Echo the Pumpkin!

Echo's likeness carved into one of our pumpkins.

Gram Rolls Into Town To Make Some Money!

After a long train ride from Edmonton; Gram rolls in and stays a few days with us. During her stay she made money in Winnipeg at the Royal Canadian Mint.

A $400,000 brick of 99.99% pure Gold. It weighs 28 pounds and is guarded at all times.

Dana's mother with the Gold bar.

A coin stamping machine (the same as a production machine) is out in the gift shop to strike your own coin medallion. This is where we all made money!

Gram posing for the 2009 quarter design.

Gram knitting a pair of slippers while Dana and her mother were making Nalysnyky (Ukrainian Cheese Roll).

Fall Leaves & Echo

Here is Echo posing in the leaves.

Bonus Room Renovation

Started with the tear down of the cheap fake panelling.

Removing the popcorn stipple ceiling. Also removing the bad drywall tape joints.

More bad drywall tape joints on the wall. Also badly peeling paint and damaged drywall from the panel glue.

Too much damage! What now?

Cutting the loss by replacing the drywall with new. Faster than repairing the old drywall and probably a better finished wall in the end.

The newly hung drywall.

New drywall with the first coat of mud and tape.

Fixing the other side. Ready now to re-tape the ceiling.

Green Peppers

Roma Roma Roma!

Hmmm...Dana I don't think we have enough Roma Tomatoes! This is about 250 pounds harvested and only done picking about 1/3 of the plants. Then there are the Beefsteak tomatoes!

Echo and her Necklace!

Echo wearing her tennis ball necklace.

Grapes on the way to wine!

Here is a shot of our grapes. They are so good and lots of them to pick. Maybe we should let them freeze and make ice wine. What do you think?

Artichoke Harvest

Here we have some artichokes. There are more to pick in the coming weeks. Who knew they would grow here. They are a very visually interesting plant.

Rain barrel visitor.

Here is our local rain barrel visitor... a tree frog. He also visits our front living room window sill.

Pumpkins

Here are the first two harvested pumpkins of 2008! The one on the left weighs in at 28 pounds and the right at 32 pounds.

Out on a walk.

Here are some photos when we were out on a walk with Echo.

Alignment of the Moo Moos.

Sunset with the grain elevator in the distance.

Home Canning

The canning season has started. So far we have pickled 1/2 our beets and yielded 11 jars. Tonight we made pickled mixed vegatables. 14 jars of that should last a while.

The top picture features our new pressure canner. A pressure canner reaches a much higher temperature to kill off bacteria thus allowing us to can items without the use of vinegar.

Echo's Food Pyramid

New Tractor Driver

This well trained tractor driver is going to make our life a little easier around the farm!

The next visitors...project.

This pile of wood was cut from a wind damaged tree today. The neighbours tree blew over in the big wind storm we had. We had two limbs come off some of our trees. The ash tree is now cut up for firewood. The next visitor to our house will have to split it up. Hmmm...lets see who that is....my brother who's name starts with the letter 'P'.

Grapes Galore

We have two grape vines along the driveway fence. They are loaded with bunches of grapes. Mmmm...can not wait!

Flowers

Vegetable Garden Update

Here is the veggie garden.

Onions, lettuce, beets, spinach, swiss chard and carrots.

Tomatoes.

Pumpkins and corn.

Tree Frog

Here is a tree frog hiding out on our front window.

Echo - Customized Dog House and Cute Picture

Echo sleeping at her dog dishes.

Here is Echo's new dog house name plate.

6 Hole Pitch & Putt

This is our 6 hole pitch & putt golf course. It was very popular at our Summer Solstice Party. The neighbours come over regularly and play the course. A round takes aproximately 45 minutes. If you'd like to do 12 holes you can play the course in reverse.

Aerial Applicators

This AG plane was spraying the Canola crop just a 1/4 mile from our house. We have been seeing these planes for the last week or so spraying local fields.

Military Flight Instructor Qualified

I now am a Military Qualified Flight Instructor. I have just completed my first full week of teaching. Good to be back in the teaching seat.

Aerial Property Photo

Here is the latest aerial photo of the property.

Productive & Relaxing Weekend

We had a productive and relaxing weekend. Firstly, Echo's dog house was completed and painted. Echo got me a hammock for Fathers' Day. Yup, I'm a daddy to her. Check us out lounging around in the hammock. We are going to be here a lot now!

Mushrooms Anyone?

Here are some mushrooms growing in the backyard around the trees. I don't think they are good eats though.

Echo's Jail (Dog Run)

Echo's soon to be jailhouse. This is the longest side of the dog run. Only two more posts to put in and then build the gate.

One of the remaining post holes.

Wire buried under the dirt to prevent escape.