Boulevard Magazine - May 2012 Issue by Boulevard Magazine

LIFE AT ITS FINEST

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CONTENTS May 2012 Issue 5, Volume XXI

FEATURES 22

Peerless leader Marion Little takes the helm at PEERS By Susan Down

Photos By Our readers shoot to thrill

COLUMNS 28

HAWTHORN Bowker Creek makes a comeback By Tom Hawthorn

STATE OF THE ARTS Street art goes vertical By Alisa Gordaneer

DEPARTMENTS 18

CONTRIBUTORS Meet some crew members

EDITOR’S LETTER Opening photo presents

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Caring for the caregivers

SOCIAL CAPITAL Fun on the water By Anne Mullens

COWICHAN Prawn-spotting time By Susan Down FRONT ROW Shirley Valentine; Pro Rodeo; garden tours; Herbert Siebner; William Kurelek; and more By Robert Moyes

CREATIVE MINDS Daniela Cubelic, tempest in a tea shop By Alex Van Tol

TRAVEL NEAR A closer look at Shawnigan Lake By Iain Lawrence

HOT PROPERTIES A Metchosin marvel By Carolyn Heiman

TRAVEL FAR Walk through history along Hadrian’s Wall By Margo Malcolm

DESIGN MATTERS The new florals aren’t for sissies By Sarah MacNeill

FOOD & WINE Sweet ice cream, made easier By Maryanne Carmack

BOULEVARD BOOK CLUB The classics, forsooth! By Adrienne Dyer

WRY EYE Chaos on four legs By Shannon Moneo

HEALTH & WELLNESS Health risks of spas By Alex Van Tol

SECRETS & LIVES Triathlete Paula Findlay trains for London By Shannon Moneo

TECHNOLOGIA Avoiding lame games By Darryl Gittins

On our cover: Silk Road Tea's Daniela Cubelic, photo by Gary McKinstry; Classic "Unikko" fabric pattern, courtesy of Marimekko.

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lIFE AT ITS FINEST

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ISSN 1196-6807

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Susan Down has had a long career in newspapers, writing about subjects as diverse as opera, fishing, architecture and Mongolian mining companies for the Times Colonist, Toronto Star, and others. In this issue, Down writes about the Cowichan prawn festival and profiles new PEERS executive director Marion Little. Down recently returned to the Island after several years in Toronto. She is working on a novel.

Carolyn Heiman has been writing Boulevard’s Hot Properties feature for a year, chronicling some of Victoria’s most beautiful homes. This month she features a Metchosin waterfront home. Her story last June about her own renovation of her 1960s split-level home has become one of Boulevard’s most requested reprints. Heiman’s career spans several decades in five provinces, including 20 years at the Times Colonist as both a writer and editor.

Margo Malcolm, a Victoria-born-andbased freelance writer, earned a Greek and Roman Studies degree from UVic in 2002 and has since travelled to many Roman sites, including Hadrian’s Wall in northern England, which is this month’s Travel Far. She has discovered that following in the footsteps of the Romans often leads to extraordinary places, which she shares at romanfootprints.com.

photos by

In this issue we celebrate Boulevard’s Annual Photos By contest, in which readers send in their best shots. Our panel of judges selected six works out of more than 60 entries. Sometimes it was composition or lighting, other times subject or mood, and sometimes it was the photographer’s luck that struck us or moved us. We congratulate Leanne Allen, Katherine Engqvist, Douglas Grant, Len Langevin, Christine McAuley, and Ken MiNer for being our six finalists. See their winning shots and read their individual bios starting on page 54.

EDITOR’S LETTER Each March, a small group of Boulevard staff and photographers takes a few hours of an afternoon; we each grab a cup of tea or coffee, and gather around the art director’s computer. Then we click through the entries submitted to the annual Photos By contest. We oohh and ahhh, categorize and comment, debate and decide. I have been part of the process now for three years out of the more than 20 years that Boulevard has run its popular contest. Viewing each photo is like opening up a little present — one that might take us to a new place in the world, show us a scene or a sight we’ve never witnessed, take us inside another person’s mind or experience, or show us a part of Victoria we know very well, but now see with new eyes. This year we saw dramatic pictures of leopards and baboons from an African safari; a number of cute dogs and kids; motorcycles and car fenders; lovely sunsets and inviting beaches; raindrops and rainbows; and artfully Photoshopped landscapes that looked more like paintings than photos. In all we looked at almost 60 images. Selecting our finalists is never easy. Some shots are excellent, but similar to ones we have seen in the previous year, or are versions of shots that have become almost visual clichés — i.e. a colourful door on a white-washed Grecian wall. Some are great compositions that capture an instant, but as we enlarge them to examine their finer points we find their focus or resolution won’t stand up to the rigours of reproduction in a glossy magazine. We judge without access to the name of the photographer, or any hint of his or her background or skill, basing our choices on image alone. This year our final six each had a unique or fresh way of presenting a scene. See the images and read about the photographers starting on page 54. This month we celebrate our first anniversary of publishing monthly. You may notice a few visual updates, too — a new binding style, a bit more air and light on the pages, more accessible layouts — that we hope you find combine to offer greater style to our editorial substance. Each month we aim to make Boulevard your favourite Victoria magazine, one you are happy to sit back with and peruse. Write us an email telling us how we are doing. VB Anne Mullens, Managing Editor 20

YOUR LETTERS Celebrating caregivers’ contributions I enjoyed reading Alisa Gordaneer’s article (April) about providing care for her father. Unpaid family caregivers such as Alisa not only provide the most care in the community, they contribute about $24-$31 billion in unpaid care nationally. The health care system would collapse without such support. Let’s hope British Columbia creates policies to support family caregivers, as Manitoba has recently done, and let’s advocate for a national strategy that truly recognizes the contributions that family caregivers make to our society. Kelli Stajduhar RN, PhD Associate Professor, School of Nursing and Centre on Aging University of Victoria

As-Seen-on-TV Anonymous Great April Wry Eye. I completely identify with the engagement with the infomercials on TV. I, too, have never viewed a product (particularly at 2 am) I didn’t need and I didn’t want. Somehow I’ve resisted calling. Why not get a group of people together to pool their money, purchase each of the products and then make YouTube videos demonstrating their pros and cons? It actually could have some value, be fun, and create a wonderful peer support group for this addiction. Rey Carr

Marvellous musical maestro Kudos to Tess Van Straaten for her splendid article about Yariv Aloni (April). As a long-time admirer of Yariv and supporter of all three of his ensembles, I am delighted to know that his major contributions to our community will now be appreciated by an even wider audience. Lydia Kasianchuk

The Social Network weighs in Our March story on Camas Gardens’ success in housing the homeless generated shares on Facebook. Here is a sampling: Victoria Foundation: A great article about Pacifica Housing in Boulevard Magazine’s March issue. While Camas Gardens houses 44 people, Pacific Housing operates nearly 800 units of low-income housing on Vancouver Island, mostly for families. Burnside Gorge Community Association: Congratulations to all involved for this wonderful article and project! If you raise the bar, people WILL reach it! Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness: Did you catch this great piece on Pacifica Housing’s Camas Gardens in Boulevard Magazine? Read what great stuff is happening there!

We welcome your letters: editor@victoriaboulevard.com 21

By Susan Down PHOTOGRAPHY BY dean azim

a sanctuary is a safe haven, whether it’s a church or a simple office space with a couch and coffeemaker. Marion Little strives to create a sanctuary in both those venues. “We all have a need for places where we are unconditionally welcome,” says Little, who joined PEERS (Prostitutes Empowerment, Education and Resource Society) last November as executive director at a pivotal time when legal attitudes regarding the sex trade are changing. Below Little’s second-floor office

overlooking the reception area at PEERS’ Esquimalt headquarters, a staff member prepares sandwich wraps for drop-in visitors and chats with a woman knitting on the couch. Elsewhere in the building, others take part in the employment/life skills program. PEERS delivers such services to Victoria sex trade workers, including weekly doctor’s visits, yoga and knitting classes, and an outreach vehicle that serves women and men working the Rock Bay stroll. But Little has an even wider perspective on

PEERS' Marion Little is “approachable and really listens,” says board chair Rachel Phillips.

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the whole field, from the sex trade to sexual abuse. Her part-time position at PEERS allows her to spend two days a week at the Anglican Diocese of BC (representing Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands), where she is the canon pastor responsible for the sexual misconduct policy. She helps train volunteers (as well as students) to deliver RespectEd, an abuse prevention program for schools and other organizations, in partnership with the Canadian Red Cross.

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Sex workers need basic human rights Sitting back in her chair, with Joshua, her Yorkshire terrier, by her side, Little chooses her words carefully, each one weighed for impact, not a surprise for someone with degrees in linguistics and dispute resolution. “Human rights are an absolute. You don’t kind of have human rights. You either sign onto the declaration or you don’t. And Canada signed on. We endorsed that document, but we deny basic human rights to people who happen to work in the sex trade.” Those comments are particularly sobering in the wake of the Missing Women’s Inquiry, which looked into how Robert Pickton was able to prey on sex workers from the Downtown Eastside for so many years before his arrest. Repeated testimonies showed that not only were sex trade workers considered unreliable witnesses, but once they went missing, their fates were a low priority for police investigation. The inquiry illustrated the need for more resources like PEERS that connect with people who are marginalized or ostracized, says Little. Despite that, PEERS’ sister group in Vancouver (established after the Victoria group) is folding due to funding changes, something Little calls “beyond obscene.” Courts: Current Laws Endanger not protect At the same time, the legal framework surrounding prostitution is being challenged. While buying and selling sex is not illegal in Canada, the practices surrounding it are, such as communicating with a customer, running a bawdy house or living off the avails of the business. In 2010, the Ontario Superior Court agreed with three sex workers from that province that these Criminal Code offenses actually put sex workers in greater danger out on the street. The Ontario Court of Appeal supported this decision in a March 26 ruling that laws banning brothels are unconstitutional. Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside sex workers launched their own challenge, heard by the Supreme Court of Canada in January this year, arguing that Canada’s prostitution laws violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. A decision is pending. Formed in 1995 by a group of former sex trade workers,

PEERS has diversified its programs and broadened community support (but government funding for its Elements employment program has been cut by half). PEERS serves hundreds of street sex workers every year on its $500,000 budget. The staff consists of peers from the sex trade and others like Little who bring social service expertise. “I have a pretty square background,” she admits: always the designated driver in high school, helping to parent four younger siblings, married at 21 (and still married at 40) and a mother. Her teenage daughter, Abi Hodson, a social justice advocate herself who sits on the City of Victoria Youth Council, was “curious and proud” of her mom’s new role at PEERS, says Little.

Laws against brothels recently found unconstitutional

Little’s activism began in adolescence Like her daughter, Little began her human rights activism advocacy work early. As a teenager in Owen Sound, Ontario, she worked with Amnesty International and later helped homeless teenagers living in her town. Before joining PEERS, Little was the executive director with Threshold Housing Society, providing semi-independent housing for at-risk youth. After leaving Threshold to consider new opportunities, she was encouraged to apply for the PEERS position. She admits she was cautious. “I knew they were doing good work but I didn’t know what was involved,” she said. That changed after a three-hour interview with six representatives from PEERS. Both sides realized it was a good fit. “Marion is approachable, she really listens and she loves working with people,” said board co-chair Rachel Phillips. “These are great qualities in a leader and especially at PEERS, where people have experienced their fair share of discrimination and not being seen and heard.” Sex trade workers echo that positive response, said night outreach worker Kelly Ransome. Little went out on a shift with the staffers soon after she arrived, and plans to repeat that every month. “They (the sex trade workers) were really impressed. They really feel like she actually cares,” said Ransome. Otherwise, on a typical work day, Little meets donors and funding partners as well as connecting with other community groups to find ways to work together. Stigma still the greatest danger PEERS is a different place now than at its inception 17 years ago. For one thing, the term prostitute has been replaced with sex trade worker. “So little was known about 25

sex work then. There is a much greater breadth of research now,” said Megan Lewis, program director and one of the founding members who had spent 11 years in the sex trade. Despite greater awareness, public distaste lingers for the subject. “The stigma is the most dangerous part of the job,” says Lewis. The statistics support that: sex workers are 60 to 120 times more likely to be assaulted or murdered than other people. Nevertheless, PEERS has a surprisingly broad base of support from the community. “There are people who support PEERS who are evangelical conservative Christian groups, who very likely believe in abolishing the sex trade completely. And there are supporters who believe in decriminalizing sex work and opening brothels,” said Little. “The beauty of PEERS is that it doesn’t support either strategy. It identifies people who don’t have access to some resources and says everybody in our community has a right to be treated with dignity.” Little is committed to maintaining PEERS’ supportive rather than judgmental role. “She brings balance,” said Victoria city councillor Charlayne Thornton-Joe. “She has an open mind and looks at all sides of an issue.” Social justice, not charity Although PEERS relies on government and private support, Little dislikes the word charity, saying its allusion is that the “haves” give to the “have nots.” “It’s conditional and you must be thankful,” she said. Instead, social justice work is interactive, matching needs. “I love it when the match is so satisfying that it’s hard to tell who is giving and who’s receiving.” By supporting clients’ choices (often to get off the streets), PEERS has become a respected resource, says Little. Two former clients of PEERS employment programs graduated from university last fall. One plans to get a master’s degree. Completing school is just one type of success, says Little. But creating a sanctuary appears to be PEERS’, and Little’s, greatest gift. VB

• PEERS was founded 17 years ago by six former sex trade workers. • Sex workers are 60 to 120 times more likely to be assaulted or murdered. • Police in Vancouver ignored tips from sex workers that would have led to Robert Pickton years early. • Knitting classes, yoga, health care, employment training and more are part of PEERS’ services. • The PEERS outreach RV gives out harm reduction equipment, advice, referrals and is a safe haven for a cup of coffee or a game of cards. 27

photo by vince klassen

hawthorn By Tom Hawthorn

A waterway receives its rebirth papers from the Bowker Creek Blueprint The pond is a bucolic spot of contemplation on campus, an oasis of calm behind the University Club of Victoria. A concrete patio extends from the building to the waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edge, with a view of ducks and blue heron among the cattails. The water is surrounded on three sides by a buffer of landscaped vegetation beyond which is a natural bounty of birch and Garry oak, red alder and black cottonwood, maple and arbutus, salal and sword fern. Pacific water parsley and yellow pond lily grow on the still waters. Though not obvious at first, the pond is an artificial creation. Log-style weirs catch sediment as the water begins a slow journey downhill to the sea. This pond, fed by runoff from the UVic campus, is the headwaters of Bowker Creek. The creek runs past Hillside Mall and Royal Jubilee Hospital, Oak Bay Secondary and the fire hall in Firemanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Park. Its watershed covers 1,028 hectares (2,540 acres), straddling the municipalities of Saanich, Victoria, and Oak Bay. Bowker is a peekaboo creek. Most of its winding, eightkilometre course is hidden in underground pipes. The water streaming from the campus pond disappears into a culvert, emerging for a few blocks alongside Shelbourne Street, before dipping into a pipe to cross beneath North Dairy, running alongside the mall below the wide expanse of asphalt on Doncaster Avenue, appearing again behind Richmond Elementary, ducking beneath Richmond Road, visible again to the east of the hospital. It is then channeled and funneled through Oak Bay until it reaches the sea near Willows Beach. 28

For much of its route, a passerby wouldn’t even see it. Over the years, as the city grew and encroached on the creek, its tendency to flood and it dangers to children led to demands to box and contain the creek. The creek lost its natural appearance decades ago. In places, it is now as appealing as a sewer ditch. The ditch is about to get a makeover. In March, the federal government handed over a cheque for $738,000 to begin restoration of Bowker Creek. After years of meetings, three municipalities have approved a document called the Bowker Creek Blueprint. The money is to be used to rehabilitate a section of the creek running along the southern edge of Oak Bay Secondary. While a final design has yet to be approved, the proposal is stunning. The concrete channel and boxy culverts are to be removed, allowing the creek to follow a more natural, meandering course. The creek width will be about 2.5 metres. The north bank will be clawed back, creating a more natural contour and space for an upper and lower footpath. A viewing terrace will provide a panorama without people tromping on the natural riverbank vegetation. The native riparian habitat, now choked by invasive species like buttercup, English ivy, and Himalayan blackberry, will be restored with native species like Pacific willow. For centuries, Here’s where it gets clever. The Bowker Creek terrace will become part of regular provided drinking outdoor classes at the high school, water, as well as as students will get a handssalmon and trout. on lesson in the environment. Students can monitor river flow, plant life, bird life, and other aspects of the habitat as part of their class work. The creek gets stewards, while students get an education. As a boy, I lived briefly along a flood plain of the Humber River in Toronto. Though forbidden from playing on the riverbank, I spent countless hours with friends among the skunk cabbage, pheasants and crayfish. I had a bit of Thoreau’s world in the shadows of high-rise developments. An urban waterway in its natural state is not only ecologically proper, it provides an amenity for us city dwellers. For many centuries, Bowker Creek provided drinking water as well as a bounty of coho salmon and cutthroat trout. Oldtimers remember fishing in the creek into the middle of the past century. The Blueprint, which is available online, is subtitled, “A 100year action plan.” It took a century to force the creek into man-made, concrete restraints; it will take a century to restore much of it to a natural state. “It’ll be quite some time before there will be salmon and trout back in the creek,” said Jody Watson of the Bowker Creek Initiative. Already, though, crayfish can be found in the section running through Browning Park. VB 29

photo by gary McKinstry

by alisa gordaneer

It’s MAY POLE time in Fernwood — let the painting begin! If you’ve strolled through Fernwood lately, you may have noticed its hydro poles. They’re hard to miss, with their brightly painted motifs of sunflowers, trailing vines, butterflies and birds, just to name a few. Instead of dull brown or graffititagged wood, Fernwood’s hydro poles have become a growing statement about creating beauty and community. Some 200 painted poles exist now, estimates Beth Threlfall, who can be credited with starting the whole pole thing. Four years ago, the visual artist and mom of two got tired of seeing graffiti tagged on the pole outside her Fernwood home. She hauled out her paints and stenciled a simple sunflower design onto the pole — after asking permission from BC Hydro’s pole maintenance department, that is. While BC Hydro doesn’t want to be affiliated with the pole paintings, it doesn’t object to them, says Threlfall, as long as the artwork doesn’t interfere with worker safety — in fact, pole painters often remove dangerous nails and staples before they go about their painting efforts. From the first few poles, the idea grew block by block. Families painted the poles in front of their homes themselves, or commissioned Threlfall to do it. “It looks wonderful and cheery, and feels like a safer place to walk around,” says Threlfall, adding that the poles, er, telegraph the message that people in the area care about where they live, and have stepped beyond their own front yards to make their whole neighbourhood look better. Now it’s a neighbourhood thing. Last year, the Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource Group co-ordinated even more pole painting. Mila Czemerys, communications co-ordinator for Fernwood NRG, says over 300 people helped out last year, 30

including a team from Telus. This month, volunteers will stencil, hand-paint and decorate another hundred or so poles, mainly on Chambers, Fernwood, Pembroke, Grant, Vining and Stanley streets. They’ll use paint donated from the CRD landfill, and stencils developed with the help of the Paint Box School of Art. The idea is to get as many people involved as possible. “We had a really great response last year,” says Czemerys. “I saw people walking with huge smiles on their faces, staring at the poles.” Not everyone is happy. “A lot of people enjoy a very clean look,” says Threlfall. Last year, one Fernwood resident painted over a number of the freshly decorated poles, which Threlfall says was disappointing for the families who had painted them, and wanted to show them to their friends. Now, rather than engage in a pole-painting turf war, Threlfall says she and the plain-esthetics resident “agreed to disagree” — the poles around that person’s home can stay plain, and they’ll let the rest stay decorated. A simple “Please don’t paint this pole” sign put up outside a home will be respected by paint crews. And in the name of good neighbours, the painters will clean up after themselves. If you don’t live in Fernwood, you and your neighbours could paint the poles on your block, like some James Bay residents recently did. Or just paint the pole at your own house. “If it’s okay for me to do, it’s okay for everybody else to do it — as long as, if it’s not in front of your house, you talk with your neighbours about it,” says Threlfall. In fact, that kind of communication happened recently when Threlfall painted a few poles for a homeowner in Oak Bay. The homeowner and a curious neighbour began chatting — the first time they’d talked in 30 years of living on the same street. Talk about community building. “I just love how it’s taken off,” says Threlfall. “It has a life of its own.” To sign up for a free pole-design workshop on May 19 email polepainting@fernwoodnrg.ca. On Friday, May 25, volunteers will prime poles for painting on Saturday, May 26. Contact Fernwood NRG for more information. VB

A Local Story. Eric Whitehead of Untamed Feast watches the forest fire season closely and quietly, planning his next move. A few months later he disappears deep into coastal BC forests and emerges with baskets of fire morels we use in our creations. Wilderness locations and hard hiking. Just one of the stories that make up our plates each day.

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SOCIAL CAPITAL

Get out on the water this summer By anne mullens

The wind is blowing across the starboard side of the 50-foot sailboat Big Ben, our sails smartly trimmed. We are clipping along at six knots in the waters off Cordova Bay. Mount Baker looms in snow-capped majesty over my right shoulder. I feel pure exhilaration. It has been years since I last sailed. For this trip, however, I have joined the Oak Bay Cruising Club. I am crewing on a three-day leg from Victoria up to Comox. Others on the boat, like me, do not own their own sailboat. By pooling capital, talent, and training, the club enables members to get access to sailboats and great trips. In fact, the skipper and crew are taking this well-appointed boat all the way to Prince Rupert and back. Other members are

CHECK OUT YOUR LOCAL REC CENTRE:

Get your feet wet with an entry-level course at your local rec centre. Oak Bay Rec centre holds CANSail lessons, every spring, summer and fall at Oak Bay Marina, with up to 60 per cent of the course out on the water in Flying Junior dinghies. Both Oak Bay Rec and Saanich Recreation offer popular beginner kayak courses, with some of the lessons in their pools so you can get comfortable with wet exits and rolling before hitting the great outdoors. Google “Oak Bay Recreation” and “Saanich Recreation” to find links to various programs.

meeting them on legs of the journey. Southern Vancouver Island is a haven for water sports — sailing, kayaking, rowing, dragon boating, and more. But if you don’t have a boat, or are unfamiliar with the coastal waters, it can feel daunting to play in our aquatic riches. So this month Social Capital is all about ways to get out on the water with other like-minded souls. Whether you are an experienced sailor, paddler, or oarsman or a neophyte who has nary set foot on a dock, there is something for everybody. If you are thinking of buying your own boat, some of these links will also help you get comfortable in and around the water before you spend a lot of money on a water craft.

OAK BAY SAILING SCHOOL/OAK BAY CRUISING CLUB:

For sailing classes on bigger boats, from an introduction to sailing to the highest levels of certification as “Yacht Master,” try Oak Bay Sailing School. Its associated cruising club was originally started for graduates of the school. Founded and run by veteran sailor Jim McLauchlan, the organization has a half-dozen Cal 20s, a Catalina 27, and Big Ben, a Beneteau 50. After passing basic certification you can sail regularly with others in the club, and sign up to go on longer trips. This year McLauchlan is entering Big Ben in both the Swiftsure and the Vic-Maui race, with club members as crew. Along with the cruising club, there is also “club sail,” a boat sharing service. As a member you can take out one of the boats on your own for a smidgen of the price it costs to buy a boat and keep it insured and moored. See oakbaysailingschool.com for lessons and for links to club sail and the long distance cruising club, including information and fee structures. 33

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Another great sailing option for lessons on keel boats and a community of sailors is VIMA, which runs classes out of the Westbay Marine Village in Esquimalt. School boats include J22s, Cal 20s and a Cal 28. VIMA has classes from introductory sailing all the way to career-level certification. They also cater to new sailors who have bought boats but do not yet have the skills to feel comfortable on the water. See vimabc.ca.

STAND IN THE SQUARE:

Once you have some basic sailing sea legs, you can volunteer as crew for local races. Every Sunday at 9 am or Wednesday evenings at 5:30 pm from May to August, you can offer yourself as crew by standing inside the yellow painted square at the head of the docks at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club. (RVYC also has sailing lessons.) You don’t need to be a member, or even be that skilled a sailor — just be honest when a skipper asks your experience. Those who know how to set a spinnaker get snapped up first, but even neophytes can trim a jib. Have a good pair of non-marking deck shoes, a PFD, and layered clothing for all weather, including rain, in a stowable soft bag. After the race, if you haven’t dropped a $350 winch handle overboard, the skipper will usually sign you into the club for a beer. You can also volunteer online, but standing in the square is more fun. See rvyc.bc.ca/racingfleets/crewing.php.

TURKEY HEAD SAILING ASSOCIATION:

Named after the headland on which Oak Bay Marina is built, Turkey Head Sailing Association (THSA) is a small but vigorous club that has distance races one Saturday each month from September through June. They meet outside the café at the Oak Bay Marina at 9:30 am on race days where “boatless crew are matched with crewless boats” says commodore Marni Fedoruk. Again, bring the gear described in #4, a lunch, and be honest about your experience. Some skippers are happy to bring novices onboard to help spread the skills and love of sailing to people just getting into the sport or contemplating their own purchase. “We’ve never left anyone at the dock yet but it really depends on how many skippers need crew on any given day,” says Fedoruk. If you own a sailboat and are looking for crew or a fun sailing community, the THSA wants you, too. Membership is $100 a year. See thsa.bc.ca.

GORGE ROWING AND PADDLING CENTRE (GRPC):

If sailing doesn’t float your boat, try a paddle sport like kayaking, dragon boating, rowing or canoeing. Located at the Selkirk Waterfront, the GRPC has everything to get you going with programs in rowing, outrigger canoeing, dragon boating, and ocean kayaking. 35

Inner Harbour

PRESENTATION CENTRE

Downtown

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They offer individual and group lessons, tours, onsite rentals, boat storage and more. Their annual kayak pass at $199 gives access to hassle-free kayaking in Victoria’s Inner Harbour from April 15 to October 15. With the pass you have access to GRPC’s 30 single kayaks and four double kayaks, on a first-come, firstserved basis for three-hour stretches. GPRC is also a great place to get on an outrigger or dragonboat team for regular local races. See gorowandpaddle.org and click on the Gorge Rowing and Paddling Centre link.

VICTORIA CANOE AND KAYAK CLUB:

A volunteer-based, community-oriented club, VCKC was founded in 1969 and operates out of a heritage club house on the Gorge Waterway, just west of Tillicum Road. Its annual membership, at $60 for singles and $90 for families, is one of the best deals around and gives access to six paddling programs: canoeing, dragonboating, sea kayaking, outrigger canoeing, voyageur canoeing and marathon canoeing. All programs are run by volunteers and, along with paddling, include regular Gorge clean-up parties, lectures, workshops, races and other events. Members also do regular trips to the mainland and to other locations on Vancouver Island to explore various rivers and lakes. See vckc.ca.

“SUP” WITH OCEAN RIVER SPORTS:

Want to try the new sport of stand-up paddling? So called “SUP-ing” is the latest rage and touted to build killer abs. Long known for its kayak lessons, sales and rentals, Ocean River is the local leader in SUP-based services, offering three-hour, learn-to-SUP lessons, sales, rentals and even overnight tours to the Gulf Islands. This summer, Ocean River is also offering learn-to-dragon-boat courses, too. See oceanriveradventures.com. These eight listings aren’t the only ways to get out on the water. The Canadian Forces Sailing Association (CFSA) is geared to current or past members of the Canadian Forces, their families or civilian employees of CFB Esquimalt. The Disabled Sailing Association runs its program out of the CFSA site. See cfsa. wordpress.org and disabledsailing.org. A number of retail stores and rental outlets also have links to lessons, clubs and tours. Mountain Equipment Co-op holds its annual Paddlefest on June 30 at Willows Beach. See mec.ca and click on the “Community” tab. VB

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COWICHAN

SPOT PRAWN: celebrating the sea’s sustainable superstars By Susan Down

In may, when the first traps are lowered into the water, spot prawns must riot as they scurry over to gobble up fishmeal bait. A similar frenzy happens among the humans ashore after the catch reaches the surface. During the Cowichan Bay Spot Prawn Festival, May 12 and 13 this year, seafood lovers line up the length of the government wharf in this waterfront community to buy the wriggling bags of live prawns. This race to taste and celebrate the first of the harvest has made local spot prawns the Beaujolais Nouveau of Cowichan Bay. You’ve got to love a 10-legged entree whose optimum cooking time is measured in seconds not minutes, and whose life cycle is exotic by human standards. Not only that, but this crustacean is sustainably harvested, making for a guilt-free culinary pleasure. Four-year lifespan Ranging from Alaska down to San Diego as well as from Japan to Korea, spot prawns go through some unusual changes during their four-year lifespan. The spot prawn (Pandalus platyceros) is hermaphroditic, beginning life as a male. After spawning as a two-year-old male, the crustacean metamorphoses into a female (but if the female population is too high, they will stay male a little longer) and spawns again, releasing thousands of eggs. The largest of the seven commercial shrimp varieties on the BC coast, spot prawns are so-named due to the telltale white dots on the first and fifth segments of the tails. The creatures lack heavy shells to protect them from predators. Instead, they scoot backwards to escape using powerful tail thrusts. BC is a major supplier of spot prawns with sales of $38-million last year.

Local spot prawns are recommended as environmentally friendly by such groups as the David Suzuki Foundation and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program because fishing methods don’t cause destructive bycatch of other species and don’t harm the environment. The prawn fishery is one of the most tightly controlled on the coast. Instead of the trawl nets used to catch pink shrimp in BC, prawns

are harvested in baited traps attached to buoys. Traps can be hauled in only once a day during the short fishery from May to July, after the spawning season. Monitors board boats and count the females per trap. Once the “spawn index” falls to a certain level, the fishery is closed. “The great thing is to connect the community back to the food sources again,” says Gregg Best, who has

Spotlight on spot prawns • They are 10-legged hermaphrodites, living first as males then morphing

• • • •

into females. White spots mark the first and fifth tail segments. In BC, the tightly-controlled spot prawn industry had sales of $38 million in 2011. The harvest is May to July after spawning. The Cowichan Bay festival is May 12 and 13.

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run commercial fishing vessels for 35 years. He and his wife, Anne, are the owners of Cowichan Bay Seafood and major supporters of the festival. Outside their store and café, a giant metal prawn adorns the gates, an emblematic rock star of the local food movement. Sustainable and scrumptious “It’s a way to celebrate that we’re still able to source food close to our communities,” says Best. Their boats supply the retail outlet, and fresh-caught live prawns are available there throughout the season, although not everyone wants to take home a dinner that’s still hopping. The squeamish hand the bags back to have the heads removed. A year after the Chef’s Table Society created a prawn festival in Vancouver in 2008, the Bests launched the new event. The Cowichan Bay festival is one of several spot prawn events in the province, including the Okanagan (Kelowna and Osoyoos), Powell River and Granville Island in Vancouver. A co-operative effort between the village of Cowichan Bay and the Pacific Prawn Fishermen’s Association, the spot prawn festival has grown this year into a two-day event to handle the public’s enthusiasm. The Cowichan Bay Maritime Centre will anchor the celebrations with an open house featuring free admission and tours of the museum. A food fair, cooking demonstrations and live music by folk singer Ed Peekeekoot and local beach band Tropic Mayhem add to the festivities. Local chef Bill Jones says spot prawns are one of the most highly regarded local delicacies because of their sweet flavour and firm texture. Jones, who runs a cooking school and local food dinners at Deerholme Farm in the Cowichan Valley, has scheduled hourly cooking demonstrations (Saturday only) with three other culinary experts. Participating with Jones will be local chefs Matt Horn and Dan Hudson, as well as special guest Robert Clark, executive chef at C Restaurant in Vancouver, who is the recipient of Vancouver Magazine’s Green Chef Award for 2009 and the 2011 Seafood Champion Award. Just add boiling water To keep the fresh prawns firm, remove the heads as soon as possible to eliminate the enzyme that softens the flesh, says Jones. While prawns are fabulous in elaborate dishes such as paella, Jones likes them best barely poached (just pour boiling water on them for 30 seconds) and lightly seasoned. Now in its fourth year, the Cowichan Bay festival has already exceeded expectations, says festival chair Hylton McAlister. Last year 3,000 people bought 3,400 pounds of prawns. In 2009, the community became the first in North America to be designated a Cittaslow area, meaning that it supports authentic local culinary and artisanal traditions. The Cowichan Bay Spot Prawn Festival takes place Saturday May 12 (10 am to 5 pm) and Sunday May 13 (noon to 4 pm). See prawnfest.ca. VB 41

FRONT ROW

Ira Hoffecker’s In the Garden III, 2011, acrylic and resin on canvas. 36 x 48 inches.

CUE THE SPRING COLOURS After 15 years working on the production side of the Hollywood movie industry, Germanborn Ira Hoffecker moved to Victoria several years ago and was finally able to focus on her original passion: abstract painting. A fantastic colourist — her canvases glow with a mix of primary and pastel tones — Hoffecker already has an impressive career underway and shows in galleries as far away as Edmonton and Toronto. Inspired by such modernists as Franz Kline and Robert Rauschenberg, Hoffecker manages the tricky feat of being both intellectual and playful via paintings that combine vivid colour fields with decorative patches and textures. For her latest showing at the Gallery at Mattick’s Farm, Hoffecker will have about a dozen works in acrylic and resin whose sensuousness may make you yearn for a bowl of fruit salad. Running from May 1-31. For information, please see Gallery at Mattick’s Farm.

1-31

Victoria Symphony 12/13

Ira Hoffecker

The Gallery at Mattick’s Farm

SeaSon highlightS

12-13 VCM Garden Tour

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Luxton Fairgrounds

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Luxton Pro Rodeo

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19-21

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La pla nt e

McPherson Playhouse

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Shirley Valentine

Par ke rP lay

15-20

The Snowman

Ch an ta l

All around town

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25 - Sept 3 The Messenger

The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria

12 - 26 Herbert Siebner

Winchester Galleries

A BOUQUET OF GARDENS This Mother’s Day, instead of just giving a bouquet of flowers, why not splurge for the whole garden? Or 12, to be exact, courtesy of the Mother’s Day Garden Tour sponsored by the Victoria Conservatory of Music. “This is our signature fundraising event,” says Conservatory CEO Jane Butler McGregor. “It’s a great opportunity to visit these gorgeous private gardens that you would never otherwise get to see.” The tour was started 30 years ago by Ann Nation, and this year’s event is in her honour. Her garden is on the route, and is still lovingly tended by Ann and husband George,

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even though she is in her late 80s and George is an active nonagenarian. Four years ago the Nations downsized from expansive seafront acreage to a much smaller property, taking their best plantings with them. According to long-time tour co-organizer Terry Le Blanc, “what they’ve accomplished at their new place shows that a small lot can be just as impressive as a huge estate garden.” Le Blanc moved here in 1986, and wasted no time taking in the garden tours to get ideas about what to do with her half-acre Oak Bay property. She obviously caught on quickly, because her garden has since been on the tour several times, and she has helped organize the event for the past decade. “There are all types chosen for the tour, from immaculate gardens to more ‘West Coast’ ones that combine wild evergreen trees with rare and exotic under-plantings,” says Le Blanc. “The gardens are all unique . . . and lovingly tended.” May 12-13, 10 am-4 pm, throughout Victoria. The $30 twoday passes are available at the VCM (250-386-5311), Thrifty Foods, and many garden shops.

Exhibition of Ceramic Art

COWBOY CAVALCADE

In a world increasingly given over to texting and tweeting, it’s comforting that some people still congregate for a rodeo celebrating our agricultural past. For old-fashioned family fun, saddle up and head out to Langford for the 37th annual Luxton Pro Rodeo, the Island’s only professional ridin’ and ropin’ event. Featuring over 300 cowboys from as far away as Australia, Luxton gets the top performers on a 60-strong circuit spanning North America. “These are the same cowboys and cowgirls that compete in the Vegas World Championships,” says Sandy West, who has co-managed the rodeo for the past 30 years. “This is a great opportunity to see top-flight professionals.” The action spans three days, and includes steer wrestling, bull riding, saddle and bareback bronco riding, and ladies’ barrel racing. Junior-sized cowpokes can look sheepish testing their skills at the “mutton scramble,” while the whole family will enjoy famed American rodeo clown Bert Davis, who performs with his award-winning Muttley Crew dog act. Running May 19-21 at the Luxton Fairgrounds on Highway 14. Tickets at the gate. For information, call 250-478-4250.

photo: Foto Cowboy

Actress Nicola Cavendish, left, revisits Shirley Valentine. Below left, “Muttley Crew” will perform photo: Barbara Zimonick

at the Luxton Pro Rodeo.

SURELY, VALENTINE

It was 22 years ago that actor Nicola Cavendish and director Roy Surette introduced Canadian audiences to the charming one-woman play Shirley Valentine, which portrays the plight of a neglected homemaker reduced to having conversations with the kitchen wall. Fed up, she escapes to a Greek island on a voyage of self-discovery, one that has unexpected consequences. Valentine’s comedy is suffused with wry wisdom, and in the hands of one of Canada’s top actors, it is more than just a crowd pleaser. “England’s Willy Russell is one of the most talented of the contemporary playwrights,” says Brian Richmond, artistic director of Blue Bridge Theatre. “And a virtuoso

performer like Nicky is able to create a genuine emotional experience.” After three impressive summer seasons and a success this past fall with Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, Blue Bridge hopes to create more of a year-round presence. When Richmond heard that Surette and Cavendish had reunited for a short run of Valentine in Winnipeg and then Calgary, he got on the phone and, $100,000 later, had them booked here too. Cavendish has played Shirley more than 600 times over the years, to unfailingly rapturous reviews. “She is a superlative entertainer and actor,” adds Richmond. Running May 15-20 at the McPherson Playhouse. For tickets, call 250-386-6121.

<< ART WITH A MESSAGE Sometimes dismissed as a Prairie populist who was more illustrator than serious painter, William Kurelek was actually a gifted artist, one whose vision was profoundly shaped by both mental illness and, later, his devotion to the Roman Catholic Church. Eighty-five of his best paintings, many borrowed from private collections and never before displayed in Canada, comprise The Messenger, a touring show that makes its third and final stop at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. The exhibition, seven years in the making, was primarily the brainchild of AGGV chief curator Mary Jo Hughes, who was at the Winnipeg Art Gallery for 12 years before moving here in 2007. “This is Kurelek’s first big exhibit in 30 years, and the largest one

ever,” says Hughes. “The opening night in Winnipeg attracted 2,000 people.” Kurelek’s numerous paintings range from dark early works inspired by the high realism and morbid fantasy of Brueghel and Bosch, to award-winning illustrations for children’s books and to, ultimately, paintings that promoted Christianity with a moral message. “Our goal was to select works where he wasn’t being too didactic,” said Hughes. Whether a stark Prairie landscape with an incongruous Crucifixion image or a scene of children obliviously playing in a barn engulfed in flames, Kurelek’s obsession with man’s downfall adds an apocalyptic aspect to his unique body of work. Running from May 25-September 3 at the AGGV. See AGGV for details.

Lord That I May See, 1955, watercolour & gouache on cardboard, 119 cm x 75 cm. Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. 45

SIEBNER, UNSEEN >> If Herbert Siebner had settled in New York, Toronto, or another large urban centre, instead of choosing Victoria when he emigrated from Germany in 1954, his name might be better known internationally as an important expressionist artist. Siebner (1925-2003) had already made a name for himself in the late 1940s and early ‘50s in Europe, having had two oneman shows and several group shows. But he chose Victoria, and in doing so, influenced the art scene here for five decades, founding the Limners and being a very big fish in this West Coast pond. “He took Victoria by storm. He was a larger than life personality,” says Elizabeth Levinson, of Winchester Galleries’s Humboldt location, which this month is showing 30 of his oils and acrylics, all directly from Siebner’s estate, most of which have not been seen publicly before. “These are being offered for sale for the very first time,”

Renaissance Face by Herbert Siebner 1992; mixed media on canvas 11.5 x 15.5 inches.

said Levinson. The show includes paintings from every decade from 1940s on. The move to Victoria gave him a sudden sense of freedom. “For the first time I could make mistakes in art, all experiments necessary to an artist without having a guilt complex about my teachers and colleagues,” he is quoted as

saying by writer Robin Skelton in a 1993 book, Herbert Siebner, A Celebration. “He really brought an exuberance and an excitement to the art scene, and was one of our most important artists,” said Levinson. VB Running from May 12 to 26, Winchester Galleries, 758 Humboldt St. 250-386-2773.

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Pearl jewellery is often found as family heirlooms, passed from a grandmother to a mother and from a mother to a daughter. Pearls are the only gems created by a living organism and have an array of fascinating colors, shapes, sizes and origins which adds to their allure and charm. It’s no wonder that many of the pearl jewellery items brought to Barclay’s for care have very personal stories attached to them and are treasured by those who own them. Being the most magical and feminine of all gems, pearls have long been considered one of the most romantic items that can be gifted. We’re happy that many of our cutomers who buy pearls are looking to start a new story that can be told for generations to come.

PEARL EVENT May 17 th – 19 th

Barclay’s showcases will be overflowing with the most extensive and exciting designer collection you will see in one location - all with event pricing. Select pearls from Tahiti, South Seas and Japan with a highlight on AAA grade.

Visit barclaysjewellers.com to see more, including how to receive your $50 voucher towards purchase.

New Member of the Independent Jewelers Organization Barclay’s Fine Custom Jewellers is pleased to announce its membership in the Independent Jewelers Organization (IJO), an international Buying Group and educational organization of independent retail jewellers. Benefits include direct access to the international diamond markets of Antwerp, Belgium through the IJO Buying Office located there. Geoffrey Beattie, owner of Barclay’s is excited to be the area’s exclusive IJO member, “It will allow us to act as an international diamond broker for our customers right here in Victoria.”

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The Forever 10 was conceived on the premise that the most important factor in cutting a diamond is bringing out its brilliance. The Forever 10 cutting process allows for greater precision, and the additional facet sequences result in a brilliance that surpasses a traditionally cut diamond. It was thought that color, clarity and carat weight were the most significant quality factors in a diamond. Today, the cut of a diamond is considered an even more important factor as it has the greatest impact on light performance. With 10 perfect hearts and 10 perfect arrows, the Forever 10 takes its place as the world’s most brilliant diamond. Visit the store to see these incredibly brilliant diamonds in person.

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In addition to a wide in-store selection of new jewellery products, and an even wider network of jewellery suppliers, Barclay’s offers the following services: • Custom Jewellery Design

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Success pours out of Silk Road, thanks to one woman’s passion for tea By Alex Van Tol

ack in ‘92, The Empress and Murchie’s had the afternoon tea scene in a headlock. You’d have had to be a brave soul to open up a downtown storefront and tell people how to do it all differently. But when she stuck her Silk Road flag out from a skinny Government Street storefront that year, that’s just what a young, bold Daniela Cubelic did. Over the intervening years, Cubelic has toiled to build Silk Road into a widely recognized business that connects customers with unusual teas and tearelated products and experiences. The store celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. When she opened Silk Road with business partner Nancy Larose, whom she has since bought out, Cubelic was a 50

photography by gary mckinstry

22-year-old history student at the University of Victoria. She’d been planning a career as an ambassador. Born in Croatia and raised in Victoria, Cubelic figured she’d be a good fit with the foreign service, as it would allow her to indulge her enjoyment of travelling and experiencing new cultures. She’d dabbled in training with Chinese and Taiwanese tea masters on the Lower Mainland as well as on her travels. But tea was just a hobby; at least, it was until the opportunity to sublease the space on Government arose. “I didn’t have any intention of opening a business,” says Cubelic. Looking back, she says it’s a good thing she didn’t understand what obstacles lay before her. All she knew was that taking the leap would mean a significant departure from her intended career path. But as it turned out, Cubelic became an ambassador after all — for tea. She takes seriously her role as a tea expert, and seizes every opportunity to educate people about its subtleties and nuances. “There are just as many flavours in tea as there are in wine. There are so many things to understand and appreciate,” says Cubelic.

Thirty employees, hundreds of teas When I arrive at the storefront on a bleak Monday, I’m offered a cup of Prosperitea by a pleasant young man who knows a suspicious lot about blending citrus, spice and good fortune. Several people browse, looking at tea paraphernalia (“equipage” to the initiated). A staff member chats up two women as she rings them through the till. “Silk Road is incredibly unique,” says Victoriabased culinary tour operator and radio host Kathy McAree. She notes that you can see the staff’s knowledge from their warm greeting to ready answers to every question. That knowledge is something Cubelic cultures in all 30-odd employees. “She’s a real leader by example,” says McAree, who brings groups for tastings. “It’s wonderful to be led through a tea-tasting by a master like Daniela,” she says. While McAree’s tours invariably comprise eye-rolling males being dragged along

about how the price of tea varies according to how difficult it is to cultivate. And we talk about work: in addition to putting in regular hours at Silk Road, Cubelic hosts workshops and travels far and wide to cultivate her international supply chain. She volunteers on a number of boards,

by their female partners, she says that by the end of every session, the guys are captivated. “They’re the ones asking the most intriguing questions.” I’m invited to wait for Cubelic in the tea room, an airy, brick-cloaked room with soaring ceilings that adjoins the original store. Tins of tea line one wall; a sleek tea bar stretches along another. Cushioned benches, tables and a patio heater fill the window. When Cubelic joins me, she’s impeccably turned out in a black suit and pearls. She moves and speaks with a brisk efficiency. We talk about wellness: Cubelic rounds out her tea-drinking regimen with regular hikes with her husband of 20 years, John Davison, as well as working out. We talk

including Victoria Taste, and is a key founder of the Victoria Tea Festival, which brings early-year tourism dollars and media coverage to the city. Cubelic muses on the growth that Victoria’s tea scene has witnessed over the past two decades. In 1992, few people knew what to do with loose tea, so Silk Road carried simple teapots and strainers. Over time, the store began carrying merchandise that appealed to more sophisticated drinkers, like teacups and teapots designed for brewing specific types of tea. Many of Silk Road’s blends use local ingredients like mint, rosehips, lavender, rose petals, lemon balm and even seaweed. Add “teacup designer” to her extensive resume Cubelic puts together each of Silk Road’s blends and oversees the design of its line of body care products. She’s also the driving force behind an innovative new teacup that brews and dispenses all in one. Created in partnership with Finnish designer Laura Bougdanos, the Magisso TipCup lets you put leaves in, pour water on and tip it to one side to brew. When the brewing’s done, you tip it the other way to savour the perfect cup of tea. No drippy tea strainer to remove; no fear of over-infusing. Manufactured offshore and

retailing for $29.90, the product is edgy enough to compete in the saturated tea market. “She’s got so many things going on in her brain,” says Tourism Victoria CEO Rob Gialloreto. “Tea is known as something you find at The Empress, and that’s a great thing. It’s a deep part of our traditional tourism offering,” he says. “But Daniela and her company have taken tea to a new kitschy cool place and put it on a par with wine tasting and micro-breweries, and succeeded.” Year over year, Silk Road’s sales have increased, with 2012 poised to be one of the most successful. Since its inception, the company has diversified to include workshops, tastings, aromatherapy, a spa and body-care products that are snapped up by local and far-flung hotels alike. A bustling mail order department works alongside Silk Road’s wholesale/ distribution arm. Imperial tea grades can top $2,000 per kilogram With over 100 teas and tea blends lining the shelves on any given day, the operation is a far cry from where it started out, with eight blends, one employee and a handful of strainers. “The entire experience of the store has evolved to be very experiential, to encourage exploration, and to be a feast for the senses,” says Cubelic. Slap down your golden plastic for one of Silk Road’s more expensive blends: an imperial-grade tea from China or a Taiwanese oolong will run you anywhere from $500 to $2,000 per kilogram. Or you can steal away with a tin of its more modestly priced — and wildly popular — Spicy Mandarin, which Cubelic serves to me in a TipCup. I watch as the dark Ceylon leaves swirl around the little chunks of dried orange. I drink in the sweet, citrusy aroma. “How long do I let it sit?” I ask. Cubelic peers at my cup. “Give it another four minutes,” she says. I’m too excited about the smell coming from my cup to ask what she’s brewed for herself. Probably something light and cleansing; for Cubelic, it’s all part of the pursuit of peak health. Which is important if you find yourself working harder nowadays than before. Although Cubelic won’t divulge specifics, she’s got plans for Silk Road’s growth. Cubelic considers herself lucky to have turned a passion into a career, and has no intentions of slowing down. Not for all the tea in China. VB

The word “photography” literally means “drawing with light.” Ever since the word was first coined some 175 years ago, photographers have delighted us with the science and art of capturing images that show us the world around us in familiar or new ways. This year we selected six entries into our annual Photos By contest to share with you in our pages.

Katherine Engqvist, 22, grew up on a small farm on the Saanich Peninsula and dreamed of being a professional photographer on the bull-riding circuit. She is now finishing her journalism degree at Ryerson University. Last November, at Toronto’s Royal Agricultural Fair, she caught this shot of a competitor fixing his chaps before the bronco ride. “I was in a place I wasn’t supposed to be and the security guard was just about to kick me out, but he saw my student press pass and let me take the shot.” See her work at katherinephotography.com.

A holiday in Tofino last August was an occasion for Christine McAuley, 43, to shoot her four-year-old daughter in red amidst the blue-grey hue of Chesterman Beach. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She wanted to be a big girl and go surfing,â&#x20AC;? said McAuley, a former disability manager who just finished a year-long course at Western Academy of Photography. McAuley, who is starting her own photography business, took this with her Canon Rebel XTI. See her work at igotchaphotography.com.

photos by

Ken Miner, 46, was travelling in Thailand in January 2011 when he visited the Care for Dogs Foundation, a shelter in Chiang Mai. Zorro, a gentle mixedbreed and a shelter favourite caught his eye. “I liked his look of contemplation among the shelter tubs,” said Miner, who used a Nikon D90 and then removed the colour with Photoshop. In Victoria Miner has a business dogwalking, taking dog portraits and doing dog massage at zuludog.ca.

Leanne Allen, 39, likes to juxtapose rough and polished elements in her photos, as in this shot of Capri Aspe, founder of ZarYevka Ballet, at Saxe Point last August. Allen co-founded Culture Vulture Victoria, the city’s first online magazine. “I love the contrast of arms, tulle, iron, stone, rust and jewels,” says Allen, who shot Aspe with her Nikon 7D. See cvvmagazine.com.

photos by

A former Victoria software developer, Len Langevin, 50, moved to Baños, Ecuador last year to open a sushi restaurant and take photos. When local volcano Tungurahua began erupting last November, Langevin took hundreds of shots with his Nikon D300, including this one, taken December 2 down a Baños street. “I love the handpainted sign of the house for sale,” says Langevin, who also runs travel photo workshops. See ecuadorphotos.com.

For Doug grant, 49, the best camera “is the one you have with you” and so he favours his cell phone or his pocketsized Canon Powershot, which he used to capture a cyclist in a snowstorm this past January. Allen, a graphic designer who has dabbled in photography for three years, was taking shots of the storm from his office window when the lone cyclist appeared riding past The Hudson. “It was serendipity.”

Your Style Your Way Quality, service and design are the hallmark of Lûxe Home Interiors. This spring we are excited to announce three new diverse product lines

SEMI ANNUAL

SALE Visit our showroom in May to take advantage of one of our best sales in the year! We are offering substantial savings on new custom orders, accent furniture, area rugs, lighting, art and accessories. Ready to go Floor Model Clearance items are 35 – 50% off.

to our ever changing showroom: the inspiring mid-century design of DwellStudio, the exceptional hand crafted west coast furniture of Live Edge Design and the chic metropolitan elements of Mirage, by Lexington.

NEW TO LÛXE

DwellStudio We are excited to announce that Lûxe Home Interiors will be the exclusive furniture supplier of DwellStudio furniture on Vancouver Island. Designed by Christian Lemieux, DwellStudio draws inspiration from classic European mid-century design with bold colours and dazzling patterns. Dwell studio stands out but doesn’t shout out. It is quality furniture with an ease and versatility, designed to complement the pieces you already have and evolve as your life and home do. This distinct designer line is one more way to find your style, your way at Lûxe Home Interiors.

Lûxe Room Planner

NEW L TOO

INE ONL

Create your own floor plans to see how furniture can fit into your space. Save, print and share your plan or email it directly to one of our experienced designers. Take the opportunity to use our complimentary design services to collaborate, plan and laugh with your very own Lûxe designer. We’ll help you accomplish your design dreams, one idea - at a time.

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Live Edge Design

NEW TO LÛXE

Made on Vancouver Island RECLAIMED

Live Edge Design salvages trees brought down by storms or left behind by forest and construction companies. The Western Big Leaf Maple is the most sought after wood with its exceptional colour and rich contours. Providing a remarkable live edge sculptural quality, it is often the favourite of luthiers, wood turners and carvers. REFINED On the journey from tree to furniture each log is milled into massive slabs, innovatively dried, exquisitely designed, expertly crafted and finely finished at a Vancouver Island studio. REMARKABLE The result is spectacular West Coast Natural furniture hand crafted to last for generations. Each unique piece commands attention and conversation. Your guests will love the story of the tree that became your treasure.

Mirage

NEW TO LÛXE

By Lexington Homebrands Those passionate about modern design find their inspiration in bold, imaginative styling that retains its authenticity and enduring appeal. The elegance of Walnut finishes, the figured patterns of Mappa Burl, and the brilliance of polished stainless steel impart a swagger to the chic contemporary lines of Mirage by Lexington. Refined metropolitan styling and a convergence of elements embody a lifestyle with the lure of an oasis in a world of modern design.

With the assurance that comes with every one of our products, function and value come together at Lûxe Home Interiors to fit your style, your way. Visit our ever-changing showroom and schedule a home plan appointment with one of our design consultants.

2655 Douglas Street

250-386-7632

yourstyleyourway.ca

HOT PROPERTIES

by carolyn heiman photography by gary mckinstry

A welcoming circle drive invites guests into this contemporary waterfront home, once occupied by a 1950s house. Soon the property will be the setting for a family wedding.

here’s nothing like a warm summer day along the Metchosin coastline to set up a location bait and switch. And so it was on such a day that Ken and Ellen Robinson found themselves buying a property after a random drive — within one hour of viewing it. On their way to Tofino more than a decade ago to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary, the Calgary couple picked up a realtor’s list of properties for sale that happened to include a waterfront home set among firs and invisible from the end of the long driveway. Idle curiosity had them request a viewing. The sky was bright. Ken fixed his eyes on the perfectly still and glistening ocean. Within an hour the couple sealed the deal to buy the house, the only one they bothered viewing. Then came the November 2000 rainy possession date and Ken readily admits he wanted to resell when looking at their impulsive purchase, a 1950s house with multiple poorly thought-out additions. But they didn’t, demonstrating the kind of doggedness that no doubt helped them build a family-owned automotive lubrication chain in Calgary. Over a few years they renovated the home and 61

A collection of Native art, including a powerful totem pole, influenced the interior designer to choose a hatched finish for some of the interior woodwork. Multiple finishes — chrome, granite, fir, and painted surfaces — are artfully incorporated in the kitchen. Coffered ceilings with sharp, clean lines visually define the open spaces.

added a double garage and guest house, making the place more comfortable. But it still was not the home they wanted for visiting grandchildren and to display a native art collection. So in 2009 they decided replacement was in order. They scouted for a designer, and after seeing Citta Group’s work in a spec subdivision, settled on company president Bill Patterson to design a 6,580-square-foot home (5,300 of which are finished) with soaring vaulted ceilings. “The Robinsons’ home is a contemporary interpretation of a traditional West Coast design,” says Bill. “It’s not done as an artefact but done as

something new” and intended for easy living. “People live in houses: they are not meant to be looked at.” In working out the design “we endeavour to know our clients well and fulfil their dreams so they feel in the end that they designed it themselves, which in many ways (the Robinsons) did. We just make it easy for them.” ROOM FOR A TOTEM OR TWO The Robinsons’ list of must-haves was pretty short but included a design to accommodate visiting grandchildren and room for two imposing totem poles they bought years ago from the

"We truly appreciate the kind and very efficient way you have dealt with the sale of our home... We have been particularly impressed by your friendliness and understanding...” Dr & Mrs G. Dixon

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Quw’utsun’ Cultural and Conference Centre in Duncan. The home also had to be closer to the high-bank waterfront and Ellen no longer wanted a formal dining room, separated from other rooms. “As nice as they are, they don’t get used,” she said. Still, she’s an avid cook so the kitchen and eating area had to be open and flexible to handle gatherings of family and friends while laid out in a way that “a lot of the mess could be kept out of sight.” The totem poles, more than anything, set the compass for the interior design, says Deborah Patterson, who heads Citta’s interior design service. In a number of strategic locations there are fir panels 63

Over 30 Years of Making

Home Renovation Dreams a Reality!

Glass tiles in a tidy powder room add a luxurious touch while the master bathroom

R E N O VAT I O N S “A contractor you can trust”

is a “room with a view” to encourage a peaceful soak. Key rooms, including the

Relationships are the most important thing we build as a company. We have forged many long lasting relationships with our clients over the years due to our attention to detail, integrity, and the personal service we provide to turn your dreams into reality. Give us a call, visit our web site, or drop by our Home Comfort Centre showroom to get your renovation dreams started.

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master bedroom, all face south across the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

and posts with a hatched or adzed finish, much like what one would see in a traditional aboriginal long house. She uses the treatment just enough to make a statement but not so much that it is a cliché. The effect is to give the home its sense of authenticity, while creating a harmonious setting for art. Of special importance are works such as quill boxes and a medicine man headdress done by Ellen’s mother, Sarah Carr, a Dene who learned traditional quilling, beading and fur work as part of distraction following the death a daughter. “Each of our homes is unique. I don’t give someone the same house or finishes ever,” says Deborah. “I like the flow of the open plan yet distinctive

rooms.” Nor does a set of design rules prescribe where she will take a home. “Each project evolves naturally.” A sense of wALLS Fir warmly trims the home that quietly resists being pigeon-holed into one particular style genre, thereby elevating it to a timeless space. The main floor is open in concept but the clean lines of the coffered ceiling in the living area impart a sense of invisible walls, keeping views unrestricted but without a cavernous feel. “I can’t imagine having a big, flat ceiling in the room,” says Ellen, clearly happy with the effect. “The coffered ceiling makes this feel like a room.” If the kitchen and living room are the heart of this home, the basement is its

brains, where an inviting home theatre is ready for large gatherings and the geothermal furnace keeps the costs down and the environment even. The couple manages all the home’s functions — irrigation, lighting, security, heating, and audio/visual — by an iPhone. Much of the fir comes from majestic trees once on the property and felled in a wind storm. Ken piled and covered them in anticipation of the day they would be the source of warm, natural wood trims. The timber frame, entrance porch, stair treads, fireplace mantel and long media room bar are everyday reminders of the sustainable building product provided by the Earth. There was lots left over for fires and the Robinsons, like others 65

building new energy-efficient homes, had to wrestle with keeping a traditional wood-burning fireplace. They didn’t in the end but a consolation for Ken was that he got to light the mother of all fires by burning the old house down to make way for new construction. When getting estimates to demolish the original house, the contractor suggested that it might be just as cheap to have the Metchosin Volunteer Fire Department burn down the house for training purposes. The crew took up the challenge, doing several test burns over several days in corners of the house before turning the matches over to Ken for the finale. It was a grand and exciting day, judging from the most unusual beforeand-after house reno photo the Robinsons have, now framed. This summer, the home will be the setting for more photos as their daughter will be married there in August. And if the day turns out anywhere near like the one which cast a spell on Ken and Ellen back in 2000, it’s going to be quite the event. VB Carolyn Heiman explores beautiful Island homes each month for Boulevard. If you know of a gorgeous home you’d like to see profiled she can be contacted at cheiman@shaw.ca. Professional, Suppliers and Trades: Contractor/Builder: The Citta Group/Citta Construction; Interior Designers: The Citta Group/Citta Interiors; Interior Painting: We Paint Inc.; Millworkers: The Citta Group/Citta Millwork; Flooring: The Finishing Store; Installer: 660 Hardware; Furniture: Live Edge Design Inc., Sager’s Home Living, ISA International Inc., Morgan’s Upholstery, and Citta Millwork; Plumbing Fixtures: Cantu Bathroom and Hardware Ltd. and Blu Bathworks; Windows: Westeck Windows and Doors; Glazing/ Shower Surrounds: Royal Oak Glass; Tile Setter: Happy Land Tile; Lighting: Illumination Lighting Solutions and Waterglass Studios Ltd.; Landscape Design: LeFrank & Associates Ltd.; Landscape Installation: Bald Eagle Landscaping.

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www.ruffell-brown.com 250-384-1230 1-2745 Bridge Street, Victoria, BC

Dallas & Dolores Sell Victoria/Oak Bay Personal real estate CorPoration

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

WEST FACING UPLANDS PROPERTY! Quiet street, very private, mature gardens. Master with large dressing room, ensuite, country kitchen, family room with fir floors. Living & dining overlook stunning half-acre $1,395,000 gardens.

MALAHAT WATERFRONT Stunning views of Finlayson Arm. 5 acres with 160 ft. of shoreline. 3,388 sq.ft., 3 bdrms, 4 baths. Asian cherry floors, fireplace in ensuite, heated marble floors, media room. $825,000 A MUST SEE!

BRENTWOOD WATERFRONT! Stunning waterfront townhome with sunset views over Saanich Inlet. Over 2,600 sq.ft., 3 bdrms, 3 baths, & double garage! $740,000. 2 other suites at $544,900 and $544,000 also with wonderful water views.

UPLANDS ESTATE Truly gracious home, stunning gardens on .50 acre. 4 bdrms, 4 baths, formal living & dining rms, gourmet kitchen. Fabulous outdoor fireplace & patio, separate indoor pool house with guest accommodations. $2,280,000

BROADMEAD – FIR TREE GLEN TOWNHOME Lovely views of nature reserve. Maple floors, new s/s appliances, updated ensuite, large south facing deck. 2 bdrms, 3 baths, plus extra $649,900 office or bdrm on main floor.

FAIRFIELD Fabulous live/work 1992 home. 4 bdrms, 3 baths, 2,813 sq. ft. Maple & cherry floors, 9’ ceilings, newer gourmet kitchen, formal dining room, studio/den. Walk to Cook St. $829,900 Village & the ocean.

Dallas Chapple Personal Real Estate Corporation & Dolores Todd RE/MAX Camosun • Tel: 250.744.3301 • Toll Free: 1.877.652.4880 www.dallaschapple.com • www.dolorestodd.com • Email: dallas@dallaschapple.com • contact@dolorestodd.com

LISA WILLIAMS W 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!$3,475,000

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 This lovely home will boast all the ‘extras’ with 9-10’ ceilings, HW flrs, high-end appliances & finishing, beautiful main floor master suite with huge walk-in closet & luxurious ensuite, sunny Great rm & elegant dining rm w/beautiful ceiling detailing, main level den/ library. Bright walk-out lower level features a self-contained nanny suite w/private entry PLUS 2 large bedrms, bath & large media/games room! $1,598,000

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

CHIC & MODERN WATERFRONT home in a private and tranquil setting near the water’s edge! Absolutely luxurious w/incredible views, sumptuous main level master suite, floor to ceiling windows, slate & HW flrs, exposed beams & SO many extras . . . Steps to the beach w/ a bonus boat launch too! $2,198,000

SPACIOUS & AFFORDABLE WATERFRONT home in N. Saanich w/ 5 bedrms & lots of options! Architect designed w/ huge Pella windows, high ceilings, private master suite, huge family and rec rms, separate breakfast rm and huge Great rm, lovely stone FP, oversized decks & much more! $1,128,000

STEPS TO WILLOWS BEACH from this super 4-5 bedrm family home in charming Estevan Village! Lots of charcter w/HW floors, coved ceilings, 2 gas fireplaces, oversized upper level bedrooms and large family room great for the kids! Sunny & private yard w/veggie garden and large deck for BBQs! $798,000

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Enter to win a spa party for four! Imagine being able to tell your mom you won her a spa party this Mothers Day! We know moms are special so stop by and tell us why your mom is so deserving. No purchase necessary, just fill in an entry form for your chance to win!

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DESIGN MATTERS

Marimekko's colourful Kaneliruusu pattern is popular this year.

By Sarah MacNeill

While some design trends come and go, certain ones never go out of style: Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll always love the Barcelona chair, stripes, blue jeans and anything Scandinavian. For centuries, floral motifs have had an established place in cultural imagery, design and symbolism. Take the fleur-de-lis, a stylized lily originally associated with the French monarchyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coat of arms, but still recognized as a political and artistic symbol. Or the Mackintosh Rose, an icon of the Glasgow School and the Art Nouveau style of the late 1800s. Why are flowers re-invented in design applications time and again? It could be that they represent the natural world to which we are inherently drawn and provide a way to bring nature indoors. Or perhaps flowers evoke memories with the suggestion of a subtle fragrance or form. Maybe the appeal is in bright colours and ephemeral, organic qualities. Whatever it is, I challenge the perception that the inclusion of floral motif in our interior environments is reserved for Great Aunt Mildredâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tired curtains or antiquated china patterns. Floral patterns and accents indeed are welcome in spaces that are contemporary, fresh and even masculine. This spring, florals reappear in clean, abstract forms in rugs, wallpaper, fabrics and more.

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Large, bold, playful flowers dominate this year From fabric to wall coverings to area rugs, this year’s designs are bold, over-scale and playful. Ivan Meade, of Meade Design Group, used a contemporary velvetflocked floral wall covering with metallic details by Belgian company ARTE in the master suite of a local residence. Ralph Lauren and British designer Cath Kidston epitomize fussy, vine-y florals, but the new alternatives are Allegra Hicks’ simple, ocean-inspired botanical fabrics and Clarke + Clarke’s repeating geometric patterns, like Celeste and Liberty, that only reveal themselves to be florals on closer study. The Finnish company Marimekko, on our cover and the previous page, embodies a youthful, modern style with mid-century influences (their prints appeared on Jacqueline Kennedy’s dresses). I like the playful, irregular pattern of their Unikko upholstery fabric. I wouldn’t cover a sofa with it, but I’d consider it for an ottoman. It is also great for kids’ spaces without being overly juvenile. Florals also have a place beneath our feet. Try an area rug with saturated floral colours on a charcoal background or a monochromatic palette with abstract blooms for a more masculine style.

Right, Hervé Gambs couture flowers. Below, terrariums are a returning trend that warm up a room or enliven a sterile office. Terrarium and photo by Tara McHugh.

Faux but fabulous >> An obvious way to bring nature indoors is with floral arrangements. I usually don’t advocate anything faux, but the hand-painted fabric blooms of Hervé Gambs couture flowers, handmade in Paris, are works of art in their glasscube vases. They are designed to be perfumed with one of five signature fragrances. Gambs, a French floral and set designer, sought to “reinterpret nature for our interiors” when he created this line in a range of colours. An infused black orchid is beautiful on its own, yet a collection of several is harmonious. Go flower picking at Chintz & Co. where a set, which includes a bloom, cube vase and fragrance, costs $74.

<< Gardens in glass Not sold on floral prints or pseudo blooms, but still pine after a little nature indoors? Try an indoor garden on a micro scale. The terrarium, a Victorianera fad that resurfaced in the 1970s, is back, says local floral designer Tara McHugh. Part of the fun is finding the right housing, like a covered glass cake dish or apothecary jar. Terrariums are low maintenance, but provide any space with a fascinating mini-biosphere. In The New Terrarium: Creating Beautiful Displays for Plants and Nature, botanist Tovah Martin says the new style is “sleek, thoughtfully composed and highly creative.” In addition to choosing plants like miniature orchids, mosses and African violets that do well in the humid environment of a terrarium, found objects like beach glass add charm. McHugh included a pocket-watch in a recent terrarium and adds that a light gravel base gives a modern look. Terrariums are at home just about anywhere, for any age. Place one near a favourite reading chair or in a sterile workspace. In short, in the wide world of design, the organic lines and shapes of plants and flowers give timeless pleasure. Perennials indeed! VB

BOOK CLUB

(Re)discover the classics, then see them come alive on stage Are you looking to refresh your reading list? I suggest revisiting the classics; you know, those old tomes that were rammed down your throats in high school: Shakespeare, Chaucer, Dante, Dickens, Woolf, Austen, Melville, Steinbeck, Fitzgerald, the Brontë sisters. The local arts community has been sitting down with the classics, too. Starting in May, catch some onstage. By Adrienne Dyer

Moby-Dick; or

Arms and the

The Whale, a novel by Herman Melville, first published in 1851.

Man, a play by George Bernard

William

a novella-

Shaw, premiered

Shakespeare,

play by John

in 1894.

Of Mice and Men,

wrote most

Steinbeck, first

of his 38 plays

published in 1937.

between 1589 and 1613

Told from the point of view of a seaman named Ishmael, Moby-Dick is the story of Captain Ahab’s deranged obsession with finding and killing the great white whale that devoured his leg. Though long and written in arduous syntax, the book also contains plenty of ribald jokes and other funny stuff to keep you engaged while discovering all the literary richness, like symbolism and universal themes (religion, fate vs. free will, humans vs. nature; and more). Fascinating details abound about whaling, too. When you’re finished reading, you can see Kaleidoscope Theatre’s adaptation for the stage this month.

One of the most banned books of all time, Steinbeck’s masterful tale reveals the unhappy fate of two Depression-era migrant workers — the intelligent George and the childlike giant, Lennie — who dream of owning a farm together in California. Its themes of loneliness and dreams beyond reach are often considered too harsh for young readers. Interestingly, Steinbeck wrote the book both as a novel and a play; the first stage production opened on Broadway the same year the book was published.

Shaw’s wit and humour delight, even while dancing with serious themes, as in Arms and the Man, which questions society’s tendency to glorify war and satirizes idealistic love. Set in 1885 during the Serbo-Bulgarian war, a Swiss mercenary, fighting for the Serbs, hides in the bedroom of a young Bulgarian woman set to marry the heroic Major Saranoff. Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre, which specializes in great works from the past, puts this classic on stage in June.

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Don’t try to sift your way through hundreds of pages The Secret of The Bard cold. While great Garden, a novel value comes in studying Shakeby Frances speare’s language — you will Hodgson Burnett, never read anything better — first published even the most devoted scholar in 1911. notes the plays should be watched, or at least listened to. When a secret garden While preparing to attend comes back to life after Shakespeare Summer Studies long neglect, so do the at Cambridge University in lonely children who live at 1997, I received from the Misselthwaite Manor, and a course a lengthy prerequisite family in mourning becomes reading list. Instead of reading a family full of love and joy all the plays (impossible!) once again. This children’s I gathered up all the BBC classic, which is a great read productions I could find, for adult and child, will be along with other modern movie versions. Once I arrived brought to life by Urban Arts Productions this month. in Cambridge, I was able to catch live productions at the Maritime Museum courthouse then-new Globe Theatre, from May 23 to June 3. See The Swan Theatre, and at urbanartsproductions.com. outdoor venues all over campus, which greatly aided my studies. But you don’t need to travel to England for worldclass, live Shakespeare. Last summer, the Victoria Shakespeare Society’s Comedy of Errors, outdoors at Camosun College, was as enchanting as anything I saw at Cambridge. This year brings two of my favourites: As You Like It and Much Ado About Nothing. Vancouver’s Bard on the Beach has four plays: MacBeth, The Taming of The Shrew, The Merry Wives of Windsor and King John. The Victoria Shakespeare Society’s two plays run from July 18 until August 18. See vicshakespeare.com. Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival opens May 31 and runs until September 22. See bardonthebeach.org. VB 79

HEALTH & WELLNESS

after checking for absolute cleanliness

By alex van tol

As Mother’s Day approaches, it might behoove us all to consider how happy Mom would be if she could peek into an envelope and see “massage” or “body scrub” embossed on thick cardstock. Spa treatments are a you’re-worth-it kind of indulgence, and as such make popular gifts. But before you lay your cash out, make sure that spa experience will improve Mom’s sense of well-being and not threaten her health. Relax: it’s a spa. What could go wrong?

From scrapes to burns to full-blown blood poisoning, unexpected harm can mar a Zen experience. After all, some treatments, like blackhead removal or even a pedicure, can break the skin and cause potential bacterial infections. Besides that, in the spa experience we entrust our bodies — often intimate parts of our bodies — to the hands of people we don’t know. Unlike restaurants and public swimming pools, where public health inspections are routinely carried out as a part of provincial or municipal legislation, no consistent system of standards or regulations exists for the spa industry. If a customer complains or an outbreak occurs, health inspectors are quick to deal with it in most Canadian municipalities. But on a day-to-day basis? Inspections just aren’t the norm. 80

An unregulated industry

Until recently, BC had some of the toughest licensing requirements for estheticians in Canada. But the stringent annual exam has gone the way of the dinosaur in the past few years. Government regulation isn’t always possible or even preferable, says Diane Sparrow, president of Leading Spas of Canada, an association dedicated to supporting the development of the Canadian spa industry. Government “would like industry itself to monitor, regulate and implement its standards,” she says. To become an LSC member, which is voluntary, a spa must meet the basic standardsand-practices criteria (posted on its website), including stipulations about hygiene and the cleanliness of equipment; the way treatment areas should be cleaned; honest communications in advertising and signage; and liability insurance. “It’s pass/fail,” says Sparrow. “Those spas that have complied are given a plaque that alerts the public that they have gone through an assessment and met all basic standards and best practices.” But not all spas align themselves with the national association. For some, like mallbased operations offering manicures and pedicures, the assessment might seem onerous. And given the spa group’s focus on promoting Canada as a spa destination, others might judge they won’t benefit as much from a partnership with LSC than would a true destination spa. “Technically Victoria is a ‘resort’ property,” says Michelle Adriano, manager of Willow Stream Spa at The Fairmont Empress, “but my biggest clientele is my local base — whereas The Fairmont Banff Springs is a destination on its own. Their spa is twice the size, and they get more out of partnering with Leading Spas of Canada” in that they advertise Willow Stream in Banff Springs as a destination spa.

Clean spa, trained staff

Most reputable spas use medical-grade autoclaves and cleaning solutions. Tools that cannot be sterilized to medical standards, such as emery boards or other pedicure instruments, are disposed of or given to the customer to take home. A communal vat of wax should not be shared among clients. Double dipping of wax should not occur. Adriano once had a pedicure in which, for a paraffin wax treatment, she was asked to dip her foot into a crock pot of wax. “Who knows who else has dipped their foot into that crock pot?” she said. Staff should all have been trained in hygiene and bacteriology and not have picked up any bad habits in cross contamination while out on the job, notes Grazyna Sommerfeld, owner of Spa Space. If you use a spa at a Fairmont or Delta property or other high-end hotel, you can be reasonably certain you’re in good hands because those operations must represent the brand well. “Our standard is to be above standard,” says Adriano. Yet you can’t be assured of the same with the myriad independent day spas popping up around town. Top spas will hand-pick staff from the best schools and usually only if they bring years of experience with them. “We are careful of where our staff have trained,” says Vivienne O’Keefe, director of operations for Spa Profits, which oversees three Sante Spas in BC and Alberta, one of which is at the Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort and Spa. “We’re aware that although they may have received good training, they may have picked up some nasty habits,” that good spas correct, she notes. Most spas find staff through referrals from other staff or clients. Everything comes down to the work ethic of the spa ownership and management, says Sommerfeld. In her Broadmead spa, she says she always checks her practice by asking: “would I want to be treated like this?” How to protect yourself

First off, deal with a reputable spa, advises O’Keefe. “If they have the [LSC] quality assurance, that’s wonderful.” Listen for the word-of-mouth referrals from your friends. (Take note of the horror stories, too.) Look in the bathrooms, and watch to see that spa staff wash their hands and/or use gloves. “Look at the state of hygiene in the facility,” says O’Keefe. “If you see dirty uniforms, I would be concerned.” Look into the corners of the room, adds Sommerfeld. “I snoop around when I go. I want to know whether the floor has been washed and when. Look for simple things like if the bathroom and towels are clean.” Take a peek at the waxing room, says O’Keefe. “Ask them, are they using a new spatula each time they dip into the wax? If they’re double dipping, that’s potential for cross-infection.” “Customers shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions,” says Sommerfeld. “We can’t forget we’re in the service industry. People have the right to know. It’s their health.” VB 81

TECHNOLOGIA

Great games by darryl Gittins

Gamers have driven innovation in the computing industry, which has been growing exponentially since Bill Gates first discovered pocket protectors. The Entertainment Software Association reported over $25-billion in revenues in 2010. Imagine running a development company with that sort of steady and voluntary cash influx. For very little money, you can buy a gaming console or computer with the kind of performance that high-end gamers would dream about only a few years ago. Plot and storyline make a great game All the video wizardry is cool, but much like a Hollywood film, it’s not the key ingredient to a really great game. Hollywood sometimes forgets how important the writer is, and that you need a few other elements to keep things interesting. The best RPGs (Role-Playing Games) invariably are good because of the mystery and adventure of the game. Remember The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (computer game based on the Douglas Adams books)? It was a text-only game that required only a keyboard to interact with the DOS-like screen. It was all plot and no effects, and it was a hoot. Myst came along a few years later and introduced stunning graphics and kept the clever story line. The point is, instead of spending heaps of cash on high-end gaming machines or programs, maybe explore some older titles that will run on your system. There are scads of excellent games waiting to be discovered. Games for mobile devices are amazingly cheap. Angry Birds is one of the most popular gaming apps ever and it’s free. Well, the first one is free. Then you pay for updates after you’re hooked, but the updates are only a buck or two. Kids love it, and I love asking the kids why the birds are so angry. (Because the pigs stole their eggs!) You won’t find a better bribe for kids who are so easily sucked into these things. My boy earns tablet-time by doing his homework without a fuss.

HINDS BLINDS

Pac-Man anyone? My all-time favorite is Alexey Pajitnov’s Tetris. The official tetris.com site has updated versions for every imaginable platform. You can go back even further if you want to get nostalgic. Go to komando.com/coolsites/index.aspx?id=8822 for links to play Asteroids, Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Pong, Space Invaders and more. Spintop-games.com is a good site for finding games. You download free trials that let you play long enough to know if it’s worth buying. And the games are likely to work on older systems. Sadly, their excellent version of Scrabble is no longer

old and new on the site. Fortunately, ea.com/scrabble has it, and their version for iPad is particularly good (free trial, then $10.) Play a game, win a NobeL In December, Boulevard featured a story about the huge growth in crowd-sourcing games in which everyday citizens use their brain power and computer time to contribute to important scientific research projects. Genetic research, protein folding, identification of galaxies, identification of marine life, and much, much more are now part of engaging online games. Check out zooniverse.org, eteRNA.org, google “citizen science games” or read the December 2011 story at victoriaboulevard.com for links to great games with a scientific purpose. Thousands of new games at steampowered.com Another great site to explore is steampowered.com. Steam is a community-driven site that distributes over 1,000 games from the biggest software houses and several independent developers. If you install the free Steam app from Ninite.com (and then create an account), you have access to all manner of gaming options. You can buy games (including Myst for $9), meet up with like-minded people in the community, and even trade games. The app automatically updates your purchased games, which resolves one of the biggest annoyances with shelfbought games, where you install a $50 game only to discover it won’t run until you spend an hour hunting for updates. A tip: never lose your product keys again It’s annoying to try to reinstall some program only to discover that you can’t find the product key to activate the software. My rule is never to type any product key directly into the program. Instead, I type the information into a text file where I list all my software keys. Then, I use copy and paste to enter the information into the program I’m installing. Make sure the text file is backed up regularly, and you’ll never lose another product key! VB

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Bits & Bytes • Find old favourite games like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Space Invaders at komando.com. • At Steampowered.com discuss, trade or try out thousands of games. • Google “citizen science games” for links to a host of scientific research projects that use online gamers to help crack scientific puzzles.

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TRAVEL NEAR

All aboard for SHAWNIGAN L AKE tales By IAIN LAWRENCE

for more than 20 years, the renowned artist E.J. Hughes lived at Shawnigan Lake. He liked to sit in his wooden boat and sketch the shoreline as he drifted. Most often he looked north, up to the knobby peak of Baldy Mountain, down to the old hotel. A little farther along was the house where he lived, with his parents’ house beside it. In his paintings, the water is always bright and blue, sparkling with light. You can see how he loved the place. Shawnigan Lake is still a well-loved cottage spot, a mere 45 minutes from Victoria. A getaway for Victorians for more than a century, it is still a great place to rent a cottage, stay in a B&B, kayak, swim, waterski, have a meal or go back in time at an excellent little museum. To get there take the Malahat to the Shawnigan Lake Road turn-off, follow the road that was once the old wagon route. And go back a hundred years. Hughes paintings are on display at Shawnigan Lake Museum, along with pieces of his life: a side table of bamboo; a work table from his last studio; a jar of brushes and a palette still caked with his oil paints. A sketch of his wife is marked with notes for a future painting: “cool for green.” Curator Lori Treloar is rightly proud of the display. “For a small museum, it’s actually a stunning collection,” she says. Hughes’ parents’ place is now a vacation rental owned by Kim Pemberton, who preserved the hardwood floors and wainscoted walls. Her guests

E.J. Hughes, Old Baldy Mountain, Shawnigan Lake; 1961, oil on canvas. (ejhughes.ca)

enjoy the broad verandah, looking over the private dock in Strathcona Bay, where canoeists and ducks paddle through the reeds. “I like to think that Hughes’ parents used to sit here and watch him motor out onto the lake to paint,” says Pemberton. Behind the house are the tracks of the old Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway and a cairn that marks the place where Canada’s first prime minister, Sir John A. MacDonald, hammered in the last spike of this Island railway in 1886. On the lakeshore below, the narrow Goldstream Trail went by on its way

from Victoria to Nanaimo. Today the road passes in front of Pemberton’s house, busy with traffic, though still narrow. It was the railway that opened Shawnigan Lake. Even before it was completed, the first hotel was built at the north end. Within four years, a sawmill and a burgeoning village were built. Among the first settlers were 24 British colonels retired from service in China and India. They acquired vast properties and built mansions. One chose a sloping prospect on the lake’s north end, calling his house Knockdrin, after the castle in Ireland. The croquet lawn and wooden

Rental property Shawnigan Lake House, with its large porch, was once owned by E.J.Hughes’ parents.

tennis courts are gone, but the house is now Marifield Manor B&B. “Shawnigan Lake was a strong community long before Victoria discovered it as a cottage lake and a cheap commute,” says Treloar. The Kinsol Trestle is a mere 15-minute drive from the museum, then a 15-minute walk along the old rail bed. One of the highest railway trestles in the world, it suddenly appears through the trees, an enormous arch of wood that looks as spindly as a spider web. The view from the middle, looking 44 metres down at the Koksilah River, is dizzying. What to do, where to stay Shawnigan Lake is about 7.5 kilometres long and stocked with trout. Boat launches are at Shawnigan Wharf Park and on Recreation Road. Galley A marina offers fuel and boat services, as well as rentals of boats and jet skis. Good roads circle the lake, but RVs, trucks or SUVs with roof racks or storage boxes should avoid the road on the east side as the trestle south of the village has a clearance of just 3.4 metres. West Provincial Park is popular for day use and swimming, but seldom crowded. Old Mill Park, directly across the lake, has a sandy swimming beach on the site of the original sawmill. Mason’s Beach, at the village, has a pebble beach and a protected swimming zone. For dining in the village of Shawnigan Lake, try Steeples, a converted church that offers lunches and dinners. The West Arm Grille at the north end has open decks overlooking the lake. Amusé Bistro is reopening this year at the Unsworth winery. The Black Swan offers pub food, and the Village Chippery has a games night for youth. Several local vintners and the Merridale cidery are nearby. See wineislands.ca. B&Bs abound, and you can find vacation cabins or studios to rent. They include Shawnigan Lake House, shawniganlakevacationrentals.ca; Marifield Manor, marifieldmanor.ca; Woodview Bed & Breakfast, woodviewbedandbreakfast.com; Shawnigan Lake Bed & Breakfast, shawniganlakevacations.com; Shawnigan Lakefront Cottage, shawniganlakefrontcottage.com; Shawnigan Beach Resort, shawniganlakebeachresort.com; and Dragonfly Dock Bed & Breakfast, drangonflydock.com. VB 87

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TRAVEL FAR

ENGLISH HILLS, ROMAN TURF History buffs, tourists and serious walkers make the pilgrimage to Hadrian’s Wall text and photo By MARGO MALCOLM

s I hike up and down a rolling section alongside Hadrian’s Wall, the late September sun filters through the morning mist. I stop to enjoy the view of the moors of northern England, covered with a tawny hue of dying heather. Not far away two blackfaced horned sheep are perched on top of the remains of the ancient stone wall that marked the northern frontier of the Roman Empire. They look to the north, like sentries keeping watch. So many sheep graze at Roman sites along the wall that I am beginning to suspect they are reincarnated Romans.

As a Roman history fanatic, my bucket list is filled with the Roman sites of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, and a week exploring Hadrian’s Wall is my idea of a good time. Six years before, I had visited a couple of sites along the Wall and was keen to return for more. Here I get to see Britain’s most impressive Roman monument as well as the rugged landscape of northern England. Since 2005, Hadrian’s Wall has been part of a multi-national World Heritage Site called Frontiers of the Roman Empire. Other frontier sites are in Europe and North Africa. In 122 AD, the Emperor Hadrian chose the narrowest

Sheep sentries guard the wall section at Walltown Crags. Inset: A Roman shoe found at Vindolanda. Photo courtesy Vindolanda Trust.

neck of Britannia to locate his stone border. His legions spent 10 years building the 117-kilometre (80 Roman miles) wall. It stretches from the North Sea on the east near modern Newcastle west through Carlisle to Bowness-on-Solway beside the Irish Sea. In Roman times, the wall, which snakes along rocky ridges and rolling hills, stood an estimated four metres high. Its builders placed 16 large, walled forts along it, 80 “milecastles” (located at every Roman mile) and 160 turrets (two turrets between every milecastle). Each fort held up to 1,000 soldiers and was surrounded by civilian settlements of their families and people providing services and supplies. Except for 20 years between 140 and 160 AD, when a turf wall was built further north, Hadrian’s Wall was occupied continuously by the Romans until 410 AD. MECCA FOR HISTORY BUFFS Today it is mostly rolling green countryside dotted with small villages. Most surviving wall sections are just one to two metres high. The ruins of milecastles and turrets dot the landscape, along with the remains of several forts. The smaller sites with sections of wall, turrets and milecastles are free to visit, while the larger forts with museums and gift shops charge a small fee ($5 to $10 cad). The area attracts history buffs, tourists and serious walkers who trek along Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail, which runs alongside the length of the wall and beyond. A British friend and I spent a week this past September exploring the sites, returning each night to our self-catering cottage near the middle of the wall. Travelling by car, we stopped to visit forts and to hike along scenic wall sections, including the Walltown Crags near the town of Haltwhistle (40 kilometres east of Carlisle), and the five-kilometre stretch from the village of Gilsland to Birdoswald Fort, near Carlisle. The Gilsland stretch has some of the most scenic and significant portions of the wall, and includes two milecastles, two turrets and the Willowford Roman bridge abutment. Seven fort sites are open to visitors along the wall and during the week we visited them all. Arbeia, near Newcastle, has a full-size gate reconstruction. Segedunum, close by Arbeia, has an interactive museum. Chesters Fort (about 45 kilometres west of Newcastle) has the best preserved Roman military bath house in Britain. Corbridge Roman Town, south of the wall near Chesters, has an excellent museum with statues, inscribed altars, and glass and silver artifacts. Housesteads, in the centre of the wall, is the most complete and best known Roman fort in Britain. ANCIENT WRITING TABLETS AND LEATHER SHOES Vindolanda Fort, south of the wall near Housesteads (40 kilometres west of Newcastle), is a must-see. The Vindolanda wooden writing tablets, Britain’s Top Treasure according to experts at the British Museum where most are on 90

display, were found here. Some tablets are on display at Vindolanda as well, following an extensive 2011 renovation at the site’s Chesterholm Museum. These rare tablets, first unearthed in 1973, survived in anaerobic soil and reveal the writings of people who lived in the first century AD. Correspondence includes a birthday invitation between the Fort Commandant’s wife and a friend; letters home asking for socks and warm clothing; and soldiers requesting leave. Excavation continues at Vindolanda and tablets are still being discovered. I also love the Chesterholm Museum’s rare Roman leather shoe collection also discovered at Vindolanda. From toddler’s booties to intricately designed women’s shoes to soldier’s hobnailed sandals, the shoes show what well-heeled Romans were wearing when they built and lived on Hadrian’s Wall. The museum also has a fascinating collection of metal tools and locks. Wood, leather and metal artifacts are rare Roman finds so the collections of Vindolanda are exceptional. TINY TEMPLE SHROUDED IN MIST Another of my favourite sites is Carrawburgh Mithras Temple, near Vindolanda. The morning we visit the remains of this tiny temple, it is shrouded in a heavy mist, or mizzle as the English like to call it, which gives the site an eerie ambiance. English Heritage maintains the temple and has filled the sacred precinct with reconstructed cement altars, statues and replicas of timber posts found at the temple. Accommodation in Hadrian’s Wall Country ranges from hotels in the cities to hostels, B&Bs, and cottage rentals along the route. We found our cosy, two-bedroom, selfcatering farm cottage in Lambley, eight kilometres south of Haltwhistle, through a listing on Hadrians-Wall.org for only £395 ($625 cad) a week. Our only neighbours are four fishermen in another cottage, who are here for the excellent fly fishing in the River Tyne, which flows past the farm. We make our own meals and picnics in the cottage kitchen and enjoy the view outside the French doors of chickens, alpacas, and of course, Romans. I mean sheep. IF YOU GO: The best time to visit is between May and September, when all sites and services are open and the weather is drier. The best wall sections and fort sites are in the middle, near the towns of Haltwhistle, Hexham and Corbridge. While we travelled by car, the area is also accessible by train or bus. The local bus, the AD122, travels between Carlisle and Newcastle, stopping at most Roman sites along the wall, as well as the larger towns. For more information on the wall, accommodation, travel and itineraries see hadrians-wall.org. For information on Vindolanda see vindolanda.com, and for English Heritage site information see English-heritage.org/ uk/daysout/hadrianswall/. VB

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FOOD & WINE

the thrill of the chill

Home-made ice cream is still the sweetest treat and now easier to make text and photos By Maryanne Carmack

have eaten ice cream in more places than I can count, from chewy dondurma ice cream in Turkey that refused to melt in the sun, to golden beet saffron ice cream in San Francisco. On many trips to Italy, I’ve convinced myself that it is acceptable to eat gelato at least four times a day. But, as exciting as it is to travel the world sampling ice cream, it also fun to make delicious ice cream at home. It’s relatively quick, contains no artificial flavours or colours, and tastes wonderful. Ice cream varieties have been around for centuries. Frozen milk or cream desserts were enjoyed as far back as Roman times, when Emperor Nero reportedly served cream frozen in

snow. Legend has it that sweet, flavoured ice cream evolved in France and Italy during the 17th and 18th centuries from popular fruit ices called sorbets (not to be confused with sherbet, which contains egg or milk and is more like ice cream). The churned, sweetened frozen treat that we love blossomed after 1846 with the invention of the hand-cranked ice cream freezer. Today, ice cream flavours know no bounds. The stalwarts such as vanilla, chocolate, maple walnut and strawberry now share space with sweet corn, rosemary, candied jalapeño, basil, salt and pepper and Thai chili. If you’ve considered making ice cream, you’ve probably questioned how difficult it might be. But today, almost all of the hard work is done by electronic devices with automated

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Free of Gluten = Full of Nutrition... ...or is it? These days, chances are high that you know someone who requires a gluten-free diet.

compressors. No more messy bags of chipped ice and rock salt or tired arms from hours of cranking, although diehard traditionalists can still buy inexpensive hand-cranked tubs. Choose the maker that fits your budget and ice cream requirements. Capital Iron, for instance, has Cuisinarts from $65 to $90, while a Donvier hand-crank model is $80. London Drugs sells a Hamilton Beach for $40. Ice cream is a mixture of cream and/or milk, sugar and sometimes eggs that freezes while being churned. In commercial ice-cream making, stabilizers, such as plant gums, are usually added and the mixture is pasteurized and homogenized. The mixture may have flavourings added, from something as simple as vanilla to pieces of candy. The mixture is frozen in machines that agitate it, using paddles or dashers to keep the ice crystals small, which creates smoothly textured ice cream. Do gelato and ice cream differ? If you’ve been to Italy, you’ve probably experienced creamy, delicious gelato. Perhaps you assumed that the only reason it seemed more intensely flavoured was because you were enjoying it while sitting on the foot of the Spanish Steps in Rome. But they are not the same. Ice cream, legally, has a minimum of 10 per cent fat, while gelato is made with a greater proportion of whole milk to cream, so it contains less fat; typically five to seven per cent. But don’t expect to be able to get Italian gelateria-style results by making a gelato recipe in your home ice cream machine. Gelato is churned slower than ice cream is, so it’s denser because less air is whipped into the mixture. Finally, ice cream is served frozen, while gelato is stored and served at a slightly warmer temperature, so it’s not completely frozen. Making ice cream is a simple way to impress your dinner guests. If you don’t have an ice cream machine, you can still make the following recipes. Just remember to remove the ice cream base from the freezer every hour and beat with electric mixers to prevent ice crystals from forming. Do this four or five times for smooth ice cream.

With the notion that eating gluten-free is one of the healthier avenues to take, many are jumping on the gluten-free bandwagon. And certainly it is the better choice, especially for those with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. However, just because a product bears a “gluten-free” claim isn’t a guarantee that it is the healthier product. Depending on dietary choices, important nutrients can be lacking from a gluten-free diet such as fiber, B vitamins, iron, and calcium. This issue could be augmented by the fact that some gluten-free products are high in added sugar and fats, refined (not whole grain), and aren’t fortified with essential nutrients unlike their gluten containing counterparts. Boost the nutritional value of your gluten-free choices with these ideas: Gluten free item

Enhance the nutrition by…

Hot or cold cereal made from white rice or white rice flour

• Add fruit, ground flax, chia, nuts and/or seeds. • Add Greek yogurt for extra protein • Choose a whole grain cereal, such as quinoa, millet, teff and or buckwheat

White rice cakes & crackers

• Add cheese, hummus, and nut butter with apple slices. • Look for products made from brown rice.

White rice or corn pasta

• Choose brown rice pasta and/or fortified pasta

White rice

• Mix in whole grains such as quinoa, millet, buckwheat.

Corn or potato chips

• Add baked beans, cheese, guacamole and salsa

• Try a bar made from dried fruit, nuts and/or seeds. Check out the varieties in our Vitamins & More departments.

Gluten-free or not, eating a diet low in processed foods, such as fruits, veggies, unprocessed meats and dairy is generally good for everyone and naturally gluten-free. Ask for a gluten-free product list at thriftyfoods.com

Jessalyn O’Donnell, RD., Thrifty Foods

Lemon Sorbet 1 cup sugar 1 cup water 1 cup freshly squeezed juice from three or four lemons 2 tsp fine lemon zest In a small saucepan on mediumhigh heat, make a simple syrup by heating sugar and water until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool. Mix in the lemon juice and zest. Chill in the refrigerator or in a

Traditional Vanilla 5 egg yolks (beaten) 4 oz (100g) caster sugar 1 pint (375ml) full cream milk 1 pint (375ml) heavy/double cream 1 vanilla pod (scored down the middle) Optional extra: 1 level tsp cornflour (for a thicker texture or when using an ice cream maker with a bowl that has to be frozen in advance) Pour the milk into a saucepan and bring slowly up to boiling point but do not let it boil. Place the vanilla pod into it and leave to infuse for about 20 minutes. In a bowl, beat

Rosemary Ice Cream Courtesy of Cold Comfortâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Autumn Maxwell

1 cup milk 2 cups heavy cream, divided 3/4 cup sugar 6 egg yolks 1 sprig fresh rosemary (about as long as your hand) 1 pinch salt Warm the milk, one cup of the cream, sugar, and salt on medium heat until just below the boil. Add the sprig of rosemary, remove from heat, cover and let steep 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, separate six eggs, placing yolks in a medium94

metal bowl over an ice bath. Once the mixture has thoroughly chilled, freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can pour the mixture into a shallow pan and freeze until semi-solid. Then take a fork and fluff it up, returning it the freezer to freeze firm. Then put in a food processor or blender to process until smooth. Place sorbet in an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve. Scoop out, preferably with a melon-baller. Garnish with mint. Makes 2 1/2 cups.

and mix together the egg yolks and sugar (and cornflour if using) until thick. Carefully remove the vanilla pod from the pan of milk and scrape out the seeds into the milk. Pour the milk into the mixture of egg yolks and sugar while stirring. Pour the mixture back into the pan and heat gently, stirring until the custard thickens: do not bring to a boil or it will curdle. When you see a film form over the back of your spoon, it’s time to remove the saucepan from the heat. Leave to cool. When the custard base is cold, stir in the cream and transfer to a chilled bowl. For best results refrigerate the mix for at least three hours (overnight if you have the time). Transfer the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

sized bowl. Whisk a few times to blend. Discard whites, or save for another purpose. Pour remaining cup of cream in to a large bowl and set a fine mesh strainer on top. Remove rosemary from milk mixture and discard. Reheat milk mixture until just below the boil, then gradually add half of the mixture to the yolks while whisking yolks continuously. Add the milk and egg mixture back to the pot on medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Make sure it doesn’t overcook! When the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of the spoon (about 170 degrees), remove from heat and pour through sieve into cream. Allow the custard to chill thoroughly for several hours (or overnight) and freeze in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. VB

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Chaos reigns supreme: just don’t set off any firecrackers By Shannon Moneo ILLUSTRATION SHELLEY DAVIES

When we take our dog for a walk, it’s like the parting of the Red Sea. Fear-crazed parents scoop up their toddlers. Ditto for owners of tea-cup Chihuahuas and tiny Shih Tzus. We’re left with an instant thoroughfare, cleared by terror. You see, we own a pit bull. Or, if you want to be accurate, an American Staffordshire terrier. Her name? Chaos. A name we did not pick, I may add. She’s the spitting, not snarling, image of Junior, one of famed dog whisperer Cesar Millan’s pit bulls. In fact, Chaos’ resemblance to a TV star provides the exception to the generally panic-stricken pedestrians. Hubby Mitch laps up his walks with Chaos because nubile females, obvious Cesar Millan fans, out with their dogs, stop and compliment him on his canine. Four-year-old Chaos came into our lives as a replacement for our hyperkinetic Jack Russell puppy Beamer, who got away from our daughter the night Mitch and I were at a Burton Cummings concert. Some say a cougar got him (Beamer, not Burton), but I prefer to think someone picked 96

up the little squirt and is now saddled with non-stop “fun.” So, last fall, against my wishes, we went from a sevenkilogram white and brown spazz machine to a 34-kilogram grey and white head on four legs. Chaos’s owner felt bad because Chaos was left inside a suite all day, not the life for a well-muscled female in her prime. Mitch discovered the online ad for a free dog. We went to visit. When Chaos appeared, slobber and all, I was petrified. This is a dog that, if she wanted, could bite me in half. But Mitch and our son Matthew decided to take a trial run. And who was home alone with the dog all day while the males were at work and school? Someone who was very careful not to smell like something tasty. But after two weeks of Chaos, we were sold. When I called my father to give him the news, fur was flying. “Dad, we got a dog,” I said to him. “What kind?” he asked. “A pit bull.” “Jesus Christ!!!” said the former altar boy. “What’s wrong with you?” When my Mom came for a visit, there was a lot of handwringing before her arrival. Could she be left alone with Chaos? Would she make it back alive? But Stella, a former farm girl, partial to dogs, soon had Chaos eating out of her hand, much to Matthew’s ire. He doesn’t believe in giving dogs treats, but Stella, on the other hand, was glad-handing with Chaos. You name it: toast, cheese, steak. She even took Chaos for walks. It’s those walks that really cement what pit bulls are all about. For men, it’s an ego thing. There’s something about being master of a ferocious-looking canine that appeals to the caveman in males. For women, it’s that feeling that you’re safe. With Chaos on a leash, I boldly go wherever I want, whenever I want. You never hear of someone robbing a lady who was out walking her pit bull. And when I hurl a log for Chaos to retrieve, she does! She can pick up a 10-kilo piece of wood like it was a twig. But here’s a little secret about Chaos: Halloween and New Year’s Eve fireworks made her quiver in terror. The Christmas tree traumatized her. Yelling equals tail between her legs. So I’ve nicknamed her Sucky Poo. But still, she’s not a complete cream puff. Like some people, some dogs approach her with trepidation. In the dog world, she holds her own but to tell you the truth, I’ve never seen all of her teeth. We’ll never know how she acquired the name Chaos. This heavyweight was a pound dog. I call her inscrutable, an enigma wrapped in a muscular riddle. But the nice thing about her name is, I can say without a lie. “There’s complete Chaos in our house.” VB

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By shannon moneo

What’s a typical training day? Every day is different. A harder day is swim in the morning for about 90 minutes, run in the early afternoon for an hour to 75 minutes then a two-hour bike ride. We do all three sports every day. Yoga, strength training, massage and physio are all strung in. Why did you come to Victoria? The national triathlon training centre is here. My coach lives here. There’s a good group to train with. There’s also the Canadian Sport Centre so I have access to a nutritionist, physio, psychologist. Best part of the triathlon? My favourite and my strongest is the run. It’s where I win races. Swimming is my first sport so I think that should be my strongest. What’s more dangerous, a bike crash or psychological perils? I’m pretty cautious on the bike and that can be detrimental. I try to stay out of trouble. I’m afraid of crashing. I’ve had only one big crash in my life, in Beijing in 2011. Going into races I get pretty nervous. A bike crash is more dangerous. You probably wouldn’t be able to finish. You had an impressive ascent in world rankings, going from 53 to Number One in about a year. How did you handle that? I had to get used to talking to media and people recognizing my name. I enjoyed going into races under the radar. By 2011, I had kind of a target on my back. Practice has made me more comfortable talking to media. I’m still not a very outgoing or sociable person so that makes it tough. How are your Olympic medal chances? I’m trying not to think about that. It’s a lot of stress and pressure to put on myself. I never approach a race thinking ‘I’ve got this in the bag.’ Every race is so close. But I have a chance of maybe getting a medal. What will you eat before your Olympic race? I’m trying to eliminate gluten from my diet. I’m not that sensitive to it but it makes me feel better. Before a race I’ll have oatmeal, hard-boiled eggs, bananas. I keep it sensible. I eat the same every day before training so that I’m not trying anything new that could upset my stomach.

How will you keep from getting sick or injured before the Olympics? It’s a really fine line between training hard enough to be world-class and not getting injured. In 2011, I pushed too hard. You have to balance it. I have good support around me. I get massage three times a week, physio and see a chiropractor. My coach manages my progress. It’s listening to my body and being super-sensitive to what might hurt. I’m really careful at airports. I wash my hands a lot. Do you still want to be a doctor? Yes. I’ve done three-and-ahalf years of prerequisites at the University of Alberta. I can’t do school while I’m training. Medicine is what I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I don’t have any specific area in mind, but I probably don’t want to be a neurosurgeon like my dad. You’re in bed by 9 pm when training: do you feel you’re missing out on anything? Not as much anymore. In high school, I felt like I was lacking a social life. Now triathlon is my job and I feel very fortunate to have that as my job. Anything I’m missing, I can make it up later. How does it feel to live in a world that’s focused on winning? It’s a lot of pressure. I think about it every day, training and triathlon. I can’t be doing anything crazy on a recovery day. It’s stressful but fun at the same time. In Victoria, I live with Julia Wilkinson, who’s a swimmer on the national team and a medal hope for Canada so I’m surrounded by people who have similar lifestyles and goals. That helps a lot. Have you thought about life after triathlon? I do think about it a lot but I get a little freaked out. I’m fairly young relative to a lot of the triathletes. I could do this 10 more years if I want to but I don’t know if I want to. I don’t even know what I want to do after London. It all depends how things pan out. I can be Number One in the world then fall down to not be able to race at all. But I want to go back to school and have a real job and family some day. VB This interview has been condensed and edited.

PAULA FINDLAY, 23 OLYMPIC TRIATHLETE

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