Beacon Magazine - January 2012 by EyesOnBC Publishing

January 2012 vol 7 issue 92

Community Living: Fanny Bay to Nanoose Bay

On the Road to a Real Meal • 17 Bucks and the $ingle Traveller • 9

2 January 2012 | www eyesonbc.com

From the publisher

17 FEATURE On the Road to a Real Meal

BUSINESS & FINANCE

Buzzing Right Along

4 Biz Banter: What’s up in local business 28 Education for the Health of It Travel

7 9 15 22

& Outdoors

Buzzing Right Along Bucks and the $ingle Traveller Thru the Seasons: Along the Forest Trail Tide Table

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 13 Behind the Scenes at ECHO Players

9 Bucks and the $ingle Traveller

COMMUNITY LIFE

5 Dream Home 22 The Art of Conscious Living 27 On the Agenda 32 Inspired by Community

COMMUNITY PEOPLE

6 Plastic Pollution: Refuse to Refuse 18 Images & Voices: Barry Kurland 26 Kwalikum Secondary School Honour Students

HEALTH & WELLNESS

8 10 12 24

Steering the Course Bagels the Size of Life Preservers Parascience: Exploration and discussion Health & Wellness Matters

THE REGULARS

33 3 4-35 36 3 7-39 39

Barry Kurland Teacher • Farmer • Trustee

In the Stars Community Events Classifieds At Your Service - Local Businesses Subscribe

AND WE’RE OFF AND RUNNING IN 2012 ... by Linda Tenney

January 2012

VOLUME 7 NO 92

The Beacon Magazine is published monthly by EyesOnBC Publishing Main Email: beacon@eyesonbc.com Phone/Fax: 250-757-9914 Mailing Address EyesOnBC Publishing Box 182, Bowser, BC V0R 1G0 Hours: Mon - Fri 10-5 Our Contributors this month: Lisa Verbicky, Nancy Whelan, Rita Levitz, Georgia Nicols, Marilyn Dawson, David Morrison, JoAnne Sales, Carolyn Walton, Shirley Culpin, Laura Busheikin, Phyllis Chubb, Harry Sumner & Miriam Shell, Linda Tenney, Linda Watts On the Web www.eyesonbc.com

’ve always liked the New Year. A fresh start. Clean pad of paper. And a head full of things to add to the agenda. I must admit, the list for the year ahead is particularly full, with some items already in development at EyesOnBC Publishing. Our website, for example ... and we hope you have stumbled upon it at www.eyesonbc.com, was quietly re-launched at the beginning of November. Watch it daily for new articles, featurettes, and our new series of documentary shorts that will introduce you to some pretty cool, quirky, and unusual people, places and things in our community and Vancouver Island in 2012. We’re very pleased to be working with local videographer Beth Ross of bDigital Video Productions who is helping us realize our vision for this documentary series, designed to tell stories about our community in a new and exciting way - watch for our first documentary to launch mid-January. Sometime this spring, the print version of The Beacon will sport a new name and new look. No ... it won’t stray from its original purpose in, and for, the community, but the

Subcriptions Canada - from $35 annually incl HST Call 250-757-9914 to subscribe. VISA & MasterCard accepted Printed in Canada - ISSN 1712-0918 Articles and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the writers and published for general information purposes only. Articles are not intended to provide specific advice - the publishers will assume no liability.

Linda Tenney Publisher tenney@eyesonbc.com

We know you’re wondering how to subscribe to the Beacon Magazine. See page 39 for details.

We thank you for your support, loyalty and readership in 2011, and look forward to taking you along as we use the technology available to us to expand our horizons a little in 2012. We hope you enjoy this month’s series of articles from our fabulous local writers ... ponder Phyllis Chubb’s offering for a thoughtful start to the New Year (pg 12), along with Joanne Sales’ encouragement to do that through meditation. (pg 22). And if you’re looking at your mid-section and wondering how the heck to rid yourself of the new flotation device, don’t miss Brenda Timbers’ article about local weight loss groups and clubs (pg 8) and our newest writer, Linda Watts’ article about limiting portion sizes to help slim down the holiday leftovers. (pg 10). Linda Watts is a registered dietition now living in Qualicum Beach. We wish you happiness, health and grand adventures as we enter 2012, the Year of the Dragon, when water will calm the Dragon’s fire and we’ll apparently be able to see things from others’ perspective. Gung Hay Fat Choy! It’s going to be a fabulous year! ~

LOCALLY OWNED • COMMUNITY INSPIRED

Articles and/or data may not be quoted or reproduced, in part or in whole, without permission from the publisher.

Freelance Writers/Photographers Queries can be directed to Linda Tenney, Publisher at beacon@eyesonbc.com

new name, EyesOnBC Magazine, and its new look will complement the magazine’s Internet presence, and help us move forward in broader ways. Change very often brings opportunity and advantage, and this change brings both! The ‘digital’ plans we have on the table give us new ways to offer you even more than we have in print for the past seven, almost eight, years.

FIND US HERE... Elizabeth Cudmore Customer Service & Social Media cudmore@eyesonbc.com

• on Facebook www.facebook.com/beaconmagazine • on our Website at www.eyesonbc.com • on Twitter www.twitter.com/BeaconMagazine

Frank Hladik Advertising 951-8824

Tune in LIVE on the 1st Thursday of each month when Dave Graham of 88.5FM The Beach Radio and Linda Tenney talk about what’s going on in Lighthouse Country. Join them at 8:40am.

www.eyesonbc.com | January 2012 3

What’s Up in Local Business

aradise Signs & Graphic Designs Inc. is pleased to announce the purchase of Galaxy Graphix. New name, new location, same quality service and friendly faces. Claudette Campbell, previous owner of Galaxy Graphix, has remained as Manager, along with the staff of experienced ‘Sign’tologists’. They continue to offer in-house design services including laser printed stationery items such as business cards, brochures and rack cards. Paradise Signs & Graphic Designs also offers a full line of commercial signage and state-of-the-art manufacturing and installation service. Paradise Signs & Graphic Designs is located at #52 1117 Industrial Way in the Parksville Industrial Park or call 250-248-3812 for more information about products and services. ~ Congratulations on your new venture! Please see page 19 for their ad.

orth Pacific Window was recently given the green light from Qualicum Town Council to construct a new building for their business next to their current location at 148 Fern Road East. Brothers and co-owners, Tom & Tim Andres purchased the adjacent property in the summer, then applied for permission to move ahead with their development plans for the new building. Qualicum Beach’s Deputy Director of Planning, Luke Sales, recommended their application for consideration and the development permit was awarded by Council in late December. All that remains now is to obtain a building permit, which is anticipated in January. If all goes well, the new building should be constructed and ready to go in the late spring. Congratulations Tom and Tim! Please see page 16 for their ad.

N OT I C E

BOARD APPOINTMENTS ADVISORY COMMITTEES AND COMMISSIONS The Board of the Regional District is now accepting applications for appointments to the following advisory bodies: Electoral Area ‘H’ Parks and Open Space Advisory Committee

2 year term

2 members

District 69 Recreation Commission - Electoral Areas E, F, G, and H

3 year term

One member from each of Electoral Areas E, F, G, and H

Grants-in-Aid Advisory Committee - All Electoral Areas

1 year term

4 members

Agriculture Advisory Committee - General Public, Electoral Areas E, F, G, and H

2 year term

2 members

Board of Variance - All Electoral Areas

3 year term

1 member

Residents of the above communities who are interested in volunteering to sit on one of these advisory bodies are invited to obtain a “Board Appointment Application Form” from the RDN website, www.rdn.bc.ca, or by contacting the Corporate Services Department, 6300 Hammond Bay Road, Nanaimo, BC, V9T 6N2. Additional information on these advisory bodies, including terms of reference, is also available on the website, or by calling the RDN Administration Office at 390-4111, toll free at 1-877-607-4111. In order to be considered, completed application forms must be submitted to the RDN Administration Office by 4:00 p.m. Friday, January 13, 2012. 4 January 2012 | www eyesonbc.com

Dream Home

Shirley Culpin photos

by Shirley Culpin

very few days Mariellen and Joe Martin have a stranger on their front doorstep, asking for permission to take a photograph of their front door. The extraordinary work of art featuring a Stradivarius violin has aroused not only curiosity, but the admiration of dozens of folks who have wandered down to the end of Judges Row in Qualicum Beach, where the Martins have spent the past four years collaborating with local home designers, builders, interior decorators and artists to create a spectacular waterfront home.

The Martins first arrived in Qualicum Beach almost a decade ago when they purchased a condominium that allowed them to spend their summers and weekends away from the hectic pace of life and business in West Vancouver. The decision to retire here eventually led them to the property they now own, which was occupied by a home built in the 1970s. The Martins lived in the house for a summer, decided it wasn’t quite right for them, and started looking to create something more specific to their needs. The property’s original structure was sold and sailed away on a Nickel Brothers barge at the suggestion of Dan McLeod of Camelot Homes (online, see Recycling a House on YouTube), and the Martins went to work with local house designer John Larson of C.A. Design. The end result is a reflection of a true labour of love on the part of not only the owners, but the craftsmen who have played such an integral part in the home’s construction and interior finishing. “We wanted this to be a place where friends and family would come,” says Mariellen, “and the house works so well from that aspect.” But there was more than just that to the Martins’ dream; their goal was to create an ‘art house’ - one that acknowledged the family’s love of both the sea and the world of music. Happily for the couple, the local trades were more than up to the task. And happily for the local trades and craftsmen, the Martins’ sensitivity to the massive

The reflection of a true labour of love on the part of not only the owners, but the craftsmen who played such an integral part in the home’s construction and interior finishing.

project led to some fortuitous melding of talents and temperaments that resulted in the truly unique home that they sought. One of the best combinations of aptitude promoted by the Martins was that of Dan McLeod of Camelot Homes and Jeremy Humpherville of Coastal Carvings in Coombs, who specializes in contemporary home design and traditional native sculpture. Jeremy’s work adorns not only the 300-pound front door, but is seen throughout the home in the form of sculptures, railings, stained glass designs, arched doorways and myriad other small touches that add to the unique feel and quality of the residence. “Joe and Mariellen kept saying that Jeremy and I had to meet,” recalls Dan. “We had a shell of a house here, and the collaboration with Jeremy has brought it to become so much more than that.” “And Dan has a great design eye,” says Mariellen. “He doesn’t just know building and house construction.” The close collaboration between Dan and Jeremy is apparent in every nook and cranny of the home. The attention to detail is continued on page 14 www.eyesonbc.com | January 2012

PLASTIC POLLUTION: REFUSE TO REFUSE By Laura Busheikin bout two years ago, Denman Island resident Taina Uitto made a radical decision: she would live without plastic for a whole year. It’s not something most of us would choose to take on, even for a week.

But two years later, Uitto is still plastic-free, and has no plans to change. Her initial experiment, which was part personal challenge and part public statement, proved to be so rewarding that it has become a permanent way of life. Uitto recently visited me for tea and a chat about plasticfree living. Shortly before she arrived, I panicked. Did I need to hide my plastic? There was an awful lot of it! I needn’t have worried. Uitto didn’t even flinch when I served milk out of a plastic container. Clearly, judging others isn’t part of her agenda. Uitto doesn’t force her lifestyle on anyone else, and she still sometimes buys plastic in the from of electronics and other essential, non-disposal items. “The goal is to buy with purpose,” she explains. “I’m not going to stress about big things.” However, she doesn’t cut herself much slack. For instance, she stopped buying milk in glass bottles after Health Canada ruled that only plastic lids met their “tamper-free” requirement. “That left me with no source of milk. For a while, when I lived in Vancouver, I joined a herd-share, which at least allowed us to re-use the plastic lids.” Uitto, who holds a Masters degree in Natural Resources Conservation, says her motivation is simple: “I am absolutely appalled by plastic,” she explains. She presents the multi-pronged case against plastic on her much-read blog, Plastic Manners (plasticmanners. wordpress.com): Plastic is forever, she writes: “Nearly every item ever created still exists on this planet, and will for thousands of years.” And throughout its long life, it wreaks havoc on human, animal and ecosystem health. She shows us the grim evidence: vast floating islands of plastic in the ocean; studies documenting plastic’s contributions to many human illnesses, including ominous changes in our reproductive function; photos depicting the amount of plastic found in dead birds (up to 80% of their body weight!). “Every year, about 300 billion pounds of plastic are produced around the world,” she writes. Luckily, her blog is funny as well as scary. Uitto finds humour in her many adventures, such as her valiant quest for plastic-free dental hygiene (in case you were wondering -- boar bristle toothbrushes do in fact taste like pig, and not in a yummy way). 6 January 2012 | www eyesonbc.com

Taina Uitto • submitted photo Life without plastic is not a sacrifice for Uitto. Rather than focus on privation, she likes to talk about what she has gained. “You become much more embedded in your world,” she says. “On a dayto-day level you end up connecting to people much more. You are forced to ask for help, to explain, to answer questions such as “Why are you bringing your own wax paper?”” She’s also connected to a global community of plastic-free advocates, such as the folks from the Plastic Pollution Coalition (plasticpollutioncoalition.org), and is regularly invited to speak at schools, clubs and events.

“When you do something like this you become like a magnet for all sorts of people.” Another benefit of plastic-free living is the knowledge that she is living a healthier life. And it is a life filled with purpose. Uitto is a role-model, educator, activist and writer, part of a much larger movement of people choosing and promoting sustainable living. Change is slow, but it is happening, says Uitto. Being part of the solution, not the problem, is immensely gratifying. “My joy comes in witnessing the small positive steps,” she says. ~

Buzzing Right Along by Connie Kuramoto

ust when the microbes in my soil have been tucked in to sleep for the winter under their blankets of organic matter, I start to dream of the next gardening season. My attention begins to shift away from harvest and preservation, the compost blitz, leaf gathering, and the new sheet mulched beds at this time of year. I gather the dried bouquets of spent flower stalks that have been lurking in all corners of my dry space since summer. Long winter evenings around the fire provide a lovely workspace as seeds are separated from seed heads, and placed into labeled envelopes. A quick inventory shows me I will definitely need more parsnip, and golden beet seed. It would be nice to experiment with yet another good leaf lettuce. It’s time to start making a list for Seedy Saturday! The first Seedy event of the year is held at the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre at 747 Jones Street on Saturday February 4th, 2012. A second Seedy Saturday is scheduled for the first weekend in March at the Florence Filberg Centre in Courtenay, followed by Seedy Sunday that same weekend in Nanaimo at the Bowen Centre. These three events are fabulous opportunities to find seed varieties that are well adapted to our western climate and grown and saved by local gardeners and local seed companies. The philosophy of saving seeds is to save seeds from the best plants. Save spinach seed from plants that are slow to bolt, and are frost hardy. Save seeds from the earliest and tastiest tomato. Select the tastiest and hardiest kale. By saving seeds you can customize your garden and increase your chances of having repeated success. But don’t think you have to save every kind of seed you’ll need; attend Seedy Saturday and plug into the larger community of seed savers who can help fill any gaps left in your seed inventory. At the community table you can trade seeds or buy them inexpensively. Bring your extra kale seeds and trade for calendula. Bring some of the seeds from those tasty tomatoes and trade for pepper seeds. Even if you haven’t managed to save seeds at all, Seedy Saturday is still your best source for local, organic, open-pollinated seeds. In addition to the community seed swap table there are

Celebrating Pollinators at Qualicum’s Seedy Saturday

numerous local vendors who have a great selection of seeds. Remember that you need to buy open-pollinated seeds if you want to successfully save your own seeds for next year to grow or to trade. Speaking of Pollination, to celebrate the Qualicum event’s 10th anniversary, the theme this year is “10 Years of Growing: Buzzing Right Along”. It honours the relationship between pollinators and plants, and pollinators and our gardens and farms. It’s this relationship that is the basis of seed production and indeed the basis for all life on earth. We often think of honey bees as pollinators, but that is just the beginning of the list. Butterflies, tiny wasps that don’t sting humans, as well as those that do!, hummingbirds, flies, moths, and many types of bees are also active in pollination. Planning a garden that has an ongoing show of diverse flowers not only feeds our soul, but helps to feed our pollinators in a shrinking natural ecosystem. Creatures that are attracted by nectar exchange pollination services for a lovely drink.

To learn more, attend Linda Gilkeson’s evening presentation on Friday February 3rd about pollinators. Linda presents again on Saturday to help you tune-up this year’s garden. Also on Saturday, Gord Hutchings will speak about native pollinators, and Bernie Dinter will teach us about managing a home orchard. All the Seedy events have a great roster of speakers included in the price of admission. What a great deal!! For more information on seed saving, and Qualicum Seedy Saturday vendors, speakers, and schedules, visit their website at www. qbseedysaturday.com

Seedy Saturday - February 4th Qualicum Beach Civic Centre, 747 Jones Street

www.eyesonbc.com | January 2012

Steering the Course

by Brenda Timbers

n January the fruitcake has disappeared and you’d lead a mutiny to get hold of the last Turtle in the box. Has butter and sugar raced through your bloodstream and are you now languishing in the doldrums? This might be just the time to take stock and steer into 2012 on a course for health and well-being. Maintaining weight control programs and fitness regimes are challenges for life; there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution. Articles on weight loss are a constant theme in magazines, and there are many fine books on the subject. Most of us know exactly what we should be doing, but never underestimate the ability of a group of fat cells to wrest the helm from your grip. If you’re intent on keeping, or regaining, your position as captain of your ship there are many local options available for you to explore. Exercise; can you dig deep and find your way to that endorphin rush? If you’ve gathered together some walking friends, laughter and stories can whittle away the miles as your muscles gain strength. But if all your walking buddies are far away on foreign seas and you need to stretch into new areas, why not call on some of the exercise experts in our area. In Bowser, Susan Voerman owns and runs The Powerhouse Fitness Club. Susan believes in the power of setting S.M.A.R.T goals. This acronym is to remind us to set goals that are S specific, M measurable, A achievable, R realistic and T for goals that can be achieved in a reasonable time. Don’t just promise yourself you’ll walk, make a commitment to walking a specific distance 3 times a week. “Celebrating achievements, even the small ones, is an important factor in making a lifestyle change,” Susan comments. “Building muscle speeds up your metabolism and cardio exercise burns fat. Age is no barrier; we have customers in their 80’s and 90’s whose commitment to fitness is inspirational. Living a healthy lifestyle can lengthen your life, but more importantly it improves the quality of your life.” If Bowser is your area and you’d like to find out more about The Powerhouse Fitness Club, its gym or its circuit training courses, call Susan at 778 424-3488.

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In Qualicum Beach, Catherine Morin is the owner of the local Curves; a fitness centre whose mandate is strengthening women. In her seven years of involvement with Curves Catherine has seen her clients grow in both strength and confidence. Being part of these transformations motivates and inspires her. “It takes a great deal of courage for a woman to open those doors and walk in, and I’ll do anything I can to help her do the rest,” says Catherine. In January Curves is launching a new program called Curves Complete, which combines a 30 minute workout program with food plans, shopping lists and motivation material. If Curves sounds like it would be a good match to help you grab hold of the tiller and guide yourself towards an energetic year, call Catherine at 250 752-3399. Peter Day from the Guthrie Acupuncture Clinic in Comox comments on the nature of weight loss and fitness. “Chinese medicine is highly personal and holistic, dealing with people on both physical and emotional levels. While no one solution works for everybody, a lot of clients find the combination of learning to eat food that suits their body constitution, combined with acupuncture, is the key to successfully gaining control. We are looking toward a long term program of getting the body to heal itself.” If this approach interests you, Peter can be reached at 250 339-3394. Weight Watchers’ website (weightwatchers.ca) talks about ‘eating right and living healthy’, and this excellent group has helped many a becalmed sailor find the right wind to begin moving again. Peer support can be an integral part of getting to and maintaining a healthy life style. TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) is a North American grass roots weight loss group whose website (Tops.org) talks about real people and real weight loss. In Fanny Bay, a small but vibrant TOPS Chapter uses inspiration and encouragement to help those who need it. A weekly weigh-in and discussion group focus on the positive, congratulating achieved goals and buoying up spirits. In Fanny Bay you can contact Joan Cavers at 250 3350194 or in Qualicum Beach call Judy Chaffin at 250 752-6686. So best wishes to all for 2012, and no matter what direction you decide to sail, may you be master of your ship and find fair weather and good health ahead. ~

By Carolyn Walton

lthough we live in paradise, one still does get the travel bug. As a journalist who has travelled the globe on assignment for the past thirty years, I’d love to share my experiences with you and keep readers up to date with the travel scene. First, the plight of the solo traveller. “I’m a super senior, a widower after 40 years of marriage and I’m sick and tired of paying the single supplement,” a gentleman complains, thus echoing the concerns of many mature travellers. Cruise lines, in particular, handicap the solo traveller with a hefty single supplement, so if like Garbo, you “vant to be alone”, you pay! Most cruise lines, including Oceania and Royal Caribbean, will charge 200% of the price of double occupancy, realizing that the more people, the more revenue from casinos, boutiques and bars. Consequently many groups have sprung up that match roommates. This isn’t always ideal either as I know from experience when billeted with a stranger I got a snorer and someone who talked in her sleep! Often even relatives don’t work out. My mother-in-law roomed with her sister on an Alaskan cruise only to discover her sister wouldn’t leave the cabin after dinner and mom was reluctant to venture out on her own! Fortunately, at least two cruise lines have some great offers. Angela Giannotti at Expedia Cruise Ship Centre in Parksville says “Uniworld, voted by Condé Nast Traveler readers as the #1 river cruise line in the world, has waived its single supplements on 18 select 2012 departures,

BUCKS & THE

$INGLE TRAVELLER!

including Castles along the Rhine, Danube Discovery, Grand Treasures of Europe and Paris and Normandy.” Silversea Cruise lines, the ultimate in small ship luxury, has announced single supplements from only 10% to 25% above the double occupancy fares on select voyages. Exclusively for solo guests, a welcoming champagne reception is hosted aboard every Silversea voyage, and select voyages are escorted by Gentlemen Hosts, as dance partners or dinner companions for single female guests, as well as participating in other shipboard activities and shore excursions. I have cruised several times when these men were onboard and always found them to be delightful companions. Single men aged 40 to 70 who enjoy dancing and games can contact Lauretta Blake, the Working Vacation Inc., at host@compassspeakers. com. Ton den Hartigh of Oceanside Travel in Qualicum Beach advises clients to travel with someone they know. Otherwise he believes that “paying the extra money guarantees a stress-free trip as you Silversea’s “Silver Wind” (foreground) anchored at Valletta, Malta might find yourself incompatible with a roommate”. He says he will take a name in case someone else is looking for company but takes no responsibility for the match. He mentions that Viking River Cruises and Avalon Waterways also waive single supplements on selected cruises.

There are a couple of local groups that will match you with a cruise roommate to avoid the single supplement. Val Liddle of The Singles Travel Club in Burnaby has expanded the group to Nanaimo, holding monthly dinner meetings at the ABC Restaurant, followed by a travel meeting and socializing. A social is organized about six weeks prior to each departure where people can meet and choose their roommate. Guests are generally in the 55 plus age range. Trips to Cuba, the Galapagos, New Orleans and cruises, are planned. Contact Val at val@jubileetravel.com. And from her office in Langley, Gloria Watson operates the Travel Buddies Travel Club finding roommates for upcoming trips to Scotland, river cruises in France and America’s Music Cities. Travel questions? Topics you’d like discussed? Contact me at wordsbywalton@shaw.ca. Silversea “Silver Wind” photo by Carolyn Walton.

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(250)-954-0506 for an appointment. www.eyesonbc.com | January 2012

Bagels the size of life-preservers!

by Linda Watts, Registered Nutritionist

IS PORTION-SIZE THE KEY TO WEIGHT LOSS?

first line of defense needs to be eating smaller portions. We have to start putting less food on our plates, especially for those of us who aren’t great at listening to our fullness cues.

ach year Canadians spend billions of dollars on diet pills, herbs, supplements and programs that promise miraculous weight loss. Almost all these products and regimens are based on one premise: if we want to trim our waistlines we need to stop eating certain foods or, perhaps, eliminate particular food groups from our diet altogether.

A friend recently told me an interesting story about plates and portions: A young couple was getting ready to move out of province and in an attempt to do some early preparation, they packed most of their dishes six months in advance. For meals prior to leaving town, they set aside luncheon plates.

The weight loss industry is extremely preoccupied with the types of food we put in our mouths. But it’s not carbohydrates, fats, or sugar that makes us gain weight. It’s not that we’re eating the wrong combinations of food or that we’re having meals and snacks that are detrimental to our blood type. The problem is we’re eating too much. The culprit is our portion sizes. Over the past 30 years, portions have subtly and steadily increased. Bagels resemble lifepreservers. Our dinner plates look more like serving platters. All this is not helpful given that many of us abide by the law of portion size: the more food we have in front of us, the more we eat. Dr. Barbara Rolls and her colleagues at Penn State University have repeatedly seen this law in action. Rolls and her team observed that research volunteers habitually ate more when served larger amounts of food. Hungry or not, their study participants consumed greater quantities of sandwiches, snack foods, or restaurant meals, compared to when they were given smaller portions. Similar behaviour has been studied in children and it appears the law of portion size kicks in somewhere between the ages

The couple ate the same food as usual but lunch and dinner were served on these smaller-sized dishes. Lo and behold, their clothes began to fit differently and over a six month period both of them lost a significant amount of weight. Neither of them realized they were consuming less food until their bodies began to shrink.

of three and five. Researchers, Dr. Leann Birch (also of Penn State University) and Dr. Jennifer Fisher of Baylor College of Medicine reported that 3-year olds, when given a lot of food, will eat only until they feel full. They’re not influenced by serving size. But by the age of 5, something changes – a child will pretty much eat whatever portion they’re given. Clearly, large portions encourage us to eat past the point of feeling full. We like to keep munching away. So how do we overcome our human nature and win this battle? Our

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It’s ironic that so much money is blown on the dieting industry, yet many of us rarely consider reducing portions as a weight management option: a strategy that’s practical, effective, and economical. Most diet products and programs don’t fit our everyday lives. They fail to work because their approach to food isn’t in sync with the way we really eat. Cutting out our favorite foods is a lousy idea but cutting down on how much we eat of them is more realistic. Linda Watts is a registered dietitian living on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Send questions or comments to wattslin@ gmail.com

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www.eyesonbc.com | January 2012

PARA-SCIENCE: EXPLORATION AND DISCUSSION LET’S ACKNOWLEDGE EACH OTHER, AND SMILE A LITTLE MORE by Phyllis Chubb

ay the year ahead be one of beauty, joy and inner peace for every one of us! Does this sound like a dream? It isn’t a dream, it’s a possibility and we can make it come true by where we focus our attention. The judgments we associate with what we are focusing on will also play a part. Basically it will be up to us to decide if the wish is an illusion or a reality. Simply put, where we keep our consciousness and the judgments we attach to them make the difference between a positive or negative experience. Tremendous advances have been made in the field of neurology. It wasn’t that long ago the adage about old dogs being unable to learn new tricks was generally accepted. Today that debilitating notion has been rejected and as a result new worlds have opened for many people. Retirement no longer is a time to sit and do nothing. It is a time to do all the things there was no time for when working. This means new languages can be learned, new areas of interest can be studied and new fields of expertise can be developed.

What created this change in attitude? Recognition of the brain’s ability to be programmed is called plasticity. It is this plasticity that enables us to learn new skills. The ancients were aware of the ability of the brain to be re-trained as well as the value of the mature brain. The trick now is to exercise our willingness to embrace a little self-discipline and push ourselves into new areas of learning and the self-monitoring of our conscious focus. Besides the awareness of the ability to continue learning other things have been discovered, such as is the effect of prolonged negative thinking on our overall health, and that is scary. Also, the general dumbing down of the population has been attributed to television, computers and video games. The reasons have nothing to do with the content of the programs rather it is because of how our brains get programmed: we expect rapid external activity. This expectation seriously limits our ability to concentrate. Why? Because when we are engaged in these activities our focus is outside of ourselves. We become passive rather than active participants such as is required when we read. The accuracy of these findings is easy to recognize. Remember how our grandparents could recite long poems? Today we have a tough time remembering telephone numbers! We don’t have to remember them; they are in speed dial or the cell phone directory. One way to help ourselves re-program our brains is to turn the TV and computer off. Try picking up a book, even if it is a picture book. If perchance sleep arrives after the first couple of pages it’s obvious more practice for the gray matter is required.

2012 IS THE YEAR TO GET FIT AND HEALTHY!!

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Another way to exercise our brain is to pay attention to where our thoughts go. It seems negative thoughts interfere with the energy flow within our bodies. Prolonged periods of negativity directly impact our physical functioning at many levels. None of us want to hear this. We all have bad days and if our body is going through a rough period we don’t need someone telling us we brought the problem onto ourselves. Nevertheless, the extent of the correlations between poor health and negativity are astounding! Given this knowledge, it may be time to pay more attention to where we put our consciousness, to what we focus on. Let’s begin this year with making a habit of recognizing what is, while paying special attention to the beauty around us. Let’s acknowledge each other, smile a little more, and take a moment to smell the flowers…..even if they aren’t out yet. With a little effort we can all pay more attention to what we focus on and the judgments we make. Chances are it will take very little effort for all of us to have beauty, joy and inner peace in the years ahead. Phyllis can be contacted through her web site at www.phyllischubb. com or by email at phyllis@phyllischubb.com

WWW.POWERHOUSEFITNESSCLUB.COM 12 January 2012 | www eyesonbc.com

Behind the scenes at ECHO by Aileen Fabris

rior to a Production appearing at the Village Theatre in Qualicum Beach, ECHO Players has a variety of ‘goings on’ behind the stage. The Playreading Committee meets regularly to read and review scripts. This committee then provides the Artistic Direction Committee with an extensive list of recommended plays which they think will appeal to a broad spectrum of theatrical genres. In August each year the Artistic Direction Committee contacts all potential directors requesting expressions of interest in directing for the following season. Criteria for selecting plays includes: providing theatre of a high standard for all age groups, audience appeal, artistic challenge to both actors and directors, balance between male and female actors and staying within the constraints of resources. Some of these are: financial, talent available, theatre facilities and theatrical feasibility – can the right lighting effects be achieved, a convincing set be built and suitable furnishings begged or borrowed?

on a map because they get most of their customers from cars disabled when they hit the pothole on Main Street. Scandal-sheet reporter Arthur Lyman decides to do an expose on the pothole “scam” and checks into the bed and breakfast. During his stay he’s fined eight times, dragged across town by the local watchdog and fired from his job. The ending? Come find out! Get your tickets to the Village Theatre 250-7523522 or email info@echoplayers.ca “You Can’t Get There from Here” runs February 9 – 26 Wednesday to Saturday 7.30 p.m. with Sunday Matinees at 2 p.m. You can also visit the website: www.echoplayers.ca ~

By February each year actual dates for the next season’s plays are selected and Directors are submitting a synopsis of their play for inclusion in the season brochure. If their play is accepted, the first thing a Director does is find a good Producer to be their right hand man/woman. Next, auditions are advertised and a cast selected. A set is designed to fit the measurements of the stage and a construction crew found along with technicians for lighting, people to furnish the set and others to seek out the right props; a sound engineer selected – the telephone has to ring at the right time you know. Not the least of the organizing, a front of house crew is gathered – ushers, folk to run the concession plus an overall manager to make sure all necessary theatre supplies are in place. Posters to be delivered along with tent cards; and last, but definitely not the least, publicity sought through a variety of media Director Wendy Punter likes staging comedies; her preference is for everyday language neither farcical nor far fetched with a variety of characters to be developed. Pat Cook’s “You Can’t Get There from Here” hit the spot and takes place in the Mavis Garner Bed and Breakfast. It is not the sort of place you’d find on the freeway or even

www.eyesonbc.com | January 2012

january jobs by Harry Sumner & Miriam Shell

appy New Year and thanks for all your gardening questions. We base our articles on what you want to know, so keep them coming. Come say hi to us at Seedy Saturday, February 4 at the Civic Centre in Qualicum Beach.

Take care of a few maintenance chores while you can. Clean or upgrade all your gardening tools. Prepare to spray trees by ensuring you have dormant oil, lime sulfur, and a usable sprayer. Trees are sprayed in February or March depending on the weather. Soil samples can be taken now, and sent in for analysis so you have the results by spring to help you decide on appropriate soil amendments. Don’t forget to water plants growing under eaves and protected areas. They do not get rained on and need moisture in order to survive the winter.

Inside the house, there is a lot to do as well. It’s a great time of year to do your planning. Poring over seasonal catalogues and exploring Q: We miss our garden. Please give us some new cultivars can be a lot of fun for the avid suggestions for how to pass the winter months. gardener. Many wonderful Internet gardening sites can be browsed to keep you interested A: There are lots of things to do in winter both outside and in. Outside, be careful if it’s and informed. Make drawings of your (new) been frosty. Walking on frosty lawns or beds beds and make decisions about changes or new plantings. Research plants’ characteristics will cause damage, so it’s best to wait until temperatures are above freezing to work in the and needs to find the best specimens for specific locations and conditions. yard.

start with fresh seed. Make sure seed starting equipment is clean and ready to go for the spring. You can start some seeds now, especially if you have warm, moist conditions like a greenhouse or heated sunroom to help them. Many people enjoy growing a herb garden indoors if they are lucky enough to have a bright, sunny window. Parsley, rosemary, basil, chives, and mints will add fragrance and beauty to your home as well as provide fresh herbs for your culinary pursuits. Don’t forget to tend to your houseplants, especially now when they are dormant and may be susceptible to diseases and insects. Water and fertilize less, though misting is a good idea to maintain humidity. Check under leaves and on stems for mealy bugs, white fly, and scale then treat with insecticidal soap if needed.

A lovely way to bring the outdoors in is to sensibly trim unwanted branches of quince, forsythia, and flowering ornamental cherry, and put them in the house in room temperature water. Soon, they will bloom for you, As soon as weather permits, if you forced any An interesting idea is to do a germination bulbs or received live trees during the holidays test on any seeds you’ve saved from previous heralding the coming spring. don’t hesitate to plant them. They need to get growing seasons. You can look up the steps, Harry Sumner is a certified arborist & garden into the ground as soon as possible to restart but basically, you are testing a small number coach. Gardening questions are welcome at of a particular type to determine how well their seasonal clocks. 250-248-4512 or shellms@telus.net. they germinate. If even a few don’t germinate,

DREAM HOME ... continued from page 5 mind-boggling, and the thoughtful approach to the art, ocean and music aspect of the house greets visitors around every corner. The stunning playable harp embedded at the base of the stairwell is a major feature, but no more so than the art gallery-style front entrance way, the tile maple leaves that adorn the interior of one of the upstairs guest showers or the glowing stained glass door featuring arbutus and evergreen trees depicting evening on the coast. The majority of materials used in construction have been sourced on Vancouver Island, including the old-growth fir for the front door, the cedar lining of each closet, and the stunning western maple that adorns the walls of the unique and cozy English-style den. Rather than molding, all of the interior finishing is solid wood created in Camelot’s shops, and there isn’t a nail used anywhere in the finishing

14 January 2012 | www eyesonbc.com

work. Traditional building methods have been employed to create a home that will withstand the tests of time and weather, right down to the fact that the place is hurricaneproof. “To me, it’s like going back to the way things used to be done – it’s not just slapped together,” says Mariellen.

“These guys have been so enthusiastic and excited about the house,” says Mariellen. “The creativity has been amazing, and we have appreciated the fact that we could get four or five of those creative people together and they would all agree on things. There were no prima donnas.”

“The whole idea was to make this house timeless, not trendy,” adds Dan. “And, it is green-built to a platinum level. It’s beyond anything I’ve ever done, and is one of the top green-built houses on the Island, if not in B.C.”

She concludes, with a big smile: “Everyone knows how stressful it can be trying to get a house built. But we’re nearly done, and I still love all of these guys. I think that says a lot for every one of them, and for what a happy experience they have created for us.”

“We’ve had a lot of trust from Mariellen and Joe,” says Jeremy. “It’s a gift that they have allowed me to work on this home.”

Shirley Culpin is a freelance writer living in Qualicum Beach, BC.

For Mariellen and Joe perhaps one of the best aspects of this project has been working with such a talented and agreeable team.

along a winter forest trail by Nancy Whelan

eaves, their colour, size, shape and little peculiarities can be confusing enough when it comes to identifying our local trees, but come winter when the leaves are brown and crumpled underfoot and the trees stand stark and bare against the sky, then how do we tell which tree is which? In keeping with our nature and seasonal oriented articles on winter activities, we’ll take a sharp look at a few of our more common trees and see what details we can pick out to identify them without their summer foliage. Three things to notice are habitat (wet? dry? same or mixed species?); bark (colour, smooth, rough, patchy); shape (the skeleton of the tree). Because the general shape or outline of a bare tree changes as it gets older, it’s often easier to zero in on a mature specimen when trying to identify it. And we’ll deal only with our deciduous trees, as the evergreens remain much the same whatever the season. If you can make a certain identification of a few different species of trees which you will see regularly, it’s a good idea to look

A well formed, bare tree against the winter sky or with a background of dark evergreens is a beautiful piece of work.

continued next page

www.eyesonbc.com | January 2012

through the seasons - CONTINUED critically at each one every time you encounter it and soon its image or outline will become familiar and you’ll easily recognize others of its kind when you see them. The red alder (Alnus rubra) is common in most coastal situations. It likes moist woods and streambanks, and often grows in pure stands – i.e. with no other species mixed in with it. The bark is thin and dirty grey in colour, perhaps blotched with lighter patches of lichens. The branches are irregularly spaced and long and tend to point upward. In thick stands of alder in quite wet locations the trees may lean rather drunkenly in one direction or another. Easily distinguished from the alder, is the wide-spreading, bushy form of the broadleaf or bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum). This maple is often found in somewhat drier sites than the alder, though it accommodates to moist areas and may grow among stands of Douglas fir. Its mature bark is greyish-brown and ridged, and may be so covered with mosses that it’s almost invisible. On some venerable old trees other plants like the little licorice fern may take root in their mossy branches. The broadleaf maple sometimes sports two or more trunks growing close together. The black cottonwood (Populus balsamifera ssp.trichocarpa) loves stream sides and riverbanks, sand and gravel islands midstream in rivers, and disturbed upland sites. The mature cottonwood has dark grey deeply furrowed bark. The tree’s shape changes quite dramatically as it ages, and its young, conical shape with upright

16 January 2012 | www eyesonbc.com

branches gradually change to thick and crooked and often broken limbs leaving the tree looking flat-ish on top. As lower limbs break off, the cottonwood may assume an almost scraggly ‘feather duster’ appearance. Our provincial tree, the Pacific dogwood (Cornus nuttallii) when not growing in a mixed forest, seems to prefer open edges of the woods, and in the spring gives us a good show of its white flowers along the roadsides. In winter, however, it’s not nearly so easy to pick out. The blackish-brown bark is fairly smooth; in older trees it develops fine ridges. The dogwood may grow as a lop-sided bush with up-pointing branches. When able to grow without too much crowding by other trees it has a flaring crown with open, airy, outspread branches. It may take some time to instantly recognize and identify our winternaked trees, but the more we pay them attention, the more readily their names will come to mind. A well formed, bare tree against the winter sky or with a background of dark evergreens is a beautiful piece of work. Getting accustomed to noticing them gives us one more pleasure to enjoy during the dark days of winter. Some references to help with bare tree i.d. are; “Plants of Coastal British Columbia” by Pojar and MacKinnon; “Trees and Shrubs in Winter” by Rosamund Pojar and Evi Coulson; “Trees Shrubs and Flowers to Know in BC.” By C.P. Lyons and Bill Merilees

On the Road to a Real Meal

How the Indie Restaurant is Making Headway Just off the Highway

by Lisa Verbicky

never thought it would happen to me. That I would find myself packed into one of those miniature ‘fuel efficient’ hatchbacks with my husband, a ten and an eight year old, two window blocking hockey bags, and a stick in my back racing between the Comox Valley and Victoria. To my horror, I have also witnessed a new sub-sized ‘ledge’ on my stomach that I assume owes to the avalanche of wrappers full of crusts, ice-berg lettuce, and dribbles of ‘southwest’ sauce that fall out of my car every Sunday evening. Two-weeks ago, I had the unfortunate experience of eating a 12 dollar handful of colourless ‘salad’ with a frozen chicken strip and some ‘ranch’ dressing while watching semi-trucks spew mud at my car in the parking lot. The bedraggled, ‘your order bores me’ waitress was most certainly hung-over and resembled a vampire. The air conditioning was on, in December. Restaurant of the living dead. To spare future hockey moms, day-trippers, and visitors this same grim experience, my advice to you is get off the beaten track where you will often find healthy food, unique atmosphere, and comparable prices at independent establishments. Our island is littered with fantastic local eateries, many of which are not only serving up dinner but serving our local economies and communities. According to statistics by the Canadian Restaurants and Foodservices Association (CRFA), restaurants contribute some $60 billion in annual sales to the national economy. Of those, 64% are independent. A report by market research firm Mintel Group says that 43% of Americans seek

out independents over chains, and 51% of those surveyed also said that they would do so even if the prices were higher. About 52% of those who eat at independents do so to support their local economies, and most prefer the food and service, says the report. My feeling is that statistic is about to grow based on consumers, like myself, looking for the best bang for my buck in terms of taste, quality, quantity, health and price. The average profit margin for restaurants is just 4.4% with 35.5% food costs and 34.8% labor costs. Overall, says the CRFA website, the average operator made a pretax profit of $26,890 in 2009. It’s a tough business, especially for independents who typically cannot compete with highway-side real estate, and national or international marketing dollars in tough economic times. Most independents fail within the first twoyears. Those that succeed do so because they love food, and are invested in their product, their staff, and their communities. Success comes down to caring about people, says Sheila Hutchison, owner of the Bean Counter in Bowser, from their customers to their staff. “Customer service is all that matters,” she says. “We’re really connected to the

community and nothing makes us happier than serving familiar faces everyday.” According to Hutchison, and many of the successful independents I have spoken with, the secret to customer service is in having motivated and ethical staff, says Hutchison who has virtually no staff turnover, a rare thing in a small town. “We all love to cook and we encourage each other’s creativity,” she says, “We’re like a little family here.” The Bean Counter is a hub of activity that serves ‘from-scratch’ baking, homemade healthy soups, signature lattes, and specials for everyone from broccoli-yogurt salad to a large portion of meat lasagna. Prices range from about $4 to $8, and they’re right off Highway 19A in Bowser at Magnolia Court, 250-757-9565. In Qualicum Beach alone, with it’s antifast-food franchise philosophy there are dozens of smaller shops serving up anything from homemade signature meatball soup, to raw or authentic pizza, pretzel sandwiches, turkey panini’s, oceanfront fish, chips & croquettes, Asian fare, hand-crafted macaroni & cheese, a signature “QB” muffin, to $5 bacon and eggs, signature continued on page 25

LB Bookkeeping Lexia Baich, BBA Tel: (250) 616-9744

Level 4 CGA · Accounting Fraud Prevention Simply Accounting · Quickbooks Qualicum to Courtenay

Email: Lbbookkeeping@rocketmail.com

www.eyesonbc.com | January 2012

barry kurland Teacher • Farmer • Trustee

By Rita Levitz

ow do you teach creativity? How do you bring creativity to bear on your daily life, on solving community issues? These are the questions that resonate for Barry Kurland, newly-elected Area H School Board Trustee, the questions he has spent a lifetime exploring. His early years in southern California were in stark contrast to the life he chose when he came to Canada forty years ago. “I was best friends with Clark Gable’s stepson; we used to play with his dad’s Oscar. There was no shortage of things to do growing up near

Full Service Hair and Esthetics Salon Feather Extensions • Chi Smoothing Treatment • Artificial Nails #1 - 707 Primrose St. , Qualicum Beach www.autumnshairandrachelsesthetics.com 18 January 2012 | www eyesonbc.com

Barry Kurland • submitted photo Hollywood, not to mention the beach and the glorious weather.” But the political climate left something to be desired. “By 1970, I knew things were not going to get much better. Although I could always travel freely back and forth, I still remember the wrenching feeling of leaving everything behind. You can only do that when you’re twentyone. Barry’s first teaching job was at Qualicum Beach Senior Secondary, in 1973. “I taught science and math. All my life people had said to me,

continued next page

continued from previous page ‘You’d be a good teacher.’ I’d considered other occupations, from pilot to astronomer to meteorologist, but teaching seemed like a noble profession.” “After two years, though, I realized that at twenty-five, I was too young to be giving advice; there was still so much I needed to do and learn. I’d been in school all my life, and here I was, still in school. I needed to continue my own adventure.” Barry left teaching and lived for twelve years on a 160 square-foot floathouse beside a small island in Lasqueti’s False Bay. “I think of the floathouse as a careful blend of the 16th and 20th centuries. On Lasqueti, I was lucky to find expert carpentry and boatbuilding teachers and guides who also fed my hunger to learn how to live in the world, consciously and creatively.” He also involved himself in programs at the Lasqueti School. “I learned so much from Steve Hamilton, who is now Principal at Nanoose Elementary. He was an inspiration for me that there was more than one way of teaching, that you could use the world as your classroom.” Barry returned to teaching on Lasqueti ; he also was elected Island Trust Representative, similar to our RDN Director. Eventually returning to our area, Barry taught at the elementary, middle and high school levels. He was teaching photography at KSS when he retired four years ago. “Teaching photography was where it all came together for me. Throughout my career, I had pondered how to teach creativity, how to teach students, regardless of level or subject area, to see the world in new ways. I finally came to the conclusion that you can’t teach it—you can only provide the space and guidance for them to develop the confidence and courage to make that leap themselves.” Barry is looking forward to taking all that he has learned, all that he has experienced, and putting it to service in yet another way for our District. “I want to say thanks for the support and the trust I’ve been given. We are building an education machine for a world twenty years from now, and we have no idea what that world will look like. How do we do that? We have to trust people’s instincts and provide the creativity and space for it to evolve.” “I look at this huge machine, like a giant ocean liner. It’s not easy to get it to change course, or to stop it and get it turned around. It takes a lot of energy to maneuver, and you have to be smart about it. We have to find the best way, the most creative way, to use our influence with finesse.” Barry laughs, “One of my favourite books is Sun Tsu’s “The Art of War.” Sample quote: “Opportunities multiply as they are seized.” Creating and multiplying opportunities are reflected in Barry’s home as well. Along with his wife Cathy and daughter Piper, he has recently moved to a twenty-acre parcel of land between Baylis and Boorman Roads. You may have seen Barry’s garlic at the Fall Fair. “The plan is to have a full-on organic farm. My wife has Friesen heritage sheep and Dexter cows. We’ll eventually have a market garden and perhaps a farm store. Someday I’ll get back into flying, but right now I’m plane-less—the plane has been turned into a tractor.” “We live in a world of such incredible mystery; the more you learn, the more you know how mysterious it is.” ~ www.eyesonbc.com | January 2012

Baron of Beef Buffet with Yorkshire pudding, assorted salads, vegetables, au jus, gravy & mashed potatoes. Includes one dessert

PER PERSON

+ TAX

BURGER MONTH

Here’s a sneak peek at some of our world famous, delicious gourmet burgers coming for the month of January and February Roast Pork Buffet with assorted salads, vegetables & mashed potatoes. Includes one dessert

20 January 2012 | www eyesonbc.com

36 BURGERS TO CHOOSE FROM ...

PER PERSON

+ TAX

Panko Crusted Chicken Parmesan Burger

Buffalo Blue Chicken Burger

Greek Lamb Burger

Bull’s Eye Pub Burger

Mesquite Smoked Sirloin Beef Burger

Bet you’ve never tried these two ... Rockefeller Burger - Local fresh oysters,

Topped with our home made tomato sauce, mozza & parmesan.

Fresh lamb patty with a hint of Greek spice, then oven-baked with feta cheese and topped with tzatziki. With all the trimmings.

Alpine Burger

Pork schnitzel topped with sauerkraut & swiss cheese.

Blue cheese and Frank’s Red Hot Sauce “They put that _ _ _ _ on everything!” Deep fried onion rings & Chipotle Mayo

herbs, fresh spinach, bacon & creamy Alfredo sauce.

Chicken Neptune - Topped with smoked salmon and cream cheese.

All Homemade • All Served with Fries or Salad 115 2nd Avenue, Qualicum Beach • GarysBistro@shaw.ca

Happy New Year

Early Bird Menu

Visit these fine restaurants and food outlets on the Internet for a peek at their complete menus and more ...

INCLUDES SOUP OR SALAD & DESSERT

Daily 4-5:30pm

FROM

Fanny Bay Inn • www.fannybayinn.com Deez Bar & Grill • www.deezbarandgrill.com Fish Tales • www.fishtalescafe.com Lefty’s • www.leftys.tv Giovanni’s Ristorante • www.giovannisqualicum.com Gary’s Bistro • www.garysbistro.ca

Eggs: the original superfood (NC)—It’s not unusual to see exotic foods like acai and goji berries cited for their antioxidant benefits, but the egg is truly one of nature’s superfoods. This proteinpacked staple has a lot to offer.

Cozy Tudor-style Restaurant

Did you know? • A large Canada Grade A egg has only 70 calories and 6 grams of protein. • The yolk contains half the egg’s protein and the majority of its nutrients. • Eggs contain 14 essential nutrients. • Eggs are one of the few foods to be considered a complete protein because they contain all nine essential amino acids. • As one of the few foods that naturally contains vitamin D, this nutrient in eggs helps to strengthen bones and teeth. • Lutein and zeaxanthin may sound like super heroes but they’re actually nutrients in eggs that can contribute to maintaining good vision. More information, as well as recipes and helpful tips, can be found at eggs.ca.~

Dinner Special

Starter Caesar Salad Fish & Chips Sticky Toffee Pudding Wed-Sat 4-9pm • Sunday Noon-9pm

Lunch Special Take-Out

All you can eat Cod & Chips Thu-Sat 11:30-2pm Wed-Thu 4-9pm

FREE NANAIMO BAR WITH 1 OR 2 PIECE COD & CHIPS

“The Island’s finest fish!” www.fishtalescafe.com 3336 Island Hwy West, Qualicum Beach www.eyesonbc.com | January 2012

Our tide table measurements are taken from the Hornby Island substation. For other tides, visit http://www.waterlevels.gc.ca/english/Canada.shtml on the Internet.

LOCAL TIDE

JANUARY 2012 January-janvier Day Time

Feet Metres

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22 January 2012 | www eyesonbc.com

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some kind of meditation. Consequently, in the West, many erroneously

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getting the whole story should inspire some humility on our part.

Swiss psychologist put it, “What you don’t know controls you.”

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continued from previous page The Hindus described the mind as a drunken monkey constantly jumping all over time and space. There are methods to deal with the monkey mind and countless reasons to do so. Our goal may be to tame the mind, focus the mind, watch, transcend, or awaken. We may be looking for greater peace, freedom, health, inspiration, stillness, or Truth. Regardless of our goal, the basic approach is the same. Close your eyes and stay awake! Because of the drunken monkey mind predicament, some traditions give anchors to help us stay on task – such as mantras, labeling, concentration practices. Most universal is to watch the breath coming in and the breath going out. A 10th grade student at a recent meditation class preferred the labeling technique. As we observe our thoughts, we label them without judgment. “Worry worry… planning planning… memory memory… anger anger...” Saying the label twice separates it from the rambling thoughts themselves. Perhaps you have seen the bumper sticker: “Don’t believe everything you think.” Just because we think a thought does not mean that we believe it, want it, or endorse it. Silva Mind Control recommends that when you observe a miserable thought, tag it quickly with “cancel cancel.” Sure, the thought goes off to wherever thoughts go, but it carries with it the “cancel this thought” label. Meditation is the ultimate practice of letting go. We can’t unthink a thought. We can’t take it back. All you can do is dismiss it. Let it go and move on. But as we watch, we get to know more about ourselves, and eventually, the nature of mind. Most spiritual traditions have mantras, single sounds or short prayers, that you weave into the mind on auto repeat. Man means mind, tra means protect - or take away. To take away the monkey mind. Each time the mantra arises, it lifts the mind up to that higher sound or intention. If you don’t know any mantras, make up your own mantra. Let there be peace. Let Truth prevail. Peace, love and abundance for all. These mantras border on affirmations, which is another path of inner work. Gandhi constantly recited the mantra, RAM. In the Hindu tradition, Ram is a name of God, as well as a just, compassionate, enlightened King. Its letters mean the highest incarnation of divinity in humanity. We can see how the mantra RAM lifted and guided Gandhi. Jesus said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is within you.” The Greek Oracle at Delphi said, “Know Thyself.” The Buddha said, “Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance.” If we have lost ourselves in the outer world, the good news is this - the inner world has not gone anywhere. Things of the outer world will change and disappear, but when we dive deep enough, we can find what is changeless. Such is the blessing of being human - or divine – or whatever it is that we are. Who am I? What am I? Those are the ultimate questions.

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prepared by Lucy Churchill, RN

travel safety tips

anuary is quite often when people get the winter blahs and start thinking about planning a vacation to somewhere warm or exotic.

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24 January 2012 | www eyesonbc.com

With a little knowledge and preparedness you can protect yourself against many common and preventable travel related issues. • Take time to learn about the political, cultural and economic environment of your destination. Learn at least a few key phrases in the country’s language. • Learn the location of the Government of Canada offices in the countries you plan to visit and carry the contact information with you. • Provide family and friends with travel itinerary and contact details. A Canadian passport is a reliable and universally accepted travel and identification document for Canadians. You and each family member should have a valid passport if you plan to travel outside of Canada. KEEP IT SAFE! Drugs and Travel: Do’s and Don’ts Some drugs that are legal in Canada are illegal in other countries. You are subject to the judicial system of every country you visit, and it is your responsibility to know about the drug laws before you go.

DO • Find out if your prescription medications are legal in the countries you plan to visit. Keep all medications in their original labelled container. Carry a note from your doctor clearly explaining the medical reasons for your prescriptions. If syringes are needed, have a medical note stating their use. • Pack your luggage yourself and never leave it unattended • Keep an eye on your children’s luggage. Someone could secretly slip drugs inside. • Never cross a border with a hitchhiker or as a hitchhiker. If your fellow travellers happen

to be carrying, using or selling illegal drugs, you could be found guilty by association. • Find out if certain areas are unsafe. You could find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Always have an up to date map with you.

DON’T

• Be fooled into smuggling drugs in exchange for money or a free vacation. • Carry parcels, gifts or luggage for other people across boarders or through customs under any circumstances. • Give in to temptation to use illegal drugs.

Have a wonderful vacation!

continued from page 17 Bennies, original appies, fine Italian, and even ‘green’ salad. “Having great staff and loyal customers enables us to carry on year after year,” says Joan Smith-Hodgson, the primary owner of Parksville/Qualicum fixture, Lefty’s, who just celebrated its 15th year in business. “It’s a fine line in this business between making and losing money,” she says. “But, you can’t sacrifice quality and service.” In light of an economic downturn that has affected the investments of many senior restaurant goers, new liquor laws, the HST, increasing ferry, food, and labour costs, she remains upbeat and focused on maintaining the integrity of her made-from-scratch food and know-you-by-name ethical customer service and funky atmosphere. When costs go up, the idea is not to increase your prices dramatically or resort to premade or processed foods, but to continue to attract and increase visits by giving the customer what they want at a good price point, says Lucie Kraus Manager of Creekmore’s Coffee in Coombs. On-site roasted coffee also helps. “A small yet diverse menu is the only way to successfully manage costs, keep ingredients fresh, and keep customers happy.” That means yummier and healthier food for you. Creekmore’s offers anything from hearty chili to wheat-free baked goods, and vegetarian breakfasts with prices ranging from a $5 breakfast special to $9 and $10 lunch specials. They are located at 2701 Alberni Hwy. “Sustaining a business is not about being short-sighted,” says Kraus. “It’s about establishing and keeping real relationships with your staff, your customers and your community.”

Heading North, the Courtenay institution The Atlas Cafe at 250 Sixth Street (250338-9838), has been operating on similar principles since 1995, when it opened to fill a void in casual dining. The goal at that time, says owner Sandra Viney, was to provide healthy nourishing, affordable food from nearby. The Atlas was way ahead of its time sourcing its ingredients from local farmers from the beginning. “The difference between successful owner-operated restaurants and chains,” she says, “is the care value, the love value, the personal investment in your food, your business, your customers and your community.” You can literally taste the difference. Although business for the Atlas dipped for the first time in its history after the introduction of the HST, they continue to serve up some of the best food on the island from signature burritos, to fish tacos, a delicious kid’s menu, local seafood, fresh greens, and creative specials for prices that fit most budgets. Turn west off of the Inland Island Highway into Cumberland at the Courtenay exit and you’ll find another great island eatery, Tarbell’s at 2705 Dunsmuir Ave, Cumberland. This mainstay of Cumberland, now under the new ownership of Innes McColl and Mary Kornelsen, is making a good impression with it’s signature soups, like Spicy Black Bean, and sandwiches, such as roast beef with caramelized onions and tomato chutney, in hefty enough portions to feed one big appetite or two medium ones for $9. “Unlike most chain restaurants we have the freedom to go out and hand-pick & purchase quality ingredients without being locked in to a specific supplier. In the summer we frequent farm stands like Sieffert’s in Comox. We also purchase from Butcher’s

Block and Natural Pastures locally. We do not use any frozen ingredients, period,” says Kornelsen.

If you are heading South when you get the growlies, dip into downtown Nanaimo off the Inland Island Hwy at the second Jingle Pot Exit, for a delicious roast chicken sandwich with aioli, a croissant, or a French pastry at Mon Petit Choux at 120 Commercial St. Call ahead to pick to it up at 250-753-6002. Or grab a “Lighter Bite” off of the Acme Food Co. menu at 14 Commercial St. including Butter Chicken, California Rolls or MiniCheese Burgers with a side for between $6 and $10, or a full-sized sandwich or burger with side for $11 to $13. Call ahead at 250753-0042. In Ladysmith, try Roberts Street Pizza Co. for signature take-out pizzas and pastas after 4 pm, at 20 Roberts Street and First Ave (turn off of the highway at City Hall.) You can get two large pizzas for about $32. Call ahead to order at 250-245-1119. Finally, Duncan, the site of my latest ‘food crime’ at the aforementioned zombie restaurant. Yet, after asking friends who live there, once you are off the main road, Duncan is a jewel of 100-Mile fare and healthy home-cooking. Next time you’re cruising through, check out the Duncan Garage Cafe & Bakery, right off the highway onto Trunk Road at 330 Duncan Street for vegetarian, organic and homey meals and goodies. Call 250-748-6223. I’m sure there are many, many more great stops up and down the island that serve their own unique communities their own unique fare, you just have to look. ~ Editor’s Note: check our website for more great Indie restaurant suggestions on Vancouver Island. www.eyesonbc.com

Phone: 250-757-8944 Fax: 250-757-8654

Open daily 8am to 8pm www.eyesonbc.com | January 2012

Meet the Honour Students of Kwalikum Secondary School Over the next several months, we will introduce the Grade 12 Kwalikum Secondary students who are currently completing their achievement requirements for induction into the Qualicum Beach Honours Society. “The Directors of the Society believe that our community benefits when our youth strive for excellence.” To find out how you can support their endeavours, please contact KSS Principal, Jesse Witte at (250) 752-5651.

cassidy Conover I am so grateful

to have grown up in such an encouraging, loving, and simply beautiful community as Qualicum Beach. Immediate future aspirations include attending the University of Victoria to complete a Bachelor of Science degree, and experiencing more of what Canada has to offer by travelling across our country. I strive for individuality and have always been deeply inspired by Robert Frost’s quote “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference.”

Marina Saunders It seems like just yesterday I was heading to my first day of kindergarten. But life, as expected, has come at all of us like a freight train. Currently I am preparing to head to California to study medicine. I have learned a lot living in Qualicum Beach. I am in for a major culture shock moving to LA. Saying goodbye to everything, I truly believe, will be the hardest thing I have ever had to do. It is now time to spread my wings and fly. Esme Kurulak Hello, I’m sixteen

years old and in my senior year at Kwalikum Secondary. I’ve played volleyball for all my high asked what I would like to do with my life I school years and have enjoyed it. Most kids my could simply say, “make a difference.” but age have an idea of what they want to do. I everyone wishes for that and personally I find it however, am undecided, and it scares me. Yet at too general. I would like to become a mechanical the same time it’s exciting because I can explore engineer graduate from Carleton University in who I am. As for the future, my overall goal is to Ottawa, with my degree I will develop safer and be successful in something that I love doing, more productive machinery, making a difference whatever that may be. “When you dance, your in my own way. “When you pray, move your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It’s to enjoy each feet.” - African proverb. step along the way.” – Wayne Dyer.

Kristopher Holland When

Tara Freeman I always push myself to my full potential. I have the confidence and, I believe the ability, to achieve anything I set my mind to in life, that’s why once graduated from KSS I’ll be attending Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where I can take the Neuroscience program, then attend their School of Medicine with my final goal being to become a plastic surgeon.

Tiara Tryon After completing my

final year of high school I am taking a gap year with the Lattitude Global Volunteering Program (www.lattitudecanada.org). I will be going for three months to Fiji to help build the Vutikalulu Centre. For the rest of the year I intend to follow my passion and travel for modeling. I hope to attend the University of Toronto for Law. My long-term goal is to work for the United Nations; I want to make a difference in the World.

Dr. Ian and Maggie Smith of Qualicum Beach congratulate the Honour Students and wish them well in their educational pursuits

Scholarships provide assistance for students (NC)—The cost of a post-secondary education can be a barrier to entry for some students who worry about how they will finance their university or college years. To help alleviate this concern RBC offers students from across Canada the chance to win scholarships to make attending university a reality. Through RBC’s Scholarships Awards for Undergraduates, six students are eligible 26 January 2012 | www eyesonbc.com

annually to win a scholarship valued at $10,000 each. “I am profoundly honoured by the scholarship win and would like to extend my greatest thanks to all those who have helped me to get where I am today,,” said Elizabeth Blight, a previous RBC scholarship winner who is attending Queen’s University with plans to study physics, bio-medical studies and linguistics.

To help ease the financial burden of postsecondary studies, here are some potential sources of funding assistance: • Canadian Merit Scholarship Foundation: The foundation is committed to supporting talented students who show promise of leadership and strong commitment to community service. Visit www.cmsf.ca for details. continued on page 32

Qualicum Beach Town Hall • Linda Tenney photo

By Marilyn Dawson, Reporter

t’s a new year with a new Town Council that has already taken its first steps toward the change that some talked about in their recent campaigns. The inauguration ceremony to herald the arrival of the newly elected is usually a festive affair. Qualicum Beach always presents a little bit of pomp for the occasion; the mayor and councillors, accompanied by S/Sgt Hunter in his RCMP dress reds, were piped in by Mount Arrowsmith Pipe Band Piper Jim McKnight. The Town Crier, Len Mustard performed his duties, and eventually Judge Brian Klaver of the BC Provincial Court administered the Oath of Office to each new member. About 150, or so, residents in festive mood had gathered for the occasion. The mood was short lived. Mayor Teunis Westbroek opened the business part of the proceedings outlining the delegation of responsibilities to each councillor. As he has in the past, he appointed himself as director of the Regional District of Nanaimo. Not so fast, said the new team and Coun. Mary Brouilette moved that Dave Willie become the RDN director, with Scott Tanner as alternate. She was seconded by Coun. Bill Luchtmeijer who said most of the

councillors had campaigned for change and it was time for a new face at the table. The Mayor responded curtly. “This is the first time in the history of Qualicum Beach that the mayor is not the representative at the RDN table. I thought I was elected as mayor to represent this community, but members of council have changed that and subverted the democratic process.” Coun. Brouilette countered that the move was “an indication of democracy. It’s Council’s position to appoint that role for the RDN ….” It was not, she said, a slight against the Mayor’s abilities. (Looking at the polling numbers in the November election, the mayor had a point. He won more votes than any of the councillors at 63.8%, suggesting that those who took the time to cast their ballot were not really looking for change at the top. The issue of the mayor being the town’s representative at the RDN has been a sore point with some previous council members, and the subject has been was mentioned more than once during previous all-candidates nights. The position carries with it an annual stipend of $10,610, plus expenses.)

There was another appointment change. Coun. Tanner was originally appointed as the representative to the Vancouver Island Regional Library Board, but Council changed that to Coun. Brouilette, with Coun. Luchtmeijer as alternate. Other appointments were left intact for now, although Coun. Brouilette moved that the structure of all committees be reviewed in January and the result reported at the February Council meeting. Still on the subject of change, Coun. Luchtmeijer asked Town staff to consider moving the mid-month Wednesday morning meetings from 10 am to 7 pm, an obvious request considering three of the newly elected are part of the business community and presumably work during the day. So much for the festive mood! While a good many stayed to enjoy the reception that followed, the Mayor, who should have been celebrating his fifth term of office with overwhelming popular support, was not in a party mood. He left the building.

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Canadian School of Natural Nutrition: by David Morrison

Education for the Health of it!

don’t necessarily mean resolutions, but if you are like me you will look forward to a new year with aims or targets in mind. You know, like getting stuck into a project or challenge, embarking on something new and exciting, or perhaps finally realizing a dream or ambition. Even better, a combination of all of the above that would in some way benefit others would be the dream scenario. A couple that will be able to relate to this general outlook, right from the first week of 2012, is Dona and Eric Bradley. The Gabriola Island residents proudly open a branch of the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition on January 3. It is the twelfth such school in Canada, yet the first on Vancouver Island. Even then its opening is largely possible because of the campaigning efforts of the persistent Dona, a Registered Holistic Nutritionist who taught her subject in Vancouver for ten years. 28 January 2012 | www eyesonbc.com

“From being on Gabriola and on Vancouver Island I realized how aware people are of holistic health and nutrition” Dona begins, “and I really felt there was a need for a Canadian School of Natural Nutrition on Vancouver Island. I’ve been petitioning Head Office to allow me to put a school in for four years, but they kept saying, ‘No, the Island’s too small and there’s not enough population.’ But I kept bombarding them with statistics for the Island, and demographics like how many naturopaths are here, how many midwives and how many holistic health clinics are here. So, finally, they said yes, and that was a yearand-a-half ago.”

“Teaching the Medicine of the Future” ™, the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition’s raison d’être is pretty straightforward. To quote from the institution’s website, CSNN was “founded for the specific purpose of creating a center (sic) for learning with a strong practical and clinical approach to nutrition.” It is a philosophy for which the Bradleys are passionate, a philosophy that has been a core value in their daily lives for decades. Hitch that passion to their experience and knowledge, and Eric and Dona are naturals for this role, with a lifetime of related work having led up to it. “Eric is educated in food sustainability and has been an organic farmer,” Dona continued on pg 31

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“As a writer I have lived and worked on four continents and travelled through many more. I have seen the best and worst of this thing we call humanity. There continues to be a vast discrepancy between the have and have nots in our world, the ongoing destruction of our natural resources including rain forests in the Amazon and genocide of porpoises in the Pacific. We need, as a race of people, to change how we do things for there to be a quality future for our children and grandchildren and beyond. We, in fact, need mankind to be kinder to man.” ~ Michael B Poyntz

REDEMPTION I want…we need Mankind to be kinder to man the world to echo the words “Yes We Can” for children to live without fear to know literacy and opportunity equality to be truly equal and life to be valued higher than gold The tally of one’s true legacy to be measured by their mercy for the law to always speak the truth a right to offer prayer be absolute the plague of racism to be forever vanquished and earth’s bounty to feed her hungry The games we play called war to be declared forever lost the blindness of all hate to be granted vision and tolerance the cries of the weak and the abused to be heard and answered by the strong For rain forests to be protected and whales to roam free within pristine seas the words spoken ‘Never again’ to never again be needed to be said for every person to be my brother and sister and each child to be my child within our lifetimes Michael B Poyntz, AKA ‘Irish’ Qualicum Bay 2011

Qualicum Beach

Linda Tenney photo 30 January 2012 | www eyesonbc.com

continued from page 28

continues, “so we were very much involved in food systems and food sustainability.” (By joyous coincidence, it was when the Bradleys were running their organic farm on Westham Island, at the mouth of the Fraser River near Delta, that they had dealings with the renowned soil scientist and food systems expert, Dr. Arthur Bomke, Vice Chair of the Greater Vancouver Regional District Agricultural Advisory Committee… and a dear friend of my wife and I! Small world!) “I had a natural foods market in the late seventies, and owned that for twenty-two years,” Dona says, continuing to detail the background illustrating her supreme suitability to run a Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. “Eric came in and was my partner in that later on, and then we owned the organic farm together. So we’ve been involved in that process, in food, for well over twenty years. When I first opened my natural foods market there were no formal education classes or courses about holistic nutrition. So I just took all kinds of seminars and weekend classes to learn as much as I could, then when the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition opened in Vancouver I jumped at the chance and became an RHN. I loved the course and later went on to teach there. For me, to be able to educate people about nourishing food, and how to prevent degenerative diseases through the healing power of whole foods is wonderful!” It already looks like the Vancouver Island branch of the school is set to be a big success. When we spoke in early December,

So, that’s the kind of thing we all should have, and I just like to help educate people in how to do that, you know? Luckily it’s really nothing as profound as having been ill; I have never been really ill with a degenerative disease, but had I continued down the path of refined foods I’d been brought up with, I would not “It’s a private, post-secondary school,” Dona be anywhere near as healthy as I am now. explains. “I meet with each prospective As a society the foods we eat are so refined student individually to make sure that they and devoid of nutrition, it’s really how many know what the program is, and that they people get degenerative diseases. So this is a are suitable in terms of being able to turn wonderful opportunity for me to educate and this into what they want to do with it in life. empower people to make a difference in their But students come from all walks of life: own lives, and in other people’s lives.” we have chefs, we have personal trainers, So, a new year is with us and Dona and Eric people who own natural food stores, Bradley, at least, have a new venture that will midwives, chiropractors, registered nurses, ultimately benefit their immediate community physiotherapists, students with masters degrees, or people right out of high school.” and, in time, the wider world. I wish them every success. I have a few plans of my own If not amply illustrated thus far, all current for 2012 but, although I hope one or two of or future CSNN students really need to them may make a difference or have a positive know is that they are in the best possible impact locally, must admit to them being hands, as Dona Bradley has been following rather more modest! How about you? What this path as a life choice and career for over are your plans for the year? Whatever they are, forty years now. have fun with them and should they ameliorate anything or the life of anyone around you, “When I was in my twenties I didn’t have the energy I should have had,” she recalls in that’s the dream scenario. recollection of how it all began. “My system The Vancouver Island branch of the Canadian was sluggish, so I started to read (the famous School of Natural Nutrition is located at and controversial American nutritionist) 70 Church Street, Nanaimo. For further Adelle Davis (1904-1974), and the other real information about the school, courses and pioneers of holistic nutrition. When I started how to enrol, please visit www.csnn.ca (main to apply those things to my life, I couldn’t site) or www.csnn.ca/nanaimo (local site), or believe the difference in how I felt, and it contact Dona Bradley by telephone on (250) just grew from there. I’m in my sixties now 741 4805 or email at nanaimo@csnn.ca. and have more energy than I’ve ever had! Dona told me that the full-time one-year program was almost full, with very few places left. “I’m thrilled,” she gushes, “because we have had such a good response from Vancouver Island about putting in a school here.”

HEALTH 4 LIFE CLINIC NOW IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

• Iridologist • Weight Management • Sclerologist • • Acutherapist • Zyto Compass Scans • Kinesiology • Master Herbalist • Lifestyle Analysis & Nutritional Planning

Acupressure Facial Massage

Mobile Service Available

For Information & Appointments Call

MH, ID, SC, KN, N, AC

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health4life@telus.net www.eyesonbc.com | January 2012

continued from page 26 • Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP): In preparation for when students are old enough to attend college or university, an RESP offers a flexible savings plan that allows money deposited for post-secondary education to grow tax-free. An RESP is a good option for parents because of the tax advantages and government matching programs. • Student Loans: These include funding programs from federal and provincial governments and financial institutions. Government student loans are based on the individual’s financial circumstances and are interest-free until graduation. Many financial institutions offer loan programs for students with preferred interest rates. “Past scholarship winners come from all corners of the country but they have one thing in common: an intense will to succeed,” said Kavita Joshi, director of student banking for RBC. “We recognize it takes a combination of hard work and educational funding for students to achieve their academic and professional goals. That’s why RBC has developed a diverse set of scholarship programs worth over $250,000 a year to support Canadian students.” Further scholarship information, including application deadlines, can be found online at www.rbcroyalbank.com/scholarships. ~

32 January 2012 | www eyesonbc.com

very successful year has drawn to a close for the Ladies Auxiliary to Branch #211 Bowser Legion. We donated to many worthy causes locally, and across Vancouver Island. But this success was not achieved by our labours alone. Much was due to the generosity of our merchants and the greater public. So we want to thank you all for your support of our events throughout the past year. Fund-raising events included the Valentines’ Tea, Giant Meat Draws, two pie sales, Canada Day, BC Day, and British Pub Night, as well as memorial teas and private functions. We served lunch to our Veterans in October and sandwiches and sweets to over 300 people after the Remembrance Day ceremony. Our newest fund-raiser was our LA Christmas Cakes which we baked and sold in October and November – 140 in all. In December, after cooking Breakfast with Santa, we sorted food donations that were collected by Deep Bay Volunteer Fire Department members and other community groups. Our Christmas Hampers were assembled and delivered over a three day period. These were made possible by the generous donations we received from businesses and individuals in our community. Such big hearts you all have! Thank you! 2012 brings two major changes to our schedule. Our annual Valentines’ Tea will be replaced with our 1st Valentines’ Luncheon. This fund-raiser will be different from what we have traditionally done in the past. The event on February 8th from 12 – 3 P.M. includes a delicious lunch followed by a delectable dessert. Proceeds pay for the two bursaries to Kwalicum Secondary School students each year. In April we will have our Spring Fling. Watch for posters and ads about these events. Want to join in the fun and serve your community? Come see what we’re about!

Illusion Lake Sand & Gravel Off Horne Lake Road

• CONSTRUCTION AGGREGATES • SAND & GRAVEL

For those larger projects… Call for delivery or to Arrange pick-up Trucks for Hire • Pick Up or Delivery

For smaller quantities… Call or stop by our Gravel Mart at 911 Church Rd., Parksville, BC

(250)

248-3693

Aries (March 21-April 19) Heads up! The Sun is at high noon in your chart this month (the only time all year this happens). This has the effect of casting a spotlight on you, making bosses, parents and VIPs notice you more than usual. Furthermore, this is definitely great lighting! (“You look mahvelous dahling, mahvelous.”) Because of this, you will be asked to take on increased responsibilities for something. Fear not, you won’t have to be a super action hero to handle it. Ironically, it will require nothing special! Therefore, say “Yes!” Taurus (April 20-May 20) You’ve got the travel bug. (Bad choice of phrase?) You definitely want to broaden your horizons and grab more of life. If you can’t travel, you’ll read and watch documentaries of exciting places. Think of the joys of eating scrumptious, exotic foods yet to be discovered. Do make this happen because you want to take a vacation! You want some fun! Add a dash of romance and sprinkling of flirtation and you’re set. Gemini (May 21-June 20) This month, you’ll feel passionately intense. Not only will you feel highly sexed, you’ll feel passionate about practically everything! In addition to your recreational stimulation, you’ll also focus on dull, boring, redtape material connected with insurance, inheritances, wills, taxes and shared property. You can’t avoid this. You might have to enter into discussions about these topics, or you might just be cleaning up old paperwork. (What fun!) You’ll love yourself later for doing this. (Kiss-kiss, hug-hug.) Cancer (June 21-July 22) You’re going to need more sleep this month. The Sun is now as far away from your sign as it gets all year and the Sun is your source of energy. Do the math. However, this opposition of the Sun also brings up another matter, namely, heavy-duty focus on partnerships and close friendships. (Oh yeah.) Observe yourself in these relationships (carry a mirror at all times) to see your style. You’ve been coming on a little heavy lately, haven’t you? Are people raising their hands in front of their face?

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) You have a fabulous month ahead! You’re high energy because fiery Mars is in your sign. (Say no more!) In addition, other planetary configurations are encouraging love affairs, romance, and all kinds of fun, social diversions. You couldn’t pick a better time for a vacation. Slip away somewhere if even for a weekend or a few days. Your month ahead is also a great time for sports, the arts and playful activities with children. Enjoy movies, the theatre, parties and schmoozing with everyone! Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Without question, your focus turns to home, family and your private life. Invite the gang over. (If you put out fresh flowers you don’t have to dust.) Theatre is smoke and mirrors. Family relationships, especially with a parent, will be lively and dynamic. Something hidden, behind-thescenes is present but no worries. It is what it is. Enjoy good times with loved ones. And while the place is looking so good, entertain everyone you know! They might bring the cookies! It’s much easier to entertain back-to-back because everything is set up. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) The next six weeks are going to be busy because the tempo of your days is accelerating! You’re doing the white rabbit routine: “I’m late! I’m late, for a very important date!” Just accept the fact that life will be hairy because of your jam-packed schedule, including short trips, mucho errands, and running around talking to everyone. But you will love it! The air has more electricity and you feel alive! Group activities are particularly boisterous (but do watch out for heavy-duty competition that could become fractious).

an effort to stay on top of your scene: watch your cash flow, be aware of your assets, liabilities and even your possessions and how you might possibly turn something into some folding green stuff. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Once again, the Sun has returned to your sign to recharge your batteries for the rest of the year. (Yay me!) This is a glorious opportunity for you because it attracts people and favourable circumstances to you. Quite obviously, you want to make the most of this because you feel high-energy, witty and quite dazzling! (This year is, after all, your hour, n’est pas? In fact, you’re in for a long, fabulous run.) Continue to make travel plans. (Have you even unpacked your bags from the last trip?) Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) This month you seek sane, soothing shelter. (With or without alliteration.) There’s only so much insanity a person can handle. Plus, privately, your sexual energy is very high now. This means you want privacy for lots of reasons! Play it low-key. Work alone or behind the scenes because this is the perfect time of year for you to plan what you want your new year (birthday to birthday) to be all about. Be specific about what you want to achieve next year. The more specific you are about your goals, the more likely they will materialize.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) You’re facing a social whirlwind month! Accept all invitations. Everyone wants to see your face. Not only will you enjoy the company of friends, you’ll also be very involved in clubs, groups and organizations. The month ahead is Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Money, money, a wonderful time to share your hopes and dreams for money! You’re thinking a lot about cash flow, how to the future with others because their feedback will earn money, and how to earn even more money. That’s definitely help you. With Mars opposite your sign, because you have ambitious plans! And when you have you are a bit impatient with others. (Hmmm?) Use big ideas you need money! Fortunately, you have lots this social month to smooth over troubled waters. ~ of money-making ideas right now. (Clever you.) Make

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) You’re running around with an outboard motor on your ass. You’re on this big kick to turn over a new leaf and get organized. You want your home cleaned, your workplace cleaned, your car cleaned and your closet colour-coded. What’s up? For many, it means company’s coming. You like to entertain in style and look like you have your act together (even if you don’t). One does have a reputation to keep up. But actually, you just have the urge now to be efficient, effective and productive. Good luck! www.eyesonbc.com | January 2012

Community Event Calendar January 2012 LIGHTHOUSE COMMUNITY CENTRE (LCC) Qualicum Bay - INFO: LOIS NELSON: 757-9938 Pancake Breakfast, Flea Market, Live Music, Veggies, Poultry & Small Animal Swap, Master Gardeners: – Sun Jan 8th, 8am-Noon. The Bow Horne Bay Fire Department will be cooking up breakfast this morning.

Do you Live Here? Why don’t you Credit Union Here? So far this year we have returned over $80,000 to our LOCAL Communities… Head Office is not in Toronto. No, not Vancouver either. It is right here… Deposits 100% Guaranteed… 3 Very Good Reasons to Credit Union Locally!

34 January 2012 | www eyesonbc.com

Lighthouse Seniors #152 – Next meeting, January 9th – Soup and tea/coffee. FMI call Shirley at 250-757-2384. Carpet Bowling at LCC: Oct 4th - April, 12:45 to 3:15pm. Tues & Thurs. Everyone welcome, exercise and fun, come out and meet your neighbours. FMI call Layne 250-757-8217. Lighthouse Floor Curlers – Curling Sept - May, Mondays and Fridays 1pm at the Lions Rec Hall, Qualicum Bay. Drop in $2. FMI call Dennis Leach 250-757-8218 or Tillie Murray 250-757-9218. AA Lightkeepers: every Fri. 8pm. Info: 250-7578347 Bridge at LCC Nordin Room – 1-4pm Friday afternoons. Call Sheila Steele 250-757-8307 Taoist Tai Chi Society Classes at LCC and Fanny Bay OAP Hall. FMI Susan @ 757-2097 Lighthouse Trails Group needs your help. Val Weismiller: 757-9667 Belly Dancing – Mondays at 7pm at the Bowser Legion. Inquiries welcome. FMI Email bowserbrynn@yahoo.ca LIGHTHOUSE RECREATION INFO PATTY: 757-8366 shipshore@shaw.ca Youth and Adult Badminton – Mondays at 7pm, Bowser Elementary School, beginners welcome, racquets available. Fee $3 adult, $1 for students, age 14 yrs+, starting Oct. 3rd. info ph. (250) 7578307, email - steelehunt@shaw.ca RDN PROGRAMS Preschool & Children Lighthouse Families on the Move 2-11yrs Join Kathleen for time in the gym! Burn some energy and beat the winter blahs while you free play with balls, hula hoops, and other gym equipment, then play along with some group games. A great way to spend a Saturday morning with the family! Parent participation is required. Bowser Elementary School. Sat Feb 4-Mar 3 2-5yrs 9:30-10:30am $25/5. 6-11yrs 10:45am12:15pm $30/5

Boys and Girls Just Want to Have Fun 6-11yrs Join the fun after school, with enthusiastic leader, Kathleen Guest. You will have the opportunity to plan theme nights, make cool crafts, play new games and best of all giggle. Bowser Elementary School, Mon 3:004:30pm $44.30/6, 27469 Jan 23-Feb 27 Adult Hatha Yoga. Use principles of breath, alignment and space to balance softness and strength in this gently guided class. This program is suitable for beginners and beyond. Bowser Elementary School, Instructor: Brandy Kosiancic. Mon 6:00-7:15pm. Thu 6:00-7:15pm Starting January 23rd. Lighthouse Community Centre, Instructor: Fiona Mackey. Tue 9:15-10:30am. January 24- March 14. $71/8 Please contact Area H RDN programmer, Chrissie Finnie at 250-757-8118 or cfinnie@rdn.bc.ca for detailed program and registration information. All programs must be pre-registered to avoid the disappointment of being cancelled. NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS & CLUBS Fanny Bay Parents & Tots Play Group runs every Tuesday from 10:00-11:30 at the Fanny Bay Hall. For children 0-5 years old and a caregiver. Join us for songs, stories, early literacy activities, games, gym time, parent resources and a snack. This is a free event, supported by the Comox Valley Family Services Association and the Fanny Bay Community Association. FMI contact Evelyn 250-335-9022 Kiwanis Club of Parksville/Qualicum Beach meets on the 1st and 3rd Tues. at the Kiwanis Village 250 West First Ave. QB at 7:15pm. 19 plus are welcome. if you wish to assist seniors and children in need in our Community. FMI Call Thomas at 250-752-7424. The Qualicum Bay Lions meet from September to June on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month. Dinner at 6 pm and meetings start at 7 pm. Our meeting hall is just behind the Lighthouse Community Centre on Lions Way. We are a volunteer group that helps our community in many ways. If you are interested in joining our club, contact Shirley Phillips at (250) 757-8384 or George Stringer at (250) 3352991. Lighthouse Country Scrapbookers – meet third Saturday monthly at the Lions Den, Qualicum Bay, 9:30am - 4:30pm, $10. Door prizes. More information call Jorgie (250) 757-8358 or Shirley (250) 757-8384 Lighthouse Spinners – Every Tues. 10:30-2:30pm in the Community Centre Board Room. New members welcome. FMI Jo 250-757-8402.

Oceanside Photographers – Meets the first Wednesday of the month at the QB Civic Centre at 7 pm. FMI to go www.oceansidephotographers.ca

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN JANUARY!

The Arrowsmith Needle Arts Guild meets on the third Thursday of each month from 9:30 – 2pm at the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre at 747 Jones St. There are other regular embroidery sessions and classes. Contact 250758-6783 or email keberta@shaw.ca for more information.

www.rcl211.ca

The QB Lawn Bowling Club - Has closed the outdoor greens until next May, but continues to enjoy play on their Indoor Greens. Escape the winter doldrums and join in this inexpensive, fun activity for all seasons and all ages 14+. Drop by any afternoon to see what you’re missing, or contact Pat at 250-752-7060 to arrange an individual FREE tryout.

Hall Rentals 250-757-9222 • Tue to Fri 9:00 am - 12 noon

Breast Cancer Support Group – First Tuesday of every month, 7:00pm “Canadian Cancer Unit Office”, 4-172 West 2nd Ave, QB. Everyone Welcome. FMI Call 250-954-2901 or amen@shaw.ca.

Jan 1 Jan 28

Jan 5 Jan 24 Jan 26

Prostate Cancer Support Group – First Tuesday of every month, 7:00pm at The Gardens in QB. Everyone Welcome. FMI Call 250-752-7489 or brook@ shaw.ca.

• LA General Meeting • Branch 211 Executive Meeting • LA Executive Meeting

• New Years Levee – 1pm to 4 pm • Giant Meat Draw (Roasts & Steaks)

Mixed Pool Ladies Pool Crib Texas Hold’em Mixed Darts

Fanny Bay Community Association’s New Year’s Dance, at the Fanny Bay Hall (live band, great food). Limited seating. For tickets call 250-3353282. Qualicum Beach Garden Club - Kathy (Arrowsmith Greenhouses) - how to clean pruning tools, take geranium cuttings and start early seeds. Jan. 10, 2012 @ 7pm QB Civic Center. www.qualicumbeachgardenclub. wordpress.com

Tuesdays .............................................7:00 pm Wednesdays........................................5:00 pm Wednesdays........................................7:00 pm Thursdays............................................7:00 pm Fridays ................................................7:30 pm Closed Sunday and Monday

To all of you ~ We wish you a Happy New Year

Oceanside Grandmothers 2 Grandmothers presents a “WINTER INTERLUDE” Fri., Feb. 3rd at The EAGLECREST GOLF CLUB from 2-4 pm. Doors open at 1:30pm. Shopping will be available. There will be a Fashion Show; fashions provided by ARBUTUS EMPORIUM and MERCEDES LANE. Refreshments will be provided, as well as an African Auction. Tickets available at MERCEDES LANE and ARBUTUS EMPORIUM at $20.00. All proceeds to the STEPHEN LEWIS FOUNDATION. FMI Call Cathryn 250-752-1962/ Pam 250-954-1885. The Qualicum Beach Family History Society will meet on Jan 18, 2012, 7pm at rear of Legion Hall in Qualicum Beach. Speaker, Heidi Abbott, will speak on how social media such as Facebook, Linked In and Skype can be used in family history research and in particular, how it can be most effective in finding living descendants. From the Career Centre - Career Planning - This is a very “special edition” workshop! Using proven career planning techniques, you will clarify your personal and career objectives, ensuring you create a strong foundation to move forward with your career goals. Fri., Jan. 27, 9:00am-2:00pm. Call 250-248-3205 today to pre-register or visit www.careercentre.org. From the Career Centre - Acing The Interview - Successful interviewing is essential to receive a job offer. This workshop contains tips and strategies for effective interviewing from preparation to follow-up. A quick tour of the Career Closet is offered during the course of this workshop. Mon., Jan. 16 or Jan. 30, 9:00am-1:00pm. Call 250-248-3205 today to pre-register or visit www.careercentre.org.

Bowser Office 250-757-8118 Oceanside Place 250-248-3252 Ravensong Aquatic Centre 250-752-5014 Register online at:

www.rdn.bc.ca

Have Fun and Get Active as a Family!

Lighthouse Families on the Move Saturdays, starting February 4th For more information, contact Chrissie Finnie, Recreation Programmer at the Bowser office

Oceanside Generals - GAME ON! Sat., Jan. 7 vs. Campbell River Storm. Sat., Jan. 14 vs. Comox Valley Glacier Kings. Sat., Jan. 28 vs. Campbell River Storm. Puck drops at 7:30pm. Tickets available at the door - $5 for Children, $7 for Students & Seniors, $10 for Adults and Kids under 5 FREE. FMI visit www. oceansidegenerals.com. We welcome submissions from non-profit and charitable organizations to our Community Event Calendar. Please send them by email to us prior to the 15th of each month. Thank you. beacon@eyesonbc.com www.eyesonbc.com | January 2012

COMPASSIONATE OBSERVERS - A gathering of like-minded individuals who are interested in creating balance, peace, love and harmony in their own lives and by doing so affecting those around them. Meetings are every two weeks, on Wednesdays @ 7:00 p.m. @Enso Health (6997 Magnolia Court, Bowser). First meeting of the 2012 will be January 4th. Small group weekend ACRYLIC PAINTING WORKSHOPS with West Coast artist, Cindy Mawle. FMI go to www.cindymawle.com or call (250)703-1150. HOME FOR RENT: 3-bdrm, 2-bath + den with amazing ocean view, multi-tier patio & decks. NS, pets on approval, incl: hydro, basic cable & water. Perfect for the professional couple to relax & enjoy in beautiful Bowser. $1600 p/m. (250) 757-8880. 3 LONG –TERM RV SITES @ Bowser Bill’s. $400/$425/$350 includes hydro, basic cable, water. One has a great ocean view. (250) 757-8880. PICK-UP AND DELIVERY – Tune-ups and repairs to riding lawnmowers and all small engines. Buy and sell used equipment. Call Ron (250) 240-1971 e-mail: ronmorrison100@gmail.com. THE FIX-IT SHOP – Closed for the season, see you in the New Year. 36 January 2012 | www eyesonbc.com

WILDWOOD COMMUNITY CHURCH 113 McColl Road, Bowser

Sunday Morning Worship 10:30 am 757-8136 THERAPEUTIC FOOT REFLEXOLOGY – Sessions $50 for 75 mins in my home. Home visits are available. Release your body’s self-healing ability through deep relaxation. Please call Marie at (250) 335-0850. WEB SITE & SOCIAL MEDIA – Do you need a Web Site or Social Media presence? Perhaps you would like to learn how to use social media and how it can help you promote your product or business. I can help AND I use local products and services! Reasonable rates, experienced with references. FMI Call (250) 240-5535. DON’S HOME REPAIR – plumbing repairs and installations, complete renovations, no job too small. Call Don @ (250) 757-8757 or cell (250) 951-8757. RAW FOODS BY DEBORAW – Interested in learning how to transition into a healthy lifestyle incorporating Raw Foods? I can help! Private or Group courses offered. Inquiries welcome. FMI email deborahbtobin@gmail.com.or call (250) 898-7741. FOOTCARE – HYGIENE Soaking feet, cutting nails, filing calluses, treating dry skin – fingernails too. Reflexology – 1 hour sessions. Services offered from Nanoose to Union Bay. Please call Vikki @ (250) 757-9244.

COAL CREEK FARM – on MacArtney Drive in Fanny Bay has naturally fed, free range duck, chicken, turkey and goose meat available various times of the year. *NOW AVAILABLE – fresh turkey meat and duck sausages! Please call for availability – ask for Paul or Christine (250) 335-1322. The CANADIAN SOCIETY OF QUESTERS – Next meeting will be Mon., Jan. 30th at 7:00pm. Popcorn & Movie “Thrive – What on Earth will it take?”. Lighthouse Community Centre (Nordine Room) 240 Lions Way, Qualicum Bay. FMI Call Chris (250) 752-1419. ARE YOU PLANNING TO BUILD an Earth-friendly green building? Are you are seeking a beyondthe-box construction method that is earthquake, fire, flood, mold, insect, rot, and hurricaneproof, and built in half the time as conventional construction? An innovative method exists that exceeds current standards in many aspects, and almost any design can be accommodated. There is no thermal bridging as in conventional walls, so heating/cooling efficiencies are greatly increased, year-round comfort is assured, and utility costs lowered. Living off-grid in comfort can be a reality, and energy savings on-grid alone make this a simple solution for the interesting times in which we live. If you are considering an eco-home, call for a consultation appointment to learn more. Enso Builders (778) 424- 7000.

NELSON'S MUSIC STUDIO Piano/Theory Lessons Parksville/Qualicum Area Beginners to Advanced Your Home or Ours John/Margaret 250-954-5895

Certified Septic System Specialist Sand & Gravel Topsoil Bark Mulch Septic Systems Driveway Chips Water Lines

Culverts Drain Problems

Accommodation

Septic Installation

We encourage you to “think local” when looking for products or services

Monthly Rentals Available September to April

Call Lauren & Save

Home Improvement 430 Grovehill Road • Qualicum Beach 250-757-9677

Darlene St Jacques RCST R Registered Cranial Sacral Therapist

Heart Hands Mind Body in Motion 250.752.5842 250

email: craniosacral11@gmail.com www.mycranialsacral.com

Nature’s Own Medical Clinic

Drywall

Horse, General Farm & Wildlife Electric Fence & Nets

Custom Carpentry

Lawn Services

FERRIS FENCING Fencing

Cranial Sacral Therapy

(250) 757-8156 or (250) 954-8716

250-757-9914

"Get your mind out of the gutter. That's our job!"

• Gutter • Soﬃt •Siding • Moss Removal •Gutter Repair

Call For A Free Estimate 250-248-4511

KLYE WILSON wilsonsgutter@gmail.com

Military Surplus

Call today to advertise your local service business in our Directory

Pellet Fuel Sales

Advertising Home Repairs

Electrical Services

Picture Framing

www.ferrisfencing.com • info@ferrisfencing.com

Canadian Made Pants (new)

EACH $

NOMEX Pants & Jackets EACH

$5.50/bag Heating Pellets $5.20/bag Animal Bedding Wood Pellets & Shavings

WE DELIVER 757-9232

Located in Qualicum Bay www.eyesonbc.com | January 2012

Excavating

Land Surveying

#7-1176 Franklin’s Gull Rd, Parksville, BC

2003 Kobelco SK160Lc Excavator for Hire

Heating surveyor-ark@uniserve.com

Automobile Repairs

Ph 250.248.5959 • Toll Free 1-888-842-5959 www.completewindows.ca

Plumbing & Gas Services

Windows & Doors

RENOVATIONS • WINDOWS DOORS • SUNROOMS

AUTO REPAIR • FABRICATION • WELDING

ALL OIL CHANGES INCLUDE Belt/Hose/Brake & Fluid Inspection ALL WORK GUARANTEED Chris Kettleson

Witte Construction

ph. 757-9713 c. 927-2157 e. shaun.witte@gmail.com

T.J. Farrell

250 • 240 • 7778

Plumbing Sand - Gravel - Topsoil

Heating & Cooling

Advertising

tjfarrell@shaw.ca

House Painting 38 January 2012 | www eyesonbc.com

RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL • INDUSTRIAL ALTERNATE ENERGY

Mortgage Lending

WCB & Insured Shaun Witte Owner/Journeyman

Electrician

Construction

LTD

Custom Renovations

119E 4TH AVENUE, QUALICUM BEACH

105 Islewood Dr. Bowser, BC V0R 1G0

Est. 1985

ED KING

Cabinets & Woodworking • Custom•Kitchen Entertainment Centers • Spray Booth Painting & Lacquering

Phone: 250-738-0462 Cell: 250-927-0590 e-mail: kingreno@telus.net Qualicum Beach

Advertising

Septic Services

Yoga Classes

Call today to advertise your local service business in our Directory

250-757-9914

INSTALLATION SERVICE & REPAIRS

Philip Brown

Find us here...

Barber Services

PLUMBING • GAS • HEATING

• on Facebook www.facebook.com/beaconmagazine • on our Website at www.eyesonbc.com • on Twitter www.twitter.com/BeaconMagazine

250-240-4902 • 250-757-8077 EVENINGS

Tune in LIVE on the 1st Thursday of each month when Dave Graham of 88.5FM The Beach Radio and Linda Tenney talk about what’s going on in Lighthouse Country. Join them at 8:40am.

Appliance Repair

Chimney Cleaning

Plumbing Gas Heating

250.594.0108 www.oceansideyoga.com

And ... catch The Beacon Beat each Thursday morning at approximately 8:10 am for brief updates and news about what’s going on in Lighthouse Country! ~

Parts Store Open Mon to Fri 9-4

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The Beacon...we keep you informed!

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ONLINE: www.eyesonbc.com (by credit card or PayPal)

www.eyesonbc.com | January 2012

2012

We wish you PEACE + HAPPINESS + PROSPERITY