To-Do List

It's very important, even on holiday to maintain a strict schedule; swim, read, eat snacks, float around on an dinghy, swing on the swing and repeat. Throw in a nap too if you can, it takes real discipline and and focus but it can be done. - Fern

At the Lake

We spent a lovely couple of days on Saltspring Island, playing in the water at St. Mary's Lake. This little boat was floating around and while old and leaky was quite entertaining to the local kids. - Fern

Evenings Golden Glow

On a quick little get away, we spent some time at St. Mary's Lake, on Saltspring Island. It's a short ferry ride away from Victoria but feels like a different world. See more here and here. - Fern

Lotusland

The Pacific Coast of North America is sometimes referred to as "Lotusland", generally by easterners who view themselves as more pragmatic or realistic. But there's lots of hard-nosed materialism out here as well and not many people wear flowers in their hair any more. Don't despair though - the real Lotusland is just a thirty-five minute ferry trip from Victoria. The sign above is one of the first things you will see when the ferry docks at Fulford Harbour on Saltspring Island and while it by no means sums up the island, it does give some idea of the island's character. The sign is made from old surfboards and lists a pretty good menu of counterculture interests. But Saltspring's unusual character runs deeper than a few hippy stores. The island has its own flag and currency. Albert Einstein is quoted on the $5 bill:"How I wish that somewhere there existed an Island for those who are wise and of goodwill. In such a place, even I would be an ardent patriot." The island probably has a higher population of artists of many kinds than anywhere else in Canada. Check out the Saltspring Music website to see what I mean. For those interested in the visual arts, check out the Salt Spring Studio Tour. If you would like to find out more about this extraordinary little island, click HERE to visit the Saltspring Consciousness website.

St. Paul's Church, Saltspring Island

Victoria is located on Vancouver Island, a very large island (460 kilometres [290 mi] in length and 80 kilometres [50 mi] in width at its widest point). However, Vancouver Island is not the only island in what is now known as the Salish Sea. There are hundreds of other much smaller islands that form the archipelago called the Gulf Islands. These islands are in Victoria's back yard, scattered over the waters between Vancouver Island and the mainland. The largest and most densely populated of these islands is Saltspring Island (pop. about 10,000). Saltspring is a fascinating place and an interesting bit of its history is that many of the early settlers were immigrants from Hawaii who intermarried with First Nations families already in residence on the island. You can find out more about these islanders in a very interesting article HERE. Many of the original Hawaiian settlers are buried in the churchyard of the the church they helped to build in the 1880s, St. Paul's, pictured above. Saltspring is a very idiosyncratic island for many other reasons and we'll have a closer look at it over the next few days.

Kayaking

Sunday was HOT. In fact, according to my personal calendar it's the only summer day we've had so far this year. We were out on the Saanich Peninsula for an art show and stopped at this lovely little beach afterwards. It was also the disembarkation point for this group of kayakers in their colorful little boats. This has become a popular sport here. The word "kayak" comes from the Inuktitut language to describe the boat developed by them and other northern peoples. Wikipedia has an interesting article on this HERE. The low mountain in the background on the left is Saltspring Island, one of the Gulf Islands.

Tail End of the Week

These two are not Victoria residents, they are Saltspring Island sheep but they happen to suit my mood today, it being FRIDAY! Long week and I'm looking forward to some time "grazing."