Some Old and New News

Well we have some catching up to do. Let's start with the most exciting thing that has happened since the last time I wrote.

We got a new heli pad, which arrived just the other day. It all happened pretty fast which isn't usually the way things happen here for us. The email said that a tug called the “Gulf Prince” would be making an appearance in 2 – 3 weeks with the heli pad in tow. Great, I thought a chance to maybe get some fresh produce and some eggs. Ours being over 8 months old now are pretty high floaters. Within the day the time frame changed to “their on their way and should be there sometime between 10 am and noon tomorrow.”

Ohhhh...there goes the BLT, Caesar salad, stir-fry, chef's salad, cheese omelet, coleslaw, crisp apples and juicy oranges.

The weather was co-operating, a pale blue sky with a smattering of pillow like clouds mirrored in the flat calm bay. Mike made radio contact around 11:30 giving them our lat and long so they could find us. If you haven't been here before it can be a bit confusing with all the little islands and bays. The whole episode only lasted about an hour from the time they arrived, maneuvered the helipad into place, chatted for 15 minutes and left.

We secured the 40 X 40 concrete and foam pad with 1'' line and lots of bumpers, doubled checked everything than headed back up to the lodge with a doz eggs!!! Thank you Paddy and James......omelets tomorrow!

Backtracking a bit here.... the last weeks of March brought some cold weather and a fresh layer of snow on the distance hills.

It also brought to close another year, as marked by my birthday.

These days if you want to see the wildlife all you have to do is look out on the back deck. We quite enjoy the company although I don't think the 'princess' does so much.

The cooler was sitting here when we first arrived back in August so why is it still sitting here? One day we noticed the cat refreshing herself from the small pools of water on the lid after a nighttime rain. We always have a dish of water plus food in the basement but on further observations gleaned that a raccoon was the one partaking of the lion's share. Moving the fiddles to just outside the back patio doors meant that princess now had a better chance of eating whenever she felt peckish. The water she never touched, obviously perfering to stand and drink, so the cooler remains.

How Rude!

The amount of baking this year is way below what I have pulled from the oven in previous years butt the end result is showing in the comfortable fit

of certain jeans, yet every now and again one must be rewarded. Being a person who could truly live on bread alone this recipe for 'Peppery White Cheddar Biscuits' fit the bill.

We're still experiencing some rather frosty mornings, even in late April.

For the past 8 months this is the spectacular view I wake up to each morning as I lift my head off the pillow.

How lucky am I.

Till next time,

Heather & Mike

Call of The Wild

Drifting off to sleep, lulled by the distance roar of the ocean is as good as it gets for a person who loves the sea.

Even howling winds that buffet the lodge causing the chimney stack to rattle and shake along with a slight whistle caused by a minute gap of a not perfectly sealed window, I find oddly comforting as I cozy further down under the blankets.

Tonight a new sound, one not heard in our 4 seasons here. It was nature related for sure but of the barking, snorting and belching kind.

I thought I heard a bark thought it didn't register at first, through my sleep addled brain nor did the second or third. I'm not sure how long it was before the ruckus reached it's full potential and I found myself quite awake. We had a herd of sea lions in the bay!

In the darkness I listened. There was a ringleader for sure who kept the party going, upping the volume and filling in the voids when others slacked off. I could tell they were close, maybe even enjoying the carpeted docks as the social went on into the wee hours of the night. I hoped they would stay around long enough for the sun to come up and reveal themselves to me ....and my camera.

Eventually even the non-stop grunts and barking became soothing and I drifted off to sleep.

They were still around when I got up but rather subdued after their night of revelry. The entire day I watched as they stayed in a tight knit group, floating on their backs with a fin in the air, drifting with the tide, apparently sound asleep. Not a peep, bark, grunt or belch was heard. By sunset they were gone.

I wish I could say “look at our weather now” but this glorious warm sunny day was a one day wonder among our endless days of gray and rain.

My new perch.

“Check this out, I call it the 'duck paddle'.

If this critter wasn't constantly eating the cat's food he would be rather cute.

What in the world is he doing way out here on the heli pad?

We thought they were out fishing for herring but it was logs they were after.

Apparently they been towing quite a few but the got away. Guess ya gotta keep a sharp eye on those sneaky logs.

What do you do with the last 3 apples that have definitely seen better days?

Make 2 mini apple crisps.

Ingram, Princess, Cat, Kitty ....she doesn't answer to any of them and seldom likes to have her picture taken. It was a rare treat for her to sit and pose.

Look to the left.....

.....now look to the right.

 Perfect.

A beautiful sunset from our beautiful day.

till next time,
Heather & Mike

Frosty February

We knew it couldn't last forever but the drop in temperature surprised us. I think we had been lulled into a false sense that spring was just around the corner with the fairly warm first month of 2014. January sailed by with nary a hint of what was happening in the rest of this country with their ice storms and daily accumulation of the white powdery stuff. Days on end when a quick trip outside warranted only the sweater I was wearing. The furnace remained silent as the electric heaters did the job. No need to burn the extra fuel if we don't have too.

Our little beach the last couple of years hasn't yielded any treasures but it's always good for a jaunt, stretch the legs, get some fresh air. The cat surprised me by joining the walk, something she hasn't done in quite a while. Must have been feeling a bit of cabin fever.We knew it couldn't last forever but the drop in temperature surprised us. I think we had been lulled into a false sense that spring was just around the corner with the fairly warm first month of 2014. January sailed by with nary a hint of what was happening in the rest of this country with their ice storms and daily accumulation of the white powdery stuff. Days on end when a quick trip outside warranted only the sweater I was wearing. The furnace remained silent as the electric heaters did the job. No need to burn the extra fuel if we don't have too.

Our little beach the last couple of years hasn't yielded any treasures but it's always good for a jaunt, stretch the legs, get some fresh air. The cat surprised me by joining the walk, something she hasn't done in quite a while. Must have been feeling a bit of cabin fever.We knew it couldn't last forever but the drop in temperature surprised us. I think we had been lulled into a false sense that spring was just around the corner with the fairly warm first month of 2014. January sailed by with nary a hint of what was happening in the rest of this country with their ice storms and daily accumulation of the white powdery stuff. Days on end when a quick trip outside warranted only the sweater I was wearing. The furnace remained silent as the electric heaters did the job. No need to burn the extra fuel if we don't have too.

Our little beach the last couple of years hasn't yielded any treasures but it's always good for a jaunt, stretch the legs, get some fresh air. The cat surprised me by joining the walk, something she hasn't done in quite a while. Must have been feeling a bit of cabin fever.We knew it couldn't last forever but the drop in temperature surprised us. I think we had been lulled into a false sense that spring was just around the corner with the fairly warm first month of 2014. January sailed by with nary a hint of what was happening in the rest of this country with their ice storms and daily accumulation of the white powdery stuff. Days on end when a quick trip outside warranted only the sweater I was wearing. The furnace remained silent as the electric heaters did the job. No need to burn the extra fuel if we don't have too.

Our little beach the last couple of years hasn't yielded any treasures but it's always good for a jaunt, stretch the legs, get some fresh air. The cat surprised me by joining the walk, something she hasn't done in quite a while. Must have been feeling a bit of cabin fever.

It was inevitable I suppose. Just as Punxsutawney Phil and Shubenacadie Sam were scurrying back into their receptive lairs declaring 6 more weeks of winter we awoke to our first frost.

Oh I certainly agree it's nothing to get excited about, “Try a couple feet of snow” your thinking but this light coating means the temperature has dropped enough to hit the freezing point and for us that could very well mean that somewhere along our water lines that run mostly above ground they are no longer in a liquid state.

Yep, turned on facet and ....nothing. Does one get upset or wonder what now? Nope.

Here at the OP you live and learn (well hopefully you've learned) so a backup supply of water is waiting in the wings. I'm no stranger to heating up water for dishes and lugging bottles into bathrooms for the toilets and of course there is our old standby bucket for “quick” showers.

This is where shutting down the genny every night pays off and the reason we religiously do it. The fuel saved is now used as we keep things running and warm in the lodge 24/7 till this cold spell breaks.

It's an ironic situation. I only have hot water several times a week to save fuel and now that the furnace is on all the time and I could indulge myself with turning on a tap just for the heck of it to feel hot water come out, I can't I since the water lines are frozen. Sort of a catch 22.

February 14^th and we're still feeling pretty chilly. Lines remain frozen and the water reserves are dwindling but that doesn't stop me from making Mike's request of a coconut cream pie for our special dinner. After all one still has to eat.

Whoohoo! Rain. At this point I love rain. Rain means warmer temperatures and hopefully the lines will thaw. You could say we got a lucky break. Each time the line freezes there will be a section somewhere that has come apart under the pressure. Lucky for us this time the break was more or less out in the open so readily found once the water started to flow. Didn't take more than an hour to right everything and once again we were back in business.

Not one to pass up an opportunity I set up several garbage cans along the side decks of the lodge to catch run off from the roof and refill all the containers that we've depleted.

Remember the year I had to go under the crew shack to collect water?

For 2 days it rains. For 2 days I put on my raincoat and scoop water. For 2 days we have water once again. For 2 days I do laundry, shower, wash floors, shower.

I've come to the conclusion that the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow could very well be Port Louis.

Nothing lasts forever. All good things come to an end. Nothing stays the same.

And so we are once again experiencing freezing temperatures. We are prepared.

Maybe it was because we were prepared that the boiler decided to throw a wrench into the mix. It'll fire up but won't circulate the water which gets pumped through the radiators. We'll have to wait now till things warm up for Mike to do what he does to try and fix things, which he is usually successful at. No worries, there is plenty of wood around and we do love a fire.

Below zero seems to go hand in hand with cloudless skies. Never have we had so many perfect days, not a hint of a low lying stratus or a wisp of a cirrus formation.

You can almost imagine there is a thin layer of ice being responsible for this perfectly still refection.

My new source of water...for now.

Another very frosty February morning.

Till next time,
Heather & Mike