Last Permit

It has been really warm and sunny in Nordegg at the beginning of June.  On Friday June 9th I initially thought that I might go play a round of golf, and maybe get out with the camera.  But by 9:30 in the morning it was already +25C... a little too hot for golf...!  Then shortly after that the wind picked up to the point that photography would have been a challenge.  I decided to keep working instead.

I got most of the parts for the pantry primed and painted with at least one coat of paint.  I will finish up the painting over the next day or so, and hopefully have time to start assembly.  I drilled an extra hole in the rim of the stainless steel kitchen sink so that we can include the sprayer that came with our retro faucet.  Then I drilled the holes in the counter top to accept the faucet and the sprayer.  I got everything mounted into place, and the sink secured.  I also got the drain lines connected to both the kitchen sink and the bathroom sink.  The water supply lines that came with the kitchen faucet did not have the right size connections, so I was not able to use them.  Perhaps this is an American thing, as I bought the faucet online from an American supplier.  I had a couple of supply lines that I had brought out.  It turns out they were slightly too short to use in the bathroom, as I originally intended, but they worked in the kitchen.

While I was working the building inspector stopped by.  It turns out that my construction is far enough along that he was able to close my building permit.  This was great news as the permit expires in July, and I didn't want to have to extend it.  The only things that I have left to do to satisfy the permit are to finish connecting the sinks, put the kitchen range in place, install the toilet, and build a landing at the door.

The range and toilet need the floor tiles to be in place before I can proceed.  But the inspector saw that both the range and the floor tiles were there.  The toilet flange is installed, but again I need the tiles in place before I can bring out a toilet and install it.  The landing at the door is awaiting final backfilling to finished grade.  Once that is complete I will be able to build a small landing, about 4 feet by 6 feet,in front of the door.  It will be close enough to finished grade that it will only require one or two steps, and railings will be optional.  I think I'll include a couple railings on either side but won't get carried away.  Everything was close enough that the inspector was satisfied, and he signed off on the permit.  Although the heat is now off, I still want to push forward and wrap things up as soon as I can.  The place is not really usable until I get the last of this stuff done.

Me and Hank

Hank has become a huge part of our family.  On June 15th it will be his birthday, and he will be one year old.  He has changed a lot since we first brought him home as a little pup last summer.  He has developed a really unique personality.  Whenever someone gets home after being away, even if it has only been for 15 minutes, he gets extremely excited and can't stop jumping and yipping.  He is really attached to me, and likes to sit or lie down with me.  But he is also not really a lap dog, and never stays beside anyone all that long.  He is also very comfortable just crashed on the floor, the sidewalk or out on the lawn.  He likes to sit at my feet, or perhaps more accurately, on my feet.  When I am not around, my shoes will do.

When we went out to the farm near Bluffton last summer to look at the puppies, Margarit and I went into the pen with the mother and her litter of eight puppies.  As soon as I sat down, one little guy crawled over and climbed into my lap.  That was Hank, and he has been part of the family ever since.

Solar Panels

The solar panels have been on the guest cottage for almost a month now.  Up until June 7th, just shy of the first month, we have generated 804 kWh of electricity.   Unfortunately most of that was dumped back into the grid for free, because our bi-directional meter was not functional until a few days ago.

We do not have any batteries or any means of storing the power.  The electricity that is generated is used in our own building, and any surplus goes back into the grid.  We get a credit for whatever we put into the grid.  In the summer months when the days are long we will be ahead.  But in the winter when the days are short and the solar panels are mostly snow covered, we will use up that credit.

I found the whole process of putting the solar system into place very enlightening... in a rather negative way.  Our various levels of government seem to be jumping on the "Green" bandwagon and want to reduce the use of fossil fuel, and develop clean energy.  But they have a very warped way of going about it.  Perhaps if enough people find out how stupid the system really is, then maybe there will be some positive change.

My system includes 14 panels that are 545 watts each, for a total of 7.63 kW.  Rare is the day when the system functions at 100% capacity for more than short periods of time.  Our panels are split between east and west facing roof surfaces, and we have nearby trees that partially shade the panels at times.  The system cost about $16k, and it will take me many years to break even.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about the cost.  But, if I had installed the panels on my primary residence in Edmonton, I would qualify for a $5000 government grant.  My primary residence in the city has a roof layout that will not accommodate very many panels, and we are surrounded by large spruce trees on neighbors properties, so we chose to install at the cottage, even though it was not grant eligible.  What difference does it make if I live beneath the panels that are generating the power for the majority of the time.  Are we trying to save the planet or not...??!!!

Also, I am not allowed to generate more power than I consume in a calendar year, and put it back into the grid.  I suppose the power companies do not want to actually have to pay the consumer for generating power.  But the power rates are regulated, and the utility companies are guaranteed a set profit.  So why should this matter...??!!!

Governments are playing this game of charades charging a carbon tax and paying some of it back in rebates.  But this system is dysfunctional and is not achieving nearly what it could.  Governments need to give their collective heads a shake and change the system.  If enough consumers make this known, perhaps there will be some real change.  But in the meantime we are just going through the motions of being "kinda green".

This is a screen shot of the solar power monitoring app that I have on my phone.  This was captured on June 7th, at 9:21PM.  Even at this late point in the evening, with the sun setting behind the trees, there is still a little power being generated.  The system was installed and set up on May 10th, so in a couple more days it will be a full month.  It is suggested that we have reduced carbon emissions by 591kg, but this is of course dependent upon how the power in the grid is generated.  In Alberta most of the power comes from Gas Fired power generation plants.  Though out here at Nordegg some of the local power supply comes from the dam on the North Saskatchewan River at Abraham Lake.  That power is of course already "Green".

As of twilight on June 9th, exactly one month after the solar panels became functional, we had generated 865kWh of electricity.  My last power bill indicated that we used 874kWh of electricity in both cottages combined in the month of April.  At that time of year we were still using some electric heat.  But, the guest cottage is not finished, so the only consumption there is a little bit for heat, plus some lights and tools.  Later, once everything is up and running and the guest cottage is occasionally occupied, the consumption will increase.

Last of the Cabinets

June 7th was kind of a lazy day for me....  After arriving in Nordegg in the mid-afternoon all I did was a dump run, and played a round of golf.  I did manage to plant the pine seedlings in the evening before calling it a day.

On Thursday June 8th I was up early and prepared for a full day of work.  With no one around, I decided to spray the weeds that have begun growing through the driveway.  I didn't want to do this previously when Hank was around, but this was the perfect opportunity.  Later I made chicken wire cages to go around the pine seedlings that I planted.  Deer will not eat spruce trees, but we have learned that they love tender young pines.  After I caged the 13 seedlings that I planted, I watered them all in for a second time.

The rest of the day was spent working on the pantry in the guest cottage.  This is the last of the cabinets that I need to fabricate.  This is a tall, narrow cabinet that will go in the corner beside the fridge.  The back corner of this pantry will be boxed out to conceal a plumbing vent that runs up to the ceiling.  The pantry is about 16 inches wide, 24 inches deep, and extends up to about doorway height... 80".  I got most of the parts rough cut to size last time I was was out.  This time around I cut the last two pieces from a fresh sheet of 3/4" birch plywood.  Then I set up and cut all the dado's and rabbets into the various pieces.  Once that was complete I gave all the larger upright panels a coat of primer on both sides.

Following that I proceeded with gluing plastic laminate to the nine shelves that will go into the pantry.  Even though I managed to salvage the piece of laminate from the kitchen sink cut-out, I didn't have quite enough material left to apply the "Charcoal Boomerang" pattern to all nine shelves, only seven.  But I did have a little plain grey laminate left over.  These two shelves will be used at the top, where they are not overly visible.  I had been using the grey material on all the interior shelves of the kitchen cabinets, and the vanity and had just enough remaining to finish to the pantry.  I got all the laminate glued on and flush trimmed.  I am now ready to test fit everything, and then proceed with painting of all the exposed surfaces.

Once this last cabinet is done, and now that the counter tops are all complete, I will be finished with the woodwork.  Then I will be able to clean up all the sawdust and get prepared for installation of the flooring.

It seems that all these little tasks are so inter-related.  It is really a challenge to plan and work on things as so many jobs are dependent upon something else being done first.  I hope to be able to get the kitchen and bathroom sinks connected to water supply and drain lines while I am out on this trip.  One more step that gets me that little bit closer to completion.

1st Round of 23

I headed back out to Nordegg on June 7th... yet another solo trip.  I ordered a bunch of tree seedlings and they arrived just before we headed down to East Coulee.  These really need to be planted before they dry out and die.  I have ten Jackpine Seedlings and three Bristlecone Pine Seedlings.

I arrived around 3:00 in the afternoon and immediately made a run to the dump.  I got rid of some construction waste from the guest cottage, and some garbage that was left over from the Tribe reunion.  Then I called over to the golf course and booked a tee time.  I'm not quite sure why I had to book... there was only one group ahead of me, and one behind me, and we never even got close to each other.  I bought an annual membership to the Historic Nordegg Golf Course earlier this spring, but this was actually the first time I got out to play a round.  It was a little hot and the temperature peaked at about +27 in the late afternoon.

I had a new pair of golf shoes to try out.  The last time I wore golf shoes was about 40 years ago, and then they had steel spikes.  Technology sure has changed things... now all the shoes have plastic spikes, or are spikeless.  My tee shots were all really good, and that is not really an issue.  But my approach shots with the irons, and my putting, is terrible.  I ended up losing three balls and finding two, and shot a score of 50.  Certainly nothing to brag about, but it was nice to get that first round of the year out of the way.  I only played about six rounds last fall, and that is really the first time that I've played since I was about 18 years old.  As I write this my 60-year-old carcass is reminding me of a whole bunch of muscles that I have not used in quite a while.  But it was a beautiful afternoon to get out and walk the course.

Mosasaur at Carolside

When we arrived in East Coulee on Friday evening, the Mosasaur was all loaded up on the trailer, and parked in the shop, ready for installation.  On Monday June 4th, after we had returned home to the city, Frank and the crew hauled the cast out to the new rest area at Carolside Reservoir in the Special Areas.  A picker truck was used to hoist it into place.  There was a large turnout of locals and tourists watching the unveiling.  Frank sent me a couple of these photos after the installation was completed, plus I shot the one of the cast loaded on the trailer and ready to go.

200,000

On June 9th my blog reached a milestone with 200,000 pageviews...!  Many thanks to all that have stopped by for a look over the years.  I know some of you have been reading my ramblings and viewing my photographs going right back to when I started in 2010.  Hopefully there are new viewers coming on board now, and going forward.  I intend to keep posting content as long as interest remains.  In fact, since I've retired I've been posting more than ever.  Hopefully it is not too mundane and boring and all of my friends, family and followers keep coming back for more.

Hanging out in Big Valley

As if the Beer Parlor project in Big Valley had not been fun enough, the outlaws made it even better for us.  They invited us to come and hang out at the "Saloon".  This was there own little spot on private property, at the edge of town.  The hitched their horses there, and after the festivities of the day, they hang out in the evenings.  We were invited to join them.  It was a fantastic evening of playing guitar and singing songs and telling stories and jokes.  The three outlaws are all related, and a bunch of their friends and family were there with them.  Karen and Shane are husband and wife.  The third outlaw Colton is related, but I'm not sure if he is a son, or a son-in-law.  There was a fourth outlaw named Monty, but I'm not sure of his connection, and he was not on horseback this time.  But he played guitar and sang really well, and had some really funny off-color jokes to tell.  Unfortunately he had to leave early, and could not stay with everyone until the end.

They even brought an extra guitar out and coerced me into trying to strum along and sing with them.  I am just about the world's worst guitar player, but I gave it a shot, and had a blast doing it.  We also played around with their six-shooters.  These are real pistols, but have been decommissioned with the barrels plugged, and only shoot blanks.  This avoids all the hassles of a restricted weapons permit.  We took a bunch of photos of the cowboys.  There was a little guy there named Maverick, who was the son of Colton and the grandson of Shane and Karen.  He was really cute and photogenic, and just loved posing for the camera.  We got a bunch of photographs of everything and stayed until the light faded.

The only two things that would have made it better would have been to have a camp fire.... there was a fire ban in place due to the dryness, and we could not... and if Monty could have stayed longer.  To top the evening off, the fireflies came out at twilight.  There were literally thousands of them blinking their little lights all over the place on the prairie.  Margarit was thrilled as she had never seen them before.  I've seen them, but not in these numbers.....

Eventually we had to say our goodbyes and hit the road back to East Coulee.  Back at the shop we unwound a little, grilled some wings, and had a few beers.  It was around 2:00AM before we finally called it a day and turned in.  All evening long Chris, Connie, Margarit and I kept commenting to each other about how wonderful an experience the day had been, and something that none of us would ever forget.

On Sunday morning we packed up.  We had coffee and a sandwich at Jason's "Birdland" food trailer and visited with a few neighbors.  It is so peaceful in East Coulee and I really love that small town feel.  Perhaps that's why Big Valley was so good as well.  We stopped in at the Old Grouch's before leaving town and found out that Margarit had the winning bid on an antique truck, and Connie also won a couple of small items.  We settled up with Fran and loaded the winnings.  Then we headed over to Strathmore and stopped in at Don's place.  Don owns the Spitfire that we used for the Rosie shoot last summer.  We presented Don with a framed print, and thanked him yet again for his cooperation.  After that we said our goodbyes to Chris and Connie and hit the road for home.  Already looking forward to the next edition of the Beer Parlor project...!

Beer Parlor 4.0

On Friday June 2nd Margarit and I headed down to East Coulee.  We stopped in at the shop and unloaded our food and gear into the trailer.  Then we met up there with our friends Chris and Connie.  Connie had to work on the Friday and they headed out from Calgary right after work, and met up at about 6:00PM.  We headed back into Drumheller and stopped in at the Old Grouch's Cozy Cafe.  They were having their annual fundraiser for Stars Air Ambulance.  There was a silent auction, some bands playing, Stars merchandise, and food and drink.  We met up there with Frank and Chris and visited for a while.  We also ran into Mike, an old friend of Franks, who I hadn't seen for over 20 years.  Franks daughter Sabrina also stopped by.  The girls bid on some of the auction items and then later in the evening we picked up some pizza from Pizza 249.  This place is right downtown, and is a bit of a dive, but they make some of the best pizza I've ever had.  We took that back to East Coulee and visited for a while before turning in for the night.

Saturday June 3rd would be another edition of the Beer Parlor Project.  In 2022 we visited and documented three different small town hotel taverns.  This time around we were heading up to the Big Valley Inn in Big Valley.  We arrived in the early afternoon and had lunch and a beer in the tavern.  We introduced ourselves to Kim, the owner of the establishment, who had welcomed us and our little project.  After lunch we explored the town.  The Steam Train arrived from Stettler in the late afternoon.  In recent years the old Number 41 Steam locomotive had been down for repairs, and they had to run the tourist train with a diesel locomotive...  not quite the same.  But the repairs were completed earlier this spring and this was the second run of the year for Number 41.  We photographed the train station and the train.  Part of that train adventure is for the a group of outlaws to hold up the train.  They ride up on horseback with six shooters blazing.  The stop the train and hit up all the passengers for their money.  The proceeds are donated to charity.

Later the outlaws rode into town and hitched their horses beside the tavern.  They came in a had a few beers, and we visited with them and took some photos.  It was a fantastic afternoon, and a lot of fun.  This first outing of the 2023 calendar year for our project was a tremendous success.

A Visit to Tim's

We stopped by the Tim Horton's restaurant while we were in Drumheller on the weekend.  I was able to get a first hand look at the finished dinosaur, and at my framed prints.  The project is 100% complete now, and it was nice to see it in person.  Everything looks very good and everyone that I know that has seen it was very impressed.

June Image - David Thompson Country Calendar

This is the image I selected for the June page of my David Thompson County calendar.  This is Crescent Falls on the Bighorn River.  This image was taken almost a quarter century ago, back in 1999.  There is now a viewing platform at the spot that this photograph was taken from.  I understand the area is closed this season, as there are further renovations and upgrades taking place.  

This shot was taken on the long discontinued Kodak High Speed Infrared film.  That was a favorite emulsion of mine back in the day.  The small amount I have left in stock expired over twenty years ago and is becoming badly fogged.  It no longer yields results as spectacular as this.  I love the way that the evergreens have that ghostly glow about them, and the separation between sky and clouds.  The water also goes very dark.

A Win at Last

The Renegades finally won a game in the Summer Hockey Season.  On June 1st we played a team called the Sea Changers at the Meadows Arena.  Their team, like the Renegades, was 0-6 to start the season.  We prevailed and managed to skate away with a 7-4 victory.

In the past we have usually started the summer season on a tear, and gone on a winning streak.  That often saw us moved up to a higher division, forced to play some stronger teams.  This time around we did the opposite, we unintentionally started the season on a losing skid, and did not post a victory until our seventh game.  That has now seen us moved down one division, and we will finish the summer season against lesser skilled teams.  Not sure how much honor there is in that, but at least the games should be more fun.

These are the shoulder badges on our home and away jerseys...

Lake Channels

This is the last scan from the recent batch of Kodak T-Max 100 developed in 510 Pyro Developer.  Like many of the others, this shot was taken on the Monochrome Guild Fall Photo Weekend in Jasper National Park.  This shot was taken in October of 2022 with my Ebony 4x5 view camera and a Fujinon 400mm telephoto lens.  A #25 Red Filter added even more contrast to what was already a very high contrast, backlit scene.

This is Medicine Lake.  Before the arrival of the white-man there was a rockslide in the Maligne River Valley.  The rocks came down off the face of the Colin Range and partially dammed the river.  The evidence of this remains obvious as boulders are strewn across the valley and partway up the other side.  The natural dam created by the rockslide is somewhat porous.  In the spring, when incoming water levels are high due to the mountain snow melt, a lake forms behind the dam.  This lake is called Medicine Lake.  By late summer and into the fall the incoming waterflow is reduced and the lake drains away.  In fact if you stand down near the edge of the lake, on the natural dam, you can hear the sound of water draining, much like in a bathtub.  The lakebed is left with just the braided channels of the Maligne River flowing through it.  By October and November, just before everything freezes, these channels are at their lowest.  Then in the spring, when the thaw begins, the whole process repeats and Medicine Lake is formed once again.

Counter Tops

I spent another week out at Nordegg, starting on May 21st.  I headed out that morning, and had a couple of days on my own before the rest of the Tribe arrived.  On Tuesday the 23rd my brother-in-law Shawn Tribe, and his girlfriend Lisa arrived... followed by my sister-in-law Natalia Tribe Bright, and then later my wife Tina Margarit Tribe.  Their cousin Martina, who was visiting from Austria, rode out with Natalia.

Unfortunately the guest cottage was not far enough along to be used.  Natalia rented one of the cottages in town owned by the Beehive Artisan Market.  These are the cottages that purchased some prints from me earlier in the year.  She stayed there with Shawn and Lisa, and Martina stayed in our cottage.

On the 24th they all took a drive up to Windy Point and explored by Abraham Lake.  I stayed behind and worked in the guest cottage.  This was mostly because the inspector was scheduled to come out and do the final inspection on my electrical installation.  It all passed with flying colors and the electrical permit is now closed.  This goes along with the plumbing permit that was closed a couple of weeks ago, and the sewage system permit that was closed last fall.  Just the building permit left to deal with.

I managed to get the plastic laminate glued onto all three sections of counter top.  This includes the bathroom vanity, the microwave cabinet and the main kitchen cabinet.  I also got all of the chrome edge trim installed and the sink openings cut.  Next time I come out I'll bring some materials to hook up the water supply and the drains to the two sinks.

On the evening of Thursday the 25th, Shawn's half sister and her husband joined our little family reunion.  Shawn was adopted and later in life made contact with his birth mother and two half siblings.  Becky, Shawn's half sister, and her husband Gerald live near Rocky Mountain House, so they joined us all for a visit.  I had met Becky before... many years ago... but not Gerald.  It was great to get acquainted and hang out together.

On the morning of the 26th, Shawn and Lisa headed back to Edmonton.  Natalia and Martina continued on to Jasper.  They would stay there for a couple of nights and then travel back to Natalia's home in Point Roberts, Washington.  Martina is scheduled to fly home to Austria, out of Vancouver, in early June.  Margarit and I stayed behind at our place and really enjoyed some couple time together.  We had some nice dinners and puttered around on a few chores around the cottage.  As nice as it is to spend time with family, it is also nice when life returns to normal.

June Calendar Image

This is the image I selected for the June page of my 2023 Fine Art Photography calendar.  I took this shot in the summer of 2020 when the girls and I were on a road trip down to Red Rock Coulee in Southern Alberta.  I seem to recall that it was very smoky at the time, from forest fires burning in British Columbia.  Conditions much like we have experienced this spring.