So the first step in the transformation of our cabin was to add a deck, which we planned on anyways, but also needed at this stage as a platform to stand upon to deal with heavy windows.  First the concrete footings and the joist hangers…..

The posts used for the structure of the deck was salvaged posts we have found on the beach.

We DID splurge on the joists for the deck, with treated lumber.

But the decking is all wood we have salvaged beach combing remote beaches, hence the colour patterns.

So the finished Deck with solar panels. We now have the Makita set of cordless tools, that we (Ken) can just charge with the solar power. WE even have a circular saw that is cordless.

We are thinking we will have to watch the boards carefully for signs of rot, and replace them PRN.

So here is the first (the VERY first) step of tearing down the walls of the cabin.

TO BE CONTINUED………………………………

Since this blog is about obsessions, and since ours change frequently, I thought I would lead on to our NEXT obsession and that is our cabin.  We bought a rather remote, rudimentary built, boat access only, cabin in 2014.  The cabin was built with half round 3 inch vertical  logs. Half round on outside and other half round on inside, staggered.  No insulation, and very few windows, but a gorgeous spot nonetheless.

So the day we purchased this place was also the day we officially retired from active practice (Sept 11 2014)   Needless to say, we had not factored this cabin into our retirement plans, so our “budget” is small.

We first talked about building a very small “tiny house” and leaving the cabin as is (known to the neighbours as the “the rat house”).  To tear it down would be a massive undertaking, especially by boat.  We also realized that the cabin was on the best spot on the property, AND had a very solid foundation.  But the cabin had NO insulation, and NO LIGHT. Very very dark. In order to stay at cabin in the spring and fall we would need both light and insulation.

So after a winter of thinking about it Ken came up with the most ingenious plan. We would take out 8-10 foot sections of existing walls, build 2×6 framing to put back into the space. My sister at this same time (spring 2013) decided to replace all the older wood (double paned) windows in her house, and donated them to our project. THUS providing the means to totally insulate the cabin, AND allow light in, in small increments.  The first step was building a deck, which would act doubly as a deck, and scaffolding for the project.

And so the project began,  July 2013, bearing in mind that the only way to the cabin is by boat…… and we have no electricity

I thought how this has been done has been quite interesting, and not quite as disruptive as renovations tend to be.  I will do the blogs in stages to keep them from getting too long.

The cathedral square is a sight to see for a weary traveler, and they all seem to ” hang out” and savor the scene for a long while. Many lie on their backs, with their heads propped up by their packs, staring up at the very top of the cathedral spires. Then there are the “reunions”, seeing “friends”……….. made a few Alburgues ago, who have made their way to the square at a different pace. Lots of hugs, laughs, loud stories of the different “ways”. Oddly, the place to go for the final documentation, is not in the square, but a rather hard to find place a few blocks away. I guess they figure if you have made it this far, you are likely up for the challenge of how to find office.

This was incredible group who seem to play each night in the cathedral square.

In order to qualify, you have to have walked the last 100 km, or cycled the last 200. We later found out we would have qualified with the medical papers, but thought we would rather wait until the next time, and go for the full meal deal.

The pilgrims gradually make their way down one of the 3-4 narrow roadways lined with restaurants, cafe/bars,stores, banks, and hostels. The cafe/bars/restaurants have outdoor tables, and it appears like one big party. Everyone is happy. (The happiest place on earth) (Isn’t that what they call Disneyland?) well this is the same only better. No one really appears drunk. It seems that most people stay for at least 3 days, so you just wander through “the party”, for another day, and then …. Another day.
It really has been fun. There is something special about spending time in a fun place, after achieving something that was hard to do……… and spending the time with your ” comrades in arms”. Those whom which you have had a common difficult endeavor, you have a special bond with. THAT is what makes Santiago de Compostella a very special place.

Definately a sight that seems to conjure up questions in those we pass by. Soon we fly to Vancouver, we are currently in CDG airport, Paris.

Today was the day our friends, Greg and Helene, (whom we were traveling with), arrived at the end of the Via De La Plata. They texted us when they were 10 km out, and we decided to go to meet them. We found out where the trail ends, and followed it backwards. Oddly, at about 1km back, we encountered “the scene of the crime”……..where I fell 2 days ago. Ironic that it was actually on the Camino trail, after all. We stopped in at the store where the shopkeeper had called ambulance for us. He was visibly happy to see us well.
For some reason our friends had understood the message that I had broken my leg, rather than my shoulder, so they were QUITE surprised to see us on the trail. We walked out about 3 km to wait for them. It was great fun meeting all the pilgrims who were almost to the end of long journey. Some had even come 1000km.

Helene, Greg, and Marianne (from Holland)  Cheers to a great accomplishment.

Some NEW friends, the 2 Marie’s.

The first view of Santiago de Compostella, from the Via de la Plata

This city is truly one I could spend a long time in, so much to see. Ciao

I have to say walking around with a fractured shoulder is a bit more unnerving than I would have expected it to be. I view every person coming towards me as a potential collision. I have heard it said of the elderly, that after a fall they retain a morbid fear of falling. We are in a tourist town with very small stores, I watch people all the time waiting for them to back into me.
I do not need to worry about falling again because Ken will not let me walk with holding my hand. 😀

I have read more about this particular fracture, and it is most common in women 60-85, so an older women’s fracture. I am not quite 60, but extremely close. I do have osteoporosis as well, so I guess this is related to that. A person with stronger bones given the same fall, would have likely dislocated shoulder. Because it is in 3 pieces, the healing is more complex…….
Yada Yada…. That “perfect body”, is loosing more ground, but hey….. I have to remind myself that not everyone who is 60 can do 400 km with back pack. So I will never play tennis….or golf. I just hope it will not affect my guitar playing……or doing the Camino in Portugal next year.😊
OK enough feeling sorry for myself.

This statue is likely one of the most amazing ones I have ever seen. It seems to tell a rather complex story of gods, of pilgrims, of kings and of ordinary folk.  I could not find a replica of it, so we will attempt to take many photos of it and perhaps frame them.

I wanted to say something about the health care.
I was VERY impressed. We waited for quite awhile, but my situation was not extremely urgent. The ER Doctor (thank goodness) knew some English. Ken and I both felt that the order of things was quite as it would be in Canada. Then when he found a complicated fracture, he referred us to the “traumatologist”, who had already studied the X-rays when we saw him. He examined everything of importance for this type of fracture, i.e. Circulation to the hand and the nervous supply to the hand. Anyways, although it was not big and glossy, we both were very impressed, and felt comfortable with the treatment.

The other extremely cool thing is the people who own the AIRB&B we are staying at. They came to sort out a few things about the apartment today, and we told them about the fall etc. they were sympathetic.  We had been struggling with how to get the X-rays to take home.  We are sure they will need the first ones for comparison.  The ER Doctor had said he would email us the file.  It did not come, and I am pretty certain that the file was too large for email.  So we were stuck with the language issue of how to get the X-rays… And you KNOW how hard it is to get ahold of the same Doctor you saw in the ER  yesterday.  Seems that the doctors were the only ones at hospital who knew English.   Well our landlord at this airb&b, knows no English, but somehow through google translate, she found out what we needed, and is bringing the X-ray files to us on a cd .  WOW.

I find it fascinating where two buildings have been connected for years.  The side walls of one are the side walls of the other……. And then one falls down……..

Wow how quickly life changes in the wink of an eye. We took on this morning on a positive note. We decided to hunker down for 4-5 days, get better, then go back to Cea, and finish the Camino proper. That made both of us happier, and we were just on our way to buy some veggies to make a nice homemade meal, when I tripped on a cobblestone and fell to the stone ground with my arms over my head.

What happened first was by far the scariest, but in the long road, rather mild. I have this weird condition, where when I experience sudden pain, my heart rate drops, very low. Around 30 usually. It is called vaso vagal reaction. It is very benign, but when it happens, and when your heart rate drops that low, you really feel dreadful. You cannot even lift your head up. Ken and I have become familiar with it, but after lying on a street in a foreign city, eventually we got scared and called ambulance. I knew something was wrong with my shoulder, the whole time, but the feeling of the low heart rate was more overwhelming.
Anyways, somewhere before we got to hospital, my heart rate came back up and then the shoulder took over as a priority.

Never wanting to miss out on any aspect of another country, we so experienced an ER in Spain. It was a different system……we were set loose in the waiting room, with the instructions that someone would call my name for room 8. Having a name that begins with J, I wondered how they might pronounce it, given that they pronounce J’s, as H’s. It took a few tries when it came to our turn….to Know it was our turn.
Ken and I were debating as to whether the shoulder was dislocated or not, that being the most likely diagnosis. To me it just seemed too swollen to be subluxed.. (Which is a milder form of dislocation… Partial)
So we saw doctor who thought it was Not dislocated, but needed an X-ray. Then they called me back for more X-rays. Then finally doctor said it was Not dislocated, but fractured in 3 places. Apparently an unstable fracture that needs close monitoring. The “piece” at the back is being pulled back??
So needs follow up in 7 days, which to us means that if it shifts, it will likely need surgery.
So that means home again home again,…. riggedy jig.

So we are currently looking into flights.

this is me in a sling….

It it seems that the buildings have all suffered a similar fate…… The walls have stood up but the roof has caved in.    The buildings are hundreds of years old, but the roofs, held up with wooden beams, have succumbed to age.

For some reason the “three little pigs” story……the straw, the wood and the stone…comes to mind

There seem to be attempts to renovate/restore some of these old buildings, one place a sloth African couple used what I believe was “cob”.  The mud and straw that people are using as a substrate to build homes, in Canada and the USA, as environmental way of preserving wood and other non renewable resources.    They used the cob to fill in the spaces, then to build the walls higher.  Then a new roof.

Nonetheless, a big Reno job…….too big for us 🙂