1997
January 18, 1997
Happy New Year!! Jerry and I came out today to fell trees for the log house. He bought and repaired an old skidoo and built a trailer for it so that we can get around the place in the deep snow. The snow proved too much for us today so we drove around without the trailer and tools. We packed down some trails that should make it easier to get around next time. Bright sunny, warm day.
February 2, 1997
Karin and Michael here overnight and to help Jerry cut down trees for the house. No mice! But we did see a porcupine on the way in and , what I think is a grouse, behind the cabin.
They drove the skidoo over the "elephant path" so you can ski there. Jerry felled 13 trees west of the cabin this Sunday. Then, one fell on the bar of the chainsaw and that ended progress for the day.
February 9, 1997
Jerry and I came out for the day - felled three more trees and cross-country skied once around the meadow. Had a weiner roast. It's easier to get around this weekend - the snow has slumped somewhat and the tracks are more solid. Lovely warm day.
March 31, 1997
Tina, JP and Timbre here overnight. Comet Hale Bopp viewing was excellent with the telescope and the perfectly clear moonless night. We also checked out a few of the other bright things in the sky. Timbre and I ran into a porcupine on our romp yesterday and I was amazed to see Timbre acting as if it weren't even there. He didn't even bark, which was great because it gave me a chance to sit down and watch it for a while. I found the snowshoes out in the shed after the walk yesterday. We put them to good use this morning. We were treated to the sight of a bald eagle in the top field on our way back. Quite a lot of snow left but it'll be gone soon if this weather keeps up.
May 4, 1997
Buster and Jerry dropping off the tractor - preparing for another summer of construction. Came across the remains of a young deer on the road in.
May 9/10, 1997
Karin, Michael, Jerry and I met here for a Saturday night barbeque and a Sunday morning Mothers' Day brunch. Karin and Jerry made me a birdhouse and put it up on the tree by the old tent trailer. Stefan called and we had a visit over the phone.
Arranged for some gravel to be delivered to fill in the low, slippery spots on the road. Jerry and I drove home via Dickson Dam Trout Ponds.
June 22, 1997
Met Karin and Mike here on Friday - her last weekend at home before she starts her summer job, teaching and conducting at the Cold Lake cadet music camp. On Saturday we went to the Medicine River Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. The staff there gave us a tour and Jerry visited his favourite owls - Hope, a Saw-whet, and
Hoover, a Grey. He's building a carrying case for Hope. We spent Saturday night at home and saw Karin off to Cold Lake on Sunday.
June 27, 1997
Summer vacation! Jerry and I will be here for the next two weeks working on the log house. Came out alone today (except for Bobbie and Shalimar) and Jerry went to Calgary to help his Mom get ready to move into a condo and sell her house. The weather cooperated today - hot and dry so was able to get the grass mowed.
Saturday
Woke to a thunderstorm in the night and, this morning, the river valley is full of mist under the pink light of sunrise - heavenly!
Jerry arrived this afternoon and we built a tool crib in the building site so we can leave the equipment there. Got the first log scribed, notched, fitted and in place. Went up to fill the water tank and saw a deer - it took off when the water spouted. Someone has cows in the meadow - assume they belong to Dennis'. Walked up to Stefan's pond and found it has filled with water.
Sunday
Spent the morning fitting the log that Jerry put on yesterday and then positioned the next two on the building ready for scribing and notching. The process of getting them down into the building site seems easier now that we are three rounds off the ground.
Jerry's Mom gave us a waffle iron. I've never used one before so tried it at lunch - pancakes with non-skid tread. Sunday and Monday were overcast and cold - great working weather but not for heating the water in the shower bag so we bathed in the galvanized tub this evening. Bobbie picked up one lone quill in her muzzle today and there were quills spread around under the kitchen window but no other signs of porcupine. Karin called.
Tuesday, July 1, 1997
Chris, Dave, Tina and Mom came out for the day. Brought lunch and supper for us and helped peel and fit logs. Tina called Irwin in Cuba and carried out the whole conversation in Spanish - such a clever girl! Went for a walk after supper. They left Timbre here with us as Chris and Dave are going on vacation soon - will hike the West Coast Trail. Tina is going back tree planting for another month, then will go to Cuba in August.
Wednesday, July 2nd, 1997
Got an earlier start today but don't seem to have much energy. I put in a half-hearted effort at peeling and cleaning logs while Jerry fitted the one that goes on next. There is a robin nesting near the "thinking chair" at the building site. Videotaped the adult pair feeding their young.
Thursday, July 3rd, 1997
Tried my hand at using the grinder to trim back the V-notch to the scribe line. Found it's not too difficult as long as you have secure footing on the scaffold or ladder. You eat, breathe and are thoroughly coated in sawdust during the process. It got very hot and sunny this afternoon and there was a brief thunderstorm which gave us permission to knock off and take a long nap. Went down to the river this evening and Jerry caught and released a brown trout.
Friday, July 4th, 1997
Spent the morning cleaning up and working on the log house. Sue, Holly and Alex arrived in time for lunch and then we took Alec with us, home to Jerry's. Jerry mowed the acreage while I did laundry and restocked our grocery supply. Watched the news and discovered that NASA landed a manned spacecraft on Mars today - the photos it's sending back are phenomenal!
Saturday, July 5, 1997
Freshly bathed and clothed, we headed out to a country auction near Dickson Dam. They had a home-built sawmill for sale but we resisted buying it. It would have been a beast to move. Went to a yard sale near Eagle Hill and bought a cedar door for the log house and a "Winnepeg couch" for the cabin. The latter gets the foamy up off the floor, giving the mice one less place to hide. Adam and Lynne arrived late this afternoon and are on their way from Calgary to their wedding in Jasper.
Alec has captured a large toad and a small frog which he is keeping in a mayonnaise jar (when they are not concealed under his baseball cap). We pitched the tent on the deck today in preparation for Jacob and Jenna joining us tomorrow.
Adam and Lynne left for Edmonton after breakfast on Sunday and Steve and Kate and kids arrived around noon. The kids kept each other busy and entertained while Jerry and I worked on the house. A late afternoon thunderstorm forced us all indoors and we made dinner and s'mores done on the Franklin for dessert. The kids all slept by the stove as their tent and bedding got wet.
Jerry made two new benches for the firepit - used up the butt ends of logs we used on the house. We have two more short-wall logs positioned on the building, ready for scribing and notching. Brought two more down from the meadow. The building begins to look smaller as the walls get higher.
July 8, 1997
ALEC MADE UP A NEW JOKE - IT'S BUG-UGERS AND WE CAUGHT 2 MORE TOADS AND WE LET TWO GO.
ALEC, JENNA AND ESPECIALLY ME SET THE FIRE RECORD. WE KEPT A FIRE GOING FOR 13 HOURS, 15 MINUTES AND 3 SECONDS.
I CAUGHT 3 TOADS, JENNA CAUT 2 AND JACOB GOT 2
JERRY WENT FISHING AND CAUGHT NOTHING BUT HIS BAIT.
TIMBRE IS HAVING FUN.
July 9, 1997
Best wishes to Adam and Lynne on this, their wedding day!
The last day for this summer and, as usual, I spent most of it cleaning up the two weeks accumulation of debris. The morning rain quit by noon and I could dry out the tent, bedding and soggy shoes - not to mention the kids, two dogs and the cat. Spending the entire day within earshot of the kids had me thinking of new uses for duct tape. I love them dearly but they sure are loud and incessant talkers.
Jerry fitted another log today and is really pleased with the fit. We spent a quiet hour after supper admiring our handiwork while the kids did the dishes in cold water and dried them on a well-used bath towel. They also packed their suitcases and laundry bags for the trip home tomorrow and I'm glad I don't have to deal with any of it at the other end. I have a suspicion that one or more of the missing toads may be lurking in it.
Watched the baby robins try their wings this evening and ended the day with sparklers at the campfire. Love to all xoxoxo
I LOST MY COAT - IT'S A JEAN JACKET WITH FLOWERS AND LACE - SO IF ANYONE SEES IT, CALL ME.
GOOD THINGS -
KEPT A FIRE FOR 25 HOURS, 30 MINUTES AND 6 SECONDS. IT WAS ALMOST OUT AT POINTS. WE BURNT A 3000 SQUARE INCH PILE OF BARK.
WE HAD FUN.
CAUGHT 2 FROGS YESTERDAY AND THREW THEM AWAY TODAY.
Susan, Heather, Holly and Amy came to pick up Alec after his week-long stay. We went to the river and caught frogs and built sandcastles. Later, we roasted hotdogs and marshmallows. Weather was sunny at first but later became overcast. Walked to Alexis' and grandpa's graves in the rain. Jenna, Jacob and Uncle Steve just left after lunch. We had fun catching tadpoles together. Alec wants to bring some home to see if the grow into frogs.
July 11th, 1997
Jenna, Jacob and Kate back again to retrieve Jacob's dirty laundry!! Silly child! Found the fridge wide open and unplugged with a lot of perishables inside. Took everything with us - potatoes, mayo, etc. Thought it would be better to take it rather than leave it rot. Lots of hail stones on the ground and deck - shredded leaves. It's cold and wet. Bye for now.
P.S. Jenna found her coat.
Thursday , July 17, 1997
Jerry here by myself. Judy's back to work and also has a bad cold. I'm trying to salvage what remains of my last week of vacation. Insulated logs #15 and #16 and started finishing, peeling and de-knoting logs #17 and #18. Hope to set them on the building by tomorrow. Slower going this year - harder to work in the mid-day heat and I ache a lot. Getting old? Seems so quiet here without the kids….I could be wrong…probably just my imagination.
Friday, July 18, 1997
Completed peeling and cleaning logs #17 and #18. Managed to set one log on the building before it got too hot. Time for a siesta. Started in again at 5:30pm. Set log #18 on the building. Completed scribing log #17 and roughed out one saddle notch. Getting too dark now so I can't see…but it is nice and cool. Have to leave early tomorrow so will probably only have time to clean up.
Friday, July 25, 1997
Joined Jerry here after work today - he'd spent the day working on log #17 and had it ready to insulate. Saturday, Michael came out to help us and we pulled al the trees that were left from where we felled them last winter out onto the meadow. We brought two down to the staging area for peeling and, while Jerry worked on scribing and fitting, Michael and I got them ready to be moved onto the building. We worked all day Sunday on more of the same. Sure does get tedious and we look forward to the day when we'll be working with clean, square, dimension lumber. Maybe next summer.
Saturday, August 2 to Monday 4th, 1997
Notched, fitted and insulated log #18. Set logs #19 and #20 which Judy and Michael had peeled and prepped last weekend, onto the building.
August 7 - 10th, 1997
Matt and friends here. Wonderful escape from the city. We came at just the right time I guess. You just see things better out here. Ten people, one cabin equals a great time had by all. (Alison, Scot, Joe, Angie, Kelly et al)
August 9&10, 1997
Jerry and I drove to Sundre Saturday morning for breakfast and to look at a log house being built by a professional who is based there. Talked to Jake Sevrens who says I should pass along his best wishes to everyone.
We were delighted to have Matt and company to keep us company this weekend - a great group and the sundown serenade was wonderful - three fiddlers and a mandolin and some songs sung and composed by Matt. Thanks to all of you for the music and for leaving the cabin cleaner than you found it.
There is a woodchuck living under the wood shed - a fitting home. He's quite tame.
Jerry brought two more logs down from the meadow Saturday and then started back to work on the house. He took a bad fall with a running chainsaw in his hands - hurt his back and scraped his arm but insisted that he was okay and got right back up on the building and fell again. Then he decided maybe he should rest for an hour and recover from the shock before it was safe for him to do his ariel act again. He's recovered this morning and hard at it again - scribing, notching and fitting the next log.
August 16 - 18, 1997
The weather is very rainy and of course the first good day is the one on which we all have to leave! Oh well - fun had by all. We had a relaxing weekend and hope to get out here for a longer period of time - maybe in September.
Hope to come out here in the Fall for a longer time. What a beautiful place. Thank you all for the chance to be here.
August 20-23, 1997
Susan, Don, Heather, Alec, Holly, Amy came up to Sundre because Don was having a conference in Olds and this was a good place to stay. The rest of us came for FUN IN THE SUN before we have to go back to school. On Wednesday we came up around supper time and had hot dogs. It was really hot. The next day we all went down to the beach and stayed there most of the day. I, Heather, built a driftwood hut on Boogeyman's Island where I camped out with Alec on Friday night.
There were a couple of thundershowers but nothing major - mostly it was hot. Mom says to say that:
Anyway - we all had a great time, even Don who had to work. Yours till pigs fly.
August 29 - 31, 1997
We had good luck with weather this time, except for one good rain! This may be the last time we get out here this summer, hopefully though, Fall will bring a couple more trips. The mice are taking over! We went for a walk and came back to one less pancake left! What can be done! How can something so cute be so messy!
Matt
Well, wonderful time! It took longer to relax this time and real life starts again on Monday. Can't think of a better place to spend the last days of summer.
September 1, 1997
Chris brought me and my sister Jessie to the cabin this morning. Jess is visiting from Berkley for three weeks and we have a lot of catching up to do. Judy and Jerry are here with their new motor home, Karin and Michael, the newly engaged couple, and their friends Tim and Jeanette are here too.
The news is preoccupied with Diana's death - not much else. Lovely Fall day and I'm happy to be here again. Love to all,
Great to be here in such lovely weather - it was supposed to rain all weekend but nothing so far. Lots of birds, cows, dogs - livestock in general. In Alberta for three weeks and one gone already.
September 1, 1997
Jerry and I here to celebrate their engagement with Karin and Michael and to discuss wedding plans. We had a very relaxing weekend - no work on the log house at all! Brought the motorhome that we bought on Friday - it's sure comfy and a treat to be able to have a hot shower. Good to see Aunt Jessie after so many years - she never changes! xoxoxo
November, 1997
Missing entry here.