My Scythe

I bought my scythe at an island "garage sale". It's a modern version with an aluminum handle, very lightweight and easy to use. I am faced with the challenge of a field of long grass that would be difficult to cut with a power mower. My power weedeater would do the job -- slowly and noisily. The scythe is an interesting solution...
First I love the idea of using it! An ancient tool that has been used for thousands of years. How cool is that!
Second, I like the physical movement of using it. It's right from the core. A rythmic swing from the pelvis. It's a beautiful dance.
Third, it is a pretty effective way to cut my long grass. I find I'm making good progress even as a beginner. Through my research online I have learned that a good "mower" using a scythe can cut an acre in a day. It may take me a while to get nto that standard, but I only have about a third of an acre to cut.
And last but not least, I love using my scythe because I can!

(click on iamage to enlarge)

Full Moon Regatta

Every August on the full moon, local sailors here on Cortes hold a "regatta". It's very much an island style event. There is no publicity, just word of mouth. No sailing club, no organizing committee, no handicaps... none of that stuff. You just show up, attend a skippers meeting on the beach and get the course instructions. First across the line wins. This year was our first and we elected to do a new race around Marina Island. You could choose either way around and the start was from the beach with the skipper and one crew rowing, paddling or swimming out to their boat, raise anchor and set off. We were one of two boats that chose a north start and given a break in the winds it could have paid off. As things turned out we had to do more tacking and cover more ground than the boats that started southwards. The main thing is, we had a lot of fun! After an amazing pot luck dinner, Simon and I played music on the beach while enjoying an amazing sunset. Behind us, the moon rose full and dramatic over the coastal mountains....





This was our crew minus Simon who took the pic. On he left my buddy Ken, his cousin in the middle and me on the right.





The following night Ken and Charles and I went for dinner at a nice little restaurant in Squirrel Cove. There we witnessed this spectacular moon rise....

(click on any pic to see a bigger version)

August 22nd

We now have electrical cable in the ditches thanks to Brodie Kitchen who is doing the underground wiring work. Tomorrow, Scott Lemkay returns to shovel 6" of sand on top of the cable. After that the water lines go in, then more sand, then the telephone line. Then back fill with caution tape 6" deep. Quite the process.









Son Simon arrived today with his new banjo. He's had it three weeks and is already sounding pretty good to me.









This unfinished totem was carved by a German carver and was lying around at the old Ellingsen homestead. I asked if it was wanted and was told to help my self. I think it looks good as a welcome pole for my trailer. And maybe I can find a wood carver to finish it.... in fact I think I know one.

Workshop illuminated!

Finally we have power and lights in the workshop! There's still quite a bit of organizing to do but so far everything seems to be finding a place quite well. The washer and dryer now have power although we still need to run the water lines for the washer. That all starts tomorrow when Brodie begins laying the underground electrical wires.

Michelle visits

An evening paddle on a flat calm Hague Lake is a lovely way to end a day.










Michelle picked blackberries and made a delicious cobbler dessert with them.












And of course, we played bocce. Our playing field was the sandy new septic field and it served the purpose very well!

Berries and Nuts

We have a blackberry bonanza! Two big bushes away fro the road (no dust). They're just starting so there'll be lots of good eating and maybe preserving... who knows even wine making.







The sickle is just for artistic effect.








Count how many walnuts there are in this pic. (Hint: click on the pic to see a bigger version.)

This or That

This is just one of the ditches that need to have a layer of sand shoveled and raked in them. Then the electrical cable goes in. Then more sand. Then the the water line. Then more sand. Then we backfill. Some parts are full of rocks and roots. Others are pretty easy. Anyway, today I did some hard pick and shovel work for a couple of hours and then had a better idea...









So I went for a sail on Gwyneth. Nice breeze, nice day. No ditches!

DITCHES

Champion digger operator Sylvie Rousseau at work filling the drainage ditch across the field. She also did most of the ditch digging including the 200ft stretch from the pump to the pump house and the tricky stretch through the woods to the workshop. David finished the job this afternoon with a complex three way ditch arrangement by the workshop. Sme hand digging is still required but the bulk of the hard work is done.

Today was also a significant day because BC Hydro showed up and connected the new service. Yeah!

A big day of major progress.

(click on any photo to see a bigger version.)

The Table

Elgin spent four days here helping with various tasks. Here we are cutting one of the struts to support the table legs.
Meanwhile, Danielle was holding the fort in the trailer park...
Here's the table with Elgin providing a sense of scale;) That night we sat 9 people around it and there was room for three or four more.

Fence posts and friends

Elgin spent a few days here and gave his considerable physical energy to the task of digging and setting fence posts for the garden area.
Believe it or not we took it in turns to dig the holes. Luckily the ground is soft and sandy, so it was not hard digging.
We gathered around our new cedar slab table for dinner with the Rousseau family. You can see a couple of the new fence posts in the background.


(click on any photo for a bigger version)