Tempus Fugit

Latin (tem-pu̇s-ˈfü-git): Time Flies

Category: The Lake

  • The Septic Field Saga – Part 1

    It’s August 2013 and it’s backing up. Never happened before. Another cottage 1st. The “it” is the septic field.

    This is not a good thing.

    The fluid from the rectangular settling tank is not flowing out into the field. This pretty much puts the cottage on high alert as everything that flows into the tank is about to start spilling out all over the yard.

    After probing with a garden host to try an clear any unknown/unseen blockages with out any success,  I decide that we really need to dig into this problem a little deeper.

    Repair Stage #1
    Repair Stage #1

    After digging from the settling tank to the header pipe and across the header a bit I decide to cut out some of the pipe to gain better access to the pipes going out into the field in an attempt to flush them out. In the photo black pipe is the old stuff and white is the new. The flushing seems to be effective so I splice back in the new white pipe and call it a day. Time will prove that this was not the complete answer.

  • It started off so innocently

    It started off so innocently

    I invited the guys to the boat show. We saw some impressive water craft. Drooled over some ridiculously expensive fiberglass. Went out for wings and a beverage and talked about stuff.

     

    And then, the next day, it started.

    There were a few more discussions and then today we’re in a store looking around. Parker saw lots of cool stuff and had to get into, or on to most of them.

    But we really knew what we were looking for and after some discussions about the colour we close a deal on one of these bad boys.

    With a trailer and a few accessories. Now somebody is shopping for some more add on gear.

    Going to be some fun times at the lake this summer.

  • Cottage Projects

    This last week on vacation I tackles a few cottage maintenance projects. Some required by the passage of time, some required by this years unusually high water levels.

    Post Replacement
    Post Replacement

    The first was to replace a post that had floated away. At the shore end of the newer dock section I suspect that some serious wave action lifted one of the beams and washed out the post. When I built the dock, the post was very far our of the water and with the weight of the beam and deck boards I never thought this would happen and neglected to physically attach the post to the beam. It’s only 9″ long and is a 6×6 so it didn’t need any bracing. So, today it’s cut a new post, jack up the beam,  insert and attach the post to the beam.

    The next project is to replace a section of joists that support the walkway from the driveway to the upper deck at the back of the cottage. Apparently we didn’t use pressure treated lumber on this project originally, over 30 years ago, and time has caught up with us.

    Walkway Repair
    Out with the old and ready for the new

    Wood rot has claimed a good section of two 2x10s at the driveway end.  I put in a temporary 2×8 to support one side of the walkway and then unbolt the railing posts and the 2×6 extension boards that support the initial step. Then two offset cuts to remove the bad 2x10s and form a splice for the new pressure treated 2x10s.  Bolt it all back together, remove the temporary support and voilá, good for another 30 years, at least this section anyway.

    The next project is a little more challenging. The old section of the dock is tilting down on the shoreward side, quite a bit.

    It seems that the crib under the dock has shifted/compressed over time dropping down 4-6 inches. Since the upper deck rests on this edge, it has inherited a bit of a downward slant as well.  After pulling up a few deck boards it seems I did a great construction job here and toe nailed all the deck joists to the top of the old dock section. This will make it very difficult to separate from the dock which was Plan A. Plan A was to lift up the deck, then raise up the joists on the crib to level the dock and then lower the deck back onto the dock. Oh well, Plan B.

    Hard at work fixing up the dock.
    Hard at work fixing up the dock.

    Plan B, after swimming around end checking out the crib is to jack up each end of a crib timber and raise both the dock and the deck at the same time. This required cutting out several dock boards to get access, but is successful in the end.

    It was a fairly warm day and the water was about 74°F so it was quite enjoyable to work in a bathing suit and be in and out of the water. Plus with the high water levels boat wakes were keeping the top of the dock pretty wet most of the time.

    Part way through the day my super-duper cheerleader and awesome wife delivers a dockside lunch that is just fantastic and we take a break to enjoy the sunshine & view.

    The whole thing turned out to be pretty much an all day job with many trips up to the cottage for more tools, lumber etc. Once the repair is completed, boards replaces and everything is cleaned up it’s time to call it a day.

     

  • Muskies on Main

    Muskies on Main

    As part of the Kenora Arts Project Arts Fest this year there are displays all over downtown Kenora entitled “Muskies on Main”. Here are a few of my favourites.

  • A Perfect Day

    First off, I’m at the lake, so how sweet is that! Next, it’s not raining and I got in a ride with Arthur Fast instead of the usual solo effort. I did flat on the way out to our 9am rendezvous at Tim’s East in Kenora but still made it on time after donating a pint to the mosquitos on the side of the road. We did an all over the place route that was lots of fun.

    After we split up in downtown Kenora it was the traditional stop at Starbucks Safeway for a beverage. Then it was an attempt to improve on the Starbucks to Storm Bay Road Strava segment. I gave it a good shot, but there was a strong head wind all the way. Once at the cottage a dip in the lake to cool off, a nice chicken sandwich made by Shirley and a beverage all while soaking up some beautiful sunshine. Then a “nap” followed by steak, baked potato, mushrooms, Caesar salad and likely a movie. Awesome longest day of the year.


    The ride was virtually non-stop. A brief break for about 1-2 minutes at Minaki and another 2 minutes when we got stopped by a train on the way back. Had to fight off cramps in both calves on the way out and some serious leg fatigue and stomach muscle aches on the way back, but still a great ride.

    On a related note, I’ve noticed a difference in distances being reported by Strava and the Wahoo Fitness iPhone app. The app is using the speed/cadence sensor data and Strava is using the GPS data. Not much I can do about the GPS data, but after checking the app configuration for the speed/cadence sensor, I had the wrong wheel size circumference. So, all this time I’m actually riding farther and faster that I though, well at least a little bit.

  • Boating Adventure

    On Thursday after breakfast we headed out on the lake for an adventure to explore a unique aspect of Lake of the Woods. During World War II there were six German prisoner of war camps on the lake, most are close to us so we went over to POW (Prisoner of War) Bay to see what remains of this camp and the logging operation that was on place between 1941-1944.

    POW Bay on Lake of the Woods
    POW Bay

     

    The answer is “not much”! After 70 years the fast growing deciduous trees have reclaimed the shoreline and there is no easily visible evidence that a multi-building camp housing 100-125 men ever existed in this location. The bay is quite shallow and there were lots of weeds as we approached the shore and there was a strong on-shore wind as well. As we got closer it became clear that if might be quite difficult to get the boat out of the weeds if we landed, so with discretion being the better part of valour, we headed back out into open water. It was a hot day and lots of deer flies etc. so an investigation of the camp area will be left for another day.

    Apparently, the foundational outlines of several buildings and other artifacts can be found in the area. Perhaps on a cooler day in the fall we’ll make a return trip.

    Six POW logging camps in Ontario

    German Prisoner of War (POW) Camps

    Little left of POW camps that dotted Northern Ontario

     

     

     

  • Cottage Tip #1

    As with any cottage of a certain age, there are a number of quirks that have developed over the years. In the beginning, everything is well-organized or at least planned out and then over time little changes accumulate and it helps to have insider knowledge on how things work, or why things got to be the way they are. I’ve occasionally thought of putting together a “Cottage Book”, a history of our cottage, startup and shutdown procedures, things that are likely to go wrong from time to time and how to fix them. Not sure if and when this fabulous book might make an appearance on the best sellers list, so instead I’m thinking a series of “Cottage Tips” might be more expeditious in terms of sharing my experiences.

    Tip #1: The water pump is running, but nobody is using the water.

    This is not a good sign, especially if the pump is running frequently and nobody in the cottage is using any water. This is one reason why we turn the pump off when nobody is there. A runaway water pump will burn out sooner or later, and we’re all kind of used to having water on demand, not to mention the cost of replacing the pump. So, what to do? Well, somewhere in the waterline system there is a leak causing he pressure to drop and therefore the pump to kick in. If the leak is inside the cottage, you probably know this already by the water running all over the place. This generally only happens at startup when the lines have not been drained properly and freezing water has burst a pipe. But what if this is mid-summer and things have been fine up to now? Well, if there is no flooding in the cottage, check the area around the pump. Over the years metal pipes have corroded and cracked causing leaks.

    No leaks here either? Hmmm, more investigation required. The next most likely culprit is the intake line and foot valve. I’d check the foot valve 1st. This little brass valve at the end of the intake line has a little spring-loaded plunger that keeps the water from draining out of the intake line when the pump is not running. When the pump runs, the valve opens and allows the water to enter. The part that is not too visible is the rubber O-ring on the plunger. Over time, it can get cracked and worn out and start leaking. In some cases, it can break and just “disappear” as it did this year (2013). There are spare O-rings in the shop and it’s a simple job to take the foot valve apart and replace the ring.

    First close the valve to the house, just to avoid draining the whole system. Unplug the pump, and drain the pressure off using the hose at the pump. Take the foot valve off the line, remove the plunger, replace the O-ring, re-assemble and re-prime the intake line and plug-in the pump to re-pressurize the line. When the pump stops and the line is fully pressurized, have a look at the foot valve and ensure there is no water spraying out and it’s not making any hissing sounds, which would indicate that it’s still leaking. Assuming all is good, replace the foot valve screen, and take the end of the line back out into the deep water straight out from the dock. Easy eh? Oh yeah, don’t forget to open the valve to the house so you can enjoy the fruits of your labour.

    Not the foot valve? Check the rest of the intake line to the pump, and then check the line between the pump and the house, then look around under the house for leaks. Still can’t find the problem? You have a real mystery on your hands. Keep looking, something will turn up sooner or later.