Boulevard Magazine - January/February 2011 Issue

DESIGNING DIVA Mary Kerr takes centre stage

HOME SWEET HOME

Stories By reveals our readers’ writing talents

Hot Properties

Aging-in-place with style and grace

GREEN QUEEN Kale reigns supreme

R x FOR HEALTH

V

Dr. Dave prescribes some levity

boule ard the magazine of urban living

the arts people food homes

january/february

2011

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lboulevard contents

volume XXi ISsUE 2 january/february 2011

features

14. STORIES BY . . . YOU! Ten of our readers write about “Home” 24. ABROAD, VOLUNTARILY R&R plus a charitable cause equals a trip of a lifetime

By Rachel Goldsworthy

14

34

48

90

100

departments columns

10. EDITOR’S LETTER What home means to us

28. CREATIVE MINDS For Mary Kerr, the stage is her world

48. HOT PROPERTIES Aging made easy in an elegant beach home

90. TRAVEL FAR Let the wind carry you in Antigua’s race week

11. LETTERS Kudos and questions

By Alex Van Tol

By Denise Rudnicki

By Keith McLaren

20. HAWTHORN Small loans make big differences with microcredit

12. CONTRIBUTORS Meet some of this issue’s team

34. COWICHAN GOLD Does the West Coast’s bigleaf maple syrup trump the East’s?

68. HOT DESIGN Closet fantasies

94. LIBATIONS Piedmont perfection

By Tom Hawthorn

By Julie Nixon

By Sharon McLean

By Keith Norbury

76. TECHNOLOGIA Be smart with your smart phone

96. DINING IN All hail the great kale

40. STATE OF THE ARTS Open Mic nights celebrate the writers among us

42. FRONT ROW The honey voice of Kiran Ahluwalia fills Farquhar; U-JAM brings Victoria’s jazz artists to the Art Gallery; The play Laramie turns a terrible event into an affirmation of hope; Anyone and everyone can dance during Dance Days; and more

By Robert Moyes

76

By Darryl Gittins 80. BOULEVARD BOOK CLUB A young adult novel raises questions about violence

By Adrienne Dyer 86. TRAVEL NEAR Weird and wonderful Portland

By Vaughn Palmer

By Alisa Gordaneer

By Alisa Gordaneer 100. DINING OUT Giving young chefs the stage at Panache

104. WRY EYE Bain is doing 25 years to life, a.k.a. marriage

By Ed Bain

By Elizabeth Levinson 106. SECRETS & LIES A check-up with Dr. Dave Hepburn

By Shannon Moneo

ON OUR COVER: Set and costume designer Mary Kerr. See Creative Minds, page 28; Photo by Gary McKinstry; Hair and makeup by Alchemy Hair Design and Spa

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editor

FROM our

What does home mean to you? When we asked Boulevard readers last July to send us short, non-fiction stories on the theme of home, we had no idea who would respond and what they would send. Victoria, we are told, has one of the most literate, highly educated populations in Canada. I knew great writers were in our community who had unique takes on life. Yet I watched my inbox for six weeks in dismay: nary a single entry! Had I misjudged the appetite for reader participation?

Then, in mid-August, our publisher received an email that said: “I think there is a problem with the submission process.”

Indeed, a short investigation revealed a glitch in our website: more than 60 eager entries were floating undetected in Boulevard’s cyberspace. The wayward stories were corralled and sent to me. I read with increasing delight: our readers can write! Of course some ignored instructions (please, no 10,000-word memoirs and this is not the Poems By feature).

In the end, we received almost 100 submissions, including dozens of lovely, 250- to 400-word anecdotes and reflections.

Three were published in our new book, Boulevard Home Design Annual, and another 10 are published in this issue, along with charming illustrations by Shelley Davies, recently settled here from the UK. A few more will be posted on Boulevard’s Facebook page this month. If you use Facebook, make sure to “like” our page and suggest it to your friends.

I am delighted to welcome the voices of these articulate readers to our pages. They join our ever-growing stable of great writers, which in this issue includes Tom Hawthorn, who explores the life-altering philanthropy of microcredit; noted political columnist Vaughn Palmer, who takes time away from the antics of the Legislature to tell us about his favorite spots in Portland, Oregon; and Elizabeth Levinson, who takes us to a cook-off between two promising chefs at Bear Mountain’s Panache restaurant (in which the real winners are the diners). As well, Alex Van Tol introduces us to internationally acclaimed theatrical designer Mary Kerr and Denise Rudnicki takes us inside an inspiring, elegant Oak Bay property, where aging in place will be not only easy, but a pleasure. And those are just a few of the offerings.

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And we want to hear from you again. We are so pleased with the results of Stories By that we plan to make it a feature that runs a few times a year. Now we seek non-fiction stories on the theme of “parties.” Make us laugh, make us cry, make us reflect — and don’t make us read any more than 450 words! That’s an editor’s order. For you photographers out there, the annual “Photos By” submissions are due January 31, see page 25 for more details.

Each issue of Boulevard relies on the talents and cooperation of many individuals. We’d like to thank the Chateau Victoria Hotel for their assistance in the photoshoot of the glass art last issue. Charles Gabriel’s stunning “Apoapsis” glass installation is in the main dining area of Vista 18.

Anne Mullens Managing Editor Boulevard welcomes your letters at editor@victoriaboulevard.com or by mail. Submissions may be edited. VB

letters

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Wonderful Mag I heard the CBC interview with Rosa Adler-Harris. She epitomized my view of your wonderful magazine.

Ms Adler singled out Jaki Jefferson, your Art Director, for the “spectacular” layout and stated that the magazine is “beautiful,” “stunning,” “elegant etc. I couldn’t agree more. My one pet peeve is trying to locate a copy: where can I find one?

Robyn Paterson Thanks for the kudos. Robyn: Boulevard boxes and outlets are all around the Capital region. Go to our website, victoriaboulevard.com and follow the links under ‘Read Boulevard.’ By entering your postal code, you will find a list of locations closest to you.

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Great Goose I loved the article by MaryAnne Carmack on the Christmas Goose. The photo really drew me in — in fact it spurred me to call Orr’s, the best butcher in town (recommended in the article), to ask about when and how to order one. I look forward to more by MaryAnne Carmack!

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victoriaboulevard.com 11

BOULEVARD

ourcontributors

the magazine of urban living the arts people food homes

President John Simmons Vice President & Publisher Peter Baillie VP Finance Melissa Sands Associate Publisher Linda Hensellek Managing Editor Anne Mullens Associate Editor Vivian Smith Art Director Jaki Jefferson Production Jaki Graphics, Kelli Brunton Principal Photographers Gary McKinstry, Vince Klassen Advertising Linda Hensellek, Alicia Cormier Pat Montgomery-Brindle Administration Coordinator Janet Dessureault Pre-press Kelli Brunton Printing Central Web 46,000 copies of Victoria Boulevard ® are published bimonthly by Boulevard Lifestyles Inc. Mailing address:1845B Fort Street, Victoria, BC V8R 1J6. Tel: 250-598-8111. Fax: 250-598-3183.

E: info@victoriaboulevard.com W: victoriaboulevard.com Victoria Boulevard ® is a registered trademark of Boulevard Lifestyles Inc. All rights reserved.

No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the publisher’s written permission.

Printed in Canada. Canada Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement #42109519.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

SHELLEY DAVIES is a painter and illustrator with a

background in film, animation, and laundry. A recent addition to Victoria from the UK, she is delighted to find that the grass really is greener here. A frequent contributor to The Globe and Mail’s Facts and Arguments page, Davies is currently working on a children’s book, which she hopes grown-ups will like, too. This month she illustrates our Stories By feature.

RACHEL GOLDSWORTHY teaches writing to photojournalism students at the Western Academy of Photography and freelances for magazines across Canada. In her two-part series, last issue and this, she explores some options for Victorians to take their skills and energies abroad either in paid positions or as volunteers. Goldsworthy hopes one day to volunteer to salvage native plants in Hawaii and excavate a Paleolithic cave shelter in France.

KEITH MCLAREN is an award-winning author and

sailor who has spent more than 40 years working on various ships and oceans. Now a Master on the Spirit of Vancouver Island for BC Ferries, his latest book is A Race for Real Sailors, about the Bluenose and her American counterparts. In Travel Far he takes us to Antigua, where even non-sailors can enjoy the island’s annual race week for classic boats.

GARY MCKINSTRY, originally from Toronto, has

been a commercial photographer in Victoria for 25 years, shooting features (and ads, as well) for every issue of Boulevard for more than 20 years. He finds, without fail, that it is the depth of character and artistic integrity of the people he has had the opportunity to photograph that keep him inspired for each issue. This month was no exception with his subjects of set and costume designer Mary Kerr, our cover, Dr. David Hepburn of Secrets & Lies, and the chefs at Panache.

VAUGHN PALMER, political columnist for The Vancouver Sun, has been living in Victoria almost long enough (two decades) to acquire permanent residency status. When not hanging out at the legislative zoo, he loves to escape for a weekend to Portland, Oregon, a city he has visited at least two dozen times. Palmer gives us the quintessential guide to his favourite US city in this issue’s Travel Near. VB

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Wherever you are, you are home In July, 2010, we started asking readers to submit non-fiction anecdotes to Boulevard on the theme of “home.” Over the course of four months we received close to 100 entries, encompassing everything from the light-hearted and whimsical to the moving and dramatic.

(We also got epic poems, fictional stories and tomes of 6,000 plus words, all of which were rejected for not following our instructions.)

Three entries have been featured in our new book, Boulevard Home Design Annual, on sale now at local book stores and from our various advertisers. Here are 10 more of our favourite entries.

The Pacific Swift For more than two years I lived and worked aboard a square topsail schooner, training young people in sailing and life skills. In her relatively small square footage, 30 to 40 of us ate, slept, sang, worked, played, worshipped and learned, all through day and night watches.

My personal space was a quarter berth that featured two absolute luxuries: a bunk curtain that gave privacy and a window that gave me the world. Not even the skipper had a large window like mine that opened to let in the breeze on hot tropical nights as well as the occasional wave and once an errant flying fish. It allowed me to look out and feel alone amidst the bustle of crowded shipboard life. I’d put on some earphones and

lean on the sill watching the waves go by and enjoy the emptiness. One night, a whale surfaced right beside me. For a few days as we heeled over weathering a cyclone, my window was reminiscent of a washing machine with churning waters testing its panes and wooden frame.

The dwelling had its own smell that clung to all its inhabitants — a rough sweet smell of wood, baking bread, bilge, diesel and damp. We took this singular home to other continents and oceans. It was a constant in a sea of change.

What’s more, instead of me leaving it, I can watch this home leave me. I have a different job now, my own kids to train up, and a house with a foundation. So I watch the Pacific Swift raise anchor, raise sail and slip away over the water, off on a new voyage, a memorable home to all who dwell aboard.

Cathie Makaroff Victoria

Winged Messenger Victoria Hospice rang at 5:30 am. Twenty minutes later, as I turned into the morning sun on Richmond Road, a giant blue heron swooped across the windshield of my car. Immediately I knew I would not see my father alive.

In those crazy hours that followed, my pragmatic husband whole-heartedly rejected the notion that the heron’s swoop was some sort of sign, until the same thing happened again that very afternoon as we took a reflective drive home along the waterside. Never before, and twice in one day, I ventured. Coincidence, he sputtered.

A year later, as we decided whether to renovate or sell we visited an Open House near us.

Our first walk through was a revelation — the house

and garden were everything we had ever dreamed of. “I really, really like this house,” I whispered to my husband as we set off for a second look. Returning to the front door, I looked up to see a painting of a Great Blue Heron, which dominated the foyer. “I want this house,” I said. My husband’s eyes followed mine.

“Whatever,” he said as he shook his head and smiled back at me.

The painted heron departed with the previous owner, but every so often our back deck is visited by a real blue heron. He stands majestically, seemingly very much at home as he silently observes our goldfish pond.

Linda Graham Oak Bay

IlLustrations By Shelley Davies

Our next non-fiction Stories By theme is “Parties.” Go to victoriaboulevard.com and follow the instructions for submissions. All entries must be under 400 words. Longer entries will be rejected unread.

A French Farce We own an old house in a French village. In the summer, with windows open and fresh air blowing through, it has been possible to pretend that the unpleasant smell from under the sink wasn’t there. This time in March during an extended stay, with windows firmly closed, the smell was omnipresent. Time to call in the experts.

When the kitchen cabinets came out we were dismayed to see a tangled mismatch of pipes, some so badly corroded that it seemed miraculous they hadn’t burst. Many of these pipes were lying on damp, packed earth.

But it got worse. Our enormous plumber, Bernard, and his wiry assistant, Eric, were perplexed to find one pipe which seemed to run diagonally under our paved courtyard. We’d been told the stone trapdoor in the middle of the terrace was the cover to an old well. They struggled to lever it up with a metal bar inserted through its iron ring.

Eric produced a jackhammer and soon bits of flagstone were flying around the courtyard.

Finally, the three men — Bernard, Eric, and my husband — were able to move the lid. On their hands and knees, they edged the heavy stone over, looked into its hole and recoiled. “Wheeeeew!” They jumped to their feet, covering their noses.

Beneath the courtyard was a septic tank, very large, very full, and very smelly. Our village has had sewer mains more than 20 years to which every drain in our house is connected, except for one toilet that was still emptying into this long forgotten septic tank.

The tank was drained and the trapdoor sealed. We heard later that the smell that day had cleared the terrace at the nearby Café de Paris. I was able to assure the owner that it would never happen again.

Christine Sanders Victoria

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When I was 13, in 1965, telephone conversations with friends became an obsession; daily, private, secret. However, I lived with my family — two parents and three brothers — in a compact little house with one telephone: a hefty, 15-year-old model made of black Bakelite that had the dull patina of rubber tires and a slow rotary dial. It sat on the kitchen counter attached to the wall with a short, strong cord. When it beckoned with its contradictory bright, brassy ring I scrambled to answer it first, my younger brothers scattering like birds before the hound.

Initially, I carried the telephone into the hallway, my fingers hooked under the receiver cradle but it still wasn’t private enough. My bedroom was off the hall, next to the kitchen.

I strategically pulled both the cord attached to the wall and the cord between the receiver and base taut until the receiver made it across my bedroom threshold. I squeezed the door shut tight over the cord. Hugging the wall, I continued the intense conversations of a girl temporarily gone mad between childhood and adulthood.

Meanwhile, in the hall, six and a half pounds of Bakelite hung three feet from the floor between kitchen and bedroom, suspended by its two taut cords like an abandoned gondola halted in mid-journey. This became my regular routine when my father wasn’t home.

The old Bakelite would have probably lasted another decade but later that year my parents got a modern, lightweight, shiny job and for Christmas I received a perky, pink Princess phone to hook into the new extension line in my bedroom. The rings were more subtle, the conversations more relaxed, the hall was now passable, and the winds of childhood were at my back.

Gloria Lorenzen Duncan

I grew up in a trailer park, but it wasn’t like those on late night TV. My neighbourhood, known as the “new trailer park,” was a collection of small cul-de-sac streets, in a town of 1,200 people. Our single-wide trailer was complete with vinyl siding, small windows, and green shag carpeting. Our driveway was gravel and our backyard a forested mountain. I grew up, not only with the neighbourhood children, but also with the bears and deer which so frequently visited our backyard. Many would call it paradise; I would eventually learn to call it home.

In high school I can remember hating where I lived and wanting to move into a beautiful mansion somewhere far away. I felt ashamed to come from a trailer park in a nowhere town.

I have now lived in Victoria for more than five years, in an apartment that I would never call home. My apartment is a stepping stone, a blank sign on the road of life. It is not mine, I cannot paint it or change it; it is a sea of white. For these reasons, home (for now) is still with my family where I grew up.

When people ask me where I want to live, now I tell them it doesn’t matter as long as there’s a yard; a real yard. where children, neighbours, family and friends can come and build memories.

Jane White Victoria

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Tibetan Lesson More than just “a place to hang your hat;” our homes are our sanctuary. Order and harmony in one’s personal and work life typically lead to an ordered, comfortable living space in which we look forward to spending time. Conversely, a chaotic schedule or personal stress can manifest itself as disorder in the home. This disarray can itself, become a source of stress.

This became evident to me as personal tragedy and a difficult year prompted my own search for peace. Home became my retreat and I worked hard to maintain an atmosphere of warmth and security; a refuge.

Purchasing three strings of Tibetan meditation bells, I hung them on the inside handle of my front door so their soothing sounds could be heard as I left my home.

But life returned to normal and I found myself caught up in its busyness, hurrying to and fro through that front door. Soon, those damn peaceloving bells became a source of frustration and annoyance, constantly getting caught in the door frame as I was rushing out the door. Irritated, I was ready to toss them.

The irony was obvious. Those bells were speaking, reminding me to slow down, but I was too caught up in myself to listen; as a result, peace remained elusive.

Now when closing the front door, I listen to the bells’ collective voice, gently close the door, and with a smile, continue on.

Steve Crabb Saanich

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Feline Follies Sophie is a pure white, long-haired cat with bright green eyes. When she was six or seven years old (a rescue cat so I don’t really know) I was upset to find puddles on the bathroom floor, near her litter box. She had always been so clean. I let her know I wasn’t happy about it and even rubbed her nose in it — as I had seen my grandmother do many years before. After several days I began to worry about her kidneys so took her to the vet. He tested her for all sorts of problems and came to the conclusion that it was behavioral.

He prescribed a medication that I had to have compounded and then apply to the inner part of her ear. It was a $33 cream and a $373 vet bill. It was difficult to hold her and pump the cream out of the syringe and apply it. Two hands were not enough and I live alone. So as soon as a visitor arrived they were employed to hold Sophie.

A few days later one of my daughters dropped in. “Do you know that you have a leak in the main bathroom?,” she asked a while later. It turned out the tap near the floor just needed tightening.

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Dynamic Duo It was mid December, the kids were in school, so my wife and I decided to get some Christmas shopping done. The Christmas tree was freshly decorated and a festive aura was felt throughout the house.

About two hours later we returned to a shambles. Our carefully decorated tree was on its side, bubble lights a-tangle, broken glass ornaments everywhere.

At first we were shocked but then began to laugh. In the centre of the mess was our cat Fonzie with a fake partridge ornament in his mouth. Pepper, our dog, was covered in tinsel, giving us the “what did I do?” look.

Both of these little critters have since gone but we cherish that hilarious memory.

Mike Cole Victoria

18 victoriaboulevard.com

A Place for Everything The worst part of my last move to a new home was finding the right place to leave my purse. Women will understand.

For more than 20 years my purse had resided in the same niche on the same kitchen desk in the same house.

I dropped it there when I came home and scooped it up quickly when I went out.

Then I moved to a rural house boasting an enviable Southern Gulf Island view but none of the city conveniences. In the year that I moved I also retired, put all my worldly goods into storage, married for love and acquired my first dog. It wasn’t only my purse that felt vaguely unsettled.

I could not seem to find just the right place to put my purse. There was no kitchen desk. I was always forgetting where my purse had landed and was constantly moving it from place to place. For months my purse was a vagabond, a metaphor for all the change in my life.

In time my new husband solved our unease. He built us a fine new desk, in a sunny room overlooking the rose garden. We both had a place of our own and could finally relax. My purse and I were home.

Wendy Hacking Pender Island

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Wherever You Are, You Are Home With our twin sons newly graduated, there has been a lot of talk of late about “leaving home.” And with a grown daughter already living in Europe, we know only too well, how different home feels with her gone. Everything changes with each one that leaves; they take their memories, their energy, their laughter, and their dreams along with them.

The house is never quite the same.

I can still remember all of the houses I lived in as a child, the moves from town to town, new schools, and new friends.

But with each new move, while many things changed, one thing stayed the same, my sense of belonging, my sense of home, that place where I shared my love and my laughter with family and friends. That sense of home is with me no matter where I live.

So, as our sons make plans, and buy backpacks and travel books, we tell them what we told our daughter — no matter where you find yourself in the world, you are never really far from home — just think of one of your favourite memories and if you hold it close it will feel just like you are here, you’ll be home! VB Linda Hunter Sidney

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Two years ago, Gary Thomas got the pink slip from his blue-collar job. He was an early casualty as the economy began to dip. He had been welding for more than half his life, so he felt certain he’d soon be back handling repairs for heavy equipment.

He’d become a welder because he showed an aptitude for the demanding industrial process.

“My dad always said if you find what you’re good at, the money, hopefully, will follow,” he said.

His father’s axiom was sorely tested. A year passed and then another. His benefits at an end, the hydro and telephone bills beginning to pile up, Thomas feared the future. He was 60, suffering from a chronic lung condition, and feeling beaten by his inability to practice the trade that for so long had provided a livelihood.

“I didn’t know where to turn,” he said.

He was undergoing training in job-hunting techniques at GT Hiring Solutions when they suggested he check out a new program launched by a local non-profit group.

He met and talked to the people at Community Micro Lending (communitymicrolending.ca), which facilitates modest loans between lenders and borrowers. The idea is to put local money into the hands of residents who have a small business plan, or a strategy for self-sufficiency, but lack the means to get started.

photo by vince klassen

Building Wealth by Design.

Thomas liked what he heard.

“My hopes went up and my spirits rose,” he said. “Within a couple of months I got a loan.”

After presenting a business plan, as well as passing a credit check and a criminal record check, he received $5,000. Then, what did he do?

“I went on a shopping spree,” he said, laughing.

He used the funds to buy his own welding equipment, most notably a classic engine-drive welder. “A Miller Big 40,” he said proudly, listing its attributes as a teenager might describe a muscle car. “Gasoline-powered. Four hundred amps. AC/DC.” He has outfitted a truck with the welder, so as to better meet customer demand. He is, for better or worse, his own boss, able to schedule work when he is feeling robust, but also under demand to promote his fledgling business. “I don’t have the oomph to go out hustling,” he said, acknowledging less energy now that he is in his seventh decade.

As well, he started a sideline in which he creates welded sculptures of spiders, scorpions, and geckos. He was having trouble getting his objects placed for sale.

He raised his difficulties at the informal meeting held on the second Wednesday every month at the Solstice Cafe. (Not coincidentally, the cafe’s website quotes Gandhi: “Be the change you want to see in the world.”) One in the group of mentors who can be consulted had a suggestion for Thomas.

The proprietor of the Kenmar Flower Farm paired some of the welder’s works with her own flowers. Now they are displayed at local restaurants.

The idea behind Community Micro Lending is to provide more than just money.

“A loan is not enough,” says the group’s executive director, the felicitously named Lisa Helps. “Everyone gets not just a mentor, but a team of mentors who work with them. To help them out. To give them advice.”

The mentors are volunteers who operate their own small businesses in Victoria. They have a background, as well as

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The idea for starting a micro-lending program in Victoria came to Helps as she researched a doctoral thesis in history. She was scrolling through 70-year-old newspapers on microfilm when she came across an article from 1931 that made her pause. The headline Through announced that $50,000 had been raised Community Micro by a group calling itself the Citizens’ Lending, a welder, Emergency Relief Fund. The Depression had created a crisis in the city — one in massage therapist, four Victorians were unemployed; mom-and-pop businesses were closing taxi driver, and their doors; families were being evicted organic gardeners from homes. The citizens’ group provided aid when government relief was limited become and untimely. entrepreneurs.

Helps thought making small loans to aspiring entrepreneurs would “help to build a vibrant local economy, reduce poverty, foster sustainable business, and empower people.”

It is a concept more often associated with the developing world.

Loans of as little as $100 are made available to groups, such as the women of an agrarian village in India, who then buy equipment such as sewing machines, as well as materials. All are responsible

for ensuring repayments are made on schedule. Such tight connections of kin and clan don’t exist in North America, so a different structure is needed here.

Vancity Savings Credit Union committed $25,000 for the inaugural five loans to be administered in partnership with Community Micro Lending, a non-profit society. Some of the other recipients include a massage therapist, who now lives in a transition house after fleeing a violent relationship. She was $16,000 in debt, but seeks to rebuild her business and restore her credit rating. Another loan went to a Haitian-born taxi driver in Langford, who spends $70 a day to rent his vehicle and $1,000 a month to lease a taxi plate. His loan allowed him to buy a car outfitted with a radio, saving him $420 per week. It is his long-term goal to get the financing to buy a $250,000 plate of his own.

Alexandra Smith and Jeanette Sheehy used a loan to launch Green Girl Gardens, a business providing vegetable starts and flower bouquets that are organic and sustainable.

The future of micro-lending here will involve peer-to-peer loans made through the Internet. “It gives people an opportunity to invest locally, get a small rate of return, and make a difference in the community,” Helps says.

Victorians will be able to read business plans and investigate the circumstances of others like Thomas, Sheehy, and Smith, then direct our loans to help neighbours realize their dreams. VB

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Volunteer and see the world but do your homework first

By Rachel Goldsworthy Photo courtesy of Personal Overseas Development

Gordon and Lenore English clamber off their bus at 6:30 am as the rising sun brightens the hills in northern Thailand and the temperature begins its steamy climb to the mid-thirties. Within half an hour, the Victoria couple is once again grouting bricks with 13 other Canadians and the Thai family who will live in the house they are building.

“It was a pretty hectic week,” deadpans 66-year-old Gordon about their “vacation” that had them paying to do manual labour morning until night.

Ten-hour workdays are not everyone’s idea of a holiday but some travellers look for more than rest and relaxation. And a growing tourism industry is glad to help people like the Englishes who want to combine travel with humanitarianism.

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From teaching children in Africa to helping build water pumps in the Dominican Republic to caring for elephants at a wildlife refuge in Asia, these and more are the kinds of volunteer vacations you can sign on for.

“We were interested in travelling to Thailand,” says Gordon, who with 61-year-old Lenore quickly — almost impulsively, he says — signed on to join 1,500 others for the Mekong home building.

When they arrived at the construction site in November, the Englishes joined a crew of Canadians that included former Governor General Ed Shreyer and his wife Lily. With the infrastructure already in place, the inexperienced crew and the homeowners had five days to take one of the 82 brick houses to lock-up: walls, roof, windows, and doors in place.

Participants paid $1,500 for the package deal, which included their accommodation, meals, transportation to and from the jobsite each day, some cultural events, and materials for the building.

“We made a holiday of it,” Gordon English says. “We had a week before in Bangkok and a week after in Phuket.”

Ron French had a slightly different goal when he anted up his vacation time. French is heavily involved with emergency preparedness planning, both as Central Saanich’s fire chief and with other organizations on southern Vancouver Island.

French figured he could learn a lot from a larger, highly organized agency, so he applied to work for the Red Cross during disaster-relief efforts.

French was called into action in September 2004, after Hurricane Ivan tore through the southeastern US. He flew to Montgomery, Alabama, where for three weeks he coordinated trucks and drivers taking supplies into the disaster area. A year later, after Hurricane Katrina mowed through the same region, the Red Cross again called on French.

Thanks to his previous volunteer experience, he could implement his own plan of action for getting supplies where they were needed: he told the truckers to take their loads of food and water to the fire halls in each town, because fire chiefs know the dynamics of their communities.

And when French’s only day off rolled around, he got behind the wheel himself. En route to the Gulf Coast with a load destined for Biloxi, Mississippi, he remembers seeing acres of kindling that had once been homes while a single house stood untouched, and casinos that were once ocean front now sitting two blocks inland.

From a professional standpoint, French says getting workers to emergency situations for even a few days has enormous benefits later on. Workers get a feel for how they’ll react in emergency situations. He says, “It takes that something-new nervousness away.”

French and the Englishes had satisfying, if tiring, volunteer vacations, but that’s not always the case, says Kay Larsen, who

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last October gave a presentation on overseas volunteering to the Association of Administrators of Volunteer Resources of BC. Tour companies have recognized that for some, sitting on a beach is not enough. They want more of a connection with the place they’re visiting, Larsen says, but they don’t necessarily know what either the locals or the volunteers need.

When Larsen signed on to go While not abroad with a not-for-profit agency years ago, she was interviewed, given everyone’s idea a criminal record check and cultural training. of a vacation, “I was safe, [locals] knew who I “voluntouring” is was, I wasn’t putting people at risk,” she says. These kinds of checks are a way to make no longer routine, Larsen says, and that can leave both the volunteers and host a difference in communities disappointed.

As well, volunteers can be the world. disheartened if their good intentions lead down a bad road. Larsen cites people who paid “a lot” to look after turtles in Costa Rica, only to discover that it was a made-up job and the money went to the middlemen. She also heard of Dutch volunteers who handed over significant sums to teach in Ghana for a couple of weeks, but when they arrived all they could do was crowd control for a class of 60 students.

“Is it better than no teaching?” Larsen wonders. “Is it better to do nothing at all?”

Her advice is to figure out what you want from the experience and to be clear about what impact you want to have. Then, if you decide to approach a tour company or non-profit agency, do your research.

“The main thing is to ask lots of questions,” Larsen says.

“Ask for references of previous volunteers. Talk first, pay later.”

While French and the Englishes had different reasons for wanting to spend their time, expertise and money to help strangers, they had similar reactions to their volunteer vacations.

“You meet really good people,” says French. “It’s good to know you’re doing something and someone’s getting the benefit.”

Gordon English agrees. “As with many volunteer opportunities, you realize how fortunate you are,” he says.

“If you can mix [volunteer work] with travel, it adds that extra element. You get a sense of the people that you might not get just as a tourist.

“Yes,” he says. “We’d do it again.”

For the curious and adventurous, start by Googling “volunteer vacations” for a list of Canadian and international sites: uvolunteer.org, responsibletravel.org, podvolunteer.com, travelanthropist.com, and voluntourism.org. VB

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A bold career in set and costume design brings Mary Kerr to centre stage

Mary Kerr’s first day in kindergarten set the stage for her future illustrious career in the theatre. The precocious only child of an engineer and a charismatic dance instructor, Mary took one look at her first classroom, happily dismissed her mother, and set to work. Soon, she had rounded up her classmates, constructed a sprawling ship from large blocks and was directing her fellow pirates in a play.

Fast forward 50-odd years and Kerr is in the limelight for another singular achievement: enjoying the distinction of being named as a Fellow to the Royal Society of Canada for her costume and set design. “I’m quite humbled by it all,” says Kerr, professor of design at the University of Victoria. “I was at a luncheon for the Royals the other day and I was sitting beside someone who had found a planet!” said Kerr, who was inducted this past fall into the upper ranks of academic excellence. “It’s important to help people realize this is an art and a science,” she says.

Kerr is the first costume and set designer to be awarded Canada’s highest academic honour. And it all started with her mom. As a young, wealthy woman whose father lost everything in the stock market crash of 1929, Kerr’s mother realized the only thing she knew how to do was ride horses and dance. When the money vanished — taking the servants with it — she helped Kerr’s grandmother open a dance school in Winnipeg. “I grew up backstage,” says Kerr. “We lived with my grandmother and an uncle, and a very close network of other aunts and uncles. I also grew up with 300 brothers and sisters ­[at the dance school] with whom I shared my mother.”

Kerr’s first desire was to be a ballerina. She even studied at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet for a number of years. When she learned she was too tall to be a classical ballet dancer she was heartbroken. She turned instead to designing costumes

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and sets for her mother’s elaborate dance productions as early as age 11. Although most of the costumes were made by the dancers’ mothers, Kerr took it upon herself to sew select special costumes like clowns and dancing horses.

These many years later, Kerr is thankful she was not able to make it as a professional dancer. After all, she has designed sets and costumes for the Canadian National Ballet among her many achievements and seen close up what the life of a dancer

everybody away with her drawings in the process — and was hooked. Based out of Toronto, Kerr crisscrossed the world, designing for the Paris Opera, Stratford Festival and the Granville Theatre before making the move to Victoria in 1993, where she set about designing the 1994 Commonwealth Games. “It’s the biggest thing I’ve ever done and one of the more satisfying, because I like reaching large audiences with ideas,” says Kerr.

Don Shipley, former artistic director of the Stratford Festival calls

“When you design, you have three things you’re trying to do: impart information, impart symbolism and then add something poetic to it.” entails. “Seeing their feet . . . seeing Karen Kain and Veronica Tennant’s toes . . .” She shakes her signature mane of red hair.

“They’re just bloody awful.”

As a woman who has dedicated her life to her art, Kerr has earned her distinction. “I’ve worked hard my whole life,” she says from a sun-drenched corner of the Oak Bay Arts & Crafts bungalow she shares with her husband of 27 years, architect John Armitage. “I really believe in women earning their living.”

In university, she studied architecture and liberal arts and then, eager to put her broad background to work for her, Kerr decided to go back to her roots on the stage: designing sets and costumes. She did her first show in university — blowing

Kerr one of North America’s foremost contemporary designers.

“She is a unique visionary, without equal and a truly original artist in every sense of the word,” says Shipley, from his home in Ontario.

Kerr calls herself a visual dramaturg. Descriptions like “wildly innovative”, “stunning imagery” (The Globe and Mail) and “breathtaking” (The Ottawa Citizen) are frequently used when critics describe Kerr’s work. “It’s the conceptual vision you can bring to a piece,” she explains. Known for her ability to draw and convey ideas through her work, Kerr likes to design big and colourful. “I like working large,” she says. “It’s more fun. You have more space. You can do more things.” Rich with fabric, wood, colour, movement and fantasy, Kerr’s work has a European feel to it.

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“Visual ideas are equivalent to verbal ones for me. There is a semiotics of visual language that is very important.”

But it’s part science, too — and that’s why Kerr is so glad to see set and costume design hit the big time at the Royal Society of Canada. “When you design, you have three things you’re trying to do: impart information, impart symbolism and then add something poetic to it. You spend a lot of your life in

design, colour theory, and visual vocabularies — a treasure trove for future generations, says Rewa.

Kerr is intent on passing on her knowledge to just those future generations. A substantial teaching load at UVic means Kerr can’t take on five or six big shows a year like she used to in Toronto.

“That’s my choice,” she says. “It’s time to pass things on to other people.” But there’s no slowing down for this designing diva. She’s

“She is a unique visionary, without equal, and a truly original artist in every sense of the word,” says former Stratford director Don Shipley. this field showing that you’re practical and professional and responsible, but ultimately it’s whether you’re remembered, and whether it moves people’s hearts that makes it art.”

“Mary is a very fine designer, who has a tremendous understanding of constantly refining her art practice and is aware of the need to document how she has approached her work,” says Dr. Natalie Rewa, professor in the department of drama at Queen’s University. In preparing her book Scenography in Canada (University of Toronto, 2004) Rewa consulted the Mary Kerr collection held by the Performing Arts Department of the Metro Toronto Public Library and found it to be one of the richest records of a scenographer’s work in Canada. Kerr’s archival record consists of lively sketch books in which she noted her thoughts on

currently at work on a play for the Philadelphia Theatre, working with archivists across the country on her great-grandmother’s journals and is considering rounding up her female colleagues in the Royal Society to write a cultural policy paper on the state of women in the arts. Kerr is ever grateful for the opportunities her career has afforded her. “The more people you meet, the more experiences you have in the field of visual dramaturgy, the smaller you feel you are, and the more excitement there is to be able to contribute to other ways of seeing.” She feels lucky that the universe keeps handing her great opportunities. “I don’t know what this script’s about,” laughs Kerr, “but I guess I’ll just keep following my nose. That’s the way I got into it, and that’s the way I’ve done this career.” VB

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cowichan By Keith Norbury

photos by Gary and katherine Backlund

Sweet

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Bigleaf maple syrup makers tap into the growing interest in local gourmet treats

IT IS

The world associates maple syrup with Canada, but the image is almost always of an eastern grove of sugar maples and the rustic Quebec sugar shack.

But move over Eastern Canada: the Cowichan’s bigleaf maple also produces a maple syrup that proud producers and syrup-lovers say surpasses the mass-produced eastern variety.

“It’s too good for putting on pancakes,” says Colin Perriman of Cobble Hill. With his wife Debra, Perriman makes and sells Forest Reflections-brand bigleaf maple syrup in 200-millilitre bottles shaped, naturally, like a maple leaf. At $20 a bottle this syrup is indeed less about pouring over waffles and more about glazing baby carrots or wild sockeye and drizzling over ice cream or sweetening vodka shooters.

The bigleaf maple, also called the Oregon or the western maple, is a different species from the sugar maple prevalent in Eastern Canada. A key difference is that the bigleaf maple has only about half the sugar content as sugar maple. So, generally

speaking, it takes twice as much boiling and twice the energy to create the same amount of syrup.

Bigleaf maples have one advantage over their eastern counterparts, though. Because sap flows during a warming spell after a freeze, eastern syrup producers rely on a threeweek window to tap the sap. That’s because eastern winters are usually marked by a protracted deep freeze ending in a single spring thaw. On the Island, the freeze-thaw cycle can happen three or four times during the winter, enabling tapping each time. The most distinguishing characteristic of bigleaf maple syrup is that it’s usually darker than the commercial eastern variety.

Last winter Perriman tapped nearly every one of his more than 150 trees, collecting about 5,000 litres of sap. He then had to boil off almost all of the water in the sap, using a cauldron called an evaporator. The result was only about 100 litres of syrup.

“It is a specialty product,” Perriman acknowledges.

“It definitely is more expensive than the mass-produced eastern maple syrup, but then again we feel the quality and the taste of it make up for that.”

Others agree. “I’ve heard people from back east taste it and say this is sort of how syrup used to be when my grandfather used to make it,” says Lawrence Lampson, manager of Glenora Farm, a therapeutic community for handicapped adults south of Duncan. Maple syrup production has become one of the farm’s integrated programs, with syrup sold under the Glenora Gold label in the farm’s general store.

Perriman sold most of his production last year at the annual Bigleaf Maple Syrup Festival at the BC Forest Discovery Centre north of Duncan. More than 2,300 people attended the festival, which started only a few years ago with a crowd of about 1,400 — more than a thousand more than had been expected. Perriman and several other Cowichan “sapsuckers,” as the maple syrup producers call themselves, will join counterparts from elsewhere on the Island for this year’s festival, held Saturday, February 5.

There will be demonstrations of bigleaf maple tapping, sap evaporating and syrup finishing, as well as syrup tasting and gourmet maple syrup goodies from local vendors.

The festival competition even awards prizes in three categories: light, medium and dark. Producers attribute the darker colouring to various factors, including soil conditions and the additional caramelizing that occurs because of the prolonged boiling.

A grey-bearded and bearish 59-year-old with a gentle voice and demeanor, Gary Backlund has become the acknowledged expert on Vancouver Island bigleaf maple syrup. He even wrote the book on it, with the help of his daughter Katherine, the co-author, and his wife Teesh, who edited it. Their Bigleaf Sugaring: Tapping the Western Maple has already sold about 2,000 copies, a sign of the rising interest in West Coast maple syrup.

Yet it’s only in the past decade that From left: Gary anyone, including Backlund, has Backlund taps seriously tried to tap, as it were, into a trunk the oldthat potential. His introduction came fashioned way; in the late 1990s when he enrolled in a sapline at a master woodlands manager program.

Glenora Farm; The instructor passed around the syrup as one sapsucker in class. stokes the Backlund recalls, “It didn’t look very evaporator, another good. It was very dark. We all had a skims the foam. taste of it and I was quite surprised

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how good it was, much better than the eastern syrup.”

Backlund isn’t sure just how much syrup is produced each year on the Island, although he previously estimated that 60,000 litres of sap is tapped. That would boil down to about 1,200 litres of finished syrup, a tiny fraction of Canada’s total maple syrup production, which was valued at $117-million in 2006, according Compared to Quebec to Agriculture Canada.

Compared to Quebec and Ontario, Vancouver Island’s and Ontario, maple syrup industry is in its infancy. Generally speaking, Vancouver Island’s “sapsuckers” don’t produce nearly enough syrup to make it a full-time vocation. maple syrup industry “We are backyard hobbyists,” says Dolly is still in its infancy.

Sandquist, who with her husband, Cordell, operates Country Treasures Bed & Breakfast and Bigleaf Maple Farm in Cobble Hill. They tap about 30 trees each winter.

“Why we can make a living at it now is because we’re into niche markets and local foods,” Backlund said during a recent interview from the summit of his 29-hectare managed forest overlooking Ladysmith’s harbour. On the far side of the harbour, stretching as far as the eye can see, are great green swathes of maple groves, the living proof of the potential for bigleaf syrup’s continued growth in the Cowichan.

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TheArts

photo by gary McKinstry

State of

By alisa gordaneer

Please quiet down, everyone: Welcome to “open mic” night and the thrill of hearing new writings read by their creators It’s been said that Victoria can make a credible claim to having the most writers per capita in Canada, which is a fine claim to fame. In practical terms, it means poets, novelists and authors of all sorts walk among us. Chances are you’re not far from one right now.

How would you know, though? The relatively private topic of writing doesn’t often come up at work or in line at the coffee shop. But imagine, if you’re a lover of literature, that some of your favourite writers lurk nearby, hidden in plain sight and cunningly disguised as ordinary people. To me, that’s a thrilling thought. But where to find them?

Often, you can spot local writers at literary events, such as the well-respected readings and interviews hosted once a month at Open Space, or held by bookstores seeking to promote an author’s newest work. Events like these can be a great way to get a preview or signed copy of a novel, or the chance to say a few words to an author you admire. They usually showcase published work and are the kind of thing to inscribe in your day-planner for fear of being doublebooked on the night, say, Margaret Atwood reads from her latest book.

However, if you’re curious to know what all these writers are working on before they make it to the bestseller list, you need to get closer to the writing process — to find writers as they’re trying out their new work, possibly even for the first time.

On a recent Friday evening, I joined a gathering of writers, both new and experienced, at the Planet Earth Poetry reading series held at the Black Stilt Coffeehouse on Hillside Avenue.

As always at these events, there was a sense of camaraderie and nerves in equal measure. A succession of writers approached the open mic as their names were called for a few moments of reading their latest work. Some, like humourist and poet Terry Jones, are seasoned open mic veterans — they’re out for the fun of the evening and to hear others’ work. Others, like my writing student Gillian Hillidge, were experiencing the heady jitters of reading a new poem — lovely lines about red lips — in public for the first time. “I don’t even remember being up there,” she told me afterwards, breathless but smiling.

Regardless of their previous experience, though, all readers, myself included, were met with enthusiastic applause.

Poets and word lovers make a supportive audience.

Serious Coffee in Cook Street Village and the Solstice Café on Fisgard Street also host such literary nights, organized by volunteers and attended by both emerging and established writers from Victoria and beyond.

It makes sense that literary events proliferate in Victoria.

Writers need a place to congregate and share their work with appreciative audiences, and smart cafés are learning that a reliable audience of writers beats otherwise empty chairs.

“There have been a lot of readings series start in the last little while, and I am glad and delighted that Victoria can sustain so many,” says Yvonne Blomer, who runs the Planet Earth Poetry series, which, at more than 15 years old, is one of the longest-running in the country.

For most readings series, the format tends to be similar; an open mic at which anyone can participate, followed by a featured reader who may be from here or away.

“The open mic keeps people coming,” says Blomer. “They want to share their new work and get the immediate sense of satisfaction and feedback from doing that.”

It’s a grab bag — some of the work is more polished, some less. But it’s part of the writer’s process and audiences get to see, as it were, writing in the raw.

“I really enjoy the passion of the open mic, the bravery, the stumbling and mumbling and laughter,” says Blomer. “It makes me feel passionate talking about it. It reminds me too of why I’m doing it — as a volunteer, who gladly, wearily some weeks, gives herself over to Friday nights at Planet Earth Poetry and comes out revved up and inspired.”

Part of that revitalizing energy also comes from the sense

of community that can develop at readings. Missie Peters, who helps organize the Tongues of Fire spoken-word series at Solstice Café, says that community feeling is essential.

“I’m really proud in that I feel we have one of the most diverse and solid open mics in town. You’re going to see slam poets, novelists, kids out of high school, punks, enviros — one of our staunchest members is in his 70s!”

While spoken word is less familiar than traditional written poetry, it’s gaining appreciation. “Spoken word is still a fringe activity, I think mainly because the emphasis is on performance as opposed to publishing,” says Peters. “But with hosting the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word (in 2009) I think we started to be on people’s radar.”

A sense of literature A sense of literature as as something exciting, something exciting, essential, and alive runs through all the essential, and alive events. When writers read their work in front of an audience, runs through all the the writing is happening now, rather than being trapped on events. a page. That excitement is infectious, whether you’re a writer or simply enjoy listening.

Amy Ainbinder, organizer of the Pen-In-Hand series at Serious Coffee, points out that readings are about “people sharing at deep levels, and there is a satisfaction in having been a part of hearing this that enriches us all, tells many people’s stories . . . I feel very grateful to have heard the treasures served up in the readings.”

Whether the work read is in rough draft or polished stage, hearing it spoken by the writers who created it can give you a new understanding of, and appreciation for, the written word. You can learn which writers are interested in playing with sound or form, and which writers are experimenting with new ideas, and if you attend often, can sometimes even see how many writers draw influences from each other. And the more often you attend, the more you understand. “I hope we can foster the continued interest in poetry and sometimes (even a) newfound interest in it, as people get less intimidated and fall into work that moves them,” says Ainbinder.

Or as Blomer says, “I think that through poetry we mend our relationship with the world.”

It’s heady, exciting stuff. And as such, worth working in to your new year.

The Pen-In-Hand Series happens on the third Monday evening of the month at Serious Coffee in Cook Street Village.

Tongues of Fire happens every Thursday evening at Solstice Café, 529 Herald Street.

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frontROW

BY ROBERT MOYES

TAFELMUSIK RETURNS Toronto’s internationally

acclaimed Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra returns to Victoria, once again anchoring the Early Music Society of the Island’s season with a sure-to-sell-out celebration of the music of Bach and Vivaldi. This is the 10th appearance by Tafelmusik, whose 30-year career has seen it rise to the apex of fame and achievement that includes over 75 recordings and an extensive international touring schedule. The 17-person ensemble is “one of Canada’s major musical ambassadors” in the words of James

Young, artistic director of EMSI. “They have a very distinctive sound, one that is focused, energetic, and tight,” says Young.

Thanks in no small part to the efforts of EMSI over the last quarter-century, Victoria has grown into a discerning audience for early music, so that groups like Tafelmusik feel comfortable playing less familiar repertoire. “Often when they tour they play Baroque ‘greatest hits’ but we’ve asked them for a bit more adventurous programming,” notes Young. (For this performance, Bach’s familiar Concerto for Oboe and Violin will be balanced by

W

Toronto’s famed ensemble Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra comes to town January 22.

Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann.

Below: Hugh Hughes prizewinning Floating comes to Intrepid Theatre’s Metro Theatre, February 10 to 11.

Photo by John Baucher.

lesser-known works by Georg Caspar Schürmann and C.P.E. Bach.) Aside from being regular visitors who show up every two years or so, this spirited ensemble has a further reason to feel comfortable here: their Toronto “base” is a historic church, so they are very much at home in Alix Goolden.

Performing January 22, 8 pm, at Alix Goolden Hall, 907 Pandora St. For tickets, call 250-386-6121.

FLOATING ISLAND GETAWAY A big prize winner at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and more recently feted at London’s famed Barbican Theatre, Floating will touch down at Intrepid Theatre’s Metro Studio for two days of gentle humour and surreal fancy. The fantastical storyline tells how an earthquake in 1982 tore the Isle of Anglesey from the Welsh mainland, leaving the tiny island to drift across the Atlantic and up to the Arctic.

Buttressed by some low-key special effects and a bit of slide projection, Floating is told matter-of-factly enough that some people have come to believe the story, while others simply embrace its message of how personal history and a sense of place can become mutable over time. The quirky brainchild of Welsh writer-actor Hugh Hughes, Floating is simultaneously experimental and accessible. “Hughes is one of the hottest commodities in alternative theatre in Britain,” explains Intrepid Theatre’s Janet Munsil. “He is a superb performer and the show itself is whimsical but never ‘cutesy.’ ” According to

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Munsil, Floating is coming to Canada on the strength of engagements at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre and the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival in Vancouver.

“Those big touring partners are helping us out with crucial travel support,” she explains. “Victorians would never get to see a high-profile artist of this calibre under ordinary circumstances.”

Showing at the Metro Studio, 1411 Quadra St., February 10-11 at 8 pm. For information, call 250-383-2663.

DANCE DAYS AREN’T JUST FOR DANCERS Dance Victoria producer Stephen White found himself with three big-ticket dance shows falling within two weeks of each other last January. Rather than worry that this was too much of a good thing, he went even bigger and turned it into a citywide celebration. The result was dubbed Dance Days — 10 days of free dance classes, open rehearsals, and special performances of works in progress that drew over 1,100 participants. Not surprisingly, there is a repeat for this year, once again organized by Elise Wren, community relations manager for Dance Victoria and a dancer since she was four.

Her abundant passion is the animating force behind these 75 separate events, almost all of them free. “You don’t even have to be a dancer, or have ever taken a dance class,” says Wren.

“And some people come who just want to watch.” Participants range in age from pre-teens to 60-somethings, while the dance classes include ballet, contemporary, jazz, tap, and salsa, as well as newer styles such as hip-hop and Bollywood.

There are focused workshops for more experienced dancers and open rehearsals where fans can get a behind-the-scenes look at Ballet Victoria and Canadian Pacific Ballet.

Dance Days runs at multiple venues from January 28 to February 6. For information, go online to DanceVictoria.com or call 250-595-1829.

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AN INTOXICATING MUSICAL BLEND Indo-Canadian vocalist Kiran Ahluwalia knows more than a little about hyphens and hybrids. Born in northern India to Punjabi parents but raised in Toronto, the adolescent Ahluwalia found herself drawn to the music of India, especially the sophisticated ghazals — love poems — whose literary qualities were fused with music that was more classical than pop. Years later, Ahluwalia had earned an MBA and was working as a bond trader, yet she had also been taking long periods off to study music in the land of her birth.

She pursued that calling full time in 2000 and has since won a Juno and had two other nominations. Her world beat records are hybrids that show influences from Portuguese fado to Celtic fiddle tunes, but always feature Ahluwalia’s musical creativity and that sensuous-as-honey voice. She is touring to support her just-released album, Aam Zameen

(Common Ground), which may be her boldest departure yet.

It was inspired by a chance encounter with a band from Mali that specializes in Tuareg music, an African “blues” noted for its hypnotic rhythms. By fusing that trance-based sensibility to

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her own world of ghazal poetry, she created an intoxicating music blend she’ll perform with the help of a quartet comprising harmonium, percussion, bass, and guitar — courtesy of celebrated jazz six-stringer Rez Abbasi (a.k.a. Mr. Ahluwalia). This should be even better than her appearance here four years ago.

Performing at UVic’s Farquhar Auditorium, February 2, 7:30 pm. For tickets, call 250-721-8480.

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A TERRIBLE EVENT BECOMES A PLAY OF HOPE

Large Goldfish Basin. Chinese — Qing dynasty, 19th century, porcelain, overglaze enamels. Gift of Hugh Gordon to the AGGV.

Langham Court veteran Roger Carr will have his hands full when he tackles The Laramie Project, which covers a grim, emotionally challenging topic. Influenced by the murder of University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard, a gay man who was ferociously beaten and left to die on a hill outside of Laramie, Project is derived from hundreds of interviews with residents of the town near to where the landmark hate crime occurred. Although sometimes mounted with celebrity actors such as Laura Linney and Peter Fonda, Project is more often performed in high schools as a way to teach about prejudice. It was also written

with just eight actors playing 60 characters, but Carr intends to have about 30 performers for his production to prevent audiences getting muddled. “Despite the awful event at the centre of it, this is actually a life-affirming play,” asserts Carr.

“It addresses the terrible things we are capable of doing to each other, but ultimately it’s about people coming together,” he says. “People will walk out, not depressed so much as hopeful at how we can stand up to something this dark.”

Performing at Langham Court Theatre from January 12-29 at 8 pm, with 2 pm matinees on January 22 and 29. For tickets, call 250-384-2142.

GARDEN GLORIES AT THE ART GALLERY The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (AGGV) has pulled on its metaphorical gardening gloves this winter, via four related exhibits that will culminate in the week-long Art in Bloom celebration. Of particular interest is Serenity, the Asian Garden, which plays to Victoria’s self-image as Canada’s City of Gardens while acknowledging the deep historical roots of Chinese and Japanese influence in this port city.

Curated by the AGGV’s 30-year veteran Barry Till, Serenity explores how the garden has been a defining cultural expression in Asia for over 1,700 years. “Gardens were places where the elite could go to escape the maddening crowd and embrace the serenity of nature,” says Till.

“They weren’t focused on flowers so much as they were miniature landscapes, complete with bonsai trees, pools, and small, corroded rocks meant to represent mountains.” These sanctuaries expressed the idea of natural harmony in subtly beautiful ways – a living, outdoor version of feng shui. This exhibit includes landscape paintings, woodblock prints, and ceramics with floral and garden themes. The centrepiece is an extraordinary scroll depicting a lotus pond by Chinese master Jin Cheng. “It’s a beautiful, beautiful painting,” enthuses Till.

A massive ceramic basin will feature live goldfish and ongoing ikebana floral displays will be renewed weekly. “Asian gardens are philosophical,” adds Till. “They express the importance of nature and the insignificance of man.”

Running at the AGGV from January 21 to July 2.

For information, call 250-384-4171.

The West Coast

Superstar Ian McDougall performs January 29 and 30.

Photo by Barbara McDougall.

ENCORE FOR THE ART OF JAZZ After easily selling out all five performances of the Jazz at the Gallery series last year, an encore was inevitable.

Beginning the last weekend in January and running every second Saturday night and Sunday afternoon till March 13th at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, the second season of concerts starts with homegrown superstar Ian McDougall.

Ranked one of the top trombonists in the world and renowned for his tone and musical sensitivity, McDougall is a recent recipient of the Order of Canada. Appearing with him is award-winning guitar veteran Oliver Gannon. Other performers slated to appear in later shows include violinist/ trumpeter Daniel Lapp, pianist Miles Black, and Louise Rose, who will be doing a tribute to black female jazz artists. The concerts are presented by U-JAM, a non-profit society that was formed five years ago by several local jazz lovers. The series showcases the great jazz artists who either live here in Victoria or are from here originally, says Dave Paulson, himself a professional pianist and past president of the Victoria Jazz Society. And U-JAM itself is dedicated to supporting our local jazz players and also to mentoring younger musicians. Clearly pleased at last year’s capacity attendance, U-JAM co-founder Mike de Turberville thinks that they have formed a good partnership with the AGGV. The series attracts an older demographic, so “we are getting some people out who maybe wouldn’t attend an evening show down at Hermann’s Jazz Club,” he says. And membership has its privileges: series subscribers not only get $5 off each $25 ticket but also have access to well-placed and padded seats.

Ian McDougall performs Saturday, January 29, 7:30 pm and Sunday, January 30, 2 pm at the AGGV. Tickets available in advance at the Gallery. For information, call 250-477-6175. VB

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But she also wanted a beautiful home, inspired by the Long Island shingle houses she loves, with spacious rooms for entertaining, expansive views, and craftsmanship in every detail. So she went to architect Brian Morris, who designed a gracious, welcoming, and liveable home with specific agingin-place features.

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door. The 4-inch step up into the house can be adjusted when the time comes simply by library is a lifting the outdoor tiles and adding more cosy retreat sand to the bed. for reading, All the door handles are levers. If the socializing, owner’s grip decreases, levers are easier to and watching manage than door knobs. And every television. doorway in the house is three feet wide and with no jambs. Even the door to the laundry room is wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair or scooter.

A lot of thought has been given to the possibility that the owner might eventually need a wheelchair. White oak floors grace the entire main floor, elegant but also suitable for wheels.

There are no carpets to trip over or snag the wheels and none of those little ridges that cover the transitions from carpet to floor in most homes.

The master bedroom is on the main floor, as is the laundry room and bathroom. That means the owner can live entirely on one level if necessary. The bathroom is off the bedroom and also big enough to accommodate a wheelchair. There is

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All the light switches in the house are lower than standard height, and they are the rocker type or paddle switch; 1-inch and easier to use than the smaller grip switches. siDence i Best lanDscape planning anD Design i excellence in customer service i projectwide oF the year i Best conDominium unDer $200,000 i Even the closets are designed with aging in mind. The rods 100,000 i AWARD-WINNING EXCELLENCE FOR OVER 60 YEARS i Best single Family Residence i Best landscape planning and of the Year i Best conDominium unDer $200,000 i Best renovation $50,000 - $100,000 i Best marketing camPaign BY a height but are designed to be lowered are currently standard in customer service i 4-TIME RECIPIENT PROJECT OF THE YEAR i Best condominium under when the time comes. $200,000 i Best Renovation $50,000 - $100,000 i Best The large kitchen allows for manoeuvrability, with its wide MaRketing CaMpaign By a BuildeR/developeR i Best single FaMily ResidenCe i spaces, lower storage, and drawers with full extension. The

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victoriaboulevard.com 57

196 Kingsway, Vancouver • 604.688.1252

This idyllic location has the beach for a back yard and stunning views of snow-capped Mount Baker.

gardens allow tending without too much bending. And the garage has no rise or steps in and out.

Brian Morris also gave consideration to the materials used.

For example, the house is clad in cedar shingles that are stained with an easy-to-maintain grey wash. It’s important to use quality materials and craftsmanship that will reduce upkeep in the future.

Morris says all these details, like three-foot-wide doors and extra-wide halls, do not add a great deal to the building costs — and are much cheaper to add at the building stage than later, when a disability hits. It’s a matter of thinking through how long you want to live in your home and whether that sunken living room will serve you well as you age. The success of this home is that it is beautiful and elegant, and will allow its owner to age-in-place in style.

In fact, Morris often brings up the option of designing and building features in the home that can accommodate a sudden disability or illness even with young families. “Things happen that we can’t predict,” says Morris. “And it’s nice to have the ability to remain in your home.”

250.382.1252 866.787.1252 www.cantubathrooms.com #2-1010 Yates Street, Victoria 196 Kingsway, Vancouver • 604.688.1252 58 victoriaboulevard.com

SUPPLIERS AND TRADES: Architect: Brian T. W. Morris Architect; Contractor/Builder/ Cabinetry/Woodwork: Griffin Properties Ltd.; Interior Design: Brian T. W. Morris Architect and Cathy Denny; Painter (interior/exterior): Haynes Painting; Plumbing: Majestic Mechanical; Hardware: Restoration Hardware; Counters/Tiles: Matrix Marble & Stone, Decora Ceramic Tile & Natural Stone; Appliances: Trail Appliances; Plumbing fixtures: Victoria Speciality Hardware; Flooring: Hourigan’s Carpets and Linos Ltd.; Windows/doors: North West Windows & Doors; Stained glass: Calvin Butler; Window Fashions: Ruffell & Brown Interiors Ltd.; Lighting: Illuminations Lighting Solutions, Restoration Hardware; Landscaping: Hoek Van Holland Landscaping Ltd., Ardent Landscaping; Masonry: DDM Stonework Ltd.; Alarm System: ADT Security Services; Floral design: Kenmar Flower Farm VB

greathomes greatrealtors Boulevard Magazine’s Real Estate Advertising Section January/February 2011

Proudly presenting this exquisite home built in 2008 for the present owner, situated on a spectacular waterfront property on Parker Avenue, in beautiful Cordova Bay. Featuring 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, a fabulous kitchen and Great Room meticulously built to the highest standards. $2,199,000. Contact Deedrie Ballard, RE/MAX Camosun.

PHOTOS BY TIM BOYLE

Welcome to Boulevard ’s Great Homes, Great Realtors. This advertising section, showcasing prominent Victoria realtors and a hand-picked selection of currently available property listings, appears in each issue of the magazine. We hope that you will enjoy it!

DEEDRIE BALLARD - RE/MAX CAMOSUN

photo by rob d’estrubé

During my 18 year career in Real Estate, I have been listing and selling homes in Greater Victoria. Having attained top awards for my expertise in helping my clients realize their dreams, has been most gratifying. My diversification and knowledge, combined with personalized service has made me one of Victoria’s Top Realtors. Giving back to my community has been a vital part of my life, having served on many boards over the past 35 years, currently finishing a three year term as President of the Victoria Symphony. When you work with Deedrie Ballard, you can Expect Excellence; excellent service, support, guidance, encouragement, sensitivity, knowledge and professionalism. Deedrie Ballard wants to open doors for you. deedrieballard.com

LESLEE FARRELL - Macdonald Realty Victoria Inc. I am a Simon Fraser University graduate and passionate about boating, the arts and charity service. After 30 years in my profession, I feel as committed to my clients today as I did on day one. I provide expertise in luxury and waterfront property marketing with a top ranking internet site. My goal is to provide ultimate concierge service to all my real estate clients. lesleefarrell.com

photo by rob d’estrubé

LYNNE SAGER - RE/MAX CAMOSUN I’ve been selling unique and waterfront homes in Victoria for 25 years and offer knowledge in construction and interior design from my family business. I’ve been a member of the Education Committee for VREB for four years and am presently on the Community Relations Committee. I pride myself on keeping my negotiating skills and personal contacts current. lynnesager.com

DALLAS CHAPPLE - RE/MAX CAMOSUN

MARGARET LECK - RE/MAX CAMOSUN

Named after my father, bandleader Dal Richards, I have a Mass Communications degree from the Sorbonne in Paris.

I’ve been a Victoria realtor for 18 years specializing in Oak Bay and have consistently placed in the top 100 of RE/MAX’s 6,000 agents in Western Canada. My goal is to help clients find their dream home and ensure their decisions are wise, long-term investments. dallaschapple.com

A professional career in banking precedes my 27 year career in real estate. Sincerity, passion for life and love of people is apparent in everything I do. I bring a strong work ethic and willingness to spend the extra time and energy to meet my client’s needs. This forms a bond of trust, turning business into life-long friendships. margaretleck.com

LISA WILLIAMS - CENTURY 21 QUEENSWOOD REALTY LTD. A third generation Victorian, my passions are architecture, design and our fabulous West Coast lifestyle. Working in Victoria since 1990, I specialize in waterfront, unique and luxury properties and have sold many of Victoria’s highest priced homes. My mission is to exceed expectations, rise to every challenge and to always look for innovative ways to connect buyers and sellers! LisaWilliams.ca

SCOTT GARMAN - MACDONALD REALTY Victoria Inc. My unique breadth of knowledge and experience in real estate, finance and business, backed by my BCom, MBA and CA, ensures attainment of my goal of protecting and contributing to my clients’ wealth. I provide my clients with practical guidance and advice every step of the way ensuring a sound real estate decision is made. The best is the least I can do . . . scottgarman.ca

photos by bullock & kirstein photography

EXCLUSIVE LISTING This 6th floor end

UNIQUE STAND ALONE 3 bedroom,

GRACIOUS WELL-APPOINTED waterfront

unit in the world-class “Bayview

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(each with ensuite), superior finishing,

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an open concept that is wonderfully

and ultimate sophistication in design with

detached unit, set on a sunny property,

spacious for entertaining yet

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while close to all amenities including

5100 sq. ft., 4 bdrms, 6 baths, one acre,

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and only 12 minutes to downtown.

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$549,000

at RE/MAX Camosun for a private showing. $3,200,000

Expect Excellence Phone

250.744.3301 deedrie@deedrieballard.com deedrieballard.com

4440 Chatterton Way, Victoria, BC V8X 5J2 TOLL FREE 1.800.663.2121

Camosun GreatHomesGreatRealtors

5789 Brookhill Road Samuel McClure On 7.33 acres. $2,400,000

11260 Chalet Road

2715 Seaview Road

2713 Seaview (lot)

Deep Cove waterfront Custom 3,515 sq.ft. $1,750,000

Elegant 6,500 sq. ft. waterfront home at Ten Mile Point. $3,588,888

Available for $1,888,888 with the purchase of adjoining 2715 Sea View Road waterfront home.

Proudly serving Victoria for 25 years.

PHONE 250.744.3301 • EMAIL lynne@lynnesager.com • WEBSITE www.lynnesager.com �

GreatHomesGreatRealtors

Dallas Sells Victoria/Oak Bay

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

SOuTh OAk BAy! The Goodacre house is one of the turn-of-thecentury beauties in Oak Bay! 6 bedrooms up, 4 bathrooms, spacious living room, family sized dining room, large recreation room. The .33 acre garden is stunning! $1,375,000

OAk BAy BORDER! NEW pRiCE! Spacious condo near Jubilee Hospital! Like a treehouse, this 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom top floor condo with skylights is in a magical setting. Eat-in kitchen, spacious master bedroom and living room with gas fireplace. $359,900

BRENTWOOD OCEAN ViEWS RANChER! Enjoy gorgeous ocean views from the living & dining rooms of this beautiful 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom home. Level entry with suite or storage down. Enjoy dinner on your west facing deck overlooking Saanich Inlet. $699,900

y!

1 da y n I a d Sol th oak B Sou

ay!

In 1 dead d l So don H Gor

LOVELy GEORGiAN STyLE ENGLiSh MANOR JuST iNSiDE ThE upLANDS GATES! This gorgeous 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom manor has been completely renovated but has retained its original features and mouldings! There is a beautiful new kitchen with granite counters, a wall oven plus a brand new oven/range, a baking area, and an eating area overlooking the private English .35 acre garden. Upstairs you will find 3 spacious bedrooms, a wonderful walk in closet leading to the marble ensuite. $1,395,000

Dallas Chapple, RE/MAX Camosun • Tel: 250.744.3301 • Toll Free: 1.877.652.4880 • www.dallaschapple.com 4440 Chatterton Way • Oak Bay Office: 2239 Oak Bay Ave • Email: dallas@dallaschapple.com GreatHomesGreatRealtors

W

LISA WILLIAMS CADBORO BAY BEACHFRONT Prime 9523 sq.ft. lot on gorgeous sandy beach with south-facing views to the Olympic Mts.! This is a rare opportunity to build your dream home in a world-class, peaceful setting steps from charming Cadboro Bay Village. Plans approved for stunning 3580 sq.ft. home, call for more details! $1,449,000

WEDGEWOOD POINT LUXURY! Gorgeous executive home totally reno’d to the highest level . . . stunning! 3 bedrm + den, amazing gourmet kitchen, top-of-the-line finishing, expansive decks w/ocean views & so many extras! Parks, trails & beach access just mins. away . . . $1,298,000

5 ACRE LOWBANK WATERFRONT PROPERTY In prestigious Queenswood!

This premier property is one of the area’s largest holdings w/incredible privacy, park-like setting, 2 coves, world-class views, 4700 sq.ft. main house & sep. guest cottage . . . may be possible to subdivide into 2-3 lots! $6,290,000

SPACIOUS GORDON POINT EXECUTIVE HOME w/excellent ocean views & steps to waterfront access! Boasting 5200 sq.ft., 6 bedrms, 7 bths, granite flrs, hi-ceilings, in-floor heating, & super nanny or in-law accom. possible too! $1,498,000

NEW BEACHFRONT LUXURY home on stunning Cordova Bay! Over 5100 sq.ft. with incredible Great Rm, expansive gourmet kitchen, 10’ ceilings, radiant flrs, media rm and a fabulous ‘5 Star’ Master suite to die for! $3,290,000

EXQUISITE COUNTRY ESTATE! Luxurious '07 blt 8500 sq.ft. home on a lovely Saanich West, 5 acre property . . . just 20 mins. from downtown!

Enjoy incredible luxury throughout with tons of options plus a lg home office, super in-law, 5 car garage, 2 stall barn & riding ring too! $2,448,000

JUST

SOLD

LUXURIOUS 10 MILE POINT ‘CAPE COD’ EXECUTIVE w/stunning outdoor terraces & pool, sunny S/W exposure, gorgeous Bruce Wilson design w/incredible finishing, 4 bedrms, 4 bths, a fabulous ‘nautical’ feel, exceptionally private & quiet, & steps from the ocean! $2,595,000

JUST

SOLD

STUNNING NEW OAK BAY Fantastic family home in quiet, Oak Bay location just steps from the ocean & Victoria Golf course w/6100 sq.ft., 5 bedrms, 5 bths & exquisite quality inside & out! Sunny, open design plus gorgeous terrace & outdoor FP! $2,948,000

JUST

SOLD

OAK BAY WATERFRONT ESTATE with elegant 6600 sq.ft. home, 1.24 acre private grounds, nanny suite, seaside pool . . . just steps from exclusive Victoria Golf Club & mins. to Marinas & downtown! $5,900,000

PREDICTING AN ACTIVE SPRING MARKET . . .

CALL NOW FOR A CONFIDENTIAL MARKET EVALUATION OF YOUR HOME!

250•514•1966 Direct LisaWilliams.ca GreatHomesGreatRealtors

Century 21 Queenswood R ealty ltd.

Scot t Ga r m a n & a s s o c i a t e s

Scott Garman and Macdonald Realty are pleased to announce their association with Elkington Forest — an entirely new concept in the creation of a conservation community.

Register for updates at elkingtonforest.com or call 250-896-7099.

Trailhead Y t final fronTier.

Sustainability — The final frontier. After all, there is no Planet B. That makes learning how to use our planet responsibly an absolute necessity. And Elkington Forest the next giant leap for mankind. What’s more, your home in the Trailhead Hamlet is on the doorstep of the Trans Canada Trail. A fitting location for your place in history.

V

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LOCAL BRAND • GLOBAL REACH

www.scottgarman.ca | info@scottgarman.ca | 250-896-7099 | 755 humboldt street, victoria bc v8w 1b1 GreatHomesGreatRealtors

CAMOSUN

4440 Chatterton Way Victoria mleck@shaw.ca 250.413.7171 margaretleck.com

Outstanding SOUTH-facing 3642 sq.ft.

Sub-Penthouse at SHOAL POINT This “Sunrise/Sunset” 3642 sq.ft.condo features one level, no stairs luxury living, two master bedroom suites, 5 balconies, 4 fireplaces, air conditioning and private elevator entrance.

Spectacular views of Straits of Juan de Fuca, Olympic Mountains and Inner Harbour. The “Great Room” adjoins a unique tower-style office/ games room. A spacious open-plan kitchen flows into the family room and spectacular two-storey windowed breakfast conservatory.

NEW PRICE $2,395,000. MLS 285920

SOLD High-end Live/Work ground floor space in

SOLD Better than new immaculate 2 bedroom

Eagles soar over this contemporary Penthouse Suite at SHOAL POINT! Professionally re-designed suite that offers dramatic views of Mount Baker, downtown Victoria and inner harbour activity. Main level features an open floorplan with formal dining area, family room with adjoining designer kitchen, cosy living room with gas fireplace, master with ensuite, and spacious deck.

Upper level has a 2nd master and separate living room. Wall to wall, floor to ceiling windows and vaulted ceilings. $3,100,000. MLS#280583

Herbert Kwan Architect

Two-storey south-facing penthouse suite at Shoal Point Unique 3048 sq.ft. floor plan maximizes space and affords breathtaking mountain, ocean, courtyard and harbour views. Main floor features Great Room concept of living/dining/den, custom kitchen with eating area, & private master w/ensuite.

Upper level boasts master with adjoining lounge/ office or third bedroom w/two-sided fireplace.

Three energy-efficient heat pumps include heat and air-conditioning. Three large decks for the condo gardener or sun lover.

NEW PRICE $2,195,000. MLS 278732

award-winning Shoal Point. $555,000

GreatHomesGreatRealtors

plus den suite at exquisite Shoal Point! $699,000

SOLD Affordable 1 bed + den at Reflections! $252,000

Your Luxury Waterfront Specialist

LuxuryPortfolio.com

Situated in the heart of the Blenkinsop Valley, this pastoral 5 acre parcel features an elegant custom home with full equestrian facilities. The principal residence of 10,000 sq.ft. offers many dramatic architectural features including a curving staircase, 2 storey living room & a fabulous gourmet kitchen. The lower level provides state-of-the-art media room, fitness, storage, plus 2 bedroom suite. The site includes guest cottage, 7 stall barn, 3 separate riding rings, with outdoor stalls. Truly a pastoral lifestyle offering. Offered at $3,695,000.

MLS#285658

This welcoming West Coast hideaway, situated on .35 acre of west-facing oceanfront, offers mature landscaping, a natural forest, and spectacular sunsets!

Situated in the heart of Deep Cove, this completely renovated home has been uniquely divided into upper and lower accommodation. Two sets of stone stairs lead to the water, with a private patio at the water’s edge, ideal for swimming.

Privacy is enhanced by a 40’ green belt on the north border. A magical spot!

Offered at $1,595,000. MLS#283869

Built in 1912 by Samuel Maclure, this elegant manor has been completely restored & enhanced beyond all measure to be recognized by Victoria Hallmark Society for the most authentic renovation of 2009. It offers gleaming hardwood floors, the original stained glass & remarkable wainscoting / panelling plus an amazing veranda. The chef ’s gourmet kitchen complements the era. Offered below replacement at $2,495,000.

MLS#285703

Local Brand • Global Reach

755 Humboldt Street Direct: 250.414.8204 Office: 250.388.5882 Toll Free: 1.877.388.5882

leslee@lesleefarrell.com lesleefarrell.com luxuryhomesvictoria.com

HOTDESIGN

By Julie Nixon

PHOTOS BY VINCE KLASSEN

Closet Desires: Next to kitchen renos, the deluxe master bedroom closet is THE sought after home improvement Just a few decades ago, the closet of the average master bedroom consisted of a wooden hanging rod and a shelf above it.

If you didn’t own a dresser (or two), there weren’t many options for storing your clothing and accoutrements, apart from folding and stacking. Shoes ended up in a messy pile on the closet floor with ties and scarves, slipped from wire hangers, on top.

The last 10 years or so have seen great advancements in closet design and organization, from budget-friendly install-yourself shelving and pre-fab cubbies from stores like Ikea to fully-featured dressing rooms with custom-designed, solid wood built-ins.

One reason for our increasing enthusiasm for organized and functional closets in every room is obvious: in these busy days, an established place for everything reduces the time wasted looking for your things. Ted Hancock, of Incredible Closets, has been creating innovative story solutions for more than 28 years. He notes that organized closets result in a huge reduction in daily frustration. Do you remember how exasperated you felt the last

time you fumbled around in your closet in the dark, trying to find that other shoe?

But structured walk-in closets do more than save time and thwart annoyance. Master bedroom closets are becoming fully featured dressing rooms and are increasing the value of homes.

“There’s nothing that makes a house more interesting, particularly to a woman, than a spectacular master suite,” of which a great closet would be essential, says Peter McCutcheon, whose company Swiftsure Woodworkers has designed and built many closets for new homes and extensive renovations. “Next to the kitchen, it’s probably the most important feature.”

Swiftsure starts by getting a substantial understanding of their clients’ lifestyle, the scope of their wardrobe, and the importance of their closets, before making recommendations. “Everyone’s different. So you need to get into some personal discussions along that line before you can come up with a really functional solution to their needs,” he says.

GENERAL CONTRACTING w CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT w CHARACTER RENOVATION

David Dare 250-883-5763 roadsend.ca

Left: This built-in edge-grain fir closet, by Swiftsure Woodworkers, has his-and-her spots for everything. Above: Trends in closets such as this one by Jason Good Custom Cabinets, features decorative touches like arches, mouldings and corbels. since 1986

Hancock agrees. “Our designers ask our clients many questions about what their needs are and what they need to organize so that they end up with a product they are happy with and that works for them,” he says.

Closets are so personal that every one requires substantial customization depending on the user. “It is mainly knowing what you need to put in the space,” says Jason Good, of Jason Good Custom Cabinets, when asked what his tips are for those considering adding a walk-in closet to their bedroom.

“The customers who are happiest are the ones who have a long list of requirements, and they end up with a better product.”

Trends in closet design The closet and full featured luxury dressing room is turning into a showcase, says McCutcheon. It is often situated between the master and the ensuite and resembles more of an

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upscale clothing store than simply a place to get dressed.

If the dressing room can be seen from the master bedroom, Swiftsure will often feature a “conversation piece,” like a curved set of doors or an arched doorway. Placing a vanity table inside the dressing room, separate from the bathroom, is another trend, mainly as a place for women to style their hair and apply makeup. Common up to the 1950s and the turn of the last century, the designated vanity “is something that people are starting to revisit,” says McCutcheon.

Says Jason Good, “The whole idea of an ornate closet The modern closet has really come around. People resembles more of an are viewing it as a lot more important than before.” upscale clothing store Decorative features found in kitchens are moving into the than simply a place to dressing room, such as corbels, arches, large mouldings and get dressed. furniture feet.

Valet rods (to hang outfits when deciding what to wear or what to pack) and islands in closets are becoming very popular. Islands are especially handy as a place to put your suitcase when you’re packing.

“Most of our customers are very busy and travel at least once a month, so how they pack is important,” says Good.

Other trends include seating, fully-enclosed cabinets to prevent dust from collecting on clothing, and “his and hers” closet design, ”because the functional layout of a woman’s closet is very different than that of a man’s,” says Hancock.

So What’s it made of?

Closet designers advise consumers to be conscious of the properties of not just the woods that are used but also the finishes applied to the woods. Swiftsure, for example, prefers to use fir or cedar as they want to avoid wood that requires lacquered finishes because of the off-gassing of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) associated with the finish. “We try to avoid melamine and particleboard because of the composition of the structure itself,” says McCutcheon. Plywoods with waterborne adhesives are good choices because of their non-toxic manufacture.

Good has a similar philosophy. “Most of our wood is either a cherry or walnut, which seems to be our most popular, with some customers going back to traditional mahogany.” He often paints his cabinets with thin water-based paint, so the texture of the wood is still visible, but he prefers to use clear finish as much as possible.

Incredible Closets offers lower cost but still high-quality adaptable systems. Their closets are made of an eco-friendly industrial-grade particle board by Boise Evergreen, a product

Granite shown: Typhoon Bordeaux

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made of 100% recycled or reclaimed fibre that does not contain toxic urea-formaldehyde. A process called Thermofoil, which uses high heat and pressure to adhere laminate or veneer cover to the board and safe, water-based adhesives, makes for extremely durable materials — no water stains or warping from moisture. In fact, the product was used for the closet organizers in Dockside Green, a LEED Platinum development.

Another option, and one that Hancock recommends as a high-quality and environmentally friendly alternative, is birch plywood, left natural on the internal portions of the closet, with a rounded 2mm edge of ABS plastic, making for a long-lasting product with a ding-free trim.

“The beauty of our system is that it’s flexible,” says Hancock.

The single gable between sections that is utilized from both sides makes their organizers continuous and customizable as your lifestyle changes It’s the little things The number of features to include in a closet or dressing room are impressive. At Incredible Closets, the list is longer than the wife’s best evening gown. Everything is meant to tuck away, such as pull-out mirrors with self-closing mechanisms, tie and belt racks, pull-out baskets and laundry hampers, hidden ironing boards, jewellery trays, and more. Angled shoe racks, even though they

take up more space than flat shelving, are in high demand. “People tell us, ‘Oh my gosh this is the best thing that ever happened to me!’ Who’d have thought a simple shoe rack could affect such a life in a positive way?” says Hancock.

How much to spend?

Depending on the size of the room or closet, and what features a customer chooses, the price can vary widely. At Incredible Closets, a 70-square-foot walk-in with all the bells and whistles (like drawers and a wood grain veneer), can run upwards of $4,000, while a typical double-sized reach-in closet organizer (with cubbies in white laminate) is just under $700. Custom-made built-ins, designed, built and installed by cabinetmakers, with solid wood cabinet doors, a centre island and all the features needed for a fully functional dressing room can cost $20,000 or more.

Lighting is also key. “We try to introduce some natural light through the use of skylights or other features in the walk-in closet so you have a more natural environment in there,” say McCutcheon.

In short, today’s dream closet features a marriage of the practicality of an organized storage space mixed with the irresistible appeal of a luxurious dressing area. What could be better than saving time, foiling frustration, securing a generous return on your investment, and having the amazing walk-in closet you’ve always wanted? VB

victoriaboulevard.com 73

Six talented interior designers weigh in on tips to help you make the right choices; an ongoing conversation continued from Boulevard Home Design Annual.

Floundering in a sea of choices?

Boulevard: Many people find the greatest stress in renovating or building a home comes from the hundreds of choices — what tips can you give about choosing well?

HEATHER DRAPER: First be honest about

how you really live in your home and how you want to live. Then design your home around that.

LORIN TURNER: For example, how often do you watch TV? If you are honest about that we can make it much more functional for you and more attractive for your home.

JEFF SMITH: Or some people spend a lot

of money on a guest bedroom that is only going to be used a few times a year. Put that money into what you would use 365 days as opposed to the 10 days a year.

CHERYL DEMERCHANT: The dining room is another example of a room that can take up a lot of space. If you are using it every week, make it a feature. But if you only entertain a few times a year, rethink it.

that easily converts into a guest bedroom when company arrives.

HEATHER DRAPER: Break everything down to time and use. How many times a day are you going to touch it or use it?

How much time will you spend looking at it?

SMITH: Like faucets! Kitchen faucets.

Bathroom faucets. Splurge for god sakes.

JENNY MARTIN: Exactly! If you’re going to see it everyday but rarely touch it, then it’s far more important what it adds visually.

Indulge in luxurious materials and textures on surfaces you touch.

SMITH: And don’t sweat the baseboards.

MARTIN: It’s like fashion. Fashion designers

are constantly changing what’s hot to inspire us to evolve our style with the seasons. When you invest in the classic little black dress you can accessorize with fabulous trendy pieces without breaking the bank. Interiors are similar in many ways with a slightly longer turnover.

RYBACK: Yes, invest in quality architecture

that will last, and plan for updating design items that are easily changed — accent walls, throws, pillows, drapery.

TURNER: It is simpler to change lighting

fixtures, paint, hardware than it is to change a floor!

TERESA RYBACK: Or create multifunctional spaces, such as the home office

Boulevard: How can people be sure they are making choices that will last and not choosing a trend that will rapidly date their house and design?

DEMERCHANT: But with all these choices, if they are truly reflective of a homeowner’s personality, his or her true likes and dislikes and how they live, it tends to transcend trends. So make sure it is reflective of your individuality — that doesn’t change so much.

Bespoke Design

Jenny Martin Design

td Swansburg Design Studio

Cheryl DeMerchant Design

smithdesigns

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(Laughter)

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be smart with your smart phone

The first cell phone conversation occurred April 3, 1973 when Motorola’s Martin Cooper called Dr. Joel Engel at Bell Labs, to gloat that his company had won the race to produce the first “portable mobile phone.” It was bigger than a man’s size 12 shoe and weighed a kilogram. Now, a typical cell is the size of a toddler’s slipper and weighs less than a handful of change. They’ve become the most ubiquitous communication device in human history.

Today’s smart phone is a full-fledged computer that is more powerful than early mainframes. It’s crammed with features that let you carry a single device and leave your PDA, camera, GPS, MP3 player, and even your watch at home. It lets you synchronize heaps of information from your computer or online services and provides fast access to contact numbers, appointment details, and reminders.

There are apps to do just about anything. The “phone” part of the cell is almost a side feature now. Over 4 billion mobile text messages are sent daily, making texting the most prominent use.

Here are some tips for getting the most out of your cell phone.

A smart phone or a basic cell?

Decide what you really want the phone to do. A basic cell might be all you need. They still have lots of useful features, including text messaging. Consider a basic “pay as you go” plan, perhaps even with a used phone that can be activated. When we looked for a simple cell for my mother-in-law, the best deal around was from a local 7-Eleven: $50 for a nice phone, plus a block of credits, and no activation charge.

Choosing a smart phone is harder. For many, it’s a personality choice. An iPhone is cool, an Android geeky, and a BlackBerry is all business. Search Google for Kim Komando’s article “Choosing the best smart phone” for tips.

You do have to decide if you want an onscreen or physical keyboard. I am hopeless at both while my wife

text and photo by Darryl Gittins

could write a novel on her BlackBerry. Either way, I’d recommend using a “signature” file on emails to explain it came from your phone. For example: “Sent using big fingers on tiny buttons.” Google, “Email signature” along with your brand of phone for how-to steps.

A Deal with the Devil Most people are happy with the phones they’ve picked, but few are happy with their phone plans. And Canadians pay more than most other countries. Voice rates in Hong Kong or India are a fraction of what we pay (typically about $0.01 per minute whereas you probably pay over $0.30 per minute). Complaints about cellular service companies are among the most that the Better Business Bureau receives.

Beware the fine print and don’t be surprised if you are treated like weasel spit after they have you locked in.

One option is an “unlocked” GSM phone instead of a phone that is “locked” to a specific carrier like Telus or Rogers. An unlocked phone contains a tiny SIM card that can easily be swapped with another GSM phone. The SIM contains your phone number and personal ID. For example, if your battery was low, you could swap the SIM with a friend’s cell and make a call with your existing number and plan.

Tigerdirect.ca had over 100 unlocked phones available when I last visited, but they’re not cheap when compared with nearly “free” locked phones you can get with a contract.

An unlocked smart (data) phone can be used with or without a data plan. Fido sold me a SIM for $10 which can be inserted into any

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unlocked smart phone for pay as you go access, with no activation fee. (Curiously, the Telus person I talked to told me you can’t use a data phone on a pay-as-you-go plan, and Telus wanted $20 for activation.) Note that even without a data plan, a smart phone with Wi-Fi can access Internet and email from any wireless hotspot just like a laptop.

My contract with Telus runs out in about three Today’s smart phone months, so I’ll be on the hunt is a full-fledged for an unlocked Windows Phone 7. I already have the Fido SIM! computer that is Another tip about plans: beware of roaming charges. more powerful than If you travel, check with your carrier to see if they have early mainframes. options for international roaming. Or buy a cheap pay-as-you-go phone when you arrive. If you have an unlocked phone, buy a prepaid card and a cheap SIM from a local carrier to save a bundle.

Security What if you lost your phone? If a crook found it, would they find sensitive information? There’s an easy solution: activate the phone’s password. Unlike a computer, it’s hard to hack into a phone that is locked after a few minutes of inactivity. (Don’t store sensitive data on a removable card.)

Also be careful of what you click and what information you send, especially over a wireless network.

Would you like something to read?

E-books are all the rage, but a cell also works great as an e-reader. How you load eBooks depends on your phone.

You need three things: 1. A program on the computer to convert documents into the correct e-book format.

2. A program on the computer to transfer eBooks to the phone over a USB cable.

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The free Calibre eBook management program (calibreebook.com/download) solves step 1. It will convert nearly any document to any format.

The free Mobipocket Reader (mobipocket.com) solves steps 2 and 3. Pick the right package for your phone, and then choose the option to install it to your desktop PC. This will install Mobipocket to the phone. Use Calibre to convert your e-books to the PDB format, and then use Mobipocket to transfer the PDB files to the phone.

Of all the multi-tool features on my phone, I like this one best. I’ve always got a something to read in my pocket! VB

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BoulevardBookClub

By Adrienne Dyer photo by gary mckinstry Books courtesy of Tall Tales Book Store

Mothers react

strongly to Mockingjay, a violence-filled

book for young

adults

The Book: Mockingjay, third and final book in The Hunger Games series, Young Adult Fiction Author: Suzanne Collins Publisher: Scholastic Press, 2010 Length: 400 pages This Issue’s Book Club: The Awesome Mommies

THE CLUB: My evening with the Awesome Mommies was as comfy and familiar as a favourite pair of jeans. I’d spent my last hour before the meeting pumping enough breast milk to tide my baby son over for a couple of hours, while simultaneously trying to convince my five-year-old that going to bed without me tonight was not going to scar her for life. I wasn’t the only mama to jump through such hoops to escape the house for an evening. As moms of babies, toddlers, under-10s and preteens, the women of this book club understand the importance of taking a break from domesticity to share the joys and trials of parenting and to indulge in a little soul food.

Awesome Mommies is an online community-building resource for parents with over 400 members in the Greater Victoria area (awesomemommies.ca). The book club is just one activity that has evolved since the website’s inception in March of 2009. Operated by the yin-yang duo Jay Suttenbrown and Paisley Rankin-Smith, Awesome Mommies has blossomed from a simple Google group used by a few moms to organize play dates, to a full-scale business operation with exciting plans on the horizon. Suttenbrown hosted the meeting in her lovely 1920s home, where we were interrupted only by a call for Mommy through the baby monitor when it was time for her to slip upstairs to deliver good-night kisses.

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THE AUTHOR: Suzanne Collins has been writing award-winning children’s television programs since 1991, penning episodes of Oswald, Clifford’s Puppy Days and Little Bear for Nickelodeon and Scholastic Entertainment. She delved into young adult fiction in 2003 with The Underland Chronicles, a five-part series about a boy who discovers a war-torn civilization hidden beneath New York City. The Hunger Games appeared in 2008 to wide acclaim, landing her on The New York Times best-seller list almost instantly. As the daughter of an air force officer, Collins uses her father’s first-hand experiences with the after-effects of war to help her accurately depict her make-believe worlds, where tragically realistic horrors take place. Collins lives in Connecticut with her husband and two children.

THE PLOT: The Hunger Games trilogy takes place in a frightening, post-apocalyptic society, where the government forces children into televised fights to the death to remind the country’s citizens about the price of rebellion. The stories follow the harrowing adventures of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who volunteers for the games in place of her younger sister, who was chosen at random as a contestant.

Mockingjay concludes the series with a rebellion against the Capitol, with Katniss in charge of the assassination of the evil President Snow.

DISCUSSION HIGHLIGHTS: Online reviews for this book seem to be either raving or scathing. While some call Mockingjay a brilliant conclusion to the trilogy, armed with a crushing message about the realities of war, others say this book is so violent and devoid of hope that it should come with a warning to ensure no youngster (or grown-up for that matter) is ever subjected to the ghastly experience of reading it. Naturally, I was intrigued.

What would the Awesome Mommies conclude? How does motherhood affect the emotional impact of this series? Are these books too violent for kids? Extreme violence in books and art is all around us. Given the overwhelming popularity of books like Stieg Larsson’s graphically violent trilogy, are we, as a society, becoming so cold-blooded that we can lap up these books with no impact on our human sensibilities?

“I can’t wait to hash this book hard,” said one of the moms as the discussion began. “It seems like Collins was trying to write three different books with this series. The first book was very Lord of the Flies. The second was 1984 all over again. In Mockingjay, Collins focused on creating this militant, underground world of District 13. What she does well in this book is develop the concept of torture: prolonged, extensive, psychiatric torture and how people cope.” victoriaboulevard.com 83

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“With the first two books, there were constant plot turns — you had no idea what would happen next and you just couldn’t stop turning the pages,” said another member. “But in this book, I saw everything coming. Plus the pacing was off.

The build-up was so slow in the beginning, then so rushed at the end. For three books you wonder which of the two love interests Katniss will choose, and then Collins ties the whole relationship choice up with one line!”

One reader appreciated how the book offered insights into the effects of war on the young, and the challenges faced by soldiers who grapple to recover from their horrific experiences in order to regain some semblance of a normal life when they come home. Another said the books sparked important discussions with her 13-year-old son about the finality of death, as well as life conditions in war-torn countries. “Young people are so desensitized to the impact of war,” said one mom. “It’s important for kids to realize just how devastating war is.”

Conversation shifted towards the differences between movies and books, especially where violence is concerned.

One mom said she pre-reads every book her son reads, but isn’t as concerned about what he watches on TV. “I can’t control how books play out in his head, or see the images he sees while reading,” she explained. “With TV, I see what he sees, and we can talk about it.” Others said they feel the opposite, pointing out that we don’t have to suffer “visual sensitivity” while reading. “TV is graphic, while books are emotive,” one mom pointed out. “You have to internalize what you read, but you can distance yourself from TV, watch it passively.” Either way, everyone agreed that The Hunger Games books are perhaps scarier to a parent — you imagine your own child being torn away from you to face certain death. Kids may find it easier to learn the important messages Collins set out to convey, yet still remember that the action on the page is only make-believe.

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CLUB VERDICT: Though the general consensus was that the third book was a somewhat disappointing conclusion to an amazingly gripping series, most of the Awesome Mommies recommend Mockingjay if you’ve already read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, if only to tie up those tantalizing loose ends left dangling in book two. Just be prepared for the emotional let-down lurking within the book’s pages, especially where the heroine is concerned, for she never stops others from using her as a pawn. Are these books appropriate for children?

As one member put it, “they’re certainly more appropriate for a 13-year-old than the Twilight series!”

Questions or comments? Want your book club featured in the magazine? Please email Adrienne Dyer at adyer@telus.net for more information. VB victoriaboulevard.com 85

TRAVELNEAR

by VAUGHN PALMER

Portland, Oregon is walkable, weird and altogether wonderful Sunlight breaks through the trees as we lunch beside a sculptural waterfall in the middle of the city. Mist rises everywhere. The cascade’s roar masks the street sounds and chatter of everyone around us on their mid-day break.

Our delicious food is from a street cart, which Portland boasts more of than any place on the continent and they come in an astonishing variety: vegan barbecue, Venezuelan empanadas, Vietnamese crepes. And those are just some of the Vs. We are sitting at the Ira Keller Fountain, a popular downtown park in a city ranked one of the world’s greenest, friendly to cyclists, walkers, transit riders, vegetarians and all alternative lifestyles.

The high-end restaurants draw raves from The New York Times. The microbreweries (three dozen and counting) are a tour in themselves.

“Keep Portland Weird,” say the bumper stickers and its eccentricities are a source of civic pride. It’s the home of the annual October “Zombie Walk,” the H.P. Lovecraft (horror) film festival, as well as writers Matt “The Simpsons” Groening, Katherine “Geek Love” Dunn and Chuck “Fight Club” Palahniuk.

All this and more makes the Oregon city a unique getaway for Victorians, one that my family and I have visited again and again.

The city, the third largest in our region after Vancouver and Seattle, is in the northwest corner of Oregon, at the confluence of the Columbia River and the Willamette (put the accent on the second syllable if you want to fit in.)

Three urban adventures My first tip: park the car and leave it. Public transit, both street cars and light rail, is free in the downtown. Get all the brochures you’d ever want at the tourist office in Pioneer Courthouse Square, named as one of the top public spaces in the world in a city full of great public spaces. Take a seat next to the statue known as “umbrella man” and plan your visit.

From Pioneer Square, here are three adventures I recommend.

Each can be done in a few hours or longer, depending on how much you want to linger.

1. Catch the Max light rail southwest toward Beaverton. Get off at Washington Park station deep inside the mountain behind the city, then ride the elevator up. You come out in the park on top of the

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Clockwise from left: Portland Skyline with view of Mount Hood, Powell’s City of Books, Pioneer Square, Voodoo Doughnuts, Classic Chinese Garden, and Saturday Market. Photos courtesy of Travel Portland.

city. From there it is a short walk to the excellent Portland Zoo and the World Forestry Centre. A shuttle bus will take you to the Rose Garden (7,000 plants, 550 varieties), the Japanese Garden, and the Hoyt Arboretum.

2. Walk north across W. Burnside Road to Old Town/ Chinatown (or take the Max light rail to that stop) for the public market/street-fair staged every Saturday in Old Town. Continue north along SW 5th, a.k.a. the street car line, to the restored Union train station, the focus of an entire neighbourhood revival. Reverse direction for a visit to the gorgeous classical Lan Su Chinese Garden at 3rd and Everett. Finish up at Voodoo doughnuts on 3rd at W. Burnside. Weird even by Portland standards, its varieties include mango jelly and Tang, as well as bacon (!) maple bars. Be prepared for line-ups, even in the rain.

3. Walk southeast from the square along SW Morrison to the Tom McCall waterfront park, which borders the downtown.

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great place to walk or run, the park hosts public events through the year, including a blues festival, a brewers’ festival, a gay/lesbian pride festival and The Bite of Oregon, dedicated to home-grown food and music. The park is the jumping-off point for a walk across any one of the eight distinctive bridges leading out of downtown.

Bridgetown is one of Portland’s “Keep Portland many nicknames for a good reason.

For me, no visit to Portland is Weird,” say the complete without a trip to Powell’s bumper stickers and City of Books, which makes a its eccentricities are a plausible claim to being the largest new and used book store in the source of civic pride. world. It covers a whole city block at the northwest edge of downtown (between NW 10th and 11th, and W. Burnside and NW Couch.) Plus there’s a newly renovated science and technology annex across the street. I’ve spent considerable time and money there over the years, with no regrets. When you are finished in Powell’s stroll out the back door into the Pearl District, one of the finest urban revival neighbourhoods anywhere, packed with stores, galleries and restaurants in every price range.

Speaking of restaurants, Portland is known for its great eateries: but two of my perennial faves are The Marrakesh on NW 21st Ave. for eat-with-your-fingers Moroccan, and Kenny and Zuke’s on SW Stark for Jewish delicatessen and pastrami to die for. You can

also check out foodcartsportland.com.

I could go on about all the things to do during a weekend in Portland — such as visit the Portland Art Museum, with its imaginative touring shows and extensive permanent collection of European and American art; or check out the family-friendly Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, across the river from downtown; or simply stroll any of the city’s almost 100 recognized neighbourhoods.

But you simply can’t take in all of what Portland has to offer in a single weekend. So like me, you will be back.

Driving there: Reserve on the Coho ferry (cohoferry.com — but note, for two weeks every winter, this year Jan. 24 to Feb 7, it is out of service for maintenance.) The crossing to Port Angeles takes 90 minutes. The 375 kilometres to Portland is four and a half hours, split evenly between scenic Highway 101 along the Hood Canal and then I-5 south.

Staying there: We like the mid-priced Paramount across from Director Park or we shop online via hotels.com for something in the same range. For budget options try the Mark Spencer and the Ace, a notch above a hostel. The boutique Hotel Lucia on SW Broadway has a touch of Portland weirdness on its business card: Richard Nixon at the piano.

A good general tourism website to start your planning is travelportland.com. VB

victoriaboulevard.com 89

TRAVELFAR

Text and photos By Keith McLaren

Let the

We are clipping along at close to 10 knots with the warm trade winds blowing in over the beam. I look over to the green hills of Antigua and think that life really couldn’t be sweeter.

As the bow rises and punches into another azure blue roller sending a bouquet of spray into the cloudless sky, I take in the scene around us. Dozens of classic yachts, some of the most beautiful on the planet, all race with sails fully pressed and lee rails buried, making for the finish line. I am sailing on board a lovingly restored 64-foot 1938 Herreshoff schooner, called the Mistral. I have to pinch myself to make sure it is real.

Hosted by the unpretentious Antigua Yacht Club, located on the south coast in Falmouth Harbour, the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta is held every April: this year, it’s April 14-19. It was born in the 1960s as a modest competition between charter boat skippers and evolved into one of the premier classic yacht regattas in the world, attracting traditional schooners, sloops, yawls, ketches, and cutters for a week of racing fun. The setting couldn’t be more idyllic, the sun shines daily, and the ambience of Antigua during race week, especially on the south shore, is truly magical.

fill your sails in Antigua

I had an invitation to crew, but not having a formal invite does not mean you must spend the week ashore. If you are a sailor, you can add your name to a crew list at the yacht club or walk the docks and chat up a skipper. A number of charter options exist for those wanting to race or watch from the water.

Confirmed landlubbers can watch from Shirley Heights or, even better, pack a picnic lunch and hike out to your own private promontory. Any way you do it, Antigua’s Classic Yacht Regatta is an unforgettable feast for the senses.

Arriving in Antigua, you feel the British influence immediately with its left-hand-drive roads and the large cricket grounds en route from the airport in the north of the island. Antigua gained her independence from Great Britain in 1967 after more than 300 years of colonization. Now it is the largest English-speaking island in the Leeward Group. Although it is only 18 kilometres wide and 23 kilometres long, it boasts upwards of 365 beaches — one for every day of the year. Those I visited were all picturesque, with sugar-white sand and lush palms swaying in the breeze. (Note: sunscreen is hard to find and expensive so bring your own.)

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Clockwise from left: The Mistral punches through heavy seas; the crew of the Ranger hugs the windward rail; an after-party at the Antigua Yacht Club; fine woodwork abounds on the docks.

The capital, St. John’s, can be awash with tourists around the docks when the cruise ships are in. It is worth walking a little farther afield and visiting the markets and shops off the beaten path. Hiring a car to beach-hop or sight-see is highly recommended. I paid a flat rate for a taxi to take me around the island and the driver’s knowledge surpassed any guide book. One tidbit: the name of the island’s highest point has been changed to Mount Obama in honour of the American president.

As I arrived at Falmouth Harbour, the vibrancy of a major sailing event filled the air. An unbelievable assortment of classic yachts was packed together, with acres of polished brass, chrome and vintage woodwork glowing like fine antique furniture. High-end, ultra-sleek boats with efficient, professional crews mingled with brightly coloured Curacao island fishing sloops and every description of boat in between.

Dock-walking to ogle boats is a recommended spectator sport.

I deposited my gear aboard the Mistral and met the crew, a mix of Germans, Canadians, and Americans who mirrored the general mix of visitors ashore. We quickly worked into a

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routine of shakedown cruises and racing during the day and exploring the festivities at night.

Falmouth Harbour is a short stroll from English Harbour, an alcove of British maritime history. Now a National Historic Park, it encloses Nelson’s Dockyard, the only remaining In the evening, the Georgian dockyard in the world, named after Admiral Lord Horatio harbours come Nelson, who commanded a ship there in the late 1700s. The alive with festivities. charmingly restored buildings house boutique hotels, shops, Everyone can take museums, and many restaurants and bars. During the day you can in the nightlife swim, hike, and explore the area around the harbours or sit back and watch the world go by while around the docks, sipping on a rum punch.

In the evening, everyone can mingling among take in the nightlife around the docks, mingling among the the parties. parties. It’s easy to pretend you are a yachtie, strolling drink in hand around gorgeous yachts lit with subtle lighting above and below the water. The Antigua Yacht Club sits atop a public open-air bar and all are welcome at the post-sailing festivities. My favourite spot in early evening was the Panerai hospitality suite, where I could grab an appy and a glass of complimentary wine or beer, then stroll among the docks.

Restaurants are everywhere. Our mainstay was the Trappas Restaurant on the road to English Harbour. It is fun, casual, and noisy — the green-lipped mussels and pan-fried grouper are essential eating. The superb Outlook Restaurant, perched on Shirley Heights, is in restored officers’ quarters, formerly part of the British garrison. It has the best view on the island, overlooking both English and Falmouth harbours.

Sip a rum punch and take in a spectacular sunset high above the rest of the world. Come morning, you can sail away. Or not.

Air Canada flies weekly from Toronto and a number of American carriers fly daily, with round trips from Victoria starting around $1,500 CDN. Antigua’s currency is the Eastern Caribbean dollar, with $1 CDN. equal to about $2.50 ECD, but US dollars are accepted everywhere. Accommodation ranges from $70 to about $300 a night and is tight during race week, so book well in advance. I recommend the Cooper and Lumber Store Hotel in the heart of English Harbour for its colonial ambience. For tourist and accommodation information see antigua-barbuda.org or antiguanice.com. For more information on the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta see antiguaclassics.com. VB

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By sharon mclean

GARY MCKINSTRY PHOTO

Libations An homage to

Piedmont Worshipping the wine at the foot of the mountains

My children rebel at being dragged from vineyard to vineyard on every holiday and my plans are now subject to protracted negotiations. On my recent family trip to Italy, fortunately, I was granted a few days of tasting heaven in Piedmont.

Piedmont lies in the northwest corner of Italy, bordering France and Switzerland. The Alps to the north explain the root of the region’s name: foot of the mountains. Around the town of Alba, the Alps give way to the rolling hills of the Langhe. Medieval castles and towns sit perched on hilltops.

Carefully manicured vineyards drape themselves over the gentle contours.

Nowhere is the view more spectacular than at the Massolino winery in Serralunga d’Alba. The winemaker, Giovanni Angeli, met me on the terrace and admitted, alas, that he rarely takes time to enjoy the view. Tasting the wines, it was clear where Angeli has been putting all his attention — these are all classic, complex, balanced, incredibly well-made wines. Visitors will be able to enjoy both the view and the Massolino wines when they open a tasting room on the terrace next year.

Winemaking is a family affair in Piedmont. Most vineyards have centuries-old ties to the land and their owners take great pride in translating that history into wines that have a real sense of place and time. Aldo Vaira, from G.D. Vajra, talks about his passion for allowing nature to shine through in the wines and not using cellar work to change the character of the grape, or “correct” the vintage. Viara works alongside his wife and their two sons to produce exquisite, expressive wines that have garnered high scores from many critics.

For a relatively small region, Piedmont commands much international attention. The stars are the powerful red wines of Barolo and Barbaresco, made from the Nebbiolo grape, near the towns of Alba and Asti. These wines can be deceptively lightcoloured, and give lie to many people’s expectation that flavour concentration is directly related to colour concentration. The wines are hugely complex with aromas of plum, tar, strawberries, roses, tobacco, and anise.

The characteristic high tannins, however, can be harsh in youth. After a day of tasting young Barolos and Barbarescos, I had to rip my top lip off my front teeth to speak! Happily the tannins give the wines the structure that allows them to evolve into beautiful, powerful and profound wines.

Although the regions of Barolo and Barbaresco are only a few kilometres apart, the wines’ differences are distinct.

Barbaresco lies closer to the Tanaro river, which gives a warmer, more humid climate and leads to earlier ripening. The soil also has more sand and is rich in minerals. Combined, these give Barbarescos a gentler, more graceful demeanour, which is why it is often called “the Queen” and the more tannic Barolo, “the King.”

Two distinct styles of Barolos and Barbarescos have emerged from significant changes in the vineyards and wineries since the 1970s and 1980s. Many of the changes, such as reduced yields and reduced maceration periods, have been almost universally accepted and help to improve the overall quality of the wines and reduce Although the overly harsh tannins. However, the use regions of Barolo of small, new oak barrels (barriques) for maturation still has the power to and Barbaresco inspire passionate debate.

The “modernists” typically use are only a few barriques and argue that the wines are kilometres apart, fruitier, more supple and approachable earlier. The “traditionists” stick to the the wines’ huge, old barrels (botti) and claim that new barriques add pronounced notes differences are of vanilla and spice that distort the true character of the grape. For the drinking distinct. public, it means more choice, but it’s important to know which style you like and which producers do what (start by Googling the winery).

Winemaker Michele Chiarlo adopts a middle approach.

He attributes the biggest changes in his wine to the yield reductions and careful canopy management, which ensure the grapes are harvested at full ripeness. In the winery, fermentation

SSITPLAYLOVE I T P L AY L I V E periods have been reduced from 20-25 days, to around 15 days to prevent the over-extraction of bitter tannins.

He has also switched from the traditional Slovenian oak to French oak, but has stuck with the large botti, which reduce the overall impact of the oak. His wines all show finesse with concentration and complexity.

The Nebbiolo grape can be found in other areas in Piedmont, and there are tiny amounts in California and Australia, but nowhere else does it produce such intense wines as in Barolo and Barbaresco.

Piedmont is also home to Asti, the world’s most popular sweet bubbly wine. You will find both Asti, which is fully sparkling (spumante), and the slightly less sparkling (frizzante) Moscato d’Asti. Both are made from the fragrant Moscato grape and tend to be under-appreciated. This is especially true of the delicate and charming Moscato d’Asti, which at only 5.5 per cent alcohol is perfect with fruit desserts or as a summer sipper.

The Italian winemakers I met were infectious in their passion for wine. And my children? They swam in the pool, explored medieval castles, and enjoyed the Italian food. They might even let me visit another wine region soon.

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Recommendations These tend to be small producers, with high demand and limited production. Prices can be high, but worth splurging on for special occasions. Look for these wines: 2008 Michele Chiarlo, Novile, Moscato d’Asti DOCG $17.99/375 ml (BC Liquor Stores, The Strath Ale, Wine & Spirit Merchants, Spinnakers Spirit Merchants): peachy, delicate and fun!

PRATT & LAMBERT

pa i n t s Never compromise ®

2007 Michele Chiarlo Le Orme, Barbera d’Asti Superiore DOCG $22.99 (The Strath Ale, Wine & Spirit Merchants, Spinnakers Spirit Merchants): Barbera is another local grape variety and this wine shows black fruit, red cherries and lingering spices 2003 G.D. Vajra, Brico Delle Viole, Barolo DOCG $112.99 (Everything Wine): complex, concentrated, yet still beautifully nuanced.

2004 or 05 Produttori del Barbaresco $42.94 (BC Liquor Stores): a good value traditional style Barbaresco.

2006 Massolino, Barolo DOCG $59.99 (available in Mainland BC Liquor Stores): a regal wine with a classic nose of roses, tar and red cherries. VB

TM

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DININGIN

by Alisa Gordaneer

photo by gary mckinstry

Kale and Hearty Healthy anytime, this local leafy green grows sweeter when kissed by frost

I recently spotted a healthy-looking mom-type sporting a T-shirt admonishing: “Eat More Kale.”

Of course, moms would preach eating such a vegetable while you might groan, “OMG, not kale.” But Brassica oleracea’s anti-oxidants, beta-kerotene, lutein and vitamins C and K are reason enough to take heed. And, believe it or not, über-healthy kale is a very tasty way to atone for the festive season’s indulgences, and maybe get that T-shirt to fit better, too.

Similar to cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower (they’re as different from each other as various breeds of dog), kale has a flavour that is milder than broccoli and its leafy texture is finer than cabbage. It’s also delicious.

Kale grows well year-round in Victoria, but it tastes sweeter after kisses of frost. Varieties range from pretty green or purple curly-leafed, a garnish and garden favourite, to red Russian and lacinato — or dinosaur — kale, with savoyed (crinkled), nearly black leaves.

Kale should be prepared by stripping the leaves from the tough stems before rinsing and drying, usually in the salad spinner. Toss the stems into soup stock, if thrift is among your New Year’s resolutions. The leaves can then be roughly chopped, minced in the food processor, or torn into chunks, depending on dinner plans.

My favourite is dead-easy kale crisps: mist potato-chip-sized pieces with grape seed oil, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper, and place on a baking tray in a hot (425°F) oven until they’re crisp as autumn leaves, about 15 minutes.

Spread them evenly and they’ll cook faster, but I tend to pile them up and give them a few turns. Variations include sprinkling with parmesan, shredded cheddar or chili flakes before baking, but even plain is yummy enough to convert reluctant kale eaters to its tasty virtues. In summer, a shredded kale, apple and carrot salad, dressed only with lemon juice, is the epitome of fresh and fast.

More wintry preparations include a warming variation on the traditional Portuguese caldo verde (below), and Boulevard’s own Anne Mullens’ warm kale salad, which I served to dinner guests Peter Redpath of Winchester Galleries and Vancouver jazz pianist Miles Black. Both new to kale, they polished it off, even though I substituted toasted sunflower seeds and chose to avoid the parmesan. Apart from victoriaboulevard.com 97

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being nutritious and delicious, kale is a reminder that just because we’re now into our New Year’s resolutions to eat well, we don’t have to sacrifice taste.

ANNE’S WARM KALE SALAD WITH PROSCIUTTO, PINE NUTS, AND PARMESAN 5 slices of thin prosciutto or Serrano ham 2 tbsp olive or canola oil 1/2 cup of diced red onion or sweet onion 1 bunch kale, cleaned, dried, destemmed and shredded 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1/3 cup roasted pine nuts (or toasted sunflower seeds) shredded parmesan to garnish (optional) In a large, heavy-bottomed pan, sauté prosciutto in a dash of oil until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towel. In same pan add remainder of oil and sauté onion until caramelized.

Adjust heat to medium-low. Add balsamic vinegar to deglaze pan. Toss in shredded kale and stir so that all kale pieces are coated, slightly soft and warm, about one minute. Serve out kale and onion onto plates. Top with crisp prosciutto, roasted pine nuts and shredded parmesan. Enjoy.

KALE AND SAUSAGE SOUP 1 bunch kale (about 2 cups, don’t use more) washed, dried, tough ribs removed, and sliced into thin strips 1 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic (at least) 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 tsp smoked paprika 6 cups water 2 tsp kosher salt or to taste 1 lb potatoes, peeled, sliced about 1/4” thick 1/4 lb spicy sausage (andouille, spicy Italian, kielbasa or smoked sausage), sliced into rounds 1 large can of white beans (navy, cannellini, etc), drained and rinsed Heat oil in stock pot, sauté onions (and sausage, if uncooked) about five minutes. Add garlic, potatoes and paprika. Cook another five or so minutes, stirring. Remove sausage pieces when browned and set aside.

Add water and salt, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender. Purée.

Add kale and simmer another 10 minutes or so, uncovered, until kale is tender. Add beans and cooked sausage. Continue simmering until heated through. If the finished soup is too thick, add some broth/stock. Season with salt and pepper. VB victoriaboulevard.com 99

DININGOUT

By elizabeth levinson photos by gary mckinstry

Open Chef nights thrill diners and tantalize

students with a taste of the future

The intimate dining room was aglow with soft lighting, tables set to impress, and the palpable anticipation of welldressed guests looking forward to a special meal.

The poached sockeye salmon starter was perfection, with its nori caviar, toasted sesame aioli and citrus soy emulsion accents. An excellent duo of beef entrée reflected a true chef’s passion and discipline. The caramelized lemon tart was pretty

and tart, and the vanilla peach sous vide on white sponge cake (the peaches and simple syrup are slowly cooked in a plastic bag in water) was five-star quality.

So where was I dining and who had prepared this fabulous food? The dining room was Panache at the Westin Bear Mountain Resort; impressively, the cooks were young, local culinary arts students.

As the ever-nosy foodie, I knew the real action would be behind the scenes, so I snooped around the Panache kitchen several hours before the dinners were served.

Students Michelle Stephenson from Camosun College and James Hannah from Vancouver Island University had each been given a complex, three-course menu to prepare by Panache executive chef Iain Rennie. The day before the event, each worked in the kitchen for nearly 10 hours. Then on the day of the dinner, they were back in chef’s whites to complete their culinary groundwork.

It’s tough, but an even greater challenge for students is to make a successful transition into the workplace. Panache helps ease that transition with Open Chef dinners. Held monthly during the school year, the event pits two culinary arts students “head to head” as they cook two different menus judged by local chefs and media personalities.

I was fascinated to watch Hannah use an electric slicer to produce transparent circles of potato, which he blanched and laid out in rosette patterns on parchment paper, sprinkled with cornstarch (to aid crispness during cooking) and covered with more parchment before individually frying them into the prettiest potato chips ever. This was one small step in Hannah’s elaborate preparations for his entrée: the duo of wild mushroom-stuffed beef tenderloin and slow cooked short rib with herb pommes purée and a red wine demi-glaze. The potato chips adorn the tenderloin.

This young man, who simply radiated enthusiasm, found his culinary interest awakened while working in a Greek restaurant. He spent a co-op term at Fairmont’s Jasper Park Lodge, where he prepared and plated desserts. He told me he “learned so much and loved being under pressure.”

In the Open Chef competition, Hannah was particularly excited about “the modern aspects of the menus — the nori caviar, the citrus soy emulsion,” but was also pleased to be cooking steak — something he loves to eat. Those wild mushrooms with which he stuffed the tenderloin were local.

Hannah is a proponent of sustainable agriculture: “Eat what you have locally. Don’t be looking for Student Michelle substitutes.”

Stephenson and Meanwhile, on the other side of the executive chef Iain kitchen, Stephenson was painstakingly Rennie. separating out equal-sized nori caviar Onion consommé balls. Who knew that caviar could be with liquid cheese vegetarian? This kind was made by ravioli. squirting nori that had been steeped in Poached salmon hot water and boiled with agar agar and starter with nori locust seed gum onto a pan of cold olive caviar, sesame aioli oil, whereupon the nori mixture beaded and citrus soy into perfect little caviar “eggs.” emulsion.

Stephenson began cooking at age 13, Duo of lamb entrée. when she held a truffle-making party for

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her birthday. She has a particular interest in the science of cooking, especially baking, and is looking to do her first co-op program in a local bakery.

She was clearly pleased to be preparing a duo of lamb for the evening menu. “Yesterday I broke down the lamb racks and poached the confit in butter. I have learned so much from doing this.”

Hovering in the background were the students’ instructors.

Gilbert Noussitou, chair of the culinary program at Camosun, and Daniel Rigoulet, a chef instructor at CIVI (and former owner of Victoria’s much-loved Chez Daniel restaurant), who told me that the most In the classroom, even important ingredients in the meals are passion and the stress is controlled. discipline. Says Noussitou: “Here you see the real work.

But in the Panache We do a great job of teaching but it all takes place in a kitchen, everything is controlled environment. Even thrown at the students the stress is controlled. But here, everything is thrown at the students in real time, with in real time, with real stress and real paying real stress and real customers.”

The instructors see the paying customers. value of friendly competition and don’t mince words regarding its ultimate goals. Rigoulet tells them: “You’re here to impress the customers and future employers.” Chef Rennie concurs: “Restaurants now depend on the schools when they hire the next generation of chefs; the Open Chef program allows us to try before you buy.”

Eric Bishop, a graduate of Camosun’s program, participated in last year’s Open Chef and was then hired by Rennie as a third cook. A student from CIVI apprentices in the kitchen.

Francis Parkinson, who manages operations at Bear Mountain, calls Open Chef “unique in the industry. It encourages those in the culinary arts and gives them something to strive for. Panache is a very intimate restaurant, and there is high pressure to perform.”

Although both students did brilliantly, the judges (two local radio talk-show hosts), in consultation with some of my fellow diners, deemed Stephenson the overall winner.

Kudos to her and Hannah for cooking so exquisitely under pressure.

Open Chef night at Panache, Westin Bear Mountain Resort; see bearmountain.ca/home/stay/dining/Panache. Last Wednesday of every month, September to May (no dinner in December). Reservations are highly recommended. At $45 (plus wine, tax and gratuity) for a three-course meal, the dinners quickly sell out. Call 250-391-7160. VB

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The

Eye

By Ed Bain

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but it’s my wife who is really doing hard time

I ran a half marathon once and got a medal when I finished. It felt great to be rewarded after all the training and the grueling run but it got me thinking: Why don’t we award medals for other feats of endurance, like marriage?

I’m not sure if I’ve earned a marriage medal but I definitely think my wife has. After all, could you last 25 years with the world’s pickiest eater who’s done his best to bring years of embarrassment to the family in the name of media promotion?

It’s called the Silver Anniversary but most people would call 25 years of marriage a long shot, (unless of course you spread it out over three or four marriages). Whatever you call it, somehow my wife Bev and I have pulled off years of gradually interrupting each other a little more each day.

Yet we’re still able to enjoy time together — sometimes as much as two hours!

I’m not sure what our secret is, but maybe it all started with the realistic approach we took to our wedding. We decided to get married on a Friday — that way if it didn’t work out we hadn’t wrecked the whole weekend. It was also a very small affair as neither one of us thought going

into debt for a wedding was very wise. Besides, we needed gas money to take us from my secure job in Saskatchewan to the uncertainty and ultimately disastrous job I had just accepted in small-town BC. Weeks into the marriage and the sudden realization that I had hooked up with a radio station that had about a hockey team worth of listeners (I’m talking table hockey) I began to feel the tension building up within the wood panelled walls of our rental home. It also didn’t help that the unemployment rate at the time was just under 12 per cent, which made for limited job possibilities for my new bride, who had given up gainful employment so I could pursue my dream/nightmare.

Thankfully, she eventually got a job marketing a local shopping centre. But now that meant I had to find someone else to pose as “caller one” for my on-air contests. I ended up emceeing a few events at her mall, including a fashion show, where some of the merchants remarked, “your husband has a good voice. Has he ever thought about radio?” After two years of doing the morning show and referring to the audience as “both of you,” I was finally thrown a rescue rope from Victoria. Now all I had to do was convince my wife to leave her job, again, “This time it would be different,” I promised. And thankfully it was: the contest line at The Q had real people phoning it!

So after that rocky start how did the other 23 years go?

Well let’s just say we both had a lot to learn about each other. She had to learn that when I say “locking in our mortgage for 10 years at 11 per cent is about peace of mind” I didn’t mean she should give me a piece of hers every time the topic came up. And I had to learn that turning around and going home from the start of every vacation, 45 minutes after we departed, to see if a curling iron was left on is also about peace/piece of mind.

Gift-giving is another tricky area of any relationship and the longer you’re together the more honest your reactions get. We’ve gone from “Well I like it but I’m not sure I’d use it” to “I hope you kept the receipt for this piece of crap.”

It’s natural to want to shower the one you love with presents but it definitely took me a few years to “get it” when it comes to gifts. And here are a couple of tips I have learned for you newlywed men out there: If your wife doesn’t like golf, don’t buy her golf clubs for Christmas. A basket of soaps is not “just as good as the spa.” And if you go the diamond earring route make sure they are not so tiny that they push right through her ear-pierces.

So happy 25th anniversary, honey. You definitely deserve a medal. And, as usual, I’ll take the participant ribbon. VB

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Dr. Dave Hepburn, Wisequacks radio host, author, family physician What’s your New Year’s resolution?

To do something I’ve never done before. In 2010 I went to Africa and I took a balloon ride.

Give us three tips for a healthy start to 2011.

Read my articles. (Don’t read my articles, they are full of lies.)

Exercise, exercise, exercise. No matter what your status, don’t be sedentary.

What is the biggest problem you see in your practice?

Patients. Without patients, my practice would have no problems.

Seriously — anxiety, stress, depression, all very common today.

Are boomers healthier than previous generations?

No, they will have a lower life expectancy than their parents because of diabetes. I just returned from Kenya, where there’s not an ounce of fat on the Masai people.

The evils of our society: TV/ computers, fast food, and the automobile.

How concerned are you about the looming influx of Alzheimer’s patients?

I’m concerned I’ll be one of them. It’s already a huge issue and a huge burden on our society.

I hear poignant and sad stories from caregivers. It’s a very sad part of our practice as doctors. But I am excited about some of the treatments.

How do Victorians compare to other Canadians when it comes to health?

Very well, particularly the ones that read my columns. We have the lowest rate of smokers and the highest rate of exercisers in the country.

On the website ratemds.com, you score about 4.2 out of 5. Do you care about online ratings?

Of course not. Often the people who go to these ratings have an axe to grind. You can’t please everyone all the time and those doctors who try to, end up practicing worse medicine, like giving antibiotics for a cold. They do patient-based treatment rather than medicine-based treatment.

When did you discover you could mix humour with health advice?

When I was in utero. I realized I was a little different. I see the funny side of life rather than being dour. Some expect doctors to be solemn.

How important is laughter to health?

People who are optimistic, positive, cope better with day-today situations. About 10 per cent of people are humour-impaired and 15 per cent are at risk. No doubt, optimism definitely affects our immune system.

Has your humour ever backfired?

All the time. But I don’t care. Once, I was

delivering a baby for someone I didn’t know, from Gabriola Island. After the placenta was delivered, they asked if they could save it because they wanted to cook it up and eat it. I thought they were joking, so I said “What do you use with it, Placenta Helper?” They complained. I got into trouble for that one.

Any bad habits?

I don’t drink alcohol. That’s my bad habit.

Why did you become a doctor?

I love science and people.

Medicine has a great ability to combine the two. You can take it anyplace in the world. There’s constant learning. If a doctor is practicing the way they were five years ago, they may as well be practicing in a museum.

What do you think you’ll die of?

From a lack of breathing.

Genetics play a huge role, so the same or similar things my parents will die of. But my parents will live to 3,000 years of age.

You are a well-travelled public speaker; where was your most memorable audience?

On the remote South Pacific island of Tanna in Vanuatu in 1995.

My family and I lived there for eight months. There was an outbreak of typhoid. I was up on a hill, talking to the people who were gathered under a Banyan tree, a volcano erupting around me. I was the first white man many had ever seen.

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Familiar Faces, Familiar Places

This is D.

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with his

2011 Lexus ES 350

D. Bruce McGibbon served in the Canadian army for more than 30 years, joined the army through ROTP (Regular Officer Training Program) at Le Collége Militaire Royal de St. Jean, Quebec, rising to the rank of Colonel. He served as an artilleryman, soldier and engineer specializing in defining army program requirements related to advances in military science and technology.

He has authored 20 publications and is currently finishing his fourth book, DND Procurements: The Inside Story which is a follow on from his most recently published book, Do We Have to do it all Over Again??, a review of Canadian Army Staff Procedures in the 1970s and 80s.

Bruce retired early from the military to pursue interests in the private sector, primarily in the aerospace world, including working as Program Director for the Unmanned Aerospace Vehicles (UAVs) at Bombardier Aerospace.

Bruce remains an active participant in lectures to the Royal Military College, board member of the Engineering Institute of Canada, and past board member of the Royal United Services Institute and the Federal Superannuates National Association. He is a self proclaimed “golf nut”, family man and “ true car nut.” “That is why my new 2011 Lexus ES 350 is the fourth Lexus I have bought, finally getting me onto the back page of Boulevard,” states Bruce. He has bought all four cars from Metro Lexus in large part due to its “excellent turn-key approach for all areas of vehicle procurement, service and support,” says Bruce, as though he were evaluating a military procurement plan.

As for the service, Bruce says, “Bob Marchand, Brian Carlson and their team of dedicated staff are as good as you can find anywhere today.”

The final word: “If you value long-term reliability and retention of value, and if you like to drive an excellent, high-end automobile — Lexus is all that.”

2011 Lexus ES 350 Very well equipped from $44,100.00 Includes freight and pre-delivery inspection

the pursuit of perfection

Douglas at Finlayson, Victoria 250-386-3516