Riding the Bow Wave

Last week I shared some sky photos of our ferry crossing to Mukilteo, Washington.

All the way across from Clinton to Mukilteo a flock of seagulls rode the wave of air rising off the front of the ferry. They were amazing to watch.

They would swoop low in front of the bow of the ship and then shoot high up in the air, bank around and do it all over again.

Wayne and I were mesmerized by their antics and wondered how they learned this behaviour. They caught a free ride all the way across from Whidbey Island to the Washington mainland. I'm sure they caught the return ferry run just for the fun of it. -- Margy

Introducing Carolyn at "Living on the Edge"

Hello readers. It's Wednesday Friends Day again. This week I would like to introduce you to another Canadian follower. Her name is Carolyn and her blog is called Living on the Edge.

Carolyn truly lives "on the edge." Her home is on Haida Gwaii, also known as the Queen Charlotte Islands off the west coast of British Columbia. Wayne and I've always wanted to visit Haida Gwaii, but haven't made it there yet. I get to see lots of the beautiful scenery on Carolyn's blog.

Here are some of my favourite posts:

• Gaaysigaang (caring for our oceans)
• A Haida Pole Raising (wonderful carving and ceremony)
  
• A Walk in the Woods (Haida history)
• End of an Era (a new ferry for Haida Gwaii)
• The Cats of Parliament Hill (I knew I picked the right country)
• Sea and Sky (beautiful Haida Gwaii)

I first discovered Carolyn through her posts on SkyWatch Friday. I participate in this meme whenever I have a good shot. It's lots of fun to see skies from around the world.

Carolyn is quite the traveler. She went house sitting for friends in Ontario and right now she's with family in Toronto, giving us great posts and pictures from a different perspective. One thing I love about Carolyn's posts is that she give you lots of information and history. Head on over to Living on the Edge to see what treasures she has to offer. -- Margy

Back in Time at Boomer's Drive-In

If you asked me, "What's your favourite movie?" my answer would instantly be American Graffiti. "Why American Graffiti," you ask? The "short" answer is I learned to drive in the early 60's, I did my share of cruising and I spent my summers near Modesto, California, the location for the movie. Every time I see it I think of swimming in canals, cruising 10th Street, dragging on country roads and parking in peach orchards. Several movie scenes were at Mel's Drive-In, the quintessential 1950's fast food restaurant and teenage hangout. The real Mel's was in San Francisco, but almost every town had a similar drive-in with car service (with or without roller skates).

This brings me to Boomer's Drive-In in Bellingham, Washington. It truly is a step back in time. You can still pull up to covered parking, read the carside menu, turn on your lights and the waitress comes to take your order. She returns with a window tray of delights that will really take you back. Boomer's signature dish is the Boomer Burger (really big and juicy) in a combo with one of their scrumptious hard ice cream shakes (try peanut butter) and crisp waffle fries. It's enough for even the hungriest guy. They have other items, but I haven't made it past the Boomer Burger. When the weather's too cold for car dining, Boomer's has indoor seating next to a roaring fire. Maybe not like Mel's, but a good addition for the Pacific Northwest.

You'll find Boomer's at 310 N. Samish Way (360-647-2666). Heading south, take the Samish Way exit from I-5 and turn right. Boomer's is about half a mile on the right. It's a little hard to see until you are right on top of it, so go slow. Want to make it a date? Take in a movie at the Sehome Regal Theater. It's at 3300 Fielding Avenue. At the same Samish Way exit go straight on 36th Street past the Sehome Village shopping center. When 36th turns to the right (left is an I-5 onramp) it becomes Fielding. Make an immediate left and you're in the theater parking lot. Make it a real date, we did. -- Margy

Mukilteo Ferry Crossing

Wayne and I decided to use some of our time in the States to go to a USC women's basketball game in Seattle. To get there, the easiest route from Bellingham is directly south on I-5, but this time we had to make a stop on Whidbey Island. We decided to keep on going to the southern tip and take the Clinton-Mulkilteo Ferry across to the mainland.

Whidbey is the largest island in Washington and the fifth largest in the contiguous United States. It claims to be the longest island in the States, but that is often disputed by Long Island in New York. The drive along Highways 20 and 525 is both excellent and beautiful. In the north there's picturesque Deception Pass. On the south island, there are gorgeous peak-a-boo views of the ocean.

At the southern tip of Whidbey Island is the town of Clinton. That is where you catch the ferry to Mukilteo on the mainland. Ferries run every half hour from 4:30 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. It's a classic design with inside and outside seats on the upper deck. There's not much time to relax, the crossing takes from 15-20 minutes, but head on up for some great views and sky photo opportunities.

We love to go to games at the University of Wasington. We stay at the Silver Cloud Inn in nearby University Village. From there we can walk to all of the sports venues. And for a brew and a bite to eat, we love the Ram Restaurant & Brewery. My kind of place for sure. And the Women of Troy pulled out a victory over the Huskies. Way to go! -- Margy

Introducing Betty at "Mud Creek Mama"

Wednesday is Friends Day. This week I'm proud to introduce the Blogger Follower who is my most faithful reader. Her name is Betty, better known as Mud Creek Mama at her blog of the same name.


Betty and I bumped into each other online several years ago. We then discovered we lived in the same town, Bellingham, Washington. Because of that, we decided to meet each other in real life. Since that first coffee in Old Fairhaven, we've become very good friends. We love to meet and window shop, especially at a used bookstore called Eclipse.

Here are some of my favourite posts:

• Me Through the Years (get to know Betty)
• Dot (Betty's friend and aunt of a Powell River friend)
• WWU Stretch Training (Betty is faithful at exercise)
• Saturday Market (I love the Farmer's Market)
• Photoshop - My First Picture (Betty loves photography)

Last summer Betty had a wonderful sailing experience on a Tall Ship called the Zodiac. She wrote three exciting posts with pictures: Sailing on the Zodiac, More Pictures from the Zodiac and Last Post from the Zodiac. The Scooner Zodiac provides public and private sailing tours from Bellingham. Betty's was a three-hour tour of the bay. I could feel her excitement through her wonderful pictures and narrative.

Not only is Betty my good friend, but she's also a great fan of Wayne's Coastal BC Stories. She's read all of them and that's quite and accomplishment. Wayne always loves to hear her comments, especially here on the blog.

Betty likes to hike around the lake and woods near her home, bake, garden and take lots of photographs to share on her blog. So, head on over to Mud Creek Mama and say hi to my good friend. You can also visit her at Facebook. -- Margy

Flipping Burgers

Last night we had quite a wind storm in Powell River. Up the lake at our float cabin in Hole in the Wall it was gusty from about 4:30 to 9:00 am with speeds up to 27 knots (50 kph or 31 mph). That's not hurricane force winds, but it was enough to flip some burgers the hard way.

We rode out the winds in style thanks to our good friend John's invention of steel anchor cable shock absorbers. I even got back to sleep, a rare occurrence during wind storms. Click here to find out more about how the shock absorbers work. There's even a short video. -- Margy

Squirrel Creek Bridge Ride

Today we opted for a warm truck rather than our quads for a ride into the bush. Our destination was the Squirrel Creek Bridge up the Eldred River valley. Well, that's not technically true. We went to where the Squirrel Creek Bridge used to be before it was removed by helicopter by Plutonic Power to transport to their run-of-river project in Toba Inlet. Now access to this portion of our back country is cut off.

We followed Goat Main all the way from the junction with Dixon Road south of Powell River. It's a major logging road and is easy to drive, except for the last few kilometres that are water barred to help prevent erosion by streams crossing the roadbed.

Along the way there are beautiful sights. Lakes with brilliant reflections. Forests in many shades of green. Snow capped peaks sparkling in the sunlight. Sheer granite cliffs glistening after yesterday's rain. And lots and lots of roaring creeks and streams. We are so lucky here in Powell River to have so much beauty within a day's reach. It is sad that several more of our main routes into the back country might be lost.

The following are a few shots from today's trip.

















If you love the outdoors, come join us to explore Powell River's wonderful back country. Want to learn more about it? Take a look at Up the Main and ride along with Wayne and I on the many roads and trails our region has to offer. -- Margy

Rain Times Two

One of the things I love about living at the float cabin is weather watching. This time of year we get lots of rain, so that's a no brainer.

One thing I've never noticed before is two types of rain happening at the same time. I was watching out our sliding glass door and saw a fine mist hitting the water beyond our deck. But at the same time, huge drops were falling and making large rings on the water's surface. Rain times two.

It was hard to capture the two types of rain in a photograph. The fine misty rain was coming from a low hanging layer of stratus clouds. This is because the moisture falls as soon as it forms into droplets int he clouds. The large drops that made giant rings were from higher level cumulus clouds. They grow in size because they are carried in updrafts through the towering clouds until they become too heavy and fall. If I didn't live facing a watery front yard I might never have noticed this unusual event. -- Margy

Introducing Margaret's "Thistle Garden"

Blogging has become a large part of my life. I use it to share memorable events, cooking experiences, living the simple life off the grid in a floating cabin in Coastal BC, and of course, Wayne's books. But what would blogging be without you, my loyal readers.

When Blogger started the Followers feature, Margaret over at Thistle Garden became my first "official" follower. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to her.

Margaret lives here in Powell River and we meet in real life as well as through our blogging. Margaret lives in a semi-rural part of town and has a large garden and chickens. She's an inspiration to me when it comes to simplifying life and getting back to the basics. Here are some of my favourite posts:

Switchback Trail at Wildwood Hill
Carrot Cake (you can taste it at the diner!)
Swiss Chard (inspired me to plant some)
50-mile Diet (eat local)

Margaret does a lot of sewing and crafting. You will see lots of her projects on the blog. You can also purchase some of them for yourself at her ETSY shop online.

If her life isn't busy enough, Margaret and her husband Art just opened a restaurant here in town. It's called Magpie's Diner and they serve breakfast and lunch six days a week. If you make it to Powell River, stop by for a sumptuous treat.

One other thing we have in common is floating cabins on Powell Lake. And not just any cabins. Both of ours were hand built by our good friend John.

Head on over to Thistle Garden and say hi to Margaret. And Margaret, thanks for being my first and very faithful follower. See you for breakfast soon. -- Margy

Glowing Duckies Light Up Our LIfe

When the days are short and the nights are long and dark, we like to have things around us that light up our life. For Christmas, I found some Aqua Glow Rubber Duckies for Wayne at Fred Meyers in Bellingham. Right now, they are lighting up our cabin window. This summer, they'll get to take a dip in the lake and light up the waves.

In the background you can see our solar powered LED Christmas lights. We like them so much, they grace our front porch all year long. With so little sunlight right now they only last about half an hour, but they are a bright spot to start a long dark night. What kinds of things do you use to light up your life? -- Margy

Now Available Online - Farther Up the Lake

A Great Book
for the Outdoor Enthusiast

Farther Up the Lake

Coastal BC Stories

Want to know more about float cabin living? Following in the footsteps of the most successful book in the Coastal BC Stories series comes Farther Up the Lake. Head up Powell Lake to experience life in an off the grid float cabin, experience winter on the lake, spend the night up at the head, go beachcombing for logging history, and much more. Read Farther Up the Lake by Wayne Lutz and see how much fun it can be to go up the lake.

Go to www.PowellRiverBooks.com for ordering information.

Foguary

January is fog time in Powell River. In between waves of rain coming off the Pacific, there are high pressure breaks that should bring us some much needed sunshine. But this time of year a forecast of "sunny" often mean "foggy."

The fog can cling to the surface of Powell Lake for many hours. Some days it barely rises above the surface of the water and out of the tops of the trees.

On other days, the fog harbours ice. Fog depositing ice leaves frost encrusted trees in it's wake.

It's an amazing weather month, even if it is hard to get around sometimes. -- Margy

Shinglemill Pub and Bistro

If you're ever in Powell River, you must eat at the Shinglemill Pub and Bistro. The restaurant is named for the Powell Lake Shingle Mill that once stood on this site. The shingle mill was first built by Brooks Bidlake in 1913 and sold to "Doc" Jameson from Vancouver in the 1920's. It was a big part of Powell River's logging history until it burned down in 1951.

Wayne and I love to eat in the pub that overlooks the boat launch and marina. On warm sunny days you can sit on the deck to watch the boats going up and down the lake. This week I took my mom there for lunch. Rather than the eager cabin owners and recreational boaters you see in summer, this time we saw only hardy loggers returning from a long, cold, wet day in the woods.

Inside it was warm and cozy. There are lots of window seats with great views up Powell Lake. Mom got a bowl of homemade creamy chicken vegetable soup. I opted for the lunch special of spicy calamari with a Greek salad. Each day has lunch and specials. My favourite is Wednesday wing night. The Thai wings are to die for, especially with a Sleeman's Honey Brown on the side.

To get to the Shinglemill, cross the bridge over Powell River (the world's second shortest) and make an immediate right. The address is 6233 Powell Hts or you can reach them by phone at (604) 483-2001. Need a ride? Give Powell River Taxi a call at (604) 483-3666. You know, their other name is the Shinglemill Express. -- Margy

Pool Man Canadian Style

Do you have a swimming pool? I bet it needs periodic cleaning to keep it sparkling. Well, our "swimming pool" at the cabin is just the same. Only our "pool man" cleans it with a pike pole, not a broom.

When the lake level rises, wood and logs are released from the shorelines to float aimlessly across the surface. Wind and current push the debris slowly up and down the lake. Some works its way through our protective log boom and takes up residence in our "yard."

This week Wayne went out to clean up the mess. He used our 14' pike pole to grab the logs and push them on their way. Pike poles are a traditional logging tool. Long aluminum (these days) poles are tipped with a two-pronged end. The sharp, straight end is used to push logs away. The curved spike is used to grab and pull logs. As you can see, some of the stove-sized lengths were hauled aboard the float to dry out. Later we'll saw them up for firewood. Maybe not a usual task for your pool man, but a handy addition out here in the bush. -- Margy

Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon

What does an author buy as Christmas presents? Books of course. In my stocking I found Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon. She is one of Wayne's favourite science fiction writers. He purchased it earlier in the year for his Kindle, but couldn't share it with me because I don't have one yet.

Elizabeth Moon is from Texas. Her educational background is in history and biology (just like me) and she served as a Marine (definitely not like me).

Remnant Population isn't your normal (if there is such a thing) science fiction novel. It is set in Sims Bancorp Colony 3245.12 on a distant earth-like planet. Over the last forty years, the colony has terraformed their surroundings, but it hasn't been easy. Now, representatives from company headquarters have arrived to tell them they all must leave. With stoic resignation, the colonists prepare their belongings and ready themselves for a long interstellar trip in cryogenic suspension. Everyone except for grandmotherly Ofelia. She has always followed the demands of her parents, husband, employer and most recently her son, but not this time. She decides to stay behind and live as she wishes, alone but not lonely.

Trained as a self-sufficient colonist, she is able to use and maintain the buildings, materials and equipment needed to sustain herself. She's an avid gardener and lives simply until new colonists arrive far to the north. As she listens to their landing transmissions, they are horribly massacred. Ofelia knows this will be the end of her solitary life. Intelligent and deadly creatures share her planet, and her own kind won't let the tragedy go unavenged.

Even though the book is set far in the future on a distant planet, life in the colony was much like living in a small rural community. I could see lots of similarities to my lifestyle and attitudes living off the grid. Ofelia decided late in life that she would live according to her own plan. She no longer cared what others thought and finally was comfortable speaking her own mind. She became quite a role model for me in more ways than one.

Check your local bookstore, library or online book source for Remnant Population. I couldn't put it down except when my flashlight ran dim late at night. -- Margy

Scifi Available Online - Inbound to Earth

Inbound to Earth

by Wayne J. Lutz

Alien and artificial intelligence are separated by a fine line. Evolving intelligence is inbound to earth, autonomous from its home planet. And only one person will be able to bridge the gap.

The author of six books in the series Coastal BC Stories makes his second venture into science fiction, where amateur astronomer Tannon Bessimer not only discovers a celestial object inbound to earth, but becomes the key to unlock the mystery. Click here for a look inside.

Get the print edition now
online at www.Amazon.com
for $14.95

Get the Kindle e-book edition now
online at www.Amazon.com
for $5.99