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taylor romance on ice ISSUE NUMBER 4, MARCH 2014

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6 an organic beauty 42 what we’re doing 10 romance on ice 44 coffee with dan berard 46 final frame 14 jim taylor maple bacon cream 20 ftoromclotted 26 words with catherine dook 30 back to nature 34 station street view 36 water babies Wall to Wall. Floor to Ceiling. We’ve got you covered.

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life in cowichan: Wedderspoon Farm

an organic

beauty 2014 SPRING

STORY by Peter W. Rusland PHOTOS by Andrew Leong & Peter W. Rusland

A

forgotten honey pot helped stir the sweet Cowichan lifestyle for the enterprising owners of Wedderspoon Farm.

From 13 idyllic acres off Herd Road — rescued from a logged moonscape — Sebastien Martin, Catherine Wedderspoon-Martin, and their youngsters Charlotte and William, now enjoy Warm Land living.

“The farm’s a vibrant place, and we get lots of energy from it,” Sebastien said in a thick French accent. “It’s a magical place.”

Wedderspoon’s wizardry sees some experimentation to grow various crops using permaculture farming techniques proudly displayed amid cedar-frame buildings, drying sheds, coops, greenhouses, and animal pens.

Mint, lemon balm, lavender, thyme, calendula, yarrow, and rosemary, and hibiscus — from Wedderspoon’s 350 trees — are raised by the farm’s family of eco-minded workers, then made into teas and more.

“They have experience in permaculture and biodynamic movements. We’re benefiting from their knowledge and applying it to our land,” said soil-addicted idea-man Sebastien.

The farm is also headquarters for Wedderspoon Organic Inc., the family’s international manuka honey, and honey-based products company buzzing in the spread’s sturdy warehouses that are already under a space crunch.

But that rare blend of local bucolic lifestyle meets business-world brains makes Wedderspoon’s story so different from Old MacDonald’s farm.

Using social media, and creative niche marketing, Wedderspoon’s stringently organic products — spanning manuka honeys, and lip balm, to cosmetics, bees-wax candles, lozenges and teas — can be made in, and shipped from other countries while Sebastien and his crew cultivate ideas for crops grown in Cowichan’s Mediterranean climate.

“We add five or six products every year.

“We’re visionaries for discovering new properties in the honey. We’ve been consistent in our products; that’s why people like our brands.”

Call it living locally, marketing globally. continued page 9

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The Wide World of Wedderspoon: Wedderspoon won the Duncan Cowichan Chamber of Commerce’s Black Tie award for business excellence in 2006 Sebastien and Catherine met in Europe, wed in Las Vegas in 2000, and moved to Quebec in 2001.

Sebastien, 37, was born in France; Catherine, in England Sebastien was a graphic designer who did work for Bombardier He gained French farming knowledge about goat cheese and milk from his mom, Chantal, and business sense from his dad, Philippe Sebastien created the firm’s Queen of the Hive baby products recipe in a home casserole dish, with a repackaged line launching by the end of March NFL player Scott Fujita endorses Wedderspoon’s organic products Wedderspoon started marketing Chilean and Greek honey this year Manuka bushes are non-invasive and used for erosion control

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SPRING 2014

Now accepting new clients for a

Spring Cleanse Program “Healing is the change to a better life.”

“It was a dead zone with not a single bird, but we made a farm and a Garden of Eden.”

— Sebastien Martin from page 7 Catherine — whose maiden name is Wedderspoon — has stepped back from the booming business to raise the kids.

The family’s livelihood is intricately stuck to what is likely Earth’s best manuka honey — made way down in New Zealand.

The coveted bee nectar, wax and venom is used in Wedderspoon’s hive of organic products — some including their farm’s many herbs — sold in some 110 countries.

Sebastien directs the farm and worldwide marketing, while concocting new products, such as a valley factory to make tea-based Platonic drinks using his farm’s herbs.

“The recipe will be a surprise.”

The couple’s passage to paradise in Cowichan started a dozen years ago while living in Quebec. Catherine’s mom, Diane, visited from Britain but forgot her jar of manuka honey.

“She asked us to buy her some, but we couldn’t find any. We even called local beekeepers,” an effusive Sebastien said.

Diane’s idea of filling the prized manukahoney market gathered dust — until the couple moved to Cowichan in 2005 at the urging of Cobble Hill friends.

They settled in a log cabin in Chemainus, then moved to Duncan and elsewhere while launching their home-based business to market manuka honey — renowned for flavour and healing properties.

Eventually, they landed a purchasing contract with a master beekeeper in Christchurch.

2014 SPRING

“We made the plunge using money we made from selling our house in Quebec — we had nothing to lose,” said Sebastien.

Manuka demand hiked. The couple created more products, and built their dream home on rough farmland bought in 2009.

“The land was logged years ago, and they scraped off all the topsoil, but we brought in water and electricity, and built the roads. It was a dead zone with not a single bird, but we made a farm and a Garden of Eden,” he said.

His Elysium cradles his family’s custombuilt home, and employs several dozen seasonal workers tending and terracing herbs using permaculture.

The chemical-free technique yields yearround crops fertilized by compost, and fed by water-catchment seen in Wedderspoon’s pond system. They also hire harvesters for wild salal berries used in teas made on site.

Herbs are dried then manufactured into sachets.

Sebastien planted about 20 of Canada’s first manuka bushes on their commercial farm. Their pastoral spread also boasts chickens and sheep, including Brutus the Dorset ram.

Wedderspoon may have beehives by next year, too. Meanwhile, he and his family love living on island-thyme.

“The valley is thriving and will change in a good way; it’s going from logging to food and organic products, and wine — it’s endless,” he said.

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romance STORY by Don Bodger PHOTO by Andrew Leong

W

hen Ben introduced teammate Joey to his friend Laura, it started a chain reaction.

One introduction led to another and eventually linked three international Cowichan Valley Capitals’ hockey players with three valley girls — all of whom happened to play field hockey at one time — in marriage.

Ben Nelson hooked up with Jackie Gergel and they married on July 11, 2009.

Aaron Spotts and Annamieke Blitterswyk exchanged vows at Bird’s Eye Cove Farm in Genoa Bay on Aug. 11, 2012. Joey Hughes and Laura Brandon — the first to meet, 10

station

on ice

but the last of the three couples to get married — did it in style in Hawaii on Sept.

24, 2012. That was considerate of them because it allowed their families to meet in the middle, between B.C. and Australia.

“I guess it all started when I became friends with Ben, as we had a history class together in high school,’’ recalled Laura.

Ben hailed from Spokane, Washington and came to the valley in 2000 to play for the B.C. Hockey League Capitals. He was housed with Australian Joey at Jim and Darlene Potts’ residence. Laura just happened to live close by.

“I used to go over to hang out and study,’’ recalled Laura. “Joey was a bit intimidated at the start but once we started talking, it was history from there.’’

The next chapter in the story took about a year to develop. Laura went to Spain and Joey headed to play in Trail before they rendezvoused back in Duncan. That’s

when the couple introduced the future Mr. and Mrs. Ben and Jackie Nelson and they seemed to hit it off from there.

Jackie worked at Starbucks in the Duncan Plaza and Ben found himself dropping by just to say ‘hi’, whether he needed a drink or not.

“I had to go get tea,’’ he said. “I didn’t drink much coffee back then. We started hanging out after that.’’

Around the same time, Laura met another Spokane hockey player, Aaron, who joined the Capitals and was Ben’s new roommate.

Jackie’s friend, Annamieke, had just returned from the University of Calgary, and Jackie put her matchmaking instincts into play with Aaron.

“Jackie and Ben had only been going out for a month,’’ said Annamieke.

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kid’s skates,’’ she said. “She introduced us then.’’

After that, “we went public skating together,’’ said Annamieke.

Aaron asked Annamieke to attend a New Year’s banquet with him after a Caps’ game, but he never made it. He separated his collarbone two minutes into the game.

“He was in emergency. He missed the whole banquet,’’ said Annamieke.

But they met back at the Potts’ residence, which later became a frequent hang-out for the three couples.

“Much of it was centred around playing cards,’’ Annamieke said.

After Annamieke went back to the University of Calgary, “we actually talked every day on the phone,’’ said Annamieke.

“After his season was done, he drove out to Calgary to visit me and went home to Spokane.’’

Getting together eventually led to being 2014 spring

apart for each of the couples for a while, especially after the guys furthered their hockey careers. Joey and Aaron both went on to play college hockey and attend school at St. Scholastica in Minnesota. Ben went to Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.

All three also had some minor pro stints along the way before calling it a career.

“It was a weird transition, where are you taking your life, kind of thing,’’ said Aaron.

“I found a new passion in management marketing.’’

“We have been through a lot — university degrees, long distances and times when we wouldn’t see each other — but I think we always knew that we would be together and so we made it work,’’ noted Laura of her situation with Joey.

Jackie had perhaps the most interesting transition once Ben received a full-ride college scholarship. continued page 13

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11

Joey and Laura Hughes

Jackie and Ben Nelson and son Byron

Aaron and Annamieke Spotts 12

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SPRING 2014

from page 11 “If you’re willing to put in the effort,’ I said ‘so am I,’’’ Jackie recalled saying to Ben about a long-term commitment.

“Distance makes the heart grow fonder.’’

“We kind of came to the realization it’d be easier for her to move down here (to Spokane),’’ Ben said.

“When he left to play college, I got into a one-year LPN nursing program,’’ said Jackie.

She made the unusual move, and many would say the ultimate sacrifice, by living with Ben’s parents, her future in-laws.

“When I had the chance to get away and see him (Ben), I did,’’ Jackie said.

“If anything, it made me close with his family, in general. They’re a very closeknit family. We didn’t really even think about it — even after.’’

Today, the couples stay connected but live in three widely-varying places in three different countries.

The Hughes are in Australia where Laura is “loving the beach life’’ and has a Pilates studio while Joey runs a hockey shop, coaching business and gym.

The Nelsons live in Spokane. Ben is the superintendent of a golf course in nearby Post Falls, Idaho, and Jackie works as an RN supervisor in a specialty clinic in Spokane. They have a two-year-old son, Byron Nelson, who has the same name as a famous golfer.

And Aaron and Annamieke are living in downtown Duncan. Aaron works for Pacific Homes as a home package co-ordinator and does some marketing, while Annamieke has an English Language Learner contract at Khohemun Elementary School and is a substitute teacher the rest of the time.

“It was hard for us to learn to settle down,’’ said Aaron.

“Our lives had revolved around hockey so much,’’ said Annamieke.

“It makes decisions for you,’’ remarked Aaron.

And it brought six people together in a most unlikely way.

“When I tell the story, it’s almost amazing the way things wind up the way they do,’’ said Jackie.

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the interview:

jim

taylor STORY by Maeve Maguire PHOTOS by Andrew Leong

I

t’s August, 1988. A young and clean-shaven Wayne Gretzky sits in front of a bouquet of microphones.

A moment before, Edmonton Oilers owner Peter Pocklington confirmed to the media it was with mixed emotions but sincere best wishes the Oilers were trading Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings.

It is the most documented and discussed player trade in NHL history, yet at this emotionally charged press conference, Gretzky’s first words were, “I think first of all, I want to apologize to my friend Jim Taylor, in front of everyone. He’s been more aware of this situation than probably I have.”

Jim Taylor. The kid from Vic High who turned a short gig writing about a local softball team for the Victoria Colonist into a 46-year career as a journalist for the Vancouver Sun, The Province, and the short-lived Sports Only.

Taylor was the most-widely read — and funniest — sports columnist in Canada when he retired in 2001.

He applied his sardonic sense of humour to reveal the absurdities in the business of sport, entertaining sports fans and non-fans alike. He attributes his success to luck, and to athletes like figure skater Karen Magnussen, whose hard work sent him on his first offshore assignment to cover her story at the 1972 Olympic Games in Sapporo, Japan.

That assignment lead to his next: hockey’s Canada-Russia Summit Series in 1972, the event that would launch a career covering almost every significant Canadian sporting event for the next 29 years.

He was there for Paul Henderson’s historic goal. He rode in Rick Hansen’s Man in Motion support van. He filed a column 11 minutes after Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield’s ear.

And he sat ringside at Gretzky’s last game in 14

station

Straight talk and sharp wit from B.C.’s greatest living sportswriter

New York.

In total, Taylor has written approximately 7,500 columns, three times as many radio shows and 15 books, including Hello Sweetheart, Gimme Rewrite, his captivating memoir depicting a behind-the-scenes account of his journey as a writer. His exceptional career was recognized with this induction into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame, a lifetime achievement award from Sports Media Canada, and—likely his favourite—a membership in the CFL. Taylor and his wife, Deborah, now live in a beautiful home on Shawnigan Lake. They moved in permanently from Vancouver last May, after Deborah was spending more and more time here. Jim said Deborah had made so many sacrifices for him during his long career, it was his turn to make the move.

His office appears to be set up just as it would have been 20 years ago, with the exception of a laptop where his Underwood typewriter used to sit. The walls are covered with his framed book covers, and pictures of him standing next to Canada’s sports stars, like Bobby Orr, Rick Hansen, Walter and Wayne Gretzky, all in their prime. On the opposite wall: a limited edition Andy Warhol print of Wayne Gretzky, which Gretzky gifted him.

It could be a display at the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, but for two differences: a cherished, signed picture of a sultry bikiniclad Cheryl Tiegs posing on wave-sprayed rocks sits at eye level in the centre of all the pictures; and next to it sits an exquisite image of a young, tan Jim, dressed in his swimming trunks, sitting on the edge of the diving board at his home swimming pool, laptop placed carefully on his bare thighs. Jim swears he told the photographer this is not how he usually works.

At 77, Jim is as sarcastic in person as he is in his writing, and his laugh is infectious.

Surrounded by this tapestry of great Canadian sportsmen, he shared his thoughts on

fighting in hockey, why Gretzky is still the greatest hockey player ever, and why Lance Armstrong deserves recognition.

MM: How did the book writing start?

JT: Things sort of happened. I did (B.C. Lion Jim Young’s) Dirty 30. I did (Edmonton Eskimo) Danny Kepley’s book, Inside the Dynasty, because he had Wayne’s agent and I didn’t want to piss off Wayne’s agent because I thought I might lose the Gretzky book, and I knew Danny anyway. And then we did Gretz, and then I did Rick. I didn’t want to, but I did ultimately. Then I did Igor. I’m doing a book now and it’s kind of a project.

I have a friend who was born with cerebral palsy in Edmonton. He goes through life in a wheelchair looking and pushing himself backwards. He became a reporter for the Edmonton Journal.

MM: What’s his name?

JT: Cam Tate. And he’ll do anything. He was at Yuk Yuks one night. And he’s drunk.

MM: That sounds like the beginning of a terrible joke.

JT: And they have amateur night. And he says, “I can do that.” They lift him up to the stage on his chair. He gets to the national finals of Yuk Yuks. He says, when he’s describing his disease, “I call it Canada Post because my brain sends signals and God knows where they wind up.”

MM. What a character. When did you know you’d made it? Was it the press passes mounting up on your desk?

JT: I knew. That sounds awful. But I knew I was pretty good. I knew that once I got to the Vancouver Sun, that’s a big market, and I was there, and I had the lead column. But you never think of it that way because there’s always the next story with five columns a week.

MM: I don’t even know how you had that many thoughts in your head.

JT: That’s why I got the satellite dish.

Because back then, there was no blocking.

SPRING 2014

“I just told stories, and made people laugh, or cry.”

— Jim Taylor

You could get the stuff back east that nobody else had.

MM: Are you still watching as much sport?

JT: I haven’t watched an NHL hockey game in 12 years.

MM: Because you’re not reporting on it?

JT: No, I don’t care. It’s too much money and there’s too many games.

MM: What about CFL? JT: I love it.

MM: NFL? JT: Playoffs. When you watch Peyton Manning in the playoffs he goes up to the centre and he calls the play and then he goes up and talks to the guard and asks him ‘how’s your mom?’ because he’s got 40 seconds. In the Canadian Football League, the play has to go in 20 seconds. And it’s a much better game. You don’t have all this lollygagging around. And it gets back to the playoff games. When the season starts, you know there’s going to be five playoff games: semi-finals, the two finals, and the Grey Cup. Boom. Over. You know the Stanley Cup used to be in April?

MM: We were watching the Canucks in the Stanley Cup playoffs inside, on TV, on the most beautiful day in June.

JT: I call it the Stanley Cup Finally.

MM: So what’s changed?

JT: The number of teams and games, and the number of stupid people who will pay absurd prices to get a really good Canucks seat. $300? How do you take your kids?

MM: You don’t.

JT: It was my job, and I enjoyed it, but it’s not my job anymore. I could go to any press 2014 SPRING

box in the country. I don’t go because it was my office and I don’t belong there anymore.

We used to sit there, we were the guys in the front row, and we’d hear all the old farts in the back discussing games in 1942. Greg Douglas and I swore we will never be them.

There are people in the press box now from every little hick (outlet) and they are using their cellphones and talking. When I was there, they wouldn’t have got in because you had to have credentials. Now, if you know someone whose father was the owner of one of the sponsors...it’s a zoo.

MM: Fighting in hockey. What’s your take on it?

JT: They could end it tomorrow. All they would have to do is put in the European rule: you fight you’re out.

MM: How do the Europeans deal with it when they come here?

JT: When the Europeans first started to come over here, when the first Swedish players came, guys like Don Cherry and that would say, “Wait until I get my hands on...” And they would back away and they

wouldn’t fight. And it wasn’t because they were scared. Börje Salming at one point playing for the Leafs, I guess he had enough because he just put his stick down and he just beat the living snot out of this great big goon. But it’s totally foreign to them.

The Sedins don’t fight. It’s not that they’re cowardly or anything, they play the game.

MM: But you get the impression from media they are...

JT: All the idiot fringe, they say they want fighting. The league says they’re policing it and they’re not. They’re handing out suspensions but they think it’s part of the game.

MM: Is it part of the game?

JT: Doesn’t have to be. Wayne didn’t fight.

Best player who ever lived, didn’t fight.

Mind you he had two guys who took care of anybody who would try to fight.

MM: Is he still the best player who ever lived?

JT: I’m biased. continued page 16

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from page 15 MM: I wondered.

JT: Well, there were five years when Wayne Gretzky won the scoring championship.

He had more goals, assists and points than anybody. But if he had never scored a goal in any of those years, he would have still won the scoring championship because he had more assists than anybody else who had total points. He was amazing.

MM: Wow. JT: Again, total bias. There has to be, I mean, they are my friends. He and Wally are just a classic example of what can happen when you do it right. You know, you respect your parents. Wayne never went to hockey school. Never. But he still gets buckets of mail from people who want to know what hockey school he attended so they can send their boy “who is going to be in the NHL” to the same hockey school.

He just laughs because he says, “At the end of hockey season, Dad would hide our skates. Go play soccer, go play football, go play baseball and I’ll tell you when hockey season starts again.” Wally still says to this day that hockey is Wayne’s third-best sport.

MM: No way.

JT: Oh yeah, because he was a really good baseball pitcher and they wanted him to go down into the system but the World Hockey Association came along and he could go then, at 17, but for baseball he would have had to wait until he was 19. And the family could use the money.

MM: He was just that athlete.

JT: And an incredible lacrosse player. Well, it’s the same game. It’s vision; make the pass. Jari Kurri says it takes a lot of faith.

“I’d be out there on the power play and I’d start swinging knowing the puck was going to be there. If it isn’t I’m going to look pretty stupid.” I saw once when Jari needed his 70th goal and he had a big bonus and he wasn’t getting it. Wayne said, “Go stand in front of the net.” And Wayne went into the boards to get the puck and as he went by he switched hands on his stick and put it between his legs back onto Jari’s stick. It was telepathy.

MM: Was Wayne’s last game emotional?

JT: It was emotional for him. And after it was over, someone asked him where he was going, he said, “Bowling.” He took the kids bowling.

MM: How old was he when he quit?

JT: 38. He could have played another year spring 2014

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MM: What do you think about the Olympics?

JT: I think they should scrap it. That’s not the curmudgeon in me; it just doesn’t make economic sense anymore, except for the IOC. I don’t know all the figures but better than 50% of the multi-billion dollar facilities built in Greece have been scrapped. And there are World Championships in every event. You ask (world record sprinter Usain) Bolt, if you could only do one, would you rather go to the Olympics or to go the Worlds where you’re going to win three events and an extra million dollars. And they’re all getting paid anyways.

I just think there’s too much money. The Olympics would be fine if you build one.

Summer in Greece, and a winter someplace else. And you put a big moat around both of them and you have armed guards. You put all the athletes in and you don’t have spectators. You make it a total television event. continued page 18 2014 spring

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from page 17 MM: No spectators? That’s the best part.

JT: Well, that’s where the riots are. And if you don’t let people in, when you’re worried now about, for Christ’s sake, explosive toothpaste. Australia: They built the huge stadium for the Olympics. It’s empty because it’s too big and it’s too far out of town.

MM: And, then there’s the question of what all of that has to do with amateur athletics?

JT: It was funny, when Sports Only started, I went to this publisher they brought in from Calgary. He’d been in town six weeks.

I said, “There’s a kid playing basketball in Santa Clara, and they tell me that he is gonna be the next big thing. He’s from B.C., he fits our mandate.” And he said, “No, my contacts tell me...” I said, “You don’t have any contacts.” He said, “The one we should be watching is Lawrence Moten of “our” Vancouver Grizzlies.” Our Vancouver Grizzlies. I said, “I’ll bet you $1,000 right now that Lawrence Moten does not play more than two years.” But he said, “Well, you have to write a column about Lawrence Moten.” I said, “No, I don’t.”

I felt sorry for the guy because he was the publisher of record; I was the face. One day, he was giving it to everybody and he got to me and I said, “If you say one word to me I’ll go back to The Province and I’ll shut down this pop stand right now.” I said, “If you think I’m bluffing, let’s pick up the phone.” They fired him about two weeks later.

MM: Lance Armstrong?

JT: Anybody who wasn’t terminally stupid knew that he had to be juiced.

MM: And yet in your book you say he deserved the accolades he’s received.

JT: And he did. He won. The accolades he deserves are for what he did for the Cancer Foundation. I mean, you can’t fake that. But racing is so crooked, I mean it’s so crooked.

MM: So they’re all crooked, and if they’re all crooked, he still won.

JT: He still won.

MM: Are the CFL athletes crooked?

JT: I don’t think as much. I’m sure there’s some. I remember when the pills first came out, they called them Greenies. Some of the dumb guys there, they said to their trainer, “I want some Greenies.” So he made some sugar pills—placebos—and he dyed them green and he got an old cardboard salt box spring 2014

and cut the top off and he filled it and he put Greenies on it. These guys were taking them on the way out, and when they come back in some of the guys said, “Boy I just felt so good.” And another guy said, “ I’m never taking those again. I just felt so sleepy out there.”

MM: That’s the part of sport I just hate.

That and the fighting in hockey. They take away from the game.

JT: The joke about the weightlifters? What do all the great Russian weightlifters in the ‘60s and ‘70s have in common? They’re all dead.

MM: The stories you tell in Hello Sweetheart, Gimme Rewrite were something else.

JT: It’s been great. And hopefully it’s not over, I mean, I’m not going to be writing for newspapers anymore but I hope there’s still some stuff to write.

To me, it’s never been really about the games. I enjoy them and I had a great time.

It’s the 10 or 15 minutes after the game when you have to make the words work. My high school has picked four of us to honour at a dinner for their 100-year anniversary.

You hang around long enough that’s the kind of thing you’re invited to. And I say this with no modesty: there are four people in my class who are more qualified than me.

It never occurred to me that I did anything important. I just told stories, and made people laugh, or cry.

S

Friendship first: Jim’s friendship with the Gretzky family trumped his role as a columnist that August day. Instead of writing about Wayne’s move to Los Angeles, a trade he had known about for weeks, he waited because he told Wayne he would keep quiet, even though it put his job as a journalist in jeopardy. Wayne promised he would call Jim the night before the trade, so Jim’s column could be first to press, but word got out before Wayne could call. Thus, the apology. Jim regrets nothing. He said, “I gave my word.”

2014 spring

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T

o hear the English tell it, you would never guess I’m in a different country.

There’s a certain sense of imperialism that I suppose is hard to shake after centuries of meddling in world affairs.

“You all secretly think you still own us,” I complained to my English boyfriend recently.

He just laughed and informed me it wasn’t a secret.

It’s puzzling for the British, I guess, that we’ll put their queen on our cash and yet still maintain we’ve shrugged off the shackles of their rule.

Truthfully, it’s humbling to hear how Canadians are perceived across the pond: It’s true, you know: we do say “about” funny.

No, we really don’t understand British humour.

Yes, there is definitely some (welldeserved) ill-will toward us for unleashing the likes of Justin Bieber, Celine Dion and Bryan Adams on the world. continued page 23

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Oy fancied going down the chippie for moy tea, but Oy can’t be assed. chips, noun; 1) french fries; inexplicably served with anything, from breakfast to steak.

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from page 20 And, speaking of cheese, no one here understands the culinary masterpiece that is poutine. Not even The Maple Leaf, the so-called Canadian pub in Covent Garden that plays hockey (that’s ‘ice hockey’ to any English readers) on big-screen TVs and tries to pass mozzarella off as proper cheese curds.

In case it’s not already apparent, I live in England now.

And some things really haven’t changed that much.

Sometimes I figure I’ve just swapped one island for another. Vancouver Island for the British Isles.

One old, brick town hall for another.

Duncan and Reading aren’t so dissimilar.

Both live in the shadow of a capital. Both boast a proud history and battle against reputations foisted upon them by bigger-city folk.

But who am I kidding?

I’m on the other side of the world. Of course I had to make some changes.

First I replaced coffee with tea. Partly because I wanted to fit in. Partly because the coffee here is virtually undrinkable.

Next, I realised I was saying ‘gherkin’ instead of ‘pickle’ and ‘jumper’ instead of ‘sweater’. Then I realised I’d written ‘realised’ instead of ‘realized’.

Yet one year in, I’m still oh-so-obviously Canadian.

Innocent words like ‘popsicle’ give me away every time. (That’s ‘ice lolly’ over here).

And sometimes, I don’t even need to speak to show my citizenship.

My non-Canadian boyfriend recently frowned at a crumbling mess of scones and clotted cream that I’d inexpertly cobbled together and confirmed it for me: “Well, you are definitely not English.”

You’ve probably heard the horror stories about warm beer and mushy peas. continued page 25

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from page 23 I haven’t experienced either, but I have been subjected to British reality television and the Scouse accent.

Some of the reactions I get over here are what you’d expect. Most people assume I’m American when they hear my accent. They almost always visibly defrost when I tell them I’m actually Canadian.

Few people believe me when I tell them you can buy maple-smoked bacon back home. A few have even laughed — in the at-you-not-with-you kind of way — over that one. (The joke’s on them, though; you and I both know maple-smoked bacon is fantastic).

Hockey and moose. Those are the things that come to mind for most of my British friends when I ask about their thoughts of Canada.

Don’t worry, though. Your belief England is filled with a bunch of soccer- (ahem, I mean football) loving folks who are sometimes obscenely proper, and other times just obscene, are bang-on as well.

But while there are a lot of differences, I think we also share a lot as well — an ability to laugh at ourselves chief among them.

“You should mention how much the English love to drink,” one friend tells me. “Speaking of, I could go for a drink right now.”

There’s also that oddly proud manner of self-deprecation that I suspect we inherited from our British forebearers.

Alright, I admit it: sometimes it makes me feel right at home.

But then I hear someone call their bus driver a wanker, or listen to a friend complain about how their mobile (Canadian translation: cellphone) plan is a massive piss-take, and I know I’m miles away from my Cowichan (English translation: Warm Land) home.

Not that anyone here would believe I’m used to milder weather.

“You must be used to the cold, love,” I’ve been told. “Snows all the time where you’re from, don’t it?”

Oh yes, that stereotype is alive and well over here, too.

S

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C

atherine Dook thought she was a goner.

She and her shipmates would be swamped by towering waves during an angry storm that hit their crossing to Hawaii.

But their sturdy 44-foot sailboat Inukshuk saved their bacon.

If not for the fear and minor injuries, Dook’s soggy adventure — with husband John Dook, plus friends

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Aussie John Nielson, and Kiwi John Hayten — would read like an episode of Gilligan’s Island.

Instead it makes rollicking reading in her third, and most recent, book Offshore.

Talking with the Cowichan Bay-anchored author, and John, aboard Inukshuk, it quickly becomes clear Dook’s a natural story teller who shoots from the quip.

Her bent for a good yarn, honeycombed with humour, is just fact-filled fun, told from experience.

“It’s like writing letters to people you like,” she said.

2014 SPRING

Besides, living on the water with nautical neighbours helps spin her next Dook book.

“It’s the closest thing John and I have come to an Arctic community. You get along and loan tools, have coffee in the morning, and swap gossip.”

While Offshore surfaced from her traumatic trip, Dook’s previous two books — Darling, Call the Coast Guard, We’re on Fire Again!, and Damn The Torpedoes — stemmed largely from collections of columns she had already written. continue page 28

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station

from page 27 Those columns appeared in The Boat Journal, or Pacific Nor’West Boating in her Dock of the Bay postings.

Dook grinds out 30 columns a year while planning her next book or radio show and hosts Dock Diaries accessed on the internet at cicv.ca. She also writes for RV Times, and Arctic’s Edge Yellowknife in her hometown.

Dook takes her penchant for telling a good tale in stride, simply saying she’s “nothing if not prolific.”

Her fourth book, already written, is 200 pages with a publisher pending.

“I may have to self-publish. It may be called Darling, Call The Coast Guard: The Neighbours are Squabbling, or Chronicles of Mottle Cove.

Again, it comprises colourful capers from Dook’s live-aboard life.

“Details are emblazoned on my memory,” she stated over coffee, while relating the “post-traumatic stress disorder” produced in Offshore.

“When you’ve been through an exotic and trying time, the details of the trauma are kind of imprinted on your psyche.

“Lots of other stuff I wrote is more mundane and happy — and lot less memorable.”

She and the other three launched their trip of a lifetime, getting about 120 nautical miles off the Columbia River before turning back under a reefed Genoa and a reefed mizzen.

The Offshore ordeal is a textbook of trialand-error experiences living on the big drink.

Dook remembers then writes like she talks.

“I vomited once and was popping Gravol,” she said. “I was moving but bruised; if you held onto the bulkhead you went flying in the next bulkhead. I face-planted in a garbage pail of potato peelings and coffee grounds. I thought ‘If I live through this, think of the material!’”

More materialized as husband John became “more exhausted than seasick” and a rogue wave nailed Inukshuk.

“It was like a tractor-trailer hitting the deck and a huge lump of water fell on table and sprayed all over Aussie John,” she remembered, reflecting her vivid style of writing what she lived. “The bilge pumps were going crazy and a cement boat hangs so low in the water, we jammed the wind spring 2014

Beautiful skin…

That’s what we do!

A Look at Dook:

Age: 59 Family: six children, 11 grandkids Dad, Rocky Parsons was a bush pilot Hobbies: “Some women drink gin and pick men up in bars; I knit socks” Author influences: Robert Graves, Charlotte Bronte Trick to living in close quarters: “You just have to really, really like your husband” Offshore is available at Volume One Bookstore, and oberonpress.ca Email Dook at catherinedook@hotmail.com generator and were getting electrical top ups on the batteries.”

The batteries went flat in 24 hours; their fuel was fouled by being storm tossed; a smashed lantern sloshed kerosene inside the cabin.

Her thoughts turned to revenge.

“With the noise, motion, dark, flying spray, and crashing waves I was under the impression death was imminent. I wanted them to live so I could murder all three of them when we got back to shore.”

Inukshuk limped back to Neah Bay, then to Victoria, needing minor repairs amid Dook’s receding horror and the call of her keyboard.

Meanwhile, she wasn’t ready to leave sight of land again anytime soon.

“If you ever fall in love with a person who says ‘Honey, let’s go offshore,’ the answer is ‘No.’”

S

2014 spring

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Living off-grid in natural stillness, just five minutes from Maple Bay Marina

2014 SPRING

I

STORY & PHOTOS by Peter W. Rusland

t’s easy to see why folks living on verdant Maple Bay Peninsula cherish their West Coast lifestyle.

A bumpy ride through forests and muddy potholes ends after crossing a bubbling creek with a stunning, sloping panoramic vista across Sansum Narrows to a treed mountainside preserve on Salt Spring Island.

That’s just the start to realizing why the 2.18-acre seaside spread at 7941 Stoney Hill Road could be coveted worldwide.

The off-grid tranquility alone is worth the $575,000 price tag.

“This is a nature-lover’s paradise,” said the owner, who we’ll call Mary since she asked her identity be kept anonymous for professional reasons.

While wanting a lifestyle change, she’ll clearly be sad to sell her oceanside oasis. She and another person bought the place 13 years ago. They lived elsewhere while crews lifted and renovated the original 1970s-era cabin into three levels.

They comprise 1,500 square feet of cedar-lined space tapping well water and producing its own power from solar and water-driven micro-hydro. Those sources charge batteries hooked to an inverter converting power to useable electricity.

“There are huge advantages to being off-grid. There are no power lines, and you don’t deal with power outages.

We create our own power,” Mary said.

“Everyone living out here says the hardest thing to do is sell.”

She’ll miss the quiet most.

“From April to October, it’s just a summer paradise. The only lights we ever see are from Vesuvius.”

Beyond that Salt Spring town sit mainland mountains. From the cedar deck are seen whales, eagles, owls, seals, hummingbirds, and other wildlife.

Bears, cougars and deer inhabit the surrounding forest. continued next page

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31

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“You don’t hear any sound here, except nature.” from previous page But danger isn’t really in the cards: she’s only had a brief visit from a bear cub. Being hugged by Mother Earth provides the magic of the place.

“One reason this area has stayed this way is how the owners have stewarded it in all sorts of ways.”

Stoney Hill Road means slow driving through woods with no signs or trash; you may not even meet another vehicle on the five kilometres between the home and the locked access gate along Genoa Bay Road.

That drive will be smoother when North Cowichan council regrades the gravel road along an adjusted route. But Stoney Hill Road will preserve its precious seclusion, bounded by municipal forest and parkland, including Sansum Point Park.

If a tree falls in this forest, no one will likely

hear it.

“You don’t hear any sound here, except nature,” Mary states.

Well, occasionally a small generator hums to provide back-up power. She has wi-fi access for a laptop, satellite TV cable, and a cell phone to bring the outside world to somewhere that seems far away.

“But we’re only a half-hour from Duncan, and it’s five minutes by boat to Maple Bay Marina.”

A half-hour by float plane from Maple Bay and you’re in to Vancouver; the same period of time by boat lands you in Victoria.

“It’s very accessible, but has a nice, remote feeling too.”

That feeling’s stoked by a woodstove on the ground floor, warming the top two floors joined by wooden staircases. And the owners garnished their abode with SPRING 2014

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embrace your spirit comfortably rustic, antique furniture, and happy artwork. It’s all crowned by a metal roof — with snow rails — holding two solar panels and ceiling fans.

Huge double-glazed picture windows reveal views from each level, including the landing outside the loft bedroom.

“The only thing left from the old cabin are the wooden beams, the ceilings and the cedar walls,” she said. “The appraiser said ‘You’d think this house is new because so much has been changed and redone’ — but it’s still got the flavour of the old cabin.”

That’s why she’ll hate to leave.

“I don’t know if I can live anywhere urban again.

“It’ll definitely be a change to move from here. It’s been a fabulous 13 years.”

S 2014 spring

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33

station:

street

view

The Christian heritage of the Cowichan Valley is revealed in the icons and architecture of its churches, including (clockwise from left) Duncan United, Fairbridge Chapel, St. Peter’s, St. Ann’s and the Stone Church (below)

PHOTOS by Andrew Leong

34

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SPRING 2014

2014 SPRING

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35

water

babies

STORY by Ashley Degraaf PHOTOS by Ashley Marston

I

n Buddhist culture, the lotus symbolizes not only potential, awakening, and enlightenment but also the releasing of strength and fears.

As such, the flower is seen as a fitting image for birth — more particularly, birth in water.

And just as the lotus emerges, representing a gentle arrival with warmth, love and compassion, Erin and Nathan Hollett’s second child, Taliesin Sol Hollett arrived in this world Nov. 6 in water.

“Coming from water, into water, it was such a gentle transition,” said Erin. “It’s not like shock: I’m out in the world.

“At first when they put him on my chest, he didn’t cry the same way, and before I could even say anything, (midwives) Kate (Koyote) and Selina (Boily) were like, ‘It’s just that much more of a gentle way to arrive in this world.’”

Taliesin’s peaceful journey from birth canal to water to world, wasn’t the only benefit to Erin and Nathan choosing a water birth. continued page 38

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It may still be on the fringes of modern delivery practices, but some moms swear by the peaceful practice of water birth SPRING 2014

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from page 36 “I had a long bath while I was labouring before I got into the pool,” said Erin, age 27, who’s water birth was captured in photos by photographer Ashley Marston in the family’s dining room. “I really liked the water.”

Pain reduction is one of biggest reasons women opt for water deliveries.

“One thing I’ve noticed as a midwife is women tend to connect with their bodies more in water,” said Talia McKenzie of the Cowichan Midwifery Group. “When they’re able to become more relaxed, it makes it that much easier.”

For centuries, women have used water to ease pain during labour.

Soaking facilitates deeper relaxation reducing the production of stress hormones which can slow labour and decrease the perception of pain.

“You’re more buoyant in water. You don’t have to support yourself,” added McKenzie. “Your muscles tend to work more efficiently. For some women, when they are contracting, they don’t feel it the same way.

We call it our home-birth epidural.”

Water birth is more widely available in hospitals in Europe, than in North America.

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It isn’t an option at Cowichan District Hospital, where there has been talk of installing labouring tubs to be used for pain management, but not for birthing.

McKenzie, a UBC midwifery graduate who’s been practising since 2011, said more and more folks are becoming interested in water birth.

“They’re hearing stories of how much women have enjoyed it and the information is spreading,” she said. “Having water available, not only for birthing but labouring is very beneficial.”

Based on numbers collected a couple years ago, McKenzie estimated about 30% of Cowichan Midwifery Group clients are opting for home births. About 80% of those are water births.

To give birth in water, the midwives first run

through a checklist. It includes factors such as your health history, pregnancy risks, and whether your house is in close proximity to the hospital in case of emergency.

If you’re given the green light, there are quite a few factors to consider.

“I knew I really wanted a home birth,” Erin said. “I watched a lot of videos. The Business of Being Born was a great one. I was at a home birth for my sister-inlaw. She did end up birthing in hospital, but laboured in a pool.”

Once she was convinced, she brought the discussion up with her husband.

“When I was pregnant with my daughter and wanted the home birth, my husband was a little leery. I had a hard time with that because I really wanted the home birth but I also knew he had to be comfortable as well,” she said.

“As a lotus flower is born in water, grows in water and rises out of water to stand above it unsoiled, so I, born in the world, raised in the world having overcome the world, live unsoiled by the world” — Buddha

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“He came full circle,” Erin said. “And after the birth, he said he couldn’t imagine it being any other way.”

The Holletts’ first child, 21-month-old daughter Lyrah, was supposed to have also been born in water. But because she decided to make her entry into this world so fast, faster than they could fill the birthing pool, she was born on their bed.

McKenzie said there are misconceptions around water deliveries.

“Often people are afraid the baby will gasp for air and drown,” McKenzie said.

There are several factors that prevent a baby from inhaling water, including inhibitory responses which include hypoxia (lack of oxygen). That results in apnea and swallowing, not breathing or gasping.

Ensuring the water temperature is close to that of the fluid in the womb is also important.

Frankly, some people are often grossed out by the idea of birthing a baby in water saturated with bodily fluids. continued page 40 2014 spring

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from page 39 “For us, it’s important to keep the water relatively clean,” McKenzie said, noting the placenta is delivered out of water, on somewhere like a bed, and a fish net is a great accessory to have on hand to scoop out any unwanted visitors.

Specifically-designed birthing pools are available to buy, rent or borrow, but often couples expecting in the summer purchase a kiddie pool.

Along with plenty of old towels, linens, and receiving blankets, water births also require having a marine or RV (lead-free) hose and adapter to attach to a sink or bathtub.

“It takes a lot of water,” Hollett said.

She shared the cost of her birthing pool with a friend, who delivered shortly after her. Replacement liners are also available for purchase to re-line the pool after a delivery.

“I couldn’t believe it, even this time around, knowing we wanted to make sure it was ready because it wasn’t ready last time. It takes a long time to fill the pool,” she said.

Some hot water tanks might not be able to fill an entire pool.

And that’s why it’s always a good idea to also have extra pots on hand to boil water if necessary.

That, and McKenzie suggests having someone on hand at the birth to help monitor water temperature.

Besides logistics, what was most important for the Holletts was being able to experience and witness what a women’s body is capable of in the most calming of ways.

“For myself, I just wanted to trust my body and if my body needed a little help, to trust my midwives to make that call,” Erin said.

Her biggest advice to those considering water birth is education and healthy discussions.

And finally, just having a little faith in what’s a very natural and enlightening journey.

“I was so amazed and proud of what my body did for me,” she said.

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spring 2014

PHOTO

by Ashley Degraaf

For those who’d like to do their homework: For home birth in general 1. Business of Being Born; a 2008 documentary film produced by Ricki Lake that explores various childbirth methods, including midwives, natural births, epidurals, and Cesarean sections.

2. Birthing From Within; a nonjudgmental book that bridges the gap between the medical and home birth extremist camps, reclaiming childbirth as a rite of passage and emphasizing preparation as a way to enhance connection with oneself, one’s partner, and one’s community.

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For water birth 1. We Are All Water Babies by Jessica Johnson and Michael Odent; a book exploring links with water from birth to death where Johnson has captured remarkable images of underwater births, pregnant women swimming with dolphins, and infants and babies swimming underwater.

2. The Water Birth Book by Janet Balaskas; a comprehensive guide to all aspects of water birth and the use of water throughout pregnancy and during infancy.

3. Waterbirth: An Attitude to Care by Dianne Garland; an educational guide to using water in midwifery practice.

4. Birth Day; a DVD recorded in Xalapa, Mexico, in the home of Naoli and her family, documenting a personal and touching view of natural childbirth rarely seen outside the family.

5. The Art of Birth; an Australian film that explores the beauty and emotion surrounding gentle birth in water.

2014 SPRING

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checking out how some of your neighbours are filling their “me” time

Bre Langelo,

sales associate at Wall Street Fashion I love expressing myself through my personal style, and keeping up with current trends. Wall Street is a great place for me to be. It feels great to help people find clothes that make them feel good on the inside and out.

Hiking It’s a great workout and brings balance in my life. I always feel refreshed and relaxed after a good hike.

Reading Curling up with a good book is a good way to wind down after a long day. I enjoy reading biographies the most. I recently read a very interesting biography on Marilyn Monroe.

Cowichan Valley, BC

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SPRING 2014

Will Taylor,

Service Manager at BowMel Chrysler Driving My number one hobby is driving. I love to go with my wife driving down the Oregon coast, or cruising around on our own beautiful island.

Fishing I go fishing at Fuller Lake. It’s a great, clean lake that’s only 20 minutes away.

Gardening I love gardening. I love the taste of fresh potatoes and garlic grown in our backyard.

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Andrea Strachan,

floral designer at Leaf and Petal Gardening Raising and tending my orchids and plants. There is something about nurturing an organism, whether children, pets or plants that fulfills an inherent need in people, particularly women. The kids don’t need as much care anymore, enter the plants. Plus, you don’t have to clean up after plants, and they don’t talk back.

Reading Escaping into another world does wonders for the psyche. I love being immersed in a story so thoroughly that being interrupted is like waking from a dream. I also lose myself for long periods of time reading the dictionary. Strange, but true.

Nature hunting I like searching for foliage, branches, rocks, skulls and other intriguing elements of nature which inspire my floral creations. I’m always on the lookout for something beautiful, and unorthodox.

2014 spring

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Since 1919

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coffee with:

dan

berard STORY by Eliza Faulkner PHOTO by Meghan Goertz

I

f you live in Cowichan and are an avid coffee drinker, then Coffee on the Moon needs no introduction.

However, if you’ve managed to live here without visiting this downtown institution, then listen up.

Known for its funky décor, local art, and eclectic clientele, Coffee on the Moon offers a brilliantly made cup of coffee along with a relaxing, community-oriented vibe.

Looking for new friends? This is the place to go.

This month, we sat down with owner Dan Berard to find out what his favourite coffee drink is, how he spends his free time, and why he doesn’t need a bucket list.

How long have you lived in Cowichan?

Since 1990.

What brought you here to the valley?

I was working with the Ministry of Forests and I transferred here from Bella Coola.

The Cowichan Valley was one of the most desirable places to move to at that time.

The position came up here, and I was also into biking and the outdoors so it was a good move.

What are your favourite memories of living in the valley?

The small community feel I’ve had since opening up the shop. The people, the outdoors aspect, the biking and the river trails, and the proximity to larger centres are all great things about living here.

What made you get into the business of opening a coffee shop?

The Duncan ministry office I was working for was downsizing and so I took a payout.

At the time I was spending a lot of time in coffee shops around the province and enjoyed them and thought it was the type of thing I could get into. I opened The Moon in the spring of 1997. It will be 17 years this spring!

What makes Coffee on the Moon special?

It’s about a good cup of coffee, but it’s also about the variety of people we attract too.

The atmosphere, and community feel good here. It’s comfortable, and people come to meet each other here.

Where did you come up with the name, “Coffee on the Moon”?

I was talking with one of my sisters who lives in New Zealand and she mentioned she would love to have a coffee shop called ‘The Moon’. I thought it was catchy but it had to have the word ‘coffee’ in there too.

What do you enjoy most about what you do?

The interaction with people. When people go for coffee, they’re often going for their treat of the day so they’re generally in an upbeat mood. It’s nice to feed off of that energy.

What does the future hold for you and Coffee on the Moon?

I want to stay on top of things and sustain the business. We’re now getting more into social media with Facebook and Twitter, which my wife, Lee-Ann, does a great job of.

What is your current passion?

Right now, I’m really enjoying the great fitness classes at the community centre.

What is on your bucket list?

I don’t have one! I like the simple things. I SPRING 2014

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think that if we didn’t live in an area where you can ride some of the best trails yearround, cycle on quiet country roads, play golf, and go to the river I would actually have one, but we really do have it all — not to mention the great wineries and coffee spots.

What do you do in your spare time?

I enjoy watching my son play hockey and my daughter (play) field hockey, also walking the dog along the river trails with my wife, Lee-Ann. What is your coffee drink of choice?

Triple shot Americano, short on the water.

No cream or sugar!

If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing?

I’d probably be at the Ministry of Forests and be close to retirement. It was a great job. I enjoyed it and was there for about 15 years.

What advice would you give to someone opening a business or new coffee shop?

Become knowledgable about the industry you’re about to go into. Talk to owners, check out other shops, ask lots of questions and seek honesty.

S 2014 spring

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final

frame

...and the last word, we give to award-winning photographer Andrew Leong 46

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SPRING 2014

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spring 2014