Tuesday, September 4, 2018

A Summer Retrospective


I know, summer isn't over until September 22, but with Labor Day come and gone, and kids going back to school it seems that way.

Wayne and I both used to teach. He was a professor at Mt. San Antonio College and I was an administrator (formerly an elementary school teacher) in Mountain View School District. Every year I still get my back-to-school "nightmare."

We both retired early to enjoy float cabin living on Powell Lake in Coastal British Columbia. Now summer is a seasonal word for us rather than vacation time.

That doesn't mean summer isn't busy. Here are some of the highlights from this year.

We've had lots of visitors. We kicked it off by inviting members of the Powell River Garden Club to see my float garden. In July, Kurt arrived from California in his Husky. His wife Leslie joined him for a few days including a stay at the cabin. Then our friends Dave and Marg brought three grandkids (and their dog Crystal) to spend a few days with us.


Sometimes we like to get away. The nearby chuck (ocean) is a good spot. Our shake-down trip was to nearby Texada Island. Other adventures included Heriot Bay, meeting Kurt and Leslie in Campbell River, a four day upcoast cruise, and another four day cruise to Johnstone Strait. We tried salmon fish but haven't caught one yet.


Life isn't all play. Wayne pressure washed our cabin decks. A major project was to remove our stairs and shed to comply with the water lease. John was a big help so we repaid him by towing his new shed. Dave installed a pole for our Xplornet satellite dish. We are also cutting and storing firewood. That's a job that will continue for some time to come.


When we are home on Powell Lake, we use it for some amazing recreation. To name a few, riding our quads on the many logging roads and trails, fishing for trout, sailing in Wayne's 19' O'Day Mariner daysailer and camping with our barge after the quads have been offloaded. There's also hiking, swimming and just relaxing with a good book.


Gardening is a big part of my summer. Garden Club members came up in three groups of seven to visit. It was so much fun for everyone. Both of my Dracaena spike plants bloomed. It has been a very good year for my flowers, fruits and vegetables, but watering has been a challenge with all the hot days.


We eat most of the garden produce fresh, but I enjoy preserving some things for winter. This year I made jam, dill pickles, relish, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. My home grown red currants made a tasty jam. I found a food mill at the thrift store that has made canning much easier. I also dry and store onions, garlic and potatoes.


It's been a very good summer for us up the lake. How was yours? -- Margy

20 comments :

  1. That does sound like a wonderful summer. We live on a lake as well and have had a great summer... and it's not over yet! One of the benefits of homeschooling is enjoying some late season beach and swimming days!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We are retired so we can also enjoy some late season activities. Just went on a short boat trip without reservations at the marina. The summer tourists have gone home. - Margy

      Delete
  2. What a great summer you've had. Ours was very hot.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We had a few hot spells, but it was mostly pleasantly warm. The worst part was forest fires throughout the province. We were spared from the fires, but on three occasions the smoke was very strong and lasted for days. - Margy

      Delete
  3. Great and cute summer shot . Have a nice weekend . Keep commenting in my blog because I love your comments.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We are having an extension to summer weather in late September. I wish it would last. - Margy

      Delete
  4. Wow, your life style is fabulous! It was vey interesting to read - Happy MM.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. When we discovered our cabin in 2001 we knew it would be an adventure we would enjoy. - Margy

      Delete
  5. Summer on the lake looks fun. I smile at your comment about summer just being a seasonal word now that you are retired. I suppose it is true for me as well as a retired teacher. Happy Autumn!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When I was a teacher it was nice to have the long summers off, but when I became an administrator the best I could get was a week long vacation twice in the summer months. - Margy

      Delete
  6. My husband has long hankered after a vacation spent on Lake Powell. I don't suppose we'll ever make it over there so I'm going to share your post with him and hope it doesn't start him off again!
    Thanks for joining me for MM this week and sharing your summer activities with us all, it certainly looks like a fine retirement to me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There's a Powell Lake (in BC) and a Lake Powell (in Arizona). We are the northern one. - Margy

      Delete
  7. You are definitely enjoying your retirement. Good for you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We both chose to retire early so we would have the most time to enjoy our life off the grid. - Margy

      Delete
  8. Fishing... remembers on Ireland, on Lough Rea and on the River Shannon.

    I enjoyed this post for Mosaic Monday - wish you a very good week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We can fish from our front porch, but those fish are smart. They don't take the hook. We have to go out in our boat to catch trout. - Margy

      Delete
  9. We live not too far away - on Vancouver Island. It's a beautiful part of the world, that's for certain. We were up in the Broughtons on our little boat this past summer, exploring some of the more remote islands.
    You do keep busy there on Powell Lake.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We have wanted to visit the Broughtons but never seem to catch Johnstone Strait in a good mood. - Margy

      Delete

Thanks for stopping by. Comments, questions, and suggestions are always welcome. - Margy