Jase can sleep through anything; but is awake when we need sleep.
Gord on his birthday.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
The Supervisor
Jase can sleep through anything; but is awake when we need sleep.
Gord on his birthday.
Planting Grapes 2
Dirty work but the gals dug in! Twyla hosing off the mud (hillside behind her still to be planted)and Decoa in cowboy hat.
Inside our home
Kitchen/Living room - still deciding what to keep and hang and what we need for sofas, etc.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
When it rains it pours
Monday, June 25, 2007 - our 41 anniversary.
The clean-up and decisions were still in progress when another rainfall hit the vineyard. Decoa phoned early in the morning in a panic. By 9 am the rains had stopped and the bobcat was busy moving mud again. No more mud in the house but more vines are needing to be spaded in. Decoa was very stressed and needing sleep so we took Jagger home with us and went to town to purchase a carseat for our car. Shopping with a three year-old is another adventure.
She's battling an intestinal bug so Mom had to pick up a supply of Wild Strawberry Extract.
Now the grapes need to be supported and protected from weed spray with cartons(unused juice 2 litre size). A bamboo stake is inserted in the ground and clipped to the lateral wire.
Friday, June 29, 2007- Decoa and Jeff's 5th Anniversary
By 3 pm, the last of the surplus grape stock is planted - this will be nursery stock and is planted fairly close together. Mike, Gord and Decoa have a drink to celebrate and the heavy rains start again. Jeff works with the bobcat again trying to keep the mud from going over the road into the vineyard below. By 4:30 pm, storm has passed and Deoca and Jeff take boys to town to pick up Lara and go out for dinner. They were supposed to deliver a boat(Jeff manages a boat building business) to Randy and Janaia(cousin) but post-poned the trip to the next day. About 7:30pm another storm brings more rain. Mike, neighbor, phones to say the fire department is trying to stop the road from washing out.
Saturday morning - we arrive to check out the damage. The house is fine but Jeff works all morning cleaning mud off highway, redoing the drivway and meeting with Arroleaf Cellars and the district about a soluton. the sun is shining and Gord works on rescuing plants and digging ditches to divert the run-off if more rain comes. The kids escape for a few days and we're on guard. Clean-up and building a retaining wall aroiund the house will have to wait as it is very muddy right now.
The clean-up and decisions were still in progress when another rainfall hit the vineyard. Decoa phoned early in the morning in a panic. By 9 am the rains had stopped and the bobcat was busy moving mud again. No more mud in the house but more vines are needing to be spaded in. Decoa was very stressed and needing sleep so we took Jagger home with us and went to town to purchase a carseat for our car. Shopping with a three year-old is another adventure.
She's battling an intestinal bug so Mom had to pick up a supply of Wild Strawberry Extract.
Now the grapes need to be supported and protected from weed spray with cartons(unused juice 2 litre size). A bamboo stake is inserted in the ground and clipped to the lateral wire.
Friday, June 29, 2007- Decoa and Jeff's 5th Anniversary
By 3 pm, the last of the surplus grape stock is planted - this will be nursery stock and is planted fairly close together. Mike, Gord and Decoa have a drink to celebrate and the heavy rains start again. Jeff works with the bobcat again trying to keep the mud from going over the road into the vineyard below. By 4:30 pm, storm has passed and Deoca and Jeff take boys to town to pick up Lara and go out for dinner. They were supposed to deliver a boat(Jeff manages a boat building business) to Randy and Janaia(cousin) but post-poned the trip to the next day. About 7:30pm another storm brings more rain. Mike, neighbor, phones to say the fire department is trying to stop the road from washing out.
Saturday morning - we arrive to check out the damage. The house is fine but Jeff works all morning cleaning mud off highway, redoing the drivway and meeting with Arroleaf Cellars and the district about a soluton. the sun is shining and Gord works on rescuing plants and digging ditches to divert the run-off if more rain comes. The kids escape for a few days and we're on guard. Clean-up and building a retaining wall aroiund the house will have to wait as it is very muddy right now.
Happy Canada Day!
Happy Canada Day! I have decided to post a Blog, with photos, of our on-going adventure. This first part is old news:
Update from the Okanagan
Life has been a bit hectic for this girl from the farm who never wanted to go back but has. We thought we were retiring "out in the Okanangan"!
Decoa and Jeff have finally realized that maintaining a vineyard is no different than farming and neither one ever wanted to farm!!!! I know they are wondering where the ‘romance in the vineyard’ is! From the outset, machinery has broken down, weather has been an issue, meals need to be prepared and two little boys need a lot of attention, plus all the usual household jobs. Jeff’s oldest daughter had Grad ceremonies on Fri night during planting and Lara, Jeff’s youngest daughter, turned 11 so we had to make birthday cake and celebrate.
June 1 (first day of planting grapes)started out at 27 C, followed by two very, very hot days at 34C, followed by two days of cold and wet – temp at 12C on Tuesday. Since then cool (18 C) and cloudy has been the norm but more ideal for planting. However, the baby grape vines are all in the ground, over 10,000! And all planted by hand – there is no other way! Initially Decoa, needed me to baby sit for about four days during planting – its been much more than that.
June 1 was also our moving in day – into our new house. This was set back about 5 hours as I needed to go with Decoa and the two boys to Oliver to pick up the Reisling grape stock. We did stop for ice cream on the way home. Kylie and Brian drove over from Vancouver to help out Fri, Sat and Sun. Gord arrived Sat night and by Sun afternoon we were moved in but not unpacked and were back helping with the planting. I have managed to get a couple hours of unpacking daily. The frig and stove arrived while we were in Alberta last wknd, internet and TV were connected June 12, the first full day we spent in our house. As well, I was looking after Centel and Barret’s house and yard (they were in Scotland and England for three weeks), and the Watson’s outdoor plants – takes about an hour to water it all, and Decoa’s and my tomatoes and containers. Thursday we drove to Edmonton as Gord had a baseball reunion Friday and Sat. Sun & Mon he had plans to golf Kananaskis again but was snowed out.
First Storm: While we were in rainy Alberta last weekend (June 14 – 18), a deluge of rain fell in the Okanagan Valley on Sat, June 16. Decoa and Jeff had a ‘bit’ of mud and water come sliding into their house – all the basement flooring needs to be replaced and walls need to be painted! Quite a bit of erosion on the property. Some of the containers of tomatoes now have sand, Jagger’s little wading pool and trike were buried in mud and the back patio was completely under sand. …but little Jase just keeps smiling and is now doing the “ bum-bump- crawl”. It looks weird but he’s happy and he moves.
Yesterday, June 19 was Gord’s birthday and for the first time in many, many years we were all together as Centel & Barret arrived back from UK in the morning. Lots of room in our new home for everyone. Cake on the deck was super!! No mosquitoes, yet.
I am enjoying my new home – just wish I could spend more time here and would like to get it all in order. It’s been more than 7 months since most of my stuff was packed up so what fun to open up boxes! This week I’ll be ordering window coverings, closet organizers, deck furniture and more sorting etc.. We won’t be doing any landscaping until the house next door is finished in August. VERY SMALL yard so we do need to think about what we want to do.
Update from the Okanagan
Life has been a bit hectic for this girl from the farm who never wanted to go back but has. We thought we were retiring "out in the Okanangan"!
Decoa and Jeff have finally realized that maintaining a vineyard is no different than farming and neither one ever wanted to farm!!!! I know they are wondering where the ‘romance in the vineyard’ is! From the outset, machinery has broken down, weather has been an issue, meals need to be prepared and two little boys need a lot of attention, plus all the usual household jobs. Jeff’s oldest daughter had Grad ceremonies on Fri night during planting and Lara, Jeff’s youngest daughter, turned 11 so we had to make birthday cake and celebrate.
June 1 (first day of planting grapes)started out at 27 C, followed by two very, very hot days at 34C, followed by two days of cold and wet – temp at 12C on Tuesday. Since then cool (18 C) and cloudy has been the norm but more ideal for planting. However, the baby grape vines are all in the ground, over 10,000! And all planted by hand – there is no other way! Initially Decoa, needed me to baby sit for about four days during planting – its been much more than that.
June 1 was also our moving in day – into our new house. This was set back about 5 hours as I needed to go with Decoa and the two boys to Oliver to pick up the Reisling grape stock. We did stop for ice cream on the way home. Kylie and Brian drove over from Vancouver to help out Fri, Sat and Sun. Gord arrived Sat night and by Sun afternoon we were moved in but not unpacked and were back helping with the planting. I have managed to get a couple hours of unpacking daily. The frig and stove arrived while we were in Alberta last wknd, internet and TV were connected June 12, the first full day we spent in our house. As well, I was looking after Centel and Barret’s house and yard (they were in Scotland and England for three weeks), and the Watson’s outdoor plants – takes about an hour to water it all, and Decoa’s and my tomatoes and containers. Thursday we drove to Edmonton as Gord had a baseball reunion Friday and Sat. Sun & Mon he had plans to golf Kananaskis again but was snowed out.
First Storm: While we were in rainy Alberta last weekend (June 14 – 18), a deluge of rain fell in the Okanagan Valley on Sat, June 16. Decoa and Jeff had a ‘bit’ of mud and water come sliding into their house – all the basement flooring needs to be replaced and walls need to be painted! Quite a bit of erosion on the property. Some of the containers of tomatoes now have sand, Jagger’s little wading pool and trike were buried in mud and the back patio was completely under sand. …but little Jase just keeps smiling and is now doing the “ bum-bump- crawl”. It looks weird but he’s happy and he moves.
Yesterday, June 19 was Gord’s birthday and for the first time in many, many years we were all together as Centel & Barret arrived back from UK in the morning. Lots of room in our new home for everyone. Cake on the deck was super!! No mosquitoes, yet.
I am enjoying my new home – just wish I could spend more time here and would like to get it all in order. It’s been more than 7 months since most of my stuff was packed up so what fun to open up boxes! This week I’ll be ordering window coverings, closet organizers, deck furniture and more sorting etc.. We won’t be doing any landscaping until the house next door is finished in August. VERY SMALL yard so we do need to think about what we want to do.
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