Where is Summer?

Well, I'm not sure if anyone is checking in on the blog these days - seems like summer is busy everywhere BUT HERE!!! Well, that's not really true, both Phil & I are busy, just not on the house.

Phil is working for the summer at Eagle Nook Resort in Barclay Sound - which means that he's not living at home for the summer. Check out this resort at: www.eaglenook.com. Sounds like he is having a great time & he's not only a nature guide for the guests, but the maintenance man for the resort. So, while we thought he'd get a change of pace, relax, have some fun, he's doing alot of the same chores he was doing right here!! ha, ha, ha.

I am working once again at Imperial Eagle Lodge here in Bamfield. Check out this charming B & B at: www.imperialeaglelodge.com. I'm having a great time working in the gardens & baking up a storm to get ready for our fisher folk who start to folk in next week.

It's been a slow start for many lodges around here - the cost of gas has really deterred many people from making long journeys & the weather has been just the pits!

Hopefully things will get really busy & we won't notice the lack of sunshine & warmer temperatures. I have the feeling we are in for a long & lovely fall this year.

Phil has the camera with him at Eagle Nook, so I'm unable to give you any updated photos of the house. My flower gardens are slow & small - although I do have 6 foot daisies. I've built a new flower bed & moved some of my potted plants into it - we shall see if it survives the winter water fall - the drainage around the house is something that needs to be addressed this fall - it flows down into the yard instead of along side the laneway (thanks to a huge hump of concrete....) & the new flower bed sits in a bit of a low spot....hmmmmm

Our new tenant downstairs (Kim) is very quiet - hardly know she's down there! It's nice having someone in the house - even if we never see each other - because I sometimes get freaked out being here all by myself. I'll be glad when Phil has another day off & is able to come home. While I love the house, it's just not the same without him here too. It's OUR house now.....

So, I hope everyone is having a great summer. I'm not sure if I'll be adding many posts during the next 2 months as work gets crazy & I get outside picking berries for my jams & jellies (if it would rain things would ripen better!!). But send an email any time & I'll tell you some funny stories!!

Weather Vane Poll results

Well, thanks for all of you who voted on a choice of weather vane. The choice that won was 'WHALE' with 'EAGLE' & 'MERMAID' a tie for second by only 1 vote difference. I've got several sites that I'm looking at for options & it will probably be something I put on my wish list to be accomplished in the next couple of years...

The idea of putting a large metal fixture on top of the roof that gets blasted every winter by nasty storms may not be such a brilliant idea - the option of putting it on the covered porch to the side would be better. We shall see what happens. I might try to merge a weather vane with a windmill that I want to build for the yard - need to get something Dutchy into the landscape as well.....

The boys are back at it.....meaning they are working & I should get some photos again.

The glass block window has finally been installed & the roof is being patched up. I heard the torch blasting this morning, probably melting the ice that was on the scaffold but I'm sure it's being used to also seal down the shingles. Hopefully it won't take them too long to finish - the weather is colder now & I'm always concerned that someone is going to slide off the roof & land on his head. Plus, that tarp flapping in the wind is getting to be rather tiresome - no sleep for me when I hear it going.

Phil got out the other day with Malcolm & they sawed up a large yellow cedar log which we will use for our stairs going into the loft. They just need to find a way to move it from the lot it's sitting on to the house - I think the pieces are 18 feet long!! I'm sure there are other things going on - insulating, etc. I just haven't gone out to check it.

Well, I'm going to work on my new Garden Journal & start planning this spring & summer's projects for planting....No time like the present to get into it - February is almost here & that's one of the best months to be outside in the gardens - a few weeks of sun & warm weather before the spring rains come!!

Verbal Update

Ok - yes, it's been 2 weeks since I've been over to the house! I'm going to wait til the end of next week, but if Phil takes photos in the mean time, I will post them.

Today we had the bank appraiser come to check on our progress. We need to be at a certain stage before we can receive any more money to continue. I believe this was the 'lock-up' stage - meaning siding, windows, doors, roof, soffits all done plus the electrical all roughed in. From what I understand we are there - except that the roof is being repaired from the storm damage & the front wall with all the windows doesn't have siding or soffits because the replacement windows will not be in until close to the 20th (we can't put the siding on til the new windows are in place & the soffits can't go up because the blue tarp is still in place until all the roof repairs are done).

My dream of being in the house for Christmas will not be fulfilled & I'm a little bummed out. That's why I'm not going over to see what the workers are doing - I'm spending all my time over at another reno project where we are working on the finishing stages of the place & I'm learning how to do things that will actually help in our own home, if & when we get there.......

So - I'll ask Phil to take photos so that you won't miss out on what I've been ignoring.......

Photo Update

Ok - as I was returning home from work on this wonderfully snowy morning, I stopped at the house & took a few photos for an update:


This is the east wall that Phil, Norm & Malcom worked on week before last.

Yes, that is snow on the ground.....




This is the south side of the first floor - & they got underneath the deck done as well. Looking very sharp.







This is the west side, again only first floor.




The hydro was hooked up this past week - probably Wednesday as neither one of us was around at the time. We are waiting for the electrican to return to hook up some plugs so we can use our own power!! Maybe then I'll get some Christmas lights up over there & try to get over the fact that we won't be celebrating Christmas in the new house.

As I'm typing, the snow is still coming down!! It started yesterday morning - off & on all day & at some point in the night, there was quite a hail storm. When I went into work at 6 a.m. Bamfield was peaceful - quite a magical walk to work. I'm only hoping that as the flakes of snow are getting bigger & coming down thicker, that the power stays on & we can continue to enjoy a nice winter wonderland.....

Updates

Ok - once again, I've been reminded that time has passed & there are no new updates. I've not taken any photos since the 'un-natural disaster' because it's rather depressing & I've not seen much to take a photo of.

We were lucky to have Phil's family (Norm, Rose & Louis) stay for a wonderful week of sunshine & Norm helped Phil work on the house. They started to put up dry wall in the first floor bathroom (should have taken a photo...) & they also figured out some siding installation techniques.

We've found another fellow in town to help us - Malcom Richards - & he's a hard worker. I sure do appreciate his help!!

Just the other day, the crew finished the whole of the north wall & are now working their way around the east first floor wall & Phil said last night they installed the siding under the first floor decking on the south wall.

Phil may have put in the work order to Hydro to get us connected - but they only come out every other week or so, so it will be a while still before we have power on in the house. It will be nice because then we can get some more fans & heaters & a dehumidifer going.

Our cabinet maker spoke with me today - the hickory doors have arrived ahead of schedule!! They look fabulous in the raw. He wants us to pick a couple of stains so that we can get some sample pots & try it out - see if we want to go natural, or a light or a darker stain. The wood is all clear grain - meaning no knots & has the wonderful hickory swirl of light & dark grains running all through it. To keep life simple, I was thinking that both kitchens should be in the same stain, but realizing that the upper kitchen is going to be very full of natural light from the huge wall of windows.......I am going to have to look at the stains & see what they've got. Mark said that hickory soaks up stain very much like oak so look at the oak samples (they most likely don't have a hickory sample).

I'm not sure what's going on with the insurance claim for the roof & windows - we had hoped to install a metal roof over the shingles just to be done with future damage, but insurance is covering repair not replacement.......bummer.

So, until I get out there with a camera, this is it for updates!!

Winter is Fast Approaching!!!

Wow - we survived our first winter storm this past weekend. Winds blowing 90 km/hour, 110 mm of rain (that's enough to fill your wheelbarrow - modern mode of transportation around these parts), and the power flipped off around 8 pm on Saturday. Typical - the wind howls all day long, but the power doesn't go off til it gets dark & a bit chilly.

I didn't hear any crashing from the new house, so I assume that nothing broke or was blown away. The boys are trying to get the shingles on as fast as they can (finally) & maybe some windows in too -cross your fingers that this next storm due to hit tomorrow sometime, isn't too bad & that the soggy house doesn't get too much more soggy!!

Thought I'd throw in a pretty picture of one of the flowers at the wedding that happened on Sunday - something bright in an otherwise dreary day......

We've added a poll down at the bottom of the page - we really do need some help in figuring out our weathervane - vote & maybe I'll come up some other decorating decisions you can help us on!!!

Introducing the Beam - Part II

Today when I walked past the house, the boys had found a few helpers & hoisted the beam up onto the first floor walls!! I haven't taken a photo yet - will wait til some interior walls are in place & maybe the 'attic' floor, so check back in a few days.....

"Phil's 'but"

Sunday morning, bright & early - at 5:30 AM!! Phil went off-shore fishing with some friends to stock the freezer up with halibut. He returned home triumphant - only about 12 hours later! At least the sun was shining for most of the day......

Quick Up-date

I don't have photos yet - am waiting for the rain to stop & the house to stop dripping.....After 4 glorious days of sun, we had a day of rain & every thing & everyone is soggy.

We had the plumber come in on Monday - Joe & his daughter Joanne from Port Alberni. We have just brought them back to the east side for their return trip home & will see Joe again once we are ready to put in the showers & the rest of the fixtures. He did excellent work, very quickly & was able to work with our last minute changes to the blue prints. Of that, I'm so thankful!! I don't like the kitchen we have down on paper & now we are that much closer to seeing what we've been dreaming about.

Almost all the outside walls are up on the second floor - not too hard when it's mostly windows!! By the weekend the rest of the walls should be up & I can take you on a tour. I'm not sure what's happening with the roof - we'll need to talk with Phil (who is doing wonders with his time & energy - I'm so proud of him!!)

So, check again after the weekend & see where we are at!

Work Resumes

After taking the weekend off to recuperate from the cement pouring on Thursday & moving the building material (& also to take some time to go fishing during the Bamfield Derby), the boys are back at it today. It was raining lightly this morning, but that didn't affect the progress.

Phil & I are going into Nanaimo for Tuesday & Wednesday to check out doors & windows & a few other things at Home Depot, so we will miss out on some of the work.

Unfortunately, our camera isn't working right at the moment, so we can't show you where we are at at this moment. We hope to either get it fixed or find another one while we are in town so that we can continue with our photo journal. It would be very disappointing not to be able to share our progress!

Stay tuned for more stories!

Getting Busy

Well, the boys have been busy over the last week since the foundation was poured. The forms came off the next day & a few patches had to be made because the concrete was setting too quickly near the end. Then Phil worked on putting on the moisture sealer (the black stuff) & he started to back-fill into the foundation in preparation for our second pouring. He worked for 2 days by himself with a wheelbarrow, moving gravel back into the hole. Finally, he called Tom to come in & use the excavator to finish it up.

Today, the boys are putting up the framing for the pony wall & some floor supports & Phil is stapling down the plastic sheeting over top the crushed gravel that has been compacted. The concrete will be poured over that & that should be it for big machinery (other than the excavator back-filling once the drainage is all put in around the perimeter).

So - tomorrow - Thursday, August 2nd, we are SUPER BUSY!! The concrete truck is arriving at 9 am for the floor & deck footings. Then at noon, the Lady Rose is bringing in the first shipment of building material & the boys will start framing on Friday.

I will take photos tomorrow & during the course of the framing to show you what's going on. They are very enthusiastic & feel that they will get this up in no time! (word was by the end of next week)

Pretty exciting!! We've been very fortunate to have nice sunny weather - the boys actually start at 7 am to beat the heat - there isn't too much shade on the site & I'm awake by then, so the noise isn't too bothersome.

Photos coming soon!

Just another Day....

I have to include at least one shot of the snag outside our currently place. The eagles love to sit here, observe the harbour waters below (which we don't see from our windows) & they talk to other eagles up & down the shore line. It's not until you stand out on the porch to look at these birds that you realize just how big they are!!


If anyone can help me identify this beared iris I would be ever so grateful! I saw it on a card last year & forgot to write it down, but this is my favorite plant in my landlord's yard. I've been babying it for the last 5 years & believe that I have taken some younger shoots (there are other iris in that flower bed), so I should have some of my own in a few years.

Introducing 'the Lady Rose'

The Lady Rose (& Francis Barkley) is a passenger/freight ferry that travels down the Alberni Inlet to Bamfield & surrounding smaller communities bringing visitors, mail, food & other items for living out here. In the summer, many, many tourists arrive from all over the world.


She docks at the West government dock first - shown here to the left of the Coast Guard & unloads people & goods to go to the General Store - located on the left in the creamy building along the boardwalk. There is a road running alongside the coast guard that leads to other 'back trails' that people travel on to get to the beach or other houses. Our house is further down the inlet, but only about a 5 minute drive from the dock - driving mostly in 1st or 2nd gear.

A Spring-time to Remember

For years I had been watching the seagulls try to eat sea stars & we finally got this one on film - there really is no nutritional value in sea stars & they must cause the seagull a bit of pain when they go down - being all hard & scratchy.



April was full of sunshine, warm weather & a traditional wedding held in the small community church & hall. It was an opportunity for many people to dust off the dress-up clothes & dance their winter blues away.

I just had to show off Phil's chops - over the years, he's gotten many compliments on the big bushy chops - I can't recall the last time he was completely clean-shaven........

2005 - What a Year!

What else happened in 2005?

Well, we had a bear in the yard......








Phil caught some fish......








I harvested some kelp for the abalone hatchery I work at......











Phil & I got all 'cute-sy woot-sy' right before the wedding.......









We 'did the deed' & went on a wonderful cruise........










And we burned the property!!!!!

I think we will be burning the piles of brambles & brush for many years to come, but this was the 'unveiling' of the actual boundaries of the land.

We found a property pin & the hunt was on for the remaining 3.

With a bit of luck & grubbing around in the brambles & dirt, we found 2 more & are confident that we are within the real property lines by a foot either way.

Take a Step Back in Time

So, we have to start back in the spring of 2005, when we had an opportunity to spend 'a lot' of money (by our standards) in a very short amount of time.

What to spend it on & be wise in our decision?
Pay off student loans?
Up-grade our car?
....Purchase property?!!

We had been renting in the same house since the spring of 2002 & right behind the house was an open 'field' that we had been picking blackberries off of for many seasons. We thought we'd check it out & after finding the owners of that land - on Thetis Island on the east side of Vancouver Island, we found out that they had just relisted the property!

Fortune smiled on us that month & after a few heart stopping moments during the 'negiotiating' phase with the real estate agent, we became the proud owners of a chunk of land.

As you noticed, there was quite a bit of 'junk' on it - a crappy truck, a junky trailer & tonnes of huge logs. Most of this 'junk' belongs to our neighbour behind us, up the hill. He eventually moved it all off & onto his land - not before running into the trailer & renduring it 100% useless....

We are situated mid-hillside facing south east - our view will be down the inside of the harbour towards the east-side government dock. We have a view of the water & that alone was worth all the hassels of agents, lawyers & neighbour's junk.

Another benefit to this little piece of heaven: it already has a septic system in place (it met code requirements & was re-approved), has a drop pole for hydro connection & it has been prepared for building by the original owners 12 years ago. The lane way has a swamp at the end, but we don't have to worry about building one for the equipment & the building site is almost exactly where we want it to take advantage of the sunshine & the view.

Now we just had to find ourselves a lawn mower........