Category: Holidays

Belated Holiday Greetings & Happy New Year!

We apologize for being absent in 2016 (and almost doing the same in 2017) – but wanted to get a note out before we enter 2018 to let you know what we’ve been up to.

Steve continues to enjoy working with Motorola Solutions, where he has recently been promoted to a senior systems technologist (much less travel this year, too). I am still freelancing, and my current novel-in-progress was named a finalist for the Tucson Festival of Books Writing Competition and a semi-finalist in the Dana Award for the Novel.

We have enjoyed many treks into the desert on our Polaris this year, snapping photos, and watching the desert critters that visit us with great frequency (roadrunners, rattlesnakes, jackrabbits, hummingbirds, coyotes, bobcats, javelina, etc.)

The biggest news: We did, in fact, move in to the “new” house on May 2, 2016 (Hard to believe we began early prep in 2008 and foundation back in 2009). Naturally, it wasn’t completely finished when we moved in — and still isn’t. But since move-in, and over the past year, we’ve puttered with a few things that needed completion: the Jack ‘N Jill bathroom, flooring, quarter round trim, bullnose tile in the entryway, another tongue-and-groove ceiling, backsplashes behind the bars, screened-in porches, and some new furniture (the first we have ever owned!). Steve did an incredible job building this house! Oh – and the kitchen drawer pulls – those came from rocks I collected on our property.

There is still much to do (including the entire master bedroom/bath suite), outside deck, landscaping, etc. But first on our agenda in 2018 is to remove the old garage, which will improve our views of the mountains!

We hope you had a wonderful 2017 and wish you the best in the coming year. We hope to hear from you soon.

Enjoy some of our finished shots. And if you want to look back at progress from 2015, visit our previous newsletter / photos.

I snapped a few pics along the way, too, if you’d like to take a peek:

• Birds
• Arizona’s wild horses
• Wildlife shots – photography class
• End of year shots (scroll to bottom of post):

Another year has passed. (How is it going by so quickly these days?) Nonetheless, we loved every moment and hope our electronic newsletter finds you happy and healthy.

Steve is still enjoying his job at Motorola Solutions and spent a lot of time traveling as a result of his new position/promotion. Among his worksites and training destinations: Seattle, Washington; Las Vegas, Nevada; Roswell, New Mexico; Cheyenne, Wyoming (in December!); southern Arizona – near the Mexico border.

I continue to write for various clients and still blog a bit (check out my nature/writing escapades melissacrytzerfry.com, if you’re interested). My latest fiction, which is a dual historical and contemporary story, also was a semi-finalist in the William Faulkner-William Wisdom Writing Competition for a novel in progress. We traveled to PA in August where we were able to visit both Steve’s and my family – and where I did some more fiction research in Kittanning.

In house-building news, we made the most measurable progress we have seen in years – probably since 2009 when we got the footers in and the house exterior up. Drywall is up! Walls are painted! A big portion of the flooring is complete! My office is done! We finished the courtyard! Of course, before all of that happened, Steve worked to install entryway vigas, finish plumbing, do interior framing for a built-in bookshelf, finished HVAC returns in preparation for heat pump/AC install, installed door jambs/doors, hung denim insulation (I helped!) – and probably many more things I forgot. I also spent loads of time staining doors, painting and painting some more (thank you, Regina, for coming out to help me finish – couldn’t have done it without you)! I have gotten darn good at edge lines, I must say!

With any luck, we’ll be in the house by spring, in a semi-finished state. Then we’ll continue to chip away at rooms as we can. Patience is the key, as we’ve learned.

Enjoy some progress shots of our handiwork during 2015 (click on any underlined words for links; then click on photos to enlarge):
•  Pre-Drywall Progress
•  Drywall & Mud
•  Courtyard
•  Paint/Flooring

Also check out the wildlife and landscape photos I took this year (I attended a photography class in March, and loved it!)
• Spring landscapes
• Hummingbird babies, hawks, butterflies, rattlers & more
• Wildflowers – 1
• Wildflowers – 2
• Wildflowers – 3
• Cattle, outdoors & a carnival

Wishing you a wonderful 2016!
Steve & Melissa

It’s hard to believe another year has flown by, but when we look back through our photos, it becomes a little more real. Especially when we look outside and realize we went from a hole in the ground on Oct. 7, 2008, to a Tvyek-covered structure with porch overhangs exactly a year later. So – as you can imagine, the majority of 2009 was spent working with drill guns, air nailers, spray foam and 2x6s.

We are thrilled to have met our goal of “drying in” the house. That means we have a stucco-covered, fully roofed and windowed house (that is also framed on the interior). Completing the porch overhangs was one step beyond what we hoped to accomplish, and on Dec. 21, our spiral staircase was installed.

While it was an exciting year with building progress, we also enjoyed visits from my mom, dad and nephew, and Steve’s brother and sister-in-law, Mike and Millie, from New Jersey. As usual, we saw our normal host of desert dwellers – javelina, mule deer, hummingbirds and coyotes. But we also had the excitement of baby roadrunners nesting in our new garage, and a large rattlesnake that Steve grazed with the screen door, inadvertently ripping off his rattle (see blog below). We also were fortunate to have the help of wonderful friends and family in Mammoth, Phoenix, Denver – and from Pennsylvania – who helped with our construction efforts.

The year ended, however, on a sad note, as we had to say our final goodbyes to our girl, Chloe. She literally walked into Steve’s life 14 years ago as a stray, so the decision to let her go, after trying to fight her congestive heart failure, was truly devastating. We miss her terribly, but are forever grateful for the years of joy she brought us.

Please feel free to read-up on some of our previous blogs if you weren’t able to keep up during the year. And leave a comment in one of our blogs, use our contact page, watch our videos, or check out our photo gallery. Have a great 2010.