Sunday, June 16, 2013
Happy Fathers Day
Happy Fathers Day to all the dad's out there. Here is mine on the Grouse Mountain Chair Lift back in the 50's!
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Staking It Down
I did a little Googling of deer fences and learned it was a common problem for deer to get their noses under the fences and push them up far enough to get through. They even make special stakes to hold the fence to the ground. Who would have known?
I started looking for a local supply of stakes when I realized I had a bunch of 18 - 20 inch ends of cedar fence boards that I rescued from Brooks and Lindalee's burn pile. I ripped a few into 1 1/2 inch widths and put a point on each one. Near the other end I put in a screw with about 1/4 inch sticking out to catch the lower wire. I pounded one in the ground in the middle of the first span hooking the bottom wire onto the screw head as it passed and buried the stake into the ground. It worked perfectly. I went along the whole length of the fence, putting one or two stakes in every span depending on the terrain. There is no way any deer are going to "nose" their way in now.
I sure miss that burn pile!
I started looking for a local supply of stakes when I realized I had a bunch of 18 - 20 inch ends of cedar fence boards that I rescued from Brooks and Lindalee's burn pile. I ripped a few into 1 1/2 inch widths and put a point on each one. Near the other end I put in a screw with about 1/4 inch sticking out to catch the lower wire. I pounded one in the ground in the middle of the first span hooking the bottom wire onto the screw head as it passed and buried the stake into the ground. It worked perfectly. I went along the whole length of the fence, putting one or two stakes in every span depending on the terrain. There is no way any deer are going to "nose" their way in now.
I sure miss that burn pile!
Friday, June 14, 2013
Fixed! That Spot Anyway.
I cut a small piece of the left over fence (not the one I sold to a reader) and climbed the hill. It was obvious this was where they came in. They were able to get their heads under and push up on the fence at the gully. They had created an 18 inch gap. They marked the spot by leaving a pile of shit at the opening.
I rolled up the piece I had cut and jammed it under the fence wire. I staked it in place and tied it to the bottom of the fence with about ten zap straps. The growth will soon make it impenetrable.
I rolled up the piece I had cut and jammed it under the fence wire. I staked it in place and tied it to the bottom of the fence with about ten zap straps. The growth will soon make it impenetrable.
They Got In!
After a week of no deer incursions Norma went out and bought $200 worth of rose bushes yesterday including a White Rose bush she had been coveting at the nursery. She was going to plant them today but this morning they were all eaten. Reduced to stubs. She had netting across the driveway which was not disturbed so they did not get in there.
The only possible place is a gully up on the bank where there is a one foot gap under the fence. Brooks and I were sure deer did not get down on their bellies and crawl under fences but that is the only place we can find where there is a possible entry. Damn! I will fill that gap today.
The only possible place is a gully up on the bank where there is a one foot gap under the fence. Brooks and I were sure deer did not get down on their bellies and crawl under fences but that is the only place we can find where there is a possible entry. Damn! I will fill that gap today.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Workshop Cleaning Detail
I have not cleaned out my workshop for at least three years and it needed it! It is about 12 X 14 with a large window at one end with my workbench under the window. My compound sliding mitre saw and small table saw are on one wall and the back wall is used for storage of wood. The other wall is used up with racks for tools and coffee tins of assorted nails and screws. When it is used efficiently there is lots of room.
Yesterday I went in to do a simple project but could not get at my workbench because it was covered with "stuff" Half my tools were on it because the shopvac and pressure washer were using up half the floor space in front of my tool storage. The other half was taken up by cardboard boxes waiting to be broken down for recycling. The stack of plywood on the back wall had slid down so the bottom was about two feet out from the wall and there was no way to fix it without starting fresh. My ladder was in the middle of the floor because it's place against the wall was taken up by short lengths of wood and the 4000 watt sauna heater I had the chance to get for free and just could not pass up. The StarChoice dish from the motorhome was also in the middle of the floor because there was no other place for it. Pulling the table saw out to the middle of the floor to use it was not possible. I had to either build an addition or clean it out!
Norma did not trust me to do it myself so she helped. Sometime over the winter a cat had gotten inside and had sprayed. The place stunk and she has the technology (chemicals) to fix that. We started by taking everything outside. Saws, shopvac, plywood, everything! After that we swept and vacumed the floor and workbench clean. All the too small pieces of wood and all the cardboard got burned and a ton of "stuff" got put aside for Beau (her lawn guy) to take to the dump. The cat spray got dealt with by spraying with vinegar and industrial strength deodorizer. I made room in the rafters for the StarChoice dish and equipment.
When we finished there was a ton more space to work in. Everything is against or hanging from the walls and the workbench is bare! My tools are all organized. Now, what was that project I wanted to do yesterday?
Yesterday I went in to do a simple project but could not get at my workbench because it was covered with "stuff" Half my tools were on it because the shopvac and pressure washer were using up half the floor space in front of my tool storage. The other half was taken up by cardboard boxes waiting to be broken down for recycling. The stack of plywood on the back wall had slid down so the bottom was about two feet out from the wall and there was no way to fix it without starting fresh. My ladder was in the middle of the floor because it's place against the wall was taken up by short lengths of wood and the 4000 watt sauna heater I had the chance to get for free and just could not pass up. The StarChoice dish from the motorhome was also in the middle of the floor because there was no other place for it. Pulling the table saw out to the middle of the floor to use it was not possible. I had to either build an addition or clean it out!
Norma did not trust me to do it myself so she helped. Sometime over the winter a cat had gotten inside and had sprayed. The place stunk and she has the technology (chemicals) to fix that. We started by taking everything outside. Saws, shopvac, plywood, everything! After that we swept and vacumed the floor and workbench clean. All the too small pieces of wood and all the cardboard got burned and a ton of "stuff" got put aside for Beau (her lawn guy) to take to the dump. The cat spray got dealt with by spraying with vinegar and industrial strength deodorizer. I made room in the rafters for the StarChoice dish and equipment.
When we finished there was a ton more space to work in. Everything is against or hanging from the walls and the workbench is bare! My tools are all organized. Now, what was that project I wanted to do yesterday?
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Saving a Humpback Whale
A family vacationing in Mexico has a chance to save a Humpback Whale tangled in a fishing net:
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Deer Fence (Finally!)
Brooks has been talking about a deer fence in the back of our property for years. The terrain is not friendly for fence building however. Our property is odd shaped. We have a 100 foot long driveway coming up from the road and at the end of the driveway the main property is 120 feet by 360 feet. The house is built near the front of this piece with the back 3/4 being very steep with dense brush and trees, home to deer and eagles. It would be an impossible (as in way too expensive) task to fence this whole area off. Instead, Norma had Beau, her lawn guy, cut and remove the brush (mostly horsetails) from a 120 by 50 foot area behind the house.
On Tuesday Brooks and LindaLee drove up and we went fence shopping. We bought two 165' rolls of six foot high deer and rabbit fence plus steel posts. The idea was to use trees wherever we could to support the wire fence and use the steel posts in between the trees. We bought one eight foot wood post and cement to form one corner where there was no convenient tree. The finished product would not be perfectly straight but no one ever goes up there because of the steep terrain and the fence will soon be covered by wild growth in any case. It will soon be invisible and imperfections impossible to detect. It will also completely block off the three main game trails that the deer use to access their favourite flower buffet.
It was a dirty job for Brooks and LindaLee, slipping and sliding up and down the wet bank (45 degrees in places) and reaching into the blackberry bushes to place the fence and posts, with me helping where I could. After several hours of hard work, everyone ended up with deep scratches and muddy clothes. Thanks Brooks and LindaLee!
That same night I watched one of the deer standing on the far side of the fence, wondering how to get to her reserved table at the rosebud diner. Their only access now is up the driveway from the busy road, something one of them actually did on Thursday afternoon. Brooks and Norma are now talking about a swinging aluminium gate to completely block off the driveway. The total cost of the fence was about $700, including material, Beau (the lawn guy), food and beer. About $3.20 a foot but I have about 100 feet of fencing left over if I can find someone to buy it. Norma says this is cheap as the deer eat about $700 worth of flowers a year. That might be a slight exaggeration, but we have spent a lot of money over the years on solutions that did not work.
On Tuesday Brooks and LindaLee drove up and we went fence shopping. We bought two 165' rolls of six foot high deer and rabbit fence plus steel posts. The idea was to use trees wherever we could to support the wire fence and use the steel posts in between the trees. We bought one eight foot wood post and cement to form one corner where there was no convenient tree. The finished product would not be perfectly straight but no one ever goes up there because of the steep terrain and the fence will soon be covered by wild growth in any case. It will soon be invisible and imperfections impossible to detect. It will also completely block off the three main game trails that the deer use to access their favourite flower buffet.
It was a dirty job for Brooks and LindaLee, slipping and sliding up and down the wet bank (45 degrees in places) and reaching into the blackberry bushes to place the fence and posts, with me helping where I could. After several hours of hard work, everyone ended up with deep scratches and muddy clothes. Thanks Brooks and LindaLee!
That same night I watched one of the deer standing on the far side of the fence, wondering how to get to her reserved table at the rosebud diner. Their only access now is up the driveway from the busy road, something one of them actually did on Thursday afternoon. Brooks and Norma are now talking about a swinging aluminium gate to completely block off the driveway. The total cost of the fence was about $700, including material, Beau (the lawn guy), food and beer. About $3.20 a foot but I have about 100 feet of fencing left over if I can find someone to buy it. Norma says this is cheap as the deer eat about $700 worth of flowers a year. That might be a slight exaggeration, but we have spent a lot of money over the years on solutions that did not work.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
50th High School Reunion
Last weekend was my 50th High School Reunion in Vancouver! It was in 1963 that I graduated from Kitsilano High School! It was a fun weekend.
The school is still standing but will be closed for four or five years while they do earthquake upgrades to the structure. It will re-open in 2017.
There was a Meet And Greet social on Friday night but the acoustics in the hall were so bad that it was very difficult to talk (or perhaps it is our hearing??). The next night was dinner and dancing at the Point Grey Golf and Country Club. Here, it was much better! About 100 people showed up, some bringing non-Kits spouses but most flying solo. Most people were recognizable but some were not. Old girlfriends were there, two still friendly to me, one not so much. Wow, fifty years is a long time to hold a grudge!
The host for the evening was Pamela Burge, "Pam Da Monium", who went through school as Tim Burge, a male. He went on to become a very popular DJ on AM radio in Vancouver, it was only later in life that she decided to make the changes necessary to become who she really was. Most but not all of her classmates were very supportive. From the stage, she nominated herself "The Most Changed" grad. She ran unopposed! She was surprisingly nervous, something she addressed from the stage. "I introduced The Rolling Stones at the Vancouver Coliseum back in the 60's and they were a half hour late!" "Now here I am in front of 100 of my friends and I am shaking like a little girl!"
It was a fun night. Drinks were $8 each so I did not drink too much, the food was good and it was a blast to catch up. I will be at the next one!
Here I am. What a geek!
The school is still standing but will be closed for four or five years while they do earthquake upgrades to the structure. It will re-open in 2017.
There was a Meet And Greet social on Friday night but the acoustics in the hall were so bad that it was very difficult to talk (or perhaps it is our hearing??). The next night was dinner and dancing at the Point Grey Golf and Country Club. Here, it was much better! About 100 people showed up, some bringing non-Kits spouses but most flying solo. Most people were recognizable but some were not. Old girlfriends were there, two still friendly to me, one not so much. Wow, fifty years is a long time to hold a grudge!
The host for the evening was Pamela Burge, "Pam Da Monium", who went through school as Tim Burge, a male. He went on to become a very popular DJ on AM radio in Vancouver, it was only later in life that she decided to make the changes necessary to become who she really was. Most but not all of her classmates were very supportive. From the stage, she nominated herself "The Most Changed" grad. She ran unopposed! She was surprisingly nervous, something she addressed from the stage. "I introduced The Rolling Stones at the Vancouver Coliseum back in the 60's and they were a half hour late!" "Now here I am in front of 100 of my friends and I am shaking like a little girl!"
It was a fun night. Drinks were $8 each so I did not drink too much, the food was good and it was a blast to catch up. I will be at the next one!
Here I am. What a geek!
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Finally, Something Useful To Do With The Border Fence
A group of Mexicans and Americans found a good use for "The Fence" that cost over four million dollars a mile to build. International Beach Volleyball! This is the portion of the fence that extends into the Pacific Ocean.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Dreary Weather
It is raining again today! The weather was quite nice when we returned from our travels but that only lasted a few days. Recently it has been quite wet. Not all day but enough to discourage you from starting an outside project, knowing that if it is not raining now, it soon will be.
Our old friend Dave MacKinnon and his new bride, Susan, were going to come over to the Island for a visit but that never materialized. The good thing was, Norma went out and bought a couple of nice Dungeness Crab for the occasion, one of which we made thick sandwiched out of last night. Can't beat that.
I am packing for my 50th High School Reunion. It will be an event packed three days in Vancouver at the end of the month. It will be interesting to catch up with some old friends from back then. Some I have seen throughout the years but most, not. The weather does not look good for the weekend so the outdoor activities will probably be cancelled. Oh well, we were good at making our own fun back in '63 so I am sure we will come up with something!
Stay tuned!
Our old friend Dave MacKinnon and his new bride, Susan, were going to come over to the Island for a visit but that never materialized. The good thing was, Norma went out and bought a couple of nice Dungeness Crab for the occasion, one of which we made thick sandwiched out of last night. Can't beat that.
I am packing for my 50th High School Reunion. It will be an event packed three days in Vancouver at the end of the month. It will be interesting to catch up with some old friends from back then. Some I have seen throughout the years but most, not. The weather does not look good for the weekend so the outdoor activities will probably be cancelled. Oh well, we were good at making our own fun back in '63 so I am sure we will come up with something!
Stay tuned!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
