Inside The Cabin

The cabin is all done and has been done for a month basically.  In saying that, I am going to put on some fascia, gutters as well as a railing on the steps.  I am thinking that there might be a need to put lattice on the bottom of it too for decoration.   At any rate it is mostly done.

We've stayed out there a few nights.  If anything it gets too warm and uncomfortable for sleeping.  With wood stoves it is all or nothing.  We can control how fast the wood burns with the air dampers, but it isn't as easy to make the wood burn with any less intensity and heat.  So it is as hot as hell going to bed, during the night it is really reasonable, yet first thing in the morning it is actually a bit chilly with the fire all but extinguished.  Pioneer life is dam tough!

The floor is plywood and it will stay that way.  But next on the agenda is curtains and hooks.  We need curtains for the basic reason to need curtains.  Not only does it make the windows look better and complete from the inside, but it will keep out some light obviously.  The ladder has become our coat rack.  So hooks on the wall will keep our clothing up off the ground and able to dry.  There is probably good reason to add a railing on the outside stairs, add fascia on some boards, and ultimately put gutters/eaves troughs on the front and back of the cabin.

But it is great.  It is really a great spot.  Each time we go out we bring less and less stuff.  There will always be something missing or needed, but it isn't that bad and town is not too far away.

Molly just had her 7th birthday.  She had a big party with friends last weekend, and this weekend we stayed around and had a bit of a family party out at the cabin.

Cabin Raising

I don't believe there was working at heights training.  Tie downs on the ladders were not evident.  No hard helmets.  The work site shitter was a hole in the ground.  There was very little that was legal or authentic with the codes and regulations in OHSA.   The MOL would have had a field day on Hawkin's Road this week.  The conclusion though was one hell of a cabin built, by a hell of a group of guys.

The idea had been percolating for a couple of years, but it gained momentum this spring and summer.  There was a cabin that was needed to be built out at the farm.  Shelly new a few people who had had George Miller build theirs.  So it would be George who would build ours.  (Don't ever forget the power of word of mouth advertising!)

So the long and short of it was George and his crew would piece most of it together at the shop, and the dissemble and transport it to the farm.  We would have to prep the area, get a few tonnes of cinder blocks and concrete slabs, and provide some transport to the crew - I don't know why their horses can't make the 15km run, hell I ran that distance daily for years, but I digress.  

So ya, after we all did our prep, George and his boys came drills a spinning and saws a cutting.  They systematically laid out the perimetre of the cement and cinder to withstand the load and weight of the building, and with the efficiency and speed of a German beaver had the base done.  The walls were all pre-made, so with more muscle then brains, they heaved them into place and nailed it all down.  It less then 2 hours it seemed like 50% of the cabin was built!

From then on, it was almost like every Amish for himself.  One was on the battens, two were on the roof, another made stairs, one was putting insulation into the wall studs.  So it was a site to be seen for sure.  And really, they were the greatest fellers and so nice to have working for us.

I'll post more late = it will give me a reason.

One More Video

Lots of videos for some reason - I will contribute a proper update and recap with some current events soon.

Videos

Update

One of the main reasons I can think of for not posting in so long is I erased a whole lot of pictures from my camera.  I suppose it isn't necessary to rely on pictures, but they are good to include.  As a result I have a no pictures from:

A)  things around the house
B)  my sister visiting
C)  a fun trip to Pelee Island and Windsor
D)  some birthday stuff

Anyway - we are all great around here and enjoying a hot summer.  There have been lots of bike rides around town, a number of runs with friends, a few motorcycle days, I had a terrible cold and flu at the beginning of the summer which was very uncomfortable - again we are all great and just trying to keep busy.

March

We haven't really done too much during the month of March.  We had a week of discontinuity from our schooling and day care for Wally.  It was an overnight trip to Guelph to visit some friends, and just making use of the facilities at the YMCA in Goderich to swim and skate.  Despite there being little snow, it has been very cold.  Outdoor activities were few and far between as a result.

So there was a bit of getting at the wood with Shelly's dad, and cleaning up out the garbage in the shed out at Shelly's farm with a few dump runs.  As mentioned, a bit of skating and swimming.  Lots of music practice and cleaning around the house.  The common theme is that some of the days drag on, but in general a week's holiday goes very quickly. 

 The Dame's Rocket played at the Lucknow Legion on St. Patrick's Day...  There are no pictures from this year's set, but they looked and sounded as good as ever. 

 The kids got in and had a visit with their great grandmother who is also sounding and looking as good as ever.  If you reversed the numbers on Wally's shirt, and added a few numbers, you'd get to her age!  So yes, looking great indeed.

Zurich Has Beans Tournament

These Old Timer's hockey tournaments can be quite fun, but sadly repetitive too.  It is the same good teams that win and the same teams that lose.  It is the same amount of Bud Lite beer.  It is the same anger that some speed bag lashes out during some game because ?????  and wants to take it one step further.  Every small community in Canada must have tournaments like these.  The surrounding towns about 75km away all load up on glory day superstars, and also just about anyone else who is able to show up.  There are some good, smooth players.  And some hacks.  So I got the call once again to make the 40km drive south to the annual Zurich Has'Beans old timer's hockey tournament with the River Rat motley crew.  Sort of the same group of guys I played with just 2 weeks ago.

I haven't been playing steadily at all over the past 3 or 4 years.  All but 3 or 4 games, in one weekend, in each of the past 3 or 4 years.  That is not a lot.  But having had a few games under my feet in the past 2 weeks, I thought I was up to the challenge of another.  I don't know if I am asked for any particular reason.  I am not very skilled or adept at the game, but whatever.  I at least show up, pay my money to play, and make some reasonably lucky plays along the way.  Shelly watched one game this weekend and said I "hustled".  That sounds just about right. 

The first game we played with 12 players and won.  The second game we played with 10 players and lost.  Finally, and still in the first day, we played the third game and lost again with 9 players.  This goes from 9:00 am, to 1:00 pm, and the final game started at 8:00.  But I am feeling all right.  I am able to sustain a good amount of physical activity because of the running....  Each game got tougher opponents, combined with less players, and the recipe isn't so good.  However it was fun.  If anything we displayed a high level of sportsmanship as we didn't even get a penalty!  But we didn't score much either.

There were 12 teams in the tournament.  Each team plays 3 games.  There is a math algorithm fitting for a university course, to decide who plays who during everyone's fourth game.  This was decided with a point system of adding numbers attributed to period wins, losses, ties, games won and tied, goals scored and goals against.  We were the 11th team, as it was, after 3 games.  The team we beat during the 9:00 am game would be the 12th.  So it would be one more game on Sunday for just a sliver of pride.  The most minuscule of self worth one could hope for.

We lost that game 4-2. 

But the weather was wonderful.  Shelly and the kids came to the fourth game and Molly really thinks I am a superstar on the ice.  I mean really.  If it was anything else I'd tell her some white lies and embellish my past exploits on ice.  I swear I haven't and will never!  Truth be told it is just house lead hockey for the most part. 

But there was, of course, a token set of playground equipment at the arena and the kids were equally keen to be on the swings and on the climbers.