Last year, we had no snow at this time. It all came in early December (and then melted) and between Boxing Day and mid-January.  We have had several small snowfalls this year already.  The difference is that while it has not been cold, it also has not been much above zero so the snow is hanging around.  And just after Christmas, we got about 20cm, which is the average snowfall for the entire month.  These cut up logs will be benches next year.

A dusting of snow on a Douglas Fir……

… and on a Lodgepole pine.  Almost all our trees are one or the other – our land lies in the midst of a climatic/elevation transition zone between 660 and 760 meters above sea level.

We are looking forward to using the cocktail table in the spring.

It has been quite a year for Mizuho and I up here on the mountain.  The house and property will continue to unfold over the next year.  Since Christmas, we have been getting some colder (-5 to -10 at night) and snowier (we now have about 25cm on the ground) weather.  Big White, a sky area 30 minutes from us in the mountains, has over 2 metres of snow.  The heat pump and insulation and sealing have worked great so far – it has cost about $4 to $5 a day to heat the house.  The last bit of good news we got was just before Christmas when they took 130k off the assessment to reflect the work that remains to be done (I figure about 30k in materials, and the rest in labour equivalence).  Looking forward to crossing several things off our list next year, and to slow down and expand our leisure time, and to enjoy the lava lamp and telescope I received for Christmas.  In the interim, we wish you all good things for the new year, and hope to see you somewhere, sometime next year.  D and M and Hime.

We have had a few dustings of snow the past two weeks, with an accumulation of about 10cm or 4″. The snow is dry powder but begins to melt whenever the sun comes out. I have been using the ATV with the snow blade and find it works great. Takes about 20 minutes to clear the entire driveway, although I need to go slow as there are still many bumps and rock.  By next winter, I should be able to blast up and down the driveway.  Will need goggles.  Last winter, we had a cold spell with snow at the end of November and then a two week warming that melted all the snow.  At this time last year, there was no snow and we were putting the roof trusses on the house but had only the footings/foundation completed for the garage/shop.  The snow arrived after we got the trusses up but before we got the tall wall up and the roof over the living/dining/kitchen so we had to shovel out the house a few times.  Roof is working well this year 🙂

This is the rock wall at the switchback looking nice with a dusting of snow.

These are the baseboards for the upstairs, made out of the same flooring material used for the floor.  Still need two coats of tung oil, and two coats of wipe-on polyurethane, and then I will cut the pieces to length and miter the ends and install them.  The wood stove in the background is great.  In the morning, the garage/shop typically is about 8 degrees and will drop another degree by the following morning if not heated or used.  The stove heats it up to about 12 degrees (a good working temperature) in an hour, and to 18 in two hours (better for glue and oil and polyurethane). 

This is the new floor for my den/library, about 500 sq ft.  This is the wood I got from a local sawmill that went out of business.  I was planning on doing this myself but given what else needs to be done, I decided to have one guy install it and another company to sand, seal and finish it.  They were telling me about 2 other hardwood flooring jobs they have going for two different hockey players – 6,500 sq ft for one and 7,000 sq ft for the other.  There are apparently more than 100 NHLers who have properties in the valley, mostly used only in the summer (a bit longer for the Toronto players as they are usually here before the playoffs start). 

The wood needs to dry for about 48 hours before I can place things on it.  My plan is to install the baseboards, and then to start bringing up my desk (piece of plywood on boxes) and the many boxes of books that will eventually be kept up here.  This will be followed by some planning for bookcases and railings (actual construction will be after the kitchen and bathroom cupboards are completed Mizuho tells me), and then the art and photos can go up, along with the feet. 

We had the pleasure of hosting Canada’s current and former Ambassadors to Japan a few weeks ago.  One I have known for 30 years (and with whom many adventures were had), and the other for 20 (and who brought me into Foreign Affairs).  They drove up from Vancouver for an inspection tour and overnight stay and drove back the next day.  We really appreciated them making the trip (one is a loyal blog reader) and we had a great time catching up and showing what we have done, and what remains to be done.  We had a light snowfall that night and more in the mountain passes so their drive back to Vancouver was a bit more exciting than anticipated.  They shall always be welcome.

A few days after the visit, we had a bit more snow.  The clean air and lack of vehicle traffic means the snow around us stays virgin white, and sparkles in the sunlight.

This is the remains of a large pile of brush I was finally able to burn two days ago, about the size of a small car.  The Regional Municipality only issues open burning permits in the winter, and only when the conditions are right for the smoke to dissipate out of the valley.  This was the first time this winter it was ok to burn.  I am burning mostly knarly branches, rotten wood and twigs and needles which would otherwise be fuel on the forest floor in the event of a fire.  The rest of the wood goes into the wood stove in the shop and keeps it warm.  I have one more pile to burn when they next issue the ok.

Decided to advances things a bit and hired a guy to install the fir flooring on the upper floor.  Next step, in a few weeks, will be a different crew to sand, fill, seal and finish the floor.  The flooring was obtained from a mill that went out of business – it is about 5 years old, and most of it is vertical grain 7 or 8 foot pieces.  Am thinking of using two pieces of flooring as baseboards, stained dark, with a bevel on the top, and other pieces to build the bookshelf/barrier around the stair opening.  Still no decision on the stairs.  Once the  floor and baseboards are done, I will have a functioning den and can put up art and photos, a desk, etc.  Good project for the upcoming holidays.

Put up a few Christmas decorations in our new house, as we are expecting a visit from Santa. Decided to not do a tree this year but to begin to select and trim trees for future years. We have a lot of trees.