Private Property

Chris and Connie and I were able to get access to one of the many old coal mine sites in the Drumheller Valley.  There were a total of 139 mines in the Drumheller area back in the day.  Many of them were very small operations, but there were also some very large ones.  This one was of considerable size and is on private property.  We met the owners of the land and explained that we were photographers and historians interested in the history of coal mining.  At first they were reluctant to permit access, as there are a number of collapsed mine shafts on the property.  But eventually they agreed and gave us a tour of the site.  The site is all fenced off and has security cameras as there have been issues with trespassers, and concerns about safety.

The owners are really nice people and were very accommodating.  Unfortunately there is almost nothing left of the original mining equipment.  Just a few buildings and some scattered pieces of old junk.  The structures are currently used mostly for storage by the owners.  There was one small building, mostly full of old junk, that was once the blacksmith shop.

There was also an old dragline on the property.  I don't believe that it was involved in the original mining operation, and was used later to clean up the site.  Despite that, it is quite old, and very interesting photographically.  

It was a beautiful sunny day and the temperature got up into the high teens.  It was very pleasant to spend a few hours there, and we were very grateful for the hospitality of the owners.  They normally don't allow anyone onto the site and made an exception for us due to our credentials.

Mission Accomplished

When I headed out to Nordegg for Easter I had a list of things that I wanted to accomplish over in the guest cottage.  Mostly I wanted to get the furnace running so that I could have heat as needed.  Kind of ironic that now that winter is over, I'm focused on getting heat.  But, it was just not an option until recently, once I had power in the building, and the furnace roughed in.

I picked up some materials necessary to get the forced air electric furnace up and running.  I already had the cable and the breaker, but needed some flex protection, some connectors, and a thermostat, all of which I brought out with me.

I managed to get everything hooked up, but it just wouldn't work properly.  There was no power to the thermostat.  Eventually in consultation with my electrician friend Rob over in British Columbia, we figured it out and got things going.  It is sort of a temporary installation at this point as I will need to modify it later when the back-ordered air conditioner coil arrives.

I brought out a another load of aspen paneling and spent some time finishing it.  I need to stay ahead of myself in terms of getting the material finished with multiple coats of lacquer in advance of installating it.  I also brought out some ceramic tile for our backsplash, and some plumbing fixtures.

Another of my main goals was to get aspen paneling installed to the exterior walls, around the windows.  This needs to be completed, along with interior casing, so that the rollshutters can be installed.  I managed to get the plywood backing all in place behind where the kitchen cabinets will go, and most of the paneling installed around the windows.  I also got some of the casing installed, and the rest of it painted and ready for installation.  The next time I come out I have about half a day's work to wrap things up and be ready for rollshutters.

By the evening of Easter Monday pretty much everyone in the subdivision had gone home.  Margarit and Anna left about about 3:00 in the afternoon and headed back to the city.  When I stepped outside in the evening it was so quiet, you could have heard a mouse fart.

I feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment as I got most of what I set out to do, completed.  I'm not sure exactly when I'll get back out again, but it won't be too long, and things are really coming together now.

Crash Pad

Chris and Connie and I scouted around late Saturday afternoon after time spent in Big Valley.  We found a couple of locations worthy of a return visit at a later date.

We ended up down at my shop in East Coulee in the evening.  My trailer had been moved outside over the winter, as the south bay of the shop was needed for a work project.  Chris and Connie stopped in town to pick up few supplies, while I headed out to the shop.  They would end up spending the night crashed in the shop.  I stayed in my trailer.  My friend Frank was out on a motorcycle ride with a couple of his buddies.  They all showed up at the shop at around the same time.  We got a fire going in the old chiminea, and had a few beers.  Later we threw some steaks and potatoes on the grill and had a nice supper together.  It was the best steak I've had in a long time.

I always make a mess of steaks when I try to grill in the winter.  I retreat indoors once the meat hits the grill, in an attempt to keep warm.  I always seem to pay more attention to my beer than to the steaks and end up burning them.  This time around, on such a nice evening, I was able to pay proper attention and the steaks turned out just perfect.

Private Church

After we left Big Valley we headed off to a nearby community to check out a small church.  Chris remembered that the church looked sort of abandoned.  When we arrrived, we discovered that they church had been all fixed up.  A prop had been added to support a sagging wall, and the building had new siding and a new roof.  It almost looked as though someone was converting it to a residence.  We were sort of reluctant to hang around, and felt awkward about going to the door.

Then a lady wandered over from a nearby house and asked if she could help us.  We explained what we were doing.  She told us that her son had bought the church and fixed it up.  It was not to be a residence, rather the family used it as a private church for their own services.  It had once been an Anglican Church, but now had no name.  It was really interesting, and the interior of the church still held all of it's original charm.

Train Station

One of the reasons that Chris and Connie wanted to meet in Big Valley was that the Non-Profit Society that looks after the Train Station was having an open house.  Chris and Connie knew many of the members, and had worked with them in the past.  They even stayed in the station in the past.

After we finished our lunch at the Big Valley Inn we walked across the street to the station.  It is fully restored and includes a lot of historic information and artifacts.  It was pretty neat to see, but not really something that I was interested in shooting with my big camera.  I generally prefer old stuff to be deteriorated and preferably abandoned, and not restored to original status.   All the same, I really enjoyed the visit, and the history of the old place, as it was explained to us, was fascinating.

By mid-afternoon we wrapped things up and headed on our way to our next destination.

Big Valley

For a change I did NOT head back out to Nordegg to work on the cottage.  Instead I went in a different direction and just returned from a couple of days down in the Drumheller area.  On the morning of Saturday April 23rd I left the city and headed south.  I met up with my friends Chris and Connie in Big Valley.

I arrived a little before they did, so I dug out my big 8x10 view camera and did a little shooting.  I did one shot of one of the old rail coaches, and a second of the Roundhouse Ruin.

It was really nice to do something other than work on the cottage for a change, and even nicer to get reacquainted with my cameras.  That would be the focus of the weekend... no pun intended.  I left my digital camera at home and brought only my 4x5 and 8x10 view cameras.  While I was out working with those, I also took a few phone snapshots for my blog.

Just as I finished my second setup with the 8x10, Chirs and Connie arrived.  We wandered over to the nearby Big Valley Inn for lunch and a beer.

Red Fox

On pretty much a daily basis our resident Red Fox takes a morning stroll across our properties out at Nordegg.  I regularly see him/her, and my game camera often catches an image of him/her.  He/She often patrols at night too, and the game camera provides this evidence.

When I was out at the cottage over the Easter Weekend I saw him/her in the yard several times.  On one occasion he/she came right up near the house and munched on some of the nuts that I left out for the chipmunks.  I managed to get several decent photographs of him/her with my digital camera and a 300mm telephoto lens.

Tuesday

There was a heavy snowfall warning in place for most of central Alberta on Tuesday April 19th.  Originally I had hoped to take a leisurely drive back home to the city, and do some photography along the way.  It didn't work out that way.

I decided to spend a couple of hours working in the guest cottage in the morning.  I managed to finish installing aspen paneling around both of the remaining windows... in the kitchen and in the dinette.  Then I installed the casing around the dinette window.

I need to clean the PVC jamb of the kitchen window with some solvent before I can put that casing on.  There is some sealant that got smeared on the window, and I need to remove it.  I didn't have any solvent with me, so I had to leave that for another time.  But the casing is all cut and ready to nail on, so it will only take a few minutes to finish up.

By this time it was late morning, and beginning to snow quite heavily.  I tidied up in the cottage and did a few chores and decided to hit the road earlier than I originally anticipated.  It was around 2:00 when I hit the highway for home, it is was already becoming quite snow covered.

Snow conditions lightened up a bit once I left the front ranges but it snowed pretty much all the way back home.  The temperature was right around freezing so the accumulation didn't start in Edmonton until later in the evening.  The forecast was calling for about six inches of snow but fortunately there was only two or three by morning.  Yet another blast of winter...!

Easter Sunday

I bought a 15 Lb. Turkey and brought it out to Nordegg for Easter Dinner.  I was thinking that perhaps Hailey and Helena would join us at the cottage.  But they did not, so it was just Margarit, Anna and me.  Anna doesn't really like turkey.  So we were a little overwhelmed with the concept of trying to eat a large turkey between just two of us.

During the afternoon I puttered around over in the guest cottage while Margarit did some prep work for Easter dinner.  But I shut things down early so that I could join everyone for an Easter visit.  It was a very relaxing and enjoyable day....!

With the thought of all that Turkey that needed to be eaten we decided to invite our friends Shelly and Eric over to give us a hand.  They were out at their cottage for Easter.  We have not been able to connect with our friends for quite some time.  Shelly was injured in a car accident last summer and is slowly recovering.  Eric works up at Fort McMurray and does shift work, so he is free on a rather unpredictable schedule.  And often I was out by myself when my girls decided to stay in the city.  This was the first time in ages that Margarit and I and Shelly and Eric were all out at the same time.  We had a really nice Easter dinner together, with Anna joining in, and sat around visiting for quite some time.

To top it all off it was also my birthday, and everyone toasted me and passed on birthday wishes.

Later in the evening, Anna really wanted to have a bonfire, so we went outside and got a fire going.  We didn't last all that long as it was a little chilly, but it was nice to have our first fire of the season.

Weekend Work

Every morning for the past few days at Nordegg it dawned clear and cold and sunny.  But by mid day, although it warmed up, the clouds rolled in and it became very dull.  I ended up working in the guest cottage all day Saturday and part of Easter Sunday.  

I brought about 40 aspen boards out with me, and got about half of them finished with four coats of lacquer.  I am doing a little heavier finish on the ones that will be used on the lower walls.  I got quite a bit of aspen installed on the walls.

On Easter Sunday, which was also my birthday, I took a stab at getting the furnace running.  With some long distance help from my electrician friend Rob I managed to get the thermostat wired in and working.  So there is now heat in the building.

Back at it on Good Friday

Once again it was cold when I got up in the morning, and there was a skiff of fresh snow.  Good Friday dawned slightly warmer than the day before, at about -13C.  I was lazy and sat around drinking coffee until late morning, when it finally warmed up a little.  Twice during the morning our resident Red Fox wandered through the yard and once came right up near the window.  Later I headed over to the guest cottage and set to work.

I redid the wiring to the furnace.  I mounted an electrical box on the furnace so that the flex cable could be properly attached.  Then I shut off the power, and working with a flashlight, installed the breaker in the panel and connected the cables at that end.  When I turned the power back on, all the other circuits still worked and no breakers popped.

I tried to temporarily wire in the thermostat so that I could have heat, but I didn't have the proper wire and couldn't get it working.  That was yet another frustration and set back, as that was one of my goals for this weekend.  I will have to attempt it again next time, when I have the proper materials.

With the wiring done as far as I could go I switched gears and carried on with some wood work.  I finished installing plywood backing behind the range, the exhaust hood, and the last of the cabinets.  I managed to dump a can of primer on the floor, but salvaged most of it.  Then late in the day I carried on with the drill that has kept be busy all winter.... applying lacquer to yet more aspen paneling.

During the day it warmed up to just above the freezing mark.  The snow began melting off the roof and dripped down in front of the door and all over my step ladder.  This reminded me that I really do need some eavestroughs.

I quit working around 6:00 and went back to the main cottage and started making dinner.  I was making another batch of my Beef Stroganoff.  Margarit and Anna arrived about 7:30, just as I finished up making dinner.  We enjoyed a nice meal together, and visited for a while.  But I was tired from working all day and crashed by around 9:30.

Fifty Nine

Not as in the Model Year... the one with the big Tail Fins... but my model year.  My birthday falls on Easter Sunday this year, and it is my last one before the big Six-O...   A little nervous about this one.

In some ways I don't really feel my age.  But some days my body tells me that I'm living in denial.  I know that when I'm working on the guest cottage, and there is any work that requires me to be on my hands and knees, or lots of up and down ladders.... then I feel like sixty... and then some...!!!!  Same goes for playing hockey with a bunch of guys that could be my kids....!

Challenging Day

Thursday April 14th was a bit of a struggle.  When I got up in the morning at first light, it was -15C.  I went over to the guest cottage around 8:30 and started a fire to take the chill out.  The temperature never got up above -7C all day long, and the sun never really came out.  In the early evening it started snowing.  Sure feels a lot more like winter than the middle of April.

In the morning, while I was waiting for the cottage to warm up, I connected with my electrician friend Rob.  He helped me to go through the wiring information for the furnace and the thermostat.  They are two different products from two different manufacturer's and the information does not totally agree.  Eventually we figured out what has to be done.  

Finally when the cottage warmed up a little, about 11:00AM, I set to work.  I was a little overwhelmed by the electrical stuff so I started on vapor barrier and paneling to the east wall instead.  I worked on this for a few hours and eventually got above the window.  Then I decided to unload the 40 lengths of aspen that I brought out with me, as well as four boxes of ceramic tile.  Once that was done, and everything was put away, I decided to take a stab at the electrical.  I HATE electrical and don't understand it very well.  All the different types of wire and connectors, and fasteners and components are very confusing.  I get help as much as I can, and stumble through the rest of it on my own.  It turned out that I don't have the right wire for the thermostat, or the right connectors for the supply cable.  I stumbled along and made some of the connections, and got as far as I could.  Late in the day I ended up putting a couple of coats of paint on some casing.

I felt rather frustrated about the whole day and didn't accomplish nearly as much as I hoped to.  Hopefully things go a little better tomorrow.  Not sure if I can do anything to get the furnace temporarily hooked up but will give it a try.  If that doesn't work out, then at least I have lots of finishing stuff I can carry on with.  It would be a little easier if it would just warm up....!  

Birds

There sure are a lot of birds around our place at Nordegg.  I have two feeders, that I keep filled all the time, and I suppose that keeps them coming.  Right now, with this late blast of winter, they seem to be staying close.

All winter long I have seen a lot of Chickadees, both Black-Capped and Boreal.  There are also both kinds of Nutchatch, Red-Breasted and the larger White-Breasted.  And both Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers are also regular visitors.

Lately there have been a lot of Dark-Eyed Juncos.  I looked them up in my bird book and there are four varieties.  Two of them are common here.  And most recently I've noticed a couple of birds that are new to me.  I'm virutally certain they are Varied Thrushes as I looked them up in my bird book.

I got a couple of images of them on my digital camera, but they are not very good images.  I attached photos of the images from my bird book, as they provide a better idea of what I have been seeing.

There sure are a lot of bird tracks in the snow around our firepit.  One of my feeders is nearby and they have all been hanging around it a lot.

Winter Returns... Again

These past few days have been unseasonably cold.  The beautiful spring day that we had last Friday, when it got up to +24C, was shortlived.  Over the weekend it got very windy and cold and we got a skiff of snow.  I was intending to go out on a day trip with some friends but the cold weather forced a postponement.

Instead I loaded up more aspen paneling, and a bunch of other construction materials and headed out to Nordegg on the afternoon of April 13th.  By this point the snow that fell in the city had melted.  But, out in the front ranges there had been more accumulation, and it was still on the ground.

When I got up at dawn on the morning of the 14th the thermometer registered -15C.  Pretty damn cold for the middle of April...!  The forecast is not calling for much of a warm up over the next few days.  Good thing I have lots of inside work to keep me busy.

Roll Film Processing

On April 9th I processed a couple of rolls of medium format film.  This was Kodak Tri-X Pan 400, developed in Rodinal 1:50.  Development was for 13:00 minutes at 20C.  One of the rolls was shot by my oldest daughter Hailey, using my Hasselblad Camera.  I think it dated back to late 2020.  The second roll was even older, from December of 2019.  This was a roll that I shot, using my Gaoersi 624 Panoramic camera and a Nikkor 180mm lens.  This format creates a negative that measures approx. 6cm x 24cm [2-1/4" x 9"], and you only get three exposures per roll.

The view finder of the camera is not particularly accurate.  I find it best to compose with the back of the camera open, and a ground glass placed over the film carriers.  Of course this has to be done before you load the film, and once the film is loaded, you can't open it to compose the next two frames on the roll.  So I did three shots of the same thing, slightly bracketing the exposure.  This is not ideal given the present cost of film... currently averaging around $15 per roll, and set to signficantly increase this year.

These large negatives are too long to print in my 4x5 enlarger.  I really need to get busy with that darkroom renovation and set up my 8x10 enlarger.  I've only been procrastinating for a decade and a half or so.  I thought I would get to it in my retirement, but so far that hasn't happened.  For now I have to make due with just scanning the film.

This shot was taken up at Abraham Reservoir west of Nordegg.  It was taken on December 1st 2019, and the lake had obviously not yet frozen over.  As this is very close to Windy Point, the ever present wind is obvious.  The mountain on the right is called Wapta Kista.