Kottage-tek - MP3 Edition
93 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 4 years ago -A sometimes humorous look at technology at the cottage. Also known as the land of duct tape and deck screws. Where the power tool and the beer fridge reign supreme.
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Episodes
Episode 93: Snowshoes and Uproarious Applause.
May 31, 2020 20:47 - 11.3 MBWe finally get a live audience and boy do they ever like us. Ok, so it helps that they are family and well bribed with food and liquor. My applause sign probably didn’t hurt either. Everyone went snowshoeing today and it was nice to just go for a quiet walk in the woods and enjoy the peace and quiet of winter in the back country. Now most people don't realize that there are lots of different designs and they all serve a unique purpose. Largely determined by the aboriginal tr...
Episode 92: Rain chains and roasting coffee.
May 20, 2020 19:17 - 15.8 MBI solved the sagging rain gutter problem by installing a rain chain. This is a concept from ancient Japan that became popular in North America during the Victorian and Craftsman eras. I did a Kottage Knowhow video on our YouTube channel. I experiment with roasting my own coffee beans using a hot air popcorn popper and it worked out really well. I sourced some green beans from Ashanti Rostery Cafe in Elora. Then I dusted off the old Proctor Silex Popcorn Pumper. I dropped in about ¾ of a cup...
Episode 91: Tornados on Six Mile lake?
May 19, 2020 22:19 - 16.3 MBWe had some serious storms with high winds come through the north end of the lake. Everyone thought it was a tornado that cut a path through the forest, but it was actually a “downburst” that flattened all the trees. Everyone had to literally cut their way down the cottage road but at least there will be lots of free firewood. With all the trees down, power was out for quite a while. Hydro One has a pretty sweet mobile app that lets you see where the outages are and what the expected repair ...
Episode 90: The scourge of Invasive Eurasian Milfoil.
May 18, 2020 17:48 - 17 MBWe start out with a whole wheel of Oka cheese and nobody likes to cut the cheese more than Walter, Bruce , and I. Nothing beats Charcuterie at the cottage. We mostly talked about one of the latest invasions in Muskoka. Its not party animals from southern Ontario, Its Eurasia Milfoil. A water plant that grows incredibly fast and can literally kill a lake if not controlled. This is definitely not a project for the cottage mower. Even with a snorkle. We also touched on another invasive species...
Episode 89: From canoes to steampunk?
May 18, 2020 17:45 - 18.4 MBBoy when Bruce said Deb dragged her canoe from out east, he wasn’t kidding. There were some serious holes worn all the way through the fiberglass. Luckily, Walter has lots of experience repairing fiberglass boats, so we put him to work. . After most of the prep work was done, we headed into Honey Harbour for the jazz festival. It was surprisingly impressive. It was a small festival, but the talent was fantastic. Once we had our fill of classy jazz music, we headed over to Coldwater for the...
Episode 88: The vanity is not in vain.
May 12, 2020 19:46 - 15 MBWe started the weekend by visiting Christie's Mill in Port Severn for a nice dinner together. There was a wonderful musician named R. G. Peever playing guitar that we thoroughly enjoyed. He seems to go by the name "JazzTEX". wonder what "JazzTex is up to now?. We finally got around to installing the new vanity in the master ensuite and boy was it a challenge. We had to pull all the rabbits out of the hat for this one to get all the plumbing into a three-inch space behind the cabinet drawer...
Episode 87: Ten pounds of rotting flesh.
May 10, 2020 20:07 - 15.7 MBWell I think Bruce and I were in fine form this time. Our segment on Cottage Cheese finally aired on Cottage Life TV so that's our seven minutes of fame. We are going to have to do one more show and a commercial if we are going to get to 15 minutes. The snow has been so heavy this winter that it tore the snow guards off the new steel roof. Its black fly season again and they are swarming like mad this year. Either Deb is going to have to sacrifice herself to them or we need ten pounds of ...
Episode 86: “Someone get me a hoe”
May 10, 2020 20:02 - 14.6 MBIt became blatantly obvious that beer belongs in glasses and not potato chips. And just to ice the cake, mother nature is keeping us snowed in well into the spring. Even the cottage road looks like it belongs in the winter Olympics. Thanks to the heavy snow pack the spring runoff is flooding the crawl space. We had to engineer some kind of floor drain to move the water to the sump pump well so it could then be pumped out to the still frozen lake. Skating anyone? Our beer of the day is from...
Episode 85: What the heck is a growler?
May 10, 2020 19:59 - 17.3 MBWe started out with a project that we thought was going to be at least a three or four beer job. It turns out we were in and out in under an hour. Bruce has a “Greenway” UV light as part of the water filtration system and it fell apart and started leaking shortly after the warranty expired. Fortunately, Greenway stepped up to the plate and sent Bruce an entire new unit at no charge. Full marks for the excellent customer service. I also figured out that I could spin the fittings inside the PEX...
Episode 84: The Ugliest Bird In The Woods!
May 10, 2020 19:52 - 13.9 MBWell this time we had to deal with a leaking hot water heater. Somehow the pressure release valve failed and sprung a leak. We also discovered that not all presure release valves are the same so you may want to take the bad one with you when you go to town to get a new one.. We also talked about wild turkeys. These have to be the ugliest bird ever to grace the fields and forests of Canada. Apparently they are rather good eating because hunters keep shooting them. Either that of hunters hate ...
Episode 83: The Walk Out Beer Cooler.
November 04, 2018 14:31 - 15.8 MBIts "SNOWMAGEDON"! We’ve have had so much lake effect snow this year that the temporary garage Bruce puts up for his car has collapsed under the snow load. Everything else is buried under several feet of snow. The first priority is digging out the Muskoka chairs, so we can get in some serious deck time. Leave it to Bruce to gamify clearing the deck. It did let us build an igloo though. I’m sure it won’t pass inspection, but it works. We also talked about other winter survival techniques inclu...
Episode 82: Splitting mauls, ax handles, and Francie Dancer takes a dive.
October 13, 2018 22:09 - 16.8 MBBruce picks up an eight-pound splitting maul but it didn’t come sharp from the store, so I had to grind an edge onto it before we could use it. This was to compliment the six-pound maul that has done years of service at the cottage. Bruce also picked up a new ax handle to replace a broken one and I’m glad he went with the hickory rather than the fiberglass. Wally Canoe gives us a good tip about soaking the end of the ax handle in glycerine or linseed oil to prevent it from drying out and shr...
Episode 81: Cliff builds another woodshed
August 06, 2018 18:52 - 11.5 MBBruce and I were supposed to build a new woodshed this week but he got called back to the city. How convenient. That left me all alone to get the job done. I enlisted several cheap/free apprentices to help. This was definitely a 24 beer job.
Episode 80: Biblical Rain and A Space Odyssey
March 25, 2018 19:29 - 11.5 MBMother Nature gets “Turkey of the Day” for raining on our parade this weekend. The rains were biblical at times and confirmed our belief that a metal roof, although not as quiet as regular shingles, isn’t as noisy as some people will say. We did get a few small breaks in the rain, so we did squeeze in some dock time. We were even visited by a very small snapping turtle. These guys can live to be over 100 years old with a shell diameter of almost 24 inches, so he has lots of time to get really...
Episode 79: Bush Buggy Envy
February 28, 2015 22:28 - 11.5 MBHydro One has been in to brush the hydro right of way for over a week now. It's slow going because of the rough terrain but they sure came equipped. They have a big orange articulated boom truck that is well set up for the task. Complete with chain saw holsters, a couple of Stihl ms260s, a hydraulic pole pruner and a cherry picker it's pretty unstoppable. It's like the ultimate ATV. Bruce worked so hard hauling firewood that he had to do a few Kahlúa shooters to kill the pain. Really Bruce? ...
Episode 78: Hot swapping water pumps
January 05, 2015 22:13 - 15.8 MBWe started out with pump problems again so we made our usual trip into Parry Sound to the Home Depot for a new pump and other assorted parts. OF course we were all decked out in our finest kottage-tek T-shirts from our swag shop and we actually got some attention from a couple of hunnies. Wow! I also picked up some 2"quick disconnect couplings. These are intended for gas lines but I'm tired of having to use the big ass monkey wrench whenever we disconnect the pump. These worked like a charm ...
Episode 77: Swimming cinder blocks and The Wolverine is sick.
September 22, 2014 15:46 - 14.2 MBI can’t believe Bruce even considered swimming a cinder block more than 50 feet out into the lake where it has to be about 15 feet deep. At least he plans on taking a life jacket along next time. I think I'll stick to using something with a bit more buoyancy like a boat. Even the paddle boat is a smarter idea. Peter Couch also stopped by this time and definitely took some shots at our beer selection. Now our beer of the day is Muskoka Dark Ale from the Muskoka Brewery in Bracebridge. It’s a ...
Episode 76: Cheese In Aerosol Cans.
September 14, 2014 16:22 - 16.2 MBWe got a lot of small chores done today but the biggest was taking down the temporary garage. It's been up for two years so it's about time it came down. Bruce should know that you just can't stop the demolition man. Especially when he is fueled by beer. We did finally get it taken apart and packed up the way he wanted it, but it did cut into dock time a bit more than I would have liked. br> The up side is that we had sustenance in the form of "Kraft Easy Cheese" also known as cheese in a...
Episode 75: Yellowknife, and Beer makes us smarter!
April 12, 2014 20:47 - 17.2 MBThis time Cliff talks about his travels to Yellowknife. It may not be "the cottage" but there's lot of roughing it and being outdoors that they both have in common. Everyone should try to spend at least a bit of time there. Everything from incredible fish that are pulled from Great Slave Lake, to driving on ice roads and Ragged Ass Road. The magic of the Aurora Borealis is a must see. Even on one of its dull nights it's spectacular. The trip made quite an impression on CLiff and we don't thin...
Episode 74: Recreating The Bleeding Edge.
February 17, 2014 17:51 - 17.7 MBBruce had a good friend named Walter Martindale join us this time for a boys weekend. It turns out Walter is a master knife sharpener. We of course put him to work sharpening every knife in the place. He also brought along a few interesting ones to show us as well. One of them has quickly become my favorite for when I feel like sitting on the deck cutting the cheese. It's known as the "Original Woodman's Pal" from Lee Valley Tool Company .This ushers in the first entry into our new Kottage K...
Episode 73: The Belkin WeMO, IfThisThenThat, and Daniel Steele is a chair leg?
January 26, 2014 18:29 - 17 MBThe first project this time was replacing some of the trashy novels that were holding up the furniture with actual legs. We left a couple of books under the corner of the sofa because we figured nobody will want to read them anyway. WE also played with a Belkin WeMo. This is like a high tech timer switch that can be controlled across the web. We set up IFTTT to control the switch using text messages. Smart idea if only Betty-Boop would stop texting "# off" to her son. I can only imagine what...
Episode 72: Tis The Season To Hang Tchotchke, And is it ready for human testing?
January 19, 2014 15:33 - 18.5 MBIt's Christmas time in Muskoka and there's no better time to get all the old skis, snowshoes, and other paraphernalia off the floor, out of the hallway, and up onto the walls where it belongs We also got to poke fun at Bruce's Dr. Seuss Christmas tree We also followed up on the water purification system and it appears that human testing is in order.
Episode 71: The LED Electric Guitar
December 04, 2013 20:58 - 11.8 MBCliff installs LEDs into a clear acrylic electric guitar And we come full circle with the LED guitar playing Smoke On The Water so close to the Whatta reserve.
Episode 70: Cottage Life TV visits Kottage-tek.
November 17, 2013 22:00 - 14.9 MBBlue Ant Media comes to shoot a segment for the upcomming "Cottage Cheese" show. on the new Cottage Life Television channel Now we know how George Clooney and Brad Pitt feel. Or maybe it's more like Steve Martin and Martin Short!
Episode 69: The history of cottaging in Muskoka.
August 14, 2013 02:25 - 22.3 MBWe talked about the history and traditions of cottaging in Muskoka as well as most other places in Canada We told stories about moving the outhouse, cooking on a real wood stove and of course the town pump which we still use today. If that's roughing it, I'll take it any day of the week.
Episode 68: Water Water Everywhere and now we can drink it!
July 04, 2013 21:23 - 23.1 MBBruce finally pulled the trigger on a water purification system. Paul Godwin Plumbing took care of the project and boy does it make a difference when professionals do the work We put in three "Big Blue" 20 inch filter canisters and a Greenway GAUV-12H UV Disinfection System which uses a 35 watt UV lamp to kill bacteria. We also upped the water pump from a half horse to a three quarter for more flow.
Episode 67: Bruce you sak of krete!
June 26, 2013 17:22 - 18 MBThis time we get into a bit more detail about pouring cement. We covered scribing forms to the uneven rocks which is a handy skill to have. We also talked about mixing cement. We discussed different kinds of cement and just what makes it concrete. Bruce went with the old wheelbarrow method which was fine considering we only mixed three bags. That man loves to watch people work. Anymore and I would have wanted the big boy toys. Maybe even the big cement pumper truck.
Episode 66: Patio stones and cement. All for fresh water.
June 26, 2013 12:47 - 17.6 MBBruce is finally installing a water purification system so we don't have to keep hauling water from the city or at least the town pump. We did a bunch of cleanup in the crawlspace and prepared a place for the installers to set the new pump. We did this by scribing a plywood for to the un-even rock and poured 3 bags of cement.
Episode 65: Two Bruces and The Montreal Crew.
January 13, 2013 20:34 - 1.73 MBBruce and Asis, aka The Montreal Crew show up imediately jumped in to help with cleaning out the beer fridge. Their years of training and experience pays off as we actually had to re-stock before the visit was over. We also announce the grand openning of "The Kottage-tek Swag Shop over on Cafe Press
Episode 64: Infrastructure is a pretty big word!
December 25, 2012 22:17 - 15.6 MBWe talk about a couple of big projects at the cottage like the bathroom vanity and a new steel roof We also talk about the loons amassing on the lake in preparation for their winter migration.
Episode 63: The 802.11ac Wi-Fi Cordless Extension Cord
October 20, 2012 16:30 - 14.3 MBFirst the Rogers 3G hub melts down but we get that working again. Then I create the 802.11ac Wi-Fi Cordless Extension Cord.
Episode 62: Misting Bruce with a paint gun.
October 13, 2012 16:39 - 14.4 MBWe finished off the re-siding job on the old bunkie. I also get to mist Bruce with the paint gun. Boy hes going grey!,
Episode 61: Outsourced labour for residing the old bunkie.
September 09, 2012 21:55 - 18 MBWe finally replace the old siding on the bunkie and even get on a couple of coats of paint We also have a toast to the war of 1812.,
Episode 60: The beer machine that goes BING
September 03, 2012 18:28 - 14.9 MBBruce has a dead battery and a flat. The machine that goes "Bing", and maple syrup collection re-invents the beer me zip line.
Episode 59: Hunting with a plate glass window.
March 20, 2012 00:53 - 18 MBBruce catches a Ruffed Grouse. Actually it flew into a window so we cooked it for dinner.
Episode 58: We need to flush at least 5 times each night!
March 11, 2012 15:37 - 20.6 MBWe work on ways to prevent the water line from freezing. It's truly a franchise opportunity.
Episode 57: The Newfie Screwdriver.
January 08, 2012 16:34 - 17.6 MBSarah gets stuck in the truck thanks to the kiddie locks. and we build a new platform deck for the tin garden shed. Bruce and Sarah get to work driving deck screws with the Newfie Screwdriver
Episode 56: Cooking ribs at the cottage.
January 02, 2012 18:22 - 10.6 MBFirst we BBQ some ribs and chicken. Then we find that someone has been putting food in the beer fridge. blasphemy!
Episode 55: The Fridge of DEATH
December 24, 2011 17:56 - 14.6 MBThe food fridge is renamed the fridge of DEATH and Bruce wants to open a micro brewery.
Episode 54: The Water Garden Beer Chiller Hot Tub
September 16, 2011 14:42 - 15.3 MBCliff creates a unique water garden at the cottage. It does double duty as a beer and wine chiller by day and a hot tub by night. Pure genius!
Episode 53: The Kottage Kreations Beer-Me Zip Line
August 15, 2011 02:04 - 13.5 MBWe have a problem down on the dock that needs a solution. Fortunately I figure out a solution and implement it. Finally, cold ones on the dock.
Episode 52: A couple of curmudgeons if you please.
August 12, 2011 21:48 - 15.1 MBWe do a major spring cleaning both inside and out. Karen fires the cottage mower and I cut up the old paddle boat with my demo saw. Then its of to the dump and them Mactier for plumbing supplies.
Episode 51: Do we have to go tubing?
August 12, 2011 21:48 - 17.8 MBFaced with a boat full of bikini clad women, Bruce and Cliff take the neighnours tubing and waterskiing
Episode 50: Damn Beavers!
August 03, 2011 13:14 - 17.2 MBViolent storms hit the Muskokas We also went for a field trip to check out some beaver baffles.
Episode 49: The BBQ Fleet and Stolen Sleds!
August 03, 2011 13:14 - 19.5 MBWe add another "newish" BBQ to the ever growing fleet lined up on the deck. We also talk about some dumb crooks who stole a snowmobile and got caught.
Episode 48: It was a dark and stormy night!
July 23, 2011 17:21 - 14.7 MBViolent storms hit the Muskokas We spend the rest of the day repairing the washed out gravel on the driveway and walkways.
Episode 47: The Touring Troy-Bilt.
February 26, 2011 20:12 - 13.1 MBFirst Bruce starts the old two stroke snow blower in the dinning room Then he buys a sweet Troy-Bilt 24" 2 stage dream. Then I go to work on it. "Stay off the roads".
Episode 46: Pipi the septic sucking truck.
February 18, 2011 21:02 - 17.3 MBPipi showed up today with his septic sucking truck. The biggest baddest shopvac on the cottage road
Episode 45: Finally, WiFi at the cottage.
February 06, 2011 14:00 - 13.5 MBBruce is finally able to get internet access at the cottage. And without a phone line or modem. We also rescued a chickadee on the deck and a crawfish in a beer can.
Episode 44: Breathing fire into the Stihl dragon.
January 22, 2011 16:59 - 14.2 MBWell its firewood hunting season and Bruce actually had to buy firewood this year. we talked about just what is a bush cord and a face cord. We also cut some windfall trees with my new Stihl chainsaw. Thanks to CVR Motors (cvrmotors.com) for a sweet deal.