Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Some Shed Stuff...!

The weather has been really nice here; sunny and reasonably nice west coast winter temperatures ranging between 5 and 10 degrees Celsius (40-50 degrees F.)

A few days back, Jeanette and I found the perfect window to install on the east facing wall of the shed.
The object!

The project!

The placement!

Must build the frame and header!

Required tools!

Another required tool!

Framing nail gun makes for quick work!

Header is in place!

Ready to install the window!

Window is in - tested - leveled - and secured!

Ready for exterior window treatment to match our home!

Inside view with the new ledge!
So, with the right tools, it took little time to cut, build out the frame, header and ledge, staple some black paper to the exterior, insert and finally secure the window.

Door is properly seated and framed!

Window trim - to be painted in the spring - makes this shed ready to accept some matching vinyl siding!

Just this little touch adds character to the project!
So, it's now time to run off to find a supplier for the vinyl siding and soffits.  I sourced a few suppliers on the internet and will drive off to see if any one of them can match our existing house colour.

What's with the flowers?
Jeanette celebrated another birthday this past Monday.  Her nursing friends - retired, semi retired and the working crew - took her out for lunch and she came home with this lovely bouquet.
Nice!
Hey, I didn't forget either!  We had dinner out last evening and took in a movie at the local Colossus giant screen theatre.

There you have it!  I shed a few pounds working on my shed!.  One more project accomplished!  Boring stuff for blog readers, I know!!!!!  'Twon't be long now before we offer a bit more interesting stuff to read.

Have a good one!

Sunday, November 27, 2011

The week that was....

 
Typical winter prairie scene - north eastern Alberta.
Above and following are a few photos taken during Jeanette's trip to Alberta to look in on her parents - with sisters Deb and Darlene.  Jeanette was met at the Calgary airport by sister Deb and they drove the four hours north to the Vegreville area where their parents are presently lodged in care facilities.
Last Sunday was spent here watching the western CFL final....while I watched from home on the west coast. 
Darlene, Jeanette and Deb were invited to Deb's brother and sister in law's home (Stan and Bev) to watch the western CFL final.  Sure looks like they were having a great time.
 
L-R  Deb and Bev's mother in law  Ann,  Darlene, Bev, Jeanette and Deb.All but Jeanette are Edmonton Eskimos fans.  Judging from this photo, it must have been taken before the BC Lions cleaned the Eskimos on the football field and wrote them out of the Canadian CFL Grey Cup that is the focus this Sunday.  Kick off today will see the BC Lions meet the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in our final Canadian Football League game of the year, the Grey Cup.  It's being held in our BC Place Stadium here in Vancouver, BC.
L-R  Jeanette, Deb, father John, and Darlene.
The sisters had a busy week tending to the needs of mom and dad and assisting with moving dad to the local lodge.
Mary (Jeanette's mom) with Jeanette as they examine the most recent ultrasound of our soon to be grandson, Easton.  Our daughter- son in law too - are expecting Easton next April, 2012.
Back in Calgary, Jeanette dropped in to see if Deb's son Jonathon was busy selling men's clothing at The Bay store near their home.  Jonathon works there part time while continuing his studies.
Back home on the coast, Jeanette and I ran some errands on sunny Thursday past.  This photo was taken at Crescent Beach.  One of our favourite restaurants was not open so we opted for another in the shopping district.
We stopped at the local White Spot restaurant for lunch.  Nice, new, modern restaurant that was recently opened in South Surrey.
Other than accomplishing house related tasks and completing a bit of inside work on the new (to us) shed, there really isn't a whole bunch of new stuff to report on.  
I crossed the 49th parallel early this Sunday morning to purchase some cheaper US fuel before crossing back in to Canada.
The famous Peace Arch near the border known by its namesake. To the left is the Pacific Ocean.
I was the only vehicle crossing into Canada.  Check out the downpour.  Man was it raining down hard.
As a NEXUS card holder, we have our own speed lanes to cross into the US and back into Canada.  It's like having a super passport.
For about ten minutes I was out of Canada.  Back in Canada, I beelined for our regular Sunday morning caucus at the place below to solve all of the world's problems.  It's a darn shame that no one listens though!
Problem solving meeting place. Located about 15 minutes from the Canada/USA border.
Jeanette had prepared a short list of grocery related items she wanted.  Just before dropping in at Tim Horton's above, I made a brief stop at the neighbouring grocery store. We are having a few friends over to watch the Grey Cup CFL football final this afternoon.  We'll be hooting for our BC Lions! 

That pretty well sums up the week that was. 

Thanks fro dropping in.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Like Magic, a Shed is Moved!

Not the most exciting slug line....but then again, it sums up this story!
Friday morning!  What's with this blanket of white stuff?
Can't motorcycle, can't golf, can't RV....cause there is a bit of snow on the ground, and we can't leave for the sunnier US southwest till post Christmas.  Hey, why not move a shed?
This rig will have to move from here today!
Although we live in a rain forest, we do get the occasional skiff of snow.   This little skiff is almost gone now.  We really do not shovel.  As the saying goes here, the rain will wash the snow away.  And it does!

THE OBJECTIVE:  Why not move a garden shed!  Nothing better to do!


The garden shed. (Left the camera at home so all photos were taken with my iPhone)
That's right!  Several blogs back I wrote about the impending move of an 8' X 10' garden shed from a friend's yard to our yard.  I had busied myself with leveling a site in our yard and placing concrete blocks for supports.  The crane trucking firm I retained chose the one snowy day for the move.  Go figure! It offered a pretty fair deal on the condition that the shed would be moved when it best suited them. It suited them this Friday past when the firm had a cancellation, called me, and within 30 minutes, I met the truck and operator at the lift site in White Rock.

Lifted clear over the fence and onto a trailer.
You might ask why the operator chose to put this shed on a trailer rather than on his truck deck?  Good question!  On his truck deck, this load would have been over-height and that would have required moving power lines and obtaining innumerable permits. That was a non starter!
In less than one hour the shed was sitting on the trailer.
Once loaded, I headed for home to hitch up the 5th wheel and move it out of the way to accommodate  the crane truck access to the back yard. By the time the driver secured the shed and drove the 30 minutes to our home, I had our 5th wheel out of the way.
This is a 90 ton crane truck with a Hi-Ab boom reach of 75 feet.
The driver/operator assigned to this task was a great guy.  He had a calm demeanor and was very methodical. That is of critical importance!  He made this job look simple.  And it is, with careful thought and the right tools.  I sure enjoyed watching him go about his task....with a tiny bit of help from me.
This shed is well built - and framed 16" on centre.  It's built the way I would build it.  It is worthy of this move.
Fiver is out of the way and parked down the street.  That's about the extent of our RV adventures till after Christmas!
Crane truck arrives with the load.
Once on site at our place, the operator had to detach the trailer and lift the shed on to his truck deck before backing into the side of our home towards the back yard.
He made quick work of this.
Turned the shed around while on the sky hook.
Shed door is now facing the right way.
With little effort, the load was driven to where the 5th wheel had rested earlier. Notice the driver side mirror had to be closed in to avoid damage to the eave troughs.
Once his truck support jacks were properly placed and the truck was stabilized,  the operator proceeded to lift the shed towards its rightful place.
This is when you really pray that the operator will not damage yours or the neighbour's home.  He had to lift the shed hi up to clear both roof lines.  Easy work with a 75 foot reach.
Projects like this attract the neighbours.  How can it not!  A large crane truck shows up, things get lifted and moved, trucks maneuver into really tight spots and this amazing sky hook makes simple work of moving  a structure. The curious - at both ends of this project - enjoyed the distraction.  It's always fun to exchange thoughts and expressions from the sideline audience.  Hey, I provided some entertainment for friends, neighbours and the curious.  What's not to like?
It's so easily accomplished with the right tools!
It did not take much effort to place the shed on its supports.  My concrete blocks were precise and once the shed was placed, it proved to be level too.  That's kind of important!
Almost done!
Appears to have always been here.  From start to finish - driving to and from both sites - it took exactly three hours to complete the job.  Not Bad!
I took one more photo before moving the 5th wheel back in its rightful spot.

The shed will get new shingles to match our house roof, new siding and soffits to match, a new window on the right side, and once completed, it will match our home.  By early next spring and with attention to proper detailing, it will be properly finished and the back yard will once again be organized.
It will look nice, once the exterior is finished.
Some may wonder why we moved a shed when we could have purchased the lumber and built one?  Well, those who know me know that I love to build things.  I have saw dust in my veins - having grown up in the home hardware, lumber yard, cabinet making operation and construction family business. My intentions were to build a shed from scratch.  When our friend asked to have this shed removed from her yard, I compared the moving costs to a materials package for a new build.  This unit is very well built and it made sense to move it.  It's just that simple! 



Only about 40 more sleeps before the RV Voyageur gang gets to hitch up for the journey south to the sunnier climes of the south west US.  Can't wait!

Uhmmmm, what else can I move while Jeanette is away???????

Thanks for dropping by.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Yesiree! We're still around and about!

How inviting!
Have not had a whole lot to write about these past several days.  Something about this time of year seems to put a damper on outdoor activities.  We did have a couple of sunny days and one of those was immediately taken for a round of golf.  The other day was reserved for a hike on a brand new trail we discovered.
Just a few seconds of momentary distraction led to this.  It's not us!
I did not witness this accident but came upon it a few minutes after the car hit a driveway approach and ended its voyage forever.  I quickly pulled over and asked the driver if he was OK.  His hand was bleeding but he seemed fine otherwise.  Without a cell phone to make an emergency call, I quickly parked out of the way and then called 911 on his behalf.  The RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) arrived within ten minutes or so.
He drove a long way, trying to get out of a deep ditch, before hitting head on with a driveway approach.
I observed that the driver had not been drinking nor did he appear to be under the influence of drugs.  He seemed perfectly fine.  He explained that he was reaching for a CD on the passenger floor when he left the road.  Easy to do on this busy road because there is no shoulder to speak of.  In my opinion, the car is a write off.
The RCMP officer arrived and I then left for home.
What is interesting - or sad - about this story is that the young fella tried to get the attention of at least 25-30 vehicles before I stopped.  No one would stop.  How callous!

The driver told me he was heading home to Chilliwack to prep his suitcase to head to his original home in Scotland for a three week visit with family and friends.  This accident put a damper on his day, for sure.

Although it is late fall, there are still some green leaves.

Tuesday proved to be a beautiful fall day.  The sun was shinning, the air was crisp and it was a fitting day to discover another hike.  And we did just that!

We discovered a new trail in the Aldergrove Lake trail head that took us well over two hours to complete.  It's a mix of dense forest and open meadows with steep up and down trails that really offer a nice walking workout.

Jeanette is looking for leaves to step on.  She loves the crunching sound of dried leaves.
A steep downhill (or uphill for those walking opposite from us)
Rain forest ferns thrive in this climate.
I had Jeanette hold up this tree so that I could take this photo.  Always nice to have a partner who is so willing to take on the heavy lifting!  Hey, she is no slouch!
Walked out of the thick forest trails and on to this open meadow.  What a treat!
We ended up on the far side, after a round about trail walk.  The mountains in the background are snow capped.
.....and we were back in the ticket.  Out of the blue was this massive rock.  It's interesting how (or why) it is the only one on the entire trail.
This was the trail.  We'll be coming here often, that's for sure. It's only two minutes from our home.
After that great hike, we headed back for home so that Jeanette could prepare for a very early morning flight out to Calgary, Alberta, where she would join her sister Deb for the four hour drive to their parents' place.  Their father ended up in the local hospital and is now slated to enter a care facility.  The two sisters were going to join another sister, Darlene, to assist with the tasks required to get their father placed and settled.

I'm holding down the fort here.  With the President's Cup  (PGA GOLF) being held at the Royal Melbourne in Australia, I spent six hours watching the Golf Channel last evening.  Although I would rather be there following the golfers (or better yet, playing that course), it's great fun to follow them in High Definition too.  The tournament (as with them all) is held over four full days of golf.

While I was busy working on reorganizing our substantive 'online' music library, I looked out to see this!  YIKES!
Yep!  That's wet snow.
 A cold front came through.  The winds began  to howl, followed by this snow, followed by warming air and heavy rains, followed by calm temps and all of that transpired within about 45 minutes.
I guess we could call this a 'skiff of snow'.
For all of the snow birding west coasters, this is what you missed by not being here yesterday.  Today returned a bright, sunny, fall day.

I have to sign off to prepare for the President's Cup Golf coverage.  I do have a few errands that must be taken of before I can devote the precious time with the Golf Channel.
I would rather be here - live and in person - but the Golf Channel will suffice.
Wishing you all a wonderful day.