All language subtitles for The.Cabin.Chronicles.S03E09.1080p.WEB.h264-EDITH[eztv.re]

[music playing]

KAREN NEPACENA: When
we arrive to the cabin,

you kind of know you're here.

We start to roll
down the windows

the moment we get
into the neighborhood.

We turn the radio off.

And then you just kind of
hear the rustle of the trees.

You start to smell the scent
of the pine come into the car.

And everyone in the car
just kind of-- like,

everyone rolls
down their windows.

MILES: It's like
a fresh new smell.

And all the fresh trees come in
the air, and it smells so good.

KAREN NEPACENA: We can usually
hear a little bit of noise

from the beach of
people having fun.

So we discovered
Arnold a few years ago.

We were on summer vacation.

We really fell in love
because there's more

than just one thing to do
that we looked at each other

and thought, this is kind
of a magical little spot.

Why hadn't we ever been
here with our kids before?

JOHN SHUM: We mainly
enter through the sliding

door right here off the deck in
the middle of the dining room,

living room.

From there, we have a kitchen.

KAREN NEPACENA: We have
one bedroom downstairs.

Upstairs, we have
one big queen bed

and then a set of bunk beds.

You have to have a pretty
strong relationship

to survive a renovation.

And it is survival.

But we love the
satisfaction after you

put your love and your blood,
and sweat, and tears, and time

into renovation, because
you can transform

a place from somebody
else's home to your own

with your own spin.

And because this is
a '70s cabin home,

we are pretty mindful about how
we restored it and renovated

it, not just for
looks but just to be

able to keep up with
the weather up here,

keep up with a busy family.

And for us, it was about
making memories for our family

and future generation, and
having our friends and family

make memories here too.

So that that's all
kind of worth it to us.

SEBASTIAN: Right now,
we're in our cabin

in Arnold, California.

Alpine modern, I think, is
what my parents call it.

It was cool seeing
the place change.

It was fun also being able
to pitch in to work and kind

of make your own
room like the way

you wanted it to be or like how
your parents wanted it to be,

which was really cool.

One thing that was hard
about changing up the cabin

was seeing the
bigger picture, not

knowing what it turned into.

Eventually, once
you got flooring in,

or a room changed, or
wall was different,

it was like it was something
new, which is exciting to see.

JOHN SHUM: The kids
were not always excited

about heading up to the cabin.

The first couple of
weeks is always fun.

Right.

The novelty is there.

But after weeks of hard
work, they're just like, oh,

we're going to the cabin again?

KAREN NEPACENA: I think it's
been a great experience,

I hope, for them to
see what we've done

and what they've
helped us to do.

And as the renovation
went month over month

and they would see the
transformation of what they

would help us do, you could
tell they were kind of excited

too just like, oh man, that
looks so different than before.

And it's cute when we
have friends and family

up here who have never been.

They walk them all
around and they

show them all the different
things they helped to do.

It's really a proud
moment for us as parents.

JOHN SHUM: We enjoy
the modern aesthetics

but we just wanted to keep
that cabin coziness available.

I'm an interior
designer for trade

so I really was trying to
get the vision together.

We started with the kitchen.

We went with a kitchen that's
made out of recycled materials.

And then we put in some recycled
material hardwood floor.

We wanted materials
that are going

to survive winters, and muddy
paw prints, and muddy boots.

The loft is one of our favorite.

We really didn't have to do
much up there just because it

kind of speaks for itself.

It's high ceilings,
natural wood, these kind

of old school windows.

This is the perfect place.

And this is the way
I think both of us

grew up where, when there
isn't anything to do

and a kid's bored, you
tell them go outside.

And so there was
a lot of exploring

for them while we were busy.

SEBASTIAN: I really like to--

during the winter, I like
to ski and then paddleboard

and fish in the summer.

And sometimes I like
to hike up and it's

like lemongrass or something.

- Sour grass.
- Sour grass.

Sour grass.

One of my favorite
things is fishing,

paddleboarding in the lake.

SEBASTIAN: Being up in nature
is kind of uncommon for me

so I got to be around it more,
which helped me learn something

new every single day, whether
it be how to help bring

a paddleboard all
the way down the lake

or help start a fire for
the fireplace for the night.

One of the things I
learned on this project

was cutting up wood
was a little difficult

and then collecting
all the little things

that fall off from trees and
put them in the campfire.

KAREN NEPACENA:
Our normal weekend

when we come up to the cabin,
it's really about cooking

at home, barbecuing.

I have the plan of like all
the meals I'm going to cook,

all the slow cooking
I'm going to do,

crafts, reading, just
stuff I don't have time,

sadly, to do at home.

I love to fish, so
I'm up and out early.

A lot about fishing is being
in harmony with nature.

It's been eye-opening for
them to realize how the rest

of the world and nature works.

Our dog Velvet, she seems
to really like it here.

She could lay out
on the deck all day.

She comes out to
the lake with us.

And she'll do a little
doggy paddling out there.

I think we lucked out
with a furry family

member that likes the
nature, likes to be out here.

SEBASTIAN: Everything kind of
pauses when you're up here.

You're kind of in your
own kind of state.

Every day is always something
new so that's pretty cool.

MILES: You would walk and
maybe see something different

than you'd usually see.

Maybe see fish or birds
fighting each other.

It's just a huge,
different environment

to compare to the city.

SEBASTIAN: Like family dinners
is something that only really

happens around here, or
making like cookies, or steak,

or something like that.

You always have this nice
feeling when you're up here.

It's almost like
you never want it

to end or anything like that.

You definitely feel a lot calmer
just kind of in your own state

of mind up here.

JOHN SHUM: I hope that they
pick up the same cravings

for the outdoors that I have.

The diversity that we've been
able to offer our kids in terms

of activities, the balance
between work, school,

and just getting
away, getting out.

KAREN NEPACENA: Our
weekends up here feel nice

and long versus the weekends
at home are just so fast.

Everybody's running around.

It's a chance for us
to kind of disconnect,

and kick back, and just let
things go for a little bit.

It's so rewarding to just have
your own sort of hide out.

Your place to escape to is
an incredible experience.