Atlin Lake & Our Retro Motorboat!

We finally got out on Atlin Lake in our retro motor boat! I think the boat is a late 1960s vintage, and it came with the place, when we bought the Little Blue House last summer. We had the engines tuned up and we spent a couple of days cleaning it up. It's a fibreglass 18' Orlando Clipper, and it has the perfect hull design for a big lake like Atlin. Atlin Lake, by the way, is 780 square kilometres, making it the largest natural lake in British Columbia. UFI, or Cliff notes, so ya know!

The engine is a 1979 Evinrude "Starflite" and the 115-hp really moves the boat. We got her up to 30 knots! Whoooo hooooooo! The kids loved it. The small, spare motor, or kicker, is a 1969 18-hp Evinrude. These outboard engines were well made, and so far we have proof that if they are well-maintained, they can last a really long time! That said, I was watching our money streaming out into the water behind the boat...

We don't operate boats to save money, do we??

Cribbing the Crib

Things are happening at the Little Blue House. People stop and stare at the excavation, at the house perched atop its new, temporary feet. A lot of settling can occur over a period of 115 years... The LBH has only lived in its current location, however, for about 95 years or so.

Our contractor and another person with a Bobcat did a lot of the digging, and he installed the cribbing underneath the foundation. It will stabilize the LBH until we can finish excavating underneath the house, to create enough space to fit some steel beams and hydraulic jacks to lift it up to a level place. My husband did an incredible amount of digging himself over a couple of days, so much that he was covered from head to toe in dirt. He says he feels like an archaeologist.

This past weekend was the 10th annual Atlin Arts and Music Festival, so there were thousands of people in Atlin (population about 400). It was an amazing festival - sunny and warm, although a bit smoky from forest fires up north, great music and friends. A lot of folks stopped by the house to take a look and to ask about what we are doing. It's looking kinda crazy at the moment, but people are keen, and they think it's wonderful that we are trying to save this Gold Rush house.

I must admit, when I first saw the new holes dug up around the place, and the LBH resting, somewhat precariously, atop the cribbing, I felt a tad overwhelmed. But now we are in the river and swimming!

LBH, July 2013

Cribbing Under the Crib

A Work in Progress