Headstones

During a day trip back in October, we were out exploring with our friends Chris and Connie.  Boy were we surprised when we poked our heads into this old barn, and came across these two headstones.  It was a pretty eerie feeling.  We surmised that some grave markers must have been replaced at a nearby cemetery, and the old ones ended up here... somewhat forgotten.

I shot this on Adox CHS-50 film with my Ebony 4x5 view camera and a 75mm wide angle lens.  The film was processed in Rodinal developer, 1:50.

Saturday Workday

I didn't sleep well on Friday night.  I went to bed early, around 9:30, because I was cold and tired.  I woke up around 12:30 and couldn't get back to sleep.  The windy conditions that we had all day on Friday got a lot worse and it got REALLY windy overnight.  At one point in the middle of the night the TV came on... probably a power surge.  I eventually fell asleep again around 3:30, and then slept in until after 9:30.

I got a fire going in the guest cottage around 11:00 and set to work finishing more of the aspen boards.  It started out kind of sunny, but quickly clouded over and became very gloomy.  I had to turn the work light on in the guest cottage even in the middle of the day.  It started snowing heavily around lunch time and snowed all day.  After a couple of hours the snow became finer and lighter, but we ended up with additional accumulation of about 1-1/2 inches.  It finally quit around sundown, and the skies partly cleared after dark.

I finished the final two coats on the eight boards that I started on Friday.  Then I did 16 more boards during the course of the day, each with four coats of lacquer.  Late in the day I managed to get two more coats on an additional eight boards.  I'm approaching the half way mark on the boards I brought out, and have used about 3/4 of the first pail of lacquer.

The grain in some of the boards is just beautiful.  I'm trying to set aside some of the nicer ones to use in the most prominent locations.

Late in the evening, just as I was packing up, one of the White Tail Bucks came wandering through the woods behind the cottage.  He was only about 20 feet away from me, and didn't see me watching him through the window.

Flooded Granaries

Despite the fact that it was a drought year and most of the sloughs were dried up, these old granaries remain flooded.  You can see the high water line on the side, so obviously the water has been much deeper in the past.  I shot this with my Ebony 4x5 view camera of Adox CHS-50 film, developed in Rodinal 1:50.    It was taken with a 125mm lens.  This was taken back in October, on a day trip when we were out exploring with our friends Chris and Connie.

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.  

Chain Hoist

I shot this one with my Ebony 4x5 view camera and a 75mm wide angle lens.  It was taken on Ilford FP4+ film, developed in Rodinal 1:50.  This is the interior of an abandoned maintenance building down in Crowsnest Pass.  My friend Fred and I were out exploring after dropping off all of our prints at the Crowsnest Pass Public Gallery for our Coal in Alberta exhibition.  This was back in October of this past fall.

Some 8x10 Scans

These are scans of a couple of 8x10 negatives.  I shot these with my Chamonix 8x10 view camera when we were out exploring northeast of Edmonton with Chris and Connie.  Both images were taken on Kodak T-Max 100 film, developed in 510 Pyro.  This was back in May of last summer.

Cottonwoods

This is the third negative that I scanned from my recent batch of Foma Retropan Soft 320 developed in Microphen.  I quite like this image, though it remains to be seen whether the soft grainy version on this film is better than the one I shot on traditional film.  I haven't processed that traditional one yet, so the jury is still out.  These are some roadside cottonwoods, down along the Red Deer River, near Drumheller.  These trees are among my favorites, as they have so much character.  Not "these" trees specifically, but Cottonwoods in general.  In this instance I like the way the dead one mirrors the living one behind it.  This might make a good print... ?

Stranded

If I had got my act together, and hit the road for home first thing in the morning on December 1st, it probably would have been fine.  But I slept in a little, and then procrastinated, and by then the snow was coming down very heavily.  I ended up getting stranded at the cottage, and missed out on my hockey game on Wednesday night.  It wasn't really a big deal, as I had lots of food and lots to keep me busy.

I decided I would wait out the storm and head home on Thursday instead.  The snow kind of tapered off around sunset on Wednesday and we didn't get much more after that.  But, I was told that central Alberta, east of the mountains, got hit with another batch of freezing rain.  So, I decided it was not wise to try driving home quite yet, and stayed for another day.

I didn't accomplish much on Thursday....   I puttered around in the morning trying to repair my tripod head that had been acting up.  I think I got it more or less fixed, but probably need to replace a spring.  After that I gave my neighbor Dan a hand.  He is in the process of installing some siding on his cottage and needed a hand to start the first row and get it straight.  After that I put out some oats for the deer.  Now that hunting season is over, and it is snowy and more of a challenge for them to find food, I don't mind feeding them a little.  One of the big bucks came by just around sunset and hopefully the other two also survived hunting season.  

I made a beer run to town as I had run out a couple of days ago.  Everything was shut down during the big storm but it seems things are back to normal now.  I put in a little time in the guest cottage during the afternoon and finished up a little electrical work.  The paneling is all on now, and until I bring out some more, there is nothing more that I can do with this finishing work.  I'll check the road reports in the morning and if the highways are in OK condition, I'll lock things up and head back to the city for bit.

December Snow

It started snowing at some point shortly before dawn on Wednesday December 1st.  It continued all day long, and by dark it was still coming down.  There was an accumulation of about four inches by the time it started to get dark.  The forecast is calling for it to continue through the night and taper off on Thursday morning.  I delayed my return to the city as I didn't want to drive the highway in these conditions.  I'll see what the morning brings and decide when it is safe to go back home.  I have lots of food in the fridge, and lots of work to do, so being stuck out here at the cottage a little longer is not a big deal.

I got a bit of a late start this morning but eventually got a fire going next door and set to work.  All of the aspen was already lacquered from the day before so I didn't have to do any more of that.  I just set to work installing all of the boards that were left.  I got them all up by late afternoon, save for a few cutoffs that I will use in other locations.

Overnight we went from having +8C temperatures and no snow, to winter like conditions.  It is not cold and the temperature hovered right around the freezing mark all day.  But it sure looks different with all the snow around.  I know I said last time it snowed that I thought it was here to stay.  Its getting so late in the season now that this time it probably will.  But I'm not betting on it any more...

Tuesday

On Tuesday November 30th I continued on my project.  I got the last of the 75 boards of aspen finished with four coats of lacquer.  I also finished putting up all the boards on the second wall of the bedroom.  I have been doing the electrical connections as I go.  I wire in the receptacle, and later the switches, as I finish each individual wall.  

Around 2:00 in the afternoon my contractor Scott came over with his skid steer.  I gave him a hand and we installed the sewer line from the house out to the septic tank.  We wrapped the line with a heat trace tape, and put in the cable for the tank alarm.  Then we covered the tank and the line with rigid insulation.  Scott proceeded to use all the available dirt that we had on site from the excavation, and finished the backfill.  The tank and line are completely covered, and the foundation is mostly backfilled.

Some of the dirt was already frozen into lumps.  When it thaws next spring there will likely be some settling, and we'll need to bring in some extra fill, and some gravel.  But for now things are nicely finished up.

Just in the nick of time too...  Overnight on Tuesday it started to snow.  I was going to go home to the city on Wednesday morning, but there is a heavy snowfall warning in effect and it was coming down fairly heavily.  I decided not to risk driving the highways and will stay for an extra day or two.  There are still some aspen boards remaining to be installed, and some electrical I can putter around on.  So the time will be put to good use.  The only downside is that I will miss my hockey game on Wednesday night.

A Drive up the Valley

Monday was the only day during my recent visit to Nordegg, that the sun came out.  There was a mostly blue sky, with just a few puffy clouds.  At this time of year the days are very short and the sun is quite low in the sky.  I provides a beautiful clear side light all day long.  

I finished up working on my security system about 1:00 in the afternoon and decided to take a break and go for a drive with my camera.  I headed west up the North Saskatchewan Valley on the David Thompson Highway.  Although there is pretty much no snow left at Nordegg, the further up the valley I got, the more snow there was.  

It was very windy, which made photography difficult.  The lower reaches of Abraham Lake were open and there were large waves crashing onto the shore.  I stopped in a few places and took some snapshots.  I also managed to set the big camera up twice... right on the side of the road... using the truck as a windbreak.

The upper reaches of Abraham Lake, near Preachers Point, has a crust of ice on it.  It is more sheltered here and the wind doesn't keep breaking it up.  With these current mild temperatures it will probably be quite a while before the lake fully freezes over.  In recent years that has usually taken place in early to mid January.  Hopefully it is relatively calm when it freezes over and we get some good ice bubbles this year.   Abraham Lake is renowned for the Ice Bubbles that accumulate every winter.  This happens on many lakes, when methane gas escapes from the lakebed.  But here it is so windy that the lake ice remains mostly snow free and the bubbles remain visible.  We'll see what conditions are like later this winter.

I got back to the cottage at around 3:00, as the light was beginning to fade a little.  Much of the valley falls into shade by this time in the afternoon, as the sun drops behind the peaks.  I worked for another three hours or so and managed to get some more of my aspen paneling finished with lacquer, and cut and installed some of it.  It was getting too dark in the guest cottage, and my little worklight was not good enough to see properly.  I didn't want to make a mess of the installation, so I shut things down a little earlier than last night.

December Calendar Image

This is the image that I used on the December page of my 2021 calendar.  Its the interior of an old abandoned farmhouse, northeast of Edmonton.  I now have to get busy and get my image selection completed for the 2022 calendar.  Must get that off to the printers so that I can have it ready by early January.

I don't like Mondays

Actually I do... now...!  I used to hate Monday's because it meant the end of my weekend and a return to work.  But now that I'm retired, every day is like a Saturday...!  I actually like Monday's a lot because most of the world goes to work or to school and it's quieter wherever I go... particularly Nordegg.  I was just referencing the old song by the Boomtown Rats, as I thought it was a fitting title for this post.

There is hardly anyone else around the subdivision in Nordegg on this Monday November 29th.  Even the trades are not really working on the other cottages.  Maybe its because its Cyber Monday, and the hangover of Black Friday is still lingering...?

I woke up at 5:30 and couldn't sleep any longer.  I laid in bed for a while then got up around 6:30.  It was clear overnight and the temperature dropped to -5C by morning.  I went over to the guest cottage to light the fire and it was still +5 inside from the fire the night before.  I carried on with finishing of my aspen paneling.  Some of the wood is just gorgeous.  Most of it is very white in color, which is why I selected aspen.  The guest cottage is small, with not a lot of windows, so I didn't want it to be too dark and gloomy.  The heartwood and the knots are a beautiful reddish color and some of the wood shows a beautiful ribbon like grain.  I will attempt to install some of the nicest pieces in prominent locations so that it is highly visible.  I got most of the lacquer application done by mid-morning, and then shifted to another project.

I installed an extra security camera on the system in our cottage.  Rather than put a separate system in the guest cottage, I just added a camera so we can view the other building with our exiting system.  I'm not very good with electronics and always seem to have trouble with it.  But, I got everything working without issue.  I may still have to go and align the camera a little better, but for now it is just fine.

Rented Mule

I feel like a rented mule tonight.  I worked myself really hard today, and my old carcass is telling me I had enough.  Nothing overly physical... but just a long day.  Stretching across a rack of boards to sand and apply lacquer.  And reaching up to the ceiling to fit boards into place and attach them with a brad nailer.

On Sunday November 28th I slept in a bit.  It was a warm night overnight and the temperature stayed a couple of degrees above freezing.  I think it was about 11:00AM before I got over to the guest cottage and got started on work.  I got a fire going and there wasn't much chill to get out of the cottage.

The past couple of days I managed to get 16 of the aspen boards finished with four coats of lacquer, per day.  This was a seal coat on the back side, and three coats on the exposed side.  Today, despite the late start, I got 24 boards completely finished, and eight more started with two coats.  I also finished installing boards to the ceiling of the east bedroom, and got most of one wall finished.

It was after 8:00 in the evening by the time I finished.  Needless to say the sun was long down, and it was dark.  It is a bit of a challenge to work in the guest cottage after dark as I only have one extension cord.  This has to power the light, the saw, the compressor, and today, I had the tunes playing.  But they all don't run at once, so the breaker never popped.  I only have one little work light, and once it gets really dark it is a challenge to see properly.

I had leftover roast beef and mashed potatoes for supper.  So this made working late a little easier.  I only had to warm up my evening meal, and not cook anything from scratch.

These snapshots of the progress were taken with my cell phone, and the lousy flash that it has.  Maybe in the next day or two I'll take a couple of photos in daylight to better show the work in progress.

Paneling Installation

In late September I got a phone call from the lumber mill that was going to be making my aspen paneling for me.  I was informed that they were on schedule, and my paneling would be ready in October as promised.  My project was behind schedule, due to delays in availability of other materials.  I had kind of been hoping that they would also be running behind schedule milling the paneling.... but they were not.

It seemed as though paneling was a long way off and I had to figure out something to do with it.  I eventually made arrangements to pick up the material, and store it until spring.  Low and behold here it is not even the end of November, and the installation of the paneling is underway.  It has surprised even me.

With the recent push on getting the guest cottage winterized I'm now able to work inside.  During this most recent trip out to Nordegg, I brought 75 lengths of paneling with me, and started on finishing and installation.  The finishing is going a little slower than expected because the water-based lacquer I'm using takes a lot longer to dry than I expected.  But over the course of two days working in the cottage I got 32 lengths of paneling finished, and 14 installed.

I got up on Saturday morning, November 27th, and headed over to the guest cottage to get a fire going.  It was about 9:00 at that point, and I let the fire burn for a while to warm the place up, while I had breakfast.  I ventured over after breakfast and got started.  Although it was -8 overnight, it stayed just around freezing in the guest cottage, and once the fire had been going for a while it warmed up to 10, and eventually 15.  I was able to work inside all day without a jacket... just coveralls and a hoodie.

My neighbor Rob came over to check on my progress and we visited for a little while, but other than that I worked all day until after dark.  That sounds like a long day, but I can't get started until around 10:00AM and by 5:00 its dark and I'm shutting things down.  

As the sun was going down, and I had to plug in the worklight, as I finished up the last of what I was doing.  I got the 14th board installed on the ceiling in the east bedroom, and got the fourth and final coat of lacquer on the second set of boards.

As I stumbled around in the dark putting things away I realized that Black Friday has come and gone and I didn't even get a chance to go to the mall...!  Somehow I didn't miss it... and as the day comes to an end I'm tired and sore from the work, and from my fall yesterday, but I have a great sense of accomplishment.  I put a beef roast in the oven at about 5:30... well after it got dark... and will have a late supper.

I plan on staying out and continuing to work for the next few days.  If the weather remains really mild and pleasant, as it has been, I may take a break for one day and go out for a drive with my camera.  Today was not as mild as the past couple of days, but it still got up to around +4c.  It is supposed to be a little milder the next couple of days.