MERRY CHRISTMAS

George, Gail and Bear wish all a Christmas of cherished memories and a New Year full of good health and good cheer.  We wish to thank everyone for their patronage and hope to see you again in 2011. 

We are in Alberta with family and friends for Christmas and will be spending most of the time in Peace River.  We are also very excited to watch Signe open presented Christmas day.  This will be such a spectacular time for her this year.  She was only a month old last year.  Trouble is her second name as she is now walking and giving her mom pay back time.

We had a turkey lupper (lunch and supper) on the 11th with several of our neighbors.  This is the fourth year that we have it.  Jen (post office), Clint (sailcone), Bob and Pat (Lagoon Cove), hermit Bob (lagoon Cove) and Doug all enjoyed the turkey.  We tried to get Elenor and Bing from Hadley Bay but they were not able to attend.

We had just beat the snow when we arrived in Peace River.  We definately do not miss the snow and cold. Minus 20.  Brrrrrrrrr.

Nov 27, 2010

Well, we have had our first snow.  It started on Wednesday afternoon with a blizzard and lasted until Thursday night.  We had over 3 inches and then it decided to rain all night Thursday.  Friday was a beautiful winter day, with some snow still on the ground.  Vancouver Island itself did not fair well and had lots of snow and then freezing rain.

We also had our coldest day ever! that we have seen since moving here.  On Monday, the daytime temperatue was minus 12 C and since we were gone overnight Sunday, it was only 2 inside the house.  TALK ABOUT COLD!!  Thank goodness for electric blankets! We have no proper heat in the house so it was a tad chilly.  It took two days to warm the house up once we lit the propane heaters, had the fireplace going and when the geny was on we had the electric heaters going.  Once the house is warm it stays that way.

George had been busy finishing the walkway to shore and has succeeded in doing a nice job, which he always does.  It is such an improvement and now looks like a proper dock.  It is a little slippery at the moment until we put some rolled roofing down.  George skiied down it the other day.  The otters like the frost on the dock and when then discover the new walkway, they will have a hayday!

December is almost upon us and George and I are excited to spend time with Signe.  Of course everyone else as well.  Signe is now a year old and is such a delight.  She is a good natured little girl.  She is walking now and giving her mom and dad lots of trouble.  They have moved to Grande Prairie and have rented a house.  Darren is doing his practicum close by and Melissa has been certified for a day home worker. 

Christine is doing well in university and enjoys university life.  Being such a social person, she gets along well with everyone.  She will be helping her dad this Christmas break in our hardware store in northern Alberta.



Happy Birthday Bear!



Bear is now officially 12 years old, as it is her birthday today.  She has been spoilt lately, spending the night in the house.  Old age has crept up and she feels the cold.  She has been quite frisky lately, after two bouts of antibiotics and having her ears cleaned.  She is deaf in the one ear because it had cauliflowered and her ear canal is swollen shut.  I will be making a sign that goes on her back that asks not to feed her.  She is allergic and is on a special diet.  Because of the type of dog that she is, yeast forms in her ears and causes all sorts of problems.  When Sue comes to visit, Bear and him like to chase each other.  Have not seen Bear do that for a few years.

Belatedly we wish all our neighbors to the south a wonderul Thanksgiving.  It is the start of the holiday season now.

Happy Halloween Oct 31, 2010

Happy Halloween to everyone.  It has been a busy month and a half.  George went for his check up and received a clean bill of health in regards to his throat.  His next visit is in January.  It has been windy and rainy for the last week or so.  We have had a few nice days however and were able to accomplish a few things.

Terry, our brother-in-law was here for a week at the end of September.  He was able to help George finish the dock to the ramp and a few other things.  Looks good.  No more ramp on the dock now, just the one to the walkway.  Thank you Terry for all your help.

Been busy canning tomatoes and making jam and zucchini relish.  Thanks to Doug for the extra jars.  I really needed them.  I have over 4 dozen jars of jam and 2 doz jars of relish.  There are 18 jars of stewed tomatoes and still more tomatoes to can.  What to make next??

Now that we have had some rain, the garden decided to take off, but still only 6 plants of peas and 3 of beans which are long gone now.  Damn those birds, lol.!!  Winter produce is still thriving and I am looking forward to some beets and turnip.  All for me as George does not like them.  His loss!!

 

The geese have been abundant as of late and there are 6 great white breasted geese that have taken up residence.  They do not scare away easily.

George has been busy taking the wall out of the addition to the restaurant.  After Terry left George found out he had a blood clot in his leg, so had to be stationary for about three weeks.  It was hard for him to sit all day with his leg up, but it paid off as the clot has dissolved.  He is still on "rat poison" for awhile to keep his blood thinned out. 

I was able to go to Edmonton for 8 days at the middle of October.  It was so nice to see the "girls" and Darren too.  Melissa is looking good and Signe is just "trouble".  She has a real personality now and is almost walking unassisted.  It won't be long.  Darren is doing well in university and starts his practicum in November.  They have since moved to Grande Prairie, as Darren's practicum is in Beaverlodge which is not far away.  Christine is doing excellent in university and has settled into the residence quite nicely.  She is enjoying herself and her and Loren do alot together.  Logan is back in Peace River and is working hard.

Don't expect to get any trick or treaters this year.  I would have thought that someone in the neighborhood would dress up, but it is not to be.  Maybe Doug will be dressed up when he comes to dinner tonight.

Doesn't the dock to shore look nice?

Season has ended

The season has now ended, or so it seems.  Yesterday was the first day since the middle of June that we had no boats.  We even had supper at the house!  We had a very busy and exciting summer, exceeding last years by quite abit.  It was more than we expected.  We made over 300 pizzas and just as many fish and chips and burgers. 

We enjoyed each and every boat that came to our dock.  Christine and Logan left on Aug 26 and George and I had to fend for ourselves, which we did quite nicely.  A routine had been set up which made everything so much more easy.

Crabs were being caught with gusto as Christine and Logan showed.  We saw a Grizzly at the end of August on our beach between the Doug and us.  Doug called us to warn us of his coming.  Of course we chased him back towards Doug's.  Colyn, Connie and I then went and picked plums as Dougs, so the bear is gone now.

Had a cougar in the yard the other night.  I was by myself as George was in Campbell River getting the Tawun home. (the engines were fixed).  I have never heard such a strange noise before and do not want to hear it again.  I scared the cougar away, but he left slowly.  I believe he was either hurt or sick as he was not moving very fast.  It is gone now and we have not heard it at all.  However, we will not be going up the logging road any time soon as that is the direction it went.

Have seen a big black bear at the head of the estuary, which means that there are no more grizzlies in the area.  The bears have not been around all summer.

Berries are all picked, cucumbers, tomatoes and zucchini are in abundance.  Time for canning!  All the jam sold this summer, so time to make more for next year.  The garden is late this year, because of the dry summer and cold spring.  Now everything is growing like mad as we have had quite a bit of rain lately.  Where was that when we needed it?!

Fall is soon upon us and time to get ready for winter.  Wood needs to be gathered, things need to be put away and the barge needs to be shut down.  We will still be open for business however, and can do pizzas at the house and deliver to the customer.

Thank you each and every boat that graced our dock this year.  We thoroughly enjoyed having you and hope to see you again next year. 

Now, to go see that granddaughter of ours!!

Where has the time gone - Aug 12, 2010

Where has the time gone.  Summer is almost over and so is the season.  It had been slow for the last couple of days, but we were full again tonight.  The weather has not been the best this year with only a few days with no wind.  We did have much needed rain however.

July 4

Entertainment

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PEEK-A-BOO
A visit from Valleyview

A storm is brewing

July 2010

The month of July went by in a blur!  It seems like it was only last week that we did the fireworks.  Many boats have come and gone, some twice already.  We can only hope that August is the same.

FULL HOUSE

PIZZA, PIZZA

THE WIND IS GONE, SO ARE THE BOATS- SAFE JOURNEY

HERE WE GO AGAIN!

CANADA DAY CELEBRATIONS

BOATS DECORATED

CHILI ANYONE?

11

WHAT CHARLIE DOES BEST!!

KABOOM

ECHO, ECHO the cougar is gone!

 WOW

ALL DONE

July1 - 21, 2010

Talk about being busy!!  We had NO IDEA that we would be this busy this fast.  July 1st was a huge hit!  Free Chili and hotdogs for all the dock guests and for the neighbors as well.  The Fireworks were awesome and went off without a hitch.  All the boats were decorated for the occasion and Charlie from Dreamtime entertained us with his fabulous guitar playing and singing.

July 4th was not so nice and the wind started to howl.  We had free Chili and hotdogs for everyone again, but no fireworks because of the wind.  We will either save them for next year or do them on BC day.

Thanks to Terry and Maureen as they did a wonderful job of decorating the restaurant and top deck.  The
GIGANTIC step is also gone thanks to Terry and Logan.

Homemade fries are a huge success and I have been having to make a trip to Campbell River every week to replenish supplies.

THANK YOU to everyone for making this a very good season so far.  Now if only the wind would stop and the sun would shine more.  Do need rain however, as it is very, very dry.

Our internet has been sporatic so this may be the only post for awhile.

KABOOM, KABOOM

July 1 and July 4, there will be fireworks at Port Harvey Marine.  Come and join us for chili on a bun and watch the fireworks.  Horseshoes are planned.

Quite a few meals have been prepared in the newly licensed pub.  This year's menu consists of burger and fries, fish and chips and of course Pizza - two sizes.  The fries are all hand made.

Happy hour on the dock. North Saanich Yacht Club

A bear on the rocks

A Mink on the dock

and Deer at  the house

What a wonderful time of year

May 19 - June 25, 2010

Boy am I ever behind the times. It has been a very busy month. Mother Mary was here for 9 days and left yesterday. She was a great help and we will miss her. Our boating season exploded with a bang on June 20th and have been full three times already. What a great start to the season. Returning boaters were a joy to see again.

Little Signe even had a few gifts given to her. Thank you Brenda and Al from the Raven and Colin and Connie from Sea Jay.

The garden is finally planted and the grass has been cut. The crew from Mosey used the machete and opened up the trail to the logging road and the trail to under the trees. We had not been back there since February so did not know how overgrown it had become.

Logan is now here and will be helping us for the summer. He has learnt alot and is a big help and is willing to learn. He has been thrown into the thick of things as the day after he arrived, our season began.

The weather has also settled down abit and we have had a few nice days. The wind is still a problem at times but it is not as cold as it was.

Our neighbor's dog Racer fought with a couple of wolves a month ago and had to be put down. It was a very sad time in the bay. He was a lovely dog and we will miss him. I think that the wolves are gone now as Racer got his licks in as well and injured one of the wolves. We believe that Racer was protecting Sue the year old pup.

Kate and Joel are out now which means that the summer has definitely started. John and Nancy will be next and our bay will be complete for the summer.

Received sad news on Wednesday the mail day. Dave Bowler, who helped us for awhile last spring, passed away in May. Our hearts go out to Merle. Ocean Child will not be seen for awhile but Merle is still living on it on Quadra Island. Dave built the bench on top of our walkway.

Visit from the Prairie- By Melissa

On May 5 Signe and I flew in from the prairies to see Grandma and Grandpa Cambridge. Grandpa picked us up at Yves River in his boat and drove us across.









Signe and I helped Gail with the gift store. I could have bought so many things! Is it too early to think about Christmas gifts?




There are wonderful pieces by local artisans as well as from my Aunt Debe. The beautiful bags are hers.



We brought in some Rocky Mountain Soap- they are based in Canmore Alberta and are 100% natural. Signe loves the soap!
There are many great books- even for children.
We worked on making sure the dock was shipshape for new arrivals, including new signs.
Inside and out.

The west coast is a different color of green, and the flowers are beautiful.

We saw a bear across the estuary


and our bear on the deck.

There are herds of hummingbirds.



Everything was just beautiful and we were so glad to visit Port Harvey again!

May 02 - 17, 2010

The last 17 days have been busy, busy, busy. Melissa and baby came on the 5th and stayed 10 days. Melissa was a big help and so was baby. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with them both. It has been a very long time since we had a 5.5 month old in the house. They are so full of wonderment and intrigue. Everything is new everyday and there are discoveries everywhere.

The dock has been washed and the top deck as well. The gift shop is done and the store is being stocked. The washroom and shower are almost complete and the new dock to shore is on its way. George has been really busy and Melissa helped out alot.

George brought the washer and dryer back with him, so the laundry area is also almost complete.

We have had a few boats already and have made pizza for them. Since the restaurant is not quite ready to open, we made the pizza at the house and delivered them to the boats. Yesterday, Tippe-Canoe and Nirvana were here and we all enjoyed pizza, salad (thanks Naty) and chocolate cake and ice cream. The restaurant had its first seating, even though the pizza was baked at the house. Too bad we could not bring the bakery oven up to the house for the winter. Wishful thinking I would say.

The lawn was mowed today and it took me all afternoon. It is very lush and has been growing like a weed. Oh wait - the lawn is mostly weeds!!. It looks nice and green anyway.

I will be at the Chatham Channel Post Office tomorrow to relieve Jenny as she has to go to town. My first job for another company in over 14 years. I had been basically self employed since then working for our own companies.

The weather is now cooperating and planting time is almost upon us. I am excited to get the garden planted and the flowers out.

April 20 - May 01, 2010

It has been a slow haul trying to get everything done. The weather does not want to cooperate at all. When it is nice, we work to catch up.

The laundry area is almost done, pressure washing the dock to get the slime off is tedious and time consuming, but the gift shop is almost done, just a few more shelves. Product has arrived and I am impressed. Jenny from Chatham Channel brought her items this morning between sun showers. Everything looks good!!

George had his three month check up and returned on Wednesday. Everything is fine and he has graduated to a six month check up now. I was hoping to get alot done while he was gone, but again Mr. Weatherman did not cooperate. I was able however to get caught up on the books.

George brought lots of goodies back with him. Our washer and dryer are now ready to install, just have to get the coin slots and boxes, which unfortunately were not included. When ordered, I assumed it was included because it did not say that it wasn't. Never assume!! lol.

Melissa and baby will be here next week and we are very excited and are counting the sleeps. 4 MORE!! Mother Mary will be here in June for a visit. It was a very nice surprise when we received her e-mail stating she booked a ticket.

She has never been here in June and I hope she will be surprised at the hummingbirds.

They are hungry, hungry little creatures. They are a real joy to observe. Hopefully we can put a feeder at the store this year.

Two deer wandered through the yard a couple of weeks ago. It was nice to see and yesterday we saw our first black bear across the estuary. We were starting to wonder where they were as we usually see them by now.

The sun is shining through the windows and the wind has stopped. Hopefully it stays that way, I mean really this is May 1!! time for some heat!!

Feb 28 - April 19, 2010

I can't believe how the time has flown by. It is almost the end of April and we still have things to do- the dock and top deck need a good pressure wash. Shells galore and green slime from the rain! Grass needs to be cut again. It was done once already. Garlic oil needs to be sprayed on the lawn to keep the mosquitoes away. So much to do and so little time!! Some things cannot be done until it warms up and the rain stops (if it ever will!!)

I was in Alberta for two weeks at the beginning of March. I had a great time with Melissa, Darren, Signe and Christine. Signe has grown sooo much. Melissa and her will be here in May for 10 days. Exciting times. Christine will be here in June.

Our brother-in-law, Gary is here right now for 8 days. He has not been here for two years, right after we bought the barge, and was quite surprised at the change. It looked quite derelect when we first bought it. He has been busy helping George with the new dock section and walkway to the ramp. Now if the rain will only stop ( we did have some nice days though so can't complain).
George has almost got the washrooms and laundry done. He also decided to create a gift store in the barge. It is the room behind the counter. I was busy painting the ceiling and floor.

We received items for the gift store and I have been arranging them. He have featured local Vancouver Island artisans in our store. We will also be featuring some of Just Jen's items (from Chatham Channel Lodge) and Steve's leather work. There will be recycled glass items, pottery, raindrops and crystal, sand blocks and pyramids, Island Art Cards and Matted Cards, Postcards, Rocky Mountain Soap (which all natural), leather works, hoodies, homemade items and books. Just Jen has a variety of items too numerous to list. We will be adding to this as the summer goes on.
George will be going for his three month check up again at the end of the week. He will be bringing the new washer and dryer back with him.
We have our first boat of the season at the dock tonight, the Kirkwall with Art and Di. They were our first boat last year and our first boat this year. We were happy to see them. They both look healthy and are on an early start to Alaska. Art helped George and Gary with the new dock section. Thank you Art.

Jan 26-Feb 26, 2010

The month has gone by fast. George is back from his check up and has been busy working on the addition to the barge. Just yesterday, all the walls were finally up on the upstairs and the door to nowhere is now to somewhere.

Downstairs will be a washroom, shower and laundry. I helped raise the walls, which I did not like because I do not like heights. It was done none the less.

We had the highest tide we had ever seen on Jan 30. Note the firepit. Now I know why there is flotsam on the flower beds.

Our nephew Ryan and his daughter Haley were here for a few days at the beginning of February. Ryan was here two years ago (remember the bobcat in the water!) and Haley was here three years ago. She is four years old now and will be in Kindergarten in the fall. Her birthday is in December so she can go a year early. Ryan was surprised at the changes. I hope they come back this summer.

The day Ryan and Haley left, I also went to Campbell River. Our daughter Christine was arriving in Comox the next morning. She was here for a week and was also surprised at the changes. She had helped renovate the barge to what it is now. She is also the one responsible for building the walkway on shore. She will be here for the summer and we are looking forward to her help. She is quite excited.

I am hoping to go back to Alberta for a week in March to see our Signe, Melissa and Darren. She has grown so much and is now 3 months old. It will be nice to have them here for awhile this summer.

Spring was here briefly for week and luckily it was while Christine was here. It rained while Ryan was here but it did not stop Haley from being outside. We even went down the logging road to the gravel pit at the top of the hill. We pulled the trailer with the lawn tractor (wanna be quad) and Ryan, Haley and I rode on the trailer. We went to get wood. Bear even liked to ride the trailer as she is getting old and she gets tired. It is a long, long way up the road. Haley figures that Bear does not have enough toys.

Christine went kayaking and was quite disturbed that 5 seals decided to follow her. She did not like that at all!! Her and I also went on the mail run and quite enjoyed ourselves. Christine was able to take some wonderful pictures.

The flowers do not know what time of year it is. The snow drops are blooming as well as the primroses (about a month early). The tulips, daffodils and grape hyacinths are in bud and some are blooming. Even the peonies are sprouting out of the ground. We still expect a cold spell so I hope they do not die. I have been told that it has been an unusally warm winter, but wet and windy.

March is two days away. As they say beware of the ides of March. We will see what it brings.