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Galiano Island Life

Colonial Amnesia

I have been stuck for the past several weeks, unable to write my blog – I am getting this in just under the wire before the end of the month. I had planned, after writing about the history of Japanese Canadians and the charcoal kilns (and after that great clickbait title), to write next about our more distant forbears on these islands, the indigenous people who were here well before the white population arrived. Steve, my neighbor, had me over to see his incredible collection… Read More »Colonial Amnesia

Life On the Scrotum

I figured I’d better start with a graphic in order to explain my title. I have never heard anyone here on the island refer to Galiano’s shape as a long, crooked male member. However, I don’t really see how one can miss the obvious. Maybe this says something about me and John that we immediately viewed it this way. In fact, I was talking about our being on the testicles and it took John’s veterinarian friend, Rick, to correct me and point out that we… Read More »Life On the Scrotum

What Am I Doing Here?

Yesterday, I received an email from an old friend that explained why she couldn’t come for a visit to Galiano this summer. She patiently listed her upcoming trips, her hosting a very large party in early July, her C-level full-time job with possible travel to China, her positions on various boards of directors, and a variety of other activities I won’t go into. It made me laugh out loud to realize the contrast between her existence, based in London, and mine here on a rather… Read More »What Am I Doing Here?

First Impressions

We are settling in to island life and getting accustomed to new patterns. In this blog, I share three lessons of living on Galiano Island that we have come upon in our first two weeks of residence. Lesson #1: It’s all about the view! John thought our love affair with the view might be temporary but it seems that he may be wrong. We are so smitten with the outlook, the changing weather, the wildlife that we can see from our decks and our living… Read More »First Impressions

Galiano Here I Come

I’m just recovering from a bout with Covid, having managed to evade it for over 3 years. I contracted it on Mother’s Day when my stepmom, Gail, started feeling rocky toward the end of brunch. She went home, tested herself, and found out she was positive. Three of the six of us other than Gail at the brunch were infected. I had a difficult several days and then rallied quickly, even without Paxlovid, but am left with no sense of smell and a reduced sense… Read More »Galiano Here I Come

Gorgeous Grizzlies and their Humans

I’m writing from a floating lodge in the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary in Northern British Columbia, quite close to the Alaskan border. We arrived yesterday via float plane from Prince Rupert to a lodge run by a small staff of mostly locals that can host 10 guests at a time for 3 day/3 night stays in this remote wilderness.  When we left Vancouver on the flight to Prince Rupert, I could see out my window that the waterways around the airport and as we headed… Read More »Gorgeous Grizzlies and their Humans

Berkeley Bound

Tomorrow, I will be flying back to SFO from Kelowna via Vancouver.  I feel slightly terrible to be getting on a plane the day before Thanksgiving as virus cases escalate everywhere but I had always planned to come home at this time so I figure if I don’t come back now, it’s not clear when I will be able to.  I’m packing my own lunch to eat in the Vancouver airport and will be masked, wiping surfaces, and spraying my hands regularly along the way. … Read More »Berkeley Bound

Whistling from Whistler

After the election, I received at least one thank you for having helped Biden squeak out a win by our not staying in Vancouver that night and risking a repeat of 2016.  John and I were happy to make the sacrifice of heading to Whistler and are gratified that it worked.  We had a nice couple of days despite some rain on day two and three.  The Nita Lake lodge, where we’ve stayed once before, is a gorgeous retreat at any time of year.  It’s… Read More »Whistling from Whistler

Holding Our Breath

A heartfelt thanks to those few of you who have commented on my blog, either by putting a comment on the blog itself or by sending me an email after reading it.  Sometimes it feels as though I am blogging into the void as I’m only aware that one or two people are out there.  Any acknowledgement I receive is so appreciated.  My most regular commenter is Susie Haddon so THANK YOU Susie!  But also, to anyone else who has let me know that they’ve… Read More »Holding Our Breath

Very Vancouver!

Ahh, life on the 28th floor in the West End of Vancouver is a big change from being in Vernon or wine tasting in the Southern Okanagan.  It’s urban living and we’ve been here a week now and are loving it.   On our first full day, we took a walk and a water taxi to Granville Island and then back to have a drink at the bar at the Sylvia Hotel.  It was a gorgeous evening and we had an amazing view of English Bay.… Read More »Very Vancouver!