Spring - It's On The Way

Fishing boats, squalls of snow mixed with hail and sunshine on the back deck.......what do these 3 things signify? Spring is on it's way!

Today, March 20^th is the first day of spring and we awoke to the pinging of hail on our bedroom window and the lightest dusting of snow on the ground. We had been expecting this, almost waiting for it, so we weren't fazed in the least that our first day of spring wouldn't find us swapping out our rubber boots for plastic flip flops or tossing aside the fleece jacket in favour of something more skin exposing. I didn't whine or complain, which I may have done a couple of years ago, now just accepting that this is the way that spring arrives at the Outpost.

 

It was never truer than today the saying that goes, “ just wait 5 minutes and the weather will change.”

This complete reversal of wind, sky and water played out the entire day.

There's always a moment of excitement when out of the blue a vessel suddenly appears in the bay. I race for my camera and head out onto the deck while Mike heads to the kitchen to turn on the radio.

 

Permission granted to tie up for the night we grab coats and boots after making a quick survey of each other as to hair and attire (some days I just don't make it out of the pj's) than rush down to do a meet and greet.

The crew of the 'Progressor' all came out to say hi and chat for abit before going in search of kelp. They had been over in the next bay for several days setting up the pens that hold the kelp lines and herring. We learned all about this delicacy of herring roe on kelp last year from the crew on 'Silver Dawn'. The job of the 'Progressor' is to catch the herring, up to 80,000 lbs per pen and they had some time to kill waiting on the vessel that would be responsible for the collecting of the kelp. Come morning they were gone but I'm sure we'll see them again.

As you may have noticed and likely wondered about, the docks are a bit wokey. Tiny pinholes are the culprit and over the course of the season the ballast has slowly filled with water partially sinking our docks. Everything will be on an even keel come time to open for the season but for now to get to the heli pad one must take the tinney. No big deal and quite doable except for and isn't there always an “except for”, the fact that half the time during which the tide is low the boat is grounded. We have no need to go out onto the heli pad anyways, or so we thought.

 

It was early evening last Sunday – I was surfing the net from the comfort of my favourite wingback chair and Mike was 'resting his eyes' while stretched out on the couch when I glanced up and there in front of the lodge were 3 boats! You know the drill....I grabbed my camera and Mike headed for the radio to see if he could hail them.

 

A short conversation over the radio we learned that they were out diving for sea urchins ( brrrrr.....was my first reaction) and they would likely be around for a couple of days. Normally we would be hightailing it down the dock to introduce ourselves but this time the tide was not in our favour so we had to be satisfied with a “have a good night and hopefully we'll be able to meet tomorrow.”

Catching the tail end of a conversation between boats very early the next morning they seemed to have experienced a rolly night tied up to the heli pad.

We haven't seen them again but you never know, they might show up. I hope so because I certainly would like to get some pictures of their diving efforts.

One more boat for the week. This one looks familiar from previous years yet we've never had any contact with him or even knew what he was out trolling for....until today.

With the knowledge that there were boats in the area we have been leaving our radio on and it's pretty strange to be in the kitchen and suddenly hear voices. Tonight I heard the seiner that we have seen each year is out fishing for herring to put into the pens.

Now for the sun. Bit by bit each day the sun is a little higher in the sky and it's beginning to peak over the tree tops making it's way into the lodge.

It may only be rays of sun filtering through the trees...

....or a sun dappled lodge

....we all want to bask in it wherever it happens to light upon.

Till next time,

Heather & Mike

Life Is Good

The excitement meter has been pretty low lately so when I received an email from Ken titled “visit” there was a definite jump in our spirits. As I am wont to do my first thoughts were of what to bake and than I opened the message. Terry or 'Kingpin' as he is more often referred to as was flying in for a couple of days. Obviously we enjoy the company, a change of routine and some gossip but I have to admit I was more excited about what else would be coming in on that plane. Fresh produce. When was the last time you got excited about a head of crisp lettuce? With an ETA of less than a week I quickly sent off my food order to our 'food order' person, Bev. There is the usual banter back and forth of what I would truly desire and what is actually available in the store. They depend on the ferry for delivering the goods and this time of the year weather conditions can (and will) hamper schedules.

My 'go to' food blog these days is “The Smitten Kitchen”. Still dieting ( yawn) I now have a good excuse, i.e. Kingpin, to try out a couple of delicious looking recipes.

“I don't think Terry eats sweets”, Mike informs me. When he was at the OP earlier in the season and I had headed out to Masset for a couple of days Mike was in charge so I had to listen to what was being told to me but REALLY who doesn't like cookies and cakes and squares. Maybe Mike was mistaken, so I plowed ahead. I didn't go overboard but I did manage to make some cookies, a cake (sorta) and a pan of squares. The fact that these all happened to be sweets that I have been craving may have accounted for my choices.

Taking into account Kingpin's possible aversion to sugar I started with a simple “Jacked Up Banana Bread” good for breakfast or a coffee break.

Rule #1 (in my book) any new recipe must first be sampled by baker.

“This is really good Mike, want a piece?” Stupid question.

Not having a regular size loaf pan I made it in 2 mini pans.... so they are small.... and really it's only a couple of slices each, more or less and it was warm and smelled sooooo good and it's fruit and fruit is good on a diet, right? I have bananas on my food order so I can always make more.

Sticking with a fruit theme and something not overly sweet, a pan of date squares. Having made these many many times before only a small sample was needed, just to make sure they were as good as I remembered.

I am a cookie person. I love cookies. I love “Oreos”. I love “Double Stuff Oreos.” I think only someone who really loves cookies can get excited when they come across a recipe for homemade Oreos. Once again it was only because of Kingpin's arrival that I made these. If this sounds as if I'm using him as an excuse than guilty as charged.

In the “Smitten Kitchen” recipe you can spread that wonderful filling with a knife or pipe. I liked the idea of piping, it not only gave the cookie a bit of a different look but was definitely 'double stuffed!'

FYI they really do taste like Oreos.

Can't say I had much hope for the arrival of the plane on February 25^th when I awoke but as the day worn on it cleared up enough for the flight to be 'a go'. 

'One Horn' aka 'Sammy' must know we have a fresh supply of produce and has been staking out his territory at the back door.

I'm not quite sure what I was anticipating more....the fruits and veggies or the new unit for the internet that would set me free. Sounds rather dramatic, I know except it's true. The system here has always been a thorn in everyone's side and Mike's always researching ways to improve what he can. The previous plane in November brought in a directional router that would focus the signal on the lodge and not out to sea but the problem remained that you had to sit by the patio doors to receive it. I was literally tied to the table by an invisible cord if I wanted to be on the internet.

In record time Kingpin had the new rads on the 50kw and the 20kw generators, along with whole new motor for the incinerator (no more burning in the barrel) so he offered to lend Mike a hand in trimming some branches down by the dish, that we felt were interfering with our signal.

Patience is a virtue or so I've heard and it was 6 whole days before Mike could hook up this new component. The instructions stressed that you must have a good signal so now all we had to do was wait for some clear skies.

March 3^rd is circled on my calendar as the day I was finally freed. That evening found me sitting back in my favourite chair, a glass of wine on the table beside me and my laptop on my lap. Happy happy happy!

We are going to remember this season at the OP as the year of the eagles. In the past it was a thrill to spy one maybe two soaring overhead but not a week goes by where I haven't been able to snap a picture or 5.

This is the upper heli pad.... a good place for landings and taking offs.

The grey skies are gone, spring is on the way.

Till next time

Heather & Mike

foot note: Mike was right.