The Elk Head Debate

Joan and I have been discussing where the elk head mount will go when it arrives this summer.  She has been suggesting my office or apartment in Lexington.  Or maybe the farm.  I have been suggesting that there are numerous cathedral ceilings in Mason that would be perfect.  For example, the family room



We have been kicking these ideas around since my return from Utah in September.  I thought that I was making some progress when the subject came up of a 2012 elk hunt in Colorado.  This has complicated the discussion because, if I were to be successful again, where would that head go?  And, upon closer examination, I suspect that the ceiling fan in the family room might hit the elk in the nose.

So, I'm now considering "Plan B."  There are no cathedral ceilings at the farm and the ceilings are all a standard eight feet.  The elk head will be significantly larger than the bucks that are already hanging at the farm.  So, the solution is obvious - we need farm "cabin expansion phase 3."

The green rug area in the picture above was all a part of "cabin expansion phase 1."  We could knock out that whole wall behind the tv and build a new high-ceiling room that would be perfect for an expanding collection of trophy mounts.  There's only one problem - that area has the stairway to the attic (where the furnace is located). 

I think it's 14' to the truss in the barn so if we just get rid of that stairway, a new 13' x 18' room could be added with 12'+ ceilings (could handle a small giraffe).  It could even have a window or two out onto the porch.  Now I just have to convince Joan that I'm doing this so that she has room to set up her sewing table.  I never go up into the attic much anyway.  Furnace filters last a long time.