I swear, it's the last time I ever say no to her. Or was it Just a little project accident? You decide. If you ask, she said to say "You should have seen the other guy".
25 and done
Hard to believe, but we have owned the island for 25 years. Naturally, one of the first purchases was a refrigerator. We may be here only 4 months a year but hard winters in an unheated cabin still takes its toll. Our refrigerator still works fine, but prudence seemed to tell us that it is past its due date and smart boys and girls would think of pre empting a problem and replacing it before it circles the drain. If this new one lasts 20 years, I may have already gone down the drain and not need to replace it.
Replacing an appliance, especially one the size of a fridge, is an event when you live on an island. Home Depot doesn't simply show up at your door with the new one, as a barge has to be lined up to pick it up at a dock, ferry it over to the island, get the 380 pound appliance up a small hill, get it in the house, take the old one back on the barge and arrange for a way to get it to the dump, after the freon has been removed by a service. Now you can see why we stalled as long as we could.
All in all, it’s been a good month. I spent several days helping a friend split many cords of wood that he uses to heat his house throughout the winter.
Then, I helped a couple of friends build an A-frame on one of his islands. Now, all I need is a good hurricane and I will be on my way. My GO bag is packed and I am ready to roll.
A day on the river
First person account of visiting
Canada, post tariffs
Unless you have just returned from the moon, you have certainly heard of the recent tiff between Canada and the US. Prior to our return, we had read and heard (warned actually) that Americans were not welcomed in many cases, and reports of cars being keyed and punctured tires had occurred.
We braced ourselves, and we were armed to the teeth (figuratively, of course as the 2nd amendment is not part of Canadian culture) as we entered the country. Being hyper vigilant, Janice drove, and I rode shotgun with a baseball bat, ready to beat off the Mongol hordes. (just kidding) I will cut to the chase here, kill the suspense, and tell you unequivocable that in the first 6 weeks that we have been here we have not seen, experienced or noticed any difference from our past visits. We still tool around in our California plated vehicle and boat in our 3 American registered watercraft and have never experienced a problem.
Our Canadian friends are still our friends, and they may well be keeping their political opinions to themselves, as we are. The most visible (and only one to date) outward protest move I have seen is a friend who refuses to buy orange juice because it comes from the US. (Canada's climate does not allow for growing oranges) His choice to boycott US products will hurt, but our $30 trillion economy can probably survive it.
On the national scale, a variety of reactions have occurred. In Alberta, for instance, there is a movement to secede from the country, as a number of folks would prefer to join their counterparts to the south. The Premier (think governor) lowered the number of signatures needed to trigger a referendum from 600K to 177K. 37% of its residents have reportedly given up on Canada. A recent poll found that 47% of them support independence. (Brexit anyone?) This is not the first time that a province has flirted with leaving the mothership. Some time ago, we happened to be in Quebec City (province of Quebec) on the day they voted to secede (or not) from the country. They came within 60,000 votes of pulling it off.
The dream
A few years ago, when I was in my early 20’s, I spent a LOT of time planning the home I wanted to build. I drew elaborate detailed plans and schematics, right down to the placement of outlets, with cost estimates for all materials. It’s great being in your 20’s when nothing seems to be impossible, and you can achieve anything you put your mind to. It was to be an 8000 sq foot (750 sm) ultra-modern home with a helicopter landing pad and a bedroom with a glass wall underwater to see the fish swimming by, since in my mind the house would be right on the ocean’s edge in Big Sur, California.
Dream big or go home, I thought. A few decades on, I never managed to build that house, although we do have 3 homes that combined are pushing 7,000 sf (650sm). Slowly, I became more realistic as to what is required to maintain them, not to mention as to how much work it is to simply keep them clean. Then, there was the little issue of money.
I still have those plans, and I am going to build it. Just as soon as I am resurrected.
