Building Bedlam

building bedlam
Denman Island Wildlife: Well, the mason bees are doing their thing and making use of the mason bee condo. We've also noticed at our house, that the mason bees are making use of the tubular rubber bumper on our patio door. One busy bee has completely sealed off the hole in the bumper, (which, I estimate to be about 8 baby bees worth).
The Denman Island cougar has finally met his demise. After minding his own bisiness for the better part of a year, the venison-loving cat had a craving for lamb chops. Thursday afternoon, the tracking hounds, (followed by the tracker) passed by the building site. A few minutes later and a few hundred yards away, the hounds had him treed. I'm not sure that one slip-up was worthy of ending his life.....

Straw Bale Building: Monday, the construction class arrived, eight strong, plus the teacher. Tents were set up and the crew went to work for the next three days. By the time they left, the garage was beginning to look like.... well, a garage. Aside from a few "mishaps" it was a positive experience. For three days, there were twelve people on site, (including 3 working on the house). The eave supports, (on the house) by the living room are now complete and the roof (over the living room) has been sheathed. The track material for the twenty foot skylight, (that runs down the north-east side of the house) has been ordered and should be in next week. The beam-work that will be constructed over the front entry is being planed, sanded and stained. I'll loose my crew soon, as Charlie has his own house to finish. Hopefully, I can squeeze out another week or two of expertise before he leaves. Basically the house is now ready for the roof. For logistical reasons, we may wait and roof both the garage and the house at the same time.

Much of the land adjacent to our property is crown land or land held for the community by the local conservancy group. On Saturday there was an organized walk through part of these lands led by local experts. It was a great way to spend a beautiful, warm, sunny morning.