KOZI Warm Off the Grid

When we decided to live in a float cabin on Powell Lake, we had to learn new off-the-grid ways of doing everyday tasks. Winter can be challenging on the lake, but one of our favorite times of the year.



We stay warm and snug in our cabin even during snowstorms. Our "KOZI" wood-burning stove keeps the cabin warm day and night (as long as Wayne gets up to stoke it).

Our KOZI doubles as a cooking surface, saving valuable propane for lights and a refrigerator. Using my cast iron dutch oven, I've cooked scrumptious pineapple upside down and apple-raisin spice cakes on top of the stove. Comfort foods are wonderful on a wintry day.

We need lots of wood, so our friend John built us a wood storage float. Here we can cut, split, and store wood all summer so it will be ready for our winter needs.



The wood float keeps the extra weight off our cabin deck, but still makes it handy. I've built a wood storage shelf for the back bedroom. Here we can store enough wood for four days and nights of KOZI fires.



Here's just a sample of how we stay KOZI warm off the grid.

"Debris Field" in Up the Winter Trail tells about some of our wood gathering exploits.

Let us hear about some of your winter stories. -- Margy

Up the Winter Trail

Powell River is a wonderful place to be any time of year. When snow comes down, we spend most of our time up the lake at our cabin cozied up to our woodstove. All of the wood gathering and spitting during summer and fall really pays off.

This is a picture of "The Notch" on Goat Island. We can see it from the front porch of our cabin. In winter, it remains in perpetual shadow from top to bottom. You can go on a hike "Up the Notch" with Wayne in Up the Winter Trail now available by clicking here.

One of our favorite winter activities is quad riding to snow in the back country. From there, snowshoes allow us to explore quiet and pristine snow covered trails.


On many such trips we travel with our friend John and his dog Bro.

Include Powell River in your winter vacation plans so you too can enjoy our beautiful land.

Discover some other winter adventures in Wayne's Coastal BC Stories book Up the Winter Trail. It includes adventures by quad, hiking, snowshoeing, and of course, stories about float cabin living. -- Margy

"Up the Winter Trail" Book Launch

Up the Winter Trail was formally launched today at the Powell River Fall Festival of Writers in 2006. The book is available at stores in Powell River including Coles and Breakwater Books. It's also available online at PowellRiverBooks.com or directly from online vendors such as Amazon and Kobo.

Get ready for a winter of fun, or begin preparing for your visit to Vancouver and the Sunshine Coast. And don't forget, books make wonder holiday gifts.

Many authors call Powell River home. The Powell River Festival of Writers, a not for profit society founded by Barb Rees, Allan Brown and Roger Whittaker, hosts fall and spring workshops that bring together experts and local talent to celebrate and learn about the art of writing.

Guest speakers included: Daniel Wood, renowned author and journalist, Sheila Munro, national bestselling memoir author, and Wayne Lutz, author of the Coastal British Columbia Stories series.

To find out more about upcoming events visit the  Powell River Direct website. -- Margy

Discovering Powell River by Air

It's great to be heading north and back to Powell River again. Unfortunately, our trusty Piper Arrow is staying behind for some unscheduled maintenance, so Alaska Airlines will have to do. The trip will be a lot quicker, but not as much fun.

Powell River, BC

Flying in 997 (her number is also her name) normally takes us up Victor 27, the coast route, from Los Angeles to Astoria, Oregon. A short jaunt up the Columbia River and Puget Sound brings us to the Canadian border. The view from 7000 feet includes the deep blue Pacific Ocean to the west and the green Coastal range to the east. In the north, the snowy caps of the Cascades rise above puffy white clouds.

In the past, we've only flown this route in summer months. Now that we've retired, we're able to travel in 997 whenever we can get at least 24 hours of good weather (and no maintenance issues).

We discovered Powell River in 2000 while camping by airplane. Wayne and I have flown to many beautiful locations and camped on small airports from Mexico to Alaska, but none of those places can compare to the people, scenery and lifestyle in Powell River.

Our early years in Powell River became the basis for the first book in the Coastal BC Stories series entitled Up The Lake. It's available in print and e-book formats from online vendors.

FREE introductory offer for the Kindle version of Up the Lake. Get it now and discover Coastal BC at its best. -- Margy

"Up the Lake" Book Launch Party

My husband Wayne loves our float cabin on Powell Lake in Coastal BC so much that he wrote Up the Lake to share experiences we've had in this unique environment. When we launched the book last July we had a "party" at our cabin.

We invited our neighbors and friends from town. The PEAK newspaper staff even brought a large houseboat to the festivities.

We even had a celebrity guest. He volunteered to take care of the brew bucket. Funny thing, the Kokanees seemed to disappear faster than the pop when he was on the job. Very strange!


Hope you had fun at our book launch party.

 If you want to find out more about float cabin living, read some more here at my blog or go to PowellRiverBooks.com to get more information about Up the Lake and other books in the Coastal BC Stories series. -- Margy

Welcome to the Powell River Books Blog

Welcome to the Powell River Books blog. PRB publishes Coastal British Columbia Stories by Wayne J. Lutz. On this blog we will keep you posted on happenings in and around Powell River, BC. We will also answer questions you may have about our publications or the region in general. Come back often. Let us hear from you.

Wayne and Margy Lutz