Slave labour

Funny... when you mistype "slave" (as I just did) you get "salve". In the case of helping hands at the cottage, my slaves are my salves!

The extended Birnbaum family paid a visit the to lodge for the first time this past weekend.

Here's the captain's Sister and Mom getting into That Damned Boat™. Not shown: them getting out of That Damned Boat™ when the captain flooded the motor again. [much gnashing of teeth]

We really need to pay Harris Boat Works a visit to have them look at it.

Eventually he got the boat started and we puttered over to the island.

While they were at the cottage we put them to work. This is the price anyone visiting this year will likely pay: sweat equity. The captain and his Mom took the lawn mowers to the meadow yard. You'll have to take my word for it that she's in the picture. She was tackling the flat open area at the top of the hill (behind the poplars). She definitely got the hottest, nastiest job of the day. What a sport. Doug (our neighbour with a riding mower) came out to help just as they were finishing up. He has a bit of a sick sense of humour, that Doug. I like him.

The captain's sister helped clean up parts of the rock garden around, and in some instances, in the dock. It's such a huge garden and it has been let run completely wild for many years by the looks of it. Definitely an ongoing project. At least I'll have somewhere to deposit my hostas when I divide the ones at home.

Not to be left out of the fun, my own mum got put to work with a roller and paint again. Since she did such a crackerjack job painting the kitchen cabinet doors, I asked her to put a couple of coats of paint on the pantry doors that dad built for me. ♥

It'll be nice when we can use the pantry as a pantry instead of a tool cupboard.

Dad spent some time herding Maggie (Mum and Dad's spoiled baby dog) and the kids on his boat while he gave it a cleaning.

Dad, Eric and I spent the rest of the afternoon demolishing the "master" bedroom, but you'll have to wait for another post to see that project.