Given how little snow we've had this winter, I wonder whether we'll even see a spike in the water level this year?
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
waiting for the run off
We're waiting for the spring run off to happen (historical high water mark on the lake) so we can get the boats and dock back into the water and open up the cottage for the season.
Thursday, March 7, 2024
ice is out!
The ice is out near the island. Locals are debating whether it's the earliest ice out date ever. Woo!
Now we wait for the high water date to pass and we're back at it.
On the short term list: master bed mattress, sofa, curtains/blinds, bunky kitchenette.
Longer term: some deck furniture.
Pictures at the marina unabashedly stolen from the Shores of Rice Lake Facebook group, posted by Susan Hofsheier.
Tuesday, October 17, 2023
that's it! we've closed up
The cottage 2.0 is now closed up for the season. The dock is up, the water is off.
There was a last flurry of activity this last week by the builder to finalize the stairs and lower dock, the hose faucet is installed, missing siding repaired, range hood is in, shower is installed, storeroom emptied of junk, deck is 90% complete (were just waiting on the replacement glass to come in).
Come spring, the cottage is well and truly open for business! Lord, it's been a long slog.
We have a bunch of things to acquire over the winter (patio furniture, sofa, master mattress, curtains, bunky kitchenette, screened porch), but none of it will impede our use of the cottage.
Praise Jeebus!
Some final photos, provided by the contractor:
Thursday, October 12, 2023
Semipenultimate 2023 post
The cottage closeout didn't happen last weekend due to inclement weather, so we're trying again this weekend.
There have been a few updates in the intervening weeks:
The railings went in today, and they look pretty darned good! I was seriously waffling about the colour, but I'm happy with my choice
The bunky now has a flushing toilet. LUXURY. This was unheard of 2 years ago, when even the cottage didn't have a flushing toilet.
The lower dock and stairs have been built this week. Originally I had expected no lower dock at all (just dock to stairs, the end), but we needed to build a platform for the boat lifts to sit on during the winter months. It will be nice not to fear for my safety every time I pass from boat to cottage
Monday, October 2, 2023
penultimate 2023 post?
This might be the second last post of the year. We're planning to close up the cottage after Thanksgiving next weekend, with one later visit to have the railings installed on the deck at long last.
We had the loveliest weekend this past weekend. Temperatures in the mid 20s, sunny and calm. The leaves are just starting to turn on the hills surrounding the lake. One of our neighbours has already pulled his dock from the water.
We docked at our new dock for the first time. All traces of the old dock have been removed. Only the janky stairs up from the dock remain. They've deposited some rock along the shoreline in anticipation of the new lower (shoreline) dock.
This weekend we did some puttering jobs. We hung some artwork, cleaned some of the tools/moving junk out of the living room corners where it had been accumulating. The bunky now has a smoke detector.
E spent some time on the bowrider, making sure it will run. We've had issues this year with the battery dying, and it bounced off the rocky shore the one rough day it managed to jump off its lift. So far all seems well. He had to wade over to it as the boat lift is no longer next to the dock, but the water was so warm, he went for a short swim afterward!
He drove it into the marina in anticipation of pulling it from the water and taking it to Paris for its end-of-season tune up, wash, and wrapping. I drove the pontoon behind him (in case a tow was needed) for the first time. I'm invincible!
Next weekend we'll be closing up for the winter. E has appointments in the coming days to learn how to operate the cantilevered dock and to have railings installed around the deck.
Saturday, September 16, 2023
weekend update
It's Poker Run weekend on the lake and the big boats go vroom. It's a lovely day!
Apparently everything that we used in the original cottage is now discontinued and that's why we have windows and doors with no mullions and a stripey floor. Suss. The hole for the bunkie loo now exists, so that's happening. I guess we need to buy a toilet!
The cottage bathroom mirror is hung at long last. As with everything else in the cottage, it's not quite right; I wish it could go higher up, but the thickness of the wood moulding at the top of the frame won't fit behind the glass shade of the light fixture. Le sigh. maybe I'll swap it out someday? It's cute, if a little oddly positioned. Added bonus: the bathroom door now opens fully as we had the heater swapped out with a thinner baseboard heater.
We exploited a "low supplies" weekend to transport the egg chair for the back porch. It might be a tight fit when/if we get the porch screened off. A hurdle to cross at that time.
Lastly, the captain asked that I include the label I made for the new key for the bunkie, because it's amusing him no end.
Tuesday, September 12, 2023
small changes are happening slowly
Some work has been done on the walkway between the basement door and the upper deck, but of course I forgot to take a photo. So, you just get to imagine what it looks like.
The bunky has siding, windows, a roof, interior, shiplap (*spit*), electrical, and flooring, but, alas, no front door.
I'm feeling a little perplexed because there's no rough-in for the plumbing that needs to be installed. *Puzzle*
The builder also unilaterally installed flooring that is not what we used in the cottage (why is it so stripey!?!), and I'm not best pleased.
I'm also unsure why the windows don't have mullions in the upper panel to match the cottage... again, unilateral builder decisions that.make no freaking sense. Honestly how hard is it to shoot a text and ask the freaking question?
Inside the main cottage work has slowed. We're still waiting for the shower to be installed. I guess we need loft railings, and a loft.ladder, too. And curtains. All we managed last weekend was the addition of the main room bookshelf:
A few more weeks and we'll be closing up for yet another year.
Maybe *next* year it'll be done.
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