ruthkennedysretirementblog

Communicating from el parque: A big problem

This little bit of paradise is beautiful, whether it is at sunrise or through fog. Here we are overlooking the marsh on the east end of the property. I love it! However for me there was one really big problem, no cell service. Initially we would go out, spend the day and come home. It was hard to believe we could be so close to the city and have no cell service! It was also terrifing to imagine something happening and not being able to call for help. Initially we were there many times and did not see another person. Thankfully, more people are around now.

Fortunately we would occasionally hear our phones ping. There didn’t seem to be any specific time or location, just random pings. That meant there had to be service close by….right?

Apart from laughing our heads off over how silly we looked, with visions of “can you hear me now?” running around in my head, we dragged that ladder all over the property to see what worked.

We found if a phone was high up we could actually send a message. So we found a tent pole and a plastic bag, and put it as high up in a tree as we could. We could hear the phone ring ‘way up there’, and we could receive messages. WhatsApp and Messenger worked better than anything else. We could also send a message by writing it and then putting the phone ‘up a tree’. Not functional but gave us hope a booster might work.

Initially this was our table and chairs, with a phone ‘way up’ in the tree. it was totally weird to sit there and hear a message coming in above our heads.

Our first booster was from SureCall. Placement was limited by the amount of cable, maximum 40 feet, from the exterior antenna to the interior antenna.

We attached the booster to a 2×2, then to the top of the ladder.

It worked….kind of. You literally had to be in a one foot radius from the interior antenna to get a signal. But it worked! We could make a phone call (sometimes successfully) and surf the web (remember dial up?).

The second booster we tried was weBoost and it came with a telescoping 25 foot pole, or 8 meters. It is the top one in the picture. This one worked somewhat better than the first. We were actually able to sit inside and use our phones. Video chat was hit and miss, and web surfing was still as slow as dial up.

Daryl knew that SureCall had a different model of booster, it was time to give that one a try. We ordered it while we still had the weBoost. It arrived, but without a telescoping pole. We were able to attach both antennas to the same pole and do a comparison. The SureCall won hands down. We returned the weBoost, and sadly the telescoping pole.

Out in the bush we go to find the straightest, tallest aspen possible. We ended up putting the antenna at the very top of the tree and it worked!

We weren’t just boosting a signal in our home, first we had to make sure we had something to work with. This SureCall has increased my comfort level when we are at el parque. We don’t have any pictures inside the trailer, however there were lots of cables going to the booster (the picture on the box) and the inside antenna (a big square white plastic box). While we were testing the different boosters, cables were draped and taped ‘everywhere’. Now that we have settled on this one, we have been able to hide the cables under the couch.

Next year we need to find a telescoping pole. The aspen works, however since we will be taking it down when we are not at the trailer, the pole is so much more convenient.

Cheers

Ruth

Learning a new skill – DIY coffee table

Sitting around, doing nothing, is really a skill I have not mastered. While Daryl was busy building sheds and such, it was time for me to get a project. I wanted to build a little table that we could use around the fire pit. We already had a few good pallets to be used. It is amazing what you can find on YouTube….and with detailed instructions.

The generator certainly helped. After Daryl gave me a tutorial on using the skillsaw, it was time to get to work. Pallets might be free, but very labor intensive taking them apart, all while trying to not break the boards. It took more than a few days!

My plan was to make a simple little table, a top and four legs.

After everything was cut to size, I (we) built a frame to support the top and legs. getting everything squared was a bit of a challenge.

There was also the minor task of using the drill to screw everything together. The hardest part for me was getting the legs straight. There are no photos of Daryl trying to get me to follow his instructions to get the legs screwed on properly. We were both way to frustrated with me not able to find the screw head. In all fairness we were working in the shed because it had a flat floor. What it did not have was enough light for me to see what I was supposed to do. Using the drill outside worked way better.

We did not have the electric sander at the trailer so the little table had to go home to be sanded. I used the skillsaw to cut the boards, but none were the same length. The sander worked like a charm

I also wanted to put acrylic paint on the table and needed to do it in the garage to keep dust and dirt away. YouTube was again a great resource. Unfortunately, I am not good at following instructions. After finding the ‘swirly’ pattern I wanted to use, the instructions said use x number of ounces for this size table top. My brain said, that’s too much paint for that small table. Needless to say, I should have followed the instructions.

After layering the different colours in a container, you are supposed pour it over the table top, starting in the centre and working out in circles. Then you tip the table to let the paint run in all directions. Needless to say, I ran out of paint and had to add more to the corners. My pattern looked nothing like the picture and it was not supposed to b e mostly pink. I also had to add paint to cover the edges.

Next it was time to stain the legs. Not advertising but yes we do use Hello Fresh and the box made a great stand for staining.

After a coat of varathane, the table was finished. We then let it sit in the garage for a couple of weeks to cure.

It was a messy job that I thoroughly enjoyed doing. Now we get to enjoy it.

Cheers

Ruth

Time to take the trailer to El Parque

As with everything else, there were many rules and regulations around the placement of the trailer: it should not be visible from the road or the sky (alien invasion??). This property is two acres and has a very large open area in the centre and ‘falls off’ towards the back of the property. This made hiding the trailer a tad difficult. We ended up picking out three spots, two had much too much visibility, the last one had to work!

Daryl went to work cutting trees and brush. Some of it would be good for firewood, although we prefer spruce over aspen for burning, lots less ‘flankers’.

We were able to burn some of the brush and place most of the bigger pieces to make a ‘fence’ to try and keep the cows out. Those cows can make a big mess!

We ended up taking truck loads to a big burn pile. As the summer progressed, we watched that burn pile get smaller and smaller….not from burning but from decay.

Getting the tree stumps out of the ground was a real challenge without a ‘stump remover’. Daryl said it took hours. After building a sturdy base, it was time to bring the trailer up and park it. Then we could stay overnight.

Finally the spot was ready!

The place was really starting to take shape. Next we built and stained the picnic table.

Summer 2021, when we knew we would eventually be bringing the trailer to el parque, the access road was in terrible shape. There was no way we were going to get the trailer across that road without bottoming out. So last fall we took it and had the axels flipped. It certainly raised the trailer enough that it went over this rutted road without any problem. Thankfully the road was graded and widened over the summer, so access no longer a problem.

What we did find after flipping the axels is that the bottom step was too high off the ground.

Another rule is no permanent structures….except the storage shed, outhouse, wood shed and waterhouse….. which meant no deck. So we built a very large ‘step’.

The free/used wood that we had removed nails from earlier sure came in handy. When you put a mat on top of the wood, it looked just fine.

When we were in the Okanaghan earlier, our friends had shown us a camp game. Sounds crazy but it is fun….and competitive. You take the sharp edge of a hatchet (use an old one), a good size stump and a 4 inch nail. Then take turns getting one smack at the nail, no mulligans. Sadly, Daryl was the winner this game 🙂

The trailer is all settled into its new home. Already we have spent many, many nights. It truly has been a most enjoyable summer.

Cheers

Ruth

Building a Fire Pit at El Parque, Alberta

Next on the agenda was clearing a spot and building a fire pit. As with everything else, there are regulations, including size of the clearing around the pit and proximity to water. Daryl ordered a pit and finally it was ready. It was so big it barely fit in the truck. There would be as much below ground as above.

There was a skiff of snow covering everything the morning we started. luckily it melted quickly. Pretty sure my help was limited to .1% of the digging.

It was not easy digging up the grass as the ground was still quite frozen, there might be an inch or two of soil, then it was rocky.

Take the pick axe and break the rocky soil enough to shovel it out…..over and over.

Because there were no air vents in this pit, Daryl decided to dig a trench and place an underground pipe to help the fire draw.

Getting there!

We sure seem to be able to make work, first we dig up the grass and dirt, then fill up the holes and move the sod to fill up other holes!

We put rocks in the bottom of the pit. This was to try and keep the ash out of the air vent. We use the ash mixed with peat moss in the outhouse (thank you Teresa) and found getting it out from around the rocks is a real pain. Next year we will do something different, probably try piling the rocks around the air vent. Hopefully that will make ash collection easier.

Daryl had this lovely idea that putting rocks around the pit would look good. As soon as the paint started burning off, the charred pit would not look very pretty. I agreed and went to work gathering rocks. While Daryl went off to get a load of gravel, I took the wheelbarrow and went to the road looking for the perfect size rocks. And then it hit me….I am here by myself in bear country. Every rock was slammed as hard as possible into the metal wheelbarrow. My hope was if I made enough noise no bear would come by!

It seemed like such a good idea and was really pretty. First I built it all up to see what it looked like. Then took it all apart and glued two rows together too see if it would stick. We left it for a week or so, and everything was still holding. It was quite the job glueing every rock to the one below. Finicky, especially the small ones at the top.

Daryl cut the square edges off the grill, then welded stabilizing bars to keep it from warping in the heat.

The fire pit works like a charm. The air vent must be working, fire catches easily and doesn’t give off a ton of smoke, At least that’s my theory from watching someone else build the fire! There is also a full rain barrel and hose very close….guess we must be rule followers! However, a fire out in the bush would be disastrous.

And then the rocks started falling off. As the fire was used more often and got very hot, the glue became soft. What a bummer! I ended up taking all the rocks off the pit and cleaned off the glue. The clean rocks are all sitting there waiting for next summer. Next time we will try to cement them together.

Yep, we like company too. What’s the expression about all work and no play??

Cheers

Ruth

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.

The first thing we did was get the storage shed completed. Daryl had built the floor in the fall, then we used that base to store wood over the winter. There was still quite a bit of snow in the woods.

One of the stipulations for building anything out in this forest, is that it must be covered in metal. What a shock when Daryl went to purchase the same metal sheeting that was used for the outhouse last summer, to find the price had practically doubled!

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

Our Alberta Summer Retreat: #2

Summer 2021 was busy! This raw piece of land is going to become a future camping area, with emphasis on future. What we have is beauty, tranquility and nature. What we don’t have is electricity, water or cell service. Good hard labor definitely needed to make an oasis. Where to start? Once enough dead limbs were cut off the bottom of the trees, so you could walk around without poking our eyes out, it was time to get serious.

Priority #1: an outhouse.

Digging a six foot hole in the rockiest soil imaginable was challenging. Who needs to go to a gym?

We had a little help getting the hole finished. Mike and Heather came up for the day and boy, did they work.

Making an outhouse is a lot of work. Heavy equipment would have helped, but think of all the exercise we would have missed. Digging the hole was just the start of the process.

Daryl used four pallets nailed together to make a big square and that was the size of the hole. Then we wrapped garden fabric around the entire thing, apparently to keep rocks and dirt from going through the cracks and filling up the hole.

Then we had to get it in the hole in one piece.

It worked!

Then it was time to take all the little bits and pieces out of the bottom of the hole, and to shovel dirt around the outside of the frame.

Thankfully there were sufficient footholds for Daryl to climb out otherwise he might have been in for a long cold winter:)

After securing the hole we called it quits for the day.

While I went off to the hot, smoky Okanaghan to spend time with the grandkids Daryl kept on working. This time Alicia went to help. It was time to build the structure over the hole.

Any structure has to be covered in metal, including the roof. It is also supposed to be camouflaged to blend in with the forest.

It’s usable! And eventually there will be running water for the sink. The finishing touches are for a later date….summer 2022.

By now we were into October and it snowed. It was beautiful. The outhouse is hiding somewhere in the trees behind the truck. There is so much still to be done, but so worth it! For us, it was time to find warmth and beaches.

Until next time.

Ruth

An Alberta Summer Retreat “El Parque”

In the summer of 2021 Daryl went on a quest to find the perfect private camping spot. Who knows what prompted this search. Maybe it had something to do with the influx of campers during the last two summers. Camping was a great Covid activity, however finding a ‘good’ spot became difficult unless you were quick to look when dates became available online. Thankfully us retirees were able to get a site, in a couple of places that does not require reservations, if we went Sunday or Monday. However, if you waited until Wednesday, your chances decreased dramatically. Wednesday after work you could see a steady stream of people coming to the campground to either leave their trailer, or set up a small tent, effectively ‘reserving’ their weekend site.

Well, Daryl found a spot west of the city that was selling acerages to just a few dozen lucky campers. Apart from your own campsite, each site has access to a large private area, with an even larger adjacent area of crown land. And it is fairly close to the city. Apparently there are five lakes on this property, although as of yet we have only seen two.

So off we go for a couple of days tromping through bush and climbing over fallen trees. With my wonderful sense of direction I was only ever sure of up and down, truly we just seemed to be going around in circles.

This virgin land had just the very beginnings of private road access. The first day was sunny and hot, the next pouring rain. Both days gave totally different perspective on the area, and showed us just how much water can collect in a deeply rutted ‘informal’ road. Total adventure. By the end of day two we had picked out a spot. It’s perfect! Two acres that includes a large grassy area surrounded by tall trees. I stood kind of in the middle of the grassy area and took a picture, first facing west, and then east.

By July all the ownership transactions were completed and it was time to ‘start doing something’. This area seemed to be a previous camping spot. There was a large fire pit with half burned logs, empty bottles and tent poles and pegs…and an old rusted fold up table.

There is an informal road that runs besides the property. Now that a separate private road was accessible to the property (with a truck and 4 wheel drive), it was time to look at privacy. We also needed to make this choice spot less accessible to the casual camper as this was now private property.

A few transplanted trees, some dirt and a lot of hard work sure changed the visibility to the informal road.

I would like to say this first stage of work at el parque went without a hitch, but not so. Daryl carried a container of bear spray attached to his jeans belt loop. Well if you bend over and bang it around enough, it goes off. Most of the bear spray got his leg. This was the day we decided to carry extra water on future trips as all we had to use to dilute the burning was muddy rainwater in the potholes. Yeah! Daryl can dance pretty good.

Next on the agenda was to clear a space where we could eventually park the trailer. There are tons of dead trees and branches that need to be removed. Also means we are going to have enough firewood to last past our lifetime.

This is the first spot we kind of cleared out for the trailer. That step ladder sure came in handy for removing dead limbs. It’s my favourite job. I am sure we will make adjustments as more debris is removed. This much work took about a month and there is oh so much more. Thankfully it is a short enough drive that we can easily go for the day.

Life is truly an adventure.

Cheers

Ruth

More Roatan, and then I came home!

Our plan was to spend two months in Roatan, but plans don’t always work out. We have this wonderful travel insurance that lasts for three months. You come home and the travel insurance ‘resets’, then away you go for another three months. This year we decided not to come home due to the hassle with covid, instead we choose to buy extra insurance for the last two months. Well, I didn’t get to be this age without having a few health issues. Buying coverage was easy, except we could not find any coverage for my pre-existing issues. After only two weeks in Roatan I came home. Daryl got to stay and dive.

Bright sunshine or at dusk, the ocean has such a drawing force. Pretty sure I would like to try living in the house on the point.

Daryl had ‘soup’ every day, said it was very good to combat heat exhaustion.

This popular. little pizza place served a very good gluten free pizza.

We snorkelled evert day until I had to get on a plane. It truly is wonderful. Even on days when the water was ‘bumpy’. There is so much to see, every day brings different fish. The coral is spectacular as well.This little drumfish was not much more than an inch long.

On my very last full day, we walked down the beach for a late lunch. Beautiful! and the food was good too.

Yeah, I might be a bit of a chicken when it comes to having inadequate health insurance in a foreign country. Next year we will plan differently. Now we have an exciting and busy summer planned.

Cheers

Ruth

Snorkelling in Half Moon Bay March 2022

The little town of West End, Roatan, Honduras has incredible snorkelling in Half Moon Bay. It has become our ‘almost daily’ form of exercise. Well, for me it is. Daryl does the diving thing and then will go snorkelling with me. Daryl loves diving here. I like the fact that he can go do two dives and be back by noon.

It never gets boring and there is always something new to see. We have been keeping our flip flops and ‘stuff’ at the dive shop while we are in the water. This is the scene I walk past every on my way to meet Daryl.

Along the left side of the bay there is pretty good coral, and lots of fish. Usually there are little sergeant majors floating around at eye level. The yellow grunts make a mass around the coral and their only movement is swaying to waves. Unless you get too close and then they scatter.

The colours are absolutely incredible, not just the fish, but also the coral. This year I think there is more purple fans than in previous years.

The most unusual fish for me this trip is the Rock Fish, or Stone Fish. I drew a line to make it stand out. Never in a million years would this be visible to my naked eye, thankfully Daryl pointed it out, and then did a dive to get a picture. The dark spot, kind of in the centre, is one of its eyes.

There is a short distance out to the reef where you have to swim over grass. Usually there is all kinds of creatures hiding, totally camouflaged. Not nearly as colourful as lots you see, but still satisfying to find.

This fellow was a good size but hard to get as he kept weaving through the grass….quickly.

That is a small sample of what we see in Half Moon Bay. The water is mostly calm and warm. Such a great way to spend a couple of hours.

I am not going to guarantee all the fish are correctly labeled, we used Daryl’s knowledge, a fish book and Lens.

Cheers

Ruth

West End, Roatan

After three months in Pedasi, with the temperature around 30C-31C every day, lots of sunshine and not a drop of rain, we arrived on Roatan to cool temperatures (25C), cloud and rain. How sad is it to say, I was ‘freezing’ for the first couple of days we were here.

We have stayed up this street (it doesn’t have a name) three times now.

The first time at the very end, about a kilometre, with a good size hill to climb.

Then we stayed about half way to the end, still a good hike.

This time we are about a minute walk to the sea.

And this is our view! It’s good medicine for the soul.

This little town is busy! Basically we have spent the first few days walking around, getting acclimatized, seeing what’s changed in the three years since we have been here. There has been a lot of change. One constant is the calm, spectacular Half Moon Bay, both during the day and at night.

When we arrived in Panama, early last December, practically everybody wore masks everywhere. That seemed to be the only ‘visible’ restriction. By the time we left there was definitely fewer masks in our small town when we were out and about.

In Roatan, life seems to be normal. My first impression, only cruise ship people are wearing masks, and not many of them! It’s full on vacation mode. Shops do have signs up saying to wear a mask, but it doesn’t seem to be a thing, not even for the shop keepers.

There is a story that goes with this falling down dock.Several years ago it was still fairly intact. Daryl spent many, frustrating for him I am sure, hours teaching and encouraging me to jump in the water wearing my snorkel gear. This was a valiant attempt on his part to help me overcome the fear of jumping off a boat. (Probably also to stop me from clinging to him in deep water). I am not sure it fully worked, but I am able to go snorkelling without a floatie, and enjoy it. The resort behind the dock was closed down and falling into disrepair. Now it looks fabulous and is booming.

The first time we came to Roatan we met Eddy when he was selling tours from a little kiosk on the beach. We went zip lining! The next couple of visits Eddy had a bar/restaurant across the road from the beach. This trip he has a big place right over the water. I know it doesn’t look busy but it was, I waited and took a picture of one side without people because nobody was turning their face away!

Good luck Eddy!

We are now into our fourth month of feeling mostly insulated from the goings on in the world…. no TV, some online news, occasionally a radio station in Calgary….. Is that a good thing???

Cheers

Ruth