Ever since we moved here, I’ve been fascinated with our town’s proximity to Cape Scott Provincial Park. Cape Scott is a wilderness park, accessible mainly through the rugged North Coast Trail — for very serious hikers, i.e., not us. But I’ve read that some small sections are more accessible for
Continue readingTag: Vancouver Island
wmtc: winter drive: alice lake loop
A few weeks ago, we took a scenic drive known as the Alice Lake Loop. We read there were various short hikes and natural attractions along the way. We may have missed some stops or turn-offs, as it really was mostly driving and very little walking. On the other hand,
Continue readingwmtc: winter hike: beaver lake and port alice
We’ve had so many gloriously cold and sunny days! I don’t know if that’s unusual for January and February or if I was oversold on the rain, but I love it. The temperature will range from around -3C to +4C (mid-20s to about 40 F), which barely qualifies as cold,
Continue readingwmtc: things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #30
At the Port Hardy Library, we’ve been hosting visits from the local First Nations school, from the the Gwa’sala-Nakwaxda’xw Nations. (That is pronounced GWA-sala Nak-wah-da.) The children have been absolutely lovely, and although my contact with them is brief, I’m enjoying it so much. It’s especially wonderful to have the tweens
Continue readingwmtc: thank you, nanaimo! the ndp government survives
Thank you, Nanaimo! With all the personal blathering I’ve been doing, I forgot to write about something very important! There was a by-election here in BC: a seat in Nanaimo would determine if the coalition government — the balance of power a mere one seat! — would survive. Translation for USians.
Continue readingwmtc: my first island off the island: a brief stop in sointula
This week I drove down to Port McNeill — about 30 minutes away, and the home of one of my libraries — and took the ferry to Malcolm Island, to visit another of my libraries, in the town of Sointula. I traveled with a co-worker who does programming and support
Continue readingwmtc: the north island report: update on us
Things continue to fall into place here, a little at a time. I’m enjoying our quiet weekends. Allan is off every Saturday, Sunday, and Monday; I work Saturdays until 5:00, then I’m off Sunday and Monday. This is more time off together than we’ve had in a long time, and
Continue readingwmtc: more trip pics on flickr
More photos from our drive west are now on my Flickr page: here. I’ll also be adding to the sets vancouver island and vancouver island north as we explore.
Continue readingwmtc: the view from here
This is the view around the corner from our place, maybe 100 metres down the main road into town — when it’s not raining.
Continue readingwmtc: another piece to check off the list: we have a new vet
We knew there was a veterinary clinic in our area, the North Island Veterinary Hospital. But I was a bit concerned. This is a bias a mine, perhaps unfounded, but in my experience, people in rural areas may be less vigilant about the health of their dogs and cats, leaving
Continue readingwmtc: the north island report: about that rain
The first few days after we arrived in Port Hardy, the weather was beautiful for late November. It was overcast, occasionally sunny, but around 8-10 C, with very little rain. Through December, it’s been raining off and on — mostly on. Occasionally it’s cold enough for freezing rain or light
Continue readingwmtc: the north island report: expense check
One thing we had heard about Vancouver Island as compared to the mainland is that everything would be more expensive — groceries, wine, personal care products, and so on. We’ve been looking at our receipts and discussing them (practically daily!) and we don’t find this to be true. I was
Continue readingwmtc: week two of training and counting days to go home
It was wonderful to have Allan and Diego with me this weekend. The weather was “cold” — cold for the island, between -2 and +3 C — and wet, and I wasn’t prepared for that, so we didn’t do a lot. We went to Ideal Cafe twice, a famous local
Continue readingwmtc: training continues: another perspective on the lovely island
I’ve decided to stop referring to my new employer by its full name. The communications director already casually mentioned that he read one of my recent blog posts, because it came up in his daily media sweep. It was a very positive post, and he kept the conversation very light
Continue readingwmtc: the vancouver island report: two more days of training and on to campbell river
I’ve completed another two days of training and orientation. It’s been pretty awesome. In the past three days, I’ve had a tour of the Nanaimo Harbourfront branch, which is something of a showpiece and central library, and a tour of the Nanaimo North branch, which is new and beautiful. I’ve
Continue readingwmtc: guest post: allan and diego’s first week in port hardy
Allan wrote some really nice things about our new life, both in emails to me and on one of his non-baseball blog. With his permission, I’ve collected some of them here. * * * * I drove into town today, thinking I would go to the library and museum, but
Continue readingwmtc: first day of work braindump
I’ve just finished my first day of training and orientation at Vancouver Island Regional Library. I have a lot to report on! Much of this may be of interest only to library workers, especially my union buddies. I took notes all day, and I’m getting it all down here —
Continue readingwmtc: a walk on the bay and a drive to nanaimo, plus photos of the rockies
I am in Nanaimo and will be in Campbell River, for two weeks of training. My former co-workers in the Mississauga Library are amazed and envious. Training in Mississauga ranged from nonexistent to inadequate. I’m at a lovely hotel in Nanaimo with a view of the harbor, but I’d much
Continue readingwmtc: eleven things about our new life in port hardy
Here are some really nice things about our new life in Port Hardy. 1. It is very quiet. In the house, we hear bird song, the occasional barking dog, a car going by. No sirens, car alarms, bus announcements, school bells, screaming children. We have never lived anywhere quiet. It’s
Continue readingwmtc: port hardy day one: perfect fish and chips, bad movers, wild wildlife
Coming to you live from my own desk and my own computer, from internet in our own place — after my first full night’s sleep in ten days. Yesterday was quite the day. The people who I hired to unload the truck arrived early, and unpacked the truck in record
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