The silent sentinel

The silent sentinel

sitting his watch

while ducks loiter

and humans wander

The final layer???

Nick in stocking feet.

Is this the final layer?

Will it rain?

Are all the holes taped over on the tenting?

Looking good!!!

Tenting on the deck

When Nick arrived yesterday morning he decided to build a tent overtop of the deck 

for protection against the rainy forecast. 

When he finally started to apply the rubber decking layer it was after 3pm.

It rained overnight but despite the protective covering, there appear to be wet spots. Not sure why!

The Annual Sisters' Visit

The sisters were here for their annual visit and it was a successful shopping trek to the town's thrift stores, consignment shops and malls in search of bargains. Instead of gifts for their August and September birthdays, I took them to a Rachelle van Zanten concert on Friday night at the gallery and a screening of the French film "Intouchables" at the Salmar Classic on Saturday night. Both were totally enjoyable.

For a change of pace we travelled to the Armstrong Farm market on Saturday morning, loading up with apples and pears. In our spare minutes, we allowed Tara to tromp us in games of Saskatchewan Rummy and UNO!!

Nick left on Friday afternoon to visit his son in Whistler so we peeled the plastic sheets off the deck each morning and recovered the deck each evening before sunset. He will be back tomorrow morning to apply the rubber layer. We still have our fingers crossed that the weather will hold until he finishes!

Another deck update

When I looked at the deck this morning, I thought that it was beautiful!...too beautiful to have primer slopped on it! Nick laughed at me.

The primer is deceptive...a transparent green even though Nick gave the deck a generous coating. I am doubtful that the job will be finished before next week as he has to travel to Whistler on Friday and has left to start a new job...returning tomorrow morning!

Facebook

Facebook serves as an identifier of personalities. One of my "friends" posts daily Buddhist quotes that challenge others to be compassionate and loving. Another posts constantly changing photos of self. Yet another calls out with political commentaries intended to make us delve beneath the surface of main stream media's mediocre coverage.

There are also the gender and age identifiers that sometimes baffle. I wonder what I am missing! Is the entry a tongue in cheek or an indicator of a darker personality trait?! It is interesting to witness aspects of a youthful social life and balance them against the nature walks of an older generation. A young Canadian "friend" posts photos of his new $50,000 vehicle in contrast to a Greek friend sharing political commentary on the economic struggles in her country.

In the midst of all these differences, rare gems float to the surface. I am tempted to listen to music that was unknown, to view video clips that present interesting information, to appreciate the creative skills of artists around the world, to learn about education in Ghana.

Facebook has become a window to the world, exposing me to personalities and events that would have been easily accessible.

Plywood today...primer tomorrow??

The deck is finally covered with plywood. Brandon helped Nick after school by adding more screws to the perimeter of the structure. The weather is still holding. We have our fingers crossed that the days will continue to be warm enough for the rubber coating to cure properly. Of course the primer has to be applied first, hopefully tomorrow.

Inching forward

Another day on the deck and some progress was made. Brandon spent the day with Nick, pulling up boards and ripping out nails. We really need this job to be completed by the end of next week. It will be a completely new structure, very sound and professionally finished. After they left I plucked 231 nails from the small section of lawn where Brandon had been ripping them out of boards. Could have been "lawnmower hell" if I hadn't spotted them!

Empty boots

Outside City Hall

empty boots wait

beside a dry fountain.

The sun shines on another deck day

I am trying to figure out whether there was progress made today. Nick assures us that everything is coming together now but I feel as though everything is coming further apart! The jacks were in use again as he replaced a rotted beam and reinforced the support structure.  I acted as his assistant while he was taking a lunch break. Donning work gloves, I threw the ripped up pieces from above into his trailer below...five minutes of sweaty labour! 

Progress on the deck??

It feels like very slow progress as Nick continues to find faults with the original structure. His main goal is to ensure that the revised deck will allow rain water to drain away from the house, unlike the original structure! It is fun to listen to him as he instructs himself and memorizes pieces of information.

While Nick used amazing electric tools and hydraulic jacks to correct the basic support, John heaved and yanked on nails and screws to remove them from boards in order that Nick can recycle them into the new deck.With aching shoulders, John called it a day at 4pm so that we could take our pre-dinner walk. 

Tackling the deck

I had the help of a strong 17 year old on Sunday afternoon to remove the railings from around the back deck. Some of the pieces were rotted, some were nailed and others were screwed. It made the job more challenging and I was very grateful to have young muscles involved.

Today Nick arrived to start the process of ripping apart the existing decking in order to rebuild the entire surface. Never second guess what you'll find underneath the surface layer! Lurking beneath was a good sized wasp nest, cedar decking and a couple of bats!

It looks like they put plywood and vinyl over top of decking. Nick almost went through the rotten wood!!

Is that snow??

You can't see the snow in this photo of the Fly Hills

but it was there two mornings in a row!

Everyone knows that winter weather arrives

six weeks after the first snow is spotted on the hills!!

Greek lessons

With the start of a new school year, the cost of learning another language through Education Outreach escalated from $0 - $150.00. I decided that if I paid the money, I would be more focused with my daily lessons. So, here I am again, attempting to string together a sentence in GREEK! Refreshing my aging brain cells with repetitions of the alphabet and verb conjugations! In my notebook from 2007,
I discovered this poem that reflects my ongoing struggle with the language.

This language is elusively

leaking through my pores

seeping out of synapses

that continue to disconnect

and open without warning

so that bits and pieces remain

in an abstract version

of an invisible sensibility!

That about sums up my experience, whether trying to learn on the computer or visiting the country. Of course there are a few words that have stuck. I can call a dog to "come here" when necessary and order a kilo of wine with no problem. It would be an advantage to read a menu with confidence! So now there will be daily lessons and reviews on Rosetta Stone until next March when we will step onto Greek soil again and embrace the scent of the Aegean!