It’s 4:30 p.m. on a hot Friday afternoon. Easing my exhausted body into a soft reclining chair, I start to relax. I can hear the sound of water running and assume someone is having a shower. Slowly, my conscience tells me that no one is taking a shower, and I shouldn’t be hearing water running. Shaking off my fatigue, I run to our bedroom closest and am shot in the face with spraying water.

The pipes that my husband “ducktaped” in the spring have sprung a leak and are now soaking our bed linens and everything else within three feet. Frustrated and overwhelmed, I call my husband’s cell. ‘We do not have a phone book or any plumber’s numbers,’ I think to myself as I’m dialing, ‘Who is going to come all the way out to our cabin on a Friday afternoon?’

Explaining to my husband over a crackling cell phone connection what has happened, he informs me that he is on his way into a meeting, and I will just have to deal with it. ‘Deal with it?,’ I fume, ‘Deal with it?!!!! How am I suppose to deal with it???’ I am stomping around our soggy bedroom in a snit, when suddenly I have an idea.

Setting the women’s movement back 25 years, I put on my red bikini top and head out to our neighbor. Sensing my distress, he springs into action and has the leak plugged before I can finish mopping up.

The reality is, I don’t have to wear a low cut bikini every time something breaks at our cabin. In fact, it’s better if I don’t. We are surrounded by wonderful people who are always willing and eager to lend a hand. I don’t know what it is about my cottage neighbors that makes them so different from the folks back home, but it s this tightly knit community that makes cabin living so enjoyable.

If you have a special neighbor story you would like to share with us, please post it in the comment box, or drop me an email at julie@cottagedaily.com. We will send you a Tim Horton’s Gift Card to treat them to a cup of coffee.

Cheers to great neighbors.

Julie

Here are some of the highlights from this past weekend’s BC Wakeboard Championships held at McIvor Lake, Campbell River. The photo’s were taken by Mark Leger, one of the competitors. Great pics, Mark.

With his head barely above the wave, five-year-old Dawson Foreman, road the three-foot wake to victory this past weekend. He and his brothers were competing in the BC Wakeboard Championships held at McIvor Lake, Campbell River. With clenched teeth, and a look of steely determination in his eyes, he hung on to the 75 foot rope and managed to make it through the course with no falls - something the older novices is his class couldn’t pull off. Dawson, the youngest competitor, was just one of the many boarders who impressed the judges and wowed crowds with their strength and courage.

Over the next couple of days we will be showing pictures and videos from Sunday’s competition.

If you think you are too young or too old to compete in these events, held up and down Vancouver Island and throughout British Columbia and across Canada, think again. You don’t need to own a cabin or have a fancy Malibu wakeboard boat. What you really need is courage and the willingness to get wet and take some falls. The clubs offer water skiing, wakeboarding and wakeskating  instructions.

You do need to register. The cost to join Water Ski and Wakeboard British Columbia is $60, for a family and $35 for singles. Check out the site to find a club in your area and get ready to have some fun. The coaches and participants are very friendly and welcoming and especially patient with the younger members. It’s a great way to teach your kids to water ski, wakeboard and wakeskate.

Who knows, maybe you will be competing in next year’s championships.

Cheers,

Julie

An orange taby cat appears from around the corner of the barn, triumphantly carrying a brown object in her mouth.  “Look kids,” I point, “I think she’s caught a mouse.”  My children sensing drama, race towards the her, taking the other onlookers with them.  “No Mom,” they shout, “It’s a bird, she’s caught a bird, and she’s playing with it.”

We are staanding in the barnyard of the Little Qualicum Cheeseworks, where these farmers, turned entrepreneurs, have opened up their barndoors allowing the public to get a behind the scenes look at how the cheese is made.    

With over 70 cows, Hosteins and Herefords, these bovine wonders produce the milk needed for the Swiss inspired cheeses.  Started in 1999 by Nancy and Clark Gourlay, along with their three sons, they wanted to recreate the cheese they had come to love while living in Switzerland.  The Gourley’s choose Vancouver Island for it’s cool, moist climate, which proved ideal for the ripening process.

While the kids and I enjoyed sampling the finished product, as well as some delicious local ice cream, the other farm animals prove to be the highlight of our visit. 

The open hen house shows hens laying eggs.  The stables have pigs, calves and goats, there is even a rabbit to play with.

If you want to see how cows are milked, plan to arrive around 4:30 p.m. when the “girls” come in from the pasture and are lead into their milking parlour.

Open from 9 to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, this is a fun and tasty activity for the whole family, and the best part - admission is free.

Directions:

Located between Parksville and Qualicum off the 19A highway, turn left at Wright Road onto Wembley Road, turn left again at Lowry’s Road and follow the signs. It is located directly across from the Morning Star Golf Course.

Cheers,

Julie

Today’s blog is dedicated to all the wakeboarders and wakeskaters who will be competing this weekend in the Provincial Championships.Starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning, they will take to the water with the hopes of emerging the winner. The clip above features the Young Men’s division and is from the Horne Lake Wakeboard Tournament held a couple of weeks ago. CottageDaily will be featuring these competitors along with this weekend’s highlights starting next week, as we change our format to include videos. We will be there on Sunday filming the day’s highlights so be sure to stay tuned. Have a great weekend and good luck. Cheers, Julie

 

 

 

 

Hamburgers, corn on the cob and potato salad. Mmmmmmm, if there was an official food for summer, potato salad would be it. So today we honour the mighty spud. Slathered in mayo, there is no better way to eat this earthy vegetable.

The recipes today are provided by one of the best cooks I know, Jean Smart. They originated from her grandmother, Jessie Noble Jackson. They have been carefully preserved, like a sacred family heirloom.  Recipes are our family stories. Their tattered pages are handed from one generation to the next. As I look at the ingredients in these salads, I envision Mrs. Jackson picking the vegetables from her garden. They reveal a simpler, healthier way of living.

Thank you for sharing them with us, Jean.

Cheers.

Julie

 

 

New Potato Salad with Basil

This was Olive Jessie Noble Jackson’s recipe. She was the personal cook to the Bowles Family (Lt. Governor Manitoba) Anyone who was at Winnipeg Beach in the 50’s and 60’s may remember this one. If basil is not available, mint can be used instead.

• · 2 ½ lbs small new potatoes (12 to 15 potatoes)

• · 2 tablespoons pine nuts

• · 1 cucumber (sliced)

• · 2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil

Steam or boil potatoes until tender. Drain, place in a large salad bowl. Put pine nuts on an oven tray and toast in the oven for 6-7 minutes. Add the toasted pine nuts and sliced cucumber to the potatoes. Pour the basil dressing over the potatoes tossing lightly and Garnish with basil.

Basil Dressing

• · 1 cup basil leaves loosely packed

• · 2 cloves of garlic

• · 2 tablespoons of pine nuts

• · 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese

• · ½ cup of mayonnaise (she made her own)

• · ¼ cup light sour cream

Combine basil, garlic, toasted pine nuts and parmesan cheese and mix until smooth. Add mayonnaise and sour cream and mix until smooth.

This dish should not be left out long on the picnic table, it contains mayonnaise.

Serves six

Pickled Potato Salad

Don’t pass me by. This is another of Olive’s recipes. It’s a bit of work, but well worth the effort.

• · 3 lbs of new red potatoes (18 to 20 potatoes)

• · 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon of coarse salt

• · ½ cup red-wine vinegar (any fruit red vinegar can be used)

• · 8 radishes (trimmed and thinly sliced into rounds

• · 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced into rounds

• · 2 cucumbers, peeled and cut lengthwise (seeds removed and cut on the diagonal ¼ inch thick)

• · ¼ cup dill

• · ¼ cup olive oil (extra virgin olive oil is best)

• · ¾ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Place potatoes in a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add salt and reduce to a gentle boil. Cook until tender when pierced with a knife. Drain into a colander. Cut the potatoes into ¼ inch wedges while still hot. (Wear oven mitts to protect hands.) Drizzle with ¼ cup of vinegar and set potatoes aside.

Place radishes and red onions in a large bowl. Add remaining vinegar (1/4 cup). Let stand for 30 minutes but stir every 5 minutes.

Put cucumbers in a colander over a bowl. Sprinkle cucumbers with ½ teaspoon of salt and set aside.

When potatoes are cool, add the radish/onion mixture. Add salted cucumbers, dill, olive oil and remaining salt (1/2 teaspoon) and pepper and toss all. Chill until ready to serve.

Serves 10 – 12

Austrian Potato Salad

This one comes from the other side of the family. I found this in my great grandmother’s recipe book. The recipe did not specify what kind of potato but I have found that Yukon gold potatoes work well or another potato of medium density.

• · 4 pounds baby gold potatoes

• · 1tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons of course salt

• · ½ cup cider vinegar

• · 1 tablespoon of sugar

• · 1 pound of bacon cut into small ½ inch pieces

• · 2 small white onions (finely diced)

• · 2 cups of beef broth

• · ½ cup of chopped parsley

Peel potatoes and place them in a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add salt and reduce to a gentle boil. Cook until tender when pierced with a knife.

While potatoes cook combine, the vinegar, sugar and remaining salt in a pot and heat until sugar is dissolved.

Drain the potatoes. Cut the potatoes into thick rounds. Drip the hot vinegar mixture over the potatoes until they are coated. Put aside.

Cook bacon in a skillet until brown and crispy. Remove bacon. Drain some of the bacon fat from the skillet. Use bacon fat in skillet to sauté onions until translucent but not browned.

Add beef broth to onions and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce to simmer and cook until reduce by half (it takes about 20 minutes). Pour over the potato mixture and sprinkle with the bacon and chopped parsley. Gently stir to combine and serve right away.

Serves 8 -10

I would like to talk about CottageDaily today. Slowly the word is spreading about its existence, and I am getting lots of great emails (julie@cottagedaily.com) from you folks. Thank you very much for the delicious recipes, suggestions and great story ideas.

Some of you may not know that CottageDaily.com is actually a blog - a website that uses client managed software (CMS). This means that you don’t have to be a geek to be able to have a website, although it really helps if you know a geek who can so some of the programming. Blogging has become really popular; it’s estimated that there are over 70 million of us, and the number grows by about 125,000 a day.

The software I use on the site is called WordPress. Aside from being free, it is one of the most popular open source blogging platforms. It is also supported by a great network of volunteers.

There are a couple of features I would like to draw to your attention. At the bottom of every article appears the word “Comment.” Clicking on this word, typing in your email address, your website address(only if you have one) will lead you to the comment box, where, you can add your own thoughts and experiences. It is a great way to keep me honest, and it provides a different perspective.

If you have left a comment and wondered why it didn’t appear right away, it’s because I approve all comments. This is done to block spam. I am thinking of removing it so you can have instant gratification.

The other feature I would like to mention is the “Subscribe” key. Again, if you hit this button and type in your email address you will receive an email every time an article is posted. You then can click onto the link and it takes you right to the site.

With any email addresses or information you provide, I will respect and honour your privacy. It will not be sold or used for anything other than it’s intended purpose.

Over the next week, the site will be modified ever so slightly, I was challenged to think of things that you “Must Have” so I have decided to make the previous articles easier to find. I also want to showcase our video clips. If you missed the Crash Reel - please go back and view it - it is hilarious.

Tomorrow, “Oh So Tasty Potato Salads,” will be featured. If you have a any great spud recipes - send them in and I will add them.

The sun is back - it is time to head outside. Have a great day everybody.

Cheers,

Julie

PS - if CottageDaily does not appear on the centre of your screen, hold down the Ctrl key, the Shift key and hit the reload key (blue arrow at the top of your screen) this will restore everything back to it’s original place.

You can never have too much power, especially this summer. With seven days of straight rain, my batteries aren’t the only things to be strained. It’s been proven that the sun makes us happier and life just seems easier, particularly if you’re living off the grid. We need these golden rays to flush our toilets, run our lights and power our DVD player.

Currently, our hydro system consists of one solar panel and two deep cell six volt batteries. This generates approximately 70 amps of power for us each week (assuming it’s not raining). While this amount is enough for a weekend, after about five days of cabin living, our batteries run dry. It’s not nice waking up with no running water.

I recently went online and calculated that we need approximately 120 amps/of power for the week. Well that explains our shortfall, now what do we do about it.

Costco. Yes the big name retail box to the rescue again. Costco sells solar panels ($299 Cdn). Made by Coleman and packaged in threes, combined, they provide 54 watts. The packaging on the box states that we will get up to 1,560 watts a week. Does this mean we can make toast?

Before I get too carried away we still need to get the batteries, sold separately. Deep cycle 6 volt golf batteries are the ones most solar dealers recommend. They handle heavy loads and can be drained without damaging the batteries unlike car batteries.

Ken Webster, owner of Webster Solar Energy, Burnaby, BC, recommends two batteries per panel. He cautions it’s a good idea to sit down and map out how much power your family will need. “Don’t heat, cook or do hot water,” is his rule of thumb when it comes to solar.

Are we there yet? Once we get the batteries squared away, we will need to make sure the charge controller or regulator will be adequate. The regulator is used to prevent the batteries from being overcharged. The Coleman kit comes with a 4A charge controller (I’m not sure what this means and if we can use it or if we will have to upgrade)

As far as maintenance goes, Webster states, “Aside from the batteries: checking their electrolyte levels; adding distiled water if you have deep cycle ones, there is not much to worry about. ” He recommends washing them off occasionally and make sure any tree branches are not blocking them.

I must say after all this, I still don’t know how much power we are going to end up with or if I will finally be able to make toast. One thing is for sure, if we don’t figure out how to get them mounted onto our roof, I will be back to hauling water out of the lake by bucket. Any suggestions?

Cheers,

Julie (praying for sun)

When you own a piece of paradise it is only natural to want to share it with your friends and family. This is what makes cottaging so special. Occasionally, these group get-togethers can go south, placing a strain your relationship. So, as we near the peak of cottage season, I have put together a list of the “Top Ten Things a Cottage Guest Should Never Do.”

I have left number 10 open for you to add your thoughts. Please leave your comments in the space below ( I promise I will not spam or send chain emails to you).

Number 1.

Hog the bathroom, as there is usually only one, be considerate, especially if you’re the first one up

Number 2.

Make lots of noise - cottage walls are very thin, be careful what you say and what you DO

Number 3.

Ignore you children - little people need extra care, especially around the water. If your kids are not strong swimmers make sure you bring a life jacket or check with the host ahead of time to determine if there is a jacket that will fit. Walmart is a great place to pick up a cheap life jacket. Bring your family’s favourite board game to play.

Number 4.

Use all your hostesses stuff - Bring the stuff you think you will need - bathing suit, sunblock, shampoo, flip flops etc. It’s OK to borrow stuff in a pinch - totally expected - but try to plan ahead.

Number 5.

Complain about the facilities i.e. the lake, the cabin, the boat, the grass - get the picture? Pointing out a cabin’s flaws and shortcomings is a good way of ensuring you won’t be invited back. We love our cottage and we want you to love it too.

Number 6.

Ignore everyone else and do your own thing. Cottagers are very social people. We love to party and have fun. While everyone needs some down time, don’t ignore your host and spend the whole day reading a book - unless it’s a book club get-together or a librarian’s retreat. We invited you for a VISIT - so spend some time with us; we crave attention.

Number 7

Similar to number 4 - Don’t come empty handed. This is always tricky because most hostess will say, “Oh, don’t bring anything - just come,” we are actually lying when we say this. I and this is just me, love it when people make a meal or bring a meal. It makes life easier. I get to spend less time in the kitchen and more time in the water.

Number 8

Pick a fight with your spouse. Everyone goes through rough times, but deciding to “work-it-out” in front of your friends is sooo not the way to go. Save that conversation for the car ride home.

Number 9

Stay too long - a good guest knows when to come and they know when to go. Always leave them wanting more.

Now it’s your turn - what are your guest no-no’s? Leave me a comment and I will post it on the blog.

Happy Holidaying.

Cheers,

Julie

 (This takes a minute to load - after the blue Q wait another 30 seconds and then it will play.) For anyone who has ever wakeboarded you will appreciate the above video clip. For those who are considering trying it, you might not want to watch this. Filmed at last weekend’s Horne Lake Wakeboard Tournament, it is a compellation of all the falls - over the course of five hours; there were some dandy’s. Having been “owned” by the board myself, the kind where you hit the water with your chin and your eye lids peel back, my sympathies and respect go out the people who compete in these events.
It is also important to note, that everyone who fell that day got right back up on their board and continued on, thus earning them true hero status or short listed for the Darwin awards.Enjoy the clip. I have to apologize for the sound quality, we’re still working on adding music to the clip, but that person going, “ohh, ohh, ohh” is yes, your’s truly. It’s all a work in progress.

Cheers,

Julie