Lou and Mary Aubert

Lou and Mary Aubert
Originally uploaded by sointula.

Friends Lou and Mary can be found aboard their sailboat, "Seventh Heaven" presently provisioning in Port McNeil. They are headed for Haida Gwaii in the next few days. They came over on the ferry to visit and have a good meal at Wild Island Foods' bakery and restaurant before leaving on the 9 pm ferry. Of course they bought some bread! You will find a link to their great blog on the right. Crab Louie and all sorts of scrumptous things lurk there.

Boris and the Deer Meet Nose to Nose

Boris and the deer meet nose to nose
Originally uploaded by sointula.

No invasion! just a gentle and curious greeting.

They actually touched noses. My camera wasn't fast enough on the next shot.

Boris and three bucks

boris-3bucks
Originally uploaded by sointula.

Invasion! One was fine, but three is a gang.

Boris and a buck

Boris and a buck
Originally uploaded by sointula.

Boris is again aquainting himself with the island deer.

Kathleen Oliver's House

Kathleen Oliver's House
Originally uploaded by sointula.

Kathleen is our neighbour. Her cat, Boo missed this get together. He was inside no doubt lounging on Kathleen's pillow while she is out.

9pm 27-06-05

9pm 27-06-05
Originally uploaded by sointula.

And again later. 9 pm and still very much daylight.

2pm 27-06-05

2pm 27-06-05
Originally uploaded by sointula.

Decided to photograph same view a few hours later.

6 am 27-06-05

6 am 27-06-05
Originally uploaded by sointula.

Why I was up at this hour remains a mystery. But the sun on Vancouver Island was beautiful. This view is always changing. So many moods, so many colours.

Sunset 26-06-05

Sunset 26-06-05
Originally uploaded by sointula.

Really was that colour last night.

Turkey Pheasant Love-In

turkeys-pheasants
Originally uploaded by sointula.

So the gang all had a great time pecking for insects, strutting and generally having a good time. Who would have thunk!

Male Ringneck Pheasant and Turkeys

pheas-turk
Originally uploaded by sointula.

Should have known the pheasant hen was whistling for her mate who was far more cautious. But, he crossed the road into the yard too.

Moms, youngsters and a female pheasant???

turk-pheasant
Originally uploaded by sointula.

This is a new one. Sointula free-range turkeys we have seen at our place before but this time along with them singing her own tune is a female pheasant.

Turkey Trot

turkeys1
Originally uploaded by sointula.

Sointula free-range turkeys strut their stuff around my artichokes!

Bruce Campbell, Jim and Sailor the Schipperke

bruce-jkb-sailor
Originally uploaded by sointula.

Telling doggy jokes in the sun seemed to tickle Sailor's fancy. Bruce and his dog have been staying at the Sointula docks for a few weeks and will soon take off around Cape Caution for parts north.

A Sointula summer begins...

We have finally arrived after a heroic endeavor. Jim has just left for Sidney and a week of work followed by bringing up our new boat from Tacoma. I am here with boxes stacked throughout the cottage. There is some work to be done! This is an overcast and in the morning, a rainy day- Perfect for finding places for everything. BUT already there has been excitement outside. I heard the call of birds outside. Ahh! the pleasant sound of a lone male turkey taking a stroll down the street. I heard a note of distress in his voice however and got the camera ready...

adzes

adzes
Originally uploaded by sointula.

Adzes and blocks storage in Calvin Hunt's workshop.

Hunt 22

Hunt 22
Originally uploaded by sointula.

Jim and Calvin discuss boats! In the foreground is the fiberglass Hunt 22, a sealing canoe based on the original seen in the background.

Pole commission base planning

Pole commission base planning
Originally uploaded by sointula.

Jim and Calvin hunt discuss the pole's base. The large pole is seen turned over for work on its back.

Calvin Hunt

Calvin Hunt
Originally uploaded by sointula.

Jim is doing some engineering on a pole for master carver, Calvin Hunt. He is the Fourth primary Chief of the Mowachaht. He and his wife live in his ancestral home of Fort Rupert. They operate their carving workshop "The Copper Maker" and the retail art gallery "Kwakiutl Art of the Copper Maker Gallery. On our way home from Sointula yesterday we stopped in to see him. After Calvin Hunt and Jim discussed the pole, he graciously showed us his carver's shed, gallery and Fort Rupert's poles and big house.

Queen Charlotte Strait

Queen Charlotte Strait
Originally uploaded by sointula.

An after dinner walk our at Bere Point on Malcolm Island. The view is looking out the Queen Charlotte Strait toward Cape Caution.

Lansdowne Farm Mill fire 2005

Lansdowne Farm Mill fire 2005
Originally uploaded by sointula.

Lansdowne Farm, Sointula, BC grows the most extraordinary cucumbers, tomatoes and bell peppers. This cuke was purchased June 17th 2005, the day of the Lansdowne mill fire. This cucumber was 17 inches long (43.5 cm) and 3" in diameter at its widest(7.5 cm)! In this photo is it sitting on a full sized dinner plate. It was tender, fresh and delicious. Grown by Lansdowne Farm, this is as good as cucumbers get.

cuke

cuke
Originally uploaded by sointula.

Lansdowne Farm, Sointula, BC grows the most extraordinary cucumbers, tomatoes and bell peppers. This cuke was purchased June 17th 2005, the day of the Lansdowne mill fire. This cucumber was 17 inches long (43.5 cm) and 3" in diameter at its widest(7.5 cm)! In this photo is it sitting on a full sized dinner plate. It was tender, fresh and delicious. Grown by Lansdowne Farm, this is as good as cucumbers get.

Eagle Wing

Eagle Wing
Originally uploaded by sointula.

Again by special request: the new boat. Click the image to see a larger photo. This is a Gulf 32, hull #4. It is the oldest Gulf 32 of which we are aware. We have heard that the first three built burned in a fire before they were sold. This one is built to the original plans by William Garden. After hull #10, the company was sold and many more have been built but not to Bill Garden's original design. We were also told that National Geographic originally bought the boat in 1965 and conducted eagle surveys for 12 years in Alaska. We have to verify this.

Sointula View

Sointula View
Originally uploaded by sointula.

Evening view from the deck. June 2005. Always a different scene!

Boris and the deer

Boris and the deer
Originally uploaded by sointula.

By special request: If you can read lips checkout the larger version of the photo now available by double clicking this photo. Must be some good captions for this one.

CRUISING BRITISH COLUMBIA ABOARD "SEVENTH HEAVEN"

Friends Lou and Mary Aubert are sailing north. They have a blog which is beginning to look mighty scrumptious. They seem to be eating VERY well on this cruise. We will continue to follow them on their journey: CRUISING BRITISH COLUMBIA ABOARD "SEVENTH HEAVEN"

Boris and deer

boris and deer
Originally uploaded by sointula.

Black tail deer and Boris the cat chew the fat. This was actually taken last summer but I place it here as I am about to take Boris the cat up to stay for the summer. He loves it. After several years of being a boat cat, the grass and new friends are a welcome diversion. The deer are quite friendly and possibly a problem for gardeners, but I thoroughly enjoy the daily visits and close encounters with these creatures. We will just need to fence in our tempting greenery.

Deck footing excavation begins

Deck footing excavation begins
Originally uploaded by sointula.

May 2005 excavator begins to dig formwork pits for deck footings.

Concrete pier forms

Concrete pier forms
Originally uploaded by sointula.

June 2005- footings have been poured. Pier forms await installation before next pour.

Deck Timbers

Deck Timbers
Originally uploaded by sointula.

6x6 and 6x12 cedar timbers for deck are stored in newly poured basement floor. Notice the full size brick on top for size reference. These cedar timbers were milled on the island and were cut from a sustainable woodlot. This gorgeous wood will be used to create the large deck around three sides of the house. It will be a massive structure which Jim has aptly renamed the "Dock"

Bog area by Big Lake

bog lake
Originally uploaded by sointula.

Gack! need another break. Here is a view just a short way from the local swimming hole. This was shot last November on a hike through Mateoja Heritage Trail.

The trail meanders through the site of an early 1900's homestead, a variety of forest, boggy marshland and a few lakes big and small. The variety of fungi was amazing.

Never ending painting

Never ending painting
Originally uploaded by sointula.

Painted nearly the entire cottage inside and out. Many gallons of paint and still not done! Will continue this summer with more rollers, brushes and masking tape.

New Friends

New Friends
Originally uploaded by sointula.

A picnic with new friends on a secluded beach followed with a walk and beachcombing. A great way to end a summer.

Jazz Duo

Jazz Duo
Originally uploaded by sointula.

Groovin to Coltrane at a pancake breakfast. What could be better! Great musicians.

Clucking Chicks

Chicken Jokes
Originally uploaded by sointula.

More chicken jokes and dances than we though possible. Kept the citizenry from crossing the road for a while. We await their return this year.

Hilltoppers

Hilltoppers
Originally uploaded by sointula.

Break time. Participating in community events is a must. We discovered last summer that this island is full of incredibly talented musicians and artists. At this pancake breakfast we finally left at 2 pm. Freat fun and great music! These well known Sointula musicians play Finnish and other ethnic tunes.

Roof Trepanned!

Roof trepanned
Originally uploaded by sointula.

Here a perfectly good roof has been opened up to the sunlight ;-). Installation of the skylights makes a tremendous difference to the light and view from the upper floor.

Skylight Locations

Skylight locations
Originally uploaded by sointula.

Jim and Chris plan the locations for the two new skylights. At this point the insulation (rigid foam) and stringers were installed on the upper side of the roof but the metal roof panels were not yet in place.

Jim and Chris plan

Jim and Chris plan
Originally uploaded by sointula.

Jim and our contractor Chris planning new metal roof and skylights last summer.

View!

View!
Originally uploaded by sointula.

Great view from house overlooking Haddington Island

Eagle Wing

Eagle Wing
Originally uploaded by sointula.

The new boat. Smaller is better at this time! Building a house and caring for the Porpoise has made us appreciate our new boat that much more. Some TLC, some new paint and colour scheme will make this hardy boat ready to sail the wilds of our north coast waters. This is the winter's project. Now, we are going to put our full attention on the new house.

On Building a Dock

Summer has arrived and our 50' ketch and long time floating home, "Porpoise", has sold. We are now prepared to put out full attention toward building our new home... Well almost. Another boat has found its way into our life, much reduced in size yet sturdy and fully capable of getting us back to our wilderness cruising when we complete our landlubber digs. So continues the saga of our life, full of changes, full of wonderment, and full of family and friends - a good, messy full life.