More Summertime Fun!

Also this past "vacation summer" we got some socializing and visiting in:

The off-season started with a stop in Ontario on our way home, to enjoy the joint party for Steve Wojcik's birthday and Brian Jeffrey's retirement. Steve is married to Kendra, our niece, while Brian is Kendra's dad, married to Lorna, Dawn's sister.  Brian and Lorna have purchased a C&C 38 in Rodney Bay, St. Lucia; so you'll be hearing more about them as we continue to blog this sailing season.  We stayed with another of Dawn's sisters: Valerie, who, with husband Rick, treated us absolutely royally during our stay.

Lorna, Brian, Steve & Kendra

 Once home, Laurie made quick arrangements to canoe the Renous River with brothers Mike and Ken.  It was a great 3 day excursion, albeit with some hard work in heavy winds.

Laurie, Mike & Ken

With the "people of the cove" we got together for some fantastic friday night

barbecues.    We had great food, great friends, hilarity, and sometimes a little

drama.

Our travel was minimal, but included a trip to St.Andrews, New Brunswick with Paula and Brian of S/v Magique, who live in Saint John.  Their boat is presently

in Bonaire, near Venezuela, so we missed them in our winter travels along the

Windwards and Leewards.   They try to talk us into catching up with them as the

head west, and we try to convince them to come back east.  Hard to say how this

will end...  While together in St. Andrews, we enjoyed sharing a really cute

cabin at Seaside Beach Resort, supper at Harbour Front Restaurant, hiking along

the old railroad trail beside the sea into Chamcook Bay, a tour and lunch at the

fantastic Kingsbrae Gardens  http://www.kingsbraegarden.com/ , touring museums

and historical sites, and looking into all the neat little shops.  It really was

fun, and something we'll do again.

Brian, Paula & Dawn

We also got to Buctouche to visit with Laurie's Aunt Marian and her family for

her 94th birthday.  Besides enjoying many members of Laurie's mother's family

there, we enjoyed sharing a cabin with his sister, Laurene (Lolly), and biking

some pretty fantastic trails.

Marian and Beth

Brother Paul and his wife Alida, presently living in Calgary, visited us for a few days as well, and it was a good excuse to get together with other friends and family.

Scott, Agi, Paul, Alida & Tina

Dawn did a little kayaking on beautiful mornings in the cove.  She often set out with a party of 4 to 6 other females for some quiet alone time.

The last really big item for the time in New Brunswick (although we're still

here) would be the visit from Steve and Maria of S/v Aspen.  This is the couple

we visited last fall in Colorado.  Aspen is still in Turkey, which has been

their base of sailing and touring operations forthe last sailing season.  They

regaled us with their amazing travels.  I would highly recommend their blog: 

http://syaspen.blogspot.ca/  which includes fantastic pictures of sites in

Turkey, Greece, and Israel during the past year,and of course their adventures

travelling around the world over the last three years.

Laurie, Dawn, Maria & Steve at the "Old Boot Pub" in Gagetown, NB

With most of the work done around here, we are ordering boat parts and filling duffel bags.  Certainly, we'll take time for some more fun.

What We Did On Our Summer Vacation...

As it is mid-October, cold and raining, here in New Brunswick, we are thinking more and more about heading back to Cat Tales.  However, it makes sense to tell you what we've been up to.  This may take more than one entry.

The biggest thing in our summer has been the work to the cottage.  Last year,

Laurie (me)succumbed to the (ahem) requests, and began working on a small addition.  Indeed, the summer before, two years ago, I moved the shed to allow both planning and building.  Last year, I cast an engineered, thickened-edge slab as a foundation.

As it took so long and as I could not get the laminated beams for the addition required to match the existing cottage, I worked last fall on the landscaping, rounding up rocks to make a patio around the construction.

This year, the beams were ready, and I started cutting and pounding in earnest.  I did all the work myself, except for the roof, where I had assistance in getting the sheets of OSB up and hired a contractor to shingle it.  Of course, I also put the Cove crowd to work when it was time to lift the heavy windows.  For the exterior lumber work and much of the interior, Dawn worked hard staining and painting, and I could not have gotten the ceiling pine up without her.  Indeed, Dawn and I worked side-by-side for the weeks of late August and September on the siding, ceiling, and the floor. 

The floor is tongue-in-groove bamboo; very pretty.  We haven't finished the decorating inside yet and will do it over time as we find suitable items.

Check in again for more highlights from our summer:  travels, visitors, purchases for Cat Tales.