BASE CAMP

Ya know - I miss the city sometimes, the sound of trains in the early mornings, hoards of people starting their day shuffling along the sidewalks looking straight ahead while they bunch up on the street corners. Endless car horns and bus exhaust mixed with the occasional wind blown newspaper rolling across the road as if it were a western tumble weed. Most of all I miss the endless asphalt and concrete. Ah man - ya can't beat it. Great gray colored concrete - the stuff civilization is made of. Yep - I gotta get back there. Only in my FREEKIN dreams, and hopefully not then!

I never really did put any shots up here of where I live.  I'm not very domestic, as you know, so it hasn't been that important to do so.  I stood on the porch early this morning drinking coffee, staring at the sky and wondering when the predicted rain would attack.  I want to be on the water!  The sky is dark and surely rain is coming but, I still want to be on the water looking for C 2 eagle.  I'm not working today because today is a state holiday.   For lack of anything else to get into - I decided to shoot a couple pictures of the property and house and post them just for grins.  If it doesn't rain within a couple hours - I'm outa here.

The front view is above.   The place is not totally finished.  The house was never back-filled and I intend to do that first thing in spring.  That's why you can see the brown water splash on the stone work.  I also will put lattice across the opening under the front porch.  I like roses and the front of the house will be lined with solid roses end to end.  A proper sidewalk of natural stone will replace that builders wooden sidewalk after the back-fill is completed.  That should be all I can afford to do next year as far as improvements.

Above:  An ultra modern security system has been installed incorporating the best audio/visual technology on the planet.  It is complimented by what is called aromatic sniffing devices that can detect the slightest change in scent thereby causing the alarm to go off.  In this case causing the multiple "alarms" to go off.

Above:  The kitchen.  The kitchen, as you can see, is laid out neatly and perfectly as it should be.  Pardon the camping items on the table as well as the box I just received from UPS.  The spray can of bed liner belongs in the basement.  The items to the left of the picture are boxes of items awaiting precise placement in the house - somewhere.  I'll get around to them when I get some time.

Above:  The basement.  Now we're getting somewhere.  Everything is placed perfectly where I want it.  Well, it will be as soon as I get some time to do so.  There's a boat shelf, a motorcycle shelf and a all else shelf.  It may seem confusing to look at the picture but, I assure you I can find anything I need instantly, or fairly close to instantly. Well, some things take a bit longer to find than others.  I'll straighten it all out when I get some time.  The stress of the job and caring for this house requires vast quantities of personal time.

The Mule above:  This little bike has taken me places I would not have been able to see otherwise.  It's been a reliable, trustworthy travelling companion.  She's always ready to go.

The camping equipment testing room.  You've seen this room before.  I keep some camping equipment in this room as well as store my two out door rocking chairs that my friend Tom bought me for the front porch.  I bring certain pieces of camping gear down here to test their reliability factors.  The tent is an OZ tent made in Australia and I assure you it is top quality.  I come down here from time to time and sit in the tent's doorway just to assure myself of it's reliability.  It hasn't let me down yet.

Above:  The all important guest room with it's own full bathroom is above.  The multitudes of guests that drop in from time to time can find this area a safe, comfortable retreat and can relax in the splendor of the quiet environment.  I do keep camping gear in the bed room but it's out of the way - sort of.  Again, as with the chairs, my good friend Tom bought the bed, mattress and linen to complete the appointment of this room.  Actually, without the stuff Tom bought, the room would be empty.  Thanks Tom.  If Tom wouldn't have bought me that stuff he'd have had to sleep on the floor.  Lets go upstairs to the living room.

You'll find no hand woven Turkish carpet here.  I've no money or time for such extravagance.  I stopped at the dollar store and picked up that beautiful carpet remnant you see above and tossed it out onto the floor.  Shade immediately ran over, laid down on it and gave me thumbs up just before she fell asleep.  The sofa is compliments of my friend Kevin.  This provides a comfy place for Shade to sleep at night.  At times Chestnut Hound will find solace there as well.  The canoe adds that outdoorsy effect to the room.  The fishing tackle box lends the flavor of the outdoors and compliments the canoe, creating an ambiance that I just love.  Some evenings I pull up a chair, when I can find one, and just sit and stare at the beautiful motif of this wonderful room.  Sure gets to ya - don't it?

How bout we go outside.

Above:  The picture is of the left side of the house facing it.  The view is pretty.  I hope to improve the deck and close it in at the bottom.  There are roses planted around the big tree in the center of the photo.  They are healthy and doing well.  Love roses.

Above:  This is the view from my porch looking straight out and to the right.  I often see wild critters, turkey, deer and coyotes out there.  I have to look quickly in the early mornings before the dogs get wind of the new scents, and they always do.

Above:  Standing on the porch looking towards the left puts the lane into view.  You can see the top of the roof of the only neighbor's house way out there on the road.  I have planted Thulusa Pines that will soon obliterate any unsightly views of that house.  These pines double their size annually for the first three years.  I've got more coming too.  I also planted forsythia that I brought back from the Scona Lodge site and planted them in front of and between the pines.  There are ten plants and they are all healthy.  Hopefully they will fill in any gaps that occur between the pines.  I will plant Thulusa's along the lane also at a later date to guarantee total seclusion from the outside world.  A sturdy gate is in the works to block the lane at the entrance from the road.  I've considered stringing barbed wire around the property also but, thought better of it.

This neat little building could be used to house the visitor overflow when the tourist season gets busy.  I could put a few guests up in there when the spare bedroom overflows.  Actually it's full of junk I picked up out of the yard and woods when I moved in.  I never got it to the land fill.  No time.  My busy schedule just hasn't had any slack time where I could load the trailer with the junk and get it down to the land fill.  It houses a lawn mower and some tools to do yard work, which I haven't had time to do. Maybe next Spring or Summer.

Above:  The picture is looking behind the house from the left side.  I built this gate a year and a half ago to complete the fence I put up for the dogs.  I know the gate supports are overkill but, what the heck.  If yer gonna dig a hole to put a post in it - ya might as well put a real post in it.  There is a dog door on the walk in so they can access this area at their leisure.  The garage door is automatic and I "infrequently" bring a four wheeled vehicle back here for anything.  It's nice to know I can if needed.

The above shots are views looking left and right with your back to the house.  (The rear of the house).  The Hugh's satellite dish adds that small bit of city flavor to country living.  I've placed it far behind the house so I can't normally see it from the front.  It is inconspicuous.  I made sure of it.  You can get an idea of the size of the dog area fence too.  There is a farmers field directly behind which is nice.  However, I saw a human in that field one day and I plan to plant fifteen Thulusia Pines across the back of the property to eliminate that view.

All of the equipment that allows me to find adventure and penetrate into the unknown is parked at the ready.  Every piece is reliable and ready to be selected to carry me into some new adventure or explore new or known waters so that I may bring back stories of interest and daring-do to you, the reader.  It's a lot of responsibility coupled with heavy stress but, the satisfaction I get is worth the effort.

Above:  These two bird feeders have given me endless periods of enjoyment.  I love watching the little guys flit in and out grabbing one seed at a time and disappearing into the trees only to return and pick out one more seed and repeat the process of coming and going endlessly.  There are a couple squirrels who frequent the feeders.  I don't care.  They have to eat too.  But, they have to be quick when Chestnut hound is on the job.

Finally - the most important piece of earth on the property is below

Old Sigh rests directly behind the two flowers above.  This is where I brought her to start her new and final journey alone.  The flowers represent her sweetness and beauty and her dwelling is shaded by a huge oak tree.  She is honored by this spot I've selected for her.  I visit her nightly and remember her softness and innocence - her pretty face and how she was always there for me, quiet, reassuring and requiring nothing from me but a pat on her head and a gentle stroking of her muzzle with a finger.  My God they can squeeze one's heart.

Hope you enjoyed the tour and my humble attempt at slight humor.  My life is simple, really and there's not much to tell.