Paint-Freckled Smile

What an incredibly productive weekend!

We arrived in Piapot late Friday night. Task driven and motivated to the max, we sat at the bar and discussed our goals for Saturday. Then, one of the reasons we love this place so much, came calling. It was our new friend Garth, who boisterously entered while bellowing "Is the bar open?!" Garth is a rancher and fencer in Piapot who has a wealth of knowledge to impart to us regarding our new community and the people who inhabit it. His stories often have us holding onto every word. We sat and enjoyed a toast together followed by a good chat before retiring for some much needed rest. (well I retired, and Glenn kept busy organizing and tidying into the wee hours)

Once loaded up with supplies from an early Saturday morning run to Maple Creek, we got down to the business of renovating. I tackled the task of beautifying the bar cooler with a few coats of fresh paint. In between each paint-befreckling coat, I would attack another surface. Behind the bar, there were shelves that needed to be freshened up, so I drew my trusty brush and gave them a makeover to remember. After hours and hours of both Glenn and I staring upwards and straining our necks and backs, we started using a different muscle group...moving, cleaning and organizing the bar and cafe layout. After many miscellaneous projects, it was time for rest to prepare for a full Sunday's work to be accomplished in only half a day.

Sunday had us vacuuming, tidying and preparing the guest rooms. By 3pm, we were ready to head back to Calgary and into another work week. Just as we were leaving, a group of three local kids rode up on their bikes. When they discovered that we were the new innkeepers, the one exclaimed "Good, we need some excitement around here!" Their only requests, after Glenn asked them what they might want, was a slushie machine and some arcade games. The drive back was peaceful and full of contemplation for next weekend's grunt work list.

It saddens us a bit each time we have to leave Piapot...I guess that's a great indication that it is our new home.

--Nicole

The hole in my head - uhmmm roof!!!

Alright.... I'm off. I started with one of the most daunting parts of the reno, mostly because I had no choice since it was right in the bar!!!

A year ago the pipes had froze due to a severe cold and a strong westerly wind causing a bursting and some water damage to the ceiling in the corner of the bar just near the entrance to the mens washroom. I started on it last weekend by removing the damaged dryway and ceiling tiles to create a nice square hole. I pondered about putting in an access but decided against it because it would be tough to make it seem uniform with the rest of the ceiling (with my limited reno skills). So straight drywall it is and with a bit of effort I've got a piece up on the cieling and ready to be screwed together. I did install cross braces with 2x4's to make it easier to screw the drywall. Next I installed the small rectangle piece that was remaining and voila. Just need some ceiling tiles and I should be good.... damn 3 short!!! Oh well, I will continue until I run out and then pick some more up this week to return next week to a finished ceiling..
The list continues with some painting, baseboards, kitchen flooring and bathroom work coming up in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned....

I feel like I'm living out a movie plot...

Leaving a familiar job, with familiar people and familiar routines...and escaping to a new venture in the Old West of Saskatchewan. My first reaction was..."What have we gotten ourselves into?" After the cold sweats and trembling passed, a new feeling of excitement and possibility arose. A wise man once told me (my wonderful partner in adventure, glenn) that the only thing you regret is the risks you don't take. Well, I'm not about to look opportunity in the face and deny it's delicious wooing. I am moving to Piapot SK to help run a saloon and guest house there. 13 long years in the radio biz, and I'm stepping out on a new path. Barmaid, renovator, housekeeper, hostess, baker and companion...I'm ready for the job of a lifetime!

This blog is my out stretched arms holding all my friends close, until you are able to see me face to face under the prairie sky.

Saska bush mornings

ahhhh.... a lovely morning sunrise. It was windy like crazy but I ran out to snap this shot without think at all before my hands froze. It is a good telling photo of the landscape further to the east. To the west are soft rolling hills and the town of Piapot is basically where the flat land touches the hills

Start the renovation engine

Alright, now that the hotel is officially mine it took but a few hours before I was ripping and shredding it up all in the name of bettering the whole. First line of business is getting the hole in the ceiling near the men's washroom in the bar cleaned up.

I was able to remove the majority of the ceiling tiles and cut out a square of drywall which should be able to be replaced fairly easily with one carefully cut square. Several amount of old pipe are left up in the crawl space but alot of work was recently done on the plumbing above so everything is definitely fixed. I decided that I will save money in the long run getting a water softener to try to cut down on the plumbing costs over the next few years. I also am thinking about installing an access door in the ceiling here to facilitate any work down the line but not sure about wrecking the uniformity of the ceiling tiles.

The two other renos to take precedent over everything else is to replace the bar sinks and cabinets that hold the sinks and to get the puckboard installed into the cooler. Nicole is going to paint the cooler ceiling first while I finish off the ceiling work and then we can install the puck board together. Then while I lay some lino in the cooler Nicole will be able to paint the shelves under the bar with a nice gloss paint. More to come on that work