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CLIMATE

A Fiery Fall

In contrast to years past where forest fires plagued the province for most of the summer, 2022 saw unseasonably warm and dry conditions last into fall. Photographer, Kat Harvey captured this image of the blaze near Hope.

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Steaming Mulled Wine.

LET’S FACE IT, our province can dish up a hefty dose of extreme winter weather. No, I’m not a meteorologist, but in my northern neck of the woods to tell a cold day from a really cold day I just stick my nose out the door for a few seconds and breathe deeply. If it takes my breath away, I figure it’s close enough to being a record breaker.

Speaking of record breakers, BC’s temperature has been recorded since 1900, and the lowest temperature on record was measured at -58°C (January 1950 and again in December 1968).

Of course, in those days it would have been noted as 0°F, because in 1975, April 1, to be exact, our country switched over to the metric system. And it certainly felt like an April Fool’s Day joke to many folks like myself who were schooled in the imperial system.

Our minds were (and many still are) frozen stiff at “forty

DRINK

Hot Mugs to Take the Chill out of a BC Winter

BY LINDA GABRIS

below”, a lyrical term that’s common and easy to relate to. You know the song, “when it’s springtime in Alaska, it’s forty below…” which makes a die-hard “imperial-ist” like me shiver instantly at the thought. But summing it up and singing it in metric takes a lot, perhaps a lifetime, of practice! Fact is, with my camera and a basket and taking off into the snowy woodlands to see what I can shoot or forage.

Try my hot mugs below the next time you come in from the cold. I use a big old-fashioned 15-ounce mug, not a metric one, as a measure for my liquids, which I heat in a cezve (a long-handled small Turkish pot). Recipes below are geared for one mug but can be multiplied.

Choco-Chili Chill Killer

This Mayan-style hot chocolate instantly warms up your whole body! Put 1 cup of milk into the cezve and stir in 4 tablespoons of instant hot chocolate, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon and a generous pinch of ground chili (or cayenne) pepper. Don’t go too heavy on the chili powder or you’ll set yourself on fire! Heat the milk to scalding, pour into the mug and inhale while sipping.

Mitt’s-off Miso.

cold is cold no matter what scale it’s measured on.

And bottom line is, after having lived here in the great white north of BC, for as many winters as I have, I’ve conjured up some super-hot drinks to thaw out with after coming in from ice fishing, snow-shoeing, sledding or just warming up

Simmering Cider

Here’s a hot one that’s spicy and delicious. Put a mug of good quality (buy BC) apple cider into the pot. Add 3 whole cloves, 1 star anise and a small piece of cinnamon bark. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 3 minutes. Strain into a mug and sweeten to your liking with honey.

Shiitake Scorcher

A cross between a broth and a tea, this sipper is a sure-fire cure for the chilblains and other common complaints of winter! Put a mug of water into the pot. Break up 3 dried shiitake mushrooms into small pieces, add to the water. Stir in 1 ½ teaspoons of soy sauce, a generous pinch of dried chili pepper flakes and a shake of celery salt. Bring to a boil, simmer for 3 minutes to soften the shiitakes. Add a drop each of sesame and chili oil, stir and pour. Drink the brew and when the cup is empty, spoon out the mushrooms and eat them for good measure.

Blistering Butter Milk

Spiked with booze, so adults only! Put a mug of milk into the pot. Add a teaspoon of honey and a pinch of sea salt. Heat until scalding. Pour into your mug, stir in a jigger of dark rum and top with a dollop of butter. One sip and you’ll instantly feel the warming effects from head-to-toe.

Mitt’s-off Miso

Warm your hands up around this Japanese-rooted hot drink! Put a mug of water into the saucepan. Grind 2 dried shiitake mushrooms with a pestle and mortar into powder, stir into the water. Grate a peasized lump of peeled ginger and add to the pot. Bring to a boil, simmer covered for 5 minutes. Strain into your mug, stir in 1 tablespoon miso (brown rice miso is my choice).

Spicy Smouldering Caesar

Oh, yeah! I love cold caesars in the summer and hot ones in the winter! Not hard to make, either. Put 1 mug of tomato (or better yet tomato-clam) juice into the saucepan. Add a dash each of Worcestershire and tabasco sauce. Season with celery salt to suit your taste. Stir in a pinch of chili or cayenne pepper to stoke the fire. Bring to a boil, pour it into your mug and stir in a shot of vodka (optional, but better with than without). Garnish with a lime wedge and a celery stick.

Steaming Mulled Wine

Last, but not least, the oldest warmer-upper on my list. And, no doubt, the most popular. Choose one of our province’s many fine domestic red wines. I find merlot is a good pick for getting the blood flowing! Put a mug of wine into the pot. Stir in enough honey to sweeten. Add a pinch each of ground cloves and nutmeg. Heat until the wine is steaming but do not let it come to boil or else your alcohol will go up in steam and we don’t want that to happen! Pour into your mug, garnish with an orange wedge and pop in a cinnamon stir stick.

Awe… feeling warm and fuzzy already! Simmering Cider.

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CULTURE

Sacred Journey at Science World

FOR THOUSANDS OF years, the traditional oceangoing canoe (“glwa” in Heiltsuk) was the main means of transportation for Indigenous Peoples in the Pacific Northwest. It was essential for sustenance, transportation and for developing social and ceremonial life for the First Nations Peoples. Told by Indigenous leaders and participants of today’s canoe resurgence for the first time, Science World’s Sacred Journey exhibit unveils this story through the Indigenous framework of “nuyum” (traditional narratives) expressed through figurative art, immersive audio and extensive interactive video projections and displays of those who have participated in a Tribal Canoe Journey.

“Amongst the Heiltsuk Nation and other Indigenous Peoples, the last 150 years have seen massive societal changes that have had devastating and detrimental impacts on our people. During this time of suppression and technology change, the ocean-going canoe, the Glwa, was almost lost. Sacred Journey allows us to share the knowledge and experience of this journey from an Indigenous point of view,”

It all starts here

Nanaimo is the perfect starting place for your Vancouver Island getaway — with biking, kayaking, whale watching, shopping, ziplining and more. The moment you take the bikes off the roof rack, get onto the water, take that first sip of wine, or open the door to your hotel room: now you’re really on vacation.

said λáλíyasila Hereditary Chief Frank Brown, of the Heiltsuk Nation.

In this exhibit, visitors will experience stunning art pieces including a monumental canvas canoe with four prominent Heiltsuk clan crests in striking colours painted by Heiltsuk artist K.C. Hall; overarching house posts and paddles to accompany the canoe, carved by Chazz Mack; and an eagle-human mask, located at the entrance to the exhibit, carved by Ian Reid. Renowned Heiltsuk/Tsimshian artist Roy Henry Vickers created a moon and salmon logo for the exhibit and a “Many hands” canoe image.

The exhibition will be on display at Science World until February 20, 2023.

Science World X3

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BOOKS

Winter Reads

British Columbia publishers have another banner year

BY MARIANNE SCOTT

In 2022, a spate of new books highlighted such topics as seaweed, history, travel and drink. Heritage House (HH), Rocky Mountain Books (RMB), Touchwood, and Harbour Publishing (HP) have printed tomes for young and old, for travel enthusiasts and history buffs. From the wide-ranging titles published this year, we’ve chosen a few by BC authors and researchers whose books may delight you and serve as holiday presents too.

“Seaweeds are my muse,” writes Amanda Swinimer in The Science and Spirit of Seaweed (HP, $28.95). From the moment she tasted the explosive flavour of dried bull kelp, she vowed to make seaweed her life’s work. She founded a company, Dakini Tidal Wilds, and sustainably harvests the seaweed in our coastal kelp forests. Beautiful photos illuminate the green, red, and brown seaweeds she describes (the pages are colour coded), and the images of the most common species show us how to identify them, and describe their range, nutritional and culinary properties, medicinal value, and how they’re harvested. As she focuses on sustainability, she has deep concerns about our oceans becoming dumping sites.

Swinimer intersperses personal reflections and experiences throughout the book. While snorkeling, she meets “disco jellyfish,” the lobed sea gooseberry that flashes “vibrant red, blue, green and yellow light internally” (it has bioluminescent plates). Diving into kelp forests makes her “feel the presence of something deeply spiritual.”

An extensive section is devoted to seaweeds’ healthy qualities. Their medicinal and nutrient-rich food properties have been known since ancient times and in the past few decades, science has verified them. Swinimer hails seaweeds’ vitamins, high fibre, minerals, essential fatty acids and proteins, and even includes a photo of a toddler chomping on a piece of dried seaweed.

The book concludes with recipes that range from Vancouver Island Niçoise Salad to Seaweed Crackers to Chocolate Macadamia Ginger Kelp Pavement.

The Science and Spirit of Seaweed is a highly informative, readable book that may inspire you to dive into a kelp forest or collect your dinner on the beach. The book was shortlisted for the 2022 City of Victoria Butler Book Prize.

Jessica Schacht and husband Jeremy became interested in Vancouver’s cocktail culture while studying at UBC. With Jeremy’s parents, Stephen and Ramona, who ran an organic vegetable farm, the four of them co-founded Ampersand Distilling Co. in Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Valley.

I generally avoid making cocktails, often discouraged when a recipe demands what to me are esoteric ingredients—some I’ve never heard of. Schacht has solved this problem: The Five-Bottle Bar: A Simple Guide to Stylish Cocktails (Touchwood, $28) demystifies the process of cocktail making.

Having developed cocktails over many years, Schacht realized she kept reach-

ing for the same five bottles: gin (Ampersand’s prize-winning version, of course), whisky, dry vermouth, sweet vermouth and Campari are the go-tos for her. These five alcoholic beverages form the base, but you also need “accoutrements” which include ice, soda, tonic water, aromatic bitters, citrus and some form of sugar. Within these categories, extra ingredients do show up, such as left-over espresso, herbs or eggs. Schacht demonstrates how to make simple syrups, describes garnishes, and lists basic cocktail-making tools—a shot glass, shaker, strainer and citrus squeezer. Nor does she neglect the glassware you’ll need—no champagne flutes for your mint julep. Why James Bond’s vodka martini was “shaken, not stirred” is also revealed.

With the basics in place, Schacht presents her cocktail recipes, from traditional to contemporary. She describes the origins and history of each cocktail, which is also accompanied by a mouth-watering image. Starting with the classic G&T, we can also concoct “In Dark Trees,” which contains gin, dry vermouth, nocino (Ampersand’s green-walnut liqueur), lime juice, spruce-tip syrup, egg white and mint. And then there’s the breakfast martini you can make from your hotel’s mini-bar.

It’s a fun and beautifully prepared book. Bottoms up, everyone!

Switching from food and drink, we hit the road with Liz Bryan, who penned Pioneer Churches along the Gold Rush Trail (HH, $24.95). Bryan is a well-known journalist, who has researched the history, architecture and social role of BC’s pioneer and Indigenous churches. Some of these are now in decline or abandoned; others have entered the rosters of historic places.

Bryan provides context by describing BC’s mad Cariboo Gold Rush beginning in 1858, when 40,000 miners arrived mostly through Victoria. The gold diggers brought along diseases, including the disastrous smallpox that literally decimated many Indigenous villages. She follows it with descriptions of 47 churches built along the two miners trails from Vancouver to the Cariboo. Missionaries had arrived earlier, but in the wake of this large group of gold seekers, some of whom became settlers, Anglicans, Methodists and Roman Catholic proselytizers arrived.

Descriptions of the churches reveal the names of architects and various building methods. The 1865 St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church, for instance, is an example of “Carpenter Gothic” architecture, and the structure’s nave is supported by hockeystick style, wooden buttresses, so unlike the heavy, stone flying buttresses of European cathedrals, which counter-balanced walls riven with large stained-glass windows and helped negate the pressures from heavy bell towers.

Bryan’s photographs show the churches themselves, and also reveal such unique features as stained-glass windows, baptismal fonts, pulpits, pipe organs, cemetery stones and altars.

Her church histories also reveal how often fire destroys wooden structures. And not just in the past. Fire wiped out the 1871 St. Mary and St. Paul Church in Lytton in 2021, along with 90 percent of the town. We’re fortunate to have Bryan’s history and photographs before the churches’ demise.

Adventure Roads of BC’s Northwest Heartland (HH, $24.95) is Liz Bryan’s take on road travel. Again accompanied by first-rate photos, she maps several routes that follow natural valleys carved by tectonic plate movements and sculpting glaciers—the places where it’s been the least complicated to lay out roads. Mountains cover 75 percent of BC.

To put the size of our province in perspective, its 944,735 square kilometre area is more than 2.5 times the size of Germany, Texas is 73 percent the size of BC, and the only state larger than BC is Alaska. So, when Bryan lays out scenic and historic roads and their many attractions, they cover long distances, offer wide vistas, detailed geological descriptions, historic structures, and anecdotes on people who lived and live here. As one example, local rancher Rudy Johnson, when ready to sell his cattle, was forced to truck them long distances or make many trips across Soda Creek by ferry. But when his wife nearly drowned after falling off said ferry, Rudy’d had enough and bought a bridge in Alaska. Deconstructed into 3,000 pieces, the bridge was delivered to the creek, painstakingly reassembled and then became the single private toll bridge in BC. It’s unknown if Rudy recovered the $200,000 he spent to establish the bridge.

If you like road travel and want to know more about the BC’s northwest landscapes, this is the book for you.

Educators Sue Harper and S. Lesley Buxton have written the second volume of their children’s book, Time to Wonder: A Kid’s Guide to BC’s Regional Museums. It reports on the museums on Vancouver Island, Salt Spring, Alert Bay and Haida Gwaii. Like Volume I, this version covers a variety of institutions, from former famous homes-turned-exhibition

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hall to purpose-built structures that house repatriated artifacts. Although designed for children aged six to 13, there’s plenty to learn by older kids and their parents.

The authors have developed a format for each entry: From each organization, several items are chosen as representative of the region or era, with photos and explanations of the items’ significance. From Craigdarroch Castle (Victoria) they chose a sewing kit, including a silver earwax spoon, to describe how earwax was used through the ages—to coat sewing thread and in illuminated manuscripts. They also highlight orca and sealion skeletons found at Telegraph Cove’s Whale Interpretive Centre, and the gorgeous potlatch artefacts at the U’Mista Cultural Centre in Alert Bay. Campbell River’s Museum features a floathouse, which like today’s studio apartments, includes all living arrangements.

It’s an innovative approach to museum visiting and a useful guide when travelling the islands of BC.

A Season on Vancouver Island (RMB, $20) is the latest collection of tales by travel writer Bill Arnott. He, with wife Deb, spent three months on Canada’s largest western island and turned his highly observant eye on his surroundings, noticing things that others might skip. Taking time to observe, Arnott stays put in cottages or small apartments and then ventures out from there.

Arnott writes of his experiences in short essays, lining them up like beads on a string. His language is evocative—he paints pictures with words. Here’s a sample from a visit to Campbell River: “Off the shore of the spit, crisply white rowboats bob on the chop, craft that belong in Hyde Park with parasols and poetry.”

And these lines describe a ramble on Quadra Island: “A short distance from the trailhead a colossal old spruce stands like a wizard guarding the forest. And, in fact, it might be something from the past assuming the shape of a tree, captured in a conjurer’s spell. It has a hundred arms, the look of a mythical god reaching every which way, one of those feats of nature impossible to capture in a photo.” In addition, Arnott’s illustrations embellish the words he puts on the page.

This is a tome you can read in a single sitting, or you can save it for bed and read a few stories before sinking peacefully into the arms of Morpheus. —Marianne Scott

Whelks to Whales: Coastal Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest

By Rick M. Harbo, Harbour Publishing, 352 pages, $28.95.

When the first edition of this field guide came out in 1999 it was immediately hailed as the definitive guide on West Coast marine life. It soon became difficult to obtain, so not surprisingly 12 years later the book was reprinted with some changes and updating. I recall reading this second edition and then adding it to our limited space bookshelf on our boat Aquila, where it has received copious attention over the years.

So, I was very happy to read that Whelks to Whales was once again hitting the bookshelves in its third revised and updated edition. Additional colour photos and newly altered names have been added to this field guide and it covers marine life all down the West Coast from Alaska to northern California. What further recommendation does it need?

More than 500 species are shown and examined in the book. Almost every local sea creature and plant can be quickly identified, even by novices, due to the colour coded sections, the photos, and the brief but accurate info that accompanies each species.

I’ll be glad to replace my well-thumbed and salt encrusted second edition with this new one. I really like that the additional information contains a section on non-native species as well as instructions on how to identify what molluscs has just squirted at me by looking at its siphon rather than by digging down to uncover the culprit. Most of the book’s photos are taken by the author, and must represent years and years of diving, uncovering and discovering the ocean’s inhabitants.

Blissfully unaware of its impending dismissal from my marine bookshelf, my second edition will not be wasted—my niece has asked for it. She grew up with her aunt consulting the compendium every summer to answer her numerous “whys, wheres, whats and how comes?” Many of the muddy thumbprints on the photos are hers.

Author Rick M. Harbo lives in Nanaimo and is a diver and retired senior marine biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada. He also volunteers as a research associate with the Royal BC Museum. He has authored three other books on marine life as well as several pocket guides, so readers are in good and well-informed hands. —Cherie Thiessen

New Titles in the BC Mag Bookstore

Browse our growing collection of local authors, covering a range of genres in: outdoors, adventure, boating, fishing, nature, historic, memoir, family, kids and more. Here are just a few new titles this season, visit our store for tons more.

*SPECIAL OFFER

For a limited time, $10 OFF orders over $50. Just copy this crazy code 6S7PX8DEZ39F in the discount code box at checkout and receive the special price. bcmag.ca/bookstore

The Zone: Rediscovering Our Natural Self, by: Rob Wood (RMB, $15), looks at the unshakeable faith in the power of nature and our own need to reconnect with the natural world. Rob Wood takes the reader on a step-by-step journey documenting how— through the author’s deep connection to what he calls a “universal consciousness”—even the most difficult physical limitations can be dealt with effectively and successfully, with limited medical or pharmaceutical support. The Zone is an inspiring manifesto of resilience and a love song to the power of nature.

Midnight Sweatlodge, by: Waubgeshig Rice (Theytus Books, $18.95), tells the tale of family members, friends and strangers who gather together to partake in this ancient healing ceremony. Through their stories we get glimpses into their lives that are both tearful and true. Capturing the raw emotion and unique challenges of modern Indigenous life, this book offers an unflinchingly realistic and genuine look at the struggles First Nations people face.

Sea Kayaking: The Classic Manual for Touring from Day Trips to Major Expeditions, by John Dowd, Foreword by: Freya Hoffmeister (Greyston, $24.95), is regarded as “the bible” for both new and experienced kayakers after more than 30 years in print and 60,000 copies sold, Sea Kayaking covers the basics of equipment and technique as well as how to read the weather and the water, plan for long-distance expeditions, and survive in raging seas. Fully updated with hints about worthwhile digital technologies and tips for successful kayak angling. The best-selling comprehensive guide to the fundamentals of sea kayaking for those seeking adventure on the open ocean.

Mushrooms of British Columbia by: Andy Mackinnon & Kem Luther, (Royal BC Museum, $34.95), features more species of fungi than any other region in Canada, British Columbia is a rich playground for mushroom hunters. Now there’s Mushrooms of British Columbia, the newest handbook from the Royal BC Museum. It’s perfect for anyone wanting to know more about BC mushrooms—whether for study, harvest, photography or appreciation.

Backroad Mapbooks (BRMB, $29.95) includes topo maps, park overviews and detailed trail and city maps of varying scales for every region of BC. Maps feature highways, logging roads, land & water features, parks, adventure points of interest, campgrounds, hiking trails, motorized trails, paddling routes, hunting & fishing areas, winter recreation and more. Have in the car for endless adventures off the beaten path.