Good News and Bad News

It's not all rain

Sat Nov 5th

Coastal rain falling as snow around Chapman Lake

I was once told that if you can't see the Pennines from Manchester it's raining; if you can see them it is going to rain.  Our reference point is Vancouver Island but the parallel is apt.  

The good news is that the hundred+ days of drought is over, but there is still a shortage of water.  The bad news is that in the Chapman Lake watershed it's falling as snow.  Unless there is a warm spell and we get some snow melt, water restrictions could remain in place till Spring.  'Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink' as the Ancient Mariner might say.

We have gone from shorts and tee shirts to winter gear in a little over two weeks. Even low-lying Gibsons had a few inches of snow this last week.  

The first, seasonal 'atmospheric river' has just passed through leaving a trail of destruction in it's wake.  Trees have been brought down across power lines and large areas of the Coast have been blacked out and roads blocked.  Overnight nearly 9000 properties were affected in 30 separate outages.   Across southwest BC some 200,000 properties were left without power according to CBC.  Although our lights flickered several times on Friday night, our power stayed on.  

In Hopkins Landing, where we have several friends,  they are enjoying a double whammy.  A tree came down on the Landing's well pumphouse, taking out the power supplies to the well and damaged the water tanks.  Other trees bought down the power to Hopkins Landing houses.  

Langdale, where we rented for a year is also without power, again, and the Port Mellon Highway was closed for most of the morning for the same reason.

BC Hydro clearing trees and reconnecting power on Port Melon Highway

 

Last weeekend, Fred's preparations for Halloween got underway as pumpkins were emptied, sculpted and arranged down the drive.  "We must get into the spirit", she said.  

Why not set up a loudspeaker with a fierce barking dog I helpfully suggested.  I was out-voted and dispatched to purchase further 'treats' from the local store.  

Candles lit in the pumpkins over the weekend, all was quiet.  On the evening of Halloween, Fred announced she was off to play tennis and I was in charge.  Great!  

Not one ghost, ghoul, skeleton or apparition appeared.  Next year we might skip the pumpkins unless it's going into soup! The treats are slowing disappearing.

My workshop is now fully up and running having completed an acoustic housing for the dust collector I bought.  It sounded like Concorde taking off whenever it was switched on.  It has been a great success and the sound level has gone down from 88db to 76db.  It might not look like much of a reduction but every increase (or decrease) of 3db is twice (or half) the energy.  It is so much quieter  I can now work without ear protectors, unless one of the other machines is on.  

My first couple of projects are for Gibsons Yacht Club.  The chap who manages maintenance of the three club yachts wanted some woodwork on one of the boats to hide some electrical cabling and a post box for sailing logs to replace one on the dock that is impossible to empty unless you use a pair of tongs.   I rather like marine cabinet making and I'm just waiting for the varnish to dry before installing both items.

The rain means the creeks and waterfalls that were little more than a muted babble a week ago are now a thunderous roar.  Jack, who likes to swim in the creeks was a little more cautious once he had clocked that the current would take him in the wrong direction, but he still needed coaxing out of the water.

The little one on the back of the motorcycle complete with headgear, probably wouldn't fair so well in the water!

Popping in to Gibsons this Saturday afternoon, I noticed Mt Elphinstone, that towers over the town, had had its first covering of snow, but when the sun shines it's a whole different ball game.

 

Clack Creek upper falls

Clack Creek - lower falls