what mountains?

… not to mention, what lake?

5pm today, as Doco and I headed down for our daily (3 days in a row) swim -
looking directly into the sun through the tamarack

5:30pm, at the beach - we found the water - the sun still up, but who could tell?
Looks a bit like my last-year's blood-moon eclipse post.

SPOOKY!

The smoke is predicted to be blown away south tomorrow, or maybe rained down.
No fires close. 

a new bedroom emerges

not quite ready for sleepers

Yesterday, Norbert and Chris were constructing a scaffold to stand on to dismantle and rebuild the hay-barn south-lean-to roof.  And voila!  A whole new sleeping spot emerged!  Apparently Tonio has some splendid, wide, 18-foot-long tamarack boards to come next, and there it is.  And, with a new shake roof on top, it will even be dry.  Place your bookings now for next summer!

Doco's crab apples

I have been rather scathing of Doco's crab-apple crop.  Who ever eats crab-apple jelly?  But look at these beautiful fruit!  I added some to my yellow-transparent applesauce and Doco declares it to be delicious.  Last night he picked the tree clean.  There's a bear around (at Ralph's plum tree).  Now the challenge is - crab-apple what?  Any ideas?

a pleased Doco

and even I can see why

New Denver paddle board

Sadly, the windsurfer board that Douglas bought with his first cherry-picking money some 30 years ago disappeared from the forest above our beach on about July 1st.  My fault.  I should have checked that it had been brought up at the end of last season.  Too bad, too, because the kids (of all ages) had so much fun with it.

So, what to do?   My first day back in New Denver, Rowan and I made a trip to the dump and then poked our noses into the new "Valhalla Pure" store, just to see if they had stand-up paddle-boards.  They did!  The perfect one (according to Rowan and Colin) and at a perfect price - store-opening sale!  So, we are now one stand-up paddle-board to the good.

Here is its first Harris-family day.

On the march from 'Valhalla Pure' down the main street to launch in the lake ...

… by Teagan, Emile and Rowan (it's very light)

Preparing for the launch ...

… can it hold three? (Emile with 'the leash') ...

… apparently so, but ...

… submerged in two inches of water, progress around the mouth of Carpenter Creek to our beach was SLOW 

However,  they arrived.  I missed Griffin aboard
(it took me longer from the launch to our beach than it took the paddlers), but here come Lily and Emile

The 'yoga board' was tested by Rachel and Alice ...

… two 'downward dogs'

Next, Rachel ...

… as 'warrior'

and Rowan, vertical ...

… and in pirouette (guess what happened next?)

Finally, and maybe the best use - Emile about to dump the three damsels (Alice,  Lily and Rachel)

Fun for all!

…………………………………………………………………………………………………..
P.S. Eric came back from Castlegar yesterday with a stand-up paddle from Canadian Tire (and his brother, Paul-Antoine).   Paddle yet to be tried, and all the 'young' paddlers have headed up Whitewater this morning for two days.  Maybe Doco and I … ?

Lily and Annaelle in Vancouver

July 24th, Lily arrived at Wiltshire Street with her Montreal friend, Annaelle, and her family.  I was here to meet them.  Rachel arrived July 26 and Emile July 27.  This morning, July 28, Rachel, Lily, Emile and I are off to New Denver.   All but Douglas and family are already there.  Looking forward to  the rest soon!

Some photos from Lily and Annaelle's first Vancouver day:

Annaelle, her stepfather Laurent, mother Noemie, and brother's friend Laurence (and Lily) at Wiltshire Street

Lily-Annaelle duet, concocted in Montreal for Meo

Note the mass of clouds over the city.  At Spanish Banks, we were in mostly sun.

first, a prowl by the ocean ...

… with crabs - lots of them ...

… and a swim in salt water, a touch warmer than Slocan Lake 

a picnic with a few blackberries for 'dessert' ...

… then back to the car by the "woodsey walk"

WELCOME HOME!

Welcome home Ellen, Molly, Thomson, Candy, Douglas!  See you soon!!

love, meo

the outdoor shower

July 26th.
Hot water on demand!   It only just now got to the top of the list, but Mick has now installed the propane shower that Colin had had sent to New Denver last year - to augment the black-pipe system on the outhouse roof, which gives hot showers only on afternoons of hot days.  It works.  But it has been discovered that on cold rainy days (like this one) it heats the shower's water but not its air.

controls on the front side

pipe connections in the wall on the back side