark mulch

-gutters/gates/hoses

-army cot inside +out
-skylight

-shade strips in chain link

-AKC side panels

-railroad ties &

-green anti-slip epoxy paint for the cement.

Cherry, Tigger, Nilla, Nipper and Bonnie are VERY happy in their pens. The way it's set up -- one cement run is always clean and dry while the other is in use. Then, when we hose one side down, they have a dry run next door to escape to. It's brilliant and was Sean's master plan!

One day soon, the hoses will not be in the runs -- but rather strung up from the ceiling on pullies like at mechanic shops.

HERO'S HOMECOMING!

2008-03-23T22:34:00.003-05:00

Hero was delivered this weekend -- and moved into the freshly completed barn where he has his own stall with a nameplate above the door.

He gave Angel lots of horsey-kisses thru the mesh divider! He spent the rest of the weekend checking out the corral and pasture. What a darling! Hero arrived just in time to celebrate Easter Sunday. He got apple-flavored horse cookies and 1/2 cup of sweet feed to celebrate. He needs to fatten up!

SPRING BREAK '08 AT THE LAKE

2008-03-19T11:24:00.004-05:00

CHAIN LINK SOLUTIONS

2008-03-13T22:06:00.001-05:00

Amy, Jenna & Karen spent hours weaving green plastic strips into the chain link today. We are trying to provide shade and privacy for the doggies.

HILL COUNTRY LIFE

2008-03-10T16:11:00.005-05:00

Moving has been SUCH hard work, we decided to kick back and have some fun this past weekend.

Sean and Jenna have a new Hill Country hobby. . . RIDING DIRT BIKES!

Karen and Amy have a new Hill Country hobby too. . . RIDING HORSES!

Introducing "HERO" -- Karen's new Palamino Gelding. He is 9 years old and has ground manners to die for. Such a gentleman, even city slicker mamas can ride him. At 16.2 Hands, he's a BIG OLE BOY.

You can see that 8-YR-OLD Amy has NO FEAR! She discovered a new musical talent that had everyone in awe. She is now officially our family's Horse Whisperer and Pied Piper. . . she had Hero following her around like a Golden Retriever. Amazing!

Who knew that life on "the farm" could be SO much work and SO much fun at the same time?

KENNEL CURBS - PART DEUX

2008-03-01T22:44:00.003-06:00

Here is our SECOND set of curbs. The first ones had to be shaved off during the cement slab re-pour. Our new mason is MARVELOUS! Meet Kevin Alexander. The AKC mesh pens will be attached once the cement cures. Now, we won't have to worry about cross-contamination and doggy waste. Thanks, Kevin!

MEET "ANGEL" - WELSH PAINT MARE

2008-02-27T23:30:00.003-06:00

We couldn't move to the country and not get our youngest daughter the PONY OF HER DREAMS!!! Here is Amy and Angel -- bonding. Angel is a 13 hand Welsh Paint Mare -- and VERY stout. Amy got a new bridle, reins, halter and lead rope in NEON pink! Oh my. Somebody should've told mom the "tack" and food cost more than the horse.

Here is Daddy renovating the barn for two horse stalls and one hay / tack room. Oh yeah, and the wee exercise corral cost more than the horse too. Ha. That's what happens when city slickers move out to the country.

A PIG NAMED "WILBUR"

2008-02-10T09:16:00.006-06:00

Meet "Wilbur" our new 6 month-old pot-bellied pig. He is such a good pig! He oinks and runs to us when he sees us coming. He thinks he's a basset hound as he was raised with one. You can see he lets the dachshund pups climb all over him & chew him.

He will "sit pretty" and shake a hoof for grapes. He'll do ANYTHING for grapes! He figured out the dog doors in the kennel the first day he was here and can even open the dog food container with his snout! My, we are sure enjoying living on a farm! (Perhaps folks think this is the funny farm?) Ha.

Wilbur LOVES bacon. Kinda sad, huh>?

SETTLING INTO THE LOG CABIN

2008-01-18T10:40:00.001-06:00

Here is a photo of Amy and Twinkie -- watching movies together. Although there has been freezing rain and we have 3 foot trenches all over the property (waiting for electric and plumbing conduits), we are settling in at Canyon Lake. The girls sure like their new school! Sean finds the commute to the Zoo a cinch -- so long as he leaves before 6:00 A.M. (ouch)!

MOVING DAY - JAN. 7th

2008-01-10T09:42:00.001-06:00

We were just exhausted by the end of Moving Day, but the kiddos got up for their first day at their new school cheery as chipmunks!

MOVING THE TRAILER - JAN. 5th

2008-01-10T09:11:00.000-06:00

Here is Karen happy to finally see her kennel office arrive! We're calling it "Mellow Yellow" -- but the kennel office was easier to find and buy than it was to move up to our 14 acres!

Many thanks to Cleve & Eva for keeping Mellow Yellow in such good shape when they lived there!

Thanks to Daryl & Tina and their whole crew for rolling, measuring, delivery and all the heavy lifting. Thanks to Kevin (+ his kiddos) for creative driving of the blue tractor. Thanks to Patrick and Paul from Countryside for site prep and gravel road base. Thanks to Walter the electrician & the tall dark and handsome plumber who arrived this morning to hook up the trailer's bathroom. (Amen.)

We could not have done any of this without you!

NEW YEAR'S EVE @ THE CABIN

2008-01-02T17:54:00.000-06:00

WELCOME HOME!

We spent 3 nights at the cabin over New Year's. It was a little chilly, but fun! We unpacked the kitchen and watched some movies since the satellite TV isn't hooked up yet. Our new electric fireplace sure is toasty!

The teeny restroom:

The cozy master bedroom:

INTRODUCING "MELLOW YELLOW" -------------- The Kennel Office

2007-12-23T10:44:00.000-06:00

"All she wants for XMAS is a single-wide!"

Yippee! It's a 2 bedroom - 14 X 56. New black appliances and a washer/dryer (for dog blankets) and dishwasher (for dog bowls).

This will be our temporary "puppy house" for whelping & grooming area. The small bedroom will be a playroom & homework area for our kiddos.

We're calling it: "Mellow Yellow" and it's being towed to Highwater the first week of January.

A Cabin For Christmas

2007-12-22T16:46:00.001-06:00

The guest cabin is finally done! Thanks, Paul...

We are moving in over the holidays. Our daughters start their new school on January 8th. Horray! Most of our stuff is already in storage.

Debbie Engel was our VERY FIRST visitor. http://www.debbiesdachshunds.com/ to see her pups.

It's all pretty exciting now!

2007-12-07T19:35:00.000-06:00

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

STAIRS, FURNITURE, + OTHER NEWS

2007-11-26T16:48:00.001-06:00

THE WATER WELL GETS DRILLED:

Finally! . . . 8 MONTH wait for the well driller guys. Unbelievable. Turns out the new well is pumping 15 gallons per minute (whatever THAT means) . . . Sounds good, anyway. Septic is next.

* * * SPIRAL STAIRS FINALLY INSTALLED:

Interior of the cabin is coming along . . .

The spiral stairs will have pine treads to match the walls.
The queen size sleigh bed gets delivered Dec. 1st.

We chose laminate flooring in a terra cotta (fake tile) pattern. It goes in next week. The kitchen counters to match go in this week.

ROUGH KENNEL SKETCH + OFFICE PLANS

2007-11-25T16:20:00.001-06:00

CLICK TO ENLARGE...

WE HAVE 16 BREEDING STOCK DOGGIES AND 4 HOUSE DOGS. 40 feet of privacy fencing in a U-shape around the kennel building will cut down the barking.

WE JUST BOUGHT A NEW DOMAIN:

http://www.doggyjunction.com/

For the boarding side of the business!

GUEST CABIN GETS A BATHROOM + WINDOWS + CABINETS!

2007-11-14T17:32:00.000-06:00

Two young studs put studs in the loft. (Wonder if they have a stud fee like our male dogs?)

Kitchen cabinets being hand-made. Counter tops are Corian "burnt amber" . . .

Armstrong windows took forever, and were supposed to have WHITE trim, but what the heck . . .

OMG, the tub was on backorder for 8 weeks. Then it got lost in Memphis. So, we walked into Home Depot and picked up a cheap generic one. Finally, some walls and cabinets going in! Happy to see the loft getting done and the electric sure helps!

Cabin comes with coat racks (how handy!).

Our "Texas star" door finally arrived . . . Whoohoo!

Front porch will have ceiling fans . . .

The head contractor, Paul, has problems with the design of the eaves . . .

Paul says we need 100 tubes of grout . . . EEK! Sounds sticky! [grin]

DOGGIE DOORS IN THE KENNEL~

2007-11-14T17:13:00.000-06:00

[Squeak!] The lovely white gutters are up and the industrial dog doors are in. Considering the size of the kennel -- 1500 Sq. Feet -- we're amazed how bright it is in there . . . Those plastic skylights are AMAZING and we HIGHLY recommend them!

HAPPY HALLOWEENER!!

2007-10-31T15:44:00.000-05:00

KENNEL INSULATION UP

2007-10-29T16:51:00.000-05:00

DREAM HOUSE PICS

2007-10-25T22:17:00.001-05:00

BIG changes... BIG dreams...

Our dream kitchen has black Corian counters and looks something like this:

Our dream fireplace looks like this:

Our dream master bathroom:

Dream library:

Dream movie theatre:
(we already bought the antique seats on e-bay which we will recover in purple)

Our dream loft:
(note the Texas Star banister)

Whew.... what do you think of the plans so far??? (Remember, we'll be living in the Guest Cabin of 480 sq. feet for at least 10 months before the big house is built.)

The kennel has been built on the lower 6 acres in a thicket of heavy trees to muffle the barking... no views down there, but you get the idea of the main house now.

Dog Beds We Are Considering

2007-10-19T15:24:00.000-05:00

We had one medium bed delivered the other day in teal... They are supposed to be "indestructible" but we've got five kitchen dogs testing it until XMAS. Hopefully, it can stand up to 2 yellow labs, 1 wirehaired mini dachshund, 1 standard dachshund, and 1 mop-like beastie named Max.

>>>>>> OOPS! <<<<<<<

2007-10-16T23:53:00.000-05:00

Oh, yeah. Somebody got fired for this stunt. How do you run into a HOUSE when you're pushing gravel around???

* * ELECTRICAL POLES ARRIVE * *

2007-10-15T22:43:00.000-05:00

7 month wait for electricity -- "Thanks, Comal County" -- Sheesh! We went over the finishing details of the kennel today. Wire and black plexiglas for the pens has been ordered. Insulation goes up next week. All the nitty gritty details were ironed out. We picked gutters and latches. Hope to move the doggies in by Nov. 15th.

INSIDE KENNEL PICS

2007-10-10T10:29:00.000-05:00

Just home from NEW YORK CITY & MINNESOTA... excited to see the kennel walls and roof up in person. Sean showed us gals where the pens for the bassets are going to be. I bet those dogs live better than us soon!

NEW KENNEL PICS

2007-10-04T21:31:00.000-05:00

These photos just in from Canyon Lake... Whoohoo!

NEW KENNEL & CABIN PICS

2007-09-24T12:44:00.000-05:00

KENNEL WORK UNDERWAY

2007-09-12T17:19:00.000-05:00

Chris Gray is our kennel builder. He also owns www.SevenOaksKennel.com so he knows what he's doing with dogs! Our goal is to make a stream-lined, non-chewing, sanitary, bright & modern indoor environment for our 21 doggies, with whelping areas for the mommies and babies. Full A/C with heat in the winter; a grooming area; a customer restroom; and loft for storage are in the plans.

The kennel material is sage green metal with white trim. Six skylights have been custom-made as well. The insulation arrived (it's in huge rolls). Once the roof is on, the 14 runs will snap together real quick.

UPDATES IN THE GUEST CABIN

2007-09-12T16:46:00.000-05:00

30 YEAR GREEN SHINGLES:
-------------------------------------

The grooved pine ceiling looks STUNNING ! ! !
"Thanks, Paul, we love your work."

'

The A/C UNIT is installed above bathroom:

Electrical crews installed the switch outlets:

The Home Depot windows finally arrived:

SIGNS OF PROGRESS

2007-09-12T16:22:00.001-05:00

The city of Canyon Lake put up a NEW street sign... so you can find us now!

The septic guys put up a sign too:

We have three driveways now! Karen ran around hammering signs up:

-- 945 CEDAR VALLEY DRIVE is the KENNEL
--1045 CEDAR VALLEY DRIVE is the GUEST CABIN
--1199 CEDAR VALLEY DRIVE is the MAIN HOUSE

1500 sq. foot KENNEL SLAB PHOTOS

2007-08-23T21:41:00.001-05:00

Wow! We got the repour done on the 1500 sq. foot kennel slab. It finally stopped raining. The trenches are slanted on a grade toward the drains. Should make clean-up a breeze. Anybody got a hose?

PURCHASED ANOTHER 8 ACRES!

2007-08-11T10:58:00.000-05:00

We basically bought all of the LEFT SIDE of Cedar Valley Drive, including the cul-de-sac (except for a tiny sliver where another neighbor has driveway access). Whoohoo! That brings us to 14 ACRES in TOTAL.

The new land is on very high ground, with a hill country view, and will be perfect for a homestead in the future. There are a few outbuildings on the new 8 acres, and the land and trees have already been cleared for the homesite.

You should see the sunsets from the crest of our "mountain."

---------------------------------------------

The name, "Highwater Hills," has never seemed more appropriate.

DOING A HAPPY DANCE ~ WE HAVE A ROOF ON THE GUEST CABIN

2007-08-07T01:21:00.001-05:00

THE ROOF IS ON THE GUEST CABIN! WHOOHOO! Ironically, the windows are on back-order from Home Depot and the shingles aren't on yet, but we do see progress. The roof will be "Midnight Green" - and the front door will be a "Texas Star" glass door.

KENNEL SLAB DISASTER ! ! !

2007-08-02T02:20:00.000-05:00

HOLY HOUNDS... somebody took the forms off too early, and mixed the 1500 Sq. Foot slab too "dry" with too much gravel. It is going to cost thousands to fix. We are NOT amused. The kennel is now weeks and weeks behind schedule. See for yourself... (click photos to enlarge).

A DISCOURAGING DAY

2007-08-02T00:55:00.000-05:00

TODAY'S THOUGHTS:

----------

We are tired of rain... tired of delays... you can see it in our faces. We were supposed to move into the Guest Cabin on August 20th, but now have to stay in the city (in our old house) until XMAS.

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I guess it's true the old adage... all things happen slower in the Deep South.

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Now, our dogs have to be boarded hours away; our belongings have to be stored in two huge lockers at Noah's Ark storage; and we've had to delay selling our house in the medical district since we have no place to go.

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WALLS UP IN GUEST CABIN

2007-07-23T20:58:00.001-05:00

We had a picnic in the guest cabin today... No roof, but you get the idea. MATTHEW is the cute guy in the orange shirt - He's Karen's 15 YR OLD son visiting from Canada, eh!

PROGRESS * PROGRESS * PROGRESS

2007-07-10T15:26:00.000-05:00

The guest cabin is only three feet tall...Only hobbits and very short people can visit us! Then, there is the kennel slab, which is 3 times the square footage as the guest cabin. Sean is sitting on the pipes to the human toilet
in the kennel office. [What a turd.] Ha. Ha.

READY TO POUR KENNEL SLAB

2007-07-06T12:29:00.001-05:00

Here are 2 pics taken yesterday of the 30 X 40 kennel slab. We met with the septic company and agreed on a 3-tank system. Things have been delayed due to torrential storms in our area, but we are hoping to get back on schedule. Electricity is scheduled to go in next week, and the well shall be drilled this month, too. We are 3 months behind at present.

PICS OF KENNEL AREA + GUEST CABIN

2007-06-25T16:22:00.000-05:00

First 2 photos are the kennel area...

Last 5 photos are the guest cottage area. It's been raining since March. "Arggg!" We're praying for a stretch of dry weather to pour the two slabs.

DRAFT FLOORPLAN of 1st LEVEL

2007-06-22T12:32:00.000-05:00

CLICK SKETCH TO ENLARGE + VIEW:

It is close to perfect, but we're still having problems with the "SECRET PASSAGE" swinging door from the library to the guest bathroom. A sliding door on rollers might be our best option.

We have added 4' X 4' in either direction to give the kitchen more room for entertaining & give us more "elbow room" in the master bathroom.

Porches shall be 8' deep for ~360 degrees. The big house is now 3,750 sq. feet. Oh my! Karen wants to know: "Who is gonna clean such a monster?" Ha. It is now 1,000 sq. feet larger than our 5 bedroom house in the medical district of San Antonio.

GIRLS SWIMMING WHILE WAITING FOR LOG DELIVERY

2007-06-14T21:58:00.000-05:00

Jenna and Amy and Mommy sure needed to cool off after tramping around in 95 degree heat up at Highwater this week. We camped Tuesday thru Thursday up at the lake to wait for the delivery truck which came from out-of-state and was a few days late.

Our timeshare is only 10 minutes from Highwater, and we stayed in the mini-log cabins and played mini-golf. Then we swam with mini-tubes in a mini-pool. It was a mini-vacation! It's certainly nice to wait for something when you can stay cool in the meantime.

We were on hand to tell the builders where exactly to pour the foundation for the guest cabin. Good thing, too... because they had the location strung-up 80 feet in the wrong direction by the time we got there. Dad was VERY relieved we were on-hand, as he had an Ocelot in surgery at the Zoo and couldn't get there in time for delivery.

As surprised as we were to see the size of the massive rig that delivered the logs for the guest cabin, unbelievably, it will take not one but THREE semi-trailers to deliver the big house in a few months. Holy Hounds!

LOGS DELIVERED for GUEST CABIN

2007-06-14T21:31:00.000-05:00

Logs for the guest cabin got delivered JUNE 13th. The white pine smelled so good and fresh! It almost looked like a giant child dumped his whole box of Lincoln Logs on our street. Amy (bottom picture) posed on the logs, and phoned her Nanny in Canada, saying: "I sat on your house today!"

Road Work - Today - Finally!

2007-06-11T23:31:00.000-05:00

Finally broke ground on the kennel road today! Whoohoo. Chris and crew dumped load after load of fill.

The bobcat got a workout too. Lots of trees removed at the kennel site. The kennel driveway even has a culvert now, in case it rains. We are trying to convince the creek to go where we want it to. Ha ha!

SHOWING GRANDMOTHER AROUND

2007-06-08T14:47:00.000-05:00

We met the contractor, Bobby, and the kennel builder, Chris, up at Highwater on June 4th. Even got a picture of us "signing the contracts on the dotted line."

The kids had fun showing their grandmother "Nanny" where her guest cabin is going to be. All three men (and some teens belonging to Chris) helped stake out the kennel and big house. The trick was to find the high-ground and avoid the wet-weather creek.

"Private Property" signs were posted. The women-folk almost melted in the 90+ heat. Nobody saw a snake. It was a good day.

We went swimming afterward to cool down. Dad ripped the back of his shirt nearly off completely in the thicket (and got a very funky sunburn). And, somewhere in the forest of cedars, Dad's new pair of reading glasses are making some bugs very happy.

EXAMPLE OF 360 PORCH RAILINGS

2007-05-16T00:55:00.000-05:00

We found this pic online... It's very close to what we want.

Imagine the roof is GREEN instead of RED, the fireplace INSIDE instead of OUT, and you get the idea of how our three-gable main house will look once complete!

PHOTOS OF GUEST CABIN LIKE OURS

2007-05-16T00:05:00.001-05:00

Our Guest Cabin will be a bit larger than this; same style. You get the idea, though...

Ain't it cute?

We've decided to make one large bedroom instead of two mini bedrooms on the main floor. Upstairs, the loft will be tall enough for kiddos to sleep in, but not much else!

New 3-D Plans – “The Ashley”

2007-05-05T12:34:00.001-05:00

Here are the architect's computer renderings:

And here is the pool Karen & the kids want:
(We'll have to make do with an above-ground pool from Wal-mart, though, for the first few years. Problem with land at Canyon Lake is the darn rock. You almost have to blast to get a hole big enough for a pool. Sean says, "Let's wait for grandchildren before we put in a pool." Ha.)

TWO MOVIE CLIPS OF CANYON LAKE

2007-04-16T01:40:00.001-05:00

This movie was shot NEW YEAR'S EVE 2006 - at our timeshare at Canyon Lake. We posted these two slideshows to show y'all why we've fallen in love with God's Paradise.

CANYON LAKE MOVIE MONTAGE

2007-04-13T13:26:00.000-05:00

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

GUEST CABIN SPECS

2007-04-03T19:26:00.000-05:00

This is the Guest House.

Two bedrooms plus loft.

2007-04-03T18:49:00.000-05:00

Here are the Main House plans...

(Each graph square is equal to one square foot = 3,000 Sq. Feet)

Lower Level:

(See the 'secret passage way' in the library?)

Upper Level:

(The pre-teens will have their own laundry.)

The Carport & Indoor Movie Theatre:

(Imagine 3 rows of flips seats & 3 cars.)

SURVEYING THE LAND

2007-03-28T01:47:00.000-05:00

Today we mucked around our new property in the rain.

Sean was acting like that dude on the TV commercial, testing his cell phone for reception. "Can you hear me now?"

Well, I couldn't. We had zero bars. And I got hopelessly lost in the trees.

We hung windsocks up to mark the way for the lumber delivery trucks expected soon. Our van got stuck in the ruts of our "driveway" for hours. Sunk to our knees in mud. Gross!

PHOTOS IN THE RAIN

2007-03-27T21:38:00.000-05:00

Okay... a quick update:

We hired a company to do the topographical survey today. We break ground on the kennel in less than a month. The cheque cleared for the deposit on the cement. And the logs are being cut this week for the Guest Cabin.

KENNEL FLOORPLAN SKETCH

2007-03-22T18:34:00.000-05:00

There shall be 10 dachshund pens + 4 labrador pens!!!

Sean designed this plan after 31 years designing exhibits and enclosures for various zoos across the U.S.A.

THE GUEST HOUSE - "TRAILBLAZER MODEL"

2007-03-22T18:30:00.000-05:00

This is the Guest Cabin - AKA: "The Trailblazer" - it's only 680 square feet (if you include the loft).

We hired "Real Log Homes" of Texas to build it.

EXTERIOR DESIGN - 3 GABLED CAPE COD

2007-03-22T18:20:00.000-05:00

THIS IS "THE ASHLEY" PLAN.

We're having a library built instead of a formal dining room and an indoor movie theatre 12 X 12 in our detached log-sided garage.

We're adding 4 bay windows. We're adding 2 bathrooms upstairs in the loft for our two daughters. And, a see-thru river rock fireplace from the left of the greatroom into our master bedroom.

360 Degree wrap-around porches with "Y" posts and railings will finish the look.

OUR NEW KENNEL NAME

2007-03-22T18:14:00.000-05:00

After 15 months seeking a "subdivision" with no Home Owner's Association, we could scarcely believe our luck. Doggies are not welcome in most neighborhoods due to the barking. We found land with ZERO RESTRICTIONS. What luck!

Having operated as "Leon Valley Kennels" for 3 years, we've decided to call the new kennel "Highwater Hills" -- in part due to the creek that tends to flood the bottom two acres, and in part because we've gone through "HELL & HIGHWATER" to get here.

Our Dream Home & Kennel

2007-03-22T17:56:00.000-05:00

For many years, we've said: "Come Hell or Highwater we're building a log house."

Then, we went thru Hell & Highwater to save the funds, find the land, and a decent elementary school for our kids.

So...

FINALLY....

We bought six acres on our sixth anniversary, March 18, 2007 , up in the Texas hill country on the north side of Canyon Lake.

We're having a log home built, and a guest house, and a 14 run indoor/outdoor kennel.

We couldn't be more excited!