Summer's Punch

It's the end of July and for the past five days the temperature has been well over 30˚ Celsius.

Very unusual, here on the south-west coast of Canada.

Electric fans are sold-out in local stores and overheated citizens flock to malls and theaters with AC.

Here, at our home, we're blessed with a gentle breeze from the ocean and a patio with a waterfall & pond on the shady side of our house. Yes, we do have fans, purchased in anticipation of this thermal aberration, and they keep the air moving inside.

This is a time for living and cooking outside - and that's just what we love to do. On Tuesday, the second-hottest day of the year here, we smoked two Mojo Criollo chickens and hit 9 striploin steaks with smoke for 40 minutes on the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker. The chicken skin was crisped and the steaks seared on the gas grill to finish them.

Now it's Salmon season here on the coast and head-off fresh Sockeye is going for $3.95 CDN per pound. Two of these beauties will be dry-brined and smoked for Sunday night's dinner.

That's also the night for our local BC Day fireworks - on

the beach directly in front of our house.

Every deck on the hillside will be jammed with residents and their friends, enjoying the summer air, good food, wine, and a lightshow for dessert.