Hazy Shade of Grey

After one of the longest lasting summers that I remember here in Powell River, we finally have our first major storm.  In fact, there are three scheduled to hit this weekend in waves only hours apart.  The first was fairly mild with a good soaking of rain. The next two are supposed to blast in with high winds.

Here's the Queen of Burnaby coming into the dock in Powell River. The cloudy skies made me think of the song title, Hazy Shade of Grey. -- Margy

Spud Gloves

I grow potatoes in pots on the deck. When it's time to dig them, I get out my spud gloves. Actually, they're latex gloves I buy at the drug store.  I have a hard time working in regular gardening gloves. They're too bulky for me to feel what I'm doing.
 
The thin latex ones (or nitrile if you have latex allergies) feel almost like a second skin.  Yes, I do sweat inside, but once I'm done digging I can peel them off and my fingernails don't end up caked in crud.

When I dig in the garden bare handed, it takes days of scrubbing to get my hands clean. Now a good washing with soap and hot water does the trick.

Do you have any good gardening tips to share? -- Margy

Boulevard Park Boardwalk to Fairhaven

This popular post about Boulevard Park in Bellingham, Washington, has been updated and moved to Margy Meanders.

Come on over and take a look. - Margy

Coastal BC Animals: River Otters

River Otters

I was standing at the kitchen sink and saw something swimming towards me. I guessed Merganser ducks since they are quite common, but when I got the binoculars, much to my surprise, it was three River Otters heading my way.

They swam at a fast pace, quickly dove under the log boom surrounding our cabin's water lot, and then under the cedar log float.  I didn't want to scare them, so I walked as quietly as possible to get my camera and go outside.


I could hear them underneath splashing around and making soft grunting sounds. One almost came out, but when I moved he ducked back under the cabin's float.  We played "cat and mouse" for over half an hour. But when I was out back, they slipped out the front. Before I could get there, they were outside the breakwater and heading away.


All I got were a few long distance shots. Maybe there'll be a next time. -- Margy

Indian Summer Up the Lake

This has been an incredible fall up the lake. I guess you would call it an Indian summer.  We've had more warm weather than I can remember for late September and early October.  And the winds have been calm.  This was a perfect day looking down Powell Lake from the logging road between Hole in the Wall and Chippewa Bay.

Even though the days have been warm, the nights are getting longer and cooler.  We don't need it every day, but last week we had the first fire of the season.

Guess we better get busy with wood cutting! -- Margy

Coastal BC Plants: Shaggy Mane Mushroom

Wayne and I went for a quad ride last week.  We were searching for a steam donkey, but ended up missing the right (or left) turn. But any ride around Powell Lake is a good one. There's always something new to discover.

This trip it was a new kind of mushroom. It's only sprinkled lately, but it must have been enough to encourage the growth of a small patch of Shaggy Mane (Coprinus comatus) mushrooms.

They weren't familiar, so I went back to the cabin and used The Savory Wild Mushroom by Margaret McKenny and revised by Daniel E. Stuntz (University of Washington Press, 1962, 1971) to figure it out.  This was a great guide book I found at the thrift store for $.50. It's still available in a newer paperback version at Amazon.com.

Here's the description from the book.

Cap: white and gray covered with fluffy scales, standing erect like a closed umbrella on its handle, spreading with age, four to twelve inches in height; flesh white at first, then darkening.

Gills: white shading to pink, in flat folds against the stem, turning black with spores and melting into a black fluid.

Stem: white, hollow with small movable ring, slightly thicker at the base, four to ten inches in length.

When and where found: Spring or fall after rain; in the open, on the ground, in gravel by roadsides, near garbage dumps, or in decaying sawdust near old logging roads.

Remarks: A well-known, edible mushroom of good flavor and consistency if gathered when young. Easily distinguished from the similar inky cap by its height and fluffy scales.

Since I'm not absolutely positive in my identification, please do not use this post to determine whether or not this is an edible species. -- Margy

I heard it on the radio!

Funny how things build on each other, especially in the media.  After some international coverage, Kierra from the Powell River PEAK contacted us about an article.  Shortly after that, Mark Nicholls from the local radio station called about an interview.

Wayne was on with Mark two mornings last week talking about his latest books.  Off the Grid is part of the Coastal BC Stories series. Anomaly at Fortune Lake is science fiction in a setting much like our Powell Lake.

If you would like to listen to the audio clip of the two interviews, click here.

Want to hear what our local radio station is like? Click here to have a listen.

Here's more information about Wayne's two new books.

Off the Grid -- The newest book in the Coastal BC Stories series tells about living off the grid. We were true city-folk when we bought our cabin, but have learned how to generate our own power, use propane for appliances, maintain a kitchen garden, live in harmony with nature, and exchange our hectic lives for a more simple lifestyle. If you've ever dreamed of living away from town in an off-the-grid cabin, you'll enjoy this book.

Anomaly at Fortune Lake -- On a remote lake in Canada, Ashley and Justin live off-the-grid. But their idyllic life is interrupted by two mystifying anomalies. A distant galaxy exhibits unusual characteristics in Justin's amateur telescope, and something under the lake is stirring. Can a determined woman bring clarity to the events that are rapidly unfolding? 

www.PowellRiverBooks.com