Not sure if this is happening on other lakes, but things have definitely shifted on ours. Wakeboarding is way more popular than waterskiing.

I’ve recently noticed a plethora of brand new wakeboard boats moored at cottagers’ docks - you know the ones with the big chrome wake board racks. Ninety percent of the boat traffic on our lake is towing wakeboarders not water skiers, which begs the question - Is waterskiing dead?

I personally find getting out of the water on a wakeboard takes far less effort than coming out on a slalom ski. Once up, I find the board way more stable than my ski. When it comes to speed I usually get towed on my ski at around 30. On my board it’s closer to 17.

Waterskiing for me takes a lot more strength and energy. With boarding I find criss-crossing the wake takes less effort - my motions are much more fluid. Now, I’m not saying I like wakeboarding more than waterskiing. Truth be told, I love them both equally. But I can definitely see myself boarding well into my 80’s. Waterskiing might end in my seventies - only time will tell.

I would love to know what’s more popular on your lake and what do you preferer - wakeboarding or waterskiing? Leave me a comment.

Cheers,

Julie

Cottaging on the west coast means has many benefits including access to fresh seafood. Lately around the campfire I’ve been hearing stories of cooked crab. The result has left me feeling crabby. Normally a fan of crab dipped in butter, I’m on a quest for the perfect crab cake.

My search will start at the French Creek Fisheries, located off the old Island highway between Parksville and Qualicum, it’s a great place to pick up fresh seafood including crabs. Hopefully they will clean the crabs for me so all I have to worry about is the meat.

Today’s crab cake recipe comes from Epicurious.com, with a few modifations.

Crab cakes
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup minced green onions
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 teaspoons minced fresh dill
4 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon
4 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound blue crabmeat or Dungeness crabmeat
2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs),* divided

2 tablespoons (or more) butter
2 tablespoons (or more) grapeseed oil

Directions:

Line baking sheet with waxed paper. Whisk first 9 ingredients in large bowl. Mix in crabmeat and 1 cup panko, breaking up crabmeat slightly. Let stand 10 minutes. Place remaining panko on rimmed baking sheet, spreading slightly. Form crab mixture into eight 4-inch-diameter patties, using about scant 2/4 cup for each. Press both sides of patties into panko. Transfer patties to waxed-paper-lined baking sheet. Cover and chill at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon oil in each of 2 heavy large skillets over medium-high heat. Add crab cakes to skillets and cook until golden on both sides, adding more butter and oil as needed, about 5 minutes total.
I like to serve my crab cakes with an Asian sweet chili sauce (the kind used for salad rolls and spring rolls)

Stay tuned for the results.

Cheers,

Julie

While the rest of the world is focused on the Beijing Olympics, the cottagers of Horne Lake held their own summer games this past weekend.

Undeterred by the storm clouds or choppy water, we hopped, hoola-hooped, and paddled boated our way around waterfront obstacle the course. The events, designed by Sammy, Jessie, Jarrett and Janelle, ranging in ages from seven to 10, were nothing short of fun and challenging.

Families were pitted against each other in the battle for supremacy. While some folks focused on the events, others focused on distracting each other, while still others opted for a beer. It was a hoot as you can tell by the photos shown below.

Those balloons are suppose to represent the Olympic rings. Who knew you could use panty-hose and balloons to make a ring.

Congratulations to the young organizers of this event. Their imagination and creativity made for a fun afternoon.

Cheers,

Julie

Under a dark brooding sky and black choppy water, the re-floated docks and brand new extension were launched last night. With the help of our neighbours (seven to be exact) pushing, shoving, barking out orders to each other and some throaty grunts, the first section emerged floating in the water.

I have to liken this whole process to giving birth. To call it a struggle would be an understatement. From the dock’s inception, Bill has plotted and schemed, trying to figure out the exact amount of flotation needed in order to keep all the sections afloat at the same level above the water.

This past week he’s worked from sun-up to sun-down. His knuckles skinned, his neck, arms, and back aching with exhaustion, but still he persisted.

The result? A beautiful bouncing cedar dock able to withstand any windstorm, and a perfect place to moor our new boat.

Relieved to finally have it in the water, Bill’s taking the rest of the weekend off. There’s still some work to be done, but that can wait until next weekend. The worst part is over and it’s time to relax and enjoy the cabin again.

And just like giving birth, the pain and suffering of this renovation will quickly be forgotten once we find the next “project” to work on.

The pictures tell the story best:

Section One Section Two Bill emerging from the lake

Congratulations Bill on a job well done and special thanks to all our neighbours who pitched in, offered advice and lent a hand. There’s a beer in our fridge with your name on it.

Cheers,

Julie

We seldom go out for dinner at the cabin. It’s a 25 minute drive to the nearest town and nothing tastes better than a steak on the barbecue, or maybe it’s the view from our deck that makes the food so good.

When we do venture out, like we did this past weekend, it was to one of my favourite restaurants - Atlas Cafe (#250 - 6th Street). I first stumbled onto it during a girl’s golf weekend. Five years later, it’s still one of my all time favourite. restaurants. It’s open for brunch, lunch and dinner. If you love goat cheese, be sure to try the goat cheese tart - delicious.

If you’re traveling north on Vancouver Island highway (19A) this summer, Courtenay, Comox and the road leading to these small towns, offers some excellent local cuisine. Salmon, halibut, crab and oysters are the mainstays on most menus in this part of the country. Here are some great restaurants, verified by the local, that you might want to try.

• Avenue in Comox is a sister restaurant to Atlas
• Tuscano’s in Courtenay
• Harbourview Bistro (located in Union Bay - they have limited seating so make a reservation)
• The Noodle House is another local favourite for the residents of Courtenay
• Greenwood Meat Pies sells frozen meat pies and can be found on the back streets of Courtenay
• Fanny Bay Inn - located north of Qualicum on the old Island highway this is a biker bar. While I can’t vouch for the food, but there are always a lot of bikes and cars in the drive-way.

If I have missed your favourite restaurant, please feel free to add it in comment section below.

Cheers,

Julie

Living off the grid toast is considered a luxury, simply because you have to start the generator before you can plug in the toaster. It’s easier just to eat cereal, or at least it was.

On a recent trip through Canadian Tire my husband discovered a camp stove toaster. Made by Coghlan’s, this little metal looking pie plate with metal frame makes great toast. We just place it on top of our propane stove burner, turn the gas on to heat it up and then put the toast in place. About a minute per side and it’s ready - warm crunchy toast.

The frame is wide enough to cook bagels too. For $5 we are enjoying some of the luxuries of home.

If you live off the grid and have any tips you’d like to share with me please leave me a comment.

Cheers,

Julie

The new dock, suppose to be finished by Monday, is still sitting on our gravel beach. My husband, suppose to be back at work on Tuesday, is sitting on the beach along with the new dock. Renovations never go the way their suppose to do they?

The project ran into its first snag when the flotation devices were out of stock - not a good start.

The second snag was the game plan. Bill had lots of advice, but no plan, at least nothing in writing. He’s now making it up as he goes along, guided by whoever comes along and gives him their opinion. Fortunately, those giving him advice actually know what they’re talking about.

The goods news? There’s no shortage of folks willing to pitch in and give us a hand. As you can see from the photos below what started off as a simple little dock extension has now turned into a full blown dock re-float complete with new hardware (about $600 worth).

This is one of the most expensive holidays I’ve been on in a long time (including wood, hardware and flotation about $5,000), and I’m doing all the cooking and cleaning. As I write this from the Starbucks in Parksville, I’m laughing and banging my head at the same time. This is what cottaging is all about. We truly are a breed of do-it-yourselfers (a similar dock built by an outside company would have cost $18,000).

We’re not alone in our renovations. Up and down the bay, the sound of paint sprayers, saws, and hammers can be heard clear across the lake. Everyone is hard at work holidaying.

My chi latte is all done and I still have another trip to the hardware store - more lumber and drill bits. Here’s hoping next year’s holidays are more relaxing.

Cheers,

Julie

Getting ready to head to the cabin, especially for a long weekend, requires planning and precision packing.

I was always impressed by my Aunt Helen who worked all week, come home Friday night and turned around and headed off to the lake. She not only brought home the bacon, she cooked and packed it too.

Due to the remoteness of our lake, food requires careful planning, otherwise we’ll end up eating hot dogs and potato chips all weekend. That actually would be Bill’s ideal food weekend, but I like a little more variety. If you’re scrambling for food ideas here’s what I’ve planned for our weekend:

Menu Ideas

Saturday

• Costco Kettle Ribs (pre-made just have to re-heat)
• steamed baby potatoes drizzled with fresh dill and butter
• corn-on-the-cob

Sunday

• Roast Beef marinated in oyster sauce cooked with baby potatoes, carrots, onions, parsnips
• Wild Blueberry crisp (re-printed from Penny’s Blog www.cottagelife.com)
• Wild Blueberry CrispFilling:
  5 cups (750 g) wild blueberries (1.25 L)
  1/4 cup (50 g) sugar (60 ml)
  1/2 tsp grated lemon rind (2.5 ml)
  1 cup (2 medium) diced peeled apples (250 ml)Crisp:
  1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar (125 ml)
  2 tsp cinnamon (10 ml)
  1 tsp nutmeg (5 ml)
  1/2 cup (65 g) white flour (125 ml)
  1/2 cup (65 g) chopped pecans (optional) (125 ml)
  1/2 cup (50 g) rolled oats (125 ml)
  1/4 lb (115 g) butter (60 ml)Preheat oven to 325°F/165°C. In a small bowl, combine wild blueberries, sugar, lemon rind, and apples. Mix well and place in a well-buttered 8″ x 8″ x 2″ (20 x 20 x 5 cm) pan. In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour, pecans, and oats. Rub in the butter with your fingers until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Spread evenly over the wild blueberry mixture. Bake 45 minutes or until the crust is brown.

Monday

• Pasta with grilled sausages - I use smokies, or Freybe’s Turkey and Sun Died Tomato, or something spicy
• ( dice and saute one sweet onion, salt, 3 cloves of garlic, 2 - 3 pounds of fresh diced tomatoes, dash of red pepper flakes heat all the ingredients for 5 to 8 minutes add cooked chopped sausages and serve on a bed of linguine topped with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese)
• Caesar salad

With the food out of the way I can now turn my attention to packing. Here’s my cottage check-list:

• Clean Linens (usually stored in a garbage bag)
• Dog food and leash
• XM Satellite Player
• DVD Player and DVD’s
• Laptop and camera
• Clothes, shoes, coats
• Food (perishables and non-perishables)
• Drinks - kids and adults
• Kid’s activity bag - pastels, colouring books, word puzzles, paints and brushes
• Good book to read (just finished Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden about to start Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali)

Just getting all this stuff together and into the Jeep takes about half a day. My hat goes off to my Aunt Helen who made it all look so easy.

Happy long weekend everyone!

Cheers,

Julie

As you can tell by the photo, we have a rolling dock - largely due to the floats - we’re missing some. This weekend, in addition to being a long weekend, is also raise the dock weekend. Using muscle power and car jacks, the intent is to prop the dock out of the water, flip it over, and install new flotation devices.

We also want to build an 18 foot extension, so we can moor the new boat along the side. Despite the use of mooring whips, Princess is taking a beating ( Yes, I call the new boat princess, and it’s going to cost $600 to give her a fiberglass facial).

Building a dock is an art-in-itself. Hammering the wood together is one thing, actually getting it to float is a science. Our neighbour, Don, designed our extension right down to the floatation requirements. For anyone who’s interested check out Eagle Boat Docks Floatation Requirements - they do the calculations for you.

Finding the right hardware to the secure the boat is another matter. We sourced cleats through a manufacturer in Ontario, Dockedge. Fortunately, our local marina is able to order the parts for us.

The photo on the far left is our dock, the middle two pictures are the hardware we’re going to use and the photo on the far right is Don’s dock - a facsimile of the one we’re hoping to build.

I’m not sure how it’s going to turn out, but I will be taking notes and lots of photos and will report back on Monday - make that Tuesday.

If anyone else undertaking a cottage project this weekend I’d love to hear about it; leave a comment.

Cheers,

Julie

Summertime and the grillin is easy. Fresh grilled halibut topped with mango salsa is a quick and easy meal - ideal for cottage guests.

With cottage season in full gear, it seems we have visitors booked from now until Labour Sunday. While it’s great to have friends come and visit, those extra mouths to feed can really wear a person out.

Here’s a quick and easy dinner that takes 35 minutes from start to finish - grilled halibut with mango salsa. The salsa can be prepped up to six hours in advance. You can also substitute halibut for salmon, walleye or lake trout.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of fish
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• sea salt or kosher salt

Prep fish 30 minutes before grilling by removing from fridge, pat dry and brush on sesame oil. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and return to fridge. Heat barbecue to medium-high. I use a fish basket on the barbecue, but if you don’t have one, clean the grill thoroughly and brush on olive oil. Lay fish skin side down and cook for 5 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillet. Turn over and cook an additional 3 minutes. Remove from grill , top with mango salsa and serve immediately.

Salsa

• 2 cups of fresh chopped mangoes
• 1 cup chopped red bell peppers
• 2/3 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice (approx 2 limes)
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper - finely chopped (make sure to remove any seeds)

Mix together, season with salt and pepper and refrigerate until fish is served.

Cheers,

Julie