After we trimmed the tree, we went exploring.
The boys, of course, loved checking out the wreck of the old Buick truck.
David made some new discoveries. The first was this mine shaft that had collapsed or been purposely filled in.
And another mine shaft that seemed like it was still accessible. David said if he had taken a flashlight and a pistol, he would have crawled inside. I was glad he hadn't.
Our next trip was all play and no work, as our son and grandkids came up for a visit.
And put the first one on the tree.
David and Lindsey joined in.
Grandpa put the star on the top.
And all posed in front of the finished tree.
It was a quick trip this time. 
Meanwhile, we had J.C. hook up some ceiling fans on the ridge beam to recirculate warm air back down. 
The recent rains had left the driveway on the north side a bog. For a while, it looked like J.C. wouldn't get out. He had to back all the way down the driveway.
Here's the sun warming the barn after a chilly night.
On Monday, it rained all day. It was the best kind of rain: gentle and steady, and much welcome after months without any moisture to speak of.
The storm filled up our stock pond.
And the wind felled a pretty good sized tree near our driveway. It also knocked out our power. We later learned that our outage was just one of many. The storm had created wide-spread outages all over the state.
In Peeples Valley, in front of the historic schoolhouse, the wind had also knocked down this power line. We wondered if that was what affected us.
Yarnell was mostly deserted, with only a few cars on the road. All of the businesses, as far as we could tell, were closed up and dark.
When the cows came up the drive in the afternoon, as is their habit, number 17 found the box Gerald had constructed to shelter the water pipes coming out from our well.
It was of great interest to the whole herd.
A conference was held.
In the end, number 17 decided it was a face scratcher, and put it to use.
After about an hour of milling about in the driveway, some cow gave some kind of invisible, silent signal and all the cows headed down the wash single file. It was as mysterious to Bubba as it was to us.
When we headed back up to the land, we had big plans, mostly concerning countertops. But our efforts were quickly diverted.
Gerald also built a temporary box to shelter the pipes from the elements a bit.
We had a list of things for J.C. to do the next day. But our recently installed propane heat stove, which had been working fine, decided to stop working. That meant another trip to Yarnell, and Gerald and J.C. spent most of the rest of the day fixing the heater.
It wasn't until the third day that Gerald finally got to work on the countertops.
On our way into Yarnell one day, we startled six or eight mule deer. They scurried away faster than I could pull out my camera, but one stopped and posed long enough for Gerald to snap a photo.
Yavapai Bottle gas arrived right on schedule, about 8:30 a.m., and got to work setting the tank.
After he did whatever it was he had to do outside, the technician came inside to help install the appliances.
Our kitchen was really starting to come together.
Then they moved the stoves in place and lit them up, and we had heat!
We spent the first day of our next trip in preparation for Yavapai Bottle Gas, which was scheduled to hook up our propane.
And also in the master bedroom.
With the extra thinset, he tiled a couple of tables.
Then he finished panelling the guest bath...
And better organize the tool area.
On the way home, we stopped by the Wickenburg Bluegrass Festival where our friends, the Rowe Family Band, was competing.
He placed third, which he said was the lowest he'd ever placed. 
This weekend was devoted to insulation. We chose a company called JDK out of Wickenburg, whose owner has a second home in Peeples Valley.
We wanted to use foam insulation, but the cost was more than we could swing. But we did have the spaces along the roof line foamed.
It took three levels of scaffolding to reach the top of our 27-foot ceiling.
When they finished the interior at the end of the second day, it looked like a giant Pepto Bismol explosion. But it was a cold weekend, and we could sure feel the difference.
And because we hired an insulation company rather than do the work ourselves, we didn't need to get it inspected. That set Gerald free to skin the outside walls.
I saw some new birds in the meadow and got a really good look at them before returning to the house to consult my books. 
The next time J.C. came up, he brought a load of pine Gerald had found on Craig's list for a really good price. Our plan was to use it for flooring. Gerald had not seen it, but had it tongue and grooved before delivery.
He was very pleased with the quality.
At long last, we were also able to bring up a mirror Gerald had made for the bathroom. He had been working on it for a long time.
We had a scheduled tour of the Bagdad mine on Friday, which was interesting. But it meant we didn't get a lot done.
The weather this weekend was just beautiful. Mid-70s. The grasses at Maughn's ranches have turned the color of wheat, and the cottonwoods are golden. Sadly, I didn't have a camera with me at the right time to photograph it.
