Blossoms began to appear:
And the snowshoe hares continued to change from their winter white coats, to their springtime brown:
As always, there were plenty of things to do while waiting for improvements in the weather. There were chisels to sharpen, tools to assemble, and lots of logistics to figure out. We took some time to start thinking about what kind of tiles to install around the shower, and bought a couple of samples to try out. We also gathered up some new paint chips as there has been a change in plans for some of the colours. I think we've switched from a pale yellow to a nice warm neutral off white (with the absolute faintest hint of peach) for the living room, dining room, kitchen and hallways, and maybe a similar but warmer tone for our bedroom, and a cooler toned grey blue for our bathroom. I guess we'll see when we eventually start painting. Which will be a while yet.... I keep flipping from wanting a cool and calming Zen kind of bathroom look to a wild looking brightly coloured one. This week the Zen look is winning. As we already picked up a small bunch of tiles for our bathroom at a clear out center a few years ago that would go well with a Zen look - it's probably a good thing to keep going in that direction.
Rob stacked all of the pine that will be used for the ceilings in the new house so that it could adjust to the house humidity level and sometime next month I hope to start applying the "whitewash" to them. Since there are a lot of boards to do we built some drying racks to stack them as they dry.
And there are quite a few stacks to be done!
We picked out, and bought our stove for the kitchen. Now, I love to cook, but buying appliances is not a huge thrill for me - and the funky retro looking stoves and the beautiful Aga's were all out of the question. In the end there was really only one choice for off grid use. The stove needed to using a minimal amount of power (yes, I learned that even gas stoves use power) and this is the only model we could find that did not have an electricity driven glow bar and the usual array of clocks and other powered options. The glow bar is used in almost all gas stoves to run the oven and it uses a significant amount of power during the whole time that the oven is in operation. The stove that we chose does not require any power (just some "D" cell batteries for the spark ignition system). It's a rather plain stainless steel and black, but it looks to be good and solid, and gets pretty good reviews. It will also fit in nicely with the range hood that we bought during the winter. (We were both pretty happy to find the exact energy efficient hood that we wanted one day, tucked away in a clearance pile at more than 50% off!)
Mid May the weather turned, and after a quick trip to visit family, Rob returned and began setting up his space for working on the workshop timbers. As I mentioned in previous posts, this particular area of the property has a special place in our hearts. It is where we camped when we were building the log cabin, and the scent in the air always brings back memories of those times. There is almost always a light breeze to keep the bugs away, and the sound of the wind in the leaves is quite lovely. But we are already feeling a hint of nostalgia because we realize that this is the final frame to be built here (well, at least the final frame for this particular project, Rob is already talking about building an octagonal gazebo frame!)
Rob seems much more relaxed about this part of the construction. Having done the first frame, he now understands the whole process; what is important, and what isn't. Unlike the first one, he now works on several timbers at a time as well. If the weather continues to cooperate, he hopes to have it completed by the end of June and on the whole, the weather has been good. We were even hit by a blast of hot air at the end of May, with humidex readings of 38 and 39 degrees C! The extreme heat slowed us down somewhat, but it soon cooled off again and dipped back below normal. For the most part it was dry at least, so Rob just kept working.
Testing the fit:
Testing the fit:
And for all you fashionistas out there, here is the perfect way to keep wood chips out of your shoes (note: this has since been improved upon by using form fitted plastic bags!):
Walking back to the cabin after watching Rob timber frame, I discovered that one of the local beavers has been rather busy as well. Both of them seem to produce a lot of saw dust and wood chips!
The May long weekend brought the annual "boat" float down the river. The river was still pretty high and fast, and further downstream we could hear the whoops and calls as they navigated over the rapids. It was fun to watch them go by, and to observe the various methods of putting together something that floats. The one with the umbrella in the photo below was a tad unstable, and I'm not how it fared when they went over the rocks!
Two weeks later, the river level began to drop and this kind of event would not be possible.
Although I enjoy all the seasons here, summer is one of my favourites. When the warmer weather arrives we enjoy our coffee out on the porch of the cabin, listening to the bird song, and the goings on in the river.
One morning we caught a glimpse of a Great Blue Heron as it walked slowly along the river edge, and could hear the sound of the mergansers down on the rock. When I went down with my camera, I was disappointed to find them long gone. Luckily I looked up, and found a doe on the other side of the river, quietly watching me. She was a good reminder to me to remember to look up and look around!
In the evenings we sometimes head over to the new house, sit in the "living room" and sip a cool beer. It's a perfect way to relax after a long day, and we can enjoy watching the river from a different angle, as the sun goes down.
With about two weeks of timber framing left to go, I have a feeling the work days are about to get even longer. I now know the whole process that is about to begin again - moving the timbers down, getting them up on the pad and installed, getting the crane in to get the roof up, framing, plywood, foam, roofing, windows....and eventually - the solar panels. (And they will be a first time event!) Lots to do - but like the ducks in the photo below, we know it's important to take some time to relax too, and down by the river is the perfect place for some down time. (Whoops - no pun intended!)
