Just a little winter

A small helping of winter finally hit the Sierras. Leaving us with clear blue sky and about six inches of pure sugary snow above 8000ft of elevation.  We started out early, the tree branches laden and heavy, ice crystals sparkling in the early sunlight and the cold air catching with every breath.  We were all thirsty for winter, a real winter, and we spun laps with great effort to savor every last moment.  It went fast though. Late that afternoon as we skinned back to the truck, the snow had already begun to deteriorate, sticking to our skins and falling in big wet clumps on the trail. 

 

Interior (downstairs) before and after

In just a few weeks the house is to be put on the market. It seems like a good time to do some "before and after" documentation. I've divided the photos into three categories: interior downstairs, interior upstairs and exterior. The before photos were taken the day that we moved.

During most of the renovation we lived in two downstairs bedrooms. One has since become the master bedroom and the other bedroom was converted to a third garage bay. It wasn't an ideal living situation but given a repeat I'm pretty sure the same decision would be made.

If there is anything I've had to learn to accept about being married to Denver, it's that hiring help is going to be a last resort. Everything takes exponentially longer but in truth, we often don't have to the budget to do it any other way.  This project took him about 15 months, give or take, of full time work. Carpet install, driveway paving and HVAC install were subbed out,  Denver tackled everything else.
 
 Without any further ado, the unveiling.
 
 Entry before:

Entry after:

Living room before:

Living room after:

Dining room area before:

 Dining room after:

Kitchen before:

Kitchen after:

Master bedroom before:

Master bedroom after: 

 

Master bath before:

Master bath after:

Utility room and bath before:

Utility room and bath after:

Interior (upstairs) before and after

Loft area (bedroom 1 & 2 converted to loft) before:

Loft after:

 

Bedroom 3 before:

Bedroom 3 after:

 

Bedroom 4 before:

Bedroom 4 after:

Upstairs bath before:

Upstairs bath after:

Bedroom 5 before:

Bedroom 5 after:

Terminal Cancer Couloir

Skiing the Ruby Mountains has been on our to-do list for quite some time. We have talked wishfully of doing some heli-skiing in the area but our budget, the snow conditions and time-off from work have never quite aligned.  Once the Terminal Cancer Couloir came to our attention, no heli needed, we decided that a trip to the Ruby Mountains needed to happen sooner rather the later. 

Honestly, I wasn't sure that the couloir would be able to live up to all it's hype and recommendation, but some how it did.  Not because of the skiing, but because it's an incredible aesthetically cool line that left us feeling like kings, fortunate in experience and lucky to be alive.