Mother Nature Sings Roll Out the Barrel...

..and I never liked that song.


The next trip to the cottage followed a huge rainstorm and pulling into the lot I could see the rain barrel wasn't on the tower where it should be. Like a pop can crushed by the heel of mother nature, it lay on the ground, severely dented on two sides. About 10 metres away we found the lid. Evidently, the weight of the rain collecting in the barrel sheared the screws holding the platform to one of the posts.  Then I remembered that when I built the platform I only had deck screws and I had made a mental note that before filling the barrrel, I would have to reinforce the platform with strong bolts. Well, it seems I missplaced that mental note. But now I found it!

At times like this Barb is very happy with my decision to NOT build the cottage myself

So we spent a good part of the day first trying to return the barrel to its normal shape and then rebuilding the platform, this time with stronger screws. I also connected the toilet using a flex hose, and installed a shut off valve where the intake hose enters the house. Barb also replaced a screen on the basement window.  The week before a mouse chewed through the vinyl screen. Tim and I removed the beast from the cottage.  I read that mice can't chew through aluminum screen so that's we used. All this was a hard day's work so not much relaxation on this visit.

Here's the rebuilt tower....

12 years later, Tim and Neil return to their campsite

Those of you who remember the history of the cottage know that Tim first brought me to this lake on a canoe portage from the Picanoc River in 1998 (not 1996 as stated in the last blog). Last Thursday, August 12, we returned to the lake for the first time together since that trip. We had two great days. We paddled just about the entire lake, from the covered bridge in the south to the North beach, into the weedy bay and then up the narrows to the beaver dam that separates the lake from Ross lake. Yes, we stopped on the island where we camped 12 years ago. I have paddled past it many times of course and pointed it out to others. However, this was the first time I actually set foot on the island in 12 years. The view from that island is one of the best of the lake. It is kidney shapped, narrowing in the middle. Standing on that narrow band, about 30 feet accross, allows you a view looking north and looking south. We brought our camping chairs and settled in for lunch and drinks, and were able to recall a lot of details of our camping trip. The weather was perfect and with the water level low we had more of a beach in the bay on the island then last time we stayed there.

The view that first captivated me in 1998

The man responsible for everything returns to what is henceforth to be called "Tim's Island"

Aside from hours in the canoe, we also cooled off in the water, sawed more logs - replacing the pile Tom chopped last week - and cleaned up the campfire area. Evening was spent jammin' with guitar and harmonica by the campfire and watching shooting stars.

It's great to have friends who like to work, so we tried another test of the water system, installing proper fittings and connecting the hose from the water tower to the intake hose on the house. The guidance from my friend Christoff at the Home Depot worked perfectly, with the new fittings not leaking. We filled the barrel by hauling buckets from the lake. The results were what I would describe as mixed. Water was flowing into the house. And we did get a trickle out of the taps after exhaustive syphoning, only possible as a result of our training for this playing the harmonica. But we discovered that the toilet wasn't connected to the water pipe coming up through the floor. The builder used a rigid pipe. Not sure why, but it wouldn't quite align with the valve on the floor and so it appeared to be connected but it wasn't at the floor. We discovered this when water was pooling on the floor when we turned the water on. I had to buy a flex hose to properly connect it before my next trip up on Tuesday - but more on that trip later.

2010 a great summer for the cottage

First, thanks to the many readers who have been asking about updates and checking in from time to time. Thanks to you we're getting this blog back on track.

We left off last summer just after the flooring in the main room was installed.

I continued to work my way through the bedrooms in the fall and just finished the last bedroom last month. We're very happy with the result. I just have to find flooring solution for the closets, one of which has the trap door to the basement where we can't use laminate. We now have beds for six people, thanks to Helene for the bunk bed with the double bed on the bottom.  We're also debating what flooring to install in the screened porch. We think cushion floor is the right choice but the seams in the plywood floor might require a sub floor and floor leveller for that option. But we need something easy to sweep and clean that will also resist water.

Here's a look at the three bedrooms with the flooring installed:

This has been a great year for the cottage in many ways. The bugs were not nearly as bad as last year. And the early spring and heat wave of early July has meant that the water has been warm for swimming.

Our first overnight visit of the year was the May long weekend. Greg and Laura accompanied us.We boated to a nearby island and some of us found the water bearable enough for swimming. Since then we have been swimming many times.

A first time visitor this year was our niece Melissa. My brother Mark, Melissa and Laura and I spent a couple of very nice days together in mid July. Melissa had her first experience kayaking and paddled all the way to the peninsula!

The other main project this year has been the construction of the "water tower". The plan is to acquire a Honda gas powered water pump, fill the raised rain barrel, and let gravity do the work to supply water to the toilet and sinks inside. This will mean no more hauling buckets for the toilet. It's good exercise, but not that much fun. And it leaves users feeling guilty about using the toilet.

The tower, made of posts from cedar trees, is adjacent to the cottage and supports a 220 litre barrel which sits just under the eaves. This way it will also collect rainwater off the roof, reducing the need to run the gas pump. I am not sure this height will be enough to provide the pressure needed. If it isn't, I'll have to build a higher platform and forgo the collection of rainwater off the roof.   Last weekend, while Tom and Joy were up, we attempted a test by hauling buckets of water up the ladder to pour into the rain barrel. We found the connections leaked both outside and inside the basement where I had connected the hose and pipe. I guess that's why you do a test.

We had a really nice weekend with Tom and Joy. They were able to get out in their tandem kayak several times, including Saturday evening when the lake was calm and clear. This was a major improvement over their visit last year when the weather kept us from more than a single cursory paddle. We also played games, had campfires, and ate a lot of good food. Tom and I chopped a good pile of wood and everyone helped Laura stack it under the porch. Oh, yes, we also had a few beers. It was an awesome weekend.

Tom hard at work

Joy and Laura 

On Monday I returned to Home Depot where I had been assured I had everything I needed to make the water system work properly. I explained to a different sales representative in plumbing, Christoff, what I was attempting to do. Before I could finish explaining he exclaimed "what you are doing is wrong" in his heavy accent, reminiscent of the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld. I asked him to let me finish explaining what I had done and what parts I used, which only prompted a more assertive "whatever you are doing is wrong!" He then showed me some different fittings and explained what specialized tools I would have needed to follow the instructions I had been given by his colleague last week.


Tomorrow, I'm headed up with Tim, who first brought me to the lake in 1996 (see the post about the history of July 2008).

I'll try Christoff's advice and let you know how the water system works out.

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?