Get Wed & Trippin' the coast

Hello all,

So, the deed is done. Yay ! What a nice young couple. I use 'young' loosely, right?

Rev Bev and our interpreter Robert Sedak. Robert did an amazing job translating the service for the Croatian guests. As well, we did half our vows in English, half in Croatian. Very cool.

My groomsmen (and Bruno, the ring-bearer), followed by Reny's bridesmaids - both a bunch of goofballs in their own sweet ways.

The next photo I like. Everyone is paying attention nicely, and Reny and I have that 'when the hell do you think they'll leave us alone' look in our eyes. :-)

Finally, we hit the hall we rented and party until very late. I call the next photo 'Rock and Roll Face'.

After Sept 10th, the guests started peeling out pretty quick. Some continued adventuring through Europe, some headed home. Eight of our guests shared the same Sept 14th flight home to Whitehorse. On Sept 16th, Renata and I headed for the beautiful Croatian coast. First we went to Pula to check out the ancient Roman Colosseum that was built there about 2500 years ago. Those crazy Romans were everywhere back in the day.

Unlike the Colosseum in Rome, this one is almost completely intact, and they continue to host concerts and productions here on a constant basis. Phenomenal.

Renata and I decided to go on a boat tour of the Brijuni Islands, where Tito made his home, and the site of various parks and zoos. The tour boat was called 'Pirate Ship Ana Marija' and it was a 5 hour tour.

Some of the tour participants (us included) got dropped off on one of the islands, where there is an ancient quarry, and some nice facilities for tourists. Also, some four-legged friends as well. Renata and her love of animals. Of course. She shares the carrots she brought along.

Walking along the Promenade in Medulin, you come across some pretty odd stuff. Can anyone say LAWSUIT ??

After our second night in Pula (actually, a small town called Medulin 7 kms out of Pula) we decided to continue along the coast to Zadar, stopping briefly for an awesome photo just outside of the seaside town of Karlobag.

On our way to Zadar, we passed through Smiljan, the birthplace of Nikola Tesla. This amazing Croatian-born scientist now has a nice memorial dedicated to him, and we toured through his house, now a museum, and enjoyed it thoroughly.

One last one, I can't resist.

"The intellect of men will govern the motion of the stars" Yeah. Go Nikola. He also predicted a few small things such as cell phones and the internet. He also did some of the very first experimentation with x-rays and a little known technology called television.

On to Zadar - one of the most beautiful coastal cities in Croatia. It is well known for it's collection of amazing churches and cathedrals. This one here is surrounded by more ancient Roman ruins. Amazing.

I'm telling you, those crazy Romans were everywhere. :-)
I love the next shot, the amazing streets in Zadar are polished to a bright shine from centuries (millennium  I guess, really) of people walking the roads. Incredible to see, I hope the next photo comes close to doing it justice.

After we spent a nice quiet night in the lovely Vila Valentina, we headed back out to the now angry sea to fulfill Eka's wish - that we bring her home some sea water from the Adriatic. The waves were about four feet high and I got drenched right up to my shoulder - but hey, it's for moja punica (moy-a poon-eets-ah) (my mother-in-law) so how could I not?

On the way back to Popovaca, we drove the back road instead of the main highway. We passed through a town with a great name. God, I'm such a child. Tee Hee.

Since then, we have pretty much been kicking around the house, doing not much of anything, and actually relaxing. Visiting some folks, and laying around. It's been nice.

For those of you in Whitehorse, see you October 2nd. For those of you elsewhere in the world, and especially in Croatia, Sretan Put, (Good Journey) from the Traveling Fools.

Much love,

Kevin & Renata

Just when you thought you were free of me...

Hello all,

Aug 26th

No apologies for the length of time between entries, the weather turned back our way and the days went from being 3-4 hours worth of work to 10-12 hour days.  Mom and Dad arrived, Mrs. Cameron (a second Mom to me) arrived from WPG, Darryl arrived, and it has been work non-stop. We finally got the air-conditioner installed. Hooray!!

 Aug 28

With the help of Dad and Darryl, the work started going incredibly faster. Deep in discussion in the next photo, we figure out our next few steps.

 Aug 30

Darryl and I begin working in earnest on the pergolas. Looking pretty good.

We decided to create a 45-degree angle for the roofing structure, I love a nice 'jaunty angle'. Later that same evening, we all went for a wine tasting at a local winery that will be supplying the vino for the wedding. Next few photos are the tour. It was a lot of fun, and we all left quite buzzed.

Yummy! The owner / operator also had such delicacies as pickled quail eggs, liqueur made from honey, liqueur made from walnuts, and his very own recipe for prosciutto. Some of the prosciutto legs he showed us were between 1-4 years old. Amazing.

Sept 1

Today Darryl and I finished the pergola, and installed the bar. I think the deck is well underway to becoming what I had in mind.

Renata also managed to get the new garden down, and plant two nice cedars as a compliment to it. I think it looks wonderful. Please note as well that the BBQ is finally cemented in place.

Sept 3

Two birthdays this week - Bruno on Sept 1st, and my Mom on Sept 3rd. The combination birthday party then ensued. Good times, great food, and we all had a blast over at Renata's sister's house.

One girl - two cakes: new website. Hmm - let's not go there. Aha - here comes Bruno, that's more like it.

The group of us after a wonderful dinner and enough dessert to make you sick for a week.

One last photo from that day - Renata's sister has some of the most amazing pear trees on her property - check out this one just BURDENED with beautiful fruit.

Sept 4

A monumental day !! The deck is complete, and it is almost exactly what I had in mind. All that was left is have have the inspector look at it and sign off. If you didn't know, Mike Holmes has a brother named Fred. Fred came by to have a look at our work. ladies and gentlemen, Fred Holmes.

Fred has a good close look at our construction techniques.

Well, looks like it got signed off. Fred snuggles in for a little rest after a long hard inspection. Well done, sir.

Night falls, and the bar is open. Hello Ladies !!!

Other participants enjoy the deck as well:

Also noteworthy to mention that earlier in the day, the bamboo fence went up, providing some much needed privacy from the neighbor.

Sept 6

Finally, today a nice shot of the fully decorated deck.

OK folks, have to run along for now. I will try to make another entry before the wedding.

Cheers,

K&R

Renata's B-Day, drought continues, BBQ gets installed, and we all melt.

Please...make...it...rain.

So, it's like walking on the sun. To all the guests coming from Canada, wear cool, comfortable clothing. To all the Croats who mocked us for having the nerve to host a wedding in September because it would be so cold and rainy, all I can say is... well, nothing polite. Even the locals are staying indoors, too hot to do much of anything. It appears the guests will  be sitting on an unfinished deck, and we haven't even begun building the second garden. Eeech.

On the upside, our BBQ got delivered, and it looks awesome. Can't wait to throw down some cevapcici and some nice marinated chicken. Please note the bag of ready to mix mortor sitting there waiting for final assembly. (Looking at you there Dad)

Of course, Renata had her birthday on August 20th, and her sister, brother in law, and nephew came by for some drinks and cake. Happy birthday zlato, I can't wait to marry you again.

That's it folks, more guests arrive this week, looking forward to the company, and can't wait to 'Tom Sawyer' my way into some help with the deck. It's fun, really. Ok, it's more like a sweat lodge that never ends, but hey, that's why fans were invented.

Cheers,

K&R

Staining, Flooring, and Fred relaxing.

The title kind of says it all. It was a 14 hour day, the flooring got a good start, Renata and Eka sanded and stained like mad, and Fred slept. It hit 35 degrees today, and I spent almost the same amount of time moving tarps and umbrellas to provide shade as I did actually working. The ladies were fortunate enough to spend most of the day in the shade of the big walnut tree and plum tree while labouring. Although I'm quite sure Renata's hands are still tingling from the orbital sander. Here's a shot of Reny staining two nice chunks of walnut.

As it turns out, the woodshed and attic are filled with three kinds of hardwood that will be mixed into the flooring: Oak, Walnut and Plum. The plum is incredible, it has the most beautiful red tinge to it, while the walnut is a quiet lighter color, and the oak is deep, dark and rich. What a combination. The next pic is mostly oak, but gives a good idea of the 'aged' feeling I'm trying to accomplish.

The next shot is more floorboards with fresh stain, drying and almost ready to 'hit the deck'. Hehe, see what I did there? Yeah, I'm tired. Not sure if the buzz is from the exhaustion, or the handfuls of Advil that are keeping me from screaming in pain, or from the couple of pivos I washed them down with. Meh. Check out the awesome plum board on the bottom of the ladder. Oh yeah.

Finally, before I hit the shower, Fred. Damn, he is a handsome kitten. I wonder if he would like to learn English and come to Canada? Just kidding. Maybe. ;-)

Ok, the shower. Really. I smell like raw bacon wrapped in old socks dipped in sweat. Our first guests arrive tomorrow at 7:20pm, and we can't wait. If the flooring is ready by then, drinks on the deck tomorrow evening !!

Cheers,

K&R