Back to Nordegg

On Thursday December 9th I headed back out to Nordegg.  I loaded up about 100 of my tongue and groove aspen boards and hit the road.  Conditions in Edmonton were treacherous, as we got freezing rain for the third time this season.  The highways were generally clear and dry until I got further southwest.  Out around Rimbey and Rocky Mountain House and on to Nordegg there had been no rain, but there was a lot more snow.  They highways were slushy, and in some areas partly snow covered.  I arrived at the cottage shortly after sunset and got unpacked and settled in for the night.

I was too lazy to offload all the aspen in the dark, so I left it on the truck until Friday morning.  It was clear and sunny for most of the day Friday, and the temperature started at about -10C at dawn and rose to about -3C during the day.  But there was a brisk wind that made it somewhat unpleasant outside.  I got all the boards unloaded and stacked in the guest cottage and then set about finishing them with lacquer.  As there has been no heat in the cottage for over a week it took a while to get the chill out.  It was about -2C in the cottage when I got the fire really going and started working.  By late in the afternoon it got as warm as about +10C inside.  Pleasant enough for working, but it sure takes a long time for that lacquer to dry at low temperatures like that.  I got sixteen boards fully finished with four coats, and then eight more boards with the first two coats.