Homes I have Worked In

I announced a few days ago that I was going to undertake a new blog project and that was to post photos and a brief story of some of the houses I have worked in over the years. I have been a paint and wallpaper contractor in the area for 35 years. I actually got my start in Williams Lake but I have lived here since '72 and worked here all that time. I know my town well, as well as the surrounding communities. This list will by no means be comprehensive, but is meant to be a random sampling of what I have done. Because 98% of my work has been interior, you will not be able to see the actual work I did but only the exterior. I had fun driving around one day, taking the photos. Most of the houses were in quiet residential areas so I did not hold up traffic. All photos were taken out the open window of my truck as I slowly rolled by the property.

This was the home of an executive of a large agricultural feed company. He and his wife are Dutch. I wallpapered most of the house in the days when wallpaper was very popular. Busylizzy was helping me at the time and we met a painter named Jack, who I never saw again. Because the house was being totally renovated, they asked me if I knew of someone who would want their Harvest Gold kitchen appliances. My sister and her husband were building a new home after coming home from the mission field so I was able to steer the appliances their way. Two years ago, they called me back to get some ideas on re-decorating yet again. As I walked through the house, I was amazed at how everything was in perfect condition. The paint and wallpaper were like new and I told them I honestly thought the house did not need re-decorating. The colours and patterns were classic so they did not date the house too badly. As it turned out, they sold the house as was and just a month ago called me to their new townhouse on Mill Lake to do some fine touch-up work. We renewed acquaintances and had some Dutch hot chocolate and biscuits while we reminisced about the good old days. I love that part of my work.

The Drive Home

Back to last Monday's trip for a moment.

A leisurely drive home along the Chuckanut Drive from Anacortes to Bellingham.

By this time the sun was out, and away from the wind, it was toasty warm.

The vistas are wonderful but the drive is over too soon.

The hoodie is down and she is warming up a bit. Note the teeth have stopped chattering.

And one last look. In the many years we have lived here, this is the fourth time we have made the effort to go to the Tulip Festival. It is always worth it. Hitting the weather, the blossom time, and days off is always a challenge, but this year it worked out for us and we will go again. We usually combine this trip with a stroll through the village of LaConnor and a lunch out. This year was no exception, although we could see that the recession had hit a number of the shops in LaConnor. With the Canadian Dollar at par, things may pick up for them. I know we have been travelling to the USA more this year than in the previous five combined. With a healthier dollar and the coming HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) coming to our province, more people WILL be shopping in the USA. It is OK. They need our help.

The Lake Errock Job

I mentioned yesterday that we went to Lake Errock to do a job, site unseen. I rarely do this as I do not like surprises and I have learned over the years that the job is always made to sound easier than it really is. This was true again yesterday. The designer neglected to tell us that the walls were in really rough shape and that there were many raw patches that had not even been sanded, let alone primed. My "all eventualities" preparation paid off as we did bring a gallon of wall primer/size with us and we certainly did use it. I mentally prepared myself for a two day job as I knew that there were two rooms and 18 rolls of wallpaper. We got there just before 9 am after a 45 minute drive. We sanded, primed and hung wallpaper steady with a 45 minute break for lunch and were done by 4:30 pm. In spite of a bad start, we made record time and do not have to go back today.
I had never wandered off the Lougheed Highway into the community of Lake Errock before. The lake itself is not very large, and the homes are rustic, some used all year round, but many only in the summer months. The home we worked in had a most beautiful setting. The wealthy lady who owned it had been there 10 months and had already done extensive renovations. It was quite the place, and definitely one of the nicer homes on the lake. I should have brought my camera to work. It would have been worth it. The photo above is a shot of Lake Errock but I borrowed it from the Internet.

Enough Already

Today we start fresh. It is a new week. I am grateful to have work and even though I have not seen the job we are going to tomorrow, nor have I met the client, I am trusting that the drive to Lake Errock will be worthwhile and productive. I am bringing every conceivable piece of equipment and tool with me to cover any and all eventualities. Last week I drove more than 100 km in one day to solve one little problem and ended up only working one hour. When on contract, this is not the way to operate.

Yesterday was a busy day. We did our tour of service in church this morning, serving continental breakfast to more than 250 people, and it was a delightful time of renewing some old friendships and again bonding with our terrific team of volunteers. In the afternoon we celebrated my father-law's 82nd birthday. I saw some children of nephews and nieces that I had never seen before. We had a lot of good food and some good laughs. We did a bit of planning for our annual work party at the lake property, which will take place next weekend. From there we went straight to our Care group meeting which was again a relaxed time of learning, sharing and praying. Oh, and more eating.

The tulips are over tomorrow. I promise. I think you have had enough, already.

On Second Thought

On second thought, you don't have to go to the Tulip Festival. I am showing you the whole thing right here on my little flower blog. Don't forget to click on the photos to make them larger, brighter and more colourful. Just like being there.

Hey you people, can't you read? The signs everywhere are asking you stay on the main roads and not wander up and down through the rows of Tulips. Photographers get carried away and will do anything to get just the right image.

There is Still Time

It is not too late to go to Mt. Vernon and take in the Festival. It will be in the height of the late varieties now.


Standing in a field of these is true sensory overload. For me, it is similar to seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time. Your eyes see it, but your brain has a difficult time computing it. In the case of the canyon, the sheer width and depth, in the tulip field, the massive amount of bright colour.

Yesterday it was snowing in the foothills behind Mission where we were working. So pretty, so cold! Spring will be a step closer today with 15C temperatures. Time to wash the grime off the vehicles.

More of the Tulip Gardens

I am of the opinion that it is almost impossible to take a bad photograph in a Tulip Garden.

Are We In Holland?

Tulips everywhere! You would think we were in Holland. The garden we choose was called Roozen Gaarde, about as Dutch as they come.

Like roses, Tulips come in many varieties and colours. They prefer the cool weather and last longer in the cold days we are having this spring.

A bed of these flaming beauties look they are on fire!

Layer upon layer of colour, a feast for the eyes.

And a Llama in the field next door enjoying all the unusual attention. We were envious of their woolly fur coats.

I certainly hope today goes better than what has transpired over the last few days, weeks and months. I feel like circumstances are conspiring against me as everything that could go wrong, is going wrong. Well, almost everything. This blog page is not long enough to chronicle all my woes of late. My health is good, thank God, and one good thing about piled up negativity in one's life is that it eventually comes to the point where one can truly say "It can only get better." The turning points in some key areas of my life are imminent. I am ready. Meanwhile we will find beauty in the spring flowers.

Mt. Vernon Tulip Festival

We awoke early on Easter Monday morning and thought we detected a distant band of blue sky, far to the south, and beyond the black and rain soaked clouds of our home.

After checking the Internet for weather and 'bloom reports' we decided to head to the Tulip Festival in LaConner Wa. The border guard was 'chatty' when she found out where we were headed and gave us all kinds of information to make our day a good one. She had been there the day before and knew all the ins and outs. I was not quite sure how to handle this new and more friendly attitude from what I have come to call the Gestapo at the border crossings.

As we headed south, the band of blue was elusive and when we arrived at our destination, it was still just out of reach. We discovered that the Tulips were in mid bloom with the early varieties in full bloom, and the others just starting or maybe just showing a bit of colour in their buds. The daffodils were all but done, but the cold weather was aiding some of them to hang on for another day or two.

The format has changed. What used to be a big 'free for all' is now highly organised. Gone are the days of randomly parking beside the road and taking photos. There are now designated parking areas and of course, fees. Then, to get into the fields and gardens, there are more fees. One has to select the garden and fields and then go for it. Taking it all in would cost a small fortune.

The wind was cold, though no rain threatened. Here you can see busylizzy crouched down for shelter, hoodie tucked up around her ears, trying to stay warm. The flowers were spectacular as you will see in the next few posts. All photos taken with frozen fingers and cold noses.

Click on the photos to see them larger.

Liam's First Easter Egg Hunt

He searched every clump of shrub and flower.

He is an outdoor boy, every inch. Those girls can wear their fancy Easter Bonnets, but Liam has his Easter Garden Boots.

"Why are you taking so many pictures when there are Easter Eggs to be found?"

"Oh yes, another one!"

"This is fun!"

This is what happens to those coloured Easter Eggs if you keep them warm.

A New Project

This is Towne Centre Tower. I have done a tremendous amount of work in this building over the years and know most of the people who live here. This is the north facing side of the tower and the people who live on this side get the best view, the north shore mountains in the background, and the lovely City Hall Thunder Bird Park and Clearbrook Library in the foreground. I have many stories to tell about working in this building, but will restrain myself at this time.

I want to start a new project for my blog in the near future. I have worked in the Valley for the last almost 40 years and I thought I would drive around randomly and take photos of the various homes I have worked in and post them with an interesting tidbit with each photo. I was inspired to do this when I found, among my father's things, a small stack of photos of houses that he built. The collection is not nearly complete but is just a sampling of his work. I have the tools at my disposal so I thought I would do the same. I will try to keep it interesting.

On Saturday, I went for a long walk (5 miles) with a very good friend. The wind was cold but we walked briskly and managed to keep warm. It is amazing how the distance gets eaten up when there is good conversation. The last time we did this was on the beach at Banderas Bay. The conversation was just as good, but as I recall, the wind was warmer. We decided we should go back. And we will.

Giving It Up

At last week's church service, it was suggested by our pastor that we "give something up" during the week before Easter. I thought about it and realised what a spartan life I lead. Of course, everything is a comparison. I already deny myself many things and consider myself a disciplined person. There are actually many things I could have given up, and was feeling guilty that I was not doing so, but then I began to wonder what the point of this exercise would be, for me personally. I know that fasting and denial are a very important aspect of many people's lives, but it is a little unclear to me as to the ultimate purpose of it.
Then I thought of the concluding statement of the message, which was about Christs' crucifixion and what it accomplished. Our pastor quoted Buddha on his death bed. "Never cease striving." Then he compared that to Christ's last words. "It is finished".
It suddenly became clear to me what I was to give up. There is nothing we can do to earn our salvation, God's grace, or his love. He did it all. It is finished. So, I gave up guilt. I hope it will last for more than a week.

Doing the Andy Rooney Thing

I always enjoyed Andy Rooney's commentary at the end of the"60 Minutes" show. I do not watch TV much so I do not know if he is still doing his thing or if he has retired. I know he is very old. He would take some ordinary objects and make an editorial out of talking about them, like the old jackets hanging in his closet and why he cannot throw them out even though he never wears them. Great stuff.
Here is my Andy Rooney thing:
Every man needs an office, and every man needs a big desk in that office. I have both, and as I look at my desk, I realise why I need a big one. It is full of stuff, at least that is what my wife calls it. She would like to clean it up, but I keep pointing to the sticker on the side of my filing cabinet that says "Please no try straighten out da mess around here ... you goin' jam up my system." I picked it up in Hawaii many years ago, hence the cute accent. (Not the filing cabinet, the sticker)
A lot of my stuff is electronic, like the digital clock just off to my left. It is not flashing the time right now because the button battery is dead and those are hard to find. And that would explain why I have another battery operated clock right beside it. I always know the time because I will always have one battery or the other as a backup. Actually, the time is in the right hand corner of my computer monitor screen so I could get rid of the two clocks.
Then there is the calculator. It is an Italian model and you have to do funny things to make it add and subtract properly. It comes with a thermal printer but I discovered that thermal tape in rolls is cheaper by the big box, but it also loses its thermal sensitivity after a year or two, so I do not have my calculations printed out at all. Come to think of it, I have a calculator on my computer so I don't really need that old thing. There is a desk lamp with a halogen bulb in it that gets so hot I can actually fry eggs on it if I get to my office before breakfast. I rarely turn it on as the three track light halogens above my desk, mounted on the ceiling, give enough light, and heat.
There are three photos, two of them framed, of my grandsons. The problem with these is that they do not look like my grandsons because my grandsons are growing so fast that no matter how quickly I change the photos, they are out of date, sometimes in a matter of minutes. Right in front of me sits my Franklin electronic dictionary. I am a terrible speller and when there is not a spell check function on what I am typing on the computer, such as blog comments, I am using the dictionary. The problem with this one is that it has a very limited vocabulary. I should get a more modern one. There is a cable modem, a router, a monitor, a PC tower, two small tower speakers (with a bass woofer on the floor getting kicked around a lot) and a printer. These are the heartbeat of my "office". Oh, did I forget the keyboard, the one with the 'c' completely rubbed off? Now why would that be? Is the letter 'c' the most commonly typed key, or do my fingernails need clipping? Oh dear. How could I forget the mouse? The one with the colour rubbed right off of the left click button. Fingernails again?
My monitor sits on a small stack of old magazines to bring it up to my eye level. It is unsightly, and I am sure they have a solution for this at Staple's, but this works. I do not know what these old magazines are back copies of because I do not want to disturb the neat round ring of dust under the monitor base.
Just as important as all this electronic stuff, is the paperwork. It seems everything is a 'work in progress'. I cannot file it away until the file is up dated or whatever. Besides, my filing cabinet is full. Just for starters, there are unpaid but not overdue bills, business cards, 'to do' lists, an empty Tim Hortons' card, a package of photo print paper, a small desk calendar (so I can verify the wall calendar), sticky notes to remind me of chiropractic and dental appointments, spare printer paper, a very ratty desk pad, a four stack vertical filing system with innumerable important paper in it, a hockey schedule, my bible, my 'jobs' list, a stack of CD's I intend to listen to in the next few years, a box containing a video editing software program that I never could get to work, and a couple of sticky furry things to prevent my new doors from letting in a draft at the bottom where the door sweep does not quit reach far enough.
In all honesty, I have not revealed all, but now you understand why my wife would like to clean up. After re-reading this piece, (for spelling and grammatical errors) I realise that maybe I should allow her to do just that.

Easter

A Very Old Photo

There have been some very wonderful perks as a result of our family website. I was absolutely delighted the other day when I received a DVD in the mail, loaded with over 300 photos that were scanned from slides that an uncle and aunt had taken during the 50's. The above photo is of my sisters and me standing in front of the living room window of my grandmother's house in Osler, Saskatchewan. My grandmother and an uncle are seen through the reflective window in the background. I have absolutely vivid memories of these days and in this case in particular, the politically incorrect sweater that I am wearing. My mother knit the sweater and as she was doing so, while raising 4 small kids, I was so anxious for her to complete it. I had picked it out of a pattern book and even helped chose the colour combinations. I was so into cowboys and Indians in those early years and could hardly wait to wear it proudly in front of my friends, who, I just knew, would be envious. I outgrew it quickly, but also wore it out. It was so wonderful to see a photo of it. And, yes, my sisters are still cute.