Ken, Michelle and the kids stopped by mid-afternoon for a quick visit en route to their cottage but I neglected to take any photos. The deck was awesome for all of us including 4 dogs, and the Popsicles.

The next week Hugh proceeded to construct additional sections of wooden walkway to access the dock. And he ultimately got the ladder back in position. We are very pleased with it!

We purchased a boat 2 years ago and have been enjoying it mainly at Ken and Michelle's cottage on Centennial Lake. It's been otherwise parked in our barn or yard at the farm.
After much research and expert advice Hugh concluded that we need a boat lift due to the high winds that can arise on Calabogie Lake. So then this arrived in our side yard.

On July 6th Hugh and Ken brought the boat to Calabogie with the intention of parking it in its trailer in our yard. That plan somehow changed - perhaps after the chance arrival of this video from my cousin Tom Z at lunch time that day.

So neighbour brothers Frank and Andrew were quickly enlisted to help Hugh and Ken get the boat lift into the water. With a little ingenuity and a lot of brawn, they were successful and rather quickly too. 

Ken then headed home to Kanata on his bike - I dropped him off in Burnstown - and on my return the boat went in at the nearby boat launch, and soon afterwards arrived at our dock.

The afternoon was capped off with a lovely boat ride along the north and west shores to the far side of the lake where the water was rather choppy - apparently not uncommon for that side of the lake - and then back home and put away in the lift.

Once the ice and snow finally melted the temporary plastic shelter was removed and we can finally see the entire road side exterior wall. Hugh also planted some grass seed which has come along very well.

The first exterior project was the deck railing. It was not at all to code (a couple of horizontal 2 x 4's).
Fortunately Tim and his (and Amy's) 2 young daughters came north to visit us in early June, and Tim was an eager participant in this project. 

First step was to remove the old railing.

They worked diligently on the deck all week and completed the large posts, most of the wooden framework, and a few sections of the spindles.

The girls enjoyed watching their dad and grandfather from bug free comfort.

Tim celebrated their accomplishments with a chilly swim (accompanied by Holly) on the last day. 

Hugh carried on with a little assistance from me and completed the railing.

A major change in the deck design was to remove the steps and ramp from the lake side of the deck to the dock, and relocate the dock access to the side of the deck. With the addition of a gate at that side of the deck, the deck can now be fully enclosed to corral dogs and children. (More about the dock in the next post!.)
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We are delighted with the finished deck!

We were invited for dinner on Sunday to belatedly celebrate Ken's March 9th 41st birthday. Ken kindly installed the TV which is the object of Luke's attention in this photo.

And there was birthday cake! A Tracey's Dairy ice cream cake for Ken, and a homemade chocolate cake for Kate to celebrate her recent late February birthday.

The kids have enjoyed playing outside after a day of skiing.

And yesterday afternoon I enjoyed an afternoon walk on the lake with Kate and Harley.

Kate also enjoyed checking out a nearby island - can you see her?

​With the imminent delivery of the doors, Brian and Mitch got started on the window trim.

Then the doors were hung and it all looks fantastic.

And the fine and very functional temporary bathroom door was replaced!

We now have new seat covers for the chairs we salvaged from Ken and Michelle's cottage cast off pile last summer - the seat covers had suffered to some mildew damage. Great recovering work by Frank Cantusci Upholstery in Stittsville and chair cleaning and polishing by Hugh!

​And here's Hugh relaxing with a cup of tea and a muffin after reassembling the chairs. Holly is not so relaxed!

What's next?  Baseboards, and door painting.

Last weekend we enjoyed a walk on the lake westward towards the nearby Calabogie Peaks Ski Resort which you can see in the middle background of this photo. 

Holly and Chase enjoyed some energetic snowmobile chasing at the beginning of our walk but quickly discovered that it's a no-win exercise. They do know where their new lake home is and they led us back to it.

The plumbing was completed the next day. It looks fantastic. Again, kudos to Shawn McLachlin, the owner of SBC Kitchens (Sandy Beach Cabinetry) for a great job on the kitchen.

We welcomed visitors Wayne and Ruth Brownlee on January 13 and they volunteered to help us wash up some dishes to start filling these lovely cupboards. We didn't get very far before the water stopped!

The problem was fixed 2 days later after determining that the well head had frozen because the well is too close to bedrock. The fix involved adding some bags of sand in the well hole and sand around the top. Hugh also left a tap dripping a very small amount to force the pump to come on about every 17 minutes. So far it's still working.

Usually I'm standing around watching others work so I have lots of time to take photos. On Jan 13 I was too busy with the dishes and forget to take pictures. So here are Wayne and Ruth enjoying a walk in the forest the next day at the farm, and enjoying the beauty of a Canadian winter.

Ken, Michelle and the kids also dropped in on the 13th for lunch before putting on their ski gear and heading over to Calabogie Peaks to ski. Again, no pics!

On January 18, Hugh lugged baseboard and window and door trim materials inside in preparation for the finishing work. He intends to paint it first.

And on this beautiful day Holly, Chase and I enjoyed our first walk on the frozen lake and we got a really good look at the lake house. Too bad I can't hold the phone level!

Ken is spearheading the effort to construct a dining table from local ash. He and Hugh have been planing the boards in our garage. They're pictured here on the sawhorses awaiting gluing.

December 19th was an exciting day for me as the kitchen cabinet installation began.
Scaffolding was back that day for installation of the ceiling fan. 

Here are cabinet makers/installers Adam at left, and Shawn McLachlin at right. Shawn is the owner of SBC Kitchens (Sandy Beach Cabinetry) and we are thrilled with the entire design process, the results and the excellent service.

The appliances also arrived that day. Once again we dealt with Scheel Furniture and Applicances in Pakenham for another enjoyable shopping experience. There's something about a store that sells appliances, furniture, meat and cheese! And they deliver to Calabogie. We went with Frigidaire in the kitchen.
I enjoyed several relaxing hours of waiting in the living area that day enjoying the lovely view and knitting.
The cabinet installation was completed the next day and due to Christmas prep I had to patiently wait until Boxing Day to see the final result. Here's Tim configuring the fridge. I love the wine rack that Shawn suggested to fill the small space to the left of the window.

Mark, Meg, little Joanna, and I worked on assembling the bunk beds. Joanna did a great job of sorting the various sized screws.

Molly, Mark and Meg's Bernese Mountain dog, came along and enjoyed the action.

We returned on December 29th, this time with Amy and baby Sarah along. Joanna tried out the bottom bunk!

Hugh also arranged for 2 new king sized memory foam beds so we're well along the way to being ready for overnight stays.

Kitchen counters and sink are scheduled for next week.

The obvious missing piece is trim and interior doors. We selected those on December 21 at Bytown Lumber in Carleton Place. There will be a 4 week wait for the solid doors we selected since they're made to order at the factory. In the interim, Hugh secured a temporary door with frame from their clearance section for the bathroom. A bargain at $40! And we lucked into a great deal on the door hardware from the clearance shelf. It didn't take long for Hugh and Tim to install the door. 

I fear that the outdoor temporary shelter for the building supplies will remain until spring because the frame is now very solidly frozen into the ground! The lovely cedar shake accents were locally sourced by Hugh.

After celebrating a very merry Christmas we wish you a Happy New Year 2019!!

Hugh drew some of everything and the highest peak of the cathedral ceiling in the lake side combined living, dining and kitchen. The loan of the drywallers' scaffolding came in very handy.

It was a rare sunny day with spectacular cloud reflections on the unusually calm lake.

Painting continued on Sunday as planned, with Mark and Meg assisting Hugh.

This, despite my Saturday late night trip to the Arnprior Hospital and diagnosis of a hernia. I was sent home to sleep and prepare for further instructions in the morning, which were to go to the Queensway Carleton Hospital in west Ottawa. After a CT scan and some waiting I was wheeled into surgery at 6 PM. I was awake in recovery at 7:15 PM and left for home at 9 PM. I continue to be amazed and very grateful for our excellent healthcare system - less than 24 hours from diagnosis to fixed and back home Sunday evening. I was also grateful for plenty of company through the day on Sunday - Lyla, painters Mark, Meg and Hugh late afternoon, Ken after the surgery in the recovery room, and Hugh to drive me home. 

Sunday painters were too busy painting to take photos!

My recovery is going well and Hugh has continued to paint each day.

​And the fireplace is coming together very nicely too. If it looks familiar the "cultured" stone, pine mantel, and paint colour is the same as at the farm.

​A temporary plastic shelter for the building materials is blocking the far side - I'll get some better pics after it's gone, and the protective door covering is removed.

This is the view from the road side entry door towards the great room with the 2 sets of sliding doors looking out onto the deck and the lake.

This is the small bedroom/sewing room.

And one of the larger bedrooms has a  lovely view onto the lake from these corner windows. Unfortunately the camera flash is reflected off the window and blocking the lake view.

Hot water tank with the pressure tank for the well on the shelf above in the utility room.

Winter like weather persists in the Ottawa Valley with ongoing snow cover. No ice yet on our section of the lake.