1989
April 22, 1989
Just here to see what condition things are in after the winter. Snowing hard. Don't think I'll stay long.
April 29th, 1989
Stopped in on the way to Calgary. 17 degrees and sunny. The road is still wet in the shady places. Got a sunburn. A butterfly shared my coke with me. Spring is brown here - too much of the same colour. Made one call to Red Deer.
May 5th, 1989
It's 20 degrees in the shade, clear blue sky and the road in is dry now. I phoned the James'. Cleaned up around the house, swept up mouse poops, etc. Picked up garbage, raked the back lawn (lawn?) Played in the river - it's still very dirty and cold!! Nails in the deck need to be pounded down again. I found a lot of bent coat hangers and misc. things with nails poking out. How about a scavenger hunt for nails and wire? It took me a while to figure out the power was turned off up top. Why? Saw deer in the top field. Found a skunk - died of?? No apparent reason. Boy, do they have big teeth! The only good skunk is..
May 6th, 1989
Walked along the brush pile south of the top field. It has fallen down the hill in many places. Do we now need to fence to keep the cattle in? The NE gate to the top was open. Saw deer again and also a few Canada geese in the river. I "windexed" the doors and windows. Chopped some firewood. Sunburned my other side. It's amazing the difference the time of year makes - no bugs out yet! Utopia! Switched off the power at the main breaker.
June 18th, 1989
Chris, JP, Matt and Amos arrived at 10:30 a.m. The road in was quite wet and muddy in spots. Grass is really growing. Hard to find the road in some places. Sunny and hot. Roses and strawberries in bloom. We walked along the Elephant Path and John Paul discovered a fawn in the woods up there - all nestled down beside a log. No evidence of a mother nearby. We checked back later and it was still there. The boys had a swim in the river - very cold. Departed at 3:30 p.m.
July 15th, 1989
Susan, Heather, Alex and guests Jerry, Alicia and Will Osborn arrived at 2 p.m. and put up signs for the other guests to arrive. On the way back, Brian gave Heather and Alec a ride on his horses which thrilled them utterly! Then we came back here for a swim. The water was warm and wonderful. The Osborns arrived and we made supper - baked potatoes in the oven, corn on the cob and steak over an open fire - fantastic! We had to dodge rain showers all evening, but had a good campfire nonetheless.
Sunday - drizzle. Took a walk in the rain along the elephant path. Cleared by 3p.m. so swam - water cold! Tried to leave the place a little cleaner. Having dishes here makes it tempting to use them.
July 22nd, 1989
Stefan visiting from Ottawa for his days off so we went to Calgary last night and to the cabin this morning. Mom came with us and Chris, JP, Tina and Alex arrived later in the day. Stefan and I played in the river for a while this afternoon. Alex brought a horse and buggy which should prove fun.
Brought industrial strength record player and some kids records that I've almost outgrown - hope they will provide some entertainment on a rainy afternoon. The speakers are the lid if you're trying to reassemble the unit.
July 23rd, 1989
Chris, Alex, JP, Tina and guests Amber and Dwayne were up today and yesterday. It was hot and sunny the whole time. The river is really warm. Lots of mint in the slough in the NE corner but not too many frogs yet. No strawberries and no raspberries. Tree fort is looking a little sad but it's still semi-safe. Good swimming hole down the wide path - it's neck deep. Lots of ants infesting the cabin, but hey - what's new? That's all for now - back later.
July 22-23rd, 1989
Absolutely perfect weekend - clover all over, roses still blooming. Good company. Bliss!
August 23rd - 27th, 1989
JP, Adam, Tina and dogs up for four days. Weather mostly rainy with a few patches of sun. The tire swing has been resurrected!! We bought a new pulley for it and everything! The river is really high, dirty and cold but that didn't stop us from swimming. (sort of) Used the phone to call Calgary once. Went for a walk up to the compressor site and around yesterday. Tons of raspberries. Saw two mice in the cabin and bluejays but no other wildlife besides cows. The road was OK. Cabin was left clean, but floor is a bit muddy from the rain. (It's swept though)
September 2nd, 1989
Arrived in a drizzle that turned into a steady rain through Saturday night. The road through Lopeter's would have been impassable without David's 4 wheel drive. Had a pleasant evening in spite of the cold and wet with a blazing fire in the Franklin. Sunday was hot and sunny and we walked all around the quarter and had a picnic at the river. We did some cleaning and repairs. The back, left burner on the stove is arcing so I took the fuse out.
Monday morning - sunny, warm and so clear you can see the mountains. There was a wonderful star and northern lights display last night. We walked upstream a mile or so this afternoon. More mushrooms than I have ever seen. Didn't see any wildlife this weekend but "something under the deck is drooling".
October 29th, 1989
Chris, Tina, JP and guests Kurt and Tracy up for a short day. Weather warm and sunny in spite of predictions of snow for this weekend and in spite of a skin of ice on the puddles in the road coming in. Warmed up the cabin with a fire in the Franklin. Collected up some wood for use over the winter if we make it up. Took the usual hike along the elephant path and scared up an owl - beautiful, silent flight. Basked in the sun on the deck after a lunch of calzonies.