Senior Living Magazine Vancouver Edition March 2011 by INSPIRED 55+ Lifestyle Magazine

MARCH 2011

Vancouver’s 50+ Active Lifestyle Magazine

Emerging Entrepreneurs Turning Passion into Proﬁt Unlocking Creativity To the End of Highway 101

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Are you a Care Giver or expect to be one?

You are not alone! Embrace the Journey - A Care Giver’s Story

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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. - Publisher Barbara Risto, Senior Living magazine

To order, please send cheque for $20.12 ($14.95 plus $3.95 S&H & taxes) payable to Senior Living. Please include your clearly written shipping address, phone number, and name of book you are ordering. MAIL TO: Senior Living 153, 1581-H Hillside Ave., Victoria BC V8T 2C1

Allow two weeks for shipping.

�� Senior Living Housing Directory is a valuable online resource for seniors and family members looking for alternative housing to match their desired lifestyle, or medical/mobility needs. 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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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

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MARCH 2011

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Publisher’s Senior Living magazine began seven years ago in a marketplace that had relatively no understanding about seniors. We began developing a publication that celebrated the lives of seniors and, at the same time, gave businesses a marketing vehicle to reach the senior consumer. We have spent a lot of time getting to know seniors – their challenges, achievements, interests and buying practices. And we have spent a lot of time educating businesses about this growing demographic, encouraging them to build components into their marketing campaigns that target this consumer group. Senior Living and other senior-focused businesses have known for quite some time that the Baby Boomer generation is poised to become a consumer group to be reckoned with as its members pass into their senior years. On January 1, 2011, the first Baby Boomers turned 65. As little as this event was noted by the media or in the business community, it was, nevertheless, a date that heralds significant change in the years ahead. Just as they’ve revolutionized each era they’ve lived through, Boomers will now bring their own brand of change to the world around them as they hit age 65 and beyond. Many predict that “retirement” may become almost obsolete among Boomers. In this issue, you will meet seniors who are “re-engaging” instead of “retiring” by launching new business ventures. Statistics verify that the number of business starts by seniors is rapidly growing. Without doubt, we are seeing unprecedented changes. Be prepared to see more – this new generation of seniors is just getting started! 2

SENIOR LIVING

FEATURES

COLUMNS 4 The Family Caregiver

5 10 Ways to Unlock Creativity

by Barbara Small

When creativity hits a wall, try these steps to get you back on track for making magic.

16 Forever Young by William Thomas

6 Changing Gears

One-time educator Barry Adams has jumped into the risky business of stock market speculating.

25 Ask Goldie

by Goldie Carlow

30 Have Fork, Will Travel

8 Taking the Plunge

by Sally Jennings

Meet locals who have traded a job for businesses they can feel passionate about.

31 BBB Scam Alert

12 Zentrepreneur

by Lynda Pasacreta

Despite life’s obstacles, Allan Holender found his way back to where he ﬁrst discovered his calling.

14 Isn’t it About Time?

Author M.J. Milne shares her path to spiritual enlightenment and self-discovery with readers.

32 Reﬂections: Then & Now by Gipp Forster

Cover Photo: Entrepreneur Barry Adams enjoys the Florida sun while on holiday. Lacing up, Barry prepares for a run after checking the markets. Photo: James Ellsworth

18 Reinvigorating Retirement

Volunteering in retirement keeps this dedicated group of seniors physically active, socially engaged and involved in community.

22 To the End of Highway 101

The Sunshine Coast offers a perfect four-day road trip.

26 Ski Spring Break for Boomers Keeping the passion for powder alive by hitting B.C.’s slopes.

Senior Living (Vancouver & Lower Mainland) is published by Stratis Publishing. Publisher Barbara Risto Editor Bobbie Jo Reid editor@seniorlivingmag.com Copy Editor Allyson Mantle Advertising Manager Barry Risto 250-479-4705 Toll-free 1-877-479-4705 sales@seniorlivingmag.com Ad Sales Staff Mitch Desrochers 604-910-8100 Ann Lester 250-390-1805 Mathieu Powell 250-589-7801 Barry Risto 250-479-4705 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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Contact sales@seniorlivingmag.com or call 1.877.479.4705, ext 101 www.seniorlivingmag.com/advertising

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MARCH 2011

THE FAMILY CAREGIVER

Balancing Family Caregiving and Work

pproximately 70 per cent of the one million family caregivers in B.C. are balancing the demands of caregiving and working full or parttime. This can result in caregivers quitting their jobs, retiring early, cutting back on hours, turning down promotions and losing pension contributions. Employers experience higher absenteeism rates, more lateness and lower productivity. Here are some ideas that might help those juggling the demands of work and caregiving: • Talk to your employer, manager or human resource personnel about your situation and needs in regards to your family member. • Flexibility is essential for many caregivers to permit them to respond to emergencies or during periods of intense caregiving demands. Explore the options that are available in your workplace, such as flextime, a compressed workweek, reduced hours of work, job sharing, leave of absence, gradual retirement or working from home. Even if these options have not been used by anyone before, your employer may still be open to considering them now.

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• On the other hand, you may prefer to have a set work schedule so that you can plan for appointments and arrange for home support or respite. • There are likely other family caregivers in your workplace who are also facing challenges. Consider developing your own support group at work. Meet during the lunch hour to share your challenges and successes. Or you might want to set up something online where you can share resources, tips and questions with each other. • Compassionate Care Benefits are available through Employment Insurance for employed family members caring for a gravely ill relative at risk of dying within 26 weeks. These benefits consist of six weeks total compensation per terminally ill family member plus two weeks of unpaid waiting period. For more information, visit the Human Resources and Social Development Canada website at www.hrsdc.gc.ca • Some employee benefits, such as extended health benefits and employee and family assistance programs, may extend to dependents and can help with family caregiving responsibilities. The workplace benefits available to you as a

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BY BARBARA SMALL

family caregiver may not be obvious or well known even to your manager. You may need to do some research, along with your manager or human resource department about what benefits and options are available and how they apply to your situation. • Make a list of what you need help with and when you need it. Decide what other family members can do and what outside services need to be brought in. • Familiarize yourself with community resources that are available. Visit the Family Caregivers’ Network’s website at www.familycaregiversnetwork. org for resources in your area. • There is also a section on the FCNS website, under the Education tab, dedicated to “Supporting Family Caregivers in the Workplace.” This section includes valuable information and resources for both employees and employers. SL Next month: Reducing Caregiving Isolation Barbara Small is the Program Development Coordinator for Family Caregivers’ Network Society located in Victoria, BC. www.familycaregiversnetwork.org

10 Ways to Unlock Creativity BY DANNY R. VON KANEL

“When we engage in what we are naturally suited to do, our work takes on the quality of play and it is play that stimulates creativity. So play with your intuition.” –Linda Naiman

very day, writers sit in front of blank computer screens. Painters gaze onto blank canvases. Composers stare at sheets of blank staff paper. Blank describes their current creative output. This momentary block of creative energy paralyzes any meaningful connection with their craft. While writers, painters, and composers have learned the skills to recharge their creative juices, the average senior adult has not. Use the following 10 ways to unlock creativity and awaken the imagination:

1. Take a break.

Give yourself a chance to regroup. That pause before returning to task can re-charge energy and imagination. Speaking of energy, physical exhaustion can cause one’s creative juices to plummet. A simple solution: drink a glass of water. A mere two per cent drop in the body’s water supply can trigger signs of dehydration. Mild dehydration is also one of the most common causes of daytime fatigue. Return to creative endeavours refreshed and hydrated. If creativity remains stifled, take a longer break and do one or more of the following nine.

2. Listen to music.

Let your favourite tunes awaken your creativity. Whether it’s George Beverly Shea, Bach, Glen Miller or Ethel Waters, revisit and draw inspiration from the sights, sounds, and awakened emotions.

3. Escape the familiar.

The more you grapple with charting unfamiliar territory, the greater your chance to happen upon the next creative adventure. Experience a new culture, write fiction instead of non-fiction, paint a landscape instead of still life, build a hope chest instead of a birdhouse, or study a new instrument.

Don’t aim for perfection. Use your fumbling attempt at something new to draw insight, inspiration and stimulation to return to what you know – incorporating fresh concepts and ideas to your creative re-adventure.

4. Think of the possibilities.

Ask questions and the solutions may have a touch of originality. Using “what if” questions opens floodgates of untried ideas. Brainstorming and word maps allow for you to group ideas and new ways to approach a subject.

5. Talk with creative people.

Start with writers, artists and musicians. Ask what they do to drive their creativity. How do their relationships with others impact their inventiveness? Make a list of their best ways to confront writer’s, painter’s, or whatever “block” has stifled their spontaneous originality. Make a commitment to try each until one works for you.

6. Develop curiosity.

Curiosity is one step from creative genius. Develop a healthy sense of asking why. Why do we do what we do? Why do certain things work the way they do? Throw in some “how” questions. How can some things be done better? Understanding people, things and processes stores new information that can be quickly applied. Curiosity makes that possible.

7. Visualize opposites.

Somewhere in the middle of visualizing opposites may be a new way, idea, or solution, so try it. If something seems mundane, look to the opposite – “exotic.” If what you are doing now seems uninteresting, could it be made interesting with a WWW.SENIORLIVINGMAG.COM

little tweaking? That becomes your new creative moment. Even the opposite can furnish that spur of creativity you’re missing.

8. Isolate what you do as mundane.

Play at the commonplace to make it fun. In the process, you will find ways to turn imagination on its head. If your hobby has become routine, play at it. Take cooking, for instance. Instead of shrinking your imaginative space with precise recipes, measurements, and sameness, improvise and make up your own rules – just as a child would if they were in the kitchen and asked to play. The result of your “play-time” may not be the best recipe on the planet, but you will have a blast at it, leaving you with ideas that work or don’t work, knowledge of new taste, and a wealth of thoughts to try later.

9. Test the obvious.

New solutions beyond what’s always been done are usually something creative. Make a list of things you consistently do the same way. Outside each, write other ways the chore or habit can be done differently. Most chores and habits require little imagination or creativity. Your new list can add a spark of excitement and anticipation.

10. Yield work to become play.

Let work become play as long as it spurs your intuition. I have found my writing becomes more creative when I’m relaxed, free of time pressures and precise writing expectations, and unhinged from feeling like work. In effect, the more I play at writing, the more my words flow from mind to printed page. The next time you face a “blank page” in your creative pursuits, try any one or more of these 10 ways to unlock fresh approaches to originality. Doing so assures a SL new creative you. MARCH 2011

Changing Gears Entrepreneurs

BY JAMES ELLSWORTH

SENIOR LIVING

Barry Adams getting ready for a run after checking the markets while on holiday in Florida.

Photo: James Ellsworth

ntrepreneurship implies a struggle: taking an idea, starting a venture often involving employees, producing or selling, and making it become successful. But the term can cast a larger net too; it can include the stock market speculator who risks personal capital to generate income. Barry Adams is one such variation on the theme. Once a fulltime educator in the Vancouver public system until the age of 52, Barry loved teaching and coaching. But he also played in the stock market starting in the late ’60s and, for over 12 years, his dabbling earned no money. In fact, he says, “I lost good teacher salary dollars.” So, he decided to either quit the market or do it properly - and Barry is no quitter! Instead, Barry applied himself to his avocation and read every book he could on the stock market and penny stocks. In 1987, he passed his Canadian Securities exam and slowly grew his portfolio. He found, however, that mixing his vocation of teaching with his avocation was proving to be too much. He could only check the markets very early in the morning before work or at the end of the day when he had coaching obligations. When an opportunity to take a year’s leave of absence presented itself in 1995, Barry took it. He extended his leave twice and, from ages 52 to 55, Barry went on a self-imposed apprenticeship. Though he had no mentor, he read voraciously on trading and focused on market newsletter writers, carefully researching the commodities and junior mining stocks before speculating. He proved to himself that, although it was a high-risk, high-reward field, he was prepared to navigate it. So, at age 55, Barry retired from his position in education and has spent the last 13 years as a successful speculator. He never viewed it as a hobby but as an alternative to his teaching career. There was never a push from education, only the pulls of being a market investor. Barry says he has had more fun with the market, especially with the successes. He enjoys the fact that it is not a 9-to-5 job, so he has more flexibility to pursue other interests, like travelling and training and competing as a serious Masters athlete. Investment in the stock market, especially commodities, requires knowledge and nerves. “There is adversity in an ever-changing market; you always have to have your antennae out,” Barry muses. Good times mean profit, but crashes can “crush all those gains.” And there have been a few of those cycles for Barry to

manoeuvre through. In 1987, the American Savings and Loans corporations collapsed causing a 25 per cent decline in stock values. Called Black Monday, October 19, it slowed economic growth in Canada until approximately 1995. In 1997, the so-called Asian Collapse occurred. Growing debts, especially in Thailand, South Korea and Indonesia caused enormous instabilities and the International Monetary Fund had to step in with $40 billion in aid to currencies. Nick Leeson and the downfall of the Barings Bank in 1995 were indicative of this instability and the focus of the 1999 film, Rogue Trader. In 2000-01, the “dot.com” bubble burst. There was a “growth before profits” investment in IT businesses such as Nortel, but extended losses, Y2K investment, and the 9/11 terrorist attack caused a severe downturn as high-tech companies spent their venture capital. In 2008, the world suffered a global meltdown fuelled by the sub-prime mortgage rate housing loans that brought down Lehman Brothers. Barry doesn’t fear these ups and downs, but he does follow

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some rules. First, Barry believes in thorough research before speculating. He extensively researches new mining finds like potash and gold, gets in early, and rides that stock for capital gain. As a result, his portfolio has improved and he says it has gained “10 times more net equity now than when I left teaching. That is a measure of my success.” Although he is principled, Barry feels it is best to approach investment with a certain air of situational ethics. For instance, he will not invest in dangerous or risky areas of the world, such as Iraq or the Congo, nor will he invest in blood diamonds. But he admits that speculating in commodities is essentially disrupting the Earth. He believes in harvesting resources as ethically as possible. “Right now western Canadian coal is huge with sales to China, but I remember watching a big yellow fog rolling down the Pearl River to Hong Kong when I was having a coffee there and am loathe to invest. At the same time Ontario Hydro uses scrubbers and contributes to Canadian pensions.” The Internet is the biggest improvement to Barry’s enterprise in the last 15 years. All the research and platforms available to a broker are now online and allow maximum flexibility. Now, he can stay in touch with the markets from anywhere in the world and he has, from Australia, Borneo, Singapore, and China to mention a few. As an entrepreneur, Barry has more time not only for travel, but also for his passion of athletics. He just missed out on representing Canada in track and field in the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, a team that included Bruce Kidd, Bill Crothers and Harry Jerome. He placed 2nd in the qualifying but only one could go. Also, he was part of the 1964 University of Oregon sports hall of fame team, competing in steeplechase. Barry still loves competing. In fact, he still owns the record for the Canadian Men 40 – 1,500 metre set in 1983. He also won the Canadian Men 65 pentathlon and holds the record for Canadian Men 60 outdoor pentathlon. The five-event sport requires fortitude, discipline, and persistence; skills carried over to the market place. Barry’s entrepreneurial spirit in the retirement years doesn’t mean stopping, just changing gears. SL

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MARCH 2011

Entrepreneurs

Taking the Plunge

recent survey of seniors shows 70 per cent of Canadians plan to work after retirement. Of that, 72 per cent said they wanted to remain mentally active, while 57 per cent wanted to stay socially active. The result is contemporary seniors taking the plunge to turn their golden years into productive enterprising years.

Shirley and John Svoboda own and operate Cavell Gardens, a full-service retirement community.

oger Emsley worked for years in the transportation industry and, after retirement in 1998, he decided to put the experience he had gained to use. “I saw the opportunity so my wife and I set up a company to provide consulting to other companies in the travel industry,” says Roger. “My biggest advantage was that I had a lot of contacts in the industry already. One contact leads to another and it became a very natural transition from my working days. In our case, we did not need to do a lot of advertising. You do some prospecting for clients, but you are doing it from a knowledge base.” Roger found that two items challenged him the most. “Right off the bat we realized that all the infrastructure and finances need to be put into place,” he says. “We heard that incorporating was the way to go, so took that route. It meant a front-end investment, but it has worked out well. We joined the 8

SENIOR LIVING

BY KEVIN MCKAY

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Chamber of Commerce, which gave us access to a great insurance plan. The other key difference from my working days is that now I am working in a small office with just one other person instead of with a large group.” Roger also serves as president of the South Delta chapter of Probus, an organization of retired and semi-retired business people. “It is a worldwide organization with many Canadian chapters,” he says. “It is a great way to network with others in the community with like backgrounds, and to appreciate presentations and discussions on topical subjects.”

eventy-three-year-old Shirley Svoboda and her husband John saw an opportunity to start their own business in the field she was employed in. Shirley was working as a registered nurse when they decided to purchase a 23-bed nursing home in Shaughnessy.

In addition to operating that facility for many years, they bought other longterm care facilities, including Edith Cavell Hospital. “About 10 years ago, after working with seniors for so many years, I decided they deserved a better quality of life,” says Shirley. “There had to be a better way. John and I wanted to encourage their independence, so we decided to build affordable housing for seniors rather than another facility. Cavell Gardens was the result. It is a full-service retirement community in the heart of Vancouver. For the past two years, it was selected the No. 1 seniors retirement community in East Vancouver.” Shirley and John Svoboda had been running their facilities for years, so they had only a few problems setting up their new community and personally arranging the construction financing. The difficulties they encountered

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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. 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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MARCH 2011

Entrepreneurs

would fit more neatly under the category of “red tape.” In order to get Cavell Gardens built, they needed to work closely with various departments at city hall first. “The biggest challenge for us was working with the city,” says Shirley. “We needed to get a zoning change for our project as well as permission to build the first building in the area higher than three storeys. Other hurdles we had to overcome included a lot of consultation with the people living in the neighbourhood. In the end, the tradeoff was that we agreed to provide five beds to seniors who qualified through the SAFER (Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters) program.” In addition to challenges and hurdles, however, there are great rewards for senior entrepreneurs. For John and Shirley, their needs are few. “I was never worried because of my faith,” says John. “We had marketing people but the money started coming in right away and we were in the black more or less right from the start.” Shirley adds, “John is 89 now and many of our residents ask when he is going to retire and join them. We are very humble people and prefer to remain in the background. It gives us great satisfaction knowing that our dream has been successful.”

triking out on one’s own, without the safety net of a corporation or company for support is not without risks and challenges. Each case is unique, but there are common issues new entrepreneurs face. For 60-year-old Wendy Scott, owner of the Nurse Next Door franchise for Burnaby and New Westminster, the time it takes to run a business is one of the biggest challenges. “I found out quickly that you are working a lot more than from 9-to-5 10

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Nurse Next Door franchise owner Wendy Scott loves teaching and motivating people in her business.

because there is so much paperwork to get done,” she says. “You want to hire someone to handle that for you but you need to get financially successful enough first to allow that to happen.” Wendy carved a niche in a field with which she was familiar. She worked as a nurse for about 40 years in a variety of capacities prior to her Hockey Hall of Fame retirement at theBroadcaster age of 57.Jim Robson in his home ofﬁce. WWW.SENIORLIVINGMAG.COM

“I did a six month stint with a computer software company [after retirement] and knew that wasn’t for me,” she says. “Then I met someone who introduced me to the idea of a Nurse Next Door franchise and I never looked back.” Wendy realized quickly that she was perfectly capable. “It was not easy, but it was abso-

lutely fun and enjoyable. What was really neat was I was able to engage all my skills,” says Wendy. “I get to teach, to speak, to interact with clients and their families, and to manage my employees. I get to teach and motivate people. It is everything I ever dreamed of doing.” Another aspect of running a business that agrees with Wendy is the lack of bureaucracy. “One thing I really like is the speed of change,” she says. “Compared to what I am used to, it doesn’t take so long to swing momentum within your business. Let’s say you make a decision to advertise in a certain place and it doesn’t work. Right away, you know not to do that again. I love the fact I can change gears so quickly and that the world is my oyster. I am not caught up in the politics, and I know that the buck stops with me. I make decisions and I live with them.” Becoming an entrepreneur at any stage of life is challenging, frustrating and potentially rewarding. Whether one is doing it for financial gain, to give back or merely to have something to do, it is never too late to follow dreams. Just be sure to temper that dream with a healthy dose of reality. “You need to be realistic about getting into business as it has fluctuations and growing pains,” says Wendy. “I knew it wasn’t going to be a walk in the park, but I also know nothing worthwhile is.” SL

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MARCH 2011

Entrepreneurs

Zentrepreneur BY KEVIN MCKAY

llan Holender is not only an entrepreneur but at the age of 69, he has become, of all things, a Zentrepreneur. To understand what that means one needs to have some idea of where Allan came from – and how he arrived at this stage of his life. The road has been long and winding with more than its share of bumps along the way. The first one came early. Allan’s mother contracted Rubella while she was pregnant with him, and as a result, her son was born with congenital cataracts. From the age of seven, both eyes developed a film over them. He remembers, “It was like looking through a fog. This had a profound effect on my life and growth as a child. I was embarrassed to participate in anything that required visual acuity, although I loved sports.” Allan’s problems with his vision often left him feeling inadequate. One way he dealt with those feelings was by becoming the class clown. 12

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“Every laugh became approval,” he says. “I got recognition and, despite the fact I was called often to the principal’s office, it didn’t matter to me because it was more important to be part of the gang than to respect authority.” At the age of 13, Allan received an experimental operation on one eye, which may have worked if he had heeded his physician’s advice and refrained from sports for one year. Instead, he played and the result was a hemorrhage in the one eye, which caused blindness. In the aftermath of this traumatic event, Allan found strength. “I was wallowing in self-pity when I felt this incredible warm embrace like a hundred healing hands,” he says. “I went to my parents’ room, put my arms around them and said, ‘everything is going to be okay,’ and from that moment on it was.” Allan applied to 50 U.S. colleges since no Canadian universities would accept him with his non-matriculation diploma. At the University of Montana, Allan not only received an undergraduate and completed his master’s degree in sociology, but he even made the freshmen basketball team, despite looking at life through a fog. “Nobody, including the coach, knew that I couldn’t see from one end of the court to the other,” he says. “I just stayed under the basket and never hollered for the ball. Making the cut was a huge boost to feeling normal.” By the time he was 37, Allan’s eyeWWW.SENIORLIVINGMAG.COM

sight had deteriorated to the point he couldn’t see more than about 10 feet (3.1 metres). Despite the risk of going totally blind if something went wrong, he opted for another operation. “When the bandages came off, I saw my doctor clearly for the first time,” he recalls. “I read his name, Dr. John Richards, on his lab coat. I saw colours, faces that were sharp and clear and most importantly my children’s faces for the first time. I began to dream of all the things I had been afraid to do. Above all, I could feel normal!” After many years working in various fields, Allan’s passion for radio emerged. “They say that what you liked to do when you were 10 years old is where your true passion lies,” he says. “When I was 10, my father built me a radio station in his den. He set it up and ran some wires to the kitchen and hooked up the speakers. He bought me a microphone and I would broadcast to my mother.” For two years, he returned to those glory days. “[I hosted] a two-hour show on AM 1040 called ‘Big Al’s Dance Party’ featuring music from the ’40s, ’50s, big band and jazz.” Allan’s next project was to produce and host a business talk radio show for home-business owners that became so well received he decided to do a home biz minute syndicated across Canada. This eventually spread to over 450 U.S. affiliates from coast to coast on the Talk America broadcasting syndicate. Following a few more ventures, and at the urging of his present wife, Allan started writing a journal that, in time, became a book. During his research,

he visited a Buddhist temple and met with one of the program staff. “While I felt at peace there, it still did not feel like home,” he says. “I decided I could no longer live the illusion that I was going to be the-Jew-who-became-the-Buddhist and, instead, I was going to write about something I already believed in – a life I was passionate about.” Around the same time, Allan’s son wrote him a letter outlining a litany of complaints against his father. “It came as a total shock to me as I had coached his teams and gone on father-son road trips together, but I had to admit he was right about me. My schemes and scams and all the directions I had taken in life were wrong. He was the catalyst for the book. My marketing people wanted to call it Buddha and the Boardroom, but I decided against that. I’m not a true Buddhist in the religious sense. Buddhism is about right action, right livelihood and integrity. I chose to take the eightfold path and apply it to business. You need to be a visionary, someone people will look up to. The idea intrigued me.” When writing, Allan quickly realized that claiming he was an expert on Zentrepreneurism was just wrong. Instead, he researched, read articles and interviewed as many people as he could and compiled what he discovered in his book. “I am a communicator and so what better role to have as a first-time author than to be the voice and messenger for Zentrepreneurism. I am excited by this and hope I can make a slight but profound impact on the culture of business in North America,” he says. Once the book project was done, Allan turned his love of radio into a way to promote his new idea. He started a radio program about Zentrepreneurism on the Internet. “The iPod is the new transistor radio,” he says. “We are trying to bring back original radio using new technology. I knew the future was in digital radio, so I’ve jumped in with both feet along with a Hollywood partner.” Now, Allan has started the Positive World Radio Network, a digital-based non-commercial radio network broadcast at www.pwrnradio.com. Allan wants the broadcast site eventually to look like an old-fashioned radio dial so one can tune in to the various channels depending on their interest. He is also developing a True North radio website full of Canadian content. He did all this after his research showed that no one was doing this web-based commercialfree radio network in Canada. “I am blessed that I can see with one eye, but there are many people out there who have no vision at all and their only real entertainment is the radio,” says Allan. “I wanted a place where I could bring in all the program ideas I grew up with. Radio is an extension of my life. I discovered I was good at inventing, but terrible at running a business. I kept trying and failing. I was forced to reinvent myself with no SL safety net and to this day it remains a challenge.”

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MARCH 2011

Author Proﬁle

ISN’T IT ABOUT TIME?

Photo: Joan W. Winter

BY JOAN W. WINTER

M.J. Milne talks about her book to young people at Vancouver Public Library.

wenty years ago, while driving a B.C. transit bus, Marilyn Joyce (M.J.) Milne had a strange encounter of the mystical kind. As she pulled into a stop and opened the door, a maroonrobed man with a black goatee beard was standing at the stop. He didn’t board the bus, but stood there silently staring up at her. Impatient, she closed the door and drove away. But the second day, and then a third, he was there again, and the same thing happened. Although he didn’t speak, he seemed to be telepathically communicating a message to her. “Isn’t it about time?” To M.J., the incident didn’t seem odd. She had always been a spiritual seeker. Perhaps it was time, she thought, as the stranger disappeared in the rear-view mirror, time to look inside herself for the answers she sought; time to change her life and listen to the inner messages of soul. The appearance of the stranger, who she thought to be a spiritual 14

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master, was a turning point, the catalyst, which set her on a path of spiritual enlightenment and self-discovery. Born in Vancouver in 1948, the eldest of three girls, M.J. moved with her family to North Vancouver. As a child, her abilities as an artist and writer, her love of travel and her interest in the world of spirit, emerged early. After graduating in 1967 from Delbrook High School, she studied art at the Emily Carr University of Art and Design, attended Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia. Planning a career as an artist, she painted, working hard at improving her skill. While at university, following a series of profound occurrences, M.J. began investigating alternative ways of living, thinking and believing. She disagreed with the man-made theories of the many university philosophy books she had to read, and the traditional world religions she researched failed to provide satisfactory answers to her many ques-

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tions. She sought spiritual paths in the “New Age” movement. She joined the feminist movement and became an activist; wrote screenplays, magazine articles, and handwrote a revolutionary New Age science-fiction novel, Universal Tides: Barbed Wire Blues – a tome some 500 pages long, which she stored in a trunk at her parent’s house, and promptly forgot about as life and living intervened. Accepting a job up north, M.J. worked as an assistant to a geologist at an isolated goldmine north of Stewart, B.C. There, in her spare time, her connection with nature heightened, she painted imaginative landscapes in oils, which were sought after by art collectors. She exhibited in a gallery and all her paintings sold. Settling again in North Vancouver, she served as a grassroots publicist for Canadian music groups, and produced and directed several music events. She travelled extensively. And over the years had two long-term relationships, which played a very important part in her life. After her experience with the spiritual master at the bus stop in 1983, which she interpreted as a “calling,” M.J.’s life changed direction. She began an intense spiritual journey. Instead of searching for answers in the experiences of others, she began looking inward to find the answers within herself. She sought to understand the profound occurrences that had transformed her life, their usefulness to her, and to listen to the voice of Soul. Returning after 25 years to her parents’ home to take care of her ailing father, M.J. rediscovered her handwritten novel tucked safely away in a wooden chest. “It was strangely prophetic and relevant to today’s world,” she says. “So much of what is written in the book has come true; and more, I feel, is yet to happen.” Feeling the book contained an important message, one she wanted to share with others, she rewrote it and published it as an e-book entitled Universal Tides: Barbed Wire Blues. It found an instant audience. “Little did I know that the theme of UTides – the fall of Man and the rise of the Spirit – could actually happen, depending on our choices! Included in the book are 12 Golden Keys. While helping the characters in the book, the 12 Golden Keys also helped many readers gain inner insights. They began using the keys to ask Soul all of life’s most intriguing questions – and getting answers!” The idea for the 12 Golden Keys came through as she was rewriting Universal Tides and, together with her own life-altering experiences, became the inspiration for M.J.’s startling non-fiction book 12 Golden Keys for a New World: Unlocking the Door to Conscious Freedom – Change Your Life, Change Your Planet. With the book written, M.J., with true entrepreneurial spirit, decided not to go the traditional publishing route,

that of finding an agent and publisher and perhaps waiting up to five years for the book to be published. Or, if she couldn’t find a publisher, risk the book not being published at all. Using her own literary and artistic ability, she launched her own publishing company, Blue Heron Productions, with the added responsibility of selfmarketing and promoting her book. “Two years to write it, one year to publish it,” M.J. smiles, “and 20 years to live it!” With a wink, she says, “And I loved every moment. If you don’t love what you do, you’re not meant to do it! When you discover your passion, SL you have a reason to live.” For more information about M.J.’s books, visit online at www.12GoldenKeys.com or www.UniversalTides.com

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MARCH 2011

FOREVER BY WILLIAM THOMAS

ELDERQUAKE

8.5 and sitting on the horizon

he little things tell the big story. Like that image of a little old lady on a corner waiting for a Good Samaritan to help her across the street. Well soon there will be a dozen elderly ladies on that corner kicking each other in the shins over who’s first in line and the Good Samaritan, a.k.a the government, will be a “no show.” And that lovely scene of two men playing checkers in the park? Soon there will be more checkerboards than benches in that park because the world’s population is aging at an accelerated rate never seen before in history. The number of older people is increasing much faster than the number of young people. The Golden Girls are cancelling Sesame Street. The elderly used to worry about being a burden to their families, now they’re about to become a big problem for the planet. By 2018, 65-year-olds will outnumber those under the age of five for the first time ever. This will also turn the global economy on its head. Experts believe that maintaining a decent standard of living for the old will place a crushing financial burden on the young. This year, the first wave of baby 16

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boomers in the United States will be eligible for full Social Security and Medicare benefits setting off a two-decade, astronomical spending spree by a government that’s already in mile-high debt. So, Sarah Palin’s insane claim that President Obama’s healthcare plan

By 2018, 65-year-olds will outnumber those under the age of ﬁve for the ﬁrst time ever. called for “euthanizing the elderly” is starting to look like a viable option somewhere down the line. By the year 2050, there will be 300 million people over the age of 65 in China and not nearly enough toothpicks to go around. The Chinese government is passing the buck to the families. They have a name for it: “the 4-2-1 problem.” That’s one child caring for two parents and four grandparents. Not too much pressure on a young Kemei, circling help-wanted ads in the Shenzhen Times while riding around on a bike with a flat front tire. To staff their massive factories, the Chinese government is flooding the WWW.SENIORLIVINGMAG.COM

biggest cities with young people and driving the old out of their homes. It’s called “age apartheid.” The Global Again Preparedness Index compiled by a Washington think tank covers all of this information and when it becomes today’s forecast and tomorrow’s crisis – you couldn’t do better than the acronym GAP. But what will Canada do? The government of Canada, unlike those of many unprepared countries has some concrete plans in place: when “Elderquake” hits home over the next 20 years, our government will act really, really surprised. They plan to blame Stats Canada and a software program short on zeros. While claiming to have made provisions for the health and financial wellbeing of 1.5 million elderly, they will claim to have no idea the real number was 15 million. “We’re mad as hell,” the Prime Minister will say. But not as mad as the 90 year olds living in their grandson’s garage. They will blame the failure of the system on the previous government, who will in turn blame it on their predecessors who will blame it on Paul Martin. Walking through Lafontaine Park in his undershorts, Paul Martin

William Thomas is the author of nine books of humour including The True Story of Wainﬂeet and Margaret and Me. Visit his website at www.williamthomas.ca

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will say: “I can’t recall.” Then the photo ops will begin showing that the crisis is not nearly as bad as the experts claim and the elderly of Canada, now living in an abandoned airport are receiving water, ration packs left over from Afghanistan and warm socks. It’s called “warehousing.” Those requiring serious medical attention will be offered “Varadero, one week, all-inclusive, air, hotel, meals, bar drinks and hospital transfers.” The federal health minister, later to be reprimanded for it, will characterize the elderly as “lazy and unproductive” pointing out that “Hey, why don’t they try their luck at the casinos!” Health Canada posters and billboards will spring up extolling the virtues of the “aging initiative” showing a photo of 94-year-old Mable Spark who won $10 at her nursing home for guessing the number of jelly beans in a canning jar. “And,” the ad will say, “she also got to keep the jelly beans.” A spry 95-year-old Julie Andrews will appear in a feel-good video extolling a few of her favourite things like: “Air bags on walkers and seatbelts on rockers.” The minister of consumer affairs will almost lose his post for buying millions of cheap canes from China made of rubber. The recall will be ugly but not without comical incidents. In a move to save its skin, the government will come up with its own “4-2-1 formula.” That’s one caregiver for every two rooms full of elderly with four minutes maximum in the bathroom each. Do you get the feeling this government believes that this trend too will pass? Oh, and the really bad news? We’re all healthier than our parents and on track to live a lot longer. SL

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SOCIALIZING Dining, Dancing, Dating Getting out, meeting new friends, re-entering the dating world and rekindling the spark. WWW.SENIORLIVINGMAG.COM

MARCH 2011

Volunteering

REINVIGORATING RETIREMENT THROUGH RESTORATION BY BEV YAWORSKI

he restoration of a B.C. heritage house has energized the life of a group of Vancouver Lower Mainland retirees. Kirkland House in Ladner is a heritage pioneer farm home being restored by a dedicated volunteer group of about 20 – mainly retired Delta citizens. Their mission is to open the building to the community as “a productive gathering place for small non-profit community groups and events that contribute to the preservation and improvement of the social and cultural fabric of Delta.” The Kirkland family first occupied Kirkland House, built in 1911 as a threestorey impressive Edwardian farmhouse. Over many years, the abandoned house fell into serious disrepair. The property subsequently came into public ownership by the Corporation of Delta and is now managed by a volunteer society – the Kirkland Foundation. When the Foundation began restoration work on the house, there weren’t any doors or windows, and graffiti and holes marred the walls. Due to the commitment of core volunteers, the house now welcomes the community and is well on its way to attaining its goals. Two of its most dedicated volunteers are retired teachers Colin Campbell and Matt Rogers. “The house had been boarded up and had become party central,” says Colin. “From 1992 to 2000, we stripped the place down to 2x4s, and then we started to rebuild. On the inside, most of the original wood had been burnt, but what remained – we removed many coats of paint, took off most of the lasting wood, stripped it, stained and varnished it and put it up again.” “We want the house to look 100 years old – but a nice, old feel to it, including antique furniture, and the kind of heritage 18

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This page, top, Kirkland House volunteers Colin Campbell and Matt Rogers dig a horseshoe pit. Above, Kirkland volunteers take on a paint job. Opposite page, top, Kirkland House volunteers meet over morning coffee. Bottom, Kirkland House. Photos: Bev Yaworski WWW.SENIORLIVINGMAG.COM

home where people can actually sit on the furniture.” As of 2011, the approximate two-acre site is used mainly for outdoor weddings and community gatherings with limited use of the house and kitchen. Movies have also been filmed on location. Plans include renting out the main house for small community events. The renovation also expanded to include beautiful adjacent gardens, a gazebo, an onsite shed and the beginnings of an antique farm equipment collection. The grounds are already fully booked for the summer of 2011 and have become one of the best July 1st celebratory locations in the Lower Mainland. How did this “labour of love” begin for volunteers like Colin and Matt? “My friend Matt Rogers was cutting blackberry bushes at Kirkland House by hand,” says Colin. “At that time the blackberry bushes had overtaken the house property. They started about 10 feet (3.1 metres) from the house and went eight feet (2.4 metres) high. Matt got me involved at that stage of the house restoration.” “A small group of us got together and formed a society to protect the house and weatherproof it.” The rest is history – about 15 years of committed volunteerism has brought the building out of decay and back to life. The volunteers meet on Wednesdays and Saturdays to continue work on the house. Their activities include anything from carpentry, electrical, plumbing, furniture building, gardening or hosting social events. Participants come to help for a variety of reasons. “When I was ready to retire,” says Colin, “I thought money was the least important part of retirement. Staying alive is far more important. And the way you stay alive is to be involved in the community. Kirkland House is a fun project to do because you can do physical work, organizational work – all sorts of different kinds of work – or not, because the pay is zero dollars per hour. If your wife says you have to go on a holiday, you go. This is a great project because it is very flexible that way.” Matt’s thoughts on retirement: “There can be a problem for men when they re-

tire. They are so used to a schedule (9to-5, five days a week) and when they retire, they lose their schedule. My philosophy has always been that when you retire, you should think really hard and plan what you are going to do tomorrow and then you’ll have a good night’s sleep.” “At Kirkland, Colin and I are here to organize so that what is done doesn’t have to be undone, and then people can see progress and completion. We have a regular group coffee time and chatter goes on and we update everyone as to what is going on with the house. As a group, we get a sense of togetherness WWW.SENIORLIVINGMAG.COM

and completion.” Colin also believes it’s important to keep busy and build social connections after retirement. “Kirkland House does both, because most of us didn’t know each other before we got involved here, and now at coffee time, our volunteers will tell you they know each other pretty well. You can miss that if you’ve worked all your life.” More volunteers are always welcome at Kirkland, and donations of early 20th century furniture and household items are appreciated. For more information, visit online at www.kirklandhouse.ca SL MARCH 2011

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ACCESSIBILITY SOLUTIONS BOOK WAREHOUSE CAPILANO COLLEGE LIBRARY CAPILANO LIBRARY CHURCHILL HOUSE CLEAR CHOICES HEARING EVERGREEN HOUSING ADMIN KIWANIS LYNN MANOR KIWANIS TOWERS LONSDALE QUAY LYNN VALLEY MAIN LIBRARY MEDICAL CLINIC MOUNT SEYMOUR MEDICAL CLINIC NORTH SHORE COMMUNITY RESOURCES NORTH SHORE NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSE NORTH VANCOUVER CITY LIBRARY NUTRITION HOUSE PARKGATE LIBRARY PEMBERTON & MARINE MEDICAL CLINIC QUEENSDALE MARKET SILVER HARBOUR MANOR SUPER-VALU THE SUMMERHILL THE VILLAGE GREENWAY WESTVIEW MEDICAL CLINIC

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MAINLAND DISTRIBUTION LOCATIONS - CONTINUED The Great Wall VANCOUVER

411 SENIORS CENTRE SOCIETY AIM MEDICAL IMAGING AMICA AT ARBUTUS MANOR ARBUTUS LONG TERM CARE ARBUTUS MALL BARCLAY MANOR BC WOMENS HOSPITAL BC WOMEN’S HOSPITAL BREAD GARDEN BRITANNIA LIBRARY BROADWAY & BURRARD WALK IN BROCK HOUSE SOCIETY CARE MEDICAL CENTRE CAVELL GARDENS CENTRAL MARKET CHAMPLAIN HEIGHTS COMMUNITY CENTRE CHAMPLAIN HEIGHTS LIBRARY CHOICES MARKET CHOICES MARKET City Square Family Practice City Square Shopping Centre COAL HARBOUR COMMUNITY CENTRE COLLINGWOOD HOUSE COLLINGWOOD LIBRARY CROFTON MANOR DENMAN COMMUNITY CENTRE DENMAN MALL DIAMOND HEALTH CARE CNTR DOCTORS OFFICE DOUGLAS PARK COMMUNITY CENTRE DUNBAR COMMUNITY CENTRE DUNBAR PUBLIC LIBRARY S.U.C.C.E.S.S SOCIAL SERVICE CENTRE FALSE CREEK COMMUNITY CENTRE

FIREHALL LIBRARY FRASERVIEW LIBRARY FROG HOLLOW NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE GF STRONG REHABILITATION CENTRE GRANDVIEW TOWERS GRANVILLE ISLAND MARKET GRANVILLE MEDICAL CLINIC GROUND FLOOR MAILROOM HARO PARK CENTRE HASTINGS COMMUNITY CENTRE HASTINGS PUBLIC LIBRARY JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTRE JOE FORTES LIBRARY KENSINGTON COMMUNITY CNTR KENSINGTON LIBRARY KERRISDALE LIBRARY KERRISDALE SENIORS CENTRE KHATSAHLANO MEDICAL CLINIC KILLARNEY COMMUNITY CENTRE KILLARNEY MARKET KITSILANO NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE KITSILANO PUBLIC LIBRARY KIWASSA NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE LANCASTER MEDICAL SUPPLIES LANGARA FAMILY YMCA LIFEMARK HEALTH CENTRE LIFEMARK PHYSIOTHERAPY LITTLE MOUNTAIN NEIGHBOUR HOOD HOUSE MACDONALDS PRESCRIPTIONS & MEDICAL SUPPLIES MAPLE MEDICAL CLINIC MARPOLE COMMUNITY CENTRE MARPOLE LIBRARY MEDICAL CLINIC MERCATO MALL MID-MAIN COMMUNITY HLTH CNTR

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MARCH 2011

Travel & Adventure

To the End of Highway 101: A BC Coast Adventure

STORY AND PHOTOS BY RICK & CHRIS MILLIKAN

ighway 101 hugs the California, Oregon and Washington coastlines to Port Angeles, then, reemerging north of Vancouver, continues another 139km along two spectacular peninsulas. Sheltered by Vancouver Island, this aptly named Sunshine Coast provides a perfect four-day road trip. Departing Horseshoe Bay, a ferry ride whisks us across scenic Howe Sound to Sechelt Peninsula. Entering Gibson’s Landing, George Gibson’s statue surveys the picturesque harbour where his ketch Swamp Angel blew off course in 1886. George and his sons stayed and established this port. Museum photos and artifacts highlight Finnish neighbours who began homesteading around 1905. Across the street sits canary yellow Molly’s Reach, an iconic building seen regularly on Canadian television for nearly two decades. Here, motherly Molly served up coffee to Gibson’s beloved Beachcombers characters. Nick Adonidas, his native partner Jesse and their oddball competitor Relic humorously connived to gather stray logs along the shore. Nic’s workhorse boat Persephone lies in an adjacent corner. Gibson’s museum further celebrates Savary Island view. its maritime heritage displaying exploits of local sailors, a locally developed submarine and Beachcombers memorabilia. Along Highway 101, blue artisan signs trumpet a more recent population influx: artists coming to work in glass, fabric, clay, gems, wood, stone and paint. Visitors like us venture here to hike the rugged coastline and evergreen forests. Chapman Creek Trail is especially appealing. Over 25 years ago, 22

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an anonymous carver created a whimsical series of wizened, whiskered faces on fallen logs and stumps; we encounter a dozen such wood spirits along the creek. Below Chapman Creek stretches Davis Bay, where summer beaches attract kite flyers, sandcastle builders and swimmers. Strolling the seaside esplanade onto the landmark wooden pier, we watch anglers catching sand dabs, bullheads and Dungeness crabs. Up the road, Sechelt, the town named for Shishalh native band is festooned with multicoloured totem poles. Heading

to Porpoise Bay, we stroll around a waterfowl conservation park at Sechelt Marsh before basking on the sundeck of a local pub. Awaiting fish and chips, the manager stops to chat, telling us about this peninsula’s charming, laid-back resorts and lodgings – and how water sports attract most visitors. He grins, “I’ve already caught some good-sized salmon this month!”

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red pictographs high on a rock face, perhaps revealing an ancient fishing spot. Surefooted natives once scaled these green craggy slopes to hunt mountain goats, chasing them over the steep cliffs. A narrow passage leads into Princess Louisa Inlet where snowy peaks and countless silvery waterfalls surround us. To investigate famed Chatterbox Falls, we disembark at a small dock lined with yachts and floatplanes; scarlet jellyfish undulate in crystal waters below. A trail leads us through towering cedars to a point where we fully appreciate the falls’ sparkling white immensity. More roar than chatter, we jokingly rename it Thundering Falls! Northward on Highway 101, Earl’s Cove ferry carries us through Jervis Inlet to Malaspina Peninsula. Out in the depths at nearby Molly’s Reach at Gibson’s Landing. Saltery Bay Provincial Park, a three-metre bronze mermaid welcomes divers into one of After a cozy evening in a B&B overlooking magnificent 19 local scuba sites. Flippered folks swim from a crystal cove Sechelt Inlet, we savour three-course gourmet breakfasts while to commune with octopi, wolf eels, red snapper, sea bass, sea trading lively sightseeing stories with other guests. Luxuriat- lions and other finny friends. Proceeding through woodsy communities and along ing next in a Secret Cove resort, we hike, swim and romantically dine on luscious seafood. Our hostess describes how shorelines presenting picture-perfect panoramas of the strait, this breathtaking resort evolved from an early fishing lodge we sweep into Powell River. Onward past blackberry-hedged by adding this fine restaurant, upgrading cabins and creating hillside, ocean view tent-houses linked by forest boardwalks. She whispers, “Joni Mitchell stayed several months in cabin �� 11, composing a new album while her home was built.” �� In the morning we’re off, meandering through Pender �� Harbour, Madeira Park and Ruby Lake to Egmont on the Sechelt Peninsula’s northern tip. Just past the popular trail �� leading to the formidable tidal rapids of world famous Skoo�� kumchuck Narrows, we board a sturdy cabin cruiser to travel �� 30-nautical miles through a series of royally named fjords, �� deep U-shaped trenches carved by glaciers 10,000 years ago. �� Today, kayakers ply these pristine waters, though sheer bluffs �� generally prohibit landings. �� Along the way, Captain Tim notes, “This is one of the few �� logged sections. You can see how companies face difficulties �� harvesting in this terrain. Those green patches demonstrate three stages of replanted, fast growing hemlock.” Then, pass�� ing a rock quarry near Prince of Wales Reach, he explains how gravel from here is economically barged throughout B.C. �� “Only deep-water fish like lingcod live in this fjord,” says �� Tim. So, sighting over 100 seals basking on a tiny island �� prompts speculation on an envious diet. White-shelled oys�� ters lie strewn along the low-tide shoreline, numerous blue �� buoys mark traps dropped to harvest prawns and faraway �� floats identify a fish farm. More distant enterprises grow �� mussels, oysters and scallops. �� In Princess Royal Reach, we pause to photograph the �� vertical cascade of Soda Creek Falls and minutes later view

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MARCH 2011

Travel & Adventure

Chris speaks with a soapstone carver in Lund.

homes, island ferry terminal, waterfront businesses and beachside Willingdon Park, we stop above the pulp mill where Powell River began. Celebrating their historic townsite’s centennial, we tour the topnotch facilities that attracted workers here. Their arts-and-crafts homes boasted large front porches, installed to promote neighbourliness. One of Canada’s longest continually running theatres stands beside a heritage garden. Though law-abiding, we lunch in a former cell at Jailhouse Café, explore one of many lakeside trails and return for crab night on the arresting terrace of the vintage Tudor-style courthouse.

Narrowing, Highway 101 winds past Powell Lake, upward through Wildwood – settled by Italians – Sliammon, a Coast Salish community, and through a large swath of secondary forest. Ultimately, the road snakes downward into Lund where a stone monument touts its end! Prominent century-old Lund Hotel, one of two hotels built by Fred and Charlie Thurin, reflects this town’s beginnings and aspirations. Arriving in 1889, these brothers named this settlement after a Swedish city and attracted countrymen to farm nearby. Comfortably refurbished, this 1905 hotel reveals the region’s fine artistry. Hallways sport aboriginal stylized salmon; room murals depict west coast scenes. Understanding the artist owns a gallery downstairs, we pop in for a chat as she meticulously sculpts realistic animals from soapstone. At the edge of the busy harbour, a water taxi office arranges shuttles to outlying islands; Nancy’s BakLeft, Beachcombers memorabilia at Gibson’s museum.

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ery perches above, offering patio tables for sampling aromatic goodies including varieties of scrumptious cinnamon buns. A boardwalk links a semicircle of craft stores, eateries and outdoor sport shops renting kayaks for paddling Desolation Sound, B.C.’s largest and oldest marine park. If neither sailor nor kayaker, Lund Hotel schedules weekly cruises on Swan Spirit. Just outside Lund, Hurtado trail leads us toward an extraordinary viewpoint. Ambling through a shady forest past skunk cabbage, leathery-leaved salal and orange tiger lilies, we arrive at a high rock bluff surrounded by coppery-barked arbutus. Across the sparkling water, Savary Island’s wide sandy beaches appear. There, long sunny days and shallows produce the warmest swimming conditions north of Mexico. Our next Highway 101 getaway may SL end with this Savary twist!

Planning Your Own Road Trip: • The unspoiled Sunshine Coast in a nutshell: www.bigpaciﬁc.com • Complete BC Ferries information: www.bcferries.com • Lighthouse Pub & Magellan’s overlooking Porpoise Bay: www.magellansbc.ca • Pamper yourself at Sechelt Inlet Bed & Breakfast: www.secheltinletbandb.com • Luxuriate at Rock Water Secret Cove Resort: www.rockwatersecretcoveresort.com • Princess Louisa Inlet Cruise: www.sunshinecoasttours.bc.ca • Find fresh, locally grown organic food at Manzanita Restaurant within Old Courthouse Inn, a charming boutique hotel in Powel River’s historic townsite: www.manzanita.ca • Historic Lund Hotel: www.lundhotel.com • Kayak & Water Adventures: www.terracentricadventures.com

Photo: Jason van der Valk

ASK

Goldie

BY GOLDIE CARLOW, M.ED

Dear Goldie: My husband and I have just divorced after 20 years of marriage. We have three children, two sons in high school and a daughter at university. They have been aware of our problems for the last few years and our sons are not surprised by our decision to part. The problem is that our daughter, who is studying psychology, has decided she can fix everything. Her persistence is annoying. How can we make her see that we know what we want? –O.P. Dear O.P.: Parental breakup can be devastating for families and particularly so for children who are still dependent. Your daughter is trying to prevent this traumatic event by using her newly learned skills. If her behaviour persists, it may interfere with her studies. To prevent this, you could suggest she contact her school’s counsellor. Having an outside perspective may help to convince her that your actions are truly what you want. It may also help her work through her own feelings of grief. Dear Goldie: Last summer, my wife and I had a wonderful holiday in England. While there, we met a gentleman who was also visiting our hosts and enjoyed social times together. Since our return, he has sent several letters to my wife. I am not included in the address or content. I find this offensive, and she has not replied to them. Well, out of the blue, this person has sent word that he will visit our city in June and wishes to see us. Should we reply and, if so, how can we avoid seeing him? –W.D. Dear W.D.: Good manners are part of good behaviour, and I suspect that is what is bothering you. You and your wife have no obligation to entertain this person. Perhaps the easiest way to handle this matter is to let him know immediately that you will not be available SL when he arrives.

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

Quick, pack the bags Harold! Get Moving and Save. Sign up by April 30 and save up to

$8000!*

$4000!*

$6000!* Oﬀer applies to Independent and Assisted Living Suites only.

Take advantage of this great oﬀer. The sooner you sign up, the more you save! *Sign up with deposit by April 30th and receive 3 months rent free (valued up to $8000). Sign up and place a deposit by May 31st and save up to 2 months rent (valued up to $6000.00). Sign up and place a deposit by June 30th and save up to 1 month free rent (value up to $4000.00). Resident must move in within two months of signing.

Call Jane for more information or to arrange a personal visit. 604.764.8877 22141-119th Avenue mapleridgeseniorsvillage.com

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MARCH 2011

Travel & Adventure

Ski Spring Break for Boomers

BY JANE CASSIE

t’s Spring Break 1971, and I’m flying down The Cut, a popular slope on Vancouver’s Grouse Mountain. The conditions are ski-sational: soft base, unlimited visibility and sunny skies. Then, out of the blue, interrupting my schussing solo: Here Comes The Sun, I’m falling head over heels with the man I’ll marry (23 years and two children later – but that’s another story!). Fast track to 2011: we’re standing on the windblown 2,225 metre-high summit of The Stoker Chair and I realize two things. After 40 years, we still have passion for powder. And Revelstoke Mountain Resort, embraced by the Monashees and Selkirks, is a great place to find it! “We can get 60 feet a season,” our instructor, Nitzan Nzu26

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ella explains, as pillow-soft flakes fall chaotically from the sky. “And this mountain’s so big, you’ll be blown away!” Although not totally comforted by her words, it’s clear – this expert is pumped. We’ve noticed it with others – there’s a definite buzz about this newest kid on the ski block. Maybe because it’s the only village that offers top-of-the-line extreme shopping; lift, cat, heli and backcountry skiing, rolled-into-one. The historical hamlet of nearby Revelstoke probably has an influence too. But more likely, it’s the future growth of this four-year-old that’s generating the most hype. Eventually 20 lifts will service more than 100 runs and manicured fairways will lace the valley floor. Hotels, townhomes and retail will straddle a

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pedestrian hub – another world-class wonderland? Look out Whistler! “Let’s go for snow!” Nitzan quips excitedly from our view-boasting bluff. “Whatever we see, we can ski!” Countless downhill options fan out before us from this highest lift-serviced vertical in North America: evergreen glades, untracked chutes and barren bowels. All are covered in an epic dump and, just like the lift lines, they’re uncluttered, serene. “Just lean forward and bend your knees,” she explains, when sensing my apprehension about the thigh-deep cloaking. “And tense your core.” Easy for her to say. Although this mom of a sixmonth old has a belly tighter than a drum, mine has been slacking off for decades. And I have

Opposite page, Revelation Gondola glides to the summit. Photo courtesy of Revelstoke Mountain Resort. This page, top, The author and her husband Brent still both have passion for powder. Right, The untracked terrain is lighter than goose down.

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MARCH 2011

Travel & Adventure no recollection of this much snow! Maybe I should have stuck to the lower-level dog sledding or Nordic trails. Better yet, a massage table! Too late now. At least there’s The Last Spike, if I chicken out. The 15.2 kilometre trail frequently intersects the steeper pitches and assures an easier descent. But to my surprise, after following Nitzan’s lead, I don’t need this escape route. Well, not yet. The untracked terrain is lighter than goose down and, thanks to her tips, I rediscover that familiar bobbing rhythm. Over the next two days, we scroll down cruisers like Critical Path and Chopper, exclaim yee-haws on Snow Rodeo and Wooly Bully, and ease onto that cat track if our thighs burn. When it’s time to refuel, Mackenzie Outpost and Mid Mountain Lodge are just a glide away, or Rockford Wok|Bar|Grill is snuggled in the village hub. Right next door, sharing this first-class Nelsen Lodge is our favourite after-hours hangout, a chic contemporary suite where we crash in comfort – a chef-envy kitchen, heavenly bed, nearby hot tub. What more does a getaway girl need? “Ready to kick up more powder?” Brent asks, when realizing that I’ve been struck with a case of ski fever. “There’s also a lot at our next stop.” Revelstoke Mountain Resort has conquered their mission. I’m totally stoked and revved up by their slopes. Can I take on any more at Kicking Horse? After the white-knuckle drive through Roger’s Pass and the town of Golden, we roll into a fairy-tale-like village that’s swathed in winter wear. Yardstick-thick layers cloak timbered rooftops, marshmallow-shaped crowns festoon rocky pillars and crystal icicles shimmer from frozen eaves. Lodgings hug up to the village core and an eclectic array – everything from boutique hotels to chi-chi houses – dot the neighbouring streets. We go for an upscale ski in/out suite at the Palliser Lodge, where we have the best of both worlds – full-on luxuries that entice long-term hibernation and the happening hub just a short stroll away. The next morning, beneath a bluebird sky we discover just how popular it is. “We’ve broken a 30-year record – 80 centimetres in the last three days!” The loudspeaker announcement generates a roaring hooray from the affable crowd. “Conditions like this bring out all the diehards,” Don Steinhauer says, at the bustling base of Golden Eagle Express, an eight-passenger gondola that transports experts up CPR ridgeline to a windblown summit. From there, they can also access the Stairway To Heaven where more challenging chutes wait. “But we have runs for everyone,” he assures. “You’ll see.” Although I probably should have taken another lesson, This page, top, Jane and Brent check out the slope side safari of runs. Centre, Eagle’s Eye Restaurant – the highest in Canada. Bottom, Lounging in the Nelsen Lodge. Opposite page, Don Steinhauer gives Brent a few tips. Photos: Brent Cassie 28

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this well-seasoned Snow Host alleviates some of my qualms. “Let’s ditch the crowds and go skiing,” he says, leading us away from the masses. By taking the Catamount quad to mid-station we bypass the vortex and, after a gentle cruiser, load onto Pioneer Chair. “This lift serviced the original Whitetooth Ski Area and has lots of great groomers,” Don says. “It beats waiting in line. That’s why the locals love it.” He calls out to a few who ski on the run below. Leslie is in her sixties, another couple in their seventies. And as for Don? Although his peppered beard is a bit of a giveaway, based on his sleek technique it’s hard to say. While attempting to copy his squirrelly tracks, we literally glide on the wild side. Grizzly Paw, Wiley Coyote, and the signature, Kicking Horse – like a slope-side safari each run provides us with an adventurous descent. And just like the wilderness, they’re pretty deserted. Maybe that’s why Boo likes the area so much. Thirty-three penned acres are home to the resident orphaned grizzly, and though hibernating during these colder months, when the mountain bikers and hikers come out to play, so will he. After we lap this chair a few times, we make our way down to the village hub. “There’s not much of a lineup,” Don says when checking the gondola, “Let’s head to the heavens.” Suddenly, the lower-level tube park and skating rink look more inviting. Or maybe I could be a foodie for the afternoon. With the eight nearby eateries, I’d sure get my fill. “We can get

lunch at Eagle’s Eye,” Don pipes up, as if reading my mind. “On its Dogtooth Range perch, it’s the highest restaurant in Canada. And the food’s great.” Shortly after the 12-minute escalation, we’re testing it out – mouth-watering entrees like wild B.C. salmon, succulent chicken ciabatta and a goat cheese salad. And what a view! Weather-worn ridges extend from peak to peak and give way to vast bowls, glorious glades, chutes and couloirs. More than 85 options offer a thrilling way out. While the skilled go for gravity-defiers like Pearly Gates and Terminator, we get ready for “It’s A Ten,” the longest run of all. This 10km cat track wraps the mountainous contours like a flowing scarf and, just like the memorable 1970 Eagle’s song that’s playing in my head, will provide us with a peaceSL ful, easy feeling all the way down.

IF YOU GO: Revelstoke Mountain Resort 2950 Camozzi Road, Revelstoke 1-866-373-4754 www.revelstokemountainresort.com Kicking Horse Mountain Resort 1500 Kicking Horse Trail, Golden 250-439-5425 1-866-SKI-KICK (754-5425) www.kickinghorseresort.com

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MARCH 2011

Have Fork, Will Travel hicken rice is a favourite lunch dish in Singapore served at a hawker’s stall in waxed brown paper tied up with plastic string or in the airconditioned Mandarin Hotel on Orchard Road. It’s quick to cook, tasty and very healthy. As long as the ingredients are available, it can be ready in half an hour. CHICKEN In a big pot (Dutch oven) on the stove, add a tablespoon of cooking oil (not olive oil) and heat. Add: Onion or garlic, sliced or crushed Ginger root, sliced (no need to peel) Bunch of green onions (spring onions), chopped Bunch of cilantro/coriander, chopped (save some to use as garnish) Chicken (thighs, breast – 2 or 3 per person) Cover with water Add Chinese soy sauce Add a couple of packets of chicken OXO/Bovril Bring to the boil and then simmer Adjust seasoning (soy and OXO)

RICE Prepare long grain Basmati rice while the chicken cooks. A coffee mug of dry rice is good for three people. Fill a saucepan with water, rest a sieve on the top and put the rice in the sieve. With a wooden spoon under cold running water, stir the rice until the water is clear. Lift the sieve out of the water and discard water. Put rice into saucepan and cover with fresh water (about 1 cm/a knuckle above the rice). Put on high heat, wait until it boils, then turn it down to simmer until the rice is dry and fluffy. SALTED FRESH FRUIT After hot spicy dishes, the regular dessert is a plate of sliced fresh fruit, sprinkled with salt (sea salt). The salt brings out the flavour of any fruit – oranges, apples, water apples, star fruit, watermelon, bananas or whatever’s available. Put toothpicks into the slices so they are easy to pick up; provide a dish for the skins.

When the chicken has cooked for half an hour and the soup is tasty, take the chicken pieces out with a slotted spoon and remove the skin. Slice chicken. Serve on rice and sprinkle fresh cilantro on top. Ladle the soup into a separate bowl. On the table, have individual small dishes of Chinese soy sauce and sweet Thai chili sauce for people to dip their chicken in. Use Chinese bowls, ceramic spoons and chopsticks. Serve with Jasmine tea. Next day, when the leftovers have been in the fridge, a coating of fat will cover the soup. Scoop it off into a paper towel and discard; reheat the soup. It will be even tastier.

LYCHEE & ALMOND JELLY Another cooling dessert is almond jelly and lychees. Chinatown will have packets of almond jelly available for purchase. Stir the powder into hot water, pour into a baking tray and put in the fridge. When it has set, cut the jelly into cubes. Empty a can of lychees (and their juice) into a bowl with the almond SL jelly cubes. The flavours are subtle and refreshing.

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

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

MAGAZINE

Call 1-877-479-4705 for other locations. 30

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Photo: Caroline Mufford

Singapore Chicken Rice

BY SALLY JENNINGS

BBB Better Better Better Better

Business Business Business Business

Bureau Bureau Bureau Bureau

SCAM ALERT

BY LYNDA PASACRETA

Job Hunters Popular Targets for Scam Artists

anadians are putting off retirement more than ever, choosing instead to remain in the workforce beyond traditional retirement age. According to Statistics Canada, between 1996 and 2006, the employment rate for seniors age 65 and older increased from 12 per cent to 15 per cent for men, and from four per cent to six per cent for women. Several factors keep Canadians working, from income and retirement considerations to good health and a desire to remain active. With so many Canadians remaining in the workforce, however, it means more opportunities for fraudsters to scam job hunters. Not thoroughly researching a job opportunity could result in the loss of hundreds or even thousands of dollars to any number of job-related scams. BBB recommends looking out for the following when searching for a job: The employer offers the opportunity to become rich without leaving home While many legitimate businesses allow employees to work from home, there are also many scammers trying to take advantage of those looking to make money conveniently from home. Job hunters should use extreme caution when considering a work-at-home offer and always research the company with their BBB first at www.bbb.org

The employer asks for money upfront Job hunters should never have to pay money to be considered for a job. If a potential employer asks the job hunter to pay the company to cover the costs of testing, training or background checks, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a red flag. The salary and benefits offered seem too good to be true The adage holds true for job offers: if the deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Phoney employers might brag about exceptionally high salary potential and excellent benefits for little work and no experience necessary in order to lure unsuspecting job hunters into their scam. Job placement companies that make big promises Job placement companies often do not charge the job hunters for help finding a job, but instead are paid by companies that need help filling positions. Some job placement companies, however, have taken money from job hunters and not fulfilled their promises of quick employment. Ask for the contract upfront to review the placement terms. The employer requires you to check your credit report After posting resumes online or responding to online job listings, some job hunters received what they thought was good news: an email from an interested employer. In order to be conWWW.SENIORLIVINGMAG.COM

sidered for the job, however, the applicant has to check his credit report through a recommended website. The truth is the email is just an attempt to get the job hunter to divulge sensitive financial information. The employer is quick to ask for personal information Job hunters might receive an email offering a great opportunity, directing him to a website that is designed to install malware on his computer or solicit bank account or Social Insurance Number. In other cases, the job hunter might even be asked to submit a resume, find out heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been hired and then immediately be asked for bank account information or Social Insurance Number. The job requires you to wire money Many phoney jobs require the employee to cash a cheque sent by the company through the mail and then wire a portion of the money on to another entity. The cheque might clear the employeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bank account, but will eventually turn out to be a fake and the employee is out the money he wired SL back to the scammers. For more advice on avoiding scams and fraud, visit www.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 MARCH 2011

MEMORIES FOR SALE

Photo: Krystle Wiseman

Reﬂections THEN & NOW

BY GIPP FORSTER

t was Saturday afternoon at the Imperial Theatre in are others worth keeping and sharing. Sometimes the road of Ottawa. Two feature films, a newsreel, a cartoon and memory can be a lonely one: like cooking a great dinner but an ongoing serial that left a 10-year-old boy (along having no one to share it with. with another 150 or so kids) clinging to the edge of our I know none of my memories are covered in tattoos. None seats, anticipating how our brave hero could be saved from where I had my skin punctured with a ring in my nose, my what appeared to be certain death! Come back next Saturday eyebrow, my navel or any other body part willing to get lost afternoon to see if he or she manages to escape and live. Oh, in a fad. But I guess there are different memories for different it was grand – all for 12 cents. times. Our youth will gather theirs just as we did and do. God Films were in black and white then. You had to imagine bless them! the colour. Roy Rogers was Roy Rogers, Johnny Weissmuller What should we do with our memories now that we are was Tarzan, and Lassie would come home. The Dead End getting older? It’s too bad we can’t have garage sales for old Kids were becoming The Bowery Boys and we were getting memories and stories that once meant something. Even memolder day by day without realories and stories need a beginizing it. ning, and we were there to get Life was a game then – a them going on their way. We ...we can still wander back to the game we thought would never don’t get very much for things days of 12-cent movies, nickel iceend. we put in garage sales. A mere And now, well over half pittance for what they are cream cones, one-speed bicycles, a century later, there is little worth. But a pittance is better glass milk bottles, twist doorbells, trace of the “once was.” The than nothing at all, I guess. memories are blown about the Sometimes I feel like walkvestibules and 10-cent hot dogs. winds of change and like dust ing down the street shouting, settle on ancient minds. It’s “Memories and stories for hard to believe now that those sale. Very reasonable. Get times even existed. What a story to relay to our children and memories and stories here!” People don’t even have to buy grandchildren, if only they wanted to hear. Some do but most them. Heck, I’ll give them away free. don’t. Too busy, I guess, planting the seeds of their own memEven if few who are younger are interested in our jourories to harvest later in the fields of time. ney, we, you and I, can still wander back to the days of 12My dad tried to tell me about his boyhood experiences, but cent movies, nickel ice-cream cones, one-speed bicycles, I wasn’t interested. I was far too busy, too selfish, to journey glass milk bottles, twist doorbells, vestibules and 10-cent back with him. So, he went the course alone. He had great hot dogs. stories – true stories. One I vaguely remember of him watchSolomon said it best, “Vanity, vanity, all is vanity.” And ing a native Sioux family crossing close to his home on the maybe that’s so. But those long-ago times had a softness and plains of South Dakota, seeking some unknown destination. sweet innocence about them that challenged us to dream our My dad used to say that I’d be sorry I didn’t listen. He own dreams, never once thinking that one day we would be was right! I am sorry. So many treasures that could have been part of the past. Most of it was black and white, but oh, how gathered were left to become dust in one man’s mind. I don’t the memories burst with colour! know if my own memories of the past could be considered In those times, when there was so little past and so much SL treasures or not. Many could be discarded, I know, but there future – in those times, when thoughts were young. 32

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To Move or Not to Move?

BC EDITION

A Helpful Guide For Seniors Considering Their Residential Options

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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.

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