In the lap of Beauty and Luxury - 30 July 2010

Coming up to August First Long Weekend in British Columbia, and all boaters are out and about, loaded with beer, dogs, kids, barbecue steaks, relatives - you name it. The docks and mooring buoys in Montague Harbour suffer from warm berth syndrome: as soon as one boat leaves another is ready to take its place.

I arrived early, very early - Wednesday. I was lucky to grab one of those elusive buoys - and I am going to stay for the duration. The dock is crowded with deck chairs and side tables and tons of people getting into the the spirit of things...


See below: of course, the boat dogs are back. These ones are a little larger than the usual boat mop size. A Newfoundlander and a St. Bernard - I saw them crowd out the owners on a dinghy suitable for dachshunds, but these two canines almost blanketed every surface of the dinghy. They were allowed on the deck of the Marina Restaurant in Montague Harbour - albeit they kept slobbering all over the table tops. The St. Bernard is only two, and as large as a calf...

Millennium Dragon parked at her favourite buoy, closest to the dock. Ergo: little rowing required to get ashore.

But now - for the luxurious part: Galiano Inn in Sturdie's Bay. The Inn offers a 'complementary' (sic) shuttle from Montague to the Inn. Of course, I took advantage of it, and headed right to the 'pizza terrace' where aromatic woodsmoke mixes with tangy sea scents, and the pizza is as thin as waxed paper, and the toppings come directly from the garden (tomatoes, basil) and the Island goats (goat cheese) - scrumptious. I even invested in a glass of Spumante (the first 'loaded' drink since I am on the boat).

The view from the terrace is incredible: Mount Baker rises seeemingly right from the sea across Georgia Strait in snowy splendour, the waters of Sturdies Bay are sun drenched and azure blue, the flags on the ferry dock flutter in the gentle breeze, and small wavelets caress the quiet beaches.

The Inn's gardens are delightful, with shady nooks, babbling waterfalls, wild flowers and well cared for lawns, huge Firs giving shade over the many lounge chairs dotting the shore line.

The Inn's reception hall is a mini art gallery. A large mural depicting an Orca and her baby is a collage of dozens of small paintings by 60 or so artists, 30 from Galiano Island. A rainbow of styles, all coming together to make a stunning whole.

And again, the lovely restaurant, romantic small garden casitas, cosy rooms all enjoying a million dollar view make for a truly elegant and beautiful experience.

To see more info about the mural

www.muralmosaic.com/kunamokst

The gardens do not have the Martha Steward touch, but are certainly 'Island' inspired, where flowers and natural textures make pleasant combinations.

The Inn's private dock is only a few weeks old. The gangway spans the dangerous shallows, and sports a spacious dock, large enough for luxury yachts - or small boats. The best thing is, that the Inn charges 'government park' rates, which makes an overnight stay more affordable than a stay in one of the luxuriously simple appointed accommodation in the Inn per se.

A view through some of the Inn's greenery towards on of the coves in Sturdies Bay. Low tide, and the many rocks are exposed ready to be explored by beachcombers.

It is so pleasant sitting here, enjoying a tasty fresh Island lunch and a cool Italian Spumante, watching the ferries transiting the stunning scenery every hour, watching and listening to the bumble bees visiting from the lush gardens, and even being able to write this at the same lunch table....

To see more about the Inn (highly recommended if you are looking for a romantic and unusual stay in Paradise)

www.galianoinn.com

go there...if you can!

Luxury indeed.

25 July 2010 - A Day in the Country

Cowichan River where the tubers start out their leisurely, beery, sun burnt slow float downriver. Here at the start of the looong drift, the guys still carry their six packs in plastic bags resting on their stomachs. Each emptied beer can its set afloat to slowly sink into the clear water. Local residents in inflatable boats try to keep the river clean, and snorkel in the wake of the revellers, gathering the empty cans as soon as they are tossed. The girls, instead of hiding their bare bellies under plastic bags full of beer cans, attach their refreshment supplies to the outsides of their floatation devices - that way the river water keeps the beer cold.
I understand that local police join the fun, sporting their police edition bathing suits, patrolling the river suspended within their own inflatable tubes to keep an eye on any 'excessive revelling', potential injurious shipwrecks, or shore side vandalism.
Other officers - dressed in regulation uniform - watch the 'exit beaches', where a whole bunch of less than sober youth piles into oversize Dodge Trucks or rickety old Toyotas, tubes and all, and aim for the highway.



Whole rafts of tubes make their way down the crystal clear river....



On land: Show and Shine motor bike gathering in 'down town' Lake Cowichan. Never mind putting a tiger in your tank, why not put Betty Boop on the tank.

Across the street the Cow Cafe, which has made it to the top ranks of local restaurants thanks to the super fresh, and super local fare it serves. And most of all thanks to the skills of a couple of good local cooks.

Just a few steps away, water lilies dot the shores of Lake Cowichan.

Cowichan means 'warmland' in the language of the Cowichan First Nations tribe. And warm it is, the warmest average temperatures in Canada. And the Lake is pleasantly sun warmed as well.

Many small parks give access to the Lake.

And then there is 'Saison' on May's Road north of Duncan, the latest addition to our selection of culinary destinations. A small vineyard (they are not making their own wine, but selling the grapes) owned by a French Canadian baker. Surrounded by vines, orchards, beautiful views of Mount Prevost and Mount Sicker one can sit on a spacious shady veranda and sip an aromatic cup of freshly brewed coffee, and nibble a raspberry or rhubarb coffee cake, or indulge in a almond and cream laden 'Bienenstich' - traces of Alsace Lorraine...The scent of freshly baked bread competes with whiffs of freshly cut hay. Bucolic indeed...

Everything is prepared with REAL butter and REAL cream, and it is sinfully delicious...The little place only opens on Saturdays and Sundays, but the local population seems to have caught on, as there is a constant stream of guests. Trying to garner a shady table on the veranda is a true stroke of luck.

And if indulging right here is not enough, quiches, breads, buns, cakes, tartes etc etc are there to be bought and enjoyed back home.

Yummy! And an absolutely delightful location.

21. July 2010 - On Land at home

Summer is in full swing, the lavender is blooming...so is everything else.
I am landbound for a few days, practicing my mechanical skills, revisiting my budding watercolour skills, and expectorating a bronchitis.
Still awaiting release from outboard hospital for my little egg-beater dinghy motor, the one of all of 2 horse power (miniature horses I am sure). Not that I use it very often, only when adverse wind and waves combine with too far a distance between anchor and shore, and rowing is not an easy option.
It leaks gas...fixing that is beyond my modest capabilities.
Once the little put put is gas-tight again - I hope to be off into the Gulf Islands for a little more summer on the water....

Denali Lavender Farm at Hutchison and Trafalgar Road. I feel as if Tuscany has been reincarnated on Vancouver Island

Summer festivals happen all over the Islands, music, arts, craft, wooden boats, local food...whatever can be celebrated out of doors, is celebrated here.
Here I painted a young man, transported into a different world of drumming...

12. July 2010 - Millennium is For Sale

As much as I enjoy the lazy days of summer, tied to a mooring, surrounded by stunning scenery, I put Millennium up for sale.


The evenings aboard are serene, picturesque, calm (with some luck)



Little Chicago fedora and all...

Trincomali Channel as enjoyed through the beach grasses on the northern edge of Montague Marine Park.

Arbutus Trees above the public dock in Montague....

sitting out a bronchitis before I take off again in search of another beautiful anchorage, or the home dock, we'll see...

10. July 2010 - Galiano Island

FIFA fans in Central Station Cafe on Galiano...Germany against Uruguay

This dad with ancient dog and youngest offspring is doing it the right way: small enough boat and the faintest breeze moves it across the water. According to this skipper, the toddler was having a great time, but the dog would rather be ashore.

A first: Midweek in Tod Inlet, and I am the only boat around.

Back on Galiano, just in time to make it to the local cafe - via hitchhike - to witness (unintentionally) the Germany Uruguay FIFA game. 1:1 at half time. The cafe is half filled with islanders, groaning and cheering in harmony with the background sound of buzzing vuvuzuelas whenever there is a semi miss, a dicey pass or a successful goal.

Even the dogs snoozing under the cafe tables wake up and contribute to the general cheer with short confused barks, and then go back to sleep.

At last it is hot in BC, as it is all over Canada, and suddenly everything that floats is out on the water. Montague Harbour is packed, there are so many dinghies that the sound of their combined outboards makes their own vuvuzuela chorus.

Talking about outboards...after finally installing my own 2HP eggbeater outboard in my Zodiac, I find that it leaks gas from the fuel line somewhere. Back to un-installing and back to rowing....

Well, all else as uneventful as can be....except Uruguay just kicked their second goal...people cheering (even the other lone German in the cafe) dogs wuffing, and the game goes on.

And things are moving at soccer speed: 2:2 now, the game is getting somewhat exciting even for a sports idiot like me, 20 minutes left to play...

5. July 2010 - still in Tod Inlet

Tod Inlet is not only surrounded by steep mountains, but the shoreline is covered with flowers, some the remnants of early settler's gardens. Bluebells, sweet peas, morning glory carpet the ground amongst gnarled apple and plum trees.


The old wharf, where gravel from the old pit, now transformed into Butchard Gardens, left the inlet and was shipped out to construction sites on the island. Now, the old poles serves as homes for a couple of hundred purple martin houses. The bird housing complex is sure popular, judging by the constant chirping traffic flying to and fro.



Kayak School in Tod Inlet. a leisurely stop for conducting a class before setting out to practice the freshly aquired skill of navigating a kayak.


I took the bus again to Sidney, where one of the fish shops serves as a public open air gallery. Here is one of the pieces of art, somewhat whimsical, but oh so BC.

3. July 2010 - Tod Inlet and Butchard Garden

Back in Tod Inlet, where the waters continue to clear from season to season. No discharge allowed (good) and no crabbing either. Some of the decrepit boats, which last year decorated the entrance to the Inlet have been 'rationalized', in other words tied in a heap to an overgrown float closer to shore. One abandoned vessel which used to drift amongst the anchored boats inside the inlet has disappeared. Geese, eagles, otters and schools of herring are moving in in greater numbers.
But, the nightly silence - and sometimes the daytime one - is occasionally interrupted by the sounds of modern convenience boating: 'silent' portable generators, humming diesel heaters, thumping rock music from the aerodynamically built power yachts, roaring outboards on tenders.
On the other hand, some boaters row their dinghies instead of using their high powered outboard which create frightful wakes.
Yesterday I walked to Butchard, after an uneventful cruise from Montague - 5 hours cast off to anchor, no favourable winds but threatening clouds.
The community buses are still running between the Gardens and downtown Sidney, still a bargain at correct change 1.65 for 'old people' even if there is no change for a twoonie.
Very convenient for stocking up on the odd grocery item and having a coffee at the local Internet friendly 'Serious Coffee' cafe.
That's what I did today, take the bus and getting my fix of humanity.



Back in the Gardens, where a late blooming dogwood embellishes the Sturgeon Fountain. All else is geraniums, roses, begonias and who knows what else. The usual camper vans, motor homes, tour buses and cars crowd the adjacent parking lot for the ones arriving per land. And Tod Inlet, where I am anchored, is filling up with boats to watch the first Butchard Garden Fireworks of the season. The walkways of the gardens are filled with visitors, taking photos of everything that does not move.
A jazz,blues, rock band is 'sound testing' on the garden's stage, pretty much like a concert but unscheduled entertainment. People sit on the grass listening and clapping after every 'tested' song.
Every language known to man is heard, diversity galore. The great unifier: jeans and t-shirts. The most fashionably dressed visitors appear to hail from the Far East, sporting funky outfits perfectly coordinated, sometimes protected by a colourful parasol. Clothes that earn Asia the title of global fashion capital, clothes that are rare on the racks of North America.

A new carousel with magical animals for rides has opened in Butchard Gardens. The carved animals are faultless, their images have made it already onto Christmas tree ornaments, mugs, plates, bookmarks, postcards etc for sale at the Gardens Souvenir Shops.
The path leading past the carousel have been tastefully blocked with potted plants, in order for visitors to take the new path leading to the carousel. Which is surprisingly deserted, despite hundreds of kids walking, running and being wheeled about the gardens in their strollers.
Entering the glass and concrete enclosure which houses the carousel, I felt as if entering a modern warehouse. Steel, antiseptic glass, concrete walls adorned with a few marionettes dangling from the ceiling, and an ancient mosaic from the Butchard collection hanging from a concrete wall. An impersonal atmosphere like a factory, and nary a kid in sight. To me it felt almost antiseptic and uninviting, curiously out of sync with the rest of the Gardens.


Moored in Montague, tied to one of the famous 12 dollar (incl HST) buoys.
One of the few moments of sunshine, when my solar panel went crazy with joy, and actually charged my boat batteries.


Low tide in Montague Lagoon. These boys enjoyed sinking deep into the black and odorous mud, and tracking down crabs and clams.