Michael's 2013 project

I think he spent about 1200 hours on this project. Next year we'll have an airplane flying in and out of the Cape. 

Another Schinzig project: the Lake

Michael working on the final details of the Lake before the final inspection. He'll be flying in April 2014!   

Two walls done!

Yes, that's the back wall finished.  

November work crew: Mary Anne, Janet and Wayne

It is surprising how efficient this crew was: I thought they would just hang around telling jokes about Sidney Crosby and Rita McNeil, no relation. 

November work camp: village idiot features

You wouldn't think he was once a serious student of Medieval European history. Seen here talking to a biscuit.  

November work camp: Michael Schinzig, CEO

You wouldn't know Michael was president of a Swiss bank, would you? And have you seen him eat sandwiches? 

November work camp: another side done

There: that was easy. 

November work camp: Mary Anne at work

Mary Anne prefers to work with her eyes covered by a hunting tuque. Surprisingly accurate. 

November visit: Wayne in action

Wayne and Janet very kindly came to the Cape for the weekend to do some stuff on their boat and to help Michael put up two sides of the garage... Wayne is very dynamic around saws. 

November visit: fixing the door to the crawl space

First things first: I fixed the door so that it no longer takes an Olympic weight lifter to get it up. HAven't quite worked out how to keep it up yet. Lots of time.  

November visit: Frances's car and the house

 

November visit: my favourite view in the world

This is first view of Bras d'Or lake from the road to the house. After a couple of hundred yards from the West Bay highway, this is what you see. A great setting for Samuel Beckett I'd say.

Two if by the sea café: a must

If you're ever in Dartmouth and you like coffee and NS baking (croissants, pains au chocolat, muffins) you have to call by the Two if by the sea café. Great coffee, cool cooks, lots of people, huge pastries. A definite must. 

November emergency visit: Frances in THE CHAIR

Had to come back to Nova Scotia to install a sump pump in the house. Frances made it possible by putting me up and lending me her car while I tried the excellent Porter Airlines. In this photo Frances is trying to decide whether or not we should eat at the Celtic Corner Public House in Dartmouth. A no-brainer really. An excellent meal and she knew a whole bunch of people...  

Finishing up for 2013

So we pulled out of the Cape in early October. In just three weeks I have finished the siding and almost built the pine wall in the screened-in porch. Janet and Wayne helped the last weekend and it made a big difference. But what a job closing up the house! So many things to do and we kept adding projects right up to the day before our last day. I was painting the porch and DC was building another big bed in the garden. We were really bushed when we finally turned off the water only to discover that half the crawlspace as flooded and needed some attention.

This will be easier in future. I shall have a list. Then it poured, I got soaked and we couldn't finish our packing so we waited a day, added a day to our plans. Finally left in sunshine, a smiling Michael working on his plane down in the pondside hangar. It will be certified to fly before he closes up for winter... He can dream of flight for 2014.

A calm night with Anna, then a ten hour drive to Notre Dame de Portage where we eat a splendid meal including a gigantic cassoulet. Next day, in brilliant Fall sunshine, we complete the 1400km drive with an additional 5-hour trip.

The Cape is closed for winter.

West wall again. The dark board above the middle screen window is the result of bat excretion.

 

The west end gable wall is now finished. Unfortunately a clan of bats had to evacuate when I put the battens on. Next year we'll put up a bat house.

 

A view from the lakeside. You can see the darker new siding to the right.

 

That's the woodstove chimney and the finished South wall.

 

Finally finish the siding on the East end. That's our bedroom window.

 

Pine sill

All in pine sill and trim...

Visitor's bathroom finished too

Even trimmed up around the window in the guest's bathroom 

Deborah's kitchen

Yes, it is a fully functionning kitchen... 

Trim is done around the windows

Somehow I got the windows and patio doors trimmed up

The wood stove is in!

the Napoleon  PL1400 is burning. First fire.

Screened in porch screened in

The screen doors are hung...