We decided to go to Cuba (Veraderro) before the country opened up to our southern neighbours.  Nice area, and really friendly and nice people, although the weather was not what we had hoped. Too many clouds, and too much rain and cooler weather, but the food was plentiful, varied and good, the rum was delicious (straight, mohitos, pina coladas and cubatas) and included, and the cigars (at least the export ones) were delightful – the local cigars were a unique experience.  We had a direct 6hour flight from Kelowna to Veraderro.  Straight off this beach about 120kms is Key West.

The revolution in 1959 put paid to relations with the U.S. and ended imports.  Cubans have been maintaining their late 1950’s American cars with love and duct tape for the past 60 years.  The cars are spectacular and you see them everywhere.  Havana itself was clearly a magnificent city at one time, with strong influences from the Spanish and then the Americans in the early part of the last century, but it is crumbling and in dire need of investment and rejuvenation.  I expect it will soon be featured in US films and music videos.

But for me, Cuba is really about the cigars and rum, both the best in the world.  It was a pleasure to go to one of the Casa del Habanos government shops which sells about 150 different kinds of cigars.  Cuban rum is also delicious, a bit sweeter and spicier than we are used to – we had several types that were perfect for drinking neat.  Am looking forward to a smoke and sip at the rock cocktail table this summer.

The art scene in Cuba is vibrant with some great galleries. Not sure of the story behind this naked woman with a fork on a chicken.

This was the view the morning after we got back. We had a few centimeters during the night but the sun came out and it all began to melt.  Pat and Coop stayed at the house while we were away and enjoyed the company of Hime and had fun with the ATV.  Slides for the bathroom drawers finally arrived this afternoon so shall turn tomorrow to installing 8 drawers, building a storage box for the shop, and then building a dozen drawers for the kitchen.

After a leisure-filled December, I started again in earnest on house stuff on New Year’s Day.  These are two shelves for the corner cabinets in the kitchen, and the strips in the middle are cedar edging that will be installed in the master bath.

These are the pieces for 2 drawers and 2 drawers already assembled.  The have Baltic birch bottoms, and maple sides.  The sides all have dadoes to receive the bottom, and the long sides are rabbeted to receive the front and back sides.  They are glued and stapled.  I am making 8 drawers at the same time as the master bathroom has two banks of 4 drawers of the same size.

Gluing on the cedar edging.  As taught by Cam, I glue the two long ones, let them dry 30 minutes or so, and then fit and glue the short ones between the long ones.  These are all pieces ripped from some boards my Brother in Law gave me when he replaced their 50 year old cedar deck.  The edging is a bit oversize and will have the ends trimmed and the long edges scraped and sanded before it is ready for finishing.  The scraping and sanding is a bit tedious and time consuming but makes for a nice finish.  These Bessey clamps are great.  These are all now finished with 3 coats of tung oil on the edging, and 3 coats of water-based satin polyurethane for the insides and the outside sides (had to use a brush as I won’t be able to spray until it warms up).  I am just waiting for a shipment of drawer slides from Lee Valley Tools (who are opening a new store in Kelowna in the spring) so I can install them.  The first UPS shipment went astray.

Boxes of books, files, curios and art.  All awaiting the design and construction of shelving units and cabinets. Good to have them finally out of the basement and in the room they will eventually live.

I made up some baseboards out of the leftover fir flooring and then oiled and varathaned them. However, I did not much like the finished product. I am now thinking of using a dark stain, as on the left, for the baseboards. Any views?

We are off to Cuba for a week so there won’t be any updates for about 10 days or so.  In the interim, here is a photo of the framers at the almost-lock-up party one year ago.

And here is a photo of the house one year ago and three months after we started the footings – roof is on and shingled, windows are in but doors were delayed.

Took a bit of a break from house building in December to arrange and organize some stuff, including our art and photos. Some of it we had not seen since we left Ottawa almost 12 years ago. Some we created in France, Saudi Arabia or Korea.  It is really nice to have some familiar art on the walls.  These are photos taken in Kenya and at Ankor Wat in Cambodia.  Am still designing the stairs, but expect I will go with two steel stringers and open treads.

More photos, taken in the same three places.

This is the Japanesque genkan entry – an old Rama with keyaki wood purchased many years ago, and photos in the rural areas of Japan.  The floor in the entry is still cement – hope to get to it finished later this year.

The winter here in the valley is quite mild, but is a Canadian winter none the less.  This is a view looking NW from the guest suite entrance, with Ellison lake in the distance.

The snow is light powder. Hime just pushes through it but it comes up past her belly.  She prefers a beaten-down path.

Have used more wood than expected, mostly in the shop.  As about 2/3 has already been converted to heat, next year I will need to cut and split a lot more.  It is good fun and great exercise.  I have several dead or fallen trees that I will tackle first.  The fellow who did the environmental assessment of the property suggested strongly that I also thin out many of the groves of trees so there would be less competition for the remaining ones and they would be healthier and would grow larger faster.  Bottom line is we should have lots of firewood for the next and subsequent years.

When I finally got around to putting the chains on the bobcat, I forgot about putting on the bungee cords to keep the chains tight. After they came off a few times, I remembered about the cords.  Since then, they have worked like a charm, as has the bobcat (touch wood).  As I write this, I am looking out on another 10cm of powder snow that fell during the last 24 hours.  Enough of a good thing already.