Some Good News!

I was up at the lake for the day yesterday. It turned out to be a very nice fall day despite the forecast. It was also really quiet. There was no one else at our end of the lake. I chopped some wood, packed up our tent for the season, did a little fishing from the dock (no luck) and finally tried out the hammock Barb bought me for Father's Day. I had stored the string hammock we bought in Mexico in the outhouse since last year and when I opened it a few weeks ago I found that mice had chewed huge holes in it. I'm happy to report the new one works just fine.

Speaking of good news, there are encouraging developments on two fronts of the cottage project:

The foundation is now completely finished and looks great. Have a look:

And I dropped in on Brian, the Secretary of the Property Owners Association, for an update on the bridge situation.


The engineer came to do an inspection yesterday morning and has made specific recommendations for repairs. It seems it should be within the Association's budget but we'll know more on Wednesday when an estimate is expected from a contractor. Both the engineer and the contractor are friends of one of the other property owners and are keen to help. Even better, this contractor might be able to do the work Oct 1st to 3rd, the week before the cottage is to be delivered.


Finally, I wasn't the only one who seemed to think he was alone at our end of the lake yesterday. To reward you for checking in on my blog, I thought I'd share this picture that I took using my telephoto lens of one of our neighbours going for a swim with no clothes on. Those of you who secretly, or not so secretly, appreciate wild and crazy living may be comfortable scrolling down. For others, you may want to stop right here, unless your curiosity is too much to BARE...

Wild and Crazy

Delays - And a Troubled Bridge Over Water

Now we were getting tantilizingly close to welcoming the stork, a crane actually, delivering our big bundle, when we heard there was a two week delay. The new date was to be October 3rd.

Initially very disappointing, it turns out this may have been a lucky coincidence. You see, when the cement trucks came to pour the concrete foundation, their 32 tons of weight was a big strain on the bridge across the Picanoc river ( see picture in earlier post) and one end of the bridge sunk about 8 inches. An inspection revealed that one of the steel stringers compressed the timbers that make up the crib at that end. It was known that the timbers had suffered water damage over the years and would have to be replaced at some time. But now the repairs need to be done before the crane can cross over to lift the cottage components into place. The good news is that the property owners association, responsible for the bridge, is moving quickly to try to get it fixed and they have some money in reserve for just this eventuality.

Meanwhile, word came today that Guildcrest Homes has started building the cottage in their factory.

If everything goes smoothly, the cottage could be delivered as early as October 6th. Realistically, I'm expecting it to be the week of October 13th.

Stay tuned..

Some pictures to share

Laura's first kayak adventure on Petit Lac - August 31, 2008

Our daughter Andrea's first visit to the lake - July 2008

Showing off my building permit as we break ground with Doug Zacharias Construction - August 2008

I love old farm buildings. You go by these along highway 301 about 20 kms before the lake.

This was taken from our clearing

No longer Just a Dream

No longer just a dream. No longer just a drawing. We have something concrete. They poured the foundation this past week and I went up to do an inspection yesterday. Seeing the base for our cottage makes all the ideas, concepts and drawings start to come to life. And just two weeks from tomorrow, on September 22nd, we will see the cottage lifted into place.

They still have to pour the basement floor. That should be done tomorrow. It is six feet high, and includes a walk-out door on the front. We decided at the last minute to add two small windows for ventilation and some natural light. It will be a great storage space for kayaks, paddles, life jackets, tools and such.


Here are some pictures I took yesterday.



I took this while standing on the front wall, looking towards our driveway

Below, in the foreground you can see one of two sonotubes that will support the screened porch.



This is the front wall of the foundation, where a door will provide direct access from outside.