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| Ian's log house (named Taliesin), located between Golden and Radium Hot Springs, B.C. After taking a log building course, Ian decided that his talents lay more in teaching than log building, and so he taught courses at East Kootenay Community College and hired an expert log builder to fit the logs in 1980. However, Ian did the electrical work and plumbing, and cut the doors and windows out of the log walls. He still has a 50% interest in the house, and visits for a couple of weeks most summers. | Ian's father-in-law, Dr. John Morgan, on Mitten Lake, about 15 miles from Ian's log house. Mitten Lake is accessible only by suffering extremely rough logging roads, but it's worth the trip. Dr. Morgan loves exercising his Seagull engine. |
The Septet Peaks, taken from the front porch of Ian's log house south
of Golden, B.C. (with a telephoto lens). The Septets are part of the Bugaboo
Range, famous for helicopter skiing.
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| The log house was fitted about a mile off site, disassembled, then loaded onto a logging truck and re-assembed on the concrete foudation. While each round of logs was being laid, Ian walked around on top with a drill to make the holes for the electrical wiring. Did you ever wonder how a log house is wired? | While the logs were being fitted, Ian poured concrete into the forms for the foundation. Meanwhile, he had left enough room for a spiral staircase, but needed help to design it. Connecting three floors was not easy. Happily, he met Eilonwy, who designed the staircase (she had studied architecture). This collaboration led to romance and marriage. | The finished house, with Ptarmigan Peak in the background. It is located about a mile off the highway, with creeks running past on each side. The house is about halfway between the ski areas in Golden and Panorama, and about an hour's drive from Lake O'Hara, which is an ideal spot for hiking and climbing. When teaching at the University of Lethbridge, Ian brought his students here on retreat. |
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| Climbing on Mount Temple, about 1990. | Hiking near Mount Temple, about 1990. | Climbing to Abbot's Hut, between Lake Louise and Lake O'Hara, about 1988. |