Cottage Construction

Whoohoo! A productive and rewarding weekend.

Ev and I mastered the coolest power tool ever - the palm nailer - to install joist hangers (those silver things) on the deck.

Great working conditions (Doesn't it look like we know what we are doing?)

While we enjoyed the outdoor jobs (sunshine, light breeze, no bugs), the guys continued wiring the rooms.  Here's Opa in the basement

The electrical drawings

Rob and Opa checking the drawings

The workshop (actually every room is a workshop).  Some day this will be our kitchen

We even started staining the deck

The best part

Next time we are up, we will be staying in OUR cottage.

Or as we call it

Our hard-shell tent.

Happy Birthday Brent

The guest of honour with the official photographer:

The guests:

The boys:

The toasts:

The guest of honour:

The photographers:

The dancing begins:

The horrified teenager walking in on her crazy relatives:

The horrified teenager being consoled by her grandmother:

The guest of honour:

The crooners:

The court jester:

The attempt to record our witty dinner table banter for posterity:

The 40 shooters:

The shooter instructions:

The helpful cousin:

The realization that 38 of those shooters are filled with coloured water:

The appreciative birthday boy thanking the host:

The crooning continues:

The dancing continues:

The - uhhh, nevermind:

The shirt swap:

The rock star:

The boys:

The end.

Good Friday Hike 2010

We were back on the Bruce Trail this year. A smaller group than last year.  But what a gorgeous day!

We took our time, 

Meandered through fields...

... and enjoyed the vistas.

This year Uncle Leigh shepherded us to Grindstone Creek, where we were rewarded with a roaring waterfall.

Upstream we were able to cool off in the shallow waters

Thanks to our fearless leaders, Leigh and Enid for a fun morning!

Back at the house we enjoyed our traditional Good Friday feast of hotdogs and chips (and cold beer - thanks Adam).  

Prior to setting out earlier in the day, Uncle Leigh smiled at me and declared how proud Nana would be to see her kids, grandkids and great-grandkids share her love of adventure and the outdoors. 

I sometimes take for granted this wonderful tradition.  Doesn't everyone gather up aunts, uncles, cousins and neighbours for an annual spring walk - rain or shine, snow or sun?  We passed a number of families on the trails.  Were they enjoying a hike on Good Friday for the first time? Or were they fortunate to be a descendant of a nature-loving woman who would take every opportunity to get outside and explore?

Maybe in the future, our Good Friday Hike will be renamed the Ferne Gayton Memorial Family Expedition. Her grandkids will be the hike leaders and share stories about this wonderful woman. Their grandkids though, will only know the mythical Nana.

As Uncle Leigh glowed with pride at Ferne's legacy, I finally understood why this hike was such an important tradition.  Of course, it was pretty much our only family tradition!  But it also represents a bond to our past - my memories of Nana are of a woman who laughed and loved; who was crazy about animals, especially horses: who loved being outdoors and who could name every plant and bug and tree she saw.  When I think of her, I always see her with a big smile.

I saw her big smile in all of us that day.  What a wonderful legacy!
What a lucky family!