Boulevard Magazine - November 2014 Issue

NOVEMBER 2014

VICTORIA LIFE AT ITS FINEST

UP CLOSE:

VICTORIA’S ROYAL BC MUSEUM

THE

GLITTER OF GOLD › ›

›

GOLD RUSH FEVER REMEMBERING LIVES LOST AT PATRICIA BAY EMILY CARR GOES TO LONDON Arctic: DAYS

OF DISCOVERY

SIMPLICITY DEFINED

in Uplands mansion

Gracepoint:

SCENES OF A CRIME

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T H E

U L T I M A T E

V I E W

O F

H O N O L U L U

T H E V I S I O N O F W O R L D - C L A S S A R C H I T EC T S , A N A H A I S O N E O F T H E M O S T M A S T E R F U L LY A P P O I N T E D B U I L D I N G S I N T H E C O U N T R Y, P R O V I D I N G A W E - I N S P I R I N G S U R R O U N D I N G S T O I N C I T E T H E M I N D , B O D Y, A N D S O U L .

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This ad is not intended to be an offer to sell nor a solicitation of offers to buy real estate in Ward Village development to residents of Connecticut, Idaho, New York, New Jersey, and Oregon, or to residents of any other jurisdiction where prohibited by law. No offering can be made to residents of New York until an offering plan is filed with the Department of Law of the State of New York. Ward Village is a proposed planned master development in Honolulu, Hawaii that does not yet exist. Photos and drawings and other visual depictions in this advertisement are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent amenities or facilities in Ward Village and should not be relied upon in deciding to purchase or lease an interest in the development. The Developer makes no guarantee, representation or warranty whatsoever that the developments, facilities or improvements depicted will ultimately appear as shown. This is not intended to be an offering or solicitation of sale. Exclusive Project Broker Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties LLC. Copyright Š2014. Equal Housing Opportunity.

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CONTENTS

Issue 11, Volume XXIlI

NOVEMBER 2014

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20 A COAT STORY

By Lia Crowe

48 TRAVEL FAR

The Arctic: A Canadian Passage

By Barry Herring

28 GOLD RUSH FEVER

By Susan Lundy

58 CLINK! DRINK! Glassware

By Sarah Reid

32 SPOTLIGHT ON EMILY CARR

By Susan Lundy

62 FOOD & DRINK

Soup’s On

By Cinda Chavich

43 PATRICIA BAY LIVES LOST

By Stuart Eastwood

COLUMNS

66 TALKING

WITH TESS

Dave Saunders

By Tess van Straaten

FEATURES

60 HAWTHORN

X is for Election Day

By Tom Hawthorn DEPARTMENTS

28 20 GROUP PUBLISHER Penny Sakamoto

48

8

EDITOR’S LETTER Flashback to Old Town

10

FASHION FAVES Dan Sharp

By Lia Crowe

12

HOT PROPERTIES Simplicity Defined

By Carolyn Heiman

40 TRAVEL NEAR & FAR

Tale of Two Cities

By Cinda Chavich

CIRCULATION Miki Speirs COORDINATOR 250-480-3277

EDITOR Susan Lundy CREATIVE Lily Chan Pip Knott ADVERTISING Janet Gairdner Pat Brindle ASSOCIATE GROUP Oliver Sommer PUBLISHER ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Janet Gairdner 250-480-3251 CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Bruce Hogarth

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69

FRONT ROW Celebrating Small, BalletBoyz, Art from the Front Lines, and more

By Robert Moyes

74

SECRETS & LIVES Jonathan Irwin, executive director, Maritime Museum of BC

By Susan Lundy

Colonel Richard Moody’s dress tunic, photographed at the Royal BC Museum

by Arnold Lim.

ADVERTISE Boulevard Magazine is Victoria’s leading lifestyle magazine, celebrating 24 years of publishing in Greater Victoria.

To advertise or to learn more about advertising opportunities

CONTRIBUTING Cinda Chavich, Lia Crowe, WRITERS Stuart Eastwood,Tom Hawthorn, Barry Herring, Carolyn Heiman, Robert Moyes, Sarah Reid, Tess van Straaten CONTRIBUTING Don Denton, Cinda PHOTOGRAPHERS Chavich, Lia Crowe, Cathie Ferguson, Barry Herring, Arnold Lim, Gary McKinstry

please send us an email at info@blvdmag.ca Mailing Address: 818 Broughton Street, Victoria, BC, V8W 1E4 Tel: 250.381.3484 Fax: 250.386.2624 info@blvdmag.ca blvdmag.ca

Victoria Boulevard ® is a registered trademark of Black Press Group Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the publisher’s written permission. Ideas and opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of Black Press Group Ltd. or its affiliates; no official endorsement should be inferred. The publisher does not assume any responsibility for the contents, both implied or assumed, of any advertisement in this publication. Printed in Canada. Canada Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement #42109519.

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EDITOR’S LETTER

Flashing back to

OLD TOWN  BY SUSAN LUNDY

PHOTO BY ARNOLD LIM

ON A QUICK, RECENT TRIP THROUGH the beloved, historic Old Town of my childhood, I was struck by memories that show how intrinsically the Royal BC Museum is woven into my history.

Sitting in the train station of the museum’s Old Town, the clang, chug and whistle of an “incoming train” transported me back some 40 years. I could feel the presence of my grandfather, holding my hand, making a joke … the anticipation of waiting with him for that train.

Across the way, Charlie Chaplin movies click, click, clicked to a backdrop of frenetic music, and in the Grand Hotel, the floor still crunched beneath foot. The sound of horse hoofs clip-clopped through a open window in the kitchen, where that white curtain still fluttered in the wind all these years later. The smell of cinnamon, not quite as strong now as in my childhood, lingered, and the sights, sounds and scents funnelled me through a time machine until, once again, I was a round-eyed child, thrilled to have a day at the museum.

The Royal BC Museum, which opened in 1968, was exquisitely ahead of its time with its elaborate props, streetscapes and exhibits like Old Town and the full scale replica of Captain George Vancouver’s H.M.S. Discovery.

Instead of offering viewable items encased in glass, these exhibits actually placed viewers into 8

the scene. Most beloved were my trips there with my grandparents in the early 1970s, but I also recall exploring the museum on numerous school field trips and, more recently, taking in the IMAX theatre and newer exhibits.

As I left the museum and noted the beautifully carved Coast Salish Welcome Figure that towers alongside the entranceway, I chuckled and shook my head at one memory. I recall being quite intrigued by it as a young child; today, I can appreciate its artistic and cultural place in history, but back then, I do believe I was riveted by the male figure’s lack of clothing.

There is no nakedness in this edition of Boulevard, but there’s lots of history and many great things to check out.

The fascinating stories that spurred all these flashbacks can be found on page 28 (Gold Rush exhibit) and page 32 (Emily Carr collection). On page 43, contributing writer Stuart Eastwood reminds us of the many locals who died in wartime training expeditions at Patricia Bay in his story about the disappearance and recovery of Avro Anson L7056.

Food columnist Cinda Chavich serves up two stories in this edition, first delving into the delightful winter flavours of seafood soups and chowders on page 62. (I do hope photographer Don Denton got to sample the mouthwatering soup found in his images.) She also takes us to the scene of two crimes as she explores the filming locations of the Gracepoint television series (Victoria) and its British predecessor, Broadchurch, the tiny British towns of Bridport and Clevedon (page 40).

Travel Far writer and photographer Barry Herring gives us a spectacular glimpse of the Arctic (page 48); and Hot Properties writer Carolyn Heiman opens the doors on a minimalistic Uplands beauty (page 12). And don’t forget — as Tom Hawthorn points out on page 60 — November 15 is election day, so get out and vote.

After all this reading and voting, there should still be time this November to take a trip down history’s memory lane at the wonderful Royal BC Museum.

Boulevard Buzz:  For theatre lovers: Alice vs. Wonderland opens Nov. 25 at Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre at the Roxy. I watched auditions for this and was stunned by the level of talent

exhibited by Victoria’s young actors. The promo says: “Lewis Carroll meets Lady Gaga in this psychedelic update of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” Should be good.  For food lovers: The Gluten Free Gala runs Nov. 15-16 at Pearkes Recreation Centre. “Taste, smell, touch, hear and see that the gluten-free lifestyle can really be enjoyed and celebrated.” Runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.  For wine lovers: Winemakers Dinner with Sea Star Winery takes place Nov. 8 at Hotel Grand Pacific. The hotel says it will be an “evening of distinguished wines and four courses of paired cuisine as we welcome Ian Baker, Winemaker at Sea Star Winery on Pender Island.”  For music lovers: A Tribute to the Great War Songs and Stories takes place Nov. 8 at Saint Luke’s Church Hall. A musical production by Harry Martin, it’s presented by the Maritime Museum of British Columbia in conjunction with the CEF100 Commemoration Society. “Come join us for a trip through the story of the First World War told through song and first-hand accounts.”

Happy Boulevard readers: From Terry Vatrt: I enjoy Tom Hawthorn’s column ... he definitely contributes the boulevardier aspect to the magazine. Might I add another Victoria courtesy to his list? When we first visited Victoria, we were charmed by the buses’ signs that read: “Sorry, not in service.” BC Transit apologizing for our possible inconvenience always makes me smile. There are many reasons to live in Victoria, besides the weather. The number of well-produced, interesting magazines is another small delight!

From Anne: I just would love to let you know how much I’ve enjoyed your fashion sections in your last two editions. Gorgeous photography and beautiful model (who was that last one ?). Loved it! Those last two lift your level up to a whole different standard.

Editor’s note: Thanks for the comments, Terry and Anne.

The model in the October fashion shoot was our very own, multi-talented Lia Crowe.

WE LOVE HEARING FROM YOU We welcome your letters: editor@blvdmag.ca or visit us on Facebook and Twitter for updates and links to featured stories and local events.

BoulevardMagazine @BoulevardMag

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FASHION FAVES

DAN SHARP

PHOTO BY LIA CROWE

LIFE & STYLE

with

Ultimately, he possesses one of the best qualities of good style: he’s not afraid to make fun of himself.

 BY LIA CROWE

OFFICIALLY, DAN SHARP IS CEO and owner of a small pharmaceutical company, Western Allergy, and in his “spare time” chairs the BC Cancer Foundation’s Jingle Mingle committee — an event that has raised millions for breakthrough cancer research on Vancouver Island.

Unofficially Dan is my friend’s boss or, better said, she is his vice president of operations. So I already knew a little about Dan Sharp. I knew that I would get to spend the better part of a day hanging out in his gorgeous 10

modern home, which has an all-glass front, looking out onto Gonzales Bay. There was a promise of croissants and cheeses (not cheese but cheeses), and I knew that fun would be had.

In addition to great style, Dan seems to emit eau de “good time.”

But he isn’t just a fun guy; there’s something deeper that came to me after I asked what influences his style.

“In the style of the 60s and 70s — my parents’ — I [was influenced] by the importance of being a gentleman and having basic manners — a respect for women that men are losing today.

Although I am certainly an asshole at times” — of course, Dan can’t resist throwing in some self-deprecating

humour — “I still hold open doors, stand up when a woman enters a room, hold out a chair, eat after the woman starts and know how to hold a knife and fork. Things my mom drilled into me as a child.”

Dan’s got class. He even classes up Kraft Dinner, which I requested for comedic effect (although it was in his pantry). Ultimately, he possesses one of the best qualities of good style: he’s not afraid to make fun of himself.

With the upcoming Jingle Mingle event on December 4 at the Fairmont Empress Hotel, Dan Sharp will bring the class to a classy event; he’ll put the fun in fundraising and support cancer research one cocktail at a time.

Reading Material

Print Magazine: Wallpaper. Last great read: The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden by Jonas Jonasson. Book that changed your life: 365 days of Tao by Ming-Dao Deng. ”That helped me out a couple of times … without being too melodramatic.” Fashion Jeans: Heritage 34, straight leg. Shirts: Charles Tyrwhitt.

Suit: Canali, black. Favourite Accessory: Blackberry.

Watch: Master Memovox by Jaeger-LeCoultre. Piece that sets you apart from the rest: “Winklepicker boots. I get them in London from a store in Covent Gardens. The style is from the 60s.” Grooming “Yes, I do,” says Dan without skipping a beat. Who cuts your hair: Kande Whitehouse of the soon to be Whitehouse & Gaines salon, opening in the 1969 Oak Bay Avenue building.

Scent: Trussardi Uomo Eau de Toilette.

Life

Favourite local restaurant: “Uh, that’s tough. The Guild. Also Stage Wine Bar, 10 Acres and The Local.” Music: “Jazz, everything. I grew up listening to a lot of Sinatra. Summer Wind is a favourite.” Cocktail: Gin and tonic with Hendricks gin.

Wine: Saintsbury, Pinot Noir. Favourite City: “That’s hard, it’s cliché but the old triangle; London, Paris, New York.”

Favourite Charity: BC Cancer Foundation. Hotel: Wedgewood Hotel, Vancouver, or Hotel Grande Bretagne, Athens. Go to dinner party offering: “Rib eye, but cut family-style with arugula.” Style Inspirations Era: The early to late 1960s, but not hippy, adult. “I don’t want to use the term Mad Men, but that’s kind of it … it’s the era I think would have been great to live in. I just remember my parents’ cocktail parties from the 60s and their music.”

Artist: Local artist, Tim Hoey. Rembrandt. “I treated myself and bought a Rembrandt etching when I sold part of my business.” Film: The Party starring Peter Sellers and Claudine Longet, “who I had a huge crush on.”

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HOT PROPERTIES

defined

SIMPLICITY

Uplands home uses sleek minimalism to make a big statement  TEXT BY CAROLYN HEIMAN PHOTOS BY GARY MCKINSTRY

U

SE THE “RULE OF THREE” to make a great home a spectacular architectural statement.

That’s the advice of Ian Roberts, a home designer and builder, who has just supervised completion of the finishing touches on an uber modern Uplands home: a house that makes a stunning visual statement, loud and clear.

“The rule of three is my design philosophy, particularly 12

in higher-end homes,” says Roberts. “There can be a lot of money wasted on adornment ... You don’t need to spend money for the sake of spending money. Pick three things that will create that ‘wow’ moment and they will further the design.”

The Uplands home includes the calculated addition of sleek, exterior book-matched marble siding, expansive windows and, at the entry way, a stunning wall, featuring

 The sleek, modern home’s exterior is taken up a notch with book-matched white Carmannah marble, cut from one block and installed to make a God’s-eye pattern.  Iconic bubble lights by EDGE shimmer over the dining room’s vintage brass table.

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 A great room sits at the heart of this home, creating a tone for casual and warm entertaining.

a centuries-old technique that is new again: Venetian plaster.

Roberts, who heads up FLASHhouse Inc., is still pinching himself over the good fortune of having clients (his in-laws) who gave him carte blanche when creating the home. The couple, now in their 70s, bravely sold their home of 30 years and turned to their youthful son-in-law to create a home for the next stages of their lives.

ELIMINATION ADDS DESIGN

Although their age puts them in a demographic that typically favours transitional or traditional styling, the couple (who didn’t wish to be named) spent years living in Scottsdale, Arizona among finely designed modern architecture, giving them a taste for the form.

“I saw so many beautiful modern houses down there ...

Beautiful houses that were built with unlimited budgets.

I always thought ‘Oh my god, I would die to have a house like that,” says Roberts’ mother-in-law. “I’m a very minimalist person. I don’t like a lot of clutter.”

And there is zero clutter in this house. Only elements that support the home’s pleasing harmony have been included. Some elements that are standard in most homes have been purposely eliminated — like baseboards — in 14

“The home shows itself off by its simplicity.

Everything is flush ... there are minimal surfaces. We used the same materials over again.”

 The L-shaped home wraps around a partysize, private patio that looks over an established garden.

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 An extended fascia, opened to the sky, creates a roomlike environment out of the front deck.  Matching built-ins keep the owners’ bedroom both simple and elegant.

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keeping with the strict adherence to minimalist style.

The couple’s former Victoria residence was contemporary in styling when it was built three decades ago, and over the years, they undertook a number of updates, aiming to create a modernist interior. However, those efforts never satisfied them in the same way that starting from the ground up allowed.

Roberts had only two design meetings for the project, the second focusing on areas where the owners desired additional space.

The list of the owners’ “must-haves” was relatively short: floor-to-ceiling windows, open areas as opposed to many rooms, and a formal dining room. They also wanted a great room instead of a living room. The remaining details were left to Roberts and interior designer Sandy Nygaard.

FUTURE STYLE PERFECT

Roberts says, “They refer to this as their last home ...

They wanted it accessible, and we made that happen for them.”

During its construction, the elongated home on a corner lot in the Uplands created much buzz in the neighbourhood, not all of it positive, the owner acknowledges. Now finished, the house reflects a neighbourhood in transition: it has an authentic architectural style that takes it into the 21st century, but continues to respect the ubiquitous Uplands rancher form that defined the subdivision when it was first created. It is easy to imagine that in the future, the home’s sleek design will be cited as a prime example of how the form evolved over the decades, echoing changes in the way we live.

“I couldn’t be more ecstatic about how it turned out,” says the owner. “The house is magnificent and I’ve had a lot of positive feedback from neighbours.”

Japanese ideals around the use of space are a featured element in the house design. It is essentially L-shaped, arranged around a 1,000 square-foot-courtyard area that can be viewed from the hallways, the great room and the owner’s private areas. This “interiority,” as Roberts coins it, creates an intimacy in the light-filled residence.

f Winner o & ld o g multiple 4 1 0 2 silver ards CARE aw

REVEALING LESS

Roberts, who studied architecture in Arizona, has been deeply influenced by that period of his life. As an example of something he learned there, he points to the simple, no-baseboard intersection of the walls, where a thin metal strip neatly delineates the two surfaces. This intentional transition from one surface material to the next carries on throughout the house.

Nygaard, the owner of Nygaard Interior Design, took the lead on the interiors, noting, “I followed Ian’s lead. I had to make everything very simple and very clean. The home shows itself off by its simplicity. Everything is flush ... there

Ltd.

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great homes start with

ZEBRAGROUP

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are minimal surfaces. We used the same materials over again.”

She adds: “It is actually really hard [to execute a simple design]. The trades have to be spot on. If something isn’t in a straight line with something else you sure see it.”

Deliberately, the house features minimum window coverings, allowing for transparency from the front room and cantilevered dining room through to the interior garden. This effectively connects the interior to the exterior from all angles. Simple roller shades, used in the bedrooms, are the same colour as the walls, allowing them to “disappear,” but block out light when necessary.

For the colours, Nygaard again kept it simple, imbuing the home with serenity.

“There is no colour; it’s all soft white (Chantilly Lace by Benjamin). The doors are matte with one high gloss strip, so again it is very quiet ... The architectural style is so strong that everything around it has to be quiet. You don’t want to create chaos,” she says.

Adherence to the simple formula, along with that rule of three, has made this home one for the ages.

Carolyn Heiman explores beautiful Victoria-area homes each month for Boulevard magazine. Let her know about a gorgeous home you’d like to see profiled by contacting her at cheiman@shaw.ca 18

 In the owner’s en suite, quiet earth tone tile offset with brilliant white quartz tops echos the duotone theme that sweeps through the home.

 KITCHENS  VANITIES  CUSTOM MILLWORK

PROVIDING QUALITY & CRAFTSMANSHIP IN VICTORIA

SUPPLY LIST Design: Ian Roberts/ FLASHhouse Inc. Contractor/Builder: FLASHhouse Inc. Interior Designers: Nygaard Interior Design Exterior/Interior Painting: We Paint Cabinetry: Cowichan Valley Millworks

Island Dream Kitchens was formed with skilled craftsmen and expert installers having extensive experience in the Victoria market.

The commitment to excellence and quality workmanship is of paramount importance to the entire team. They strive to complete each project with the care their customers expect and deliver on their promises.

Counters: Colonial Countertops Flooring: Finishing Store, Island Floors Appliances: Coast Appliances Plumbing fixtures: Victoria Specialty Hardware, Andrew Sheret Windows: Starline Lighting: Gabriel Ross, Illumination Tile: CT Design Plumbing: Calibre Mechanical Electrical: Pardell Electric Roofing /Fascia: RC Roofing Interior sheetmetal: JB Sheetmetal Marble: Matrix marble

6660 Butler Crescent, Saanichton, BC 250-686-9987 mbrown@IslandDreamKitchens.com www.islanddreamkitchens.com

Stucco: Mudslingers Glazing: Royal Oak Glass 19

Story A COAT

 BY LIA CROWE PHOTOS BY CATHIE FERGUSON

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ON JESSICA: Coat by Ames Soeurs et Moi ($486) at Sunday’s Snowflakes.

ON JESSICA: Wool coat by Cinque ($775) at Bagheera Boutique; stretch trousers by Jones New York ($69.99) and white shirt by Lauren Ralph Lauren ($75), both at Hudson’s Bay; Nike Flyknit Free 3.0 ($184.99) at Island Runner, Fairfield. ON SHAUN: Cromwell Coat by

DENHAM ($595), cashmere knit by CROSSLEY ($280), and flannel training pant by CROSSLEY ($295), all at Citizen Clothing; Nike Free Flyknit 3.0 ($184.99) at Island Runner, Fairfield. PROPS: 2015 Jaguar F-type convertible, polaris white on red leather (MSRP: $88,800) at Jaguar Victoria.

R

ICH FABRICS CRAFTED INTO striking shapes — this season’s coats are oversized, kimono-shaped and sleek. They bring new twists to classic styles, and their simplicity is their strength.

Get swept away in a love affair with what is arguably fashion’s most important piece — the coat. And fall in love again with one of Victoria’s most rewarding assets — its urban waterfront.

Looking south from Dallas Road towards the Olympic Mountains, the view runs everything from brilliant blue to weighty grey: stark, bright white or dark and stormy.

The only promise the view offers is that it will be different each day. However, the peace it brings is always the same.

In the same way the Dallas Road sea walk provides structure and access to the great and tumultuous ocean, a good coat gives defining shape and structure to all that you are.

And what could be better than walking along the breakwater in a great coat, enjoying a brilliant view in the month that boasts the best light of the year? Well … keys to a Jaguar F-TYPE convertible in your pocket certainly wouldn’t hurt.

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(OPPOSITE PAGE) ON JESSICA: Bamboo “Mae” turtleneck ($168), “Cab” snake pant ($148), and custom made wool coat, all by Bridget Savard Designs and available at bridgetsavarddesigns.com; Monk-strap shoes, made in Spain by Miista ($235), at Footloose Shoes; “Eddie” bag by Coach ($525) at Hudson’s Bay. (ABOVE) ON JESSICA: Wool and cashmere coat, made in Canada by Mallia ($528) and faux leather jegging by Simon Chang ($184), both at Sunday’s Snowflakes; gloves by Lord & Taylor ($70) at Hudson’s Bay. ON SHAUN: Cashmere knit by CROSSLEY ($280) at Citizen Clothing.

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ON JESSICA: Wool charcoal coat, made in Canada by Mallia ($985), at Hughes Clothing; gloves by Lord & Taylor ($70) at Hudson’s Bay. ON SHAUN: Cromwell Coat by DENHAM ($595), Razor Jean by DENHAM ($245), and Kasen crew shirt by CWST ($85), all at Citizen Clothing.

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ON JESSICA: “Carlton” wool coat by Judith & Charles ($550), black wool and cashmere turtleneck

by Cinque ($295) and “Panther” black straight leg pant by Judith & Charles ($325), all at Bagheera Boutique. ON SHAUN: Tech blazer

by CWST ($475), flannel training pant by CROSSLEY ($295) and waffle knit muffler/scarf by CULTURATA ($125), all at Citizen Clothing.

CREDITS:

Makeup and hair: Jen Clark, jenclark@shaw.ca.

Models: Jessica Allerton and Shaun Jamieson.

Styling and production assistant: Pip Knott Special thank you to Jaguar Victoria for the sexy Jaguar F-TYPE convertible and to The Surf Motel for hosting our crew on shoot day. jaguarvictoria.com surfmotel.net 25

ADVERTISING FEATURE

GET OUT AND ENJOY!

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Original Fine Art by Vancouver Island Artists A beautiful collection of paintings, prints, ceramics, glass, metalwork, jewelry, wearables, fibre arts and one of a kind gifts.

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Nautical Nellies Steak & Seafood House Victoria’s finest steak and seafood, serving certified Angus steaks, Oceanwise seafood & Victoria’s largest oyster selection.

• Award-winning wine list with multiple silver & bronze medals & Wine Spectacular Awards 7 years running.

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PHOTO BY ARNOLD LIM

 Dr. Lorne Hammond examines a .577 calibre Snider-Enfield military officer’s rifle from 1862, a weapon first test-fired at the Tower of London.

GOLD RUSH Fever ROYAL BC MUSEUM MINES FOR ITS NEXT EXHIBIT  TEXT BY SUSAN LUNDY

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I

T WAS ONE OF THOSE “wow” moments, says Dr. Lorne Hammond, historian and curator at the Royal BC Museum.

Hammond, one of more than two dozen people working with gold-feverish intensity on the museum’s upcoming exhibit Gold Rush! El Dorado in BC, recalls the moment he discovered that the dress tunic of a prominent BC Gold Rush character still exists.

“We got an email from someone, who knew someone, who knew someone … saying that the descendants of Colonel Moody had his jacket and were willing to loan it out,” he recalls. “The odds of it surviving all this time aren’t good, let alone the fact it was hanging in the cupboard of a family home in England.”

The mid-1800s dress tunic, a magnificent red with gold brocade and gleaming buttons, currently sits on a mannequin in the collections tower of the museum. But it was once worn by Col. Richard Moody, commander of the Royal Engineers, sent to BC from England to survey town sites and a route for the Cariboo Wagon Road in 1858.

“He was critical to [the construction of] roadways in the Fraser Canyon,” Hammond says, noting that 173 engineers were sent to survey towns, create strategic (hand-drawn) maps, and “build roads through pretty impossible terrain.”

Upon its recent discovery, Moody’s jacket was carefully carried by hand from England to Victoria and safely stored at the museum.

“There continue to be ‘wow’ moments when something from the past suddenly emerges,” says Hammond.

Other items from the exhibit are coming from places as diverse as California, Australia, Colombia and central Canada.

Hammonds’ eyes practically gleam as he confides that, as we speak, a BX stagecoach is en route to Victoria from O’Keefe Ranch, outside of Vernon. The move required meticulous math calculations and tricky logistical planning by conservator George Field and exhibition technician Cindy Van Volsem, especially since clearance space in the moving truck amounted to merely three inches.

Hammond is a social historian whose job is to mine the museum’s massive collection for items appropriate to

various exhibits, search out other collections and provide museum-to-museum diplomacy. He leaves transport logistics to people who specialize in that aspect of museum work — a fact that helps highlight the stunning amount of activity and organization that goes on behind the scenes in the build-up to an exhibit like Gold Rush.

“Probably two thirds of the museum staff will have touched it in some way by the time it opens — from processing the financials to dealing with a contractor,” says Dr. Kathryn Bridge, Deputy Director, and Head of Knowledge, Academic Relations and Atlas. She is responsible for leading the curatorial team for Gold Rush and interfacing with exhibition design and learning departments.

Remarkably, “25 or more people are directly involved in [creating] the exhibit,” she says.

This includes archivists, curators, designers, registrars, and transportation, marketing and communication specialists. Crucial, notes Bridge, are the conservation and preservation people, who work to ensure the records are safely mounted and displayed in a manner conducive to longevity.

“The act of exhibiting may actually jeopardize this,” she points out, adding that some items are “particularly problematic,” such as 19th century handwritten notes, which, if not preserved properly, will fade over time.

The conservation team provides advice on how an object can be shown, such as required light levels, the potential need for glass and other mounting recommendations. They also repair tears, clean surfaces and enable the objects to look their very best.

By the time the museum opens the doors on Gold Rush, it will have been a year and half in the making, and both Hammond and Bridge brim with excitement about it.

Unfolding in four galleries located on the second floor, it will use interactive displays and rare artifacts to show, according to promotional material, how the Gold Rush changed everything forever … “as class and racial barriers were broken down and people seized the extraordinary opportunities that glittered before them.”

Hammond says, “As a social history, the Gold Rush dramatically changed lives, for the better and the worse.

It brought small pox, the reservation system and conflict around riverbeds. But it’s also a story of peace, and how the indigenous people were involved in that.”

The era marked the first arrival of Afro-Americans, who came from California to escape oppression and racial discrimination. Those who stayed in BC would eventually become the first Black Canadian citizens.

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“It also brought the first Jewish merchants to Victoria, and the first German beer brewers. [It set the stage for] tremendous multiculturalism,” he says, stressing, “We want to ‘people’ the Gold Rush as much as possible.”

Many of these “people” remain nameless and their stories have never been told, says Bridge: “Information about them is there in the records, and we want to draw this out, present their voices.”

The exhibit promises to offer a new perspective, focusing on the phenomena of gold rushes, including those in California and Australia, and highlighting the stories behind the BC experience.

Among these stories is a little-known piece of BC history coined the “Canyon War,” the subject of a dissertation and film created by historian Dr. Daniel Marshall, who has been contracted to provide his expert knowledge of this event and other gold rushes.

It pinpoints the clash, and ultimate peace, between American miners and BC First Nations, who converged on the edge of the Fraser River. Fighting occurred as the gold panning miners waited for the water to recede, and the indigenous people waited for the salmon run.

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“This was a period of intense unease and conflict, and it hasn’t been talked about a lot.”

“These were two cultures in conflict,” says Bridge.

“There were headless bodies floating down the river from both sides, villages torched. This was a period of intense unease and conflict, and it hasn’t been talked about a lot.”

Ultimately, the exhibit will set the BC story amid a global context, and also consider the relevance of gold — past, present and future. For example, as Hammond points out, BC’s gold rush mining activity was significant in Canada’s initial interest in this westernmost British colony.

“When the Colony of British Columbia negotiated its entrance into Canada, it was seen as a new resource frontier.”

And gold continues to be paramount in society today, used in technology and playing an ongoing role in finance.

“Gold rushes represented the first voluntary mass world migrations,” says Bridge. “The phenomenon is much bigger than the arrival of gold. It mixed up cultures and created new social dynamics.”

And meanwhile, behind the scenes at the museum now and for the next five months, staff like Hammond will be hard at work gathering the visual pieces that bring this pivotal bit of history to life — including, of course, items such as Col. Moody’s dress tunic.

IMAGE A-01724: COURTESY OF THE ROYAL BC MUSEUM, BC ARCHIVES.

PHOTO BY ARNOLD LIM PHOTO BY ARNOLD LIM

 Colonel Richard Clement Moody (18131887), commander of the Royal Engineers, seen here wearing his dress tunic.  Colonel Moody’s Royal Engineers tunic, set for display in the Royal BC Museum’s upcoming Gold Rush exhibit.  The Royal BC Museum’s historic firearms collection includes early Samuel colt designs, derringers and unusual compact designs used by gamblers.

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SPOTLIGHT ON

Carr

BELOVED VICTORIA PAINTER TAKES INTERNATIONAL STAGE  TEXT BY SUSAN LUNDY PHOTO BY ARNOLD LIM

 Royal BC deputy director Dr. Kathryn Bridge with Tanoo, the museum’s most significant piece of Emily Carr’s art 32

As Royal BC Museum deputy director Dr. Kathryn Bridge rolls out rack after rack of Emily Carr paintings — located in a secure, bunker-like vault in the basement of the museum — there is an overwhelming sense of relief and delight.

Many of these stunning pieces have now been packed up and transported to Dulwich Picture Gallery in London, where they form the centerpiece of the first-ever solo exhibition of Carr’s work outside of Canada.

These paintings represent a significant piece of BC history and need to be displayed — hence the relief and delight. Although she is one of Canada’s most beloved painters, Emily Carr is less known outside of this country. But that’s about to end.

“The fact that she’s on at a national museum — one of the most significant national museums in London — means that she’s going to be very well known after this,” said Jack Lohman, chief executive officer of the Royal BC Museum.

The exhibit, entitled From the Forest to the Sea — Emily Carr in British Columbia, features 25 paintings and sketches on loan from

the Royal BC Museum, plus original artwork borrowed from all over the world, including, locally, seven pieces from the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and two from the University of Victoria’s Legacy Art Gallery.

The exhibit runs for six months, beginning November 1, and Lohman believes more than a million people will see it.

The Royal BC Museum has the world’s largest collection of artwork by Carr, who was born in Victoria in 1871. The collection comprises more than 1,100 works of art (paintings and sketches), plus rugs, pottery and archival and library records created by her peers and scholars.

“The fact that she’s on at a national museum — one of the most significant national museums in London — means that she’s going to be very well known after this.”

Bridge, who is an expert on Carr, came to know the painter’s work when she was hired years ago to archive the museum’s collection. She has contributed to two museum-published books on Carr, and her most recent book —Emily Carr in England — will be launched in London, in conjunction with the exhibit.

She said the most significant piece of Carr’s work on loan to the London gallery is Tanoo, a 1913 oil painting that depicts an abandoned village in Haida Gwaii. It is the largest Carr painting in the museum’s collection and a “magnificent example” of her interpretation of West Coast aboriginal culture. Carr spent six weeks visiting First Nations villages, believing that their art and culture was disappearing and that she — as an artist — “had a particular opportunity to ensure that images like this would not be lost,” Bridge said.

Other works on loan include watercolours and graphite sketches on paper that indicate how her initial rough ideas blossomed into large-scale paintings.

“It’s that documentary aspect of our collection that makes it foundational for anyone doing research on Emily Carr,” she said. “We know what was going through her mind at the time — all through her life.”

Lohman added that “getting our collections out, working for us abroad, is a major plank of [the museum’s] forward strategy.” This past year alone, it has made loans to 23 institutions around the world, from Prague to Qingdao.

And now, Emily Carr gets her turn in the international spotlight.

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TRAVEL NEAR & FAR

A Tale Of

TWO CITIES

TRAVELS TO THE SCENE OF A CRIME

 A one-mile hike up and over a cliff along Devon’s Jurassic Coast takes you from West Bay (a.k.a. Broadchurch) to Briar Cliff Hut, the isolated spot that is the scene of the crime.

 TEXT AND PHOTOS BY CINDA CHAVICH

W

HEN THE FIRST EPISODE OF GRACEPOINT aired recently, I, like many Victorians, scoured the scenes for familiar locales.

The big budget crime drama, shot in Oak Bay, Sidney and other spots around Greater Victoria brought some famous names to town, from Scottish actor David Tennant (Dr. Who) and Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad) to director James Strong (Dr. Who, Downton Abbey).

Now the city is hoping for a wave of TV tourists, the kind who come to see the places where their favourite shows were made.

Gracepoint is an American remake of the popular British series, Broadchurch, a 10-part crime drama that unfolds in a sleepy seaside town in Dorset. It’s become 40

one of the hottest shows on British telly — but instead of representing a resort town on Britain’s Jurassic Coast, our community stands in for a small northern California town.

Some of the filming occurred near my home in Victoria for months last year, during a particularly wet and dreary spring, and I sat on my front porch watching the stars grind through the long days and many takes that have since been threaded together into what everyone hopes will be a similar blockbuster series.

Broadchurch put the tiny British towns of Bridport and Clevedon on the map, luring visitors to the beautiful beaches and dramatic cliffs where local writer David Chibnall set his dark story. He wrote the original script while living in Bridport, and I recently had a chance to

sits at the edge of a precipice, and is the scene of some of the creepiest moments in the series.

A SEASIDE TOWN

 Screenwriter David Chibnall considered the dramatic East Cliff at Chesil Beach as a character in the dark plot of Broadchurch.

explore that part of the Dorset coast to see just how the two filming locations stack up.

THE SCENE OF THE CRIME In the Dorset village of West Bay (Bridport Harbour), tour guide Natalie Manifold walks fans around some of the locations that stand out in the original Broadchurch series, the most memorable being the Jurassic Coast itself.

This UNECO World Heritage Site consists of a series of massive vertical cliff faces that backstop miles of beaches along the English Channel. Chesil Beach, beneath the forbidding face of East Cliff, is where a young boy’s body is discovered in Broadchurch, setting off the search for the killer. Standing on the pebbly beach, surrounded by sunbathers, kids, dogs and fishermen, the scene is idyllic, not eerie, and the view from the grassy fields atop these golden sandstone cliffs is spectacular. But in my mind’s eye, I still see the kid on the precipice and the yellow police tape encircling the beach.

The equivalent location in the Gracepoint remake is Island View Beach, a regional park in central Saanich, where locals go for the piles of tumbled driftwood, flocks of shore birds and secret spots for clothing-optional tanning. While there are no real cliffs, there are sandy dunes and bluffs overlooking Haro Strait and, thanks to creative camera angles and some digitally enhanced imagery (adding some California cliffs into some scenes), there’s an ominous presence.

A beach cottage dubbed the Harvey Ridge Hut, constructed on a bluff overlooking Island View Beach, can still be seen if you hike along the sand flats. Though it’s just about six feet above the water, it looks like it’s perched high on a cliff. This cottage stands in for the Briar Cliff Hut in Broadchurch, a spot we reach by climbing up the steep pathway behind West Bay. The isolated old house truly

Oak Bay’s “high street” — as Scottish actor Tennant describes it — makes the perfect Gracepoint main street, and in the series, you’ll see the characters walking from the local Gracepoint Journal newspaper offices (the former Guardian Pharmacy on Foul Bay Road), past Fairway Market to Oaks Restaurant, which becomes The Crestview Inn, the hotel where Tennant (Det. Emmett Carver) lives.

Similarly, the beach town of West Bay (a.k.a. Bridport Harbour) offers many of the locations you’ll see in Broadchurch. We walk along the east pier that juts out into the blue sea, past the black shelter where the detectives discuss their futures in the final episode, and around the harbour toward the modern concrete and glass buildings that serve as both the police station and Broadchurch Café in the British series.

At the edge of the beach, there’s the blue awning of Jack Marshall’s news agent shop and the Sea Brigade Hall (the old Methodist Church), where he is mobbed by angry  Actors Anna Gunn and David Tennant (as detectives Ellie Miller and Emmett Carver) in a scene in the second installment of Gracepoint, shot on Oak Bay Avenue.

townspeople. In Gracepoint, Nick Nolte plays Jack, but as the owner of a kayak rental shop — a location at the Portside Marina in Brentwood Bay.

TRADING PLACES Hill Road in Clevedon, a town that’s 90 minutes away, near Bristol, provides additional main street locations for Broadchurch, from the Broadchurch Echo newspaper offices to historic St. Andrews Church, schools, amusement park and two private residences.

In Gracepoint, the production toggles back and forth between Oak Bay and Sidney, 30 minutes away in reality, but often appearing just around the corner in quick cuts.

You’ll recognize the Sidney Pier and the seaside marina, along with the steel and glass exterior of Seaport Place as the Gracepoint Police Station. Seaside stuff was cut in from other locations, too — including the running paths along Victoria’s Dallas Road and the circular concrete and steel turret at Clover Point in James Bay, where Madalyn  The Oak Bay banners came down and the Gracepoint banners went up, transforming the “high street” of this Victoria neighbourhood into a small California town for five months earlier this year.

Horcher (Chloe) and Kendrick Sampson (Dean) meet.

The historic Holy Trinity Anglican Church in rural Saanich was transformed into The Church of Our Savior for Gracepoint, a benefit to both the production and the parish. The choir room became the office of Rev. Paul Coates (played by Kevin Rankin), and the sanctuary, the site of the dead boy’s funeral. Two private homes — one on St. Patrick Street in Oak Bay and another on Faithful Street in Fairfield — were used for the murdered boy’s family home and the home of Det. Ellie Miller (Gunn).

EAT, DRINK, SLEEP LIKE STARS It wasn’t difficult to bump into the Gracepoint crew filming on Oak Bay Avenue or the streets of Sidney this spring, but off camera, the stars stayed tucked away in their home-away-from-home, the Oak Bay Beach Hotel — a posh, suite-style hotel next to the Oak Bay Marina.

You might have spotted Nolte in the hotel’s Snug pub or crossed paths with Gunn in the lobby, but the whereabouts of most of the characters during their down time seemed nearly as mysterious as the series. Tennant, who sometimes had his wife and kids in tow, was known to stroll the neighbourhood, while Michael Pena (Mark Solano) spent his down time on the local links.

When I toured Bridport and environs in September, Tennant and the Broadchurch cast were busy filming season two of the British series, though we didn’t encounter any of them. We stayed at The Bull Hotel in Bridport, a funky boutique hotel and popular gastro pub where the stars are apparently known to book into the back courtyard suites or drink upstairs in the “secret” Venner Bar. Around the corner, Bella’s is the place for a slab of apple cake or a perfect Bakewell Tart while you’re out for a morning stroll in town, or heading off for the 15-minute walk to the Bridport Harbour.

There, The Watch House Café — the spot where Chibnall wrote some of his scripts — is worth a stop for a plate piled with plump mussels and a crisp glass of Prosecco, while gazing up at those dramatic cliffs. I hear the cast congregates here, too, but the beach steals the show.

IF YOU GO: • In Dorset, take a Broadchurch Tour through West Bay with Natalie on her Literary Lyme Walking Tours. An extra on the set, she brings the scenes to life with insider stories of filming and other anecdotes. literarylyme.co.uk/ broadchurchtours.html • Book at room at The Bull in Bridport for star spotting, and make sure to have a cocktail in the Venner Bar, tucked away behind a secret door in the upstairs ballroom. thebullhotel.co.uk

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PHOTO BY DON DENTON PHOTO COURTESY: DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE

Patricia Bay

LIVES LOST BRINGING HOME WWII’S MISSING ANSON AIRCRAFT  TEXT BY STUART EASTWOOD  The Avro Anson Mark II, seen here in this August 1942 photo, is similar to the plane that disappeared from Patricia Bay in October 1942.  An Anson aircraft on display at the at BC Aviation Museum, located at Victoria International Airport.

O

N THE MORNING OF OCTOBER 30, 1942 a crew with the British Commonwealth Air Training Program boarded Avro Anson L7056 to begin a three-hour training exercise, leaving from Patricia Bay, now Victoria International Airport.

Taking off just after 9 a.m. into an autumnal sky, the Anson climbed away and settled on its course. It wouldn’t be seen again for over 70 years.

43

With it, disappeared Royal Canadian Air Force Sergeant William Baird and three fellow RAF members: Sergeant Robert Ernest Luckock and pilot officers Charles George Fox and Anthony William Lawrence.

According to the official RCAF Accident Investigation Report, the weather forecast provided to the crew of L7056 during their flight briefing proved unreliable: “Instead of the expected clearing during the afternoon, the weather turned considerably worse.”

As the weather deteriorated, attempts to contact the aircraft were made “without success,” and the search began one hour after the aircraft was reported overdue. By November 3, 1942, “all efforts to locate the aircraft proved fruitless.’’

“It is considered that the aircraft was lost at sea or damaged, and its occupants may reasonably be presumed to have perished.” With this finding, the official investigation was closed.

LEST WE FORGET Today, a plaque in the terminal at Victoria International Airport pays homage to the more than 100 Pat Bay base personnel who were killed  Doug Rollins, librarian at BC Aviation Museum, stands with an Anson aircraft. during the war years. And at the Commonwealth War Graves at Royal Oak Burial Park, 69 personnel at any given time. graves belong to these airmen, killed while either training The staggering loss of aircrew in the first years of the or performing operational patrols from Pat Bay. war created the need for the BCATP. The fall of France “It wasn’t until we really began to learn about the past and the Battle of Britain collectively challenged the RAF that we realized the significant contribution the airport to meet operational requirements. With treacherous had made to the Second World War,’’ says Anita Kardos, skies over Britain, training in Canada offered numerous terminal operations officer, Victoria Airport Authority. advantages.

“What began as sharing our history for interest, soon Kardos elaborated on the support the Airport Authority evolved into honouring our past, especially when it came has received in researching its history, including the to our proud military traditions.” “invaluable” assistance of Sidney historian Brad Morrison, Survey work at Patricia Bay began in the spring of BC Aviation Museum librarian Doug Rollins, and Chief 1939, with the field becoming operational the following Vern Jacks of the Tseycum First Nation.

October. The base would become the third largest in From this research, “we are able to take facts and weave Canada, with over 10,000 aircrew and related trades a series of stories about the airport’s past,” she said. These training at Pat Bay under the British Commonwealth Air stories are presented along the 9.3 km Flight Path — a Training Program (BCATP). It accommodated some 3,500 biking and walking route that circles the airport.

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COMING HOME But the story of the lost plane and crew doesn’t end there.

On October 23, 2013, a week shy of the 71st anniversary of Anson L7056’s disappearance, members of a TealJones Group survey crew discovered the wreckage of an aircraft in the forest northwest of Port Renfrew.

Winter conditions precluded a proper survey of the site until May 2014. Then, a joint investigation group under the guidance of Matt Brown of the BC Coroners Service, Laurel Clegg, casualty identification coordinator for the Department of National Defence, DND air-crash investigators and the RCMP made its way to the crash site.

Serial numbers found on the wreckage made it possible to correctly identify the missing Anson aircraft, and careful work under Clegg’s guidance confirmed the identities of the remains found at the crash site. After researching military and genealogical records, and obtaining the results of DNA tests, the airmen of L7056 were positively identified.

THE TRIBUTE Learning of the 2013 discovery of the Anson, island

filmmaker Nick Versteeg acted quickly.

“I got interested in the story and contacted Robert Stitt, author of many books on aviation history, and asked him if he would be interested in writing the story … It’s not only about this remarkable find after 71 years, but also [about] the more than 120 young men who died during training flights on the island.”

Versteeg believes his film, The Loss and Discovery of Avro Anson L7056, will offer an unexpected immediacy by re-creating the start of the flight with a re-enactment group at the BC Aviation Museum, where an Avro Anson is displayed.

The film will appropriately debut November 11, 2014 at the Vic Theatre on Douglas Street.

REQUIEM The Department of National Defence, the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (UK) and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission have consulted with surviving family members and worked towards providing the airmen of Anson L 7056 with a fitting final resting place.

“They will join their comrades at Royal Oak Burial Park November 10, 2014.’’

 A schematic of the Anson aircraft on display at the at BC Aviation Museum.

45

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Remember when holiday shopping brought a smile to your face and a bounce to your step? If so, check out Sidney as your “go-to” holiday hub. On November 21, the Sidney Kick Off to Christmas Open House launches the holiday season with multiple activities and treats designed to tickle the fancy of even the most Grinch-like family member. Between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Michael Forbes of Ocean 98.5 will be on-hand to give away prizes from Sidney shops and services from the prize tornado.

There will be horse-drawn carriage rides, traditional storybook Christmas carollers, beautiful shop windows, and just about the best customer service you could imagine.

Without doubt, it will be a fun and festive evening to remember!

The Christmas Grotto will light up the faces of kids from 1 to 100. Sponsored by the Sidney Business Improvement Area (Sidney BIA), the Grotto is the place to visit Santa, get your Christmas wrapping done for a small donation, meet with friends and neighbours, and make a donation to the Food Bank and Toys for Tots. Nestled between Miss Bliss and Alexander’s Coffee Shop at 2387 Beacon Avenue, the Grotto will be open until December 21. As a special treat, Victoria Carriage Tours will offer horse drawn carriage tours on Thursdays between 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. and on Sundays between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. from November 27th to December 21st. Enjoy a festive ride through downtown Sidney and take in the charming, holiday ambiance. Be sure to pick up a hot beverage and something to eat from one of Sidney’s lively coffee shops or restaurants before you depart.

The much-loved Sidney Sparkles Santa Parade takes place at 5:00 p.m. on November 29th followed by the always charming Lighted Boat Parade along the Sidney waterfront. Add to the holiday magic by attending one of the many holiday concerts or the Peninsula Players traditional pantomime, A Christmas Carol. Plan to visit one or more of several Christmas craft shows, the popular

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Teddy Bear exhibit at the Sidney Historical Museum, and Christmas in the Village at Heritage Acres where children can take in train rides and visit with Santa. The Mary Winspear Centre offers an incredible line-up of holiday entertainment for all ages and tastes. On November 22, kids can enjoy breakfast with Santa and from November 21, also at the Centre, you can vote for your favourite decorated tree and gingerbread house at the Festival of Trees. The Community Arts Council features the Artisans Gift Gallery at Tulista Park on Fifth Street, a perfect place to select a beautiful hand-made gift for that special person on your holiday gift list.

Pick up a copy of the Sidney Christmas Wish Book, which details all the activities and events taking place in Sidney and on the Peninsula from November 21st to the New Year. There you will find a sample of offerings from Sidney retailers featuring unique products and gift ideas to make your holiday shopping even easier. There is also a Wish List for you to give to Santa when you visit the Grotto so he knows what your heart desires!

Visit the NEW on-line community events calendar for a complete listing of all of the above-mentioned events and many, many more at www.DistinctlySidney.ca

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47

TRAVEL FAR

A

Canadian PASSAGE

Days of discovery in the Arctic  TEXT AND PHOTOS

BY BARRY HERRING

48

 A massive iceberg, named “Pinnacle” by the writer/ photographer, is seen at Pond Inlet, Nunavut.

 “Nanook, the Sea Bear,” seen at Victory Point, King William Island, close to the wreck of the Erebus. Nanook is the Inuit name for polar bears.

L

OW, EARLY MORNING light warmed the Nunavut landscape of Beechey Island, but by the time we sat in the zodiac inflatables, the mist had turned to snow.

Franklin’s 1845 Northwest Passage expedition spent its last winter here at Beechey before disappearing. It was humbling to see where men sat trapped, locked in the ice and the darkness of winter, dreaming about finding the Northwest Passage.

A few days earlier, we had passed through Queen Maude Gulf near King William Island, not realizing this was where Franklin’s doomed ship Erebus would finally be located. There were no traces of man, and the landscape overwhelmed everything.

As I realized Franklin’s crew attempted to pass through these waters in small wooden boats without steel hulls, large engines, radar, or satellite ice imaging, I puzzled

over what could motivate someone to undertake such a precarious enterprise.

Our personal adventure, organized

by World Wide Quest, took us from Cambridge Bay in Nunavut to Kangerlussuaq in Greenland. The sea route travelled through the Northwest Passage, around the northern end of Baffin Island and across the Davis Strait to Greenland.

We were part of a group of 85 people who all had a keen interest in the northern part of Canada. Our 130-metre ship was built in Finland for Arctic exploration, but portions of our trip still felt like an expedition.

Sea routes were altered because of ice conditions, landings were cancelled because of polar bears, seas were rough and, near the end, our expedition was defenceless in the face of an ever-shrinking salad bar.

The portion of the eastern Canadian Arctic that we visited 49

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doesn’t have forests or trees, as I know them in Victoria, or even bushes. Many things are different in the north: the people, predominately Inuit; the landscape, stark and vast; the eternal silence; and the “permanent” ice.

The polar bears took a keen interest in us and we were careful with them: guides with guns always accompanied us on our hikes. We saw the bears on land, on ice flows and swimming in the water. On land, although they have a great lumbering walk, they move very quickly. These bears sit at the top of the food chain in the Arctic, and are culturally important to the Inuit.

We explored four Arctic communities: two in Nunavut and two in Greenland. Although there are many similarities between the two Canadian hamlets and the two towns in Greenland, there was also a noticeable difference between the two countries. Canada’s Cambridge Bay has been settled for thousands of years, while Pond Inlet, also in Nunavut, is a relatively modern

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 The writer/photographer Barry Herring and Trish Shwart at Baffin Island.

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ďƒĄ Sisimiut in Greenland, a community of about 5,000 people.

So nice to come home to. ďƒĄ Expedition map, showing the route Barry Herring and fellow passengers took through the Arctic.

settlement. Both have about 1,500 residents, but neither looked as prosperous as their Greenland neighbours of Ilulissat and Sisimiut, communities of about 5,000, where fishing and whaling have been a mainstay for centuries.

Being in the Arctic focused my attention on development interests in the Canadian north, where change is happening quickly. One proposal would see construction of a large iron-ore mine near Pond Inlet at the northern end of Baffin Island. The Mary River project could be a big game-changer in the area, impacting the local economy and the environment. Climate change and sovereignty will also become topics for national and international discussion, especially as the ice melts and the Northwest Passage opens up.

On our trip, ice was a constant and we saw it in many variations — glaciers, pan ice, icebergs and bergie bits.

Icebergs come in all sizes and shapes and are too dangerous

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to explore up close. They groan as they shift and break apart, and without much notice, an iceberg can turn over, creating large swells.

At one point, we stepped out of the zodiacs and stood on a large piece of pan ice. In every great journey there is a moment that crystallizes discovery of place and self. This was one of those defining moments, as I realized we stood on a large piece of ice floating in Arctic waters. There were safeguards, but I was struck by the vast power of nature and my small place in it. It was both comforting and disconcerting.

The Ilulissat Icefjord in Greenland is a Unesco World Heritage Site and truly a spectacular place. The large glacier initiates from the Greenland ice sheet and carves huge slabs of ice that take years to get free and move into open water. We spent a golden sunrise morning slowly cruising in zodiacs through a bay filled with mountains of blue ice. The light and the colours were breathtaking. In the afternoon, after an easy, hour-long hike beyond the town, we surveyed the panorama from a high vantage point. It’s hard to say where the scenery was more impressive — at sea level or from the hilltop.

About 1,000 years ago, Eric the Red saw Greenland from sea level. He had been forced out of Iceland and hoped to set up a colony for his supporters. He called it “Greenland” to persuade people to leave Iceland and settle there with him. Seems to have worked.

The passengers and resource staff on our ship were all well travelled. Discussions ranged from what we were seeing daily, to other areas of mutual interest, such as what might/should happen in the middle east, the price of goods in northern stores, other exotic places in the world to visit, art and, of course, the food.

During our few interactions with the northern folk, they were very friendly; their language is beautiful, their throat singing, amazing, and they smiled a lot.

The more I travel, the more I realize that the world is a beautiful place and people are people. Respect for the earth and tolerance for each other leading to understanding, is a lofty and attainable goal.

The writer is retired and spends his time travelling extensively and producing lens-based art.

IF YOU GO: The Canadian north is not an easy destination due to a lack of resources and the high cost of airfare. We flew from Edmonton to Cambridge Bay and returned to Ottawa from Kangerlussuaq. Going with an experienced expedition group like World Wide Quest (worldwidequest.com) solves many logistical problems and provides expertise and resources to enrich the experience.

52

Dallas Sells Victoria/Oak Bay

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OAK BAY

SOUTH OAK BAY

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This gracious Edwardian Tudor home sits majestically on a private 1/3 acre manicured garden.

4 bedrooms up: perfect for a family. Kitchen & bathrooms renovated, & master bdrm (or fam rm) addition on main floor all in 1999. Fir under carpets, new roof, electrical updated, asbestos removed & new drain tile. $1,225,000

10 MILE POINT

Stunning .59 acre waterview property in a prestigious location, private & quiet. Walk 2 minutes to the beach! Launch you kayak from any of 4 nearby beaches. 1,992 sq. ft. with 3 bedrooms up. Live the island lifestyle and build your dream home or restore this wonderful “Grand Old Lady”. $1,095,000

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Large family home with pool & sauna. New kitchen, powder room, renovated fam rm & ensuite w/steam shower. 5-6 bdrms, 6 baths, 2 family rooms, playrooms, 6,783 sq. ft. Master on main. In-law or nanny accommodations. Great for indoor/outdoor entertaining. $1,458,888

Stunning ocean & mountain views are yours in this new 4 bedroom home. This ¼ acre property backs onto Anderson Park & is completely private. The chef’s “Urbana” kitchen features professional appliances & quartz counters & all bathrooms have heated floors.

Great room with fireplace opens to 850 sq. ft. deck. $1,695,000

Charming 3 bedroom home with so many features: new roof, updated wiring, oil tank removed, fresh paint & newer deck. Beautiful oak floors in living room, fir floors in dining room & in the 2 bedrooms on the main floor. Spacious kitchen opens to sunny west facing deck. Down is 1 more bedroom & lots of storage. $649,900

TEN MILE POINT

Rare, south-west facing .28 ac. waterfront property. Captivating views of the yacht club, Cadboro Bay Beach, Cattle Point, & Olympic Mtns.

Private beach at low tide. Spacious master on main with ensuite. The living rm leads to the deck & stairs down to the ocean. 2 more bedrooms & 4 pc. bath down. $1,849,000

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WLISA WILLIAMS VICTORIA’S CROWN JEWEL of waterfront estates. 2.25acres w/incredible 10,700 sq.ft., 7 bdrm/ 10 bth residence boasting unrivalled ocean views & lowbank access to private beach & sheltered dock! Dramatic & inviting formal and casual living areas, total privacy, separate guest house & yoga studio! $9,300,000

COMING SOON! Spacious & luxurious new 8000 sq.ft. Uplands home w/5 bdrms/7 baths and fabulous design perfect for family & entertaining in style! Sunny .55acre property adjoins Uplands park – walk the trails to Cattle Point & Willows Beach! $3,750,000 incl GST.

EXCLUSIVE 1.66 ACRE PRIVATE POINT on prestigious 10 Mile Point! Rare south/west facing property with world-class panoramic views & tons of privacy! Update or build your new dream oceanfront home in this spectacular setting! $3,998,000

EXQUISITE & LUXURIOUS UPLANDS residence, better than new with 5-6 bedrms/5 bth, 5000 sq.ft., incredible finishing & natural light throughout! Professionally landscaped, south-facing back yard is totally private with sun all day! $2,998,000

MODERN LUXURY WITH STUNNING OCEAN, MT. & CITY VIEWS adjoining beautiful Moss Rock Park! Dramatic 4 bd/ 4 bth custom home with incredible finishing, home gym, theatre, sumptuous master suite, gourmet kitchen, private elevator & fabulous rooftop deck w/hot tub, outdoor TV & fireplace. $2,395,000

GRACIOUS OAK BAY MANSION Beautifully renovated 5800 sq.ft., 5-6 bedrooms, 6 bath home with sunny & private .61 acre property backing onto Victoria Golf Course! Elegant, grand design with tons of detail and character, yet warm and inviting with all the modern upgrades: a timeless classic! $1,998,000

SHAWNIGAN LAKE LUXURY! Sellers are moving & have priced to sell fast! Over $3.4M invested in this magical lakefront retreat complete w/a luxurious 4900 sq.ft., 5 bedrm home, separate guest cabin, new dock facilities & boat house, expansive decks, firepit, & endless sunshine & fun! $1,898,000

ELEGANT & SPACIOUS Oak Bay Character home sited high atop Hampshire Hill w/lovely views to the ocean & mts. 4 bedrms/3 baths with tons of beautiful detailing, high ceilings, HW flrs, new driveway/garage, gazebo & more! $1,248,000

CHEMAINUS OCEANFRONT! Gorgeous 4 bed/5 bth custom home in ideal location; walk to town, theatre & more! Bright & open design w/gorgeous finishing & incredible views from all main rooms! Gourmet kitchen, spacious master suite, elegant living/dining areas plus sep. guest accom., 2 double garages & easy access to beach. $938,000

Lisa Williams offers professional & personalized service combined with the BEST INTERNATIONAL MARKETING STRATEGY and a commitment to achieving the BEST RESULTS FOR YOU

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SENSATIONAL GATED & private 1.24 acre waterfront estate with superb south facing views of Coles Bay. This exceptional 4,556 sq. ft. home has been recently transformed, creating elegance, style & panache.

Superb new 23’x23’ gourmet kitchen with expansive centre island, oversized skylight, Viking appliances (6 burner induction cooktop), heated marble floors, & pantry.

Grand living room with lofty vaulted ceilings, Hickory wide-planked flooring, & F.P., formal dining room, & family room all with serene water views. Elegant master with 6 piece ensuite, & heated marble floors. Spacious media/recreation room with double sided F.P. & wet bar. 31’ sunroom. Heated pool & hot tub, 3 new heat pumps, garages for 3 cars, security, well for irrigation. $3,250,000

A REMARKABLE SOUTHWEST-FACING waterfront property with a dock! This 2007 built unique Westcoast design offers 9’ ceilings, plus panoramic waterviews. Elegance & style are reflected in the quality finishes. Formal living room with energy efficient F.P. Gorgeous kitchen with wood beamed vaulted ceilings, centre island, kitchenaide stainless appliances, & pantry. Ajoining spacious family room, with vaulted ceilings, & electric skylights. Sumptous master with 5 pce ens. (5 bedrooms total) media/in-law down. See L.S. re: dock. $1,750,000

Sensational WATERFRONT LIFESTYLE HOME, WITH STEPS TO A SANDY BEACH! Sweeping views of the Ocean to San Juan Island & Mt. Baker beyond. Pamela Charlesworth design with a $300,000 refurbishment. New kitchen with Merlot cabinets, granite counters, s.s. appliances. Adjoining family room with gas F.P. & custom built-ins. Formal dining room, energy efficient F.P. in living room. Master with commanding view & new ensuite. Great recreation room with F.P. plus office on lower.

Private .33 acre lot with patio & hot tub, to enjoy the views. $1,698,000

A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO PURCHASE a .24 acre waterfront building lot in the much sought after Ten Mile Point area. $1,290,000

SPECTACULAR 90’X180’ south-facing waterfront on Esquimalt Lagoon. Recently refurbished with 3 bdrms up, spacious living room, updated kitchen, sunroom, spacious deck, and rec room. Legal self-contained 1 bdrm. suite down. Three updated 4 pce. bathrooms. Hot tub and workshop. Massive RV garage plus attached garage. Great views of the park-like mature garden, complete with pond. Heat pump/air conditioning, hook up for 2 gas F.P. Underground stream with licence for irrigation.

7 new appliances, pre-paid sewer levy for 25yrs! Duplex zoned. $875,000

PROUDLY SERVING VICTORIA FOR 30 YEARS PHONE 250.744.3301 • EMAIL lynne@lynnesager.com WEBSITE www.lynnesager.com Get the results that you desire. Call Lynne for professional representation, when you wish to sell your home.

Boulevard magazine supports Southern Vancouver Island's top Realtors representing the region's finest real estate. We hope you will find your next home, whether it is in the listings of the Great Homes/Great Realtors or here in the Boulevard Luxury Real Estate listings.

$6,899,000 Lisa Williams 250-514-1966 lisawilliams.ca

$3,250,000 Lynne Sager 250-744-3301 lynnesager.com Camosun

THIS EXCEPTIONAL waterfront property is located on a private cul-de-sac in Victoria’s most exclusive neighbourhood!

The 7,882 sq.ft. home has been beautifully renovated & upgraded over the years with 4-5 bdrms, 6 bths, expansive living, dining, family & sitting rooms all on the main level, expansive kitchen, recreation/media room, office, crafts rm & more.

Plus seaside cabana, gated & manicured property & incredible low bank frontage with amazing views & sun all day!

SENSATIONAL PRIVATE 1.24 acre waterfront estate with south facing views of Coles Bay. This 4,556 sq. ft. home has been recently transformed, creating elegance, style & panache.

New 23’x23’ gourmet kitchen with heated marble floors & pantry. Grand living room with vaulted ceilings, wide-planked flooring, & F.P., dining room, & family room all with water views.

Master with ensuite, & heated marble floors. Media/recreation rm. with double-sided F.P. & wet bar. 31’ sunroom. Heated pool & hot tub, 3 new heat pumps, garages for 3 cars, security, well for irrigation.

WELCOME TO VICTORIA’S premier condo development.

This Shoal Point condo features 2 bedroom plus den, 2 bathrooms with views of the Olympic Mountains, cruise ships, breakwater & courtyard. New hardwood floors, dining room, gas FP, kitchen with beautiful wood cabinetry, stainless $1,100,000 appliances & eating area that opens onto deck. Master Jason Binab bedroom with a large seating Cell: 250-589-2466 area; closet has beautiful Macdonald Realty Ltd. binabpropertygroup.com cabinetry & ensuite with heated floors, double sinks, tub & shower. MLS #341926

$6,480,000 Lisa Williams 250-514-1966 lisawilliams.ca

PRIVATE WATERFRONT ESTATE on 5.8 pristine acres, with private deep water dock! The gracious & elegant residence was completely renovated to the highest standards w/ every modern luxury: expansive living & dining rms, oversized bdrms all w/ deluxe new ensuite baths, office/library, sunroom, games & entertainment rms, wine cellar, & elevator. Private guest quarters, 6-car garage parking, gorgeous landscaping, small stable w/pasture, & 50’ dock!

A GORGEOUS home across from the beachfront with stunning panoramic ocean views, this beautifully updated home is sure to please.

Wonderfully open, the living space of the main room invites comfort and luxury, idyllic for entertaining. The kitchen features beautiful granite countertops, and $2,580,000 stainless steel appliances. Oak hardwood flooring throughout Scott Piercy the main adds to the polished 250.686.7789 spiercy@luxurybchomes.com finish. The master retreat luxuriates from the upper floor luxurybchomes.com victoriacondominiumguide.com with undisturbed views.

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TRANQUIL & PRIVATE CUSTOM-BUILT home offers 4,200 sq. ft. set on 2 acres w/ views to the valley. Interior exudes a warm, rustic country ambience w/ open beam ceilings, wood trim & wide plank wood flooring. Kitchen has granite counters, tile back splash & wood cabinetry; living room is warmed by a fire; the upper master suite has an $649,000 ensuite w/ shower & Jacuzzi; lower level has a games area Sharen Warde & Larry Sims & a media/music room. Large 250-592-4422 patio & main floor wrap-around wardesims.com deck. New roof, fresh paint in & out, separate garage/workshop & in-law potential. MLS #338715

THIS UNIQUE .68 ACRE property with 250 feet of waterfront sits perched on the rugged coastline of Smugglers Cove. Spectacular views are captured from this extensively renovated 4,000 sq. ft. four bedroom bungalow. The home features a gourmet kitchen, stunning gas fireplaces, and $3,399,000 a lower level walk-out family room leading to manicured, Scott Piercy waterfront gardens. An 250.686.7789 spiercy@luxurybchomes.com 1,100 sq. ft. patio provides a tranquil seaside dining luxurybchomes.com victoriacondominiumguide.com space. A waterfront paradise!

PRIVATE .87 ACRE property with a 3,739 sq. ft. custom built home with views both to Mt. Baker & Elk Lake! Sumptuous details including Pella windows & doors, copper kitchen & prep sinks, heated slate tiles in all bathrooms, old growth fir floors milled from property & 5 fireplaces all create a home exuding grace and elegance. $1,298,888 Italian-styled west-facing terrace with cascading ivy & Susanna Crofton stone seating surround lower Cell: 250-888-6648 level complete w/ 2nd kitchen.

Office: 250-370-7788 It’s all here, yet only 15 short minutes to downtown Victoria.

More info: BCSelectHomes.ca

$385,500 Dallas Chapple PERSONAL REAL ESTATE CORPORATION

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THIS BRIGHT SUITE is one of the largest 1 bedroom plus den suites in The Falls.

Resort lifestyle with outdoor heated pool, hot tub, and fitness centre. Walk or bike to work. Across from the Inner Harbour. Beautiful Italian granite Schiffini kitchen, stainless steel appliances, marble bathroom with double sinks. Spa-like ensuite with separate walk-in shower and cast iron tub. Hardwood in the living/dining room, air conditioning. Pets and rentals OK.

General contractinG ■ construction manaGement ■ character renovation

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Camosun

57

DESIGN MATTERS

clink! drink!

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blvdmag.ca

VICTORIA BAMBOO NURSERY

to start chilling the bubbly and stocking the cellar.

Elevate your cocktail hour this year with unique and unexpected glassware.

From simple and sturdy to delicate and vintage, there is a glass here for every taste and occasion. Cheers!

END OF SEASON SALE

30% to 50% OFF NOV. 1ST TO 16TH

See our website & catalogue:

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58

Sarah Reid is a designer, creative director and maker living in Victoria, BC.

Solid copper Tom Dixon champagne bucket // $220 // Available at Gabriel Ross 

 BY SARAH REID

 Artistic in its simplicity; the perfect Sauvignon Blanc glass.

Schott Awiesel // $19 ea // Chintz & Company

 Great for casual entertaining — and your holiday budget. $10 set of 4 // Target

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59

PHOTO BY VINCE KLASSEN

 BY TOM HAWTHORN

Mark your calendar with an X

IT’S ELECTION TIME

ON THE THIRD SATURDAY OF THIS MONTH, the day’s expected routine — sorting laundry, buying groceries, raking endless acorns from a trio of Garry oaks — has an additional chore on the list. No, not a chore: a duty.

Municipal election day falls on Nov. 15 this year. As we prepare for the coming winter, it is time to select who will represent us at City Hall for the next four years. A few minutes in a busy Saturday will be reserved to mosey down to Margaret Jenkins Elementary to mark my ballot for mayor, city council and school board. The simple act of voting is also a neighbourly act. We bump into familiar faces at the polls, exchange a few words.

The trouble is, fewer of us seem to take the trouble to do so. Back in 2002, the turnout was just 31 per cent. Two of three voters stayed home. In the most recent election, the turnout was down to 26.29 per cent. Three of four voters stayed home. If the trend continues, we’ll wind up with one person voting. There’s a word for that.

The reluctance to vote in municipal elections is a pity, since it is the level of government over which we have the most direct influence. It’s also the government most likely to have an impact on our daily lives. Yet, more people cast ballots in provincial and federal elections, no doubt owing to the great amount of noise those campaigns generate.

We are not bombarded by television commercials, nonstop television punditry, and catchy election sloganeering during a civic election.

Campaigning is a more personal act. Candidates attend kaffeeklatsches and patiently endure never-ending, all60

candidates meetings at community centres. Armed with brochures, candidates go door to door to seek votes. So far, our canine Pepé has bravely chased from the front porch one city councillor seeking re-election and one mayoral contender with, at the time of this writing, 40 days left in the campaign.

One explanation for the poor voter turnout is that casting a ballot in a municipal election demands a critical engagement. A federal election now feels like choosing between brands of political corn flakes as marketed by backroom strategists and other practitioners of the dark arts of political persuasion. In filling a city council, you need to take a moment to find out about these folks, a somewhat daunting task simply for the sheer number of candidates.

In Victoria, a voter can cast a ballot for mayor, eight more for councillors, and a further nine for school board trustees.

As well, voters are asked to recommend three representatives to the Capital Regional District Board. Finally, a nonbinding referendum is being held, asking if the number of municipalities should be reduced by amalgamation. That’s 21 decisions.

Repeat the long list of office seekers in the 13 local municipalities and you get a sense of the difficulty the Casting a ballot media has in covering these in a municipal important elections.

These contenders seek a job election demands critical long on responsibilities and short on pleasures. It has been engagement. thus since Day One. Alfred Waddington was an English-born merchant who made a fortune providing provisions for gold miners heading into the California hills. When gold was discovered in the colony of British Columbia, he opened a branch of his business in Victoria. When the city incorporated in 1862, Waddington helped write the charter. Many asked him to run. He rejected their entreaties, noting, “The duties of the first mayor of this city will, if conscientiously performed, be most arduous.”

Waddington was right, though the job is not without benefits. A mayor is addressed as “Your Honour” and wears the chain of office at formal events, which satisfies the “Flavour Flav” found within us all.

Political scientist Norman Ruff remembers his first municipal vote after moving to Victoria. He confronted a lengthy ballot with many unfamiliar names. He cast one of his council votes for a candidate who turned out to advocate policies exactly the opposite of those he supported. He found some solace in knowing his other council votes compensated for his one poor choice. Better to have voted and erred than to never have voted at all.

Why fight City Hall when you can be City Hall?

Remember, municipal voting day is Nov. 15. Mark it on your calendar. With an X.

Red, White & New ADVERTISING FEATURE

BY ERNEST SARGENT

A wine lover and collector for 35 years, Ernest turned professional after receiving his Sommelier certification (ISG) in 2006, and his Spanish Wine Educator certification in 2008. He can currently be found managing the Vintages Room at Everything Wine and leading wine seminars at C-One. Follow him on Twitter @FiascoinVic or email esargent@everythingwine.ca RED – NV CHÂTEAU DE MONTIFAUD VIEUX PINEAU DES CHARENTES This fortified (17% abv) aperitif was accidentally created in 1589, when a winemaker added grape must into a barrel containing brandy. White Pineau des Charentes is fairly common but the red is more difficult to find. From Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cognac, aged five years to receive the Vieux Pineau classification, it is delicious: rosé in the glass, with candied fruit and marzipan on the nose and palate. Once opened, it will keep for months refrigerated. By itself or as a holiday treat, enjoy with Stollen ($40 private wine stores).

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S On

PHOTO BY DON DENTON

s ’ p u o

FOOD & DRINK

 Fishhook restaurant owner and chef Kunal Ghose sits in his establishment with a bowl of Fishhook Chowder.

Make seafood soup, stew or chowder a weekend centrepiece  TEXT BY CINDA CHAVICH

W

ITH THE DAYS GETTING DARKER and shorter, and storm season approaching, my thoughts turn to steamy soups.

While there are big bowls of Asian noodles and wontons to satisfy weekday cravings, if you fill your pot with fresh local fish and shellfish, soup can go from a simple supper to the centre of a weekend event.

I like to entertain with seafood stews, from elegant bouillabaisse to chunky salmon chowders. Oyster stew is a classic dish to serve on Christmas Eve, and you’ll likely find it on the menu this month in Tofino, as thousands 62

of local bivalves are shucked, slurped and sautéed for the annual Clayoquot Oyster Festival.

It’s hard to say who makes the best seafood stew or chowder, or what exactly needs to be in the mix. I’ve judged chowder competitions on both coasts. In PEI it’s all about potatoes, while in Nova Scotia, the winning soups often contain local Digby scallops, mussels and lobster.

At the BC Shellfish Festival chowder competition in Comox earlier this year, we crowned a real west coast chowder from chef Paul De Ridder of The Beez Kneez Catering Company. It included a combination of fresh

PHOTO BY CINDA CHAVICH

BC clams, spot prawns, smoked wild Sockeye salmon and locally grown vegetables. De Ridder says the fresh ingredients in his own backyard inspired him as he created his winning recipe, and although he was reluctant to enter the contest, his wife Lena knew he had a winner.

There are certainly classic blends when it comes to fish soups and stews, but today’s chefs bend the rules with unique and creative combinations. And while the state of Maine tried to pass a “purity law” in 1939 — declaring it a statutory offence to add tomatoes to chowder — tomatoes and seafood have a natural affinity, whether it’s Manhattan-style chowder, classic bouillabaisse, or the popular chowder Victoria chef Kunal Ghose serves at Red Fish, Blue Fish and his new venture, Fishhook.

combination of fish or shellfish can be part of the mix.

A homemade fish stock adds depth and flavour to the dish, and it’s easy to quickly concoct with some fish trim, aromatic vegetables, white wine and water.

Then it’s a matter of getting the texture right. Classic east coast chowders are usually made with milk or cream, and thickened with potatoes and even crushed crackers or hard tack — a traditional seaman’s biscuit. Purists never add a flour roux or cornstarch to chowder because both can lead to a soup that’s gluey and thick — a chowder faux pas. What you’re aiming for is a chunky fish or shellfish soup, flavoured with bacon or salt pork and onions, which is creamy but not heavy.

French bouillabaisse, on the other hand, relies on a light tomato broth, flavoured with garlic, fresh fennel, saffron and even orange peel. Bouillabaisse is the perfect centrepiece for a festive meal but, like chowder, it has rustic roots, originating as a stew Marseille’s fishermen concocted with the fish they could not sell. Ironically, rockfish, monkfish and lobster are now prized commodities, and a fisherman’s stew or creamy fish chowder can be part of a simple supper or an elegant soirée.

It’s an easy and elegant way to entertain.

Ghose says chowder should reflect its region. Therefore, the chowder he created for his new downtown eatery includes a smoked fish broth — a nod to his partner Steve Kerr’s Hook smokehouse — and the smoked salmon, oysters and tuna they feature in their open-faced, tartine sandwiches.

“I wanted to make a substantial fish soup to showcase some of the smoked fish we offer,” says Ghose, whose smoky chowder includes a classic vegetable mirepoix (a mixture of chopped celery, onions and carrots), along with fresh halibut, coconut milk and spicy, oven-roasted potatoes.

While chefs have turned chowder making into a competitive sport, fish stew is really just a “peasant” dish that’s easy to make if you follow a few simple guidelines.

First, ensure that the ingredients are perfectly fresh.

Nothing kills a fish soup faster than seafood past its prime, so shop carefully, but be flexible — almost any

PHOTO BY CINDA CHAVICH

There are certainly classic blends when it comes to fish soups and stews, but today’s chefs bend the rules with unique and creative combinations.

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THE BEEZ KNEEZ WILD SMOKED SALMON & HAND-PEELED SHRIMP CHOWDER PREP 30 MIN COOK TIME 30 MIN SERVES 16 Chef Paul de Ridder of Beez Kneez Catering Company in Comox won the 2014 BC Shellfish Festival chowder competition with this rendition.

16 thin slices pancetta, from local butcher 2.5 pounds Vancouver Island manila clams 1 cup white wine ¼ cup butter plus 1 tablespoon 1 cup finely diced local carrots 1 tablespoon crushed garlic 1 local medium onion, chopped 1 cup finely diced local celery ½ fennel bulb, finely diced ¼ cup all-purpose flour 1 L 2% milk 3 cups peeled and diced local BC potatoes 1 cup smoked Vancouver Island corn ½ L whipping cream ½ pound hickory-smoked wild Sockeye salmon, crumbled ½ pound hand-peeled Oceanwise shrimp salt and ground black pepper to taste 2 teaspoons chopped fresh local dill 1 lemon, zest and juice Line a baking tray with parchment and arrange slices of pancetta in a single layer. Cover with another layer of parchment and a second baking sheet. Bake in a 350 F oven until pancetta is very crisp. Drain and reserve fat, and set pancetta aside. Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, combine the clams and white wine with 1 tablespoon of butter. Cover pan and steam over medium high heat, just until clams open. Strain and reserve the clam stock and shuck the clam meat from the shells. Set aside.

In a heavy-bottomed pot, combine the reserved pancetta fat and ¼ cup butter. Over medium heat, sweat the carrots, garlic, onions, celery and fennel until softened and transparent. Slowly add the flour to make a roux, and then stir in the reserved clam stock and milk. Add the potatoes and smoked corn and bring to a simmer. Stir in the smoked salmon. Cook until the potatoes are tender, but still hold their shape. Stir in the cream, clams and shrimp. Bring back up to a simmer. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Finish with fresh dill, lemon juice and zest. Garnish each serving with a pancetta crisp, and serve immediately.

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FISHHOOK CHOWDER PREP 30 MIN COOK TIME 30 MIN SERVES 8 Kunal Ghose has a loyal following for the exotic chowder he makes at Red Fish, Blue Fish. This new chowder, created for his latest venture, Fishhook, is dairy free, featuring coconut milk and house-made smoked fish stock. You can buy Hook Salmon Belly Bacon and Fishhook’s smoked fish stock at the restaurant, or use double-smoked bacon to add a smoky note to this soup.

2 tablespoons canola oil 1 ½ cups diced onion 1 ½ cups diced carrot 1 ½ cup diced celery 2 tablespoons crushed garlic 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 2 tablespoons Sriracha (hot chili sauce) 1 ½ cups diced parboiled potatoes 2 cups olive oil 1 pound fresh halibut 3 400-ml cans coconut milk 3 cups Fishhook smoked fish stock (or regular stock) ¼ pkg. Hook Salmon Belly Bacon, diced In a stockpot, sauté the onion, carrot and celery in canola oil until just softened. Stir in the crushed garlic, thyme, ancho powder, salt, pepper, Worcestershire and Sriracha. Cook together a few minutes longer.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 F and toss the potatoes in a little canola oil. Season with a salt, pepper and ancho chili powder and place on a baking sheet.

Roast until golden, about 15-20 minutes.

Place the halibut in a separate pot and add olive oil until the fish is covered.

Slowly poach the halibut over medium heat until it is cooked through and flakes apart. Remove the fish from the oil and set aside.

To finish the soup, add the coconut milk and stock to the pot with the vegetables. Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the roasted potatoes and salmon belly bacon to the pot and remove from heat.

To serve, place a generous spoonful of halibut confit in the bottom of each bowl and ladle the hot chowder over top. Garnish with green onion and ancho chili powder.

PHOTO BY DON DENTON

TALKING featuring DAVE

WITH

TESS

SAUNDERS

 BY TESS VAN STRAATEN He’s been a mayor, a councillor, a contractor and a consultant, but Dave Saunders is best known for his family business — Saunders Subaru, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. Saunders now manages the dealership, which his parents started more than three decades ago, and the secret to their success is simple: hard work and community commitment. Tess van Straaten sat down with the busy 47-year-old — who also runs David Saunders Enterprises (an excavating and consulting business) and even does tree work on the side — to talk about success, municipal amalgamation and giving back.

The car industry has faced a number of challenges over the last few years. Why do you think you’ve been so successful? We’ve been very successful, even back in 2007/2008 when the recession hit all of us. I believe it’s our commitment to the community that’s helped us through the hard times. Very simply, if you give back to your community, it gives back to you. We’ve given back for so 66

long through the sports community and via scholarships, that people want to use our services and support us. Our success also has a lot to do with the hard work of my parents. My dad is 79 years old and he still takes the time to phone every customer who comes into the dealership to buy a car. He thanks them for their business and makes sure they were treated well. Both my parents are still in the dealership every day. My mom is here at seven o’clock every morning — she’s one of the hardest working people I know. My parents have instilled that work ethic in all five of us children.

You were Colwood’s mayor for three years and a councillor for three years before that. What did politics teach you?

Participating in municipal politics was an incredible learning experience — I would liken it to going to university. I learned so much about our community, so much about legal issues, so much about unions, the Capital Region District, and the different connections you need to make federally and provincially.

As we head to the polls this month, what do you think is the biggest issue facing the Capital Region?

Amalgamation is the biggest issue in the region and it needs to be addressed. I think we could alleviate a lot of the duplication [that occurs presently]. I’m not sure we could get it down to one city or even three, but we need to look at what we can do. At the very least, we need a better integration of services throughout the municipalities. When I was mayor, we looked at integrating a lot of services with Langford and View Royal, and it worked out really well. We saved both municipalities money and we won awards from the provincial government for a fresh new kind of outlook.

Where do you see opportunity right now in the economy? I think sports tourism is a huge opportunity for Vancouver Island. We’re heavily involved in the Saunders Subaru Victoria Triathlon, which brings a huge number of people into our community. They spend their dollars here, which is good for everyone. We live in a very special place and there’s so much we can capitalize on. It’s one of the reasons I’m working on a marine tourism route that would connect all the marinas on the island for sports tourism.

There’s so much untapped potential.

Speaking of potential, you started your first business when you were 19 years old and you’ve done many different things since then. What’s been your biggest success?

My biggest success is having a family that’s involved in the community. My proudest accomplishment is the company’s kids program, which I started a year and a half ago to help families that have kids with cancer. My daughter’s good friend developed cancer quite young and we watched what that family went through. She relapsed three times, but she’s doing well now and she’s a tremendous fighter, so she’s going to make it. We’ve helped several families and it’s very rewarding.

You have three daughters who may end up following in your entrepreneurial footsteps. What have you taught them about business? When we walk into other businesses, like grocery stores or shopping malls, I ask them a lot of questions while we’re there. How is the service? Are the salespeople helpful without pressuring you? Are they attentive? Was it a good experience? I always say, “Treat the customer the way you want to be treated.” When you’re treated well and there’s no pressure, you want to go back to that store, and that’s what I’m trying to instill in my children. Put your dollars where you like how you’re treated.

Tess van Straaten is an award-winning journalist, television personality and fourth–generation Victoria native.

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spotlight on ADVERTISERS

NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE, location plays a major role in real estate purchases; fortunately, here in Victoria, the location doesn’t get much better.

“Home ownership in Greater Victoria is the soundest investment that you can make,” says Lynne Sager, a real estate agent with Re/Max Camosun. Raised in Victoria, Lynne’s 31-year real estate career has included a variety of milestones, including recognition from the Re/Max Hall of Fame and President’s Club. She’s a 2013 Platinum Club Award recipient and an MLS 2013 Gold Award winner.

That local knowledge and experience, paired with a family background in home construction and decorating, allows Lynne to provide buyers and sellers with exceptional service. “Growing up in Victoria, and having raised two children of my own here, I know the recreation facilities, golf courses, yacht clubs and schools, both private and public,” says Lynne, who also brings a business acumen to her career after managing one of the city’s most popular restaurant/bars. She is a active member of the Victoria Real Estate Board, currently serving on the Community Relations Committee, and has previously served on the Education Committee. The best thing about her career? “Victoria is the Hawaii of Canada,” says Lynne Sager Lynne, a regular Boulevard advertiser for five years. “It is a pleasure to represent properties in a city of Re/Max that is perfect in size, offering growing families great schools, great business opportunities, clean Camosun air, and an abundance of surrounding natural beauty. There is simply no place like it!”

Re/Max Camosun | 250 744 3301 | lynnesager.com AGING BEAUTIFULLY — NOT JUST GRACEFULLY — is easier thanks to Dr. Smith’s experienced, knowledgeable team at Clinic 805.

Originally from Saskatoon, Dr. Smith moved to Victoria after completing his plastic surgery training in Toronto, in 1992. Today, after 20 years of providing both reconstructive and cosmetic plastic surgery, Clinic 805 focuses primarily on cosmetic plastic surgery, offering the latest in computerized imaging devices for full facial analysis and pre-surgical imaging.

“Our clinic is unique in that we provide a full spectrum of education and treatment, with non-surgical services such as skin care, injectable services, and ‘machine source’ skin treatments, as well as the full complement of aesthetic surgical services, when required,” Dr. Smith explains. “In our beautiful, fully accredited, non-hospital surgical facility, we Dr. Ken Smith can evaluate and treat patients for non-surgical and surgical needs at a single location.” of Clinic 805 “Patient satisfaction comes with the appropriate treatment choice,” Dr. Smith explains. “The focus for our entire team is on educating patients first, so effective and safe choices can be made with a high degree of satisfaction, whether it’s surgical, nonsurgical, or any combination of the above. At Clinic 805 we work together to form the best plan for our patients.”

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Dave Mackenzie

of Falcon Heights Contracting

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IN A CLOSE-KNIT CITY LIKE VICTORIA, reputation is key to success. For Dave Mackenzie and the team at Falcon Heights Contracting, that reputation comes backed by skill, experience and a solid understanding of the local community.

Born and raised in Victoria, Dave split his time between Victoria, Whistler and Central America while completing his journeyman carpentry certification. Returning home in 2009, he started Falcon Heights Contracting as a residential and commercial construction company specializing in custom home building.

“Victoria is a smaller town where everyone knows one another. It’s a great environment to maintain durable and personable associations with sub-trades and material providers.”

Dave has been a Boulevard advertiser since participating in his first CARE Awards in 2012, the year Falcon Heights took home both CARE and Georgie gold awards for best residential renovation or restoration $125,000-$300,000.

“We are a family-owned company committed to offering a superior quality service,” Mackenzie says. “We pride ourselves on offering fine craftsmanship, precise budgeting and streamlined scheduling to make an often stressful process as smooth, transparent and efficient as possible.”

Falcon Heights Contracting | 250 818 6466 | falconheights.ca

FRONT ROW  BY ROBERT MOYES

 “Sea Stacks” by Rob Elphinstone

ART IN MINIATURE This will be the 10th year that Oak Bay’s Avenue Gallery has held Celebrating Small, a one-day event featuring up to 200 miniature art works for sale. For the event, the gallery’s walls will be delightfully crowded with colourful paintings hung in rows from floor to ceiling, salon style.

Whether it’s the chance to purchase a more affordable painting by a favourite local artist, or an ideal time for some unique Christmas shopping, this event has grown in popularity ever since its inauguration in 2004. “That year there were 50 people waiting to come in when we opened the doors at ten,” says owner Heather Wheeler. “Some of them had been there since six in the morning.” Work by the more than 20 Avenue Gallery regulars — such as Corre Alice, Blu Smith, Brent Lynch, Angie Rees, Catherine Moffat and Crystal Heath will be represented — with sizes ranging from four inches square to a maximum of

12 inches by 18 inches. “Some of the paintings will go for as little as $125, with most in the $400 to $700 range,” says Wheeler. “It’s amazing value.” After waiting impatiently in the November chill, the eager art buyers will surge in and begin a frantic hunt for the perfect painting. “The first half-hour is downright mayhem … and lots of fun,” chuckles Wheeler, who adds that her staff will be serving their traditional coffee, mimosas and trays of “nibblies.”

She says, “In all, it’s a pretty exciting event.”

Happening on November 22 at 2184 Oak Bay Avenue. For information, see The Avenue Gallery.

THE BARD GETS A MOHAWK When Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream hits the boards at UVic’s Phoenix Theatre, expect to hear The Sex Pistols rather than Elizabethan lute music in the background. Director Fran Gebhard has set the story 69

 UVic’s Phoenix Theatre promises something different with its version of the Shakespeare classic.

PHOTO BY HUGO GLENDINNING

in New York City in the late 1970s. “This is arguably an over-produced play, so I am trying to be fresh with it,” says Gebhard, who teaches acting at UVic (when she’s not doing the occasional directing gig or acting for TV and film). In this version, Central Park stands in for the forest where all the magic happens, the social backdrop has the Flower Power era being supplanted by the brash energy of punk rock, and one of the main characters has become a powerful and corrupt figure connected to the upper echelons of finance and politics. Gebhard is especially interested in taking a novel look at the play’s key romantic subplot, where a magic potion makes lovers fall for the wrong partners. “Oberon literally drugs these people for his entertainment … almost like using the date-rape drug,” notes Gebhard. “So I want to explore the underbelly of what love is supposed to be.” That said, Dream is still very much a comedy, and the ebullient Gebhard clearly intends to have a whole bunch of fun with it. “I love my job and I adore the students,” she declares with characteristic brio.

“This is a learning experience for them, and a chance for me to share my passion for theatre with students who are just finding their way.”

Running from November 6-22 at UVic. For tickets, call 250-721-8000 or see Phoenix Theatre UVic.  Scene from BalletBoyz production Serpent.

TEN LADS A LEAPING The Victoria dance community was shocked recently when long-time Dance Victoria producer Stephen White was ousted by the board of directors in a corporate-style takeover. The community pushed back hard, White was reinstated by an overwhelming majority of qualified voters, and Dance Victoria is, happily, offering this city a powerful new season. “All the drama is once again back onstage,” quips a relieved White, whose current show features Britain’s hottest dance ensemble, BalletBoyz, in its Canadian debut. This cutting edge, 10-man troupe, celebrated for its brash athleticism and muscular grace, is considered to be at the forefront of contemporary dance.

Interestingly, the group’s founders, Michael Nunn and William Trevitt, were both principal dancers for Covent Garden’s Royal Ballet, and both have eschewed the tutus and constraints of traditional ballet for something bolder and more visceral. “They definitely wanted to explore repertoire that was more physical,” says White. “And by having an all-male troupe, they abandoned the classical ballet tradition 70

where the man frames the woman and is subservient to her.” The show comprises two long pieces, by internationally celebrated choreographers Liam Scarlett and Russell Maliphant. Serpent is the more sensual of the two, with undulating group work and an organic quality; the award-winning Fallen, notwithstanding its own boundary-pushing physicality, is more conceptual and closer to modern ballet. “BalletBoyz was selected by the Critics’ Circle in Britain as the best new independent dance company last year, and their entire British tour was sold out,” says White. “This is really going to be an exciting show.”

Performing November 14-15 at the Royal Theatre. For tickets, call 250-386-6121.

VIVALDI VERITE Even though some classical music elitists have quipped that prolific Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi wrote the same concerto 600 times, the master of baroque counterpoint had the last laugh: aside from becoming one of the best-loved composers of all time, he had numerous imitators while he was alive. And given the scanty scholarship of the day, it is sometimes impossible to determine if certain works were written by Vivaldi or clever impersonators. And, really, if we are inspired by a composition of uncertain provenance, does it even matter? That is the question at the heart of Vivaldi and his Imitators, a rich serving of Italian baroque presented by the Early Music Society of the Islands. “Should we just enjoy the music for what it sounds like, or does it matter that it was written by a particular composer in a particular context?” asks EMSI artistic director James Young. “That’s the debate I hope the audience has within themselves  Accademia Hermans makes its Canadian debut, Nov. 29 at Alix Goolden Hall.

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 Trench art: at left, produced in Damascus in about 1919; and, at right, made after the battle of Havrincourt (Sept. 12, 1918).

and amongst themselves.” The ensemble provoking these questions is Accademia Hermans, a celebrated group making its Canadian debut. Interestingly, although Italy was a great source for early music, it’s only in the last decade that its early-music scene has really taken off.

And who better than a quintet of passionately skillful Italians to convey the vibrant beauty of Vivaldi? “There is something universally and eternally appealing to his music,” asserts Young. “Vivaldi was so expressive, and his music is an opportunity to feel emotion very intensely.”

Performing November 29 at Alix Goolden, 900 Johnson Street. For tickets, call 250-386-6121.

ART FROM THE FRONT LINES Rainy November is an appropriately somber month in which to hold Remembrance Day, and this year it will be especially poignant as we mark the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I. That grim centenary inspired UVic art historian Marcus Milwright to assemble and curate a unique exhibition comprising the visual and material culture of those long-ago war years. Drawn mostly from UVic archival sources and private collections in Victoria, the exhibit will include books, prints and objects dating from the period of the so-called “Great War.” These include rare copies of The Listening Post, a newspaper that was printed in the trenches by Canadian soldiers. “There was often a satirical quality to these newspapers, one that reflected the attitude on the ground,” explains the Oxford-trained Milwright. There will also be 72

several examples of “trench art,” usually discarded artillery shell casings that have been repurposed into anything from lamps to butter knives and often decorated in the Art Nouveau style of the period.

For Milwright, the single most moving object in the exhibit is a two-volume set of drawings and watercolours by a soldier known only as J.M. “The 80 illustrations are really beautiful and the content itself is powerful in the way it takes you into the realities of trench warfare,” says Milwright. “And the exhibition itself makes clear that this was a global phenomenon, from Greece to the Middle East to China … and on the home front back in Canada.”

“The Arts of World War I” runs from November 7 to March 2, 2015 at the Mearns Centre in UVic’s McPherson Library. For information about the exhibit and its related lecture series, see finearts.uvic.ca/ historyinart/ww1.

Keep the love.

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GIVING SOME SLACK Little-known even a few decades ago, the Hawaiian slack-key guitar has recently been attracting lots of fans with its warm sound and fingerpicking virtuosity.

“In slack-key, the guitar is tuned to an open chord, which results in a fuller, richer sound,” explains Rod McCrimmon, who plays ukulele and guitar professionally and is the host of the weekly “Aloha From Victoria” radio show on CFUV. “Slack-key is a lovely, low sound … very pretty.” Expect McCrimmon to be near the front row when award-winning slack-key virtuoso Makana makes his Victoria debut this month. Probably best known for his contributions to The Descendants soundtrack, Makana is a guitar master who has forged his own unique style of what he calls “slack rock,” a fusion of traditional Hawaiian music with elements of bluegrass, rock, blues and raga.

Praised by such diverse guitar superstars as Pepe Romero and Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, Makana has performed everywhere from the White House to European opera houses. “He’s a really good player technically, and he writes very listenable songs in that ‘pop Hawaiian’ style that is so popular on the islands,” says McCrimmon. “This is a very attractive form of world music.”

Performing November 17 at Hermann’s, 753 View Street.

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SECRETS & LIVES  BY SUSAN LUNDY

JONATHAN IRWIN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MARITIME MUSEUM OF BC Nice to meet you, Jon Irwin. Where are you from and how did you get to Victoria? I was born in Toronto, and lived in Kitchener and Edmonton before moving back to Ontario for university at Queens in Kingston. My family bought Philbrooks Boatyard in Sidney some 25 years ago, and I came out to work summers, hauling boats out of the water, painting hulls and changing zincs. After 9/11, there

was a slowdown in the boat building business, so I came out and we began a land-based millwork operation to keep the troops busy. I have worked in the financial industry and in manufacturing. The Maritime Museum of BC is the first not-for-profit entity I have worked at.

the water and having access to our boats will make a huge difference.

One is hard pressed to come up with a maritime museum that isn’t located on the water. We will no longer be the exception.

What does a day in the life of JI look like at the Maritime Museum of BC? Every day is different than

“Green Machine” on Lake Joseph in Muskoka, Ontario. It was essentially a green drawer that I would paddle around in and sink over and over again: cottage country fun that never seemed to get old.

the next at the museum. When I was asked to come help out by one of the board members for six months, I recall wondering what there could be to keep me busy. I now know there is more work to be done than we can currently do, and never enough time to get it all done. Whether it’s looking at potential new exhibit projects, building partnerships with other institutions, or meeting with potential funders, each day is something new.

What fascinates you about BC maritime history? The stories

PHOTO BY DON DENTON

are relevant, as they lay the foundation for how we got here, and many of them are quite exciting. We have a fair number of historians among the volunteers and members at the museum, and there really isn’t any story we don’t know about or can’t find someone to answer questions about. We are extremely lucky to have these folks around.

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The museum is moving … what will be the most significant change when it reopens?

Location, location, location. Being on

What is one of your most significant childhood memories? Playing in the

What do you love most about living in Victoria? The fact that it is significantly warmer than Edmonton.

For the longest time we lived between Edmonton and Victoria. We’d fly back and forth throughout the year. Often we’d leave here in shorts and T-shirts to arrive in Edmonton only to face a blizzard.

What do you do on a rainy day off?

How about a sunny day off? On either a rainy day or a sunny day off I like to get out on the water and go boating. The Gulf Islands are fantastic for weekend getaways to remote locations or harbours, especially where there is more activity like Ganges on Salt Spring Island or Poets Cove on Pender.

What book are you reading right now? The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.

Where do you turn for advice? I have always surrounded myself with more experienced (older) and wiser folks than myself. These are the people I go to for advice when faced with difficult decisions. They also tend to make great friends.

This interview has been condensed and edited.

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PHOTOGRAPHED AT TURKEY HEAD AT OAK BAY MARINA BY GARY MCKINSTRY

‘FUN FACTOR’ HIGHLIGHTS 2015 RX 350 Boasting a smooth, exciting driving experience, refined comfort and sharp, modern styling, the 2015 RX 350 combines the best of the Lexus brand.

The No. 1-selling Lexus in North America for good reason, the 2015 RX has enjoyed a complete facelift, and this thirdgeneration further cements Lexus’ place as a leader in this segment.

The elegant, refined elements that have characterized the first two generations of this luxury crossover remain, but they’ve been married with a sport design that speaks to today’s Lexus driver, explains Wade Walle, Metro Lexus Toyota Product Advisor. “It offers a large fun factor when driving.”

What are people saying about the vehicle? Beyond the fivestar safety rating, featuring 10 standard airbags, “they love the comfort, they love the space, they love the

visibility and they love the value,” Wade notes. “Based on what you pay for the quality you get, there’s no other car on the market that compares.”

Interior styling comes in four colour choices, with genuine leather and trim in either a rich espresso or darker birds-eye maple. With great looks backed by quality features, drivers and passengers enjoy heated and ventilated seats, heated wood-grain steering wheel, and an eight-inch liquid crystal display screen inset into the dash to eliminate glare.

One of the biggest changes making waves with owners is the ability for the car to excel on regular 87 octane fuel, Wade notes. Where the quality car segment has been accustomed to using premium fuel for optimum results, this new RX 350 has been designed for what Wade calls “smart luxury” – a move that provides significant cost-savings without compromising performance.

2015 Lexus RX 350 Nicely equipped from $52,720

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