the north island restaurant report: where to eat in port hardy and port mcneill
I was sure that one of the downsides of moving to a small town in a relatively remote area would be a serious lack of food choices. I’ve been very…
Vancouver Island
drive and hike to the ocean: san josef bay
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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.
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.
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…