the beginning....

Welcome to our blog!  

Here is where we'll let you know about the construction of the cabin and share photos and stories about the process.  

First - below is a copy of the letter we sent out to Peter's family and friends with a slight change in payment requirements: creating a trust fund for this purpose was complicated and not feasible, therefore, our Credit Union suggested we create a chequing account under my name with the addition of "Peter Boles Cabin Renovation" in the memo line.  Sorry to the generous donors whose cheques we had to send back for reissue - many thanks for your prompt replies.

After that - photos and description.

Dear friends,

We are writing to you on behalf of Peter Boles.  You may know him as a spiritual director, retreat leader, a baseball team member, Mitraniketan Coop member, Queenswood volunteer, friend, or in some other context. At this particular stage of his life, Peter finds himself in the position of needing to move closer to family. This move is happening sooner than any of us anticipated. 

  We are aware that some of you may not know Peter outside of one particular context. He has always been a loyal, forthright, generous person with a tremendous sense of humour.  In 1967, during a time when single fatherhood was rare, he raised three children on his own for several years before marrying Sandy. In 1978 Peter left an established career in sales to move to Victoria, BC, where he joined a community of people involved in social justice. He was one of the co-founding members of Mitraniketan Housing Cooperative - an intentional community based on the principles of social justice which operates an emergency housing society that assists local and refugee families in crisis. Peter’s volunteer involvements over the years have included: Development and Peace (the development body of the Catholic Church), 10 days for World Development, solidarity work with Nicaragua, spiritual direction, retreat direction at Glenairley, Sorrento, Naramata and Rivendell, participation in cancer walks with his daughter Cathy, and the last 15 years as an avid player in senior’s baseball.

  My husband Hal and I (Deb) have offered my Dad the small cabin on our property on Quadra Island. The cabin is basic: a 15 x 20 foot room with an unfinished loft. At present there is inadequate insulation, no plumbing and insufficient electricity. A renovation is necessary to make it livable for Peter. The lifestyle choices we have made, similar to Peter’s, means that we do not have the financial resources to prepare the cabin for him. We are appealing to people who know and love Peter to contribute to the renovation so that he can live independently but within proximity to care and assistance from his family.

  We find ourselves under some pressure to do this in the next few months.  He will be here for the  month of April so we need to have the cabin prepared for then and thereafter he will be transitioning between Quadra and the Co-op in Victoria.  Several other factors have encouraged us to proceed immediately. Peter’s granddaughter Lyndsy donated $5000 towards the renovation of the cabin. His daughter Cathy, a carpenter, arrives on Dec. 28^th and has offered to take three weeks off work in Prince George in order to assist the lead carpenter. An additional donation of $1000 has also been given along with the electrician’s offer to provide materials at cost.  

Following is a description of the work that needs to be done on the cabin. The cost is professionally estimated at $25,500.  If you would like to contribute please make your cheque payable to: Deborah Douglas, with the addition of "Peter Boles Cabin Renovation" written on the memo line, and send it to: Hal and Deb Douglas, P.O. Box 490, Heriot Bay, BC V0P 1H0

      Work to be done on the cabin:

hydro/electricity upgrade including a trench for new cable from house to cabin 

water and sewer systems brought to cabin 

a  5' x 10' addition built to incorporate a bathroom, and stairs to the loft

plumbing, fixtures and installation to provide hot water tank, shower, sink, and toilet

baseboard heating and gas fireplace (we have several power outages during the fall and winter so he needs to have an alternative heat source)

small kitchenette 

loft made functional: raise roof, insulate, install window, finish interior

       For those who are interested, a blog will be created to document the progress and construction on the cabin, and we will include photos and stories.  

       We believe Peter will very much enjoy living in this cabin on Quadra Island. The environment here is reminiscent of the hermitage style retreat setting he so loves at Glenairley, Rivendell and Nestucca. The island has a vital community of people, many of whom are social justice oriented, care deeply about the environment, provide weekly community lunches, a food bank, and free wood and book programs for those in need. Life on the island offers not only the quiet gentleness of nature but also a wide variety of social activities and community events.

       We trust that the cabin, nestled within the Quadra Island community and adjacent to family, will support Peter in the coming years.                        

We humbly thank you for consideration of this request.                                                                                                                                 Blessings to you. 

Yours sincerely,

Deb Douglas 

Kathi Bentall

any questions contact Deb or Hal at 250-285-2894 

or Kathi Bentall at 604-255-1295

Here is a photo of the cabin during summer: 

and here are some photos of the trench being dug -- the hydro cables are now underground as are the pipes for water and sewage.  In the first pic, the trench goes from our home (in front) to the cabin in the rear.

 

Another trench branches off from the main one around and through the backyard to the septic field. Below is a photo of our backyard with the deck at right and neighbours house on the left.

Below is another view of the cabin in the background. 

Mel (the electrician), Jim (the plumber), and Chris (the excavator) worked all day on Dec. 11th -- they did a fantastic job!  Chris was meticulous in leveling the soil -- our yard looked better after the trench than it did before it was dug up -- no more weeds in the driveway.

Dad (Peter) will be driving up from Victoria tomorrow afternoon with Olivia for Christmas. On Monday, December 28th we'll begin the construction of a bathroom on the cabin.  It'll be an exciting day and Peter will be here for it!