I realized that I let my 6-year “blogiversary” slip past me yesterday as it was on November 22nd 2004 that I wrote my first blog post. I had the site up on Blogger for a while before that and had no idea what to publish. What I ended up posting was random and scattered. I spoke of rain, trains, and pancakes with candles made of butter. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
Holland Park in Surrey has become a central celebration site for festivals, seasonal activities, and community events. On November 30th you can join Mayor Dianne Watts for a Tree Lighting Ceremony complete with face-painting, hot beverages, family activities, fire dancers, a children’s choir and various other entertainment.
When Tuesday, November 30th from 5:00pm until 7:00pm
Where Holland Park at King George Highway & 100th (Old Yale Road)
The public are also encouraged to bring along non-perishable items to donate to the Surrey Food Bank.
For most of my life, the only time I had ever spent in the Nanaimo are was either at Departure Bay or Duke Point ferry terminals. Nanaimo is a port for vessels carrying tourists, travellers and commuters however in recent years its own downtown core has become known as a great place to eat, shop, and live. During our recent girls getaway to Victoria, we stopped off in Nanaimo for the first day to explore what this burgeoning arts and culinary community has to offer.
The Harbour City is split into several districts and in one afternoon of walking around we hit the Waterfront, Old City Quarter, and Arts District.
Mon Petit Choux Bakery
Location: 101 – 120 Commercial St.
Website: MonPetitChoux.ca
When walking into this “little corner of Paris” in Nanaimo you get a bear-hug of aromas from fresh-baked bread and buttery croissants. I enjoyed an Americano and a delicious Croque-Madam to get my morning going. The owner is very passionate about real, fresh, organic and local ingredients going into their food. There is even a mission statement posted on the cafe’s window that reiterates her message to passersby. Mon Petit Choux is the smaller sibling to The Wesley Street Cafe up in the Old City Quarter.
Vancouver Island Conference Centre
Location: 101 Gordon Street
Website: VIConference.com
While we weren’t there to attend any keynote sessions, the sign out front at the conference centre advertised a unique showing of E.J. Hughes’ Malaspina mural. Completed in 1938 it was recently restored after being discovered at the historic Malaspina Hotel prior to its demolition. The conference centre serves not only as a meeting place, but also an extension of the Nanaimo Art Gallery for city expositions, complimenting the Nanaimo Museum just across the street.
Barton and Leier Gallery
Location: 99 Chapel Street
Website: BartonandLeierGallery.com
This colourful boutique and gallery shimmers, shines, and dazzles with local and international pieces. Paintings and hand-made jewelry adorn the walls while trinkets, chains, ornaments and accessories hang all around.
2 Chefs Affair
Location: 123 Commercial Street
Website: DNBIA
Only a month old this new bistro cafe specializes in eat-in and take-out lunches prepared by a husband and wife team. After some very sweet treats throughout the day their “Smokin’ Hot” clubhouse sandwich was exactly what I needed to re-charge.
Throughout our walk we ducked into independent shoe stores, home decor meccas, clothing shops, and a European specialty deli. Every proprietor was around to greet us, tell us about their latest collections, and chat about their passion — whether it was fresh-baked breads, imported squid-ink pasta, or the cozy knit sweaters. Old architecture and traditions mixed with modern concepts around every turn. It easily convinced me that Nanaimo can be a day-trip destination from Metro Vancouver by ferry or float plane.
During this walking tour we also paused to get a tea leaf reading and explored a few stops along the Nanaimo Bar Tour, which I’ll cover in future posts.
Follow all articles from our girls getaway in Nanaimo and Victoria this November by viewing my Vancouver Island category.
As temperatures dip below freezing and beyond, thoughts turn to those on Vancouver’s streets and their need to keep warm this winter. Nood in Gastown has launched a campaign along with the Salvation Army that will supply Vancouver’s less fortunate with at the very least, a warm pair of socks.
Nood customers are invited to participate in The Red Sock Project by purchasing a pair of wool socks for $2 in-store or online. Socks purchased in-store will be delivered to the local Salvation Army who will distribute them throughout Vancouver. This is a simple way to help out — especially if you live or work in the area, or can spare just a few minutes to click the online donation button.
You can follow @NoodDesign and @SalvationArmy on Twitter for updates this season. Nood locations in the Lower Mainland include 151 Water Street in Gastown, #10 – 20070 Langley By-Pass, 500-801 Marine Drive in North Vancouver, and 4568 Kingsway in Burnaby.
The Ross Bay Cemetery is frequently mentioned on tours around Victoria as big buses and double-deckers cruise past the historic resting place that sits beside the ocean. It wasn’t until this past weekend that I had the chance to get out of my vehicle and take a frosty walk around to pay my respects to some of BC’s most notable historic figures and pioneers.
Damp moss topped with leaves crunched underfoot as Keira and I explored for almost two hours. Some tombstones were illegible due to erosion while other graves were marked with wooden crosses or masterful monuments. Moss grew out of stone etchings, revealing names that would have otherwise disappeared. Flowers and candles lay near the sites of departed loved ones while neighbours strolled through with their children or on their bikes that chilled Sunday morning.
Pioneers, HBC notables, Navy personnel, artists, magnates, First Nations and early immigrants rest in peace in various plots, separated by paved pathways. I downloaded a map from the Ross Bay website as a guide so that I could find some of those I have researched or profiled in my history pieces. However, we simply spent most of our time considerately meandering around the markers in silence.
Helmcken
Dr. John Sebastian Helmcken was a surgeon with the Hudson’s Bay Company. Helmcken Street in Vancouver is named after him.
Richards
Albert Norton Richards was the second Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia from 1876 to 1881. Richards Street in Vancouver is named after him.
Dunsmuir
Robert Dunsmuir was a coal magnate on Vancouver Island. His son, James Dunsmuir, was also a Premier of British Columbia. You can learn more about the Dunsmuir family by visiting Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria. Dunsmuir Street in Vancouver is named after him.
Douglas
Sir James Douglas is known as the “Father of British Columbia”. Presiding over all Hudson’s Bay Company territories West of the Rockies, Douglas was Governor of the colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia. Douglas Street in Victoria is named after him.
Robson
John Robson was Premier of British Columbia from 1889-1892. Robson Street in Vancouver is named after him.
Barker
William “Billy” Barker was a pioneer in the Cariboo and namesake of Barkerville.
Emily Carr
Emily Carr is a world-famous BC artist who was also an author and lover of nature. Pens, pencils, bits of cloth and paintbrushes have been left at her gravestone by visitors so we offered up a tribute as well.
Carr was recently immortalized in a statue in front of Victoria’s Fairmont Empress Hotel and the Emily Carr University of Art & Design is named after her. Written on stone is a poem by Emily Carr, installed by the Old Cemeteries Society of Victoria.
“Dear Mother Earth, I have always specifically belonged to you. I have loved from babyhood to roll upon you, to lie with my face pressed right down onto you in my sorrows. I love the look of you and the smell of you and the feel of you. When I die, I should like to be in you, uncoffined, unshrouded, the petals of flowers against my flesh and you covering me up.”
Although BC’s history lives on all around us, it can be found in abundance within this single place in our Province’s capital. Each name tells a story and through each namesake, their pioneering legacy lives on.
Read Keira’s Island Profile of the Ross Bay Cemetery.
