Tempus Fugit

Latin (tem-pu̇s-ˈfü-git): Time Flies

Tag: cottage

  • Dock Rebuild: June 16-18, 2023 – Father’s Day Weekend

    Dock Rebuild: June 16-18, 2023 – Father’s Day Weekend

    There is a big crew down for the weekend. Eric, Des, Parker & Dane, with Len & Darlene. Jared and Eric’s friend Barret and Scott.

    Crib #2 is the first to be rebuilt. During 2022 the high water caused it to separate under the water line and the top half floated off to be recovered and re-attached and levelled up to the new height.

    Crib# 2 is the first to be rebuilt

    Crib #2 to the shore needed a new concrete pad as the original crumbled away so Scott forms up a bit of custom work.

    New custom concrete pad to support the beam that will run out to Crib #2

    To mix the concrete the old wheel barrow is pressed into service. This wheel barrow has been at the cottage from the very start and I can remember it from my parents house for years before that. A bit of vintage equipment that gets a surprising amount of use.

    Eric, Scott and our vintage green wheel barrow. Crib #1 being built on the ramp in the background

    The original Crib #1 needed to be totally replaced. It was built from railroad ties that were nailed and bolted together but over 40 years in the water took their toll and there was not much left.

    While Eric and Scott are lining things up with Crib #2 and the shore, Jared is busy building Crib#1

    Jared building Crib #1

    The pile of rock in the foreground was emptied out of the old crib and will go back into the new crib. Lots of manpower involved everywhere in this project. Between the rocks and Jared you can see the old railroad ties from the original Crib #1

    Once Crib #1 is built it is floated into place.

    But the bottom of the lake was hiding some surprises that presented a challenge to getting Crib #1 into the desired place. This took quite a bit of time and the muscle power of all the guys plus the leverage of a 6′ iron bar borrowed from the neighbour to move a large rock.

    Some struggles getting #1 into position

    Some of us were on the shore watching the young guys work on the problem. I was farther back with the camera.?

    Len on the ramp as the young guys work on getting Crib #1 into position

    Next up is building and positioning the beams to connect Crib #1 to Crib #2

    Building a beam to connect Crib #1 to #2
    Beam in place
    Walking the plank

    After a long morning the crew breaks for lunch prepared by Darlene & Des.

    After lunch with the beams connecting Crib #1 & #2 in place, more beams and posts are put in to join the shore to Crib #1

    By the end of the day all of the posts and beams are in place and some joists are being positioned. The crib work seems to get all the attention but there is a complex post and beam going along the shoreline to carry all the joists from the cribs.

    Fabulous progress was made in a single weekend thanks to a very hard working crew. My heart felt thanks to all. ❤️

  • Dock Rebuild: June 6 – 9th

    Dock Rebuild: June 6 – 9th

    This is the start of the rebuild which is the deconstruction of what remains of the damaged dock.

    Eric takes most of the week off to go down and pull the old dock apart in preparation for the rebuild. Old lumber is stacked up by size and re-use potential. Some lumber will be firewood, some with find a reuse in the dock or ramp.

    Old wood stacking up
    The 28′ section that ripped away and drifted over near the neighbours
    Floating dock along side the stripped down dock
  • Dealing with the Deck – Part 2

    Dealing with the Deck – Part 2

    Shorty after opening the cottage on the May long weekend I noticed a beam supporting the deck on the lower north side had some very bad rot and was collapsing! Also, some of the posts supporting this beam were in pretty rough shape too! Part 1.

    The old beam on the way out.
    (more…)
  • High and going higher

    High and going higher

    Oh yeah, the water is high and getting higher in the coming week and it’s raining today.?

    Lake of the Woods water levels are now higher that I’ve ever experienced in 40+ years of lake life. It’s well over our original dock.

    Our floating dock section is now riding higher that the fixed section and we normally use a 3 step ladder to get down to the floating dock!. Also in this picture. below the far end has been floated up several inches but still seems to be attached to the underlying crib. I’m sure there will be some repairs needed when the lake goes down.

    That right hand end shouldn’t be tilting up like that!

    The boat ramp that last year I had to put a skid extension on to get the boat over some rocks because the water was so low is now almost getting ready to float away. The back end is floating and I think the boat on the new roller system is helping to hold it down a bit.

    Record precipitation this spring in the basin has lead to record inflows to the Lake of the Woods resulting in very high levels.

    The current level of Lake of the Woods is 323.89 m (1062.6 ft), over 95th percentile level for this time of year. The average lake level rose by 10 cm (4 in) over past week. The lake level has risen above the 2014 peak of 323.78 m (1062.29 ft) and is below the record peak since regulation began of 324.31 m (1064.0 ft), set in July of 1950.

    http://lwcb.ca/noticeboard/2022/06/01/lake-level-forecasts-2022-06-01/

    The level of Lake of the Woods is expected to rise by approximately 9-12 cm (4-5 in) over the next 7 days

    http://lwcb.ca/noticeboard/2022/06/01/lake-level-forecasts-2022-06-01/

    This next jump in the level could put the whole dock at risk ☹️. Return to normal lake levels “could be many weeks out”.

    On the bright side the boat slip could now float the Queen Mary ?

    Lower kayak is touching the water

    A view from the boat.

  • Snake Bite

    Snake Bite

    A story from the Cottage Build.

    So, one day after my dad and I had finished working for the day we were relaxing in the RV and participating in what was commonly known in our family circles as “the cocktail hour”.

    Generally, the “hour” was quite loosely defined. All it really meant was pre-dinner drinking.

    I had brought some Yukon Jack which my dad had never had and there is this recipe on the back called a “Snake Bite”. It’s pretty simple, some ice, a squeeze of lime juice and of course some Yukon Jack.

    I find them pretty tasty and I think my dad did too as we imbibed quite liberally. I think dinner did get made but I’m not too sure and by the end of the evening “Jack” was no more.

    We had some interesting and wide ranging conversations about some quite deep and personal stuff. It was quite a special time for me, just the two of us, man to man. I don’t remember much about the conversation details but the one thing that sticks out was I told my dad I loved him. Might of been the first time I’d said it out loud, just the two of us. A good memory.

    The next morning was pretty rough but we didn’t talk about our hangovers we just had some breakfast, maybe just a coffee, and got to work.

  • Peak of the Summer

    This is what we wait for all winter long and here it is. Hot (25°-30°C) and sunny with a light breeze form the south west. Quite a glorious day at the lake.

    Up at 6am for a few cups of coffee and some reading in the quiet of the dawning day before easing into a bacon and waffles breakfast. A little yard work before the day gets too hot and I’ve satisfied my need to accomplish something useful for the day. Now it’s time to goof off, relax, adventure, and perhaps a siesta.

    We take a scenic boat ride through the Hades and over to Scotties Island before turning back home.

    After some dock time and a light lunch its on to reading a book which will inevitably lead to that siesta.

  • Weekend #4

    This is the 4th weekend in a row at the lake. It’s quiet, just Shirley and I. The lake is calm with a high overcast and about 10°C. A fishing boat went out at day break (~5:30am) and other that that, very still, very quiet, peaceful. This is the “bug” weekend. The May flies that are normally closer to the May long weekend have arrived and are swarming around the water’s edge. Fairly thick with bugs, but not as bad as some years. I don’t think there will be much hanging out at the dock this weekend. The good thing is they will all likely be gone by next weekend as they have a very short life cycle.

    First highway trip for the new Santa Fe. Enjoyed the ride but now there are bugs on the front and some serious washing up to do when we’re back in the city. Still no XM radio service so that might get checked into when we’re back at the dealer. I think it’s likely an XM setup issue, but it is strange that the radio id is not showing up and the free preview channels are not available. Other that that the Santa Fe is great. Enjoying the extra space, and all the toy that come with the Limited edition.

    I’m thinking about a bike ride later today or tomorrow morning but for now it’s coffee in the new recliner and some surfing & thinking.

  • Cottage Stuff


    Water Control Valve
    Originally uploaded by Big Dadoo

    For some reason opening the cottage this year seems to be taking longer that ever. Traditionally, May long weekend and it’s all done. Here we are on June 24th and the boat has yet to be flipped over and put in the water.

    Perhaps, the fact that I’m sitting around and enjoying my 2nd, soon to be 3rd cup of coffee that is impeding progress. With the cottage now entering it’s 26th year, every year seems to bring a new little challenge to the start up process. This year, it was the “blue thing” over there. It’s a part of the washing machine that as I write is shaking the cottage on the spin cycle. Hmmmm, that foundation really needs to be checked out. But hey, it’s been like this since day 1.

    Back to the “blue thing”. After getting the water on and hooking everything up, I thought I was done, but not so. On one trip into the workshop I noticed that the carpet was wet, never a good sign. It seems that one of the hoses was leaking. The first attempt was to tighten the hose. Didn’t work. Second try was to replace the hose as it seemed to be coming from the hose fitting at the “blue thing”. wrong again. OK, now on much closer inspection, the “blue thing” had a very small crack in the thread fitting for the cold water.

    After a brief internet search and an email to a local parts show, we had our replacement part for a whooping $29.95. Not a bad deal to restore a washing machine that is as old as the cottage. Installation was relatively easy, but I’ve been advised this morning that I may have not connected the hot water correctly, as we’re getting a cold water wash when it should be hot but, it’s not leaking any more. Perhaps after another coffee…