On the pine beetles...

I know we don`t see much of the damage pine beetles can cause when we are at our prairie home, but once out in the mountains you can really see the havoc they have wreaked. Once out of Chetwynd you can see the damage escalating, and when you hit Mackenzie - the mountains are full blown red. Not a live pine tree left. The damage lessens somewhat as you drive north to where we are, but it is still very present. At our claim, they are hitting quite hard right now, as we are surrounded by mature pines, their favorite. Since we arrived a month ago, we have lost several more trees in the yard. They are alive right now, but in a few weeks the needles will start to yellow and by next spring, the trees will be dead. As soon as we see the telltale sawdust on the ground and the crusty Cheerio like rings on the tree, we know they have had it.

A friend staying with us a few weeks back, sleeping in the wall tent, was kept awake by a strange noise for much of the night. In the morning, we noticed the two trees nearest the wall tent had sawdust on the ground (as did his packsack sitting underneath!) When you stood close to the tree you could hear it - it sounds like Rice Krispies in milk. A `snap, crackle, pop` sound can be heard as the mature beetles chew their way into the tree. Hundreds of them. If you look up at this stage you can even see them landing on the tree to do their damage. An adult pine beetle is smaller than a grain of rice, but when they work together, they can take down a 200 year old pine tree. Now that`s teamwork.

Move-in day is fast approaching...

Progress is being made on the lake cabin - we figure it will be only one more day of cleaning and painting until I'll feel comfortable spending a night in there. I'm no princess, but I do like my surroundings free of rodent droppings. We have both painted our cabin floors and they are looking very "Sarah Richardson." The rest of the cabins - not so much... yet. Perhaps once we get our furniture placed and some belongings unpacked, but it's a stretch!

Last week while working at the lake we had the treat of friends Heather and Kent showing up with fresh baked buns and wobbly pops! That was so appreciated! They have since gone home and we sure are missing their company. We are now looking ahead and looking forward to when Heather and Paul will arrive. Even though this may sound strange - I feel we are in this together and can't really settle in and start this adventure until they arrive. There have been a few setbacks at home for them and until they arrive we are anxiously waiting, and I am sure they are just as anxious to get here. I am hoping Heather gets here before berry season is over. Last week we picked 3 lbs. of wild raspberries and made seedless raspberry jam - so yummy! This week we picked close to 5 lbs. of huckleberries and I made jam from that. While picking those, Nola stepped on a wasp nest and was stung 3 times on the left side of her face. It puffed right up and swelled her eye shut. That had better be good jam!!

The backhoe has been broke down now for two weeks, the hydraulic pump has gone and until we have it rebuilt ($$) or buy a new one ($$$$) we are unable to mine. As a result of this, we have been able to work on lots of little projects around here. We have built a beautiful log picnic table that seats 10-12, and two log benches for around the firepit that seat 3-4 each. We will finish staining these today. I will post pictures soon. As soon as I find the card reader for the laptop in one of our many boxes.

Two days ago we took the quads up to the top of the mountain to show visiting friends, Carl and Dawn, the view from up there. Also to see up there is an abandoned mining camp, last used in 2006. It was a junior mining company who was there drilling core samples. They either did not like what they saw, or ran out of money, because they just up and left one day in the fall of 2006. We first went up there in the spring of 2007, and they had left all the food and supplies they had brought in. Such a waste. There was butter out on the table, a decomposed apple. It was as though as soon as they were done breakfast one morning, they hopped on the chopper and never came back. We have since heard that the company ran out of funds, and that it is the "plan" to leave everything there that is too expensive to chopper out for local residents to reclaim and eventually what is left, someone is paid to completely clean up. I guess that is the same for many remote mining camps in British Columbia. Residents around here joke that it is the local shopping center up there. From year to year we notice things dwindling up there. Water tanks are gone, wall tent frames have been dismantled, even barrels of diesel have been carted off the mountain (no real easy feat, I can bet!) In fact - when working at the lake cabin last week, we saw someone go by with a quad and an empty trailer. Tim made the joke that he was probably going "shopping." Sure enough, about 5 hours later he went by with a barrel of diesel! The table is even missing since last year... Even with all that has been "shopped" from up there, there is still so much that will go to waste. Cases of food that the mice have gotten into and over a dozen 4" foamies that the mice have used as one giant lavatory.

We hope to move to the lake next week sometime. I can't wait to get there are get my books unpacked. Not novels, but my bird, plant and geology books. I like fully familiarizing myself with my surroundings. Until then...

So much to do, so little time...

I think people wondered what we would do with our time once here, and I think I might have wondered the same a time or two as well. Truth be told, there are more things to do in a day than we seem to have time for. Since last posting, we have done some work at the lake cabins - working on the addition and cleaning. The boys have gone fishing (no luck!) and done some exploring across the lake, the girls took a trip into Germansen Landing for mail (I had mail!!). You wouldn't believe how happy some bills, a Sears catalog and some expired flyers made me! I also got to meet some more of the locals, including a lady who lived for several years at the lake about 25 years ago - I can't wait to hear stories from her! It is so convenient to have groceries out here - but it will pay to stock up on the outside - Jody bought a large margarine tub and it cost $14.29!!

There are still friends and miners staying in the area so there is no shortage of company right now. It will be a little lonely once they all leave for the year! We've been spoiled with their company and have shared many delicious suppers with them.

There was some excitement in the yard two days ago when the dogs treed a bear. Cohen was a little nervous so we took the quad (we were safe! no worries!) to where Tim was doing some backhoe work for the outfitter at his place down the road. We spent a few hours there having tea with his wife while the kids watched the chipmunks. They are quite tame and came within inches of the kids. Of course, in the rush to leave I forgot the camera. By the time we got back the bear was gone.

Tomorrow we plan to go to the lake with friends for the day. There is a beautiful beach there, Palm Beach, part of the Omineca Provincial Park. It is covered in tiny smooth pebbles (we have renamed it "Pebble Beach" amongst ourselves.) The kids can wade in the water and the parents can relax on the shore. I might even get some painting done on the floor at the cabin. Move in day is only a couple of weeks away!

Until next time...

We have arrived!

We arrived here one week ago yesterday. We have been busy settling in and unpacking. Right now we are staying at our gold claim so that Tim can mine for the month of August - after that we will move down to the lake. There is a lot of cleanup and repairs to do before we can move in. We insulated the addition two days ago. Heather and Paul, our friends that are sharing the year with us in the neighboring cabin are in right now to also do some repairs and cleanup. I think both of us girls will feel a little better moving our belongings in once a coat of paint and a bottle of bleach have made their way through each cabin. Squirrels and mice have been the only inhabitants for several years. Yesterday was spent doing outside cleanup. We got rid of a lot of junk, and even came across a few treasures along the way. A big thank you to Heather S. and Sean H. for all your help!

There is a fire ban on here right now, there are many fires burning in the area - the closest being 10km from the lake we are on. At last check it was 250 hectares and was 45% contained - leaving the little community of Manson creek, about 40km away from us, on evacuation alert.

Family of friends staying down the road are arriving today. We look forward to getting together with them. It seems that the libations flow and that the deepfryer gets brought out when we unite. If there is a food in sight whose flavor might be improved after a bath in hot oil - it gets thrown in. I can't wait! Until later...

One More Sleep...

That is how our kids determine time - in terms of how many more "sleeps." We are now down to one. As we run around the house and yard making sure we have everything, making sure every last nook and cranny in the house is clean - I have to steel myself. If I think about things too much today, I might get a little sad that this "one more sleep" is the last night we will spend in our home of 10 years for quite some time. This will be the last post for a while, until we get the satellite internet up and running. Until then...

TV Or Not TV? That Is The Question...

There has been a lot of "discussion" as of late on whether or not we will activate satellite TV at the cabin. I say yes, DH says no. Now, I am not a big TV watcher, I don't fall in with those on the high end of the statistic, but I do lie somewhere in the middle.

His argument is that I can see what is going on with my shows online. I agree, I could do that. My argument is that it is just not comfortable huddled around a laptop screen seeing if Izzy lives, or what happens with Violet and her baby... To avoid further "discussions" I have agreed to see how it goes without it for a while. If, in October, I am still suffering withdrawal symptoms - we, OK I, secretly, will reactivate it when we come out for our first visit to the "outside".

I will not be completely without my little magic box. We are bringing an AC/DC TV-DVD combo to watch movies on. That should get me through the hard times. One thing I won't miss is the monthly bill!

Who knows? Maybe this will be the start of a TV-free life. Or, maybe it will backfire horribly on DH and I will come home next year and become a couch potato. After all, there will be a lot of hours to catch up on...

The Top 10 Questions...

When we told family and friends that we would be spending a year in the mountains, away from electricity, TV, telephones, indoor plumbing, and the "conveniences" of modern life - there was a lot of reaction. Mainly a lot of questions...

1. Q. Will you shoot your food and eat wild meat?
A. No, we will likely not have a wild game tag for that area, so unless a moose or caribou dies of a heart attack on our doorstep - we will be eating beef, chicken and pork. We will have a fishing license - so I am sure there will be a lot of fish on the table too.
2. Q. Will you have a bathroom?
A. We will, but we have to walk about 30 feet out our back door to reach it. We will have a room in the cabin with a bath tub and a sink. On really cold nights there will be a "Luggable Loo" for convenience.
3. Q. Will you have a phone?
A. Yes, we will have a Skype phone for calling out - still have to figure out how to receive calls on it...
4. Q. How do you plan groceries for a year?
A. We won't exactly have to plan for the whole year. We can order from the store and have them brought out with the mail. The mail is over 40km away, one way, and we will have to skidoo there each Wednesday, weather permitting, to collect our mail and any groceries we have ordered.
5. Q. Will your husband work?
A. No, there is nothing but wilderness for miles and miles. He will be kept busy enough keeping us in wood and water.
6. Q. Will your kids go to school?
A. Cohen will miss kindergarten. It is not a requirement to start grade one so we will just work with him on kindergarten material to ready him for school. Alberta does not offer a kindergarten homeschooling program.
7. Q. What will you miss the most?
A. Family and friends, long, hot baths, dryer soft clothes, to name a few...
8. Q. What will you do with your time?
A. What won't we do with our time? Read, X-country ski, snowshoe, relax. I could go on... You get the picture!
9. Q. Are there neighbours?
A. The nearest official neighbors are 40-50km away. Our close friends sharing the year with us will be about 200 feet away in their own cabin.
10.Q. And - my favorite question so far - came from a coworker - "Will you shave your legs?"
A. Yes, of course!!

The view from up here...

45 Days and Counting...

If all goes as planned, and we can leave at the beginning of August, then that means there are 45 days left to pack up an entire house and try to plan the majority of our groceries for a year. Sound exciting? Stay tuned!