El Parque: Alberta Summer Retreat #3

Summer of 2022 was incredibly busy. April we were both back in Canada and made our first trip to El Parque. Everything was as we had left it last fall.

We had a list of ‘must do’s’ that needed immediate attention: building a storage shed, building a fire pit, installing trail cameras and preparing a spot for the trailer. But a person can only do one thing at a time. We also needed to see just how much cell service we could get, I was a little freaked out by being so isolated and not having any connection to anyone.

Thankfully we have become somewhat thrifty….or maybe just plain cheap! Sometimes you are able to find ‘free’ wood online. You just have to be prepared to work. We have time! Pull those nails out…. good wood in this pile, junk in another.

The generator was a must have. Being able to use the electric tools was a big help.

And… it’s taking shape. No idea what a pair of disposable gloves was doing hanging in the tree:) The half burnt tree was frozen into the ground. Eventually it thawed out and we were able to remove it.

Once the doors were installed we were able to leave tools behind. There was a ton of stuff that was carted back and forth until we were able to lock them up.

Same as in the outhouse, or as Daryl prefers to call it “the green house”, it is awfully nice to flip a switch and have lights.

Build shelves, fill them up, do a little painting…almost done.

Catch that rainwater. Lock her up and walk away. I should add it took many, many hours of work to get this far. It’s a good start, an outhouse and a storage shed.

By the end of last fall we had a functional outhouse. Now it has been freshly painted and we have running water (Daryl said his task for next year is to have heated water). Our friends from way up north certainly knew what they were talking about when we were told to get a piece of foam to go over the seat for cold weather use. It is like wow!! who knew.

It is amazing the clarity of the photos from the trail cameras. We have three of them installed around the property. So far we have only seen a few animals….cows, horses, rabbits, coyote and deer. Bears have left evidence behind but we haven’t seen any pictures of them.

Walking through the bush it was amazing the number of trees that had fallen down over the winter. Removing those would be a task for another day.

We don’t work all the time, sometimes we are just plain silly.

Cheers

Ruth