Yep, Phoenix is almost as far out as you can get.... 20 miles more and you'll hit Copper Harbor which is on the tip of the Keweenaw Penninsula! I've had a lot of problem with cell phone coverage in the Keweenaw. I had T-Mobile when I moved here and have since switched to Alltel (which supposedly covers this area, along with AT&T). Alltel doesn't give me any better coverage than T-Mobile did. I'm find in Houghton, Hancock, Calumet, and Laurium. I don't get coverage in Lake Lindon, Dollar Bay, or anywhere down that side of the penninsula. NOBODY gets coverage in Copper Harbor that I know of. Other places are hit and miss. Oddly, I have three bars at the cabin site, but I figured that out when I found a cell phone tower up on a hill only a mile or so from there. I don't think there are any towers out towards the harbor. I don't know why! How many towers could it take to cover one small penninsula anyway??? I do hear that AT&T gets coverage in some of the towns that Alltel doesn't, but no one told me that until after I signed up on a two year contract with Alltel :-( The camp really isn't so far 'out there' unless you call the whole penninsula out there :-) It's less than a mile to the town of Eagle River, which I admit, is pretty darn small. But that means less than a mile from Lake Superior and a beautiful public beach too! Then a mile the other way takes you to Pheonix. There hasn't been a settlement or cabin on our spot before, although there are a couple of houses along the highway that we turn off of to get into our camp. And we are bordered all around by Superior Timber (or whatever that logging outfit is called). That means no neighboring camps. And yes, I've heard of clearings before, although back where I'm from (Nebraska originally and the Rochester Minnesota area recently) it's pretty much all 'clear' and only spots of timber. It did take some getting used to here.... almost all wooded timberland, but it is just so beautiful! Thanks for the wishes for the long dry fall. We'll take you up on those! And yes, I've got a keeper this time. I explained this to my daughter just the other day and I'll share it with you too. Except for the fact that I moved further away from my daughter and son-in-law (Tulsa OK) and away from my son and daughter-in-law (Rochester MN), I feel like I've come home. Part of it is Gary and my step-daughter Emi, part of it is this house here in Laurium, and part of it is the Keweenaw. It's different then the farm country I grew up in back in NE, but it is home. Hopefully, you understand what I mean. It's inside of me and hard to explain. What I've just said is the best explanation I can give. Here's a link for Laurium (the town where I live): Laurium link And below is one for Eagle River: Here is a link that might be useful: Eagle River - camp is about a mile from here

Someone locally is selling a new, misordered white Kohler Purist tub for like 1/3 of normal cost, and I almost jumped at until I realized it had BubbleMassage and not the Effervescence i wanted (tiny bubbles rather than the usual big ones that quickly float to the surface and pop). I'm still intrigued with this tub - it, and its rectangular cousin the Kohler Sok, are like bathing in your own personal infinity pool. It's also a rare 2-person tub configured so you can either face each other or (my preference) face the same direction side by side, both in reasonable comfort. But I just can't fit a 46"w tub in this house (and thats before the obligitory deck built around it) so it will have to wait until my next move, which hopefully won't be too long in the future. Things I like in a bathroom that I really have: another Ikea Godmorgan sink cabinet (4' long x 18") with Odensvik sink - what an incredible use of space with those four deep wide drawers, thanks to the sink drain plumbing that's quickly pushed to the back, and the glossy drawerfronts, full extension drawer glides, soft-close feature, and wall hangability, along with the thick, glossy glazed ceramic top and nice chrome pulls I used, fool everyone into thinking it's seriously high-end stuff. As with a previous poster, the 18" rather than 21" depth went a long way to making the room feel roomier, since the deeper vanity would have been right up against the door opening. Since the Ikea sink doesn't have a backsplash, I put large ceramic tiles on the wall that look like Carrara marble. Nestled amonst those tiles between the sink and medicine cabinet is a 4" tall strip of glass/marble/metallic accent tile from Porcelanosa. Like everything else at that modernist boutique, it's expensive, but since I didn't need much it didn't matter, and the presense of obviously luxury-grade accent tiles further disguises that everything surrounding it came from Lowes or Ikea. Ditto the Pfister Kenzo waterfall faucet, which only set me back about $125. Looks 4x the price it is. California Faucets thermostatic tub/shower valve. Central lever controls temperature, with temperatures embossed in the metal, giving it the appearance of a dial on a nice wristwatch; just set your favorite temp and it keeps it. Below and above the large temperature control are two smaller levers for water volume control that can be used one at a time or both at once, for tub spout and shower, or fixed shower and hand shower, without the need for a seperate diverter control. All three controls fit on either a round or rectangular metal bezel, and there are loads of styles and finishes to choose from. Higher than average flow rate too. Much better than the Hansgrohe thermostatic valve I used in another room. An infrared heat lamp strategically positioned in the ceiling in front of the mirror and vanity cabinet, right under where you stand in front of the sink and mirror whilst drying off and styling hair. Also on the ceiling is a Broan QTR080L exhaust fan/light - very quiet, and the light uses a standard bulb instead of some funky compact fluorescent lamp that can only be purchase from an electrical specialty store, which is the norm for new exhaust fan/lights it seems. I put a retrofit LED bulb in there, which makes it even more efficient than the fluorescent bulbs most of these force you to use, and it gives off a more natural light too. Toto Drake II commode (or its skirted cousin, Vespin II). High quality, doesn't clog, perfect 16-1/2" height, cleans the side of the bowl extremely well (rare in 1.28gpf toilets), has two large water outlets instead of dozens of tiny holes that collect mildew so you can toss your toilet brush away. It's also slender so the space around it looks roomier in tight spaces. I used the Church 1720 slow-close seats from Lowes, which cover up most of their own seams at the back further easing cleaning (the lid on these sticks out about 1/2" beyond the seat and bowl underneath which looked odd at first, but that lets you lift the lid without touching the sometimes soiled parts underneath which I like). Also from Lowes, the Kohler recessed medicine cabinets mirrored inside and out, 26"h with several widths available, most for under $200. Would like them even better if the hinges allowed the doors (mirrored on the inside) to open further, but replacement hinges are available if you need that. Still, these look very elegant and are also very functional, with height-adjustable glass shelves. Home Depot has similar units with doors that swing open further, but they're not as well made. In another bathroom I used the Lowes Allen + Roth 31"w x 22"d vanity top in Blue Pearl, my favorite granite color, which was only $200 a few months ago but has risen in price some since. It's available in several other colors and widths too, all including an oval white undermount bowl. Still a good deal for a high quality granite top that fits atop loads of stock cabinets, though I'd prefer if it weren't pre-drilled for an 8" widespread faucet, generally ruling out using a single-hole or wall-mount faucet. These aren't stocked in stores, but they're not truly custom/built-to-order, probably sitting in a warehouse somewhere, and there's only about a one-week turnaround if you order from their website and pick up in their stores. These do include a backsplash, and a sidesplash is available too. Finally, nice sculpted lever handles on the bathroom doors, which allow them to be opened by pushing upward using the top of your hand if it's wet or soapy. I'm not a germophobe, but I like being able to do this before I'm about to eat a meal and want my hands to be clean and disinfected, and have guests over who may not have washed their hands after using the restroom. When used in the normal fashion, pushing downward with your palm, they're easier to open than round knobs.

Hi Lynn, what an awesome idea for mirrored doors to keep the shoes dust free and the close look less cluttered! If you check the link below you'll find pix of our closet in progress. I never did get final pix since we started using it and it became not so easy to photograph then. I do believe this might help you since we have our shoes at the far end of our closet with clothes on either side. What are the measurements of your closet? Have you thought about covering your clothing with bags meant to keep them dust free instead of raising them? I'm only five four and a half so my side of the closet is a bit lower than my hubbies which gave me some added storage above my double rods where he had none. Well he has the storage that goes all the way around the closet at the top, but no extra like I do. Here is a link that might be useful: Our closet pix

If possible, paint it the same as the wall color. Then put a console table under it and either a mirror on the door or artwork....taking into consideration of the latch....with something hung within the frame, you probably won't notice the latch. If you have a plug in, put a lamp on the right side of the console and something low in front so that the door can be opened fast! If no plug in then put some pretty candle sticks on the right side and something low in front. Judging from the door knob on your door, this opening is quite high....maybe a taller chest of drawers would be better, but am thinking a console table would be best. Or you could go lower and put a pretty bench in front of the opening after you have painted the opening the same color as the wall.