Raise High the Roofbeam II

I titled this RHR II because I published a similar post back when we were placing the roof trusses on the house in Hawaii. This time was somewhat less dramatic and certainly slower, but every bit as effective. This pic shows the 10/12 slope on the entry addition to match the existing roof slope. All "stick-framed" ie. one rafter at a time, the steep roof will shed the snow and give us a bonus room on the second floor.


The slope on the bedroom/rec room is much less...3/12 and had to be framed with 2x10 rafters to handle the potential 50 lbs/sq ft snow load in these parts. It had to match the existing slope on the living room. You can see the large opening to accommodate the sliding patio door looking toward the lake.


Here are the two additions in one shot with the porch roof being framed.



Next, we'll install the rest of the windows and doors, finish the shingeling, and replace some of the windows that had to be removed.

Renovations Underway!

We have finally started to make progress on our house renovations/additions. After waiting almost a month after the holes were drilled for the foundation posts, our builder arrived with a crew on Wednesday. I had ordered the materials the week before, so there were no delays getting started. I had also removed most of the siding where the new framing was to go, so that helped, too. Here's a shot of the lumber in the driveway before things got going.


This is where the new downstairs bedroom and "recreation room" will be added. Access will be through an opening where the window is now.


Here's the same area with the floor and walls framed.


On this side of the house, we are adding a large entry and new larger bathroom. We will also gain a "bonus room" on the second floor...where I may revive my passion for model railroading! Or it could be Katie's new studio! Only time will tell....



Here' the way things looked on Friday afternoon...considering Thursday was a holiday, we made great progress for only two days' work. The weather looks good for Monday, so we may start framing the roofs then.

Life On Afton Lake

I cannot believe that we have been back on the Island for almost three weeks! Although those folks that stayed here all winter told us that it had been an easy winter, there were few signs of spring compared to Wisconsin and Minnesota. The tulips and daffodils that Katie planted were up, but no leaves on the trees and no lilacs in bloom. But by the Victoria Day weekend, spring was in a full rush. We have goldfinches, purple finches, bluejays, juncos, grackles, and hummingbirds at the feeders, along with a host of chipmunks and red squirrels looking for a free handout. There has also been a large snowshoe hare in the yard every evening, and I flushed a ruffed grouse along the lane.

We have been incredibly busy! I started the kitchen renovation by building some of the new cabinets and removing the breakfast bar.




Katie has been planting wildly in the garden...rhubarb, asparagus, strawberries, blueberries, broccoli, lettuce, and peas...plus some more perennial flowers. And we just planted two pear trees today.

But the two additions we have planned to build promise to dominate our lives for the next 4-6 weeks...and beyond. We desperately need extra space despite significant downsizing on both of our parts. So today, the Bobcat man came and drilled holes for the foundation posts for the additions. The largest, to the east, will be a master bedroom and a "rec" room for exercise and TV while the smaller, to the north, will be an entry and new bathroom plus a "bonus room" on the second story.



The lone loon has been calling at night and in the wee hours of the morning. We're not sure if the pair is nesting on another lake...or if this loner will stay through the summer. It's been grand to be awakened by his eerie call...they are truly the symbol of the northern wilderness.

Reality Strikes!

Well, it's great to be back in Canada...it's safer, saner, and we have socialized medicine (I think? Still?), but gas prices are over $1.00/litre (and that's over US$4/US gallon!), and the campgrounds are charging $38/night without wi-fi (or anything else because they're not really open). I walked out of one office...still ended up paying $40 at a KOA outside of Renfrew, Ontario...at least they have wi-fi and hot showers! And with the Canadian dollar at $0.98 U.S., these are REAL prices...don't go trying to figure out exchange rates and Imperial gallons! Travelling in Canada this summer is going to be expensive...

Oh! Canada!

We made it!

After leaving Madison on Friday, we headed northeast toward Green Bay and then along the western shore of Lake Michigan. It rained all day...and the price of gas is approaching $3/gallon...but we made good progress and stopped at Indian Lake Resort outside of Manistique, Michigan...284 miles from Madison. In the middle of the night, I awoke singing the old Cowsills tune:

"Indian lake is a scene you should make
with your little one;
Just keep it in mind if your looking to find
a place in the summer sun.
Swim in the cove, have a snack in the grove
Or you can rent a canoe;
At Indian Lake
You'll be able to mate the way the Indians do."

Anyway, I'm not sure Katie appreciated it.

We both awoke to snow showers in the morning...there had been a forecast for up to six inches in northern Ontario, but we broke camp and headed out. But not before we went over to the recreation center for fresh-baked cinnamon rolls just out of the oven. One of the ladies at the campground said she was "practicing" for something that was coming up this weekend...

We reached the border a little after noon...we had been on edge for a long time about this crossing because we had so much paperwork...importing the RV, importing all of Katie's belongings, and a lot to declare as well. But it went very quickly...both the U.S. and Canadian border agents were in a good mood and friendly...and the whole process took less than an hour. Mightily relieved, we stopped at the first Tim Horton's and loaded up on great coffee and doughnuts!

Now we are camped at Spragge River Campground in northern Ontario along the Trans-Canada Highway...not a bad site for an overnight...but it was a rude awakening to go from $22/night in the states to $39/night in Canada! The rates have always been higher here, but with the dollar almost at parity, it seems a bit stiff. We will have to stop in Wal-Marts to bring our average cost down!

Connections

It's been several days since my last post...we have been being very social in the interim. The weather has been incredible...Spring is at least three weeks early in the Midwest...trees are in leaf, lilacs are blooming, and birds are nesting. We visited my niece and her husband, Christina and Troy, in Plymouth, MN, where they have a beautiful new home surrounded by flowering trees. They also have two very happy dogs...a Boston bull terrier (Lucy) and an English springer spaniel (Jasper). We were also treated to a great barbecue supper! Then we went to River Falls, WI, to see Nancy and Grant, my sister and her husband...we stayed in a park very close to their home, so we had lots of time to visit....and eat! One day we went to Stillwater, MN, and browsed through several huge antique/junque stores...I bought a ceramic loon for $8.00! Oh...and we shared a turtle sundae at a great old-fashioned restaurant.

Off to the Blue Hills of Wisconsin to pay a call at Betty and Audie's, Katie's aunt and uncle...they are quite aged but manage to stay in their rural home which has it's own private fishing pond. Apparently, if we had arrived earlier, we could have witnessed Bettie chasing four black bears out of their yard! On to Ladysmith to see my old hometown and visit with some old family friends, Bob and Lana. We shared supper at a local restaurant and then went to their home to reminisce about "Happy Days" many years ago.

And now we are at our best friend's new home in Madison, WI. Jean has found a fine older place right on Lake Monona in her beloved city. We have been out for walks, fixing Thai food, and generally having a grand time just gabbing! Here we are having "cocktails" on the front patio.



From here, we will turn northward again, and head for Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, where we will cross the border into Canada.

Moving Along

What a difference a day makes! Last night we were serenaded by Canada geese, thunderstorms, and train whistles...and this morning, we saw two wild turkeys crossing the campground....and a large flock of some kind of tern whirling over the Niobrara River. It was also raining, and I had to rewire the U-Haul trailer because the campground attendant who followed me into the campground told me that the trailer lights were "all screwed up!" Sure enough...despite the U-Haul man assuring me everything was OK, the brake, signal, and tail lights WERE all screwed up. But now they are "OK" after some judicious cutting and splicing.

After breakfast, we got away about 9:00a and headed north toward Mission, South Dakota. Intermittent rain and a 30-knot crosswind slowed us for the first couple of hours, but then we turned east on Interstate 90 and just sailed along. Katie drove another 100 miles...and we connected with Jerry, an old friend of hers in Sioux Falls.

Tonight we are in Pipestone, Minnesota, at a very nice campground with both hot showers and wi-fi...so all is well with the world! Tomorrow we are off to Plymouth, MN, to visit with my niece and her husband...and then on to River Falls, Wisconsin, to see my sister and her husband! The Georgetown continues to motor along, and we are settling into a routine that includes lots of music from the '60's and '70's.

Pipestone National Monument is at the site of a quarry used by the Dakota Indians to mine the soft red stone that they used to make ceremonial peace pipes. It is also at the edge of the Tall Grass Prairie, a seemingly endless expanse of 8'-10' grass that stretched beyond the horizon to the West.

On the Road Again II

Well, we are two days out and loving being "on the road again," but it's becoming clear that either we are still on the early end of the season...or the economic melt-down is taking it's toll on RV parks. After picking up the U-Haul trailer and loading it at the storage facility, we got underway about noon. Avoiding I-25, we took US 24 east to Limon, then north on Co 71. We spent our first night in Sterling, CO, about 200 miles northeast of Manitou Springs. We had stayed at the Buffalo Hills Campground a few years ago, but this visit found the women's bathrooms "under renovation" and unuseable...and the wi-fi service was spotty, at best. Unfortunately, we had registered under the honor system (no staff in the office), and of course, no one mentioned the abbreviated services, and they still charged full rate...$32.50!

Today was a great day on the road. Sunny, mild, and a decent tail wind all the way. We left Interstate 76 as soon as possible, opting for the much more scenic US 30 that parallels the Platte River and the Union Pacific Railroad. The farmers are just getting their crops in, and we saw snow geese and white pelicans in the sand hill area. We must be too early for the major migrations...geese, sand hill cranes, etc. that we saw here in May, 2007.

Tonight we are in Valentine, NB, (270 miles north of Sterling)...again a place we have stayed before, but neither the Riverside Campground nor the newer Fishberry Campground are fully operational...but at least they are only charging $20/night! So we opted to stay at Riverside where we have a beautiful view of the Niobara River (full to the brim with spring run-off), and are sheltered from the wind.

The forecast is for a major change in the weather. We can see a cold front approaching from the west this evening which will bring cooler temps, some rain tonight, and a wind shift to the WNW...good for us because it will be more tail winds. The Georgetown is performing very well...very easy to handle and lots of power. We can't even feel the small trailer we are pulling. Katie took over the reins outside of Ogallala, NB, and drove almost 90 miles! This was the first time she had even sat behind the wheel!! But after adjusting the seat and the mirrors and stuffing a pillow behind her back, she was up to 60 mph in no time! Even made a 90-degree turn in North Platte! So I now have both a navigator AND a co-pilot!

Countdown to Lift-off

Well, the 5th-wheel trailer finally sold...we are so relieved to be clear of it! It was very comfortable for the winter...and it definitely provided lots of opportunities to learn RV maintenance and repair! I feel much more confident trouble-shooting problems and fixing them when I can...and more experienced calling mobile repair services when I can't.

We are coming to the end of our winter in Manitou Springs. We have moved into the Georgetown motorhome, and are finding it to be all we could hope for. It is so much more spacious than the Class C that we traveled in for two years. I replaced the old CRT TV with a new 32" LCD and hooked it up to our satellite dish, so we can watch either DVDs or Discovery Channel in glorious high-definition. Katie managed to fit almost everything into the kitchen cabinets and closets...with space to spare.

It seems like yesterday that we landed in Colorado Springs (it was December 22!). I have really enjoyed the winter here...the daytime temperatures are quite moderate, and there is so much bright sun. Katie just mentioned that I hadn't had any visits from the "black dog" (Winston Churchill's term for depression), and I credit much of that to the additional light.

So...in slightly more than a week, we will be departing for Canada and Prince Edward Island. We will have a 5x8 U-Haul trailer in tow packed with the last of Katie's "stuff." I know she has mixed feelings about leaving her beloved Colorado behind and striking out into uncharted territory. Hopefully, now that she has her permanent resident status in canada, she will be able to begin to feel at "home" there.

Trip to St. George, Utah

We took this trip from Colorado Springs to St. George, Utah, to visit Jade and his family. On the way out, we took the southern route across northern New Mexico and Arizona which took us over La Manga Pass (10,230') and across the Colorado River at Page, AZ. While in Utah, we visited Snow Canyon and Zion National Park. On the return trip, we went through the heart of the Rockies to avoid heavy snow to the south, crossing Vail Pass (10,666') and Longmont Pass (11,990').

Down With the Flu!

Despite both of us getting our seasonal flu and H1N1 vaccinations, we picked up more than the usual cold after returning to Colorado...ironic since I was just saying how healthy we had been over the past several years. So, blogging has suffered along with yoga, walking, and most everything else...except watching DVDs. Katie has joined Netflix, so there is a fresh movie in the mailbox almost every day.

We are in the process of moving from the place where we've been house-sitting to our 5th-wheel trailer in a nearby RV park. Armed with a couple of RV repair manuals, I have been playing mechanic in order to get all the systems up and running. The only one that required some outside assitance was a balky furnace which, it turns out, had been colonized sometime in the past by mud-dauber wasps! But we now have heat, water, refrigeration, stove, microwave, and DirecTV, so the transition should be relatively painless.

I think our wandering lifestyle has begun to wear thin on Katie (and, to a lesser degree, on me). She seems to be craving a "place to call home" even if that's only a place to put all of her "stuff." For five years, her personal things have been scattered to the winds, but now there appears to be some hope of rounding it all up and schlepping it to Canada where it will join all of my "stuff." On a relative scale, neither of us have very much "stuff"...we have both sifted and winnowed and down-sized and off-loaded, but there are a few things that we each feel "define" us. So, perhaps, when they all find a common home, we will feel more settled.

Winter Flight to Canada

OK....time for a change of pace! Over the past couple of weeks, we decided to take advantage of an Air Canada seat sale and flew up to Prince Edward Island for a quick visit with my two children. And Katie was able to complete her Canadian permanent resident process by

Snowshoeing at Afton Lake

"landing" at Pearson Airport in Toronto (hence, the term "landed immigrant")! That was the culmination of almost a year of paperwork, medical tests, and security clearances, but now she can enter, exit, and live in Canada without worrying about visas and the vagaries of border crossings these days. We flew out of Denver through Toronto and Montreal and on to Charlottetown. Both Abby and Daniel met us at the airport, and handed off the keys to my Ford Escape 4x4 that I had left there last November.

We managed to arrive on the Island during the coldest week of the year (-18C with a -27C windchill), but the days were sunny and pleasant. Katie got her social insurance number and PEI medicare card with a minimum of paperwork...in fact, both were completed in a matter of minutes.

We were able to drive into the cottage on the lake despite the unplowed lane which is almost a kilometer through the woods. We lit a fire in the woodstove and ate a bowl of homemade chili warmed up in the microwave. Katie had never snowshoed before, so I broke out two pairs from the shed, and we walked across the lake to visit with Monica and Tom, our only neighbors on the lake. Both of us agreed that wintering there would be a great adventure, and I suspect we will extend our stays there until Christmas, at least. We had dinner in town with the kids Sunday night....and then watched the Super Bowl!

Unfortunately, our return trip was not the "uneventful" travel that we have come to expect...and enjoy. We ran smack into "increased security" at the airport as we changed planes for Chicago in Toronto. Our carry-ons were searched (one guy even opened a bottle of "Beano" caplets to make sure they weren't....what???); I went through a full-body scanner; and our checked bag was delayed due to security, and we had to clear customs and immigration without it. Then, with only 25 minutes to take-off, we went to the wrong gate, but thanks to a great bus driver managed to board with only minutes to spare. Of course, we had to wait in Denver to file a missing baggage claim and then had to drive 90 miles to Colorado Springs! Almost twelve hours in-transit! But our lost bag returned home today...thanks United!

There is something wrong with a security system that treats 60-year-old hippies as suspects and misses the 20-year-old Muslim men who pay cash for their one-way ticket and board a plane to Detroit in December with no checked baggage and no winter clothing! All hail RVing as a saner way to travel...

Tarryall and South Park

We took a drive into the mountains west of Manitou Springs on Saturday and saw some wildlife and beautiful scenery. The first part of the 160-mile loop took us to the old mining town of Tarryall. A coyote avoided my camera, but we did catch a herd (flock?) of Bighorn sheep grazing on the slopes. Tarryall got its start in 1859 as a placer gold mining town, but was pretty much abandoned by 1875. The surrounding mountain range is protected as the 120,000-acre Lost Creek Wilderness Area, and has peaks almost 12,000-feet high. Along the way, we saw people icefishing in the Tarryall Reservoir. At Jefferson, we turned south into South Park, a high intermontane basin that is just a bit smaller than Rhode Island! The wind was screaming across the highway, and between the blowing snow, icy road, and the poor visibility, driving was less than pleasant. Many of the peaks surrounding the basin are more than 14,000' elevation, and there were a lot of snow squalls coming in. At Antero Junction, we turned east back toward Manitou Springs.

Winter in Colorado Springs

This is my first winter in Colorado, and I must admit it's been very easy on both the body and the mind. This is the dry side of the mountains, so the humidity is very low, the sunlight is brilliant, and there has been little snowfall. Now this may not be a typical winter...I couldn't say...but it does seem that the days warm quickly with the sun, although the nights cool off very quickly, too. It has been a bit of a shock to the sinuses...after all, the humidity in Hawai'i was always close to 80%...on a sunny day...and we're lucky to get 30% here! Katie has had much more experience living here, and she did promise lots of sunshine.

Having the Garden of the Gods so close has been a real blessing. We have been so busy with paperwork and errands that we haven't gotten out into the country much. We did drive the new motorhome down to Penrose on Sunday to visit some of Katie's old friends. It was grand being back "on the road, again," and I find driving the Class A very easy...just need to plan my turns in advance!

Settling Into Colorado In January

 

Today was a good day...we began with an hour of yoga followed by fifteen minutes of meditation...a short break for coffee, fruit smoothies, and French(ed) toast...then basked in the brilliant Colorado sun for awhile followed by an hour-long walk in the Garden of the Gods. With all the upheavals of packing, moving, and traveling plus the holidays, we had fallen behind in our (sometimes) regimen to care for our bodies and minds. There is no doubt that Katie is the instigator (shall I say martinet?) for much of this, but she doesn't need to convince me of the benefits we derive from such activities. We also try to watch our diet, and have joined the legions of people who take multiple supplements...calcium, glucosamine, antioxidants, vitamins, bioflavonoids, omega-3, MSM, and low-dose aspirin. It's difficult to assess the combined effects of all these additives, but suffice it to say, we feel pretty good for sextegenarians, and we're not about to test how we would feel without them! And we are NEVER sick which is pretty amazing.

The Year 2009 In Photos

This was an incredible year for both of us! It started with both Theo and Daniel visiting us in Hawai'i...we managed to circumnavigate the Big Island several times...it's not everywhere you can play in the surf one day and go snow skiing the next. I was in P.E.I. during March and April, and was able to be with my daughter, Abby, for her 21st birthday...meanwhile, Katie was doing a “farewell” party at Eden Roc since she was planning to move back to Colorado to be closer to her two boys...at least until Theo graduates. The high point of the year was when I flew down to Arizona for Katie's 60th birthday, and we ended up getting married...and holding the reception at IHOP! From there we took a honeymoon drive through the Canyonlands of Arizona, Utah, and Colorado, and spent May and June at a couple of places near Colorado Springs. At the end of June, I headed back to P.E.I. to open the cottage on Afton Lake (the grass was over a foot tall) and to begin a number of renovation projects that I had been planning all winter. Katie arrived in early August and got really involved in a project of her own...an on-line art group doing a “Gypsy Journal.” Meanwhile, the whole PEI family got involved in finishing the house painting (thanks Abby, Daniel and Clint). Daniel also helped widening the lane and installing a new wood stove. We took a couple of trips in my little RV (XAPEPOD): one to Cabot Beach in P.E.I. and one to the Annapolis Vallet and South Shore of Nova Scotia. Katie went to Arizona for three weeks in October to be with her mother due to a breast cancer scare. Fortunately, all turned out OK. As autumn approached, we traveled to Troy, NY, to visit Vin and his girlfriend Megan at their colleges. We also managed to bring in almost three cords of firewood! With mixed emotions we flew out to Hawai'i in December to close the sale of Hale Hoku Mele, our own little corner of Paradise. We said our “good-byes” to all of our friends there, packed our bags, and flew back to Colorado Springs in time for Christmas. We hope you enjoy these pictures.

On The Road Again

Here we are in front of our "new to us" RV...a 2003 Georgetown 33-footer! As mentioned before, we both missed the life on the road that we experienced in 2005-2007. We couldn't resist doing a little RV shopping both online and on-the-lot. This rig appeared on craigslist in Colorado Springs, and we checked it out several times...you would not believe the complexity of these units...imagine buying BOTH a used truck AND a used house!! Engine, drivetrain, tires, kitchen, bath, bedroom, AV systems, water/wastewater systems, A/C, exterior, interior, etc. etc. There are a lot of excellent resources online to help, but ultimately, it's a leap of faith. And we came to feel comfortable with the seller...so time will tell. I felt like the King of the Road as I drove away...it handles like a dream, but I'm going to have to get used to both being right up front and the overall length.

So, the rig is in storage now, but we plan to do a couple of "shake-down" cruises this spring...maybe to Arizona to visit Katie's mom and to Utah to visit Katie's son and his family. After we leave this apartment, we'll set up the fifth-wheel trailer that we bought last year in an RV park in Manitou Springs and sell it...then move into the motorhome "permanently."

Here are a few more pics...Click to play!

A New Year

Pike's Peak

We are back!!

We are starting a new year and a new blog and a new chapter in our peripatetic lives! The house in Hawai'i is sold...we spent the month of December sorting through the accumulated "stuff" from almost two years. Some things we sold; some were tossed; many were given away to friends; and the rest was packed and shipped to our new "base of operations" in Colorado. We left Hawai'i with mixed emotions...many people asked, "What are you THINKING?"...but despite the beauty and mystique of the Big Island, it is one of the most remote places on earth, and both of us felt too detached from our families on the continent. That, coupled with the difficulties of owning a relatively high-maintainance property which we lived in only 4-5 months each year, was enough to convince us to pull the plug. The experience of planning and building the house...not to mention growing our own bananas, guavas, tangerines, lemons, pineapples, limes, etc. will never be forgotten. We will miss all of our friends and the aloha spirit, but we plan to return in the future.

Another motivation to relocate has been our enduring desire to return to the RVing life. Our experiences from two years of full-timing (2005-2007) kept calling us back to life on the road. Call it crazy with gas prices what they are, but we both have always had a "burr under our saddle"...we have nomadic gypsy blood in our veins. Perhaps if we had saltwater instead, we might have become wandering sailors? So we intend to start shopping for a motorhome to replace our beloved ROTR (a 24-foot Class C named Rumi On The Road) which we shipped to the Big island, lived in during construction, but sold after we moved into the new house. The new rig will probably be a larger Class A which will be our "home" for six months of the year when we are not settled into our cozy cottage on Afton lake in Prince Edward Island, Canada. This will give us the opportunity to visit friends and family who are scattered over much of North America.

Another motivation is our love affair with train travel...well, David has a love affair with trains; Katie is more enamoured with travelling by train! So expect to see some visits to excursion trains as well as long-distance journeys on some of the classic passenger trains in both the U.S. and Canada.

So, join us again as we embark on another "grand adventure." Visit this blog and our companion web albums at www.picasaweb.google.com/piscesman1946