Pre-Super Bowl Huddle

Whaaaaa? Two posts in one day? Yes, it's true.

Had to post this pic Spence took today. Minnie is so ridiculously adorable.

I'll let you in on a little secret. We were both thinking, "Go Broncos!"

Cedar

We've been busy the last while putting up cedar paneling in the bedroom. It's hard work. Each piece needs to be cut to the appropriate length so it ends on a stud. The cut itself has to be a 45 degree angle to minimize the harsh look of the seam that happens as the wood contracts with weather changes.

Things were slow at first, but before long we found our groove. I cut the pieces and stacked them up in front of the wall they were destined to be nailed to, while Spence busied himself with the thousand other tasks we have up in the air right now. Once the pile got big enough I called him over and together we put the boards on the wall and he nailed them into place.

Unfortunately our measurements were off when we ordered the wood so ran out before we could finish. The rest of the wood is scheduled to be ready on December 21. In the meantime, we set up our bed directly on the subfloor and are using the space as a proper bedroom.

Imagine! An insulated bedroom with a real bed! I can still barely believe it. It was just in the nick of time too. Temperatures dropped to -16C on Saturday night without windchill.

I woke up Sunday morning to Spence walking into the room, breakfast in hand. I'm not usually a breakfast in bed type of person, but I have to say it was a perfect way to celebrate our first night in the cozy bedroom!

Welcome to Twin Ponds, Minnie!

Two weeks ago was Minnie's first time at Twin Ponds. She's an adorable ball of furry energy when she's on walks in the city, but folks, you ain't seen nothin' yet!

Because she's just a puppy she's easily distracted. We're not about to take any chances with her safety in the land of coyotes, porcupines, raccoons, and skunks so she's not allowed off leash for the time being. Her response is to show her dissatisfaction by walking on her hind legs, pulling with all her might. It's adorable. (Sorry Minnie.)

Night's Sky

This year it felt like spring lead directly into fall. Last weekend temperatures plummeted to just above freezing. Quite a shock when I remember swimming a mere two weeks ago.

With the falling temperatures came our fall tradition: getting the raft out of the pond. This year we were lucky; not only were there four people to share in the load, but we had an audience of no fewer than six! Guess word is getting around.

While there's a lot of things that I'm not looking forward to with the changing of the season, there's plenty to be excited about. It's time for hearty soup and fresh bread. Cozy fires in our wood stove are about to accompany our evenings. The sun sets early giving us hours of beautiful stars to enjoy before bed. And maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to get myself out of bed in time to enjoy a sunrise or two.

Photo Post

That's it for posts from the way back machine. I thought I'd kick off returning to the present with a few photos from when our friends Dave and Lauren visited a few weeks ago. It was an absolutely beautiful summer weekend. What better way to spend it than with good friends? All photos are by Dave and Lauren.

Keedo loves to ride on the surf board

We played some Wahoo and Tichu

Week 26 - Of Birthdays, Friends, and Rain

.: Aug 19-21 2011 :.

This week marked the first time we started doing something that would become our weekly ritual: we drove our neighbours' son up. Since he lives in the city not far from us but does not own a car, he's been making the trip north via public transportation each week. Unfortunately, due to route cutbacks the nearest bus stop is still a 30 minute drive from his parents' place. That means his father had to make an hour+ round trip to pick him up and drop him off each week.  This was not ideal for obvious reasons and it wasn't long before we realized we could easily coordinate our schedule and save them both the trouble.

This week's adventures brought old friends, new friends and lots of games with a side of work. First, our friends Pete and Sarah made their first of many trips up. Pete is quite the chef and prepared fantastic meals throughout the weekend (this, too, has since become a bit of a ritual). The weather decided to be a bit difficult and although we faced on and off showers all weekend I can safely say we all had a great time.

For a few hours on Saturday night we said farewell to Pete and Sarah and joined our neighbours for a birthday party. They'd kindly extended the invite the previous week and it was an excellent opportunity for us to meet their family. From the moment we walked in the door and greeted everyone we felt at home. The warm, festive atmosphere was contagious and before long we were all talking and laughing like old friends.

The evening brought us back to Twin Ponds. We walked into the cabin to find Pete and Sarah enjoying the coziness of the cabin to keep out of the insistent rain. The dull skies didn't dampen our moods, however, and we enjoyed an evening of Gin Rummy. The rain tapered off late in the evening and we took full advantage of the opportunity by building a fire and roasting some marshmallows

On Sunday we opted to take Pete and Sarah to the diner for a great breakfast. With the rain holding off for the majority of the day, we fed the fish, did some barbecuing, and played more games. At one point in the afternoon we walked out our driveway to find that the backhoe had been delivered for the driveway work that was scheduled to begin on Monday. It was time for our dirt driveway to become or gravel driveway.

Land ahoey

Rain can't stop us

Hi

Beautiful night's sky

Yoshi pays us a visit

Week 25: Back is Black

.: August 13 & 14, 2011 :.

Floating paradise

We had high hopes for and anticipation of the scheduled events this weekend. 

We arrived earlier than usual Friday evening (without any incidents) and we settled in and played a couple of games of cribbage on the deck to kill some time. The temperature gradually started sinking so we decided to go inside and watch Spooks before turning in for the night.

I got up early Saturday morning and while Sim was still sleeping I started cleaning up the forest area that has been my project over the better part of this summer. I was busy moving small sticks and such when out of the blue my lower back locked up and sent waves of pain up my spine and down my legs. I tried to walk it off, but the pain just wouldn't go away. Over the course of the weekend it slowly grew worse.

Wildflower

The pain had started only a few minutes before Sim got up, and it wasn't long after that that Bob and his crew showed up with the new raft on a trailer. It took them about 45 minutes to unload it, get it into the pond, and have it anchored in its designated spot. Once there it looked terrific!

At about 11:30 Sim's parents arrived. There was a little rain, so we hung out on the deck talking until it cleared up, at which time Sim's mother wanted to get working, so she went to the forest to continue my earlier work. Both of us were again impressed by how hard she works - she's like a machine. She completely finished relocating the pile of branches and sticks and the forest area is looking better for it.

Up close and very personal

While she was working I went to the shed to get the red rake. As I approached the shed door I noticed a spider's web in which a wasp had become entangled. The author of the web (Charlotte?) was in the process of wrapping the wasp in a cocoon. I quickly got Sim's attention and she brought her camera with the macro lens and got some really great shots.

By around 2:00 we were ready for a swim! I was the first in the water and onto the raft. Sim joined him, followed by her father. The water was a little chilly, because the weather's been a bit cooler than normal, but it was refreshing and, more importantly, fun!

Anyway, the raft is fantastic - we're very excited for the hours of fun and relaxation it offers us in the future.

At around 3:30 it started to look ominous on the horizon, so we decided to get dinner ready. I had already started the BBQ and by the time we got back to the chalet it was piping hot and ready for the seasoned chicken we'd brought. Sim's parents brought some delightful red cabbage salad and we had a very delicious and pleasant meal at the "new" picnic table.

Pond wildlife

We spent a while longer visiting before Sim's parents got ready to leave and then said our goodbyes as they departed.

By this point my back was killing me, and I more or less passed out for the next few hours on a couple of the open-armed Muskoka chairs. Meanwhile Sim spent some time at the pond taking more macro shots.

We spent the rest of the evening watching a few more episodes of Spooks before calling it a night.

The next morning my back was still causing him real grief. Nevertheless, we went to the local inn and enjoyed a delicious sausage and egg breakfast. It was still overcast and in fact shortly after returning to Twin Ponds the weather became threatening. The thunder on the horizon prompted us to pack up early and head home.

Even though the weekend was regrettably cut short, it was very nice and gave us more enthusiasm about spending time in Pond Superior playing on the raft. Good times to come!

Week 19: Good Times, Good Friends

(Despite the author being listed as Spence, it's actually Sim)

Our first Canada Day Long Weekend at Twin Ponds was marked by a big first: I finally conquered my fears and went swimming for the first time! The water was pleasantly warm and calm, its mirror-like surface distorted only by ripples created by lazy our movements. The gold fish inhabitants welcomed us by swimming nearby hoping for a snack of bread.

On the drive up, we made an uneducated decision when we purchased some blow-up pool furniture on a whim. This proved to be a mistake as the raft failed to stay inflated even for one day! We promptly returned it for a full refund and learning from our mistake, began researching some better alternatives.

With our barbecue assembled and fully operational, we were now equipped for guests. Our friends Ange and Matt were quick to accept the invitation and committed to taking the time to bike over to us from a town about 100km away with full camping gear in tow. Once they arrived, we came to the realization that we had yet to discover an ideal camp site -- all the spots we explored were either sloped uncomfortably or were quite rocky necessitating some sort of foam pad which we did not have available. After some deliberation, it was decided that they would spend the night on the small, greying bridge that crosses our river. The following day, in the amber light of the early morning, Ange reported that while it's not ideal, the bridge was actually a pretty good spot. The water provided a soothing drone to fall asleep to. Unfortunately, though, every move one makes on the bridge reverberates in the aging wood. Time to find a new spot for next time.

Although we had guests, work didn't stop around Twin Ponds. Continuing on our journey of reclaiming the overgrown and deteriorated exterior of the project, we turned to staining the beautiful Muskoka (Adirondack if you're an American reader) chairs the previous owner had included in the purchase. While I happily stained away, Spence borrowed a ladder from our neighbours and replaced the burned out bulbs of our exterior porch light. Now, venturing out in the middle of the night is a little less daunting.

A great way to cool off

Cleaning up

Ange and Matt's tent

A good time

Blossoming spirits

Lounging