More renovation

With summer coming to a close I'll be heading south again soon.
Amazingly I really haven't got much work done on the coach.

Time to get moving.

So I ripped out more of the original interior, the whole starboard side from the bed to the entry door.
I build a large chest of drawers in the bedroom that gives me a nice credenza surface under the window and by overhanging the wheel well it created a space for the batteries directly over the axles. Perfect.

It still needs drawer pulls and a top but I just love it.
It also works as a night table for the bed.

Just ahead of the dresser will be a big new hanging locker.
I've decided on a really big locker as most of my clothes can be stored compactly and neatly hanging up.

Ahead of the hanging locker we're in the kitchen and the counter over the fridge which of course remains.
This area is complicated by the vent for the fridge.

On the port side I ripped out the old sink and stove counter which was an absolute disaster, the original waste plumbing was such a convoluted mess. Here you can see a nice simple new drain down through the floor to the grey tank below and the draw pipe for the fresh water system coming up from the fresh water tank.





The new cabinetry is all oak as well.
The countertop will be slate with an undermount single bowl sink. I used a bar sink and cut the extra flange off and set it in a reveal in the plywood sub surface that the slate will be bonded to.

This single larger sink is a joy over the crappy shallow double that was there before. And so much more counter space.

Advancing the bathroom

This bloody bathroom I've designed is just too ambitious.
It's set up as a "wet" bathroom so the whole room is the shower.
If the room was shower stall shaped, I'd install a premade shower, toss in a toilet and sink and be done with it. But it's not!, it's all curved with a big wheel well across it. As a result I'm making a custom slate shower pan. I created a pan in 1/2" plywood by cutting a slit in the piece of plywood and forming into a very shallow cone. To add strength I injected expanding foam in the tapered void below the pan. The picture is the foam oozing out the injection holes. Not mushrooms in my bathroom.


I'm also overly ambitious with the cabinetry. Like the rest of the coach it's all oak. The trick is keeping it all waterproof when the shower starts dumping water on it.
Careful sloping and shoulders on the cabinet doors.

Here you can see the slate floor finished and the new residential elongated toilet. No more tiny toilets. I've been crapping in a porta potty for a year!

The top was a challenge, I wanted a small stainless steel undermount basin, which are ridiculously expensive so I cut a hole in the bottom of a $9 mixing bowl and screwed it underneath the counter.


The top and walls still need to be stained.
Oh, and a wall and a door!

Mariposa Folk Festval.

I've always wanted to go to the great southern Ontario folk festival and have never been.
So I loaded up and headed west just before Canada Day.

Early morning in Mahone Bay on the right, gorgeous little town.







First stop was Montreal for a few days handing out with old friends Kate and Al.














I always enjoy Montreal, as you all know, for the food. BBQ duck in Chinatown,...




I stayed in Montreal for Canada Day and some spectacular fireworks that Geordie didn't think much of. Odd, he's never been bothered by them before,...



And on to Orillia for the big event. Mariposa is a huge event, with a dozen stages, a couple of pub tents, endless workshops, kiosks and vendors and of course food!!









What's also amazing about the festival is that if you're camping in a tent, you can be within feet of the main stage, hundreds of tents huddled in along the shore.









One of my favorite tents, well besides the pub, was a big tent full of instruments to try. What a great opportunity to have a go at some pretty neat stuff. I was particularly interested in some of the percussion instruments.












This thing with the metal tines was just amazing.






It was a long haul for a festival but I'm so glad I went, I'll try to work it into my upcoming summers as well,...

Back to Nova Scotia,...

Summer life

I'm not sure what I expected I'd be up to, but summer life just seems to have a life of it's own.
It's great to be back in the South Shore with so many old friends to see.
I spent a couple of days building a new deck with my good friend who owns the local corner store.








I must admit, I do love to build stuff, we really pounded at it but not bad for two days work.









Then I ran up to Antigonish for a friends birthday party. Opted out of hauling the coach up and slept in the back of the Rover with the full canvas top. Remarkably comfortable if not all that roomy. Pup slept in the front seat,...














And not to be missed, my youngest daughter's graduation. A very proud father was I.

The Cabot Trail

The highlight of my summer was a trip with my daughters around the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton Nova Scotia.

I've been looking forward to the trip ever since saying goodbye to my girls as I sent them home from New Orleans.

We took our time and spent almost a week on the loop some people do in an afternoon!



It was early in the season and the campgrounds were closed so we camped on the many pull offs all along the trail. Spectacular!










The girls and I have such a wonderful travelling style, they grew up in this coach and it's been such a part of so many great memories.


On the west coast my youngest scouted out a tiny little trail along the shore that led to the site of an ancient fishing village. Nothing remains except the impressive timber and early concrete wharf that seems more like some natural geometric obelisk. Really moody.

The Moose Trophy

Or more significantly,..
The Last Moose Trophy.
The "Moose" is a long honoured Land Rover even held annually on Victoria Day weekend in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley. Hosted for all these years by the legendary John Cranfield on his expansive farm offering open fields and groomed woodland trails. Well somewhat groomed.

The event has always been popular with the maritime Rover crowd and more than a few from farther afield.







There's always good times on the trail.
 Peter Rosval with a delightful little 80"
I got to drive it for a bit, love those little trucks!

I've been very cautious off roading the last few years as I really don't want to bust my truck anymore. It doe's pull my home around after all.  know the trails at John's pretty well but there are still some precarious spots,...





All in all a great weekend. It's sad to see the end of the Moose,......

Back in Riverport

What a beautiful part of the world!
I've been all over but this little corner of Nova Scotia's South Shore is so lovely.

First stop was to visit my to wonderful daughters in Lunenburg.



Lunenburg is a jewel of a town, I forgot how lovely it is. A great walking town too.




On my first morning back I took my daughters to breakfast, it was wonderful to see them.

As my old properties are no longer mine I set up on a piece of land belonging to my father right in the village. Great spot, private and I can carry on working on the coach.

 
The first thing I managed to do was contract Lyme disease! Lunenburg County is rife with the little buggers and when I finally decided this rash was significant the doctor took one look and diagnosed. They are getting several cases a day!

And stopped by my mothers grave on Mothers day.

But now to get ready for the Moose!......