Our cabin may not appear to be really a cabin. However to us....It's our Cabin in the Mountains....Also known as "The Chateau on the Plateau". Great story - will fill you in later!
Our little place is kinda tiny. About 800 square feet...but don't let that scare you! Most of the space is dedicated to a wonderful Great Room off the side of what was once a 1 bedroom mobile home.
During the remodeling of the cabin MANY years ago - it grew to 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, and has a wonderful kitchen and little dining area. The Great Room accounts for probably 350 to 400 feet of the 800 square foot space.
30 years ago, right after my sister and her husband were married, they were unable to get teaching jobs in Tucson, Arizona where I (Deanna) was born and raised. They ended up with offers in Pinetop. My family had spent almost every summer of my childhood up there fishing and camping and such. When Joyce and Dave got the teaching opportunities, they purchased this adorable little place. It was nice for them to be in an area that they were familiar with.
When my second niece was born, they felt that they had outgrown the house. They ran across a wonderful opportunity for another home and needed to sell this one quickly. My mom and dad bought it from them so that they would not miss out on the new home opportunity and used the property as a rental for 27 years! Over the years they had nothing but wonderful experiences with the tenants. However, the last tenants - to put it gently...TRASHED the place. By the time they left, there were no utilities hooked up and it was a real mess. My mom and dad...in their 70's decided that they would rather be mortgage holders than landlords.
Bob and I had been telling them for YEARS that when they wanted to sell it - to please talk to us. Thus - it finally came to be that we had our "cabin?" in the mountains.
It was so sad to see the shape that it was in. It was such an adorable place. A summer of endless work, KILZ saturated on every single inch of the place, carpet, paint, new water heater, replacement of the wood burning stove, the help from wonderful friends and my dad (who is the master fixer of anything) and the place began to take shape and become a home. It is still a work in progress!
Bob made all of the furniture for the place - entertainment center, coffee table, inn tables, coat rack, boot chest, and a piece of furniture specifically to show his model ship that he built after his heart surgery. I had a blast making the curtains for the place and figuring out how much of my craft stuff I could jam into my closet! (I did help with all of the painting and decorating too! I was also my dad's apprentice as we replace the hot water heater and did lots of other repairs to the place. We had an amazing week up there just the two of us!!!!)
The place has a Disney theme - but you would never really know it unless it was explained to you. You may "get it" when you get there.
The elevation in Pinetop is 7200 feet. So – it is beautiful, and cool, and mostly Ponderosa Pine Forrest. The average high in September is 75 degrees and we may catch the end of the monsoon season. That can alter plans, but generally, the monsoon storms roll through quite quickly and then are gone.
Pinetop/Lakeside is a rather small community. The population is about 4,100, and neighboring Show Low, about 8 miles away has a population of about 12,000. The Pinetop area has a lot to offer with many different restaurants, bars, shops, and wonderful summer temperatures. It is our escape from the searing heat of the Valley when the days hit over 105 degrees endlessly.
It snows there in the winter - and it actually has SEASONS!!!! In Mesa we have only 2 seasons. Hot and Hotter. In Pinetop we get to experience all 4!
We can't wait to share our little "Chateau on the Plateau" with our family. This has been a dream for us since the day we bought it!!!
