Introducing Susannah at "Wanderin' Weeta"

This week for Wednesday Friends Day I would like to introduce Susannah, better known as Wanderin' Weeta.

Susannah hails from Delta in the Lower Fraser Valley. That's part of the Coastal British Columbia mainland. Her blog is called Wanderin' Weeta (With Waterfowl and Weeds). It is aptly named because many of her articles and photographs are of plants and bird life, but you will also find a host of other nature based topics mixed in for good measure.

Susannah's profile gives you a hint about her good sense of humour and positive outlook on life. She says that she's "as weird as necessary for sanity, as sane as kids and grandkids permit, and a lover of birds, green stuff, tiny beasties and oddities generally." Every time I visit Susannah's blog I know I'll learn something new and experience this wonderful land through her outstanding photographs.

Here are some favourite posts I'd like to share:

• Five dozen babies (master of the miniature)
  
• Of Old Growth and New Life (book review & forest info)
• Why do we call it vacant? (takes time to sees what others miss)
  
• Rock Flipping Day (a fun activity for young and old)
• Two-faced Hermit? (Susannah has unusual pets)
• Self portrait in a cat's eye (great closeup)

Susannah is an author and has two books available online. The first is Fire in the Bedroll, an autobiographical account of a marriage gone wrong. The second is Susie, a collection stories of her childhood growing up the the West Coast of Vancouver Island. Both are available at LuLu.com. In addition, Susannah can be found on Flickr (her wonderful photos) and Twitter.

Head on over to Wanderin' Weeta for some great photographs and information. I know you will enjoy it as much as I do. -- Margy

Canned Pickled Beets

Six weeks ago I pulled the last of my beets and put them in storage. I was checking and noticed some were starting to dry out so I decided to can what was left. For a recipe, I used my favourite canning reference book, the Farm Journal's Freezing and Canning Cookbook.

Canned Pickled Beets

24 small beets (2-2 1/2")
water

Cook beets well. Cool, peel and slice.

1 large onion sliced (if desired)
2 cups 5% acid strength cider vinegar
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons canning/pickling salt
1 cup water
6 whole cloves
1 stick cinnamon

Tie cloves and cinnamon in a cheesecloth bag. Bring vinegar, water, sugar, salt and spice bag to a boil. Add sliced beets and onions and simmer for five minutes. Remove the spice bag.

Fill four sterilized hot pint jars (I used two quarts instead) with beets and liquid to 1/4" from the top. Remove air bubbles and clean the jar rims. Place sterilized lids on top and secure with rings.

Place jars in a boiling water bath that covers the lids by at least 1" and process for thirty minutes. Begin timing once the water returns to a full boil. When done, remove the jars and allow them to cool undisturbed. Once cool, check the seal. Keep your jars in a dark, cool place until needed.

This is a lot more work than the simple fresh pickled beets I make in the summer, but it's a good way to keep the last of my crop from spoiling. - Margy

7 Awesome Things about Spring in Powell River BC

Today is the first day of Spring and I'd like to invite you to my favourite place on earth, Powell River, BC. Here are 7 awesome things about Powell River for this spring.

1. Very friendly people. One of the first things we learned about Powell River is that it's filled with friendly people. Stop at the Tourism Powell River Visitor Centre in the Crossroads Village Shopping Centre next to Quality Foods on Mondays through Fridays 9:00-5:00. Pick up a free Powell River Living magazine or a Powell River PEAK to see what's happening around town.

2. Great places to stay. In the middle of town is the Town Centre Hotel, lounge on the beach at the Oceanside Resort and Cabins, or immerse yourself in history at the Townsite's Old Courthouse Inn. We have a special place in our hearts for the Willingdon Beach Campsite. That's where we stayed when we first discovered Powell River.

3. Tasty restaurants. From everyday to fancy, we have it all. Start the day with coffee and a cinnamon bun at Rocky Mountain Pizza, great eggs benedict at Starvin' Marvins, or a really big breakfast at my good friend Margaret's Magpie's Diner. Grab lunch in the mall at Moose n' Eddies, but don't leave town without a brew and steak at the Shinglemill Pub on Powell Lake. Sit and watch boats coming and going from logging sites and float cabins up the lake.

4. The Mill and Historic Townsite. Powell River was founded as a mill town for the Powell River Paper Company. The paper mill is now owned by Catalyst, but Powell River is no longer a company town. Homes are now privately owned and the Townsite was designated a National Historic District by Parks and Monuments Canada in 1995. Discover more about Powell River's history at the Museum.

5. The Open-Air Market. Powell River's farmers market is open April to September. Watch Around Town in the PEAK for opening and special event dates. Come for fresh produce, flowers, home baking, hand crafts and local entertainers on the Open Mic Stage on Saturdays 10:30-12:30 and Sundays 12:30-2:30.

6. Lots of outdoor activities. Whether you favourite activity is boating, hiking, ATVing, winter sports, kayaking or just relaxing, Powell River has it all. We are famous for our scuba diving, Sunshine Coast Trail, Powell River Canoe Route and rock climbing. Forest campgrounds and easy access to the back country make it paradise for outdoor enthusiasts.

7. Heading up the lake. Powell Lake is a land-locked glacial carved fresh water fjord. I love living in a float cabin up the lake in Hole in the Wall. You can rent a float cabin or boat to experience life on the lake for yourself. You can also read about off the grid living on Powell Lake in Up the Lake and Farther Up the Lake by Wayne J. Lutz at www.PowellRiverBooks.com.

Need more reasons to come? Visit Tourism Powell River. Hope to see you here soon! -- Margy

Introducing lizziviggi at "Bellingham Daily Photo"

This week for Wednesday Friends Day I would like to introduce lizziviggi from Bellingham Daily Photo.


Lizziviggi shares wonderful photos and tidbits about Bellingham, Washington. But watch the signature line, you may find some posts by her other half ejvig. Bellingham is my "vacation home" so to speak. Even though we've had a condo here since 2006, I haven't spent much time exploring this wonderful town. I know by reading lizziviggi's blog that I will find great places to visit and events to attend.

Here are some favourite posts I'd like to share:

• Gray Sunset (artistic B&W with poetry)
• The Garden Spot (colourful local nursery)
• Clouds over Kayak (kind of like our "big yellow banana")
• Village Books (a favourite bookstore of mine as well)
• Libra (I just saw the sculptures downtown)
• The Peace Arch ("Children of a Common Mother")
  

There's just so much to enjoy. You'll have to stay for a while and look around. The photographs are all so wonderful with beautiful colours, excellent composition, simple messages and poems. So, stop by Bellingham Daily Photo and let lizziviggi give you the grand tour. Two other blogs she posts to include lizziviggi and a life worth living and the Blogsboro Poetry Club. Be sure to say hi for me. -- Margy

Soup'r Supper

For a while it seemed like spring was coming, but this last week we've had a mix of rain, cold and snow. That's hot soup weather. Last week Wayne was down at John's new cabin helping with flooring. I had some left over steak in the fridge so I decided to make minestrone for supper.

EASY MINESTRONE SOUP

3 cups water
2 packets or cubes of beef bullion
leftover steak or roast diced (or cooked hamburger)
1 carrot sliced
1 stalk celery sliced
1/2 green pepper course chopped
1/2 onion course chopped
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 can red kidney beans
1 can V-8 or tomato juice
1/2 cup macaroni
1 teaspoon fines herbs
salt and pepper to taste

Put water, bullion and meat in a pot and bring to a boil. Lower to simmer, add veggies and cook until they are almost ready. Add V-8, macaroni, herbs and seasoning. Simmer until macaroni is soft. The soup will thicken slightly as it cooks. In less than an hour you'll have a healthy homemade soup.

Serve in a bowl with grated Parmesan cheese as a garnish. I like to top crackers with margarine sprinkled with Lawry's lemon pepper and dill weed. Together they makes a hearty dinner for a working man (and woman). -- Margy

Crazy Weather

Lately we've had a crazy mix of weather. Last weekend the sun was shining, I was sunbathing on the cabin deck and working in my garden.

Wednesday night the wind was blowing at 22 knots (41 kph or 25 mph) even in our sheltered bay. When that happens we rock and roll quite a bit. Fortunately our tire shock absorbers dampen the movement and our chimney pipe windcap keeps wood smoke out of the cabin. But by morning we had clearing skies.

Today we were getting ready to head down the lake when the morning drizzle turned to big heavy wet snow flakes.

Then it cleared again, with the Bunster hills showing off their new mantle of white. What a wonderful place to live. -- Margy

Available Online - Up the Lake

A Great Book for
the Outdoor Enthusiast

Up the Lake

Coastal BC Stories

Head up Powell Lake to experience life in an off the grid float cabin, take a boat to world famous Desolation Sound, ride a quad into the back country and fly overhead for a unique view of this incredible place. Read Up the Lake by Wayne Lutz and see how much fun it can be.

Print for $9.95
Kindle for $.99 ($2.99 in CA)

Go to www.PowellRiverBooks.com for ordering information.

Introducing Kent at "The Tiny House Blog"

This week for Wednesday Friends Day I would like to introduce Kent from The Tiny House Blog.


I was surfing the Internet several years ago looking for information about float cabins. I was fortunate enough to find Kent's great blog. He's a fan and researcher of small houses and cabins. As he says in his profile:

The goal of the tiny house blog is to discover the different options available for a person looking to down size into a tiny house or cabin. I will be looking at different type of construction, from logs, to yurts to modern and the unusual. I will also do book reviews, look at alternate energy for heat and electricity.

Since the blog's inception in May 2007, Kent has worked towards this goal. And now, almost three years later, there are lots of styles and information to choose from such as:

• Tiny House Concept
• Earth/Cob
• Floating Homes
• Log Construction
• Tiny Furnishings
• Your Story
  
• Construction Articles

Kent's personal research into small houses and cabins has resulted in a wealth of information that would be helpful to any small house or cabin owner, or dreamer. Sign up for his free Newsletter and he'll send you a free directory of resources.

In addition to his blog, there's a Tiny House Forum where you can share your own tiny house or cabin and connect with other like minded people. You can also keep up with Kent's posts via Facebook and Twitter. Isn't technology great?

Kent has been a great supporter of Powell River Books and my blog. While you are visiting his site you can read more about our cabin up the lake in his Floating Homes category. There are several feature articles that have given us great coverage. I can't count how many other websites have picked up those posts and reproduced them. Thanks so much Kent for all of your support over the years. -- Margy

Breakwater Books in Powell River BC

As you probably can guess from the name of the blog, books are an important part of our life. Wayne writes books, I edit books (mostly Wayne's), and we're a small book publishing company. But we couldn't make it without the help of local bookstores that carry Wayne's titles. One of our strongest supporters in Powell River is Breakwater Books.

Breakwater Books is strategically located near the corner of Marine Avenue and Alberni Street. It's a great part of town to walk, window shop, have a bite to eat and purchase a good book to read. The owners are Sean and Ruth. They have great books to browse, a free wireless hotspot, tables and chairs for relaxing, and a great little coffee shop with breakfast sweets and lunch treats.

When you enter the store you'll find tables displaying books of interest, including lots of local titles. Look close and you'll see all six books in Wayne's Coastal BC Stories series. Other good finds include the Sunshine Coast Trail Guidebook and Along the Edge of the Salish Sea by our local hiking expert Eagle Walz.

Sean and Ruth also host book launches, author readings and other cultural events in their store. So come on down to Breakwater Books. You'll be glad you did. -- Margy

Like a Virgin ...

"... for the very first time," goes the Madonna song. Our good friend Jeanne had lots of firsts this week here in Powell River. She had her first tin boat ride on Wednesday, she went to her first hockey game on Thursday, and on Friday she topped it off with her first quad ride.

A first ride is very important so we went to two experts for advice. We asked John about possible destinations with no logging and easy roads. When we met Dave (president of the Powell River ATV Club) and Marg for the hockey game, we continued our discussion. Dave and Marg are currently giving classes for youth in our community about ATV safety. What's good for kids is even better for adults, if we will only listen.

After all the input we decided on Southview Road. Usually it's our access road for Theodosia, but today it would be our destination. We parked in our usual turnout and offloaded the two quads. Wayne gave Jeanne her initial instructions and monitored her first solo. Being a flight instructor, he's used to this role. After Jeanne demonstrated a working knowledge of starting, forward and reverse, he released her for a short ride up and down the road. After three laps he turned her over to me.

I was the lead for the ride while Wayne remained with the truck. I took Jeanne at a slow pace up Theodosia Branch 2. Usually we are going so fast we don't appreciate the thick stand of second growth trees along the way. We turned off on Theodosia Branch 6, a smaller less traveled route. When it narrowed even more and started climbing over rocky terrain, we opted to return to the larger dirt road.

We continued up Branch 2 to the bridge just short of the seven kilometre mark. It was a good place to stretch our legs and enjoy a pop in the warm sunshine. From a viewpoint you could see down to Okeover Inlet and its many oyster farms. After our short break we headed back down the way we came. In about two klicks we saw a good looking guy hitchhiking. What a surprise, it was Wayne.

On the way back we found a flat, mossy quad trail heading into the bush. Wayne had already hiked it to make sure it was safe for Jeanne to try. In just a few metres, Jeanne experienced what it's like on a quad ride through the rainforest undergrowth so typical in our area. She was amazed at the experience.

Having access to the backcountry is so important for Powell River residents and visitors alike. We are fortunate in Powell River that the Regional District and ATV Club are so supportive. -- Margy

Sunny Day Up the Lake

As I've mentioned before, we are having one of the mildest winters on record. Our friend Jeanne came up to visit us at the float cabin. The day was so nice, we took her for a ride in our tin boat.

The low angle of the sun made the colours brilliant. And a few puffy white clouds against the clear blue sky was a beautiful change to the recent overcast.

Plus, it was great for our solar system. We had plenty of electricity in the cabin batteries, enough for a DVD after dinner. What a luxury. -- Margy

Introducing Elaine at "A Scattering"

This week for Wednesday Friends Day spread your wings and fly with me up north to Woodstock in southwestern Ontario, Canada, to meet Elaine at A Scattering.

I first found Elaine's blog through two of the memes I've already mentioned, Skywatch Friday and That's My World. I always look at Canadian and Pacific Northwest entries first. There's something special about learning more about places you know or want to visit.

Elaine loves birds and photography, and has blended both together nicely on her blog. She keeps a running list and so far in 2010 she has fourteen, all with links to All About Birds, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website. In addition, she loves to read and travel. We have two other things in common. First, both of our husbands are writers. Hers is freelance and travels a bit, giving Elaine a chance to take photos in different locales. And we both love cats. Her cat is Gray (by name and colour) while mine is black with the unusual name of Stick.

Elaine is originally from Newfoundland, a place Wayne and I visited last summer. We only missed her by a few days when she also went there for a visit. That would have been loads of fun. Her blog posts followed in our footsteps part of the way. Here is a picture of a spot we both visited, the Seaside Restaurant of Trout River in the magnificent Gros Morne National Park.

Here are some favourite posts I'd like to share:

• Newfoundland 2009 (of course!)
• C is for ... comfy (her cat on ABC Wednesday)
• Tonight on the Trail (nature at its best)
• For the birds (nesting Mourning Doves)
• Today on the Trail (winter walk)

Take some time to browse through A Scattering and see all of great photos and information Elaine has to offer. Join to follow her blog and you won't miss any of the great shots. -- Margy