Fly the Friendly Skies

The waves of storms we've been having are interspersed with sunny breaks. Last week when I took Wayne to Vancouver International Airport, a beautiful rainbow emerged from the darkness.

From the ground, it could be seen from horizon to horizon, much wider than my lens could capture.

I wonder what it looked like for the passengers of this jet? -- Margy

Ever Green

Evergreens get their name because the remain green throughout the year.  When deciduous trees like alders and maples lose their leaves each fall, the evergreens continue to give our hills and mountains a nice green glow.  Around our Powell Lake home, the evergreens include fir, hemlock, cedar, and some pine.


With a little sunshine, the distinctive colour of each variety comes out.

The forest is a prolific entity.  When trees are cut for roads or logging, seeds rapidly sprout to take back the clearings. In less than a year, alders begin to grow. Evergreens follow shortly thereafter.  Roads are soon obliterated.  But a little use and trimming keeps abandoned logging roads open for quads and hikers.

On a quad ride, we saved some seedlings from the road bed. Now our planters have evergreens we can enjoy year round.  On the left is a cedar, and on the right a two-fer, fir and hemlock.

When they get larger, we'll transplant them on our granite cliff to join our natural evergreen forest. -- Margy

Boathouse, Houseboat

This picture lets you reflect a little bit on the meaning of words.  Boathouse - a "house" built for boats.  Houseboat - a boat built to be a "house" for people.

Crisp fall days can produce some of the best reflections here on Powell Lake in Coastal BC.  In case you missed it, check out our Powell Lake home that was featured on the Travel Channel's show Extreme Houseboats.  They call it a houseboat, we call it a float cabin. Either way it is a great place to live. --  Margy

Bundled Bro

It may be fall, but winter weather has arrived, especially in the high country. Down at the cabin it's wind and rain, but snow is starting to accumulate in the mountains.

Our good friend John and his Black Lab named Bro don't let a little cold stuff slow down their back country exploring.

They just bundle up and head out to enjoy the smoother trails and quiet forests.  Hopefully I get out there on my next trip home. -- Margy

Stash-8

When I took Wayne to the airport this week, I saw an interesting sight.  Taxiing by was a Dash-8 owned by North Cariboo Air with a mustache on the nose. I grabbed a quick shot as it was moving past.

I did a bit of research online and learned that their fleet of planes are participating in Movember which supports men's health, men's mental health, and prostate cancer.  Starting on November 1, men around the world start clean shaven, then grow mustaches.  Their participation helps raise awareness about these important issues and raise funds at the same time. Thank you North Cariboo Air.  You made me more aware of these important issues. -- Margy

Salmon Run Up Sliammon River

I follow Rod Innes of Powell River, BC, on YouTube so I can be notified each time he submits a new video.  This week I discovered a wonderful documentary of the Chum (Dog) Salmon running up the Sliammon River to spawn.  Watch this informative video and you will learn a lot about salmon in the wild, salmon preservation efforts at the local Sliammon Hatchery, and great views of the Powell River region.

The Sliammon Hatchery is in the Sliammon First Nations village just north of Powell River on Highway 101.  If you are in the area, the hours of operation are from 8:30 to 4:30 Monday through Friday.  Thank you Rod for this excellent documentary. -- Margy

Getting Stumped

Fall is the time of year when the water level in Powell Lake is at its lowest. That's because there's little rain over the summer, and power generation at the dam sucks away quite a bit.  Fortunately, because our float cabin is in about 90 feet of water, we are safe from going aground. The up side to the dry season is that,many submerged stumps emerge to provide a more "decorative" shoreline.

Now that the rain has arrived in earnest, everything will look a whole lot different when I get back home. -- Margy

Tomorrow's Gonna' Be a Brighter Day

You may have been wondering where I've been these last few weeks. Usually I only miss a few days when we're up at the cabin without the Internet.  This time I've been staying close to Mom to help her through a difficult time.  Now that things are settling down a bit, I'll be able to get back to cabin living and share about our off-the-grid experiences.


Nature reminds us that better times are always on the horizon as in the words of the Jim Croce song, Tomorrow's Gonna' Be a Brighter Day.

But there's truth and consolation
And what I'm trying to say
Is that nobody ever had a rainbow baby
Until he had the rain ...

Come on tomorrow
It's gonna be a brighter day

Thanks for all the caring comments. Mom is doing better day by day. -- Margy

Winter Greens

This year I decided to grow some winter greens.  When my float garden was finished with its summer crops, I replenished the soil with all-purpose fertilizer and added Swiss chard and kale seeds. By late September, I had some nice sized sprouts that gave us fresh and healthy additions to our salads and vegetable dishes. With our mild start to fall, there was plenty of good growing weather.

I now see I underestimated the size of kale. Since I had plenty of room in the bed, I should have given each crop more growing room.



But maybe staying close on those cold winter nights will keep them more warm and cozy. I'm hopeful that both will last through spring. This is the first time that I have grown kale. In fact, I'd never tasted it before. I must say I like it even more than the chard.

Do you grow any winter crops? What has been successful for you? - Margy

Comox Gets Hammered

It's been rainy lately, but I think Comox across the Strait of Georgia is getting the worst of it.

Look at this rain cell focused on top of our across-water neighbour. -- Margy