Homeless Spiders in Hope

Tonight as my fellow Canadians are coming down after the hype of celebrating our national birthday (we look good for 146 btw) I am collapsed on the couch nursing my frozen shoulder after a whirlwind long weekend which included among many other things serving eviction notices to dozens of spiders.

We (and by "we" I mean my parents) have a cabin in the woods just beyond Hope BC in Sunshine Valley.

It has been in our family for 20 years.

I am guessing that like many cabins that families go to several times a year for so many years, as well as many visitors staying there, there accumulates a certain amount of "stuff".

This weekend the "stuff" met its match in the form of team Richardson/Byres who sorted, edited, cleaned, labelled and threw out piles of "stuff".  An alarming number of garbage bags went to the dump.  Several boxes of mismatched glasses, books, books, books, games, old decorations, extra sheets and blankets, a redundant frying pan and more.... for donation.....went out the front door.

Every nook and cranny was cleaned, dusted, disinfected, vacuumed.

Every piece of furniture moved.

While this hive of undocumented activity was going on inside there was a team outside attending to some much needed maintenance.  While 2 projects were on the list the 24 hours available only yielded up one completed and the other in the planning stages.

We started with demolishing the three small decks up to the shed beside the cabin.

20 years of rain and snow and ice had done their work and the wood was rotten.

Allan designed a new deck system and we headed into Hope which welcomed us with 35 degrees to get the lumber and pretty soon things were humming away outside.

digging holes for footings

Measuring the deck boards

Hammering the frame together

3 generations - everyone had a hand in it

And by 2pm today - Canada Day - the work was done!

Great to accomplish so much in so short a time.

Like with most cabins there is always more to be done.

So with many spiders dispatched to find alternative accommodation, all non-matching glassware banned, all linens sorted.....the cabin is looking great.

Now to find some time to enjoy it a little more this summer!