Pompier Ladder - 31 May 2012

What a beautiful job Joel did of making the fixtures to hold the pompier ladder.  It looks great and it is secured to the wall by the hooks, as well as by leather straps.  Beautiful and functional.  Well done!

Post Construction Follow Up - 29 May 2012

Sash lifts are done and so are the sash locks. A whole lot of caulking got done today even though it had turned much cooler. At least the rain held off. The broken window was repaired and so were some divets in the wood floor.  Knobs were finished on all the storm window vents. The automatic door closer on the door to upstairs, the weatherstripping and the sweep on its bottom are all complete. The chain bolts in the main doors also got added today.

Post Construction Updating - 28 May 2012

The Firehouse blog is back. We thought we wouldn't have any more construction info, but had forgotten that our wonderful team of heritage carpenters had promised to come back and tweak any issues after we had had a chance to live with the building for a while.  These tweaks are minor.  Sash lifts, sash locks, a door sweep and closer and some outdoor caulking now that the weather is warm.

So today we had the pleasure of having Colin and Brad back and they brought along Mark and Joel for support.  Lots gets done when there are four people working.  It was hard to keep up.

Gardens - May 2012

It has seemed so strange not to be posting about the activity going on with the Firehouse.  The last two weeks have been for settling in to the Firehouse and, for Will at least, working on the firetrucks. For me, I have been enjoying time in the garden.

The clover that Pamela and the crew from Heritage Landscaping planted has sprouted and now when I look out at the yard, it actually looks green. Not fully, but getting there.  The long weekend has been especially nice, with wonderful sunny and warm weather. Great for gardening.

Open House - 5 May 2012

With all the trucks and memorabilia polished, and everyone spiffed up to meet the guests, we had an open house at the Firehouse today.

We're not sure if everyone signed the guest book or not, although we asked them to, but the signatures indicated that we had about 100 people. The weather stayed nice, mostly cloudy, and the temperature was okay, so that was good.  We cut the ribbon and made it official.  We offered up refreshments and nibblies and a cake for all to enjoy.

 We are so pleased that we were able to have family here with us. Andrew moved wood, polished brass, and lugged all kinds of stuff around before spending time with the kids watching them through his eyelids. Kate helped with cake, and hosting and everyone who met her instantly fell in love with her. Eben took great photos throughout, while Amon was the tour guide to the Firehouse. Linnaea graciously greeted people and chatted with lots of people. Even Liam, who was not feeling well at all, still made the effort to meet people and show them a good time. What wonderful and special people they each are. We loved being able to share this special day with them and to have the house full of the laughter and fun.

 


The number of friends, neighbours and acquaintances who attended was really great to see.  All in all it was a great day.There were even a couple of people who were just driving or walking by and who decided to drop in and visit.

By the way - none of the people pictured above were drop bys - they were all invited!

Having a special birthday celebrated with a special event made it much more enjoyable.  We had agreed that no one needed to know about the birthday, and for the most part I kept it quiet.  But now that its over, I don't need to be silent. Happy Birthday, love of my life, what a great party for a wonderful man!

Lizzie came Home - 4 May 2012

Early in the day the activity was focused on the backyard, with finishing touches being put to seeding the lawn. Amon helped Pamela to seed, while Kirk and Chris rolled, raked and did even more seeding. Its a nice clover and grass mixture that will be great for low maintenance and attracting bees. Both things of which we like the idea.

Our dear friends, Georges Potvin and Bob Dupuis, arrived today from Gatineau, Quebec and Rockland, Ontario (both quite near Ottawa).  They had driven all that way going no more than 55 kilometres per hour because the trailer they were towing would commence swaying at higher speeds. Perched on the back of the trailer, looking like the little queen she is, was Lizzie, the 1913 Model T Ford / OJ Childs Chemical Hose Wagon fire engine.

They arrived here in the afternoon, exhausted and with frayed nerves, but with a beautiful truck with which to utterly and completely surprise Will.  He knew that Georges was coming, but thought that we would be going to the airport later that evening to pick him up.

We love it when a plan comes together and we can completely surprise someone.  We are so glad to have Georges and Bubba here with us.

Landscaping - 3 May 2012

Chris and Frank brought in lots of lovely topsoil today and they and Pamela did a lot of spreading, smoothing and cleaning up on the yard.  Amon helped with his small shovel and he was also very good at jumping on the stones to say whether or not they were loose.  None are now. Larger stones also got a bit more anchoring.

Bits & Bobs - 2 May 2012

A lot got done today that went a long way towards wrapping everything up.  The stack around the boiler wires was constructed, completed, painted and installed.  An adjustment to the front door was made and some beautiful new (well, old) handles were added. The upper window in the stairwell (18 feet up, up, up) had its epoxy spots sanded, then it was primed, and painted. Some dings in walls were also painted, as was an edge piece on the front doors and some spots on the front siding.

Also, many of the remaining working tools were removed - the leftover paint, brushes, ladders, staging, etc.  All in all, a good day, well done.  Many thanks to Brad and Joel on the carpentry and high painting side and Dennis for the rest of the painting.