Rough Waters ...

Friday,  July 13, 2012
 

Even though it was Friday the 13th ...
we ventured out early in the morning ...
once again into the heavy fog ...
the winds picked up as we headed out of the harbour ...
we travelled out into the open rough water ... 25 miles out ... felt the queasiness in my stomach ...
figured with the anti-nausea patch I should be ok ...
when we reached our destination ... along the sand bank ... the perfect spot to jig for Halibut ...
we put our lines into the water ... hitting the bottom ...
sitting there as we trolled ...
I had asked Ron for a couple ginger capsules ...
I went into the cabin to get my water to take them and that was it for me ...
I never made it back out onto the deck ...
I was sea-sick ... I ended up falling asleep ... trying to stay still ...
as the guys continued to fish ...
as the boat rocked and bucked between 15 to 20 foot swells ...
at one point Mike said the waves were above the height of the boat ...
they said the fishing was great ... every time they put their lines out ...
one of the two would catch a fish ...
even managed to get a Halibut ... and another Spring Salmon ...
I was so grateful to see the blue sky and calm waters as we approached the harbour  ...
It sure was nasty out there on the ocean ... !!!!

After the fish were cleaned and filleted ...

we decided to go out for dinner ...

needless to say ... I was a little leery on putting anything into my mouth ...

We went on the Canadian Princess Ship ...

to one of the restaurants aboard ...  

the guys had a lovely dinner ...  I chose to have a bowl of soup and toast ... !!!

We then walked around the ship ... and saw the fishing boats docked in the harbour ...

watching the setting sun ... !!

The Canadian Princess Ship 

in 1979 was towed to Ucluelet Harbour 

where it now operates as a floating hotel

and fishing resort ...

Click here to read about the History ...

Gone Fishing ....

July 11 & 12,  2012
We received a phone call from our friend Ron on Sunday ...
he called to ask if we would like to come out to the Island and go fishing ...
the perfect opportunity for us as he had had a fishing trip cancellation ...
of course we accepted
we were in the middle of laying the heating lines for the shop ...
so we said we needed a couple days to complete this job ...
we booked our flights and headed out on Wednesday morning ...
exhausted ... !!!!
 

We landed in Comox ...
rented a car and drove to Ucluelet ...
and arrived late in the afternoon ...
Ron was waiting for us ...
to head out for a few hours of fishing ...
it had been foggy for a few days ...
but that didn't stop Ron from getting us out there ...
to catch some fish ....
Mike caught this 24lb Spring Salmon ...
one of the largest catch of the day ...
out of all the fishermen ...
we also caught few smaller ones ... some keepers ... some we released ...
we were delighted with our daily catch ...

 

This was Day 2 ...
another foggy day going out ...
seeing the sunshine ...
returning into the harbour ...
 

Heading to the cleaning station ...

with my two Coho Salmon ...

Mike scaled them ...

and Ron filleted them ...

we caught a couple Mackerels ... small Cohos' and a Yellow Eyed Rock Fish ...

which were all released back into the ocean ...

Family Together ...

Spending time together on Vancouver Island ...
with friends ...
having a great time seeing the sights ...
Jacob took this picture ...
and forwarded onto me ...
Thank you ...!!!

Growing In The Yard ...

 

Agaricus is a mushroom that contains genes for both edible and poisonous species ...
there are over 300 member in this family  ...
the Button mushroom is of the edible ones ...

I was surprised to see this growing in our yard ...

Scanning The Field ...

 

This Turkey Vulture ...

was flying over the field ...

in search of gophers ...

Lines In ...

 

Plex Lines laid out beside the trenches ...
started to put them in ...
and surround them with insulation boxes ...
wrapped tight with Duct tape ...
it was difficult working in the narrow trench ...
especially when it weaved thru the trees ....

 

We then placed 2x4 pieces ...
across the trench ...
we were able to build the boxes above ground then ...
once they were constructed ...
we removed the supports ...
and lowered them into the ground ...
so much easier this way ...

 

Thru the bushes ...

around the corner ...

to the boiler ...

all in place ...

ready to be back filled ...

Mike worked a few hours to smooth out all the dirt piles ....

Now we have quite a bit of work ahead of us ...

to manicure the yard again ...

We sure do grow lots of rocks out here ...

Oh well ... that will be another day ...

we're going fishing ...

Preparing The Sight ...

 

 

It was time to start digging ...
the trenches to put in our water ...
and heating lines ...
down from the boiler ...
to the shop ...
deck removed ...
patio tiles hauled away ...
bushes taken out ...
and now begins the tractor work ...
once the trenches were dug ...
a layer of sand was spread along the bottom ...
there was a lot of shovel work involved as well  ...
this deer kept a close eye on the job ...

So Refreshing ...

 

Chillin' in the tub ...

after a busy day at the lake ...

on a really hot day ...

looks like they were enjoying the water ...

Kendall sent this pictures ...

Thank you ... !!!

Oh ... The Strong Winds ...

Afternoon on July 3, 2012
 

We had the worst wind storm ...

I believe ever ...

after the morning North/East winds ...

it completely changed direction ...

 in the afternoon ...

strong winds out of the South/West ...

trees were bending in all directions ...

branches were snapping off ... 

and were blown all over the yard ...

our patio chairs and table were blown over ...

the BBQ ended up in the far corner of the deck ...

it actually flipped our solar panels for the pool ...

they were full and running at the time ...

I had planned to work outside today ...

but after gathering all the furniture up ...

and being hit by flying Pine cones ...

I decided I had better stay indoors ... 

after this wind storm ...

we had torrential rain falling ...

I had quite a mess to clean up after this storm ...

Dark Clouds Before The Storm ...

July 3, 2012
 

These were the clouds early in the morning ...

coming from the North/East ...

it was a chilly breeze ...

and gave off an eery feeling ...

not sure what kind of storm was brewing ... !!!

Blending In ...

 

This is our resident Snowshoe Hare ...

since we have the neighbours domestic rabbits ...

hopping around here ...

they usually end up chasing one another and playing ...

it's quite comical to watch ...

the Snowshoe Hare has longer ears ...

and large hind legs ....

 in the winter their coat changes to white in colour ...

to blend in with the snow ...

Trying To Watch A Movie ...

 

Went to Alberta for the for an appointment ...

spent the night with the kids ...

Nathan took this picture of us ...

sitting ... laying on the couch ...

watching Puss In Boots ...

I don't think they could have gotten any closer to me ...

if they wanted too ... !!!

They were all pretty tired and didn't even make it to the end of the movie ...

so off to bed they went  ...

and I could breathe once again ... !!!

Full Moon Rising ...

This picture was taken on July 2, 2012 

This picture was taken on the night of the full moon ... July 3, 2012

A beautiful glow of orange ....

Riding Around ....

 

The kids were checking out Lorraines' Gucci ...
they were so excited when they got to go for a ride ...

 

They also got to go for a ride in Uncle Ian's Rat Rod ...

this was Nathan's first time as well ...

cruisin' down the road ...

actually ... more like "flying" ... !!!

Kids Playing ...

 

James having fun on the hammock ...
the other children ...
came to join him ...

 

Craig loves to climb trees ...
he thought Uncle Ian and Aunt Kendall ..
had the best tree to play in ...
and it was perfect to tease ...
his younger brother ...
threatening to jump on him ...
(Grandma was close to make sure he didn't)

 

A new friendship developed ...

with Ella and Megan ...

It was neat to see all the kids playing together ...

Daigen started a new game ...

sliding on the grass hill ...

running and chasing each other ...

thru the long grass ...

too bad the moms were going to have some extra scrubbing to do ...

to get the grass stains our of their clothes ...

Our Weekend Project ...

 

This will be the last time for the deer to venture in and relax in our old garden ....

 

This garden plot had been dormant ... for almost 9 years ...
it was time to tear down the fence around the garden ...
remove the ant infested ... rotted logs ...
and start anew ...

 

A couple loads of horse manure ... peat moss ...
and a borrowed tiller ...
Mike worked it all in and churned up the soil ...

 

The soil ready to be moved into a pile ...

the site prepped and somewhat levelled ...

to start building the raised bed frames ...

and putting them in place ...

And Now For The Presents ...

June 23, 2012
 

It had been so busy with all the Birthday celebrations ...
that the gifts were opened the next day ...
It took a few hands to figure out and build some of the presents ...

 

Apparently ...

Daigen sought out this gift from the pile ...

and brought it to Kendall so that he could open it ...

I was delighted when I was informed ...

so I came in from outside ...

to sit and build with Duplo blocks ...

that Grandma and Grandpa bought for him ...

Here He Is ...

 

Here is our little one .. Nixon ...

spending time with Grandma & Grandpa ...

during Daigen's birthday weekend ...

he wanted to be involved and be a part of everything going on ...

when he wasn't eating or sleeping ...

He is such a happy baby ... !!!

It Was A Hit ...

To The Angry Bird Piñata 
June 24, 2012
 

The kids were so excited to get their turn with the bat ...
hitting the Piñata ...
This was one tough bird ...
it took quite a few turns for the kids to even make a dent ...

 

Finally the kids had had enough ...

Ian suggested that it needed someone bigger ...

 Nathan came to the rescue ...

with his girth he hit the bird and broke it open ...

wow ... talk a about a bunch of kids scurrying fast ...

to gather up the toys and candies ...

bursting from the Angry Bird ...

This Piñata was a hit with the kids ... !!!

Happy Canada Day ... !!!!