As Covid-19 adjustments to work and daily life went on, Janie and I found ourselves spending four nights a week at Smelt Lake. While loose ends at school were being tied after classes ended early, we spent most weekends tackling camp projects and planning for a potential summer addition… a deck and maybe at some point, screen porch.
Of note, lots of work done to get the wood bin back in tip top shape, including replacement of the entire roof (including boards and cladding). It goes without saying that while at the camp easy access to dried firewood, protected from the elements, is an essential. This much needed project (the old roof was leaking miserably) covered a span of two weekends. I replaced the roof covering with cedar shingles, mostly in an effort to duplicate the original design Grampy had used when it was first built. Only improvement to design was the addition of a small eight inch (8″) eave extended out over the front face for extra coverage. Looks and works great!
I was also faced with some boat maintenance. The hull of our aluminum boat (our cargo vessel) had been compromised and was leaking to the point that regular bailing was required. The addition of a new piece of metal in the bow, coated with some fibreglass cloth proved a fix and minimized the issue. One more coat oughta complete the fix at season end!
When the bugs finally hit, we changed gears and tackled chores such as brush burning and nurturing grass seed. The school year end did involve meetings and Janie’s Grad commitments so work went on. But, all in, one of the best springtimes ever in regard to camp time and improvements.