NATIONAL PARK BROWN

The two of us have been U.S. National Park enthusiasts for a while, but we decided to take things to the next level last weekend when we painted the cabin and little outhouse the official National Park brown (or at least we got the paint swatch from a nice lady at Mt. Rainier National Park, so it seems pretty official to us). 

The paint swatch happened to be from Sherwin Williams, which is not only a great paint store but also conveniently located just down the road from our house in Portland. We swung by for primer (we needed an oil-based primer to help seal the cedar and prevent staining), paint, and supplies before heading out to the cabin on Friday. 

Neither of us had painted an external facade in a long time, and we were surprised and a little dismayed by the difficulty we encountered in getting the paint to evenly disperse and adhere to all the little cracks and crannies of the siding. We erred on the side of thoroughness, however (it's just so wet out there, one can't be too careful) and used up several cans of paint before running out.

We'll finish up the project next time, but for now the outhouse is finished and we're a day or so away from a fully painted and stained cabin!

WHEN IT RAINS, WE BUILD A PLATFORM

After several wet weekends in the woods with Judith's super generous family, we have a platform! We know that right now it looks like a strange houseless deck in the middle of the woods, but if all goes planned, this will be a sturdy little foundation for our tiny cabin come April.