Senior Living Magazine Vancouver Edition July 2011

JULY 2011 TM

Vancouver’s 50+ Active Lifestyle Magazine

DAY TRIPPIN’

Sailing Adventure Historic Greenwood Harrison Hot Springs ...and more! www.seniorlivingmag.com

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Over 500 senior residences and housing communities throughout BC are listed in this comprehensive directory. Compare services, amenities, and prices. Sort your selection by region, or type of care.

This directory is published by Senior Living, a monthly magazine distributed to approximately 850 locations across BC.

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����������������� ����������������������� Search For Housing

Senior Living’s online searchable senior housing directory is a perfect complement to its semi-annual senior housing special editions in February and August. Senior Living also publishes a 128 page book called “To Move or Not to Move? A Helpful Guide for Seniors Considering Their Residential Options.” We have sold over 3,000 copies of this book. No other magazine we know of has such a comprehensive, interconnected group of housing resources. For more information about any of these products or services, call (250)479-4705 or toll-free 1-877-479-4705.

Or email office@seniorlivingmag.com

Housing Definitions Assess Your Needs Articles

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FEBRUARY 2011 VANCOUVER ISLAND

Housing Guide for Seniors

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Up-to-date listings of senior housing facilities throughout Vancouver Island, including Independent/Supportive Living, Assisted Living and Complex Care.

This guide is an indispensable resource to:

• seniors looking for alternative housing • seniors moving to Vancouver Island from other parts of BC or out of province • children of seniors who are assisting their parent to select a housing option • professionals who work with seniors or their families • businesses that provide services to seniors

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Listings include addresses and contact information, housing costs, number of units in the housing complex, hospitality services, optional home care services, amenities and security features.

TO ORDER a copy...

Please mail a cheque for $5.25 ($5 plus GST), along with your name, phone number and address, to Senior Living, 153, 1581-H Hillside Ave., Victoria BC V8T 2C1. We will mail you a copy of this resourceful housing guide upon receipt of payment.

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JULY 2011

www.seniorlivingmag.com

Publisher’s British Columbia is a beautiful place to explore. The problem is most people can’t see it all in one lifetime. Expand your travel adventures to include some excursions across the US border, as some of our writers did – well, that’s justification for reincarnation right there!

Our Vancouver magazine begins with a sail through the coastal Broughton archipelago islands followed by a trek through Harrison Hot Spring’s trails and byways. We head north to Cariboo Country to ponder the gold rush days around Williams Lake, and east to explore the splendour of Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies.

We head south to the quaint city of Greenwood near the BC border, and then cross it for a stroll through historical Port Townsend in Washington state.

In our Vancouver Island magazine, we take a slightly different path. Visiting Cariboo Country again, this time, we experience the diversity at a ranch retreat in the shadow of the Marble Mountains.

We pop over the US border to an historic place called Fairhaven beside Bellingham Bay before strapping on our leathers for a breezy motorbike trip across BC on an 1100cc Goldwing.

Then it’s over to Vancouver Island for a bike ride from the Swartz Bay ferries to Sooke and back to the Mainland for a daring tumble down the Thompson in a river raft through rapids with names like “Terminator” and “The Shocker.”

From horseback to rafts, from bicycles to RVs, from motorbikes to sailboats… seniors really get around!

If you don’t have both magazines in hand, don’t worry. Just visit our website where you will find all these articles posted for your reading pleasure.

Have a great summer!

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SENIOR LIVING

FEATURES

COLUMNS 4 The Family Caregiver

5 Travel: It’s Good for You

by Barbara Small

Travelling beyond the familiar provides a source of education that cannot be found elsewhere.

18 Forever Young

by William Thomas

6 Good Times in the Wilderness

23 Ask Goldie

Sailing in the Broughtons can feel isolating – until you reach the marina where other boaters soon become friends.

by Goldie Carlow

30 Have Fork, Will Travel

10 Soaking in Adventure

by Sally Jennings

Harrison Hot Springs offers adventure and relaxation close to home.

31 BBB Scam Alert

14 A Town Lost in Time

32 Reflections: Then & Now

by Lynda Pasacreta

Get absorbed in the history of Port Townsend.

by Gipp Forster

16 Golden Getaway in the Cariboo Steeped in gold rush history, a trip to the Cariboo takes visitors back in time.

Cover Photo: Sailors and adventurers Frank and Mary Ann Hajer aboard Zephyr.

Story page 6.

Photo: Philippe Martin-Morice

20 Canada’s Tiniest City

A trip through the Kootenays would not be complete without a stop in Greenwood.

26 On the Road Again

Heading east to cover 3,500km in five days.

28 Dream Big

Despite challenges and against the odds, RVers Barb and Dave Reese follow their dreams.

Senior Living (Vancouver & Lower Mainland) is published by Stratis Publishing.

Publisher Barbara Risto Editor Bobbie Jo Reid editor@seniorlivingmag.com Ad Coordinator Steffany Gundling Copy Editor Allyson Mantle Advertising Manager Barry Risto 250-479-4705 ext 101 Toll-free 1-877-479-4705 sales@seniorlivingmag.com Ad Sales Staff Mitch Desrochers 604-910-8100 Ann Lester 250-390-1805 Mathieu Powell 250-479-4705 ext 104 Barry Risto 250-479-4705 ext 101 WWW.SENIORLIVINGMAG.COM

Head Office Contact Information: Box 153, 1581-H Hillside Ave., Victoria BC V8T 2C1 Phone 250-479-4705 Fax 250-479-4808 Toll-free 1-877-479-4705 E-mail office@seniorlivingmag.com Website www.seniorlivingmag.com Subscriptions: $32 (includes HST, postage and handling) for 12 issues. Canadian residents only.

No portion of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. Senior Living is an independent publication and its articles imply no endorsement of any products or services. The views expressed herein are not necessarily those of the publisher. Unsolicited articles are welcome and should be e-mailed to editor@seniorlivingmag. com Senior Living Vancouver Island is distributed free throughout Vancouver Island. Stratis Publishing Ltd. publishes Senior Living Vancouver Island (12 issues per year) and Senior Living Vancouver & Lower Mainland (12 issues per year). ISSN 1710-3584 (Print) ISSN 1911-6403 (Online)

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JULY 2011

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THE FAMILY CAREGIVER

A

Compassion Fatigue

re you feeling too tired to care? Being a family caregiver can affect you physically, mentally and emotionally, sometimes without you even realizing it. You may become irritable, depressed, have trouble sleeping or feel unable to cope.

Compassion fatigue occurs when family caregivers take on the pain and suffering of the person for whom they are caring. Caregivers experiencing compassion fatigue have a difficult time maintaining a healthy balance between concerns for their family member and staying objective. They continually push themselves harder, eventually becoming completely burned out.

Some caregivers are caught up in the trap of trying to enable their family member or friend to continue as if nothing were different with his or her health or life – doing all they can to keep everything as “normal” as possible. But it simply isn’t anymore.

Compassion fatigue can be detrimental to both you and the person for whom you are caring. Feeling high levels of stress over long periods of time will affect your health, your attitude and your ability to cope with your daily responsibilities, both caregiving and otherwise.

Some of the causes of compassion fatigue are: RESERVED SEATING

• Not asking for help and seldom taking a break • Having high expectations of yourself • Working hard to make everything ideal for the person you are caring for • Difficulty saying “no” • Consistently putting other people’s needs ahead of your own • Feeling as though you are the only person capable of providing the care needed • Ignoring your own health concerns Family caregivers can prevent or reduce compassion fatigue by: • Letting go and accepting help. One person cannot do everything by himself or herself. Recognize that someone else might not provide care exactly as you would, but many people can still provide appropriate care as needed.

• Scheduling breaks and quiet time for you. This is essential and will allow you to be a more effective caregiver longer. You cannot take care of someone else without replenishing your own inner resources as well.

• Making use of respite so you can take time away from caregiving. Respite care could be provided by a family member, friend, volunteer or health-care provider. Even an hour or two will help.

Just ensure you use it regularly. The care

Next Month in Senior Living...

Housing Guide

On Stage Now! � Under the Tents in Vanier Park

604-739-0559 bardonthebeach.org 4

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Whether you want to age in place or research retirement residence options, this issue will have something for you!

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BY BARBARA SMALL

recipient will benefit as well by spending some time with a new person.

• Taking care of your own health as well – eat healthfully, get regular sleep and participate in stress relieving activities. Visit the doctor for your own health concerns.

• Defining the boundaries of what you are prepared and able to do. You do not have to say yes to all requests. Maybe there is someone else who is actually better qualified or equipped to carry out some of the responsibilities.

• Joining a caregiver’s support group and sharing with others who are going through similar situations.

• Keeping a good sense of humour and finding some laughter in the little situations that happen throughout your SL day.

Next month: Home-based Care Services Barbara Small is the Program Development Coordinator for Family Caregivers’ Network Society located in Victoria, BC. www.familycaregiversnetwork.org

Health & Wellness

Travel: It’s Good For You!

BY DAWN RUECKL

S

A lifestyle that incorporates con- and ongoing concerns, which allows aint Augustine once said, “The world is a book, and stant learning is also important to good the body to relax. Reduced stress can those who do not travel read health. Travelling beyond the famil- be linked with better blood pressure, only a page.” Seniors dedicated to a iar and into the greater world provides increased concentration, reduction of lifestyle of continued learning, personal a source of education that cannot be headaches, and the improvement of dihealth and general well-being are defi- found elsewhere. Firsthand knowledge gestive disorders. nitely not content to stay on the Activity levels also increase same page. For those people, during travel. Without familiar travel is essential. of transportation readily New stimuli force you to use your modes available, you’ll rely on the most At the risk of oversimplificabrain in new and unfamiliar ways primitive and convenient form tion, quality of life as a person of transportation: your feet. And ages is directly related to quality of so that you truly are living in the being outdoors for long periods, health. Good health means sound you’ll also soak in healthy doses mind and useful body. Maintaining here and now, which is good for of vitamin D and vitality. good health means exercising and your sense of well-being.

Travel is also an ambassastretching mind and body, keeping dor to world peace. As the great them fit and working, plus feeding author Mark Twain once said, both the right materials and making the ground fertile for growth. Travel is gained in economics, politics, history, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and geography and sociology. narrow-mindedness.” Every time you can provide all these things.

Travel allows you to truly live in connect with people that live and work Travel is good for the brain – allowing it a chance to stretch and grow by the moment. When the packing and in different countries or cultures or even constantly being challenged by the un- planning is done and you hit the road neighbourhoods, you make a connecfamiliar. The brain is presented with to discovery, leaving the familiar in tion. Increased connections between new perspectives, thereby creating new the rear-view mirror, you truly are in people mean increased understanding. connections. You meet people and form the zone. New stimuli force you to use And when you increase understanding, relationships based on an unfamiliar your brain in new and unfamiliar ways the world becomes a smaller and more foundation. You develop new skills by so that you truly are living in the here peaceful place. Making the world a betchallenging yourself with new activities. and now, which is good for your sense ter place is conducive to feeling good about yourself, which is, of course, You expand your sensory experience by of well-being.

Living in the moment is great for good for your health. trying new foods, listening to new muSo, what are you waiting for? Travel sic, and seeing varied landscapes. All of the body as well. Focus on the here and SL now releases the stresses of daily life – it’s good for you! these stretch and enhance the brain.

Senior Living Vancouver is available at most Recreation Centres and Libraries in the following municipalities: • VANCOUVER • BURNABY • NEW WESTMINSTER • WHITE ROCK • NORTH VANCOUVER • LADNER / TSAWWASSEN • PORT MOODY • COQUITLAM • PORT COQUITLAM • SURREY • RICHMOND • WEST VANCOUVER • LANGLEY • ABBOTSFORD • PHARMASAVE STORES THROUGHOUT BC

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Call 1-877-479-4705 for other locations.

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JULY 2011

5

Local Travel

Good Times in the Wilderness

T

Photo: Philippe Martin-Morice

BY MARY ANNE HAJER

he Broughton archipelago lies between northern Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia. These fog-shrouded islands are covered by dense coastal rainforest and separated from each other by a labyrinth of twisting and sometimes treacherous waterways.

The area is beautiful, but lonely. Encroaching vegetation has all but obliterated the remains of the native villages and busy logging and fishing settlements that once dotted the region. They have vanished with the salmon and the viability of the independent logger.

For a few short months each summer, however, the population of the Broughtons soars with the influx of recreational boaters, who are drawn by the area’s pristine natural beauty. They drop their hooks in isolated coves and revel in a silence broken only by the hoarse cries of ravens or the chuckling of eagles. In the most remote sections, they are more likely to see a grizzly than another person. When we spent a month there in the summer of 2009, on board our sailboat, the Zephyr, we sometimes went days without human contact.

But man is a social animal, and eventually we would feel the need 6

SENIOR LIVING

for interaction with our own kind. That is when we would up anchor and head to one of the half dozen marinas operating in the Broughtons; small centres of civilization in this untamed world.

It was cold and blustery the day we pulled up to the dock at Kwatsi Bay Marina where owner Max Knierim waited to grab our lines.

According to their website, he and his wife, Anca, along with their two children, Marieke and Russell, have lived in the bay year-round since 1995. They built their house, the dock and all facilities themselves.

“We’re having a potluck supper tonight on the dock,” Max told us. “Are you interested?”

“Yes, of course,” was our prompt response. “We’ll bring dessert.”

On our first visit to the Broughtons in 2007, we had been startled to discover that on most evenings these isolated marinas are the settings for lively social gatherings, as boaters bearing drinks and trays of appetizers gather to greet old friends and make new ones, update each other on the regional news and share cruising stories.

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Sometimes happy hour turns into a fullfledged potluck dinner. Usually several of the dishes on offer will be freshly caught seafood such as crab and/or prawns, both plentiful in the area. That evening, Max presented us with so much freshly cooked crab that in the end we literally could not eat another bite – all compliments of the house. I can’t begin to imagine what that meal would have cost us in Vancouver. My contribution to the fare was a chocolate cake I made from my own mix. As the only dessert, it vanished without a trace.

At Lagoon Cove Marina on East Cracroft Island, owners Bill and Jean Barber are famous for the bucket of prawns they donate to happy hour – every day! Boaters also come to hear Bill’s famous bear stories, told with the flawless delivery of a professional stand-up comedian.

Cruisers in the know gather at Pierre’s at Echo Bay on Gilford Island for Canada Day celebrations and for their famous Saturday night pig roasts, served at a nominal price. A look at their website reveals that Pierre is planning numerous other culinary events in 2011, including a fullcourse Christmas dinner in July.

Sullivan Bay Marine Resort hosts a major celebration on July 4th for the benefit of the many visiting American boaters. And every day the Browns at Shawl Bay Marina serve up a pancake breakfast with lots of hot coffee, much appreciated in the damp, chilly mornings that are the norm in this area.

But the meal that stands out in our minds as the most delicious is the Cajun dinner served up by Allyson Allo at Jennis Bay Marina in Drury Inlet. It was purely serendipitous that our visit coincided with Cajun Tuesday, the one night a week that Allyson cooks up a huge pot of gumbo, crammed full of freshly caught prawns and crab, and another of chicken and sausage jambalaya, all topped off with slices of homemade mud pie. Heaven!

However, Broughton marinas offer more than a place to party. They are also a welcome refuge for boaters in trouble, providing a link to the outside world.

For example, our visit to Kwatsi Bay, originally meant to be an overnighter, ended up lasting close to a week when our engine refused to start in the morning. Using

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JULY 2011

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www.seniorlivingmag.com Each month, we email subscribers our latest newsle�er containing informa�on you won’t find in our magazine. You never know what we’ll include! We have ar�cles on: • successful re�rement • seasonal recipes • computer �ps • gardening • travel • health • fitness • housing • finances • caregiving, etc.

Mary Anne is currently working on a book-length memoir of her sailing experiences titled Sailing Past Sixty.

Mary Anne and Frank map their course onboard Zephyr.

Photo: Mary Anne Hajer

Zephyr at Kwatsi Bay.

Photo: Philippe Martin-Morice

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Max’s satellite phone, Frank was able to contact Klassen Diesel in Delta, who diagnosed the problem as a disintegrating drive plate. They soon had another plate on a bus heading for Port McNeill on Vancouver Island, where it was transferred the next day to a float plane for delivery to Echo Bay. Max collected the plate when he made his mail run in his small open boat, and Frank was able to successfully install it so we could continue our holiday.

What would we have done without Max’s help? I truly don’t know.

It’s easy to imagine the difficulties involved in running a marina in an area as remote and inaccessible as the Broughtons – the never-ending maintenance, the difficulties in bringing in supplies, the lack of available help. Yet, the average age of the owners is well past 50.

Frank and I are looking forward to visiting the Port Harvey Marine Resort on our next trip. George and Gail Campbell, two self-described retired empty-nesters, opened this marina in 2010, and the blog on their website gives some idea of how hard these retirees are working. I wonder if their “real” jobs were as challenging.

At an average speed of five nautical miles an hour, it takes the Zephyr over a week to reach the Broughtons, so it’s not a trip we make every year. But we will go again soon. I can’t wait to tuck into anSL other of Allyson’s Cajun dinners!

PLUS: Info on upcoming magazine features, events, senior-focused adver�sers, advice ar�cles on our website and interes�ng videos.

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Photo: Mary Anne Hajer

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Local Travel

Soaking in Adventure STORY AND PHOTOS

BY CHRIS AND RICK MILLIKAN

D

uring the mid-1800s, 61-kilometre-long Harrison Lake was part of the main route to the Cariboo goldfields. Falling from a canoe, a prospector expecting frigid waters discovered a future hotspot instead: Harrison Hot Springs! Early visitors arrived by boats, trains and wagons; nowadays, most drive. For us, it’s less than two hours from our home near Vancouver. Over decades of soaking up good times, we’ve discovered Harrison makes a perfect base for outdoor recreation.

Our spring fling includes a boat cruise around Harrison Lake’s southern section. Departing, we consider nearly century old Harrison Hot Springs Hotel standing amid the modern wings of the famed spa resort. This historic brick hotel replaced an even earlier St. Alice Hotel and Bath House built in 1886.

Soon, onboard interpreter Lorna tells us about another attraction: fishing for salmon, trout and sturgeon. The lake sparkles in beautiful turquoise, fed by glaciers seen on north coastal mountains. Isolated cabins dot remote shorelines, prompting speculation on these residents’ simple lives. Pausing below Echo Island’s steep cliffs, Lorna tests the horn; sure enough, reverberations boom! She later shows us clamshells embedded in rocks gathered at Fossil Bay. At the end of a narrow inlet, we gaze at surrounding snowy peaks and .6-kilometre high Rainbow Falls.

We regularly amble the village’s flower-bordered walkways. A promenade stretches along Harrison’s sandy shoreline and at its midpoint, links a raised trail looping the man-made lagoon. For years, we admired the artistic creations built on these golden beaches during September’s sand sculpture champion10

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The authors hiking above Hicks Lake.

A restful moment on the shores of Hicks Lake.

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Activities include zip-lining and boogie boarding (above).

Local Travel pure air and revel in natural splendour.

Remarkably, the forest pushes upward through a rock solid base. Thick, peagreen moss softly blankets fallen logs, branches and sedate stumps.

At the lake’s northern end, we descend to the sandy shoreline and recline against a log to admire the lake’s glassy reflections. An eagle soars above us while stellar jays hop amidst branches of lacy hemlocks. A narrow trail leads

us southward, weaving along rugged slate cliffs just above the waterline.

Thick board bridges carry us across countless burbling streams. Under an evergreen canopy, we delight in more birdsongs, wildflowers and solace. After two pleasant hours, our meditative adventure ends.

Cycling has also become popular here. Though rental bikes are available, we bring our own. My hybrid provides a

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ships. The promenade itself continues eastward through a park to Ranger Station art gallery above the public docks, providing avid walkers with yet another terrific lakeside panorama.

To the west, the promenade passes in front of the resort to the mouth of the Miami River. Two public trails continue onward. One, Sandy Cove trail passes the hot spring’s steamy source to a small beach and ultimately Whippoorwill Point overlooking the Harrison River. Seals are commonly seen here. Behind the resort, Bridges Trail parallels the Miami River and spans nine wooden bridges traversing a craggy fern-filled mountainside before descending into the village.

Other trails fan out throughout village neighbourhoods. Melodious birdies serenade our walks. Purple finch, plump robins, white-crowned sparrows, yellow-headed and red-winged blackbirds chirp from newly leafed branches.

Honking geese fly overhead and strut on verdant yards. Pileated woodpeckers hammer in the distance. Flamboyant wood ducks and mallards quack happily in the river.

From McCombs Drive, several trails lead into an adjacent forest with most following the meandering Miami River.

An anonymous artisan transformed one path into magical Mask Trail where earthen ceramic faces emerge from elegant red cedars. Winding into this wondrous woodsy world, we arrive at a gallery-like grove presenting a dozen such mystic spirits.

Sasquatch sightings occurred during the area’s early history. So two replicas of these legendary hairy giants aptly adorn Harrison’s main road; a Sasquatch silhouette tops a signpost outside the public hot springs pool. Just beyond town, Sasquatch Provincial Park seems an ideal spot to meet Mr. Sasquatch and commune with other woodsy denizens!

Our trail encircling Hicks Lake begins as an old logging road rising above the eastern shore. Heeding Dr. Suzuki’s encouragement, we take our brains for a walk among evergreens, breathe in

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comfortable padded seat. Rick’s touring bike boasts panniers for snacks, repair kit and extra clothing. His handlebar pack carries our road map and camera.

Donning gloves and helmets, we pedal on Hot Springs Road, its ample shoulder separating us from streams of motorists. Near the welcoming entrance into Harrison, long-horned, woolly highland cattle gather in a field under huge cottonwoods. The end of the lush golf course signals our turnoff onto Golf Road. Now on quiet country roads, we pass blossoming cherry trees, yellow daffodils and red tulips lining fences. Thousands of tiny white daisies will later carpet surrounding meadows; late summer brings rippling crops of corn.

Spinning along pastoral back roads named for pioneers, we pass vintage farmhouses, weathered barns and pastures with black and white dairy cows. Observing a cyclist maxim “drink before you’re thirsty,” we regularly sip water. Two other cycling dictums decree “rest before you’re tired!” and “eat before you’re hungry!” So, arriving in Agassiz, we take a break, snacking at a Pioneer Park picnic table.

Are you a Care Giver or expect to be one?

You are not alone!

Embrace the Journey - A Care Giver’s Story

Cycling back in to Harrison Hot Springs.

Valerie Green’s personal story as a care giver to her elderly parents is the most relevant book on “aging in place” I have read to date. It provides a powerful insight into the challenges faced by every care giver.

It unveils the challenges, heartaches, struggles and agonizing decisions that often need to be made along the way. If you are currently a care giver, or anticipate being one in the near future, this book is a must-read.

Bordered by railway lines, the nearby museum highlights a long relationship with Canadian Pacific Railroad that led to Agassiz’s early prosperity. The 1949 steel caboose reveals the work and life aboard a train. Inside the museum, we discover that for 60 years, a basic beer ingredient, hops, was a main export. Baskets, artwork and photographs chronicle local native lives. Recognizing the waters’ healing properties for centuries, native bands travelled to bathe off Harrison’s southern lakeshore. We also read about Port Douglas located at the 96 pages Softcover northern end of Harrison Lake, a small In-shuck-ch village 5.5” x 8.5” - and for a few days long ago, British Columbia’s capital!

Price $14.95 After perusing town murals depicting local history and in- Publisher Barbara Risto, Senior Living magazine herent beauty, we turn down Agassiz Drive to see the original To order, please send cheque for $20.12 ($14.95 plus $3.95 S&H & taxes) 1868 Agassiz family farmhouse. It once housed the town’s payable to Senior Living. Please include your clearly written shipfirst post office, church and general store. Now a large dairy ping address, phone number, and name of book you are ordering. farm, Holstein yearlings graze in meadows out front. In anMAIL TO: Senior Living 153, 1581-H Hillside Ave., otherHall pasture, Hockey of Famesleek mares supervise leggy babies, flick their Victoria BC V8T 2C1 Broadcaster Jim Robson silky tails and munch, perfectly portraying the patience of in his home offi ce. motherhood.

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We roll onward past young maples lining the way to Mountain View Road. Snow-capped Mt. Cheam dominates sweeping panoramas. Nearby Hopyard Mountain was named for former large plantations, which in 1892 employed over 100 hop-pickers. One such picker was reputedly a Sasquatch who walked daily to work from a remote forest home.

Random signs proclaim Rainbow Country. Besides the resplendent skyward variety, floral “rainbows” continually dazzle. Vibrant rhododendrons, pink blossoming apple trees and myriads of wildflowers line spring roadways; from June, wild roses, dogwood, snowball trees, lupins, irises and magnolias bloom.

After retracing our route, we avoid Hot Springs Road traffic riding between pretty subdivisions and evergreen forest on McPherson and McCombs. Bridging the Miami River, we’re soon amid village restaurants, modern condos, new hotels, galleries and boutiques. Pedalling our trusty bikes these 14 peaceful kilometres generates some needed exercise, rejuvenates our outlooks and even produces a sense of triumph.

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SL

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JULY 2011

13

A Town Lost in Time Local Travel

STORY AND PHOTOS

BY W. RUTH KOZAK

P

ort Townsend is a town caught in a time warp. As I drive off the ferry from Whidbey Island, I feel as though I’m taking a giant step back into the past. With the sea surrounding it and views of the Olympic Mountains and Mount Baker, it seems like it is on the edge of the wilderness.

Orcas and grey whales frolic and splash in the water. The nearby Olympic National Park, the area’s crown jewel, has 1,400 square miles (2253 square kilometres) of mountains, rainforests, river valleys and untamed coast.

On the shore, beached seal pups bask in the sun aside flocks of seabirds. There’s easy access to the beaches known for their abundance of shellfish. Puget Sound is a sailing, kayaking and fishing area. Three state parks in the area are popular with campers and hikers. Like a rare pearl found in a Chuckanut oyster, Port Townsend is truly a small treasure.

At the northeast corner of the Olympic Peninsula on Puget Sound, the town’s historic roots date back to 1792 when Captain George Vancouver came ashore at Point Hudson beach on First Nations land. He named the bay Port Townshend for his friend, the Marquis of Townshend. A hundred years later, the first pioneers arrived and settled on the narrow sea level spit.

Soon, captains from around the world sailed their ships into the port. Later, aspiring businessmen arrived and invested in Port Townsend. It became a bustling town where Victorian ladies shopped in the uptown district and avoided the bawdy waterfront 14

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Manresa Castle The author en route to Port Townsend.

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where, in the rowdy pubs, drunken men were often shanghaied out of secret back doors to ships that waited in the harbour.

Today, Port Townsend is still like the Victorian era seaport it used to be with well preserved and restored heritage buildings, elegant Victorian and Greek revival-style mansions that now serve as B&Bs and quaint hotels (one of them is haunted!). Even the antique Rose Theatre, built originally as a vaudeville theatre in 1907, still operates as a movie theatre.

Once known as “The City of Dreams,” Port Townsend was to be an extension of the Northern Pacific Railroad and the largest harbour on the west coast of America. The gold rush of the late 1800s brought an influx of men seeking their fortune, and Port Townsend was a stopover on their way to Alaska. Port Townsend grew from a modest fishing town into a burgeoning small city with aspirations for the future.

Unfortunately, the railway failed to connect to the city, and by the late 1890s, the boom was over.

The city of Seattle stole its thunder and gradually the hopes of Port Townsend dwindled away.

The beautiful mansions began to fall into disrepair as the residents moved on to greener pastures. But because of the speed at which the economy fell during that time, none of the buildings were torn down and the city remained as if preserved in a time capsule for the next 100 years.

During the ’60s, the town revived somewhat when an influx of hippies moved in and took over

Local Travel abandoned buildings. That changed in the ’70s when enterprising people saw Port Townsend’s potential. Today, the population is 8,900 and it’s one of the most sophisticated small cities west of Seattle because of the many art galleries, quaint cafés, beautifully restored architecture, theatres and museums.

It’s easy to become absorbed in the history of the town.

I set out on a walking tour of all the historic sites starting downtown at Water and Tyler Street, and following the route of the walking tour map available at the Port Townsend tourism office. The atmosphere of the past lingers here. There are 54 heritage buildings listed on the walk. Most of the historic homes are not open to the public.

British sailor, William Bishop, built the Bishop Victorian Hotel, once called the Bishop Block, in 1871. The Mount Baker Block (1890) was built as an office building during the railroad days. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (1865) is one of the oldest standing structures in town. The impressive Romanesque Jefferson County Courthouse (1892) is one of the oldest government buildings in the state, featuring a 124-foot (38-metre) clock tower.

Looming over the city is the most impressive building of all, the Castle. Though it’s now a trendy restaurant and hotel, this magnificent structure with its turrets and lush gardens, was built as a residence in 1892 by a Prussian businessman, Charles Eisenbeis, who was the town’s first

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mayor. Locals referred to it as the “Eisenbeis Castle.” Years later, the Castle became a vacation place for nuns and eventually was purchased by the Jesuits and used as a training college. They named it “Manresa Hall” after the town in Spain where the founder of the Jesuit order was born. It is now called “Manresa Castle.”

After my tour, I spend a pleasant afternoon wandering the grounds of the Fort Worden State Park. From 1902-53, the area was an active military base and in 1981, was the setting for the film An Officer and a Gentleman. These days it has become renown as the site of music festivals, concerts and workshops. Port Townsend is famous for the jazz workshops held here every summer.

Even if you only have a day to spend in this fascinating town, you’ll appreciate the step back in time and, like me, you SL won’t be sorry you stopped.

IF YOU GO: There are dozens of B&Bs in Port Townsend as well as hotels, motels, hostels and dorms. Treat yourself to one of the many heritage houses that are now guest inns. There is also RV and camping nearby at Fort Worden State Park, Jefferson County Fairgrounds, Old Fort Townsend and Point Hudson Marina & RV Park www.ptguide.com/accommodations-and-lodgings For more information on things to do and see in Port Townsend, visit www.ptguide.com

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JULY 2011

15

Local Travel

Golden Getaway in the Cariboo

BY ELIZABETH GODLEY

A

friend and I watch five grebes paddle by on a warm day in early summer. Some distance away, a pair of loons swims in the clear water. We’re visiting Scout Island, the nature sanctuary near the town of Williams Lake, a favourite haunt for many bird species, including hummingbirds, wood ducks, ospreys, yellow-headed blackbirds, flycatchers, woodpeckers, yellow warblers and blue herons.

Within walking distance of the town centre, Scout Island is criss-crossed by trails and includes a beach, nature house, picnic ground and boat launch.

During our week’s vacation in Williams Lake, we establish “base camp” in a motel on the lakeshore and plan to explore B.C.’s Cariboo Country. Dubbed “the Hub City of the Cariboo,” Williams Lake is approximately a seven-hour drive from Vancouver. Its central location makes it an excellent headquarters for one- or two-day excursions to various surrounding communities and points of interest.

Situated amid large cattle ranches, Williams Lake (population 11,000) has long been famous for its stampede, held each year over the Canada Day weekend. But the town caters to many other interests as well. We enjoyed the display of paintings and crafts by local artists at The Station House Museum.

The Cowboy Hall of Fame, located in the Museum of the Cariboo Chilcotin, gave us a sense of the rough-and-tumble early days in the region, where ranching has been an important mainstay of the economy since the 1860s.

Recently, mountain biking has emerged as a hugely popular activity, with three different areas dedicated to the sport and trails designed for every skill level. More trails are in the works.

On Fridays from May to October, vendors at the weekly farmers’ market in Boitanio Park sell local produce and 16

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organic chicken and beef from nearby ranches, as well as all kinds of crafts, from knitting and crocheting to pottery and jewelry.

The Cariboo region is located on B.C.’s central plateau, and stretches from Lillooet and Cache Creek in the south, east to the Cariboo Mountains, west to the Fraser River and north to Quesnel. The region was named after a species of woodland caribou that once roamed the hills and valleys. Long inhabited

by First Nations people, the Cariboo hit the world’s headlines in 1862, when Billy Barker struck gold in Williams Creek, near Barkerville.

Barkerville, once a ramshackle ghost town, is now a National Historic Site. A few hours drive from Williams Lake, it makes a wonderful destination. Locals dressed as old-time teachers, blacksmiths and miners showed us how their work was done back in the day. A stagecoach takes us for a tour of the town, and we even try to pan for gold – sadly, without hitting “pay dirt.”

Back in the 1860s, the stagecoach and wagon road to the Cariboo goldfields began at Mile 0 in Lillooet and ended near Barkerville. Roadhouses were established every few miles, where horses – and passengers – could rest and refuel. Travelling the highway from the Lower Mainland and through the Fraser Canyon, then north on Highway 97 from Cache Creek, we notice many of these old “mile houses.” Some, like 70 Mile House, are now not much more than wide places in the road, while others, like 100 Mile House, have grown into thriving communities.

From Williams Lake, we make day trips to a few of the region’s historic gold-rush settlements. About an hour south of town, at 150 Mile House, the original one-room schoolhouse has been refurbished inside and out. Dating back to the 1890s and painted barn red, the Little Red Schoolhouse is a reminder of the days when the settlement at “the 150” was bigger and more important than that at Williams Lake.

Further south, and worth a stop, is the historic 108 Mile Ranch, restored to resemble a working ranch of the early 1900s.

In the old farmhouse, the kitchen table is set for dinner; upstairs, the bedrooms are ready for weary family members. Stables and bunkhouses for ranch hands and cowboys look just as they did 100 years ago.

We also take a 90-minute drive to Likely (pop. 350), at the west end of Quesnel Lake, to see the display of early mining equipment at Cedar Point Provincial Park. From there, it’s not far to Horsefly (pop. 1,000) on a good gravel road that winds through sub-alpine meadows and past thundering waterfalls, all surrounded by snow covered mountain ridges. In 1859, prospectors struck gold in this tiny community, three years before the big strike in Barkerville. We follow a short trail to view the falls on the spectacular Horsefly River.

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Photos: Chris and Rick Millikan

The community of Wells, built some 80 years ago as a company town for the Cariboo Gold Quartz Mine, boasts some beautifully restored heritage structures. These include one of the most photographed buildings in B.C., the only wood-framed flat-iron building in the province. The town’s population of 300 year-round residents includes many artists, and the Island Mountain Arts Society’s school offers summer classes in a range of subjects.

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An old log house transports visitors back to the Gold Rush days.

Not far from Wells is Cornish Mountain’s network of historic walking, mountain biking and cross-country ski trails.

Another highly recommended day trip takes us to Farwell Canyon and Junction Sheep Range Park. We follow Highway 20, west from Williams Lake and across the Fraser River, and through the rolling ranch lands of the Chilcotin. Farwell Canyon’s weird rock formations, or hoodoos, were created by wind and rain, and the canyon’s steep walls, dotted with sagebrush, plunge down to the blue Chilcotin River below.

Junction Sheep Range Park, named for the confluence of the Fraser and Chilcotin Rivers, is a lush riverside picnic area.

Camping is also available.

A third not-to-be-missed tour takes us from Likely to Barkerville on the old Matthew River Road.

The 2011 Guide to Williams Lake and Area, available at the Tourist Information Centre just east of Williams Lake, outlines several day trips. Plan to spend a full day driving south of town to Alkali Lake, Dog Creek and the Gang Ranch. Together with fantastic scenery, you will pass the Gang Ranch, B.C.’s oldest ranch, once owned by the heir to the Woodward’s Department Store fortune. Further south, check out the protected area at Churn Creek, one of very few places where the original bunch grass that once covered much the Fraser River’s banks can still be found.

Four more circle tours, starting in Victoria or Vancouver, are outlined in the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast’s 2011 guidebook, available at any tourist information centre in B.C. The 2011 Guide to Williams Lake and Area is available at www.getawaybc.com or contact www.hellobc.com for information about accommodations, dining and circle driving tours in the Cariboo and Chilcotin regions. A 2011 Fishing Guide is SL also available. Contact visitors@telus.net for a copy.

30 minutes from the US border and 45 minutes from the Vancouver airport.

19500 Langley Bypass, Surrey BC T:604-530-6545 F: 604-530-9192 TF: 1-866-530-6545 email: info@hamptoninnlangley.com www.hamptoninnlangley.com

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JULY 2011

17

FOREVER

BY WILLIAM THOMAS

What’s Her Name

S

o, I’m on a book tour with Marga- and then set off after her on foot. Two found her.

So, I began calling the city works departret Trudeau, driving in a separate soakers later and with mud on my knees, I ment who pick up dead dogs. On the fourth car heading for Jordan, Ontario finally got a hand on her collar.

Into the front seat she went, almost day, after the coldest night in November, when I spot this dog.

Still feisty and beautiful as well as a dog willingly, this beautiful black, white, and Margaret was found at Fay Farms, maybe lover, Margaret wrote a wonderful memoir orange creature with big brown eyes. She four miles from my house.

I visited her at the dog pound – “roasted titled Changing My Mind. After unknow- stunk to high heaven of barn and farm; her bones for everybody” – and she was ingly spending 50 years of her life quite depressed. suffering from a mental illness, the younger half of our Camelot From there, she was transferred to By my calculations, it only took couple, Maggie and Pierre, uses the Humane Society, where I walked the book to explain her failures and her every couple of days and by this handsome and homeless waif fess up to the scandals of the heady, now, her name was “Berner.” Under37 days to get from the front seat hippy days of the ’70s. staffed and overworked, the Humane Society not only took exceptional With photos that transport you of my car to the foot of their bed care of this dog, they arranged and to a better and simpler time in – and into everyone’s heart. paid for the surgery that removed Canada, Changing My Mind is a two tumours in her mouth. remorseful and brutally honest bipolar romp from sex, drugs and After a short stint with Lynn Whitrock ‘n’ roll to today’s caring grandmoth- ribs showed through a thin, dank coat; she ley, who owns Lynn’s Pet Shop and has Berer who once again gets to say: “I love had been neglected, maybe abandoned nese dogs, “Heather” – by now this dog had and likely abused. you, Pierre.” more names than the Great Imposter – was I introduced Margaret at three Niagara I took her home. And within an hour, sent to the homestead of Nancy Misener and readings and when I used the word “tell-all” by somehow springing the latch of a Kevin Rowlings to recover from her surgery to describe her biography, she scolded me door even I have trouble opening, Mar- and busy schedule.

Barb Gowan of the Bernese Mountain when she got to the stage. garet, the dog not the author, was on Dog Club of Ontario, who fortunately did “It is not a ‘tell-all,’ I kept some personal tour once more. things to myself.”

My buddy John Grant and I drove not rename her, facilitated a lot of this.

It was December 23rd by the time Nancy And I thought, good God woman, you the surroundings of Sunset Bay in a grid have more secrets than what’s in this book? pattern and found neither the dog nor began fostering Margaret Berner Heather in her home, feeding her spoonfuls of soup.

It’s like I’ve been living in an ashram in anyone who’d seen her.

Carnduff, Saskatchewan all my life!

The next day, I called local Humane The dog was thin and woozy with no winter Oh yeah, the dog. She was a bigheaded Societies to see if she’d been picked up, coat, shy and tentative but still with a sweetBurnese Mountain dog on the run along a but nothing. After three days, I was sure ness that was irresistible. She began eating busy two-lane highway near Vineland. I I cost her her life because she’d have regular meals and found a warm spot in the blocked her path to the road with my car, to cross the highway and other danger- kitchen she fancied. That’s where her sleepscared her down a dirt road with my horn, ous thoroughfares to get back to where I ing bag went. She was not house trained but 18

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learned, in short order, about the great fenced-in outdoors.

It was Christmas so – and I hope you’re sitting down for this one – the name “Ivy” seemed appropriate.

As Ivy got healthy and strong and showed more affection, she befriended Nancy’s other two dogs, Django and Jorja. In keeping with my theory, but never actually having heard of it – “A true pet lover is one sick puppy” – Nancy and Kevin are no longer Ivy’s foster parents. Ivy is now officially a key component of what they call their “family pack.” She sleeps on the bedroom floor.

By my calculations, it only took this handsome and homeless waif 37 days to get from the front seat of my car to the foot of their bed – and into everyone’s heart.

Nancy Misener wrote a report for the Humane Society’s newsletter about the trials and tribulations of Ivy, in which I am referred to as “the concerned citizen.” Not something I can put on my resume, but I’ll take it.

I’m thinking of writing Ivy’s memoir for her along the lines of Margaret Trudeau’s Changing My Mind. Title? What else but Changing My Name by Margaret Berner Heather Ivy Misener.

P.S. “The concerned citizen” now has visitation rights – Sundays at Silver Bay – with “what’s her name.”

SL

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JULY 2011

19

Local Travel

Canada’s Tiniest City Tells a Big Story

BY RICK NEAL

I

approach Greenwood on a glorious fall afternoon, near the end of a road trip through British Columbia’s spectacular southern Kootenay region. Mountain goats meander along the highway, and bald eagles float above churning rivers and placid lakes; stunning green forests with splashes of crimson and gold billow in every direction.

As I enter Greenwood, it’s apparent that the Kootenays offer more than astonishing natural attractions. Lovingly restored colonial-style buildings line the streets; I’ve driven into a time tunnel and emerged in Canada’s version of Brigadoon. On the outskirts of town, I pull an abrupt U-turn. If any place warrants an unscheduled stopover, this is it.

Determined to unravel this yarn, I pay a visit to the Greenwood Museum. The museum’s first-rate collection of artifacts, historical photographs, and archives tell the saga of a community that is itself a living museum. The tale begins in the 1890s, when prospectors discovered rich lodes of nearby copper-gold ore.

In 1895, Robert Wood bought the land where I now stand and used his own money to build roads that connected nearby mining camps to the new settlement, which he named Greenwood. Almost overnight, the former wilderness area became the nucleus of one of the world’s largest copper-producing regions.

Greenwood was incorporated as a city in 1897, and within two years, the population rose to 3,000 people. Grainy museum photos convey the swagger of a brash new hub that boasted 20 hotels, abundant bars, a newspaper, and even an opera house.

In 1901, the British Columbia Copper Company built a smelter with a 121-foot (37-metre) brick smokestack to process coppergold ore from their Motherlode Mine. That smokestack is all that remains. A Vancouver Province newspaper article on display from that period describes the smelter as “one of the most complete and modern in the world today,” an assertion confirmed by

20

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an impressive scale model and panoramic photo.

The smelter prospered for a decade, until copper prices plummeted and caused it to operate only sporadically. In 1918, the plant shut down for good. Its lifeblood gone, the once booming city shrank to only 200 inhabitants. Despite the population implosion, Greenwood maintained its city council, and thereby its city status.

Ironically, one of Canadian history’s darkest chapters helped to spearhead Greenwood’s renaissance. When the federal government forcibly relocated 22,000 Japanese-Canadians from the Pacific coast in 1942, Greenwood mayor W.E. McArthur requested that 1,200 of them be interned there to help resuscitate the local economy.

Museum documents and photos detail the injustices inflicted on the internees, many of who were born in Canada. I’m moved by a display that recreates how entire families were made to live in single, cramped, unheated rooms within previously abandoned buildings. They prepared their meals in communal kitchens and used segregated communal baths. In spite of their hardships, the transplanted Japanese-Canadians seldom complained.

Locals were initially resentful of the internees, but the hardworking new residents were instrumental in saving Greenwood from the ghost town status that befell most other mining settlements in the area. Gradually, the long-time inhabitants came to accept their new neighbours. When the war ended in 1945, many city councils supported the deportation of Japanese-Canadians, but Greenwood’s council drafted a letter to the federal government asking that the Japanese be allowed to remain. That letter is prominently on display in the museum today. According to a volunteer, about half of the internees did stay on. Many still reside in the area today, as do their descendants.

In 1997, Greenwood residents were unexpectedly reminded

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Local Travel there are 31 heritage buildings within strolling distance.

Just down the road on Copper Street is the landmark Hotel Block. Decorative cornices and a striking blue and purple paint job make this the most ornate of Greenwood’s colonial structures. Three different Windsor Hotels have occupied this site; the first two burned down before 1899.

The current building was renamed the Greenwood Inn Hotel. The upper floors served as Ethan Hawke’s apartment in Snow Falling on Cedars. Since the Motherlode mine is gone, I console myself with a tasty Motherlode burger in the hotel’s atmospheric pub, which my server informs me is one of the oldest in British Columbia.

The beige-coloured Pacific Hotel, located next door, is more subdued than its majestic neighbour. It’s hard to believe that this modest, three-story structure once housed over 200 Japanese-Canadian internees. This served as the Harbor

»

Photos: Rick Neal

of the Japanese incarceration when Universal Studios chose the city as a film location for the movie Snow Falling on Cedars, starring Ethan Hawke. The plot centres on the Japanese internment in the United States, so Greenwood was transformed into a fictional fishing village in Washington’s San Juan Islands.

The production company hired locals to give Greenwood’s heritage buildings a much-needed facelift. Many of the local Japanese-Canadians, some who were actually interned during the war, appear as extras in the film. Photographs of locally filmed scenes in the museum convey the excitement generated by the Hollywood production, but I can’t help but wonder about emotions that must have re-surfaced.

It’s now late afternoon, and I decide to leave the museum and check out some of those intriguing historical buildings that caused me to alter my travel plans.

I don’t have to walk far. According to a guidebook I picked up in the museum,

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JULY 2011

21

Local Travel Hotel in the movie. Today, it houses the upscale-looking Pacific Grill restaurant.

The Victorian Guess Block dates back to 1899. Originally an assay office, this was the Greenwood Grocery for over 30 years.

This distinguished, brick red building has since undergone extensive renovations and is now home to Copper Eagle Cappuccino & Bakery, which is buzzing with locals today. It can be seen in the film as the Island Café. The aroma of coffee and freshly baked pastries entices me inside.

Just down the road, the Gulley Block & McArthur Centre, built in 1902, has a diverse history. It started out as a dry goods shop, a furniture store, and a mortician’s office. The elegant brick building then stood empty for years until it was used to house Japanese-Canadians during the internment. After the war, the Gulley Block was renamed after long-time mayor W.E. McArthur. Today, it contains the Greenwood Community Association, the public library, the local branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, and the Kettle River Arts Club. If that’s not enough, it also served as the Amity Harbor Library in Snow Falling on Cedars.

One block over from Copper Street, I come upon Greenwood City Hall. For 50 years this graceful, wood-frame edifice was home to the Gold Commissioner’s Office, the chief constable, and the mining recorder. The top floor was the Supreme Court for the county of Yale. The courtroom’s seven-metre ceilings are constructed from lustrous red cedar. In 1953, the City of Greenwood purchased the building for use as the city hall. Once com-

mon throughout British Columbia’s interior, this is unfortunately one of the few surviving large frame courthouses. According to a museum volunteer, this building was the clincher in Universal Studios decision to use Greenwood as a filming location.

By now, it’s nearly dark. Laid bare by the last rays of the afternoon sun, this peaceful city and its surrounding greengold forest now resemble an impressionist painting. Many more intriguing colonial buildings beg for scrutiny but they will have to wait until my next visit. In a few hours, I’ve acquired a deep respect for Greenwood. Over the course of its history, Canada’s smallest city has assumed many guises: booming mining centre, near ghost town, internment centre, SL Hollywood set and through it all, a survivor.

IF YOU GO Greenwood is located on Highway 3 in the Kootenay boundary region of southern B.C., approximately halfway between Osoyoos and Trail. It’s about a six-hour drive from Vancouver.

There are three reasonably priced motels within the Greenwood city limits. The dazzling old architecture of Greenwood is a must, but the stunning natural beauty of the surrounding Monashee Mountain range offers a wide range of activities to entertain the most jaded outdoor enthusiast.

For camping and RVing options, and things to do and see, visit www.greenwoodcity.com

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Goldie

WE HELP SENIORS Giving you confidence and peace of mind

BY GOLDIE CARLOW, M.ED

Dear Goldie: I have many friends, some I communicate with often, others once or twice a year. Sometimes I feel very guilty about the latter but life gets so busy with my big family that I just can’t find the time. –L.C. Dear L.C.: I don’t understand why you are feeling guilty. It sounds like you are doing a great job of keeping in contact.

My first suggestion is to not expect such perfection. You are human, like the rest of us, and life is a busy process. You don’t comment on how you are communicating. You may be using the telephone, computer and mail. Where the latter is concerned, colourful postcards can be amusing and can save time.

The issue here is keeping in contact. Any method will preserve the friendships – a very important part in everyone’s life.

Dear Goldie: How old is “too old” to attend school? I’ve been considering going back although I am 60 years old. I have a BA, which I have never really used. I am married and retired with a family but would like to go back and take foreign languages. My wife and I plan to travel extensively in the future. –M.W. Dear M.W.: My opinion about education and age is that you are never too old to learn. So much depends on the individual’s determination.

Sixty is not considered old these days. Many seniors return to acquire knowledge for new lifestyles and travel. As long as mental and physical health permits, age should not be a deterrent.

SL Enjoy school and your travels!

WE CAN HELP YOU Prepare an overall move plan Organize, sort, downsize Pack, unpack, settle you in Ship items to family members Oversee and coordinate move day Get your home ready for resale and much more...

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(604) 202 9234 Visit our sites at: www.lighthouseservices.ca www.helpseniors.ca

email: info@lighthouseservices.ca

Goldie Carlow is a retired registered nurse, clinical counsellor and senior peer counselling trainer. Send letters to Senior Living, Box 153, 1581-H Hillside Ave., Victoria, BC V8T 2C1.

Senior Peer Counselling Centres (Lower Mainland) New Westminster 604-519-1064 North Vancouver 604-987-8138 Burnaby 604-291-2258 Richmond 604-279-7034 Vancouver West End 604-669-7339 Coquitlam – Tri-Cities 604-945-4480 Vancouver Westside 604-736-3588

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JULY 2011

25

Local Travel

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

BY DEE WALMSLEY

26

SENIOR LIVING

Athabasca Falls

Photos: Dee Walmsley

I

t’s June, the bees are buzzing, flowers are blooming and we’re making good time as we speed along the empty road free for now from the usual glut of campers. Entering the Fraser Valley, we view Vancouver’s leftover pollution, which hangs in the air like a glaucous curtain. Construction is everywhere and houses instead of fields now line the freeway.

We’re soon climbing the hills of the Coquihalla Highway peering over the tops of coastal cedars on one side of the van and sheared rock on the other. As we near the Interior, once vibrant pine trees stand beetle infected red and dying; nature’s enemies come in small packages. Passing through Barrier, we’re met with fire-blackened poles that were once a living forest. The town was razed in one of B.C.’s worst fires but the residents with true pioneering spirit stayed on and have since rebuilt.

We reach Valemount; surrounded by mountains this valley village offers numerous adventures to tourists and residents. The area is home to lakes, provincial parks, marshes, waterfalls, and river rafting et al – surely a camper/hikers paradise. Nearby is the second oldest park in B.C., Mount Robson Provincial Park (created in 1913). Unfortunately, the mountain was dressed in clouds as we rolled by. Luckily, we easily find a motel and unpack the van. The cavity sits empty minus one suitcase, mine, which remained at home on the bedroom floor, and so I am left with nothing. A quick visit to a “one stop fits all” shop, I have the essentials and we are off to Jasper, Alberta.

It’s time for lunch and a quick trip to the hospital to renew the prescriptions I left behind. We browse through the gift shops and museums marvelling at the art in local galleries.

Jasper accommodations are pricey so we decide to head for Hinton and take a short scenic drive to Maligne Lake, the largest natural lake in the Canadian Rockies – white sands, wildlife and tranquility all in one. Wild strawberries dot the grassy area that leads to the lake while elk and sheep graze nearby undisturbed by our presence. Highway 16, better known as the Yellowhead, takes us the 80km to Hinton.

Intrigued by the name Yellowhead, I looked it up on the Net: Initially it was the secret trail to the fur cache of its namesake, the golden-locked Iroquois Metis guide known as “Tete Jaune” (literally translated as “yellow head”) who guided for Canada’s biggest rival companies, the Hudson’s Bay Company and the North West Company.

Along the way, we spot a black bear and goats licking the salt from the asphalt shoulder; wildlife enthusiasts’ cameras

posed, slow down for safety and souvenir photos.

We locate a Super 8 motel overlooking Hinton and bed down for the night. Much to our dismay, motel prices have risen to over $100 but now include a full breakfast.

The morning sun beats through the breakfast area and mixes with the air-conditioning as it warms the room. It’s time to get back on the road again. First stop: the Jasper Tramway; the town site of Jasper is built in the shape of a “J,” which is clearly visible from the 2,265m platform at the top of Canada’s highest and longest aerial tramway. A cold wind whistles us around the wooden walkway as we inhale the mountain air and view the surrounding vista. We are captured in the walls of six mountain ranges, which feed the lakes and rivers below. This is truly a photographer’s dream as seen by digital images of smiling faces amidst the mountain vista.

Next stop: Athabasca Falls. The sounds and sight of racing water adds a slight chill to the hot air. I stand in awe of the water’s power, swirling, spraying its way towards the cascading falls. Shelves of grey rock lie before me, water tumbling towards the drop-off, and an apron of evergreens surround the scene guarded by a background of snow-patched mountains.

Guardrails and stone steps lead us along the many paths of this world-class attraction. There is so much to see and do outside of Jasper Township; next time we’ll map our trip.

It’s mid-afternoon when we leave the falls and make our way to the shrinking Columbia Icefields. We manage to catch the last trip up to the Athabasca Glacier. Our driver says each of the tires on the specialty built “ice explorers” cost $9,000 and they’re kept clean by running through a body of water prior to ascending the mountain of ice. The actual icefields cover an area of 325km and are estimated to be 365m deep:

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enough ice to last over the next 300 years. This icefield drains into the Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. The Athabasca Glacier, where we stand, is about 6km in length and 300m deep. Fissures of fast flowing water allow us to taste the fresh, icy cold water. I can’t help wondering how old my mouthful is and what the world was like back then.

We decide to look around Banff, spend the night in Calgary then continue on to Drumheller to visit dinosaurs at the world famous Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology. This Hoodoos museum is by far one of the best I have visited and it encompasses all ages. It feels as though one is walking amongst IF YOU GO: giants in another world. I was amazed to watch the scientists • The best way to appreciate the breathtaking sceneryis to at work brushing away eons of debris from artifacts some 65 be amongst the mountains. The top of the Lake Louise Sightmillion years old. In the 1880s, while searching for coal, J.B. seeing Gondola offers the most spectacular view of Lake Tyrrell discovered a dinosaur’s skull and the rest is history. Louise, Victoria Glacier, and the mountain peaks of the ConJust down the road on Hwy 10 are the Hoodoos. They look tinental Divide. The Sightseeing Gondola climbs to an elevalike sandstone mushrooms carved by wind and water erosion tion of 6,750 ft (2,057 m), the perfect place to experience the over thousands of years. They are very fragile; if the cap is panoramic splendour of the Rockies and the Bow Valley. destroyed, the remainder of the sculpture will crumble.

• Take time for a tour onto the icy slopes of the Athabasca Calgary hotels are expensive, so we take a side trip to Glacier, located at the Columbia Icefields. You will travel in Cochrane, where we spend the night. The next morning we a specially designed coach to the middle of the glacier. Your head back to Banff but are only allowed a pit stop as our park driver will point out interesting geological features as you fees have expired. Our next destination is Golden in the Kick- travel in safety and comfort. At the icefall below the glacier ing Horse Mountains, where we have lunch and strike out headwall, you will have the option of stepping out onto ice for Revelstoke. Our first stop is the hydroelectric dam, the formed from snow falling as long as 400 years ago. second largest facility in B.C. with enough energy to power 747,600 homes a year. This massive concrete structure is eas��� ily viewed from the highway. � ���� �������� I think Revelstoke is one of B.C.’s best-kept secrets. This ���� � heritage town with its 60 historic buildings, of which some are still lived in, is well preserved. Situated on the Columbia Time to warm River, guarded by the Monashee and Selkirk Mountains and High lights in up as we hea ���������������������������������� clude a d south part of the world’s only interior rainforest, its history dates Dese .T st a rt back to the building of the railway; maintained for future Join Park, Joshua y in Old San his tour is a f a us and explore Tree National Diego, San D vorite as we e generations through its informative museums. Many world Day 1 ie xpe P ! go a rk, the Ma records have been made at the community ski jump. Alpine  Home rch 30: Surrey Follies Zoo, Sea Wo rie to Sale pick up Show, L rld m, Ore and Du  I-5 so sports and snowy vistas greet the winter visitors while hikgon as Veg , fo ty free uth to th stop e state a s , Re capital, ay 2 - M �������������������� ing and camping welcome summer enthusiasts. The locals Dare Salem, a Oregon  Cross rch 31: Salem to S ������������������������ friendly and prices are reasonable.  Admir isku Mountains Redding, Cali fornia��� ����������� ����������� ���� ������� e the ����� ����� ��� ����� ������� (B) After spending a night in Revelstoke, we begin the last aleg nd cook majestic Mt. ies�����������S�������� hasta a ���� �������� ������ ��� ������������ ��� �������� ���� s you e of our journey on Highway 1 through Kamloops and theDaFray 3 - Ap njoy Te ��� ��� ����� ������ �� ���� ������ ����� ��� ���� ������� �������� ����������� resa’s t: Redd  Lunc ril 1s������� ice������� ����� �������� ser Canyon, always a favourite, back to the Lower Mainland. ing������ �������� �������� �� ju ��� h on yo to Fresno ur own landma , Ca���� a n d li ���� ������ ������� ���� �� ����������� �������� rk fo ti s me to e rnia (B The water runs high in the mighty Fraser as by now Hmost in Old S ) xplore th  ac����� ead sou ramen��� ����� �� ����� ��� ����� ����� ��� ������� ��� ������ e ��� th m to a o n n y histori old Hw of the mountains are drained of snow. I watch a freight Day train cal Day 8 - A y 99 into ������������������������������������������� 4 - Apri p Fresno l2  Disco ril 6th: Palm S for the Da  Tmany wind its way along tracks laid by Chinese labour so ravel so nd: Fresno to night ver the p u S th a Living D rings (B,L) n th a D E ro  Toulong nd bota iego, C ug��������������������������� h Bake e years ago and as my eyes climb the rock cliffs blasted s r the je e aliforn rsfield species nical oasis. Th rt Park - 1200 ia (B) R pistrano wel of th�������������������������� e Califo is a fr before modern technology’s safety standards, I think rnia mis with tak om the world park feature cre wildlife  Relaxonce an s 152 a ’s dese e you a sions in ������������������������������������������������������������������������ in your n rts. A g round w and pla San Ju accomm tow uided tr imal n a it again of Revelstoke, the last spike and the men that to t h n e s C x to h a ����������������������������������������������������������������������� Day died odation ibits; a p a 5 - Ap lunch tr s at various a m tour s in Old Day 9 eat tod nimal San Die  Explo ril 3rd: San D����������������������������������������������������������������������� make this province accessible.

Day 14 April 7 ay go iego, C re Sea th :  Explo Palm S aliforn  re p ke in thjustWorld and���������������������������������������������������������������������� ri ia Head J n o (B g All in all, we’ve covered 3,500km in five daysetawith s s hua T see the ) e (B,L ing view famous ry show splashy high������������������������������������������������������������������� Upper s of roc ree National P ) S e c a n h s e a b k in a rg m lo fo rk ys uO enough visiting in each of our destinations to quench  Spenour cu-g bottlen omin rmation w  Admir d the w o������������������� s and th ith breath tak se dolp how, the Dolp rca, or  Scrum g cacti e hole da e multit pool. R ptious b y or retu hins and pilot hin DiscovDeschu riosity about returning. u d eturn SL e oxed loc wh rn sh  Take so

ales. to uttle tim es to be your hotel to me time relax by arrange to disco the d an Dieg ver the WWW.SENIORLIVINGMAG.COM o historic Day 6-A building pril 4th s o f Old : San D  Disco iego to ver Palm S Giant P the world’s la prin Town S

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Travel & Adventure

DREAM BIG

BY CAROL ANN QUIBELL

T

ravelling across Canada with a near-empty bank account, an old motorhome loaded down with driftwood and blackberry sauce, Barb and Dave Reese’s destination was the Atlantic Ocean. The result was RV Canada on a Dime and Dream, written by Barb describing the daily challenges they faced trying to sustain themselves selling driftwood and blackberry jam at flea markets or farmers markets to pay for their travel expenses. Some nights, they didn’t know how they would get the money needed to put gas in the tank to carry on the next leg of their journey, but somehow it worked out, despite ups and downs along the way.

With a dream to travel throughout Canada, Dave and Barb started out on that first trip with only $300 in their pocket.

Not only have they had some remarkable experiences, it has led Barb into new directions as a writer and as a successful speaker at several RV Shows. She was a presenter at the 2010 RV Lifestyle Seminars in Kelowna, which is a major event for people wanting to learn about RVing. She considers herself self-educated and has graduated from the school of life. She calls the many challenges she faced the “potholes of life.”

“We got through our first trip on a wing and a prayer,” says Barb, who adds, “we had no clue, but our second trip was much easier because we knew what to expect.” That first book and their experiences along the way have influenced many people to turn their dreams into reality regardless of finances or age. It takes a desire to succeed and a willingness to overcome the challenges they will face each day but dreams can come true.

Four years after their maiden trek, the Reeses stocked up on more driftwood, 195 jars of blackberry jam and copies of Barb’s book, and pointed themselves towards Newfoundland and Labrador, over 7,000 kilometres from their Sunshine Coast home. This time, their mode of travel was Boo the Menopausal Van, who hated to climb hills and the heat but this experience gave Barb more material for her next book – RV Canada with Boo the Menopausal Van and even more memories to share with her followers.

Having crossed Canada twice, the Reeses planned their next adventure that led them in a completely new direction.

“A big dream of ours was to get to Canada’s most northern mainland community, Tuktoyaktuk,” says Barb, which motivated their 2009 trip to the Far North. “We travelled through the mountains and glaciers, which are absolutely spectacular and the people we met were amazing.” Of course, this led to her next book, RV Canada’s North on a 28

SENIOR LIVING

Above, Barb and Dave Reese take a rest at the Inuvik Visitors Centre.

Opposite page, Dave scans the beach looking for driftwood.

Dream, which came out in the spring of 2011 and will be sold on their 2011 summer tour.

“We were honoured to stay with the Tlingit First Nations People during six days of celebration and totally immersing ourselves in their culture, which was an amazing experience,” recalls Barb, who said that is what her travels are all about. “You can make a decision to travel as a tourist or travelling with the goal of meeting fellow Canadians and making new friends.”

Performing a water pouring ceremony while standing in the Arctic Ocean, they emptied a small jar of water from the Pacific Ocean and gathered water to take home with them.

This tradition started on their first trip when they took water from the Pacific to the Atlantic and put their feet in each at the beginning and end of their trip.

When Barb and Dave are home in Powell River, it isn’t just time to relax. Both are very involved in their community and have organized the annual MS Carnation Carnival for the past 10 years. Barb was instrumental in starting the Valley Women’s Network, the Red Hatters in Powell River and the yearly Powell River Writers Conference.

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Travel & Adventure “If you can dream it, you can do it, so get out of your own way and make your dreams come true!” –Barb Reese Not even a fire stops these two from following through with their dreams. Preparing for their 2011 adventure, they loaded up the van and trailer with their supplies, belongings and new kayaks only to have the van burn itself up a week before departure, creating a change of plans but not a trip cancellation.

Barb and Dave are now travelling in a motorhome, initially heading to Prince George and then west to Kitwanga Junction, which will lead them up the Stewart Cassiar Highway and the Yukon Border, Whitehorse and Dawson City. Watch for them along the Liard, in the North West Territories and Yellowknife. Northern Alberta and Saskatchewan roads will lead them towards Manitoba and Ontario before heading home at the end of August.

When asked whether they will be

paying their travel expenses the same way as the very first trip, Barb replied, “All of our trips are like that.

We sell at farmers markets, festivals, and other events.” They don’t have the income to afford to stay on the road that long and therefore rough it a lot and sell along the way.

“We are living proof that you don’t have to have a lot of money to travel and at our ages we have to make use of every single day we have.” Barb further adds, “We were told, ‘you don’t have a money problem. You have an idea problem.’”

That mantra got them all across Canada in 2003, 2007 and up north in 2009 and it will again on their 2011 journey. By using their imagination and creativity, the couple earns enough money to make their trips successful. “You have a choice – you can either sit at home or you can get out there and make it happen,” says

the intrepid go-getter, “dream big.”

Barb loves a challenge and with Dave at her side, she has succeeded in making many of their dreams come true. They have proven that people don’t need to be rich to travel; it just takes big dreams, a lot of faith and a little luck thrown in to make it happen.

SL

My goal is to help you reach yours.

I’ll work one-on-one with you to develop a comprehensive investment strategy – one that’s right for you and your family’s unique needs and goals.

And, I’ll maintain ongoing contact to ensure it remains flexible enough to move with you through each stage of your life. You can be confident I share your goal of enhancing your financial success over the long term.

Call me, Peter Tsiandoulas, Branch Manager, Investment Advisor, at 604-654-5414.

PRIVATE INVESTMENT ADVICE

520 17th Street, Ste 200, West Vancouver, BC

tdwaterhouse.ca

TD Waterhouse Private Investment Advice is a division of TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. (Member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund), a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank. TD Waterhouse is a trade-mark of The Toronto-Dominion Bank, used under license. M01932 (0110) WWW.SENIORLIVINGMAG.COM

JULY 2011

29

Have Fork, Will Travel

BY SALLY JENNINGS

Ice Cream Cones

Iced puddings were popular also in the 1800s, but containers were rarely mentioned in cookbooks.

In the streets, Italian immigrants in London may have sold ice cream in cones, but there is no evidence of this practice.

Biscuit cup companies became popular at the turn of the 20th century. Antonio Valvona registered the first patent in 1902 in Manchester, England for an “Apparatus for Baking Biscuit Cups for Ice Cream.”

The ice-cream cone was introduced by accident at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. The International Association of Ice Cream Manufacturers (IAICM) credits Ernest Hamwi with the invention. Pastry-maker Hamwi sold “zalabia,” a traditional Levantine flat waffle-like pastry sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar. His stall happened to be next to an icecream stand run by 16-year-old Arnold Fornachou.

Fornachou ran out of ice-cream dishes midway through 30

SENIOR LIVING

the fair so Hamwi twisted his zalabias into cones and scooped Fornachou’s ice cream into them to serve to the public. They became an instant success. J.P. Heckle approached Hamwi after the fair to buy his waffle machine and ask him to partner in the first ice-cream cone company, the Cornucopia Waffle Company. In 1910, Hamwi opened his own company, the Missouri Cone Company. The first U.S. patent was issued in 1924 for a “machine for forming thin, freshly baked wafers while still hot into cone-shaped containers.”

MINT AND CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 3 large egg yolks 11/4 cups light cream 11/4 cups heavy cream 6 tablespoons crème de menthe 4 squares of dark chocolate, chopped In a heavy saucepan, dissolve sugar in 1/2 cup of water.

Bring to the boil and boil until 215 F (102 C).

Beat the yolks in a bowl. Slowly pour in the syrup, beating until the mixture becomes thick and light.

In another bowl, whip the creams together until soft peaks form. Fold the cream into the yolks with the crème de menthe and chocolate. Pour the mixture into a container, cover and freeze until firm. Before serving, transfer ice cream to the SL fridge for 30 minutes.

Correction: In June’s issue, the recipe for Lemon Curd (Lemon Cheese) stated that one should use 2 oz butter or 1/4 lb. That should have read 1/8 lb of butter. We apologize for any inconvenience this error may have caused.

Sally Jennings is a writer, editor, tour guide. She has lived and dined on five continents, with no regrets. pto_edit@yahoo.ca

WWW.SENIORLIVINGMAG.COM

Photo: Caroline Mufford

I

t’s hard to imagine a world without takeaway containers, Popsicle sticks or ice-cream cones because we eat on the run. In fact, the development of ice-cream cones took centuries. Iced cream puddings became popular in the late 1700s and wafers of fine flaky biscuit were eaten with or after the pudding as a digestive aid at the end of the meal.

Although wafer cornucopias were used to decorate iced pudding dishes, the pudding was not inserted in them.

Iced puddings were popular also in the 1800s, but containers were rarely mentioned in cookbooks. Mrs. A.B. Marshall’s Cookery Book, 1888, had a recipe for almond-encrusted cornets filled with cream or “water-ice or set custard of fruits, and served for a dinner, luncheon, or summer dish.”

Chef Ranhofer’s book, The Epicurean: A Complete Treatise of Analytical and Practical Studies on the Culinary Art, 1894, had a recipe for “Rolled-Waffle Cornets” and recommended putting flavoured whipped cream in the cornets.

BBB Better Better Better Better

S

Business Business Business Business

Bureau Bureau Bureau Bureau

SCAM ALERT

Safe Travel Tips

ummer is in full swing and many people are planning their seasonal vacations, whether it’s a short weekend getaway or a weeklong trip to an exotic locale.

But before you book your trip, it’s important to be aware of your rights and responsibilities as a travel consumer. We hope your holiday is everything you want it to be. Here are a few steps to ensure you have a smooth journey: Start with trust. Book your travel through a licensed B.C. travel agent, and make sure you check them out at mbc.bbb.org first. When you book with a licensed B.C. travel agent and do not receive your contracted travel services, you may be eligible for compensation from the B.C. Travel Assurance Fund.

Read all the fine print. A deal may look great but there may be restrictions on when you can travel, what services are covered in your “all inclusive,” or what charges are included on the advertised airline price.

Know your cancellation rights and refund policy. Sometimes the unexpected happens and you may decide to cancel your trip. Know the terms and conditions for what refund you might be entitled to if you voluntarily cancel your trip.

Check your insurance. It’s always a good idea to check into travel insurance, whether it’s to cover medical emergencies, trip cancellation, or stolen valuables. But before buying any insurance, check your existing policies, like your home insurance and employment benefits – you may already be covered.

Be credit card smart. Many credit card companies monitor their clients’ transactions looking for irregular purchases, and may suspend their accounts to protect them. Let your credit card provider know when and where you’ll be travelling to avoid any inconvenient situations.

Protect your identity. If you’re travelling outside of the country, keep your passport, any other identification and valuables locked away in your hotel’s safety deposit box.

Even if you’re vacationing close to home, it’s a good idea to keep important personal identification locked away, rather than carrying them around.

Don’t be surprised when it comes to auto rental charges. Read the fine print of your car rental agreement carefully. Make sure you understand the additional fees: insurance (you may already be covered via your personal auto

BY LYNDA PASACRETA

insurance, credit card coverage and home or life insurance policies), damages (closely inspect the automobile for any damage before leaving the lot), and fuel (it is more cost effective if you refill the car with gas yourself immediately before returning it).

Confirm your booking. If you make reservations online, whether for airline tickets, hotel rooms or car rentals, make sure your booking is complete by contacting the hotel SL or airline directly.

For more advice on safe travel, smart shopping and protecting yourself from scams and frauds visit mbc.bbb.org Lynda Pasacreta is President of the Better Business Bureau of Mainland B.C. www.mbc.bbb.org To contact Lynda Pasacreta, e-mail president@mbc.bbb.org

Eat Together

What to have for dinner today? Pistachio-crusted Pacific salmon with herbed rice. Maybe vegetarian lasagna and Caesar salad.

Then seasonal fresh fruit for dessert – or orange crème brûlée.

So much choice. Through our exclusive TasteBuds™ program, our residents choose from a variety of wholesome, homemade meals that are served in the comfort of our dining room – and in the company of friends. What’s on your menu today?

Dine at The Summerhill. Phone for your personal tour.

604.980.6525

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135 West 15th Street (off Lonsdale) North Vancouver | 604.980.6525 www.the summerhill.ca Part of Pacific Arbour Retirement Communities

Where good things come together.

JULY 2011

31

THE OVER THE HILL GANG

I

Photo: Krystle Wiseman

Reflections THEN & NOW

BY GIPP FORSTER

like gangs. I’ve always liked gangs. I joined my first protest and we will arise to protect our dignity. We will bare when I was 10, my second when I was 16 and I’ve been our teeth, (or gums, depending) and make our stand!

That’s what I think the “Over the Hill Gang” was doing. in God’s gang for over 40 years now. Some time ago, in the newspaper, I discovered another! They call themselves Making a stand! I sure would like to join their gang, but I the “Over the Hill Gang.” There was a big picture of them in don’t own a bicycle. Every time I get on one, both tires go the second section peddling down the Galloping Goose trail. flat. They sure don’t make bikes like they used to. I have a Seniors all! They had on neat crash helmets and each wore a scooter, but motorized scooters aren’t allowed on the Gallopdifferent colour jacket. The ladies were sporting spandex! ing Goose trail either! That doesn’t stop my imagination. I They were coming right at me as I stared into their grin- can see it now, scooting along in the centre of the pack, crash ning faces. There were five of them and only one of me. helmet slightly askew to give me that rakish look, my red They didn’t scare me. We are from the same fraternity. Be- satin jacket (or is it rayon?) with the yellow lightning bolts hind those smiles was a message, and not one to be taken glimmering in the sun. I wouldn’t go for the spandex though.

I once tried on a spandex lightly, either. I read it loud and suit. My wife commented that clear. They were saying, “Better I looked like an over-inflated not mess with us. Be smart and inner tube on the verge of exstay out of our way! We’re the I once tried on a spandex suit.

Galloping Goosers and we have ploding. I had it on for a full wheels! Stand in our way and four minutes when she went to My wife commented that I we’ll stomp you into mush.” get the mop and the pail. I was looked like an over-inflated inner surprised I could hold my breath Well, that might not have been that long. exactly what their smiles were tube on the verge of exploding. saying, but I felt they were saying Some don’t think those over 65 would have the audacity to we needed to rally to the cause.

We seniors, I mean. Those guys form a gang. But those people are wrong! The Over the Hill and gals looked tough. You could see it in their eyes as their bifocals glistened in the sun. You Gang proves that. The paper said there are 14 of them. The knew it by the grins and the way they clutched the handlebars oldest is 91! If he isn’t the leader, he should be. I mean, after of their bicycles. You could feel it in the spandex they wore. all, he’s gone the furthest distance. I bet since that article and Only the very young and the uneducated would have the cour- photo were printed, the Over the Hill Gang’s numbers have age to challenge them (well, maybe the police, but they carry increased. Many seniors out there would jump at the chance guns!). These Trojans of the open road, these pilgrims of time of being a Galloping Gooser! and circumstance, were making it known to one and all, they But, when the rubber hits the road (or the trail), I guess I wanted the ban lifted on the no motorized bicycles allowed on just don’t qualify. Much the pity! I don’t really like to ride the Galloping Goose trail! bicycles, but I’d really like to be part of a gang. A reckless Their argument made sense. When you’re too tired to pedal kind of gang that says, “Don’t underestimate us! We won’t anymore, and perhaps want to take a power nap, you can still be shuffled aside and we won’t be pushed around unless, keep rolling along. They reminded me once more that we se- of course, we are in a wheelchair. Down with tyranny and niors are not to be trifled with. We are not only tenacious, but up with motorized bicycles (and scooters)!” Those are my audacious too when not taken seriously. We are not beyond kind of people!

SL 32

SENIOR LIVING

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To Move or Not to Move?

BC EDITION

A Helpful Guide For Seniors Considering Their Residential Options

Published by Senior Living January 2009

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If you are a senior who has been wondering lately whether you should consider moving - either because you find the maintenance of your current home more difficult due to diminishing ability or energy, or you simply want a lifestyle that allows you more freedom and less responsibility - then this is the book that can help you ask the right questions and find the solution that is right for you.

• What residential options are available?

• Define your current situation - What residential option is right for you?

• How to research and assess Independent and Assisted Living residences.

• What do Independent, Assisted Living and Complex Care facilities have to offer?

• How much does it cost to live in an Assisted Living residence? What subsidies are available?

• Thinking of moving in with family members? Questions to consider before making your decision.

• Are there any other residential options besides Independent, Assisted Living and Complex Care facilities?

• If you choose to stay in your own home, what are your options and what should you plan for?

• Who can help you decide what you can or cannot afford?

• Funding sources available to seniors - tax deductions, housing subsidies, home care subsidies, equipment loan programs, renovation grants, etc.

• Selling your home - how to find the right realtor or relocation services to assist your move.

• Downsizing - Where do you start? How do you proceed?

• Adapting your home to meet your mobility needs - tips and suggestions • Hiring home care services; do it yourself or hire an agency?

• Legal matters - how to make sure you receive the care you desire should you not be able to communicate due to some incapacitating condition • AND MUCH MORE

Advice from professionals who are experts in the area of assisting seniors with their relocation questions and concerns. A handy reference guide for seniors and their families wrestling with the issues around whether relocation is the best option. This 128-page book provides helpful, easy to read information and suggestions to help seniors and their families understand the decisions they need to make.

ORDER FORM - “To Move” Name______________________________ City______________

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Mail to: Senior Living 153, 1581-H Hillside Ave., Victoria BC V8T 2C1

(Please allow 2 weeks for delivery)

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