Powell River Yacht Club

Saturday when Wayne and I went up the lake to our cabin, we saw three sailboats tied to the Shinglemill dock. My guess is they are some of the Powell River Yacht Club's sailboats getting ready for summer sailing on Powell Lake.

The Powell River Yacht Club will be offering adult and youth sailing training again this summer. For more information, you can check their blog or website. -- Margy

Powell River Yacht Club Jib Sheet Blog
Powell River Yacht Club Youth and Adult Sailing Training
Article in March 2012 Powell River Living Magazine
Powell River Yacht Club Membership

Bat'r Up

Every year we have bats roosting at our cabin. They usually arrive in May and stay the summer. Rather than a nuisance, we like having them around. When they're gone, we have Mr. Bat to remind us of our flying, furry friends. We found him floating on the lake one day while fishing. Now he gets to hang around to brighten our days and nights. One of the first things I do when I return to the cabin is to check one of their favourite roosting spots, under the metal roof of the propane shed. The space is pretty tiny, but I found a Small Brown Bat had already moved in. It's probably a male, because the females usually group together to raise their young. And that's usually up under our cabin roof. It can get pretty noisy both at dusk and dawn when they wiggle in and out.

It was hard to get a picture, but here's the little guy under the roof of the propane shed. It's amazing he wants to be in such a confined space. I usually think of bats in large caves. It must also get extremely hot on a sunny day right up next to the metal.

From past experience, we know they will stay until September. That's how long it takes to raise their young and get fat on the local insect population before they fly off to their winter homes. I guess losing a little sleep is a small price to pay when you get to see nature up close and personal. Besides, they take care of a large part of our flying insect problems. Do you have any experiences with bats? I'd love to hear your stories. -- Margy

As Wide as the Sky

As I mentioned before, a film crew from Powderhouse Productions came up to the cabin to shoot an episode for Extreme Houseboats. While they were here, we took pictures of each other. This wide angle shot from up on the cliff was taken by Mark Barry, the sound mixer.

If you're ever in need of a good sound guy, get in contact with Mark. He does freelance work out of Vancouver, BC. Thanks Mark for letting me share your photo with all my readers. It really is as wide as the sky, from First Narrows all the way to Hole in the Wall. -- Margy

Mulching Success and Failure

Last December I mulched my potted plants to help them survive the winter cold. I used crumpled newspaper to give the surface of the soil an uneven cover, hopefully creating air pockets to keep the soil, roots, and stems from freezing. I then covered the paper with soil to keep it in place. Here are the results.

Winter Mulching Failure

The first test was my ornamental grass and geraniums in my repurposed BBQ planter. It wasn't a total failure. My ornamental grass is doing well, but the geraniums didn't produce any new growth. I hated to give up on them, so I put the root balls in another pot just in case I wasn't patient enough. To take their place, I purchased four new geraniums to start filling in the blank space.

Winter Mulching Success

In March when I uncovered the rhubarb roots, a few sprouts were already appearing. It didn't look too promising, but I went ahead and dug in some new compost and added some multipurpose plant food.

When I returned to the cabin at the beginning of May, I was surprised at the results. I would say this one was a resounding success. I'm glad. I love the taste of rhubarb in pies. -- Margy

"Ruffles on my Longjohns" by Isabel Edwards

Last time I went to the Economy Shop, I found another treasure. For just 50 cents, I got a $14.95 book called Ruffles on my Longjohns by Isabel Edwards.

When Wayne and I first discovered Powell River, we started reading regional books. One was about an early homesteader near Bella Coola, Ralph Edwards of Lonesome Lake. In 1913, Ralph homesteaded on a remote lake in the Coast Range. His brother Earle came to stay and also fell in love with the region.

In 1932, Earle and his wife Isabel were living in the bustling city of Portland. Earle was experienced in the ways of the wilderness. Isabel was what Wayne and I called ourselves, "cityfolk." But like us, she was open to new experiences. Earle proposed a Christmas visit to his brother's homestead. In those days, it was no easy trip. They drove a Studebaker coupe on what were loosely called roads to Charlotte Lake. From there, they built a raft and sailed its length. And that wasn't the end. They hiked over the mountains following fast running rivers down to Lonesome Lake.

After a lengthy visit with the Edwards family, Earle and Isabel decided to stay. Ruffles on my Longjohns is Isabel's account of learning to live on a remote homestead of her own, building a rewarding life in the wilderness at Atnarko, then on a farm closer to Bella Coola in Firvale. Isabel was a amazing woman living and holding her own in a world dominated by men. She learned how to fish, cook, can, care for animals, and run a home with few resources. Their Christmas trip turned into a lifetime of hard, but rewarding work and play. Find a copy for yourself, and enjoy a true account of British Columbia history.

Wayne and I went to Bella Coola once in our airplane. We didn't get to venture very far into the interior, but what we saw was beautiful. But I can imagine the winters are much harder than on the lower mainland coast.

A good resource for the Bella Coola region is Grizzly's Bella Coola Blog. Grizzly posts pictures and tells about what's happening in the region. Stop on by and say hi. -- Margy

Extreme Cougar Encounter

John got a new nickname, John Cougar Mellencamp. Well, maybe just John Cougar. Last week Wayne and John went out hiking. While traveling through a logging slash, they had a scary cougar encounter.

Wayne was in front, John's dog Bro was in the middle, and John was bringing up the rear. John has tremendous hearing. Even though the cougar ran almost silently through the brush, John turned in time to see it bearing down on them. He yelled, waved his walking stick, and grabbed Bro by the neck. The cougar probably though Bro looked like a tasty morsel.

Just before reaching the guys, the cougar veered off into the bush. Later they looked over their shoulders, and the hungry looking cougar was still there on a stump watching intently.

The extreme cougar encounter left all three a bit shaken. Wayne and I plan to ride our quads on this same trail later in the summer after the snow melts in the high country. John's dad Ed has a strange sense of humour don't you think? -- Margy

Spring Day Up the Lake

Spring is a nice time to be up the lake. One day it's cool and rainy, perfect for a warm fire in the woodstove. The next day it's sunny and warm enough for a sunbath on the deck.

And on a calm day, it's beautiful to go out boating.

I love the way a wake leads your eye right up to the sky.

Today is Sky Watch Friday. Go to the Sky Watch Friday website and you'll see sky photos from all over the world! -- Margy