February 10, 2010 by Rae

Dishwasher Update

I’m glad that I didn’t hurry to finish the dishwasher installation because it’s not working out. 🙁 I can run two to three loads without problem and then the next two or three leak like a sieve. Everything’s fine when I’m running the dishwasher at sink height, so the problem isn’t the machine. I should, in theory, be able to run it at the height I have been, but it’s just not working reliably.

My options are:

1) Stick with the undercounter installation, but waterproof the area and direct the spillage to a container;

2) Install the dishwasher on the counter, next to the stove. This would still give me half the countertop for cooking and eventually eating at and would cover the two holes. The big con to this is that I would be partially blocking the window. I’m not sure yet if that’s really a problem. I also don’t like the idea of screwing anything into the counter top, but I would have to to secure the unit;

3) Give up on the dishwasher. If I do that, I’ve decided that I am also going to give up on cooking. I am not joking. I’ve had a lot of thought about this in the past few months. I think I would be easier to stick with very simple no-cook things like sandwiches and fruit and go out for the odd ‘nice’ meal. This is something I’ve struggled with for years; I love to eat, but cooking and cleanup time feel like such a waste to me. Giving up cooking would greatly simplify my life. Moreover, I’m making more and more of my income from this computer; eating out a few times a week would give me an excuse to go out.

For now, I’m test driving options 2 and 3 and feel that I could probably live off a diet of peanut butter sandwiches and sweet juicy oranges. 🙂

February 10, 2010 by Rae

Projects

This weekend (Monday through Thursday!), amongst doing other things, I started to prep Miranda for the installation of her new floors. Now, I had just about decided to put in the rustic flooring, which is on major sale at Home Depot, but a reader really made me second guess my decision. My timing sucks, as usual, and my first choice, country pine, is back ordered indefinitely while there are new choices available. I’ve decided that soon as I’m ready to buy (could be as soon as tomorrow, but probably won’t be till Tuesday), I’ll go to Home Depot in person and buy six boxes of whatever looks best from what’s available there. It could still end up being the rustic since I do love that flooring!

Prepping the rig for the new floors is proving to be a logistical nightmare. I don’t want to take apart storage systems without having the furniture to replace them, but I don’t want to get the furniture until I have new floors to put it on. Moreover, the weather hasn’t been cooperating for the removal of the bucket chairs in the lounge, the bolts for which are only accessible outside.

Once the new floors are in, though, things are going to move quickly. I’ll be able be able to start looking for good deals on the items of furniture I want and do a major reordering in the study.

The next step will be painting. I went to a paint store yesterday to discuss my options. My preliminary research was confirmed; I’ll be going with a bath & kitchen paint containing a mildew-resistant agent. One thing I did not expect was to get talked into using a water-based Kilz primer. Everyone has told me to use oil-based. The tech told me it will cost me a fraction of the cost of oil, be much easier to deal with, and provide the same results provided I let it cure. He recommended that I paint the whole rig, cabinets and all, with the Kilz primer and then wait a full month before adding paint over top.

I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to try to get all my painting done by May or not. The damp climate makes me leery of jumping into the painting project here in Campbell River. I might do one small room, see how I like it, and then do the work this summer in Dawson’s wonderfully dry climate.

As to paint colours, I’ve decided to be bold!!! I have the luxury of having four rooms and six separate spaces total to play with, so I do not want a uniform look throughout. Since I do want the rig to coordinate, so I will be relying on fabrics to tie the thing together. Once I have my fabrics picked out, I will be able to confirm my paint choices, but the general colour I’ve picked for each room is pretty much set in stone.

Study:

kiwi

A study has to be green, it’s the colour of money! Oh, and it’s my favourite colour. I had a dark green bedroom growing up and a dark green study when I had a house, so this time I decided to punch up the colour a bit.

Now, displaying colours online is always tricky. Even if this is the official virtual paint chip, it’s not quite right. The real colour has a touch more blue to it, much more like a muted version of the real colour of a kiwi fruit.

Toilet Room:

tyrian

I knew the minute I first saw Miranda that if I ever painted her insides, the toilet room would be lavender. Miranda was built in 1996, which was just about the time my dad was renovating one of the apartments in his triplex. What he had done was rent out the not-so-bad units and live in the one being renovated. Anyway, the linoleum in the kitchen was the exact same linoleum in Miranda’s toilet room!!! I came to stay with my dad one weekend in this apartment and discovered that he had painted my bedroom a grayish lavender colour that he knew I’d love. Long story short, taupe and white lino + greyish lavender paint=happy memories. Not sure yet if I’ll leave the lino in there or cover it, but the lavender will be a tribute to my dad.

Onward…

The dressing room:

sherbet

I used to think that I hate pink, but I actually just hate baby pink. Deeper pinks, like rose and this colour, are perfectly lovely. I thought that a shade like this would add a feminine touch to the dressing room and complement the lavender in the toilet room and the green in the study. The two skylights in the dressing room allow it to take a darker shade than one would think.

The kitchen:

rubber duck

Kitchens have to be yellow. In my case, the kitchen is just two small walls, one above the sink and the other above the stove. A brighter colour will therefore work.

The library:

Verdict

The lounge needs to be a colour that will coordinate with the dressing room, the kitchen, and the loft. It was therefore the perfect place to put the vibrant orange I’ve been craving. The actual shade I’d like has a drop more black in it, making it just the weeist bit less bright.

The loft:

smalt

I’m one of those rare folks who loves the combination of blue and orange. Even though most people would never realise there’s a blue room next to an orange one, I would. 🙂 Painting the loft would be a low priority since you can’t see the walls in there, but I’d like to do it because of the mildew-resistant agent in the paint.

Finally, the cabinets, doors, trim, etc.:

biscotti

This is the colour that is giving me the biggest grief and which I won’t settle on until I have my fabrics. I want a neutral ‘cream’ colour, but not something that will seem washed out against the bright wall colours. It will be the most visible colour in the rig so it needs some punch of its own, even if it’s a neutral. I plan to ‘antique’ or ‘distress’ the cabinets for a more cottagey look. My reason for painting the woodwork is that while the doors are all solid wood, the cabinets themselves are laminate and starting to show their age. I’m also starting to have a mishmash of finishes, so a coat of paint will unify everything. Painting the cabinets is going to be a huge job and is the last one of my makeover list.

Tomorrow, I’m going to continue my fabric shopping. I’m looking for plaids and checks that combine the colours I’d like to have in my new home and which will coordinate between themselves. I won’t have a lot of fabric in the new Miranda, but there will be enough to tie in the rainbow I’ve selected.

As for the sewing, I have an aversion to sewing machines, so hand sewing my new curtains and coverings is going to be an on going project for some time.

While the makeover will in no way be complete by the time I leave Campbell River, I will be very satisfied to have my new floors and some if not all the new furnishings I want as well as the fabric and paint so I can continue on this project later. The smaller touches that will be purely decorating can wait. However, the carpentry that’s missing, like finishing the dishwasher counter (a subject of a future post) and putting new doors on the wardrobe can’t. Soon as the floors are done, they’ll be my next project.

How much I get done will depend on time. Time is precious now that I’m so busy with my 33 hours at the convenience store, 10 hours at my analysis job, and 10 or so hours for my writing contract. Plus, I’d like to get some more exploring done!

At least, things are finally coming together and my dream home is within reach!

February 4, 2010 by Rae

Traveling Away From the RV

While this past weekend in Tofino was awesome, there were several instances that reminded me of just why I love to have my RV parked wherever I explore.

Having everything I own on hand

I hadn’t planned on going to the hot springs and wanted to bring minimal baggage since hostel lockers are small. I therefore didn’t have an appropriate day pack, towel, footwear, or attire for the excursion. I ‘made do’ with what I had on hand, but would have enjoyed myself even more had I had my water shoes.

I also didn’t have quite the right clothes with me. I had brought tee-shirts with a light corduroy blouse to wear over top and my rain slicker as a coat. I would have been more comfortable with a three-quarter sleeve length top and the rain slicker only.

Sleeping in my own bed

Sharing a dorm room is something people need to try at least once in their lives so as to truly appreciate the solitude of a private bedroom. The three of us who were there my first two nights (a fourth added herself the third night) had different schedules. One lady was always napping during the day, went to bed early, and got up late. She was always cranky with me for waking her up and on the last night she actually stormed out of the room at 12:30, woke up the manager, and accused me of throwing rocks at her while she slept! I found this out the next morning, having missed the excitement since I was sound asleep. The other gal also had a strange sleep pattern, but is used to hosteling and was super easy to get along with (she might even stay with me when she makes it up to Dawson this summer!).

Not having to ‘drive home’

I was tired yesterday and had an almost four hour drive ahead of me to get back to Campbell River. I did so at a pretty fast clip since I just wanted to get back to my stuff (thankfully, I’d done everything I wanted to do on the way there!). It made sense, however, to leave the RV in Campbell River since I had to come back there instead of being able to meander somewhere else. Taking Miranda to Tofino and back (never mind the road) would have cost $320 ($200 in gas and $120 in pad rent) while taking the car cost $120 ($60 in gas and $60 in accommodation).

Leaving the cats alone

I left Tabitha and Neelix with two big bowls of water and a big bowl of food, yet everything was empty when I got in. Neelix didn’t pounce on me, so I knew the empty dishes were a very recent phenomenon, but I still felt guilty. Two full days is definitely the longest I would ever leave them alone and I always miss them terribly. They apparently miss me, too, evidenced by all the cuddling I get upon returning!

Being able to cook

I am so glad that a) the hostel had a kitchen and b) that the kitchen was inviting to cook in. Cooking with three or four people in the room sometimes involved doing a bit of a jig, but it was better than the alternative since eating out in Tofino for every meal was just not an option.

There is one major perk to getting away from the RV a couple of times a year: it makes you appreciate home all the more. 🙂

February 3, 2010 by Rae

Hiking Near Ucluelet

I checked out of the hostel this morning and headed to nearby Ucluelet to hike the Wild Pacific Trail. Here’s a map that shows the Tofino and Ucluelet peninsulas well, including some of the hiking stops I made on my trip:

http://www.tofinotime.com/maps/tofino-map-long-beach-ucluelet.gif

There was nothing else to do in Ucluelet, and this was confirmed by the visitors’ centre. The detour wasn’t a waste of time, however, seeing as the Wild Pacific Trail was one of the most beautiful trails I have ever seen! It takes you through rain forest and along the water front, past gorgeous beaches and rocky shore. The contrasts in landscapes were inspiring.

The trail is an easy 2.5km loop that I think could be considered ‘accessible’ as it is entirely on a gravel path. There are some steep uphill and downhill sections, but I’d consider the trail a ‘stroll’ rather than a ‘hike.’

I headed home around noon and pulled in around 3, driving straight through. It’s been a great weekend!

Remains of a plank road; people actually drove vehicles on these!

The ‘Graveyard of the Pacific’

What’s with the gate when…

anyone could just walk through the big hole?

this has got to be the most gorgeous beach I have ever seen!

more remains of a plank road

my car next to a palm tree 🙂

The tiny Ucluelet Aquarium (opening for the summer season on March 6)

Overkill computer system for guests to check their email at the Ucluelet Visitors’ Centre.

February 2, 2010 by Rae

Hot Springs Cove

Well, I just had a completely unexpected amazing day. The wonders of this life never cease.

This morning, I slept in until 9:30 and was enjoying a leisurely breakfast when the manager of the hostel came to me and said that a tour company was trying to put together a trip to Hot Springs Cove and needed one more person to go. Would I be interested for the special rate of $84, taxes included?

Research about this day trip put the cost at close to $150, way out of my price range for this weekend. But $84? When else would I get to stay in Tofino for $20 a night and get to go to the Hot Springs for $84? Never.

So, my plans for the day changed very quickly!!! I only had a half hour to make a lunch (thankfully I had bought supplies last night) and come up with suitable attire since I hadn’t brought a bathing suit (I settled on pyjama shorts and a camisole!). I only had flip flops, which I was warned weren’t going to work out there, so I decided to just go barefoot. The hostel offered to lend me a towel so I wouldn’t have to dirty mine.

The hot springs are located on Vancouver Island, but are only accessible by boat and float plane. Here’s a map:

We went around the other side of Florence island to get to the cove, but came back on the side where you can see the arrows. (Picture from http://www.risingsunkayaks.com/images/Clayoquot/mapclayoquot.jpg)

The boat ride is one to one and a half hours each way, then there is a two kilometre walk up and down a boardwalk to get to the spring. It’s therefore a full day excursion.

We were only four today and everything was in our favour. The smaller group and time of year meant a more leisurely pace, we had the springs to ourselves, and the weather cooperated.

While whales can often be seen on these trips, this was the wrong time of year for that. All we saw were groups of sea otters bobbing on their backs waving their paws at us. Too cute!

The walk through the springs is through the rainforest. We had fun looking at the planks underfoot since they all had the names of ships (why, I didn’t quite catch). At one point, I spotted a board for the Stornoway and dryly commented that it must be the official boat of the opposition. A beat passed and then peals of laughter could be heard ahead of me. I love it when I make a funny. 🙂

The hot springs are nothing like those at Liard, where the springs are highly accessible pools. Here at Hot Springs Cove the springs are completely natural. You have to clamber down rocks and stake a claim in a comfortable spot if you can find one. I hunkered down in one ‘deep’ spot where I could at least be covered to my shoulders while the other lady on the trip preferred to stand under the ‘shower’, while the men moved around.

One really neat thing about these extremely hot springs is that sea water comes up and floods them, so you get a mix of hot and cold water. High tide was coming as we were getting comfy and the waves of cold water coming at us grew larger and larger. At one point, a monster of a wave started to bear down on us. I had no where to go, so I just sucked in a huge breath, closed my eyes, and braced myself so I wouldn’t be slammed against the slimy rocks. A crushing wall of ice-cold water covered me and I just rode it out, figuring the water would subside. It didn’t, so I started to climb to the surface before I needed air. My group was concerned, but there was no reason for that, everything was under control. I am at my best in water, even in less than ideal circumstances.

We had about an hour in the water and twenty minutes or so to have a picnic lunch before we had to head back down to the boat.

Facilities at the Hot Springs include a toilet at both the dock and the springs, as well as large changing rooms. There was no place to store valuables, which was fine today but would have sucked on a day with tons of people there. I can’t even fathom that place overrun with people; it must be so dangerous! Good, waterproof footwear would make the experience more fun, but bare feet are fine if you’re careful and not in a rush.

The weather was so warm that coming out of the springs with bare wet shoulders was no hardship. We did the trip in a covered and heated boat, but the few times I stepped onto the deck for pictures, I was struck by how comfortable we were; I’ve been colder in the middle of San Francisco Bay in late June. We had rain coming into the cove, but nearly clear weather coming out.