Dec 8-11, 2016
Yeah, we had Big Big snows! The winds were not being very kind to us either... And so, for the next few days, I had tiny tiny walks, mostly around our property.
On the Friday, Colin took the water taxi home from Vancouver. (Here's a shot of it I took in September, arriving in Coal Harbour, downtown Vancouver.)
Normally, it's a pleasant 30-minute ride, but on Friday they were navigating in huge 5' swells! The boat's engine overheated and konked out. They were adrift in the ocean! :o Colin texted me nervously while the boat's captain tried to cool the engine with sea water, as huge waves crashed over him. Fortunately, he succeeded, and they were on their way again, but after that nerve-wracking experience, Colin was happy to stick close to home for a few days. ;)
Ok, I must admit, it was not simply fear of the weather which kept us close to home. There was actually a lot of work to be done, shovelling and clearing snow off of paths, trees, and various building areas.
Here are some of the access paths we shovelled out near the house, as we knocked snow from the trees in our yard. No bananas handy, so I used the dog for scale. ;)
During a break, I looked out of our upstairs window. I could see the neighbors outside, shovelling our lane.
Due to the zoning on Bowen Island, our home was not actually *physically* on the street of our mailing address. Our "Shire," as Colin often affectionately called it, was only accessible via footpaths or via a small paved lane, off the main city road. In other words, our lane was not actually a public street on public property. It actually crossed through two of the neighbor's properties, so technically it belonged to them. In fact, it was merely a right-of-way easement for our little enclave.
That meant that the municipal snow ploughs would not come down and clear it. They would also not do any repairs or maintenance on the road. Based on the contracts we had all agreed to, it meant that all of that kind of thing was left up to our four houses to share, in both cost and responsibility.
I had seen all this information on the land title documents for our house, when we were purchasing it. Before moving in, I had wondered how well that would end up working out, but here they all were, at the first opportunity, all doing their part. :) Colin grabbed a shovel and headed out to help. I snapped this photo before joining them as well.
On the ground, the tree was too heavy for us to even shift around, let alone right. So we went over to the neighbor's house, who we knew had some expertise in landscaping, to ask for advice. They generously donated a bag of dirt to cover the root-ball, and suggested we wait out the snow.
However, it was not long before I reached an impasse. Normally, the trail passed between a row of evergreens on the the left, and a grove of bamboo on the right. At that moment, both were simply a single large crushed pile, covering the path.
I could see that the trail beyond the big pile was clear, but despite the optical illusion of another clear path around the bamboo (off to the right in the photo below), that right-hand path was not passable either. I should have put something in the photo for scale, because it looks like one could practically just step right over the blockage, when it was actually over my head in height.
I spent some time freeing the bamboo from the snow, but they never rebounded fully upright. A closer look at their stems revealed some pretty harsh damage.
I also spent some time trying to free the evergreens, and was dismayed to see at least one trunk cracked and twisted under the weight of the snow. I also couldn't free them all, as the incline was too steep on that side of the path. With that path still for all practical purposes impassable, I backtracked to the house and started again.
Taking a new tack, in a different direction, I managed to free some smaller bushes, a large huckleberry bush, and a large honeysuckle. Although, it, too, didn't rebound back to upright, and obstructed the path. Fortunately, this path was next to an open area, which, although steeply inclined, was still passable.
Back at the house, I was surprised to look out the window and see a visitor! He walked along our trail and right onto our deck. I noted how he walked straight to the railing, right at the place where our home's previous owner used to leave out peanuts in a bowl. ;)
Having been starved of his usual Kitsilano daily stimulation since being on-island, our dog Rory was VERY interested... and a little confused.
A little bit later, we were startled by a big THUNK! A bird had hit our window, and dropped like a stone, straight down into the snow. Looking out the window to the trail below, I could see the bird laying spread-eagled on its back, motionless. I stood in shock and grief, thinking how the poor thing had killed itself.
However, after a couple of minutes, it suddenly jumped up onto its feet, breathing hard and looking dazed. I crowed in delight. I grabbed my camera to zoom in and get a better look. My bird book identified it as a Varied Thrush. What a beauty!! After a few more minutes, it flew away, as if nothing had happened.
The one walk we managed to squeeze out during that period was to Snug Cove to the old Bowen Island Pub, on Dec 10. But that was in the evening, and so I didn't take any photos in the dark. I did, however, take a couple inside the Pub, for posterity, since the Pub is scheduled to be demolished soon.
Above, I'm enjoying a Persephone Stout (made in Gibsons). Colin had a Fat Tug, by Driftwood Brewing in Victoria. I was actually impressed at the selection of local (B.C.) microbrewed beers they had on tap.
I wanted to write a little more about the history of the Pub, but at the time of writing, I couldn't seem to find my source. I remembered reading that it was actually a barn, at one point, and that it grew by adding on little pieces at a time. I thought I remembered something about gatherings there in the 1960s... but I couldn't figure out where I had learned all that! If I find my source, I'll add some more in here later.
The Pub itself was like hundreds of others you might find in rural BC. I felt like I might have been there before, even though I knew I was remembering other pubs on Vancouver Island. There was lots of wood decor, a bar, pool table, a small stage (at that time set with tables, where we sat to eat), and an "audience" area set with tables and chairs.
A large patio outside was covered in snow and lit with holiday lights. I had heard that there was often live music here, but on this night, there was none, and actually, not many customers either-- likely the rest of the island was even more snowbound than we were, and the customers present were the folks willing and able to walk there in the snow.
The Pub menu was pretty standard pub fare. We ordered the Gaspé poutine and the potato skins. Because you can never have too much potato for dinner... :/
One thing that stood out for me was the Grey Whale parked outside... lol, no it wasn't a real whale, but rather a big "designated driver" shuttle van. They would pick you up at home, and drop you off again after imbibing. Since we were within walking distance, we didn't need it, but I thought it was a great service to offer.
A friend of mine recently suggested that I'm living the life of a demoted scholar-official from Classical Chinese poetry. hahahaha. I humbly offer this poem in reply:
ReplyDelete"I was surprised my quilt and pillow were cold,
I see that now the window's bright again.
Deep in the night, I know the snow is thick,
I sometimes hear the sound as bamboo snaps."