A busy couple of days.  While I was digging for the shop footings Ross was digging for the water line.

Last dig across the front

Ross busy six feet down

The trench and the tubing, municipal 200 psi

I could have been a plumber

A dirty job but nice to have a hole through the foundation.

Elaine, I was talking to Ross, long grey beard and hair, from the CRD and, as you mentioned earlier, we have a connection. He came to turn the water on at the road once I had a shutoff valve inside the house.

Filling in the water trench

The hose that burst as I was finishing up the water trench, but that's another story.

Leveling the trench for the shop footings

The driveway back to normal

Anyway a busy day all round. Tomorrow I start measuring to set up the forms for the shop footings. Hopefully the digging is pretty accurate so I won't have to adjust the trenching manually.

Len

More digging progress

You are going to have to trust me...the camera stopped working for today (now fixed) but because of that, no pictures :(   Len worked like a little gopher and got 3/4 of the digging done for the forms for the shop.  Also, a big bonus, Ross came and began digging for our water line.   He got about 1/2 done. Yes, Elaine, we will be hooked up soon!  I went to town and bought 200 ft of water line and some very expensive fittings for both ends.  It was a nice sunny, hot day and Len got so hot that he opted out of doing more parging this evening.  So instead he is sitting reading a book. Here is proof.

My task is to bake some cookies or muffins in the toaster oven.  We are living the high life for sure!
That's all for now,
Cath

Finally a weekend with some sun

Cath is up here with Banjo so the happy family is altogether again.  We have had such a wet spring - never more than a couple of dry days together.  So we are happy to see the sun and to have the chance to do some real work!

We did have to wait to dig - still too wet - but we didn't waste the time.  We moved house into the upstairs of the garage.  We have appreciated having Mom and Dad's RV, especially when it was cold, but now that summer is closer, we decided we needed more room and less heat.  We have no insulation or  inside walls or anything, so it can be breezy.  But it sure is nice to have a separate desk area, sitting area and a bed you can walk around.

New "bedroom"

Sitting area - note the clock for a touch of class

The kitchen leaves a little to be desired - especially running water - but we are making do with a microwave, griddle, induction element, toaster oven and of course the coffee maker deluxe.   We also brought up our all-fridge and a cabinet to put our dishes in.

We can already tell that this is going to be a great guest suite - we are just trying it out for Mom and Dad.

Cath and Banjo in the "kitchen"

We got some more parging done before the mosquitos came out in full force - yikes! With all this rain they are big ones.  Len also dumped some dirt next to the house and we moved some wood out of the garage to make room for more boxes.

Cedar trim moved out of the garage

Dirt to keep the water puddles at bay

Len putting up the Typar house wrap around the window

We thought we found a way to get the window in up in the garage suite, but after prepping the hole discovered that there is no way we could get the window in without scaffolding.  So the plastic went back up.

Digger Len

Len FINALLY got started in digging the trenches for the footings for the shop.  He is using the backhoe to dig down 42" from the level ground he prepared.  He hopes to have it all dug and start putting in forms within a few days.  Unfortunately the weatherman is saying rain on Tues or Wed so he will have to work fast.

Len's shopping list

That's it for now.  Pray for sunshine.

We're saving big dollars right?

Went to a beautiful wedding on the weekend. Heather, daughter of Dave and Doris, and her new husband Tyler,  put on a pretty good show.  It's too bad you can't help with the guest list, some people will invite anybody.

After we got back I quickly left with a preloaded truck and trailer for 108.  It was an odd load with a tub surround and a bed adding to the height.  Good weather with only a small shower to get through. It took me 6 stops along the way to get the front of the tub unit secured.  I ended up using the rear seatbelt out the window to keep the unit from bending over in the wind.

Loaded before the wedding

The seatbelt intervention

On arriving I found a message on the computer that BCIT was asking for my textbook early. Seems, since I combined both terms into one, the instructors wanted to look at it before the students did.  Oh well, back I go with all the paraphernalia for a textbook run and a chance to get another load up here.  This time I am expecting rain so a top notch wrap job was in order.  I took the exercise bike, a table and chairs, some cabinets and even the grandmother clock.  Lots of rain on the way to 108 and it rained for most of the unloading.  Cathryn stayed for a while in Winfield to put the textbooks together and make sure they got off all right.  She will be here later tonight.  I see that the sun is finally coming out this weekend so hopefully I can finish the digging for the shop.

A Martha Stewart wrapping job

Unloading in the rain

A little extra protection while unloading the trailer

Time for step 11.

Len

Good news and bad news

I am almost finished with the preliminary leveling for the shop.

This is the good news and with that a huge pile of dirt. The bad news is, the motor home may never get out again.

It rained again so we were working in the basement where we had to take out some temporary floor joists to put in the permanent posts. This meant removing the temporary floor upstairs which left a rather large and dangerous hole.

A wall was erected to protect one side and I built a guardrail for the other sides.

Building a wall over the abyss.

A wall

The guardrail in place

Off to Kelowna to prep for another load, mow grass, clean gutters and go to a wedding. Hope to be back next Tuesday. The weather is calling for rainy all week so the timing is great.

Len

You want to sleep where?

So after a few more walls we have the beginnings of a very nice space.

Finishing the closet wall

The bathroom door,

I am using up some 2 x 6 lumber for these walls.  Makes nice solid attachments for doors.

I was storing all of my airplane parts up in this room, so they are now being moved so we can clean things up and move in.

Cathryn is up here so now we have pictures of rhubarb and peony.

The dog gets a photo as well.

Lots of digging to get ready for the shop footings.  The backhoe is doing a great job.

Len and Cathryn

My twelve step program

Step one - get out of a very toasty bed

Step two - Get dressed

Step three - make breakfast

Step four - make path to lumber piles

Step five - find lumber

Step six - stack lumber

Step seven - move lumber again

Step eight - move lumber again

Step nine prepare to cut for wall

Step ten - build wall

Step eleven - Go have a beer

Step twelve - repeat steps 1-11