Sear it quick and rest it long…

The key to cooking high quality beefsteaks of average thickness (about 1 inch) such as aged rib eye, sirloin (New York cut) or tenderloin fillet steaks is to sear the meat quickly and rest it well before serving.

Brush both sides of the meat with a little vegetable oil and sear it quickly on a preheated griddle or grill on medium to high for 2 – 3 minutes each side. The exact time will depend on the thickness of the meat and the degree of doneness required. Searing caramelises the surface for added flavour. Turn the steaks when the meat juices start to appear on the surface.

For a rare steak, remove after sealing and rest the meat. For medium rare to medium, complete cooking by further resting the meat for a longer time (about 2 – 3 minutes) on a cooler part of the barbecue plate or grill, until it has reached the internal degree of doneness.

Avoid turning and handling the steaks too many times when searing and cooking. Brush with limited oil, marinade or baste during cooking.
Sprinkle it with a little salt and freshly ground pepper just after searing, if desired.

Rest the meat in a warm place, loosely covered with foil. Resting prevents excessive muscle shrinkage (tightness) and moisture loss. It also allows the meat fibres to relax, prevents dryness and results in a succulent steak with hot, evenly distributed pink juices for maximum tenderness.

For thicker steaks, (more than 1 ½ inches) it is sometimes possible to complete the cooking by resting them on a warm BBQ with the hood down.

Ever overcook your steak? Your steak’s degree of doneness explained…

Test your cooked steak by either using a meat thermometer or by pressing gently with tongs to establish the degree of doneness as shown below:

Very Rare/Blue Rare: Internal colour is deep red, very moist with warm juices. Very soft to the touch when pressed.
Rare: Internal colour is very red, very moist with warmer juices. Soft to the touch when pressed.
Medium Rare: Internal colour is lighter red, moist with pink warm juices. Soft and springy to the touch when pressed.
Medium: Internal colour is pink/red, moist with clear pink juices. Firm and springy to the touch when pressed.
Medium Well: Internal colour is light grey, a little moisture, clear or no pink juices and firm to the touch when pressed.
Well Done: Internal colour is grey, dry, clear or no signs of pink juices and hard to the touch when pressed.

Try these grilled carrots for your weekend BBQ and have your group rave at what a great BBQ dinner you’ve prepared.

Ingredients:
12 medium carrots
3 tablespoons of melted butter
2 tablespoons of melted honey
2 teaspoons of finely grated orange zest
2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh arugula

Directions:
Peel carrots. Par-boil for about six minutes (so carrots are cooked, but crisp) then dunk them in ice water to arrest the cooking process.
Combine butter, honey, orange zest and vinegar in a mixing bowl. Toss carrots into this mixture.
Then, grill on medium-high heat for about 2-3 minutes per side.
Remove from the grill and toss in the liquid again.
Sprinkle with arugula and serve!

By Ruth Rogers Clausen

Spring has sprung in most parts of Canada and though it is still too early to plant that garden of your dreams, planning it out can be just as fun! This Zone 3 to 8 garden integrates charming old-time annuals and perennials, herbs and flowering shrubs to produce a simple, informal display that provides plenty of flowers for cutting. The birdbath will attract feathered friends, adding another dimension to the garden. Site where the garden will get sun for six or more hours a day. Prepare the soil thoroughly, digging in plenty of compost, composted cow manure or other humus-rich amendment to improve the fertility and ensure good drainage. Underplant with spring bulbs for early color.

Key to Plan

1. Butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii ‘Petite Indigo’) 1 plant; 4 feet tall; 3- to 4-inch spikes of pale violet flowers in summer and fall; narrow silvery leaves; attracts butterflies; prune old wood in spring.

2. Butterfly bush (B. davidii ‘Pink Delight’) 1 plant; 6 to 8 feet tall; foot-long spikes of fragrant pink flowers summer through fall; attracts butterflies; prune to tree shape.

3. Butterfly bush (B. davidii ‘Nanho Purple’) 1 plant; 4 to 6 feet tall; elegant spikes of lightly fragrant purple flowers in summer and fall; attracts butterflies; prune old wood in spring.

4. Honeysuckle (Lonicera x heckrottii) 2 plants planted singly; climbing to 25 feet; clusters of very fragrant red-and-yellow flowers in summer; prune to keep within bounds.

5. Love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena ‘Persian Jewels’) 21 plants planted in 3 groups of 7, 9 inches apart; 12 inches tall; 1-inch saucer-shaped flowers in white, pinks and blues, above threadlike leaves; inflated fruits, excellent for drying. Self-seeding annual.

6. Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) 9 plants in 3 groups of 3, set 9 inches apart; 12 inches tall; bright green, crisp curly leaves; harvest regularly; start from seed or transplants. Biennial.

7. Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) 9 plants in 3 groups of 3, set 9 inches apart; 12 inches tall; slender onion-scented leaves; round clusters of tiny purple flowers; cut leaves for cooking, flowerheads for garnish. Perennial.

8. Tricolor sage (Salvia officinalis ‘Tricolor’) 1 plant, 12 to 18 inches tall; paddle-shaped rough-textured gray-green leaves splashed with pink, cream and green; spikes of blue flowers; harvest leaves as needed, prune shrub to avoid legginess.

9. Pot marigold (Calendula officinalis Bon Bon Hybrids) 21 plants in 3 groups of 7, planted 9 inches apart; 1 to 2 feet tall; double orange or yellow daisy flowers to 4 inches across; long-lasting cut flower; petals edible, used for garnishing. Annual.

10. Larkspur (Consolida ambigua) 27 plants in 3 groups of 9, planted 9 inches apart; 1 to 3 feet tall; branching stems with spikes of pink, blue or white flowers throughout the summer; excellent for cutting; deadhead to extend bloom time. Self-seeding annual.

11. Garden phlox (Phlox paniculata ‘David’) 2 plants planted singly; 4 feet tall; heavy clusters of fragrant clean white flowers in summer; mildew resistant. Perennial.

12. Garden phlox (Phlox paniculata ‘Starfire’) 1 plant; 3 feet tall; cherry red flowers. Summer-blooming perennial.

13. Garden phlox (Phlox paniculata ‘Laura’) 2 plants planted singly; 3 feet tall; huge trusses of royal purple flowers with a white eye; long-blooming through fall; mildew resistant. Perennial.

14. Hollyhock (Alcea rosea Perennial Singles) 12 plants in 4 groups of 3, planted 18 inches apart; 6 to 8 feet tall; erect spikes of cup-shaped 4- to 5-inch flowers in white, pinks, reds and yellow; be alert for Japanese beetle damage; stake if necessary. Perennial.

15. Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) 5 plants planted singly; 3 feet tall; shrubby mounds of aromatic gray-green foliage; 8-inch spikes of fragrant blue-violet flowers, excellent for drying.

16. Morning glory (Ipomoea ‘Heavenly Blue’) 6 plants in 2 groups of 3, planted 12 inches apart; 9 to 12 feet tall; fast-growing annual vine with sky blue trumpets; self-sows, but may not come true to color.

If you would like to print off a map of this garden, please follow or cut and paste this link: http://www.countryliving.com/cm/countryliving/media/cottage_garden.pdf

Enjoy your garden…

“It is a happy talent to know how to play.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

I’ve been reading way too many child-rearing books recently. It’s comes with the territory of being a new mom and wanting to give your child every advantage in life. With all the advice I’ve read, one that strikes me as particularly solid is to foster your child’s creativity and problem-solving skills through free play. No one tells you what to do. You simply use your imagination and the environment around you as inspiration. There are no ribbons to be earned, no goal set at the end of the day. Just have fun.

I thrived on free play during my own childhood. I grew up in a rural area with a large back yard, plenty of toys, and enough siblings to start a basketball team. I spent time outside – pretending to run a restaurant, re-enacting my favorite cartoon scenes, and mucking around in the dirt. I spent time inside – constructing elaborate societies with colorful ponies, tracing the same pictures over and over onto lined paper, and trying to beat the high scores off pointless video games. The memories blur together into one happy kaleidoscope.

When I became a teenager, the activities changed, but the general attitude toward play didn’t. As my peers stopped getting allowances and starting finding part-time jobs, I continued to have ample free time. I wrote cheesy poems, tinkered with my electronic keyboard, and talked comic books with other teens on chat boards. I often asked my parents why they weren’t trying to instill a “sense of responsibility” by making me do more adult things. (I was actually a little jealous of those kids with jobs, since I wasn’t allowed to have one. It seemed cool to have more fiscal control of your life.) My parents told me my only job was being a student. Beyond that, a person only gets to be a kid once, so I should enjoy it while it lasted.

In other words, they told me kids should play.

Fast forward to today, and I am no longer jealous that I didn’t work at a fast food restaurant when I was 16. Sure, I “wasted” a bunch of time playing video games, something many might assume was detrimental to my overall character. But the funny thing is, even the time I used to play video games translated into skills I would use as an adult. Elaborate video game stories fueled the first novella I ever wrote. I made many, many friends in high school through the “nerd connection.” I loved games so much that I devoted much of my college career to finding a job in the industry. Now I have business experience in games, and still do freelance work in that field from time to time.

It makes me wonder about the importance of play. Kids obviously need their play time, a time away from helicopter parents to discover worlds of their own. But I think adults could use a little more play time too. A time where you don’t care if you get anything done, a time to try new things or rediscover something you’ve forgotten you loved. You can enjoy it solo or take your friends and family along for the ride. Let it be guilt-free and playful. And if something great comes out of it, like a job skill, it’s just a bonus, but never the goal.

For anyone worried that playing might make adults irresponsible, just remember my parents’ parameters (slightly modified) – You have core obligations, probably work and a family. Beyond that, a person only gets one lifetime on this earth. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Is there a cottage garden in your past — either a real cottage or lake cabin garden, perhaps tended to by your grandmother or favorite aunt, or maybe just a romantic vision that has evolved over time, in your own mind? Anyone who has ever attempted to create a cottage garden has probably already discovered that the concept is somewhat hard to define in an exact and precise manner. While there are many elements that may be present in the majority of cottage gardens, as the term is more widely applied, it is also true that some ambiguity applies as to whether certain items and design characteristics are required as essential features.

Needless to say, there is probably no universal definition or a true set of prescribed stipulations that must be adhered to in designing your own cottage garden. However, we can point you in the direction of at least one well-known horticulturist, Henry Flowers (appropriately named), who has defined a cottage garden as … “a place for the cultivation of flowers, vegetables, or small plants at or around a small, humble dwelling.”
And according to Flowers, absent a cottage or other dwelling, one can not, in the strictest sense, have a cottage garden. While some might differ with such a limited interpretation of the concept, if you are embarking on the design of what you perceive as a cottage garden, it might be helpful to refer to his detailed design principles as a guideline in formalizing your plans:

What Makes a Cottage or Back Yard Garden?
The Cottage/Home – This is of course the main element that one must have in order to create a cottage or back yard garden – it is the focal point of the design. Its style, size, materials, and history will all play a part in how the garden is designed.
Structures – Structural elements in the cottage or back yard garden should relate to and accent the cottage or home itself.
• Enclosure – the fence, especially of wooden pickets, is often associated with the cottage garden. This is most likely because of the necessity to protect plants in bygone days when farm animals were common and roamed freely and horses were used for transportation. The fences and gates will create a defined space that should be in proportion (scale) to the cottage and also of a style that complements it.
• Arches, Trellises, and Arbors – Such structures can be used to accent doorways, gates, seating areas, and other elements and are a great excuse, especially in combination with fencing, to give a vertical aspect to the garden. Again, they should be of a style and material to complement the cottage. They should have a purpose for being and should not float freely, which will detract from the focal point and overall harmony in the design.

Walkways – Walkways need to be in proportion to the size of the cottage and garden. Cottage gardens are most often small and intimate, so narrow walkways are acceptable. If you enjoy sharing your garden or if it is open to the public, you would be better off making walkways wide enough for two people to walk abreast. The wider path is more social and the narrower more personal. It is also best to take into consideration any needs for maintenance (cart or wheelbarrow access) and possibly handicap accessibility. The size of the walkway(s) will definitely influence how the space of your garden is perceived. Materials for walkways are numerous and your choice should blend in with the materials and character of the other elements in the garden.

Beds – The size of planting beds will depend on the size of the cottage and any defined garden space around it. I personally find that beds over 8 to 10 feet in depth are harder to maintain since you will have to step over and around plants in the front to get to the back for maintenance. If beds can be approached from all sides (not against a wall of fence), then they can be deeper. If it is necessary to make really deep beds due to keeping proper scale, I find it best to plant lower maintenance materials toward the back and space them well apart. Higher maintenance plants can then be placed toward the front and can be more tightly spaced because of easier maintenance. Another option is to make smaller maintenance walkways into the beds for access.

Cottage gardens generally accommodate a large variety of plant materials, so it is crucial that the beds be well prepared with organic material before planting. The mixture of plant types (annuals, perennials, etc.) means that it will not be easy to amend later. Compost can be tilled in between cycles oannuals or spread around perennials, allowing nature to incorporate with the soil over time.

Mulch is also a great key to lowering maintenance and keeping plants and gardener happy. Good organic gardening principles will be essential for keeping the cottage garden healthy and bountiful. Spraying harsh chemicals should be avoided, as it will make it hard to use any vegetables or herbs from the garden.

Turf Grasses – Should areas of turf be included in the cottage garden? I believe that areas of turf only need be included if the garden is of a size to accommodate it or if there is a need to have some space for children or animals to play. The cottage garden is intensive and most often its spaces are given over to the cultivation of as many plants as possible.

One positive aspect of having an area of turf is that it tends to act like a negative space, a space of calm and ease for the eye amid the very busy plantings of a cottage garden. This can be used to benefit the overall design, giving plantings more visual power by clearing the foreground and also giving one a place from which to stand back and take in a larger view. One way to incorporate turf into a cottage garden would also be to use it in as the material for the walkways, as long as it can be maintained and not overtrodden.

Hardscape Materials – Materials used to construct the frame, or skeleton, of the garden – the fences, arbors, walkways, etc, should be of a style and material to complement the cottage itself. This will help to unite the garden with the cottage to create unity and will further accent the cottage as the focal point.

Varying materials in the overall design will help to give interest, but as the cottage garden is innately very busy texturally with its plants, I believe it is best to keep the number of different hardscape materials low. The cottage garden highlights the wealth of plant material in our world and should be accented, not overwhelmed, by the materials used to define its space.

Planting –
• Grouping – The grouping of the same or like plant materials gives them more visual impact than if they are all scattered in the design. A traditional rule of thumb is to use odd numbers such as three or five in order to create better visual balance, but this need not be done if you are using large numbers of small plants, or if the plants are likely to grow together to create one visual mass. “Onesies” should generally be avoided unless they are larger specimen plants and are being used for balance or to create a focal point. The “collector’s garden” will often be filled with onesies and, though intrinsically a wonderful garden because of its precious plant gems, it often lacks good overall design because design principles such as rhythm and harmony not carried out.

• Color – This design principle should be used to enhance the other principles of design. It should create harmony and balance, can create or accent a focal point, and can also be used to effectively creatrhythm and line in a design. Repetition of a single or multiple colors in a design can help to tie the often-discordant planting style of a cottage garden together.

• Texture – This can also be use to enhance the other design principles. Mixing plants of various textures can add depth and rhythm while also enhancing unity.

• Repetition – The repeating of a particular plant or group of plants throughout a design can also help to crate harmony and add visual line to draw the eye through a design.

The Plants – The cottage garden should contain a diverse mixture of plants that displays the wealth of plants in the world. There should be annuals, perennials, small shrubs (deciduous and evergreen), vines, and small trees – especially fruiting ones. Including herbs and vegetables will make the mixture even more diverse and useful.

• Annuals will give the garden long-lasting color and seasonality.

• Perennials will give the garden long-lasting stability, seasonality, and careful selection can give you color or interest all year long or a great abundance all in one season.

• Shrubs will give the garden a structural backbone. Evergreen shrubs can add stability to the ever-changing plant palette of the cottage garden and deciduous shrubs can add even more color and seasonality. Old-fashioned roses are truly some of the best shrubs for our area and are quintessential cottage garden plants.

• Small Trees, especially those that flower prolifically and produce fruit, add structural height and seasonality to the garden. Trees such as crape myrtles, redbuds, mimosas, peaches, apples, and so on, are great trees for the cottage garden since they usually don’t create a lot of shade and can be thinned if they do.

• Vines help to soften the hardscape and can add visual height and privacy. They can smooth out the harsh lines of a fence or arbor and can add visual interest to a blank wall. They are the good excuse to add more structures to the garden, which will add spatial definition, visual interest, and a greater sense of enclosure.

Next week we’ll talk about planning and laying out your Cottage or back yard garden…

A relatively easy soup to prepare in no time utilizing one of our slow cookers in each vacation home.

If you store this soup for more than a day, the barley will absorb some of the liquid and you’ll need to thin it with a little water when you reheat it.
Yields 13 cups; serves 6 – 8

1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms (optional)
2 medium cloves of garlic
Kosher salt
4 slices of bacon, halved crosswise
2 medium red onions, chopped
2 small bay leaves
¾ tsp. caraway seeds
½ tsp. dried thyme
Freshly ground black pepper
2 quarts of homemade or lower salt chicken broth
5 medium carrots, peeled and diced into small chunks
2 medium purple-top turnips, peeled and diced into small chunks
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced into small chunks
¾ cup of pearl barley, rinsed and drained
4 tsp. of fresh lemon juice

In a small bowl, soak the mushrooms in 1 cup of boiling water for 20 minutes. Remove the mushrooms. Pour the liquid through a fine sieve to remove any grit; reserve the liquid. Rinse the mushrooms and chop them into smaller pieces.

Chop the garlic, sprinkle it with ¾ tsp. salt and then mash it to a paste with the side of a chef’s knife.

In a Dutch oven (6 quarts or larger) cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes, do not burn. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and crumble when cool.

Add the onions and 1 tsp. salt to the bacon fat and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6 – 8 minutes.

Stir in the garlic paste, bay leaves, caraway seeds, thyme and ¾ tsp. pepper; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chopped mushrooms, mushroom liquid, chicken broth, carrots, turnips, potatoes, barley and 1 ½ cups of water.

Bring to a boil over high heat; skim any foam as necessary.

Reduce the heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally until the barley and vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Add the lemon juice, season with salt, pepper and discard the bay leaves.

Serve by garnishing with the bacon. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Yields: 12 muffins

Total Time: 45 min

Prep Time: 20 min

Ingredients

1 cup(s) stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1 cup(s) flour
1/2 cup(s) granulated sugar
2 teaspoon(s) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon(s) sea salt
1 large egg
1 cup(s) buttermilk
6 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup(s) blueberries
1 cup(s) (about 2 ears) fresh corn kernels
1 tablespoon(s) turbinado sugar

——————————————————————————–

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 400°F. Place baking liners in a 12-cup muffin pan and set aside. Combine cornmeal, flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
2.In a separate bowl, whisk egg, buttermilk, and butter together and stir into dry ingredients until just combined. Gently fold in blueberries and corn. Divide batter among muffin cups and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake until a skewer inserted into center of muffins comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

The night sky contains so many wonders that you’ll never be able to see them all in a lifetime. One of my most favourite activities when I’m out walking at night among our vacation cottages here in the Radium Hot Springs area of the Columbia Valley, is to “stargaze”. Just stand or sit there in my cottage chair, staring at the many stars and constellations that seem to twinkle so bright. I’ll admit that I am an amateur “stargazer” or “backyard astronomer” as I don’t know the names of most of the stars let alone where they are in the night sky. But I do know of the most common ones such as the “Little Dipper”, the “Big Dipper”, the “North” star, “Cassiopeia” and “Orion”, thanks in part to my father.

My father always told me to “familiarize” myself with or “befriend” the night sky with its millions of stars; “it may help you if I ever get lost out in the wilderness” he used to say. The cool thing with the stars above is they faithfully return to the same area of the sky every year like clockwork. For us living in the northern hemisphere, the rising of the Pleiades is as much a sign of the coming autumn and winter season as is the turning of the leaves around us; and the Vega sparkling in the east is a forerunner of spring, just like the first geese flying north or the first robins in your yard.

I don’t have a telescope, remember I mentioned that I am an amateur, but my trusty binoculars are always by my side when I’m sitting there on the veranda staring up. Many stars you’ll see easily with your naked eye, especially if you our out in complete darkness, which the Radium Hot Springs/Lake Windermere area or any “rural” setting affords. Far enough away from the city lights will almost guarantee you a spectacular show. Even the Milky Way will appear as a bright band stretching right across the heavens.

You can do your stargazing throughout the year, even just once a month, so that you can see the constellations gradually shift through the seasons as the Earth orbits the Sun, though I’m out there as often as I can. As winter turns to spring, you’ll see Orion set and Leo rise, to be replaced by the Summer Triangle then by autumn’s Square of Pegasus. The Summer Triangle isn’t really a constellation but is a large triangle of three bright stars (Vega, Altair and Deneb) right in the middle of the summer night sky.

Another group of stars you may spot up there are “The Seven Sisters” or “The Pleiades”. With your naked eye it’s only really possible to see six stars but with your binoculars more come into view. If you find it difficult to keep your binoculars steady, sometimes I do while looking up, place your elbows against a wall or on a table.

If you have access to a computer, why not try a planetarium program such as www.stellarium.org, which is free. You are able to set it to your location and time so it will show exactly what’s up there as you are gazing. The program will show you all the stars, planets and galaxies and it’s great for all ages.

While taking the time to look at the night sky, don’t be surprised to see some “moving stars” that take a few minutes to travel from one side of the sky to the other. These “moving stars” sometimes sparkle and flash as they turn around. Really though, what you are looking at are satellites, manmade “moons” that circle the Earth. Don’t confuse these with actual stars that you may see “falling” or soring across the night sky.

So on your next vacation, while there typically are a lot of activities to do during the day, why not try to end the day relaxing under the night sky, taking in the scents of the surrounding forests, the camp fire, the clear night air and the views of the heavens above.

How about going back out to the Radium Hot Springs/Invermere or Lake Windermere areas of British Columbia’s East Kootenay region? Your family so enjoyed the area, the warmer weather and so many great memories were made on that last trip out there over the summer months or this last Christmas. But, you are wondering, what on earth is there to do from January till the grass begins to green up again?

Well, as you discovered on your last family trip, there are plenty of activities to help entertain the kids, give you some quiet time or offer the entire family the opportunities to create some lifelong memories. The winter months are really no different, as there are so many possibilities given the quality of activities available to do.

January, February and March in the Columbia Valley are of course famous for their abundance of snow, especially in the upper elevations and their winter sport activities available to all guests and locals alike. What better way to enjoy the crisp mountain air than on one of the many easy hikes around Radium Hot Springs or Lake Windermere. http://www.radiumhotsprings.com/area-info/maps#page. An easy and enjoyable trail that winds its way along the Columbia wetlands is the “Old Coach Trail”. This fairly easy trail meanders along an old road from Radium Hot Springs to Dry Gulch. Information on the Dry Gulch trail is located here: http://www.radiumhotsprings.com/files/editor_userpages_links/20100812_0_OldCoachTrailBrochureRun.pdf

Great area activities during the winter months involve visiting our local mountain gem, Panorama Mountain Resort, for a day of “snow riding” or tubing in their new tubing park, cross country skiing or snowshoeing at the Columbia Valley/Edgewater Nordic Ski Trails or the Lake Windermere Whiteway, snowmobiling in our back country playground or marveling at the “snow ghosts” as you hike or drive through Kootenay National Park.

Other activities that have been organized in and around Invermere and Lake Windermere include; the annual Snow Flake Festival in Invermere the weekend of January 21st, dogsledding tours through our awe inspiring back country, snow golf and the BC Pond Hockey Championships on Lake Windermere the weekend of February 3/4th and of course Panorama Mountain’s Mardi Gras, the last weekend of February.

If you are looking for some more activities to enjoy with your family but would require a short 15 minute to an hour or so drive, you can check out the Northern Lights Wolf Centre just outside of Golden, BC, weekly Sunday horse drawn sleigh rides at Fort Steele Heritage Town or perhaps a trail ride along Luxor creek or on the adjoining mountainside, at Luxor Creek Corrals, just north or Radium Hot Springs. Further information can be found at: http://www.cobblestonecreek.ca/discover/activities.php

March brings us closer to golf season and spring which results in usually great spring skiing and snowboarding conditions at Panorama Mountain. With night skiing, their new tubing park and the Panorama Mountain Stampede, the weekend of March 16th, what better way to celebrate spring than to enjoy all that the Columbia Valley has to offer. Check out our events calendar for further information on many of these activities: http://www.cobblestonecreek.ca/events/list/

Making family memories together couldn’t get any better!…get out here and “Play”!