North America

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Driving It Home

I got up early this morning to work on a transcription project, then I printed out some stuff for Laura and headed for her place. There, I helped her level her new fridge, a job that wound up being much hard than either one of us would have expected.

We then headed across the street to see if C&C needed our help. Not yet. We were asked to come back around 1:00. So I went home to do a load of laundry and continue with my transcription.

I returned to C&C’s promptly at 1:00 and got put to work. They had spent the morning laying out and leveling patio blocks that would serve as the foundation for their addition. The next step was to build the beams on which the floor joists will rest. Making their own beams would cost a fraction of buying them premade, plus the premade ones would have been too short anyway.

So the afternoon passed quickly to the sound of hammers pounding big spikes to connect three layers of wood. My wrists were already a little tender from yesterday’s hauling, so I ran out of steam in a couple of hours. No problem, that coincided with snack time. Caroline makes wonderful coffee and has it exactly the way I do, so a cup of her joe is always perfect. 🙂

It then took only an hour to do the remaining half of the job. I then earned a ginormous and delicious gin and tonic. Yuuuuuuum.

I’m feeling quite done for the day, but I still have a little transcription to do, so I’m trying not to crash. I’d rather finish it tonight so I can sleep in tomorrow before heading to Montana.

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On the Work Detail

I promised C&C that I would help them with their house this weekend. So I showed up around 11:00 this morning and was put to work spreading out the gravel for the new addition’s foundation. The first step was to shovel it from the front of the house into a wheelbarrow and then trundle it to the other end to eventually be spread.

That job nearly done, we got a snack break for a cinnamon roll and coffee. I’m pretty sure I haven’t had a cinnamon roll since the Braeburn Lodge ones Spike Fortier of Alaskan Discovery RV Tours would bring the Bonanza Gold staff in Dawson.

One word: YUM.

Fortified by our snack, we got the gravel moved and then we had to spread it out with rakes. That got interrupted by Laura returning from town with her brand new refrigerator, which we helped unload, unpack, and move into her kitchen before bringing out her old one.

We finished spreading the gravel after and it was then time to pack it. Charles and I moved sheets of plywood around and Caroline drove over them in her little car. After a good round of that, she went in to make us lunch (bless her) and Charles and I continued to pack the gravel using water-filled barrels. Those suckers were HEAVY.

A hearty lunch of Caroline’s chicken noodle soup was then muchly appreciated. That was pretty much it for the day so I headed home to do a load of laundry and get started on a transcription project. I’ll be back on the work detail tomorrow. We’re apparently going to be laying the foundation blocks and making up the floor beams.

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Off the Grid, But Not Independent

A very grey sky and the threat of a storm has kept my batteries unacceptably low all day. I am so annoyed with the weather this summer. Anyway, I ran the genny for a few hours this morning and conceded that I needed to do so again this evening.

Since a generator should operate with a load on it, I actually microwaved my lunch. This evening, I decided to do a small load of laundry that I could hang in the shower and pulled out my spin dryer, which makes my favourite chore even better. I can’t imagine what the neighours who don’t talk to me must think about my laundry station. Wait till I build a serious one with a retractable roof on it. Bwa ha ha.

I am really loving the generator as it is making it possible to remain off the grid and still have all the power I need. I am however cognizant of just how dependent I am on propane and gasoline. Another solar panel is going to be in order for next summer as my single panel just isn’t enough here (which SUCKS).

I have another electrical upgrade in the works. I have a package en route to a nearby Montana border town, so I will be pulling out my passport Monday or Tuesday to go fetch it. And then the fun will begin. But I have to say the instructions seem a heck less intimidating than did the battery monitor ones, so either projects are getting easier or I’m getting savvier about all this electrical stuff.

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RV Park Chez Rae Has a Vacant RV Spot

L just pulled out. 🙁 Goodbyes were hard, as they always are. He has 200 miles to do to get to the Montana RV park I found, so an almost 11:00 departure will be fine and get him settled at a reasonable hour.

It was interesting to see him hook up his trailer, something I find intimidating. He gave me some hints for how to line up. I’m thinking that at some point I might want a little bumper pull trailer like his, so I might as well get all the tips I can!

I have work to keep me busy today, canasta tomorrow, and I’ll spend the bulk of the weekend helping C&C on their house. So that should ease me back into solitary life.

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A Day in WIllow Bunch

L might be leaving tomorrow ( 🙁 ) so we decided to spend one last day together exploring the environs as I’ve been working while he’s been puttering around and doing some landscaping.

Before we headed out, he made me open my awning. What a heavy sucker! But I did it!

We decided to go back to Willow Bunch to visit the thrift store, the museum, and then try the food at the pub.

The thrift store didn’t have much new stuff, but it’s so crammed full we still made discoveries. L found a gorgeous leather man’s coat that he refused to buy because the buttons were on the wrong side. And then he found another bomber-type leather jacket that fit me really well and he insisted on getting it for me. Wow, what a score! I also found a nice light jean coat/vest and a squeegee. When we went there the first time, L found a giant stuffed clownfish (‘Nemo’), so that was rather hard for him to beat. 😀

We then headed over to the museum, which occupies two floors of the old convent. It is much better than the Assiniboia museum as there are more informational placards. The French left something to be desired, so I left my contact info as I am willing to volunteer a few hours to improve the translations.

For lunch, we decided to try the Jolly Giant pub. It looks rather intimidating from outside, but the interior is cozy. We both had a really good grilled ham and cheese sandwich (fancy whole grain bread and real cheese). L had the tomato soup (obviously homemade) and I decided to take a chance on the fries. OMG, they were real French-Canadian fries, super well cooked and very dark and sweet! Yay, I can find real French fries around here!!!!!!! They could have used another minute in the deep fryer, but I’m just being picky. 🙂

We then took the back roads home. L says that the next time I’m in Kansas he wants to take me to the western part of the state as it apparently looks just like southern SK.