Have you seen any good movies this Christmas holiday? American Thanksgiving is the start of a month long movie fest, with one big block buster after another. While not an avid movie goer, I do read the reviews in search of those rare gems. This year, Charlie Wilson’s War, staring Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman caught my eye. I especially enjoy movies that are based on real life events, and this one does not disappoint.

Hoffman’s character, the wisely cynical, self depreciating (is he Canadian?) CIA agent is brilliant. So is Tom Hank’s role as an over indulgent, sexually promiscuous congressman. You can’t not help but love these two men, who, along with grand dame Julie Roberts, manage to save the Afganistan people from being blown to bits by the Russians. OK, I am totally over simplifying the plot, but it’s the one liners that make this movie so cunningly funny. Definitely adult humour, leave the kids at home. Not only a great flick, but a good history lesson if you’re like me, and failed to understand why Afganistan is a hot bed for terrorism and violence.

Another good film praised by the critics is The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep, released on Christmas Day. It’s meant to explain the legend of the Loch Ness monster. The movie opens with a dark, almost macabre scene where young Angus MacMorrow (Alex Etel), discovers a black, barnacled football-shaped egg. The adventures begin when the egg hatches in his father’s work shed.

Sad at times, I love this film because the characters are so distracted with their own pain and suffering. Angus’s freckled face and earnest eyes fill the screen. His expressions, not his dialog, steel scene after scene. This is the kind of movie everyone will love, so be sure to include the grandparents. It’s dark and the battle scene at the end left my kids holding onto me for dear life, but like all good movies there is a happy ending.

Those are my pics for the holidays - what are yours?

Cheers,

Julie

Two people were killed this past weekend back country skiing north east of Tent Ridge in Kananaskis, AB. They were swept to their death by a class 3 avalanche. Little else is known about the victims other than trauma was a factor. According to Greg Johnson, an avalanche forecaster at the Canadian Avalanche Centre, while some avalanche victims die of asphyxiation, many succumb to their injuries. “A small avalanche is faster than 70 kph,” he explains. Getting caught in an avalanche is very harsh and very violent. You hit things on the way down, rocks and trees.”

Like all outdoor sports, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, or back country skiing, being prepared can save your life, especially if you’re a man. It seems that men are more likely to die in an avalanche than women. Johnson attributes that to the fact that more men are in the back country sledding and skiing, and then there is the testosterone factor. “Men get amped up - they want to go after it,” he says. Avalanche studies show snowmobile victims are in their mid 30’s, while back country skiers tend to be in their mid 20’s. “They have just enough knowledge to get into trouble,” Johnson remarks. “But a lot of people go into the back country and make good decisions.”

If you’re reading this and thinking, ‘Well this doesn’t apply to me,’ think again. If you like to ski out of bounds or your children are into climbing, hiking, skiing and sledding, then the following information could save your’s or their lives.

Precautions to Take Before Heading into the Back Country

Back country generally refers to western Canada, but Johnson states that Quebec also has avalanche fatalities. Good skiers and snowmobilers take note: before you head out in search of powder, take a recreation avalanche class and learn how to recognize the hazards. Also, it’s important to know how to use your equipment. Basic avalanche gear includes:

1. Transceiver radio that transmits signals and can be switched to receive signals. If your buddy gets buried alive, you can pick up his/her’s signal.
2. Shovel - used to dig people out
3. Probe - slim tent rod that goes down through the snow to help find victims.

In addition to the above, Johnson also carries:

1. Small first aid kit
2. Small emergency tarp
3. Extra clothes
4. Food
5. Water
6. Compass, map
7. Headlamp
8. Basic repair kit for his snowboard

This is the kind of guy you want to be with in the back country. He is well prepared.

One other very important precaution you should take is to check the avalanche report - www.avalanche.ca This site is updated frequently and produces forecasts for B.C., Alberta and Quebec.

Johnson sums it up with, “Accidents occur to people with good skill sets. Those skill sets outweigh their avalanche skills. Good skiers and good snowmobilers need to pay attention. Access avalanche safety information at www.avalanche.ca, carry equipment and know how to use it.”

Cheers,

Julie

If a picture is worth a 1,000 words, than this one is worth a million. Taken at the height of the July 1st long weekend, it succinctly captures the vestiges of the day.

It’s our dock. But it could be any body’s dock, taken anywhere in Canada. Out of all the photos I have of our cottage, this one is my favourite. Odd, considering it contains no people or even a picture of our cabin.

What it does show is all the fun we’re having. The toys, minus the boat and wake board, are all lined up, ready for our beck and call. The long blue water skis, the stacks of soggy beach towels, the life jackets and wet suits strewn over chairs or left to dry in the sun, the balled up tee shirts and flip flops, all waiting for their owners to come back and claim them.

I see this photo and I yearn for summer. I miss the feeling I get standing on our dock at the beginning of the day – that feeling of infinite possibilities. Should we take the kids for a tube, or how about a paddle before the sun gets too hot, or maybe a wake board? The day opens before me like a flower, waiting to be picked and enjoyed.

When I ask my son what he misses most about the cabin he immediately replies, “Spending time with you, mom.” My husband pauses, reflecting on the question and then slowly answers, “The beer.” Hmm, not what I’m expecting, but we all enjoy the cabin in our own way.

If I had to rank what I miss most about the cabin it would likely go like this:

• The lake – despite its frosty temperatures and unwillingness to rise about 74 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s still the best part of the cottage.

• The boat, while it makes a very loud beeping sound that can be heard clear across the lake, it pulls me out of the water on one ski. I just wish it wouldn’t speed up so much and then die going around corners, but maybe that’s just Bill having a little fun.

• My wakeboard, it only cost $149 (Costco), but it is the best wakeboard in the world.

• Our cottage neighbours, People don’t do happy hour in Vancouver, at least not the moms I hand out with. At the lake, it’s socially acceptable, even encouraged, to be a little tipsy at 4 o’clock in the afternoon.

I’ve left the fifth one blank. I’d like to hear what you miss most about your cottage.

Cheers,

Julie

P.S. Don’t forget to send you cottage pictures to julie@cottagedaily.com for your chance to win the romper featured above.

Touching down in Toronto, I know this is going to be an unforgettable weekend. Arriving at the Interntional Centre for the Fall Cottage Life show, I can feel myself getting anxious. Over the next 72 hours, there will be more than 10,000 cottagers walk by my exhibit. Wow.

I’m worrying about the construction of my booth, until I meet my next door neighbour, Wilderness Homes Inc. Matt (no pun intended) is on all fours installing a laminate floor. Over the next 8 hours, he will build a miniature log home in a 10 x10 space. Stay tuned for the after shots. I am suddenly thankful I have chosen a minimalist design. I am hoping the licorice will be a big draw.

My husband and booth partner, has come down with a raging cold. But help is on the way. My 69-year-old mother, Doris, a retired school teacher, is donning her running shoes and will fill in for my sneezing, dripping husband.

With all the cottagers expected at this show, I can’t help but get excited. It’s fun watching the other exhibitors with their drills and displays put the finishing touches on their booths. My friend Heather, owner of CottageLINK Rental Management is here and stopped by for a quick visit. She is an old pro at these shows. You can click on her link CottageNews.ca to read about her tradeshow adventures.

Well I’m off. We have one more IKEA table to assemble and I need to put the finishing touches (the licorice) on the booth. I am so looking forward to making some new friends and hearing about cottage life in Ontario.

Cheers,

Julie

When you focus on the problem, the problem gets bigger. When you focus on the solution, the solutions gets bigger.

Last week’s blogs focused on global warming and the retreating waters of the Great Lakes. While they inspired a lot of discussion (see blog comments) they left me feeling rather hopeless.

In Saturday’s Globe and Mail, the British Columbia edition, Gary Mason’s column is all about water shortages in Canada’s western lakes and rivers.

The story is the same regardless of where in the country, or world, we cottage in. The glaciers that feed our lakes and rivers are melting. It is occurring at an alarming rate, and Canada is no exception. Despite our heavy snow falls, the ground is no longer frozen when the spring run off takes place. The water is being absorbed by the earth before it gets to the lakes and streams.

Reading this article I had that sinking feeling again. I do not want to keep writing about global warming, yet it’s a problem that’s only going to keep getting worse.   I am aware that the sinking feeling I am experiencing is really my own guilt.

You see, I am not really an environmentalist. Yes I live off the grid at my cabin, have solar panels etc., but that’s not because I want to live a simpler, more “environmentally friendly” life, it’s because I have too. I don’t have a choice. There is no power, and the Region of Nanaimo, along with the Horne Lake Cottage Association, have imposed building and water restrictions,  so that I don’t harm the environment. In short, I need to be regulated.

Left to my own devices, I would live the same way at the cabin as I do at home. I want things nice and I want them convenient.

There, my dirty little secret is out. I am a waster, and as long as I am a waster I am going to feel bad about this whole global warming business. I am totally focused on the problem.

I am making a public declaration that from this day forward, I am going to start focusing on the solution, halting global warming, and doing my part to reduce my consumption of water. I will do one thing a week for the environment, starting with my home.

There is a lot I can do right here - replace our single pane windows, change out my toilettes, install a clothesline, start composting, stop using plastic bags at the grocery store, etc. The list is endless.

Each Monday, I will report on this week’s goal. Please feel free to join me and let me know what you’re up to. I am open to any and all suggestions that don’t overwhelm me, and help me to stay focused on the solution.

This week’s goal - start washing all my laundry in cold water.

Here’s to alleviating my conscience.

Cheers,

Julie

While most of the cottagers in British Columbia endured one wet weekend after another this past summer, our neighbors to the east in Ontario enjoyed non-stop sun. Folks on Georgian Bay saw their daily highs go from 18 degrees Celsius to 26 degrees Celsius in early July where they remained for most of the summer and well into the fall.

As cottagers, we pray for sun. We want warm calm water so we can get out on the lake and play. But global warming and the extreme weather that accompanies it appears to be wrecking havoc on our summertime fun.

Sam Kohn, a cottager on Georgian Bay’s 30,000 Islands area, is experiencing this effect first hand. What used to be his boat house has now turned into a “garage,” and he’s not alone. The waterline on Lake Huron has receded anywhere from 12 to 18 feet, leaving boats high and dry.

The higher than average temperatures are producing a series of chain reactions:

• Lakes are becoming warmer resulting in more water loss due to evaporation
• The ground around the lakes are drying out, reducing the supply of ground water to streams that feed the lakes
• Large lakes like Superior are getting steadily warmer and not freezing over in the winter, resulting in even more loss due to evaporation

Last winter Ontario’s weather was two to four degrees above the norm for the province. Contrast that to British Columbia where we experienced Tsunami warnings, followed by heavy snows and bitter cold.

According to Canada’s Forth National Report on Climate Change, “The current rate of climate change is more rapid than what the earth normally experiences.”

Does this mean the weather is only going to continue to become more and more extreme? Will the east continue to dry out while the west battles storm after storm?

What do you think? Is there a way to stop these crazy weather patterns? Will switching to hybrid cars curb the current trajectory we’re on?

Cheers,

Julie

So if the cougars on Vancouver Island are the most aggressive in North America, according to Ron Heusen, field supervisor for Central Vancouver Island’s Conservation Authority, what do you do if you happen to run into one, perhaps while out jogging on Horne Lake Road?

My first inclination would be to keep on running, but that is just the thing that would likely get me killed (besides, I’m not a very fast runner). Running triggers the attack response in a cougar. Imagine a kitten spotting a rolling ball of yarn, like a cougar, their natural instinct is to pounce on it. When I run, I become that rolling ball of yarn.

I also leave my neck exposed, which is exactly how these large cat’s take down their prey - they break their victim’s neck, severing the spine in the process.

So what do I do when staring down the face of a killing predatory machine?

According to Heusen fight tooth and nail. If I am going to defend myself, I have to be very, very aggressive. Cougars are 100% fit. If they suffer a broken leg, hip, or become injured in any way, they are done; they will starve to death. Because of this strong survival instinct, they will not put themselves in jeopardy. If they think they might get hurt they will back off.

The best thing to do is to make myself look as big as possible - opening my jacket and fanning it out and making a lot of noise. Exactly what Lori Macfarlane did when she encountered a cougar while walking a friend’s dog on Horne Lake road, see Cougar Attack for the complete story.

With regards to cougars on Horne Lake, Heusen says to relax. Our odds of getting attacked are 1 in 17 million. He also stated that these big cats are territorial. Their habitat spans about 20 square miles. One cat will keep others out, depending on food availability.

For more information on cougars and safety precautions, click here to visit the Ministry of Environment’s website.

Here’s to a healthy deer population.

Cheers,

Julie

Sharing a cabin with bears in one thing. I have been well educated regarding these big black creatures.

• Don’t leave garbage laying around
• Always clean the barbecue after every use
• Avoid having bird feeders or fruit trees on my property
• Always make lots of noise when walking in the woods
• Never get between a bear and her cubs.

Enough said.

Cougars are another story. I know these creatures have attacked people on the Vancouver Island, usually children. Given the recent encounters on our lake, I wanted to find out how big a threat they posed to our safety.

I spoke to conservation officer, Ron Heusen, who is the field supervisor for central Vancouver Island. During our phone interview, one thing became very apparent, Ron has had a lot of experience with these big cats.

The first thing I wanted to know is, how big is the cougar population on Vancouver Island, and where do they live, i.e. how many are there on Horne Lake?

Ron explains, if you drew an imaginary line right down the centre of the Island, the majority of mountain lions can be found to the right of that line or on the eastern side. Campbell River, Courtney, Comox, Bowser, Qualicum, Parksville, Nanaimo and on down to Victoria, all have healthy populations.

Curious as to why the concentrations centred around populated areas, and not on the west coast coast, Ron states that deer are the cougars’ primary food source. These areas have huge deer populations making it easy for them to hunt and feed. This also explains why there have been no attacks on people in these areas.

Overall, the cougar population has been declining on Vancouver Island. While they no longer keep data on their numbers, conservation authorities are not seeing the kills (on livestock) like they used to. Cougars are showing up starving to death.

Ron attributes their decline to the extensive logging that is taking place. Wolves are the cougars primary competitor when it comes to deer, and even though there are very of them on Island, they are very efficient hunters. The logging corridors have enabled the wolves to hunt deer twice as fast and after they leave an area, the deer population has been decimated, leaving little food for the cougars. This massive loss of prey has hit the cougars hard.

When I ask Ron about cougar attacks on Vancouver Island, he says they average one a year, usually children. He also notes Island cats are the most aggressive in North America. We have the highest concentration of people killers resulting in the most of fatalities of anywhere in North America. That’s the bad news.

The good news is the likely hood of being attacked by a cougar is 1 in 17 million.

Tomorrow, I will review what to do and what not do when confronting a cougar.

Cheers,

Julie

Two people were killed this past weekend back country skiing north east of Tent Ridge in Kananaskis, AB. They were swept to their death by a class 3 avalanche. Little else is known about the victims other than trauma was a factor. According to Greg Johnson, an avalanche forecaster at the Canadian Avalanche Centre, while some avalanche victims die of asphyxiation, many succumb to their injuries. “A small avalanche is faster than 70 kph,” he explains. Getting caught in an avalanche is very harsh and very violent. You hit things on the way down, rocks and trees.”

Like all outdoor sports, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, or back country skiing, being prepared can save your life, especially if you’re a man. It seems that men are more likely to die in an avalanche than women. Johnson attributes that to the fact that more men are in the back country sledding and skiing, and then there is the testosterone factor. “Men get amped up - they want to go after it,” he says. Avalanche studies show snowmobile victims are in their mid 30’s, while back country skiers tend to be in their mid 20’s. “They have just enough knowledge to get into trouble,” Johnson remarks. “But a lot of people go into the back country and make good decisions.”

If you’re reading this and thinking, ‘Well this doesn’t apply to me,’ think again. If you like to ski out of bounds or your children are into climbing, hiking, skiing and sledding, then the following information could save your’s or their lives.

Precautions to Take Before Heading into the Back Country

Back country generally refers to western Canada, but Johnson states that Quebec also has avalanche fatalities. Good skiers and snowmobilers take note: before you head out in search of powder, take a recreation avalanche class and learn how to recognize the hazards. Also, it’s important to know how to use your equipment. Basic avalanche gear includes:

1. Transceiver radio that transmits signals and can be switched to receive signals. If your buddy gets buried alive, you can pick up his/her’s signal.
2. Shovel - used to dig people out
3. Probe - slim tent rod that goes down through the snow to help find victims.

In addition to the above, Johnson also carries:

1. Small first aid kit
2. Small emergency tarp
3. Extra clothes
4. Food
5. Water
6. Compass, map
7. Headlamp
8. Basic repair kit for his snowboard

This is the kind of guy you want to be with in the back country. He is well prepared.

One other very important precaution you should take is to check the avalanche report - www.avalanche.ca This site is updated frequently and produces forecasts for B.C., Alberta and Quebec.

Johnson sums it up with, “Accidents occur to people with good skill sets. Those skill sets outweigh their avalanche skills. Good skiers and good snowmobilers need to pay attention. Access avalanche safety information at www.avalanche.ca, carry equipment and know how to use it.”

Cheers,

Julie