family time unplugged

We had an absolutely fabulous family adventure time on Saltspring and Mayne islands...10 days unplugged and loving it!! :D

The trip began with some drama when we hit bumper to bumper traffic on Knight st due to a car collision on the bridge. We were at 42nd when we hit the traffic and had about an hour to get our ferry reservation on time! ack!

After plenty of anxiety on my part (breathe Kathy breathe), and an attempt to try a different route, I calmed myself down as we inched along by trying to create a plan B in case we missed the ferry. Once I was satisfied we could still have a good day if we missed it, of course the traffic started to ease...and we made it to the terminal just in the nick of time! Missed our reservation...but not the ferry! Yeepa! then we just had to wait to get on the boat to finally stretch our legs from 1 1/2 hours in the car. Freedom begins!

The 3 hour ferry ride was full of running around and around and up and down and around a number of times and then some lunch in the sun on the deck. For some reason Sasha decided to sit on the bench across from us. Does that "I'm too cool for my parents thing" start so early?? hehe

We were very happy to land on the island and made our way to our campsite to set up, let Sasha snooze and relax a bit before doing some exploring.

We stayed at Mowhinna Creek which was a pretty good campground only 3 years old. The host was a retired fellow named Gary. His wife decided he needed to go back to work as he was making her crazy after he retired. So now he hosts the campground for summers and they winter at their home in Arizona where he can ride his harley in the desert. He was funny always zipping around on his golf cart. The funniest story involving Gary was the night that the guy camping next to us gave him a good scare by jumping out in front of him while wearing a dark hoody in the total dark of night. fyi, Gary drives around at night while holding a flashlight out front as his headlight. safe right? Tho it was a prank that Gary enjoyed in the end, while he was still startled he told Dude (not his name, but he was just one of those guys you would call 'dude') "you're lucky I didn't have a gun on me or I would have blown your head off you scared me so good!" Nice.

We did luck out with a playground right beside our site which Sasha made great use of! Mark and I would take turns doing chores (clean up after meals, etc) while the other played on the swings. And we had games we could all enjoy -wheeeee!

Sasha's pic of our table during breaky prep.
oh the joys of camping with a potty trainer ;)

On both islands we explored bays and waterfronts plenty. Fulford was our first place to explore on Saltspring...

While we were at Drummond park (another of many playgrounds we played upon) a little boy who got a hold of my camera changed some settings on me...so the next pic I took of the llamas (named after the Beatles) was a black and white one that i liked. I didn't even know I could take black and white pics - thanks Matthew! Fulford is the original hippy harbour and it is colourful and full of character. Here we sampled some food at the Rock Salt cafe which made a very yummy roasted yam quesadilla.


A great highlight was the day we journeyed around visiting farms, bakeries and the Saltspring Cheese farm. All 3 of us were in heaven sampling their variety of cheeses and had fun exploring the property where you can learn the whole process they use for making their cheese. Hard choice to make for our picnic snacking treats purchase.

I played fetch wth this pooch while waiting for Sasha and Mark to finish playing with the chickens. One of three friendly dogs you'll meet.

We spent lots of time in Ganges as it was closest to our camp site. Playing at Centennial Park playground, the amazing farmers market, an afternoon swimming in the public pool (and having our first shower in days!), and ice cream were highlights of our many visits.



There was something interesting to see in this park every day (one day we saw a guy arrested, but then many of us at the playground became curious when they let him go and arrested him a few more times before we finally saw the cameras - "oh...they're filming!") and always someone for Sasha to play with. She is actually quite confident in walking up to other kids and saying "Hi, I'm Sasha. wanna play?" A little less so when there are LOTS of kids, especially if they are bigger. Then she hangs back a bit to take it all in before figuring out what she wants to do and how she wants to play. So very interesting to watch how she engages with people. Shy to start and then quick to become the leader of things.

The day we picked up treats from farms all over we had a picnic dinner on the beach and some swimming (well, Sasha walked in a fair ways and I enjoyed a nice swim myself) to finish the day off with a nice sunset. One of those 'its a rough life' moments ;)


Artistic expression is found everywhere on this island and one super place to visit is Hastings House. A great place to explore as they have a crazy variety of scupltures scattered throughout the property. Here is a sampling of my faves along with scenic beauty of the place.




my absolute fave is this one: "the gatherers"

On our last night we dined at the Tree House Cafe which is a space that has had many purposes, one of which was a much loved teahouse run by the grandmother of a woman I work with at the museum. I have enjoyed hearing her tales of what it was like to work their during her childhood summers on the island. Anyways, we played on the docks while waiting for a table and then had the treat of listening to Valdi tell stories and sing songs while enjoying another fine meal. Sasha loved him and got up and danced and thoroughly entertained the couple at the table beside us. I love that they have music every night through the summer and that you can just bring your own chair and sit outside to enjoy the music without dining in the restaurant! We need places like this everywhere!

Our last evening at our site was my ultimate moment of the whole trip. Every night Mark and I played scrabble and enjoyed reveling in the insane feeling of being surrounded by stars. So weird to camp without a fire every night, but after the first or second day I got used to it. Aside from one evening which was really cold (really...I had socks on and numerous layers on my body as well!) the weather was so beautiful we got by without flames just fine.

After getting Sasha to sleep, Mark and I were playing a final game when our neighbour to the other side of us (not the 'dude') began playing his guitar and singing some of the most beautiful music...it was perfect acoustic sound for the setting. We wrapped up the game, turned off the lamp and sat back to take in the stars one last time in the giant patch of sky we were under, while listening to his wonderful songs. At one point I saw a shooting star just as he was singing about dreams coming true and I said to Mark "this is such a ridiculously beautiful moment I can't believe it!"

how could we not have sweet dreams with an end to such a fabulous day as that? happy camper indeed!! :D
Sasha is a little blackberry monster and can spot a blackberry bush a mile away (almost literally). The campground of course had many bushes to graze upon, so the last day we had a blackberry pancake breaky before taking down the tent and packing up the car (beauty of no rain is no tarps!)

Before catching our ferry to Mayne island we went for a visit to the Saltspring Vineyards for a tasting and Raven Street Market Cafe for lunch. "Eartha" who is the feminin symbol seen all over the winery, and on the labels of their bottles of delight, represents the woman who lead the charge to protect a tremendously large chunk of the island that had been slated for clearcutting. From the vineyard you can see the hillside where the company had began its clearcuts before the women rallied, organized, fundraised by doing a tasteful nude calendar and other tactics and stopped the clearcutting of those lands. I really like how they honour everything they love about the island on their label, and while your are enjoying the tasting every story and food sample served to enhance the flavour is connected to local foods and culture. Sasha was remarkably patient so we could savour the experience, and the woman hosting the tasting included her by serving her 'wine' in a glass of her own, making it a truly family friendly treat.

The Raven Street Market and Cafe was our favorite food of all our dining out experiences. Certainly the best of the 3 we tried for the childrens options. perfect balance and portion and all of our meals were thoroughly enjoyed! mmmmmmm

A quick ferry ride and we were soon on Mayne island to visit our friends Jonny, Kristen and Jacob. What a fantastic time!! So nice to catch up as we haven't seen them since our visit to see them 2 years ago while they were living on Cortes Island. If they keep moving around we figure we'll eventually see all the islands in no time, hehe.

We made the most of our time with Jonny in the first couple of days as he had to head back to Pender Island for work during our stay. (looks like that will be our next island to explore once they move there) You won't be surprised to hear that my favorite place we visited was their community garden which was huge, had a great labyrinth and best of all a cob building to admire! Fab-u-lous!!!

cute tree frog

Sasha and Jacob spent time playing every day. Around the house, exploring the bay where the seals live (on that big rock...tho they look like rocks from a distance too) and wandering for blackberries anywhere they can find them.


"ooby scooby go!" A quick vid to show what they did back and forth on the porch for ages.



One night their friend came over with his son and we enjoyed a game nite, with kids dancing and playing in the living room while we grown up kids played Cranium. Awesome fun. And the funniest moment of all was when Sasha came into the kitchen and said "I really like the Riley boy. Is it ok if he sleeps with me in my bed tonight?" OMG!!! I still cry laughing every time I think of it. Or maybe I'm crying thinking about what we're in for when she REALLY gets into boys...oy. ;P


We had one day of exploration just the three of us and we chose to visit the Japanese garden as there is also a playgound and waterfront to enjoy all in the same area. Every art piece, bench, and many of the plants and trees in the garden are in memory of the many Japanese people that were an important part of the islands beginnings. During the war they were all sent to internment camps when governments rounded up all Japanese residents and stripped them of their land, but the islanders have never forgotten their important contributions.





Right outside their door...deer and beautiful scenery












More pics of Sasha at play.




Our journey to Mayne island would not be complete without a little sightseeing of one special thing - COB!!

Almost every book I've read on natural building alternatives, especially cob (usually a mix of mud and straw) has referenced properties on this island. And one building in particular that I was super keen to see up close was the Hobbit house.

Kristen checked in with the woman who is currently renting it and she was kind enough to let us in so we could marvel at the inner beauty too. You can see pics of the inside here, as I didn't want to invade her privacy by sharing pics of her stuff with the world. It is really amazing just how much bigger it is on the inside than it looks from photos. I'm very, very much in love with the idea of molding a home of our own out of cob and other materials...one day! Along with the Hobbit cottage there were 2 other cob homes we went to look at for further inspiration. We will be sure to sign up for some cob building projects happening in Vancouver full of renewed eagerness to do some hands on learning! :)




After the tour we shared some hugs of gratitude with our friends and went on our way to the ferry for our journey home.

back to the city...


Full of fond memories of 10 days well lived and enjoyed...and a deeper connection to the beauty of gulf island life. From the strong local currency supported on Saltspring, fantastic markets and farms, the creative and laid back energy on both islands, splurging on quality meals in unique restaurants (we dined out a couple of times on Mayne too!), time with friends, and grand family aventure full of fun and learning about positive alternatives and enjoying the simple things in life within rich natural environments. Every time I come back to urban life after time unplugged I am full of a deeper thirst and appreciation for the slow life! ;)