Lumber Barons

The milling of our logs into lumber was completed today. I'm not sure what all we got, but it sure seems like a lot of wood. Cedar siding and decking for sure and some maple for Roy's shop. It took a full 5 days and will have saved us some money. Roy will be kept busy though because all of those deck boards have to be planed and the edges routered (is that a word?). The rough sawn finish is OK for siding but too rough for underfoot. Since Roy doesn't own a planer or a table saw, the money we saved will buy the tools that will help us save more money (he says). I've been on this merri-go-round before -stop, please let me off!

Design Pitfalls

I swore this would never happen to me/us. I was way too smart to fall into the trap. Wrong.
I got caught up in the possibilities and designed a house beyond our financial means. Square footage crept up to 2300, bigger than our house in Pickering and way bigger than 2 people need. Add to that a detached carport and workshop and you have a very short retirement. Hey Marco, do you still have an opening for me there at the Studio?
So, we have gone back to the drawing board and made some adjustments. The house has been downsized to a more reasonable 1900 sq ft., and we will be looking for other ways to keep the costs under control including doing some of the easier work ourselves.
So, they say this is a common dilemma and I shouldn't feel too bad, now is the time to make changes, better now than when the build starts. No consolation. I am disappointed in myself.
The worst of this is the delay caused while we take 2 steps back. We have lost valuable time during the best building months. True, they build all year out here as there is no real snowfall or freeze up. It does rain though .....so here we are hoping for sunny dry weather into the fall. Remind me - isn't this the Pacific Rain Forest?

Notice something different? Blogger has added templates that even a dummy like me can use.
Enjoy the new look of The Nile File.

The Wood Mizer

Today, Bill arrived with his Bobcat and Wood Mizer portable sawmill and over the next few days he will turn our pile of cedar and maple logs into full sawn boards for use as siding and decking. Logs are loaded and aligned and the sawing begins. Once the log is squared, slicing the boards goes quickly. It looks easy, but it takes a keen eye to assess the log and cut it to get the optimum quality and use of the material. What is left becomes more firewood.


Below, the before and after; logs turned into 1x10x8' boards, "stickered" and stacked to air dry slowly in the shade by the creek.

The Pinks

One of the attractions of the Nile Creek is that it is a "fish" creek. Salmon run up the creek and spawn in the gravel beds and pools a distance up stream from where our home will be. In the not so distant past the Nile was known to local residents as the Pink River, due to the huge numbers of Pink Salmon. Combined with commercial fishing, logging and loss of essential habitat, by 1994, there were no Pinks, few Coho and only some Cutthroat Trout left. A group of concerned residents took it upon themselves to correct the situation and The Nile Creek Enhancement Society was born. NCES has worked long and hard and have been successful in revitalizing the Nile and other area creeks and their efforts has been recognized on a global scale. For more info visit www.nilecreek.org. or view short stories on Utube
Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO7NJwnfUZc
Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbtYYw8mniM

We joined NCES a couple of years ago and look forward to the day when we will be free to volunteer with the planting of kelp, counting of fish and mapping of eelgrass.
The Pinks are currently gathering for their spawning run upstream and can be fished at this time. Roy and I watched fly fishermen trying their luck at the mouth of the Nile, the salmon themselves seen leaping clear out of the water. Seals have also gathered for the feast and frolick and splash not far off-shore. Quite an exhilarating scene. We have decided to take some casting lessons. Mmmm, fresh salmon on the barbie.....

All Clear

The lot was finally cleared on Monday. Cedar and Maple logs piled for milling, red alder for firewood. All brush, stumps and debris removed and a large mound of dirt which had been on the lot was pushed to the front along the ditch. It will later be used to backfill around the front of the house and to create a small berm along the front of the property. Above, Steve loading his excavator and leaving the scene. He'll be back when it's time to dig the foundation.
Below: the lot - before and after.

Parksville Beach Festival

Today we travelled down island to see the sights in Parksville. In addition to the natural beauty of the beach, sea and mountains their Beach Fest included a Kite Expo and a Sand Sculpting Competition. The constant cool winds off the water, the hot sun and the vivid blue sky made for perfect conditions for both events.
We strolled around, playing tourist, taking in the sights and sounds. The sky was full of brilliantly coloured kites of every shape and size, dipping and diving while simply anchored, and unattended.
A couple of bear kites playfully lolled and rolled in the breeze, hovering just above the ground.




The sand sculptures, the works of teams and individuals from Canada and the U.S. were unbelievable! This is the only Canadian event that qualifies winners to advance to the Worlds of Sand Sculpting so competition was fierce. Carved from hard-packed sand and sprayed with a mixture of water and ordinary white glue, some of these works defy gravity. Themes ranged from the whimsical to the frightening and bizarre. We viewed them 3 hours before "times up", so many were still works in progress. Below, detail of some of the entries...




One very large "team" installation called "In a World of Her Own" featured a little girl sitting, surrounded by a make-believe world of castles, dragons and knights on horseback. Amazing!

Clearing - will it ever end?

We have experienced some delays in the clearing of our lot but the last of the danger trees in the riparian area came down a few days ago and all that is left now is the pulling of stumps and the loading and removal of brush and wood designated for use elsewhere. The lot is organized chaos, dusty and treacherous for walking. A huge pile of cedar and maple stumps will be hauled away to be used as fish habitat on the Nile or other creeks where fish populations are being restored.
Roy has continued to work with a chain saw and most recently took up a more familiar role as driver, but this time it's a dump truck for hauling away the stumps and brush. He gets to play with all the toys and I get to do all the paperwork. What's wrong with this picture?

Animal sightings

Our street dead-ends on a vast park-like area with hiking and mountain bike trails that go for miles. Generally the area is densely treed and heavily vegetated with ferns, salmon berry, salal etc . Wild and beautiful. Pics above will give you the idea. Not long ago Roy and I went for an evening walk along one of the trails and eventually turned around to head back. I saw a flash of brown in the bush to the side of the trail ahead and thought "oh, a deer." As more of the animal emerged I realized it was too low and thick to be a deer and thought "no, a big dog." Finally as the animal turned and loped down the path away from us and I saw the tail I realized "not a big dog - a big Cat!" Yes, I've seen my first cougar. It happened so fast that by the time I stuttered "Did you see that?" it was gone. Roy was looking elsewhere and missed it altogether. We have been told of bears and cougars living along the creek but sightings are rare so I feel somewhat privileged. Also though, in future we will try to be a little more aware and prepared when out in the woods. We sure aren't in Pickering anymore.

All Fell Down 2

The tree faller arrived today and climbed the bigger trees, limbing them as he climbed. He took them down in measured lengths as we will be milling the cedars and maples on site with a portable saw mill. Kinda cool to use the lumber from the site in the construction of the house. The cedars will be decking or siding, the maples could be interior finishing, cabinets etc. The smaller alder trees were simply pulled down by the excavator - amazing (and horrifying) to watch. They will be used for firewood or chipped up for mulch. Little to no waste - love that!




On our left, the professional tree faller and on our right in fluorescent orange, Roy who has been working with the crew "bucking" tree stumps. He looks pretty official, but the guys were saying something today about painting a bulls-eye on the top of his helmet :-) Hard work, but I think he's enjoying it. From mild mannered bus driver to rough, tough lumber jack? Who knew?

Happy Canada Day!