A Holiday Treat

Not everything is at it may appear! It's not what you see but where you are seeing it. We did not take a cruise! We did see a cruise ship, though, in the harbor where we were staying!

That's more like it! We spent a few days last week and weekend in Victoria at the Empress Hotel, where they treat you like kings and queens. It was hard coming home to drab, windy Alberta and cereal for breakfast! That's what you get for spoiling yourself!

We did have fun though!

Drove to Port Renfrew and saw the Pacific Ocean!

Took a guided tour of the hotel itself.

Toured one of Victoria's last standing castles - Craigdarroch!

Watched the Royal Victoria Marathon from our breakfast table.

Walked out on the breakwater (I did go all the way out!)

Plus shopping and took lots of pictures of the older homes in Victoria. But that collection of pics is too extensive to choose just one! There are LOTS of well preserved or restored homes to even satisfy our appetite!

It was a good little holiday. Unique - staying at such a posh hotel. Exciting - finding some long sought after books while shopping. Tiring - absorbing so much in such a short amount of time. But I'm glad we went!

Moving On Down the Line

I was just reminded to do another blog entry by one of the kids! Yah - I know - but it is hard to write when not much is happening around here. We are settling into a nice routine at work and at home, which we are both very grateful for! About the last "Train Station" pictures I can show you are Peter mowing the lawn. That's how settled in we are. The lawn needs mowing!





Some things never change!

You may be interested to know that I (we) have taken over 500 pictures of the building phase of The Siding 12 Station. Not all are keepers - but there will be a sizeable album when they do get sorted through and printed! I've never taken so many pictures in one year as I have this past one!

"Now what do you do with your time" you ask? I can show you some pictures of one of our newly rediscovered pastimes. Supper at the Calgary Airport after a Stampeders Game. Eric and Becky couldn't be with us unfortunately (they were enjoying supper in Banff!) but their pup came along with Brent and Kirstin. Brent and Kirstin make good puppysitters! We bought pizza and went out and spent a bit of time together at a Park and Watch up off McKnight. Pretty cool thing to do with spare time now - to say nothing of watching a Stampeders Game.



Enthralled!




Sniff! Sniff!




I'm not tired! Just the sun!





"Brent and Kirstin" shot!




Explaining it all!




Trick Shot! - Try landing like that!

Nighttime Neighbors!

Yesterday afternoon we had some unusual looking CP "cars" parked on the tracks beside the station. They were an interesting array of conveyor belts, gears and brushes that caught our interest. We spent a bit of time contemplating their task and where they were going once the regularly scheduled trains passed by. (Or maybe we were having trouble working!) I'm sure someone out there reading this knows exactly what they were designed to do!





AND as if that wasn't enough to peak our curiosity, we had some "renovated" passenger cars pull in beside our fence for the night! One of the cars had a large label declaring it to be an "Engineering Services Track Evaluation Car". I just bet you they belong with the work crew we saw earlier!





We don't normally check out our "grass growth" before we go home for the evening - but last night we did!

By the way - the grass is starting to fill in nicely, especially considering the hot dry weather we've been having. Our recent cooler rains have done wonders! In fact, we could mow before too long. Ah - the joy of having property!

This morning the passenger/work cars pulled out from the station - but maybe they will be back tonight. I think it would be nice to wake up in the morning, open the blinds and see some trees and green grass! They are welcome as long as they need to stay in the area. It's their tracks they are evaluating!

The Big Day!

The Grand Opening is done! And what a relief! It's all smooth sailing from here - hopefully!

Before we could actually have our big day last Friday there was lots of prep work. Ordering cake, picking up bar-b-que supplies, finding cabanas and tables and chairs, ordering coffee etc from the local coffee shop, talking with the media and local newspaper, even praying for drier weather! Rain for the new sod - Sunny skies for the grand opening - what do you pray for? The weather was just fine - bit of rain for the sod and bit of sun for the ribbon cutting.

Thursday was a whirlwind of cleaning both inside and out. The board room was finished (for now) and pictures needed hanging. The common area downstairs needed cleaning and our office needed a thorough tidying and dusting. Even the parking lot got swept and washed (courtesy of Kev, Kels and her dad's pressure washer)!



Friday morning Ron and Bev came early and helped with the last of the prep work which was so greatly appreciated. Not only that, they stuck around for clean-up. They have been a big support for us with willing hands and hearts!

With pictures of the Station history hung in the board room, cabanas popped up and in place, firestation bar-b-que truck parked we were ready for the people.



We estimated around 25o people or so came for the bar-b-que. Some came just for the open house (and cake!).

After the bar-b-que we had a couple of songs by a local barbershop quartet, speeches from our mayor, MLA and MP, and ribbon cutting.

The barbershop quartet decided to sing a song that was from Peter to Lorraine. I knew I should have stayed hidden in the boardroom!



Judy Gordon spoke first - with a hint at us to continue building structures that are a contribution to our town both in a business sense and visually. We'll wait a few years I think!



Then our MLA Ray Prins spoke and he thanked us for all our hard work in doing this project and creating a historically beautiful place for him to have his office in.



Last, our MP Blaine Calkins spoke for a few minutes about the importance the railroad played in the building of this town.



These three government representatives then cut the ribbon along with Mr Sid Long. Mr. Long was the "CPR Freight Manager" who was in charge of closing down the freight portion of the old station and making sure the last loose ends were tied up before the service stopped altogether. He spent the rest of the afternoon visting with people in the board room and telling stories of the railroad days gone by!



Speaking of the board room - it was a very popular spot after for the older folks in town to wander through and chat about the pictures on the wall. Just what we were hoping for!



Oh yes, did I tell you the staff and wife/girlfriend of PJB Design dressed the part for the day?



We enjoyed dressing up so much (most of us) that we went out for supper with Ron and Bev and Grandma Nelson to Red Deer in our "costumes". One way to get service, or least lots of second glances!

During supper we started planning our next great adventure with Ron and Bev. No - not a building! It's party time - not work time!

Pictures! Lots of Pictures!

This time around there are pics to show you!



LONNIE THE PAINTING POET!

Our friend Lonnie finished up some last bits and pieces for us upstairs and downstairs. We're done until we need another coat of paint or varnish or something somewhere! She wasn't the only one giving a finish to wood! Brent and Kirstin spent some time with us staining and varnishing wood pieces to be put together in the board room! Believe me, we were spread out everywhere!



WOOD HERE!



WOOD THERE!



WOOD, WOOD EVERYWHERE!

The last window is done! Hallelujah! It was the one I was looking for!



FINAL WINDOW TO FINISH!

With wood pieces stained and window done, Peter and Cor spent two days putting together the puzzle to create the panelling in the board room.



After that carpet was put in and tile is now set and ready to be grouted. Media system is in and almost completely up and running. Chairs for around the board table(s) have been delivered and this week the tables will be finished, pictures hung and it will be a go! That light at the end of the tunnel is glaringly bright!

THEN, over this past weekend we put in the sod! We went from black to green within a matter of hours. You want to get grass quick? Bring in some strong and able bodied young folk and it will happen!

Brent, Kevin, Kelsey, Tyrone, Matt and Gord, along with Tony and Deb and Peter and myself did just that. Put down 6,500 sf of sod in 3 hours! Enjoy these pics from our landscaping workout!



ROLLS OUT LIKE A GIANT QUILT!



JUST ABOUT THE WHOLE GANG!



EVEN TIME TO LAUGH



ONE MORE ROW FOR GOOD MEASURE!



ARE WE HAVING FUN YET?

Long Time No Blog

For those of you who like to read with pictures - sorry. This is a writing blog. I like pics too but it wasn't to be this posting around!

Since last time you ask? Well, we now have black dirt where the grass will be eventually! It's nice to see some good soil track side instead of just the jet black coal slag that used to be our soil out there! I think our grass will have a much better chance growing in good black central Alberta dirt, don't you? We also have the three front areas bordering the street side groomed. That meant a few hot days leveling out the base, putting down filter fabric and making use of the bobcat that was here to spread dirt move loads of cedar mulch that was delivered Monday morning. Kev and Peter spent quite a few sweltering hours out there Monday getting that done! All of this was happening while I was home working on recouping from a bad cold. Hence, no pictures of the action! But you now know that we have still been working away at things out there!

That's the landscaping, what about inside you ask? Again, lots of things have been in the works here. Not really here at in the station, more like at home in the garage and shop. Since the board room is the last room to be done, we have run out of "work space" here at the station. So all the wood has been taken to the house to be manufactured into the different elements to finish off the board room. We've been cutting and sanding and routering and preparing space to stain and varnish the wainscotting panels, trim work etc. And since that's all been going on at the house and the camera didn't follow us home - no pics!

So you will just have to believe us when we say we are still busy finishing up as much as possible before the grand opening. We've also made the decision to hire Lonnie the Painter to do some more inside work for us. We miss having her around anyway - so here's our chance to make her keep coming back!

All this while keeping the office going - trying to stay (get) healthy - plan the grand opening with the tenants. It's been a year now. A long year. A tiring year. But a year worth every challenge, stretching beyond what we thought capable and meeting lots of new friends in the community.

In Response to .....

I think one should expect a response to things they post. This was a surpise! Gophers, I guess, can also get upset and chatter and scold from the other side of the fence! Maybe their grass is not greener!

Peter, Peter, Pumpkin eater,
has a good wife and would like to keep her.
He put her in a train station shell,
and there he kept her very well.

He kept her busy as can be,
so busy in fact that she didn't see.
My family and I were having fun,
drinking iced caps out in the sun.

Well then we found that rubber stuff,
Lorraine got mad and took off in a huff.
We didn't know that it wasn't fair game,
Not as much as a NO! from what's her name.

Lorraine tried to like us, but she was afraid.
She just couldn't get over that mess that we made.
So up went a fence as fast as can be.
That Peter's a wiz, take it from me.

A word of advice from me to you,
don't make them mad, whatever you do!
Stay away from their building and all of their things,
metal, wood, rubber and all of their bling.

The moral of this story shouldn't be a surprise.
If you make them mad, they will plan your demise!

(This response was relayed courtesy of "Lonnie the Painter"!)

The Little Fence that Could!

Once upon a time, not so long ago, and not so far away lived a train station. Now this train station was not very old, not as train stations go, but this poor building had a problem. I’m sure this dilemma was one that many of the much older stations had to deal with as well in days past, except for one difference. Those older and much simpler stations didn’t have the newer machines that seemed to complicate life today. They didn’t have something called Air Conditioning. Without the sleek grey boxes sitting on their boardwalks they didn’t have to worry too much about the problem this new station was now facing. Without these containers the neighborhood gophers could wander freely up and down under the older stations’ protective covers and not find themselves in trouble.

Gophers, being gophers, can get into mischief. When spring comes and the young venture out of their underground tunnels, they find it important to romp, scurry and explore everything within calling distance of their burrows called home. Some of them in their wanderings one day discovered something not seen before sitting in the shade of this new train station. Something cool, grey and having interesting pipes running close to their eye height. Now those pipes had some wonderfully chewy black stuff on that was fun to take nice big chomps out of! Little did those gophers know that this new game was something frowned upon greatly by the builders of that brand new red building out there by the tracks. Being young gophers they didn’t think twice about going back to this new adventure park over and over again.

Upon discovering the antics of these young prairie dwellers, the owners of the new station knew something had to happen. Something needed to be done quickly! Before another day passed those zealous gophers had to be stopped in their tracks – so to speak. That black foam was very important and needed to stay on those pipes. With the station dwelling out there right now with little to protect it from the large family of rodents living within a stone’s throw of its walls, at least the grey boxes and pipes could be saved from their eager little teeth.

What should be done though? The containers were there to help the builders of that station work comfortably inside the freshly painted walls. The grey boxes needed to have lots of fresh air to do what they do best. So some more walls were out of the question. What about a fence? A fence that would still let the grey boxes breathe in the outdoor air and cool it down before exhaling inside the new station by the tracks. Remember though, a quick fence it needed to be. So a quick fence it was. One small roll of spun wire for keeping chickens in place and a few rods of wood from the station builder’s workshop was all that was needed to build that rapid little hedge. So with wooden stakes in place and wrapped with the wire fencing, the grey boxes and their important pipes with black cloaks should now be safe from the mouths of the many bold and chattering gophers too brave for their own good.

Older stations may have laughed at the grey boxes now sitting proudly beside the walls of that new station, fences and all. But I’m sure they couldn’t have made their dwellers as happy as that new red train station by the tracks was pleasantly doing for its new owners.

This one's for you Heather!

Here's another pic for you Heather! Yes, Peter is up in high places again!

Somehow those trim boards needed another coat of stain. So after getting a 24' extension ladder, last night Peter climbed up and gave them that final coat. He had to make use of the truck box, mind you, along with the painter's extension pole and small roller to reach the top of the tallest trim board. But it worked! Most of the boards were reachable by him standing on the lower overhang roof. My only task in all of this (besides praying of course) was to stand in the truck box and hold the ladder steady. The things we find ourselves doing - and at our age yet!

This morning is was a real treat to come to work and see the building look finished on the outside. One more little thing. Sorry Heather - that's up high too! There needs to be a trim board added to the top of the windows upstairs outside to create a bit of a crown mold effect. This will be fully stained before being installed!

We also got our "gopher fence" built. Hopefully this will be a very temporary thing. Otherwise we will need to build something a bit more permanent. We will cross that track when we get to it!

Stucco - Finally!

We finally have our finish coat of stucco! We are quite happy with the color, even though we know as it cures it will change somewhat. The tone of gold is just what we want though.

In the pic you can also see the scaffolding that Lonnie is using as she paints the siding. All the brackets, soffit, window/door trims, ledger and beam are done. Just the siding now. She is doing two coats as she goes. Our weather right now is so warm she can go back up to the top after reaching the bottom in each section where her scaffolding is. Plus too the siding is being painted in latex which makes for quick dry and easy cleanup! I can relate to that one! She is doing a superb job!

In the pic you can also sort of peek and see the junipers planted in front of the towering poplars. On Monday Brent and Kirstin were over and we did a "greenhouse hop" and picked up a dozen variety of junipers to plant. These all ended up coming from a greenhouse just a block down the road from the station, but it was fun to spend a bit of time wandering around and checking out what was left at the greenhouses. It was a warm day again, but we managed to get them planted with a bit of extra top soil hauled in from behind the building.

As well in the pic you can see our parking lot now sporting not just one red mustang - but TWO! Our parking lot has definitely filled up! That's a good indication of just how far things have come in the last number of months. It's a good thing to see!

Tonight we have to go and fence in our air-conditioning condensors out back! Not to keep them from running away, but to keep the gophers from chewing away at the protective foam around the lines. Little stinkers are chewing away at this very important covering and then have the nerve to leave behind "little calling cards". Not anymore after tonight - hopefully!! Maybe it won't be too many more years and the lots south of us will develop and that will take care of some of the gopher infestation! Saucy little things have taken up chattering at us when we walk back there now! This won't last.

Soon we have to get moving on the board room and get it finished up. We have just about everything purchased or picked out - just to do the work. Then we can have a grand opening!

They Move In!

Our last tenants are moving in! They started yesterday with the furniture and today they are moving ALL the files (and they have a lot!) and other smaller things. I think they are excited. This morning one lady was here even before us! And I thought we were early risers! I hope they are just settling in now and not doing much more moving - it's raining, AGAIN!

I would like to say it is so exciting to have the whole building occupied. It's not really sinking in yet for me. As long as it doesn't sink in at 2:00 in the morning or something silly like that and I need to jump out of bed to do a dance of joy! I do know it is a blessing - whether I feel excited right now or not.

They seem like a good bunch of people and I am looking forward to having them around!



HERE THEY COME!




LOTS TO MOVE! (CHRIS MACKIE & KEN WATERS)



NEW OFFICE!

Something I can't take a picture of - but we sure can feel the difference right now - is the newly installed and much appreciated air conditioning. By the end of the day all the suites had it up and running. Ours was last because of glitch in some plumbing installation, but we now are cool up here! So we can put in a full day and have no excuses for dragging anymore by 3 in the afternoon.

All the pieces of the puzzle have been coming together wonderfully and in a manner and timing we couldn't have done ourselves. God gets the credit here!

Now - we'll get the outside done and the board room finished up and then we will find our normal again. Something I think our entire family is looking forward too - not just Peter and myself!

Almost there!

This week Thursday we hand keys over to the last of the tenants for downstairs! And a year ago we were prepared to be the only ones in the building! Isn't it amazing how God pulls it all together! We have to take that leap though and trust Him with the details that seem too big to even comprehend at the time of the "jumping off".

Since this past weekend was our last weekend to get things done for the final lease space, we did lots of little things here and there in Suite 102! And what's left you ask? Bit more varnishing - few more windows to get cleaned up - another coat of paint on some shelving - few spots to touch up on walls - wipe down the woodwork. This morning we took some boxes over - and I am so excited to get them out of our garage! The boxes with the window blinds! That seems like such a milestone. That means it's really close to finished now! Just ordinary looking boxes - but they pack lots of "sighs of relief" for me. That also means only ONE window to go! That's the board room window. I think I can handle ONE window to finish!



AH! NO LONGER IN MY GARAGE!



ONE MORE COAT OF PAINT!

We weren't the only ones busy here last week. Telebyte came in and finished up their part in getting Waters Mackie's networking complete. The tangle of wires in one of the closets is now all tidied up!



NO LONGER A MESS!

As well Kles-Air was here and working on the air-conditioning. And not any too soon! With warm weather well on the way it is a relief to know cool air isn't far away now!



THROUGH THE WINDOW - IT'S MUDDY OUT THERE!

One other thing has been happening around here! Something I am so happy we've hired out! The soffit, ledger board, beam, brackets and backside of the fascia is being given it's second coat of stain by Lonnie Meagher. As well she will be giving the siding two coats of paint. The siding needs painting - manufacturer's defect - so we have hired her to do the rest of the staining outside as well. This gives us time to finish up the board room and do some landscaping in the next month.




LONNIE WORKING AWAY!

It's great to be down to one room to finish - even if there is lots of woodwork in that one room! And one window!