Miniature Ice Rinks

In the West, this was the winter that almost wasn't was. But recently, we've been making up for it with more than the average number of snowy days.

Along with them, came some zero degree nights and days.  That makes lots of puddles into miniature ice rinks, just the right size for field mice on tiny little skates.


Here are a few interesting ones from our recent trip up to Olsen's Landing on Powell Lake. -- Margy

USC Women's Basketball Team Wins the PAC-12 Championship

Wayne and I spent last weekend enjoying the PAC-12 Women's Basketball Tournament at Key Arena in Seattle, Washington.

Throughout the season, we traveled to watch the USC women play at schools in California, Arizona, Washington, and Oregon. This year we especially enjoyed following the progress of senior Cassie Harberts.


She's a forward and makes a lot of points each game. She's a great athlete, but she's very humble and gracious to her fans. I remember her talking with a group of high school players after a home game with lots of pictures, autographs, and encouraging remarks.


Cassie has wonderful support from her parents. This season both her mother and father faithfully came to each of her games and cheered their hearts out. Here's Dad celebrating the USC victory on the Jumbotron.


We were so happy for the entire team as they fought their way to become the champions of the tournament. Congratulations to every woman on the team, the support staff, and Coach Cooper.


Well done everyone, with honour and style. See you at the NCAA games. Fight on! -- Margy

Partly Sunny Up the Lake

What keeps our spirits up during the long winter months are sunny, even partly sunny days.


The reflections of mountains, clouds, and blue sky make such a beautiful sight. This picture is looking up at the high country near the head of Jervis Inlet. It is easily visible from Powell Lake on a clear day.


This picture is looking up towards Chippewa Bay and First Narrows as we are heading home. What a wonderful place to live.

You can read about our life Up the Lake in Wayne's first book in the Coastal BC Stories series.  And if you have a Kindle or e-reader it's free. -- Margy

Saltery Bay Seagull

The Saltery Bay Provincial Park day-use area is a great spot for a summer picnic, winter stroll, or launching a boat. We got two out of three.

Our good friend John helped us borrow his brother's tin boat to take a quick spin on the chuck (ocean). It may be winter, but we can get nice days with calm seas.


To get to the launch ramp, you had to pay a toll to the resident gull. Fortunately, his fee was a simple snack.


Near the day-use area is a year-round campground at Mermaid Cove where there's an underwater statue and conditions perfect for scuba diving. There's also nearby Kent's Beach, a private seaside resort with shoreline cabins and camping areas. So many choices to enjoy. -- Margy

Cabin Baking: Sourdough Croutons

Tuesday I wrote about sourdough bread. I love to bake, but don't do it often. Wayne and I are watching what we eat, so it takes a long time to get through a large loaf.

Croutons are one way to enjoy bread without eating a lot at one time.  And croutons baked to a crunchy hardness last for a long time.

My recipe is simple. Slice sourdough bread. Spread lightly with margarine. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and paprika. Cut into cubes and bake at 250 degrees. When golden brown and crunchy they're done. In addition to salad toppers, they make a tasty snack. Yum!

What kinds of things do you do to extend the life of extra bread? -- Margy

Haslam Lake, British Columbia

Powell River, British Columbia, is surrounded by lakes large and small. Drinking water for the city comes from nearby Haslam Lake. For that reason, access is limited to non-motorized boats including canoes and kayaks.

Wayne and I enjoyed an overnight kayak trip on Haslam Lake. We launched at the south end and parked our car in a turnout on the nearby Duck Lake Forest Service Road. Like many other lakes in the area, Haslam Lake has a long logging history. Float camps and a long gone railroad served the early 1900s forest industry.

You can reach the head of Haslam Lake by water or ATV following forest service roads, logging roads, and hand cut trails. On our trip, our good friend John and his dog Bro met us for lunch and a swim. Bro enjoyed hunting for frogs in the warm shallow water.

Near the head of the lake are several small islands.



One has a primitive campsite. That's where Wayne and I spent the night. One warning, the bottom is covered with decaying debris, a perfect habitat for leeches. Wayne learned the hard way. But it was a small price (easy for me to say) to pay for an evening under a sky littered with brilliant stars.

Powell River has many such places to explore and experience. Come visit and discover all that we have to offer. -- Margy

Cabin Baking: Extra Sour Sourdough Bread

In December I made San Francisco Sourdough French Bread. It looked great, but didn't have that signature sour taste. I reviewed my cookbooks and decided to use the directions in Sourdough Jack's Cookery. I found this book in a thrift store several years ago and got it for next to nothing. It's a funky book with sourdough stories and recipes. I tried again in March and was somewhat happy with the results, but this summer I hit the sour "Jack"pot.

Extra Sour Sourdough Bread

The trick was to feed my starter and leave it out for two days to get very lively. Then I made the sponge (the mixture of starter, flour and water) and left it out for an additional day and night (14-36 hours). This recipe makes one large or two small loaves.

1 cup sourdough starter
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups warm water

To make the sponge, mix the above ingredients together in a non-reactive (plastic or ceramic) bowl and stir vigorously with a plastic or wooden spoon. Put in a warm place overnight to work and become sour. A longer fermentation time creates the sour flavour.

After your sponge has worked all night to get sour (it will have risen slightly and become bubbly), mix the following dry ingredients together. Sprinkle over the sponge and mix in.

1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup flour

I'm not a purist yet. I use a little extra yeast to help the bread rise. 

1/4 cup warm water
1 package active dry yeast

Put the yeast in warm water (105-115 degrees F) and let sit for 10 minutes to become active.  Stir immediately into the bread mixture. It will still be moist and sticky.

2-3 cups additional bread flour (as needed)

Gradually stir in flour until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.  Flour a board and place the dough on top. Sprinkle flour on top and knead for 5-10 minutes, or until it becomes elastic and smooth.

Work in more flour if it's too sticky, but be careful. Too much flour and kneading can make the bread heavy and dry.

Once the kneading is done, place the ball of dough under the bowl and let it rest for 10 minutes. Form into one round loaf, or two smaller bread pan size loaves.

Oil pans and sprinkle with cornmeal. Cover bread pans loosely with a towel and put in a warm place to rise and double in size. Score tops with a sharp knife or razor blade.  Place a shallow pan of hot water on the bottom oven shelf. This will help make a crispy crust. Bake the bread in a hot 400 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until brown.

As usual, Wayne and I couldn't wait. There's nothing like fresh bread out of the oven with lots of butter. And the taste was nice and sour. Now all I need to do is work on getting more holes in my bread. Do you have any tips? -- Margy