Progress Update July 22, 2015

Each of the water cisterns has been shored up with 17 tons of concrete blocks.
Each cistern will hold about 18,000 liters of water, or 18 tons.

A new look, after the scaffolding has been removed from the south side.

The south side of the house.

Freshly painted roof joists over the veranda,
part of the design for brightness.

Veranda roof.

Veranda roof.

Yet another nice sunset. We are really hoping for rain soon.

Systems Installations - Electrical, Plumbing, Heating, Vacuum

Scott installing in-floor heating lines.

In-floor heating lines will be embedded in concrete.

Heating, electrical, plumbing, vacuum.

Electrical panel and most of the wiring done.

Shane working at siding in the carport.

Old and new - the 20 year old cabin in the foreground.

The still unfinished mural at the cabin.

View from the east.
The old outhouse with a view into the forest, in the foreground.

The east side of the new cottage.

Wisps of cirrus clouds and sunset over the Gulf Islands.

Update for first Week of July, 2015

View of the house from the cabin.

The two large cisterns for drinking water, capped with a "green roof"
that will be a garden

A Canada Thistle in bloom.

Real beauty emerges when the seed pod explodes.

Inner space in the jumble of seeds.

Hanky-Panky in the Sky

No images about the on-going construction for this blog post, 

but other interesting material.

Hanky-Panky in the Sky – Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter 

on June 30, 2015

I have been watching Venus and Jupiter for many weeks this spring and 

early summer from our place on Pender Island. 

Venus, is the unmistakable evening star. 

It is the first heavenly body, other than the moon, 

that becomes visible soon after sunset. 

These days it is spectacularly brilliant in the western sky.

I have also watched Jupiter, our sun’s largest planet sneaking up, 

getting closer and closer, and finally passing Venus. 

Hardly hanky-panky – even at the closest conjunction 

they were still over 500 million kilometers apart.

Images were carefully photographed with manual settings
(focus, exposure, low ISO, RAW image recording)
on a quality pocket camera, 140mm zoom, carbon-fibre tripod,
jury-rigged plywood mounting plate, self-timer.
Edited in Photoshop Lightroom.

Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter on June 30, 2015, 

over Saltspring Island, as seen from Pender Island

Sweet Pea

Thistle

Turkey Vulture