Canning and Smoking ...

August 26, 2016

We decided to make a quick trip ...

down to Eureka, Montana ...

to pick up a parcel ...

On our way back home we stopped at Indian Springs Ranch golf course ...

to have lunch ...

sitting outside ... in the beautiful sunshine ... and enjoying the view ...

When we had arrived home ...

it was time to fillet the fish ... the process goes quick once they have been cooled ...

A liquid brine was mixed up ...

the fillets immersed into it ... placed in the refrigerator ...

then marinated for 10 hours ...

The fillets were taken out of the brine ... patted dry ...

and placed on drying racks ...

left a few hours for the film to form ...

before we put it into the smoker ...

 

August 27, 2016

The prepared Kokanee ... were put into the smoker ... first thing this morning ...

Since I was going to be in the kitchen ... and around the house all day ...

it was the perfect time to get more of my canning done ...

First batch to be worked on ...

were the beans ...

The beans were in the pressure canner ... processing ...

Peaches were next on my list ... to be prepared ...

Our family love canned peaches ... especially during the winter months ...

While I was busy with canning ...

the fish were checked periodically for doneness ...

About 5 hours later ... the fish were smoked ...

Oh my ... this was a delicious batch ...

Excited to share it with family and friends ...

 

Treasures ...

August 23, 2016

Picking tomatoes ... squash ... lettuce and cucumbers ...

yummy ... !!!

Our neighbour used to raise ostriches ...

a few of the hollowed out eggs were given to Kendall's grandmother ...

Wilda Tengum ...

She was an amazing artist ... and loved to paint them ...

This one was given to me by Lorraine ... Kendall's mom ...

She had asked me to give it to our neighbours ...

as a remembrance of their ostrich eggs ...

 

August 24, 2016

We decided to go fishing again ... not sure how many more days we will have ...

as it was getting later in the season ...

It started out to be a nice day ...

We could see the clouds moving in ... as well as the wind creating some waves ...

We persevered the rocking ...

and managed to catch our limit of Kokanee ....

The water had calmed down ...

just at the right time for us to load the boat on the trailer ...

Once we reached the house ...

the fish were cleaned ... then placed in the fridge ...

to be filleted the next day ...

for another batch of smoked Kokanee ...

 

 

Garden Time ...

August 20, 2016

Time to hit the garden ... produce needing to be picked ...

The worm tower seems to be working ... the little worms were thriving ...

A few apples had been blown off the tree ...

gathered them up and will store them ... hoping they will ripen a bit more ...

The bees and wasps were busy swarming around the dill plants ...

at times the plants were covered ...

Beans ... beans ... and more beans ...

These plants were exploding with growth ...

Smoked salmon was on the menu for dinner ...

this evening ...

A couple pieces of fish ... a little seasoning ... and they were ready ...

to be placed in the smoker ...

About an hour later ... they were cooked ...

Smoked salmon ... steamed squash ... wild rice ... and a fresh garden tomato ...

made a delicious evening meal ...

The next day in the garden ...

I focused on gathering mainly root vegetables ...

The onions had been drying on racks in the woodshed ...

it was time to bring them in to be stored in the garage ...

 

Action Packed Days ...

August 17, 2016

Maren decided to go into town to visit with her family ...

so Mike and I decided to go fishing for the day ...

It was another successful fishing day ...

and made a delicious dinner for all of us ...

The girls had a busy day in town ...

After dinner they had some quiet playtime with puzzles ...

They love the big floor puzzles ...

and brought them upstairs for all of us to work on ...

Arden ... Brynn and Carys were happy when they finished the barn puzzle ...

 

August 18, 2016

I ventured down to the garden early this morning ...

to pick strawberries ... raspberries and apples for breakfast ...

Ellie loved to visit with Juno ... she would make her way to the see him ...

any chance she had ...

Once breakfast was over ... we got our day organized ...

everyone ready to head outside ...

Mike made sure that the quads were filled with fuel ...

for our adventure with the girls ...

We decided to travel down to the lake and then make our way thru Oma's place ...

travelling on the bush roads ...

Stopping on the hillside ... then hiking up to the top of the rock ...

to Oma & Opa's favourite spot ...

The girls know Opa from pictures and our stories ...

Maren was pointing ... showing the girls where our house was ...

far across the lake ...

We hiked back down the hill ... hopped on the quads ...

and travelled to the end of the road ...

giving them a tour of the area ...

Maren had invited her cousin to come out here for a visit ...

so the little ones could enjoy the afternoon playing ...

but first it was lunch time ...

Mike fired up the fire pit ... no open fires were allowed at the time ...

the girls didn't mind at all ...

they loved grilling up their hot dogs ...

using our crooked sticks ...

Finally the cousins arrived ...

they had so much fun in the pool and the hot tub ...

It was crazy busy ... trying to keep an eye on everyone ...

Arden ... Brynn and Carys were thrilled to meet their new cousin ...

and be able to hold her ...

This was Maren's last night with us ...

she would be heading for home the next day ...

It was an early night for the girls to go to bed ... as it was going to be a long trip ...

Mike and I helped Maren pack up the Van ...

and once that was completed ...

we were able to sit back and relax ...

and enjoy our evening ...

We had a wonderful time with the Roberts' family ...

hoping that they will make their way back here next summer ...

but this time ... maybe Jake will be able to stay a little longer ...

It would be great if Nathan ... Ian and their families ...

could be here as well ...

 

Robert's Family Arrived ...

August 15, 2016

Jake and his family finally arrived ...

after a long day travelling from the west coast ...

The girls couldn't wait to get out of the van ... and go for a swim ...

and warm up in the hot tub ...

This was the perfect activity for the girls to get their wiggles out ...

before we went in for a spaghetti dinner ...

The girls then had some quiet playtime ... with the old toys from Nathan and Ian ...

before heading to bed for the night ...

Jake, Maren, Mike and I enjoyed a relaxing evening ...

catching up on what has been happening ...

in our lives ...

August 16, 2016

Morning came early for the girls ...

they were raring to go ... they really wanted to go for a swim in the pool ...

Maren felt it was better for them to wait until the day warmed up ...

So after breakfast ... a feast of waffles and fruit ...

the girls went out to play down at the play area ...

They soon ventured up to the shop ... to see Uncle Mike ...

He decided to give them a treat while watching their show on the TV ...

while Maren, Jake were unpacking the Van.

Jake eventually joined the party in the shop ...

The clock was ticking ... the girls were getting antsy ...

guess it was time to open up the pool ...

Going for a swim ... meant that mom & dad would have to jump in as well ...

they were having so much fun ...

going back and forth between the pool and hot tub ...

Ellie loved being in the hot tub ...

Arden ... Brynn ... and Carys loved playing in the pool ...

Jake was enjoying his time ... relaxing ...

He would be heading out later in the afternoon ...

to make his way home ... as he was scheduled to start his new position ...

Vive President at the school ...

Maren chose to stay a few more days with us ... instead of driving home right away ...

The girls were excited about the plan as well ...

We were saddened (well kind of) that Jake had to leave ...

sorry Jake ... !!!

We had a lovely lunch out on the deck ...

the girls taking time out from the pool ... to visit with Oma ...

After lunch the girls wanted to check out the little quads ...

Uncle Mike dragged them out ... so the girls could try riding them ...

They did their best ... but would rather go for a ride on our quads ...

and mini rides with me on the little quad ...

When Mike took Jake to the airport ...

Maren and I took all the girls for a ride ... down to the lake ...

It was a busy day ...

we then headed down to the garden ... to pick a few raspberries and vegetables ...

The girls were also excited to feed some produce to the horses ...

that had just arrived to graze the field for a few months ...

On our way back up to the house ...

Maren wanted to take a picture of the girls ... with the mountains in the background ...

It took a few shots ... the girls were being silly ... not sure if she even got a picture ...

without one of them acting up ...

It had been a busy day ...

after dinner ... the girls went for a swim again ...

then later came for quiet time ...

reading books ... before going to bed ... for a goodnight's rest ...

Rafting on the Elk River ...

August 14, 2016

Another beautiful day ... for a fly fishing trip on the Elk River ...

While the guys were waiting for the raft ...

they did do some fishing ...

Once they were on the Elk River ...

Nathan (Chief) ... set the fly rod up for Mike to cast his line into the pool ...

The line hit the water ...

and low and behold a nice size Rainbow trout was caught ...

This was only the beginning of their adventure ...

rafting on the Elk River ...

Floating along ... stopping at some interesting pools ...

Nathan caught a Rainbow Trout ...

It was an exciting trip for them ...

enjoying the ride and fishing ...

All the guys having fun ... floating down the river ...

capturing a selfie photo ... before they headed into the rough waters ...

where they had to hold on for dear life ...

I was told it was quite the experience ...

Mike & Nathan were grateful ...

they had an experienced team ... taking them thru this area ...

Floating on the river ... making their way to the pick up area ...

fishing day complete ...

What a beautiful sight ...

with the full moon ... light reflecting on the water ...

It took the guys about one and half hours ...

to drag the raft out of the water ...

up to the shuttle van and trailer ...

and then drive to where I was waiting to pick them up ...

I was delighted to see them all ...

and the smiles on their faces said it all ...

They had an awesome time ... !!!

I plan to have Nathan (Chief) ... guide another fishing trip again ...

hopefully Ian can join his dad and brother next time ...

Thank you Nathan Kelly for making this a memorable adventure ...

for Mike & Nathan ...

Click here for Nathan's Guiding information ...

 

 

Guided Fly Fishing Trip ...

August 13, 2016

This was an exciting day for Mike and Nathan ...

they were going to spend the day with Nathan's friend Nathan (Chief) ...

on a guided fly fishing adventure ...

Their day started with a dip in the pool ...

then chilling out in the hot tub ...

discussing their trip ...

After their adventure ... late into the evening ...

the guys came back ... to enjoy a halibut dinner ...

and reminiscing about the day ...

telling me all about their adventure ...

The adventure started with driving up the Bull River Rd ...

parking and making their way to the river ...

The water was cold ... and fast moving where they had to cross ...

to find the best pools for fishing ...

It was wonderful to see the pictures of the two of them ...

enjoying themselves ...

and at the smile on Mikes's face says it all ...

when he caught his first trout ...

Nathan (Chief) their guide ...

gave them tips on fly fishing techniques ...

Nathan landed a few fish on his line ...

you can tell he was loving it ...

Chief felt he needed to get in the picture ...

and as he was the photographer on this trip ...

a few selfies were included ...

along with his sidekick ... Huey ... !!!

They had a wonderful ... fun day ...

and now excited for their next adventure ...

fly fishing while rafting on the Elk River ...

We're excited for Nathan (Chief) with his new business ...

 

 

 

Click here for Nathan's Guiding information ...

 

 

SpendingTime with Oma ...

August 13, 2016

It was a beautiful day to go and visit Oma ...

They were all enjoying the sunshine ...

and admiring their beautiful flower garden ...

More produce gathered from the garden ...

as there would be little time to venture down to the garden ...

Jake and his family were going to visit us ... arriving on Monday the 15th ...

travelling thru this area ... on their way back home to Alberta ...

 

My Worm Tower ...

August 11, 2016

I had done some research on keeping worms in my garden ...

This article caught my eye ...

I was so excited that I showed it to Mike ...

and he thought it was a good idea ...

Mike had some extra pipe behind the shop ...

and he said he would make the worm tower for the garden ...

The worm towers were made ...

put into the ground ...

some worm food added ... (veggies) ...

then I dug up some worms from the ground along the fence ...

and put them in the worm tower ...

Hoping that they will hang around longer in this area ...

working the soil ...

For information on the Worm Tower ...

and how to make it ...

go to this site " Here "