West Vancouver Beacon | May/June 2023 | Edition 56

Photo: courtesy of David Pfeil

Chris Stringer Publisher chrisstringer @westvanbeacon.ca

Lindy Pfeil Editor lindypfeil @westvanbeacon.ca

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Please note that all contributing writers for The Beacon retain full rights and that the full or partial reproduction of feature articles is unauthorized without the consent of the author. Personal opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed are solely those of the respective contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Beacon, the publisher or the editorial and creative staff.

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Still walking in circles

Irecently went road tripping through South Africa. Thanks to the Worldwide Labyrinth Locator, I discovered that labyrinths existed in almost every town we would be passing through. My husband wasn’t nearly as thrilled about this discovery as I was.

The first labyrinth we stopped at was in Great Brak, a small town in the Southern Cape, close to where we had lived in the ‘90s. I hopped out the rental car and waded through the mud towards the field. I had assumed – because he’d rolled his eyes when I first started talking about labyrinths – that my husband would make himself comfortable in the pub, conveniently located right

where we’d parked.

I stepped into the first of the concentric circles, trying to contain my excitement by focusing on my flip flops. One step at a time.

Just minutes into my walking meditation, I heard: “Are you still on your way in, or are you on your way out?”

“On my way in,” I said, wondering whether the pub was closed.

“How much longer?”

“Not much.” I was careful to use my inside voice. You know the one. Calm. Unruffled. Polite.

I made my way towards the tree in the centre of the labyrinth, trying to empty my head of unnecessary thoughts. All the noise.

“Oh, you can see the railway line from here!” my husband said.

I ignored him.

“Is this wood thing a sculpture?”

I bit my tongue. Did not answer. Just breathe

“Why are you walking so slowly?”

I stopped. Turned to look at him as he hovered at the edge of the labyrinth. My labyrinth.

I am not proud of this, but my inside voice disappeared, and was swiftly replaced by the fishwife one.

“Stop talking!” (I might not have used those exact words.)

He looked confused. Clearly he had not read my last Beacon column, where I explained – in painstaking detail – the ins and outs of labyrinth protocol.

“Why?” he said, strolling into the labyrinth. Strolling! Into my labyrinth!

I tried the deep breathing thing again, trying to channel my inside voice once more.

“You walk in silence, so you can think about all your worries. Then, when you get to the centre, you drop your worries there, and walk back out, leaving them behind. Quietly. Very quietly.”

“Oh,” he said, and started walking. On my labyrinth! He, on his way in. Me, on my way out. We would have to pass each other somewhere on the path. Because that’s how a labyrinth works. When that finally happened, he had the good sense not to say a word. I wondered briefly what worries, exactly, he had that needed to be left behind.

Quiver trees and succulents in the area around the labyrinth

Photos: L. Pfeil

A few days, and some hundreds of kilometres later we arrived in Franschhoek, a picturesque village in the Western Cape. The Locator had assured me there was a labyrinth somewhere in the vicinity. It took a while to find it. The GPS eventually directed us through a farm gate to an apparently deserted building, flanked by two angry stone lions with sparkly mosaic manes. There was no sign pointing to a labyrinth anywhere. I wandered past stone cairns and an enormous birdcage. Succulents and quiver trees. Not a person in sight. A lifesize mosaic sculpture of Eve, a silver snake draped across her shoulders. And then, without fanfare, the labyrinth appeared. Built entirely of rocks, it felt as if I’d stumbled into some kind of sacred prehistoric space. It was an outdoor replica of the labyrinth in the cathedral in Chartres, built in the early 1200s. Eleven concentric circles. The amount of time it must have taken to build this!

I started walking, stones crunching beneath my feet. It took me a while. But I finally reached the centre. And there it was –the same six-lobed rosette as Chartres, but built out of stones, by a man dying of cancer, I would later discover, when I met his widow (a story too long to tell here.)

And suddenly I had to sit. On the ground. In the middle of this gigantic stone circle. With rocks and grasses and trees whose names I didn’t know. Clouds hung over the mountains. Every now and then

a bird squawked, but otherwise there was …silence. I couldn’t even remember what worries I’d planned to leave here. My head was too filled with wonder. I felt terribly tiny. And immensely huge. A part of the universe. Connected across time. Space. Life. Death. Cycles. Circles.

I’m not sure how long I stayed there. Just sitting. There was a lot to see. To feel. Each lobe of the rosette contained a rock, with symbols carved into it. Finally, I headed back out.

My husband had wisely avoided the labyrinth. Instead, he entertained himself by walking through the rest of the property. He discovered a pond, more mosaic statues, and the art gallery, which is where I met up with him again.

That night we found a quaint little restaurant in the village. As the dessert arrived my husband said, “You said I could leave my worries behind in the labyrinth.”

He was clearly still thinking about that first labyrinth in Great Brak. But I was only half listening. All that walking in circles had made me very hungry. I plunged my spoon into the cheesecake. Scooped up the strawberries. Chocolate sauce.

“But you lied,” he added. “You’re still here.”

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. My mouth was too full. By the time I could speak again,

he’d managed a chuckle. We were celebrating our 32nd wedding anniversary. That’s a long time. And I have been known to be a little worrisome at times. So he had a point, I suppose.

But whether it’s about leaving worries behind, or finding wonder, or even just escaping for a moment, there is something inexplicable that happens in a labyrinth.

Research has shown the myriad health benefits of labyrinth walking. Herbert Benson, MD, founder of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, says that labyrinth walking facilitates the relaxation response, the opposite of “fight or flight.” And Lorelei King, RN, former director of surgery at Mercy Hospital in Grayling, MI, notes that when she takes someone’s pulse after they have walked the labyrinth, “it’s often slowed down dramatically.” (webmd.com/ balance/features/labyrinths-for-modernstresses)

So now I’m in search of a place to create a labyrinth. How fantastic would it be to have our own walking meditation right in our own backyard? A place to step away for a few moments. Slow down. De-stress. Breathe. Empty our heads. And just focus on one step at a time. Let me know if you have an idea for a location. The search has begun.

Sculpure of Eve, covered in mosaic, the snake draped around her.

The stone lions.

A competitive season with UBC’s Eh? Cappella

Across the water, beyond Stanley Park, lies The University of British Columbia: the #3 ranked university in Canada, and home of over 350 student clubs. Among the largest of UBC’s clubs is UBC A Cappella, made up of seven individual groups of varying sizes.

Five groups are “general” and meet for an average of 2-3 hours a week, performing at semester-end concerts and hired gigs.

The other two of the seven - Eh? Cappella (“Eh?”) and The Northwest Collective - are competitive. These groups meet for a minimum of seven hours a week to perfect a ten-minute set (complete with music and choreography) and put themselves forward to represent UBC at the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA).

“Competitive” is an accurate description

of the groups in more ways than one. In September of 2022, over 100 students auditioned to fill only five open spots in Eh?, UBC’s oldest ICCA group.

This year, Eh? Cappella (of which I am a part) was co-directed by fourth-year students Curtis Sobtafo Nguefack and Sakura Tsunekawa. Tsunekawa and I are both alumni of West Vancouver Secondary, having graduated in 2019 and 2022, respectively.

As portrayed in the 2011 comedy Pitch Perfect,

ICCA is a three-round competition in which competitors from the United Kingdom, Canada, and the USA compete in regional quarterfinals, then larger-catchment semifinals in pursuit of a spot at finals in New York City, where the international winning team is crowned.

The 2023 season was particularly special for the West region (in which UBC competes) as it was the first to have 100% inperson quarterfinals and semifinals since the pandemic.

On February 4, the two UBC Vancouver teams opened the quarterfinals in Tacoma, Washington, performing in the first and second slots of the show. UBC Okanagan was also represented by their two competitive teams, The Trebled Acaholics and The Trill Seekers.

With four UBC teams competing, the university’s two campuses made up nearly half of the competitors, as there were nine teams in total.

After larger-than-life performances across the board, the night concluded with The University of Washington’s Furmata A Cappella taking home first place. Eh? Cappella was the runner-up. The first and second-place groups progressed to semifinals in Salem, Oregon.

Vocal percussionist Christopher Fung of Eh? shined bright in quarterfinals, earning him the award of Outstanding Vocal Percus-

sionist in addition to the team’s second place.

The Northwest Collective was also honoured, taking home the Outstanding Choreography award.

Following the quarterfinals, Eh?’s set underwent significant changes, both in music arrangement and choreography. Approaching semifinals in Oregon, the team assembled for rehearsals – up to five days some weeks.

On March 25, Eh? deployed for the competition at the Elsinore Theatre in Downtown Salem. The West Semifinals hailed the winners and runners-up from five regions, elevating the prestige of the competition from that of the quarterfinals round. Among the competitors were the SoCal VoCals, fivetime international winners from the University of Southern California, who were followed by a documentary crew.

The VoCals won the competition, progressing to the 2023 finals in New York. Bruin Harmony of UCLA took home the runnerup title, with The Chaptones from Chapman University placing third.

Eh? Cappella concluded the season performing alongside the rest of UBC A Cappella at the club’s end-of-semester show. The team’s competitive set has been professionally recorded and will be available for streaming on Spotify and Apple Music this spring.

Rose Lepin is a first-year student in the UBC Bachelor of Media Studies programme. She has been a contributor to The Beacon for six years. When not writing articles or studying, she can be found singing in the competitive UBC A Cappella group “Eh? Capella” or writing poetry on her blog, “Map of Madness.”

Photo: courtesy of Gerald Eustaquio The team surrounds soloist Anushka Mullick, performing “I’m Tired” by Labrinth.

Photo: courtesy of Jake Young ICCA West Quarterfinal at the Rialto Theatre, in Tacoma, Washington, on February 4, 2023.

Hidden Easter sunrise on the rocks

BY Chris Stringer

Sometimes the St. Francis-in-theWood Easter Sunrise Service tests those determined souls who rise to meet on a blustery wet morning. Such was the service this year: wet, cold, slippery and windy. Undaunted, Rev. Stephanie, having already tested the safety of the rocks, met us beside the monument in Caulfeild Park for a brief prayer and short hymn before urging us to return to the lounge at the church to complete our service there. This was followed by our amazing traditional Easter Breakfast which featured mimosas, quiche and hot cross buns catered and served by host Penny Mitchell.

Over the years, The Sunrise Service at St. Francis-in-the-Wood has become an inspiring celebration of the risen Lord. ‘Regulars’ for this special experience join us from St Stephen’s Anglican, West Vancouver Presbyterian and the immediate neighbourhood, some with their dogs. The visual of

the gathering of people scattered across the large boulders and rocks amidst the early morning breeze and sound of water lapping on the rocks below, echo strangely what we might imagine of Jesus at the shore’s edge preaching to those that would follow Him.

Seabirds fly overhead, and sometimes

swoop down in curiosity. As the sun rises, with its ever-changing variety of colours, all turn to it and wonder at the miracle of our very existence as we welcome the morning in those moments. We can hear our own breath in the quiet. The words of the service serve to complete the sense. After sharing

the bread and Eucharistic cup, we stand very still and listen, to try to capture the moment and grasp on to this unique and wonderful memory.

We say, we will return next year… even for a hidden sunrise.

Rev. Stephanie and Eric Greenwood checking the rocks for safety. Photos: courtesy of Theresa Odishaw

Rev. Stephanie Shepard braves the rain.

The big move from Scotland to Canada

BY Peter Black

In 1948, my father and mother, Peter and Betty Black, decided that after the war a new life should begin.

Dad sat us down – me, my sister Isobel, and my wee brother Roger – and told of their decision to leave Scotland and find a new home for us in Canada. Dad and Mom were only 40. Dad’s choice was Vancouver and so our new life was to begin.

On a rainy spring morning in Troon, we boarded a plane in Prestwick to start a new life. I was four, my sister was 12 and my brother almost 2.

After settling in our house in Vancouver, dad got on the tramcar and headed out to find work. His first stop was Inglis Reids

Butcher. He introduced himself to the assistant manager and was told to come back a week or so later as the owner was on holiday.

Dad got on the tram again and headed to Kerrisdale. He walked into a small butcher shop, introduced himself to the owner, and asked if he knew of any butcher shops for sale. The owner told dad he was ready to retire and so dad bought the store after only a few weeks in Canada.

He changed the name to Peter Blacks Kerrisdale Meat Market, and thus began our new life in Canada and the butcher business.

Home buying help in 2023

Many of us are long beyond buying a first home. Our children, however, may be facing significant financial challenges in such a venture. The continuing high cost of real estate and rising rates combine to create a difficult hurdle for first home buyers. Fortunately, there is some new help on the way.

The federal government recently passed legislation to create what is called the First

Home Savings Account (FHSA). The new plan offers prospective first home buyers the ability to save up to $8,000 per year to a maximum $40,000 on a tax-free basis to purchase a first home in Canada. Similar to an RRSP, contributions to the plan will be tax-deductible, however withdrawals (including income and growth earned) for a new first home purchase will be tax free – rather like a TFSA.

Further, the legislation permits both the new FHSA and the Home Buyer’s Plan (HBP) in the purchase of a first home. The long-standing HBP allows a first home buyer to borrow up to $35,000 from their RRSP savings towards a first home purchase in Canada with repayments over 1 to 15 years.

Put together, a prospective couple could set aside as much as $150,000 (plus some

of the income and growth earned) tax-free towards a first home. Maybe a drop in the bucket in West Vancouver, but a significant help almost everywhere else.

Michael Berton is a retired financial planner on the North

Shore.

MICHAEL BERTON DOLLARS AND SENSE

Kerrisdale Meat Market in 1948.

Photo provided

Photo provided Peter, Isobel and Roger in Scotland, ready to leave for Canada in 1948.

Celebrating mothers at the library on May 12

BY Alli Brumwell

Our group of six huddles backstage as the audience happily chatters over our pre-show songlist: Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive”, ABBA’s “Dancing Queen”, Paul Simon’s “Mother and Child Reunion”.

We each have our own pre-performance ritual – pacing, reciting lines, sitting quietly barefoot, or dancing like crazy to release energy. Finally, the lights go down, the audience hushes and we begin.

I’m in awe of all the women I share the stage with. After writing together for two years over Zoom, we have become a sisterhood of storytellers. Months of self-doubt, encouragement, tears and laughter has led to this: sharing our personal stories onstage.

Mother Tongues is a collection of motherhood stories. Of being mothers. Having mothers. Each story is so different, yet equally moving and poignant. Funny even!

We are some brave chicks, I think to myself as our first storyteller steps into the spotlight.

She begins her heart wrenching story of a mother’s trauma and a daughter’s determination to survive. Such courage. The audience gasps. Sobs. Sighs. Laughs. Finally, there is loud applause. Oh sh#t! I’m up next!

The theatre lights are blinding. I can’t see my hand in front of me. A heat dome triggers a poorly timed hot flash. I want to bolt. Run outside, all the way to the ocean. But I’ve come this far. I breathe into the soles of my feet, look out into the glare, and open my heart.

It’s a beautiful experience to connect with an audience. To take a personal story and whittle it down to its most heartfelt moments and share it with “strangers.” I am held by our audience, these now former strangers. We are sharing something together. The

universal bond of being born from a mother, where all our stories begin. Buoyed by the audience’s energy, I’m shocked that I don’t stumble or lose my place. I am pulled along in my story as I hear their response. My eyes adjust and my body temperature regulates. I can just make out the front row. A woman dabs her eyes. A man across the aisle nods. Someone else has a hand placed over their heart. Though my story is not theirs, they know it somehow. They recognize the ache for belonging and for a mother’s love. My part is over. As they clap, I leave the stage energized, grateful for the connection.

Watching each of my writing sisters take the stage, I am overjoyed. What a gift it is to know these women and collabo rate with them on such a heartfelt project. Each of their stories moves me to tears or makes me laugh out loud. All leave me with goosebumps. Each story is unique, but the love, the pain, the longing, the acceptance, and the freedom are universal. Because we all come from mothers, and we all have a story to share.

Celebrate Mother's Day and all mothers at

take to the stage to explore the language and

Mothers on Ink will be at the West Vancouver Memorial Library on Friday, May 12 at 7:30pm. In celebration of Mother’s Day weekend, this performance is FREE. Doors open at 7pm and seating is by general admission. Please note that Mother Tongues contains coarse language and some difficult content and is not suitable for children. Information: www.MothersOnInk.com

Mothers on Ink on the rocks at Eagle Harbour.

Photo: courtesy

Performing to sold out audiences at the 2022 Vancouver Fringe Festival. Photo provided

Annual West Vancouver salmon release

BY Chris Stringer

On the overcast morning of Saturday, April 22, families gathered on the West Vancouver Memorial Library rooftop parking lot, where Streamkeeper Society volunteers provided Adopt-a-Fish certificates to elementary school children. After Fishy Fun Family story time, they crossed Marine Drive to Memorial Park where each child, in exchange for the certificate, received a small bucket with a baby coho salmon (aka smolt). The salmon are raised by the Department of Fisheries and Ocean staff at the Capilano River Hatchery.

Carefully carrying the adopted fish, the children descended a path to the stream where volunteer members of the Coho Society and Streamkeeper Society assisted with the release of the smolt. The children gazed in awe as the tiny creatures wriggled their way towards the ocean.

The annual event is a partnership with the Coho Society of the North Shore, the Depart-

ment of Fisheries and Oceans, the North Shore News, and West Vancouver Streamkeeper Society.

Streamkeeper Society members are actively engaged in streamkeeping projects and work programmes in the 22 creeks and tributaries in the District of West Vancouver. They also manage a fish hatchery, producing approximately 130,000 coho and chum fry each year that they stock in local streams. More information on the organisation and the work they do can be found at westvancouverstreamkeepers.ca.

The Coho Society raises public awareness of current and potential threats to local waterways and fisheries and it educates about the need to resolve these issues through protecting, enhancing and restoring salmonid habitats. This work is done through partnerships between community stewardship groups, local government, First Nations and the business community, and concerned citizens. Find out more at cohosociety.com.

Stories of growing up in West Vancouver

BY Grant Lawrence

I’m not sure if I would have ever guessed that many of the adventures that my parents, Garth and Jean Lawrence, involved me in as a child would one day fill the pages of books and lead to live storytelling events in beautiful theatres like West Van’s own Kay Meek Arts Centre.

When my dad’s Gambier Island cows stampeded off their barge and into Burrard

Inlet for a rodeo at sea in the 1970s, it remained a favourite dinner table story, but it was wonderful to share that story, along with photographic proof, with a full house at the Kay Meek last year. This year, I hope to share a whole other array of stories, including the time my young West Vancouver family inadvertently wound up at a nude potluck in Desolation Sound. Or the time, as a young teenager, that I fell off a cliff along the Upper Levels highway after being chased down by the mayor’s son.

My West Vancouver stories and slides will be complemented by an all-star cast of stellar musical guests, including my lovely wife Jill Barber, the Docs and Socs pipe band, Ashleigh Ball from Hey Ocean, Said the Whale (who are fresh off performing with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra), as well as young Hayden Roth, an emerging singersongwriter who grew up in Horseshoe Bay.

All the best and hope to see you on May 26!

Grant Lawrence and Friends: An Evening of West Van Stories and Songs is at the

Kay Meek Arts Centre on Friday May 26, doors at 6:30pm, showtime 7:30pm. There will be an intermission and the show will conclude at 9:30pm. Tickets: https:// kaymeek.com/ events/grantlawrencelive-0526.

Photos provided

Nine year old Makayla releases her baby coho under the guidance of Margaret Buttner of the Pacific Salmon Foundation in Memorial Park.

Ann Jackson, “Come, sit, staaay!”

BY Chris Stringer

When our 17-yearold sheltie died, we decided we would replace him with a dog that might have been rejected for behavioural issues and needed a home with seasoned dog owners. We toured the lower mainland kennels and eventually found a 13-month-old Labrador retriever who had indeed been rejected. His owner travelled extensively, so the dog’s primary residence was a kennel where he was kept alone in an enclosure. He was literally ‘a caged animal’ and was uncontrollable when let out. We felt he needed our home so we adopted Chester.

Four months later, Chester remained wild. He had not responded to our care, love, and attention. This is when Ann Jackson came to our rescue. Over the following months Ann came to our home to teach the family (she insisted that every family member attend). We learned that, even after 17 years of dog ownership, we knew little about training a young dog. Chester eventually responded and exhibited the lovable character for which retrievers are known.

As a result of this experience, we became Ann Jackson spokespeople, only to find that there were many of us in West Vancouver. Ann was as renowned for her dog training skills as retrievers are for being the perfect family pet!

Ann and her husband live in Altamont where she was raised. They purchased her family property and built their home in the

1970s. I was always intrigued by her story and Ann agreed to share it.

At the age of 12, Ann inherited an untrained black lab and her parents suggested they have him trained by the police dog trainer.

Ann was fascinated by the training procedure and the resulting success. She took her first job at age 15 at the Ambleside Animal Hospital on Clyde with Dr. Laurenuk. After graduating from West Van Secondary, she started working at the veterinarian clinic in Park Royal while studying

agriculture and wildlife management at BCIT.

“During this time our spaniel had been recommended for euthanasia due to its serious behavioral problems,” Anne says. “I put the dog on an in-home boot camp. He was well exercised, put on a special diet, crated, and not given any unwarranted attention or affection.”

The dog responded within three months.

Ann decided to take the canine behavioural course at the University of Guelph and did animal research as an assistant technician at UBC. These experiences contributed to her specializing in problem dogs.

After marrying and raising her son, Ann joined Pat Power’s dog training classes as a trainer at St. Stephen’s church. When Pat retired in the 1980s, Ann took over the ser-

vices, and has maintained her dog and puppy training programs ever since. Her legendary reputation has spanned the North Shore for over 40 years. Instructors Allison and Caroline, whose combined experience working with Ann exceeds 40 years, work with seven assistants.

Private home training is still provided but most puppy owners prefer to socialize their dogs in classes, held in three North Shore locations. Training classes are held at St. Francis-in-the-Wood church in lower Caulfeild on Monday evenings and Friday mornings.

For in-home consultations and information on her Puppy Perfect classes call Ann at 604-922-3851 or visit www.annjackson.ca.

Trainer Allison with the Advanced Beginners class.

Photo: courtesy of Theresa Odishaw

Photo provided Ann with her spaniel.

The cottage that Francis Caulfeild built

One sunny day in 1898, Captain Cates took Francis Caulfeild and his daughter for a cruise in the S.S. Defiance along the North Shore. The captain put them ashore at Skunk Cove. Caulfeild was entranced by the beauty of the place. In addition, shrewd businessman that he was, it presented him with the prospect of making a princely sum by developing the land and selling off the lots at a handsome profit.

In 1900, after researching this business

prospect for some time, Francis Caulfeild purchased around 600 acres from J.B. Kerr for $22,000. A few months later he bought another 300 acres. Francis Mansbridge’s book, Cottages to Community, notes that he acquired 936 acres stretching from Cypress Creek to Klootchman Park on Howe Sound. He likely paid around $36 per acre for the entire package.

Caulfeild spent the next 10 years developing the land, subdividing it, laying out roads,

and installing a water system. In July 1910, he retained Richards, Akroyd and Gall, real estate agents in Vancouver, to market the land. Depending on location, half-acre lots could be bought for between $250 and $700.

Caulfeild is regularly commended for the tasteful and sensitive way in which he laid out this acreage, but what is generally overlooked is how much profit he made from this shrewd investment.

The potential $720,000 he would have grossed for the lots in 1910 would be worth $28 million in today’s dollars. We don’t know what he spent on development costs, but if they consumed even as much as half the profit, Francis Caulfeild must have returned to England in the 1930s with the equivalent of 10 or 15 million dollars in his pocket.

When he bought the land, there was only one house in the area, the pilot house, on the rocks where the anchor is. Three more

houses were built in short order. The first was the Red and White Store, which legend has it was run up by Captain Frank Kettle.

Kettle arrived in Caulfeild in 1907, to take over the operation of the pilotage after Tom Grafton was appointed lightkeeper at Point Atkinson. It is not clear in what order the houses were built after that. What is certain is that Francis Caulfeild built himself a cottage to live in while he developed his land. That cottage was Greyrocks, where 4765 Pilot House Road has stood these past one hundred and twenty years. The house is now a two-storey, 3500 square foot home but when Caulfeild first built it, it was just a three or four room bungalow. He located it atop the cliff, 25 feet above Pilot House Road.

Then Mrs. Caulfeild showed up. Now, not much is known about Mrs. Caulfeild. None of the old-timers who lived in Caulfeild village before the war remember her. Francis Caulfeild returned to England in the 1930s and died there in 1934. Presumably, Mrs. Caulfeild went with him. Rumour had it though, that the relationship between Francis Caulfeild and his wife could best be described as distant.

In any event, when the house was finished, Mrs. Caulfeild took one look at it and announced that she couldn’t possibly manage all those steps. Her request was firm. The house would have to be moved down to be relocated on the front lawn, where she could access it from the road without having to clamber up two dozen steps.

Exactly what exchange took place be-

Francis Caulfeild circa 1920.

Greyrocks on the upper part of the property.

Photos: courtesy of Vancouver Archives

DAVID ROBERTS

tween the Caulfeilds over this request remains unknown. What we do know is that the house was juggled onto a big sled and two horses were enlisted to haul it down onto the front lawn.

Mrs. Caulfeild walked into her house, now accessible without having to labour up all those steps. She walked over to the front

window. The view she had enjoyed when the house was 25 feet higher up was gone. She hadn’t thought about this when she demanded its relocation. Although she could see over to Point Grey, the view of the sea and the boats that plied the waters from Point Atkinson to the First Narrows was gone, hidden now by the rocks across the road. One can only imagine the dilemma this unpleasant discovery caused. Was she to put up with a house without a view or was she going to have to endure the embarrassment of pleading with her husband to summon back the horses and haul the house back to where it obviously belonged?

We know what she did, because for this past century, the house has been perched on top of the rock, enjoying its magnificent view of ships, seabirds and Point Grey.

There is a theory amongst some of the old-timers that the house was actually only moved once, having originally been built

in the front garden. This version of the story puts Mrs. Caulfeild in a better light. We do know that the house was moved at least once. There exists a photograph to prove it. But the two moves make for the more exciting legend and there must be some basis for the two-move story for it to have been put about the neighbourhood in the first place.

Ownership of the house is confusing until 1918. We know Francis Caulfeild built it in the early 1900s, but he soon moved into the Red and White Store and sold the house to the Grafton family. Tom Grafton became the lighthouse-keeper at Point Atkinson in 1909 and one of the pilots by the name of Moran, moved into the house. We don’t know if he

FROM THE INKWELL

rented it or bought it. In any event, Charles W. Nash bought it in 1918. He was a bachelor and reared Airedales for bear hunting.

In 1922, Frank and Mary Jane Kettle bought it. They seem to have paid $3,000 for it. They sold it to Catherine Harrison in 1928. The house passed to Martha Adair in 1933, then to Helen Adair Petrie and Mary Harrison in 1951 and to Mary Harrison and Margarete Dewar in 1958. The Adairs, the Harrisons and the Dewars were all related.

We bought Greyrocks from Mary Harrison and moved in on April 1, 1962. We lived in it for fifty-four years and brought up four children there.

Greyrocks on the lower lawn. The grey rock in the foreground.

Photo: courtesy of Vancouver Archives Greyrocks today.

Photo provided

Photo: courtesy of Vancouver Archives Roberts’ Greyrocks 1960s.

CHRIS ADSHEAD LOOKING BACK

A walk along Bay Street

Starting in the west at Nelson Avenue and Bay Street we “walk” east on the south side of Bay Street to Keith Road and the BC Ferry Terminal; the wharf, park, boat launch and Sewell’s are on the north side.

Three buildings in from the corner, is a home built in 1917. Over a four-year period (1974 to 1978) it was uniquely remodeled into a Frank Lloyd Wright inspired organic home by David Weiser, designer, and nowretired architect.

Beside it was Casa Del Mar, a delightful little seafront home, now replaced with a modern duplex. Next was Johnson’s Teahouse, currently a private home and beside that another single-family home, formerly a tearoom and later Rita’s Gift Shop. In

1963 an application to rezone the property to commercial zoning was rejected by council. However, it was sold in June 1968, as a store with an apartment on the second floor. Listed at $31,900 it sold for $25,000. Yes, real estate prices have changed.

Nestled between it and a large modern duplex (rumored to have once been the home of a famous Canadian-American actress), is a delightful pink cottage. A few steps east you’ll find Docs on the Bay. Before becoming a bustling clinic, it was the original Troller Pub. A busy spot that sometimes featured live music, darts championships, great pub food and a cozy nook shaped like a boat, it was BC’s first brewpub.

Now we pass the Olive and Anchor Res-

taurant, formerly Ya Ya’s Oyster Bar and long before that it was Benny’s Inn, a popular hangout for locals and visitors.

The Spirit Gallery is next. For many years, it was the Jay Cee shop, carrying a wide range of products, that always felt to me like an old fashioned five and dime store. When the tenant left in 1991, he seemed to turn the key and walk away, leaving stock and all the fixtures for the next tenant to sort out.

Since 1946, Troll’s Fish and Chips has stood on the corner of Royal and Bay, originally as a small building at a 45 degree angle to the corner.

Crossing Royal Avenue, after the second world war, you would have found the Red and White grocery store, replaced by a Texaco Gas Station in 1966. It was rebranded to an Esso in 1991 but closed in 2002. After a long period as a vacant building site, Galleries on the Bay opened there on June 13, 2008.

Next was a summer cottage, replaced by the sales office for Lindal Cedar Homes. After walking around this real cedar home, customers could order kits to be shipped to islands around Howe Sound. The house was moved up to the end of Argyle Avenue where it still stands. The current building was opened as Arigato Sushi and is now The Troller Ale House.

Almost at the corner of Keith Road and Bay Street were two popular businesses that have closed: The Sea to Sky Dollar Café (you always seemed to be able to find what you were looking for there) and Bay Moorings Restaurant, which opened in 1979. Gus and Irene’s food was always good and the staff friendly. On the ground floor Let’s Eat Café has now gone, but Blenz Café and BaskinRobbins ice cream are still there.

This short “walk” ends with the BC Ferries Terminal just across the road, but that’s another story.

WHEN: 3 to

WHERE: West Van Presbyterian Church (29th & Marine)

With

The Jay Cee shop circa 1987.

Photo: courtesy of Bill McPhee Bay Moorings.

Photo: Chris Adshead

Springtime is trishaw time

BY Ian Rose-Innes

Cycling Without Age North Shore commenced FREE rides for mobility challenged people on their three trishaws on April 17. They will continue to provide rides for residents of the 11 care residences they worked with in 2022 and welcome any other care residences to join the programme. To do this, contact David Sandals at david.sandles@cyclingwithoutage.ca.

They also invite people living in their own homes to join them for a ride. They offer transportation from your home to their pickup points, on a ride-by-donation basis. Call Silver Harbour at 604.980.2474 to register and arrange a ride.

Cycling Without Age North Shore invites cyclists to join their team of enthusiastic pilots; those who have a driver’s licence are invited to join their team of caring drivers who transport mobility challenged passengers to pick up points. Contact Ian

Rose-Innes at ian@cyclingwithoutage.ca for

more information.

Rides take place on safe multi-use trails and quiet streets. Group and family rides will be hosted this year on forest trails at Bridgeman Park and the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve, so plan a family outing with grandma or grandpa, and they can enjoy a ride with a child or grandchild as part of a fun excursion.

Donations can be made on the website, to cover the annual $3,000 operating costs. Tax receipts will be provided. Find out more about the programme by visiting the web site: https://cyclingwithoutage.ca/ northshore/

North Shore residents enjoying a trishaw ride at The Shipyards.

Photo provided

IAN MACPHERSON PSYCHED OUT

When common sense really isn’t

What would you think if one judge sentenced someone to a stiff prison term while another judge in an identical case gave the offender probation? Surveys reveal that this kind of variability in judgement is common, not just in the law, but in all areas of human endeavour, including medical diagnoses.

One study reported only 31% agreement in interpreting angiograms. Consistency on some conditions varies significantly not just between physicians but also within the same physician at different times.

Likewise, the financial industry. Data collected on insurance adjuster evaluations

showed radically disparate results when comparing identical claims.

Often when we think we are being most reasonable, we fall into traps. Our emotional states readily make pretzels out of logic. Faced with contradictory evidence, we become selectively blind and deaf. We rely on a small amount of information to reach a hasty conclusion.

If we did not engage in automatic fast thinking in our early evolution, we might have become a saber-toothed tiger’s lunch. We get into trouble, however, when we use this “quick and dirty” approach to oversimplify a complex situation. Such biases can be identified and corrected by training or education.

But the most problematic glitch in judgement is hidden. Missing sleep, too heavy a workload, worry, residual anger following an unpleasant personal event, can all affect our judgements in an indeterminate way. This is referred to as “noise.” Noise is always present, and largely invisible, so how can we manage it?

It has been useful in some situations to use strict criteria, avoiding creative intuition and gut feelings as guides. Objective scores and measurements are better than hunches.

When this is not possible, noise can be averaged out by combining independent opinions – several judges are better than one. Some organizations are now beginning to manage

Springtime is busy time in

Here are some of the many springtime gardening jobs for May and June:

• Keep an eye on your taller plants and provide staking or supports for them.

• Early May is a good time to move plants before the heat of summer when they would suffer considerable shock.

• Pinch back leggy growth and tips off perennials to promote bushy growth.

• Aphids are most likely out and about now on your roses and you can just rub them off or use an insecticidal soap. They like a nice mulch too and water only at the base in the morning. Check your nursery for a good fertilizer as they are heavy feeders to produce those gorgeous blooms!

• If you’re thinking about an herb garden, it usually does best

the garden

in full sun (4 hours).

• Mint should have its own pot as it is very invasive. When looking at labels go, for example, for true Greek oregano, French tarragon and English or lemon thyme, for the best flavour. Put out basil at the beginning of June as it requires considerable warmth. It is said that if herbs are grown on the slightly dry side, it intensifies their flavour.

• Faded daffodils can be dug up with a good amount of soil attached and heeled in elsewhere to die back completely. Try a little fish fertilizer on them, to encourage good performance next year.

• It’s a great time to plant dahlia tubers and insert a stake beside them.

• Mow lawn frequently now. At least once a week to encour-

noise by using algorithms and decision audits. Committees sometimes deliberately appoint one member as devil’s advocate. Increasingly too, artificial intelligence is being used to bypass noisy human decision making.

We can become less noisy by becoming more skeptical of our own infallibility and more open to alternative points of view. And even though the most highly trained professionals tend to be the least noisy, it is always best to get a second opinion.

Ian Macpherson is a psychologist who lives and practices in Caulfeild.More at www.westvancouvertherapist.com.

age dense growth and at 2.5 inches. Leave the cuttings as a natural source of nitrogen.

• Prune or deadhead shrubs and trees that have finished flowering now, before they set bud for next year.

• Mulch your rhododendrons and camellias with well-rotted compost closer to the drip line to help protect the roots from drying out.

• A favourite plant for this time is ‘Gaura,’ a grass-like perennial that puts out masses of white/pink small flowers off narrow-leafed stems all through summer in full sun. This is great when mass planted or in a large, low feature pot.

BRIAN POMFRET JOE GARDENER

Safeway is proud to support local farmers and producers. See our wide range of local products throughout the store.

ELSPETH BRADBURY BACKYARD

The merry month of May

Afistful of roasted cashews and a glass of cider accompany me on my afternoon tour of the garden, but it isn’t the bubbles alone that are giving me this buzz, this feeling that I might break into song and prance about. If you’d like to join me on this blue-sky day, we can enjoy happy hour together and make a toast to this merriest of months.

All around us fresh greenery is racing to grab good sun-bathing spots. Windflowers, spring snowflakes and merry-bells are eager to get in on the action. Starflowers and wood anemones are grinning at our feet and over there the trilliums are showing off their threepart leaves and neatly matching three-cornered flowers. Many of these

early comers harvest the sunlight hastily, suck its sustenance underground then fade away as overhead foliage blocks the rays. I love to think of them stashing away today’s energy in the dark, already anticipating next year’s whirlwind visit to our upper world of airy breezes and dappled light, our joyful world where everything alive is clamouring to join us in a sweet delirium of spring fever.

I hesitate to suggest that I have garden favourites, so I’ll lower my voice as I wax lyrical about the woodland peony that’s growing here beside us. The plant I’m adoring is, according to horticultural literature, a kneehigh clump of inverted egg-shaped flowers. Clump? Inverted egg-shaped? What kind of description is that? These immaculate chalices with their virginal petals cupping bosses of adorably red-tipped styles arranged neatly in exquisite frills of golden stamens, are (take a breath!) perfection. And if you’d like to follow me, we can feast our eyes on even more

ENTERTAINMENT

peony loveliness. A few spots of overnight rain are sparkling on the deep red globes of the cut-leaf peony, while the white tree peony is puffing out in a stunning display of froufrou extravagance.

All these flowers are fleeting. We in the western world tend to feel that blooms should last until we’ve had our money’s worth, but for me their ephemeral nature is part of the appeal. I’m not suggesting that all long-lived flowers are unworthy. The almost perpetual displays of butterfly orchids are a gift to home décor, and I grow some of my own. I’m only saying that I sometimes feel I should be dusting them, that less can be more, and that I’ll never be tempted to leave home on the few precious days when the peonies are in their prime (not even to visit Egmont or Tofino).

With our serotonin levels now thoroughly topped up we can trip lightly together through the garden singing snatches

Summer Breeze Summer Breeze

of English folk songs. If such old ditties are not about yuletide they are set in this merry month when spirits are blithe, the greenwoods gay, the dews dewy, the birds gladsome, the ploughmen jolly and the milkmaids invariably pretty.

We were up long before the day-o, to welcome in the summer, to welcome in the May-o…

I’m not sure about the words, so shall we whistle instead? Whistling goes well with a day like this, with sunshine and happy-golucky attitudes, which is probably why many societies frown on it, especially in relation to women. A laughably sexist saying claimed that a whistling woman and a crowing hen would never come to a good end, but I say go for it, hens! Whistle your happy hearts out! Whistle like ploughboys or like gypsy rovers or like our local robin who is pouring his heart out into the carefree air above our heads!

Illustrations by Elspeth Bradbury

Goldie, the cryogenic goldfish

Amanda won Goldie, a lively freshwater goldfish, at her elementary school’s Fun Fair. I felt a sense of foreboding as we drove her home. Already, my youngest had named and assigned a sex to her. Now, she was cooing, and cuddling the fish lovingly in the small, plastic sandwich bag in which she arrived.

We rushed to the nearest pet store to buy her a goldfish bowl. We’d need to decant her as soon as we got home. We also bought some accessories to furnish her new condo and make it homey: a tiny plastic castle, with doors and windows she could swim through. Sand. Wavy plastic plants, and, of course, food!

The transfer to her new home was a success. Marred only by the greedy interest of our cat, Catty Puss, who crept up on the aquarium whenever we weren’t looking, to practice his fishing skills. We solved that by placing a chopping board across the bowl whenever we weren’t around to police it.

It was hard to keep Amanda, and her best friend, Alexandra, from over-feeding Goldie. Like all new mothers, they wanted to stuff their baby. Goldie didn’t help by racing to the surface, mouth wide open, every time they tapped the food container enticingly above the water.

Eventually, of course, overfeeding took its toll. Goldie plumped up. No longer able to flit through the windows and doors of her castle, she swanned around, always alert for the next feed. The inevitable happened. One morning, the children came down to the kitchen, and discovered her floating, lifeless, on top of the water.

The idea of flushing her down the toilet, for a “Burial at Sea”, as brother Edward heartlessly proposed, was rejected with shrieks and howls of “No!” Instead, the girls resolved to give her a proper Christian burial in the rose garden. Alexandra, a well-schooled Catholic at the time, officiated.

They wrapped Goldie in a shroud of shiny silver foil and placed her reverently in a matchbox coffin. Then they retired to the porch swing. They cupped the coffin tenderly, prayed and sang a litany of dirge-like songs and prayers, till Alexandra ran out of funeral repertoire. They marched Goldie to her grave in the rose bed and planted her in her final resting place.

“Requiem aeternan,” said Alexandra triumphantly.

She crossed herself several times. They both said “Amen,” and returned to the porch swing to finish mourning. Closing their eyes, they honored Goldie in silence. But couldn’t hide their expressions of pride and satisfaction at the sendoff they’d given her.

“I’ll go make the funeral feast.”

I patted Amanda’s shoulder and tiptoed toward the kitchen door. I didn’t make it. The girls began screaming again.

“Catty Puss! Bad cat! Drop her! Bad! Bad! Bad!”

I rushed back. “What’s he done now?”

The girls were racing to the bushes at the edge of the garden. Catty Puss had been hiding there throughout the ceremony, waiting to see what was being buried. He tore open the matchbox he’d dug up and chomped on the silver shroud. The girls shrieked and

Friday May 12, 2023

Doors at 7:30pm | Dancing at 8pm

chased him away. Catty Puss dropped his prey, shot up a tree, and disappeared into the neighbour’s garden.

The girls were inconsolable. They retrieved the matchbox and corpse, and walked, sobbing, back to the swing.

“He spoiled the funeral,” they wept.

“Oh no,” I consoled them. “You did such a good job! I’m sure Goldie appreciated it. Come on! Let’s do it over again. I’ll keep Catty Puss away!”

“No!” sobbed Amanda. “It’s ruined! We can’t do it again!”

“Well, maybe not today,” I said. “Tomorrow, maybe? Or later? For now, we’ll put Goldie in the freezer. She’ll stay fresh until you’re ready to bury her again.”

“OK,” said the girls. They didn’t sound

convinced. But they were comforted by the promise of tea and cookies. We put her little body in the freezer and closed the door. Out of sight, out of mind. We all forgot about her. For weeks. No, months.

Then one day, Eddie came home from school, hungry. Finding nobody around to help with a snack, he scrounged for inspiration. In the freezer, he found the small silver packet he thought contained a leftover sardine. He ate it.

“Mom,” he said later. “That sardine in the freezer tasted yukky.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “How about a peanut butter and jelly sandwich instead?”

Sometimes, it’s best to let sleeping goldfish lie.

Illustration by Anne Baird

ANNE BAIRD ANNE’S CORNER

Exploring marine archeology in West Vancouver

BY Laura Anderson

British Columbia’s coast has a rich cultural history and prehistory stretching back through time. Human migration from Siberia across the Bering Land Bridge began when sea levels were significantly lower than they are today. However, the southern coastal region could not be settled until some 11,000 to 7,000 years ago, when the Cordilleran ice sheet had retreated, and sea levels reached near present-day levels.

During the early Holocene period, Indigenous peoples moved to this region, adapting to the changing maritime environment and its copious resources. Their communities were well established, with seasonal harvesting sites and other resource sustainability practices in place by the time

European explorers arrived in the late 1700s and colonial settlement began to take root.

On Wednesday, May 10, Christopher Amer will be at West Vancouver Memorial Library, talking about the uses of the maritime environment by these various cultures with reference to archaeological sites along the West Vancouver shoreline into Howe Sound, and the recently established Atl’ka7tsem /Howe Sound Biosphere Reserve.

Born in Vancouver and raised in West Vancouver, Christopher is a graduate of Simon Fraser University and the Nautical Archaeology Program at Texas A&M University. Before returning home to West Vancouver, he was South Carolina’s state underwater archaeologist and head of the Maritime Research Division of the University of South Carolina’s Institute of

Archaeology and Anthropology.

Christopher’s May 10 presentation, from 6-7:30pm, completes West Vancouver Historical Society’s Local Voices series and leads into the upcoming series on environ-

mental heritage.

While the event is free, registration is required. For more information, call 604.925.7400 or email info@westvanlibrary.ca.

Amer ready for another dive.

Photos provided

Christopher Amer

Rotary Ride For Rescue

The 12th Annual Saturday, June 10th 2023

REGISTER NOW!

Summit Cypress Mountain this Spring in support of North Shore Rescue and Rotary Humanitarian Causes, Scan the QR code for more information to register or to make a

Summit Cypress Mountain this spring in support of North Shore Rescue and Rotary Humanitarian Causes. Scan the QR code for more information, to register, or to make a donation. Train, fundraise, conquer and celebrate with us this June.

Train, fundraise, conquer and celebrate with us this June.

rotaryrideforrescue.org

www.rotaryrideforrescue.org

Experience Luxury Living

When we say PARC life is your best life, we don’t expect you to take our word for it. Instead, we want you to try it for yourself!

PARC experience stays allow seniors to sample all the comforts of our lifestyle and suites – with no cost or commitment. Come and gaze at our beautiful views, taste our flavour-packed, chef-made cuisine and experience the freedom of having your every need taken care of. You’ll feel at home from the moment you walk through our doors.

Your experience stay comes packaged with all of our exclusive PARC Active Living™ programs, including a state-of-the-art seniors gym, fitness classes, art and cultural programs, an onsite Wellness Nurse, complimentary transportation and more. And unlike experience stays offered at other senior living communities, the PARC Experience is immersive, lasting up to two weeks.

Westerleigh: 604.922.9888

SCAN ME!

In the 13 years that I’ve helped my clients buy and sell homes here, I’ve always felt that I’m not just selling a home, I’m selling a lifestyle. When I move someone into a new home, the process doesn’t end with me handing them the keys; I’m involved in connecting them with their new community - my community. I was fortunate to grow up in Eagle Harbour and my husband, in Horseshoe Bay. Our son and daughter learn in the same classrooms that we did at Gleneagles - it doesn’t get more local than that. Since childhood I’ve been familiar with the trails, parks and beaches that my family enjoys today. I feel very fortunate to have fashioned a successful career doing what I love to do in this beautiful area I call home and I would love to help your family buy or sell the West Coast dream... because I believe it is.

6239 WELLINGTON AVE

This beautifully renovated 7 bdrm / 5 bthrm / 5,528 SF Kelvin Grove home boasts incredible panoramic views on all 3 levels. Hidden below the street for maximum privacy, this home reveals its magnificence the moment you step inside. 3 bdrms up; an impressive main floor with a 1000+ SF sundeck; TWO spacious 2 bdrm suites. Lots of updates, a detached garage and a separate studio.

Experience luxury coastal living in this completely renovated 3 bdrm / 4 bthrm / 2467 SF home. This architectural masterpiece boasts br eathtaking ocean views from every room. Every detail has been well thought out, from the vaulted ceilings to the floor-to-ceiling oriel windows and skylights that flood the home w/ natural light. Walking distance to Garrow Bay, school, local shops, restaurants & transit.

Horseshoe Bay Sanctuary by Westbank is a vibrant waterfront community framed by nature. This brand new 2 bdrm / 1 bthrm / 941 SF suite boasts 500 SF of outdoor space & ocean views. Features include 10” ceilings, travertine stone fireplace, Miele appliances, granite slab countertops & wide plank floors. Steps to unique shops & restaurants. Complete with private boathouse & a 26ft Chris Craft boat for your leisure.

Inhabit the essence of majestic Lions Bay in this one-of-a-kind 4 bedroom home surrounded by unparalleled ocean and nature views. Imagine entertaining friends and family on your large viewing deck or flat, grassy yard. A warm community awaits you - just a short walk to three beautiful beaches, trails, community hall, general store, café and pre and primary school (in West Vancouver school catchment).

This impressive 6 bdrm / 4 bthrm / 3725 SF West Coast residence is perched on a spectacular 14,228 SF lot with sweeping SW views of Howe Sound. Upstairs features 3 spacious bdrms, main level boasts an open kitchen/dining/living room with incredible vaulted ceilings, large picture windows & sliders to an expansive entertaining deck and lower level offers great suite potential. Complete with garage & carport.

First time ever on the market, this home was lovingly built by its owners in 1969, who still reside in the house today. This 4 bdrm / 3 bthrm / 2833 SF residence is situated on a private treed lot set back far from the street at the end of a flat, quiet cul-de-sac. Well maintained and lots of updates in this beautiful home. Enjoy the peace and tranquillity of your very own slice of nature.

LIONS BAY

LIONS BAY

LIONS BAY

NORTH VANCOUVER

HORSESHOE BAY

$3.95M

HORSESHOE BAY