After months of eating, drinking and being merry, I seem to have developed a “muffin top” or five pounds of white squishy flab that’s spilling out over top of my jeans. Up until now it was largely hidden by big bulky sweaters, but the warmer weather means less clothing.

I’m not looking forward to squeezing this year’s body into last year’s bathing suit.

In order to avert a “whale spotting” at the cabin, steps must be taken now to gently bring my body back to it’s former shape and glory.

Not a person who enjoys gyms or repetitive toning classes, I prefer to exercise in a more natural setting i.e. the cottage. I want to know the best way to get in shape at the cabin without having to drastically alter my lifestyle. Simply put, I want to have my cake and eat it too.

After a little bit of research on the Net, here are eight activities I can do to get in shape at the cottage:

Highest Calorie Burners (Based on a 155 pound person)

1. Swimming - 420 cal/hr
2. Waterskiing - 420 cal/hr ( I don’t know anyone who can ski for that long)
3. Construction/Renovating - 390 cal/hr ( we’re going to build a new dock this summer!)
4. Golf (carrying clubs) - 390 cal/hr ( 9 holes that’s 975 calories)
5. Kayaking - 350 cal/hr
6. Painting - 320 cal/hr
7. Windsurfing - 210 cal/hr
8. Fishing and walking tied - 180 cal/hr

If, at the end of the day after doing all these activities I’m too tired to do anything else, I can relax. Sitting doing nothing burns 91 calories. If you have any tips or ideas, please feel free to share them with me.

Cheers,

Julie

P.S. One hour of canoeing burns 280 calories

It’s Saturday night, and after a good four hour snowmobile ride throughout the Qu’Appelle Valley region of Saskatchewan, the Nelson’s are curled up in front of the fire watching a movie. Earlier in the evening, Noray Nelson, age 20, decided to clean out the embers from the fireplace in order to lite a new one. Using a plastic bucket, he scoops the ashes into the pail, and places it outside the front door.

A little while later, Noray’s dad hears banging. Thinking it’s nothing, Noray gets up, and casually ambles over to the front door to investigate. He opens it, and is greeted by flames shooting up the outside wall of the cabin. The cottage is on fire. Fortunately, neighbors out for a walk see the flames and are able to bring it quickly under control by throwing snow on it.

There is a good lesson in here for all of us cottagers. Just because a fire is out, doesn’t mean the coals are not still active. In Noray’s case, he saw a couple of ambers when he was cleaning out the ashes, but didn’t think anything of it. It’s also not a good idea to use a plastic bucket to store ashes. The live coals melted the bucket, and then started a fire on the wooden deck beneath it. From there it quickly spread up the side of the cabin wall.

The cabin sustained some scorch marks but nothing significant. It just goes to show that fires can happen at any time of day, and now with so many folks spending the weekends at their cabins and using their fireplaces, people need to be exercise caution.

Cheers,

Julie

On the eve of Valentines Day, it’s only fitting to test one’s knowledge. Today’s quiz will separate the real romantics from those who will be sleeping on the couch with the dog tomorrow night.

Let’s start with roses.

Sending a dozen roses means:

1. There are a dozen ways I care about you
2. They are only sold by the dozen
3. I want to spend the rest of my life with you

A red rose is the colour of love, a yellow rose is the colour of:

1. enthusiasm/desire
2. beauty
3. friendship

Valentines Day originated in the United States by Hallmark Greeting Cards in 1935 True or False?

The total number of Valentines cards sent each year is:

• Over 5 million
• Over 50 million
• Over 1 billion

Men purchase 85% of all Valentines Day cards True or False?

In Asia, is it men or women who are expected to buy chocolates for their co-workers on Valentines Day?

In 2008, Saudi Arabia banned the sale of all Valentines items, particularly red items, in an effort to avoid temptation. True or False?

The Saint Valentines Day Massacre was staged by which Italian gangster?

• John Gotti
• Al Capone
• Nicky Scarfo

The Answers Are:

1. Sending a dozen roses means “There are a dozen ways I care about you.” Two dozen means, “There are 24 hours in a day and you think about you every hour.”

2. A yellow rose is the colour of friendship, but an orange or coral rose means enthusiasm or desire. Be careful not to get the two mixed up; you could literally be sending the wrong message.

3. Valentines Day has been around a lot longer than Hallmark. The first romantic link to Valentines Day was by Geoffrey Chaucer and English poet. The Brits had been sending Valentines long before the Americans. It was Esther Howland who first mass produced the heart shaped cards in 1847.

4. There are over 1 billion cards sold world wide, making it the second largest card holiday after Christmas.

5. False - Women not men purchase 85% of all Valentines Day cards.

6. In Asia the custom is for women to give chocolates to their male co-workers.

7. True - Saudi Arabia has banned Valentines Day and the sale of any related items.

8. The Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre was staged by Al Capone against Bugs Moran on Thursday February 14, 1929. It seems Moran was muscling in on Capone’s dog track and boot legging businesses. Capone was not actually present for the slaying of the seven mobsters; he was vacationing in Florida.

How well did you score? An eight out of eight might not keep you out of the dog house, but a nice card along with a box of good chocolates will. As an retired florist, I always advise people to avoid roses at Valentines. They are way over priced and seldom last. A huge bouquet of tulips is a better bet, or one of my favourites, an orchid plant - delicate but beautiful.

What was the best Valentines Day card or present you received? We would love to hear about it.

Cheers,

Julie

The cold air fills my lungs as my body struggles to navigate the hill in front of me. I am skiing the top portion of the Dave Murray Downhill, a black diamond run and future race course for the 2010 Olympic games. Despite the steep pitch and sharp turns, I am not afraid. I am mesmerized by the cedars framing the edges, so loaded down with snow, they can barely stand up. The wind is swirling around me, engulfing me like a snow globe, so that all I hear is quiet.

I have found my breathing space. I feel a sense of calm, surprising, considering I am on a mountain that attracts over 2 million skiers a year. This is why I have come here. I am in search of calm. Getting outside and playing in the snow, or kayaking in the early morning, helps me connect with myself.

I’m discovering the further away I get from civilization - stores, houses, people, the happier I seem to be. In fact, you could almost describe it as a love-hate relationship. I am attached to my material possessions, but they can’t provide me with the satisfaction and peace I feel when I am sitting on the dock - motionless.

It’s ironic that I spend a lot of money, time and energy to get to the place of nothing. I do know I go there so I can reconnect with myself, my kids and my husband.

I would love to know where you find your calm, is it at the cottage or on a running trail, are you alone or with a group of people?

Here’s to finding some breathing space,

Cheers,

Julie

Merry Christmas Cottagers. I wish I was the one who wrote those words in the sand, but alas I am sitting in my office in Vancouver living vicariously through my friends’ emails from Hawaii. Living on the west coast, most folks either head to Mexico, or Hawaii, to escape the cold. Lucky for those of us staying home, the weather here is warm and sunny.

I would like to take a moment to thank all those great women out there who make Christmas so special and memorable for their families. It’s ironic that a fat man in a red suit gets all the credit, but for all the gals who have shopped, decorated, baked, entertained and will stay up until well past midnight tonight stuffing stocking and doing last minute wrapping, bless you.

Christmas is not an easy holiday. It’s only now I truly appreciate all my mom did for our family. Quite a feat considering she worked full time, had four kids and a husband who was rather “hands-off” so to speak. I was asking a friend, who has two teenagers, age 13 and 17, how they felt about Christmas. She said her kids are really traditional. They like doing the things they have always done. She wished they had established more of them when they were younger.

This helped me to realize that:

• buying a special ornament every year with the date on it, indicative of that year’s activities
• taking the kids to go buy a fresh Christmas tree decorating together as a family while listening to Christmas carols
• suffering through the torture of making shortbread
• getting our picture taken with Santa at Santa’s Breakfast
• opening one present on Christmas Eve
• fancy dress dinner in the dining room
• skiing over the Christmas holidays

Are important because these are our family’s traditions. They are what really makes Christmas -Christmas. These are the things, I’m told, that my children will remember. So no matter how tempting or envious I am of my friends hoping on a plane and spending Christmas on a white sandy beach, our traditions happen here in Vancouver. But going away after Christmas…..

I would love to hear about your family’s traditions - old or new.

And where ever you’re spending your Christmas holidays, may they be peaceful and beautiful.

Cheers,

Julie

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Desiree Daniel, the editor of Cottage magazine. Over the course of our meeting we discussed the differences between lake cottaging and cabin owners. We both had our opinions about what constituted a “lake cottager” versus a “cabin owner.”

According to Desiree, I am a “yahoo” cottager, the kind who has a water ski boat, likes to party, is into toys and grew up in southern Ontario.

I like to think of Desiree as a “cabin owner” kind of gal. Grew up on the west coast, into nature, very environmentally sensitive, likes to kayak and there’s a good chance you’ll find granola in her cupboards.

While we are both guilty of making sweeping generalizations, the one thing we all have in common is our desire to escape, break away. We want a place where we can go with our family and friends to unwind, relax and have fun.

Some of us find our Zen on a wakeboard or inner tube, while others prefer the tranquility of a hike or a paddle.

The nice part about having a cabin on the island, is I now have the best of both worlds. I am a yahoo cabin owner. I still love my water sports, but some of them are now non-motorized. I find myself kayaking more and waterskiing less.

Happy hour is still happy hour regardless of where I drink my beer; it’s always icy cold and people, including myself, get funnier the more I drink.

The one thing I am curious about, where in Canada do cottagers cease being cottagers and turn into cabin owners? Is it Manitoba or Saskatchewan? And what about the rest of Canada? Are they called cottagers in the Maritimes, and if yes, are they yahoo cottagers?

I would love to know what kind of cottager or cabin person you are - perhaps there’s a type I haven’t even heard of. Please let me know and photos are always welcome.

Cheers to our diversity!

Julie

The Globe & Mail ran a very disturbing article, The Great Lakes Disappearing Act, Monday Sept. 24, 2007, describing how all five bodies of water are shrinking at an alarming rate. Most of the blame for the decline is being attributed to global warming.

I recently joined a cottage forum where the participants, all from Ontario, are discussing climate change and the impact it is having on their lakes.

Cottagers on Georgian Bay estimate their water level is down three feet in the past seven years. Shorelines that used to be 50 metres from homes are now more than 150 metres.

Today’s photo was posted by Kegfridge Commander. It was taken at friend’s cottage on Georgian Bay, Lake Huron. He describes how the water used break over the rocks at the shore. The folks who own the property used to have docks along the shoreline, now they have a 400 foot pier to an island then 300 feet of dock to float their boat. The boat seen in the photo is an aluminum paddle boat - it only needs four inches of water.

Families who are hoping to pass their cottages down to their children are worried that it is only going to be a mud hole by the time they inherit it.

Marine operators are struggling to to keep open because boats don’t have enough clearance to navigate the shallow waters.

According to the Globe & Mail, government forecasters are projecting that Lake Superior, the largest of the five, will fall to it’s lowest level for September since modern record keeping began nearly a century ago.

But not all of the declining lake levels can be blamed on global warming. Extensive dredging done near Sarnia in the 1960s, is causing them to lose about an extra 10 billion litres of water a day. (Sarnia is located at the tip of Lake Huron) This giant leak is being blamed for the disappearing shorelines of Lake Huron.

On Friday, we will turn our attention towards the weather, and examine how the 80 plus degree highs for October are further contributing to the vanishing lakes.

Cheers,

Julie

Finding a real estate agent is kinda like dating. You don’t always find the right one the first time around.

We recently started looking at some recreation property in a popular ski area. We made a list of the properties we wanted to see, contacted a local agent, and spent several hours together viewing the listings. At the end of the day, both my husband and I were frustrated. Largely because the properties we looked at were better online than in person, but also because we couldn’t get a clear understanding of what was suppose to happen next.

We weren’t really jazzed about working with this particular agent, but were unsure of how to proceed.

Brian Velve, a top selling Vancouver real estate agent with Remax, recommends trying a different approach.

He suggests when looking at any kind of recreation property, check to see which agent has the majority of listings in the price range we’re interested in. In addition to knowing the properties, they are more likely to attract listings that fall within our budget- thereby increasing our chances of success. We might even get first crack at a place before it gets listed.

The next step, I call this the dating step, is to make an appointment with the agent to view their listings. This gives us an opportunity to get to know each other better. Ideally, the agent will be business like, knowledgeable, and eager to work with us. Although tiring, it’s a good idea to meet with several agents before deciding on one. Remember the saying, “Before you meet your handsome prince you have to kiss a lot of toads?”

But what if there’s a break up?

Brian normally has buyers sign a “Buyers Agreement” that states he is working on their behalf. But if we find the “relationship” is just not working out, we can end it.

It is important to fire your agent.

This is definitely the hard part. While it doesn’t matter how I do it, on the phone, over the Internet or in person, it is really important I fire the agent. If I don’t, and we end up buying a property with our new agent that our old agent showed us, then they will have a right to claim commission - not a nice thing to do to either agents.

While breaking up is hard to do, from a client’s perspective, agents really appreciate being told it’s over. Even though it’s not good news for them, it will save everyone time and energy in the end, especially if we happen to run into them again - sorta like running into an old boyfriend, it’s awkward.

Here’s to finding that prince or princess.

Cheers,

Julie

Have you ever wanted to get away to the cabin and realized it was just too far to go for such a short period of time?

For the past two weeks in Vancouver, the temperature has hovered around 25 degrees Celsius. While most people are enjoying the hot afternoon sun, I am moping. This is the weather we were expecting in July, and then August, but to no avail. Now that our holidays are over and the kids are back in school, we are finally getting a heat wave. Arrrrrrr.

I know I shouldn’t complain; the rain will be here all too soon, but I so wish I was at the cabin. I like the quietness of the lake in later September, when the boat traffic has died down. I torment myself by envisioning flat calm water, perfect for wakeboarding and kayaking. I enjoy the cool crisp mornings, that require the heater, while you wait for the day to slowly warm up.

I’m just not ready for cottage season to be over. I want more, like a child yearning for candy, I want to play on my wakeboard, I want to hang out with my neighbors, or go for a swim. The party is winding down, but I am not ready to go home.

Unfortunately, going to the cabin for the weekend, just isn’t feasible. It takes four hours door to door and the ferry costs close to $200 round trip. We wouldn’t arrive until late Friday night, and then have to leave around 1 pm on Sunday to catch the ferry home. It is a pretty expensive trip for one day, Saturday.

So while the rest of the province soaks up the sun, glorious sun, I will be consoling myself with my most recent edition of CottageLife magazine.

Cheers,

Julie

It’s late in the day as the sun’s rays light up the golden wheat fields that fill our horizon. The tall ripen grain is everywhere, as we follow the never ending road of the Trans Canada Highway. Suddenly and dramatically the landscape changes. The flat plains give way to large green oval drumlins, left behind from the last glacier over 14,000 years ago.

The glacier’s melt once filled this deep gully known as the Qu’Appelle Valley. The water’s slow retreat left a thick green carpet of trees and small dense shrubs, that now line the walls of the vale. Deep on the valley’s floor flows the Qu’Appelle River, which feeds into Crooked Lake, our destination.

This lush green valley and narrow lake are teeming with wildlife, as we watch a flock of American white pelicans take flight, their noisy chatter and that of the other water fowl fills the cooling night air.

Shrieks of laughter echo off the water, as my brother and his children struggle to reel in walleyes and perch. It’s almost dark now, but the fish are biting and they are reluctant to leave the alga rich water.

There is a feeling of abundance as I stand on the dock and gaze out over the calm still water. This pristine wilderness is teeming with wildlife. It is like stepping back in time, the way Canada must have looked and felt to the early settlers. The waters, shores and sky are filled with fish, animals and birds.

Crooked Lake, set in this valley, is an oasis in the prairie; it’s beauty still intact despite the ravages of civilization.

More from our adventures on Crooked Lake tomorrow.

Cheers,

Julie