The Big Pig Roast

There is nothing as festive as a Pig Roast. I was up and out at the Dr.'s house by 6:40 this morning complaining about being hungry. No sooner said I had a nice cold beer in my hand and was sitting at the kitchen counter watching Marcus create a masterpiece for me to eat.

We had breakfast while the charcoal was starting to mature by the pig roaster.

After breakfast we got the pig over the fire and started to baste away. I always worry that it won't be done in time but patience is a virtue when it comes to roasting a pig. Slow and steady always works.

I think Daisy cornered a mouse because she was busy for about 30 minutes on this side of the house. Something had her attention.

After a while she was quite happy to come and hang out with us by the pig spit.

Christine showed up around noon and helped set up the tables and chairs. It was fun watching these two tell each other what they thought should be done next.  Mutt and Jeff. Haha. No , I'm Right.  No, I'm Right.  No, I'm Right.   Hahaha .

Around 5:00 the pig was done. This was an all day job to get it perfect.

Here we let it rest for about 30 minutes before carving it up.

 Chef Marten was present for the party so we asked if he would mind carving the pig. That was fine by me. He's a nice guy and he also brought a sharp knife.One less thing for me to do.

I walked around during dinner taking pictures of the guests Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Ruth made a killer coleslaw that went into the bun with the pork. I made a killer BBQ sauce that went on the pork in a bun and I also did up a big bowl of apple sauce as a side for the pork. It's hard to eat pork without home made apple sauce.

Marcus smoked 2 nice looking lamb roasts. It turns out that he competes in smoking events in the states and teaches the art of smoking meats here in Kelowna . I want to sign up for a class. It was delicious. This is a boy and his smoker. He had cherry wood mixed in with the charcoal. 

These guys were eating the lamb and all gave a thumbs up.

The house was full.

I noticed a guy's corner when it came to eating dinner.

Christine made everyone feel welcome. She worked hard to make this a nice party for Marcus.

So Marcus was given a new hunting rifle for his 50th by his friends tonight. Such a nice gift to give an avid hunter. Let's hope he can harvest many wonderful meals for his family and friends with it.

Nothing Beats A Pig Roast

So my friend Marcus is turning 50 and I offered to roast a pig for his party. I love pig roasts. I've made a great BBQ sauce and a huge bowl of apple sauce in anticipation. Now all we needed to do was prep the guest of honour. He was saying that she was very light on her feet. A great dancer.

Lot's of fine dining about to be served up here.

Isaac wasn't sure what to think. He was glad His dad and I were the one's out here in the garage prepping the pig. He was out late last night and wanted nothing to do with our shenanigans.

Never ask a Dr. to help prep a pig for a pig roast. First he has to explain all the different joints and bones that the tie down pins are going thru to hold the pig on the spit ( I don't know how how remembers all those names ) and then when you tell him to start to stitch up the belly of the pig full of stuffing he takes forever checking every stitch to make sure it is done to perfection. I told him that no one was going to be checking his workmanship . No Peers here.

I finally took over and finished the job. Marcus was taking way too long.

Done and good to go. We had a few beers and a few good talks this afternoon. I'm looking forward to the party tomorrow. I plan be at his house around 6:00 A.M. to get the fire going but I have the feeling he will have it ready before I get there. It should be a fun day.

Such a Close Call Thursday Morning

I built a crate and loaded the grand piano into it a couple of days ago for a customer who is moving down to the states. He will be storing the piano for 2 years before he sets to up in his next home.

The crate is really heavy duty and I was quite sure the movers wouldn't be able to pick it onto the dolly and then out onto the truck. They don't have the tools or sense on how to do it. I offered to come and do it with them using all my equipment. The one thing I never thought about was the height of the doors when I built the crate. This was sheer luck. 1/8th of an inch to spare. Another close call.

Another One Gone

Ruth helped me load this Yamaha Grand into the trailer last night. A nice couple from Penticton bought it yesterday. I foolishly offered to move it to their place as a favour. It's hard to find good piano movers these days. It is easier to do it ourselves.

Daisy is like a typical piano mover. Every time I throw another moving pad on the floor she goes and lays on it.

I left the house by 10:00 A.M. and the piano was being set up in their apartment by noon.

It looks great in their home.

It sounded beautiful when I sat down and gave it a little tinkle. Nice acoustics. Nice piano.

It was a long day. Seems like I need a nap every day after working. They are absolutely delicious naps.

I Love The Wild Life Here

Ruth and I had a wonderful dinner on the deck tonight while watching this beautiful little bird hanging out on the top of our flag pole. It was great entertainment watching this little bird come and go to it's Canadian Perch over the dinner hour. There must be a nest over there.

After dinner I heard a noise in the driveway and discovered two young deer eating out of Ruth's planters. I like those flowers so I immediately made a noise and they scooted up the hill. I went for the camera and managed to get a shot of the little buck. Such a rascal. See you in September.

So while on the subject of wild life. I'm sitting here writing this blog tonight when Daisy jumps up and does the running on the spot thing around the dining room table. Then she is doing circles around the couch. I know what is happening immediately. I opened up the bed room door and told Ruth we have a mouse in the house. Suddenly Daisy runs between my legs and stops at the foot of the bed. I think , Oh Oh. what just happened. I walk over to the light switch and turn it on.  What a great dog. I got Ruth out of bed to hold Daisy back from eating her kill while I got my camera. 

This poor little kritter got a proper burial and wasn't dinner . Much to Daisy's regret. She seems really happy now. There is nothing like the adrenaline rush from a good hunt. That is what these dogs were bred for. Last year she took on a Marmot . It almost killed her so I am glad to see she is going after smaller intruders now. She's a great little dog .

Another Great Sunday

So every year since the house burnt down Senator Ross Fitzpatrick and his wife Linda have had the neighbours over for a BBQ to their wonderful winery Cedar Creek. We have gone almost every year and I was thrilled when we got another invitation for this year's event. It's a beautiful winery with great wine.

While we were in Florida last winter he sold the winery to Anthony Van Mandel who is also the owner of Mission Hill Winery. It was a big surprise. Ross was telling Ruth and myself that he wasn't for sale but Anthony was very persuasive. Apparently it all happened within a few weeks. It sounds like big money to me. Now he owns two beautiful properties on both sides of the lake. This is mission hill.

So the venue was wonderful and the food was just as good. It wasn't really a BBQ. He had his chef's do up a delicious  tuna dish or prime rib dinner for everyone. It was absolutely first class . We had a great time reconnecting with a few friends who live in the neighbourhood as well as meeting a few new people. What a nice venue.

I love this barrel. I think we should do a few like this around our pool.

It turned out to be a really nice afternoon.

This Crate Project Was More Of A Favour Than A Job

So I sold this beautiful Baldwin to a couple on the west side about 10 years ago and they have now sold their home and are moving south. They want to spend a year doing missionary work and then settle down somewhere south of the border.  They need to store their piano for over a year and wanted to have it crated for safety. I didn't blame them for this. It's worth over $60,000. Here we go. Crate building 101. I hate doing this but it's all in the day of…………….I love having a workshop open to the outside.

So it really isn't a man's project if there is no blood involved. OUCH.

Built in my workshop and ready for taking to the piano. This is a nice crate.

I'm at Mike and Vickie's house . The piano is loaded and we are packing up the legs as well as the pedals. It's likely the most heavy duty crate I have ever built. It's the first time to build a strap down skid inside the box for me. I love when everything fits properly.

Vickie is felt penning instructions to the storage company on the side of the crate. Good thinking.

Closed up and ready to go.I'll be surprised if there is a problem with this piano when it comes out of the box.

Mike was the director of this production. It went smooth as butter. 

I got home tonight to a wonderful dinner on the deck. Ruth was going to come and help me load the piano into the crate but Mike said they had a few guys there to help me . She wasn't needed for that job. I would rather have her here to pamper me when I got home anyways. She has made such a beautiful retreat for us.

Even Daisy is laid back tonight. Nice wine . Nice setting, Nice sunset. What else could we want.

This Was Funny

We had our cleaning gal over today to do a run thru the house. She is great. So when she got here she is driving her husbands Chevy truck. I told her she has to park that thing out on the road. If it's not a Mercedes or a Dodge it doesn't come up here. She laughs and tells me how she was nervous coming up the drive and hopes there is no problem leaving. She finds this truck really big to drive and is a little intimidated by it. A few hours later she is on her way home.

I am building a piano crate in the driveway / garage and watching her leave. She asks me to direct her out go the parking area. No problem.

She starts out and I winced when she was almost out. She stopped and stared at me. I backed her up. Next try she came out farther before I winced. She stopped again and I backed her up again . Next time she was almost out of the upper parking lot  when I stopped her and said try again. She backed up under my direction. This time she almost reversed over the bank. 

This last try she stopped as she was passing by me and I said. "Hahaha , You were doing fine the first try leaving. I was just yanking you around.  I guess this is why I don't have any friends ".  Hahaha. I'm still laughing. She's likely at home with her family tonight talking about the jerk she had to put up with today. Hahaha. I know that middle finger is talking to me.