Huybers Retirement Adventure: September 2013

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Projects!

I thought once you retire, you could sit back and relax … but that isn’t so. For some reason, once you retire you tend to find all sorts of projects that you have wanted to do for so long but never had the time to do them. This has been the case over the last couple of weeks for us.

Ron has done many a project since moving into this house. I really don’t think the man can sit still for even one day. He always manages to stay busy. I was feeling a little left out so I decided to do a project that I have been meaning to do for over ten years. I have a coffee table that I’ve had over 30 years. During the early years, when my children were small, the coffee table began to get scratches from cars being driven across it. It also had several bite marks on it either from the children or possibly it was the dog we had back then. Either way the legs were chewed extensively. I have always wanted to sand it down and stain it to restore it to what it was pre-children days.

I took the old coffee table out to the garage and got the sander. When I tipped the table over, I was surprised to see the name of my son written in crayon along with some “art work” on the underside of the table. I’m guessing this was done while laying on his back under the table. There was also a wad of chewing gum in the corner. I guess he got away with that one for the last 25 years or so. But really … when was the last time YOU looked underneath the coffee table?

I was very pleased at the way I was able to smooth out the bite marks and most of the imperfections of the table. I still have more to do, as well as staining it but that will come on raining days when it is best to work indoors rather than outdoors.

Another project we did, was making this home our home. When we bought this house it had pillars along the front of it with two sets of rails joining the pillars. The rails always bothered Ron because he would have to look over or under them while sitting on the front deck in order to see the water. He always wanted to take the rails off. The minute I said ok, I think it took him all of 5 minutes and they were gone. It really opened up the view we had. Then Ron said let’s take out the pillars too! I was hesitant about doing that but in a brief moment I said, “I guess”. Then I was on the phone with my mother when I heard the sound of a saw. By the time I got to the front door … the pillars were gone! I guess Ron wanted to hurry and get rid of the pillars before I changed my mind. I must admit though … it sure does make a difference. It really opened up the view we have.

With all the pillars gone I was concerned about the openness of the front deck. I wanted to put a planter on either side of the stairs so people would know where the stairs were and didn’t step off onto nowhere. So … another project was born. Ron said no problem. I will build you two planter boxes! And he did! I’m glad I married a terrific handyman.

Now those of you who have been following my blog know that this year I attempted to grow a garden. Yes, I made some mistakes, but I have learned for next year. I also found that the garden boxes that I had just weren’t big enough for what I wanted to plant. So my husband said, “I’ll build you a bigger garden box.” Yet another project! The garden boxes I had before were 4 ft x 4 ft. The garden box that Ron was building for me is 8 ft x 16 ft. Of course we picked the coldest day to put it together outside but we bundled up and got it done. In the Spring we will bring in a load of dirt to finish filling it up.

Not to waste the nice white garden boxes, I decided that I’d like to move them to the front of the house on both sides of the driveway and plant flowers in them. I have purchased some daffodils and crocus bulbs to put in them. I think I will also plant some daisies and marigolds come Spring as well to fill out the box. I think it will look nice as you approach the house to see pretty flowers to greet you. J

The last project I’d like to tell you about is one that Ron has been very anxious to get to. It’s putting up his ham radio tower. Yesterday he was out there digging a 4 ft x 4 ft x 4 ft deep hole to get it ready for cement. The one thing he really liked about this place when we bought it was the fact it was on a hill (good for ham radio) and that there was lots of property to put it up on. As he dug the hole he scooped the dirt into the cart and drove it over to where the flower boxes were by the driveway and filled them up again. The rest of the dirt went in the new garden box that Ron had built. You don’t realize how much dirt comes out of hole that size. It’s a lot! Tomorrow Ron will be putting in the rebar and mesh, and positioning the tower. Then the cement truck will come and fill it up. Once the cement is set, he will then start erecting the tower and attaching his antennas. It’s a project that he was wanted to do ever since we moved in. Now that it is finally getting done, he is one very happy camper.

In closing this post, I would like to give a very special thank you to my mother. Over the years, besides being the best mother a child could ever ask for, she has always been very generous when it comes to birthdays, Christmas etc. Through the years she has always given us practical gifts that we could use and appreciate. Every time Ron uses one of his power tools that she has given him, he always comments on how great it is to have these tools and how hard it would be to get these projects done without them. For my last birthday she gave me the two garden boxes so I could grow a garden. She told me that she didn’t think 2 boxes would be enough but I told her that two would be plenty. (When will I ever learn … my mother always knows best!). When I told her about building a bigger garden box she was quick to say she wanted to take care of that, right down to the nails we used. She is incredible.

So I would like to say … thank you mom! Without you we could not have done half the projects we would have liked to have done. Thank you for all your love and support over the years. You are the best mother in the world! We love you!

Old Coffee Table

Sanding the table

Underneath the coffee table. Bob's art work.

House with rails and posts

House without rails and posts

Planter Box Ron made

Unobstructed view

Building a bigger garden

This project is Bailey approved

Getting everything lined up

It was cold. Even Bailey wore a coat!

Hammering the spikes

Finished product

Lots of dirt from the tower hole

Garden box gone but dirt remains

Moved the garden boxes to line the driveway

By changing the look of the front of the house,
We made this house our own

The dirt is so red here on PEI

Digging the hole for the tower

I think he dug too far down!

It was a lot of work

The tower has begun!

My beautiful Mother who makes it all possible

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Beef N’ Blues

Chef Mark McEwan from Top Chef Canada

Ron and I have always talked about going to some of the local events and taking in some of the island culture but we have never gotten around to it. I had remembered the advertisements for the PEI Fall Flavors Festival from previous years but we were never here on the island to attend them.

The PEI Fall Flavors Festival occurs during the month of September and I was always back to work in BC when it was on. So this year, since we are now living on the island, we decided to take in one of the events. It’s all about the local food and wine that is produced right here on the island. They have celebrity chefs host the different events being held throughout the island for the entire month of September.

After looking at all the events, and their locations, we decided to attend the Beef N’ Blues event in Summerside. It’s not too far from home and it had a menu that I thought we could both enjoy. I thought it might be nice to go with another couple so we called our friends Ken and Ella to see if they might be interested in going. They were pleased we thought to ask them and were excited about going. Ken and Ella have lived on the island for years and years and have never gone to the Fall Flavors Festival so this was a new experience for them as well.

We arrived Saturday night at the event and were ushered onto the floor of the hockey arena. Don’t worry … they had covered the ice with an insulated floor, but it was still cold in there when we first arrived. It warmed up later after all the people were in though. There were round tables set up with place settings for 8 people. They had enough seating for 300 people but you never felt crowded and the line ups at the stations were never very long. Many had no line up at all.

There was a blue glow throughout the arena and in the middle of it was a stage with two guys playing Blues music. It was really nice because it wasn’t too loud and you could still talk to people at the table while they were playing. Around the outer edge of the rink were all the food stations. The idea for the evening was that you walked around and if you liked what you saw you just picked up the plate. Some stations had servers who plated your food right in front of you then gave it to you. This was the case at the celebrity Chef’s station.

The celebrity chef for the Beef N’ Blues night was Chef Mark McEwan from the food network show Top Chef Canada. There was just something a little extra special when the celebrity Chef plates your dinner then hands it to you. I was able to chat with Chef McEwan for a while later in the evening as well. I told him that I had a son who was also a Chef. He asked me if he was a professional Chef or a home style Chef. I quickly assured him that he was a professional Chef. I told him that my son was an excellent Chef and produces food just like the one he had dished up tonight. He smiled and said “That’s great!” I think he could tell that I was a proud mother. He was such a nice guy to talk to.

The food for the evening was amazing! Every dish featured Beef hence the name Beef N’ Blues. There were 12 food stations and one local beer brewing station promoting PEI beer called Beach Chair. It was really good. I also just found out that Beach Chair beer is now available in Vancouver, Whistler and in most local liquor stores on the West Coast. It’s a good way to promote PEI and try to help bring tourists to the island.

The following is the menu for the Beef N’ Blues:

Chef Mark McEwan’s dish – Roasted PEI Certified Beef Tenderloin with Braised Short Rib Ravioli, Spiced Carrot Puree, Braised Pearl Onions, Bone Marrow Fritters with Natural Sauce. This was excellent!

Mini Bymark Burger. (another one of Chef McEwan’s dishes and best dish of the night!)

Meatloaf Panini

Oxtail Empanada

Thai PEI Certified Beef Salad in Cucumber Cups

Mini Prime Rib Beef Sandwich with Roasted Pepper and Arugula Horseradish Mayo

Beef Carpaccio

Duo of Braised Short Ribs and Striploin

Slow Braised Beef Brisket

Skirt Steak Salad

Oven Baked Tortiglioni with Meatballs

A Cheese Course was served with 3 different cheeses made on PEI

Dessert: Chocolate Fudge Brownie with Café Latte Cream, Apple & Caramel Upside Down Cake.

There was so much food that we couldn’t get around to taste all of them before we got full. Although some people, and I’m not mentioning any names (men), did manage to visit the dessert table several times during the evening. Next year, if we attend the Beef N’ Blues event, we will know to pace ourselves a little better.

Beside the Blues Band for entertainment, there were a couple of contests that were fun to watch. About an hour and half into the night, they had a steak eating contest! How those people managed to eat a 24 ounce steak after visiting all the stations is beyond me. But they did it. The winner managed to eat the entire steak in just 2 minutes 58 seconds. He was a skinny guy from Saskatoon.

Then they had a potato peeling contest. Each contestant had a sealed 5 pound bag of PEI potatoes that they had to open and then peel as many as they could in just 3 minutes. The winner of that contest was from PEI with 11 potatoes peeled. Since PEI is famous for their potatoes it is only fitting that an Islander would win that contest. J

The whole evening was wonderful. We had a great time with our friends and you couldn’t have asked for better food. On our way home we decided that we would be sure to take in more of PEI’s events in the future. J