L I V I N G & D ES I G N
If there’s no stores, then what do you do if you run out of food?
are lots of house parties, too.
You always make sure you have
The island is a huge draw for
food. But you’re in trouble if you
artists. What’s that community
don’t want it. If you are craving
like?
something, you have to go to the
Lots
of
painters
and
→ home sweet home Though he loves his isolation, Rothermund admits that meeting people is difficult, unless of course it's an island resident who makes sweaters from her cat's hair.
Do you play into it?
mainland or suck it up and drink
photographers;
do
I keep to myself. You’re in such
lots of water. Or make soup and
tapestry and beadwork. One lady
close quarters with people so it’s
potatoes.
combs the hair on her cat and
easy to accidentally see someone
weaves it into fabric and makes
changing
sweaters out of it.
Everyone lives so close.
What’s the gay scene like on the island? There’s a large gay community of mostly older gentlemen. Ladies, too. It’s a different lifestyle altogether. They’re not going out every night.
people
who
She makes sweaters out of cat hair? Maybe I shouldn’t have told you that.
in
What’s misconception
their
window.
the
biggest
people
have
about living on the island? It’s that you can live on the island.
They go for walks. It’s very adult,
There are about 300 homes on
When I say I live here people think
but it’s also encouraging to see
the Toronto Islands. You must
I’m in an artist residency or that
relationships function that way.
cross a lot of small town gossip.
I’m lying or something. Many don’t
What do people do for fun
As soon as I date someone,
even know there are homes here.
of mind. I’m heading to Barcelona in
everybody knows and everybody
Another thing is that you can swim
March and it’s a one-way ticket.
Friday nights at the Rectory Café
has an opinion about it. There’s
here. If you swim away from the city
we have homemade pizza and live
also an online community board
the water is quite clean.
music. It’s really fun. Sometimes
with lots of gossip about that one
we do movie nights on Algonquin
resident whose dog is barking at
Island. A lot of guys will play hockey
what time, and so on.
around here?
12
on the water when it freezes. There
Do you see yourself still living here in five years? I have a really transitional frame
So what you’re saying is that we may never see you again. This article could be my opus! I’ll be back. I do like it here, but I need a change.
February 2014
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22/01/2014 3:41:03 PM