Banana Nut Bread

I fondly remember Mom helping me make Banana Nut Bread.

I learned a lot about cooking from my mom. One of her favourite breakfast foods was bananas. Wayne and I are the same way. Sometimes we eat them as a side or as part of a fresh fruit bowl.

We don't always eat our bananas fast enough and a few get brown and soft. We don't throw them away, we just mash and toss them into a batter and make some Banana Nut Bread for breakfast.

Banana Nut Bread

Mixing the wet ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup mashed bananas
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mixing in the pecans.

Directions:

Mash bananas with a fork. Mix together eggs, sugar, bananas and oil.

Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well. Stir in vanilla and chopped pecans.

Grease and flour one large or two small loaf pans. Pour in ingredients and bake in a 350 degree oven for 45-50 minutes on the top rack.

Preparing the baking pans.

Remove when brown on top and firm to the touch.

Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Store in plastic wrap or foil to keep moist.

Back when we could cooked together, Mom would mash the bananas, grease the pans, and stir in the nuts.

Mom always liked cooking and baking, so it was a fun activity we could still do together even when she was well into her 90s.

Banana Nut Bread hot from the oven.

What are some of the things that you fondly remember doing with your parents? -- Margy

Gorge Harbour, Cortes Island BC

Our Bayliner 2452 at the Gorge Harbour Resort Marina.

During the summer we keep our Bayliner 2452 in Powell River's Westview Harbour so we can go cruising. We live in a boating paradise known worldwide. We have the Gulf Island to the south and Desolation Sound to the north. To the west is Discovery Passage between Vancouver Island and the many smaller islands dotted along the Inside Passage leading to Alaska.

Last week we took our boat north to Cortes Island. Our destination was the Gorge Harbour Resort Marina.

Heading to the marina for fuel and docking.

We didn't know there was a Ranger Tug rendezvous in progress. Originally we were told they were full, but after we gassed up they found a spot for us. It was right next to the fuel dock so we could use our lines to move the boat and tie up for the night.

The resort is both land-based and marina-based.

Because the people in the Ranger rendezvous were having their own BBQ, it was easy to get dinner reservations at the resort's Floathouse Restaurant. Dinner outside on the deck was wonderful. We splurged with raw oysters and beer to start. Yum!

Dining in style at the Floathouse Restaruant.

Gorge Harbour Resort has something for everyone. There's a lodge and cottages, RV and camping spots, the marina, a small store for provisions, a swimming pool, fun activities for all ages and even entertainment during the summer months.

The resort is constantly updating and improving. Our first trip there was in 2006. We offloaded our bikes to ride to Whaletown where the car and passenger ferry from Quadra Island arrives.

Gorge Harbour Marina Resort back in 2006.

We exited back out through the Gorge that gives the protected bay it's name. Using the docks or anchoring here is good in all seasons and weather conditions.

Exiting through the narrow gorge.

Then we were on our way to another favourite spot, Heriot Bay. There are so many places to explore in Coastal BC. I invite you to come visit and see for yourself. No boat, no problem. Explore using BC Ferries routes. -- Margy

Friends in Need

The new blue picnic table on our front porch.

... are especially nice especially when you don't know you are in need. Wayne and I came home after a mini-vacation to Vancouver Island to discover a new picnic table on our front porch.

We talked through all the possibilities of how it could have gotten there but weren't sure until we found a note tucked under a solar light on our old table.

Last summer our good friends Dave and Marg stayed at our cabin on the way home from our barge camping and quad riding trip to the head of Powell Lake. They noticed that our old table was missing one leg and sitting on an old shake block found floating in the lake.

Dave built the table in town and delivered it right to our cabin on Powell Lake.

Dave built us a new table in his shop at home and Marg came with him in their boat to make the delivery when they knew we would be away. What a surprise that was. Doesn't it look great! I love the colour that matches our cabin roof. Thanks so much Dave and Marg. You are super special friends in many ways.

Using the repurposed old picnic table as a work bench.

And what about the old picnic table you ask? Never fear. It has been repurposed into a work bench at the back of the cabin.

I used it to make my painted rock ladybug and Wayne is using it to sand and paint the wooden floorboards for our sailboat Ste. Marie.

Have you ever received something special from friends? Tell us your story. -- Margy

Lazy, Hazy Days of Summer

Mother Nature uses morning haze on the Strait of Georgia to paint a watercolour picture.

 We had plenty of time to enjoy the view while trolling for salmon on the calm seas.

Summer is such a wonderful time of year. What have you been doing for fun? -- Margy

Painted Rock Ladybug

Many years ago my friend John pulled a large rock up from our Powell Lake natural swimming pool. He left it sitting on a partially submerged stump and there it sat for about a week.

As I looked at the rock it kept saying "turtle" to me, so that's what it became, a large rock painted into a turtle. His name is Kobe. Wayne said he looked more like Kobe Bryant's basketball shoe. What an art critic.

Last year I started looking for a smooth rock along the lake shore that said "ladybug" to me. I found it on Kinsmen Beach next to the Shinglemill Marina where we park our boat. I finally got around to painting it this summer.

Now that our good friends Dave and Marg gave us a new picnic table for the front porch, the old one has become a work bench at the back of the cabin. It was the perfect spot for rock painting.

I used acrylic paints to transform the rock into its new character. Then I used Krylon clear acrylic spray to preserve the colours in the outdoor setting.

Now both Kobe the Turtle and the new ladybug share a spot on the corner of our new float at the front of the cabin.

They have two functions. The first is to add colour and decoration year round. The second function is to weigh down this corner of the float. It was a bit higher than the other side. Now they look symmetrical as your approach by boat.

Now I need to figure out a name for her. Do you have any suggestions? -- Margy

"Dead Lucky" by Lincoln Hall

In recent years, I’ve read several books and watched movies about mountain climbers who have challenged themselves to reach the top of Mount Everest. 

The most recent book was Dead Lucky by Lincoln Hall (Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2009). Like many mountaineers, Hall had a long history climbing the highest mountains in the world. As his skills and accomplishments grew, he became one of Australia most renowned mountaineers.

His first attempt to climb Everest was in 1984, but he was forced to turn back when daylight was running out. Then in 2004 an old friend contacted him about serving as a high altitude documentary cameraman for a fourteen year old Australian boy who wanted to climb Everest. The opportunity was too tempting, and Lincoln had what he called “unfinished business.”

After more than a year of fundraising and physical preparation, the team left for Base Camp to join a guided expedition with the 7SUMMITS-CLUB. During acclimatization climbs it became evident that young Christopher could not continue. Despite that setback, Lincoln was still allowed to make his own summit attempt.

They say the hardest part of climbing Mount Everest isn’t going up, it’s coming back down. Even though Lincoln made it to the top, his body started to falter quickly on the descent. It became so bad that he was left for dead at the 28,000-foot level. Dead Lucky sets the stage for Lincoln’s successful climb and tragic yet miraculous descent. His successes include reaching the 29,035-foot summit and surviving the night without oxygen and supplies within the notorious “death zone.”

Dead Lucky is an amazing story about one man’s quest to reach a goal and surviving to return to his family. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys true stories about brave people who do remarkable things. -- Margy