October 27-29/08

• Roofing metal delivered and installed on south roof facing.
• Gus preheated the cabin with smoke (unaware of tarp covering chimney). Blames malfuntioning stove.
• Weather great for end of October.
• No bugs and no wind.

First Week of October, 2008

The first week of October offered 3 days of nice sunny weather allowing the roof above the vol ted ceiling to have the rafters put up (mucho heavy), rough wiring for inside lights and then sheeted (in the dark with lights up on a roof proved rather interesting). The weather forecast predicted rain, so tarps were put down (also at night) That evening the rains came and there was water leaking into the everywhere. However, as the saying goes, it was a warm rain and the final portion of the roof was complete sheeted and tarped. It snowed two days later. Hopefully the tarps held the H2O out.

September 14 Work Bee

A time for some R&R

Chris/Gus/Jeff celebrate a successful fishing trip. Gus provides us with a menagerie of information and entertainment throughout the summer. He is the expert on prime fishing spots, local news will not escape his attention, and he always has a tool or missing part we need. Gus has also been featured in Readers Digest. For the story go to http://www.women24.com/Readers_Digest/Display/ReadersDigest_Article/0,,938-940_11727,00.html

August 2008 - the addition

The living room/kitchen expansion located in the forefront of the existing shack.

The two new bedrooms around the side.

This kind of work is messy, messy business. The neighbors are all thinking... there goes the neighborhood, Cec and Marv have taken over!

Gratuitous canoe shot! Gratuitous canoe shot!

And the walls of the bedroom have been raised! Where is the door for the far bedroom?

View from bedroom window? It will improve vastly in the future. We hope.

See the progress! Wow. That's a lot of lumber boys, you sure you need all that?

Cec, Value Village called. They want their floor rag back!

And also? I know it was hot but that's a whole lot of ventilation going on back there.

Um. Really. I can't say anything other than I am positive this was set up by none other than Jeff.

Work begins

After the trees were cleared, the roots were dislodged with a backhoe hired from FATS camp.

Over the years the cabin had sunk into the muskeg. Jacks were used to lift the structure before a permanent foundation could to built.

Sister and Ceasar (Gus's dogs) survey the mess created by the backhoe.

The day it rained 41/2 inches resulting in a soggy mess. Rubber boots were a necessity.

When the exsting well could not revivied, a new sand point well was installed. Cec is digging the trench from the well to the side of the cabin for the piping..

What we started With

These pictures represent the original structures before any modifications were attempted. There was a existing well that proved inoperative after several futile attempts, a bathroom/kitchen sink that discharged waste nowhere near the septic tank, an outhouse filled with wood (where else should wood be kept dry), and a cabin that was slowly sinking into the muskeg. Other than that it was not too bad. The roof did not leak, there was power/phone, the stove sort of worked, and the fridge kept the refreshments cool. Thx to Gus for the use of his shower.