Tech Talk

Everyone (well almost) is addicted to technology these days. It's a part of our lives whether we want it or not. Going "off the grid" has come to mean not using your handheld for 24-hours rather than living without a connection to the electrical grid. Even Stick Tail has an iPawd.

Wayne and I were talking this morning about the impact technology has on the quality of life. Laura Newcomer wrote an article that sums up many of our feelings. Our choice of living off the grid (technologically and electrically) makes sense for us. We can have a home embedded in nature where we can enjoy our surroundings and each other.

We have a old flip phone with an external antenna on the roof. No 3G, let alone 4G. That means no Internet (and all the time it consumes). Yes, we could get television, phone, and Internet via satellite, but that isn't something we want in our float cabin lives. We get enough of that when we make our trips to town.

I'm not saying we don't have technology resources at our cabin:

• Radio (for CBC and local SUN.FM)
• Satellite radio (Wayne starts the day with CNBC)
• Cell phone (our old Telus flip phone)
• Laptops (for writing and movies)
• Kindles (new titles downloaded in town)
• iPad (my and Stick Tail's game station)
• iPod (for individual listening)

For now, it's a perfect compromise. And all of our devices can be recharged using our "off the grid" solar system.

I do have a smartphone for town. Because it isn't a part of my everyday life, I'm not addicted to its many features. I hate seeing so many people in public focusing on their devices rather than the people in their lives, or the experiences available around them. What are your thoughts? -- Margy

Foggy Views

We've had fog every day for over a week. When it was high, it lasted all day and night.


 When it was down at water level, it burned off each afternoon to give us a sunny and starlight respite.


Give me low fog any day! -- Margy

Coastal BC Plants: Powell Lake Fall Foliage

Fall Foliage

Right in front of our cabin, Goat Island has a superb display of maples turning yellow and orange. The swath of glorious colour paints up the hillsides through stream carved gullies and across expose rocky slopes.



Have you ever wondered how this colourful display occurs?



Fall days are noticeably shorter and trees start getting ready for winter. The presence of chlorophyll, and its green color, begins to diminish. This allows the yellow and orange colours to become more dominant. -- Margy

Dumping Logs

We just took a ride to the head of Powell Lake in our new boat.  Here she is next to one of the crew boats at the logging dock. She looks like she really belongs with the working guys.  At home in our cabin, we can hear the crew boats heading up the lake at about 6:30 am. Then around 5:00 pm, we see them heading back home.

We found five boats up at the head of the lake. It was close to quitting time, but after we arrived, we saw four logging trucks dump their loads into the log pond. We passed the tug hauling a boom of logs to the south end of the lake.  He left the head at about 2:00 pm and didn't pass our cabin until 9:30 am the next morning, and he still had another 10 miles to go. That's one long run!

Have you ever seen a log dump? Here's a short video.

Those bundles sure make a huge splash! -- Margy

Canning: Garlic and Chili Pickled Green Beans

I have to be honest. I'm not expert at canning. I've made jams, preserved berries, and a few pickles. I found this recipe in a magazine, but altered it to make a single pint of refrigerator pickles, just enough for Wayne and I to enjoy as a special treat.

Refrigerator Garlic and Chili 
Pickled Green Beans

Yields one pint

3/4 cup cider vinegar
2/3 cup water
1 and 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1/3 tablespoon sugar
1 large clove garlic
1 dried hot chili pepper
Sprinkle of dried dill
About 1/2 pound green beans

Heat water in a canner or tall pot to boiling. Sterilize canning jar, ring and seal.

Heat vinegar, water, salt, and sugar together until boiling.

Put a clove of garlic, chili pepper, and a sprinkle of dill in the bottom of a sterilized one-pint canning jar. Wash, trim, and pack raw green beans tightly into the jar leaving a 3/4" space open below the rim.

Pour the hot liquid over the beans leaving 1/2” headspace at the top. Put on canning lid and tighten ring firmly.

Process the jar for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. Keep the jar off the bottom of the pot, and make sure the boiling water covers the top. Remove carefully and let cool. Store in the fridge for at least one week to allow the flavours to blend.

Once opened, the jar will keep for one month in the fridge if the hot and tangy Garlic and Chili Pickled Green Beans last that long.

If you prefer to pickle a large batch, just make sure all safe canning processes are followed. -- Margy

"Up the Lake" in the News

Every once in a while, the story about how Wayne and I came to live in a float cabin on Powell Lake hits the press.  Not long ago, I was approached by a good friend here in Powell River. Barb Rees is a local author. In addition to her books, she also writes articles for magazine. Here's one she recently submitted to Senior Living Magazine: From LA to Up the Lake.

Thanks Barb. It was fun to work with you on this project.

Barb and her husband Dave just got home from another across-Canada trip. She's already written several books about previous RV adventures. Check them out:

RV Canada on a Dime and a Dream
RV Canada with Boo the Menopausal Van
RV Canada's Far North on a Dream
RV Canada and the Polar Bear Dream

I know a new book is already in the works. Watch her website for updates. - Margy

Teapot Treasure

As you know, I love to visit thrift stores. I always go to the Hospital Auxiliary Economy Shop when I'm in town on a weekday, but on Saturdays, the MCC Thrift Store is open. It's operated by the Mennonite Central Committee and profits are used worldwide to help provide basic human needs such as water, food, shelter, education, and health care. It's a good addition to our thrift store options in town.

I always carry a list of items I need at the cabin and watch the thrift store shelves. For the last month, I've had "teapot" on my list. The evenings are cooler and I enjoy a cup of camomile tea before going to bed. I have a coffee pot and two additional pots I use to boil water for drinking and cooking, but I hate to tie up one of those for my evening tea.

I wasn't picky about what could work as a teapot, but last week I found the perfect one at the MCC Thrift Store. It only cost 50 cents, and a bit of Comet made it looking like new inside and out. Whether I'm using the propane range or woodstove heat, it keeps my tea warm and ready to drink throughout the evening.

Have you found any thrift store treasures lately? -- Margy