Our Retirement Home Part Eleven (Installing Cables)

Last weekend Phil, Fernanda and Amy drove down to the cabin for a few days before heading to Atlantic City and NYC for a week of fun and relaxation. Phil had promised to do some cabling for us - speakers, outside camera and alarm system, television, telephone, ether net, etc. The weather was warm and dry and we spent the next two days drilling holes and running what seemed to be miles of cable! Amy was her usual perfect self and I didn't hear her complain once the whole time she was there - what a sweetie she is - and I tried to spend as much time with her as I could, On Monday we took two cars to Eustis, Maine for breakfast at the Looney Moose Cafe and said goodbye to the intrepid travellers as they headed south to Augusta and lobster on the beach. Then for Marie and I back into Quebec for another week of construction to look forward to : laying more radiant flooring and putting up the interior walls! gws

Amy swinging in her jolly jumper on the cabin porch

Fernanda running cable

Phil seems to know what he is doing!

Phil and Fer waiting for traffic to move at the Maine border crossing

Phil and Fer being processed by the US customs, Coburn Gore, Maine

Amy and Marie, Eustis, Maine

Lara's 32nd Birthday

The weekend Marie and I returned from Florida was Lara's 32nd birthday. We met Fernanda, Amy and Jessie at 5 Saisons, a sushi restaurant walking distance from our duplex in Montreal for a noontime birthday party and proceeded to enjoy the most delicious sushi  I have ever eaten. I had the Special - soup, salad then a combination of sushi, maki, poulet teriyaki and shrimp tempura. I could hardly eat it all but will certainly return again one day. Thanks for the suggestion Lara! gws

Lara and her sushi birthday cake!

Our Retirement Home Part Ten (Preparing Radiant Floors)

The past few weeks, except for the 10 day period when Marie and I were in Florida to be with my family and attend Mother's memorial service, I have been putting a beating on my knees and back installing 1300 feet of PEX - tubing made from crosslinked high density polyethylene polymer - which will carry the 30 odd gallons of antifreeze that will heat our floors. The stuff is a bitch to work with as it has its own built in memory and tends to retain the shape of the roll it comes in and I was always getting tangled up in it. Sort of reminded me of a really large red slinky! I attached the PEX directly onto the plywood on the main floor and mezzanine with clamps and screws but used plastic tie downs in the basement to secure it onto the wire mesh that had been laid over 4 inches of rigid foam insulation. On top of this will be poured four inches of cement - 1and 1\2 inches on the other floors. But before the contractors come to do this next month I have to pressurize the system to 50 psi and let it sit overnight - if it maintains this psi there are no leaks or punctures in the circuits. More on this later....gws

Me laying PEX on the mezzanine

Mezzanine, one circuit, one zone

Basement before PEX laid - note rigid insulation and mesh

Finished floor awaiting cement pour

June Nancy Steward - Mother, Grandmother & Great Grandmother

With much sadness we lost our dear Mother on July 10th, friend, companion and wife to Dad for 64 years. Her large family of five children, 13 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren will miss her very much - she was a beautiful, loving and kind person who touched all she met with her lovely smile and warmth. I shared the same birthday with Mum and felt a very special bond with her and always felt her presence in times of difficulty, whenever I was lonely, afraid or lost. I never saw her angry with others, never heard her complain, or blame, and she always put others before herself. I can never hope to be the person she was and am sure I will never meet a more understanding, or loving person as she. Mother was the rock that held us all together through the rough times and the good and we have all been honoured to be able to call her Mother, Grandmother and great Grandmother. This close family that was so dear to her heart will be her lasting legacy.

When the darkness appears and the night draws near, and the day is past and gone, at the river I stand. Guide my feet and take my hand, precious Lord, and lead me home.

 In the next few days and weeks I will be adding photos, including the Memorial Service held in Brooksville, Florida as well as my memories of Mum - I think about her constantly and still cannot believe she is gone....gws

Canada Day...in Maine

Last week, on Canada Day, July 1st, Marie and I decided we needed a break from the construction hullabaloo and thought a visit to one of our favorite restaurants in Maine would be a good way to wind down and get away from the celebrations and bustle of a long weekend on the Domaine. We left early, crossing the border at Coburn Gore and heading south on SR27, stopping for breakfast in Stratton about a half hour away. Then off to the coast and the Five Islands Lobster Company in the tiny village of Five Islands, near the city of Bath. If you want to see a working harbour that epitomizes coastal Maine this is the place to go! Thankfully it is not yet too touristy and only about a three hour drive from the cabin. Here we enjoyed our usual lobster and corn on the wharf - this time exceptionally delicious soft-shelled lobster - while watching fishermen and lobstermen unloading their catches, baking in a 30 degree sunny day. After eating I needed to put my swelling feet into some cold water - we found a cute little beach just past the harbour that is dotted with five granite-edged islands ( thus the name!) and we were able to cool off! We have been here three times now and always enjoy the food, the smell of the salt air and the friendly Mainers. When Phil and Fer come down this summer I am sure this would be a great place to bring them!...But back to reality and home to begin another week of construction....gws

Wow! Tasty soft-shelled lobster!

Me eating ice cream, 2 of the 5 Islands in the distance

The Beach

Marie sitting on an abandoned lobster trap

Me cooling off 

On the way home, SR27 near Eustis

Mario and the kids

At the end of June Marie and I were treated to a quick visit by her brother Mario and the two kids Zoe and Adam, passing through on their way back to Massachusetts. They had been in Canada visiting Ottawa and the Museums, dropping in to say hi to Christina and then staying overnight in Montreal to see Amy for the first time. After showing them the new house we went out for lunch at the local restaurant on the Domaine and then waved them off for their six hour ride back to Boston. It was great to see them all again and we are always amazed how quickly the kids grow up between visits! gws

Zoe - sweet 16 on the 29th - and Marie