As the plane taxied out
to the middle of the bay I was still waving good-bye....
and then we
were airborne.
After
2 false starts Terry and Tim arrived late in the afternoon on
November 20th. Terry's assortment of boxes and heavy duty canvas
duffel bag contained not only tools of his trade as a mechanic but
also the small ignition switch for the 35kw genny which we were happy
to get up and running again. Chainsaws, ropes, a harness and climbing
spurs were the working tools belonging to Tim who had flown in to
take down a few trees.
The
plane sitting higher in the water after disgorging several hundred
pounds of gear I climbed aboard with a small overnight bag and
computer. It had been a last minute idea for me to head into the big
town of Masset for a couple of days to take care of some stuff that
needed to be taken care of. The return flight was scheduled for
Wednesday afternoon and the weather forecast promised fair skies so I
had no worries leaving Mike as the head cook and bottle-washer for
the next 48 hours.
So
what does one do in Masset for a couple of days? Well for someone who
doesn't often get the chance to shop at a grocery store I headed
there first to buy some fruit, bananas precisely which I haven't
tasted in several months, than dinner at a newly opened Japanese
restaurant, lots of channel surfing ( TV yeah!) plus the joy of an
internet connection that was twice as fast as I'm use to. I didn't
spend all my time glued to the telly - I explored the town by way of
a visit to the hospital ( nothing serious) the post office, the
hardware store, and several other restaurants. The highlight was
finding shelves of Christmas decorations in the local department
store. It's been 5 years since I've been able to buy tinsel and bows,
sparkly reams of garland and brightly coloured shiny balls.
Wednesday
dawned with a clear sky and the assurance that my flight would be
taking off which at this time of year is always a gamble. Mike was
waiting on the heli pad as we touched down. I was glad to be home.
Another
member of the welcoming committee.
“So
what did you guys get up to while I was gone?” was my first
question after the plane took to the air and we started carting up
the dozen or so boxes full of fresh produce and a few miscellaneous
items that I had forgotten on our summer shopping trip. “Well the
35 is working again and there's enough wood to split to last several
years”
Tim
dropped about 6 trees, some were half toppled over and snagged, while
others that were long dead and threatened to do damage to the lodge
if they fell on their own.
Oops!
Sometimes plans don't always go the exact way you expected.
It's
not all so bad since the shed had been slated for a remodel this
summer so it could accommodate more tanks. Hey guys it's already half
down.
These
picture was taken our first year here. The tree on the left fell the
year before and the one I'm standing in front of toppled while we
were sleeping and not a sound was heard.
This
is what it looks like now. When Tim cut through the fallen trees the
stumps settled almost right back into place.
No
trucking through the forest with a wheelbarrow this time. This bucked
up one is only feet to the basement where we stack our wood.
This
one is going to be a bit more work.
Thursday
arrived bringing with it our first real storm of the season.
Hurricane force winds and slanting rain pelted the windows all day. I
kept saying to myself “boy wasn't I lucky to have flown back in
yesterday.”
As
the storm continues the swells build yet you can see just how quiet
it remains in our bay. When I say “it was a grey day” this is
what I am seeing.
For the next 3 days the storm front lashed out. I kept thinking how I had just made it back into the OP in the nick of time. Mike was also counting his lucky stars for all the prepared meals would have only lasted for the 48 hours than he would really have been the cook.
By late Monday afternoon the sky had finally shaken off the last of the storm, replacing the slate coloured world with shades of blue and pink.
Till next week,
Heather & Mike
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