OCTOBER 2016 vol 12 issue 10
Serving Vancouver Island & the Gulf Islands
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MAGAZINE
Takes A Dollar: Charity Beginning at Home • 6 Chaos, Order and Wet Kitchen Floors • 10 John Beaton’s “Baying at Two Moons” • 18
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GREAT LOOKS FOR FALL
THE FEATURES 6 10
Takes A Dollar: Charity Beginning at Home Chaos, Order and Wet Kitchen Floors
THE ARTS / THE OUTDOORS 14 16 18 19
Tide Table ECHO: Rehearsals: From Rough to Ready John Beaton’s “Baying at Two Moons” Art Adventures
COMMUNITY LIVING 22
From the Desk of the Director, Bill Veenhof, Area H
THE REGULARS 8 17 20 23
In the Stars: Georgia Nicols Horoscope Classifieds Community Calendar At Your Service - Local Services & Trades
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 publisher will assume no liability. 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 info@eyesonbc.com
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MAGAZINE October 2016 vol 12 No 10
EyesOnBC Magazine is published monthly Showcasing our community since 2004 Main Email: info@eyesonbc.com Phone: 250-757-9914 Mailing Address EyesOnBC Magazine, Box 182, Bowser, BC V0R 1G0 Hours: Mon - Thu 10-4 Our Contributors this month: Georgia Nicols, Joanne Sales, Linda Tenney, David Morrison Bill Veenhof, John Beaton, Patricia Banks, Mary Ann Moore On the Internet www.eyesonbc.com & www.facebook.com/eyesonbc For Advertising Options Call 250-757-9914 to inquire or visit www.eyesonbc.com/advertise to request ad rates. VISA & MasterCard accepted Printed on Vancouver Island, BC
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Takes A Dollar imagineers, Andrew DeGroot and Wes Richardson
CHARITY BEGINNING AT HOME I recently spent an hour chatting with By David Morrison “Life's persistent and most urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?’” – Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)
L
ooking at the coin in your hand, a loonie does not seem much at all, but just how far can a dollar really go these days? Well, the answer to this question depends on who you might ask. On one hand, in the Lonely Planet website’s Tips & Articles section there is a feature entitled, ‘What $1 Buys Around the World,’ in answer to which a Canadian respondent quips, ‘Nothing! Haha. Blame it on Canadian taxes.’ A predictable comment, but on the other hand a buck can go a long way - and do a lot of good - as two enterprising young men from Nanaimo have set out to prove.
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Trinity Western University students Andrew DeGroot and Wes Richardson, as the Snowbirds flew deafeningly overhead in one of their remarkable exhibitions of precision aerobatics. And yet, when their show was over, relatively speaking I found myself as impressed with my two 20 year-old interviewees as anyone could ever be by those dazzlingly skilled pilots.
via the Vancouver-based Charitable Impact Foundation (Canada), familiarly known as Chimp. The guys from Takes A Dollar never see or touch the donated money, nor do they wish to; via Chimp it is distributed directly to the charities concerned. There are a great many things I like about Takes A Dollar, but that it was born of the pair’s cognizance of the privileges they enjoy in this world is particularly refreshing and heartwarming. They have been university roommates for two years, and it is from dorm discussions that the idea took root.
Intelligent, motivated, innovative and sharply community focused, DeGroot and Richardson are evidently committed humanitarians intent on making a positive impact with an initiative so ingeniously simple that it could take off big time. Called Takes A Dollar, it is a means of raising funds and awareness for local charities, in the hope that as many people as possible can donate just a dollar (or, obviously, as much more as is individually affordable). Funds are collected mainly through their website
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“We have friends that didn’t have the chance to go to their dream schools like we did,” Richardson begins. “That was an eye-opener in that people close to me continued - page 15
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Comf t and Guidance
Aries (March 21-April 19) This month you need more sleep. You’re bagged! Of course, Mercury retrograde is wreaking havoc to your job with lost papers, confused communications, cancelled appointments and transportation delays. Fortunately, your ambition is aroused so you are giving it all you’ve got. Romantic relationships will be smooth and more affectionate. And passionate! This is a good time to observe your style of relating to those who are closest to you. Stop barking! Start hugging.
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Fortunately, the year ahead is one of the best years in over a decade for you to find a good job or improve your current job. This month you are also keen to improve your health. (Running back and forth to the fridge counts; but you can do better.) Relations with partners and close friends will be especially warm. Act on your urge to get better organized. Tidy up your life! When you feel you are in control of things – your confidence grows and shows! Gemini (May 21-June 20) Lucky you! This is a fun, playful month! You will enjoy parties, socializing with others, sports events and activities with children. You will also enjoy flirting and being prankish and playful! This is the perfect time to take your creative talents more seriously. Make a commitment to having fun. Entertain others. Make plans to enjoy the arts as well as the company of others. Even your relationships at work are excellent this month. Not too shabby! Cancer (June 21-July 22) You have lots of energy to pour into home, family and your private life this month. You might cocoon at home and take it easy. But more likely, you will explore redecorating ideas and ways to make your home look more attractive. It’s also a good time
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look for ways to benefit from real-estate deals and home improvements for the entire year ahead! Relations with parents will improve. In fact, all your family relationships will be happier. (Gosh.) Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) You’re busy! You’ve got things to do, people to see and places to go! Take short trips and enjoy extra reading, writing and studying. You will also enjoy talking to neighbours, siblings and daily contacts because you are keen to enlighten others with your views and ideas. Because your attitude is so positive, you will tackle new projects with energy and enthusiasm. Some will redecorate at home and entertain more this month. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Your attention now turns to money, financial matters, major purchases and taking care of what you own. It’s all about your wealth and your assets. You see that it’s time to sit up and take notice. You need a certain amount of money to do what it is you want to do. (Like stay alive.) And while you contemplate this, you will also wonder about your happiness and its connection to money. What really does make you happy? This is the key – the milliondollar question. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) This is a powerful month for you as well as a powerful year! This month you feel content with your present; and hopeful about your future. Take advantage of the next four weeks to replenish and restore your energy for the rest of the year. When the Sun is in your sign, it energizes you! It also attracts favourable circumstances and important people to you. Therefore, do get out of bed. Start making plans. Expect a miracle! The Sun will be in your sign for one month, but Jupiter will be there for a year! Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) This month is low key. Expect to work alone or behind the scenes because it’s actually a time of preparation. You’re getting ready for the beginning of your new personal year that will begin in about a month. What do you want for yourself in the coming year? How do you want your new year to be different from this last year? Be specific about what you want. Write down some goals and give yourself deadlines because deadlines are the only way anything ever gets done. Get serious.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Your popularity will be strong this months, which is why you should be open, friendly and engaging with everyone. Not only will you enjoy the company of others (and vice versa), you will find that you benefit from all your interactions with others. This is also an excellent time to think about your hopes and dreams for the future. What do you want to achieve this winter? In the next year? In the next two years? You are a forward-looking sign who likes to be active and you need to believe in a better future. That’s what makes you tick. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) This month, the Sun is at the top of your chart shining a flattering light down on you! This means people in authority admire you! They think you are talented, competent, hard-working and trustworthy, which you are. Since your boss or any other important VIPs seems to think you’re so hot, quite obviously, the next four weeks are the time for you to strike! Make your pitch! Go after what you want! Relations with friends and groups are friendly and warm this month as well. Smoochie boochies! Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) In year ahead, you will want to travel. And you will. This month is the perfect thing to prime the pump. You’ll start thinking of places you want to go. Many of you will also want to sign up for classes and make plans to go to school or get further training. Now you want to reach out more and grab more out of life! Some of you will also explore opportunities in publishing, the media, medicine and the law. Relations with bosses are cozy this month; in fact, some of you might have a romance with a VIP. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) This is your time of harvest. You see what is working and what is not. It’s a time of kudos, promotions, graduation, and anything that makes you feel proud . This is why many of you will use this month to focus on the money you get from other sources. You will sort through details regarding shared property, inheritances, taxes and debt. You need to get your ducks in a row, especially with respect to money that is owed to you, so that you know what you have! Simple. And when you know this, then you can make plans. ~
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CHAOS, ORDER AND WET KITCHEN FLOORS by Joanne Sales
M
y silverware drawer was a perfect example of chaos. It has always made everyone unhappy – except me. I just couldn’t rationalize spending precious moments of my last decades sorting forks, knives and spoons. “Just ignore it,” I said, “and no one will get hurt.” It was my declaration of freedom, in a very messy form. It got me musing on the relationships of control vs mastery, chaos and order, and order in order to have a clean slate for creativity. I was musing on all this, and then I slipped under the table. Everything was going according to plan on that Monday morning. Another batch of berries was being canned. But someone else tripped, water spilled, I turned on a dime, slipped on the water, and my right leg went flying under the table while the rest of me headed directly towards earth’s centre. Within seconds, I was screaming in pain. I couldn’t walk and was white as a sheet. A couple hours later, the doctor at the Urgent Care Centre in Parksville told me, “A classic hamstring pull. It will take weeks. Here are your crutches.” Well, that was not in the plans. Crutches and confinement. A perfectly good time to remember that “it” is all mostly empty space at the subatomic level. Those airy-fairy molecules in my leg which hurt so much should be able to figure out how to reorganize themselves in exactly the same way that they were before. And I will cheer them on. But I liked the old order, and wanted it back.
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So much for “Everything is under control,” and “no one will get hurt.” Without a doubt, I pulled my hamstring because of disorder in the floor realm. The combination of a cardboard box, a cord, a vacuum cleaner and water on the kitchen floor took me down. It was canning related chaos, but chaos nevertheless. My grandfather would not have approved. My grandfather used to say, “A place for everything and everything in its place.” I have grown to appreciate that statement of his, having spent probably years of my life looking for lost things. But I also believe his strong belief in order caused him a great deal of suffering. He wanted a level of order that was impossible for him to bring about. He was a retired pharmacist, a profession where everything had to be in place. But at the point in his life when he lived with us, he was hobbling about an old farm house with five grandchildren with a cane, (as I am doing at the moment) and in 8 years, I don’t think I ever saw him bend over. He was not in the position to change things. Meanwhile, change was running the show. It was hard on him. The first of the Four Noble Truths of the Buddha is usually translated as “Life is suffering.” The word “duhkha”, translated as suffering, is an ancient Sanskrit word which literally means “a poorly made axle” or even “a poor axle hole”. In other words, things are destined to go awry. Break down. People are going to tear their
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hamstrings. Slips happen. Sh_t happens. Shift happens. (Fortunately, The Fourth Noble Truth is that there is a way out.) The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics points in the same direction. Entropy will kick in. Dust and disorder will return. Nevertheless, we humans love to organize and bring about order, and we’re good at it. Go back to the Garden of Eden. God is out there creating animals, and what’s Adam doing? Naming them. Names give us a sense of control. We think if we can name something that we know what it is. I hobbled outside and sat in the sun beside the porch railing the day after I fell. Watching the bees dancing on the Michaelmas daisies was healing indeed. There we saw a small roundish, nickelsized being with tight green skin and big eyes sitting on a leaf. Being able to say “frog” gave us an illusory sense of mastery, but in truth, the frog was just another homegrown miracle. As neither the frog nor I had anything else to do, we just hung out together in the sun. The frog and I. At that moment, there was nothing to add to the grander order, other than our appreciation. My daughter is a Virgo and loves a clean house. I am not a Virgo, and a clean house never makes it to the top of my priority list. I love it when it happens, but it doesn’t happen often. But there are limits to both preferences. CONTINUED NEXT PAGE
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A creative writing teacher during my mid-30s told us, “You can be a writer or have a clean house. You can’t do both.” There is a joke circulating: A boy tells his dad. “When I grow up, I want to be a musician.” The father answers, “Sorry, son, you can’t do both.” This is just more dialogue between the right and left hemispheres of the brain! The creative, spontaneous, spiritual, intuitive, freewheeling, and singing right side; and the structured, orderly, linear thinking, goal-oriented, talking left side. One side buys the house and cleans it; the other side gives meaning to the life we live there and sings in the shower. None of us is strictly one sided; but we do hang out more comfortably on one side or the other. But because our society is heavily left hemisphere focused, I need to speak up for the speechless side. So here goes.... The brain likes chaos. Chaos is where new connections and revelations come from. In his book, “Where Good Ideas Come From”, Steven Johnson cites the most famous of cases of scientists who had breakthrough revelations from a dream. Kekule worked tirelessly trying to discover the chemical structure of benzene, and then he dreamt of the snake eating its tail. It’s a ring! Benzene is a ring. These stories are well known, but I was most fascinated by Johnson’s theory of why dreams may give us answers. Our brains are made up of neurons. Neurons send electrical signals down the long cables of their axons, which connect to other neurons via small synaptic gaps. It is actually chemicals called neurotransmitters which jump across the synaptic gap – causing other neurons to fire. As neurons connect, we have ideas! In REM sleep, the brain stem releases a chemical that floods the brain, causing
neurons to fire indiscriminately, “sending surges of electricity billowing out across the brain.” Memories and association are triggered in a chaotic, semi-random fashion, which is why our dreams are chaotic and wild, like hallucinations.
creativity but if we use it to “look things up”, we can stimulate all kinds of new neural connections. If we want to find things “by accident”, we have to keep feeding the fire. Give the neurons new material to work with.
Why does this chaos happen? Johnson suggests that the brain is not just downloading during REM sleep; it is actually exploring! Looking for new connections. We are told to “sleep on it” when we can’t find a solution. The Russian proverb tells us, “Morning is much wiser than evening.” No wonder. Neurons are connecting in new ways – searching for and finding creative insights by connecting seemingly unrelated bits of experience and information in the “mind’s primordial soup.” After sleep, we feel better. But it isn’t only during sleep that the brain benefits from electrically inspired chaos. The waking brain also “has an appetite for generative chaos that rules the dream state.” Even in our waking hours, there are regular outbursts of electrical chaos or noise, lasting for an average of 55 milliseconds at a time. Some people have longer periods of electrical noise, and some shorter. Researchers found that spending even an extra millisecond in the chaotic electrical storm mode can add as much as 20 points to the IQ of the children that were studied. That’s amazing! Chaos does serve a purpose. (Besides being inevitable.) Point is, we don’t want to slip under the table, nor do we want to die of boredom and routine. It’s not to our benefit to keep things under too tight of control. Sometimes we want to stir up the pot. Many creative minds tell us that they are walkers; that their good ideas came to them when they were walking – not sitting at a desk. Reading is a great stimulus for forming new neural connections. The internet can stifle our
Perhaps the purpose of the orderliness obsession of the left hemisphere is to create a blank slate, an open arena for the creativity of the right hemisphere. A shift of vocabulary can help us get a better grip on this. Mastery feels better than control; excellence better than perfection. “The perfect is the enemy of the good.” That’s a famous quote which has roots back to the 1600s. Variations of the sentiment were expressed by Voltaire and Shakespeare. In King Lear, the Duke of Albany warns that trying to improve what is already good may ruin it. "Striving to better, oft we mar what's well". Or it could mean, if we demand of ourselves that we reach perfection, we may never start at all. Or if we expect perfection, we won’t appreciate the good. The perfect isn’t going to happen. The poorly made axle wheel will go out of kilter. We’ll always be walking the edge between chaos and order. And so it goes. So there was my grandfather, late 1950s, living amongst the noise and chaos of 5 grandchildren in an old rundown farm house. So what did he do? He had an old manual typewriter, and he wrote letters. Although he made carbon copies, all but one has disappeared. Why did he write? Why do we do anything? Something shows up, we feel better doing it, so we do it. In his way, he was bringing order to his life, amidst the chaos that he could not control. Small steps, and hopefully on a dry kitchen floor! ~
Joanne Sales is a freelance writer, blueberry farmer, and offers workshops in EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), and the fine art of brewing Kombucha. Comments and questions about her articles and/or upcoming workshops can be directed to joanne@glasswing.com.
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The Butcher, The Baker, The Wine & Cheese Maker in the Okanagan A cookbook by Jennifer Schell Reviewed by Mary Ann Moore
Alcock, of Sunshine Farm, is featured in the “Brunchie Lunchie” section where recipes are followed by stories about the chefs, the farms, and the winemakers or cider makers. The recipes and the people in their familiar surroundings, are shown in beautiful colour photographs, most of them taken by the author.
J
ennifer Schell was raised on a farm in the Okanagan and is proud of her family’s farming history with generations of farmers on both sides. This cookbook, she says, is “a love letter to all those who have created, grown, and nurtured our special valley on this earth.” And indeed, that love comes through on every page – as does a mutual respect.
Sunshine Farm Heritage Potato Flan looks like a delicious layered egg dish with prosciutto, multi-coloured heritage potatoes, garlic and chevre topped with fresh herbs and baby greens or arugula. It’s a favourite of guests at Sunshine Farm, an educational farm with a working school for mentally challenged people.
As Jon Alcock, who wrote the foreword says: The book “allows all the players to illustrate the mutual respect we have for one another and how, in this small pocket of Canada, we can live well, embracing all our cultures through food as a microcosm of what we hope for the future of the planet.”
The farm is tended by Mona Johannson, her brother Russ, and their parents, Jon and Sher Alcock. continued next page
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Johannson is the chef, with a catering business called Earth to Table. The majority of Sunshine Farm’s “food crop and seed production is of certified organic heritage or heirloom varieties, and it is a giant in the heritage seedsaving world,” Schell says.
& Sumac from Chef Jeff Van Geest of Miradoro Restaurant in Oliver. The chicken farmers include Steve and Andrea Gunner in Armstrong. Desserts are included too including The Bench Raspberry Almond Tarts by Stewart Glynes of the Bench Market in Penticton. The berries are from James Young’s Kitchen Garden Gourmet in Naramata.
The wine suggested to accompany the flan is 2014 Rose from Tantalus Vineyards, also in southeast Kelowna. The winemaker is David Paterson and The book is so much more than a the vineyard is owned and tended by the Dulick family. Tantalus Vineyards is cookbook and offers a unique and inviting way to meet food artisans of featured on the cover of the book. the Okanagan with recipes written by In the “Starters” section is a recipe Okanagan chefs inspired by ingredients for Okonomiyaki, a pancake-style locally and sustainably produced in the dish, from chef Junya Nakamura who Okanagan. opened Wasabi Izakaya in Kelowna in The Butcher, The Baker, The Wine & 2008. Vegetables are sourced locally from the Ogi family in Rutland. Tereo Cheese Maker in the Okanagan by Jennifer Schell (TouchWood and Mutsuko Ogi have run Ogi’s Editions, 2016) Greenhouse for over forty years. The wine suggested is 2014 Small-Batch Also available: The Butcher, The Baker, White from the Niche Wine Co. the Wine & Cheese Maker By the Sea described as “summer in a bottle.” Ask for them at your local bookseller! You can almost smell the roasted Mary Ann Moore is a poet, writer and chicken and cedar boughs from the writing mentor based in Nanaimo. Visit photo accompanying the recipe for her website at www.maryannmoore.ca Cedar-Roasted Chicken with Spruce
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October 2016
Phone: 250-757-8944 Fax: 250-757-8654
Our tide table measurements are taken from the Hornby Island substation. For other tides, visit http://www.tides.gc.ca/eng on the Internet. Add 1 hour to compensate for Daylight Savings Time until Nov 6, 2016. Printed courtesy Canadian Hydrographic Service.
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BAR & GRILL 2-pc Fish & Chips Enjoy our full service Dining Room or spend some time on our Patio overlooking the gorgeous views of the Arrowsmith Mountain and Golf Course
Open to the Public (250) 752-9727 2250 Fowler Rd, Qualicum Beach off Boorman Rd. www.golfarrowsmith.com
Takes a Dollar - continued from page 6 cannot share such opportunities, and it started the conversation, making us realize we should start looking at things going on in our local area.” “We were both involved at high school with fundraising for international concerns, but never really looked into what was happening in our own community,” continues DeGroot. “With how we could make a difference locally in mind, we started Takes A Dollar.” When a natural disaster or other awful event occurs overseas, the international community responds as it should, but while DeGroot and Richardson remain acutely globally concerned, as the latter explains what happens in their own backyard is the focus of Takes A Dollar: “What we’re trying to get across is that when your attention is only drawn to massive overseas disasters, when walking about in your own community you’ll see a homeless person every day, but become desensitized to the situation.” “And a lot of us just don’t want to see it,” adds DeGroot. “We look the other way, and although we can turn a blind eye to these things the need is overwhelming, so we are trying to build awareness of the needs of our own community.” “The first step was to find out about charities in Nanaimo and what they did,” Richardson explains. “We approached it in a way that if we didn’t know about a particular charity, we thought it probable that other people would also not know.” What the guys did know was the notion at the heart of their initiative, the principle on which Take A Dollar is built, being that most everyone could afford to donate very little to collectively make a very big difference. As DeGroot explains, this is why I believe the model could so easily catch on far and wide: “When we thought about this, everyone able to donate a dollar, while it is not a lot of money to us, just one dollar is vital to a charity. When we helped Loaves & Fishes last year, for example, they showed us that a dollar can turn into $3.50 in respect of how they can make it work for them.” “We were obviously aware that not everyone has a dollar to spare,” says Richardson, “but we were thinking that assuming half of Nanaimo can give a O C T O B E R
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dollar, that’s still a lot of money. And maybe there were people who could give two dollars to support those that cannot, and that’s kind of how it all took shape. But it is as important to us that people now know about the charities.” Beyond awareness raising and collecting donations, another wonderful thing about what these young men are doing is the free service they offer charities, being the production of short promotional films for them. “As Wes is very talented in this area, from the beginning the one thing we were definitely going to do was suggest to the charities that we make a video for them, so people can see what they do,” says DeGroot. Professionally shot and edited, these excellent short films can make all the difference to a charity without the resources to do so themselves. “I love making videos, and make music videos as a part-time job,” says Richardson. “I get a great deal of enjoyment from it, and as a skill I can bring to Takes A Dollar I am really happy they’re working great for the charities as promotional tools they might not otherwise have the budget for.” With so many charities in dire need and worthy of support, choosing which ones to help upon launching Takes A Dollar in 2015 was not easy. “For the first year we chose charities that impacted us personally, or were close to our families. We thought it would be easier to get established if the charities were of the better known ones locally,” says DeGroot. “One was Loaves & Fishes, suggested by our parents, and we also chose the Salvation Army, Island Crisis Care Society, Nanaimo Youth Services Association and the Nanaimo Child Development Centre.” Having raised an amazing $9,300 for these concerns in their first year, 2016’s beneficiaries are Nanaimo Unique Kids Organization, Vancouver Island Mental Health Society, Nanaimo Community Kitchens, Haven Society and Vancouver Island Crisis Line, together representing a diverse span of urgent community needs. While DeGroot, Richardson – and now a third team member, social media monitor and fellow Trinity Western University student Christian Wigmore – are up and running with Takes A Dollar, they are attempting to up the ante further by attracting one hundred E Y E S O N B C
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people to commit to annual donations of $100, ensuring a guaranteed pot of $10,000 for the year’s selected charities. It seems like a modest target to me, but this level of support needs to be established with considerably more individuals before Takes A Dollar can move onto the next level. At less than $2 per week, it is hardly a financially crippling pledge for most. Most impressive of all is that Takes A Dollar is such a portable concept, a fact not lost on its founders. In an ideal world they would love their idea to spread across Vancouver Island, British Columbia, across the whole country, then who knows where. To this end they would be more than happy to take inquiries from parties interested in setting up Takes A Dollar in their community. “We like how fluid our model is,” states Richardson with pride. “If anyone really wants to do this we would help them set up, shoot them advice and help them along the way. And we are fine with them using the name, but Andrew and I are very particular about how things get done, so because we both consider the videos as an integral part of the whole Takes A Dollar model, one thing we would have to ensure for anyone else setting up in their community is that they had the skills and means for producing good quality videos. We would also have to ensure transparency and accountability were in place, but if this happens we’ll figure things out when it’s the next step in front of us.” How about you, dear reader, doing this in your community? Because of their youth these smart guys have found charities both welcoming them with open arms, and also viewing them with suspicion, certain people questioning their motives. They understand this and it does not phase them, especially now things are moving along nicely, but on a regular basis they still face one particular question. “Why?” says DeGroot. “We get asked why all the time! Why not, we say! We just want to help.” ~ For more information and to register as a monthly Takes A Dollar donor, please visit http://takesadollar.org and https://www. facebook.com/Takes-a-Dollar. Andrew DeGroot and Wes Richardson can be contacted at takesadollar@gmail.com or by telephone at (250) 802 1806.
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REHEARSALS: FROM ROUGH TO READY by Linda Tenney
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t's theatre night. The curtain is about to rise, and for the next two hours or so, an audience at the Village Theatre in Qualicum Beach will watch actors breathe life into words that were once just ink on paper, and before that a swirling cloud of vague ideas, dialogue and scenes slowly melding together within the imaginative mind of a playwright. The process of bringing a play to stage from start to finish is a feat most of us never think about. I applaud actors who help us disappear into the world of make believe by delivering line after line of a play with conviction, making the unreal real. And I bow to directors who handle what I think is the most difficult part of the process of mounting a production; pulling a multitude human and technical strings together. I had the opportunity to see a rehearsal of ECHO's first production of the year, The Cocktail Hour, to learn a little about what it takes to direct a play. A director must dig deep into a play to understand it. To feel it. To say I was overwhelmed by the enormity of the task is an understatement. A rehearsal is rough. It's meant to be. It's the time when lines are run repeatedly, over and over again until volume, inflection, and timing is just right. It's when the director, Jeanne Atkinson in the case of The Cocktail Hour, visualizes, analyzes and scrutinizes everything from where to stand on the stage, where to sit, when to sit, what hand gestures to use to enliven the dialogue, and when and how to use the props provided, among other things. Everything is orchestrated. Everything! Directing the actors is just one phase of a director's dance. That's the human side, the side most obvious to us as an audience. The other is technical which includes set design, the furniture
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chosen, costuming, props and the nuance of lighting to set the proper mood for the play as a whole, and quite often for each scene as well. Each detail has a specific role to play, no matter how subtle or seemingly unimportant. The ultimate intent of course, is to provide an entertaining and believable piece of 'make believe' for you and me. Watching Jeanne Atkinson and the four actors of The Cocktail Hour in rehearsal was an eye-opening experience. It takes a dedicated troupe, with egos left at the dressing room door, to bring a play to stage. It's damn hard work and I commend them all - those on stage and those behind the scenes! As you're sitting in the audience on opening night, or any of the performances of The Cocktail Hour, watch the play with a different, and perhaps more enriching perspective. I know I will, and having had the chance to see one of the first rehearsals, I'm looking forward to seeing the 'polished' production. ~
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About this Poem ...
This poem describes a wildlife encounter when I was camping in the mountains of Alberta.
This poem has three stanzas, each consisting of four five-beat (da-DA, or pentameter) lines, and, in sonnet tradition, a closing couplet.
BAYING AT TWO MOONS
The rhythm of the first line is: the MOON is FULL aBOVE mount INGlisMALdie. The rhymes in the first two stanzas are abab. The first stanza begins softly with feminine (DA-da)_a-rhymes (Inglismaldie/Vivaldi), but from then on, masculine rhymes (on stressed syllables, e.g. seal/feel) carry the narrative. In the third stanza and the couplet, I've arranged the rhymes in an Italian sequence: cdecde. To my ear, that configuration accords with the content. This poem has been published by Able Muse and anthologized by Silver Bow Publishing. You can find an online sound-file by Googling "John Beaton Baying at Two Moons".
The moon is full above Mount Inglismaldie and mirrored on obsidian Two Jack Lake; the nights are growing long, but no Vivaldi concertos leap the seasons' firebreak— there's silence. Now a lone coyote flows along the bank then, head raised like a seal balancing a moon-ball on her nose, poises to unthroat a call. I feel her loneliness—she’s come so close to me it seems as though she may have lost a mate and sensing me has sparked an urge to yowl to any living thing for company, but, even so, I don’t anticipate the utter woebegoneness of her howl.
John Beaton lives in Qualicum Beach. His poetry has been widely published. He served for four years as moderator of one of the Internet’s most reputable poetry workshops and is a Spoken Word performer, a member of the band Celtic Chaos, and a co-organizer of local events, including a community showcase for musicians and Spoken Word performers, the Qualicum Acoustic Café (QUAC). You can find samples of John’s work by searching online for “John Beaton poetry”. To receive a monthly newsletter about local community events organized by John and his family and friends, email him at jabeaton@gmail.com. ~ 1 8
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Patricia Banks photo
by Patricia Banks, Artist/Writer "We do not remember days, we remember moments," said Cesare Pavese. I often think that those of us fortunate enough to live in such peaceful and extraordinary places as Vancouver Island have truly won some kind of lottery in life. Each day, I am humbled and filled with gratitude for all that Canada generously provides to its citizens and how kind and helpful people are to one another. Every now and again, life gifts us kindred spirits; people who cross our paths that we instantly share a close connection with. As I was scrolling through the photographs I took while kayaking with friends through the Broken Islands on the west coast of Vancouver Island last month, I was reminded of the numerous extraordinary moments that led to my recent art adventure. A few years ago, while exhibiting my artwork at a Toronto gallery, I met and subsequently befriended a Toronto artist, who was showing in the same gallery. Later that year, he and his wife
visited me in my Nanaimo studio – a true friendship began. Our enthusiasm for, and dedication to painting launched several interesting conversations, a continuous exchange of ideas and much laughter. More memorable moments were built, one on top of the other. My heart is filled when I am outside in the natural world absorbing the beauty of a wild landscape or listening to the sounds of the forest and sea. How grateful we are to be able to share so many moments of our lives together, immersed in the excitement and peace that Mother Nature has to offer. As I review this art adventure, I pause and reflect, and I am there in the moment with a smile on my face. ~ www.patriciabanks.ca · facebook.com/patriciabanksfineart
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QUALICUM BEACH FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY will hold its regular meeting on Wednesday, October 19, 7pm at the Qualicum Legion. Guest speaker will be Jaime Brown, Information Services Technician for Cloverdale Library, with ‘Family History on the Cheap’. Guests welcome. The QUALICUM BEACH FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY will be providing one-on-one sessions to members of the general public, to assist them in finding information about their ancestors. If you are starting a Family History search, this is a way to gain more knowledge and information through professional help, and perhaps discover some new ancestors. Location is the Qualicum Beach Library, October 22, from 1:00pm to 4:00pm.
Lighthouse Country & beyond LIGHTHOUSE COMMUNITY CENTRE (LCC) 240 Lions Way, Qualicum Bay. SECOND SUNDAY MARKET at the Lighthouse Community Centre in Qualicum Bay – Sunday October 9th - 8am-noon, Pancake Breakfast - $6 or $8. Enjoy live music, breakfast, shopping for a treasure, or even a few chickens for your coop! Members of the Bowser Elementary School PAC will be serving up breakfast this month. SECOND SUNDAY MARKET- would you like to be a vendor? We encourage artisans, farmers and crafters. We supply tables and chairs FMI: visit https://sites.google.com/ site/lighthousecommunityhall/pancakebreakfast, leave a message at 778-424-9900 or email king7will@yahoo.com SOUPY CAFÉ - COMMUNITY LUNCH - By Donation. Wednesday Oct 5th. Noon To 1pm only. Lunch, games, entertainment. Lighthouse Community Centre - 240 Lions Way, Qualicum Bay. All welcome. At the Lighthouse Community Centre LIGHTHOUSE BADMINTON, PICKLEBALL, AND TABLE TENNIS on Mondays at 7pm, starting Monday Sept 19th. PICKLEBALL and TABLE TENNIS on Thursdays at 7pm, starting Thursday Sept. 22nd. Times may change. $4 drop-in fee. Beginners welcome. Equipment provided. Players 15+ years. Info-ph. 250757-8307 steelehunt@shaw.ca LIGHTHOUSE SENIORS – Branch 152 – meet at 11:30am in the Seniors Room at the Lighthouse Community Centre on the first Monday of every month. For more information, please call Joan at 250-7579536. TAOIST™ TAI CHI - Mondays 9:30-noon at the Lighthouse Community Centre in Qualicum Bay. Wednesdays to May 2017, 10:45-12:15, at the OAP Hall in Fanny Bay. Contact: Richard 250-752-1231.
LIGHTHOUSE SPINNERS – Bring your Spinning Wheels and fibre and meet the Lighthouse Spinners at the LCC, Tuesdays at 10:30am. FMI Call 778-424-1001. CARPET BOWLING – 12:45 to 3pm at the LCC. FMI Call Layne (250) 757-8217.
HAPPY WANDERERS’ TRAVEL CLUB meets at the Shelley Road Hall (Parksville) on Wednesday, October 26/16. Travel desk opens at 1:30; regular meeting begins at 2:00. New members welcome. Please bring your own coffee mug or tea cup. Friday, October 21, (7:30pm) $15/$12
AA LIGHTKEEPERS - Fridays at 7pm at the LCC. FMI contact (250) 757-2300. BRIDGE – Nordin Room 1-4pm Fridays at the LCC. FMI Sheila Steele 250-757-8307.
TALES FOR THE TELLING PRESENTS “Beyond Bars & Brothers: Klondike Women” The women who made their way to the Klondike during the gold rush were more than miners. They were courageous, strong women who were also entrepreneurs. These brave, intelligent women often made their fortunes selling goods – and not themselves – to the male miners. A few were not as successful, but they were just as brave. Hear their stories. Tickets: McMillan Arts Centre (133 McMillan Street, Parksville), on-line at www.mcmillanartscentre.com, or by phoning the Arts Centre (250-248-8185). Remaining tickets at the door.
FOR MORE ACTIVITIES AT THE LCC, VISIT WWW.COMMUNITYHALL.CA
LIONS RECREATION HALL (LRH) 280 Lions Way, Qualicum Bay. QUALICUM BAY LIONS CLUB – Meet at 7pm, every second and fourth Tuesday in the Lions Den at the Lions’ Rec Hall. Let's FLOOR CURL! Join our floor curling club for winter fun and friendship! We play September to May on Mondays and Fridays, 1-3pm at the Lions Rec Hall in lovely Qualicum Bay. No equipment is needed, curling rocks are supplied, and floor curling is affordable, easy to play and great for all ages and capabilities. Our Club is "55+ Seniors Games" eligible. FMI call Fred or Lorraine at 250-752-0216. LIGHTHOUSE COUNTRY SCRAPBOOKERS Meet 3rd Saturday monthly at the Lions' Rec Hall, 9:30am-4:30pm. $10. Door prizes. FMI Jorgie 250-757-8358 or Shirley 250-7578384.
PARKSVILLE / QUALICUM BEACH FLEA MARKET AND BOOK SALE to support the BCSPCA at the Parksville Community Centre, 132 Jensen Ave E., Parksville, Fri., Oct 28 (9-6) and Sat Oct 29 (9-4). something for everyone. CONTINUED...
Community Calendar listings are reserved for non-profit organizations, societies, clubs and associations operating within the guidelines of the Society Act of BC, and to charities registered with Canada Revenue Agency. Listings are first-come, first-served, space permitting. More events at www.eyesonbc.com 2 0
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NOTICE
BOARD APPOINTMENTS The Regional District of Nanaimo is now accepting applications to the following advisory bodies:
LIGHTHOUSE · COMMUNITY CENTRE
Nanoose Bay (Area ‘E’) Parks and Open Space Advisory Committee • Nanoose Bay
2-year term
3 members
Electoral Area ‘F’ Parks and Open Space Advisory Committee • Coombs, Hilliers, Errington
2-year term
2 members
INFORMATION
Electoral Area ‘G’ Parks and Open Space Advisory Committee • French Creek, Dashwood, Englishman River
2-year term
3 members
240 LIONS WAY, QUALICUM BAY
2-year term
3 members
WWW.COMMUNITYHALL.CA
Electoral Area ‘H’ Parks and Open Space Advisory Committee • Bowser, Qualicum Bay, Shaw Hill, Deep Bay
2-year term 1 member - Electoral Area ‘H’
WHAT’S ON — OCTOBER 2016
District 69 Recreation Commission • Electoral Area ‘H’ Representative (also includes membership on the Area ‘H’ Parks and Open Space Advisory Committee) Agricultural Advisory Committee • All Communities in RDN
2-year term
2 members Agricultural Organizations 1 member Shellfish Aquaculture Organizations
Grants-in-Aid Advisory Committee • All Communities in RDN
1-year term
1 member - District 68 1 member - District 69 2 members - All Areas
Liquid Waste Management Plan Monitoring Committee • All Communities in RDN
2-year term 2 members - General Public 2 members - Business Community
Regional Solid Waste Advisory Committee • All Communities in RDN
1-year term
1 member
Board of Variance • All RDN Electoral Areas, except Area ‘B’
3-year term
1 member
AVAILABLE FOR RENTALS
250-757-9222 • website: www.rcl211.ca • email: rcl211@shaw.ca Hall Rentals 250-757-9222 • Tue and Fri 9am - 12 noon Sunday October 16 - Veteran’s Appreciation Dinner Saturday October 22 - Octoberfest! Tuesday October 25 - General Meeting ... 7pm MIXED POOL Tuesday............................................................... 5:00pm LADIES POOL Wednesday......................................................... 4:00pm CRIBBAGE Wednesday......................................................... 7:00pm MEN’S POOL Thursday............................................................. 6:00pm TEXAS HOLD’EM Thursday............................................................. 7:00pm DARTS Friday.................................................................. 7:00pm
Meat Draws - Every Friday at 5:00 p.m. & Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ** MEMBERS, GUESTS & PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS ALWAYS WELCOME ** Closed Sunday & Monday (unless an Event is scheduled)
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For a complete list of vacancies, and to obtain an application form, please visit rdn.bc.ca, or contact Corporate Services at corpsrv@rdn.bc.ca, 250-390-4111, or toll-free at 1-877-607-4111. Application forms must be submitted by 4pm, Monday, November 14, 2016
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FROM THE DESK OF THE DIRECTOR BILL VEENHOF
Regional Director, Area H billveenhof.com - ph: 778-424-2810 ■ bill.veenhof@shaw.ca
T
he summer has flown by. Arlene and I have recently returned from a driving trip up the Alaska Highway to the Dempster and the on to Inuvik, NWT. This was an awesome trip that I would strongly recommend to anyone. We saw grizzly and black bear, moose, bison, sheep and innumerable smaller animals. I will do this trip again but I think I will go a little later (mid-Sept) so as to catch the caribou migration and the fall colours of the tundra. Following are a few items that may be of interest: Big Qualicum Fish Hatchery The salmon have arrived at the Big Q. This is the start of a natural wonder that will last until November. In the coming weeks, if you walk/cycle the many outstanding trails in this area, you will see salmon, birds and perhaps even a bear! This area is one of our great treasures. Home Owner Builders I am still doing fact checking and don’t know if I have this all right. One of the things I don't know is if recent changes detailed below are really a problem. I think it might be, but you are the ones who are best positioned to tell me if it is, so please let me know what you think. If I don’t hear that it is a problem, I am not going to pursue it. Caveat…this is a complex issue and I don’t know if I got everything below right. On the 4th of July, the HPO instituted a new requirement that “Owner Builders” of new homes will have to pass an exam before they receive
a “New Home Registration Form”. This form is required, by legislation, before local government is allowed to issue a building permit. See: https:// www.hpo.bc.ca/sites/default/files/ download/Bulletins/RegBulletin_26_ Owner_Builder_Exam.pdf. The HPO has indicated that they will not be preparing/providing any materials to help individuals thru the exam. It seems that the logic here is that if you don’t know it, you should not be doing it. An “Owner Builder” is acting as their own general contractor. Beyond just the exam, becoming an 'owner builder' is a significant process, including a largely undefined pre-screening process. HPO is a creature of the Province and operates under BC Housing, (I do not know what their accountability structure is). This new HPO rule is in place to protect future purchasers of an "Owner Built” home. This said, the RDN has a building permitting and inspection process in place that does the same thing with more rigour. Under RDN processes, future purchasers are already protected. I have received complaints about the requirement for an exam. While I thought that this was probably a uniquely rural issue, research suggests that municipalities are somewhat affected, but I am not sure about that. The complaints seem to focus on the lack of study material (training) for the exam. Processing time is an issue. The pre-screening process is met by a great deal of mistrust. I am told that just by being an Owner Builder you can save 10% over having a general contractor do the building
for you. A great deal of further "sweat equity" savings can accrue to those that do some or most of the work on a build themselves. It is a good way to make unaffordable housing, affordable. RDN Grants The RDN has multiple programs that offer grants to local community organizations and has several grants for individual homeowners. The intakes for the next set of applications are fast approaching. This is sent to let you know what they are and to encourage you to apply. Northern Community Economic Development Grants Purpose: The Northern Community Economic Development program provides support for economic development initiatives in the City of Parksville, the Town of Qualicum Beach and Electoral Areas 'E', 'F', 'G', and 'H'. The Program allows the RDN Board of Directors to contribute to eligible projects that advance the Board's vision for a resilient, thriving and creative local economy. To be considered for the Fall 2016 round, submissions must be received by 4.30 p.m. on Friday, October 14, 2016 See: http://www.rdn.bc.ca/cms. asp?wpID=2759 Individual Home Owner Grants There are several grants available to support individual homeowners. Area H has done very well on these programs. You may be eligible for funding to help make your property more environmentally friendly by reducing water and/or energy usage. Check out the web site at: http://www. rdn.bc.ca/cms.asp?wpID=2420 ~
250-752-2921
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DISCOVER LIGHTHOUSE COUNTRY Deep Bay - Bowser - Qualicum Bay Horne Lake - Spider Lake
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