Dec 22-Dec 30, 2008

Christmas was a wonderful time spent with family and friends in Peace River, Alberta. The New Year promises to be quite exciting with many things happening on the dock, etc. We hope to be open in May and anticipate a busy summer.

George and I wish each and everyone a safe and happy 2009. May all your dreams come true.

Nov 07-Dec 21, 2008

Merry Christmas one and all. November was a wet and windy month and December is no better with minus temperatures as well.

We want to wish one and all a very Merry Christmas and the best in 2009.

Oct 23-Nov 06, 2008

Wind, Wind go away. It has been rainy and windy for the last two weeks. We did have a couple of days that were sunny, but they were still windy which made it cold. I guess winter is officially here!! George and I went to Campbell River on the 28 and came back on the 29th. It was an uneventful crossing even though we got back just before dark.

George has been working on the barge and pumping water to the cistern. The well is overflowing, and our cistern is now full, along with the spare tank behind the generator shed. We have had to start the propane heater in our bedroom as it is quite chilly these days. Can't wait for the furnace that we want to buy. It will make it soo much warmer and also save on propane.

There is a wind warning out today, with winds gusting up to 50 knots which is 92 kmh. Now that is STRONG. Yesterday we went on the mail run with Doug again and had a very nice visit with Jenny at the Post Office. We stopped at Len's to look at some piles that he has. Now we only have to get a pile driver.

I have been trying to get the potatoes and carrots out of the garden, but the weather is not cooperating. We do however still have flowers growing in the flower beds.

Sept 20-Oct 22, 2008

What an exciting time we have had!! George and I have been busy working on parts of the barge and getting the yard sorted out. The garden is basically finished and I was quite disappointed with the turn out. Some plants just did not grow! They were the same size as when I planted them. The poppies are still blooming in the flower beds and some of the other glads started to bloom. Next year it will be different! Better soil is to be had.

We had several visitors in October. On October 7 and 8 the Coastal Messenger stopped in for a visit. This is a missionary boat that visits the coast all year. Port Harvey and area is on their schedule for October 7 to 10. They arrived early to Port Harvey because there was a wind warning out and Bing and Eleanor at Hadley Bay were out fishing. They tied to our dock to be secure. They came for coffee and later that day George and I went to their boat for supper. A very nice one indeed. Roy and crew, Petunia, Gloria and Tom were excellent company and we thoroughly enjoyed their visit. Later that night, true to form the wind did pick up. I had never heard such a wind before. Around 4 am the wind changed direction and woke everyone up. The Coastal Messenger had gone 45 degs on the dock. The screws holding the one section of dock had pulled out and the dock was no longer secure. Roy and Tom secured the dock and the boat to the barge so all was well. This secton of dock was only temporarily attached to the other. George knew that it had to be attached better. I guess a 70 ft boat was just oo much right now for it. On the news later that day it was mentioned that the wind was stronger than predicted and had been recorded at 160 KMH on some parts of north and east Vancouver Island. Luckily for us there was no damage and the dock is still secure. Roy, Petunia, Gloria, Tom and Doug came for supper on October 8. The Coastal Messenger had moved over to Doug's dock which has pilings and is alot more secure. Fortunately, the wind stopped and the sun came out. On the 9th the Coastal Messenger went back to Hadley bay to visit Bing and Eleanor and then they were off to Port Neville to visit Lorna.


On October 10 Mother Mary, Aunt Kitty and Uncle Bob came for a visit. George and I went to Campbell River on this day to meet them and restock the pantry. We came back across the strait on Friday, Oct 11. Doug was the chauffeur across in case it was not a nice trip. Fortunately, the strait was calm and the sun was out. It was a very nice crossing. Aunt Kitty only became a little nervous when Doug decided to play with George's wake. George and Uncle Bob came across in the bayliner. Doug decided to race George and Uncle Bob and we beat them to the dock. Doug came up for coffee and visited with us girls while Uncle Bob and George unloaded the boats. The bobcat sure comes in handy when there is so much luggage and groceries!


Saturday was an exploration day and George and I enjoyed showing our family what we had accomplished in a year. Mom had not been here for two years so she especially noticed the difference. This was the first time for Uncle Bob and Aunt Kitty. We were soo fortunate that the weather was good and not too cold. "Old people" really feel the cold. We even lit the furnaces for them! Sunday was Thanksgiving dinner. Carl and Doug joined all of us for supper.
George picked out the turkey and I do not know what he was thinking, 30 lbs for 7 people is a bit much. If the turkey would have been alive, it definately would have been toast by the end of the evening. I couldn't believe that only half the bird had actually cooked! I put it back in the oven after supper to cook it some more and even after an additional 3 hours one part was STILL not cooked. Mom said I gave the turkey "The Look" and if looks could kill it would have been dead if it wasn't already. I must say the fish and crabs enjoyed that part of the turkey!!

Uncle Bob was a huge help for George and they did quite a bit on the barge. They even had us ladies down there helping. We held the beams in place while George and Uncle Bob used the mallet to pound them in place. The ceiling and roof will not fall down now!! We all helped pull the rubber up the edges of the barge as it had sagged quite a bit. That took us all morning. Aunt Kitty, mom and I went for a few walks, but basically we visited. Doug took them all on the mail run and they really enjoyed it. I am glad they were able to see how we live and how many neighbors we have. We had planned on doing a few boat trips when they were here but the wind would not cooperate and the temperature was not that warm for a boat ride. We did go on a short ride on Wednesday and showed them some of the sights, like the petroglyphs on the rock on Mist Island and how calm the strait can be. If it was earlier in the day, we could have gone further but it was getting late. Doug was the chauffeur again on Thursday, Oct 16 to take the family back across to Eve River so they could be on their way back home.
We thoroughly enjoyed their visit and it was a little lonely when they were gone. George and I were sad to hear of the passing of sister Debe and brother-in-law Gary's niece Chantal on Friday October 17. She was a courageous young lady and put up such a battle. She will be missed by all that knew her. The town of Peace River and area were huge supporters and will miss her dearly.

George and I went up the estuary in the black banana at high tide. We went up the creeks for quite a ways. Doug had mentioned to us at one time that two men used to live up at the end of the estuary, but that no one knows who they were. There is still evidence of an existence there as there are fence posts in one area and it looks like fruit trees. We will explore this area more at low tide and in the winter when the bears are asleep. Maybe our metal detector will find some "treasurers".George went with Doug to help fix Jenny's truck. She had carborator problems. George took the fuel pump and the carborator off the Mellow Yellow but they did not fit. Doug and George were able to fix the problem anyway and Jenny has a truck to use.

Yesterday, Dave and Merle stopped in for coffee and stayed for supper. Doug came over also. Dave and Merle worked at Lagoon Cove for the last year and looked after the marina during the fall and winter. They decided to leave but stayed in the area helping Bing and Eleanor for awhile. Now they are off to Thetis Island for the winter and will be back up here next spring. They are a lovely couple and very knowledgeable. Dave was the resident "dentist" and could also be the doctor if need be. We will definately welcome them back next spring. Their boat "Ocean Child" is moored in the bay and they hope to leave today if the wind cooperates. Right now it is not and there is a wind warning out. If the wind switches to the northwest, they will leave and sail their way through the strait.

The little black butter ball is still around and we are glad to see him. He was a cub that was too young to be away from momma and was all alone. Doug and us have been keeping track of him since this spring and we were afraid that he would not make it to winter but alas he is rolly-polly and healthy with a shiny coat. He has been hanging around the property between Doug's and us and we believe that he feels safer here as bigger bears and other animals do not come around "human property".

We hope to go to Campbell River tomorrow (depending on the wind) to stock up on some items and pick up the spindle for the lawn tractor. MAYBE I can get the lawn mowed before winter. We plan on going back to Alberta for a month again at Christmas and both George and I are looking forward to watching the Valleyview Jets hockey. George does miss being involved with his "boys".

Aug 07 - Sept 19, 2008

Where to begin!! I am back from Alberta after being gone a month which I did not expect to be gone that long! Christine's knee surgery went well and she is now in Edmonton with Melissa and Darren. She is progressing nicely. We had found a physiotherapy clinic only 1.5 blocks away from where she lives now. George and the boys fended well on their own and accomplished quite a bit. The docks pieces are done and awaiting installation. We still do not have piles and are just awaiting the pile driver still!! Who knows when it will come. This is life on the coast we have been told.

George took the boys fishing one nice sunny day. A few dog fish were caught and enjoyable time was had by all three. They did see some whales and bears.

Alex and Kelly left before the end of August. Before the boys left, they tried to bring the barge onto the rubber that was laid out on the flat. They were able to do it, but the rubber folded and the barge was not level so was starting to creak!!. It was moved off the next day. After the boys left, George moved the rubber to a different spot on the beach. He moved the barge onto the rubber and fastened one end to the barge. He then proceeded to tow the barge around the bay so the rubber would flow underneath the barge. After a couple of passes around the bay he was able to get the rubber to flow flat under the barge. Doug came over a few days later and helped George fasten the other end of the rubber to the barge.

I arrived back here on the 8th of September. Talk about mosquitoes!! The garlic oil that George sprayed in May had worn off and with the damp the mosquitoes return with a venegence. The 2 skeeter vacs that we have are working overtime. The mosquitoes are dissipating but slowly.

The corn in the garden is going to be quite nice. It is still developing. The carrots are getting big, the lettuce went to seed, the parsnips are growing and the potatoes are maturing. The lone pumpkin has lots of flowers but no pumpkins. The tomatoes are producing nicely. Only got 2 little cucumbers because the plants never grew and the cabbage is wormy. We will be adding soil and fertilizer for next year.

The black raspberries are ripening and I have picked some and froze them. I will be going over to Doug's to pick his. I am trying to get enough to make jam. (Doug says they make good jam, hint, hint).
George is busy fastening the rubber to the sides of the barge now. We have decided that we will not be open this year. This way we can concentrate on doing things properly. There is still quite a bit of work to do before we open.

The poppies are still blooming in the flower bed and I missed most of the glads. George says they were lovely. There are still roses on the rose vine!

Yesterday, Sept 19 Doug took George and I to Port Neville to meet Lorna.
Port Neville is a historic site. The old store has been made into a gift shop/art gallery/museum. It is quite interesting. Lorna was raised in Port Neville and still lives there.
We also met Dave who lives across the bay from Lorna. His wife Peggy used to be a vet and is also an artist. It is her paintings that are in the art gallery. We really enjoyed our visit with both Lorna and Dave. It is always nice to meet people who live on the coast and to find out the history of the area.
Doug took us on a tour of the inlet and gave us a history of it. We were hoping to see grizzly bears but none were around. Port Neville is on the mainland and is only a short distance from Glendale Cove in Knights Inlet. Glendale Cove is known for Grizzly bears. We spent all day with Doug exploring the coast and learning the history. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

The mower on the lawn tractor is still broken, so I have been trying to mow the lawn with the push mower. It is quite slow going as the clover has gotten quite high and chokes out the mower. George's mother, aunt and uncle will be here in October and we want the place to look nice for them. Mowing the grass/weeds/clover will keep the mosquitoes at bay as well ( I hope).

It is quite foggy in the mornings and at times you can hear the lonely toot of a fog horn in Johnstone Strait. The weather is still nice with the sun shining almost everyday! I think we finally have summer!! Let's hope it stays this way until after Mary, Kitty and Bob leave. We have a few things planned but they depend on nice weather.

August 03-06, 2008

A few things have been happening in the last couple of days.
The new dock sections are being completed and Christine is busy working on the walkway railings. She has done most of these railings by herself. Here is her and Kelly cutting wood for the walkways.




We saw our first Lion's Mane Jellyfish the other day. These are quite huge with tentacles up to 6o ft long. DO NOT TOUCH, as their sting is deadly.

Christine and I will be leaving on Friday to go back to Alberta to help Melissa move and for Christine's operation. George and the boys will have to fend for themselves for awhile! It should be interesting!

Breakfast is always interesting for the kids. One day it is "heart stopper"buns and the next day it can be pancakes. Today George made a creation of pancakes, ham and eggs all in one. Puts meat on the bones!!

Have not seen any more bears. We think they have moved on. The hummingbirds are still around for awhile, but most of the robins are gone. Soon we will be getting the birds from the north as alot of birds winter here.

July 23-August 2, 2008

Again the time has gone fast!! Much has been done in the last two weeks. The docks have been moved from beside the estuary to beside the existing dock.


Kelly and Christine rode the dock while Alex pulled it with the Black Banana (20 ft Zodiac we bought at an auction, good investment). The dock sections were secured on the beach out front.
The barge itself is getting a good facelift on the outside. One side is completely done.














The kids have been having fun. Kelly and Christine swam in the estuary on a really hot day and Kelly decided to dive off the walkway during high tide.

Our prawn catching is doing not too bad, if we can keep the starfish out of the trap and if we can also keep our traps. We have a tendency to lose the trap. 3 so far this year! We have had several prawn curries so far as when we catch the prawns, they are partially cooked and froze. When there is enough for a good feed, away we go. Good eats!!



All three have gone fishing and Kelly has been really excited about some of the fish that he has caught. The ratfish was especially interesting. Alex caught a 20 lb 4ft ling cod just the other day and we had a good feed. We still have a filet in the freezer for next time.The head of the cod went into the crab trap so hopefully we can have a feed of crab. Not bad fixin's for being just in front of the dock.

Marine Link came in on the 31st with a few lifts of lumber. The kids were quite excited. It was the first time that Alex and Kelly had seen a landing craft delivering supplies. Marine Link does charters for tourists and the boys were quite chatty with them. The charter is a way for tourists to see the working coast and how people live on the coast.

We all went to Kate and Joel's for a weiner roast last night. A good time was had by all. Today is a day off for the kids and they are catching up on some much needed sleep!!

We went to town last Monday/Tuesday and when we returned the boys had to go get the dock pieces. They were in several places around the bay. Luckily they were all found and none the worse for wear! George has to give the boys a good lesson in knot tying!!

Christine and I will be going back to Alberta on Friday, Aug 8 as she has an operation on her knee on the 19th and we are also helping our daughter Melissa move to Edmonton.

Hopefully the garden is still okay when I return. The squirrels are eating the peas and the earwigs like the head lettuce.

June 27 - July 22, 2008

Where has the time gone? Can't believe that it has been almost a month since the last post. Have to get on this a little sooner. Much, much has been going on. The barge/store's facelift is almost complete. The dock/walkway is progressing.



We have had a few visitors to the dock and a few checking out if the store is open.


We hope to be open in the next couple of weeks. Piles are not going to happen just yet, but George has figured out an anchoring system. Four 45 gallon drums have been filled with cement and two of these "anchors" have been put in place by the Sea Roamer. They are strong enough that when the Sea Roamer tied up to them, it could not move. This should suffice until we can get the piles. The pile driver has hydraulic problems and they do not know when it will be fixed. Fortunately, it is across the bay from us as it is being fixed.

I have discovered some of the mystery flowers growing in our flower bed.
They are lettuce leaf poppies and are very beautiful. They are popping up all over the flower beds. The climbing rose bush is full of roses and the garden is starting to thrive. The soil in the garden is very poor and next year we have to look at either hauling dirt from beside the well, or bringing in bags of top soil.


The wind has not stopped for about a month and we are getting quite tired of it. Luckily the sun has decided to make an appearance for the last week. It has not rained significantly for about a month and consequently we are getting low on water. George and the boys have strung out a pipe to the back creek, but so far we are short and need to get more pipe. Our well is a hand dug well and fills with ground water. George then pumps to a cistern (which we have been told is 10 thousand gallons, we have our doubts). Because of the dry summer so far the well is not filling up very much and water conservation has started as a result. This means washing dishes only once a day and not using the dishwasher. Flushing of toilets only happens when needed (or if it has sat too long). Showers are at a minimum. With this conservation, we should be back to normal soon with a full cistern. Conservation still has to happen but when the cistern is more full, showers, laundry and the dishwasher can be done more often.

Our daughter Christine is here now. She came on July 14 and has been a big help. She makes lunch everyday and at the moment she is putting the railing on the walkway. The boys have cleaned out the floathouse and have moved in. I guess it is quite cozy. They have one lamp and a TV/DVD combo. It is their little place!

There have not been as many bears around as there was before. They have obviously moved on.


We did have a visitor in the yard the other day and gave Christine a little bit of a fright. It was a deer and she was only about 4 feet away from it before she saw it. I saw a doe and two fawns across the estuary the same day. I hope they come over here. Since the cows are gone, there is more food for the deer.

The cube van has finally been unloaded of the rest of our things. The loft is quite full now, but at least now we can start to put some of it away. Yeh I have my sewing machine now. The van is now across at Eve River. The Sea Roamer took it across the other day. We will use the van to haul our stock for the store and then it is off to Calgary, so Melissa and Darren can use it to move to Edmonton in August.

The mowing of the lawn/grass/weeds has been put on a standstill as I broke the push mower by hitting a piece of steel and the tractor has issues as well. George will take the deck off the tractor and see if he can figure out what is wrong. The bobcat is sick as well, and we are waiting for a new starter for it. When it was stuck on the beach, the starter must have got some salt water in it and it is corroded. Christine and Kelly were digging for the fork for the bobcat but so far it has not been found. I am athinking that it may be in China! Need that fork! The lifts of lumber at the front by the beach is becoming unsightly!

Kate and Joel are back for the summer. They have a cabin on one of the small islets in the bay. They have been busy building a new cabin, with logs that Joel has cut himshelf. It is quite nice and I look forward to seeing it complete. We had them for supper one day and Kate was the one that told me I had poppies growing. The boys helped them one day to help unload their cube van. They are a lovely couple and we hope to spend more time with them.

John and Nancy arrived last week and came for a visit the other day. They are such nice people, as well. They have a few stories to tell of the bay as well. They have a potluck supper every year around August 17 (Joel's birthday). George's mom Mary will be here this year for it. The potluck has people from all over - Burial Cove, Soderman Cove, Chatham Channel, Lagoon Cove etc. Of course the people from Port Harvey are their as well. What a wonderful time is had by all. We really look forward to this year!

June 12-June 26, 2008

Two weeks have passed and much has happened in the Bay. I had to leave for four days for family business and when I returned WHAT a difference. On June 18, George picked up two young lads, one from Nova Scotia (Alex "Wharf Rat") and one from Manitoba (Kelly "Prawn Bait"). They have been working hard, learning construction and renovation. The barge/store is really coming along now. The windows are in and one of the new doors, as well as the ranch board on the outside on one side. The inside is being cleaned up and George and the boys are busy getting the inside sheeted with OSB. These two boys have been really helpful and are very energetic. They both were involved with Katimavik this past year. This is a group of people who basically volunteer in different communities for 3 months at a time. They are fed and housed and given a token pay (not very much). It is a life experience for them. We met Alex and Kelly through our daughter Christine, who worked with Alex at the daycare in Peace River, when the group was in Peace River.

Many critters have appeared in the yard as of late. We had several black bears at different times. We watch them come across the estuary and basically wait as we know they will come into the yard. They like our grass out back. There was a small one (probably just kicked out of the den by momma), who wondered in from the cistern area out front. He was soo cute! but it was still a bear. We forgot to get a picture of him before we chased it away. We do not believe that he will back for some time. We really scared him as he really jumped!

Yesterday, a bigger blacky (George figures 4 or 5 years) came up from the well area towards the front. We watched him for awhile. We called our dog (Bear) to have her chase it away. She came to the front deck, looked at us and went back under the backdeck. I guess she did not see or smell the bear. Some watch dog!! We scared this one away as well. Our neighbor, Doug (who turned 76 on June 13) tells us that the black bears are easy to train. He says they make good neighbors. The grizzly on the other hand is a different story he says! Doug is a wealth of information about the history of the area and we enjoy his company immensely. We have him over for supper quite often, when he is not busy running errands and getting the mail for everyone.

Last night there was a doe in the yard. I watched her come across the estuary and she was in the back yard. She was sure eyeing up my garden!!. George hurry up and finish that fence already! She saw me and decided not to linger. She went to go down the beach by the estuary, but when she got only a little distance she really jumped and decided to walk in the water to the point. Later in the evening we saw her in the front yard and she was eyeing up my glads. We just talked to her and she decided to leave. She just sauntered away towards the well.

The weather has been so-so. It rained all day yesterday but the next week is supposed to be quite nice and hot. We need the heat for the garden and flowers. Everything is a little stunted right now as the spring has been too cold.

Must go and mow the lawn now. It is a never ending chore but I really enjoy it and find it quite relaxing.

June 06-10, 2008

Not much has happened in the bay this last week. The weather has not been conducive to alot of outside work. Some things were done however, more cement work was done for the new dock and the wood from stripping the inside of the barge was burned. Boats have been anchoring out in the bay and we are anxiously awaiting our piles so our dock is open. The wind has prevented us from doing too much on the barge as with the window openings being cut, it is quite breezy inside.

The other day I was talking to a friend on the phone at about 8:00 in the morning. I had noticed something on the other side of the boathouse/shed. At first I thought it was our dog Bear but in fact it was a real bear. I had to put the phone down and I tried to use the airhorn, but of course it did not work at first. When it did work, the bear was in the rose bushes beside the floathouse at the back. Boy did it jump. The back of the bear came up to the hood of the Mellow Yellow (a very old toyota truck). This big boy is seen quite a bit now on the other side of the estuary grazing in the grass and overturning rocks.

That same night, as we were waiting for supper to finish cooking, I looked out the patio doors and another bear was seen. It was a small two year old. He came out of the bush from the cistern. He looked a little scared as he is trying to find his place in life. He was really cute. George scared it off. Did the little guy ever jump!! I don't think he will be around here much more. Too bad we did not take a picture of him.

It has been really windy as of late with wind warnings for the last two days. It has been one of the coldest springs on the BC coast, so the news mentions.

We were able to finally retrieve the Mellow Yellow and the Shirley Bear (boat) off the beach. They had been sitting on the beach for almost a year. Last summer, the clutch had gone out in the Mellow Yellow as we were bringing the Shirley Bear out of the water for maintenance. At first we tried to pull them with the bobcat. This did not work as the breaks are also stuck on the Mellow Yellow. George, being the ingenious person that he is, decided to use the bucket of the bobcat as a lever and this way the wayward truck and boat were pulled off the beach. They were on quite an incline so George pushed the bucket of the bobcat in the ground for leverage. IT WORKED. Now maintenance can be done on the Shirley Bear.

We have still not been able to move the barge onto its diaper on the flat. The high tides are not high enough now and when they were the wind was too strong. Such is life on the bay!

The garden is growing quite well and so are the flowers. The Lupines are blooming on the edge of the trees and I am anxiously waiting for the foxgloves to bloom. Wild Columbines and Canada Poppies are also blooming under and around the deck.
There are still mystery flowers in the flower beds. The beds were dug up last year after many years of neglect. Weeds and grass were the only things growing then. Last year I tried to plant flowers but of course the neighbor's cows ate them. The cows are no longer a problem, so many different flowers are growing that have been dormant for years. It will be interesting to see what they are. Some of the mystery flowers that had bloomed were: grape hyacinth, mountain bells, lily of the valley. The buttercups are blooming in the trees and all around and the yarrow is starting to bloom as well. The salmon berries are ripening, the black raspberries are blooming, the salal is blooming. It will be nice to make jam again. Wild crabapples are also blooming on the point and the apple tree out front has buds.

The Inlet Navigator II delivered propane and much needed gas and diesel this weekend. Marine Link had delivered lumber two weeks ago. Now with having a bobcat, the piles of lumber can be moved once the fork is found. One of the forks had come off the bobcat when it was stuck on the beach. We have to borrow a metal detector in order to find it. One fork will not do the trick I am afraid!

The Mellow Yellow and the Shirley Bear were named by the former owner of the property. Instead of Cracroft, the island was Bearcroft.

We are patiently awaiting the sun, which is supposed to show up sometime today.

May 31 - June 04, 2008

Quite a bit has been happening on the barge/store this last week. The garbage from tearing down walls, etc has been cleaned up and is in the process of being burnt in the firepit. We tried to burn on the beach at low tide but the tide would come up before it was finished. (Hence the bobcat incident from last week, trying to retrieve wood that was floating.) Window frames have been built on the barge/store and more cement has been pored for the walkway/dock. The diaper (rubber) for the bottom of the barge was laid out on the flat in front and it is a waiting game now for the wind and tide.

We took our nephew Ryan to Comox yesterday as he had a 2:00 pm flight. We are again empty-nesters. Supplies were purchased and we came back across the straight yesterday evening. Not a very pleasant ride to say the least. Gail did not like it one bit.

Today has been a lazy day. I scared a baby mink on the dock today. Bear (our dog) chased it up the dock and I was on the Barge. The mink came inside but did not see me. Did it ever jump when it did.

Gail planted more bedding plants today and at one point made a bee-line for the deck as Bear was barking up a storm. Her namesake was in the bush beside the cistern. She chased it away and Gail saw it about an hour later going across the estuary towards the midden. It is a small bear and very scrawny and probably has been kicked out of the den for the first time and is still trying to find its place. Gail watched it across the estuary until it ran out of beach. It was heading south and not at a slow pace. It's mom is still in that area somewhere and it is not welcome anymore.

It has been overcast today and a little cold at times. We are waiting for the wind to die down as we need to move the barge onto the flat so we can put the diaper (rubber) on the bottom of it. It has to be done at the super high tide which happens twice a month on full moon and new moon. Tonight/early morning is the last of the 16.4 ft tides (until full moon) but the wind is not cooperating. We may have to wait for another day.

New blades have been put on the lawn mower and Gail can continue mowing-this time with a full cut and not 1/3. She broke one of the blades in half about a month ago. The Skeeter Vac has been working wonderfully in capturing the pesky mosquito. There are two Skeeter Vac's now and we hope to purchase another one this month. Mosquitoes are horrendous on this island unless you get control of them. They do not so much bite but are a very huge pest as they swarm all around you. Even had to get repellent for Bear as she was always being bothered by them. Keeping the grass cut helps in controlling them and we will be trying a new product soon. It is garlic oil and mosquitoes and other insects do not like it. It will also keep the geese away as the grass is bitter and they do not like it.

Tomorrow is another day on the bay, hopefully the weather is good.

May 20 to May 30, 2008

It has been a very busy week on the bay. On Wednesday Gail and I along with our daughter Melissa and husband Darren travelled by our 19 ft bayliner (ski boat-open bow) up the west side of Cracroft Island via Johnstone Strait to Telegraph Cove, Port McNeil and Alert Bay. It was a little bumpy at first but by the time we arrived in Telegraph Cove the water calmed out and the sun came out. What a beautiful place with a boardwalk around the marina and antique buildings. After a coffee from a very nice coffee house, we proceeded to Port McNeil. There we had lunch at McNeil's which was very good. We strolled around Port McNeil for awhile and then travelled to Alert Bay on Cormorant Island. This is a Native Village with a very nice cultural centre. The video in the Cultural Center is a must see. It explains the potlatch and the masks used during the potlatch. Oprah Winfrey visited this island last year. On the way home we boated up Baronet Passage and Clio Channel to Lagoon Cove, we got fuel there and chatted with the caretakers of this lovely Marina. On through the Blow Hole and down Chatham Channel. Almost home now. Through Havannah Channel and then we are home. What a lovely day we had.

Saturday was another successful work day where Gail, myself, Melissa, Darren and Ryan went up the old logging road to put a hose in the creek. Quite a hike but well worth it. A never ending supply of fresh water! Thank goodness for the bobcat to clear the way. It was interesting to see the old culverts made of cedar. Next fall we will have to find the old camp that is back there. Fall and winter are a better time of year to explore the bush as the undergrowth is gone and the bears are sleeping.

Work on the walkway for the new dock is progressing. We are now on the rocks at the point and can walk right onto the grass on the point. The barge has been completely gutted to get ready for the new store. Windows will be going in and preparation has started for framing the inside. What a job!!. Our thanks to Darren and Melissa for doing such a good job. Very dirty work to say the least. All the mess is cleaned up now thanks to our nephew Ryan.

He DID manage to get the bobcat stuck on the beach however. WHAT excitement that caused. Racing around the bay the find the captain of the Sea Roamer so they could come an pull out the bobcat with their crane. Tide is coming in, tide is coming in, hurry race around the bay to find the captain. Finally the captain is found and the bobcat getting pulled out of the mucky soup . Buried up to the door! Luckily nothing got wet in the motor and the air cleaner was dry. Could have been a very expensive repair job.

Sunday I saw a black bear put a run on the small grizzly that is across from us in the estuary. What a sight to see - the grizzly running and panting through the water with momma black bear on his heels. Not time to stop and rest, she keeps coming. Wednesday the Grizzly is back. I hope it stays across on the estuary and not decide to come over here.

On Friday morning Gail saw the grizzly come across the water in the estuary to this side of the island. We do not know if it was coming this way or decided to go up to the creek. Lets hope the latter.

The very high tide is coming soon so the barge will be moved to its permanent location and work can begin on preparing the dock for moorage and the store for supplies.

This is where we live. Wood and timbers used to build this house came from the cannery in Bones Bay on Cracroft Island in the 1980's. It has modern amenities such as flush toilets and running water, and even came with a bidet (although it is coming out rather quickly!). We have been living here full time for 6 months now, although the property has been our project since October 2005. We are currently in the process of setting up a marina and store so that no one ever runs out of beans again! Follow us as we stumble along this road to semi-retirement, boating, and building, posting plenty of pictures along the way.