Float Cabin Living Summer Retrospective

L is for Float Cabin Living

Summer's wonderful on Powell Lake. Lots of sunshine and blue skies. The lake is warm for boating, kayaking and swimming. It's the season for guests and we had quite a few. Kurt came in his floatplane from California. Our friends Dave and Marg came with their grandkids. And friends stop by as they head to their cabins.

Summer is gardening season. My float garden provided lots of greens, kale, peas, onions, garlic, broccoli and herbs. Containers on the deck held tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, potatoes, beans, peas, blueberries and red currants. Flowers were pretty and attracted bees.

We eat much of our produce fresh, but I can tomatoes, peppers, pickles and jam for winter meals. I also dry onions, garlic and potatoes.

We had to remove our shore structures as a part of our water lease. My rain barrels went to a farmer in Powell River. Our friend helped us remove our shed and stairs. The wood was reclaimed for firewood.

Other summer chores included installing our Xplornet satellite system and storing firewood in our floating woodshed.

Now that fall has begun, it's a quiet time up the lake. Lots of time for reading, writing and relaxing. It's hard to decide which is my favourite season. What's your? -- Margy

Last Summer Cruise to Vancouver Island

Last week there was a window of sunny skies and calm winds. It's calm winds we like the best. We used it to for a last summer cruise in our Bayliner 2452. It was a spur of the moment trip so we decided to visit marinas near restaurants for easy dinners.

We left in the afternoon to arrive at Campbell River in the early evening. There were a few cloudy skies along the way, but we dodged the showers just by chance.

Dodging a few showers heading for blue skies.

We stay at Discovery Harbour Marina quite often. It takes less than two hours to get there and we can get there with protection from several island along the way. There's a large shopping centre next to the marina where we ate at the Riptide Pub. They had Dinosaur Bones (beef ribs) on the menu and they were excellent.

A mix of working and pleasure boats at Discovery Harbour Marina.

We timed our departure for slack tide in Discovery Passage and to fish for salmon at the southern tip of Quadra Island. No luck.

We rarely travel this part of the Strait of Georgia. The open area can get big waves, but this trip was calm. As we approached Comox, we saw boats fishing. It's salmon season so we decided to give it another try. Wayne caught an undersized fish, so we let it go.

On the way to Comox, BC.

We headed for the Comox Valley Marina. The visitor's dock was filled with large expensive yachts. Our 24' Bayliner looked like a toy between them. We love our boat. It's perfect for us. We found a great spot for dinner, Martine's Bistro a short walk up the road. We both had the Seafood Linguine filled with clams, mussels, prawns, salmon and halibut. The chef brought out our plates, a nice touch.

Playing with the big boys at the Comox Valley Marina.

The next morning we headed across the Strait of Georgia to Powell River. We stopped at Coho Point on Texada Island for one last try to catch a salmon. Again no keepers. We don't care. Fishing is fun.

Our three day and two night cruise was a great way to end the summer season. That afternoon we put our boat in Powell Lake for the winter.

Do you have a boat? What do you do during winter months? -- Margy

2018 Powell River Fall Fair

Welcome to the Powell River Fall Fair.

Saturday, September 15, and Sunday, September 16, the place to be is the Fall Fair in Powell River. It highlights and celebrates the end of the local harvest season. Admission for adults is $5 and children 12 and under are free. The Fall Fair runs from noon to 5 pm both days.

Garden Club information table.

There are agricultural exhibits, competitions, demonstrations, activities for the kids, music and other entertainment on the market stage. Community groups have tables with a wealth of information about our wonderful town. I helped out at the Garden Club table on Saturday.

Purchase farm fresh items for your kitchen or have a cup of tea and a "nummie" (that's what my friend Helen calls all of the great home baked goods) while you browse the vendor's booths.

A busy day at the vendor booths.

And lots of good things to eat.

Check out the Zucchini Races and take the kids for a ride on the Forestry Museum's miniature train.

Engineer Danny takes the train out on the tracks.

See all the fair entries and check out the big winners.

Sewing, crafts and quilt entries.

What's a fall fair without home grown produce.

And canning entries.

Come to the fair - hope to see you there.

Follow the signs up Duncan Street. Turn right on Padgett Road and then left on McLeod. Street parking will be available. Better yet, take the shuttle bus from the Town Centre Mall if you want to avoid the parking congestion. Park your car in the Town Centre north lot and get a ride right to the Fair's front gate.

Fall Fairs are held in towns large and small across Canada and America. Do you have a fair in your community to celebrate the harvest and the end of a great summer? What is your favourite thing to do at the fair? Tell us about it. -- Margy