Cumberland

Today at 1:00 Ian and my Aunt Georgie arrived carrying arm-loads of food - a complete dinner, dessert and wine. The dinner just needed to be popped in the oven, so with Auntie visiting with Mom and nothing to be prepared Ian and I went for a drive to Cumberland to visit the heritage sites of China Town and Japanese Town - villages that once housed the Asian coal miners back in the 1920's. Nothing remains of what was once a thriving village of 3000. Some commemorative plaques and coal slag hills. A sad legacy.
The old village sites are linked to some wonderfully diverse trails - Let the pictures speak for themselves.
Back at home we enjoyed a fantastic dinner, lively conversation and lots of laughs.
I am so grateful to friends and family for their support.

Road trip down Island

Today we went for a drive down to Qualicum and stopped to visit our lot along the way. It was the first sunny day in over a week and an outing was a must. Although the sun is shining, the air is crisp and there is fresh snow on the mountains. Nile Creek is still running quite high from all the rain, but not the torrent it was in January. So after 11 years of waiting and visiting, we will soon start to build our home here. Pictures above are looking up and down the creek. Pictures below are of our lot from the street and the car is parked in about the middle of the lot.

And the answer is...

Drumroll.....
The answers to the "smart enough to live in BC" quiz are below:
While I was trying to answer the first 10 - I received two more "bonus" questions.
My tormentor has checked my answers and I had all but one correct so I get to be a "token" Westerner. I cannot be a true westerner he tells me, until I "hike the West Coast Trail, paddle a boat up a river and catch a fish with my bare hands".
I am in the process of compiling an Easterner list of questions to fire back at Gord. Surely I can create an equally quirky and twisted view of Ontario. Any and all suggestions will be welcomed.

1. What is the "Ogopogo creature" and where does it live? Serpentine lake creature (Nessy cousin) inhabiting lake Okanagan in BC interior

2. What is a Sasqatch? 9' tall ape-like creature with flowing hair AKA Bigfoot

3. What is a marmot and where do they live? Endangered ground-hog like mammals living in colonies in alpine meadows above 1000' meters on Vancouver Island.

4. What poisonous snake lives in the interior? Rattlesnake

5. Where would you find cactus in B.C.? Opuntia (of the prickly pear family) - on Denman and Hornby and in Osoyoos

6. What is a "chilcotin turkey"? Salmon sold door-to-door by the local First Nations peoples

7. Where is Spuzum? Spuzzum (two Zd's) is "beyond Hope" 31 mi to the north.

8. Where is the biggest amateur Rodeo held in BC? Quesnel

9. What is the longest river which starts in BC? Fraser River

10. What is the largest natural lake in BC? Babine or Atlin Lakes - disputed - a tie?

11. What is the largest man-made lake in BC/ Williston Lake
12 Which BC river runs into the Arctic watershed and not the pacific? Peace River

Cycling Old Logging Roads

Yesterday we went for a bike ride that took us along the scenic Courtenay River Estuary, across the Island Highway and along some old Comox logging roads which have been paved and are now closed to motor traffic. Good thing too. You wouldn't want to take a car down there (unless you're Evil Knievel) as there are a couple of wash-outs, where the pavement is gone and there's a nice big hole in it's place. Made for an interesting ride and a nice afternoon. Man am I out of shape though. No excuse out here. Lots to do. Just get out and do it.

Wacky West Coast

Well, as I said before, it is definitely spring here. Spring defined by the following: flowers in bloom, people out doing yard work, cutting grass, playing golf, wearing shorts, sandals and T-shirts, driving convertibles etc - you get the idea. So yesterday the temperature drops, the sky opens up and down comes this white stuff. I remember seeing it in Ontario, but it was not advertised in the BC brochure except that it was kept neatly on the mountains mostly to keep the skiers happy. It fell steadily all morning, piled up pretty good and then by 5:00PM it was all gone. Maybe if it has to happen, this is the way to do it - brief and to the point and you don't have to shovel it!

Moving Day II

Today the AMJ Campbell moving truck, Highway Howie at the wheel arrived at our storage unit in Coombs. In less than two hours all of our worldly possessions were unloaded into a storage unit 10x10x10'. It has been quite cold here the last couple of days and there was new snow on the mountains this morning, so of course it was cold and the rain pored down as our things were put in storage. I was given the task of checking off the box numbers as they came off the truck and it was so cold my hands were shaking and my feet were numb. Everything was in good order and accounted for. It all went very quickly and I was so busy that I forgot to take pictures. Ian was with me and we pulled a few personal things out to go home with us - our bikes, some boxes of files, some clothes and a few fragile pieces of furniture. The driver and crew were terrific, so all in all the experience was pretty painless. I'm glad it's over with non the less.
I also heard today from our Surveyor and our application for Development Permit is complete!
Woohoo! I will follow-up on Monday and see what our status is. If we can finally get that permit we can at least begin to clear the lot. Fingers crossed.

Am I Smart enough to live in BC?

My cousin Gord (born and raised here) has posed 10 questions that all good British Columbians should know the answers to. Kind of like the test given to people wishing to become Canadians. The questions are listed below and if anyone should happen to have any of the answers - I'd love to hear them. No, it's not cheating (just don't tell Gord).

1. What is the "Ogopogo creature" and where does it live?

2. What is a Sasqatch?

3. What is a marmot and where do they live?

4. What poisonous snake lives in the interior?

5. Where would you find cactus in B.C.?

6. What is a "chilcotin turkey"?

7. Where is Spuzum?

8. Where is the bigest Rodeo held in BC?

9. What is the longest river which starts in BC?

10. What is the largest natural lake in BC?

It's official

We're homeless. Bye-bye Pickering.

So Long YYZ... Hello YQQ

Up at 4:30 AM this morning, to get to Terminal 3 for a 7:15 flight back to Comox. It's cold and dry in Toronto as we leave. We stop briefly in Calgary to change aircraft and have to be de-iced before take-off. Touch down in Comox and it's like I never left - still raining. On the plus side it is definitely spring here. As we taxied down the runway toward the Comox Terminal I looked beyond the fence and there were golfers out on the course that's adjacent to the airport...yes, golfing even in the rain. Too bad Roy isn't here. Golfing in the rain can't be as bad as golfing in the snow in January.