I have just started this summer’s project, which is the creation of a wildlife pond especially for frogs

When I bought the property there was a circular area of paving stones in the middle of the front lawn surrounded by lavenders. I wanted a goldfish pond and bought the circular stock tank shown in the photo (2022) for that purpose. I figured out a way of adding plants and received a bounty of free mature goldfish one summer. However, the fish did not survive the winter and this summer the plants were struggling as well.

So I’ve given up on having goldfish and on using the stock tank as a pond feature. I looks more natural already. Next step is to design the build details and start digging. I am having fun!

Progress Photos

Mistakes, I’ve made a few

So I have a sterile, muddy puddle that is waiting for a wildlife invasion. I dream of the pond filled with healthy water plants, interesting aquatic insects, and of course frogs and tadpoles.

We are visiting my sister in Vankleek Hill, ON. While away the garage cam captured a local bear on his early morning stroll. We had planned to fly to Mexico from here on October 1st but Aimeé’s Canadian citizenship ceremony was held last week and now we must wait for her to obtain a Canadian passport. So we return to Garden Bay on the 1st instead.

The custom screen door turned out well and was easy to make. Reroofing the shed took many weeks with working only in the mornings to avoid the sun and two trips to Home Depot in Vancouver to buy materials.

The heat wave is over and the drought has ended for another year in Garden Bay. We are flying to visit my family in Vankleek Hill on Septemer 25 and heading to Guanajuato on October 1. So there are just five weeks left to enjoy here.

We were headed to the cabin last week and my old motor was overheating, a common problem that has happened before. The local mechanic diagnosed that the water channels in the motor were blocked and provided an expensive repair quote. I opted to buy a new motor shown above and plan to try it out on the water today.

Boom! Sunny days arrived on July 1 and we in the middle of a dry heatwave. All the rain we had in June was great for the plants and while the roses have waned there are still plenty of blooms all over the garden.

Aimeé is working five days a week at John Henry’s Resort and I keep myself busy in the garden and my shed reno. I decided to reroof the shed this summer as I have the time and the low-slope portion has leaked for years.

The dog days of summer are upon us.

The weather for the past two months has been cool and mixed. After cleaning up the garden, I kept myself busy with phase two of the COVID shed renovation. In this photo you can glimpse a window and door inside the greenhouse. Under the overhang roof I built shelves for large items that used to be stored inside the shed.

Besides the door and windows, the big improvement was covering the last outside wall and the inside surfaces with sheathing plywood. Not only does it look better, it provides convenient surfaces for hanging tools.

Things are not completely well organized but I am very satisfied with the result. It was a great opportunity to sort everything that was in the shed and discard the junk that will never get used.

The project was fun and it involved creative problem solving as I progressed. Above is an example; I framed this opening to facilitate the construction and cut panels to seal it up, but it is quite convenient and have decided to add a screen door for summer use. The opening is non-standard and thus a custom screen door is my next project.

We travelled to Garden Bay on February 22 and it was a very long day. We are both happy to be home, earlier than usual as Aimeé is anxious to renew her permanent resident card. As you can see from the weather forecast, it is still winter although signs of spring abound in the garden. As weather permits I will work on cleaning up the garden in preparation for the coming season.

Aimeé is the proud new owner of this 2013 Smart ForTwo car. Its small size, automatic transmission, and cute looks make it the perfect car for her to learn to drive. It came with lots of little problems that I am enjoying fixing.

The Ford Escape that I ordered arrived in BC on August 14 and I eagerly awaited its arrival at the car dealership in Sechlet. One month later I still did not have an ETA due to local transport issues in the industry. Besides the uncertain deliver time that threatened to exceed the time of our return to Mexico this year, I was disappointed by the market’s valuation of my Jeep Patriot . These negatives allowed me to realize that the new car was not the best option for Aimeé, so I cancelled the order and helped her purchase her own vehicle.

We will be flying to Mexico on October 16.

Aimeé has gone to Guanajuato for six weeks for a plethora of reasons and I am taking the opportunity to paint the living room. I took me two days to remove all the furniture and cover the floor. Moving my 500 lb piano by myself while protecting the hardwood was an interesting puzzle. Today was my first day of surface preparation. While I like making progress, I am not enjoying the work.

The new car is scheduled for production on July 26. The Jeep is still available and its sale will be more feasible once I have an ETA for the new car.

I have a new Ford Escape Platinum Hybrid on order. Today I was informed of a scheduled build date of July 31 so I hope to take delivery early September. These are different times where there is little inventory on the lot, limited production and dealer allocation, and we are happy to pay MSRP.

My 2016 Jeep Patriot has only 51,000 km and is in excellent shape, a great used car for the right buyer. The Ford dealer has offered a low trade-in price so I am trying to sell the Jeep privately. The sales manager said it would be difficult to sell because it has FWD manual transmission but I am encouraged by the responses so far to my ads.

The primary reason for getting a new car now is to have automatic transmission for Aimeé to drive. She wants to learn and I think the latest safety features on the new car will help us both. I have to admit that I am attracted to all the latest technology as well.