HALIFAX OLYMPIC TORCH PARADE

November 18, 2009

We went to see the downtown Halifax Olympic Torch Parade on the evening of November 18th. Sarah Conrad was a torch bearer and she played a key role in the ceremony. She snowboarded down Citadel Hill, received the flame from Sidney Crosby, carried the torch to the Grand Parade and lit the caldron in front of City Hall with Primer Dexter, Mayor Kelly and all the other dignitaries who were present on the main stage. Bob was able to get a picture with Sarah and Stephen with the Olympic torch and Jon got an excellent shot of Sidney Crosby handing off the flame to Sarah.

Many more people show up than was anticipated by the officials. There was no crowd control and it was a free for all, especially when Sidney Crosby showed up. Bob played paparazzi and shoved his way up close but didn’t get a good photo. He was almost knocked off of his feet when the crowd bolted to catch the action.
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A proud moment for Stephen.

Genevieve and Stephen watch Sarah Conrad board down Citadel Hill.

Gary and Genny, Sarah's parents.


Sarah makes it down!


Waiting for Sidney Crosby

Sidney arrives along with throngs of people.

Handover of the flame.

Lighting the cauldron at City Hall.

A mosaic of photos.

We have selected our Deck Furniture for the Camp!

November 14, 2009

CAMP UPDATE #15

November 4th, 2009

We haven’t updated progress on the camp in recent weeks as it has slowed a bit. The guys are now back and putting the finishing touches on. The bedroom floors are down, trim has been varnished and will be installed staring today. The electrician is coming back this week to finish off the wiring. Jamie Keen has started the kitchen cabinets. We are hoping that by the end of November most of the work will be completed.

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Our bedroom now has flooring.

Scott working on the varnish.

David is busy as well.

A view of the deck.

The front side.

A 270 degree panaroma from the deck.

Halloween 2009

We had our friends in again this year for a bit of a party on Halloween. There were some great costumes and everyone enjoyed the food and conservation. Our dogs were great and seemed to enjoy all the ‘strange creatures’. We hope to make this an annual event.

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Surprise 65th Birthday Party

For our 65th birthday Sandy and Bill Foster arranged for a surprise party at their house. They invited us in a very casual fashion to drop by for a cup of tea and pizza. We didn’t suspect anything at the time. Upon arrival there appeared to be a lot of cars in the area but we thought one of their neighbors was having a function. To our total surprise, the house was filled with all our friends, there to welcome us ‘over the hill’. A short while later Elvis and Marylyn show up unexpectedly to add more surprise, humor and birthday best wishes.

Wow, what a party!!! It will be an event that we will never forget. Many thanks to all our wonderful friends for this thoughtful occasion. Photos provided by John Robar, Stephen and Jonathan Burke.

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Cape Breton Outing

This year we spent a few days in Cape Breton with Ross, Henrietta, Clive and Claire celebrating the Celtic Colours Festival. We stayed at the Normaway Inn in the Margaree Valley. Ross drove us around to see all the sights of Margaree and the surrounding area. One of the interesting spots was the Glenora Distillery where they produce the Glen Breton Scotch. They have a great restaurant and provide tours of the Distillery. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to see the facility as we had to rush back to catch a music event. Everyone had a relaxing weekend.

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THANKSGIVING 2009

This Thanksgiving we were in Digby and received an invitation to dine with Bob and Luella Marshal. They are our next door neighbors on Porter’s Lake. Richard, Gail, John and Linda also joined in. The meal was great, the evening filled with conservation and laughter as we discussed everything from the good old days to current events.

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CAMP UPDATE #14

October 4th, 2009

We now have running water and a working toilet in the shed. Work is progressing on the camp as well. The patio steps are almost finished, the gyprocking is completed and all the walls primed. The contractor plans to finish the painting and start the window and baseboard trim next week.

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The main stairway to the patio deck.



The view from our future bedroom.



A view from the front entrance.



Looking into the kitchen and dining area from in front of the fireplace.

PIG ROAST

On September 19, 2009 we attended a house warming and anniversary party for Richard and Gail Hicks who live down the lake from our camp on Porter’s Lake. They celebrated by treating everyone to a pig roast. It was our first pig roast and we really enjoyed the feast.

Roasting a full pig requires a lot of time and work. Richard has done it several times and has the process perfected. For a gift, we presented Richard and Gail with a framed photo of a goose that frequented our lake last year. I was the unofficial photographer for the occasion and gave them over 200 pictures of the celebration.

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CAMP UPDATE #13

September 23, 2009

The gyprocking and crack filling was completed yesterday and the subcontractor is back today to finish the final sanding. We have been cutover from the temporary power service and have power to the shed. It is a real luxury not to lay out extension cords each time we go to camp. We can now have the fridge on when we leave and take advantage of the electric heat as the weather turns colder.

The plumbing in the shed is finished and the lines pressured tested. Our plan is to temporarily hook up the pump in the camp next week so that we can have running hot water and a functioning toilet in the shed. I installed a pump up toilet in the shed without any rough in plumbing and it has been a project from hell. As you can see from the photo, the walls needed to be opened up to hide the plumping and I wanted the pipes to be installed in a manner that would allow for easy removal of the pump unit for winterization and repairs. The wall is now back together and ready for painting.

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CAMP UPDATE #12

September 10, 2009

When we left today the construction crew were finishing off the insulation and vapour barrier in preparation for the gyprocking which is scheduled to start this coming Monday. The rough in plumbing for the vents and drains is done. We have an enclosed bathtub and were not able to find a proper drain pipe in the Digby area. Bob will have a look in Dartmouth tomorrow.

Most of the deck skirting has been finished and we will need to have the front step modified to accommodate a landing half way down as it is both too long and steep. The concrete support footings have been poured and the crew will finish the stairway sometime in the near future.

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Jonathan took these pictues with his fisheye lense on September 8.
















The following two pictures were taken on September 10 and show the progress that was made skirting the deck.

CAMP UPDATE #11

August 28, 2009

More progress this week. The fireplace is finished on the outside, all the windows and siding have been installed and the deck is almost complete as of September 1, 09. The crew was starting the deck steps when we left today (The pictures for this posting were taken on August 28 and do not show the deck railing in place.)

In addition, the basement stairs are being installed, the tub and toilet have been delivered, the fridge, dishwasher and stove are ordered and will be coming soon, the air exchange has been installed and the electrical inspection is scheduled for tomorrow. Once the inspection is done they can start the insulation and gyprock. Jamie Keen is coming this weekend to start the kitchen.

We are doing are best to retain our sanity during this whirlwind of activity.

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