The long awaited framing for the atrium glass has begun! Erie Glass should have the atrium enclosed by the end of the week, then the rest of the trades can finish up - electricians, plumbers, drywallers, painters, etc.

After the epoxy floor is in, the kitchenette can be installed, stairs and chair lift to the deck set in place, and painting completed.

In the first week of May, we hope to have the four cement patios poured, front and back of the atrium, and outside each of the two main floor bedrooms.
​
Shopping for beds, linens, furnishings, etc. has started, and Sipkens Nurseries, Sarnia, should begin work on their landscaping design (with mostly native plants) by end of May. Still lots to do, but the atrium glass is key to this last push to the finish.

After the flood floated the dock across the pond during the first week of April, it was sitting on the west side wetland area, nice as you please, with four cement block anchors, a canoe and a paddleboat still tied to it. When the water had receded enough that we could get to the dock, the mud left behind had pretty much locked it in place.
​Spring turned to summer and we were still not able to come up with a workable solution. Some good rain storms expanded the pond over the wetlands but not quite far enough to float the dock.
Towing from the other side, winching .... still too wet to use the truck or gator. Maybe if we dug a trench to get water to the back of the dock ... nope!
Then, (light bulb!!!), some good old-fashioned ancient technology was remembered and it was almost too simple! We have several used ginseng posts on hand... round posts, about 8-feet long. We unchained the canoe and the paddleboat from the dock, and lifted the cement blocks onto it. Two of us lifted the dry end of the dock while the third slid a pole under the front of the float. Same at the other end where the dock was already in water. A couple good, strong pushes and that was that! The dock rolled beautifully into the water! (Those ancient peoples were so smart!)
Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer hopped on board the now buoyant dock and used ginseng posts to pole it across. Just, really, entirely tooooo simple!
A walk back to the west side, lift the paddleboat into the water, tie a rope to the canoe, and another short trip across the pond had all the pieces and parts back where they belong. From that point it was easy enough to dig a squared off mooring spot, and anchor the two blocks on the berm with T-posts, using a post driver to pound them in good and deep.
​The summer isn't over, so we're hoping to get a lot of fun time on the water from here on ... if I can just find the keys to the padlocks!

If you follow our Facebook page you will have seen the happenings over the past many months, but I will try to be more diligent to keep things updated here as we move forward  ...
The pond and wetlands are an amazing testament to Nature's ability to restore a virtually barren area into a lush, green haven. Last year was so dry that almost none of the wildflowers planted ever showed signs of surviving and by the end of summer the pond had shrunk to a couple wee puddles, barely enough for animals to get a drink!
The first few days of April this spring saw the Sydenham River rise to the point of breaching the 6-foot bank, spilling over onto the wetland, into the pond and eventually covering about 12 acres of the crop field. Almost unbelievably, the water rose to a depth of at least 4-ft deep above the pond, confirmed by the fact our five trail cameras were totally submerged for a few days! Even more incredulous, all the memory cards were retrieved intact and four of the cameras are still in perfect working condition! If you are interested in seeing what the area looked like at that point, check out the drone video on our YouTube channel youtu.be/wI5Fui6S3D0
As the water receded, a few large fish were caught in the pond and have spawned. I couldn't get a close enough view to know what kind they were, but we suspected carp. A few weeks later, though, I noticed some odd behaviour of what I thought were frog or toad tadpoles near the shore. When I was able to zoom in later on the video I took, we have proof that at least two of those big fish are catfish. Those wee babies have whiskers!
​
A wet spring and continuing rain over the past weeks have kept the pond filled to overflowing onto the intended wetland where marsh flowers have flourished. The rain also allowed the seeds sown last year to finally germinate and grow into an abundance of black-eyed Susans, wild bergamot, several prairie grass species and other lovely wildflowers and plants.
Other, not-so-nice plants such as giant ragweed, were able to take advantage of the bare soil and establish themselves, particularly on the east berm, creating a nice looking, but deceptive, green blanket. Even though they have a few redeeming features, including medicinal properties, being a valuable survival food source believed to have been cultivated by Indigenous peoples a few hundred years ago, and having the ability to remove industrial waste and toxins from the soil, ragweed plants are one of the worst pollen producers for allergy/hay fever sufferers and so prolific that they end up taking over to the point of becoming a nuisance. With that in mind, we have employed some local teens to pull these offenders, allowing for a more diversified plant landscape to settle in. 
​Please visit our Facebook page for more pictures and information.

Monday, March 21 was a rather momentous day here at Bentpath Getaway! After several months hard work and planning efforts by a very talented and experienced group of people and agencies, excavation of a pond and wetland area began. The big CAT has been in operation every day this week as the preliminary work continues.

This afternoon I spoke on-site with the contractor who shared his vision for final actual shape of this project  - one which will provide
- enhanced wildlife habitat for birds, animals, turtles, salamanders, pollinators (bees, butterflies, etc.)
- wetland that will hold and filter rain floodwaters, and slow down the flow before the run-off enters the Sydenham River adjacent to our property
- erosion control
- AND a natural water feature for guests to enjoy as they walk the area, rest on a bench to enjoy the view or, perhaps,  take advantage of our canoe or pedalboat for a ride.
This is going to be a fantastic space! 

Having enjoyed hand-dug small ponds in my own back yard, I can guarantee there will be frogs and birds, dragon flies and loads of other interesting inhabitants finding their way here in no time. I can hardly wait.

Among the plans for the six acres we are retiring as farmland, there will be a prairie area planted with native grasses and wildflowers, plus more trees and shrubs. We're doing some research to see about stocking the pond with fish as well.

Hopefully, the weather will oblige enough over the weekend we'll be able to post an updated fly-over of how much the work has progressed in only a week. Much is still to come, so stay tuned ... and in the meantime, have a look at the beginnings of our project in the video below.

​