SUMMER FUN

Summer weather is here and other than a few thunderstorms and a major wind storm, it’s been very enjoyable.  We've been playing both golf and pickleball a couple of times a week and still fit in some project work at home.  We picked up two pickup loads of bark mulch from a local small operator and spread it around various areas in the yard.  It sure defines the areas and makes them look more manicured.

Stuart built a storage cabinet for the garage and we put the finishing touches on it a few days ago.  He made it out of MDF material and used the router to put fancy edges on the doors and the counter top.  We were originally planning to buy Arborite sheeting for the countertop but it was expensive and all the other options that we considered (tiles, vinyl flooring, etc.) just weren’t working out.  We finally decided to sponge paint the top and coat it with glossy Varathane and it turned out really nice.  Here are photos:

The garden is starting to produce more and we’ve harvested our first tomatoes, zucchini, beets, beans and cauliflower.  The peas are finished for the season and we plan to plant more next year now that we’ve found a spot that they like to grow.  We learn something new each garden season and will adjust the row lengths and what we plant accordingly.

Last week, my brother came to visit for a few days and we did a couple of day trips to check out local mines.  The first day we drove to the Phoenix mine between here and Greenwood and stopped to check out the Phoenix ski hill also.  Even though they have a shorter ski season than some, it is a popular winter activity in this area.  The Phoenix mine has been shut down for years but you can still view the pit from the road.

The second day, we took an organized tour to the Rock Candy Mine which is about 25 km north of Grand Forks on the west side of the Granby River.  The Rock Candy Mine was named by its first miners for the colorful crystals of fluorite and barite found there.  Discovered in 1911, the mine provided flux for gold and copper smelters in southern B.C.  Cominco Ltd. operated the mine until its closure in 1929.  All the tour participants drove their own vehicles to the mine site and then we hiked in about 1 km to the pit.  The mine owner had blasted rock the previous day so there were lots of fresh rocks to dig through and pound on with small hammers.  You could take out as much as you could carry.

We made a trip to Trail and Castlegar on Friday and it was nice to get to a larger centre and do some shopping.  Of course, our shopping is usually confined to Canadian Tire and Walmart (not very exciting for some folks) but it’s nice to have lunch out once in a while.

We have friends coming to visit us this week for a few days and then it’s back to golf and pickleball later in the week.  The summer is going by quickly now.