The most effective alarm clock is a cat coughing up a hair ball on your white spread at six.  I guess getting old for a cat isn’t easy either. 

I put on the coffee and woke both David and Judith at seven.  While Judith was frying pizza dough I made a quick trip over to the garden and picked the last of the sour cherries for David to take back to Sydney and Kate.  David was mumbling something about customs as I slipped them into his bag.

David barely got his two bags in the T-bird’s trunk and then squeezed his oversized body into the undersized front seat for the trip to the airport.  Judith spared him the top down treatment as it was barely over fifty.  They were no sooner out the driveway when I went up to check out the post pouring.  It looked good but I’ll know more tomorrow when I take it out of the mold.  With that done I stripped the last form off the gate post, tore down the scaffolding and started cleaning up the area.  Once that was done I turned my attention to the aquarium pool and started sweeping down the sides.  We have a lot less algae this year and I’m not sure why.  It has been hotter this year but I have less fish and they won’t eat the pellets.  Judith drove in as I was finishing the job.

We talked for a few minutes before I headed for my office to play in the Sunday 250K.  I’ve limited my poker playing to this event and one or two SNG’s a week.  I just have so much to do taking valuable time to PLAY poker isn’t in the cards.  We will be heading south in ten short weeks and I’ll have plenty of time for poker when the workings done.  I only lasted through the first break when I lost the farm on a good hand, beaten on the river by a long shot draw.  Poker!

When I picked up Dale’s trailer I noticed it had a broken hinge on the dump gate and took it to the shop for a quick weld job.  Unfortunately the hinge was also bent and I don’t have a torch that would heat the metal to the point where I could hammer it back into shape.  Next, I went to the garden to check things out.  We have had less than an eighth inch of rain the last two months and it shows.  While I’ve trucked thousands of gallons of water the plants sure miss the rains from above.  With a little luck the lake will fill up by spring and I’ll have a siphon watering system in place to provide nutrient rich “warmer” water to my new garden.  Speaking of the garden……………….

Judith fixed leftover chicken for dinner with fresh sugar snap peas form the garden.  Outstanding. 

I won the daily crib game and we are, once again, tied for the month.  I came within one point of skunking her but……………..

I finished the re-typing of Smarter Than Me and sent it off to Darrell.  Next I’ll reread the entire test and look at the corrections and suggestions from Darrell before writing the last section on methods of selling one’s business.

Lots to do this week.  Andrew will be here at nine and we will work at the lake tomorrow and in the new garden tomorrow. 

Dave is oiling the form and I’m mixing the concrete

My first thought when I woke up at seven, was there frost?  There was a frost warning last night although it was well above fifty degrees when I went to bed at eleven.  One glance told me that the garden has a few more days before another possible  killing frost.  When I got to the kitchen it was forty; cool but not a danger to the plants.

I put on the coffee and turned on the Saturday financial shows.  One thing is clear; no one really knows what is going to happen.  Twenty percent of all homes with mortgages are under water; people owe more on their homes than they are worth.  The natives are getting restless and will show their frustration on November 2^nd. 

I worked on Smarter Than Me for several hours and have just one more retyping session.  I’m starting to get feedback and change suggestions from my friend Darrell, who has agreed to do the editing.  Next week we will have no guests and I should be able to spend a few more hours each day, moving closer to the finish line.

Judith was up at nine and Dave slept in until almost ten.  Judith fixed fried dough for breakfast; another favorite of Dave’s.

Job one for me on this Saturday was to build the forms for the concrete posts.  I estimated for hours to do the task and hit it right on the nose.  Judith helped me cut and place the heavy cloth material used to get the desired shape for the posts.  David helped with the pouring which took only thirty minutes and less than two batches of concrete.  The next hurdle is getting the post out of the mold and I’m hoping I don’t have to dismantle the mold to get it out. 

With the pouring done David and I rode down to the river to fish for a couple of hours.  It was a little chilly and the fish weren’t biting but just sitting by the river with Dave was worth the effort.

Look closely at the center of the olive on the right—a martini might help!

We were back at the house at six and the cards were in the air shortly thereafter.  Judith won the daily crib game and now leads the month 6-5.  I decided to have a martini and half way through the match looked in my glass and saw an ice cube that had started to melt and looked just like a goose.  I ran for my camera and took one of today’s blog pictures.

Judith baked one of the Weston’s chickens and after a couple of bites David said “this is how chicken is supposed to taste”!  Amen. 

Everyone agreed on watching several episodes of Thirty Rock.  Within minutes I was kicked out of the theater for snoring and sent to my office. 

David leaves in the morning.  My time flies.  It was nice having him to ourselves and spending quality time together.

Buddy started his mouse chasing act at six and got me up and going shortly thereafter.  Getting up early and stepping in “mouse parts” isn’t exactly the best way to start your day. 

I checked the temperature when I got to the kitchen and it was a cool 40.8 degrees.  That is the coldest it has been in at least two months.  I put on the coffee and started the new puzzle Judith put out yesterday.  It is another thousand piece puzzle with a fall fair theme.  Speaking of which………

The Bulkley Valley Fall Fair start this Wednesday and Judith and I made a date to see the parade on Wednesday which kicks off the fair.  I can’t believe it has been a year since we had the Granger cousin’s reunion.  Brother, Ron, and I went to the BC Work Horse pulling event at the fair and enjoyed every minute.

The market was down again this morning on economic news that was less than heartwarming.  The “Summer of Recovery” has been anything but……………  The unemployment numbers keep rising even with all the mirrors and lights. 

Judith and David were up at nine.  We briefly discussed the day and then I started hauling water to the garden.  I checked the live trap in the big green house and discovered a “sprung” trap with all the bait eaten and NOTHING inside.  Whatever has been eating my beans can get through a one inch by one inch mesh. 

After lunch I loaded up the F350 and headed for Smithers.   My first stop was at BV where I got a couple of items critical for the installation of the garden fence.  The next stop was at Dale Clarke’s where I picked up his dump trailer.  A couple of years ago Dale called and was asking about what implements I purchased with my tractor; he was getting ready to buy a Kubota and was going through the same thoughts as I did when I bought mine eight years earlier.  I came up with the bright idea that he buy some things I didn’t have and then “share” them as needed.  The dump trailer was one of those suggestions.  I love it when a plan works.  We had a quick chat before I headed back to River House.

Judith was busy getting ready for pizza night and David was making sure the oven was full of wood.  I took a quick shower, made the sauce and then took a break to squeeze in our crib game.  Judith managed to win; tying up the month at 5-5.

Our first guests, the Weston’s, drove in shortly after six followed within a few minutes by the Oberlader’s and their three year old son Daniel.  Judith pulled out her stash of toys for small kids and he dug in.  As the Erbel’s drove down the drive way I put in the first pizza.  Or I should say “tried” to put in the first pizza.  Judith made a simple change in flour and the dough stuck to the peel like glue.  She made a quick adjustment, added a little more flour, and we were off to the races.  We cooked at least ten pizzas and ate everyone.  Naomi showed up a little after nine to start the cleanup.  Daniel got a big kick out of carrying the dirty dishes to the kitchen.   Naomi doing this is a lifesaver for us as it cost us just twenty bucks and a pizza and takes the entire cleanup off our shoulders.

The guests were gone by ten and I headed for my office.  I tried the blog posting but……..too much beer and wine to get it done.  I called it a night; tired and happy!

Spend a few days on a boat in rough water and the rocking can continue for several hours or even days.  Take a shower and close your eyes and you can barely remain standing.  On top of all that last night was one of those crazy dream nights and I was more than happy to get up at six. 

It was cooler this morning; somewhere in the low fifties with overcast skies.  What we really need is a heavy rain but that doesn’t look as if it is the cards.  I put on the coffee and finished the puzzle.  Sticking those final pieces seems to be the most rewarding knowing the job is done, at least until Judith puts out a new one.

I went to my office and turned on Fox.  The market was down over two hundred on more rotten economic news.  The good news is that troops are coming home from Iraq.  The knuckle draggers will be touting how great Duhbama is for finally making the decision.  He could have made the same decision nineteen months ago and saved countless lives.  Isn’t it funny that the Liberal/Progressives who kept a daily body count when “W” was in office somehow thought it didn’t matter once this President took office.  AND…….guess who they will blame when the Iraqi body count starts climbing as the US presents diminishes?

The news reported the heavy raining in Tennessee and I called my brother who lives just south of Nashville. They had six inches yesterday but seemed to have had little effect in the town of Dickson where they live.  He said the voters spoke this last election and threw the bums (incumbents) out.  THAT is a start!

Judith and David were up around nine.  We discussed the day; David was going to work on cleaning up the boat, Judith had things to do in her studio and I was going to Smithers.  After breakfast we took a drive to the lake and checked things out.  All of the heavy equipment is out of the lake bed and it looks as if he is a few hours from being done.  Andrew and I will work on Monday to get the water and sewer lines in for Derrick to connect on Tuesday.  We will also pour the new support posts for the Lake Cabin deck.  Rick should be back in on Wednesday to cover the pipes and put in the spillway.  Once that is done all that he has left to do is send me the bill.

Today was massage day.  I loaded up the garbage around ten and headed for town.  I stopped at BV Supply to pick up a few items for my garden fence before heading for the dump.  The exchange rate was a little above par when I stopped at the bank.  Jackie, my masseuse, is moving to Vancouver Island for the next year and today was my last appointment.  I don’t get massages when we travel and I guess I can do without them here in the Great White North.

As I was driving through Telkwa I remembered I needed to buy water and sewer black pipe and stopped, once again, at BV Supply.  I needed three hundred feet of each and that cost a cool grand.  It is the little hidden cost in a project that always pop up and bites you in the butt.

David was a good sport and helped me lay out the water and sewer lines when I got home.  Judith came up and took a few pictures for the book she has been putting together documenting all the River House projects. 

I fired up the Tool Box Grill and cooked salmon steaks for dinner.  Corn on the cob, fresh beet greens, from the garden, and oven baked potatoes filled out the menu. 

We played our crib game and I came out the winner; I now lead the month 5-4.

We have lots to do tomorrow including a pizza night.

 

David with 12 pound coho

The alarm went off at five and I was off to the races.  I put on the coffee and headed for my office.  I ran the marine weather and tide reports and wasn’t crazy about what I saw.  While there wasn’t a gale warning the winds were between 15 and 25 mph and in addition they were calling for “patches” of fog.  David’s alarm didn’t go off and I got him out of the sack at twenty to six.  He was up in a flash and helped me load the ice and bait.  We were on the road to Rupert a five after six.

It took a quick stop at Midway to fuel the boat and truck while having a breakfast.  We pulled into Terrace at nine thirty and only made one stop at the Misty River Bait and Tackle Shop.  We made Rupert by noon and had our groceries bought and loaded by one.  Up to this point the trip went off like clockwork, but that was soon to change.

Job one was getting crab.  Early in the year we did very well catching and the last to attempts we got skunked.  I set all four crab traps and let them soak for an hour and a half.  There were two other boats working the bay and lots of crab trap floats.  Much to my disappointment we only found one legal male in our traps.  I plopped him in the live well and headed for Melville Island.  When we turned the corner and headed out into open water the waves started and I knew the nine mile trip would be a rough one and make trolling for salmon difficult.

I bypassed Cutter Rock, a place I normally fish, as it was just too rough.  We moved up to where I set the prawn traps and placed all four in my favorite spot.  We spent the next four hours trolling for salmon at the bottom of Dundas Island and never got a bite.  With only a single crab on board it was looking a lot like hot dogs for dinner.  We pulled the prawn traps at nine and found over a hundred prawns; a welcome sight.  Once we anchored up I got the water boiling and cooked the crab and prawns along with a handful of Yukon Gold new potatoes.  It was past ten when we finished dinner and headed for bed.

August 17^th

I woke up at five to find fog as thick as pea soup.  I put on the coffee pot and hopped back in bed hoping the fog would be gone when the coffee was done.  NOT!  I woke Dave at six thirty and we had the boat started and our first cup of coffee by seven.  We could only see a few feet in front of the boat and used our GPS and radar to find the traps.  Just when I thought things couldn’t get worse we pulled the prawn traps and found TWO huge octopuses.  One was inside the trap looking out and the other was clinging on the outside.  David decided to keep one for halibut and let the other go.  When I say big I mean their heads were the size of a basketball with tentacles at least four feet long.  I soon learned that these animals are one of the slimiest creatures on the face of the planet. 

The octopuses severely limited our prawn take but still netted well over a hundred.  We wasted about an hour but it didn’t matter because the fog was still down on the deck.  We crept out to the salmon and tried to troll but that didn’t work.  When the fog is really thick one tends to drive the boat in tight circles making trolling almost impossible.  I decided the only option was to anchor up to halibut fish in a place OUT of the traffic lanes for larger boats and ships.  I’ve had very good luck catching halibut over the last few years and have limited on most trips.  We put down our bait and caught only one halibut in the three hours we were anchored.  We spent the rest of the day both trolling for salmon and anchored up for halibut and ended up with just two nice coho salmon. 

We made an end of the day prawn trap check and bagged another hundred.  Halibut, boiled potatoes and baked beans served as an easy and excellent dinner.  Once again it was almost eleven before we finished eating and got to bed.

August 18^th

I woke up at five and it felt like I had been gargling razor blades.  I’ve had this happen several times; I snore so hard and long my uvula takes a real beating and become so sore I can barely swallow.  NOT a good way to start the day.

My game plan was to pull the prawn traps and head for the Work Channel, about twelve miles east of Dundas Island.  I had heard the coho fishing had been good there the past week and decided to give it a shot.  It was very calm when we left Dundas, however, as we approached the Work Channel the wind kicked up and we were faced with fishing in three to four foot seas.  We gave it a try but decided to tuck inside the channel, a place I’ve never fished before, to fish calmer weather.  We found a half dozen fishing this area and put out our lines.  We trolled for an hour, caught one nice coho and didn’t see another fish boated.  When we stuck our nose back out into the open water the seas we building and we decided to call it a day and head back to Rupert.  It took almost two hours to grind out the twenty miles; an unpleasant end to a very subpar fishing trip.

The boat was loaded and we were looking at Rupert in the rearview mirror by one thirty.  When we got to Terrace David went to A & W while I check out the boat.  I always feel the wheel hubs for excess heat and in all the time I’ve been doing this I’ve never had one over heat.  Until today!  For the last three or four years I always carry a grease gun in my truck, just in case.  Last week I “borrowed” it to use on the tractor and of course didn’t put it back.  I made a quick stop to Wal-Mart and bought a new grease gun which solved the problem. 

We pulled into Smithers at six and it looked as if we’d get home in record time.  I had Dave call Judith to see if she needed anything from Safeway only to find there was a fire between Telkwa and River House and she thought the road was closed.  There is no alternate route so we decided to press on and take our chances.  We could see the smoke and planes bombing the fire as we approached Deep Creek, about five miles before the Walcott turnoff.  We were stopped for about ten minutes when one of the locals I know stopped and gave us an update into what was happening.  It turned out two houses were near the fire and one had a large propane tank and they had the traffic stopped as a precaution incase it exploded.  Within an hour they let us pass even though the fire was far from being extinguished. 

Judith greeted us with a smile and chocolate mousse pie.  A great ending to a not so great fishing trip.  Sometimes the magic works and…………………………………..

Smoke fills the valley at seven

I awoke at six with the smell of smoke in my nostrils.  Before I could panic I remembered the forest fire burning south of River House.  I got up and took a peak outside and saw heavy smoke throughout the valley.  While the coffee was brewing I got on the internet to find out what was happening with the Chism fire.  It is still about 600 hectares and has only forty or fifty fire fighters assigned to this blaze.  The good news is the wind is dead calm and that is a good thing.

I poured a cup and headed for my office.  Job one was checking the e-mail before starting back on Smarter Than Me.  I worked for more than an hour on my book and got several more chapters retyped.

The Weston’s were killing and butchering chickens today and I volunteered to help.  They bought fifty two on June 25^th and today we butchered forty two.  Ten were lost to the perils of the Great white North; hawks, weasels, bad luck, etc.  I arrived at nine, the time we were suppose to start, and it was apparent the Weston’s had been at it for some time.  This has been a record year for wasps and today they were out in force.  By eleven thirty “my” part was done and I headed back to River House.  We’ll get ten of these beautiful SIX pound birds that are as good as any chicken that has ever crossed my lips.

Job one this afternoon was finding the sewer and water lines at each end of the new dam.  It wasn’t easy finding them which took several hours.  They are about four foot deep and with luck Rick will make the necessary cut to place the lines in making it unnecessary for me to try and dig a trench with my little backhoe.  With that done I dug the footing holes for the deck and called it a day with the backhoe.

David wanted pizza and I started the fire at one.  Judith said she’d keep an eye on the oven while I got things ready to go to Rupert tomorrow. 

The sun poking through the smoke at four PM.

Louise called mid afternoon to let us know a fire was burning at a nearby farmer’s.  It turns out an old burn pile had flared up and destroyed eighteen thousand pound hay bales and four acres of pasture.  The neighbors responded and got the fire out before it got out of control.  We have NO fire department in the area.  That is scary and expensive when it comes to insurance.

We only made three pizza and they were great.  We took turns cooking and eating making sure each pizza was piping hot. 

David and I will leave at six in the morning and should return late Wednesday.  No blog postings until I return

I couldn’t resist taking this picture of Dave, our son, relaxing at River House

One of the joys of waking up at Rive House is getting a peak at the Telkwa Mountains as they greet the day.  Some days they are covered with snow, sometimes clouds cover all or part of this beautiful range.  Today the mountains were hidden behind…………………………smoke.  A fire started, on Wednesday, in an area called The Chism which is about thirty to fifty miles southwest of River House.  It was 200 hectares on Wednesday, 400 yesterday and has grown to over 600 today.  NOT good!  The part that makes me nervous is that our wind and weather come from that direction and if they don’t get in put out soon we could be in its path.

Andrew was here at seven on the dot.  Everything went smoothly and we were finished and eating breakfast by eleven.  Finally…..all the corner and gate posts are poured.  If I had to do it all over again…….I wouldn’t. 

The smoke in the air killed any idea of going to the alpine.  It is beautiful up there but with all the smoke the vistas are probably blocked. We decided to just hang around the house and it was without a doubt the most restful afternoon I’ve had in many a moon.  Reading, working on a new puzzle and napping were the order of the afternoon.  We did manage to get off the couch long enough to take a quick ride down to the Walcott Walking Bridge.  We only stayed about ten minutes and saw only one small school of pinks making their way to the spawning grounds.

Rick was in with his wife and son along with a transit to “shoot” the elevations.  It turns out he will need to build the dam up another two feet.  Everything else looks good.  The deepest part came in at fourteen feet.  He will be in Monday to wrap things up.  The cloth for under the spillway arrived today.  Tomorrow I must do several hours of backhoe work to find the ends of the sewer and water lines and to dig the holes for new support columns on the lake cabin deck.  When I put in the deck, several years ago, I didn’t get them deep enough and they have been heaving causing the deck to become unlevel.  Once I find the ends of the lines rick will make the cut with the dozer and then I get the plumber to make the connections before Rick covers them up when he does the final grooming on the dam.

David finished getting the boat ready.  I checked the marine weather and it is improving; both the wind and waves should be minimal for our two day trip to Rupert.  I’ll check again late tomorrow and if it still looks good we’ll head out Monday morning.  That is, of course, unless the fire danger increases making leaving a bad call.   

Part of my morning ritual is hopping on the scale to see what progress I’m making towards my goal of being under two hundred pounds on my sixty fifth birthday just three short months away.  This morning I weighed a pleasing two hundred and five pounds; the least I’ve weighed in at least thirty years.

Both David and Judith slept in giving me a great opportunity to work on Smarter Than Me.  I typed for well over an hour and made a good dent it what is left to re-type.  Another three or four mornings and I’ll be done with retyping and can get down to writing the final chapters.  I’ve still have the Great Sales Stories section to do and I need to put the word out to friends and every sales person to help by contributing good and unusual tales about sales. 

Andrew was here at nine on the dot and we started on the last post pouring; the post that will act as a gatepost on the north end of the new garden.  Once again I hoped it would be a one day job.  NOT!  He will be here at seven in the morning; with luck we’ll be done at eleven.

Rick was here today and moved a lot of dirt.  The “deep” hole at lake’s center is complete and it looks as if enough clay is now in place to finish the new dam.  He will do some clean up tomorrow and move some more black dirt to the lower hayfield.  It looks as if he has come up with a good solution for putting in the sewer and water lines.  He’ll make a cut along the backside of the new dam with the bulldozer blade.  The plumber will put in the lines and then Rick will cover them with his big backhoe.  This will save me thirty plus hours on my tractor trying to cut through the clay he just put in place.  I ordered the cloth and the lumber for the spillway today; the cloth will be here in a couple of days and the lumber won’t arrive until the end of the September.

David took on the boat cleaning responsibilities and everything is pretty much ready to go for Monday’s trip to Rupert.  I checked the marine weather and the winds are calming down and  we should be good to go. 

Judith fixed a breaded pork dish for dinner, served with pasta, mixed vegetables and a garden salad.  The lettuce is still holding on and the new planting should be producing soon.  The forecast is for TEN more days of warm weather which should produce red tomatoes; something I’ve had only marginal luck getting here in the Great White North. 

The movie of the evening was Men Who Stare at Goats.  Good acting; weird movie!

If the stars align correctly and we get the pour done by eleven we may take a trip to the alpine.

At seven, when I made my way to the kitchen, the Taylors were long gone.  Their plan was to be on the road by six.  I checked the puzzle table, and try as they might, Richard and Zack didn’t get it finished before they left.  There were about fifty pieces left; ALL blue.  I put on the coffee and started plugging in the remaining pieces.  The only differences were a slight variation in color; no easy, Papa.

I made my way to my office and turned on Fox.  The market was heading down again after yesterday’s large loss.  The market going down usually means the exchange rate bumps up a few points.  I checked the rate and it was at 1.04; the highest it has been in more than a week. 

I woke Dave up at eight thirty and got the truck ready to go to Houston and pick up the Polaris.  We were on the road a few minutes before eight and put breakfast at the top of our list.  Is it just me or is eating out getting a LOT more expensive?  I had French toast with bacon; Dave had pancakes, eggs and bacon.  We each had coffee and the tab, without tip, was TWENTY FOUR bucks. 

Next we stopped at Super Value and picked up diet Coke for Dave then headed to BV Supply where I got more cement and rebar.  With that done we stopped at North Star Performances and loaded the six wheeler.  The bill was a little over five hundred for a fuel pump and new brake pads. 

We were back at River House at eleven.  Judith greeted us at the door and we discussed the day.  MORE of the new garden was on my agenda while Dave wanted to rest and read.  Judith had a lot of catching up to do with Dave.

I unloaded the rebar and cement and then set out to build the last footing for the gate post.  During the process I noticed the tractor was low on fuel and decided to drive up to Louise’s and filled it up with diesel.  On the way back I was clipping along when I heard a funny noise and made the STUPID mistake of checking it out while moving.  I thought it was coming from under my seat and took my attention off the road for just a second.  The next thing I knew I heard the  right front tire hit the loose gravel on the side of the road.  My reflexes took over and I slammed on the breaks.  The good news is the tractor stopped before going down the embankment; the bad news is the front wheel kicked up a stick and that stick bounced up and severed the fuel line going to the filter.  The tractor stalled and I noticed diesel pouring out on the ground.  I normally carry a knife but as luck would have it today I didn’t have one.  I lost about a gallon of fuel before I found the shut off valve and walked back to the house.  I grabbed my knife and got a ride back to the tractor with Judith and Dave.  Within minutes the tractor was running again.  This could have ended a LOT worse; a guess what’s why they call them accidents.

Rick was in again today and the progress has slowed way down.  Moving the clay from where we are digging the deepest area to the new dam is more of a task than I had figured.  My next problem is going to be digging the trench for the sewer and water lines.  No one, this side of  Vancouver, has a trencher that goes deeper than three feet and that doesn’t cut it here in the Great White North.  Trying to dig a six foot deep, four hundred foot long trench with my backhoe will be a very LONG process.

Judith cooked one of David’s favorite meals; chicken and noodles.  We had our first Swiss chard from the garden.  Corn and pizza dough bread filled out the menu.  Judith also made Angel food cake, another favorite of David’s.

The Hurt Locker was the movie of the evening.  There was NO sleeping through this one.  How in the world are we ever going to get out of the mess over there?

Andrew will be here at nine.  I think that dim light at the end of the tunnel maybe the end of this project!

It was seven thirty when Buddy jumped up on my bed and let me know it was time to start my day.  I thought for sure Linda would be up but that wasn’t the case.  Once Buddy was fed I put on the coffee and started working on the puzzle.  Richard finished everything BUT the blue sky and a foot path that was all one color.  No easy, Papa.

Linda was up by eight and we played two crib games, each winning one.  Judith was up at eight thirty.  I agreed to cook huevos rancheros for the crew and started at nine on the dot.  Good tortillas are impossible to get here in the Great White North.  The dish was good but would have been great with nice fresh tortillas.

After breakfast I decided to bite the bullet and load all the stuff waiting to be burned in the new garden on the F-350 and haul it off to the dump.  It is so dry here and having a fire is not in the cards.  There is a burning band enforced and a whopping million dollar fine for starting a forest fire, not to mention a three year jail term.  Zack pitched in and helped and decided to ride into Smither’s with me.  While in Smithers we stopped at the liquor store and Canadian Freightways to pick up the deck sealer and cleaner. 

With the burn pile out of the way I now have room to move around with the tractor making life a whole lot easier.  After lunch I worked with the backhoe and prepared the area on the east side of the garden for the small stone wall.  Once the corner posts are poured and the posts in between are in place I’ll be able to put the rock wall in place. 

When I got back Richard had a long face and come to find out he backed Judith’s ATV into the split rail fence and messed up the plastic dump bed.  Speaking of ATVs…..North Star called and said my Polaris was ready for pickup.  It has been in their shop for just about three weeks.  Not a good thing.

David’s plane was due at seven thirty and I headed for Smithers  an hour early.  I walked in the airport and learned the arrival was going to be thirty minutes late.  I made a couple of calls and did a little people watching until Dave walked through the door.

Judith had a nice pot roast waiting when we got back to River House.  After dinner we broke out the cards and played the last two legs of our Hand and Foot game.  I caught the cards and won by well over two thousand points.

The Taylor’s are leaving early in the morning.  Lots to do before we head to Rupert on Monday.