Knock knock knock… Trick or Treat!
<silence>
Sorry kids, they’re not over from Vancouver this weekend!

That’s exactly what I thought when we moved here.  Then I learned that everyone goes to the fire hall for Halloween, the kids dress up in costumes, and we all relax by a big fire.  Sure, I’ve got fond memories of sprinting door-to-door on the Canadian prairies, while trying to avoid sliding on black ice when I was a kid.  This version just seems so much more civilized.

Every year, the fire department lights up a bonfire, roasts hot dogs and brews up a big batch of hot chocolate.  The community gets together and has a great time; the kids play, and then they put on a pretty nice fireworks display.  We’re into year 3 of living here, so now we’ve definitely got a wide range of friends in the community, and I’ve moved from being a paranoid city parent, to being a laid-back island parent (it probably has something to do with Rei being in school now too).

I’ve attached a short video from the night.  Some of it is filmed Blair Witch style, so if you’re likely to get motion sickness, might give it a miss (you’ve been warned!)

Having moved here from Alberta where multiple days of -30 degree weather are a given, winters on Mayne Island are a dream come true. It rains quite a bit, rarely snows (although last year was an exception) and the temperature only drops below freezing for a few days. The population of Mayne drops to about a thousand people, and some of those people rarely leave their houses.

If you’ve planned ahead in the spring or summer, you’ll have a good stock of firewood built up. Last winter, we found that we had a fire burning most days, and it really helped to cut down on the electric heating costs.

For me, it’s an ideal time to buckle down and get work done. The outdoors aren’t really calling to me, so I can stay indoors and focus my efforts on computer work. I’m a big fan of staying in and watching movies, as opposed to going to the theatre, so that works fine.

The other bonus is that there is rarely an endless block of nothing but rain. It will break several times a week, and then the kids can get outside to burn off some energy. When we lived in Alberta, the temperature/wind just wouldn’t allow that for long stretches of time.

Winters are quiet and cozy. I actually prefer them to the hectic pace of the summer months.

I think that funk is fun, but I wasn’t expecting to actually recognize any of the songs (beyond maybe a James Brown tribute or two), but I have to say that I was familiar with 80% of their song list that night.  GUtGD played a number of songs that I wouldn’t with an awesome bass line, a beefy horns section, and really great percussion.  Combine great music with another one of chef Steve’s great buffet dinners, and I was left a happy customer.

I love that moving to Mayne Island hasn’t led to having nowhere to go/nothing to do.  Aside from all of the parties with friends during the summer (and there’s a fair amount), events like this make living on Mayne a really great place to be.  My sister and nieces are in town from Alberta, and they had a great time too.  While there’s the inconvenience of not being able to find sugar after 5:00 PM (my wife was baking for the farmer’s market one night and ran out), I’m still a firm believer that the benefits vastly outweigh the drawbacks.

What a great night!  Thanks again Peter and Leslie, and of course Get Up to Get Down for a really fun time.

Mufaro Marimba @ the Wild Fennel

Question: what do you do on a Sunday night on Mayne Island?

Answer: go watch a live Marimba Band and eat delicious food (slight disclaimer: doesn’t happen EVERY Sunday).

For the second year in a row, we went to see Mufaro live at the Wild Fennel.  It’s a really great time, the music is amazing, and the kids love it because they get to dance and play various instruments that the band brings with them to shows.  Instead of running their usual menu, the Wild Fennel offers up a buffet of chef Steve’s (always) delicious food.

I’m far from being a Marimba aficionado, but you just can’t help but love listening to Mufaro play.  Their music is so energetic and upbeat that if the food doesn’t put a smile on your face, the music is sure to.

On the menu last night: ribs, tuna, vegetarian lasagna, pasta salad, tossed salad, and a raspberry chocolate cake that co-owner Peter undoubtedly had a hand in making.  I hope Mufaro is back again next year; seeing them is definitely a tradition I’m willing to repeat.  If they do return, book your seats early, the event always sells out.

I was pretty excited about paddling the north shore of Mayne Island.  Not only would I be paddling past my house, but also I’d get to see Edith Point, which I’ve hiked countless times, from the water and get to check out the other houses along my street.  I thought that it would probably be fairly relaxing with somewhat interesting scenery.

We started out leaving Bennett Bay as the tide was coming in.  There wasn’t a lot of beach left when we headed out, and there was absolutely no beach to land on when we returned.  I managed to get in and out without going for a swim surprisingly.  Crossing the opening to Campbell Bay, I was really concentrating on my technique, and had a really good rhythm going.  We rounded the corner and started paddling along Edith Point.

There’s not much else I can say about the trip.  Turns out it was my least favorite paddle so far.  I don’t know if it was just my mood that day, but I didn’t enjoy the coastline as much as I was expecting and paddling felt like a chore.  When I got back to shore, I was tired, sore and didn’t really feel like I had accomplished much.  The tide was incredibly high, and the wind picked up half way through our paddle;  we were mostly paddling without any sort of currents (at slack), so if you stopped paddling, you would just stop in the water.  I’m willing to bet that this trip would be a completely different experience at low tide.

We made it to Oyster Bay and then turned around and headed back to Bennett.  Again, nothing remarkable on the return trip.  I had an interesting moment when I realized that between Active Pass the week before, and this trip, I had paddled around approximately half of the island.  I guess, in reality I’ve managed to do the entire shoreline now, but the consecutive week realization was kind of neat.

Bennett Bay, Mayne Island

The beach is such an integral part of summers in the Gulf Islands.  Mayne’s definitely got it’s share of beautiful places to worship the sun.  Bennett Bay is hands down the biggest and most popular.  We’re not talking wall to wall people, but you’ll definitely find a couple of dozen people there on a sunny afternoon.

Bennett Bay

Bennett Bay offers a great combination of sand and warm waters as well as natural beauty; it overlooks a part of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, and you can even see as far as Mt. Baker in the States on a clear day.  When I’m out and about with the kids, Bennett is definitely the beach of choice.  It’s generally sunny all day long (southeast exposure).

Campbell Bay

Campbell Bay early morning

Campbell Bay is extremely sheltered and has a smallish beach.  It’s mostly gravel, but does have some sand.  It gets a ton of sun in the morning, and is a great swimming spot in the afternoons as the sun warms the surrounding sandstone throughout the day.  There is a sign indicating the presence of a clothing-optional beach (Boulder Beach) at Campbell Bay, but it doesn’t seem to see a lot of use.

Campbell is a great choice if you’re looking for a quiet spot for a picnic.

Piggott Bay

On the south side of the island, you can find Piggott Bay.  It’s one of my personal favorites for scenery, but in all honesty, the beach isn’t the greatest.  There is usually a ton of driftwood washed up on shore, and there’s a quite a bit of seaweed.  It gets great afternoon exposure, so it can be nice for an afternoon swim.

Miner’s Bay

Marine life from one of the many tide pools

Not a bad spot to sit and watch ferries go by.  It borders on Active Pass which can have some crazy currents, so if you’re swimming with children, keep on eye on them.  The beach isn’t very sandy, but is mostly small gravel, so it’s still not a bad place to lie around.  It’s close to town (just down from the library), so if you’re making a day of it, it’s really convenient to be able to run up to the grocery store/bakery for supplies.

This is by no means an exhaustive list.  In addition to those listed here, there are a great deal of rocky beaches with great tide pools for a leisurely stroll and some fun exploration.  There are a ton of “hidden” beaches too, but what fun would it be if I gave away all of their locations? (okay, maybe in a later article)

Farmer's Market Preview on May Day

It’s Small, Everybody Knows (practically) Everybody Else

Depending on how you think about it, you can put that one in the “ups” column, or in the “downs” column.  Sure, there’s a raging gossip mill, and you sacrifice a little in terms of privacy, but for me that’s what building relationships with people is really all about.  If you’re going to make friends, you have to open up a bit, and let people into your life.  Gossip can be annoying, especially when it’s wrong.  Luckily, despite only having a population of about a thousand people, Mayne is diverse enough that if a nasty rumour about something/someone starts, generally the entire population doesn’t buy into it.  I’ve only been here a couple of years, but I can’t think of any examples of anyone being ostracized over anything.

The major bonus to being a small community is that I have no trouble letting my kids (3 and 5) play in the yard unsupervised.  We set a few ground rules about where they can and can’t go by themselves, but I really don’t have to worry about somebody kidnapping them.  Sure, there’s still that 1% chance that some lunatic will decide to vacation here.

Amenities

We’ve got two grocery stores, one gas station, four restaurants, a library that’s open two days a week (?) and a whole lot of hiking trails and beaches.  We don’t have a movie theatre, a swimming pool (but there is the ocean), or a place where you can buy milk if it’s after 7PM.  The happening social scene takes place at peoples’ houses, not at nightclubs or other after-hours spots.  Feel like ordering pizza or Chinese food?  You’re out of luck.

Edith Point, slightly off the trails

Pretty much everyone grows some of their own food, and it’s really easy to find fresh produce (not necessarily at the aforementioned grocery stores though).  Because there is no competition amongst businesses, some take advantage; expect to pay 20 cents more per litre of gas if you’re filling up on Mayne than in Victoria (we rarely buy gas here).

With that in mind, there are two major cities just over an hour away by boat.  If you can’t get it on Mayne, you’ll be sure to be able to find it in either Victoria or in Vancouver.

The Ferries

Hands down, the most frustrating thing about living on Mayne Island is the ferry system.  They are over-priced, and the schedules cater mainly to tourists, not residents.  For example, the last boat to leave Victoria most days is at 7:00 PM.  You end up planning your day around the ferry schedule, timing things perfectly to that you can run from place to place and still make it back home.  Otherwise your quick day trip over to Victoria turns into a rather expensive overnight at a hotel (especially in the summer).  In a sense, living on Mayne Island can be like living with really strict parents: if you’re not home by curfew, you might find yourself locked out for the night.

Campbell Bay early morning

Isolation/Loneliness

I get asked a lot if it gets lonely, especially in the winter.  I can’t quite figure this one out though, there are a thousand full time residents here.  I’ve never maintained a pool of a thousand friends in my entire life.  Assuming that I couldn’t get along with 80% of the people that live here because of personality conflicts (I’m just picking random numbers), there would still be 200 potential friends that live within 10 minutes of me.  It doesn’t get lonely but it’s far more peaceful.

It’s probably no surprise that some full time residents detest tourists.  I’m not one of them.  Tourists bring a different feeling to the island, and offer a different perspective.  Sure, there are some that are completely disrespectful of our home; they speed around the island, litter and complain loudly that there’s nothing to do, but I think most people have a pretty good idea of what Mayne Island is about before they visit.

I love living here, and I think that the benefits really outweigh the drawbacks.  I’ve always been fond of small town living, and both my wife and I agree that Mayne has been the most welcoming place we’ve ever lived.  It’s been incredibly rewarding to be welcomed into the community, and to make our life here.

Last night I had the distinct pleasure of paddling from Village Bay, Mayne Island to Oyster Bay.  This little adventure led our group of 15 through Active Pass and about as close as I’d ever like to get to a BC Ferry when not aboard one.

We started out just south of the ferry terminal in Village Bay.  There is a boat launch with a rocky beach there that was big enough for our group.  After getting everyone sorted out, we had a quick talk about what to expect, and what we should do WHEN the ferries went by (not if).

It takes a little under an hour to paddle from Helen Point on the south end up to Georgina Point on the north end.  You really don’t want to get caught in Active Pass when one of the large Spirit-class vessels making the Swartz Bay-Tsawassen run goes by; the wake tends to make a pretty nice swell that can introduce you to the rocks in no time.

Traveling with three experienced guides from Mayne Island Kayaking we timed it perfectly so that we arrived at the tip of Helen Point just as the Coastal Celebration passed us by.  At that point we rounded the corner  and paddled toward Miner’s Bay along the coastline.  Helen Point is beautiful to look at from the water — it’s a Native Reserve, and there are no structures on it, so it’s completely uninterrupted nature.

The second factor to take into account is that Active Pass is fairly narrow, and the currents can be quite challenging if you don’t have your timing right.  Luckily (okay, so it wasn’t so much luck as traveling with excellent guides) we started our trip at slack current (little/no current) and ended with a slight flood current.  Because of this, we really didn’t have to paddle at all between Laura Point and Georgina Point – the water pushed us along.

When we hit Georgina Point, we were graced with another pair of ferries (one going from the mainland to Vancouver Island, and the other going the other way).  In the end, because of the timing, the swells from the ferry boats didn’t affect us too much.  We were in fairly open water for both encounters.

We finished our paddle approximately two hours after setting out, and were greeted by a number of seals hanging out on the rocks at the entrance to Oyster Bay.  It was the perfect end to another great outing.