Free At Last...

Well, the 4th of July came and went, but we did move back into the kitchen in the last week and we were freed from culinary purgatory.  The new space will be a lovely place to bake, cook, entertain, imagine, grow our extended family, and enjoy.  We have finally completed a very big dream of ours.  And though we had to make compromises along the way, as is the case with all remodels, we are very pleased and I breathe a sigh of relief every time I go into the kitchen.  Our contractors, Ridgeline Construction, did a beautiful job and we are thankful to them.  I have finally announced another baking sale for August 13 and 14 (we had already scheduled a family vacation).  The Bread Doctor will be making bagels and Russian Black Bread, adding a cinnamon-raisin bagel to the repertoire.  I did take the opportunity to wake my sourdough up from its three month slumber and you will see it featured prominently in the middle of the island in the photos of our new culinary workshop.  It is growing well and should be ready for baking soon.  I have included a few photos of the finished kitchen for my family who live at a distance and may never see it.  But this will be the site of baking activity until the downtown bakery opens next spring.

 

Beautiful Cherry woodwork done by Ridgeline Construction.(yes those are all cookbooks....crazy)

 

 

Gas oven and range and tile backsplash (done by Paul Pardus)
 

You can see from the photos, that Lisa and I both love green, and we finally got the gas range we have always dreamed of.  We also had a wonderful contractor that custom built all of the cabinets, the island, bookshelf, dresser, and the window seat.  He and his crew are great.  Another miracle was the way that they were able to build the new roof to complement our prior roofline.  It really is quite nice.

Brick walkway coming soon

As we designed the kitchen, we were attracted to the work of artisans that surround us.  Our friend, Mark Bigelow, designed and constructed several stained-glass panes for various locations in the kitchen.  He started taking classes in glasswork about a dozen years ago and makes beautiful things.  He has his own business now and a Facebook page (Mountain Light Glazier) and was recently showing his work at the arts festival in Jackson, WY while his wife, Claudine, played viola in the Teton Music Festival.  Check out his work, I was astounded.

Dish cupboard next to the sink

Cabinet over the toaster that holds the toast trimmings (butter, jam, honey, cinnamon sugar, etc...)

 

This beautiful piece will be hung up in this picture window after the vacation.  It is especially meaningful to Lisa and I because we were both Chemistry majors and this is the colors of the spectrum done in brilliant glasswork.

 

We are truly blessed and grateful for those who have worked so hard to make life beautiful for us.  I personally have only one thing to say "Thank God Almighty we are free at last!"