LIFE AT ITS FINEST
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An Echo in the Architecture of Thought 2011, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 72 in.
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he readers of the automotive magazine auto motor und sport (ams) have cast their votes and chosen the “Best Cars of 2012.� Overall victory went to the Audi A4 and A5 among mid-size vehicles. The awards were presented in Stuttgart, Germany.
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CONTENTS April 2012 Issue 4, Volume XXII
FEATURES 12
Kindergarteners Take a hike By Shannon Moneo
22
I am my father’s keeper And I am not alone By Alisa Gordaneer
22
42
COLUMNS 18
HAWTHORN Righting a past wrong By Tom Hawthorn
20
STATE OF THE ARTS Nurses add meaning to the art of healing By Alisa Gordaneer
48
DEPARTMENTS 8
CONTRIBUTORS Meet some of our writers
10
EDITOR’S LETTER Let nature be your teacher
11
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Making powerful connections
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SOCIAL CAPITAL Great gardens for ogling By Alex Van Tol
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36
COWICHAN The horse sense of Peter Holmes By Marilyn McCrimmon FRONT ROW The Limners’ Legacy; Maria Stuarda opera; God of Carnage; and more By Robert Moyes
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CREATIVE MINDS A musical trifecta for Yariv Aloni By Tess Van Straaten
48
HOT PROPERTIES A home that embraces all life’s stages By Carolyn Heiman
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67
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DESIGN MATTERS Shedding light on twilight blooms By Sarah MacNeill BOULEVARD BOOK CLUB Jack Hodgins: A hard act to follow By Brennan Clarke and Adrienne Dyer HEALTH & FITNESS Diet myths, debunked By Pamela Durkin
84 74
TECHNOLOGIA Pennywise products By Darryl Gittins
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TRAVEL NEAR The Sunshine Coast Trail By Jane Mundy
81
TRAVEL FAR Stupendous Petra By Marianne Scott
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FOOD & WINE Fresh eggs, cracking good By Maryanne Carmack
88
WRY EYE Confessions of credulity By Anne Mullens
90
SECRETS & LIVES Jack Lohman, no museum piece By Shannon Moneo
On our cover: Five-year-old Gwynn Gittins peers through ferns at Mount Douglas Park. Photo by Dean Azim.
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lIFE AT ITS FINEST
President John Simmons Vice President Mary-Ellen Echle Managing Editor Anne Mullens Associate Editor Vivian Smith Acting Art Director Sarah Reid Business Manager Janet Dessureault Production Assistant Melissa Cross Administrative Coordinator Kayleigh von Wittgenstein Editorial Intern Karolina Karas Printing Central Web Advertising Mary-Ellen Echle, Pat Montgomery-Brindle, Geoff Wilcox, Scott Simmons Contributing Writers Maryanne Carmack, Adrienne Dyer, Darryl Gittins, Alisa Gordaneer, Tom Hawthorn, Carolyn Heiman, Sarah MacNeill, Sharon McLean, Shannon Moneo, Robert Moyes, Alex Van Tol Contributing Photographers Dean Azim, Vince Klassen, Gary McKinstry
ISSN 1196-6807
After a 15-year career as a reporter and magazine writer, Brennan Clarke is now a communications officer with the provincial government. He is also focusing his creative energy on writing fiction, humour and travel pieces, as well as continuing as an accomplished singer and musician. A graduate of UVic’s writing co-op program, Clarke somehow neglected to take a class from Jack Hodgins, the esteemed Victoria novelist he profiles this month. Writer Alisa Gordaneer’s story about home care, and her State of the Arts column about art by nurses, connect much in her life these days. As an instructor at UVic, Camosun, and Royal Roads, she helps students create stories, poems and essays, but says she barely feels qualified to provide the heartbreakingly vital help that caregivers, nurses, and support workers give every day. “From my Dad’s journey, I’ve learned again that having an artistic practice — painting, or writing, or music, or whatever gives you a personal mission — is crucial for survival, not just through illness, but for every hectic day.” (Photo: Marc Christensen) Gary McKinstry, one of our contributing photographers extraordinaire, has been shooting for Boulevard for 20 years. “One of the reasons I remain so enthusiatic about my profession is it gives me the constant opportunity to interact with so many artistic and interesting people,” says McKinstry, who photographed renowned artist James Gordaneer for his daughter Alisa Gordaneer’s elder-care story.
When Shannon Moneo interviewed Richard Louv for her Nature Kindergarten story, one comment struck her. “The more high-tech our lives become, the more nature we need,” he said. So true, says Moneo, who savours turning off her laptop for the weekend and going on long hikes. To bookend Louv’s advice, Moneo’s Secrets & Lives subject this month, the accomplished Jack Lohman, shuns TV, preferring to retreat to the world of paper-bound books, where imagination reigns. “We’re lucky to live in a place where both the great outdoors and grand booksellers are as accessible as a Wi-Fi hotspot,” says Moneo.
EDITOR’S LETTER “Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher,” poet William Wordsworth urged a friend some 200 years ago, telling him to take his head out of his books and get outside to enjoy a beautiful evening. Time spent in nature not only spurs health and happiness, he wrote, but teaches us more “than all the sages can.” My mother, still vigorous at 85, preaches much the same thing. “Reading inside on such a lovely day? Get outside!” We grew up napping on our front porch, even in the thick of a Toronto winter, a practice that, along with enforced daily outdoor play, she swears kept her four daughters healthy. I was sick so rarely that in Grade 6 I resorted to drinking a cap of VO5 shampoo, on a friend’s counsel, in the hope I might get ill enough to stay home to watch The Dating Game, a then-two-year-old show that all my friends talked about but I had yet to see. (Read about the impact of my childhood TV deprivation in this month’s Wry Eye.) Alas, my inane imbibing did not let me watch the show nor fool my mother — the bubbles gave me away. She settled my stomach with a glass of milk and booted me out the door to school, saying: “The fresh air will make you feel better.” The restorative, instructive power of nature is a recurring theme in literature and this month Boulevard joins the chorus. Shannon Moneo writes about “nature deficit disorder” and how we all might feel better if we spent more time outdoors. In fact, Moneo writes, a new outdoor kindergarten starts in Sooke next fall that has parents clamouring for spots for their kids. We thank Gwynn Gittins, the five-year-old daughter of Technologia columnist Darryl Gittins, for posing on the cover for the story concept on a chilly day in February. In Design Matters, Sarah MacNeill writes about her rejuvenation through nature and the growing lure of twilight gardening. Music, too, has restorative powers and so we profile the remarkable work of Yariv Aloni and his three local orchestras, all of which perform this month. Other stories include the moving account by Alisa Gordaneer of her artist father’s encounters with the medical system and the challenges of compassionate, effective elder-care in the region. And Alex Van Tol guides us to lovely public gardens full of spring blooms. In fact, such a garden might be just the spot to get outside, sit and breathe in the fresh air, and read this month’s issue of Boulevard. VB Anne Mullens, Managing Editor 10
YOUR LETTERS Making powerful connections I have received numerous — all very positive — messages about the article (Creative Minds, January 2012) on my work in community-based economies. Jody Paterson’s piece created an interest in community/grassroots alternatives, which I think is good, as we need the economy to work for people! Many colleagues and friends (including my dentist’s office) got extra copies for me. I am impressed by the wide circulation of Boulevard. It plays an important role in connecting places such as the university with the wider community. Ana Maria Peredo
Telling it like it is on Victoria filmmaking Thank you for including the article about the film industry in Victoria. The article was very well written and really tells it how it is. We look forward to many more movies being filmed in Victoria. Lesley Cook, Director Vancouver Island South Film & Media Commission
What about the sparkling Nora Ephron? Great idea having three film buffs give their selection of favourite DVDs. But why no Nora Ephron? I think she is brilliant. I’ve seen a lot of movies since my first one (Pinocchio) more than 70 years ago. When Harry Met Sally, Julie and Julia, City Slickers, Sleepless in Seattle — my “top ten” would include one or two of these. They make me laugh, lift my spirits, and make me feel young again. That must be good for anyone. Martin Shore
What's your story? Find out here: In our story about Victoria’s new media entrepreneurs in the March issue, we gave an email address for Margaret Doyle when we should have listed her website. For more information on how Doyle helps organizations tell stories across multiple platforms, go to whatisyourstory.ca.
We want you! Boulevard is creating a Volunteer Board of interested readers and Victoria citizens. The group would meet a few times a year for focused discussions, to give feedback, and to share ideas. If you would like to volunteer for such a board, send an email to editor@victoriaboulevard.com or drop a letter to our office. Tell us about yourself and why you'd like to be involved. All correspondence will be acknowledged. We also welcome readers’ letters to the same email on any of our content or to suggest a story you'd like to see us cover. 11
Everything they need to know, these Sooke kids are learning in an outdoor kindergarten BY Shannon Moneo PHOTOGRAPHY BY dean azim
I
t was an exceptional call. Late last year a parent in Vancouver called Frances Krusekopf, principal of curriculum and programs for the Sooke School District, to tell Krusekopf her family would move to Colwood if her son was accepted into a new program being piloted by the Sooke School District. Debuting in September at Sangster Elementary School, the program will be known as Nature Kindergarten. Each weekday morning a teacher, an early childhood educator and 22 five-year-olds will romp around Royal Roads University’s lagoon, forest and streams in all but severe weather, learning as they go. The students will return to their portable classroom for lunch and their afternoon session. 12
In fact, the demand was so high for the coveted spots in the program that this past February, when temperatures were below zero, more than a dozen parents camped out overnight on the steps of the Sooke School District Office prior to the registration day. Parents began staking out their spot in line more than 18 hours before the office opened. Nature Kindergarten is part of an emerging movement whose adherents believe that being regularly exposed to nature, at any age, tends to make people more physically and emotionally healthy. And the best way to maximize the impact of time spent in nature is to start young, with adults helping small children to look in awe at a bug or leaf, or letting them muck a stick in a pond or tidal pool, their cheeks pink from fresh air.
In September 2012, 22 five-yearolds will spend half their kindergarten class outdoors.
“There’s a great deal of interest in a program that offers an outdoor alternative especially from families that value the outdoor learning philosophy,” says Krusekopf, who characterizes interest in the program as voracious. She’s had calls from as far as Newfoundland about it. Krusekopf twigged to the concept during a three-month trip to Munich in 2010, while her son Niko was attending one of Germany’s long-established Waldkindergärten or forest preschools. Each day the curious and impressionable children walked along the river, identifying plants and animals, noticing subtle changes in their environment and becoming fit and independent. “It was amazing to watch children be in any kind of weather and be completely content,” Krusekopf recalls. 13
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When Germans discovered that Krusekopf was from Canada, they were flabbergasted that such a program didn’t exist in a country known for its natural abundance. It wasn’t difficult for Krusekopf to get the green light for her green project from Sooke School District superintendent Jim Cambridge after she planted the Nature Kindergarten seed in January 2011. But “The more high-tech our Cambridge came at it from lives become, the more another angle, having read and been influenced by Richard nature we need.” Says Louv’s ground-breaking 2005 Richard Louv. book Last Child in the Woods, which introduced the oft-quoted and now trademarked term “nature-deficit disorder.” In the book, Louv writes that children need to be exposed to nature to be physically and emotionally healthy. Cambridge, a former school principal, was fearful that today’s over-protected, over-digitized children, more accustomed to indoor pursuits, wouldn’t have the coping and decision-making skills necessary to thrive as adults. “There’s a huge benefit to technology but it needs to be balanced with non-screen time, getting dirty, playing in the mud. If children are told to never stand on a log, they don’t take the risks,” Cambridge says. Nature Kindergarten will allow children to make decisions and learn from them, he said. To help build the program, Krusekopf assembled a team from the University of Victoria, UBC, Royal Roads University, Royal BC Museum and even CRD Parks, which is providing training on how to manage outdoor risks. One risk-related challenge the team has faced is adults’ misconception that danger, be it a bear, cougar, falling tree, big wave, kidnapper or killer lurks at every corner. But research has shown that it’s a safer world today than a generation ago, Krusekopf says. The man who alerted Cambridge agrees. “In the US, violent crime against children has been going down for the last 20 years. What’s been going up is the 24-hour news coverage. We’re being conditioned to be afraid,” Louv says in an interview from his San Diego home. Then there’s our addiction to technology. “The more hightech our lives become, the more nature we need,” Louv stresses. Not immune to the lure of gadgets, Louv admits he has to pull himself away from screens and make himself go for a hike. So, adults too are nature-starved thanks to constant screen diets, a point driven home during a speaking engagement in Seattle, when a woman accosted Louv and told him big kids suffer from nature-deficit disorder. Louv realized that unless adults are full players, the move to get children outside won’t reach its full potential. His second book, The Nature Principle, urges adults to tap into the restorative powers of nature. “We need nature. We don’t do so well when we don’t have it,” he says.
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Yet, when it comes to defining “nature� even scientists have a difficult time, Louv notes. His definition? Anytime he’s in a meaningful relationship with a species not his own. A sterile soccer field or golf course doesn’t qualify, but the space along the edges might. In a nod to changing, environmentally conscious interests, Louv says baby boomers don’t want golf courses in their retirement communities. “They want nature trails,� he says. He cites a study of one group of people who exercised on a treadmill in a gym and a second group that did “green exercising� (hiking, calisthenics) outside. Both groups burned the same number of calories but the outside cohort displayed better blood pressure and other health indicators than the inside automatons. Cambridge knows well the fun that comes with being outside. A triathlete, he says there’s nothing he and fellow runners like better than splashing through puddles during a trail run. “I wear a suit all the time. It’s kind of fun to get muddy even if I’m 56,� he says. One Canadian organization that builds on Louv’s work is the Victoria-based Child and Nature Alliance, where Louv is an honorary chairman. Launched in March 2009, the alliance’s goal is to build strategies and affiliations that reconnect Canadian children and youth to nature. Throughout Canada, there wasn’t a unified voice, says the alliance’s executive director Becs Hoskins. The alliance has partnered with several organizations such as Participaction, the
Canadian Parks Council and the U.S.-based Children and Nature Network, of which Louv is a founder. While those organizations already have an entrenched concept that nature and getting outside are important, the alliance also reaches out to sectors, such as land-use planning and health, that aren’t fully recognizing the full benefits of nature, Hoskins says. “It’s not just nice to go outside. It’s a core component to health. For us, it’s a deliberate need to make sure the conversation is happening,� she adds. The conversation in the Sooke School District continues as planning for Nature Kindergarten progresses. The twoyear pilot project has an $80,000 budget to pay the early childhood educator $40,000 each year. The teacher’s salary and benefits will be covered with existing funding. Another $3,900 annually has been budgeted to pay for rain jackets, overall pants, hiking boots and backpacks for each of the 22 students ($177 each), who will be outside in all weather. Funding for outdoor clothing will come via grants, which will also fund honorariums for native elders who will teach the children traditional native ways. While it’s a pilot project, Cambridge says it’s hoped the Ministry of Education will acknowledge Nature Kindergarten’s benefits and fund it provincially in every BC school district. Healthier students become healthy adults who cost the health-care system less and who know how to protect the environment, Cambridge says. VB
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hawthorn By Tom Hawthorn
A Vic
High honour comes 70 years after Yon Shimizu was barred from graduating THE SHIMIZU Rice Mills, at 1625 Store St., sold canned goods and other non-perishable foods imported from Asia. The tiny storefront on the corner of Fisgard did a thriving business because it was a rare outlet for a dietary staple. “My father got brown rice from Japan and then he milled the brown off in a machine he had,� recalls Yoshiro Shimizu, who ate rice every day of his childhood. The store was opened about 1915 by Kiyoshi Shimizu and his wife, Hana, immigrants from the Miyagi prefecture in Japan (the area devastated last year by the tsunami.) Hana bore 10 children. A daughter succumbed to the Spanish flu but six boys and three girls survived to adulthood. Now, only the youngest remains, 88-year-old Yoshiro, known as Yon, born in 1924, a retired businessman who lives in Wallaceburg, Ont. He is a last living witness to what his family endured 70 years ago this spring. The family lived upstairs from the store that bore their name, working and studying hard to gain a foothold in their new home. Yon flogged copies of the Daily Times every afternoon at a downtown street corner after delivering the newspaper to his 20 customers. He saved his pennies and nickels for a second-hand bicycle to ride to Victoria High. During his senior year, events on the other side of the globe caused his world to collapse. Imperial Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and then Canadians garrisoned in a hopeless defensive position at Hong Kong were killed or captured. In British Columbia, the RCMP shut down three Japaneselanguage newspapers. Fishing boats were seized and language 18
schools shuttered. The light atop the Japanese-Canadian memorial in Stanley Park — commemorating those who had fought and died for Canada in the Great War — was extinguished. All persons of Japanese ancestry were ordered to report to the Registrar of Enemy Aliens. Yon was classified as a Canadian-born enemy alien, but was no enemy nor alien. It got worse. Their businesses and homes were seized. The Shimizus were ordered from Victoria, taking a single suitcase each. They were housed in poor conditions at the Hastings Park exhibition grounds in Vancouver before being dispatched to ghost towns in the BC Interior, where they were interned for the duration of the war. Similar scenes played out up and down the coast, from Salt Spring Island to Cumberland on Vancouver Island to Prince Rupert in the north. The mass evacuation came after decades of propaganda from politicians and editorialists about a “yellow peril” threatening “white” Canada, all noticed by a teenager at Vic High. “You grow up with an inferiority complex,” Shimizu said. “You know you’re not the most popular race in the province.” He got permission from the RCMP to complete his senior year, but that was rescinded. He loaded his possessions into a duffel bag, carefully folding his beloved basketball singlet. He began an odyssey of unpaid labour at bush camps, logging camps and sugar-beet farms in Ontario. The fear of the “yellow peril” was unwarranted. Not a single act of sabotage was even attempted by a Japanese Canadian. Yet even after the war ended, Japanese Canadians were not permitted to return to Victoria or elsewhere on the West Coast until 1949. Their seized property was sold without permission. Some fortunes were enhanced in this city and on the Gulf Islands by those who profited from the government’s actions. The Shimizus never returned to Victoria. Shimizu became a successful business executive in Ontario, eventually earning a master’s degree. He visited Victoria over the years, always making a point of visiting his former French teacher at Vic High, the only one from the school to write him while he worked in the bush. Shimizu has donated $200 to the school’s alumni association in return for which he got to place a brass plaque on a seat in the auditorium. It is engraved with his name, his would-be graduating year, and the words, “Remembering Miss Mary W. Hamilton.” When the Class of ’12 graduates soon, they will also honour a member of the Class of ’42, whose own graduation was interrupted, a proud Canadian forced from his birthplace. The school has yet to decide on an appropriate honour, as they await word from the education ministry. I have a suggestion. Shimizu showed great fortitude in completing his studies in Ontario and in achieving university degrees. The school’s alumni should launch a modest scholarship to help another student get a higher education. I know I’d chip in.VB 19
photo by gary McKinstry
Within a sterile hospital,
vivid by nurses’ art line a path to healing
walls made
The walls are the first thing you notice in the lower hallway of the new Patient Care Centre at the Royal Jubilee Hospital. They’re not bare, white-washed and crushingly dull. Instead, the whole area is hung with vivid paintings and lively photographs — an art exhibition in a most unlikely place. Nurses have created all the artwork and it helps make the Jubilee a more healing place. Lynda McLeod is the Victoria nurse who organized the Art by Nurses project, which brings together a national group of nurses with the common practices of nursing and artwork. Begun in 2007, the group has its own Internet-based gallery at ArtbyNurses.com, but the Healing Hallways project at the Jubilee is its first real-life installation. The show presents work by nurses from across Canada, including several from Victoria. The pieces range from photography to acrylic and watercolour paintings, all of which are accompanied by artists’ statements that give a glimpse into the mind of the person who made the art. Sometimes, as is the case for Nurse Patricia Baker of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., the work speaks to a need for self-healing from a stressful profession. “Art has been my medicine to alleviate stress, sadness and loss ever since my Uncle Mike gave me a box of Grumbacher pastels over 55 years ago,” she writes. It is a release that heals. Nurse Wilma deVries, of Victoria, says “art is one way that enables me to continue to be fully present as a nurse, as an individual.” 20
It is tough to look after vulnerable people in states of pain and illness. Nurse Cheryl Hann, of Kelowna, writes, “When faced with difficult challenges working with an individual, I turned to my paints for self-care. I chose to use a rigid, sharp-edged tool for applying paint rather than a brush, as this mirrored my experience working with this person.” The resulting artwork, a vivid acrylic painting entitled Still There, helped Hann overcome her difficulties. “There was a sense of flow despite the sharp edges. My frustration had melted in the painting process and I experienced a sense of peace.” As McLeod says, making art is “an opportunity to express the inexpressible.” Artwork not only provides a kind of art therapy for nurses, it also provides healing for the patients, doctors and family members who look at it every day. When my dad, a visual artist, spent three months in hospital last fall, we took a different painting of his for him to look at every day. It brightened everything — not just the décor, but his mood and the mood of the people looking after him. McLeod says research about the impact of art and colour on peoples’ wellness demonstrates how looking at art can actually help heal patients. “It takes people on a holiday away from what they’re experiencing,” she explains. “It’s a meditative moment away from here and now.” For people who are recovering from illness, that little break can allow the body to focus on healing. And, McLeod “It’s lovely for adds, for patients in the cardiac families, for patients. ward in particular, a trip down to see the artwork can help them It gets away from feel motivated to get moving again the sterility of the after cardiac surgery — another hospital,” says RN essential part of the healing Sharon Wiltse. process. “It was a hidden outcome I didn’t even think of,” she says. “They had something to look and talk about, other than being in the hospital.” The Jubilee’s staff also loves the Healing Hallways show. RN Sharon Wiltse walks past the artwork every workday. She likes to stop and look at different pieces each time. She’d like to see art hanging in the elevator lobbies, hallways, in every ward. “It’s lovely for families, for patients. It gets away from the sterility of the hospital.” Wouldn’t that be amazing? A hospital that uses art as another way to help people find their way to wellness would certainly be among the first of its kind. But the wheels of bureaucracy work in strange ways, and McLeod says the Healing Hallways show is supposed to be removed after the end of this month, to be replaced with, well, holes in the walls from where the art was affixed. Not having it there will be a shame. Paintings in hallways are better than dull, institutional paint. Especially hallways that lead to rooms where people wrestle with big, inexpressible things, like sickness and health, life and death. VB 21
By Alisa Gordaneer PHOTOGRAPHY BY GARY MCKINSTRY
N
OBODY AT the hospital thought it was a good idea for my 78-year-old father to go home after he suffered a stroke last summer. But after three months on the neurology ward at Victoria General Hospital, clearly nobody, including him, thought he should hang around. And so our family faced the choice that many families do, in a situation few plan for, when a loved one is struck by a debilitating illness. Now that Dad’s health crisis was over, he needed somewhere to go. But, the social workers pointed out, he needed 24-hour care. Weakened by the stroke, he couldn’t feed himself, couldn’t roll over in bed. A care home, we were told, was the logical choice. 22
My Dad, James Gordaneer (Jim to us), is a visual artist, who manages to smudge oil paint onto virtually every surface he comes near — not the kind of behaviour that would go over well in a tidy care home. As much as cheery group activities like bingo and sing-alongs might appeal to some, they make a good case for euthanasia, as far as Dad is concerned. If he couldn’t paint, what was the point? There was only one choice. My dad came home to round-the-clock care provided by our family, supported by occasional family friends dropping by, and two hourlong visits a day from home care workers contracted by the Vancouver Island Health Authority. Those hours between visits seemed long indeed, as we tried to juggle Dad’s needs with an already busy household.
After his stroke, artist James Gordaneer is back painting thanks to his caregiving family.
I write and teach. My long-suffering partner has a day job, and the two kids have daily activities in addition to school. My mom has a business to run, and she looks after her mom, too. We make a quadruple-decker sandwich, held together by a very thin toothpick. Before this starts to sound like an all-about-me whine, let me tell you something: we’re not unusual. In fact, an estimated 96,000 people self-identify as home caregivers in this region, among an estimated one million across BC. The numbers come from Statistics Canada via the Victoria-based Family Caregivers’ Network Society, a non-profit that provides support for home caregivers across BC. I was gobsmacked. Nearly one third of this region’s population are caring, in one way or another, for another 23
person with a range of health-care needs. Glendora Scarfone, caregiver support and administration person for the network, explains that those numbers are likely low. Many more people are also caregiving, even if they don’t think of it as such. “It starts out small. Taking mom to appointments, groceries … then they’re spending more and more time at the house, doing meals, medication, bathing.” Eventually it can escalate to 24-hour care. “A lot of them are the sandwich generation — they’re taking care of kids, and have elderly parents they’re looking after,” says Scarfone. I raise my hand here. Yup, count me in. At least I live in the same house as my parents — many more people spend hours each week driving across town to check in, or trying to co-ordinate caregiving for parents in other cities. That was the case for Victoria resident Barb Small. For her and her two siblings, the crisis hit in 2004 when both of their parents were diagnosed with colon cancer within a few months of each other. “Our family is very practical,” she says, explaining how her father, who was diagnosed second, looked after her mother until she died. But then her dad was left alone with his illness. “My sister took a leave of absence from work, and she moved in with him.” Small would drive to Duncan, where her father lived, to provide respite. It was tough, but they managed, partly thanks to being organized about communication over things like medications and appointments, and partly thanks to help from neighbours and friends. “Caregivers think they can’t ask anybody for help,” she says, speaking from her own experience as well as what she hears as the network’s support group co-ordinator. But, she explains, others do want to help. “Make a list of all the stuff somebody else could do, and be willing to let other people do something.” It’s worth noting that most caregivers are women. Some look after parents, others after adult children. Many look after a spouse with dementia. All are unpaid for the care work they do. This bears consideration, especially when you think about the current situation with health care in this province. “Eighty per cent of care being done in homes is done by family caregivers,” Scarfone says. “If you took that away — if they all just stopped — you can imagine the impact on the health-care system.” Thing is, looking after someone at home doesn’t mean for free. They may need specialized equipment, like wheelchairs, hospital beds or hoists. Bathing equipment like shower chairs or modified tubs. Bedpans. Commodes. Lifts to get up stairs or porches. And then there are supplies like catheters, feeding tubes, ostomy bags, disposable undergarments — the list goes on and on, and I can’t say I’ve been in a store that sells these things and not seen its aisles utterly crowded. None of it is covered by provincial medical insurance. Some people get covered by
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extended insurance, or Veterans’ Affairs, or disease-specific foundations that help them if they’ve got cancer, or multiple sclerosis, or Alzheimer’s. But if, like Dad, you’ve had a stroke, and have no extended benefits, you’re stuck. The cost adds up to multiple thousands of dollars, and if you’re on an artist’s budget, you scramble on Craigslist and Used Victoria to gather the pieces together before the Red Cross wants its three-month loaners back. Ask me how I know. To me, the whole situation speaks to a huge need for more support for home caregivers and the people they look after. Whether it’s funding for more respite time, or subsidies for equipment, more provincial money must be allocated to these areas. Where will money come from? Consider the cost to keep someone in a care home as opposed to their own home. According to Neena Chappell, a researcher I was gobsmacked. Nearly in gerontology at the one third of this region’s University of Victoria, it population are caring, in costs between 40 and one way or another, for 70 per cent less to have a person with a range of a person at home rather than in a care home — health-care needs. and that’s basing the amount on a theoretical $10 per hour minimum wage for the caregiver at home. “We have to have a system whereby we can substitute lower-cost care for higher-cost care, especially since it’s what most say they want,” says Chappell. Home caregivers, says Chappel, “can provide just as good, if not better, quality of care.” (Perhaps, though ask Dad if that’s true next time I spill his lunch on him.) A model to emulate, suggests Chappell, is that of Norway, where the government provides each care recipient with a budget to spend on care as they see fit, but, if the recipient chooses a family member to provide care, the government provides the same training, wage and benefits to that person as it would for any other paid caregiver. “Caregivers aren’t asking to give up what they do,” says Chappell. “We just need to help them out so they don’t get burnt out, so they can maintain some quality of life and work for themselves.” Caregiver Recognition Week is coming up from May 5 to 11. A week of lectures and posters isn’t going to change policy, though, and won’t provide caregivers with the help so many desperately need. A change in approach, however, could go a long way towards ensuring that 96,000 people in our community — and the at least 96,000 people they care for — can continue with their unpaid, essential work. As for me and Dad, we carry on, but only with excellent support from friends, family, and home-care workers. He’s doing well, painting every day. Seeing him do that is, in itself, enough to keep the rest of us going strong. VB 27
SOCIAL CAPITAL
they don’t call it the City of Gardens for nothing. And this is the season to get out there and revel in Greater Victoria’s sheer floral power. April and May offer the widest array of jaw-dropping colours and soul-soothing scents. Grab a buddy: today we’re going for a walk to look at flowers. (Many of the parks are wheelchair accessible, too.) Abkhazi Gardens When she first turned soil in 1946, Princess Abkhazi likely never suspected her home and garden would one day be a significant tourism destination. Today, Abkhazi Gardens beckons visitors with promises of tea and floral splendour. Over its half-hectare property, Abkhazi showcases rhododendrons, Japanese maples and azaleas. Hostas, trilliums, cyclamens, irises, ferns and heather flow around the native rocky landscape, true to natural West Coast design. Whether you’re in the tea room or parked on a bench, “Abkhazi is a lovely place to sit,” says volunteer gardener Bryce Fradley. Admission is $10 — free for members of The Land Conservancy. Located at 1964 Fairfield Rd, near Foul Bay Road. Government House Government House’s nearly 15 hectares are home to many different mini-gardens, each maintained by a cadre of volunteers. Here you’ll find rhodo and azalea beds, spring shrub beds, an herb garden, two rose gardens, ponds and waterfalls. Around back, twisting paths invite you to explore wild areas and native plants within the Garry oak ecosystem. Soak up the magnificent view across the Strait of Juan de Fuca from one of the many benches. Open dawn to dusk, and free. Drop by the annual plant sale June 22-23. Located at 1401 Rockland Ave. 28
Japanese Garden at Esquimalt Gorge Park As part of a community effort to restore North America’s oldest Japanese garden, the Esquimalt crew has spent the last few years installing bridges, channeling streams and repairing ponds. Created by Isaburo Kishida, who designed the Japanese gardens at Butchart’s and Royal Roads University, the Esquimalt Japanese gardens were home to a flourishing teahouse operated by the Takata family from 1907 until 1942. Head south across the Tillicum Bridge and hang a right, into Esquimalt Gorge Park. Gorge Waterway Located along Gorge Road east of Tillicum, the Gorge delights meanderers with a variety of flowers, forested areas and a newly restored creek system. Records show settlers used the park for recreation as far back as the 1860s and First Nations probably much earlier. The Gorge offers a rose garden, perennial borders and numerous treed areas, including several umbrella pines that are over 100 years old. Look for signs indicating stealth plantings of edible items. Saxe Point Park Originally part of a grouping of farms under the HBC, Saxe Point was eventually acquired in 1934 by the Township of Esquimalt. DND snapped it up in the 1940s to position a searchlight. The park languished until 1958, when upgrading began. Sometime between then and now, a few brilliant Esquimalt souls have carved out beautiful walking paths and planted vibrant flowers. “In April and May there will be lots happening,” says Saxe Point gardener Lee Bannister. Bulbs like narcissus and tulips join primulas, pansies and rhodos to make a pretty spectacle. Easily accessed from the parking lot, the garden paths wind through shrubs and forested areas. Benches allow water-gazing daydreams. At the end of Esquimalt's Fraser Street.
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Finnerty Gardens Free for the browsing, UVic’s Finnerty Gardens span 2.6 hectares and offer one of Canada’s most extensive collections of rhododendrons (some 1,500 rhodos and azaleas) and myriad ferns, ornamentals, ponds and paths and is beautiful yearround. The garden's entrance is by the University Chapel with pay parking in lot number six. The UVic plant sale is May 6. Saanich Insanity Saanich is home to an indecent number of gardens. “We have over 700 different horticulture displays,” says Cory Manton, manager of urban forestry, horticulture and natural areas. The mature rhodo and azalea garden at Playfair Park, just east of Quadra and south of Union, is stunning in April and May. Deeper inside the neighbourhoods you’ll find intricately planted areas like those at Sierra Park and Maynard Park, and bundles of pretty cul-de-sac plantings. Look closely for edible plantings, which Saanich has been adding over the past few years. (Go to saanich.ca for locations.) Butchart Gardens A perennial favourite (pun intended), Butchart Gardens is a sight to behold this season. The spring blooms begin in April, approaching mind-blowing proportions by mid-May. Don’t miss the Japanese Garden. If you hit it at the right time you’ll get the blue poppies and the rhodos. Call ahead to see what’s in bloom, and remember that Butchart runs a couple weeks behind Victoria’s schedule because it’s a bit colder up the
peninsula. Admission is $27.55 until mid-June. Upgrade to an annual pass for $54.54. (See butchartgardens.com.) Horticulture Centre of the Pacific Located just south of where Interurban intersects West Saanich Road, HCP offers 3.6 hectares of demonstration gardens and some 10,000 varieties of plants. Widely known as Glendale Gardens, it's a teaching academy, so everything is labelled and displayed growing in its ideal conditions. Find a spot to relax and refresh in the jaw-dropping Takata Japanese Garden (yep, same family) or hit the on-site Nourish Bistro for fresh fare picked and served from the garden. Admission is free for members and $11 for non-members. A family membership is $56, and offers you access to all HCP events plus discounts at local gardening stores and nurseries. HCP’s spring plant sale April 28-29. (See hcp.ca.) Odds and Ends Pair a trip through the tiny triangular park at the junction of Thompson and Musgrave with a coffee stop at Crumsby’s in Oak Bay’s Estevan Village, or follow up an aimless drift through the Oak Bay Rose Garden (corner of Newport and Currie in Windsor Park) with a java at Ottavio. Heading out along Dallas for a stroll? Don’t forget Beacon Hill Park. Crammed with camas and shooting stars on its south face, Beacon Hill is also home to an artfully arranged set of garden beds located between the playground and the petting zoo. VB
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COWICHAN
photo credit: peter holmes
For Peter Holmes, putting up jumps to test world-class horses and riders is all in a day's work By Marilyn McCrimmon photography by dean azim
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ast summer, at the Colorado Circuit Opener Grand Prix, 25 international horses came to compete for the $30,000 (US) purse. Canadian equestrian team member John Pearce was riding two horses and fellow team member Karen Cudmore had three horses entered in the class. The two-level grass derby field made for a particularly challenging jump course. The designer of that course was Peter Holmes of Cowichan Bay, a top Canadian jump-course designer working at an international horse-show level. He plans the series of obstacles that horse and rider must jump over in a competition. He travels more than 150 days a year to places like Sacramento, San Diego, Chicago, New York, Virginia, Arizona, Australia, New Zealand as well as all across Canada — and in this case to Parker, Colorado, southwest of Denver. The rules of show jumping are simple. Horses and riders must clear a series of obstacles quickly and accurately. Every 32
rail knocked down or second beyond the allowed time results in faults. At the end of the first round, the jumps are raised and the riders with zero faults move on to a timed jump off, where ties are broken by the clock. Brave riders and speedy, athletic horses have the best chances to win. The course designer like Holmes must create the best possible test of skill for horse and rider, while ensuring that everyone is left feeling it was a fair and worthy competition. A course that is too difficult causes frustration and fear; a course that is too easy does not challenge the riders, the horses stop trying, and the audience is bored. His favourite way to test if the course was good is to watch the riders at the end. “If riders had a good time, they usually reach over and pat their horse. They enjoyed it. They say ‘well done’.” Holmes’ Colorado course got the mix right. After the first round, only seven horses had advanced, including all five Canadian horses. In the end, it was a Canadian sweep. Pearce took the top two places, closely followed
Peter Holmes designs show-jumping courses worldwide, like the $40,000 BC Twin Oaks Derby, centre, in which Irish rider Eddie Macken clears a jump with mount Macuco.
by Cudmore in third, fourth and sixth. Do Canadians usually win his competitions? “No,” Holmes laughs, “but when you have riders of John and Karen’s ability, the chances are higher that they will win.” Pearce won about $15,000 and Cudmore about $10,000, with the rest divided among the riders down to 10th place. Cudmore is a big Peter Holmes fan. “Whenever I get information on an upcoming horse show, I see who the course designer is. If it is Peter, I know it will be a nice, fair course,” says Cudmore, who is from Victoria but now lives in Nebraska. The international sport of jumping horses over obstacles began in 19th-century England after common ground was divided among wealthy landowners, who erected fences and hedges between properties. Horses and riders on fox hunts had to be able to jump the obstacles. Spectators soon wanted to watch the athleticism so courses were set up in enclosed areas by the 1850s, becoming an Olympic sport by 1900. So how does a 50-year-old Cowichan Bay man, who lives on 33
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a small acreage on Cherry Point Road, come to have an international career in show-jumping course design? “I was a boy among all the girls growing up in the sport of English jumping,” says Holmes, whose ready smile, curly hair and tendency to say “crikey,” lend him a youthful charm. “Nobody could lift the jumps,” he laughs. Today the horseman is still fit, but from competitive road running, not lifting jumps. Born in England, Holmes and his fraternal twin brother Michael, (and siblings) are the great-grandsons of Victoria pioneer and Hudson’s Bay Company engineer Joseph Despard Pemberton. Their grandfather, Cuthbert Holmes, married a Pemberton daughter in 1917 and created the Pemberton Holmes real estate company, which Michael now owns and manages. The family moved to Sherwood Creek Farm in Metchosin, where Holmes helped his riding-teacher mother, Pat Holmes, build jumps. Holmes jumped horses himself before taking on his own students at Saanich’s Ambleside Farm while he studied economics at the University of Victoria. Ambleside owner Diane Molholm says Holmes was well liked for his upbeat nature and willingness to ride horses no one else would. “He was good with the hot and difficult horses. He didn't fight them, he guided them,” Molholm said. “He's a good course designer because he's such a good rider.” As a coach, he arrived at shows not only with students and horses in tow, but with a truck full of jumps that he would set up for the day’s classes. He was soon in demand to build local courses, and then, in time, international ones. Now he also mentors a new generation of designers around the world. He typically arrives on a Tuesday for a show that runs through to Sunday. Before he designs his course, he takes into account the size and terrain of the arena, the jumps available and the skill of the competitors. Are international team members at the show? Have they brought Grand Prix horses (horses that compete in World Cup or Olympic events) or have they brought young horses to be trained? While the maximum height and width of jumps are prescribed by the skill level of the class, every other aspect is up to him: how combinations of jumps are set up, where and how far apart the jumps are placed and the esthetics. Holmes favours a mix of solid and airy jumps, requiring a horse to be both brave and careful. Those in the know describe his courses as technical, inventive and rideable. Because he is on the road so often, Holmes no longer keeps his own horses or teaches, but his wife, veterinarian Danielle Fritz Holmes, still rides. Their daughter Brooklyn was born last July. They have bought a travel trailer and Holmes plans to take on more shows closer to home so that Danielle and Brooklyn can accompany him more often. Holmes will watch the summer Olympics with interest, when Canadian riders defend team silver and Eric Lamaze his gold. The course designer always comes from the host country, and in this case it is Bob Ellis, his friend and colleague. “He is innovative. He will have a surprise or two.” VB
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FRONT ROW
By Robert Moyes
BRAWL AT THE BELFRY Good theatre demands conflict, and there is more than enough to go around in God of Carnage, the provocative black comedy by Yasmina Reza that was the toast of Broadway in 2009 (winning three Tonys) and is closing out the Belfry’s season. It features two pairs of parents, one whose child has seriously hurt the other at a public park. The two couples Brian Markinson, Celine Stubel and Vincent Gale in God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza.
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meet to discuss the situation. The parents of the hurt boy are Michael and Veronica, with the husband a hearty, selfmade wholesaler and his wife a sensitive, rather brittle liberal and part-time author currently writing a book on the horror of Darfur. Their counterparts, Alan and Annette, are, respectively, a condescending lawyer caught up in damage control for a sleazy pharmaceutical company, and a wealth management consultant. The tone is surprisingly cordial, with compliments and smiles all around. But as the encounter goes on, that veneer of civility is soon stripped off and the four are eventually ripping away at each other like primates defending jungle turf. Although in some ways reminiscent of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Reza has an instinct for farce, and she raises hot-button topics like racism, misogyny, and homophobia in order to trigger fault lines within the two marriages. A lot of the fun of the play is watching as alliances form and fall away as, say, the two men briefly find common cause, thereby triggering a viciously united response from Veronica and Annette. “The rights to Carnage have just become available and a lot of theatres are looking at it,” says Mark Dusseault, publicist for the Belfry. “I’ve read the play twice, and it really digs into the characters’ beliefs and values,” he adds. “When Glynis Leyshon directs it I’m sure she’ll expose all of Reza’s dark humour.” Running April 17 to May 20 at the Belfry. For tickets, call 250-385-6815 or see belfry.bc.ca.
maestra tania miller
nikki chooi
progress in the arts is an evolutionary inevitability, how to explain the Limners? This exceptional group of 18 visual artists arose in Victoria in the late 1960s and for decades explored the concepts of modernism with humanism and passionate creativity. Many eventually had a global reach, and all set dauntingly high standards for succeeding generations of artists. A small part of that legacy is being celebrated this month at Eclectic Gallery, as approximately 30 works by Herbert Siebner, Jack Wise, Pat Martin Bates, and Walter Dexter go on display under the banner of Victoria’s Visionaries. (There is also a trio of lectures by noted painter and art writer Robert Amos.) Siebner, an Abstract Expressionist, and Wise (an “honourary” Limner), best known for his spirituality-infused mandalas, both died many years ago, but numerous pieces of their work from the 1970s are being provided by a private collector. Bates, now in her 80s and still marvelously productive, is a printmaker almost without equal. And then there’s Walter Dexter, an internationally celebrated potter who, at 80, is producing some of the most vivid work of his career. Although best known as a raku master, Dexter for the past decade has been focusing on kiln-fired earthenware vessels that are figurative or sculptural and take up to a month to complete. “The vessels are built up horizontally with strips of clay that are pinched together — the way kids do it,” he explains with a laugh. He
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then treats the flat surfaces as a canvas, painting with glazes that produce brilliant colour. After as many as five successive firings, the finished vessels — many textured with strips of glaze-soaked cloth that burn away in the kiln — seem both elemental and avant-garde. This will be Dexter’s first hometown showing in several years. Running April 16 to May 12 at 2170 Oak Bay Avenue. For information, call 250-590-8095 or see eclecticgallery.ca
DUELLING SOPRANOS Given that Donizetti’s opera Maria Stuarda is loosely based on the lethal rivalry between Mary, Queen of Scots (Mary Stuart) and her cousin Queen Elizabeth I, it’s no small irony that the original production, in 1835 Naples, was the occasion of a huge soprano smackdown between the two stars prior to dress rehearsal. After some initial scratching, hair pulling, and slapping, things got serious with face punching and then several brutal kicks that saw, in keeping with the historic record, the Scottish Queen laid low by her fierce English foe, such that she literally had to be carried off the field of battle. “It’s a legendary catfight, one that helped create the myth of the temperamental 38
Two untitled works by Herbert Siebner are among 30 by the artist showing with work of other Limner group members at Eclectic Gallery this month.
diva,” chuckles Timothy Vernon, artistic director of Pacific Opera Victoria. As it turned out, the ill-fated Stuarda premiere
was cancelled by regal fiat due to political concerns, and other than for a few minor productions the opera
Sally Dibblee and Tracy Dahl are duelling bel canto sopranos this month in Pacific Opera Victoria's Maria Stuarda.
was neglected for the following century. It was first staged in North America in 1972, and is recognized as a grand example of the bel canto (“beautiful singing”) style that preceded the greater realism introduced by composers like Verdi. “The opera has gorgeous tunes and is a great vehicle for the stars . . . and boy do we have stars,” boasts Vernon. “You really have to have extraordinary singers for this work, and we’ve got Sally Dibblee and Tracy Dahl, who’s making her POV debut.” Despite being a lesser-known work — mostly because it only has a modern history — it will be the fifth Donizetti opera that POV has presented (this versatile Italian composer wrote dozens of operas and is probably most famous for Lucia di Lammermoor and Daughter of the Regiment). And insofar as the storyline delves into the dramatic and bloody political and religious conflicts that have recently been depicted on TV via The Tudors, this should be a popular programming choice. “There are soaring, beautiful vocal lines with the voice carrying everything, while the orchestra is a bit subordinate,” says Vernon. “And the big confrontation at the end of Act One is wonderfully musical,” he adds. “It’s going to be a very rewarding evening.” Running April 12-22 at the Royal Theatre. For tickets, call 250-386-6121.
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The last decade has been one of steady accolades for Ottawa-born singersongwriter Kathleen Edwards. Her debut album, Failer, in 2003 was critically acclaimed as were her second and third albums, Back to Me in 2005 and Asking for Flowers in 2008. Her music has been featured in movie sound tracks and she's sung duets with name artists like Bryan Adams and Blue Rodeo. Now she is on a world tour to promote her fourth album, Voyageur, and playing in Victoria this month fresh off her successful visit on The Late Show with David Letterman and the European leg of her tour. Edwards, whose sound has been described as Susan Vega meets Neil Young, produced the new album in Wisconsin with her new boyfriend, recent Grammy-winner Justin Vernon of Bon Iver fame. Joining Edwards on tour as the opening act is Vancouver native Hannah Georgas. Voyageur is a post-divorce album about moving on, but is more than that, too, said Edwards in a recent interview. “This record's about starting a new chapter in your life and acknowledging it and having to answer some pretty hard questions about where you want to go and how you want to get there. Obviously relationships play a huge part in that, but they're not everything.” Performing April 5 at the McPherson Playhouse. For tickets, see the Royal McPherson Theatres, rmts.bc.ca.
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KINGS OF THE ROAD Canada’s Blackie & the Rodeo Kings are folk-tinged, alt-country rockers — and one of this country’s finest bands. At its heart are Tom Wilson, Stephen Fearing, and Colin Linden, three gifted and technically skillful musicians who have earned countless Juno awards and nominations over the years for their solo work. Initially, “BARK” was a sideline project honouring singer-songwriter Willie P. Bennett; but their supposed one-off CD of Bennett covers had such great harmonies and gutsy playing that forming a full-fledged band was inevitable. Sixteen years and six more albums later, these gifted songwriters have created a truly impressive catalogue of dynamic and soulful roots music — think The Band, but with less flowery lyrics. Reached by phone en route from Nashville to Memphis, Wilson was still high from the previous night’s performance at the legendary Loveless Café. “It was such a pleasure to play for that audience, plus our five-piece band is running like a beautiful, organic machine,” Wilson said in his deep baritone. “A musical career is like a roller coaster and we’re definitely on the upswing.” With a recent sold-out tour through Western Canada and a new album, Kings and Queens, performed with the likes of Lucinda Williams and Emmylou Harris, it’s clear that these well-seasoned guys are now kings of the road. Performing April 21, 7:30 pm, at Alix Goolden Hall, 907 Pandora. For tickets, call 250-388-4423.
THE ART OF FAIRFIELD Just over a decade ago, Robert and Sara Amos sat around their kitchen table with a few artist friends and dreamed up the idea of a Fairfield-based studio tour. What started with just a dozen participants has grown and this year features about 45 painters, sculptors, photographers, potters, and glass artists. “Spring is bursting out all over, Fairfield is pretty, and people just make a day of it,” says Joan Kagan, a potter and the person organizing the Fairfield Artists Studio Tour. Award-winning photographer Nancy Dolan returns this year, as does digital artist Erwin Shulman, whose computer-generated images are printed on MDS board or canvas. Sculptor Ron Carter works in concrete, 40
Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, left to right: Stephen Fearing, Colin Linden, Tom Wilson.
while Roy Mercer specializes in various styles of watercolours. Kagan is also excited about a couple of newcomers, including mixed-media artist Diana Durrand and photographer Susan Henderson. “I think the biggest pleasure for people is meeting the artists in their natural habitat and seeing the equipment and the artistic process,” says Kagan. “Plus a lot provide coffee and little goodies.” Brochures for this self-guided tour are available online or at many local merchants in Fairfield Plaza and Cook St. Village. Running April 28-29, 11 am-4 pm. For information, google “Fairfield Artists Studio Tour”.
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Adelle Andrew’s Cryptic Markings (below right) and Joan Kagan’s saucer and bowls are two offerings at the Fairfield Artists Studio Tour.
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n a rainy Saturday, boisterous notes fill the parish hall at St. John the Divine Anglican Church as the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra warms up. The pluck of strings, toot of trumpets and high soprano pitch of the oboe bring warmth to the cool room as the young musicians tune their instruments. At the centre is maestro Yariv Aloni, a gifted musician who’s performed at concert halls all over the world. Now an acclaimed conductor, Aloni says the orchestras he leads are like his children. He loves them all fiercely and can’t pick a favourite. “I love how different they are and the different challenges 42
Known for his own talent and a rapport with musicians,
conducts three diverse groups By Tess van Straaten photography by dean azim
“Music is my life,” says conductor Yariv Aloni, who grew up herding goats on a kibbutz in Israel.
they bring,” says Aloni. “But what moves me is the enthusiasm for the music they all share and if the environment gives them the room to bring their heart in, you get amazing results.” Amazing results are just what Aloni is getting with three important orchestras in the capital region, according to Victoria music critic Deryk Barker. As the driving force behind the Galiano Ensemble, the long-time conductor of the Victoria Chamber Orchestra, and the new musical director for the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra, Aloni makes music magic with three very diverse groups, says Barker. “His performances are always very musical, which sounds like a strange thing to say, but it’s the essence of the music
that he conveys and how he gets these results from such mixed groups is truly a mystery,” says Barker. “First of all, you have to be a first-rate musician, which Yariv is — he’s one of the best I’ve ever heard. But you also have to have a real rapport with the musicians and the type of person who can have that rapport with youth and then with professional musicians is a rarity indeed.” Even more unusual, all three orchestras have an event within a week of each other this month. It’s the final concert of the season for the Youth and Chamber orchestras, on April 22 and 27 respectively. On April 29, Aloni will don his musician hat to play viola in a 43
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salon concert with the Lafayette String Quartet in a fundraiser for the Galiano Ensemble. Aloni says it will make for a hectic month, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. “My days are full, but that’s the way I like it. Music is my life, it’s a direct connection to my heart, and without it life would be very dull.” While working 10- to 14-hour days for three paid conductor gigs, viola practice and teaching at the University of Victoria may sound like a lot, Aloni says he doesn’t worry about stretching himself too thin or burning out. “I can never tell if I work hard or not because I always feel like I’m enjoying it. I never feel like it’s work and I’m responsible for my days so I can take a break when I want.” Hard work comes naturally to the musician, who turns 49 this month. Born on a kibbutz in Israel where he herded goats as a child, Aloni taught himself how to play the piano when he was six years old. “I couldn’t read notes, but I was so drawn to it I couldn’t imagine my life without music,” he says. “They told me I had a good ear and should play the violin. I started playing when I was eight but there was no access to [sheet] music so I would listen to music, write down what I heard and then make arrangements to play.” Aloni switched to the lower register viola to impress a girl in a youth orchestra. “After I tried it, the viola became more important than the girl,” laughs Aloni. “I fell in love with the sound.” After moving to Canada at age 28, Aloni fell in love again — this time with Victoria cellist Pam Highbaugh of the Lafayette Quartet. Moving to Victoria in 1994, he immersed himself in the local music scene. Aloni says his approach to conducting is simple: you have to create enthusiasm, not fear. “I always imagined you had to be very arrogant and grumpy to be a conductor: they used to be such tyrants,” he says. “But I learned humour and lightheartedness are much more effective than being tough and especially when working with young musicians, modelling is much more important than giving criticism.” It’s not unusual to see Aloni cracking jokes at practice, laughing when a new repertoire goes terribly wrong, or taking time out to give young musicians some one-on-one feedback. “As a conductor you show with your hands how it should sound, where things should fall, the expression and how the notes should come. Your hands tell the story and if I’m very musically involved, they’ll catch that.”
Aloni and his musical gifts will be centre stage in three performances this month.
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It’s an approach that is drawing out the best in some of Vancouver Island’s most talented young musicians at a difficult time. The Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra is still coping with the loss of its long-time conductor János Sándor, who died suddenly of liver cancer before the last concert of the season in 2010. As associate music director, Aloni stepped in to conduct so the show could go on. For Aloni, the loss of his mentor was a shock, but he says taking over the group (the only full symphony orchestra he conducts and the loudest and most energetic of the three) seemed natural. “We were doing it together for 10 years and I know he would approve,” Aloni says with a smile. One of the biggest challenges of the 50-member youth orchestra is that it constantly changes. New players join every year and older players move on. “You’re constantly building up and rebuilding,” Aloni explains. “This year alone we have about 50 per cent new people. In a way, it’s just like a garden: you start again each year so you have to be quite patient and realize the orchestra is not going to sound the way it did when you ended the last season. But over time it becomes easier.” It’s in stark contrast to the orchestra Aloni’s been conducting the longest. Almost two decades ago, the Victoria Chamber Orchestra (VCO) gave the untested conductor his first big break. “It’s been a real thrill over the years to see what an accomplished conductor he’s become,” says Don Kissinger, who’s been playing the violin for more than 50 years. “He’s not one of these conductors who conducts to the audience; he conducts to the orchestra. He does so in a very clear manner so if he wants something, we do our best to try and give it.” The VCO’s amateur musicians, known for their robust sound and often unexpected repertoire, credit Aloni’s leadership and technical talent with building a dedicated following within the orchestra. Members rarely leave and there’s a long list of talented amateurs and retired professionals who’d like to join. Aloni founded the third orchestra, the Galiano Ensemble, in 1999. A professional string orchestra with a refined, precise sound, it’s made up of some of Victoria’s finest musicians, including the Lafayette Quartet. “He rises to the challenge and brings out the best in the orchestra,” says Galiano board member Kim Hesketh. “Yariv’s quiet by nature but he has such a command of the stage when he’s conducting he brings out the best in musicians, whether they’re amateur or professional.” VB concert information: The Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra, April 22, 2:30 pm, UVic Farquhar Auditorium. See gvyo.org. The Victoria Chamber Orchestra, April 27, 8 pm, First Metropolitan United Church. See victoriachamberorchestra.org. Fundraiser for the Galiano Ensemble, April 29 at Stewart House. See galiano.ca 47
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by Carolyn Heiman photography by Leanna Rathkelly
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The highest praise for a home designed by Ian Roberts is that it was recently sold to an architect in eight days during a soft real estate market. Small wonder, really. The home is ready-made for all stages of family life with pleasing esthetics and functionality along with guaranteed low-maintenance and economical upkeep. “I designed the home to be a 20-year house for us. Everything is designed to meet current needs,” says Roberts. But it will just as easily respond to another family’s growth and change. The Cadboro Bay-area home’s layout speaks to this. Its H-style configuration ensures that no quiet or sleeping area is above shared space, a feature that allows natural light to spill through the Velux rainsensor skylights in the kitchen and living room ceilings, and ensures “that you’re never going to be lying in bed with the kids thumping above you,” Roberts says.
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A giant sequoia from the building site furnished warm millwork throughout the home, including the kitchen island and bathroom vanity.
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The home office is accessed from the garage, a feature allowing Roberts’ wife, Nicole, to come and go and work uninterrupted while their children are being cared for. Meanwhile, low-slung windows looking over the backyard to the jungle gym and trampoline mean she has can glance up from her computer to watch their nearly 8-year-old triplets cavort. Roberts, who is a project manager for the construction company Città Group, says they originally intended to keep the home as their own. It seems that is the case, given his poetic description of its from-the-ground-up construction, the five family handprints imprinted into the driveway concrete as their legacy, along with the home’s custom configuration aimed at optimizing space for the triplets, two girls and a boy. But if you’re in the biz opportunities always beckon and the couple is parting from the spanking-new first family home to refurbish a mid-century modern house they’ve always coveted. (Maybe one day it will be featured in this magazine, documenting their next stage of life.) The new owners of the 4,500-square-foot Aspen Place residence are not the only ones to recognize the fourbedroom home’s design qualities. In 2010 it was the winner for best single family home and best kitchen in both the Georgie and Care Awards, which recognize achievement in the BC construction industry. Its energy-efficiency features qualify it for the third-party Builtgreen Platinum certification, and high-end additions include George Nelson and Artemide lighting and a folding window wall connecting indoors to out. “It is also super-efficient for a house of this size,” says Roberts. The main floor radiant-heated floors are either bluestone or modular carpet squares, the latter being easily replaced individually should a juice box spill leave its mark.
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The kitchen, living and dining area has 10-foot, six-inch ceilings, a height Roberts settled on based on his own sixfoot, three-inch height. Rules are not fixed around what makes an ideal ceiling height; rather it’s “what scale works for the owner. Frank Lloyd Wright was short and many of his homes don’t have particularly high ceilings. I scaled these to myself; a nine-foot ceiling doesn’t feel right above my head.” The home has five bathrooms, including ensuites for the triplets, “which might seem excessive until you think of two twin teenage girls getting ready for school and the boy trying to brush his teeth.” To minimize space requirements, the girls’ bathroom is shared, with access from each bedroom. The bathrooms have occupancy sensor lights that instantly and dimly light the way for sleepy-eyed children getting up in the night. The long master suite has a Caesar stone counter 52
top in the vanities, accented by pebble tiles that Nicole “fell in love with,” but their $85-a-square-foot price point demanded judicious use. Skirting the upstairs hallway to the bedrooms, five slim floor-to-ceiling windows, which can be opened for ventilation, keep the area naturally lit. While sleeping areas are on the same floor, the master is positioned slightly away “to offer a place of refuge for mom and dad.” The couple grew up in Victoria but worked in Phoenix, a city with low-slung, clean and modern architecture now influencing their design esthetic. With Ian’s architectural training and Nicole’s background as a land developer, it wasn’t a big surprise that they should buy bare land and sculpt four lots out of it, keeping one. Trees cut from the building envelope were used in
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construction and are evident in the rich, wood-trimmed exterior/interior entry, powder-room vanities and a bench. The 11-foot, six-inch wood-slab kitchen island, a place for casual eating, was furnished from a giant sequoia. While the wood is soft and marks easily, it is a simple task to make it “new” again. In the meantime Roberts appreciates each blemish as a historical reference to the children’s development and before departing from the home he planned to take a rubbing of the counter-top marks for nostalgia’s sake. Roberts couldn’t resist having the interior design give a nod to the triplets. Often the design rule of “three” is used, including the wood panelled entry, where three panel lengths are randomly installed. The basement area is devoted to a play area for Connor, Calla and Alison. Large closets provide ample storage for toys. But pre-teen years are fleeting, so the room can be easily converted to a home theatre, complete with mini-kitchen for making snacks. Outside, low-maintenance aims guided design decisions, including the installation of the decking, made of a hardy Brazilian wood called Ipe that resists rot
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Low-maintenance landscaping ensures the home will always look its best from the street. 54
and weather. Front-yard landscaping is no-mow and the exterior is reversed hardie board. A lot of simple things have been incorporated to make a well-designed house. “But that can take a lot of planning,” says Roberts. Simplicity isn’t always simple. VB Carolyn Heiman explores beautiful Island homes each month for Boulevard. If you know of a gorgeous home worth profiling she can be contacted at cheiman@shaw.ca. Professional, Suppliers and Trades: Design: Ian Roberts; Builder: Città Group Construction; Interior Designers: Città Group Interiors; Exterior/Interior Painting: On Point Painting; Cabinetry: Città Group Millwork; Counters: Colonial Countertops; Flooring: Ican Tile Distributors Ltd., Hourigan’s; Appliances: Trail Appliances; Plumbing fixtures: Cantu Bathrooms & Hardware Ltd., Andrew Sheret Ltd., Emco Corp.; Windows: Starline Windows; Lighting: Gabriel Ross Inc.; HVAC: Island Temperature Controls; Sheet metal: JB Sheet Metal Ltd.; Framing and Cladding: Graph X Construction; Floral Design: Kenmar Flowers.
Seaside Dining. Enjoy Victoria’s favourite “al fresco” oceanfront dining at Brentwood Bay Resort & Spa. Choose from the casual and always lively Brentwood Pub or the spectacular Seagrille for fresh local seafood & sushi. The heated patios are now open daily for breakfast, lunch & dinner and the sunsets are truly amazing!
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W LISA WILLIAMS VILLA MADRoNA a magnificent, 2 acre, gated estate with gracious 11,000 sq.ft. main residence, sports court, separate games/ entertainment area, incredible swimming pool & home theatre, 9-car parking garage/carport, PLUS a separate 3461 sq.ft. renovated waterfront home & property w/separate title. Incredible views, custom finishing, imported fixtures and furnishings, expansive patios, boathouse & so much more . . . a world-class estate! $9,985,000
EXCLUSIVE GATED WATERFRoNT ESTATE! This stunning ‘French Country’ home boasts total privacy, beach access & world-class views! One of Victoria’s most impressive estates, the 5952 sq.ft. residence on a 1 acre property features 4 splendid bedrms, 5 baths & an open concept plan that boasts a cathedral entry, soaring hi-ceilings & exposed beams, incredible finishing & total luxury: Elegant & impressive, yet warm & inviting! $3,750,000
SPECTACULAR UPLANDS oCEANFRoNT ESTATE! Stunning 6,502 sq.ft. home on a south-facing .90 acre property boasting world-class views from all main rooms! Enjoy luxurious living & exceptional privacy from this 5-6 bedrm hm with gorgeous main level master suite, high ceilings, HW flrs, gourmet kitchen, beautiful office suite, wine cellar, exercise rm, media/games rooms and so much more! $4,980,000
SUNNY ‘TUSCAN’ GATED ESTATE on a spectacular S/W facing, 2 acre property just 15 mins from downtown on exclusive ‘Tuscan Lane’! Stunning & luxurious custom 3+ bedrm, 5 bath villa w/incredible design & detailing, & elegant finishing throughout every aspect! Enjoy sun all day and lots of privacy, gorgeous salt-water pool, hot tub, heated outdoor dining terrace, professionally landscaped grounds, tons of parking and an unbelievable Italian feel! $2,595,000
NEW 4 BEDRM LUXURY HoME at fabulous Bayview Victoria! 2 bedrm, 1700 sq.ft. unit has ocean views too! This lovely home will boast all the ‘extras’ with 9-10’ ceilings, HW flrs, high-end appliances & finishing, beautiful main floor master suite w/huge walk-in closet & luxurious ensuite, sunny Great rm & elegant dining rm w/beautiful ceiling detailing, main level den/library. Bright walkout lower level features a self-contained nanny suite w/private entry PLUS 2 large bedrms, bath & large media/games room! $1,598,000
UNIQUE & INCREDIBLE! This exclusive 1.5 acre waterfront property enjoys spectacular panoramic views overlooking the San Juan Islands, east to snow-capped Mt. Baker & south to Mt. Rainier! The modern, 'cubist' styled home has been completely renovated top to bottom w/a dramatic floorplan that maximizes views frm every room. Super location just 5 mins from UVic, Cadboro Bay Village & all amenities . . . a peaceful & serene setting — yours to enjoy! $2,150,000
BEAUTIFULLY RENo’D oCEANFRoNT HoME w/gorgeous, panoramic views, in a quiet & convenient location just 5 mins from UVic! This lovely 4443 sq.ft. home boasts new gourmet kitchen & sunny eating area, beautiful HW flrs, luxurious master suite, new baths & much more! Lots of options w/main level office & 4 bedrms up, PLUS fantastic 1 bedrm in-law . . . also lower level rec rm with ocean views, and a studio over the garage too! Enjoy easy access to the waterfront and walk the beautiful pebble beach! $1,998,000
CADBoRo BAY LUXURY! Fantastic new home on quiet cul-de-sac in superb location! Spacious & modern design w/hi ceilings, airy & open feel, HW floors, gorgeous gourmet kitchen, huge windows, spa baths & so much more! Floorplan offers lots of space for family & entertaining, private master 'retreat' with deck, media & games rooms, family room w/ fireplace off kitchen, ocean glimpses & much more! $1,688,000. HST INCLUDED
GoRGEoUS FULLY RENoVATED home on a beautiful .56 ac oceanview lot half in Oak Bay and half in Fairfield! Elegant, open plan w/stunning new kitchen, HW flrs, oversized windows, 3-4 bedrms, 3 bths plus main level den & large games/ TV room downstairs! Luxurious master suite boasts great ocean views, large walk-in closet & spa bath, double garage, lots of storage, lovely deck w/built-in FP & a short stroll to parks, beach, schools & shops! $1,749,000
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UPLANDS SPLENDOUR! Truly gracious home, stunning gardens on .50 acre. 4 bdrms, 4 baths, formal liv & din rms, gourmet kitchen. Fabulous outdoor fireplace & patio, separate indoor pool house $2,280,000 with guest accommodations.
UPLANDS HALF ACRE Quiet street, very private, mature gardens. Master with large dressing room, ensuite, country kitchen, family room with fir floors. Living & dining rooms overlook stunning $1,395,000 gardens.
MALAHAT WATERFRONT Stunning views of Finlayson Arm. 5 acres & 160 ft. of shoreline. 3,388 sq.ft., 3 bdrms, 4 baths. Asian cherry floors, fireplace in ensuite, heated marble floors, media room. A MUST SEE! $825,000
BRENTWOOD WATERFRONT! Stunning waterfront townhome with sunset views over Saanich Inlet. Over 2,600 sq.ft., 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and double garage. 2 other units at $564,000 and $544,900 also available. $749,000
FAIRFIELD SIDE SPLIT Coved ceilings, oak floors, fireplace. Family room addition, private patio and garden. Master ensuite with jetted tub and skylight. 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, over 2000 sq. ft. $659,900
DALLAS ROAD CONDO Stunning water views, south west 1,600 sq. ft. corner unit. New kitchen in granite & stainless steel, new bathroom with marble. Laundry, new windows. Small pets OK. $779,000
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DESIGN MATTERS
By Sarah MacNeill
I’ve managed to make it to my 30s without a green thumb, but I look forward to adopting the art of tending to a landscape one day. Meanwhile, I do appreciate the health benefits that time spent cultivating, nurturing or simply dwelling in a natural outdoor space can have. Case in point: recently, after a particularly harrowing day with a fussy baby and a defiant preschooler, I announced to my husband upon his arrival home that I was going for a walk — alone — and quickly made for the door. I did nothing more than wander my neighbourhood, paying attention to the lakeside breeze, the swoop of birds, the stature of cedars, the rhythm of my own breath. It felt like the first time I’d been outside in months (toting groceries and babies to and from the car doesn’t exactly constitute an experience in nature). A 15-minute walk was all it took to calm me, so I could return to my responsibilities with greater patience and perspective. It was a reminder that making time to reconnect with the natural world helps offset the pace of modern life. Not surprisingly for many, this happens in the garden. And like architecture, a thoughtfully designed outdoor space — whether contemporary or wildly rustic — can further
enhance our experience and increase our comfort and pleasure. The trouble is, a garden (or a yard, rooftop, or park) is often considered a place to be, and gardening an activity to do, during the day. Not so, claims British gardener/journalist Lia Leendertz in her book Twilight Garden, which sheds a little moonlight on extending the hours of all places al fresco, including planting, maintaining and enjoying a garden. For example, the book, now a UK bestseller, showcases the best night-scented and night-blooming plants as well as lighting and other features. “Night gardens should be about mystery and intrigue,” says Leendertz. “As you rely less on sight, the other senses come into play.” What makes an evening landscape special and how is one created? I spoke with Christian Barnard, local designer, and owner of Christian Barnard Land Studio. We agreed that it’s fitting to think of it in theatrical terms: as darkness falls, the scene transforms. But you can’t start without a script: is it a venue for entertaining, dining or quiet contemplation? The cast of characters are the plants. Certain species, such as moonflower, perform best in the evening, opening and reflecting any 63
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available light off white petals. Some plants, like honeysuckle, emit a more intense fragrance in the evening hours. According to Leendertz, dark foliage can act as a leafy pit orchestra, providing a contrasting background that allows white and silver characters to shine. And a twilight garden would be nothing without some well-placed lighting, which can be used to create a cozy atmosphere, up-light a multi-stemmed tree, or draw attention to focal points lit in silhouette. Some compositions are exclusive to the waning of the day. Barnard notes that a mass-planting of well-positioned miscanthus grasses, when back-lit by the setting sun, have the power to leave us feeling mellow, content and even humbled. But keep lights and water simple. A still pool, placed well, can reflect the moon and stars. “It doesn’t have to be Disneyland,” cautions Barnard. Finally, the set design can’t be forgotten. Create a sense of enclosure and scale with the use of screens, canopies, levels or furniture. While views and vistas, if available, may be important during the day, the evening calls for a spot that is sheltered and offers a feeling of protection, with discernible boundaries. “Refuge is the key,” says Barnard. I like the idea of using a thermal mass (perhaps a rammed earth wall), which stores heat during the day and slowly releases it at night, providing warmth as well as intensifying any lingering plant aroma. Consider, too, the proximity of the outdoor space to a house or building. If it’s isolated from the architecture, what is
the path like that takes us there? The relationship between a building and the surrounding natural landscape is a timeless concern. Some of the most significant residential projects in history are homes where the boundary between architecture and landscape is blurred. Take the mid-century Farnsworth House designed by Mies van der Rohe, which responds to a forested setting with a perimeter of floor-to-ceiling glass. Frank Lloyd Wright used horizontally layered terraces in Fallingwater to provide occupants the experience of reaching far into the natural setting, while inside, rocky outcrops form part of the ambience. Progressive for the 1930s, Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye features sliding glass walls and relocated green space, initially stolen by the building’s footprint but given back in the form of rooftop gardens. Creating a space that feels like it’s both outside and inside can be accomplished in several ways: material continuity (for a recent project in south Oak Bay, Barnard created seamless transitions by using the same stone for all exterior pathways, entryways and select high-traffic interior areas); moveable exterior walls; adjacent decks and patios, breezeways, or fenestration (the design and placement of windows). Whatever you choose, the key is simply to spend time there. It’s a lovely thing, I think, to see more live bodies giving a pulse to our outdoor spaces and communities. The more we walk outdoors and spend time in our natural world, whether of the public or private kind, the more we feel revitalized and connected to something bigger. VB
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BOULEVARD BUYS advertising
BOOK CLUB Last year,
the
Who will take this year’s Butler Book Prize? By Brennan Clarke and Adrienne Dyer
In four decades as an awardwinning author, Jack Hodgins has earned an impressive array of accolades from both near and far — the Governor General’s Award, the Commonwealth Literature prize, the Canada-Australia Award, and the Lieutenant Governor's Award for Literary Excellence, and more. But his most recent — the 2011 City of Victoria Butler Book Prize — may be the one that hits closest to home. “A prize chosen by a jury close to home is especially gratifying because you imagine that, in addition to whatever literary merit the book may have, the jury is acknowledging that the book is somehow true to the spirit of the city and/or region,” says Hodgins, who won the $5,000 prize last October. From April 1 until May 31, the Victoria Book Prize Society will be accepting entries for both the 2012 edition of the Victoria Butler Book Prize and the Bolen Books Children’s Book Prize. Eligible works must have been published between April 1, 2011 and March 31, 2012. Hodgins, a master narrator and former UVic writing professor, received top honours last year for The Master of Happy Endings, a warm-hearted novel whose main character bears more than a passing resemblance to the author. Like Hodgins, the novel’s gangly, eccentric protagonist, Axel Thorstad, is a retired teacher who has dedicated his career to helping young writers, harbours a deep affection for BC’s West
Coast and has a personal connection to Hollywood. Unlike his main character, Hodgins isn’t recovering from the devastating loss of a spouse (he and his wife Dianne share a modest home near the university), nor does he play the cello, swim naked in the ocean every morning, or stand six feet, eight inches tall (despite his stature in Canadian literature).
Photo credit: darren stone
“If I was driven to a corner, I’d say it’s all invention,” says Hodgins, relaxing in his Ten Mile Point living room. “But invention has to come from somewhere. That somewhere will be bits and pieces of real people who you’ve met or known, or yourself or things you’ve done or places you’ve been.”
The novel follows Thorstad on a journey of self-discovery that begins when he uproots himself from the isolation of Estevan Island, a fictitious Gulf Island, for a job teaching the son of a former student whose family lives in Victoria. Upon his arrival, he learns that his young charge is also a teen actor shooting a TV series in Los Angeles and soon finds himself in the unfamiliar environment of Hollywood. The Master of Happy Endings, he explains, is a nod to the storytelling tradition in which the hero has to “cross the border into another world and rescue the maiden or slay the dragon.” As one might expect from someone who has spent close to half a century preaching and practicing the art of fiction, his eyes brighten when he talks about his craft: “My main curiosity was, what is it like to try to put yourself back into the world after you’ve left it for so long?” To add authenticity to the Hollywood chapters, Hodgins called up a former student, Hart Hanson, now the executive producer of the forensic crime drama, Bones. Hanson, a one-time CBC writer responsible for Traders and North of 60, invited Hodgins to Los Angeles, inviting him to show tapings, writers’ meetings and parties, whose characters are recast with delightful comic cynicism in the novel.
As a nod to their long-time friendship Hanson named the curly-haired bug scientist in Bones, Jack Hodgins. Born in Comox 1938, Hodgins was raised on a farm in nearby Merville, milked cows before school and a developed an early awareness of the natural landscape that serves as backdrop for his often rough-edged characters. After graduating from the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Education in 1960, Hodgins spent 18 years teaching high-school English in Nanaimo while writing fiction. His first book, the short-story collection Spit Delaney’s Island, was published to acclaim in 1976 and his third book, a novel called The Resurrection of Joseph Bourne, won the Governor General’s award for fiction in 1979. Between 1983 and 2002 he taught creative writing at the University of Victoria. During his years at UVic he mentored many of Canada’s up and coming writers, among them Esi Edugyan, winner of this year’s Giller Prize for HalfBlood Blues. He’s produced three short-story collections, nine novels, one children’s book, a non-fiction travel book and the nonfiction A Passion for Narrative, a guide for aspiring writers that he refers to somewhat ruefully as “my best-seller.” For more information about The Victoria Book Prizes, including 2012 entry requirements, call 250-382-1058, or visit victoriabookprizes.ca. The 2011 winners and runners-up: CITY OF VICTORIA BUTLER BOOK PRIZE Winner: Jack Hodgins; The Master of Happy Endings Thomas Allen Publishers. Fiction. Shortlist: Carla Funk, apologetic, Turnstone Press, Poetry. Stephen Hume, A Walk with the Rainy Sisters: In Praise of British Columbia’s Places. Harbour Publishing. Essays. Sylvia Olsen, Working with Wool: A Coastal Salish Legacy and the Cowichan Sweater. Sono Nis Press. Non-fiction. John Schreiber, Old Lives: In the Chilcotin Backcountry. Caitlin Press. Non-fiction. BOLEN BOOKS CHILDREN’S BOOK PRIZE Winner: Illustrator Kristi Bridgeman; Uirapurú, by P. K. Page; Oolichan Books, Children’s fiction. Shortlist: Sarah N. Harvey, Death Benefits. Children's Fiction Orca Book Publishers, Arthur John Stewart, Odd Ball. Thistledown Press. Young Adult. 69
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HEALTH & WELLNESS
Why do we swallow so many
Here are four to debunk now By Pamela Durkin
Nutritional research garners lots of media attention. Unfortunately, important nutritional findings are often “dumbed down” and translated to the public via “sound bites” and catchy headlines. Or worse, misinterpreted by Internet “health experts” with questionable credentials trying to promote their latest book or product. So it can be hard to separate fact from fiction. These four dietary myths are in serious need of debunking: 1. Myth: Gluten-free equals healthy. In the 1990s, when dietary fats were vilified, an ensuing host of products appeared on supermarket shelves virtuously proclaiming they were “fat-free.” Gluten, it seems, is the new fat. The number of gluten-free items lining grocery aisles is ever increasing, as are proponents proclaiming a gluten-free diet will radically enhance health. Is this rush to avoid gluten justified? It depends. For some people, most notably those with celiac disease, gluten, a protein found in certain grains (most commonly wheat, rye, and barley) is decidedly unhealthy. In celiac disease, which affects an estimated 300,000 Canadians, gluten causes an autoimmune response that causes damage to the small intestine and subsequent gastrointestinal symptoms and nutritional deficiencies. Health experts now say another small group may suffer from a more benign problem with gluten called “gluten sensitivity.” This condition causes no damage to the intestinal tract but does present with gastrointestinal symptoms and fatigue. But the vast majority of us have no valid medical reason to eschew gluten — yet many people, persuaded by the gluten-free hype, are doing so in the firm belief that they’re optimizing their health. A new study, published in The British Journal of Nutrition, suggests they may be doing just the
opposite. Researchers found that placing healthy adults on a gluten-free diet reduced the number of healthy bacteria in the gut and increased the number of unhealthy bacteria like E. coli. In addition, they found the gluten-free diet caused reduced immune function. And consider this: without gluten to bind food, manufacturers often use more fat and sugar to make products more palatable. What’s the take-home message? Unless you have a legitimate medical reason for avoiding gluten, excluding it from your diet is unnecessary and possibly unwise. 2. Myth: ALL Carbohydrates cause weight gain. The low-carb message has become so entrenched in the minds of dieters that even whole-grain carbohydrates are viewed as inherently fattening. Does science confirm our “minute on the lips, a lifetime on the hips” notion regarding carbs? Unequivocally, no. Not only are carbohydrates our main source of energy and an essential part of a healthy diet, they can also, if you choose the right type, help keep you lean. An intriguing new study showed that women who ate the most whole grains were slimmer than those who rarely consumed them. This study backed up previous epidemiological studies that have linked whole grains with healthy weight management. But whole grains aren’t the only carbs that can help you stay slim. Consider the lowly potato, often maligned as a dieter’s foe. Scientists have discovered potatoes are full of a compound called resistant starch that resists enzymatic digestion in the small intestine, stimulating the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut, increasing satiety (the feeling of fullness), increasing the activity of fat-burning cells and reducing fat storage after meals. And here’s more good news: resistant starch is found in other delicious carbohydrates, like whole-grain breads, rice, and oats. Clearly, avoiding all carbohydrates is not a necessary diet 71
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strategy. Notice I said “all carbohydrates.” Health experts unanimously condemn “refined carbohydrates” — cakes, cookies, bagels, muffins, etc. Science provides plenty of evidence that over-indulgence in these types of carbs is linked to obesity. The healthiest carbohydrates — vegetables, intact whole grains and fruit — come from the land, not the bakery. 3. Myth: Cheese is unhealthy and fattening. Once demonized for its saturated fat content, cheese is now hailed as a health food. Why the switch? A new German study suggests cheese is a potent anti-cancer agent. Cheese is a rich source of menaquinones, a type of The healthiest vitamin K that switches on genes carbohydrates in the body that knock out cancer come from the land, cells. When the German scientists tracked the health and diets of not the bakery. more than 24,000 people for up to 10 years, they found the highest cheese eaters had a 28 per cent lower risk for fatal cancers. Another study conducted in Finland showed that daily consumption of probiotic rich cheese can help preserve and enhance immune function in the elderly. Research has also dispelled the “fattening” label given to cheese. During a 12week trial, researchers in Perth, Australia put 40 volunteers on a calorie-restricted diet but asked some participants to eat more cheese, yogurt and low-fat milk. Those who increased their (small) daily dairy servings from three to five lost the most weight and intriguingly, the most abdominal fat. 4. MYth: Brown Bread is Better than white. There is no denying that dark, European-style breads made from intact whole grains are chock-full of nutrition. They contain ample amounts of disease-fighting vitamins, minerals, fibre and phytochemicals. But can the same be said of conventional, fluffy, whole-wheat bread? Researchers at the University of Guelph recently examined how people responded to different types of bread after eating them at breakfast and dinner. Of all the breads tested — white, whole-wheat, whole-wheat with barley, and sourdough white bread — the sourdough had the most beneficial effect on blood sugar and insulin levels. Surprisingly, the conventional whole-wheat bread had the most deleterious effect. Why is this important? An increase in both blood sugar and insulin levels, as was witnessed after participants ate the whole-wheat bread, has been associated with an array of health problems, including diabetes and insulin resistance. Sourdough undergoes a fermentation process that alters its starches and changes the way it is digested in the body. It isn’t rapidly digested the way unfermented breads made from extremely fine flour are. This process has been found to aid in nutrient absorption and create beneficial bacteria that help keep our immune systems strong. VB 73
TECHNOLOGIA
By Darryl Gittins
I love spring, except for tax time. I actually filed my tax return in January this year. Too bad it was my 2010 taxes and not my 2011 taxes. I’ll admit I'm not so good with finances. Fortunately, my wife is. I have to rely on technology to help me keep things in order. Here are my tech tips for the financially dysfunctional. Receipts I hate them. Who can keep track of them? It astounds me that losing a fiddly piece of paper can be the death knell for a major purchase, if you need to return it or get it repaired under warranty. My tip is to take a photo of the receipt as soon as you can. Use your phone’s camera if need be. The quality doesn’t have to be great; it just needs to be legible. Transfer the photos to your computer, and then rename the photos accordingly (for example, 2012 TV receipt.jpg), and your receipts will always be available. There are dedicated desktop receipt scanners but the free Lemon app (for Android and iPhone) can use your smart phone’s camera to scan, tag, and even convert the receipt to searchable text and values. When you get home, log into your Lemon.com account to review the receipts, or download them to a .CSV file that can be edited in a spreadsheet. If you do lose an important receipt, some stores keep a copy for you. London Drugs does this for large purchases, and some online sites like Tigerdirect.ca and Futureshop.com keep online records of your invoices. Money management software For years, I used Microsoft Money to track my personal finances. Sadly though, Microsoft ended support for Money, though you still can download the free “Sunset” edition. When Money could no longer download my bank statements, I considered the excellent Quicken ($50), which ties in nicely to TurboTax, but instead, I moved over to the relatively new — and free — Mint.com Personal Finance app. Everything is done in a web browser instead of by a program on your computer, and your Mint account is accessible from any PC, Mac, Android or iOS device. Mint.com saves all your transaction records until you close 74
your account, and it updates your accounts when you log on. That eliminates the chore of downloading statements into your financial software. My bank only keeps 60 days of records for my account, so if I forgot to download my statement, the records all vaporized into the ether. With Mint, it’s easy just to log on to update the accounts, so there’s less risk of falling behind. Mint provides several customizable reporting views and it automatically categorizes your transactions. You can configure email alerts for when bills are due, account balances get low, or when your paycheque has been deposited. And I love the budgeting feature. You might feel nervous about accessing your bank records over the Web, but the data is transferred using the same encryption your bank uses, and it's all “read only,” meaning you can't actually do anything other than read data. If you want to make a transaction, you still have to log into your bank’s site. Mint is just an interface to your bank's site, but the interface is easier to use and has more functionality. And it's run by the well-regarded and trusted Intuit, which makes Quicken and TurboTax. Mint actually adds a layer of security by sending you email alerts of any suspicious transactions. Mint is fun to use, and I feel that it’s safe, though I recommend you use a password or a pin to lock any computer or mobile device, regardless of what you do on the device. online shopping and automatic payments Next time you go grocery shopping, check the time when you leave the house and again when you get home. I found that each trip was about two hours. We now do virtually all our grocery shopping online using Thriftyfoods.ca and Spuds.ca, and each order only takes about 15 minutes. That’s a lot of saved time, and while there may be a nominal charge for the service, the savings in gas and time more than make up the difference. The order is delivered to our door at a time we choose. You can also save time by using automated bill payments. Life’s too short to fiddle with statements and cheques. Set up automatic withdrawals for your regular bills, and then later review the statements to make sure it’s working right. Spend the time you saved on the beach. Online safety If you feel uneasy about online transactions, consider using a “temporary” credit account for this purpose. If there’s a problem, just close the account. Another safe option is a Paypal.com account, which lets you pay using a credit or bank account without actually giving the merchant your account numbers. Lastly, use unique and strong passwords for all of your financial websites. Password managers like Roboform or LastPass can really help with this. Now for that 2011 tax return. VB 75
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TRAVEL NEAR
By Jane Mundy
The 180-km-long Sunshine Coast Trail stretches from Sarah Point by Lund south photo by Darren Robinson, Tourism Powell River
A
fter several hours of hiking on the Sunshine Coast Trail, I have only one regret — I didn’t bring a frying pan. I would have loved to sauté the chanterelle mushrooms I had just picked along the trail over the fire pit at the Rainy Day Lake hut, where we stop for lunch. But we make do with the sandwiches that my guide, Powell River resident Eagle Walz, has brought along. Depending on the time of year, you might also be able to forage for fiddleheads, berries and oysters along the trail, which starts at Sarah Point, the northern tip of the coast, and winds down to Saltery Bay. Wild foods aside, the trail has much to offer: mountain ridges and ocean shores; creeks, rivers and lakes; and swaths of old-growth forest. It’s more accessible and “user-friendly” than the renowned West Coast trail. There’s no charge, no reservations required, and no line-ups. And seven volunteer-built cabins provide year-round shelter — gratis. If you’re in good shape you can hut-to-hut hike the 180-kilometre trail in eight or nine days, which is roughly 21 or so kilometres per day, averaging five hours a day. Time it right and there’s a roof over your head each night. But you can also just amble along it in your own sweet time. If you’re in my camp and prefer more luxury after a hard day’s hike, a number of hotels and B&Bs will pick up and return you to the trail the next day. You can also drive
to Saltery Bay, south of Powell River.
(anywhere from five to 90 minutes) to all 30 sub-trails — they all connect, making one continuous trail. (Walz advises that you get information on current conditions at the Powell River Visitors Bureau and pick up The Sunshine Coast Trail book for detailed maps.) We pack out everything we pack in (the unspoken rule and requested by First Nations peoples as you go through their territory); circumnavigate Rainy Day Lake (ideal for swimming and camping); then turn onto Fairview Bay Trail. It takes us through old-growth forest of Western red cedar and Douglas fir and down to the ocean’s edge, with a stunning view clear across Jervis Inlet. It’s a short hop from here to Saltery Bay, southerly terminus of the trail and the BC Ferries dock. Walz and others recommend everyone walk the Sunshine Coast Trail from north to south. That way everyone is travelling in the same direction and so you are not constantly meeting other walkers head on. “You have more solitude and you avoid crowds,” says Walz, who darts ahead to pick up a scrap of plastic (the only piece of litter I spy on our sevenkilometre hike). Crowds? We haven’t seen anyone all day. Walz says deer are common and you might see a black bear, but it’s highly unlikely you’ll see a cougar or grizzly — they stick to the back-country or inlets. Chances are you’ll come to Powell River from Comox, but still start at Sarah Point, about 15 kilometres north of Lund and 35 kilometres from Powell River. “Most people take the 30-minute water taxi from Lund, through the Copeland Island 77
provincial park to Sarah Park,” says Walz. “They get dropped off at Sarah Point, hike to Wednesday Lake and if they don’t continue trekking southward on the SCT, walk out to Lund.” That entire trip is about 16 kilometres and up to seven hours, not counting swimming or shucking oysters at Cochrane Bay. Two parts of the trail are beach front: from Sarah Point to Cochrane Bay you can go beachcombing at a variety of access points, and the trail hugs the coast from Fairview Bay to Saltery Bay at the southerly end. Sedentary types and families usually circumnavigate the lake at Inland Lake Park near Powell River. It's 13 kilometres and wheelchair accessible. If you have kids in tow, stroll the Trinket Trail and Troll Alley, where hundreds of trinkets hang from trees and mossy stumps. The trail grew out of a desire by Walz and others in the Powell River Parks and Wilderness Society (he is the group’s president) to set aside protected wilderness areas. “We realized the only way of getting people interested in saving those trees was to make them accessible,” says Walz, “and the only way to do that was to make a trail.” Along the way the society received various grants to pay for materials and transportation, but for the most part, volunteers built the trail and the huts: three more shelters, one winterized, should be built by the end of this year. The society has placed 10,000 orange metal markers to guide the way. “It’s not impossible to get lost, but you can always see the next marker from the last one,” says Walz. Cell phone reception is good if you are near the top of a ridge or on a mountain and facing the ocean, but keep in mind that valleys have no reception. Pick up a map at the Powell River Vistors Bureau and note conditions posted on sunshinecoast-trail.com. Always tell someone where you going and which trail you’re on. IF You Go The Upper Sunshine Coast is easily accessible to Vancouver Islanders: a ferry ride from Comox to Powell River takes 90 minutes. Good news for boaters: Powell River and Lund had an extensive harbour expansion over the past year. The trail shelters are sparse, shared-use facilities and not stocked with anything, but there is a food preparation counter, a picnic table and upstairs a sleeping loft. No reservations are required — at least not so far. Or day-hike and stay in one of several hotels or B&Bs in and around Powell River. Check discoverpowellriver.com/ accommodation/. After my four-hour hike, I checked into Bliss Spa for a massage and floated upstairs to my suite, complete with soaker tub and super-plush robe. Bliss has just four rooms so book ahead. Two blocks away is the Alchemist, an intimate French restaurant that serves the best cuisine in town, in my view. The runner-up is the Laughing Oyster, near the Desolation Sound Resort, which overlooks Okeover Inlet near Lund — ideal for kayakers. VB
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For the way you live
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At Petra enjoy the ancient carved cliffs and the colourful tourist scene, text and photos By Marianne Scott
A
s I stroll the three kilometres through the Siq, the slender cleft leading to Petra’s dramatic sculptured interior, the nearly vertical cliffs stretch hundreds of metres above my head. I am awestruck. Nothing had prepared me for Petra — the name means “rock” in Greek — whose majestic contours have been carved by both nature and humans. Located in southern Jordan and part of the Great Rift Valley, this 6,000-kilometre geological trough begins in Syria and ends in Mozambique. The Jordan River and the Dead and Red Seas are part of the enormous valley. To create Petra, earthquakes initially sundered the Earth’s crust, while millions of years of sun, wind and water smoothed the rose-coloured sandstone into curved planes. As I run a fingernail across the gritty rock, grains of sand trickle down. The place feels alive — geology in action. To arrive at Petra, we drive south through Israel, 370 kilometres from Tel Aviv to Eilat, on the Red Sea. We’d found an Israeli travel agency online and signed up for a private day tour. It is well organized. An Israeli collects us at 6:30 am from our Eilat hotel and hands us over to Ahmed, our lanky, 30-something Jordanian guide, who helps us cross the border from Eilat to Aqaba in Jordan. A well-appointed van transports
complete with camels.
us 130 kilometres to the UNESCO Heritage site. Because of the Israeli-Jordanian peace treaty, travel between the two countries is fairly easy and Ahmed shepherds us through security line-ups. We drive through villages filled with white, blocky dwellings topped by satellite dishes. The driver stops whenever we want: we see Bedouin camel drivers, goat herders and their rag-tag tents patched with black plastic that streams in the desert wind. Along the way, Ahmed describes Petra’s settlers. “About 2,500 years ago,” he says, “the Nabateans, a group of nomads, stopped roaming and used the numerous natural caves as burial sites. They also carved out a sophisticated city complete with waterworks, temples, a coliseum and gardens.” He adds proudly that Jordanians descend from these enterprising people, but skips the fact that the Saudis also claim them as ancestors. The Nabateans controlled large territories and traded with the caravans transporting spices, silks, perfumes and sugar. They collected tolls and prospered. Their engineers learned to conserve and store water and built an ingenious system of dams and reservoirs. When our little group enters Jordan’s most prized tourist site, we meet today’s entrepreneurs: men driving horse-drawn carts that whisk visitors to the city beyond the Siq, and others dressed in Nabatean battle dress, complete with visors, shields and vicious spears, who pose with tourists for a fee. I walk to the ancient city’s heart on a sunny spring day, well 81
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before the hot summer season: I want to feel the spirit of these intrepid colonizers, and the Ptolemies, Seleucids and Romans who came in waves to conquer them and steal their wealth. Did they marvel the way I did at the coral, salmon and rose hues that suffuse the stone? Or did constant battle inure them to the beauty? “The area was naturally fortified,” explains Ahmed as we walk along the winding Siq. “But the Romans didn’t like any group to be too strong so they eventually conquered the Nabateans. Those stones paving the path? They were left by Romans.” He points at patches of well-worn, limestone cobbles. The wide cracks between make us hop from stone to stone. Ahmed points out the huge Obelisk Tomb with its Greek, Egyptian and Nabatean-style elements. It was the first of many carvings around caves where Nabateans interred their dead. A series of sculptures depicts the bottom half of humans, their upper torsos washed away by wind and time. Their feet rest above the channel that once transported water — a precious resource in the desert. Nature has hewn some rocks into bizarre forms: one resembles a gigantic elephant; another is a dead ringer for Edvard Munch’s Scream. The slim trench suddenly opens into a plaza and Petra’s best-known feature dwarfs us — the so-called Treasury, a 40-metre façade decorated with columns, pediments and an eagle, a Nabatean male deity symbol. As these ancient people left no written records, we can only guess what technologies they used to carve the sandstone. Just beyond, chambers hollowed out high in the cliffs may have served as living quarters. Inside, two Muslim couples photograph each other, the women dressed in colourful hijabs and modest, black coats. The amphitheatre is the next colossal structure, sliced out of the rock, step by step. Tourists speaking a dozen languages mix with reclining camels, the occasional donkey, the fast-moving horse-drawn carts, and the “tourism police,” who keep an eye on us all. As the sun begins to slide, we trek back to the van. The slanted light colours the rocks a deep tangerine; shadows created mysterious pockets of gloom. It is easy to see why the Nabateans chose this vast site to entomb their dead, to turn caves into living rooms and to celebrate their rituals. And to leave their artistic legacy for us to savour millennia after they disappeared. VB To reach Eilat, we drove about five hours along the Dead Sea, which allowed a visit to Masada as well. Round-trip daily flights to Eilat are also available from Tel Aviv and take about an hour. The best time to visit is in spring and fall — summer temperatures can reach 40° C, while winters are chilly. With five people, our tour group, organized by Desert Eco Tours (desertecotours.com), cost $300 per person, including visas, transport, entrance fees and lunch. Tips were extra. We were back at our hotel by 7:30 pm. 83
FOOD & WINE
Which comes first:
a love of eating or raising the that lay them? text and photos By Maryanne Carmack
Versatile eggs are the key ingredient in crème brûlée cheese soufflé and spaghetti carbonara
pasta courtesy of Chef Matt Horn of Cowichan Pasta
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very day at around 10 am my daughter and I go out to our backyard henhouse in Brentwood Bay and collect the eggs from our 11 chickens. We both love the job. The perfectly formed miracles of nature are sometimes still warm in our hands. Poached eggs made from such freshly laid gems are the best in the world: firm, flavourful and with a yolk so orange from the chickens’ diet of grubs, greens and sunshine, the colour startles anyone used to pale store cousins. Not only are eggs delicious and versatile, they are one of the most nutritional foods available. Two large eggs have just 155 calories and pack 12 grams of protein, plus iron, B vitamins, minerals and folate. All eggs are healthy, but research shows that eggs from free-range chickens are more nutritious, with less saturated fat and cholesterol, than from hens caged indoors. Backyard chickens can be friendly, curious and beautiful. They require little space and are easy to care for. They help recycle kitchen and garden waste, control insects, and contribute valuable fertilizer to the compost bin. Chickens help build relationships between neighbors — we share our eggs over the back fence. The 100 mile diet is reduced to 100 feet. Spring is the best time to start a flock. Most municipalities in Greater Victoria allow hens (no roosters) in the yards of singlefamily homes, but check your local bylaws. Getting started is simple. Businesses such as Buckerfield’s sell vaccinated, sexed chicks every season around Easter for $3.99 each. They also sell chicken houses, fencing and chicken feed. A laying hen will generally produce an egg a day for about five years. If you love fresh eggs, but don’t want to raise chickens yourself, buy them from the farmer’s gate in local rural areas, at local farmers’ markets or from specialty food stores. At the grocery store, the best quality is local organic free-range eggs. Here are some recipes to use all those wonderful eggs. Creamy Spaghetti Carbonara 1 lb spaghetti 1 large egg 1 large egg yolk 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 6 oz thickly sliced pancetta, cut into 1/8-inch dice shapes 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (3 oz), plus more for serving Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the spaghetti until just al dente. Drain, reserving one-half cup of the pasta cooking water. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the eggs and cream. In a large, deep skillet, heat the oil. Add the pancetta and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until crisp, four minutes. Add the garlic and cook until golden, one minute. Add the spaghetti to the skillet. Cook over low heat, tossing,
A Local Story. Every week a batch of Hollie Wood’s fresh Satori oysters makes its 100 mile journey from Denman Island to the Marina Restaurant. And every week we send any extra oysters back to be re-seeded. Nothing wasted, unbelievably fresh. Just one of the stories that make up our plates each day.
Stunning Views Lunch • Dinner • Sushi • Sunday Brunch
250-598-8555 1327 Beach Drive at the Oak Bay Marina www.marinarestaurant.com OB 5027 Oak Bay Marine Group Bouelevard 3.875" x 9.75" prepared Feb 24, 2012
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until coated. Slowly add the reserved pasta cooking water and beaten egg yolks. Toss until coated with a creamy sauce, about one minute. Add the cup of Parmesan and season with pepper. Transfer to bowls and serve, passing extra Parmesan. Cheese Soufflé 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 3 tbsp unsalted butter 3 tbsp all-purpose flour 11/4 cups heavy cream 4 large eggs, separated, plus 3 large egg whites 3 tbsp dry sherry 6 oz Gruyère cheese, shredded (2 packed cups) 2 tbsp sour cream 11/4 tsp kosher salt 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1/2 tsp dry mustard 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 1/4 tsp cream of tartar Preheat the oven to 375° F. Butter a 1 1/2-quart soufflé dish and coat it with two tablespoons of the Parmigiano. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the flour to make a paste. Gradually whisk in the cream and bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking. Reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking, until very thick, three minutes. Transfer the base to a large bowl; let cool. Stir in the egg yolks, sherry, Gruyère, sour cream, salt, Dijon mustard, dry mustard, cayenne and the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmigiano. Put the seven egg whites in a large, stainless-steel bowl. Add the cream of tartar. Using an electric mixer, beat the whites until firm peaks form. Fold one-third of the whites into the soufflé base to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whites until no streaks remain. Scrape the mixture into the prepared dish. Run your thumb around the inside rim of the dish to wipe away any crumbs. Bake for about 35 minutes, until the soufflé is golden brown and puffed. Serve right away.
R E S TA U R A N T
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Even our Chefs are locally grown! TOP FLOOR - CHATEAU VICTORIA HOTEL - 740 BURDETT AVE CALL US AT 250.382.9258 OR VISIT WWW.VISTA18.COM
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Classic Crème Brûlée 3 cups whipping cream 8 egg yolks 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1-11/2 tsp vanilla ½ cup packed brown sugar, sifted In a saucepan, heat cream over medium-high heat until it’s steaming hot. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks with granulated sugar; very gradually whisk in cream. Whisk in vanilla. Skim off foam. Divide mixture among eight 3/4-cup (175 mL) ramekins or custard cups. Place ramekins in two large, shallow pans. Gently pour boiling water into pans to come up halfway up sides of ramekins. Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until edges are set but centres still quiver and a small knife inserted into centres comes out creamy. Remove from water; let cool on racks. Cover and refrigerate
for at least two hours or until chilled and set, or for up to two days. Fill two shallow pans with enough ice to surround ramekins; nestle chilled custards among cubes. Pat surface of each custard dry; sprinkle evenly with brown sugar. Broil six inches (15 cm) from heat for two to six minutes or until sugar bubbles and turns dark brown, rearranging pans and removing each ramekin when ready. Chill, uncovered, for at least 10 minutes before serving, or for up to three hours. VB What's in an Egg Name? • The cheapest eggs come from large commercial farms, where hens are caged indoors. • Free-run eggs mean the hen has been uncaged and allowed to roam in the barn. • Free-range eggs means the hen can roam indoors and outside, accessing natural vegetation. • Organic free-range means that the raising of the hens meets organic certification. • Omega-3 eggs are from hens whose feed contains flax seed to increase omega-3 fatty acids in the yolk.
Wine pairings by Sharon McLean The pairings this month all come from Naramata, a wonderfully diverse area north of Penticton on the east side of Okanagan Lake. The pork in the Spaghetti Carbonara makes me think of Syrah and the 2009 Nichol Estate Syrah is one of my favourite BC wines (approx. $35). Elegant and aromatic, it has a wonderfully nuanced nose of black fruit, spice and pepper. Riesling is also a classic pairing with pork and the slightly off-dry 2010 Kettle Valley Riesling has the body and acidity to complement this dish. A well-balanced, lightly-oaked Chardonnay or a crisp Sauvignon Blanc are excellent picks for the Cheese Soufflé. Try the 2010 Laughing Stock Chardonnay (approx. $26) with its great acidity, bright fruit and a kiss of oak. La Frenz produces a wonderful Sauvignon Blanc that is reliably focused and crisp. The current vintage is sold out, but look for the new release this spring. For the rich, creamy Crème Brûlée try Elephant Orchard's selection of decadent fruit-based dessert wines, such as the 2010 Framboise, 2010 Cassis (both approx. $20) or the Stellaport made from cherries (approx. $28). Note: The wineries of Naramata will be at the Crystal Gardens for “Uncork Your Palate” on April 26th. A fundraiser for the Victoria Conservatory of Music, it’s a wonderful opportunity to enjoy new releases paired with food from local eateries and music from young musicians. See vcm.bc.ca/calendars/uncork-your-palate VB
Awakening
from Hibernation by Jessalyn O’Donnell, RD Thrifty Foods
Blankets of snow turn to fields of snow-drops; the sound of the scraping of windshields becomes the playful duet of birds; the smell of smoldering firewood shifts to the pungent aroma of wet soil… These are some of the signs that spring has sprung. Just like the renewal of the seasons, human beings in spring seem to awaken from hibernation, becoming inspired to detoxify and recommit to health goals. Looking for a spring cleanse? Put a spring in your step by adopting these behaviors: 1. Do you eat mindfully? Or do you hover over your computer, rocking it out to “top ten,” while haphazardly shoving food in your mouth? Eliminate distractions, reject “vacuum eating,” and focus on just eating. Pay attention to food flavors, smells and textures as well as the cues your body gives you when eating. By engaging in mindful eating, you will more likely feel satisfied and nourished instead of feeling ripped off and still hungry. 2. Are you eating a variety of plant-based foods? Explore the medley of fruits and vegetables that spring has to offer such as rhubarb, spinach and different types of greens. All are rich in antioxidants and fiber—detoxifying power. 3. Do you truly know what you are eating? Avoid choices laden with artificial sweeteners, flavors and colors. Instead opt for whole unprocessed foods that serve as energizers versus energy zappers. 4. Do you really need the “venti” size or the mile high hamburger? Portions people! 5. Does your walking routine consist of walking from the fridge to the couch? Whether it is taking the stairs, or sweating it out on the stair-master, the more steps you log, the better. Try parking a few blocks away from work or shopping, or getting off the bus a few stops early. Take a walk at lunch. 6. Are you really hungry? Or just thirsty? Saturate your cells by drinking water consistently throughout the day.
www.thriftyfoods.com
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WRY EYE
By anne mullens ILLUSTRATION SHELLEY DAVIES
You’re watching TV and one of those ads come on — a loud-mouth guy hawking some revolutionary new gadget, talking in that carnival-barker voice. “Call now and we’ll send not one, not two, but three sets for the price of one!” “Who buys this crap?” you say to your spouse. Sigh. I do. I hate to confess it. I am a well-educated woman (two university degrees) but I have a streak of gullibility when it comes to TV hucksterism that defies logic and learning. When I see the ads I don’t dial right away — I’m not impulsive and gullible. I am practical and gullible, a dangerous combination for TV ads. So, I watch it four, five, maybe even 10 times until I finally think, “It’s only $9.99, I could use that.” It is the utility that always hooks me. I am not sure why I am this way. Perhaps it’s my upbringing, in which television was strictly controlled. I’ve noticed that those of us whose parents limited exposure to the idiot box seem more susceptible in adulthood to its hypnotizing power. Some people, knowing their weakness, spurn TV. It might be a good idea for me, but I’m married to a TV journalist. For 88
the past 20 years the TV has been on during most dinners so we can watch Daddy on the six o’clock news. When my oldest daughter was about four, I knew she was consuming too many ads with her nightly meal when she grabbed my hand upon seeing inside an aunt’s broom closet and gasped: “Oh Mom, look! It’s the stuff that gets your floors SO clean!” She is now a jaded-20-year-old who would never be taken in by a pitchman. But while she grew out of it, I did not. Over the years I’ve bought the Sham-wow®, the Genie Bra®, the Pet Rider Seat Cover®, the Topsy Turvey® tomato planter, the SpaceBag To Go® roll-up travel vacuum bags, the Steam Buddy®, and the Pet Hair Lifter®, among others, sigh. In fact, my two daughters now make fun of me and give me joke gifts. Two Christmases ago I got a Snuggie® and a Slap Chop®. They were laughing, while I was eager to see if I could get the Slap Chop® to make egg salad in three hits (while dressed like a blue-robed Gandalf in my Snuggie). I could not. The egg got jammed into the blades as did everything else I tried to chop. The Snuggie arms were so long they impeded all useful movement except lying inert on the couch holding a remote. Of course you’re wondering how much money I waste on such junk. Well, not that much — the stuff is cheap after all. That’s its hallmark. And I do make some back in garage sales. Do any of these things work? In general, not as well as advertised. But I keep hoping. Perhaps that explains why I recently succumbed to the U-Glue® pitch, “the super glue with the convenience of tape.” I had a practical need, of course: I wanted to create a display of family photos across an entire wall in the upper hall of our 1912 home. But the wall consisted of plaster-covered brick from the chimney stack, impenetrable to a nail. When I saw the barker in the U-Glue® commercial attack house numbers with the power washer for the umpteenth time, I was sold. I soon spent a happy afternoon blocking framed pictures of great-grandparents, grandparents, cousins, kids in an artful, Martha-Stewartish display. “That looks great,” my husband said. My hard-to-impress girls concurred. Even our cleaner left a note with a smiley face: “Like the photo wall!” I was chuffed. That is, until two weeks later, when we awoke to a resounding crash. The picture of Granny and Grandpa Middleton was in the middle of the hallway floor. Over the next week, the pictures slipped, slided and toppled off the wall. The dog yelped and cowered with each crash. At first I was dismayed but soon I simply stacked the latest picture on the hallway bookcase, to be dealt with later. And when that time came, I found all the pictures were stuck to each other and to the bookcase. Yes, one big hunk of fused frames in an immovable U-Glue® mass, firmly adhering to the top of the bookcase. They are still there, mocking me every time I walk past. So now I am watching TV infomercials looking for a good universal solvent, the type that removes stubborn adhesives without damaging family treasures. I could really use that. VB
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SECRETS & LIVES
By shannon moneo
We’ve reached you by phone in Doha, Qatar. Why are you there? I’m a principal advisor to the State of Qatar in developing four museums, one of them a museum of slavery. It’s reaching in to the work I’ve done in South Africa and work I did on the Simon Wiesenthal Center. It’s an exciting project.
of different places. Macau, Singapore, Rwanda, Kosovo and Russia. Packing is easy. I take about 5,000 of my favourite books and the rest I can live without, except my Russian samovar of Tsar Nicholas II. I have to have my tea out of it. It’s one of those works of art that are practical.
Why did you take the RBCM job? It’s more than simply a large museum and a large archive. The location is breathtaking. I was so impressed with the people. When I flew there in the seaplane, when they heard what I was doing, they said, “Why don’t we fly you over?” They put me in the cockpit. We flew over Parliament. This is the sort of welcome you get. And the important collections, which are departure points for bigger ideas, bigger ways of thinking of First Nations. Because I know so little, I’m keen to understand the story and all the networks.
Who is your favourite author? At the moment, South African Andre Brink. He’s written about 20 novels and they’re staggeringly good. I’d been looking for books by Brink and at Russell Books there were two. Together, I think I paid $19 and they’re worth hundreds. It was absolutely thrilling.
What knowledge and abilities will you bring from your work at the Museum of London, and from South Africa, where you were CEO of 15 national museums? You tap into the knowledge that comes from the experience of running large organizations. Principally, in each of the places I’ve worked, I’ve been trying to tell the story of people who might have been written off or need to be in the foreground in a different way. It’s about taking that permanence and authenticity and vitality of museum voices and drawing them in. I’ll be reaching into experience running, developing and building archives and developing museums. This job is about developing, not just maintaining. What struck you most when you saw Victoria? The welcome from the seaplane pilot and the amazing waterscape. You’ve got this urban environment and natural beauty. You feel, in some ways, on the edge of the world. And space, a lot of space.
How have the London 2012 Olympics influenced your work at the Museum of London? I was involved in the bid-writing stage of the Olympics about eight years ago. I knew if we could win it, the museum would win, too. One reason I can leave the Museum of London on the eve of the Olympics is that everything is ready. But I am coming back for the marathon and the closing ceremony. What is a museum for? My vision is that it’s sort of a public forum rather than a preachy temple; a civic space for discussion and debate of critical and relevant issues. Collections are not the end in themselves but the departure point for ideas and themes that can reach out across all society, right across British Columbia and actually beyond. Tell us a private detail about yourself. I don’t think there are any skeletons in the cupboard. But I’m peculiar about my tea, that’s why the samovar is important. VB This interview has been condensed and edited.
What will you miss about London? The proximity to Europe. Next week, I go for lunch with the President of Poland. I’m not thinking twice about popping to Poland for the day. Which languages do you speak? I grew up in London but my parents were Polish émigrés so I grew up speaking Polish and French. I studied in Berlin so I had to learn German. I lived in Italy, where I did my Master’s thesis, so I learned Italian. I did Japanese and Swedish classes. I’ve been working in Norway for 12 years as visiting professor. Portuguese is my best language and Spanish, too, was quite easy. Arabic was a little bit harder. Languages are a hobby. I will go back to learning Chinese when I’m in Victoria. Maybe I’ll try Haida. How did you decide what to bring? It was easy. I only have books. I’m a voracious reader, mainly literature, stories. I have a library of 20,000 books. My mother’s house in Wimbledon is probably taking three-quarters of them. I’ve moved to lots 90
JACK LOHMAN, 52 ROYAL BC MUSEUM’S NEW CEO
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