Article & photos by Lenora A. Hayman.

It’s a sunny, wintery February day in Whistler and I’m frolicking in a bathing suit, outdoors between pools, in the snow. Yes I’m at the Scandinave Spa, 1.5 kms north of Whistler for a 3 hour afternoon of hydrotherapy to not only invigorate and tone my body, but also to produce the effect of intense relaxation during the enforced silence devoid of chatting, cameras and cell phones to get in touch with our inner selves.

This secluded, outdoor, 20,000 sq. foot complex of 2 saunas and 4 pools is surrounded by a cedar and spruce forest and a view of snow-capped Mt Sproatt. Alternate heating and cooling one’s body with the use of water revitalizes, maintains and restores health. I repeated the progression from the wet eucalyptus steam bath, causing blood vessels to dilate and remove body tissue waste to the chilled Nordic waterfall and pool causing superficial blood vessels to constrict and stimulate circulation. The jet streams in the 3rd and 4th hot and cold pools provided a wonderful pulsating massage before relaxing in the dry heat of the wood-burning Finish sauna and exiting to relax by an outdoor cedar furnace. Since it was winter, the warm solarium provided some downtime whereas on my previous summer visit  “catching some rays” in the sunshine was the order. Drink plenty of water to clear the toxins. Although my friends and I only chose the sequence of the hydrotherapy Scandinave baths, a honeymoon couple each  did a post massage package, including a Volcanic hot stone and a Sports massage.

Earlier in the day, in the reception area, where conversation is permitted, we had a lunch of a healthy apple raisin soup, a chicken stew and crudités, the traditional  French appetizers of sliced and whole raw vegetables with dipping sauce, supplied by Bearfoot Bistro. We therefore decided to try their fine dining as well, in the elegant Bearfoot Bistro in the Best Western Listel Hotel in the Whistler Village.

On arrival, we descended 14 feet downstairs, to the former parking lot below ground, to a 1500 sq. foot, softly lit wine cellar, holding  20,000 bottles of wine including 2100 wine labels and 100 different champagnes. Jean Sebastian Dupois “in charge of all things liquid” and Marc des Rosiers in Marketing explained Sabrage, the technique for opening a champagne bottle with the unique sabrage champagne sword used for ceremonial events. The force of the blunt blade hitting the lip breaks the glass separating.

The collar from the neck, with the cork and collar remaining together. According to legend, Napoleon would saber a champagne bottle prior to battle. If well done, they knew they would win the battle, but if not, defeat loomed ahead! Andre Saint Jacques, the proprietor, holds the world record for sabring 21 bottles in a minute. After Jennifer, in our group, sabred a bottle perfectly, we drank the champagne with oysters before ascending to the dining room. Pre-dinner guests, were listening to the piano styling’s of Cameron Chu while holding champagne glasses with spikes not stems, to spear into the crushed ice rail along the bar to keep the champagne chilled.

We chose Chef Melissa Craig’s 3 course menu with wine pairings. Maryke Vandermarel, the Sommelier, introduced us to the Swan Riedel decanter for serving our red wine. Wine is poured into the wider opening of the swan’s tail which also forms a natural handle for serving. The wine is offered into the glass through the long narrow neck. The Swan decanter separates sediment from older wines while permitting the younger ones to aerate and mature.

Guests are given the choice of either a white or black napkin to accompany their dining experience. Ladies, please, remember to gently dab your lipstick-covered lips with a paper tissue before eating, to avoid staining any cloth napkin!

A glass of chardonnay from the Meyer Family Vineyards ‘09 Tribute Series had hints of white peach, fig and honey. This paired nicely with my starter of intertwined yellowfin tuna and hamachi with slivers of Japanese salty umeboshi plum, fresh jalapeno and pickled shitake, followed by a hard cider granita as a refreshing palate cleanser.

My main course of Altantic lobster of 2 claws and tail was thoughtfully served without the shell and nicely moist on top of an Italian triple-cream mascarpone cheese ravioli. Martin’s Lane Riesling 2009 single vineyard was crisply elegant.

Nadja Mathys, the server, explained that my pavlova dessert, was built with 2 slices of “pav” , one a crispy meringue square and the other the spongy section filled  with pink grapefruit and the Philippine kalamansi, a hybrid of tangerine and kumquat which made it nicely exotic.

We were delighted when their famous nitro ice cream was prepared tableside. Rich flavoured cream was infused with liquid nitrogen and vigorously beaten to aerate the mixture which froze quickly, forming small crystals and acquiring a smooth magnificent creamy texture.

For some post-dinner fun, we suited up in Canadian parkas and woolly hats and followed Jean Sebastian into the Belvedere ice room. We bellied-up to the frozen bar for a selection of vodkas  from 50 kinds displayed in ice sculptured boxes.

What an unforgettable Nordic experience day excursion in Whistler!.

If you go: www.scandinave.com

www.bearfootbistro.com

by Keith Richardson

Keith Richardson

www.macseniors.ca

604.777.9365

Another busy month for this troupe of entertainers. As reported last month they had 14 bookings, far ahead of schedule.  Bookings have continued to the extent that the troupe is fully booked until October. At last count there are 22 confirmed dates. The ideal schedule has the troupe performing 3 shows a month, but this is sometimes exceeded. There remain some openings in October, the first week or last week of November, and up to mid December.

The troupe continues to support worthy causes with fundraisers. On April 8^th they performed at the Biltmore Cabaret raising funds for the Vancouver Police Museum. This was their 3^rd appearance at the Cabaret, having earlier taped TV shows on two occasions. Once again the event was a sell out.  On May 8^th there is a Mother’s Day Tea and performance in support of the Surrey White Rock Chapter of Osteoporosis Canada. It will be held at Christina Place, 1183 Maple St, White Rock.  There is limited seating and tickets are available by phone at (604) 541-4663, $10.00

In keeping with the mission statement of the Vaudevillians “to encourage and support young people in the performing arts”, they have now entered into an arrangement to co-sponsor the B.C. Junior Talent Search. The winner will be awarded the Fran Dowie Memorial Scholarship and an opportunity to appear at the Vaudevillian’s 8^th annual Douglas College bursary show at the Surrey Arts Centre on November 12^th, 2011.  This talent search is one of the largest in the Province. Last year they held more than 100 auditions prior to determining winners. Auditions are held at Central City in Surrey and finals at the Cloverdale Rodeo on the May holiday week-end.

On May 28^th the Vaudevillians, in conjunction with Kennedy Senior Recreation Centre, will hold a giant yard sale in the parking lot in front of the centre. As many as 15 tables are expected. Proceeds from the Vaudevillian tables will be used to upgrade performance equipment. Come on by, you might find the treasure you have always wanted, and there is a chance the troupe might break into song before you leave.  The address is 11760 88^th Ave in North Delta.

Jim Trimble

By: Janet Isherwood

A place for seniors and their families to speak out, share stories and ask questions.

Margaret Willson from Osteoporosis Canada sends in:

Debunking common myths about

osteoporosis

1. Osteoporosis isn’t a serious disease; it’s an inevitable part of aging.

While some bone loss does occur as people age, many individuals lose a lot of bone mass, very quickly, within a few years. This may result in osteoporosis, where bones become fragile and can easily break. The consequences of the disease can be severe, including pain, disability, loss of independence and even death. Simple daily activities, such as vacuuming, putting out the garbage or lifting a child, can result in a broken bone. Spinal fractures cause pain, loss of height, reduced mobility and a stooped posture. Hip fractures can result in death or disability and nursing home care.

2. Osteoporosis is a woman’s disease.

Although it is more common in women, osteoporosis is a serious health issue for men. At least one in eight men over 50 suffers from osteoporosis. According to a Canadian study of healthy men and women, the number of broken bones (fractures) of the spine is similar in men and women over the age of 50. With age, men experience multiple vertebral fractures. As with women, the cause appears to be osteoporosis. Elderly men account for almost 30 per cent of hip fracture cases. Men are more likely to die after a hip fracture than women. Fractures (broken bones) in both men and women often lead to significant physical and emotional problems.

3. I’m young; I do not have to worry about osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis has been referred to as a paediatric disease with geriatric consequences. During childhood and adolescence, we have the opportunity to build bone that will last us the rest of our lives; bone building actually peaks at age 16 for women and age 20 for young men. Building strong, dense bones when young may be one of the best ways to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures later in life.

4. I’m healthy, eat all the right things, and exercise regularly; therefore, I’m not at risk.

Although a balanced diet, rich in calcium and vitamin D, and regular physical activity are critical strategies for reducing the risk of osteoporosis, there are other significant risk factors that individuals must be aware of. These include:

o Family history of osteoporotic fracture (especially if your mother had a hip fracture)

o Long-term (more than 3 months continuously) use of glucocorticoid therapy such as prednisone, often used to treat such conditions as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, colitis, and obstructive pulmonary disease

o Medical conditions (such as celiac disease, Crohn’s disease) that inhibit absorption of nutrients

o Hypogonadism (low testosterone in men, loss of menstrual periods in younger women)

o Early menopause (before age 45)

o Excess caffeine, excess alcohol and smoking

5. It’s too late for me to do anything.

It is never too late to take steps to slow or stop further bone loss. Lifestyle changes – increasing calcium and vitamin D intake if these have been inadequate, becoming more physically active, reducing salt intake, stopping smoking – or taking medications for osteoporosis if appropriate and as prescribed by a doctor can all help to maintain, and even increase, bone density well into our senior years.

Lessons of life:

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I’ve aged I’ve  become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself.

I’ve  become my own friend. I don’t chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement  gecko that I didn’t need, but looks so avante garde on my patio.

I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM? or sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 & 70’s, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love…I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart  not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody’s beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion? A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think… I don’t question myself anymore. I’ve even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old.  It has set me free. I like the person I have become.  I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time   lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be.

I look forward to speaking with you all again next month. Let’s talk, mail your comments to:

cozycornernews@gmail.com

Cozy Corner P.O. Box

1196 Metrotown RPO

Burnaby B.C. V5H 4J8

By: Rubina Q. Karim of Edward Jones

Ten Principles for Living in Retirement

Like everyone, you hope for a comfortable retirement. That’s why you should put money away for your retirement. But once you reach retirement, which financial and investment strategies should you follow to help yourself enjoy the lifestyle you’ve envisioned?

You may want to consider these 10 principles to serve as a roadmap on your journey toward retirement:

1. Map out your goals. Although the word “retirement” means something different to each person, everyone shares the need to enter retirement with a strategy in place. Accordingly, you’ll find it helpful to write down what you want to do in retirement. Then you can determine how you’ll pay for it. As a starting point, list all your income sources (such as your RRSP and other savings) and your expenses (such as mortgage, utilities, food and travel).

2. Plan for a long and fulfilling retirement. You could spend decades in retirement. Keep this type of longevity in mind when you create investment strategies for your retirement.

3. Start smart with your spending. Obviously, you don’t want to outlive your resources, but withdrawing too much in the early years or retirement could put you in a difficult position down the road.

4. Inflation doesn’t retire. If you spend 25 years in retirement, prices could more than double, assuming a three percent annual inflation rate. Investments with growth potential can help fight inflation. That’s why you might find it’s important to own equity investments, even in retirement.

5. Prepare for the unexpected. Unexpected financial issues relating to your family or health can crop up during your retirement years. To prepare for them, make sure you have set aside adequate “cash” reserves. If the market has a few bad years early in retirement, you can withdraw money from cash and short-term securities rather than your investment principal.

6. Don’t “reach” for yield. To boost your cash flow, you might think about investing in high-yield bonds or in stocks that promise abnormally high dividends. Try to resist this temptation – you can find other, more prudent investment strategies for adding to your income during your retirement years.

7. Maintain a healthy portfolio. Health-care costs are a major concern for retirees. Take steps, such as exercising and maintaining a healthy diet, to keep yourself in good shape. At the same time, strive to maintain adequate health insurance.

8. Keep retirement from being taxing. Many retirees have investments in both registered and non-registered accounts. There should be a strategy in place to withdraw from these accounts in a tax-efficient manner. To manage your tax situation effectively, consult with a tax advisor*.

9. Define your legacy. Work with a qualified legal advisor to make sure your estate plans and the appropriate documents and arrangements – beneficiaries, will, power of attorney, etc. – are up to date. A proper estate plan can help ensure your wishes are carried out exactly as you intended.

10. Remember your annual check-up. Consult with your financial advisor at least once a year to make sure your investment strategies are still on track.

Member Canadian Investor Fund

Edward Jones, Member CIPF.

The above article is provided by Rubina Karim, a financial advisor with Edwar Jones in White Rock, BC. She welcomes you rquestions and comments at 604-542-2788.

By: Dan Propp

Accordion to statistics, if 25% of a society is dirt poor and an equal percentage ‘stone rich’, then from a mathematical average everything appears fine.  For instance, if the string section of an orchestra is out of tune and the horns absolutely at perfect pitch,  On the average, everything should appear to be sweetness and light.

The strings attached to the consumers, in the middle, appear today to be dancing to a cacophony stuck to the valves of increasing taxes and rising costs.  When a new leader is elected, the sounds are similar to Beethoven’s Pastoral symphony.  There are gurgling brooks of promises and green fields of hope for the cattle to graze on.  The media is in honeymoon mode as sweetness and light prevail.  Distant thunder clouds are still in the green room, putting their makeup on and getting into character.  Any foreshadowing is kept on hold until the star performer slips on stage left politically, or stage right.  Then some prompting with a few measured murmurs will begin to emanate from the back chorus.

Those seniors fortunate to sit in today’s orchestra seats stoically and sometimes whimsically enjoy the performance remembering leaders such as ‘Lester’, ‘Follow John’, ‘Pierre’, Joe Who?, ‘Flying Phil’, ‘Ike’, etc. on the world, national, provincial and municipal stages.  We reflect upon their soap boxes, entrances and exits.

Now, after the Campbell Soup, the thunder, the lightning, The Please Go Easy. ‘The Prince George Eventually’, the train slows down in BC.  Peace and tranquility return to the pasture.  There are rainbows in the sky, as we graze with idealism – despite the past – and hope for more than clever lines.  As in Shakespeare’s King Lear, “‘nothing comes from nothing”, those of us in the middle, remain the fools, always hopeful those years of promises from the players on the left, the right and in between will materialize.

There comes a realization that under the big circus tent of provincial politics, the original ‘intent’ somehow becomes lost due to whatever ensuing ‘show-biz’ unfolds.  With the lion tamers, jesters, and jugglers, anything is possible.  As a new premier takes centre stage, we hope metaphorically that the main engines of public education, health, social issues and families will indeed reach Prince George sooner than eventually. With a little bit of luck and sincerity, hopefully, most of the politics will be completely de-railed or at least remain in the caboose.                                                                                I KEEP A CLOSE WATCH ON THIS ACCORDION OF MINE

I keep a close watch on this accordion of mine.  I try to make sure the straps won’t fall off next time.  I’ll make sure the buttons hopefully don’t get stuck and bring an extra squeeze box, if I don’t have any luck.  Instrumentally, accordions are a challenge for the back to lug them on a bus or skytrain  takes quite a knack.  The driver says, “Are you leaving home again?”  “Yeah”, I reply, “still looking for that home on the range.”  The passengers look at me kind of strange. That accordion, just like me, is a dinosaur, yet it’s so much fun trying to bring back memories from Dino to Dinah Shore.

Visit www.danpropp.com for recorded song, radio interview and Arthur Propp’s memoir’s of Kristallnacht

By Mildred McDonald

Once upon a time, in those days (almost) beyond recall, each year when spring arrived, the Alberta prairie seemed to magically burst forth into life.  Meadowlarks atop pasture fence posts, warbled in the morning sunshine; and bluebirds artfully maneuvered twigs and bits of nesting material through the small holes in the twine box of silent binders.  Evening hours vibrated with an endless chorus of exuberant frogs in shallow sloughs.

Farmers with the discomforts of cold winters behind them, peeled off their long johns from beneath denim overalls, and sitting around the kitchen table by flickering lamplight, they pored over colorful seed catalogues.  Soon they’d be ready to plow and harrow their gardens, and with hope forever in their hearts, plant seeds and set out their tiny seedlings that had sprouted and grown on kitchen window sills since May.

Times in the early years of this century were tough!  And it was the custom of one of our neighbors to plant an even larger garden than most.  Mr. Meier was an enterprising family man with many irons in the fire.  He was a trader of renown and a dealer of anything: small calves, large hogs, horse hair, garden produce and junk!  Even so, there seemed barely enough cash for the necessities of life.  His livestock suffered most from lack of hay and oats; but perhaps it was not a priority that his animals be well fed.

His children sometimes drove to school in the wintertime with a team of pitifully thin horses.  That was probably when I first noticed Spike, (which was a fitting name to be sure).  He was a jet black rangy sort, large of frame and bony structure; and of indeterminate age.  Mr. Meier’s several offspring drove Spike and his mate Sparky mercilessly, pounding them on their bony rumps, caring not a whit that they seemed about to collapse.

One fall day, after a bountiful harvest, Mr. Meier hitched his team to the wagon, which he had loaded to overflowing with cabbages and turnips.  Bundling himself warmly into his threadbare mackinaw, he headed southward towards the coal mining town of Drumheller to peddle his produce.  Thirty miles being a major journey, he planned to be on the road for at least a couple days.

Late the following afternoon, his goods all sold (or traded), he turned his gaunt horses homeward.  Slowly and patiently they plodded along the narrow gravel highway long into the night.  Mr. Meier was cold and his bones were weary as he sheltered in the empty wagon box against the weather. Suddenly his eyes caught the gleam of a faint light ahead in the distance.  It rapidly grew nearer, and soon enough he realized it was an automobile that was bearing down upon him at an erratic speed.

As I’ve mentioned, the road was narrow, the night was starless   and Spike was as invisible as a ghost in the blackness of the hour.  He and Sparky continued to plod mechanically down the centre of the road   towards their warm barn. The driver of the car, not expecting to meet any one, especially a team and wagon on the highway at such a late hour, charged along down the middle of the thoroughfare, as was custom of the day (and night).

With a resounding crash of fender, the hiss of steam from the radiator and a muffled thud of horseflesh, the Model A farm vehicle rammed old Spike amidship; instantly crumpling him to the ground in a bony heap; to rise no more. The two drivers surveyed the mayhem with the aid of a kerosene lantern and one headlight; and made every effort to blame one another for the mishap.  Mr. Meier argued loudly and successfully that his horse had been worth ten dollars; and he collected the money on the spot.  He then untangled Sparky, climbed aboard his rangy back and rode on into the crisp dawn.

Following a hearty breakfast that his wife Rosie had cooked up for him Mr. Meier returned to the abandoned wagon with a team of fresh horses.  Tucked safely into his knapsack, he also carried his hunting knife.  He, being a dealer of renown, planned to skin old Spike, and sell his black hide for a few more dollars.

But alas!  When he at last hove into sight of last night’s disaster, he was horrified to find that some other enterprising person had already skinned the animal.  With heart wrenching disappointment, he hitched the horses to the wagon and returned homeward. . . perhaps to see if there were any more cabbages in the garden that he might peddle, a little closer to home.

By Ursula Maxwell-Lewis

Reaching up, I grabbed Nellie McClung’s right hand.  Held aloft in her left hand is a replica the Ottawa Journal headline dated October 18, 1929 declares: “Women are Persons…”

“Thanks, Nellie,” I said. From Suffragette Heaven, I’m sure she and her friends smiled.

Tagged the Famous Five for their determined fight for women’s rights, Nellie McClung, Irene Parlby, Emily Murphy, Henrietta Muir Edwards  and Louise McKinney are immortalized in bronze on the Parliament Hill park grounds in Ottawa.

The triumphant tableaux (created by Barbara Paterson and cast by Bronzart Casting Ltd. of Calgary) commemorates the women celebrating their landmark battle to have Canadian women declared “persons” under the law, and therefore eligible to sit in the Senate.

I stumbled on the bronzes by accident, but they – and the majestic bronze of Queen Elizabeth ll on horseback nearby – delighted me. If I’d known they were there I’d have brought tea along, joined them at the nearby bronze table, and reflected. Such determined and far-sighted women in Canada, plus Britain’s Emmeline Pankhurst who fought for women’s right to vote, set western women on the road we are fortunate to travel today.

Clambering on up to Canada’s Parliament I’m more impressed than I anticipate. Imposing portals, marble halls, chambers, and art depicting historic faces, names and dates which shaped my adopted nation were expected. More surprising, however, are the Library of Parliament at the back of the complex, and the Memorial Chamber located in the Peace Tower.

I must still be tuned in to Nellie and friends, because I take particular note of gleaming brass plaques honouring service women and nurses in the Memorial Chamber. Far above me the Peace Tower Carillon sports 53 bells weighing 66 tonnes.

Satiated with history, architecture and politics, I’m now off to prowl the eclectic ByWard Market in search of BeaverTails. If they were good enough for Barak Obama, they have to be good enough for me. And so they are. Warm, sugary, handmade, the ‘floated’ (aka deep fried) pastries are my perfect post-Parliament reward. I’d lobby for them any day.

Ready to relax, I’m glad my Lord Elgin Hotel room is just minutes by foot up the road near the War Memorial.  Still on my week’s agenda are the Museums of Civilization and Modern Art (walking shoes are key in this conveniently walk-able museum-friendly city), a Rideau Canal cruise and a ghost tour.

Aircraft have featured largely in my life so, despite Saturday showers, I’m taking a 30-minute bus ride to the Canada Aviation and Space Museum.  I’m delighted to find Lower Mainland pilot Bill Cowan’s Ray Ban Gold Pitts Special parked at the entrance. It brought back memories of Bill, George Kirbyson, Al Hauff and Rod Ellis (formerly The Canadian Reds) thrilling Abbotsford International Airshow attendees with their aerobatic talents in the late 1980s.

Though well laid out in a single floor hanger-like building, I am surprised – despite the name – to find little space program history.  The aircraft collection and memorabilia still made this a worthwhile side trip.

Sunday being a day of rest (even on holiday), I’m booked for brunch on the Wakefield Steam Train to admire the autumn scenery while resting my weary feet.  The 93-ton heritage steam engine choofs merrily along between Gatineau Hills clad in brilliant autumn colours and the Gatineau River.  Personable tour guides, flanked by local musicians, share area anecdotes. Arrival at Wakefield means everyone offloads to browse village souvenir shops while the locomotive is pivoted on Canada’s last operating manual turntable. Then, it’s “All aboard!” for the return journey.

On Monday, my departure looms. What better way to adjourn an inaugural Capitol meeting than via tea (and a champagne toast) at the illustrious Fairmont Château Laurier. Rain taps the windows. Parliament is etched in the distance. My major debates are: which tea shall I vote for, and it is ‘yea, or ‘nay’ to scones and clotted cream, cheese, or perfect pastries? A premier way to bid Ottawa, “Adieu”.

If you go: No parking on Parliament Hill. Plenty of public parking nearby. All visitors to the Parliament Buildings must go through security scanning stations. Expect line-ups, and allow extra time. All facilities are wheelchair accessible. Verify that there are no building closures on the day of your visit. For more information go to http://www.ottawatourism.ca

By Weir Muir

Yes, that’s right – carrying coals FROM Newcastle. The old expression we knew always went this way, “Carrying coals TO Newcastle’ didn’t it? Well read on friends and see why I’ve made

such a change concerning the old coal mine on the island.

After being actively mined for a few years, it was abandoned as other more productive mines were developed elsewhere.  As was the custom in those days, the former workings and diggings left piles of debris, discarded sub-quality coal, rock and slag.  This practice gave rise to the activities of a few, who saw value in those abandoned heaps and thus the practice of going ‘picking for coal’ began.  Good quality coal was often sealed in rocky lumps that could be chopped and picked away from the chaff to provide free fuel for the home fires of ambitious canny Scots.  There were many that worked the coal mines in the district. My father, grandfather and uncles were part of that early legion of coal miners, displaced from Scotland and seeking a new and prosperous life in Canada. So it was that the entire Muir family once upon a  morning, rowed themselves in shifts across the narrow passage to Newcastle Island.  The boat was borrowed from a friend, and its size and dilapidated condition would not permit them to take everyone all in one trip, but Scots zeal prevailed and they shuttled across on one or more trips.

While Grandpa and the boys picked away at the rocky coal lumps, Grandma and the girls enjoyed the outing. Apart from serving the men their picnic lunch, there was little in the way of household chores to dampen salubrious spirits. My father George kept his brothers on track with the work at hand, while Grandpa worked along with them and supervised the day’s operations.

As the sun began its descent in the west behind Mount Benson, the work crew decided it was time to call it a day. It had been a good haul and half dozen sacks of useable coal had been salvaged.

Once again, the group was ferried in trips back to the floating dock at Brechin.  The eldest son, George(my dad of the future) was selected to take the empty boat back and load the sacks of coal, returning with only a few inches of freeboard above the vessels’

gunnel. By then it was dark, and the men decided to leave the coal in the boat and return in the morning to carry the sacks the three miles or so to their home in the southend of Nanaimo.

The next morning bright and early, the men rose and trekked to Brechin dock to retrieve the spoils of the precious day. But horror of horrors, the old vessel had decided that it couldn’t carry the load all night, and sank with all hands on deck. The hands of course being the sacks of coal so preciously hoarded the previous day. My Grandpa and the boys must have been in great despair, for the morning high tide made it too deep for them to even attempt a rescue. They forlornly made their way back to 415 Haliburton street to confess the disaster. Yet I suppose it was not all a dead loss, for Grandma and the girls must have had a pleasant carefree day on beautiful Newcastle Island.

Many years later, when George Muir was mayor of Nanaimo, he travelled back to Ottawa and managed to convince the C.P.R. that they should sell Newcastle Island to the City of Nanaimo for one dollar. Subsequently, the city conveyed the land to the National Parks of Canada, and to this day the island is a natural playground and park that belongs to the people. I visited it a number of years ago with my two sons, walking the trail along to Kanaka Bay not far from the diggings where the ‘coal picking’ took place.

Dad,- your leaky rowboat sank,- but beautiful Newcastle Island lives on for all to enjoy – thanks to you!

Weir can be reached at(604)533-1608 or Email  4weir@telus.net

Article & photos by Lenora A. Hayman

With 214 restaurants participating  Jan 24-Feb 6 in Vancouver’s Dine Out 2011, it’s the largest promotion of that kind in Canada and one of the most anticipated events for my friends and I. Phone lines were already busy on the reservation launching day, for the $18, $28 & $38 3-course meals plus suggested VQA  BC wine pairing.

To whet one’s palate there were some pre-events including 8 chefs competing at the Vancouver Aquarium for the Inside Taste: a sustainable Plate and Pairing Challenge, which the Refinery Restaurant won and the Boathouse Restaurant was awarded the People’s Choice Award 2011.

There were also Secret Supper Soirees where a private trolley car transported guests to 3 secret destinations in the evening, Dinner and Theatre packages, Dinner eaten Blindfolded in the Dark and Culinary Classes.

Anne and I both love seafood so the Coast Restaurant (1054 Alberni St. Van. 604-685-5010), one of the Glowbal group was a natural choice. This 7000 Sq. Ft space, with turquoise tones and ivory and wood accents, has a 24-seat oyster and chowder bar, 125 seats on the main floor and 120 seats on the 2nd level.

Exec. Chef Dennis Peckham created a great menu. Our cauliflower soup, smoked sablefish and brioche croutons, paired nicely with the grassy, citrus-infused Mission Hill 5 Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc.

Chris Seguin, our waiter, suggested a glass of Mission Hill ‘Reserve” Chardonnay with peach, pineapple, banana and toasty oak with my moist Qualicum Bay scallops, saffron fingerling potatoes, tomato fondue, eggplant ratatouille in a shellfish broth.

Anne chose with her duo of confit veal breast and braised veal short rib, herbed potato gnocchi dumplings and roasted parsnip, the Okanagan Painted Rock Syrah for its peppery herbal and cherry overtones.

The Mission Hill ‘Late Harvest’ Riesling, a great desert wine with pear, apple, quince and a touch of honey, concluded the evening with our flourless chocolate torte, butterscotch gelato with a butterscotch lollypop.

L’Abattoir Restaurant at 217 Carroll St. is located in Vancouver’s original jail, which was next to the city’s main butchery. Hence the name L’Abattoir. Chef Lee Cooper has worked at the Mission Hill Family Estate Terrace Restaurant and England’s Fat Duck. Jake Skakun, the Sommelier, has created a great wine list and Paul Grunberg GM/Co-owner with stints at Chambar and Lumiere is justly proud of this establishment.

The black and white French-tiled 1st floor featured cute ½ pint glass mason jar lanterns glowing softly over Shaun Layton, the mixologist’s bar, .and also a dining area in the atrium at the back.

Lili and I ate upstairs surrounded by the brick and beams and view through the window of the atrium below.

Lili was delighted that her salad of poached egg, Swiss chard, homemade ricotta cheese, and tomato sauce had the gluten-free quinoa(kinwa) grain-like pseudo cereal that is high in protein and has a nutty flavour when cooked.

I had the delicious confit of albacore tuna, lettuce, smoked pork fat and crispy bits and a glass of Tantalus ’09 Riesling with its nuances of apple and citrus.

We both chose the moist roast loin of pork, pasta with sausage filling and carrots with a glass of Arrowleaf Soltice Pinot Noir for its cherry, raspberry and spice tones.

Nadia Johnson, our food server, introduced us to a refreshing dessert of fizzy lemonade with blood orange sorbet, tapioca pearls and earl grey granite. Granite is a juice that is frozen to the slushy stage.

The following weekend we visited Patrick Corsi’s and Alex Tsakumis’ Q4 Al Centro in L’Hermitage Hotel( 780 Richards St.) During previous Dine Outs we had met GM Albert Chee at Joe Fortes and  Gold Pacific Kitchen and now he is  at Q4 Al Centro. Although Lili could have taken advantage of the complimentary parking for her car,  we wisely took the Canada Line so we could enjoy a drink at this Richards and Robson venue. Nelson Navasero, the barman, directed our attention to the 10×20 ft. Jason Gogo’s abstract painting in which the juice of the Napa Valley grapes created the bright red wine colour. You may sit at the 4-seater kitchen bar and watch Chef Bradford Ellis and his team create their masterpieces in the kitchen which included a Wood Stone Forno pizza oven. The natural cork flooring in the 70-seater dining area, not only absorbed the normal chatter but the clatter of a dropped spoon  at the next table.

We chose the light and fruity Antinori Santa Cristena Pinot Grigio 2007 with both the crab cake appetizer and main dish of moist herb crusted BC sablefish, fennel and tomato brodo or broth.

Lili concluded with a strawberry, lemon and orange sorbet trio and my ciaccollato of milk chocolate, marsala mousse, dark chocolate ganache and praline crust was deliciously decadent.

Dine Out’s final event was the Kronenbourg 1664 Brasserie Mystere. Although we knew the start time and the Roundhouse location, the mystery of the event was the name of the Chef. We cheered with the appearance of Exec David Hawksworth  who will be opening his own restaurant, Hawksworth, in May, in the Rosewood Hotel Georgia. Nick Relph, the Director of Marketing  for Carlsberg Canada who import the Kronenbourg 1664 French Beer was the M.C. guiding us through the two 1st courses of  either Dungeness Crab or a shaved fennel salad., followed by 2 main choices of Beef Bourguignon Short Rib or Roasted Sablefish.

The Kronenbourg 1664 Premier French Beer is golden in colour, with a malty aroma, fruit notes and a zing of apricot. For many at our table we welcomed our first experience of pairing fine food with beer.

As a special treat with our dessert of Yogurt Pannacotta, citrus, crispy vanilla wafer,  we were offered a glass of Kronenbourg Blanc Wheat Beer, a premium white beer with hints of coriander, grapefruit and cloves. We are pleased that it will be offered in specialty restaurants and select outlets in May.

Photos all by Lenora A. Hayman