Finally some Oly action

Well, the Ad-lympics are finally underway. The coca cola torch relay blew though Courtenay weeks ago leaving no school age child without a bottle of the real thing in hand. The same diabetic substance banned from the school vending machine. Steve was nice and dropped by the legislature.... a first I'm told. But hey, he had a good speech and nowhere to present it... either that or he just wanted to get a look at what a working government looked like. Personally, I think he was here to join Gordo for the little publicized semi-annual meeting of Egotistical Liars Anonymous. Mike Campbell, an economic analyst that I used to like, was on a rant the other day about people that are always critical. What the hell was he thinking and who knows anybody like that? Back to the couch to watch some biathlon, I say.

It's been awhile since the last big fire on the island... so we were due for a doosey. Lots of propane tanks and other unknown sources of explosions highlighted a garage fire that consumed several vehicles, (one a newer Lexus I'm told). Source of fire is unknown, but a few people had theories.

Straw Bale House Update: A few loose ends to tie up in the plumbing and electrical departments along with a major clean-up.... and we're officially (almost) ready for drywall for the interior-interior walls... as opposed the interior exterior walls, (which will be plastered). Drywall labour is expensive, but it's one of the few things that I don't have an inclination to attempt.

I bit the bullet and invested in a new digital SLR camera.... evidence that I've learned how to turn it on will be posted here at a later date.

Under Pressure

I try not to listen to talk radio, but it can be addictive. So, I was listening to an interview with a federal politician the other day, (it could have easily been any politician I guess), and he made a comment that still makes me shake my head in bewilderment. "Canadians have higher expectations from their elected representatives than other countries". I think Canadians (and I could be wrong) want only three things from their elected representatives. Honesty, Integrity, and Common Sense. Apparently, three elusive characteristics. I really should stick to blasting the tunes from the Ipod while at work.

Straw Bale House Update:My camera is broken. No pictures to show, so will have to catch up on those another time.... I've been thinking though... of buying a digital SLR as a replacement. The House is nearly ready for interior wall finishing. We've been working on the balance of the plumbing rough-in. Pressure testing has been done with air and water... and with only a few small hick-ups I think we're almost ready to cover. The house has been left for the weekend under 40 lbs of water pressure.... we'll see Monday how she did.

Floored!

Straw Bale House Update: The concrete staining is complete. I'm pleased with the results so far. The final look won't be known until the acrylic finish has been applied. That will be done after the walls have been plastered.

Stain being applied with a garden sprayer.

Some of the results.... starting to look like stone.

A small amount of clearing is being done to let in some additional light and allow some space for a future paddock (if required)

The sills, window trims and returns are done. Everyone loves the deep window returns in straw bale houses.

Holidays have to come to an end at some point. We ended ours with a short foray into the Okanagan. We've come close on several occasions to choosing a horse (or two) to join our family. Mostly we've looked at and test driven Paints and Quarter horses. As we knew nothing of how to choose a horse.... we've taken a lot of time to educate ourselves. The trip to the interior satisfied our curiosity about the Peruvian Paso breed. Now lets be clear... I've never ridden. This may be a good thing as I have no fear of horses. The Peruvian is on the small side for a horse and has an attitude that goes with being short.... short horse syndrome, if you will. This spirit, is referred to as "BRIO" in the Peruvian horsey lingo. We looked at about 10 Peruvians during our time off (one day at each ranch). All the horses had one thing in common...sweet gentleness and very friendly. At one point we were in a field with several stallions, (which I'm told can be rather foolish), but they were a friendly bunch. The actual pasture we were in, can be seen on this youtube video.
Again, I stress, I've been on a horse very few times and do not know how to ride. I can only make the comparison between driving a car.... most horses are standard transmission with no extra options, A Peruvian horse is an automatic fully loaded. With a five minute lesson, I was riding the smoothest horse in the world. Check out the Peruvian gait on this video. The Peruvian horse owners that we met were just as great as the horses. All the Peruvian breeders know each other and often recommended each other. We've been invited back for trail rides and lessons before deciding on a horse. We'll be taking them up on that offer.
Thanks to:

Leslie at Silver Cloud Peruvians

Rick at Paradise Ranch

Judie and Ivan at North Okanagan Peruvians

Rob at Janice at Del Oeste Peruvians

Rick on Acuario... a champion stallion we got to ride.

A Prince Of A Guy

No.2 son landed his first paid acting gig... Prince Owain is off to Ontario to star in a family production play.... local media interview coverage can be seen here and here and here Break a leg, Curt!

Concrete Actions

Straw Bale House Update: The concrete scribing is going well. There is a learning curve and it's just as well we started in a closet. The acid stain has been ordered. Picture is of the master bedroom floor. Doesn't look like much yet, but just you wait!

Over-due house pics.

Straw Bale House Update:

Picture taken from the kitchen into the living room.
The Mason Heater is fully functioning and heats the house, even after the fire has gone out. (about 15c) The house currently looses 2c over night, (16 hours) with the outside temp in the 2-3c range. This should be reduced once the interior plastering is done and the thermal mass is increased. The goal is to have the heater hold a 20c temp with 2 short burns a day.



Picture of the Kitchen. The horizontal boards are for cabinet mounting. Wired for electric stove and plumbed for propane. (wire coiled on floor coming out of the slab is for the island.) The square hole between the windows is a box built to carry a seven inch stove vent. Window returns and sills are in the near future.



The front door entry finishing has been a challenge. Any questionable angles are sorted out with a little extra plaster. All of the door hardware has been installed and we're officially at lock-up. we're still considering side-lights made with bottles, (more on that later.) The green tape around the posts is holding the plastic which will protect the posts from the concrete acid stain....the next big project.

Picture of the dining room french doors. These are actually double doors that swing out onto a patio/bbq area. we rounded the top return with straw to match the other view windows. The dining room will have a nice ocean/mountain view.

I was able to get my hands on some very nice quarter-sawn Douglas Fir (milled on the island) to frame out the seven view windows on the south and west sides of the house. There was just enough left over to top the wrap-around window bench (which will provide tons of extra living room seating and a great cat look-out).

This week the layout for the tile pattern in the concrete floor will be cut and the acid stain ordered. (the designer still working on the colour)