This past week we have had a couple of really good storms. It seems that almost every day the electricity goes off either on our side of the lake or on the east side. This certainly was true for us. The storms have had a lot of wind associated with them which has brought down tree limbs which in many cases caused the electricity to go out. The above picture shows a branch that came down in our driveway that brought down wires with it as well as breaking the window in our neighbors car. The wires were “live” according to the firemen who came to see what was happening and told us to stay clear until they made sure it was okay for us to walk or drive across.

After another storm we were treated to a double rainbow. Something that is always a treat no matter how many times we get to see one. This one lasted a very long time.

Treating The Tree

Every few years we have our local tree guy, Mark, come and take a look at the very, very old birch tree that seems to have held the house up and away from the lake for ever. The tree is doing well and responds positively to this pruning. We clear out the dead branches and trim what Mark calls “suckers” that might choke the tree and shorten its lifespan. John remembers the tree always being huge and he has been coming here for over 75 years. We are lucky that the tree continues to provide shade and a home for the many birds that come to the feeder every day.

Weekly Adventures

I had a mission this week to find a table for the boat. There was an obvious spot for one and the one that came with the boat had been given away before we got the boat. It took a couple of trips but finally we got the right base for it and John was able to install it and we now have a table for our cocktail cruises. It’s pretty fancy considering in the old boat we used a bed tray that wasn’t very sturdy but it did the job. This one is a few steps up from that. It does take up a little more room but is easily removed when we don’t need it. As a result of this, we have taken two cruises this week, with friends which has been a lot of fun and a wonderful way to catch up with each other.

The second adventure was taking the e-bike out for its first ride in North Hatley. It was just too hot to walk and the dogs weren’t interested at all. So, the bike came out. I rode it from our place through the village and then down the bike path to the Capelton Mines and back. The views along the way are wonderful. I had never been very far on the path so it was quite an adventure for me. I stopped to take some pictures as the river meanders next to the path. I thoroughly enjoyed the bike ride and am looking forward to doing another one soon. Maybe I’ll go even farther the next time.

Some Fun Meals

On the day of the big storm, John and I went up to the local golf course to have lunch before going our separate ways to meetings etc. I ordered a salad with chicken. This is what I got. It was almost too beautiful to eat. Didier, who is the chef at the North Hatley Golf Club, is an artist. This was as delicious as it was beautiful. It’s true what they say almost too beautiful to eat but I did anyway. Then we watched the storm come in with hail and very high winds which ultimately did the electricity in once again.

After one of our cocktail cruises we went out for dinner at the new pub in town. Always interested in trying something recommended by someone else so we ordered the “Strawberry Gazpacho” for dessert. I thought it would be very sweet but it was not. It was refreshing and the only sweet was the ice cream. How clever to think of something like this. So I looked up recipes and found one that I think might be pretty close in taste. The calorie count will obviously change if you add the vanilla ice cream.

Strawberry Gazpacho from All Recipes

Ingredients

1 medium tomato, coarsely chopped (about 1 1/3 cups)
½ English cucumber, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
½ medium red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 pound ripe strawberries, hulled and halved
½ teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon chopped thyme
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup organic vegetable broth
6 strawberries, sliced

Directions

Step 1
Place tomato, cucumber, and bell pepper in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl.

Step 2
Add halved strawberries to processor; pulse until finely chopped. Add chopped strawberries to cucumber mixture, stirring to combine. Reserve 1 cup strawberry mixture; return remaining strawberry mixture, garlic, and thyme to processor; process until pureed. Return mixture to bowl; stir in olive oil, vinegar, salt, black pepper, and reserved 1 cup strawberry mixture.

Step 3
Cover and chill 4 to 8 hours. Stir in broth. Garnish with sliced strawberries.

Nutrition Facts
Per Serving: 109 calories; fat 7.4g; saturated fat 1g; mono fat 5.4g; poly fat 0.8g; protein 1g; carbohydrates 11g; fiber 3g; iron 1mg; sodium 129mg; calcium 24mg; sugars 7g

This storm is one that missed us.