Apr 01-16, 2009

Sooo much has gone on in the last two weeks. Terry has come and gone. Both he and George accomplished quite abit while he was here. The top deck is ready to be built and the boards have been nailed onto the 16ft dock section, wood has been split and stacked. We even took time out to go on an adventure. We took the lawn tractor, wagon and bobcat back behind the house to the creek and to find the gravel pit. The skunk cabbage was coming out by the creek which means the bears were going to be waking up soon. The trek to the gravel pit was well worth it. The road is almost clear of trees. We came across quite a few spurs going off to the left. We came across an old very large beaver pond which looks like it could be a nice swimming hole! I was excited when we saw that. The pond has been there for quite some time as the trees are all dead that are in it. Doug says that the wolves got the beavers years ago. We have not seen any evidence of recent beavers. We did not find the road to the gravel pit right away, even though we could see the pit from the top. Terry found it as it was overgrown with small trees and a bit swampy on the side, so we did not think it was the road, BUT it was. It was actually quite a beautiful mountain plateau that the gravel pit was on and a bit of a surprise.

George, Doug and I all went to Campbell River for a day as I had a dentist appointment. Doug took us to the Ideal cafe, which was quite a unique place. The food was Great!! When we all got back to Eve River after my appointment the wind was soo bad and the sea soo rough that we did not try to cross, even though Doug is a very good captain and knows what he is doing. We stayed at the Fisherbouy in Sayward. It is a very unique place as well. We were able to get home the next morning. While we were in Campbell River, George had taken the cube van and I the truck. George went to Qualicum to get our first order for the store.


Len came and brought the cube van back to the barge, where George unloaded it and it went back to Eve River the next day (which is the day Terry came in). It was a very hectic couple of days. While Terry and George were doing their thing I was still putting shelves together and trying to price the groceries. It is hard to price when the price tickets are not the right size for the gun. It went very slowly. I now have the proper tickets (even tho they are bright green, Staples did not have white) and the pricing is going quite quickly. George and I figured out how we were going to lay out the shelves and attached some to one wall.


George is in Edmonton right now and is having surgery on Friday. Part of the back of his tongue and one tonsil will be lasered out. That should take care of the cancer even though the doctor figures most was taken out with the biopsies that were done. The lesion was in-situ, which means on the surface.


While George is gone it is just me and Bear (the dog), even though the day before George left (Tuesday) we saw a big black across the estuary. The skunk cabbage is out at the head of the estuary and that is where he will be. I have my air horn just in case. Blackies do not like that!

I have been busy putting shelves together and pricing. I have also put the baseboards up on two walls so when George gets back we can attach the shelves to the wall. I have enjoyed watching the hummingbirds fighting over the feeders. They are such a comical bird to watch. One sits on the rose tree and watches two feeders until another shows up and then Bam it swoops in an chases the other one away. I have a feeder in the window this year so I can watch from inside. I don't sit outside much (especially since it is so windy) since we both quit smoking, hurray!!

I think spring has finally sprung as the tulips have started to bloom, grape hyacinths have been going strong since the middle of March and the primroses are an array of color. I love spring, which brings new birth to everything. The leaves will be sprouting any day now. Now we just need more sun and heat.

The Pile Driver will be here on April 22, 2009!!!! We are sooo excited for that. It means we will be able to offer moorage!! Dave and Merle will be helping us this summer which is also exciting. It has turned out to be a good year so far, especially since it did not start out so well.

Feb 08-Mar 31, 2009

It has been a very busy time on the island. Our daughter Melissa and her husband Darren were here during reading week to help get the top of the barge ready. They will be running a small bakery and grill/pub. It was quite a workout stripping all the walls etc from the top of the barge. Melissa stayed an extra week and helped put the new floor in. I rode home with her to Edmonton to keep her company.

Everything has been ripped out and only the shell remains to get ready for the grill/bakery. I painted the floor of the main barge while the upstairs was being done. It was quite a job as I did not have the proper roller and the cement is quite pocked in places. It is done now and ready for stocking. I have also been putting the shelves together.

George had a doctor's appointment in Edmonton on March 23 and he is scheduled for laser surgery on April 17. The piles should be in by then as there will be a new pile driver in the area and he is quite eager to put in our piles. Yeah!! It would only be fine tuning then and we should be open for busy by the end of April.

We have been patiently waiting for spring to arrive. Old man winter just does not want to go away this year. The tulips and daffodils started to poke out in the beginning of March and the primroses were in bloom.

Some mystery flowers appeared, which I found out were Snow Drops. Very pretty flowers.

The sun does decide to poke its nose out once in awhile, and the birds and us really enjoy the warmth it has to offer. George even saw a hummingbird on Saturday, so I rushed to put out the feeders as there are no wildflowers yet. Soon the daffodils will be blooming. Hummingbirds do eat small insects and small spiders, so there is some food for them. The ground seems to be alive with robins and the geese are really trying to nest close to the house but we will not have that. They can graze along the estuary by not by the house. Geese are messy, messy birds. Tomorrow is the 1st of April and George's birthday. A cake is being made and maybe Doug will come and enjoy cake and coffee after he drops off the mail tomorrow.

Brother-in-law Terry is arriving on Sunday and will be staying for a few days. He has not been here for about a year and half and he may notice a difference. He has not seen the barge yet, so may be in for a surprise. Hope he is ready to work, as George can be a slave driver at times.

Feb 04-07, 2009

Well- the truck is done and the tests are over. We can go home now as everything is good. Can't wait to see everything. Two months is too long to be gone from home. Besides, I have to take the Christmas tree down. We are anxious to see if the primroses are starting to bloom. The daffodils will be budding out and the tulips will be poking out of the ground. We are also quite curious to see how everything survived during December as the weather was not nice. Doug had mentioned that there was about a foot of snow at one time and it got as cold as minus 8.

It will be interesting to see what the spring has to offer, especially since there are no cows to contend with. What scavengers these funny looking creatures were. Scottish Highlanders tend to eat everything in site, even rope. We are quite curious to see what else the land has to offer now that it is not being eaten down to the ground.

We will miss all our family and friends but know that we have lots of exciting things happening in the spring. Darren and Melissa will be home shortly - by the end of the week, and lots will be done. Shelves and tables were picked up at Ikea along with a commercial convention oven. How everyone will enjoy the home baked bread. Yum.

Dec 31-Feb 02, 2009

What to say! It has been quite a journey this last month. After being broadsided in the IGA parking lot on Dec 23 we still to not have our truck back. (it is supposed to be done tomorrow, inshahala). Young people should slow down and pay attention when driving on ice!

George has been undergoing medical tests . The last one is on the 5th and we should be able to go home after that. Doug is taking care of everything for us while we are gone and he is such a wonderful friend. George talks to him about twice a week and Doug has been informing us of the weather and things going on. We miss him and being home, especially during the minus 40 weather that Peace River was receiving for quite some time. TALK ABOUT COLD!!

While in Peace River, we have enjoyed visiting with family and friends. We were able to see Kory and Samantha and the kids as well as Chelsea, Clint and baby Cael. We are enjoying the Jets hockey, as George used to coach the team and Ryan plays for them. This is something we both miss at home. I would say we are Ryan's biggest fans! George has re-aquainted with old friends Harold, Bob and John. He goes for coffee and enjoys their friendship. George has also been enjoying his "breakfast" out, usually a MacDonald's breakfast burrito but sometimes with Gary at Smitty's.

Reading week will be quite eventful for us as the kids are coming to help get the top of the barge ready for the pub/restaurant. Since Melissa and Darren are going to be running the pub/restaurant they decided to help get it ready. They were quite helpful in getting the main barge gutted. We are soo looking forward to them being home with us. What do we call the pub/restaurant? Any suggestions?

Quite a bit has to be done in order to be open for business in May. The floor is ready for painting and we will be purchasing shelving at Ikea. We had hoped to have the floor painted before we left for Christmas but the weather did not cooperate. Our order is ready to be sent for the groceries and we just have to order the hardware and gift items.

We should have a pile driver available when we get home. Yee Ha - a busy time getting the docks in place. What excitement!! The weather will be wonderful as well. We Can't Wait!!