A Week of Work and Play

Last week started with a heck of a lot of work.  Brian rented a log splitter from an acquaintance, and we got to work moving split wood into the woodshed (which I built myself). 

We eventually got the woodshed completely filled which sets us up for a cold winter season.  I estimate the woodshed holds between 8-9 bush cords of wood; a bush cord of wood is 4 feet high, 4 feet wide and 8 feet long.  We are both relieved that that chore is done.

In the meantime, I was stripping a bathroom door of 6 coats of paint, thinking this project would take two or three days.  Instead, it has plagued me for 3 weeks.  Some of the older coats of paint were resistant to paint stripper, heating gun, steel wool polishing and sanding.  If there were a thermonuclear explosion, the door itself would burn, leaving behind an intact skeleton of white paint. Another chore was stripping paint from a couple of outside doorframes, which were much more cooperative when faced with the heat gun.  There are no pictures of this, because I don't want to look.

All this work justified an adventure day on Friday.  We started the tradition of adventure days some years ago, where we would go out to something or somewhere new.  Friday featured a trip to French River, about a 2 hour drive north of us.

This little park had a tremendous museum, focusing on the activities of the voyageurs, since this was a main route from Lake Nipissing to Georgian Bay.

A fundamental aspect of the French River is that it is carved through Precambrian Shield by glacial activity, and it is not terribly wide.

We followed a foot trail through to Recollet Falls, which was a challenge to the big freighter canoes.  The change in level was not dramatic, but there apparently were more than a few dunkings.

The foot trail was a challenge to humans.  At first we thought the trail was paved, and then we realized that it was on highly polished rock, sometimes covered by very determined vegetation.

It was a great adventure day because we learned about far more history than we expected, we had a good walk in nature, and we went out for dinner afterwards.  Now back to work.