A first load from Montreal - albeit stored in the playhouse

Cécile, Victor and Barb Drury with Bondai

This last weekend, Cécile came from Paris to lend a hand packing which was wonderfully productive. Amongst other chores we packed boxes and boxes of books as well as organized all the tools and garden implements. The Druries were kind enough to deliver the tools to the playhouse which marked our first load (and it was a HUGE one) for the cottage that didn't go to the storage unit in Ste-Adèle. They were rewarded with the deluxe 25-cent cottage tour and a wonderful lunch provided by Dave, Tassy, Cath and Peter next door.

The Drury's station wagon filled to the brim with a load of tools of all kinds

The latest cottage photos:

View from the McEntyre's road

View from the path to the tennis court

View from the Lake

Lots and lots of friends

The first bit of entertaining - a coffee party catered by brother David

We had the enormous fun of showing off the progress at the cottage to any number of people over the long weekend. We held our first party Saturday morning - a coffee klatch - thanks to brother David who packed a bag with a thermos of coffee, cups, and all the trimmings.

On Sunday, a good number of friends came by for tours though a few are missing from the pictures. It was truly wonderful for so many to find the time on a busy weekend to come and share in our excitement.

Sue Garland with Cathy+Devon Plaskett and Heather + Sue Calhoun

Fred+Eunice, Guy+Francine and Becky+Hugh in the kitchen

Stephen and Gerry in front of the extremely elegant front door

The Plasketts checking out the ground floor bedroom and bathroom

A gaggle of Kinsmans on the back porch

An amazing welcome-back party!

The hostesses with the mostest

Di Nancekivell (having had to leave a sad and ailing Tom in Vermont) and Helen and Graeme Rutledge hosted a wonderful party for us on the Saturday of the long weekend. There were about 40 – 45 people there, many of whom had come to the Lake especially to help celebrate the fact that we’re in the last stretch of construction. It was a marvelous affair and those of you unable to be there were missed - and you missed a fabulous party!

'Aloha' to the Lake

Wikipedia says that 'aloha' means ‘affection, love, peace, compassion and mercy’ though it has also come to be used as an English greeting for ‘hello’. The lei I was presented said all of that: our family was certainly surrounded by love, peace, compassion and mercy, and we were well and truly welcomed home in a most amazing Lac des Iles way.

Party time!

A truly wonderful party!

Graeme made a lovely toast

The new cottage will have many treasures given by treasured friends

The fireplace

The finished chef d'oeuvre except for the mantles:
featuring Cécile, Cath, Tassy and Edmond

We thought you might be interested in seeing some of the steps that go into building a field-stone fireplace.

It started with Jean-Marc's fireplace guru - Serge St-Pierre. He took Jean-Marc and me to look at stones in a quarry in Ste-Agathe. Not satisfied with what we found there, Serge sent us off to a couple of other places. We were 'third time lucky' in Mirabel – who knew that field stones could be so different and that finding a ton or three of rocks so very complicated?

Step 1 - The skeleton

A mere 4 tons of field stones

Work began a week ago Thursday - by Friday morning the living room looked a bit like an indoor patio

Monday morning- the patio was larger and Serge (on the right) hard at work.
Note their addition of a vent (with a tip of the hat to Bruce Calhoun)

By the following Friday afternoon, it was all done but the mantles.
This is the dining room side - with the mortar still drying

WE'LL BE MOVING IN MID-JUNE!

Jean-Marc's scientific method of marking off the driveway circle

There is light at the end of the tunnel! The driveway has been mapped, the huge boulders are gone, the kitchen is under construction, electricity is working, doors have been hung, fireplace field stones are to be delivered on Wednesday, most plumbing fixtures are on order... And, astonishingly, Jean-Marc has given us the green light to move in the week of June 15th!

We are very excited about the 'welcome back' party next weekend and can't wait to see those of you who will be there. Both Kathleen and Melanie are very sad that they can't join in the fun - but will certainly be there in spirit.

Gilles is doing a great job of cleaning up and landscaping

The kitchen skeleton is provided by IKEA - everything else is being made by the Duvals

The fridge will be to the left of the unit in the corner, and the dishwasher just to the left of the window. Then there's a small cupboard unit with the sink to its right - centred under the window. To the right of the sink is another shelving unit which will provide counter space next to the stove which will fit into the next gap. Over it will be a hybrid convection-microwave-fan. More counter and cupboards to the right of the stove and around the corner.

The doors we salvaged in St.Jacobs have been 'revivified' and hung

The furnace has come with its very own fire tools!

Chantal trying out the shower for the basement bathroom

Nancy checking out the bath for the main floor bathroom

SNOW HAS GONE AND SPRING HAS SPRUNG

The porches have railings - posts will be painted next year

Railings from the driveway and an uncovered porch added for the BBQ and laundry line

Another week and lots more accomplished; but Tassy is right that we have to look more closely for the progress – changes are tending to be subtler.

The most obvious additions this week were the porch railings - Jean-Marc built and painted them in his garage and brought them over ready to install. He is now working on the porch screens – none too early as you’ll see from the last picture of this blog edition! FYI - the support posts have been treated so we can’t paint them until next year, and we think we’ll leave the cedar beams ‘au naturel’.

The Duval team have continued to mount window and door moldings as well as many of the baseboards and have laid more flooring as well. The back kitchen door has been installed, and now that the snow is gone, Gilles has been doing a great job cleaning up the site.

The tile is to be delivered this week, and Jean-Marc and I are hoping to make the final choice of stones for the fireplace. Hopefully the rest of the plumbing fixtures will be chosen on Wednesday morning – so we are beginning to really believe we’ll be in residence for the summer.

All quite amazing!

And if this wasn’t all enough – we’ve just sold the house in Montreal to a lovely young couple (occupancy at the beginning of August), so the hunt for duplex-type apartment is on.

We have a real door into the back hall

The second floor hall and stairs are flooded with morning light

Sue and Ric check the view from Kath's bedroom (note the baseboards and moldings around windows and cupboard!)

A nook for a bureau in Mel's bedroom

Screens needed on May 2?