I have to apologize.  I’ve been very inconsistent with my blogging.  The reason? I’ve started working full time in a new marketing position.  While I love what I’m doing, it’s left very little time for anything else, that is after I spend some time with my children, walk the dog and organize our house.

My radical lifestyle change is also going to impact my vacation time. I’ve gone from 52 weeks of holidays a year, down to four weeks.  In term of cottage time, I’m likely only going to be spending long weekends and maybe two weeks a year at the cabin, if I’m lucky.

I realize this is what most people have to contend with, but I’ve had it really good.  Spending most of August at the cabin was a pretty great gig.  Holiday time has now become a very precious commodity.  No matter how you slice it, when I get time off there’s no place I’d rather be than behind the boat wakeboarding.

How ’bout you?  How much time do you get off and what do you do?

Cheers,

Julie

Despite Vancouver’s reputation for being a rainy city, the weather gods have blessed us with sun - lots of it.  Which make’s today’s topic - “Harvest Soups” a little hard to swallow.  Resisting the temptation to feature more grilling recipes, I’ve turned my attention and tastes buds to rich, hearty broths.

This time of year yields a cornucopia of fall root vegetables, particularly if you’re into farmers’ markets.  With the early harvest apples starting to appear, it’s only fitting we whip up a batch of  “Winter Vegetable Soup,” which contains not only root vegetables, but apples and a dollop of maple syrup.  Does it get any more Canadian than this?

Don’t be deterred by the sweetness of this recipe.  The  cayenne pepper and the goat cheese topping more than balance the sweet flavours.  But don’t take my word for it, try this one out and let me know what you think.

Winter Vegetable Soup (source: www.epicurious.com)

ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup coarsely chopped onion (I use a maui or sweet onion)
• 1 cup peeled coarsely chopped granny smith apples
• 1 cup peeled coarsely chopped turnip
• 1 cup peeled, chopped butternut squash (seeds discarded)
• 1 cup peeled, chopped carrots
• 1 cup peeled, chopped sweet potato
• 5 cups of chicken stock
• 1/8 cup of maple syrup
• Cayenne pepper
• 1 small whole-grain baguette
• 3 oz goat cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

directions
For soup, heat oil in a large saucepan on medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add apple, turnip, squash, carrot, and sweet potato; season with salt, then sauté 5 minutes. Add stock, bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add syrup, then cayenne pepper to taste. Cool slightly. Puree with a handheld mixer, food processor or blender. For toast toppers, cut 6 slices bread and toast them. Spread 1/2 oz goat cheese on top of each; sprinkle with chives. Pour soup into 6 large bowls; float toast on top.

If anyone has a good carrot and ginger soup recipe, please leave me a comment.

Cheers,

Julie

The September sun is beating down as I navigate the boat towards the launch.  The spray coming off the waves is warm, not the shocking cold, I’ve come to expect.  The lake is busy with other boaters pulling tubes and skiers. ‘This is all wrong,’ I think to myself, ‘we should be going wakeboarding, not pulling the boat out for the season.’

September is arguably one of the nicest months to be at the cabin, at least that’s what I’ve been told from our neighbours.  I have yet to experience this warm weather phenomenon.  Once the kids are back in school, our lives become immersed in mainland activities: piano lessons, choir and later skiing.

Normally our close-up weekend is tied into an early annual Thanksgiving dinner with our cottage neighbours, but the timing doesn’t work out for us this year, so we decided to close up the cabin while the weather was still nice.  Big mistake.

It’s hard to put away the toys when it’s still daylight - sunlight in fact.  Taking the ladder off the dock means no more swimming.  And then there’s the dock.  Brand new and floating upright. It’s already for the mooring whips.  The new floats mean more people at happy hour or at least drier feet.   “This just seems all wrong,” I say to Bill.  “The weather is so nice.  The cottage is all fixed up and we barely got a chance to enjoy it.”  He agrees.

The truth is, and this happens every year, I’m not ready to say good bye to summer - the parties, the swimming, the campfires and especially the toys.  It’s like Peter Pan returning from never-never land.  I have to grow up and assume my adult responsibilities.  The schedule, the routine and this year a new job.

I wonder if the neighbours would mind if I started a fire in the back yard and roasted some marshmallows - just for old times sake?

Cheers,

Julie

The number of cottages for sale on our lake, compared to last year, is staggering. Only two of the more than 20 listings, have sold. It’s interesting to note that the two that did sell sold pretty close to their asking price - less $10,000. They were also priced higher than all the others.

What made these cabins so appealing to buyers? According to a spokesperson for Royal LePage Qualicum, they were finished homes. That is, they were clean, beautifully decorated and they were turn key. Every thing was automated. They had propane heat, solar polar and all the comforts of home.

While the market for recreational property is a lot softer than it was a year ago, there is still interest in waterfront living. But if you’re currently trying to sell your cottage or are considering listing it, it’s important to be realistic and be prepared to spend money.
Here are five things you should do if you want to sell your cottage:

1. Be Realistic - just because your neighbours cabin sold for $450,000 last year doesn’t mean that you’re going to get that price this year. Get several quotes from real estate agents and take the average of the three. Historical pricing is not the best benchmark in this market.
2. Be prepared to spend some money by doing the following:
   1. Clean out all the junk from underneath the cabin and any other storage places
   2. Get rid of the old mis matched furniture - think cottage show home. Craig’s list is a great place to get good used quality furniture, but don’t be afraid to work with a designer to create a co-ordinated, unified look. Spend money on bed linens, new area rugs, towels and door mats. Painting goes a long way and can really improve a cabin’s appearance. I call this a lipstick renovation.
   3. Clean the inside thoroughly and leave a lemon air freshener - not too overpowering, but remember, cabins are closed up for weeks at a time - you want a clean, fresh scent.
   4. Take down all the personal knick knacks and photos. Throw out any wine bottles, folk art and dried flower arrangements. Think hotel room- less is more.
   5. Pay attention to the outside: build a good dock if you don’t have one, trim, rake and sweep the yard. The outside is just as important as the inside when it comes to cottaging.
   6. Ease of Use - have you put off buying a new generator, solar panels or a propane fireplace? Campers expect rustic. Today’s cottagers want hot showers, cappuccinos and high speed Internet.

I know there’s a reluctance to spend money on a cottage, especially when it’s being listed for sale, but the buyers willing to pay the top dollar are not do-it-yourselfers. They’re turn-key folks, at least until the reality about owning a cottage sets in, but that’s another blog.

Cheers,

Julie

The first day of school is my January 1st. I really think the Jewish folks got it right with Rosh Hashanah. The fall, not the wiinter or January 1st, feels like the start of a new year. This is when I usually get:

• new clothes
• new shoes
• new routine
• new season

While the summer is a time to kick back and relax, the fall brings a renewed sense of energy and purpose. One of things we always do this time of year is to sit down and do our annual budget for the year. We tend to be backward planners. It goes something like this: the Visa bill arrives and we go, “Holy cow! Why is it so big? Where did we spend all that money?”

Summer is also a relaxed time for spending money. For us, having a second home means increased expenses especially travel expenses. Boat fuel, driving to the cabin and the ferry fees are the main culprits. While gas appears to be coming down, we we’re filling up at $1.40 a litre. The assured loading card which cost $850 a year ago is now $1,300 and is rumoured to be increasing again.

And then there are the cottage improvement expenses like the new dock. The total cost to re-float the dock and build the extension amounted to just under $4,000. Ouch. Thank goodness the labour was free - well almost. Bill did drink more beer that week.

The one thing that’s really important for all cottagers is to keep really good records of your cottage improvements. The new dock enhances the capital value of our property, therefor we can use it offset any capitals gains (if there are any) when we decide to dispose of it.

The majority of capital improvements on a cottage or new property occur within the first four years of ownership, so it is really important to keep your receipts. We have a binder we throw everything into. It’s not pretty, but at least it’s all in one place. Ten or 20 years from now, I will be hard pressed to remember where I parked my car, let alone when or what we did to the cabin.

It was decided at this year’s annual budget meeting that we’ve finished all our big projects. Ironically it’s been four years since we bought the cabin. While there might be a little bit of yard work to do and some paint touch-ups, the cabin is pretty much going to stay the way it is until the next generation takes over. At least I hope.

What did you do to your cottage or cabin this year?

Cheers,

Julie