Marbled Sky

Our weather has been very changeable.

Powell Lake, BC

On a recent day while heading down Powell Lake we saw a marbled sky reflected back from the calm lake surface. -- Margy

Cabin Cooking: Reseasoning a Cast Iron Dutch Oven

I wanted to use my cast iron Dutch oven to bake bread, but when I got it out winter moisture had given it a coat of rust. I knew it was time to reseason.

I found The Irreplaceable Cast Iron Pans. This website has excellent recommendations for seasoning and using cast iron pots and pans.

Instead of steel wool, I used SOS pads. They're made from steel wool and soap.

Hot water and strong scrubbing came next. The outside of the pot was the worst. Fortunately, the inside wasn't affected. All it needed was a gentle cleaning. When the SOS pads didn't remove all of the rust, I went to wet fine grit sandpaper.

When the rust was removed, I washed the pot and lid with warm sudsy water and dried it thoroughly in the oven under pilot heat.

The next step was to lightly oil the pot and lid inside and out. I used Canola oil. They then went onto separate racks in a 450 degree oven for thirty minutes. After cooling in the oven, I repeated the oiling and baking process.

You can use aluminum foil to protect you oven (I didn't need any) and expect some smoking and odour during heating.

Reseasoned cast iron Dutch oven ready for baking bread.

Now I have a clean, well seasoned cast iron Dutch oven ready for baking. I'll use it more and keep a better eye on it in the future.

Do you have cast iron pots and pans?  What are your favourite uses? -- Margy

Our Cabin Highlighted on "Small House Bliss"

Our float cabin home on Powell Lake was recently featured on a website called Small House Bliss. I enjoy sharing our off-the-grid lifestyle and they were so gracious to give us this opportunity.

You can see more small houses, cabins, and cottages online at Small House Bliss and their Facebook page. Wayne and I want to thank them for highlighting our home in such a thorough manner.

If you would like to learn more about our float cabin home and the Powell River region, check out these books from Wayne's Coastal BC Stories series. They're all available in print and e-book formats.

Up the Lake (free for Kindle at Amazon.com)
Farther Up the Lake
Off the Grid
Cabin Number 5

You can also see videos about cabin life at our YouTube channel.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment or send an email through the link on my profile page. -- Margy

Bushnell Trophy Cam HD

Bushnell Trophy Cam HD

We wanted a critter cam for the cabin, so after a fiasco online we went to see George at Marine Traders in Powell River. He went through the products he had in stock, and also catalogues for other options. I appreciated the personal service, and I know they will help if there’s ever a problem. That’s something you don’t get online.

Here what sold me on the Bushnell Trophy Cam HD. It’s rugged and waterproof, picture quality is up to 8MP (I want to photograph birds), it accepts a 32GB SD card for 15,000 photos or 18 hours of video, and best of all, it has a USB connection to download photos straight into a computer. 

It can be tripod or strap mounted.

Here are some of the other features that I found to be helpful:

Fast 0.6-second trigger speed
“Stealth” flash at night with black LEDs
Colour day and black and white infrared night photos
Night infrared range of 45’ (14m)
Socket for tripod use (or tree strap)
2.4” full colour view screen
Long life using 12 AA alkaline or lithium batteries
Easy setup with an understandable manual

We don’t get large game around the cabin, but in a test shot in low light I did discover a bear-like animal rooting around a laptop, and a woodrat-like critter rummaging through the refrigerator. I can hardly wait for my first “real” trophy photo. -- Margy

Coastal BC Plants: White-Flowered Hawkweed

White-Flowered Hawkweed

White-Flowered Hawkweed along a logging road.

In logging road cuts and old log dumps I found lots of low growing plants with hairy, basal leaves arrayed in a circle flat on the ground. At first I only saw the basal leaves, but in another road cut I found evidence of a tall stalk topped with a few remaining flowers and seed heads.

White-Flowered Hawkweed (Hieracium albiflorum) is a perennial herb with a milky juice, similar to milkweed. Hawkweed grows in closely spaced groups from fibrous roots that reach down into dry rocky soil to obtain enough moisture.

Hawkweed flowers and seeds.

Hawkweed can be found in low to middle elevations. In addition to roadsides and clearings, it grows in open forest areas and dry meadows.

The flowers and seed heads look something like tiny dandelions, except the petals are white and the centers are yellow. There’s a resemblance because both are members of the Aster family. -- Margy

References: Plants of Coastal British Columbia by Jim Pojar and Andy MacKinnon (Lone Pine Publishing, 1994) and E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia (online).

Building a New Boat Dock

Ste. Marie waiting at her new dock for a mast raising.

Last fall Wayne and I bought a another boat. When you live on the water you can't have too many boats. Her name is Ste. Marie and she's a nineteen foot O'Day Mariner daysailer.

New brow log outside the larger one.

Wayne became interested in sailing quite a few years ago. His first attempt was a 32" radio controlled Nirvana II. She still graces the corner of our loft bedroom. Next came a Laser sailboat. Designed for racing, it was a hard boat to start his learning curve. She's now for sale because Ste. Marie is a better boat for the two of us to use to learn how sail.

New walkway and brow log on the right.

To get ready, we needed a new boat dock at the cabin. John, as usual, came to the rescue. He used our wood storage float as the base, added an additional floating support log and two bracing brow logs before decking in a walkway and boat dock with a Bull Rail for secure tying.

The new dock at the back of the wood storage float.

As soon as the rainy season ends, we'll seal the wood with opaque redwood coloured stain to match the rest of our decking. That will preserve the wood for many years to come.

Stay tuned for more of the story about Ste. Marie and how she got to her new Powell Lake home from the ocean at Port Moody in the Vancouver area. -- Margy

Sundogs on Powell Lake BC

From our float cabin home we don't get to see sunsets because of the surrounding trees and mountains, but out in the middle of the lake we get some pretty spectacular ones.

Wayne and I were out sailing in our new boat on Powell Lake in the large open section of the lake that we call the "North Sea," we could see this this sundog bracketing the setting sun.

Sundogs are bright, colourful patches of light to the left and right of, and in alignment with, the sun. In the first shot, you can see it almost forms a halo. Sundogs are created by cold ice crystals in high cirrus clouds bending the rays of sunlight. -- Margy