Boulevard Magazine - February 2014 Issue

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blvdmag.ca FEBRUARY 2014

MASTERING MINDFULNESS // A COZY HARBOUR PENTHOUSE // DINING OUT FOR HEALTH // SOLITUDE IN YELLOWSTONE plus COMING TOGETHER FOR THE STAR

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ANADA’S RENO REBATE INC. continues to spread the word about government rebates for new-home purchases, owner-built homes and substantial renovations to existing homes during the tenure of the HST throughout the province. Happy clients are receiving up to $42,500, which is the upper limit a homeowner can receive for a project.

Together with the Ontario-based company Rebate4U, Canada’s Reno Rebate Inc. has already helped homeowners apply for rebates totaling over $8 million.

“There is a misconception that if your home is worth more than $450,000, you are not entitled to any government rebates, but this is just not true — you are entitled to a portion of the PST embedded within the HST,” says Sean Leitenberg, manager of the Victoria office of Canada’s Reno Rebate Inc. “‘Do I qualify?’ has to be the most frequently-asked question my staff get,” says Sean. “Each renovation or new build is not exactly the same, so we have to determine that the best we can on a case-by-case basis.”

There are definitely some clear-cut rules, though. There is a deadline of two years to apply from the time you completed your major renovation or new build, though there are a couple of exceptions to that rule, too.

To qualify for a major renovation, you must do substantial work to the majority of the inside of your home. If your work was limited to a small portion of your home, such as a bathroom or kitchen, or if you just painted and put down new floors, you would not qualify. The end result of your renovation should be substantial enough that your home or condo is like a new home.

The money spent on the exterior qualifies for the rebate, but only if you have done enough work to the inside of the home first to qualify. A new roof or landscaping is not enough on its own, but would be included in the rebate if the inside of the home qualifies.

If you purchased a new home from a builder, the builder may have claimed the rebate and credited it back to you by lowering

$42,500

the price. In this case, the rebate has already been claimed.

If your home is worth more than $450,000, you are not entitled to a federal rebate, but you may be entitled to a provincial rebate if a portion of the construction took place while the HST was in effect. If your home is worth less than $450,000, you are entitled to both a federal rebate and a provincial rebate for the portion spent during the HST period.

A new home built or renovated for yourself or for a family member’s primary place of residence qualifies if it was completed within the last two years. If the home’s value is more than $450,000, then the homeowner is only entitled to a rebate for money spent between July 1, 2010 and March 31, 2013.

Canada’s Reno Rebate Inc. currently has representatives throughout the province who are happy to help clients with the forms that need to be signed and the brief questionnaire that needs to be filled out. If you live in an area where the company does not have a representative, or if you would prefer to download the forms from the comfort of your home, you can find everything on their website and use their courier service at no charge. The time involved is minimal and your rebate could be huge.

Canada’s Reno Rebate Inc. also has a brief questionnaire on their website that allows you to see if you qualify for the rebate and only

takes 60 seconds. Or, give them a call and in just a few minutes, they can determine if you qualify.

Everyone seems to know someone who has built a home or done a renovation, so if you know homeowners who might qualify for this rebate, make sure to let them know before they miss their deadline.

Canada’s Reno Rebate Inc. handles all the paperwork and follows through with the government until you receive your cheque.

Because Sean and his staff know the forms, the processes, and who to call, they efficiently and quickly collect the information and submit exactly what the government agencies need. The company charges no upfront fee and if you don’t receive a rebate, the application costs you nothing. “So give us a call or check out our website,” Sean says.

“What have you got to lose?”

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profiles

CONTENTS February 2014 Issue 02, Volume XXIlI

FEBRUARY

18 20

37 42

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

18 MIND YOUR MIND

WITH MEDITATION

By Jessica Natale Woollard

9

CONTRIBUTORS

10

EDITOR’S LETTER

46 SIDNEY’S

BRIGHT STAR

By Susan Lundy COLUMNS 12 HAWTHORN

The golden glow

of the Olympics

By Tom Hawthorn 14

STATE OF THE ARTS Bringing Paris salons to Victoria

By Alisa Gordaneer

30

DESIGN MATTERS The pretty punch of new pillows

By Sarah Reid

37

FOOD & DRINK The delights of seaside Sochi

By Cinda Chavich

41

42

FOOD & DRINK: BEHIND THE BAR The “Fall from Grace” at Veneto Tapa Lounge

11 YOUR LETTERS 17

FASHION FAVES Karina Sacca, lawyer

By Lia Crowe

20

HOT PROPERTIES A harbour penthouse teeming with textiles

By Carolyn Heiman

26 SOCIAL CAPITAL

Good-for-you food

aplenty in Victoria’s eateries

By Amy Mitchell

TRAVEL FAR Embracing Yellowstone’s quiet season

By Suzanne Morphet

48

FRONT ROW Dave Harris; Proud; Shuvinai Ashoona; and more

By Robert Moyes

52 FINANCE

Talking with Tess:

Jocelyn Jenkyns

By Tess van Straaten 54

SECRETS & LIVES Robin Arnold, Locate Your Soulmate

By Kate Lautens

e r: cov r on o u Be Love’s Macrobiotic Bowl will leave you feeling recharged. Photo by Don Denton. Styling by Pip Knott.

5

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Group Publisher Editor Design & Production Coordinator

Penny Sakamoto Kate Lautens Pip Knott

Advertising

Pat Brindle Janet Gairdner

Advertising Director

Oliver Sommer

Advertising Manager

Janet Gairdner

Editorial Director Circulation Director Contributing Writers

Contributing Photographers

Kevin Laird Bruce Hogarth Cinda Chavich, Lia Crowe, Alisa Gordaneer, Tom Hawthorn, Carolyn Heiman, Susan Lundy, Amy Mitchell, Suzanne Morphet, Robert Moyes, Jessica Natale Woollard, Sarah Reid, Tess van Straaten Don Denton, Gary McKinstry, Suzanne Morphet

ADVERTISE Boulevard Magazine is Victoria’s leading lifestyle magazine, celebrating 24 years of publishing in Greater Victoria.

To advertise or to learn more about advertising opportunities please send us an email at info@blvdmag.ca

Mailing Address: 818 Broughton Street, Victoria, BC, V8W 1E4 Tel: 250.381.3484 Fax: 250.386.2624 info@blvdmag.ca blvdmag.ca Victoria Boulevard ÂŽ is a registered trademark of Black Press Group Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the publisher's written permission.

Ideas and opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of Black Press Group Ltd. or its affiliates; no official endorsement should be inferred.

The publisher does not assume any responsibility for the contents, both implied or assumed, of any advertisement in this publication.

Printed in Canada.

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8

OUR CONTRIBUTORS THIS MONTH WE ASKED:

How do you de-stress?

Few things combat stress better than exercise-induced endorphins, and bike riding is near the top of my list. Aside from the rhythmic pedalling and sucking in all that oxygen, the views along Dallas Road are hard to beat.

ROBERT MOYES, Front Row, page 48 I hit the gym! The magic combination of exercise, my favourite music, celebrity magazines and trashy television means that by the time I reach the shower, the stress gets washed right down the drain.

ALISA GORDANEER, State of the Arts, page 14 I pray. As Jesus said, “Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11: 28-30, The Message).

SUZANNE MORPHET, Travel Far, page 43 When I feel life is starting to spin faster than I’d like, I head to YouTube and do a few mindfulness meditations guided by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Then, regardless of what deadlines loom, I read some Rumi poetry and drink tea.

JESSICA NATALE WOOLLARD, Back to the Present, page 18 I drink wine. Eat too many sweets. Oh wait — those are signs that I am stressed. In all seriousness, I do the cliché but triedand-true things: limit caffeine, eat well and get enough sleep and exercise. Most important: I make time for friends who make me laugh.

CAROLYN HEIMAN, Hot Properties, page 20 When things are getting hectic, I like to de-stress by doing some yoga or going for a walk — things always seem more manageable after that.

AMY MITCHELL, Dining out for Health, page 26 For me, there’s nothing like a cup of hot tea when I’m feeling stressed out. I love to curl up with a book or magazine and by the time I finish my cuppa, I always feel better.

TESS VAN STRAATEN, Talking with Tess, page 52 My fave rave stress buster is to take the dogs (Mickey and Pepé, also known as Pull-y and Bite-y) for a walk. Nothing like a bit of fresh air (even in monsoon conditions) to clear the head.

TOM HAWTHORN, Hawthorn, page 12

My goal is to help you reach yours.

Looking for timely market insights?

Consider a complimentary subscription to my monthly Letter to Clients.

Roderick MacMillan, B.Comm (Hons) FSCI, CSWP Investment Advisor TD Waterhouse Private Investment Advice 1070 Douglas Street, 5th Floor Victoria, B.C. 250-356-4148 rod.macmillan@td.com www.rodmacmillan.com TD Waterhouse Private Investment Advice is a division of TD Waterhouse Canada Inc., a subsidiary of The Toronto Dominion Bank. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. – Member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund. The TD logo and other trademarks are the property of the Toronto Dominion Bank, as a wholly-owned subsidiary in Canada and/or other countries.

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EDITOR’S LETTER DURING MY FINAL TERM at UVic several years ago, some friends and I rented a beautiful cabin in Tofino for our reading break, hoping to unwind before we got back to work. With a view of Clayoquot Sound, the beautiful cabin featured extravagances like a pool table, hot tub and sauna. I’d never been to Tofino, but wasn’t keen on surfing, especially since it was February and the idea of getting tossed around in cold water while trying to learn the sport was not appealing. The first day, I followed everyone else to the beach and read on the sand under a cool winter sun, watching my friends careen through the waves. The second day, I decided what I really needed, before I plunged into the last few months of my writing degree, was to give time to myself. So I stayed behind while the others tromped off with their gear. I went running, feet crunching on the frosty ground, and enjoyed the quiet morning. Later, I hopped in the hot tub and lay back, feeling the stress of the term ebbing away in the steam. By the time everyone returned, I felt a lot better and was ready to celebrate with drinks and freshly caught crab.

This memory has stuck with me all this time — and I think I finally realized why. Instead of going with the crowd, I did what I wanted to do, what was best for me. We all needed to recharge, but my way was just a little different than everyone else’s.

My recent recharge has involved a change of diet (I’m in the midst of a dairy-free trial, far more difficult than I’d imagined — do you know how many things “may contain milk ingredients”?), a more determined commitment to the gym (my YMCA pass recently disappeared under the car seat for a week and a half — and I didn’t even notice), and more time to myself to read, relax and clear my head of all the chatter that fills it at every available opportunity. I need to make myself think back to that day in Tofino and remember what it felt like to focus exclusively on me.

I might even try mindfulness-based stress reduction, which Jessica Natale Woollard explores in this issue. And I know I’ll be visiting some of the delicious local restaurants offering feel-good, good-for-you foods, which we explore in Social Capital.

Of course, the Olympic Games are held this month in Sochi, Russia — and what better way to kick off your [insert favourite sport]-watching marathon than enjoying some tummy-warming borscht while the rain pelts down on your window? We have a recipe and more in Food & Drink.

Our second Boulevard travel writing seminar also draws near: this one-day event, Feb. 22, is not to be missed by anyone keen to rev up a travel writing career. You have a great chance to be published on these very pages. We hope to see you there!

Kate Lautens, Editor 10

YOUR LETTERS HIGHLIGHTING THE IMPORTANCE OF VOLUNTEERISM On behalf of our board, staff and the more than 50 volunteers who support us, thank you for your excellent article on Volunteer Victoria (Lead by Doing, January 2014). What a great way to kick off our 40th anniversary celebrations!

Please know that your publication’s commitment to supporting community is greatly appreciated and valued.

We have had a number of people comment on the article and how well written and enjoyable it was to read. Thank you!

Your article aptly highlighted the importance and value of volunteerism in our community and the work that we do in partnership with over 300 local non-profit agencies.

Keep up the great work, and here’s to the next 40 years!

Lisa Mort-Putland, executive director, Volunteer Victoria

COVERS WORTH FRAMING I just wanted to write in to say that I think the January cover, with the image from Chinatown, is gorgeous; it made me stop and pick up the magazine on the strength of that alone, and I wanted to frame it. I felt the same way about last May’s cover, with the bouquet of tulips. Great job!

Megan Drysdale Readers Weigh in Online

Sarah MacNeill Great cover! [January 2014] @ryanbolin @phillipsbeer @BoulevardMag @tessvanstraaten Wow, had very little idea about the history! Cheers, Matt! [Finance, December 2013] @KateSpencer17 @BoulevardMag I thoroughly enjoyed the December issue. [2013] @mawlifeca Great article on #volunteering & @volvicbc in @ BoulevardMag! [Lead by Doing, January 2013]

WE LOVE HEARING FROM YOU

We welcome your letters: editor@blvdmag.ca or visit us on Facebook and Twitter for updates and links to featured stories and local events.

BoulevardMagazine @BoulevardMag

11

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THE PAGEANTRY. THE ORATORY. The competition. The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. The rousing ovation for a triumph and the quiet resignation of seeing blood on the floor.

But enough about the BC Legislature. Let’s talk Olympics.

I’m an Olympics fan. I delivered fat daily newspapers in Montreal during the 1976 Olympics, using the proceeds to buy tickets to soccer, field hockey and volleyball. It became a dream to report on the Olympics, a glorious spectacle which has been held in such world-class cities as Paris, London and Barcelona.

When the opportunity finally arrived for me, the Games were being hosted by friendly folks in Atlanta, a city of highway interchanges where the most common answer for a request for directions was a cheerful but unhelpful, “Y’all can’t get there from here.”

It is hard to believe the time for another Winter Olympics has arrived. Can it have really been four years since Vancouver and Whistler played host to the Olympics? Forty-eight months since skeleton’s Jon Montgomery swaggered through the ski resort’s snowy street while chugging beer from a pitcher? Since Sidney Crosby’s Golden Goal? Since we had to explain to Olympic sightseers why Vancouver was not on Vancouver Island?

The quadrennial winter sports festival opens this month in Russia. The Games are being held at Sochi, a resort on the Black Sea near the Georgian/Abkhazian border, a frontier more often described as troubled than scenic. Here’s hoping the games are held without incident.

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The Olympics are home to the regular winter sports — skiing, figure skating, and, of course, hockey. The Canadian interest in our national sport is so intense as to overwhelm all other

events. Yet it is the Olympics that offers a rare global stage for disciplines most in need of a little publicity. Sports otherwise relegated to late-night, high-end-of-the-dial cable sports specialty channels get a brief turn in the spotlight.

So, every four years I tune in to check out what’s going on in the exciting world of: Biathlon: A sport with skis and rifles that seems a leftover from the Russo-Finnish war.

Curling: The popular Canadian ice sport where drug testing is likely to discover high levels of rye and 7-Up. Luge: What the daredevil toboggan kids from your neighbourhood end up doing as adults.

Skeleton: The face-first sliding sport that threatens to reduce the athlete to the name of the discipline.

Four-person bobsleigh: The team event for any of us with experience starting a stalled car in a Winnipeg winter.

Ski jump: Something Wile E. Coyote might try while chasing the Roadrunner.

Ski cross: Like a chase from a James Bond movie. Wipeouts become human snowballs before transforming into human avalanches.

Short-track speed skating: Human bowling. With razor blades strapped to your feet.

Halfpipe: Surprisingly, has nothing to do with smoking drugs.

At least not during competition.

Freestyle skiing: Features head-over-heels somersaults any skier can do, though not usually deliberately.

A slopestyle Islander I know little of these sports. (Other than curling, that is, where I think it clever to yell, “Hurry! Hurry HAAAARRRDDD!!!” while the missus sweeps the kitchen.) My plan every four years is to adopt an athlete and cheer them on. When slopestyle makes its Olympic debut on Feb. 6 (qualifications start a day before the Opening Ceremonies), I’ll be rooting for Spencer O’Brien. She was born in Alert Bay and calls Courtenay her hometown. She will turn 26 just four days before her event begins. At 17, she left Vancouver On Feb. 6, I’ll Island to train in Whistler, having saved be rooting enough money to support herself for a for Spencer season by working as a barista and as a hand on her father’s fishing boat. Good O’Brien. luck, kiddo. I know nothing about your sport, but I bet you’ve trained hard.

This is also a month for romance and one of the most romantic Olympic stories involves a British Columbia skier.

Kerrin Lee-Gartner grew up in Rossland two doors down from the childhood home of her hero, Nancy Greene Raine, the alpine skier voted Canada’s female athlete of the 20th century.

Lee-Gartner shocked the ski world by winning the downhill gold medal at the 1992 Olympics. Afterwards, she credited a prerace cuddle with her husband for keeping her calm during the event, which was held the day after Valentine’s Day. Follow Spencer O’Brien on Twitter at @spencerobrien.

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STATE of the ARTS

 BY ALISA GORDANEER

An intellectual movement from the salons of

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PARIS TO VICTORIA

THERE’S A KIND OF INTELLECTUAL MYSTIQUE about the salons of Paris in the 1920s and ’30s. At the time, salons were based on a tradition that was by then several centuries old; they were basically house parties hosted by smart (and usually well-heeled) people who would invite their talented musician, writer and artist friends over for stimulating intellectual conversations. They discussed brilliant ideas, invented modernism and other artistic movements, and probably drank a lot of absinthe. Sure beats a Google Hangout for glamour factor alone.

It would be fabulous to see this kind of gathering take off again — and I think Victoria, with its wealth of talented and interesting people, is the perfect place to renew the salon movement. We don’t even have to wait for someone to tidy up their living room and buy a case of wormwood-based liqueur. With a bit of creative festivalgoing this February, we can already recreate that creative vibe, at least to some extent. Just pencil in two weekends this month to create your own salon experience, and suddenly, Victoria takes on a whole new zeitgeist, with the help of the Victoria Django Festival, the weekend of February 14 and 15, and then the Malahat Review’s WordsThaw symposium the following weekend, February 20–22.

And all that gypsy-jazz

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Both of these events are relatively new, growing out of last year’s inaugural successes as slightly smaller versions of themselves. The Django Festival has added a second night of performance and dance, while WordsThaw has almost doubled the number of authors it’ll feature over two days of readings and panels. Between the two events, you could theoretically be transported to a different era, but one strategically placed in this one — no time travel required.

The music provides a soundtrack for the salon atmosphere.

Gypsy-jazz was all the rage in the 1920s and ’30s, and it’s made a recent comeback — to the extent that the Victoria Django Festival was created to celebrate the music of Paris musical darling Django

Reinhardt. It’s a feast of hot jazz (a guitar style invented by Reinhardt) that I’ll bet could evoke a salon-type atmosphere.

Django Festival organizer Oliver Swain is, needless to say, excited about this year’s expanded lineup, which includes gypsyswing jazz performances by a range of renowned musicians, including Montreal’s Denis Chang and the Seattle-based Pearl Django, who have been wowing audiences for more than 20 years with their Reinhardt-inspired tunes.

“I don’t pretend to know why or how it’s all happened, but there’s an incredible amount of interest from artists, in this style,” says Swain. Because the 1920s and 1930s were a time of great social change, but one that retained a certain amount of oldfashioned “properness and innocence,” Swain guesses that it’s an appealing era to try to recreate.

As such, both nights of the festival will feature a swing dance running concurrently with a concert, so audiences can dress in their best Roaring Twenties gear, swing dance the night away, or just watch some of the hottest Django Reinhardt–inspired music this side of the Atlantic. At the very least, it might put you into the mood for some swings and shifts in your mindset.

Inspiring a creative dialogue Once you’ve swung into another frame of mind, it’s time for the literary discussion. Take your intellectual curiosity to the next-best-thing-to-a-Paris-salon, the WordsThaw symposium.

Sponsored by the Malahat Review, the University of Victoria’s literary journal, WordsThaw can’t help but bring an aura of writerly intellect to the city. In fact, by including keynote speaker Daphne Marlatt, a Vancouver writer whose work is known to push the boundaries of genre into entirely new realms, the Malahat has created a kind of nod to Paris-based modernist writer Gertrude Stein, who was known as a salon host extraordinaire.

Organizer John Barton, who also edits the Malahat, says the experience will be quite salon-like.

“What really struck me about last year was the quality of the intellectual debate. It was really rich,” says Barton. “People really felt engaged by the experience.” He expects similar, and even more lively, discussion this year, with several readings and five panels on diverse topics such as writing and spirituality, featuring authors Marita Dachsel, Tim Lilburn and Jane Munro; writing about place, with a focus on Victoria, featuring authors and historians John Adams, Linda Eversole and Peter Grant; and a politically themed panel about writing as a form of witness, with authors Gary Geddes, Monique Gray Smith and Andrew Weaver.

Each two-hour panel will offer room for questions, says Barton — and hopefully create the kind of salon dialogue that evokes Paris in the 1920s and 1930s. “You’re able to talk to the authors, ask questions. There’s a close connection,” says Barton.

Who knows — perhaps the next big intellectual movement will arise from these two events. Overstatement based on too much absinthe consumption? Peut-être, but in a dreary Victoria February, anything seems possible.

Django Festival: oliverswainmusic.com WordsThaw: malahatreview.ca 15

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FASHION FAVES

with

Karina Sacca Lawyer, principle of Sacca Law Group & stone-cold fox  BY LIA CROWE KARINA SACCA DRIVES MY DREAM CAR, an Audi A3 in red (sigh), has a keen eye for style and every time I see her I think, “stone-cold fox.” Enough said.

Born in Argentina in 1969, Karina’s first style influence was her grandmother. “She took so much care just to walk out the door.” It was more about integrity than material items. “Her confidence and elegance: that’s good style.” At age eight, Karina moved to Canada, spending summers in Argentina where her father had a textile business. On buying trips with him, she developed her relationship to fashion in big textile shops, surrounded by bolts of cloth, cutting tables and patterns. Today, the way she looks brings her confidence: clean lines, monochromatic colours and accessories.

What drew her to law? “It isn’t the law that drew me but the problem solving. It’s [also] about being a person who can connect with empathy.” A passionate trail runner, cyclist and parent (“I didn’t know it would be this hard, I didn’t know it would be this good”), Karina is also passionate about food: “In Argentinian culture, everyone is always out and every meal involves red wine. There is nothing you can’t do, nothing you can’t solve while sitting around a table over a good meal.”

PHOTO BY LIA CROWE

 Fashion All time fave: Nudie Jeans (below, left).

Best new purchase: Barbour’s Dandy Jumper (middle). Go-to piece: Banana Republic grey Hacking Jacket (left). Suits: Theory. “They’re a little modern but always classic.” However, Karina is pictured wearing a suit from Banana Republic, but confesses she had it completely tailored to fit, which explains why she looks so damn good.

 Accessories Accessory you spend the most money on: Shoes.

“Those are the troublemakers. But they make an outfit, and every woman should have good shoes.” Karina has been buying Fluevog shoes for 15 years.

The Jaffa boots seen below are her current fave. Piece of jewelry you wear everyday: TAG Heuer watch (left). “I’ve had this watch since I was 24 — it’s elegant but not flashy and it always works.”

 Style Inspirations Celebrity: Cate Blanchett, for her contrast of harsh beauty in the movie Elizabeth. External force that informs your style: Nature.

“Landscape, being outside. That is what drew me to live in Victoria.” Flower: White orchid.

 Beauty Scent: Armani Code. Hair styling products: Davines. “The smell is amazing and they have good products for grey hair.” Necessary indulgence: The spa. “I have a great esthetician at Derma Spa on Oak Bay Ave.”

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REDUCE STRESS AND INCREASE JOY BY BRINGING YOUR MIND INTO THE MOMENT  BY JESSICA NATALE WOOLLARD

Lynne Mustard, a Saanich-based MBSR facilitator, demonstrates mindfulness by the fountains on Humboldt Street.

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PHOTO BY DON DENTON

I

T’S 10,000 BC AND A SABRE-TOOTHED cat is chasing you. Your heart’s thumping, your adrenaline’s flowing, your muscles are responding. The alarm reaction, the physiological fight or flight response that prepares us to battle or bolt in times of stress, is switched on, giving you the surge of strength needed to flee those ferocious fangs or grab your spear and scrap.

Without our internal alarm system, you would not be reading this today — no human would be.

In 2014, feral felines don’t threaten human survival, but try telling your brain that. Our brains identify modern stressers — work pressure, relationship issues, past events and money worries — as the sabre-toothed cats of modernity, and the brain launches the stress response readily and automatically. But prolonged arousal in the fight or flight state — known as chronic stress — leads to physical and psychological unease that takes its toll on body and mind.

A STRONGER FOCUS Influenced by the wisdom of centuries-old Buddhist meditation, western science has brought us a way to exert control over the automatic and over-zealous stress reaction: being mindful of what is actually happening moment to moment.

It is the objective of mindfulness, a secular meditation practice, defined by modern mindfulness pioneer Jon KabatZinn as the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose and non-judgmentally, to the present moment. Decades of medical research has shown that by being mindful of what is happening, when it is happening, we can train the brain to respond differently to stress and develop resilience to withstand it — and increase our health and well-being.

Amishi Jha, director of contemplative neuroscience at the University of Miami, studied the effects of mindfulness on deployed US military professionals. “Stress reduces the brain’s capacity to pay attention and regulate our mood,” says Jha by phone from Miami. “For most of us, that means we might have occasional lapses or we’re kind of grumpy, but the consequences for soldiers in the midst of high-stress situations can be the difference between life and death — theirs and others.

“Engaging in mindfulness exercises increases the brain’s capacity to pay attention. The soldiers who practised mindfulness even 15 minutes a day, their attention and their mood remained stable. The soldiers who didn’t get the training were more prone to those kinds of problems.”

Mindfulness research and experiments like Jha’s have shown positive results in other areas, including the treatment of heart disease, depression, anxiety, asthma, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome and chronic stress. Neuroscience has even detected changes to the physical makeup of the brain in longterm mindfulness practitioners in regions tied to learning, memory, attention and emotion regulation.

LEARNING TO BE MINDFUL The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, established by Kabat-Zinn in 1979 at the University of Massachusetts Medical School Center for Mindfulness, is one of the most widely practiced and medically respected mindfulness programs in the world to deal with stress, pain, and physical and psychological ailments.

One way to practice MBSR is to sit or lie down and focus on the breath entering and leaving the body: the air tickling the nostrils, the expansion of the esophagus and lungs, the rise and fall of the abdomen. Another practice is the body scan: focus your attention on the toes of your left foot, slowly moving your attention from part to part until you’ve scanned your whole body.

During formal practice, the mind is bound to wander; it will meander into memories or fantasize about the future. Whether the mind’s ruminations are pleasant or unpleasant, you release

them once you become aware your attention has drifted. Gently — and without criticizing yourself for having lost concentration — return your attention to the body.

MBSR recommends 20 to 30 minutes daily of formal practice, but any amount helps, even pausing regularly throughout the day and registering when your mind is lost in ruminations, like when you’re brushing your teeth, walking the dog, or — scarier yet — driving.

“Being in the present takes practice, just as it does to play the piano,” says Lynne Mustard, a Saanich-based MBSR facilitator.

“Your mind has been ‘taking off’ your whole life; it’s not trained to stay with your experience in the moment.”

Mustard, who is also a yoga practitioner, trained in MBSR at the University of Massachusetts Medical School Center for Mindfulness in 2001. She has taught MBSR in community workshops, workplaces, educational institutions and private sessions in her home.

In 2011, Camosun College invited her to teach mindfulness to dental hygiene students to help prepare them for a career in a field with a lot of anxiety; now, she also teaches MBSR to Camosun faculty and staff.

“We’re in very stressful times,” Mustard says. “People are looking for ways to help themselves, and something simple and effective like mindfulness is needed. A lot of stress is created by what people are thinking. When you focus your attention on the present — on your breath and on your senses — you bring yourself into the only moment that matters: this one.”

LEARN MORE ABOUT MINDFULNESS Local workshops and sessions:  Lynne Mustard, inward-bound.ca  Mindfulness-Based Stressed Reduction BC, mbsrbc.ca  University of Victoria Continuing Studies, uvcs.uvic.ca General information:  University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness, umassmed.edu/cfm  Check youtube.com for dozens of free guided mindfulness meditations and lectures  Mindful magazine is published six times a year by the Foundation for a Mindful Society, mindful.org Lynne Mustard recommends ways to implement mindfulness into your everyday life:  Every time the phone rings, pause and take a breath, then answer.  Know when you’re going upstairs. Feel the weight shift, feel each step.  Declare your bathroom a thought-free zone. Stay with your senses — feel the water on your hands, smell the soap, taste the toothpaste.

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HOT PROPERTIES

Textiles rule a harbour penthouse  BY CAROLYN HEIMAN  PHOTOGRAPHY BY GARY MCKINSTRY

A  A An elegant Schonbek chandelier adds significant bling over the 72-inch square glass-topped table.

PALETTE OF CHROME, GLASS AND CLEAN architectural lines isn’t an obvious companionable backdrop for traditional furnishings and soft textiles. Yet a California couple has fashioned an expansive penthouse condominium to reflect their personal and elegant tastes without clashing esthetics.

“We wanted something homey and comfortable,” says Carol Biroczky, in a telephone interview from her other home in California. And when it came to colours, modern neutrals held 21

1950 B Oak Bay Ave. 250-361-9243 www.heatwave.me

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 About 2,600 feet of draperies and sheers line the penthouse, creating a soft backdrop for traditional furnishings and offering sun protection.

little attraction; instead, she likes blues and soft greens.

The Biroczkys bought three top-floor units in Bayview Place in 2004 with instructions to the developer to combine the spaces into a 5,200-square-foot unit with surround views over the Inner Harbour and the Gorge Waterway. After the new three bedroom, five bathroom space was configured and millwork installed, the couple scripted their vision for the finishing touches with interior designer Beth Krupa of Homestyles.

THE FABRIC OF LIFE “I knew their tastes were quite traditional and Carol wanted pretty, soft colours that worked with living by the water,” says Krupa. Meanwhile, the building is very contemporary. The solution was a “transitional” style that harmonizes both aspects.

Carol is a quilt maker and, not surprisingly, this hobby comes with a passion for textiles. Poring over fabric swatches is a pleasurable way to fill time for her, and she often brought Krupa as her accomplice. Says Krupa: “Yes, Carol loves, loves, loves fabric and we have had great times shopping and choosing

things. She enjoyed that process and wanted to be involved.”

The nubby French country blue/celadon greens/butter yellow in a fabric picked for the bar stools was the springboard. The unparalleled views were also significant design considerations.

Three windowed walls in the living, dining and kitchen area are bordered with soft, pleated sheers over the vertical venetians required by the strata. The net effect softens the rooms and permits filtered light to bathe the space. All the pleated drapes are on over 2,000 feet of motorized track throughout the condo.

Bette Wollner, from Ruffell & Brown, says the window covering project had its challenges, not the least of which was the over-height windows that exceeded the width of most drapery fabrics. The solution: add a border onto every floor-toceiling drape. “It was a big job for the seamstress.”

Wollner is witnessing a consumer shift from blinds, which dominated the window covering market in recent years. “People are getting tired of all those blinds, and those who want them are going with fabric options.” While fear of sticker shock may cause customer aversion to exploring custom-made drapes, 23

Wollner notes there are many price-sensitive options. “You can choose fullness, pleat style, type of lining and — very important for that ‘perfectly finished’ look — the exact size you need.”

CUSTOM DELIGHTS Krupa had her design talents tested in particular with the long hallway areas created when the three units were merged.

A striking, soft green-blue and antique silver damask wallpaper lines the area and puts a traditional stamp on the space. To break it up, Krupa created vignettes of interest, including art groupings and an eye-grabbing original hand-forged, tile-topped iron hall table made by Charleston Forge in the United States.

In organizing the penthouse, the couple set out to create a space to share with their adult children and grandchildren.

Comfortable sofa beds create optional living areas for a quiet retreat but without feeling banished to a bedroom.

Finishing the interior progressed over three years and Krupa notes that her business relationship with the Biroczkys has been eclipsed by a lovely friendship. “They are marvelous clients to work with.”

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Carolyn Heiman explores beautiful Island homes each month for Boulevard. If you know of a gorgeous home you’d like to see profiled, she can be contacted at cheiman@shaw.ca.

SUPPLY LIST Interior Design: Beth Krupa Homestyles Furnishings: Bespoke Design and Luxe Home Interiors Window Coverings: Ruffell & Brown Interiors Lighting: Illuminations Lighting Solutions (dining room is Schonbek through Illuminations) and Luxe Home Interiors Interior Painting: Primer Paint & Improvements Wallpaper and Living Room Rug: Bespoke Design Bedding: Eastern Accents 25

SOCIAL CAPITAL

DINING OUT FOR HEALTH

 BY AMY MITCHELL

Delicious food does not have to come at the expense of feeling good — and Victoria’s healthy food scene is really hitting its stride. If your resolutions are still going strong and you’re looking to eat out without compromising taste or your health goals, you’re in the right place. Here’s a list of a few local restaurants serving up delicious, feel-good food.

50 Bastion Square, Downtown Mon–Thurs: 11 am–9 pm Fri: 11 am–10 pm Sat: 8:30 am–10 pm Sun: 8:30 am–8 pm rebarmodernfood.com An absolute institution in Victoria, Rebar boasts an impressive 15-year tenure in the Victoria food scene. Primarily vegetarian, Rebar has plenty of gluten-free and vegan options, as well as a full juice bar. Busy, bright and cheerful, Rebar pairs great service with bold, nourishing food.

Try the Yam and Pepita Quesadilla, a grilled whole-wheat tortilla with chipotle chili-honey salsa, roasted yam, organic pumpkin seeds, scallion and Monterey Jack cheese, served with cilantro crème fraîche. $10 BLVD Staff Pick: The Yam Chips & Guac from Be Love are a hit.

(Pictured above.)

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NOURISH GARDEN BISTRO

REBAR

505 Quayle Road, Saanich Mon–Fri: 11 am–3 pm Sat, Sun: 9 am–4 pm nourishinsight.com Tucked away next to the Horticultural Centre of the Pacific on the Saanich Peninsula, Nourish’s one-

CAFÉ BLISS 556 Pandora Avenue, Downtown Daily: 11 am–7 pm cafebliss.ca Completely raw, vegan and gluten-free, Café Bliss offers numerous fresh juices, smoothies, as well as healthy twists on favourite comfort

of-a-kind dishes reflect a philosophy of being kind to your body and the earth. The thoughtfully prepared and beautifully presented food leaves you feeling exactly as they promise — nourished.

Try the Benny’s Gone Nuts, a spin on the original eggs benny with a cashew hollandaise, kale mushroom sauté and baked sweet potato. $12

come in.

Try the Italiano Pizza, with sundried tomato marinara, marinated portabella mushroom, spinach, red onion, bell pepper, and cherry tomato, topped with Brazil nut “parmesan” on a sprouted buckwheat sundried tomato crust. $8.50

PHOTO BY DON DENTON

1

MO:LÉ foods. Always making the most of seasonal and local ingredients, their philosophy is to make food, with love, that tastes amazing and makes you feel amazing.

In my experience, they’ve never fallen short. Pay $1.50 deposit on your Mason jar to-go cup and reuse it next time you

554 Pandora Avenue, Downtown Mon–Fri: 8 am–3 pm Sat, Sun: 8 am–4 pm molerestaurant.ca Mo:Lé’s come as you are philosophy is a perfect fit when you need to satisfy a variety of different diets. No matter what you like to eat to feel good, Mo:Lé makes sure you and your friends can all eat at the same table.

If you’re going for breakfast on the weekend, there’s usually a wait. However, they’ll come and find you at Habit next door, so you can relax with a coffee while you wait.

Side note: Simon Whitfield loved the yam omelette so much he had a Mo:Lé Chef cook in the dorm for the Olympic triathletes while in Beijing. And, if it’s good enough for Simon Whitfield…

Try the Yam Omelette (aka the Simon Whitfield), with roasted yams, onions, red peppers, fresh basil and goat cheese. $13.50

“LET FOOD BE THY MEDICINE AND MEDICINE BE THY FOOD.” HIPPOCRATES

BE LOVE 1019 Blanshard Street, Downtown Daily: 8 am–9:30 pm beloverestaurant.ca The Be Love owners, also the owners of Café Bliss, make nourishing food taste indulgent and they make it look easy. With a slight sidestep from the all-raw philosophy of Café Bliss, Be Love offers cooked food but remains vegan and glutenfree.

Their new, inspiring space on Blanshard Street feels

warm and established, despite just opening their doors late last year. Sit on the heated bench by the window with a perfect view of the high ceilings and stunning artwork and architecture by the owners’ father.

Try the Baja Burger, a spicy black bean and pumpkin seed patty served on the house almond “pumpernickel” and topped with avocado, lettuce, sprouts, cilantro lime “sour cream” and sundried tomato ketchup. It comes with a choice of soup, salad or roasted baby potatoes. $15

INGREDIENTS ORGANIC CAFÉ 2031 Store Street, Downtown Mon–Fri: 9 am–7 pm Sat: 8:30 am–6 pm Sun: 9 am–5 pm ingredientshealthfood.com Nestled in the corner of Ingredients, an organic grocery store, the Ingredients Organic Café serves Vancouver Island’s own Drumroaster coffee, plenty of wholesome treats and an entirely organic all-day menu. Everything is made in-house and the casual, colourful décor matches the friendly service.

Try the Buddha Bowl, with short grain brown rice, baked tofu, steamed greens and veggies, and sprouts. It’s topped with a peanut, ginger and coconut sauce and toasted seeds. $11

A Boarding Kennel that loves your pets as much as you do.

HERNANDE’Z 735 Yates Street Mon–Fri: 11:30 am–8 pm Sat, Sun: 12 noon–8 pm 1600 Bay Street Tues–Sat: 11:30 am–8 pm hernandezcocina.com Hernande’z is known for its focus on simple, authentic Central American food with quality ingredients. They source those ingredients locally whenever possible and pride themselves on their slow food approach (you won’t find canned beans in their kitchen). If you’re in a hurry, order from the express menu. They change their hours and offerings once in a while, so doublecheck the website or social media pages if you have your heart set on something particular. Bring cash — cards are not accepted.

Try the vegetarian Huarache, a thick, handmade corn tortilla topped with black beans, rice, salsa and greens. $6.95.

• Comfortable, clean & healthy fresh air environment • Quality, nutritious foods • Exercise yards up to one quarter acre • Feline “Cuddle Time” • K-9 Playschool course • All managerial staff are Certified Kennel Technicians • Recommended by Veterinarians • Full grooming services available

A Full Service Animal Care Facility

250-652-2301 • puppylove.ca • email: info@puppylove.ca 2918 Lamont Road, Saanichton Just minutes from Victoria Airport & BC Ferries Terminal Like us on Facebook!

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REST EASY: Relief awaits at Relax The Back

W

HEN SOMEONE IS EXPERIENCING neck and back pain, just about everything else in their life can suffer – sleep, work, activities, even relationships with friends and family.

But there is help.

“Goldilocks had it right,” explains Relax The Back owner Astrid Frayne, who encourages visitors to try the store’s various pillows and mattresses, sit in the zerogravity chairs, or target trouble spots with specialized tools that ease knots and sore muscles. “Finding the right solution for an individual means taking an individual approach, and that means trying products on for size to find what works for you,” she says with a reassuring smile.

People recovering from an injury or accident often expect healing to happen in an arc, with treatment and the passage of time bringing steady improvement. When progress doesn’t meet these expectations, discouragement and even despair can follow, says Frayne, who has operated Relax The Back for 17 years with daughter Erin.

“For people who must return to work or family obligations, there’s such pressure on them – the world doesn’t stop.”

Instead, Frayne sees healing as more zigzag in nature. “There will be good days and bad days, and sometimes, injury to a body will require lifetime maintenance.”

That doesn’t mean people must live with pain and sleep disruptions that often follow. Today, people can choose from a wide range of specialized products that can work with treatment to promote comfort and recovery. Frayne and her staff work with clients’ medical practitioners and insurance companies, and provide prescription forms for products.

The first step is a 24-hour review of your environment. When does pain increase or decrease? What are you sitting on or

sleeping in? Where do you spend the most time? Are surfaces too hard or too soft? Not the right shape?

The most effective approach to back health is maintaining a neutral body position in the places you spend the most time, such as your office, car, sofa and bed. “Investing in these four areas will net greater dividends in terms of health and comfort, not to mention increased energy to focus on therapy and healing.

In turn, this will encourage a greater overall sense of moving forward, rather than feeling stuck or even regressing.”

Frayne, who has experienced back challenges herself, understands people’s relief when they find products that work.

“It shows on their face immediately. They’re afraid this is where their life ends,” she explains, recalling one customer who could barely walk and hadn’t slept properly in what seemed like forever.

“The next morning she phoned and said, ‘I slept – and when I woke up I realized that was not going to be my life!’”

Another client – an active man experiencing so much discomfort he could barely move – received such relief from a specialized heating pad that he soon enjoyed his first walk.

The key is remembering every person is unique, so a personalized approach is imperative. For those with neck discomfort or trouble sleeping, for example, a cervical pillow fitting will identify the shape, firmness and material to generate that sense of release and comfort. Various foam wedges and supports encourage proper alignment in the hips and back, easing nighttime discomfort and allowing you to wake up refreshed.

The same personalized treatment is crucial for those considering a zero-gravity chair, available in a variety of sizes and shapes, not to mention styles and materials to suit just about any setting.

Those spending considerable time at a desk will want to find a supportive, fully adjustable office chair. Beyond the height of the seat, for example, adjustable arms and lumbar support are crucial.

“As you try different shapes and configurations, trust your body and trust your words – how you’re describing the feeling. Your words will get you where you need to go next,” says Frayne.

“People often come to us when they’re desperate. Providing an answer – and an easy answer – is very rewarding.”

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 BY SARAH REID

From cheap and cheerful to luxe and lavish, throw pillows are the perfect way to quickly update any living space. These picks from around town and beyond are sure to make a cozy night in (with your Valentine?) just that much more inviting...

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Floral Fascination

DESIGN MATTERS

Designed locally, this blooming cover will help brighten any weary winter room.

Aldari Home // 16"x16" $39 Available at AldariHome.etsy.com

One pillow, two fun sides.

Thomas Paul // 23"x9" $78 Available at Only Human

Bold, sophisticated blossoms in refreshing mint and coral.

Caitlin Wilson Textiles // 20"x20" $65 Available at caitlinwilsontextiles.com

Perfect Patterns

Go for Gold

VALENTINE'S DAY FAVOURITE

Contrasting textures and geometric patterns infuse both warmth and drama into your home. 17"x17" $29 Available at Urban Barn

The perfect way to infuse a little extra love into your living space.

Indigo // 16"x16" $39.50 Available at Chapters

Get back to basics with this geometric gem.

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Bold, simple, sophisticated.

S&C // 14"x20" $65 Available at Nest & Cradle

Chic, simple pattern. Hand printed. Waterbased ink. Sustainably grown hemp fabric. Need we say more?

Chanee Vijay // 12"x21" $84 Available at melongings.com

Get creative with Smoking Lily! Choose from their many designs and inks to be printed on your own pillow case. $18+ // Ready winthin two weeks Available at Smoking Lily

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Dallas Sells Victoria/Oak Bay PERSONAL REAL ESTATE CORPORATION

“My goal is to find your dream home and ensure that the decision you make stands as a wise investment over the long term.”

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BRENTWOOD WATER VIEWS

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Fabulous sunset & water views from every principal room. Completely renovated 2 yrs ago with high end finishes. New kitchen with granite counters, 6 burner gas cooktop, heated slate floors, Merbau wood floors. Master retreat with 2 way fireplace to ensuite. 3 decks, 3,800 sq.ft.

Moorage buoy included. $1,450,000

Architecturally stunning home with expansive views of Sooke Hills from Royal Bay to the Observatory. 3 bdrms, 3 bths on main floor.

4th bdrm, bath, hobby room down, oversized garage. Hardwood floors, vaulted ceilings, family room off kitchen. $100K in upgrades & landscaping! $879,900

“West Coast Provencale” - stunning architecturally designed custom built (2009) home backing onto Victoria Golf Course. Vanishing Eclipse doors open to exquisite multi-level patio with hot tub. Chef’s dream kitchen with custom cherry, granite & top appliances. All 4 bdrms are ensuited. $1,699,000

SO LD

On the quiet side of this extremely well run complex, this pristine townhome is one of the 3 largest; 1,953 sq.ft., 3 bdrm, 3 bath. Master on main, family rm off kitchen opens to east facing sunny patio with awning. Many upgrades. Close to shopping, buses & library. 2 parking spots. $465,000

Only 110 steps to the waterfront in this heritage half duplex. This is the back half which includes the back yard, a separate studio, & a recently built lower level solid cedar laundry rm (or office). $120,000 spent by the current owner. Updated insulation, wiring, plumbing & painting. $499,900

Custom built architect’s home with 18 ft. vaulted ceilings & 6 skylights. Bright and open! Kitchen with new double wall oven, granite counters & custom cherrywood cabinetry. Master with his & her closets. 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, & gorgeous walk-out private garden. Close to UVic & Camosun. $880,000

Dallas Chapple RE/MAX Camosun • Tel: 250.744.3301 • Toll Free: 1.877.652.4880 www.dallaschapple.com • Email: dallas@dallaschapple.com

$19,995,000 Lisa Williams 250-514-1966 lisawilliams.ca

Boulevard magazine supports Southern Vancouver Island's top Realtors representing the region's finest real estate. In our pages, we hope you will find your next home, whether it is in the listings of the Great Homes/Great Realtors or here in the Boulevard Luxury Real Estate listings. Both of these monthly advertising features bring you the finest selection of homes and condominiums Victoria has to offer.

$5,388,000 Lisa Williams 250-514-1966 lisawilliams.ca

$1,699,000 Robert Young 250-385-6900 robertyoung.ca Celebrating 30 years of award winning real estate service

THIS SPECTACULAR UPLANDS property is truly in a league of its own; elegant & impressive 15,000 sq. ft. residence and 1,000 ft. of ocean frontage! Over 2.5 acres of manicured grounds extend to the ocean’s edge and provide the setting for this world-class gated estate. Incredible panoramic views are showcased from nearly every room, with dramatic architecture, custom detailing and sophisticated high-tech systems throughout. The property enjoys an abundance of sunshine and access to a secluded and quiet sandy beach with 5 car garage parking, gorgeous landscaping, seaside gazebo, de-salination system & much more!

THIS MAGNIFICENT GATED waterfront estate includes an elegant 5,800 sq. ft. main residence, 3 bdrm guest house, and 2 delightful boathouses... with over 280’ of shoreline, manicured grounds and world-class views!

The finest materials were used throughout, with incredible detail, featuring soaring high ceilings, HW floors, massive great rm, gourmet kitchen, glass-roofed grand dining rm, main floor master suite with 8-pce ensuite, and so much more!

Totally private setting, and lowbank oceanfront access, tons of sunshine... mins from the airport and 30 mins from downtown!

WATERFRONT RESIDENCE – MEDITERRANEAN DESIGN Beautifully positioned this stunning residence offers the highest level of craftsmanship & state of the arts technology. Grand entry with coffered ceilings & wainscoting, living room with fireplace & dining room with vaulted ceilings.

Gourmet kitchen with island & breakfast nook. Family room has access to large deck. Upper level has master bdrm. with private deck, ensuite & walk-in closet, two additional bdrms., main bath plus laundry. Lower level offers media room plus a 1 bdrm. den suite.

A must see for the discerning purchaser. MLS #329293

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$1,695,000 Dallas Chapple PERSONAL REAL ESTATE CORPORATION

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GREAT INVESTMENT with wonderful water views from all the principal rooms. Whether you renovate or re-build, this .84 acre property extends from Upper Terrace to Midland with stunning tiered gardens!

Spacious living rm & dining rm, cozy den, plus the master & 2 more bedrooms on this main level. Down is a rec rm, bdrm, fam rm & workshop.

Great opportunity to build your waterview dream home and enjoy views from 10 Mile Pt. & Mt. Baker to San Juan Is.

WATERFRONT PROPERTY ON THE GORGE. This 3 bdrm, 2 bath, 1,700 sq. ft. home is priced to sell, has solid bones and is waiting for your updates to make this a million dollar view home!

Amazing floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room make this home special. Fully upgraded cement patio and perimeter drain tile system for peace of mind. A finished basement with separate $599,900 entrance and 2 small bdrms could be made into one large one. Need Jeff Bishop a workshop or double car garage? t: 250-477-7291 You got it. Located at the end of a c: 250-661-1200 jeffreycbishop.com cul-de-sac close to many amenities.

Water access is ideal for launching a kayak/canoe...what a bonus!

A PERFECT EXTENDED family home & workshop for home business. 23 ft. living rm, 23 ft. master with spacious ensuite. 27 ft. eat-in kitchen, formal dining rm, & 2 more bdrms on the main. Family rm & bedroom on lower level.

Concrete between floors, in-floor radiant heat, 11 appliances included. Separate 1,600 sq. ft. 2 bdrm for extended family. Workshop/ garage with office. Over 1 acre with 2 road accesses.

Perfect for any tradesman or landscaper.

A bright home not to be missed near the Cook Street Village! Abstract Development conversion in 2002 – modern colour scheme, wide plank flooring, 9 ft. ceilings, very well maintained move-in condition. Nice layout with open plan offering two bedrooms plus den. Terrific $519,000 location to the Cook Street Village, Dallas oceanfront Sharen Warde & Larry Sims walkway. Park your car and walk into the City. Low 250-592-4422 monthly maintenance fees. wardesims.com Welcome home!

Camosun

$869,900 Dallas Chapple PERSONAL REAL ESTATE CORPORATION

250-744-3301 dallaschapple.com Camosun

ARCHITECTURALLY DESIGNED and out of the ordinary, this 3,600 sq. ft. home stretches across a park setting. Every room has a view offering a quiet retreat. This home is definitely larger than it looks with 1,956 sq. ft. on the main and 1,705 on the lower level. Great separation for a combined family. The oversized double garage adds $825,000 additional storage. This home was built in 1985 and will Sharen Warde & Larry Sims need your modern decorating attention. The roof is appx.

250-592-4422 2 yrs. old. Great Broadmead wardesims.com location with parks, hiking trails, Galloping Goose at your door.

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FOOD & DRINK

SEASIDE SOCHI OFFERS BARBECUE AND BORSCHT  BY CINDA CHAVICH

W

HEN THE OLYMPIC TORCH IS LIT this month, you may be ready for a wintery menu — think cheese fondue at ski chalets — but in Sochi, where palm trees ring the Black Sea, they could be firing up the barbie.

Yes, Russia’s southernmost province may be hosting the 2014 Winter Olympics but, in fact, this subtropical region is known as the Summer Capital of Russia. With its mountainous coastline and seaside beaches, Sochi resembles Vancouver — or even northern California — more than the Rockies or the Alps. In fact, Sochi is the warmest city to ever host an Olympic Winter Games.

Dominated for centuries by ancient Greek, Roman and Ottoman empires, it’s a region of Bronze Age tablets and Byzantine temples, where Greek, Ukrainian and Armenian food are all part of the Russian mix.

It’s no surprise that a classic local dish is grilled lamb, marinated until tender with onions and lemon juice, and skewered. It’s known as shishliki (or shishlik) but it’s remarkably similar to other kinds of skewered meat dishes, from Turkish shish kebab to Greek souvlaki and Middle Eastern donair.

Russian cuisine also takes its inspiration from dishes common to many of the Eastern European countries that were once part of the Soviet Union.

From beet borscht soup to cheese-and-potato– stuffed perogies (aka vereniki), there are many similarities to Hungarian, Polish, Romanian and Ukrainian foods on Russian menus.

Even New York’s Russian Tea Room, serving continental specialties since the 1920s, is still famed for its red borscht, blintzes and stroganoff (though butter-poached lobster, classic escargot and blini with caviar are on the menu, too).

The Sochi Olympics open Feb. 7 and run to Feb. 23. It’s hard to say what Canada’s athletes will be eating while they’re in Russia (the US team has already announced a menu that includes Thai chicken coconut soup, pasta marinara and beef meatloaf) and McDonald’s is opening a 24-hour McCafé in the athletes’ village.

But on this side of the pond, the only place in this country where palm trees grow, we can share the Sochi tradition of classic Russian lamb barbecue, with a cold or hot bowl of borscht on the side.

Add a typical dessert like poppy seed roll (Victoria’s Cook n’ Pan Polish Deli sells a wicked one) or a plate of Russian tea cake cookies rolled in icing sugar, and you’ll have a meal to remember while you cheer Canada’s athletes to the podium in Sochi — and admire their balmy winter weather.

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SHISHLIK PREP 4 hrs–3 days COOK 15–20 mins SERVES 6 There’s a prairie tradition for making shishlik in communities where Russian immigrants settled in Saskatchewan. I asked my friend Daryl Demoskoff for instructions, and he sent his dad’s handwritten recipe that starts with “a whole fresh lamb cut into pieces, one to two inches square.” Mr. Demoskoff makes his shishlik in a big plastic pail or crock, layering the meat with salt and pepper, squeezed sliced lemons and sliced onions until the crock is full. The mixture is kept in a cool place, and mixed twice a day for five to seven days. The lemons and onions are discarded and the meat is either frozen immediately or threaded on metal skewers and cooked very slowly over an open wood fire (or in a roaster in a slow oven) until tender. Here’s a slightly smaller version. Serve with grilled vegetables and rice pilaf.

2–3 pound (0.9–1.3 kg) boneless lamb shoulder or leg, trimmed of fat 2 large onions, peeled and finely sliced ⅓ cup (80 ml) fresh lemon juice 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil salt and freshly ground black pepper CUT lamb shoulder into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces. Place meat in a bowl and stir in onion, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Cover and marinate at room temperature for three hours, or for three days in the refrigerator, stirring occasionally.

WHEN READY to cook, thread the meat on metal skewers (you can also add cherry tomatoes, pieces of onion and mushrooms).

GRILL or broil over medium heat, turning to brown the lamb, about 10 minutes for medium-rare lamb, 15–20 minutes for well done meat.

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CINDA’S CLASSIC BORSCHT PREP 30 mins COOK 75 mins SERVES 6 The famed Russian Tea Room in New York City has published a slim volume of its favourite recipes, and borscht turns up twice — both as a cold beet soup made with beef consommé, lemon juice, sliced cucumber, fresh dill and sour cream, or a hot version, the traditional combination of carrots, cabbage, onions, beets, dill and sour cream, which they say is “Moscow-style.” That’s the way I’ve always done it, though I’m more eastern European than Russian. My recipe is below.

Make this in a pressure cooker to save time, or cook it on the stovetop. Use a food processor to chop the onion, shred the carrot and cabbage and purée the tomatoes (or chop by hand for a chunkier soup). This soup is even tastier the second day, when the flavours have had a chance to marry.

3–4 medium beets 2 tbsp (30 ml) butter 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil 1 large onion, minced 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 large carrots, shredded 3 cups (750 ml) shredded cabbage 1 cup (250 ml) canned or fresh tomatoes, puréed 4 cups (1 L) beef or chicken broth 2 tbsp (30 ml) balsamic vinegar 4 tbsp (60 ml) chopped fresh dill salt and freshly ground black pepper ⅓ cup (80 ml) full fat sour cream SCRUB the beets and remove the stem end. In a large soup pot, heat the butter and olive oil. Sauté the onion and garlic over medium heat until starting to brown.

ADD the carrots and cook for 5 minutes, then stir in the cabbage, tomatoes and broth. Add the scrubbed whole beets, cover and bring to a boil.

SIMMER 1 hour (or pressure cook for 15 minutes), then remove the beets, cool slightly and peel. Chop the beets and return to the soup pot. Bring back to a boil and add the vinegar, salt and pepper. Simmer together for 15 minutes longer, until everything is tender.

JUST BEFORE serving, add the dill. You can stir the sour cream right into the soup (add a little hot liquid to the sour cream first) or just pass the sour cream and let your guests add it at the table.

39

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FEBRUARYʼS LIBATION

“FALL from GRACE” DIFFICULTY LEVEL

    

We asked Veneto Tapa Lounge’s Samantha Casuga to make her favourite pick-up drink for a night out on Valentine's Day.

From past to Present

how-to INGREDIENTS 2 oz (60 ml) Dow’s 10 Year Tawny Port 3/4 oz (25 ml) Luxardo Amaro Abano 1/2 oz (15 ml) strawberry black pepper syrup* 1/4 oz (8 ml) Olive the Senses Strawberry Balsamic vinegar ASSEMBLY Stir and double strain into a coupe glass.

TIP: Stir on ice to avoid overdilution and maintain that pepper bite.

*Strawberry black pepper syrup Grind 1 cup (250 ml) black peppercorns to a medium grind (varied sizes from fine pepper to whole peppercorns). Toast in pot over heat until aromatic oils are released (be careful not to burn). Add 8 cups (2 L) chopped strawberries, stirring constantly. When the berries have broken down, add ½ cup (125 ml) water. Add ½ cup (125 ml) sugar, stirring to a medium viscosity. Strain into a container to remove berry pulp and pepper. Let cool.

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ďƒ¤ Bison often graze at lower levels in winter. It’s easy to spot them against the snow and exploding geysers.

42

TRAVEL FAR

A WELCOME WINTER YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK OFFERS SOLITUDE IN THE SNOWY SEASON  TEXT AND PHOTOS BY SUZANNE MORPHET

M

Y TOES ARE TINGLING. I’M WEARING snow boots and standing on a square of blue Styrofoam to keep my feet off the frozen ground, but it’s still not enough on this bitterly cold January day in Yellowstone National Park.

Fortunately, the wolf at the end of my telescope is providing an interesting diversion. He’s lying in the snow, and occasionally lifts his black head and looks west down the Lamar Valley.

His thick coat insulates him from the frigid temperatures, but he’s got another problem, one that has nothing to do with the weather.

Wolf 755 — the wolves here are all numbered — lost both his mate and his brother to hunters a couple months earlier when they strayed outside the park boundaries. Now he’s looking for a new mate from another pack, but it’s a life and death gamble.

“He’s negotiating travelling through territories with rival packs that may well try to kill him,” explains wildlife biologist Rick McIntyre. “But on the other hand, if he’s successful in what he’s trying to do — to draw off one or more females — he’ll be back in business with a new family and a new litter of pups within a few months.”

I didn’t expect to be immersed in some animal soap opera at Yellowstone, America’s oldest national park, but this is part of the upside of travelling here in winter. Wildlife is everywhere and people are few and far between. It feels like we’ve got the park, the animals and the experts all to ourselves.

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Free workshop led by Professional Move manager, Anney Ardiel of Act Together Moving services.

Moving Mom and Dad Workshop

Saturday, February 15th, 10:00 am, 2800 Blanshard St. Presentation followed by complimentary lunch at The Wellesley.

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Space is limited. Register early. Please visit blvdmag.ca and click on Travel Writing Seminar or call 250.480.3254.

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McIntyre has spent more than a thousand consecutive days watching the wolves of Yellowstone. He’s here in summer too, of course, but so are hundreds of thousands of visitors. More than three million people will visit the park this year, with about 98 per cent of them coming between June and September, clogging the roads and filling every one of the 2,200 hotel rooms and cabins, 11 campgrounds and one RV park.

Even though Yellowstone has been welcoming winter enthusiasts since 1949, it’s definitely the slow season, with only two hotels open. Travelling by snow coach is the most popular way to get around the park in winter, but you can also join a snowmobile tour or explore on skis or snowshoes.

That evening, we warm ourselves in the Boiling River, an aptly named ribbon of rushing water near Mammoth Hot Springs Resort, where scalding hot water from an underground stream enters and merges with the icy flow.

The next morning, we climb aboard a heated snow coach for the seven-hour journey to Old Faithful. Along the way, our guide and driver, Victor Sawyer, entertains us with stories about the park and how fantastical the place once seemed. For instance, when an early explorer tried to have a story published about the hundreds of thousands of bison he witnessed, an editor turned him down, saying “We don’t publish fiction.”

To my eyes, it’s still fantastical. Wild animals roam everywhere. Elk graze peacefully on the banks of the Firehole River, while trumpeter swans float by in water that’s warmed by the thermal activity deep underground. “Hundreds of them are here in winter,” Sawyer tells us. “They come for the open water.”

We also spot coyotes and a river otter. Are those tracks in the snow weasel or mink? It feels like we’ve gone back in time, back to the prelapsarian world that once was.

Don’t let those wrinkles get you down...

 A herd of bison rests alongside the Gibbon River.  A lone photographer stands at the end of the boardwalk extending into Lower Geyser Basin, while Fountain Geyser erupts in the background.

A STEAMY SHOW There may not be as many bison as before — the huge herds were almost completely wiped out by poachers — but we see them up close, walking on the road to avoid deep snow, and from a distance, most spectacularly against a backdrop of exploding geysers.

And perhaps this is where Yellowstone really shines in winter.

“We’re travelling along the most geyser-rich area on the planet,” Sawyer tells us as we marvel at the billowing clouds of condensed steam against a cold blue sky.

“Yellowstone National Park is an immense, active volcano — one of the largest and most violent on Earth,” according to a sign in Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon warming hut, where we stop for lunch. So when Sawyer tells us we’ll be spending the night in the crater, it’s a little disconcerting until he adds, “it’s very well studied — we would have lots of advance warning.”

Late that afternoon I rent cross-country skis and take a wellgroomed trail that bisects a group of geysers. I’m hoping to catch the anticipated eruption of Daisy Geyser at 4 pm and be back in time for Old Faithful’s at 4:26 pm, about a one-mile round trip.

Even when they’re not exploding, geysers and their relatives — hot springs, mud pots and fumaroles — are fascinating: hissing steam, burping bubbles and turning the surrounding muck vivid shades of orange and yellow. I’m so distracted that I don’t get back in time to see Old Faithful blow her stack, but I get something better: a private encounter with a coyote.

I’m on my knees photographing a bubbling “pot” when I notice something moving. I look up and see the tawny creature no more than a dozen yards away. It’s just her and me in the fading afternoon light. I pick up my ski pole, but she’s harmless.

She stops to relieve herself, then nonchalantly walks off into the quiet night of a Yellowstone winter.

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REBORN IN THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION, SIDNEY STANDS BY ITS CINEMA  BY SUSAN LUNDY

W

ITH ITS CHEERY BLUE walls and comfy red couch, the lobby of Sidney’s Star Cinema feels distinctly like a living room. Add to the ambiance a blast of warm air, thick with the scent of popcorn, and a brightly lit concession flanked by friendly faces, and it’s no wonder everyone here looks so relaxed.

People of all ages linger about, chatting and forming loose lines for one of the two theatres. Above them on the wall a large plaque proclaims the famous Margaret Mead quote: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

One can’t really say that the small group of people running the Star Cinema has changed the world. But, on a planet where independent theatres close as fast as Netflix accounts open, the Star Cinema continues to thrive, defying trends and capturing a place close to the hearts of the people it serves.

WHERE EVERYBODY KNOWS YOU “We keep it at a scale that’s human,” says Sandy Oliver, one of four people who originally opened the Star in 1998. “Many people are coming for the social connection to their neighbours. It feels very human.”

“Everybody knows everybody,” adds Shannon Davis, who, along with her daughter, Tamara, has volunteered or worked at 46

PHOTO BY DON DENTON

A STAR IS the cinema for eight years. “We have regulars. Often, we know what their concession order will be.”

The fact Sidney loves its cinema became clear during the recent Save the Star campaign. The campaign, which raised $185,000 in 10 months, was launched amid changes in the movie-making industry that forced the cinema to replace its two 35 mm projectors with a digital system.

“We’re a business and you don’t typically fundraise for a business, but we wanted to know what the response would be,” says cinema manager Lindsay Pomper. “We wanted to remain viable and we knew we had a great amount of support from people who would hate to see us close.”

Because the seats were 45 years old and “people complained about them a lot,” Pomper says, they added the purchase of new chairs into the fundraising mix. Ultimately, they were staggered by the community’s support.

“It’s a tough business to earn a living at,” Oliver says. “We’ve tried to remain affordable … and I think our community felt they had received good value for their entertainment dollars — so much so, they were willing to give above and beyond when we let our financing needs be known.”

Sidney further demonstrated its love when the wrong seats arrived — after the old chairs had already been removed — and had to be re-ordered. Patrons responded enthusiastically to the

BYOC (bring your own chair) program, until ultimately, a Sidneybased business donated a cache of couches to fill the chair-less theatres.

CINEMA SISTERHOOD Oliver has always been a fan of movies. “Even as a kid, I loved the school 8/16 mm projectors,” she says. “There’s something about film, flickering and clicking and clacking from the projector booth.”

She was working at an independent cinema on Salt Spring Island in the 1990s when then-mayor of Sidney, Don Amos, called her, wondering what it would take to start a cinema in the small seaside town.

Amid much “guidance, assistance and support,” Oliver moved to Sidney with her sister, Carolyn Lewis, plus sisters Marlene Holt and Judy Gwynn-Williams, and set about opening a cinema.

After “scrubbing out the smoke” of Sidney’s old bingo hall, they launched the Star Cinema at 9842 Third Street in September 1998. Oliver and Lewis soon bought out their partners, but sadly, after more than a decade of involvement, Lewis died of cancer in 2012.

“For many, Carolyn was the smiling face of the cinema,” Oliver says.

But the Star has carried on, running two to six movies at a time, and offering regular evening shows plus matiness three days a week and on school holidays. It employs 10 people and 15 volunteers, many of whom have worked there for years. “[Manager] Lindsay started in concession and has been here for 14 out of 15 years … without her I don’t believe the cinema would be where it is,” says Oliver.

Events, such as a pajama party for the première of Catching Fire, pizza party opera screenings, fundraisers, and special showings for school classes, add to the theatre’s place at the heart of the community.

“There is definitely a sense of community ownership of the cinema,” says Pomper. “And we’re able to select films that we think our audiences will like.”

The Star Cinema has often been at capacity, with lineups down the block and around the corner. Oliver says its top five revenue-generating films were the Harry Potter franchise, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The King’s Speech and Mama Mia!.

“Our community is 30 per cent seniors, so it’s no wonder Marigold Hotel is our kind of blockbuster,” she laughs. “I don’t even completely know why it is that people get such a kick out of our theatre, but I know how tremendous it is to have people constantly make the effort to say and show how much they love the Star.”

Star Cinema may have not changed the world, but it’s certainly shown how a small group of people can buck a worldwide trend and capture the hearts of a community.

47

FRONT ROW  BY ROBERT MOYES

ONE-MAN BLUES BAND

PHOTO BY RAY MORRIS

Looking like a backwoods miner with his scruffy hat, long hair and thick beard fanned across his chest, bluesman Dave Harris is one of the most recognizable buskers working the Inner Harbour. He is famed as a one-man band and his elaborate kit includes metalbodied “resonator” guitars, rack harmonica, fiddle, banjo, foot drum and cymbal. The definition of versatility, Harris plays slide guitar, is a mean finger picker, and can segue into some fancy fiddling or banjo twanging while tossing off tasty harmonica wails and pounding out a drum beat. He’s been doing this in Victoria for 36 years now, putting in long hours during a season lasting from April to late October. “I really come out of a Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Guy bluesrock background,” explains Harris, even though he’s better known for playing everything from ragtime to country blues, and features the likes of Earl Hooker, Reverend Gary Davis and Big Bill Broonzy in his 400-song repertoire. Harris will showcase some of his own material when he makes a rare indoor appearance for the Victoria Folk Music Society. “There’ll be an open stage at 7:30, then I come on at 9:00,” says Harris. “I guess I’ll be doing folkie songs, and pre-war blues.”

Appearing February 2 at Norway House, 1110 Hillside Avenue. Tickets at the door.

 Recognizable busker Dave Harris performs in a rare indoor performance February 2 at Norway House on Hillside Ave.

PAINT IT THICK

Saskatchewan-born Kimberly Kiel had moved to Calgary and become a successful financial planner. Then she sold her practice in 2003 and, with no immediate plans, took an art class. Turns out she not only had a real aptitude, but also revelled in the expressive creativity of painting. Five years later, she realized she had a new career. “As a business professional I knew I could make that side of being an artist work,” says Kiel. “Plus, I had a thick skin, which also helps.” With Monet and Van Gogh as primary inspirations, Kiel typically starts from photos but quickly moves into semiabstractions; she uses oils and encaustic (pigment-infused wax) and her subjects are treescapes, florals and human figures. “I really love the painting, the thickness of the paint,” she says.

“The subject is a bit secondary to the process.” Kiel is a dramatic colourist, and she wields her palette knife with great confidence — just as well, because painting with a palette knife is as unforgiving as calligraphy. Her debut show at Avenue Gallery will feature a dozen canvases. Kiel, who sells everything she can paint, says she’s always a little behind. “It’s a great problem to have,” she laughs.

Running February 13–22 at 2184 Oak Bay Avenue. For information, see theavenuegallery.com.

48

 So Say You (12"x12," oil on canvas) showcases Kimberly Kiel’s skill with a palette knife.

INUIT ART: FUTURE TENSE

Right from when he first opened Madrona Gallery, Michael Warren has presented an impressive range of Inuit art.

This month he has quite the coup: an exclusive exhibition of the drawings of Cape Dorset graphic artist Shuvinai Ashoona, whose modernist and often surreal work has put her at the forefront of contemporary Inuit art and earned her an international reputation. Originally a more traditional printmaker, the 53-year-old Ashoona now uses pen and coloured pencils on paper; her drawings reflect the ordinary particulars of life in a harsh northern environment juxtaposed with fantastical elements from Inuit folklore and Ashoona’s own feverish imagination. “Stylistically, her work is unique,” says Warren, “from her childlike sense of perspective to her deeply creative, sometimes disturbing images and her great storytelling ability.” There will be approximately 20 pieces in the show, ranging in value from $600 up to $7,000; a few will be important early works, but mostly her newer drawings will be featured. “I’m calling the show My Worlds because her work combines the imaginary world in her mind with the physical world of the Arctic,” Warren explains. Thanks to his longstanding relationship with the Toronto-based co-op that brokers all Cape Dorset art, Warren was allowed to choose exactly what he wanted.

“There are probably only three other private galleries in Canada that could put on a show like this,” he adds. “Even nationally, this is a rare event.”

Showing from February 8–22 at 606 View St. For information, see madronagallery.com.

concerts january to february

Goulding Plays Bruch

january 20

A Night at the Opera

january 23, 24 & 25 The Hockey Sweater

january 26

Jon Kimura Parker Plays Brahms

february 1 & 2

Cheng Plays Mozart

february 16 For more information and tickets, please call For tickets and information, please call

2 50 . 3 8 5. 6515 or2 5visit 0 . 385 . 6 5 1 5 or visit

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 Shuvinai Ashoona leaves all her work untitled. This piece is graphite, coloured pencil and Pentel pen on paper, 83.3 x 126 cm.

49

 Prime Minister Stephen Harper is the subject of Proud, the third in a trilogy of plays by Michael Healey.

A PRIMAL PRIME MINISTER

Canadian playwright Michael Healey leapt to national and even international prominence with The Drawer Boy. Latterly, he courted controversy with Proud, the concluding part of a trilogy of plays, this one focusing on a touchy subject: Stephen Harper. Things heated up early when Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre mysteriously declined to debut this profane political satire (even though they had premièred Healey’s other two). Proud has gone on to be acclaimed by the Toronto Star and The Globe & Mail, and it’s hard not to imagine director Glynis Leyshon chortling to herself as she tackled the subject of our polarizing Prime Minister as he was mired neck-deep in scandal. “The play is all about power and control and it’s centred on the Office of the Prime Minister, so the resonance with all the behind-the-scenes machinations of the real-life Senate mess is pretty juicy,” says Leyshon, who was artistic director at the Belfry for 11 years and is back for her third turn as a guest director. “This isn’t farce, it’s more cerebral and even has some surreal moments,” she adds. “But it’s fun and earthy and fast.” Much of the play’s action turns on Harper’s relationship with a rookie MP, the proverbial loose cannon but also an independent woman who may just be the smartest man in the room. According to Leyshon, the real pleasure in watching Proud comes from its surprisingly sympathetic portrait of the micro-managing economics nerd in those V-neck sweaters. “Michael isn’t out for the jugular,” says Leyshon. “I enjoyed Harper’s character a lot … and I sure wasn’t expecting to.”

Running from February 4–March 9 at the Belfry Theatre. For tickets, call 250-385-6815.

50

WE ALSO

recommend:

HANDS AROUND THE WORLD: Creative Peace Murals Society and Christ Church Anglican Cathedral present 11 textile murals from Canada, Japan, Ukraine and more, on display in Victoria, where the project began in 2000. Now to February 16, Christ Church Cathedral, 8:30 am–5:30 pm, except during services, creativepeacemurals.org.

L AFAYETTE STRING QUARTET: The UVic School of Music’s string quartet performs Dvořák’s String Quintet in Eb and more, with guests Yariv Aloni, viola, and Alexander Tselyakov, piano. February 1, 8:00 pm, Phillip T. Young Recital Hall, 250.721.8480, tickets.uvic.ca.

NORA YOUNG: The host of CBC Radio’s Spark reads from her book, The Virtual Self: How Our Digital Lives Are Altering the World Around Us. An interview with UVic Writing professor David Leach will follow. February 5, 7:30 pm, Open Space, 250.383.8833, openspace.ca.

UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA WIND SYMPHONY: A joint concert with the Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy. Eugene Dowling conducts. February 7, 8:00 pm, UVic’s University Centre Farquhar Auditorium, 250.721.8480, tickets.uvic.ca.

THE SEVENTH WAVE: The Gettin’ Higher Choir presents The Seventh Wave, two concerts with guest artist Oliver Swain’s Big Machine as a fundraiser for the Power Of Hope. Feb. 7 and 8, 7:30 pm, Alix Goolden Hall, 250.995.8731, gettinghigherchoir.ca.

MUSIC FOR AFRICA: A gala musical fundraiser to support women and children at four AIDS projects in sub-Saharan Africa, including a silent auction. February 8, 2 pm, UVic’s Phillip T. Young Recital Hall, 250.381.0921, aidsangelsvictoria.ca.

PICNIC: This 1953 Pulitzer Prize winner explores small-town Kansas, where the tension between long upheld traditions and repressed desires comes to a head when a young drifter arrives. February 13–22, 8 pm, Phoenix Theatre, 250.721.8000, phoenixtheatres.ca.

SEEDY SATURDAY: Victoria’s community seed and garden show features organic and heritage seeds, garden products, kids’ activities, expert speakers and more. Feb 15, 10 am–4 pm, Victoria Conference Centre, 250.381.5323, jamesbaymarket.com/seedysaturday.

KENNY WERNER TRIO: New York-based jazz pianist Kenny Werner, along with Ari Hoenig on drums and Johannes Weidenmueller on bass, visit Victoria. Tickets $29 in advance.

February 21, 8 pm, Hermann’s Jazz Club, jazzvictoria.ca.

LIZ MAGOR: Governor General’s Award-winning Liz Magor is an important Canadian contemporary sculptor, raising questions about the difference between real and fake. February 26, 8 pm, UVic’s Visual Arts building, 250.721.6222, finearts.uvic.ca/visualarts/events.

Visit our website, blvdmag.ca, to submit arts and culture event details online. Listings for the March issue must be received by February 8 to be considered for inclusion.

51

PHOTO BY DON DENTON

FINANCE

Talking with Tess  BY TESS VAN STRAATEN

SHE’S SPENT THE LAST SIX MONTHS controlling the City of Victoria’s purse strings, but acting city manager Jocelyn Jenkyns is excited to go back to her regular gig as general manager of the Victoria Conference Centre. After more than 20 years specializing in marketing, communications, government relations and project management, this energetic and engaging mother of two has learned a lot about what it takes to be successful. For Jocelyn, it’s all about building relationships and listening to the people on the front lines. Tess van Straaten sat down with this multitasking dynamo at Victoria’s iconic City Hall to talk about what she’s learned and the challenges that lie ahead.  What’s it been like managing an entire city? I’ve loved it but it’s been challenging in that it’s hard to feel like you’re up on everything. The demands are many — everything from a resident wanting to talk about something to a department’s capital plan and trying to be out on the front lines talking to people and seeing how things are going. The variety is fabulous and it’s a wonderful job, but at some level it’s a bit all-consuming.  How do you juggle all those things and prioritize? It’s hard!

The council schedule and various governance meetings govern a lot of the priorities. But in terms of emerging issues, you have to respond and be adaptable and, of course, try to support and mentor your team and get out of City Hall to see the action, 52

featuring Jocelyn Jenkyns

because most of what’s truly affecting the lives of residents is happening out there on the ground.  What about the money side of things and managing city coffers? Times are tough, there are lots of capital projects, there’s lots of demand. It is really hard to be in this position at a time of restraint. I think the City’s done a really good job the last couple years under this council’s mandate, looking at fiscal sustainability and living within our means, but the reality is you still have to re-invest. At some level you come back to core services — what do they represent? You invest in those areas first. What keeps me up at night is continually trying to balance what residents expect from their City with the resources we have.  You’re returning to your job as Conference Centre manager at the end of this month. How are you feeling about that? I’m quite excited to be reunited with my excellent team down there and to look at what is a very challenging industry these days. I hope I can bring back a new and refreshed perspective to help tackle those challenges.  What’s the biggest challenge facing tourism right now?

Victoria is a fabulous place to come and have a conference and we’re well thought of in that regard, but it comes down to competition. There’s very tough competition right now,

especially with the US convention market not coming back.

We’re going toe-to-toe with huge convention centres like Vancouver for five to 1,000 people, because everybody just wants business on the books — that really is our biggest challenge.  It’s certainly a challenging and competitive industry. What’s been your biggest win? Back in 2003 we made a strategic decision to become a player in the international conference market. We joined the International Congress and Convention Association and set about trying to host their big event and put Victoria on the map. It was a multi-year process — building relationships, getting city council and the mayor on board at the time, taking a delegation over to Greece in 2006, pitching Victoria and winning over Puerto Rico to host the event in 2008. It positioned Victoria as a leader in the Canadian convention industry. That was probably our biggest coup and it’s continued to keep us at the forefront, even to this day.  What have you learned about how to be successful? I think it really comes down to knowing what your product is and what it is that differentiates you — and it has to be authentic. It’s what makes you stand out and cuts through all the noise now; you’ll never do it on a marketing budget and you’ll never do it going up against big markets or big companies.  If you had a $100,000 windfall, how would you invest it? I tend to take an entrepreneurial approach, so I might turn it into a micro lending proposition. You could almost have a community Dragon’s Den. Some City departments could also generate revenue with just a modest investment and community associations might be able to turn a small investment into a big payoff. People on the front lines know how to do things better and they know how to find the efficiencies, so part of it is tapping into that, tapping into the core essence of Victoria that’s entrepreneurship, and getting to those winning ideas.

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 What’s the worst advice you’ve ever been given? To just focus on the money. Yes, it’s really important, but it’s also about people and relationships. You can’t just look at the money.  And the best advice? To always end well. I’ve been given that advice by two different sources — one was a dear colleague who didn’t leave when he should have left, and recognized that. And the other was a person who said, “life is like a play” — people remember when you enter and when you exit and they forget the stuff in between. I think it’s about knowing when it’s a good time to leave and ending on a high note. It’s when you’re still loving what you’re doing and you’re still receiving really good reviews but you know that there’s more for you out there or another learning curve on the horizon.

This interview has been condensed and edited.

Tess van Straaten is an award-winning journalist, television personality and fourth-generation Victoria native.

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PHOTO BY STEPHANIE HULL

SECRETS & LIVES  BY KATE LAUTENS

ROBIN ARNOLD, 36

with

FOUNDER OF LOCATE YOUR SOULMATE

Who are you, Robin Arnold?

I am a matchmaker and love coach. I teach people how to locate their soulmate.

Really, what I show people is that everyone comes into our lives for a reason and the journey of searching for a partner can be just as joyful and rewarding as finding them.

What has been the most rewarding part of your work with Locate Your Soulmate?

Empowering people to go after what they want in life rather than doing it for them.

If you weren’t a matchmaker, what would you be doing?

I’d be a motivational speaker inspiring people to be their most loving, brightest selves. I plan to speak at the “I Can Do It!” conference one day soon. I’ve also dreamt of being a world famous singer. Dream big, right?

What’s the perfect day for you?

My perfect day includes time with my family, a rigorous workout and productive 54

workday. I’ve also committed to meditating every day. The perfect ending is crawling into bed early with a great book, then falling asleep next to my husband David.

growing up. We continue to make it a yearly vacation with our kids. I still get butterflies as we drive into town and spot the lake.

If you could time travel, where and when would you go?

Using “LOL” by text or email. I refuse to do it. I write, “Hah!” or “That’s hilarious” instead.

I would go back in time and spend just one more day with my twin brother, Reece, before he passed away.

If you could play matchmaker for anyone, living or dead, who would it be?

I’d play matchmaker for my brother, Blake, who lives in Texas. If he lived closer, I would have found his wife by now. Any wonderful, single women in your 30s, call me if you are willing to relocate for an amazing man. Seriously!

What is your most compulsive habit?

What popular trend baffles you?

What is your all-time favourite book?

Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch. I read it in Grade 12 and it changed my entire perspective on life.

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do?

Giving birth. Twice. Now when my strength or stamina is tested, I say to myself, “Robin, remember labour!”

What would the movie of your life be titled?

Eating dark chocolate nearly every day.

Love Wide.

Your favourite place?

This interview has been condensed and edited.

My heaven on earth is Lake Okanagan in Vernon. I spent every summer there

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