Part 10: Windows, doors, shingles, floors...

On August 21, we finally did the Gaff Point Trail! It was a beautiful Wednesday night and after finishing our work for the day, we grabbed some sandwiches and headed to the beach. The trail starts with a really pretty walk on a stony path along Hirtles Beach.

A very beautiful start to a lovely hike!

We've been on Hirtles Beach so many times and did not realize how pretty this hike would be! It's gorgeous, with great views out over the ocean. We watched lots of seabirds and the fin of a porpoise (probably) darting in and out of the water. It was the first time we have seen the famous Nova Scotia Blueberries! It's a beautifully maintained trail with stone paths, wood paths, and these really cool split log paths.

We were just finishing our hike as the sun was going down. It was still a very warm evening – perfect for a quick swim and a dinner picnic, as we watched the waves and the birds diving for their dinner. I cannot think of a better way to end the day.

The addition is really progressing! Suddenly, the doors and windows are installed, and before we know it, they are starting to add the pine shingles!

It's funny... when we were designing this addition, I was so set on having vintage wood doors and reclaimed flooring and big wooden frame windows... and the reality is, the humidity is REALLY high here and we're near enough to the ocean to get some salt in the air – not great for hardwood... so, we have listened to the advice of Rissers who have lived here all their lives – and we are going with modern technology and materials that will last!

Okay, can we talk about the ART of applying wood shingles?? I'm fascinated by this technique – each row has a levelled piece of wood tacked in place so that the rows are perfect, and they shave them to fit just right. The overlap pattern doesn't seem to have any rhyme or reason to me, but obviously they know exactly what they're doing, because the end result looks perfect. Looking at the original shingles on the house and what is being done now, well, it looks exactly the same.

It's a time-intensive process and sometimes there are 4 guys working together like this...

They've been working on all sides, slowly crawling up the wall and we love the look!

On the weekend of August 24, we decided it was time for another day trip! So off we went, straight across the province to Annapolis Royal. A very pretty town, with lovely historic homes – one of the first areas to be settled back in 1605.

We were most interested in seeing Port-Royal. We both remember learning about Samuel de Champlain when we were kids and the reconstruction of his 1605 fort did not disappoint!

17th century techniques were used to be true to details and it really feels authentic. We loved it. I especially liked seeing the fleur-de-lis carved into the doors, and wondered if maybe one of my French ancestors had been here back in the 1600's?

It was my first chance to see the Bay of Fundy. Alan's parents lived on Grand Manan, NB for several years, so he was familiar with this body of water, but I had never seen it.

The Bay of Fundy near Port-Royal

Our road trip took us along the coastline as far as Middleton with great water views, rolling hills, historic homes and farms – we had hoped to find some orchards open, but we think we were a bit early. Not too sad about it...this calls for another road trip in September!

We have been pining to get out on our own cove and we don't have a wharf yet... making it too difficult to get my really nice kayak in the water easily, so.... we decided to buy a couple of light-weight, indestructible kayaks. So glad we did! They are super fun, turn on a dime and it will always be great to have a couple extra kayaks around for guests.

First night out in our new kayaks!

It was another glorious, warm evening with a light breeze. We went all around our cove and got a nice close-up view of the two-mast schooner called Tillicum in our bay - it's actually an AirBNB!

I've got to talk about our social media campaign (while we are building our studio, we are trying to create interest and a following, so we will have an audience to invite to events like house concerts). Well, it's starting off slowly... at first I felt quite frozen –I just didn't know what I should post... what will people find interesting? So I had another chat with Jen from Simple Local Social... and she gave me a couple of good tips, and presto, we now have some followers! Yay!

People have been so supportive and welcoming. It's really nice! So, I've got to keep it going now; doing my best to keep things interesting. You can check us out if you're interested: https://www.instagram.com/stonecourtevents/ and https://www.facebook.com/stonecourtevents

Back to the build! The plumbing is in, and our second inspection passed without concern. Next thing we know, insulation is starting upstairs.

One day we were working away and came down for lunch... boom! the ground floor is insulated, plastic barrier and grid in place – ready to be poured!

Meanwhile, the shingles continue and our storage closet and bathroom upstairs are taking shape. The space for the studio still feels nice and big, and the light streaming in from the big windows is lovely.

Storage closet and bathroom framed in! We plan to build barn doors for the closet.

Well, here it is the end of August. We were expecting a big storm the other night, but all we got was some much-needed rain; not even any wind. The South Shore doesn't seem to get much of the bad weather that other parts of the province do. At least that's been our experience so far. Nice.

It's Friday and we are at the start of the long weekend. The only person we knew before moving here –my high-school friend Deirdre –is coming for a BBQ on the holiday Monday; so looking forward to having our first guest visit! Tonight, we are going to Petite Rivière Winery to see a concert. The last time we were there, the concert was amazing, so hopefully, this will be too.

We're hoping the lovely weather continues. We're getting to the beach as often as possible, and the evenings are so pretty... often pink and orange in the sky.

Our build is going so well and we just can't say enough good things about the crew, a really nice group of guys, and Barrett and Melissa Risser – it's been so exciting to watch the process and we're looking forward to having our metal roof done.

We have a couple of adventures planned to explore more of this beautiful province, and we're told that the Fall is a beautiful time of year here. Well, the summer has been spectacular, so bring it on!

Happy Labour Day Weekend everyone!

(to continue the story, click here for Part 11)

Part 9: Raising the Roof!

Monday, August 5th and... it's not much of a holiday Monday for the crew! But a super exciting step in the construction process for us to witness as the flatbed of roof trusses arrived!!

Another massive crane is on site today!

We looked up at the studio space and the scaffolding was in place, ready to start the construction of the roof. These guys are so neat and organized!

Perfect bluebird day with just a light breeze - ready for the trusses!

All day we watched as the crane lifted the trusses into place... one at time... with the guys up top getting them perfectly lined up and Chris on the ground helping to guide each one in place.

It was just incredible... such a big step in the process and as the full height of what we had designed and dreamed about finally came into view, we started think 'is it too big?' ummmm..... it's higher than the house! Well, a little too late for thoughts like that! Of course it's not too big! It's perfect! And what a great studio space it's going to be!

All the roof trusses in place in ONE day.

That night we went up into the space and I had a few tears for sure – it felt so GRAND. I was so proud of Alan for his vision and especially our decision to make the side walls 6' high, so we really don't lose any floor area because of the pitched roof. It just feels like the perfect space with so much potential.

The designer is happy and I'm so proud of him.

A lot of other stuff has been happening... we really like the friendliness and personal service of the staff at the Royal Bank in town – they are helping us get a financial team in place. At our financial advisor, Lowell Baker's recommendation, we met with Mark Feindel and after a nice conversation we said 'would you like to be our new accountant?' Really nice guy, super friendly as everyone here is... and he has an excellent bookkeeper for us too. Unfortunately, in Calgary, we had some really bad experiences with 2 accountants, so we are really hopeful that we can get this part of our business running smoothly.

The final piece of the puzzle is to get the continuance of the corporation transferred to Nova Scotia, which is underway with our lawyer, Piotr Luczak. Our year-end is September 30, so we're hoping to have everything finalized by then. At that point, we are going to transfer all our banking to Royal Bank. I've been with TD forever and I've had a few really disappointing encounters with them of late, so its time for a change. This is such an important part of our business and our lives - disorganized banking, accounting can be so stressful... . at least we find it to be so.

Loving my yoga class on the Lunenburg wharf every Wednesday until the end of August

The days continue to be warm and sunny. It is the best summer we have experienced since we were kids. Honestly. Every night we spend some time sitting out on our deck, looking out over the water, watching the bird life. I guess my only complaint so far is... there are far too many spiders here. I knew there would be and I tried to steel myself for it, but I am just so freaked out by spiders. Alan is trying to help me appreciate what wonderful creatures they are... it's not working. I'm not even going to post a photo of one of them because then I will have to look at it.

For the next few days, the crew work on closing the space in –adding the peaks on the roof trusses, cladding the roof and upper walls, and then adding the roofing paper, and grid for the shingles. Each day, more progress, more structural support...

And then the roof for the mudroom/laundry was added.

The guys from Rhynos show up to talk about the heat pump, and after some discussion, it was agreed that we will get 2 heat pumps. One for the house and one for the new addition. Otherwise the ducting would be too large and industrial. Fine with us! We chatted with John & Blair for a while to discover that Blair is a musician (no surprise there, as so many people are musical here) and John moved here 5 years ago from Ontario – we are meeting so many people who 'come from away' and love their decision. Us too.

August 16 and the roof is ready for metal...

We choose a charcoal grey for the metal roof and we're hoping they will able to do the house roof at the same time. Well, I'm REALLY hoping... Barrett is being very non-committal. LOL Not only is a metal roof long-lasting, but it can be put right over the old shingles on the house, so nothing going in landfill! Sweet!

This past week was a real mixed bag... we had some challenging moments with a couple clients and I had to dig deep and stand up for myself and our company – not an easy thing for me to do, as we work hard to have fun, engaging relationships with our clients. Alan and I talked for hours about it, and realized that all we can do is continue to provide the best quality of work and stand by our service.

We were also feeling a bit lonely and missing our friends. We found ourselves longing for a good visit over dinner... so we called a few of them and had some face time chats. That was nice.

All in all, the week wrapped up really well! We met with Jennifer Naugler and Lynn Pettypiece from SimpleLocal Social at The Barn – a really lovely coffee house in Mahone Bay with a second story loft that is perfect for business meetings.

The Barn Coffee & Social House in Mahone Bay

Based on our extensive conversations last week, they put together a social media strategy to help us promote the studio space. So we now have a good solid plan and with their help, we will build some anticipation for 'what's to come' and a following (hopefully) over the next 90 days leading up to our Grand Opening.

Tomorrow we are heading out to Hirtle Beach to do the Gaff Point hike. We have been meaning to do it for a while, but it has been quite hot until now and Alan has been super busy on a big project (which has gone so well, I'm pleased to say, the client is really happy). We're timing our hike to finish up at low tide –perfect for a swim!

And guess what? The pine shingles arrived for the outer walls! I remember the moment when Melissa and Barrett suggested them for the exterior and I was thrilled – a look I have LOVED since first visiting Maine many years ago!

The shingles are here! The shingles are here!

It's going to be another exciting week I think. Barrett mentioned that the windows and doors are on their way too! Will we also get our metal roof? Stay tuned!!

(to continue the story, click here for part 10)

Part 8: Things We Say Now.

It's funny. We find ourselves saying things we've never said before. Like "wow, things really grow here!... If you're done for the day, why don't we go to the beach?... Look at how pretty the cove is tonight!... Let's go to Lunenburg for lunch!... Yes, I think I'll have another lobster roll!... I wonder what will happen on the build today?... This will be the view from our studio!"

The framing for the first floor continues...

Ground floor framing is going up in a hurry!

... and we realize how generous the size of the laundry/mud room is – it's going to allow for a bench and coat rack for guests heading up to the studio, as well as great storage options for all our outdoor gear.

Nice big window above the washer and door to the courtyard.

The garage is a great width for kayaks and storage, and Alan's workshop has a nice big window at the back under the stairs, allowing for lots of natural light.

The view as you enter the garage.

July continues to be really warm with clear skies. We have no air conditioning and we find our office space becomes too hot in the late afternoon, so we've been going to the beach... a lot!

Dinner picnic on Risser's Beach.

Boxwood Festival is on in Lunenburg and Alan realizes that one of the performers in the opening concert is someone he knows from his recording days in Calgary, Maeve Gilchrist, a Celtic harp player and singer.

The very beautiful St. John's Anglican church in Lunenburg.

The concert is held at St. John's Anglican Church – it is recognized as one of North America's best examples of Carpenter Gothic, an entirely wood construction that mimics gothic features. It is really hot in the church, but so great to see Maeve play – such a beautiful instrument and pretty voice. And really nice for Alan to see her again!

During the day, we make it a point to pop outside to take some photos so we don't miss a thing. Most of the framing and sheeting is done on the first floor when the floor trusses arrive!

The guys have lots of room to work with our back orchard area. There are two very old, but cool-looking apple tress back there, and we can see that their life is pretty much spent; their trunks are rotted out and they are only producing a few gnarly apples, so we will cut them down this fall. A great opportunity for Alan to use his new chainsaw skills and give us some apple wood to burn, and apple wood chips for the Green Egg as well. Sweet! Next Spring we will plant a new orchard: apples, cherries and maybe peaches and pears too. Okay. That sentence has never come out of my mouth before either. LOL

The trusses are in place and braces are added to keep everything secure.

Next to arrive is the sub-floor for the second story.

The guys casually standing on the trusses alarm me a little... but I think they've done this before.

Before we know it, the floor is in place and the braces are removed.

As soon as the crew leaves, we prop a ladder and scramble up onto the second floor. For the very first time, we are able to see what the view will be from our studio. It's fantastic.

"This is the view from our big shed dormer window! We tried to imagine it all these months, and now it's real."

That evening, Friday, July 26, we did a sunset kayak with Cape LaHave Adventures. Wow... just wow. It was another gorgeous warm night, and we headed out to paddle through the LaHave Islands; beautiful osprey diving for dinner, and pretty fishing shacks looking like paintings in the evening light.

Gavin is our guide through the LaHave Islands on this perfect summer night.

The light here is really lovely – its often quite golden at the end of the day.

There were seals popping their heads up to watch us, and we quietly paddled by a large group of them on a rock. It was a beautiful paddle, and we'll definitely go out with these guys again. Really friendly and relaxed. Gavin reminds me that we are in salt water now, so make sure to rinse out our paddles and gear – thank goodness he said that; I hadn't even thought of it. I've had my kayak paddle for some 20 years and this is the first time it's been in salt water.

The Risser construction crew close out July by getting the house wrap on and the grid for attaching shingles to the outer walls, and start erecting the walls for our second floor.

We were working away and came down for lunch to see this:

The framing for the shed dormer window. Nice!

That night, a couple neighbours came by – I guess they are really noticing our build now... and it gave me an idea to create a card with this blog link on it to deliver to all the neighbours; so they can follow along on the progress. Everyone is curious!

We had a great session with our business coaches this week and got butterflies when we realized our build will likely be done in 3 months. (Things we say now... "Time to get serious about marketing the studio space!") We spoke to Jennifer at Simple Local Social this week, and we immediately like her. She puts out a blog called Simple Local Life - all about what's happening on the South Shore... so, we will meet with her next week to start putting a plan together. I'm not strong on the Social Media end but recognize that it's the best way to get the word out to a local community.

Meanwhile, the garden is growing like crazy... the peas are over my head, and we've been harvesting them – there are few things more satisfying than growing your own food.

So delicious... and the beans are ready to harvest too.

We have several tomatoes coming, and carrots too. It's a wee garden plot, but I now know how easy it is to grow stuff here! So, next year, watch out... I'll be planting a big garden – might have to get a roadside stand.

In my last post, I mentioned that I was singing in an A Capella group. And here's a little 'problem' I have... I'm a bit of a magpie when it comes to new, shiny things... so I often jump in head first with something new and exciting, and then have regrets about not thinking it through. And perhaps I'm getting older and wiser, because this time I did not commit fully. I finished up the summer program and we performed at the mall... and it gave me time to realize that I just don't have time to dedicate to the practice, classes and performances. Well, I checked it out and enjoyed it. Now I move on with all my other music endeavours.

I spent the last weekend of July checking out live music in Mahone Bay and Lunenburg – throughout the summer, they have musicians playing in the public band stands. (Things we say now... 'We are in the process of building a studio to have musicians play house concerts, are you interested?' to which we ALWAYS get a 'hell ya, it's our favourite thing to do!')

Lacewood playing in Mahone Bay - a nice breeze coming off the bay. Sponsored by the Mahone Bay Music Association. I want our logo on that banner next year.

Rube & Rake from Newfoundland playing in Lunenburg. I talked to Andrew and their favourite thing is to do house concerts, so we hope to have them in the studio next year.

The bandstand in Lunenburg is a lovely old structure. My flute teacher says she often goes there at night, when out walking the dog, and will stop and stand in the bandstand and sing – the acoustics are great. I'd like to do that.

It's the end of July and we had to buy an AC unit this week – our office was becoming unbearable! We're not used to the high humidity and deep warmth here. Thank goodness for the breeze that comes up from the river – it's lovely to sit out on our deck in the shade of the big trees. And now, it's really comfortable to work, but we're still going to the beach as often as we can. Last week, we were down at the beach and the fog had rolled in – which makes it suddenly quite cool... so instead of swimming, we went for a walk, and had the joy of watching two big seals popping up in the waves – so beautiful!

On August 1st, the guys had gone as far as they could – the roof trusses are still being made, so they get an extra long weekend. We think they deserve it!

Second floor knee walls, window framing, house wrap and grid for hanging shingles... next step: roof trusses.

It's August 3 today and it's hard to believe that we arrived exactly 4 months ago on April 3. We are living a very different life and loving every minute of it. I love my yoga on Wednesday mornings on the wharf in Lunenburg, my flute lessons at Buchanans House of Music in Mahone Bay, and living so close to both of these quaint, pretty towns with excellent restaurants and pubs. We are continuing to make great business connections with other entrepreneurs, as we continue to work with all of our existing clients in Alberta, Ontario and the US – Alan is super busy on a big animation project with a client in California – our location is irrelevant.

Alan just happened to say to me, 'low tide is at 5 pm tonight, wanna go to the beach?' LOL, things that we say now... That's where we'll be this evening – heading to the beach for a swim and some boogie boarding if the waves are up.

(To continue the story, click here for Part 9)