The Family Farm House

The original portion of our farm house was built in the mid-1800's by Joe's great-great-grandfather, as a gift for his bride. Now Joe and I are restoring it and looking forward to moving in and making it our home. We will post pictures and updates here as the adventure continues. So please, check back.



After being used as storage for the past 30-some years, the first thing we did was clean house. We set aside some items to use in the house after the remodel. We donated some things that could be used by others, and recycled everything else that we could. The remaining 4.33 tons went into the containers shown below.



But not before Joe played in and around the dumpster. (Hey kids, don't try this at home. Playing in dumpsters is not safe!)



Our front porch. Yes, that is a tin roof! And if you squint, you can see the rooster weather vane in the center of the roof.



Here is a shot of the front porch with the latest addition from the early 1950's.



The "L" shaped porch faces the driveway and the road.



Here is our screened in porch off of the kitchen. Luckily the house came with a bunch of great rocking chairs to furnish all of the porches!



Let's continue the tour inside. Come on in!
Entering from the front porch is the foyer. This is part of the original house with eleven foot ceilings and original wood floors. In this photo you can see the front door with the windows around it.



Through the door on the right (above) is a large room that will be our family room. Also part of the original house, it has the tall ceilings and wood floors. We love all the windows!



The family room has a fireplace with an old oil heater. There is also a floor to ceiling closet. Even with a 6-foot ladder, I can't reach the top shelves to clean it out. This room was once a huge bedroom.



Across the foyer are the bedrooms. The first has a fireplace and will be our room. The final part of the original house, the first bedroom has the 11-foot ceilings and wood floors. Beyond it is a second bedroom. From the outside, the second bedroom is the small 1950's addition next to the front porch.



Next to the bedrooms (off of the foyer) is the loooong bathroom.



The parlor is at the opposite end of the foyer from the front door and bordered by the "L" shaped porch. This room has a great fireplace and a built in bookcase.



Next to the parlor is large dining room. Behind the big heater is a bricked in fireplace and a built-in china cabinet.



Through the next door (above left) is the kitchen.



We are hoping to reuse the kitchen sink. We really like the built-in drain boards on either side of the sink.



And finally the screened in porch that is off of the kitchen.



Thank you for taking the tour! See you soon.

My First Autumn!

Because of the drought this year,

the colors of autumn came a little later to Cedar Creek.

But when it came, it was beautiful!

Foxie especially enjoys romping in the crunchy leaves.

An Eastern Migration

After a too short visit with Amanda's family, Team Jones started the long drive East. The caravan included: Joe in the completely loaded 4-runner with a kayak mounted on top and Amanda and Foxie in the low-rider Fit, also completely loaded (including 4 cases of CA wine). With a coffee gift card from Sharla, two-way radios from Amanda's dad and the Team Jones AAA membership card, we were prepared for whatever I-40 could dish out.

October 4-5: After a long day of driving, we finally pull into the Mather Campground on the Grand Canyon's South Rim.

The Time: 2am

The Plan : To wake up after a few hours sleep and start the day with a view of the sun rising over the Grand Canyon.

We put up the tent, set our alarms and quickly fell asleep.

The Time: 4:30am (Good Morning!)

The Weather: Howling winds threaten to blow away our tent if it is not held down with our bodies! (We did not bother to stake the tent when we set it up just a few short hours earlier.)

The New Plan: To go back to sleep until the winds die down. The Grand Canyon will still be beautiful bathed in the light of a more reasonable hour.

At A More Reasonable Hour (warmer too!): The Canyon was breath-taking-ly gorgeous! The first teeny glimpse I caught through the trees literally took my breath away! Every view was just as beautiful- and there were a lot of them, as we stopped at almost every viewpoint between the campground and the East entrance to the park.



Our favorite part of the day (excluding the views) was learning about the Native American cultures that have inhabited the Grand Canyon for the past 12,000 years. The picture above is of a ceremonial kiva and the picture below is of some more recent art work on the walls of the Desert View Point Watch Tower. We also enjoyed some delicious vegetarian chili at Desert View Point, which hit the spot after a full day of exploring!

October 5-6: Thursday night and Friday morning were spent with Amanda's cousin Megan, Chris and their daughter Janice. Chris' parents were in town for the start of Albuquerque's Hot Air Balloon Festival and Chris led all of us on a hike with views overlooking the city. It was a gorgeous and windy day. Thank you Megan and Chris for your warm hospitality and the fun visit!



October 6-8: The next night we were able to stay with Dylan and Susan in their new home in Norman, Oklahoma. (We had promised that we would stop and visit when we moved east- though I don't think Dylan believed us.) The directions seemed pretty straight forward, so we were surprised when we were unable to find Dylan and Susan's house. It was well after midnight when we called Dylan who graciously offered to drive into town and find us. After a few more phone calls and some more driving around it was determined that we were in fact not in Norman! Turns out that many towns have a Main St. and Broadway and brick homes with perfectly manicured lawns. We returned to the highway and tried again. Soon we were pulling into a gas station and relieved to see Dylan waving us down.



Sunday we stayed in Norman and Dylan and Susan gave us the grand tour and treated us to lunch at The Mont, a "Norman institution." (I recommend the swirl- a tasty adult beverage.) What a treat to spend a day with good friends (and off I-40). Monday morning Joe logged in a couple of hours meeting some of the researchers at the University of Oklahoma before we had to say goodbye and get back on the road. (picture: Joe and Dylan survey the backyard)



October 8-9: Everything was going fine until we pulled off the road in Arkansas to find a place to camp for the night. Joe picked up a nail in his tire and the air started gushing out! This was no ordinary nail, but a humongous thing that you would find in a railroad tie or in Frankenstein's head. But at that point it was getting dark and we were getting close to the campsite, so we decided to limp on in. When we peered out of the tent in the morning, the tire was completely flat. Faced with unloading the packed 4-runner to find the jack, we decided to call AAA instead. Within a few hours we were back on the road! I still plan to send in the comment card for the campground- the facilities were great and the staff were so friendly and helpful.



October 9: After setting up camp in Tennessee, Foxi e is ready to go to sleep- no doubt excited that w e are reaching the end of our trip.

October 10: After 10 days of driving and visiting with family and friends we finally made it to South Carolina and were warmly welcomed by Joe's family. Check back soon to see pictures of our farm house all cleaned out!

I'm A Moose Watcher!

(watching moose go by... my oh my...)

In September, Team Jones (Amanda and Joe) joined Team Stefanovich (Sharla and Caleb) and our Dad (Charles) for a week-long adventure in the Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks. Here are some pictures from our adventure and the search for the elusive moose.

Here is our fearless leader (Dad) pictured with Joe and Team Stefanovich in the background.


Yellowstone is known for its amazing hydrothermal activity. We walked what seemed like 100s of miles of boardwalk to take it all in. We had to be careful that we didn't lose anyone in all of the steam! Joe was swallowed by the mist just milliseconds later (photo above left)! (There were no moose in the steam.)


The thermal pools were beautiful despite their distinct sulfur smell. Pictured above is "Abyss," where Teams Jones and Stefanovich stopped for a group photo.


The gorgeous views included geysers, waterfalls, terraces, and of course the most famous geyser- Ol' Faithful! What a dynamic landscape! (No moose yet.)



We saw (literally) tons of wildlife including elk, bison, and wolves. Whether on the side of the road or in the middle of it, the wildlife was able to stop traffic. But were are the moose???


Team Stefanovich takes a break from exploring to smile for the camera. (You can't see their extreme telephoto lens in this picture, but I did suffer from major lens envy on this trip. Maybe Team S will email me some of their amazing wildlife shots for the blog. Hint. Hint. Wink. Wink.) The hydrothermal pools were even gorgeous as the sun went down, and on more than one occasion we explored until dark. (above: Joe, Sharla and I entertain ourselves on the way back to camp.) Are there nocturnal moose?


One afternoon we encountered snow. Team Stefanovich did what they had to do to keep warm. We frolicked in the snow a bit and enjoyed the views from the overlook. We stayed as long as we could, but when the flurry turned into a storm, we hightailed it back down the mountain!


We traveled through the Grand Tetons National Park where we finally spotted the Majestic Moose (the brown speck in the center photo) and enjoyed a scenic float trip down the Snake River. (above: Team Stefanovich on the river)

Then we piled back into the "Death Star" for the long drive back to California. Thank you to the drivers Dad, Joe and Caleb. I think this trip is will be remembered by all as our favorite family vacation! At least until the next time... (right: Joe at the helm of the "Death Star").