Say Hello to our New Floor!

This past week saw major progress on one of the aspects of the construction we decided to do ourselves - the flooring. We finally found some flooring we wanted at Rona last Sunday and Monday morning Greg and I rented a cargo van to deliver it and begin the installation. Things got off to a rough start though when the van, after being loaded with a few things at our house, wouldn't change gears when we got on the Highway in Orleans, on our way to Rona. I got off at the next exit and took it right back to the car rental outlet. The good news is they did have another van available and ready to go. The better news is they gave me free rental for the day. We eventually made it to Rona and loaded 27 boxes of laminate flooring and underlay and made our way to the cottage without further incident. After unloading our materials, we worked for about five hours and made good progress, almost covering half of the front room, making it to where the hall begins.

Then Barb and I went up on Thursday morning to continue the task, but we didn't get to it until Friday morning. Our contractor was there on Thursday to cut the baseboards to size for us and attend to a couple of other small issues. Meanwhile, we worked at re-assembling our Adirondack chairs. We had stained them and were replacing the arms. They're great to have by the campfire. The weather was great over the three days we were there. We were able to, and in fact, needed to swim each day. After hours of hard work, diving off the dock never felt so refreshing. And we almost finished all the flooring in the front room. Our Power box 800 (from Canadian Tire) is proving to be very dependable. I used it to power a jigsaw to cut the flooring. Otherwise, I would have had to rent and run a generator or make all these cuts with a hand saw, which would mean we would only have about one tenth of the work done. Covering the unfinished floor really helps warm the place up and is much more comfortable to walk on. Just an hour or so more and we'll have finished the front room. We'll do the bedrooms a little later in the fall.

Here it is:

Expedition to Ross Lake

It was Saturday, August 8th. We decided to head out for a litttle paddle to the north end of the lake. I wanted to see the progress on the lots that had sold in the narows since I was last there about two years ago. The weather was fair, not too hot, about 23 degrees. We stopped along the way to talk to Beverly and Warren, who told us about Ross Lake. It's an adjoining lake you can access by portaging around a beaver dam. I had seen it on the map, but didn't know how to get to it. Now they told us where to look for the beaver dam on the west side of the lake in the narrows, just past the last cottage on the east shore. It is very small, maybe three quarters of a kilometer long and half a kilometer wide. But it is completely unspoiled. We portaged around the dam and paddled to the north end where there is a small beach. We found deer and other animal tracks in the sand and evidence of a feast of mussels by one of the locals. On our way there, we saw a huge bird soaring overhead. I think it was a hawk and we took some pictures. The trip back was against the wind, as it always seems to be. It made for a pleasant outing and a good workout. I estimate the return trip was about 12 kilometers. If you can identify this bird, let me know.

More Company!

Mark and Brenda on the grand tour

The August long week end was one of more visits amidst mixed weather. Laura, Greg, Barb and I went up on Sunday. Mark and Brenda joined us for the day. We sat on the dock, just relaxing and chatting most of the afternoon away. Greg entertained us with some classical guitar pieces. You would never know he is the lead singer in a heavy metal band in Toronto from his playing. Mark and I went out for a short attempt at fishing but they weren't biting.

Once again, we were treated by our guests to a delicious meal.

On Monday, Alan, Andrea and Cailin came up for the day. We played board games and celebrated Barb's birthday together. The guests brought the birthday cake - yummy black forest cake. Now Barb has a new tennis racquet too, so we'll be able to work off that cake soon.

On Tuesday, we witnessed the biggest downpour we have ever seen at the lake. After loading up the car to come home after lunch, we had to wait around as the rain was so heavy there was no way we could have travelled in that. I was concerned that the road might wash out and we wouldn't be able to get out. But while the road was rough, we made it home by supper time. There has been so much rain up there that the road will  need some repairs.

First Guests

Thankfully the worst of bug season is behind us and we can now enjoy being out doors at the cottage.

We've hosted a few visitors to the cottage in the past few weeks.

First, our friend Joe from Edmonton (originally from Ottawa) was in town. I took the day off and we set off for a day of canoeing and quiet relaxation. We paddled to the two bays beyond what we have come to call the North beach. There's been so much rain that the water was very high so you couldn't really see the beach. As Joe remarked, it was very peacefull - no one else was at the lake that day. While exploring the back bays, a couple of great blue herons swooped over our heads. After a couple of hours on the water, we had lunch on the porch, and being a good host, I then let him beat me at cribbage. Now if he could only be so gracious next time I visit Edmonton!

And this past weekend Tom and Joy visited and became our first overnight guests. Barb, Laura and I (and Shadow) headed up around noon Friday and it was definitely the nicest of the three days. We all went swimming, enjoyed BBQ hot dogs, playing Boggle and a campfire. Just two days ealier, we had a plumber connect our drains and toilet to the septic system so it was convenient to be able to use the drains and indoor facility, even if it means hauling water until we install a water system.

Tom and Joy arrived Saturday. We had a good time in spite of the weather which was windy and cloudy most of Saturday and Sunday. They brought their tandem kayak and we did get out on the water for a short paddle around supper time during a spell of clear skies. Tom then treated us to delicious grilled salmon teriyaki and we had a smorgasbord of salads. Board games and more eating rounded out the evening and a good part of Sunday. Thanks for a great weekend!

Official photo of the July 18-19, 2009 weekend.

Kayaks - notice the big bully hogging the dock?

It's Bug Season...

And they love us. They really love us - all gazillion of them.

This past week-end we did manage to enjoy some quiet time playing games and relaxing as Laura and Shadow joined us for a mostly an indoor stay.


Barb did win this year's award for being first in the water though! And we did escape the bugs out on the water. Otherwise, smores heated onthe bonfire were the highlight, but next time we add the chocolate after melting the marshmallow.

Check out some of the pictures below.


Also, I've updated the pictures on our Flickr site so you can see these in a slide show.

Here's the link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/32917079@N07/

The next three pictures were taken from the dock in the early morning

First Night - Saturday May 23, 2009

Saturday, May 23rd, 2009, we spent our first night in the cottage. It was a great way to mark our 28th wedding anniversary.

The week before, Greg was home and we recruited him to help move a truckload of furniture so we now have a table and chairs, a couch, dressers and beds. Thanks Greg for your help and for a fun day.

The timing for the move was perfect as it was a cool day and there were no bugs when we were moving in. But the mosquitoes and their relatives were out in great numbers this week. A screened in porch is really a must this time of year and it was put to good use. But I didn't let the bugs keep me from building steps to the door on the east side or repairing the seat in the 35 year old fibreglass canoe that served so reliably for several decades at my parents' cottage. Barb cleaned windows, organized the whole place and read. We both relaxed and enjoyed the view, the fresh breeze blowing through the porch, the peace and quiet, and a pretty good steak dinner on the BBQ. The first of many easy going, stress free week ends.

First Winter Visit February 22, 2009

It was a good day to ski to the cottage. From the end of the municipal road, it took us forty-five minutes (mostly downhill) to reach the cottage and fifty-five minutes back to the car. I never thought I'd appreciate snowmobile tracks but they certainly made it an easier trek than it would have been breaking trail through the deep snow.

Since we last saw the cottage in November, the roof and siding have been finished, and the patio door and other interior finishings have been installed.

We're anxious for spring so we can get some furniture in and start using the place regularly.

Here are a few pictures: