Bonus visit

With no work for DS late last week, we decided on a spur-of-the-moment trip to the cottage. The weather was not forecasted to be great, but we figured any time out of the city is great.

Thursday morning, DS decided to start dismantling the 2x3 walls we had removed when reconfiguring to make our large MBR in December. She tidied the garage at the same time. We ended up with a goodly pile of 8' 2x3's, and some 48 to 72-inch long pieces as well. She re-arranged the doors we had also salvaged from closets and we ended up with a much better organized garage.

I used the time to tidy the woodshed/entry. By rearranging storage areas and removing several empty cardboard boxes, we ended up with a spacious and tidy woodshed.

The afternoon weather was good, so I took advantage and soaked up some sun and did some brief swimming.

Friday morning, DS continued in the garage, while I formed, then mixed concrete (we had two bags left over from the woodstove install) and poured a new bottom step for the woodshed entry. It didn't turn our as nicely as I would have liked. I had forgotten that this concrete needed more water than the bags say. My step surface is not even and smooth and I am not happy.

Again, good afternoon weather, so we soaked up rays again.

Saturday morning, it poured rain. DS did some hobby painting while I got a chance to do some more stripping of the old desk. I was able to detach one pedestal from the back and the other pedestal, and it was quite easily moved downstairs after that. I worked in the woodshed with both doors open, so had good light and good ventilation.

By the afternoon, the weather had again cleared, so I got to work removing the beaver dam. DS cut some of their materials into stovelengths. They've used several maple saplings, and quite a few softer wood small trees of 3- to 4-inch diameter. We're all about recuperating what we can. Once done, more sun worshipping.

Sunday morning, we had to re-stack the one woodpile that had fallen for the second time. The only thing we can figure is that one of the foundation pieces we are using is a length of spruce trunk. I theorized that it's round shape permits too much movement and/or it's excessive length prevents the bottom of the cord from 'hugging' the ground. We got rid of it and hope we have now addressed whatever shortcomings existed in our stacking methods so we don't end up having to stack it yet again.

On this visit, DS and the dog saw a deer across the lake. We were also visited by 3 Great Herons on several days. The loon did a flyby, but did not land. He did let out a call, though, while flying overhead. Always lovely to hear, the loon.

Friends visited Friday for supper and brought their 3-month old chocolate Lab pup, Moka. The two dogs had a blast tiring each other out. When Duster would wade into the lake for a drink, Moka would barrel down the hill, dive in and swim around him. I guess he took notice of the fact that she can swim. On Saturday, while removing the dam, I was pitching rocks for him, each a little further than the last. He ended up going out far enough to have to dogpaddle (front legs only) on no less than three occasions, and once actually did a circle looking for the rock.

On Sunday afternoon, I got out his lifevest. Last summer, it was a fight to get it on him. This year, the minute he saw it, he went nuts and I couldn't follow him to the water fast enough. He stood patiently while I fitted it on him, and we did a repeat of the previous day's swimming. He may well be a waterbaby by the end of this summer!