The power is out/on

Today, the power went out around noon. It’s six o’clock now and it’s still off. But the real power has been on all day. The wind has been gusting over 100km an hour and the sea has been a spectacular thrashing, writhing, foaming force of liquid energy.

After spending a few hours at David’s place making dried apple slices and apple sauce, (we have lots of apples) I drove down to South Point and, ignoring the no trespass signs, followed a trail through the woods to the beach. A bicycle leaning against a tree told me I was not the only one with an urge to witness the stormy ocean close up and personal. I made my way down the steep path and clambered over a few logs to the rocky beach where the surf was pounding in pretty good.

Not like the west coast mind you, but for these sheltered northern Gulf waters, it was a pretty lively day.

I took some photos and sat on a log for a while just soaking it in. The other person was further down the beach and I had no wish to intrude on whatever meditation he or she was enjoying.

Then I walked back to my truck and drove back to May’s Garden and my still powerless trailer.

Luckily the propane stove does not require power so I have prepared a delicious dinner of refried beans, canned salmon, onions and carrots with a generous dose of curry powder to spike it up a bit. Mmmmm good!

It’s just after 6pm now and the sun is already sinking low. Fall is upon us it seems although the forecast for the next few days is quite decent. Which is good because I have a lot of work to get done over the next few weeks…   Oh! The power just came back on!

 

 

Log Splitter

A few weeks ago I ordered a manual log splitter from an on-line company and on Friday it arrived. It's an amazing tool. You place the log in a small cradle and then use the two long handles to operate the hydraulic ram that pushes the log against a metal wedge on the other end. The ram can exert a force of up to 10 tons!
I tried it on a variety of logs, big and small. It worked great. One of the handles has a "fast" speed and the other is slower. So you use the fast one to push the ram up to the log and then a combination of the two to force it against the wedge.
As you can see I managed to split a good little pile of firewood in the half hour or so I was using it.
And the wood shed is now full. Not that I have a stove yet to burn it in. That comes later in the building program...

Apples!

It was grey day with a gusty warm wind from the south. I spent most of it screwing the rainscreen strips onto the walls. These are the strips that the siding is fastened to and they create a 1/2" gap so that any moisture that penetrates the siding does not wick through into the walls. It's a long tedious job but hey, I'm an untrained worker what can I expect?
Anyway. eventually I ran out of strips (more being delivered tomorrow) so I went off to "pick" apples. My picking method is a bit crude in that I spread  a tarp on the ground and then take a long stick and shake the branches till the fruit falls. Yes there is some bruising but most of the apples are perfect -- and so good! I'm hoping to dry, freeze and preserve as many as possible, but I think I'll be giving quite a few away!
In  other news... the view from the living room window looks towards the apple tree. And the view from the kitchen sink is quite charming!

Windows!

Today the windows arrived and, with a couple of exceptions, were successfully installed.
Mike and Craig did the heavy work with the help of Jerome, the ever cheerful delivery truck driver and his amazing crane.
Most of the windows were just as ordered and went into their designated spots without a hitch.
One of the patio doors was too high however, and one of the windows just plain wrong. So it's going to take a little while to get that sorted out.
Nevertheless, this feels - and looks - like a major step forward on the construction path. 

September 13th

John was back at work today doing more landscaping and back filling. It makes such a difference to see the ground around the house assume a level and somewhat groomed aspect.He also moved some big rocks to line the driveway on the side opposite the walnut trees. I really like this look and hope we can add a few more rocks to create a real rocky road feeling! Meanwhile I am back at work and plugging away at installing the strapping that the siding will be attached to. It's slow tedious work but hey, what else do I have to do? Well actually I've also been working on getting quotes on our doors and it looks like there are indeed deals to be had.... Today was cloudy and cooler, a sign that maybe summer is indeed drawing to a close. But after the spell of weather we've just enjoyed, I don't hear anyone complaining.

 

Driveway

While I was away sailing John was busy grooming our driveweays with his Kubota digger. Many loads of sand have been dumped and smoothed out to create a level entrance and exit to our property.

He has not finished yet so these photos are of the work in progress.

It's going to be nice!

September 7th

Today was concrete slab day at May's Garden. And I took the day off! On account of my bad back I was pretty much a spectator as Mike and Craig mixed and poured many wheelbarrow loads of concrete to make a 4" thick slab in both the living room and the utility room.  As luck would have it, an old friend, Melanie and her partner Michael sailed into Mansons and gave me a call. I met them on the beach and we spent the day leisurely visiting friends, having lunch and swimming at Mansons Lagoon.

Michael is an old friend of David's so we connected really easily. The three of us had some great conversation and lovely quiet times. 

Melanie reminded me of a haiku I told her many years ago...

The moon on the water;
Broken and broken again,
Still is there.

Chosu

September 6th

This is the floor of the living room with insulation and heating pipe in place. The pipe gets hooked up to a small hot water tank and circulating pump. Tomorrow it all gets covered up when we pour the concrete slab.

The group shot is a gathering of friends and family for a salmon bbq on Sunday evening. The 16lb Chinook salmon was courtesy of Simon who caught it while working as the chef at Sunds Lodge on Malcolm Island this summer.

And the last shot is of the big cedar beam that will grace the front of the upper deck support frame.

September 3rd

We've been back at work this week and have completed the last details on the roof and installed the two skylights upstairs.
Mike also did a great job building the deck/balcony  upstairs.  The post and beam support structure is very interesting. I also like the way we but pine T&G down on the deck before installing the plywood and the torch on membrane. The wood looks great from underneath, especially with the Penofin oil finish we applied.