My Chance to be Alone

Wayne is usually the one who gets to have alone time at the cabin. That's because I frequently travel to the States to visit my mom. But this week it was my turn. I got three glorious days by myself at the cabin. It's not that I don't enjoy my husband's company, it's just that I can get up when I want, do what I want during the day, and head for bed when I want. It's just nice to be on your own for a change.

This trip I got to work in my floating garden. I pulled up the tomato plants, trimmed the herbs and dug up the last of my potatoes from the garden patch on the cliff. My carrots, peppers, zucchini and beets are still producing, so I left them in the ground for now.

The first night was still and quiet. The sky was full of stars and the lake water gently lapped at the float logs, lulling me to sleep. The next night rain drops drummed a soft tune on the roof. This storm wasn't accompanied by wind, so the cabin didn't rock and roll to the rhythm of the music, not like my first week alone at the cabin in 2001.

Back then I didn't know much about float cabin living. A fierce November storm blasted across Coastal BC. Hole in the Wall is usually very protected, except when the southeasterly winds blow hard. Then they come at the cabin face on. That night they were so strong I could hear the clothes line on the front porch singing like a tuning fork. Then two of my four shore anchor cables gave way. I was at the mercy of the wind with no other choice but to ride it out. Frequent satellite phone calls to Wayne, who was back in Los Angeles watching the storm on the Weather Channel, helped me through the night. When things cleared in the morning I was still shaken and scared, but everything had made it through fine. A quick call to John and he was on the way up the lake to tie up the cabin until repairs could be make at a later date. After that Wayne jokingly called me "Frontier Jane." In fact, I became famous under that name in Wayne's first book Up the Lake.

I've come a long way since then. I know what to expect during storms. I know how to secure the cabin and protect myself. But I also know more about the joys of float cabin living as well. Have you ever wanted to live in a remote place? Do you already? Leave a comment, I would love to hear about your experiences or plans. -- Margy