Weekend adventures

Two weekends ago (Sunday 23rd) we decided to go to the Columbia Icefield. No, the Icefield isn't in Columbia like the name suggests. It's about 1,5 hours north of Lake Louise on Highway 93. It's one of those popular spots that – when the weather is perfect – can be awesome. We have been there four times before and every time the weather was bad. So now this was going to be our fifth time and all weekend we were keeping an eye on the weather. This time the weather was cooperative though, and we decided to take the $45 snowcoach trip up the glacier. Needless to say it was an awesome experience. First, those snowcoaches are really fine examples of superb enginering and second, standing on a glacier is an amazing experience. The temperature up there was really cold... wow what an icy wind.
So especially for you I've done one of those 360 degrees panoramas again so you too can enjoy the wonders of nature.

ATHABASCA GLACIER (click and drag mouse)


Last weekend we went hiking again! This time it was the area around Lake Louise. We did the trail to Mirror Lake and Agnes Tea House. It is so beautiful up there and you are so close to the mountains. It feels almost like you can touch them. Then we pressed on to the Small Beehive. Wow that was a pretty hard hike. Well I don't like going UPhill, but I like going DOWNhill. Why, I don't know. It has always been this way. Even as a kid I would run down a mountain. ;) For Sarah it's the other way around. So going uphill, I'm always out of breath and shouting (whilst on hands and knees) to Sarah 'PLEASE SLOW DOWN, I'M AN OLD MAN!'.
Conquering the Small Beehive made us curious what the view could be on the Big Beehive. So, we went uphill again. And o boy was it BIIIIIG. On top of the Big Beehive there is a little hut (I don't have pictures of it) but people were leaving their names on the wood there for ages. There are signatures from 1923 and even one from 1919 (with the full name and address of the individual). Pretty cool! The view on the other hand was being blocked by trees.
I think we did close to 15 km in total. We were tired and last night we slept very well! On to the pictures!




First picture is Mirror Lake. Second picture is Lake Agnes. Third and last picture is the view from a top of the Small Beehive and the Big Beehive. You can click all pictures to see bigger versions.

So what about the house I hear you ask. Well we were there on Saturday. The siding was almost completed. But we won't show you pictures yet! We want it to be fully finished before we unleash the pics. It looks stunning but that is the only thing I am going to say. For now, we will show you the inside. Since the rough-in has been completed the trades men were busy starting on the drywall. Seeing the rooms of the house without the fact that you can see through walls made a huge difference. We are both really excited about the house. It will look awesome!




So what do we see? First picture is the view in the living room. From approximately the area where the raised eating bar will be. Second picture is the view from the second floor looking down the stairs. Third picture is looking back from the master bedroom to the bonus room. And the last picture is the view from the master bedroom looking at the bathroom and the hallway upstairs.

The end of the Deep Panuke project

Most people know I've spend almost 6 months in Nova Scotia for the Deep Panuke pipeline and landfall project. I got home last Friday! The project is finished and Canada has a new gas pipeline!
I had a great time over there and met some wonderful people (aka the MacIntosh family and their friends ;)) I will visit them for sure next summer!
Not sure where my next project will be, it will be either Newfoundland or Mexico. I'll keep you updated!!
Another big update of our house is coming tomorrow! Stay tuned!

Peggy's cove, a small village on the south shore
of Nova Scotia and only 35 minutes from Halifax





Whalewatching trip, too bad we only saw pilot whales




The pipe pull of the Deep Panuke gas pipeline

The winch setup. First a steel wire is laid. The pipelay vessel
"Allseas Lorelay" picks up the end of the wire and connects the pipe.
Then the big yellow linear winch starts pulling on that wire and then
the wire goes on a drum winch wile the pipe is being pulled.


Allseas Lorelay. If you look really good you see the
pipe coming out of the end of the ship (the stinger)


And the pipe finally arrives onshore!


The Deep Panuke gas pipeline!


And to finish off: a sunset in Country Harbour

First offical walk through today!

Today I had my first official walk through of the house.
I was happy to see that the whole house has been insulated! It's crazy how fast it all goes. So I asked my questions about some concerns I had but everything turned out to be normal. So nothing to worry about. The only thing we all saw (with all I mean: me, Tim remember he is the head of construction and a guy named Peter, who is the boss of all the trades men or something) is that the bottom of the windows are kind of 'bubbly'. It's like the foam that they have sprayed underneath the windows (to fill the holes) has expanded too much. This is of course an issue. Tim reassured me that it's not a huge issue but something that they need to fix before dry walling begins. The two windows downstairs have this problem. And all the big windows upstairs. Really weird.
On the outside the supports for the deck were in. And some trades men (and a women) were busy painting the trim. The dark gray really looks stunning!
The garage has been insulated and in the basement the supports for the walls were in too.
Tim told me that tomorrow all the siding is arriving on site and on Friday they start the siding process. The siders will work on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to get the job done. And then next week dry walling is scheduled to start! Whoopie
For a change I've tried to make 360 panoramas. Just click inside a movie and drag your pointer around. There are some mistakes in the panoramas but it's my first time doing this :)
I hope that this way everybody gets a better sense of the place!!!


BASEMENT (click and drag mouse)



MAIN FLOOR (click and drag mouse)



SECOND FLOOR (click and drag mouse)

Basement is poured and the deck is taking shape too

So yeah another update eh? I went to the house on Saturday. Although I was there last Thursday, I was surprised by the amount of work put in again.
So what happened. Well, our basement floor has been poured. The slab is just perfect. It's silky smooth! Hopefully the garage is the same way. I didn't go into the garage yet because the garage door is closed and I don't want to jump a meter or so down from the entrance hallway (I know I'm lazy).
Also the deck is taking shape. The support beams were in. I think on Monday this deck will be finished so by the time I go there on Wednesday, I will be able to stand on it. That will be rewarding! Maybe I bring a beer and enjoy a cold one while watching the sunset or something. Hahahaha :)
On the second floor there was some progress too. They constructed a roof underneath the real roof. You can barely see it on the shots but it is there! This is merely for heating and insulation purposes. It will make the space above the ceiling a lot smaller. Well you get the point when you see it.
ON the outside that column has been further refined and they are continuing to put up the trim. This trim is white for now. But it will be painted in a dark gray.
I can't wait until Wednesday! To see the deck and hopefully the siders are putting up the sidings! :) fingers crossed!

A story about a house, Perseids and the Vans Warped Tour

SO, ready for a little update on the house again?
I'm going to make this quick. Garage floor is poured! JIHAA :)
The basement floor is prepped for pouring too. The basement has been filled with gravel and on top of that there is a plastic foil that will – hopefully – keep water out! This means that the rough-in is almost complete. Also some graffiti adores the basement walls. No idea what they mean.
I got word on that water main (see previous post) in the basement too. This is a temporary hook-up. The plumbers want to check everything first (when everything is installed like bath, shower, kitchen, ...) before they install it the proper way. I don't know why. Seams like a double job to me but I'm no plumber.
Upstairs the electricians were busy with some blue electrical cords. I don't know what the change in colours mean. But these cords are power outlets for what I can see.
Also upstairs there is some weird baffle installed in the roof of the front bedroom. I don't know what that is for either.
On the main floor nothing major happened. Except that they are starting to outline the stairs a bit better.
The outside is getting ready for sidings. I noticed (it was always their though) a new little 'roof' on the backside of the house (where the deck will be). It's so funny, the more I see the house, the more new – old – things I notice.
The trim is being put up for the moment and in the entrance our column has been installed too. The house that's a step in front of us (you know, down the hill) is almost fully sided. So I know we are next. I guess we are waiting for the weather to clear because guess what, it's been pouring again today!!! And it was like 12 degrees again. WHOOPIE summer time!













Yesterday I went to the Vans Warped Tour! Normally Sarah would have joined me, but something at her job decided to break (some inclinometer or something). SO she wasn't allowed to fly in. We were really looking forward on spending that one day together and enjoy the music we like. But it wasn't supposed to be I guess. I made the best of it and I saw some great things. I was happy that I DID go.
* MESSAGE FOR OUR BELGIAN FRIENDS * If you EVER planning on coming here, please do so when the Warped Tour is in town! SO MUCH BETTER THAN GROEZROCK!!!

Anyway, what else. Oh on Tuesday night I was in the middle of nowhere again to photograph the Perseids meteor shower. I looked at the clear sky forecast and decided on a dark spot about 2 hours SSW of Calgary. It was great. Saw like 50 meteors in 3 hours or so but photo-wise, I was only able to capture 5. I was fighting moonlight, clouds, moisture and so on. I left the camera going until the battery died on me. But I enjoyed it.



Ok I guess that's all for now.

Ready to pour!

Just a little update on the house.
The garage floor is finally prepped for concrete pouring. The rebar is in so next week we will have a garage floor I hope. Also, the garage door is in! On the inside of the house everything is still going steady. Every time I go in I notice subtle differences and things that I didn't see last time. Today I noticed that the rough-in vacuum system has been installed (the white tubes on the pics). It was in last Wednesday but now its definitely finished!
The last picture shows you have fast everything dries up here. It's been a day and a half since the rain stopped, et voila, the soil is bone dry again. Amazing