september/october
the magazine of urban living the arts people food homes
HOT DESIGN Front door styles swing wide open IT’S NOT ABOUT THE STUFF Why families can lock horns trying to settle estates ROCK
OF AGES The lasting allure of Victoria’s stone houses
HOT PROPERTIES Cobble Hill’s Frog Song Farm does rural with style TEE, ANYONE? Golfing the Island in any season
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evardboulevardb 16 features
36
110
departments
16. A BATTLE OF WILLS
42. LIFE, ILLUSTRATED
12. EDITOR’S LETTER
95. TECHNOLOGIA
Don’t let an ugly vase
A daughter inspires
The lure of life-long learning
So you wanna buy a new
break up your family
an illustrator to award-
By Denise Rudnicki
winning heights
36. IF THESE WALLS
By Katherine Gordon
13. LETTERS to the EDITOR A word from you 14. CONTRIBUTORS
COULD TALK
52. BEAUTIFUL
Victoria’s rare stone houses
BREWSKI BASH
have tales to tell
A toast to the Great
By Keith Norbury
Canadian Beer Fest
26. CREATIVE MINDS
By Robert Moyes
Persistence and flexibility
Meet some of our talented writers
build an art school from scratch
contents volume XX ISsUE 6 september/october 2010
columns 24. HAWTHORN University 101 spreads the love of learning By Tom Hawthorn 32. STATE OF THE ARTS Appreciate art by trying it yourself By Alisa Gordaneer 128. WRY EYE
86
Bain and the boys go “mild” By Ed Bain
By Rick Gibbs 56. FRONT ROW Unstoppable Joe Plaskett, 92, exhibits 60 works from his acclaimed career at
computer . . . By Darryl Gittins 100. BOULEVARD BOOK CLUB An epic tale straddles gender By Adrienne Dyer 106. TRAVEL NEAR Vancouver Island’s great golf courses By Keith Baldrey 110. TRAVEL FAR Wandering Europe’s watery webs by canal boat By Rick Gibbs
Winchester Galleries; the
114. LIBATIONS
Palm Court orchestra brings
The low down on
back the toe-tapping tunes
Down Under wines
of the Roaring Twenties;
By Sharon McLean
the 24th Annual Fringe Festival brings together performance art from near and far; tango and ballet
118. EATING IN Sensual meals for one By Elizabeth Levinson
combine in a vampire tale,
122. DINING OUT
and much more
Surveying the sushi scene
By Robert Moyes
By Elizabeth Levinson
66. HOT PROPERTIES
130. SECRETS AND LIES
A Cobble Hill working farm
Back to school with
puts the awe in authentic
Camosun’s Kathryn Laurin
By Denise Rudnicki
By Shannon Moneo
86. HOT DESIGN
ON OUR COVER:
Adoring the front door
Inviting doors. See page 86.
By Shannon Moneo
Photo by Vince Klassen.
122
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FROM our
Every September when I was young, my sisters and I would get a new haircut and a new school outfit along with shiny new school supplies. Mom would sign us up for that year’s piano lessons, swimming, and gymnastics. And then, when the first day of school arrived, she would film us with her Super 8 camera as we walked down our front steps, hair tidy, new outfit on display, marking the milestone of a new academic year. In the early years we smiled and waved; as we got older we mugged to put the camera away. Now decades later, September’s arrival still stirs in me the desire to start fresh — to sign up for classes, to embark on a new fitness program or really work at that Rosetta Stone Spanish course I bought a few Septembers ago. For me and for many who were indoctrinated by years of schooling, September is the real New Year. In this issue of Boulevard, starting fresh, making a change, or learning something new is a common thread. Tom Hawthorn’s column tells how the program University 101 is offering to the poor, the homeless and to others a taste of higher learning, changing lives in the process. Darryl Gittins helps us get that new computer and Alisa Gordaneer dares us to take a course in some artistic pursuit to not only expand our skills but to increase our knowledge and appreciation. In Creative Minds, Wendy Welch shows how easy it can be to awaken the artist within. Camosun College president Kathryn Laurin notes in Secrets & Lies that the average age of that institute’s students is 27, many of whom are coming back to acquire specific skills for a new career direction. You’ll notice, too, of course, a slightly new look to Boulevard. After 20 years of printing on newsprint, Boulevard has changed its paper, a decision that has been years in the making but is particularly timely now, in that it not only improves our environmental footprint but also better supports our aesthetic style and is in synergy with our new publication Boulevard Home out later this year. In all, we hope this issue of Boulevard will complement whatever changes and fresh starts you are contemplating this fall. Happy New Year. Anne Mullens Managing Editor Boulevard welcomes your letters at editor@victoriaboulevard.com or by mail. Submisssions may be edited. VB
12 victoriaboulevard.com
Boyd_Boulevard_Mar10_b
10:40 AM
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a visit to the dentist’s office should bring a smile to your face.
letters
YOUR
SWAG women’s legacy We wish to thank you for the article on the early work of the Status of Women Action Group (May/June). It was gratifying to hear from so many women in response. Also playing important roles at that time were the Victoria Professional and Business Women’s Association and the late journalist Elizabeth Forbes, whose Victoria Daily Times column provided in-depth coverage of women’s status issues. Kathleen Ruff, SWAG’s first president, also inspired many women. Today, women’s influence is being felt more in the areas of governance, business, academia, science, medicine, education, trades and trade unionism. Unfortunately, women still dominate the low-paying job markets and the poverty rate for women is higher than for men in general. Child care is still not regarded as an important profession. It has not been easy but our daughters continue to press forward. Thanks again for highlighting the issues. Susan Nickum and Norrie Preston Victoria
2/19/10
Trouble in paradise? For sheer fatuity, the Forever House (July/August Hot Properties) would be hard to beat. To quote Henry Thoreau (who lived in a one-room cabin he built himself) as justification for this gigantic, expensive structure for two borders on obscenity. Not many years ago, Salt Spring Island was as close to paradise as it gets in this world. Thanks to consumers and projects like this, it is now just another suburboid zone of costly and dubious environmental “friendliness”. Jon Blair Sidney
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victoriaboulevard.com 13
BOULEVARD the magazine of urban living the arts people food homes
President John Simmons Vice President & Publisher Peter Baillie VP Finance Melissa Sands Associate Publisher Linda Hensellek Managing Editor Anne Mullens Associate Editor Vivian Smith Art Director Jaki Jefferson Production Jaki Graphics, Kelli Brunton Principal Photographers Gary McKinstry, Vince Klassen Advertising Linda Hensellek, Alicia Cormier Pat Montgomery-Brindle Debbie Alcadinho Administration Coordinator Janet Dessureault Pre-press Kelli Brunton Printing Teldon Print Media
ourcontributors Adrienne Dyer always writes the Boulevard Book Club column with a view to finding the next great read, and this month’s selection doesn’t disappoint. Her pregnancy was decidedly apropos, too, given the book’s subject matter. It isn’t easy to mix motherhood with a successful writing career, so Adrienne thanks the hilarious group of women in The Leaf Turners for making her job seem more like play than work. And by the way, it’s a boy, Graham. Katherine Gordon is an award-winning nonfiction author. Her sixth book, We Are Born With the Song Inside Us, will tell the stories of some remarkable young B.C. First Nations people. Gordon’s profile of children’s book illustrator Dean Griffiths describes his own remarkable story, the unexpected significance of his latest prize-winning book and its relationship to his inspiring and beautiful daughter Holly. SHARON MCLEAN was awarded a travel scholarship
by Wine Australia upon completing the prestigious Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Diploma in 2009 with the highest marks in Canada. The trip saw Sharon smell and taste her way through all the major wine regions in South-Eastern Australia this past spring. She happily shares her experiences and insights into Aussie wines in her Libations column. KEITH NORBURY is a local writer and editor whose
family history in Victoria dates back to the 19th century. His writing has appeared in national publications such as The Toronto Star, Avenue Magazine, and The Globe and Mail website, as well as in most Victoria publications. He has long admired stone houses, like Mount Thule overlooking McKenzie Avenue, for their grandeur that combines natural beauty and craftsmanship. VB
46,000 copies of Victoria Boulevard ® are published bimonthly by Boulevard Lifestyles Inc. Mailing address:1845B Fort Street, Victoria, BC V8R 1J6. Tel: 250-598-8111. Fax: 250-598-3183. E: info@victoriaboulevard.com W: victoriaboulevard.com Victoria Boulevard ® is a registered trademark
YOUR NAME COULD BE HERE as a contributor to our new Stories By feature. Unleash your inner writer and send us up to 400 words of your best non-fiction writing on the theme of “home.” We are keeping it vague to give you the greatest latitude. Make us laugh with a humourous
of Boulevard Lifestyles Inc. All rights reserved.
anecdote or make us cry with a poignant one. Paint an evocative picture
No part of this magazine may be reproduced
of a time and place. All submissions will be edited. If your piece is chosen
without the publisher’s written permission.
among those to be published, you will be contacted. To submit your
Printed in Canada.
story, go to victoriaboulevard.com, click on the “Enter Stories By” link and follow the prompts.
A BATTLE OF WILLS Families can be torn apart over their parents’ estates; explaining helps keep the peace
By Denise Rudnicki photo by vince klassen
The sisters shared a bedroom as little girls, giggling and playing dress-up and arguing over which Beatle was cuter. One of the older sister’s favourite memories is of being sent out to rake leaves each fall, and the inevitable moment when rakes were thrown aside and the girls dove laughing into the crisp, smoky-smelling pile. When their mother died in 2004, the older sister took a vase from the house. She remembers her mother saying she wanted her to have it. It’s a blue vase with orange flowers. Not pretty. Not valuable. But the younger sister was devastated. To her, it was proof that their mother always favoured her sister. The older sister tried to give the vase to her sibling but it was too late. Their relationship was shattered. The sisters have not spoken for six years.
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It isn’t an unusual story. In fact, it happens all the time. Families are torn apart by fights over their parents’ estates and not only by arguments over the big things — jewels and real estate and money. Fights over who gets the Christmas ornaments can be as bitter and wrenching as disputes over who was left a larger share of the parents’ estate. Indeed, the stories here are all true but none of the individuals involved are willing to give their full names. The hurt and fracture lines still run deep. The chances of acrimony are highest when there is no will, says lawyer Alan Peterson, who has been practising estate law in Victoria for 35 years. BC “People aren’t fighting does not keep a record, but Peterson estimates that about objects. They’re about half the overall adult population does not have a valid will. fighting about what Even when a will exists, siblings will fight. those objects mean,” While Peterson estimates that about 90 per cent of says Leah MacInnes. wills are administered smoothly, the rest become battlegrounds. “I see the hurt and feelings of betrayal, the battles over the little things. It’s the surprises that cause problems,” he says. Stephen was surprised when his mother left one of his brothers the dining room table from the family home. It wasn’t just a table — not to him. It was the heart and soul of his family, holding happy memories of childhood Christmases, birthday parties and family dinners. For some unfathomable reason, it was going to his brother. “I lost it,” says Stephen. “I was furious. It’s crazy but I felt like I’d been rejected by my mother, and I hated my brother for it.” Stephen always felt he lived in his brother’s shadow and he thought his mother’s death might liberate him from that old family dynamic. But the loss of a parent and the stress of his or her death highlight cracks in relationships, says family therapist Leah MacInnes. It can thrust into the open all the unresolved hurts and misunderstandings of the past. “People aren’t fighting about objects. They’re fighting about what those objects mean,” she says. And so seeing a vase or a table or the Christmas ornaments go to a sibling “feels like a slight — like rejection by a parent. It can be seen as a withdrawal of love.” It’s avoidable if families would talk openly about their wills, says MacInnes, but that can be hard — aging parents do not want to acknowledge their impending
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deaths and their children do not want to be seen as greedy and grasping. Too often parents assume their kids will sort things out among themselves and that they will be fair. The trouble is often nobody agrees about what fairness means. People who used to play “I Spy” in the back seat of their parents’ car will accuse one another of terrible unfairness — looting the parents’ home or hiding the real value of objects. Alan Peterson suggests three key ways to avoid these damaging fights. First, talk about the will. One child may get more for a good reason. For example, one may have given up a career to move in with and care for an ailing parent. Too often parents Talking about this beforehand gives the assume their kids will siblings the chance to sort things out among accept and support the decision. Early discussion can also dissuade a parent themselves and that from a bad decision, like cutting someone out of a everyone will be fair. will just because they The trouble is no one haven’t called in three years. Sometimes, leaving agrees about what a child out of a will could be justified but talking, fairness means. explaining and getting the family’s support is critical. Bring your adult children into the discussion before the will is written. Ask them what they want to do with the family home or the cottage. One of the children may have a strong, emotional attachment to the cottage while another might be happy giving it up in favour of a greater portion of the estate. Give people a chance to work out a solution that makes everyone happy. Second, update your will every 10 years. The value of that coin collection or first edition Hemingway could be significantly higher than when you first wrote your will. A second marriage, especially if children from a previous marriage are involved, can lead to terrible inequity if a parent dies without updating a will. Horror stories abound about second wives favouring their own children at the expense of a deceased husband’s first family. Third, be specific. At such a stressful time, it’s hard to stay calm when you’re taken off guard. The goal is to make sure there are no surprises. While this does not mean that parents need to tell their children how much they own or what everything is worth, it does mean making it clear who gets what — and why.
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Explain in advance why one child is getting the Inuit print and another is getting the Persian rug. People are much more willing to accept decisions once they understand the thinking behind them. “Do your executor a big favour,” Peterson says. “Make a list of your stuff and where you want it to go — jewellery, paintings, tools. These things are loaded with memories and you want to prevent battles over clocks and rings.” You also want to avoid a court battle. The BC Wills and Variations Act allows a child or spouse to challenge a will if they feel it does not divide an estate properly and fairly. If the complaint is successful, the costs are Explain in advance borne by the estate. Sometimes the costs are why one child is paid by the estate even when the complaint is getting the Inuit print unsuccessful. That’s left to the court’s discretion. and another the Peterson says if a case goes to trial, it can easily Persian rug. People cost upwards of $50,000. That’s what happened are more willing to to Stuart and his sister. accept decisions once Their mother left her estate, valued at about $60,000 to Stuart, the older they understand the brother. She did not like her daughter’s husband, thinking behind them. suspecting him of a drug habit that would drain the inheritance. The sister challenged the will and Stuart fought back. The subsequent court case ate up the entire inheritance in legal fees and split the family. This is the last thing parents imagine for their children but therapist Leah MacInnes says that the death of a parent has the power to pull a family apart. “People become cut off from one another because they’re hurting, and it’s easier to stay cut off than to reach out.” Reaching out is hard but worth it. Many families do put their love and unity ahead of squabbles over clocks and rings. They see the little girl they built forts with, the little boy who protected them from the school bully, and instead of fighting each other, fight to protect those relationships. That means letting go of past hurts and recognizing that sometimes, a vase is just a vase. The BC Ministry of the Attorney General has an excellent general information site about wills and estates, see ag.gov.bc.ca/courts/other/wills_estates.htm VB
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hawthorn By Tom Hawthorn
She was nervous at first, but now Eve Walker knows the joys of University 101: 30 more are about to follow her
Before heading off to the first day of class, Eve Walker prepared dinner for her sons. When the babysitter arrived, she caught a bus at a stop near her Esquimalt home. She left an hour early to ensure she could get her bearings on the campus of the University of Victoria. She was nervous. “I walked around and watched people,” she said. “I was looking at other people going about their way and comparing myself to them. I’m starting on this new journey. The anticipation was crazy.” Here she was in her 30s, a single mother of two boys, a high-school dropout on welfare, with health problems that often left her fatigued, and she was headed back to the classroom. Walker had been accepted into University 101, a program that offers a free introductory course in the humanities to people who otherwise could not afford it.
The program, launched five years ago, provides teaching in an academic setting for the poor, the homeless, the disabled, the single parent. No credits are needed to get in, nor, for that matter, are any granted. It is learning for learning’s sake. A different professor delivers a one-hour guest lecture for each class in English, or history, or philosophy, or film studies, or women’s studies. Graduate students host one-hour discussions afterwards. All volunteer their time, the reward coming not in salary but in the joy of sharing knowledge. University 101 provides all course materials, including pens and notebooks, as well as bus fare and child-care subsidies. When you’re poor, the budget does not allow for $5 return bus fares and even writing paper can seem a luxury. Remarkably, the entire program runs on an annual budget of about $75,000, covered by grants and individual donors, some as large as Telus, others as modest as the Spiral Cafe. Each class begins in a room off the cafeteria at the University Centre, as students and teachers and teaching assistants mingle over a meal. The students are a mixed crowd, including older men who have retired from labouring jobs, woman who have raised families, people with mental-health diagnoses or others with an addiction history. A new session starts in September with 30 students. More than twice that number applied. Looking back on her first day on campus, Walker would compare it to an out-of-body experience. The grind of her daily life — the household chores, the skimping on groceries, the paucity of adult contact — was so far removed from the excited chatter of a university lecture hall that it seemed surreal. “It made me remember some of the dreams I had when I was younger of wanting to go to university,” she said. She wondered if she’d be able to complete the course. Born in 1969 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., young Eve had a peripatetic childhood. Her mother, raising a daughter on her own, moved to the West Coast when the girl was four. They lived for a time as squatters in a tent on Long Beach, the girl wandering the expanse of sand on her own, enjoying outdoor meals with surfers, drop-outs and back-to-the-landers. Mother and daughter later lived in Union Bay in a shack with no electricity or running water and with an outhouse in the back yard. A stepfather entered the picture, as did the first of three little brothers. The family moved to Terrace and, later, Tsawwassen. She endured sexual abuse, a prolonged experience that “caused chaos for me.” In high school, she thought about becoming a nurse, but ended up dropping out in Grade 12. She worked a succession of jobs — for a florist and at a bakery, as a waitress and a forestry technician.
A son was born. Four years ago, when she was living on Saturna Island and cleaning houses for a living, she had another son. Then, she moved to Victoria. Walker suffers from depression, as well as fibromyalgia, which leaves her feeling exhausted. At the same time, she knew she could not just go from one low-paying job to another. “I wanted something more like a career, not just a job to make ends meet.” She also knew she had to address some of her own issues. “I think the biggest barrier was my own self,” she said. “In the past, I’ve been my own worst enemy, getting in my own way. There was always that self-defeating voice in the back of my head, saying, ‘You can’t do it.’ ” Walker heard about University 101 at the Single Parent Resource Centre on Gorge Road East. After attending an information session, she applied and, to her delight The program and apprehension, was accepted, an old dream provides academic of studying at university suddenly a possibility, even if it was not leading teaching for the to a degree. Going to school was “a highlight of my week.” She poor, the homeless, enjoyed the adult interaction she did not get at home. the disabled, the More importantly, she found the encouragement to enroll at Camosun College, where single parent. she is now studying office administration. When she graduates, she hopes to get a job at a medical clinic. At 41, Walker has more options today than she has had in some time. University 101 proved to her her own capabilities. “I could do it. It was possible.” One class in particular stood out. She was fascinated by a lecture on astronomy. She struggled to explain the significance. “Super novas. Black holes. I was awestruck by the beauty of it all. The more we learn the more we don’t understand.” In her newfound appreciation of the wonders of space, she found an analogy for what University 101 meant to her. “My own universe,” she said, “is opening up.” VB
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“I always dreamed of learning art, but I didn’t have the guts to try. I was afraid of failing,” says Fujinama, who credits Welch and VISA with encouraging her to carry on despite initial challenges created by her lack of experience. Other students echo Fujinama’s sentiments. Victoria Williams, a 49-year-old government employee taking her first VISA course, appreciates the way Welch encourages students just “to do” and not worry about the outcome. Diploma student Trish Lawton, 56, who has been commuting from Nanaimo to take classes, says all the teaching at VISA is “top notch” and that she was initially attracted to the school because “it didn’t feel like academia.” That encouraging atmosphere isn’t accidental. While teaching at the Victoria College of Art (VCA) on Bank Street, Welch saw the need for a school with a flexible curriculum that was connected to the contemporary art scene and offered mature students the opportunity to study part time. In the spring of 2004 she applied for the directorship of the VCA, deciding that if she didn’t get it, she would open her own school. VISA teacher John Luna, who at the time was seeking work in Victoria, remembers Welch discussing the possibility of a new school and himself saying, “Well, great, give me a call in a year.” Welch replied, “No, I’m going to do it now,” adding a teasing, “I’m a woman of action — watch out!” Luna chuckled but would soon learn she was serious. Welch asked Marlene Bouchard, one of her VCA students at the time, if she’d like to help should she establish a school. Bouchard, 34, now a VISA graduate and full-time artist, recalls thinking that Welch’s plans were ambitious but offered to contact her after returning from a few months of travel. She called in mid-September. “Oh, hi,” said Welch, “I opened a school and we’re moving in tomorrow — do you think you could drive the U-Haul?” The VCA had chosen someone else to be director and Welch had been true to her word. By July she’d procured a 1,000-square-foot space in a mixed industrial area on John Street. By September she was opening the school with 30 students already enrolled. To establish VISA she had to get a line of credit even though she didn’t own a house or car. Fortunately the banker suggested looking beyond conventional assets, and Welch, who spends most of her spare income on art, mentioned she had a significant inventory of purchased and personal works and wondered if they would be of any value. The collection was appraised and Welch got the loan. VISA soon outgrew the space on John Street and Welch set her sights on leasing the former Quadra Street Primary School, a 1921 Arts and Crafts building owned by the
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Victoria School Board. She got a firm no, which she promptly ignored. Luna recalls a prolonged period of Welch regularly saying, “I’m going to get that property.” She eventually did, following a series of what she describes as “tag team” approaches to individual board members. “It’s surprising what people will do when you are persistent,” she says. She’s also charismatic and, according to Luna, very good at involving others in her ideas. Welch describes herself as “social” and “community-minded,” and believes she was born for the classroom. “Even if I was one of those rare artists who can make a living through art alone, I’d still teach,” she says, noting that she loved to play school as a child growing up in Montreal. One evening at a course called Slash: Paper Under the Knife, Welch’s teaching skill is immediately apparent. As students enter, she involves them in friendly conversation about the projects they’ve brought to class. “How was it?” she asks one student. “I like how they all have their own personalities,” she says to a few others — referring to the projects — as they wander in. The students post their work for discussion. “What do you like about this one?” Welch asks the class, pointing to the first of 12 multi-layered, cut paper “drawings” on display. When one of the works partially falls apart, reconfiguring itself on the wall, she jokes about art having a life of its own and discusses the excitement of installation art, one of her specialties.
As the session develops she employs a kind of Socratic dialogue, drawing out the students’ knowledge, encouraging them to think creatively, and introducing various concepts. She explores the differences between art and craft and ponders the balance between spontaneity and deliberateness. She concludes the session by saying, “What a pleasure it is to see all this work.” When Vancouver gallery owner Jennifer Kostuik visited VISA at Welch’s invitation to speak and critique student work, she discovered not only Fujinama’s work but also a vibrant school of over 300 students, a number that impressed her. Amazed that VISA even exists given its limited resources (it receives no government funding), she credits Welch with creating an art school as good as any she’s seen. Welch has had offers to teach at university where she could earn more money, but she’s absolutely committed to VISA. She’s proud that students come to the school with limited ideas of what art can be and leave with their eyes opened. “I can see how art fundamentally changes peoples lives at the school,” she says. No doubt Kumiko Fujinama and many others would agree. Cost for VISA programs start at $12 for drop-in life drawing and rise to $2,400 for a year’s tuition for a degree program. Visit vancouverislandschoolart.com to learn more about VISA’s programs and its upcoming Art Incognito fundraiser on Sept. 10. Wendy Welch’s work can be viewed at wendywelch.com. VB
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Who among us has not watched a performance or seen a piece of artwork and thought, “Hey, maybe I could do that too, if I just tried”? We all do it. Part of the reason is because professional artists make it look easy, because they’ve practiced their art for so long. But part of it is, well, don’t we all harbour secret (or not so secret) fantasies of becoming rock stars, movie stars or famous artists? Or have a brave ambition to dust off the old high school flute, get that novel written, maybe audition for a show sometime? I’m offering you a challenge — one that, should you take it up, could change your life. Or at least make you a better audience member for the effort. I challenge you to sign up for some sort of arts class this fall. Painting, dancing, music, writing, theatre — whatever your dream is, there’s someone right here in this city who can help you not only get closer to it, but give you a greater appreciation of that art form at the same time. But wait, you say. It’s not that easy. No?
“Any one can learn art,” says Wendy Welch, director of Victoria School of Art (VISA), who is profiled in this issue’s Creative Minds. “If you’re taking a French class, you don’t expect to already know how to speak French.” Around Victoria a number of opportunities exist for learning to paint, draw and even sculpt. You can join Welch at VISA, or sign up for classes at the Victoria College of Art and Design. Local artists like Bill Porteous and Eva Campbell offer workshops in their studios or around town. Various art supply stores like Island Blue Print provide weekend and evening workshops or you can try a few life drawing sessions at Xchanges Gallery, where for a small fee you can sketch a live model (clothed or not) with a group of other artists. Watch the other artists at work to learn as much about technique as you might in a whole class session. The best part about any of these classes is the individual attention, as instructors offer tips on improving your technique regardless of your skill level. Once you start learning more about the language of art, about the techniques and ideas behind it, you’ll begin to understand more about what you’re looking at in a gallery. But still. Painting a picture is a somewhat solitary art, safely done in the privacy of your own lair. What about something even scarier like performance? What happens if you’ve always harboured the dream of playing an instrument or dancing? Anne Schaefer, director of the Larsen School of Music and an accomplished singer-songwriter, says, “learning and being challenged is wonderful, and often we don’t seek out those opportunities.” Once we leave the school setting, she says, we’re “not engaging in a conscious learning environment. When kids are in school, they’re in the zone, but once we’re done, we’re out of habit, out of practice. We become set in our ways and self-conscious.” Plus, adults tend to have something they do well already. “Going back to being a complete novice in something seems almost like an identity crisis,” says Schaefer. That’s why her school offers completely customizable programs for adults. If you want to play an instrument, but don’t know the difference between an oboe and a bodhran, you can sign up to try ‘em all out. Same at Lynda Raino Dance Studio, where it doesn’t matter if you’ve never danced before. “It’s all about the level . . . and the success of learning,” says Raino. “If they’re all learning a simple step, when the whole class has that together, there’s this common sense of learning . . . everyone’s eyes light up.” Raino cites the philosophy of needing to put oneself in the role of absolute beginner as a way of staying young and vital. She acknowledges that while her students are accomplished professionals, they’re putting themselves into
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an extremely vulnerable position by joining a dance class: “They’re very nervous. They’re terrified, in fact.” The key, she says, is to get moving right away, so that the critical part of students’ brains — that adult need to overanalyze everything — can shut off and learning can begin.
wanted to give theatre a try, but have never had the guts. Or perhaps they loved theatre in high school, but then “had to get a real job.” Rubin’s classes not only encourage participants to “refind that creative spark for themselves,” but sometimes it even leads them
“Everyone wishes they were in the arts, either as a painter, a dancer, a musician, a writer, and somehow everyone seems to think they could be, if they tried — but they don’t try,” says Anne Schaefer. “The fear lets go, they have the experience of moving — and then they can learn.” Of course, nobody becomes an instant prima ballerina or concert pianist, but by learning a bit more about performance, you can gain a greater appreciation for those who do it for a living. As Schaefer says, “Everyone wishes they were in the arts, either as a painter, a dancer, a musician, a writer, and somehow everyone seems to think they could be, if they tried — but they don’t try. Once they do try, they realize how incredibly difficult it is.” Even so, sometimes that learning process can lead to a professional path. At Kate Rubin Studios, Rubin says many participants in her adult beginner acting classes have always
onto a different career path, she says. “Some get more serious and start auditioning for stuff.” And some, she says, even go on to become professional actors once they’ve really honed their skills. But even if you’re happy appreciating the arts from the audience and figure you’ll never really want to fulfill those Academy Award-acceptance fantasies after all, remember this: the instructors I spoke with agreed that arts classes can make you a better audience member, too. “It develops a sense of audience awareness and appreciation,” says Rubin. So if you’ve always figured you could do art if you only tried, or if you simply want to make your life more interesting, why not give it a shot? Sign up for some kind of artsy lessons this fall. I dare you. Feel the fear, as they say — and make art anyway. VB
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By Keith Norbury photos by vince klassen
Set in
STONE
The hot properties of their day, Victoria’s stone houses still stand out as stately treasures
D
avid Bouchard calls his home, affectionately, “The Queen of Oak Bay.” No, he doesn’t live on a ferry boat. In fact, if Gwenllyan, as the house is known, could be placed on the ocean, it would sink like a rock. Its exterior walls are made of granite blocks more than half a metre thick.
grounds at the end of Gwenllyan, which are half a metre a meandering drive thick, were built of stone quarried off Island Road. The on the property. It still has its original home was built from slate roof installed over a century 1907 to 1910 for Dr. ago. This page: A rock wall Oswald Meredith borders the backyard of historic Jones, on the lee side Gwenllyan in Oak Bay. The stone of “Blueberry Hill,” house was a rare collaboration of what is now Anderson Victoria’s two most famous Hill Park. It was architects, Francis Rattenbury and originally a 17-hectare Samuel Maclure. (42-acre) estate. It even has some ghostly spirits, one of whom Bouchard, a Metis author of 43 children’s books, and his wife have named “Violet” — they think she must have been one of the servants. Gwenllyan is a rare treasure not just because of its ghosts and historical significance but because it is built of stone. Compared with other parts of the country, Greater Victoria boasts only a smattering of stone houses. Previous page: The walls of
“It took one stone mason three years to blast and lay every stone,” says Bouchard, who with his wife, Vicki, bought the house in March 2002. The 6,000-square-foot building was a rare residential collaboration by Victoria’s two most renowned architects, Francis Rattenbury and Samuel Maclure. “Every stone in the building was blasted from the site, which makes it even more special,” says Bouchard as he leads a visitor on a tour of the
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But the ones that are here are real treasures. In fact they were the “hot properties” of their days. Stone mason Bernd Behling says cost and Victoria’s location on the edge of a coastal rainforest account for stone’s rarity. “The prime building product here is still wood,” says Behling, who moved here five years after a long career in Ontario. “To me, stone makes a house a house,” he says. “It gives the appearance of splendour. It makes it look rich.” No wonder stone houses tend to stand out. Take, for example, the stately home atop the rock outcropping on the southwest corner of McKenzie Avenue and Cedar Hill Road in Saanich. Called Mount Thule, the house was built in 1912 for Jack “Long Gun” Irvine. According to Marcel Tessier, who with his wife, Claudia, bought the lower level of the house in 1990, Irvine earned his nickname for teaching the local First Nations people how to shoot. “This was derelict for quite some time,” Tessier says. Mount Thule has granite walls 46 centimetres thick, but neither Tessier nor Dorothea Wiens, who owns the upstairs part of the house, cited its stone structure as a primary reason for their purchases. Wiens was attracted to it because of its spacious rooms and its secure location. “It keeps it warmer in the winter and it certainly does provide some sound-proofing,” Wiens says of the stone. Few stone houses in the region are actually framed in stone. However, stone foundations are common in homes built around the turn of the 20th century, particularly in Saanich. Many other older homes are clad in stone veneer. An example of that is the 1912 heritage-designated house owned by Hans de Goede and Stephanie White on Kings Roads in the Saanich panhandle. “It’s a bit of a fake,” de Goede says of the heritagedesignated house that is a wood-frame building with 20 centimetres of granite veneer. As longtime captain of Canada’s national rugby team, de Goede earned a reputation for powering through stonewall defenses. The pounding he took on the pitch, however, couldn’t prepare his head for the sheer hardness of the granite header over the basement entrance of his house.
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“If you bump your head, it hurts,” de Goede says. That’s nothing compared to the financial pain he is bracing for as he prepares to fix the wall on the house’s west side, which has bowed out visibly from the wood framing. Cost of fixing that one 640-square-foot wall will be about $20 a square foot. A builder by trade, de Goede has already put his skills to work upgrading the interior of the house. The main floor sagged by about eight centimetres and had to be raised carefully to avoid disturbing the stone. “I was hesitant on it because it needed a lot of work inside,” says White. Ross Meek also knows the challenges of owning a stone house, although his 9,500-square-foot Craigmillar Manor on Tattersall Drive has stone cladding on the outside of the main floor only. Because the house, built in 1913, has heritage designation, he had to put identical cladding on the exterior of a stairwell he installed to access the basement. The pointing on the mortar even had to match the original pointing. “It’s pretty magical,” says Sarah Milner, who lives in one of the 12 rental suites in the house. “Everyone in town knows this place.” The area between Quadra Street and Blenkinsop Drive boasts a few other stone houses, including heritage homes
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The Kings Road home of Hans de Goede and Stephanie White is clad in stone veneer 20 centimetres thick.
Looking After Your Best Interests on Tattersall and McInnis Rise. Another Tattersall stone house is only four years old. Shelby and Dwain Assenheimer were inspired to clad their house entirely in stone after visiting southern France. “We were after something that was a country home,” Shelby says. “We saw lots of stone houses there.” They excavated and blasted four metres down, which yielded the material for the stone veneer, and then some. Dwain is a builder by trade and would fly out from Ontario, where he was still working at the time, to frame the house on his days off. He also built the patios of concrete pavers and poured the concrete sills for the house. The masonry, however, was left to JT Stonework and Landscaping. “Actually that was the first one for us to cover up all in stone,” says John Tavares who has been plying his trade in Victoria for almost 30 years after emigrating from the Azores. It took two men about two months to complete the work, which involved using joint cement that they left unpointed because the owners wanted to give the exterior a rustic look. “Some people drove by and said, ‘We really like the renovation you are doing,’” Shelby Assenheimer says. “That was a real compliment to us because they thought we were fixing up an old house.” VB
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cowichan
By Katherine Gordon
PHOTO BY GARY MCKINSTRY
For Holly with
Love
A self-taught children’s book illustrator draws meaning and happiness from his own daughter’s story
Duncan-based illustrator Dean Griffiths was delighted to receive the news that Maggie Can’t Wait, a Frieda Wishinsky children’s book for which he had penned the drawings, was shortlisted for the BC Book Prizes’ 2010 Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Award. As a first-time nominee, however, he didn’t expect to win. So when the book took top honours at the Book Prizes gala held in April at Government House, Griffiths was caught by surprise and without a prepared speech. But the slight, unassuming 42-year-old wasn’t fazed. He simply told his story, speaking from the heart about what the book means to him. Maggie is a little girl (depicted as a kitten) who proudly shows her friends a photograph of her adopted sister. They think the baby is ugly, and her excitement turns to embarrassment and shame. Ultimately, however, Maggie learns to see her new sister as beautiful, regardless of what her friends think or say. Initially, Griffiths said, he simply liked the story’s
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This Nursery Novel has many features for baby to discover!!
moral that beauty is only skin-deep. But that message was to gain much greater significance for him. Not long after starting work on the book, he learned he was going to become a father. Initial delight became despair when doctors advised that his unborn daughter had a serious brain malformation. If she survived to full term, she would never have a normal life.
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Despite those predictions, Griffiths’ daughter Holly was born in August 2007, with far fewer limitations than expected. “To me,” he told the enthralled audience, “Holly is a perfect little girl.” She does have visible signs of her condition: “Just like the baby in the book, her neck is short and her ears are unusually low, for example. But I think she’s beautiful.” As he kept working on Maggie Can’t Wait, however, Griffiths said he kept wondering what life would be like for Holly as she grows up. “That’s when I realized,” he concluded, “how important this story is.” Born and raised in Duncan, Griffiths visited his grandparents’ farm in Saskatchewan at age 12, becoming inspired there to become a professional artist. “There was no Internet or television,” grins Griffiths a few weeks after the gala. “I was bored and kept setting off all the clocks in
the house. It was driving my grandfather nuts so he bought me comic books, hoping they would distract me.” The ploy worked: Griffiths, who had never read a comic before, was mesmerized. “I knew straight away I wanted to make my living from drawing.” He spent the next few years devoting hours to practice but despite his dedication, he failed art at high school and did not pursue further art studies. Instead, he worked for his father, Gordon, a plumber. But the itch to become a professional illustrator didn’t go away and he continued drawing in his spare time. When an international comic book convention was held in Victoria in 1986, he couldn’t resist attending. “I was too shy to bring a portfolio with me, though,” says Griffiths. Griffiths hopes books “I just wanted to be there.” Griffiths’ father had like Maggie Can’t Wait different ideas. Convinced his talented son deserved will help children like a chance, Gordon secretly followed him to the his daughter Holly, convention. He accosted Howard Chakin, a celebrated as they struggle American comic book creator, and introduced him to the dumbfounded 18-yearwith teasing. old. Chakin listened to Griffiths’ story ideas and liked them: “He told me anyone can learn to draw, but expression, feeling and story can’t be taught. He said I had all three down pat,” remembers Griffiths. Chakin encouraged him to go to Europe, a market eager for his style. Griffiths was also approached by a small American comic book company representative asking for his portfolio. It was heady encouragement, but the bashful teenager felt he still had far too much to learn and rejected both suggestions, returning home to Duncan and a variety of odd jobs instead. Griffiths’ interest turned to children’s books in his early twenties, when he read an article describing the booming industry in that genre. “It talked about the good money professional illustrators could make and I got very excited,” he says. “Then I went to the library and started looking at kids’ books and got really enthused. They were so beautiful: I loved the idea of doing them.” Having only used pen and ink, Griffiths had to teach himself how to paint, often between shifts on his cleaning job, to translate his ideas from black-and-white to colour. In September 1994, he mustered the courage to send a portfolio to Orca Book Publishers in Victoria.
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Within 48 hours, Orca children’s book editor Ann Featherstone telephoned Griffiths and asked him to do a book. “I couldn’t believe it,” he marvels. “I never expected that it would happen so fast.” Featherstone, now freelancing, laughs at the recollection. “I took one look at his work and flipped!” she exclaims. “He is so talented. My first thought was, why isn’t this guy famous already?” Christine Toller was Orca’s art director at the time. “I fell in love with his work immediately,” says Toller. Griffiths had no experience, but both women were determined to give him a chance. “I was very confident about his abilities,” recalls Featherstone. “His drawings were perfect in their continuity and consistency, which is important for children’s books. He also had this sassy, quirky sense of humour in his work that I felt sure children would love.” Toller adds: “Dean’s work is very charming, with great attention to detail.” Griffiths has never looked back from that first book with Orca, The Patchwork House by Sally Fitz-Gibbon. He has illustrated another 27 children’s books. Maggie Can’t Wait author Frieda Wishinsky is a big fan: “I love how a good illustrator like Dean adds layers of humour and story to the text through his art. I especially love the way he conveys emotion. Dean decided Maggie would be a kitten, but she’s a real kid in her expressions and body language.” Griffiths also spends lots of time with Holly, now three. “She’s a very happy little girl,” he says proudly. “I tell her every day she’s beautiful, even though she doesn’t really understand that yet. She knows she’s loved. That’s what counts.” The importance of that parental love, says Griffiths, can’t be overestimated. Griffiths’ father, now 73, remains one of his biggest boosters: “He always carries boxes of my books around in his truck and shows them to everyone he meets,” says Griffiths, who is grateful for the unflagging love and support from his dad and mom Valri. “It’s what gave me confidence in myself.” That confidence, he says, is the best gift that a father can give his daughter. “Kids absolutely need the security of your love. It’s what gives them the courage to fulfil their dreams.” Through persistence and sheer hard work, the dream of making his living as an artist is now a reality: “I just love that I’m getting to do this,” says Griffiths. He also hopes books like Maggie Can’t Wait will help children like Holly, as they struggle with the teasing of contemporaries who haven’t yet learned to understand and accept differences. “I know there’s a little one out there who will have her heart calmed by reading this story,” he reflects. “I’m so glad I’ve been part of it.” VB
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SUDSIN SEPTEMBER Raise a glass to toast the Great Canadian Beer Festival
It was just after noon on a sunny Saturday in early September last year, and the emerald green lawn of Royal Athletic Park sported a couple of dozen white tents. Crowds were milling; a happy buzz filled the air. A blues guitarist pulling off some tasty licks was suddenly upstaged by the arrival of gypsy-meets-mariachi marching band Bucan Bucan, whose ensemble of trumpets, tubas and accordions included one guy with a horse costume hanging off his shoulders. There were stilt walkers, guys dressed as beer-themed superheroes and characters sporting “sunglasses” whose lenses mimicked the bottoms of beer steins. Celebrants wore everything from gaudy Hawaiian plumage to T-shirts with irreverent slogans: “What Would Jesus Brew?” and the ever-popular “BEER — Helping Ugly People Have Sex Since 1862.” Those of a more literary bent could ponder this wisdom: “Moderation sir, aye, moderation is my rule. Nine or ten is reasonable refreshment, but after that it’s apt to degenerate into drinking.” And then that beefy guy in a kilt occasionally mooned the unwary — flipping his tartan to reveal a backside collaged with beer decals. It was, in short, business as usual for the Great Canadian Beer Festival, an extremely well-run brewski bacchanal that sells out its 7,000 tickets in less than a day and draws fans and “libation journalists” from around the world. Started in 1993 in the Victoria Conference Centre, the festival has become so popular that it moved to its present site in 2003,
thereby doubling capacity for the two-day event that happens the weekend after Labour Day. “We turn 18 this year, and it’s the longest-running and biggest festival of its kind in Canada,” says chairman Gerry Hieter, who co-founded the festival with fellow beer enthusiast John Rowling. According to Hieter, the festival’s primary focus is “craft brewing,” smaller brewers hand-making a wide variety of beers with premium ingredients. Once regarded as a blue-collar beverage, beer is now blue ribbon: as sophisticated as fine wine, handcrafted beers are gourmet libations respectfully served in the most elegant restaurants. It only takes a few sips of a complex English-style ale or the tongue-coating Back Hand of God stout to appreciate the difference between these throat charmers and the bland — and heavily chemicalized — beers produced by mega-breweries like Coors and Labatt. This year’s festival, budgeted at $500,000, features over 60 exhibitors and 170 individual beers. Most breweries hail from BC, Washington State and Oregon, but Hieter brings in some of the most
text and photos By Robert Moyes
interesting producers from eastern Canada and elsewhere in the United States. “We’ll even help with the expense of shipping their kegs here,” he explains. “It’s all about having a great selection of all the different styles of beer.” They always present new exhibitors: this year is the debut of Moon Under Water (Victoria’s newest brewery) and Plan B Brewing Co. from Smithers. As a licence holder for the event, Hieter isn’t allowed to drink at it. But he has lots of advice for those patrons lucky enough to dip their beaks into anything from fruit-infused Belgian beer to a coal-black stout flavoured with chocolate and espresso. Get there early, because the most interesting beers do run out. It’s also a good idea to examine the guidebook before deciding how to proceed. “Some people are eager to sample every beer they’ve never had before,” says Hieter. “Others pick a style — such as an IPA [India Pale Ale] or a porter — and try all the different versions available.” He recommends people pace themselves with their drinking, as well as eating enough at the various food booths to soak up the alcohol. “Those four-ounce glasses don’t seem like a lot of beer . . . but it adds up,” cautions Hieter. “Ultimately, we just want to give people the best tasting event we possibly can,” he adds. “We are showcasing fantastic beers from all over and there is no reason for anybody to come to the festival just to get drunk. There are victoriaboulevard.com 53
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plenty of cheap bars for that.” Given that this is a beer festival where several thousand suds fans guzzle with gusto, it’s impressive that few problems occur. Credit the cadre of security personnel as much as the highly visible police presence. The vast majority of people who have bought their $30 tickets are mature enough to behave themselves. But when the festival is several hours in, the combination of too much alcohol and too much sun overwhelms some partiers. “We are constantly monitoring the crowd, and won’t hesitate to remove people who’ve had too much,” advises Hieter. “A dozen drunks get unceremoniously tossed out each year.” Even though Hieter doesn’t get to imbibe, it’s hard to feel too sorry for him. Part of his job involves travelling North America to slurp his way through various beer festivals in search of new breweries to showcase “I guess you could back in Victoria. Then say I’m passionate there’s life on the Hieter home front, which would about beer,” admits give a heart attack to ardent Prohibitionists like festival co-founder Carrie Nation. Part house and part beer museum, Gerry Hieter with a its décor largely consists face-splitting grin. of beer trays, posters, tap handles and coasters, “And I am pretty damn complemented by rows of exotic bottles ranging happy about my job.” shoulder-to-shoulder along mantelpieces and elsewhere. Down in the basement is a storage room filled with a dozen boxes of bottle openers, key chains, T-shirts and other beer-related memorabilia. The requisite fridge brims with bottled beers from around the world. And in the far corner, custom-fitted into a tiny fridge, is a 20-litre keg of Hieter’s favourite on-tap tipple, the tangy IPA from Victoria brewer Matt Phillips. It’s not surprising to find that this beer aficionado founded the Whistler Brewing Company back in 1987, or that he has just stepped down as executive director of the Craft Brewers Association of British Columbia. “I guess you could say I’m passionate about beer,” admits Hieter with a face-splitting grin. “And I am pretty damn happy about my job . . . a lot of people would take it from me in a heartbeat.” The beer festival runs September 10-11. Although tickets are sold out, it’s still possible to attend by putting in a shift as a volunteer. Those interested should visit the festival website and click on the “volunteer” button for information. VB
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By Robert Moyes
Front
Row
Five of Plaskett’s colourful Still Lifes from 2009, part of 60 works spanning more than 50 years, on show at Winchester Galleries. Right: Plaskett in his studio in 2000.
A Gershwin Fantasy september 16/17/18 royal theatre
Brian Jackson, conductor Janice Martin, violin, piano, soprano, aerial dancer
The Nylons Putting it Together october 21/22/23 royal theatre
Charles T. Cozens, conductor The Nylons
Beethoven Lives Upstairs october 24 royal theatre
Giuseppe Pietraroia, conductor Classical Kids
Halloween Fantastique october 30/31 royal theatre
Tania Miller, conductor Doug MacNaughton, baritone
JOE PLASKETT, KING OF COLOUR At 92 years of age, painter Joe Plaskett is seemingly unstoppable. BC-born Plaskett studied under Jack Shadbolt and A.Y. Jackson and, at the recommendation of Lawren Harris, won the first Emily Carr Scholarship in 1946. That early
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Pacific Northwest Ballet principal, Jonathan Porretta, performs Red Angels with the rest of the corps de ballet, Oct 15-16 at the Royal Theatre.
promise blossomed into a remarkable and productive career, with Plaskett spending several decades in Paris before settling in England in 2001. Despite that half-century abroad, Plaskett still defines himself as a staunch Canadian: he mostly shows here in Canada, and his paintings are coveted by serious collectors and institutions across the country. His latest show at Winchester Galleries comprises nearly 60 oils and pastels, with an emphasis on “tablescape” still-life pieces and florals. He’s an ardent gardener and has created a Monet-worthy garden at his home in Suffolk. A superb colourist, Plaskett works in a lush, sensuous style that recalls painters from Munch to Matisse, although his unique Impressionism is strongly underpinned by modernist impulses. At first glance a romanticist who chronicles a pleasing domestic realm, Plaskett takes subject matter that could be mere nostalgia and imbues it with a profound wisdom. “He’s one of the top Canadian artists, still operating at an extremely high level and exploring new forms of expression,” says Winchester co-owner Gunter Heinrich, who was in England this past spring helping curate the show. “And as a person Joe is simply fabulous — he’s intelligent, hard-working, gentle and very engaged with life.” Running from September 11 to October 2 at both 2260 Oak Bay Avenue and 796 Humboldt Street, 250-595-2777. FIERCE DANCING Dance Victoria opens a particularly strong season with an appearance by Seattle’s Pacific Northwest Ballet, considered one of the top five dance companies in the United States. Formed nearly 40 years ago, PNB has grown to 50 dancers and combines rigorous classical training with a commitment to dynamic modernism. “They are little-seen in Canada and this marks their Victoria debut,” says Dance Victoria producer Stephen White. “These dancers are fierce and I’m really excited about bringing them in.” Fifteen principals and soloists will perform works by such 20thcentury masters as George Balanchine, Jiri Kylian and Ulysses Dove, an African-American with connections to Alvin Ailey. White is particularly enthused about presenting Dove’s Red Angels, which is at its most effective when performed with a live violinist. “Mary Rowell attacks the violin percussively and definitely becomes part of the performance,” says White. “She is one of only three violinists licensed to perform the piece. It cost me an extra $5,000 but I couldn’t imagine presenting Angels without her.” Performing October 15-16, 7:30 pm at the Royal Theatre. For tickets call 250-386-6121.
the modern figure FEATURING PAINTINGS BY
Nikol Haskova, Mark Heine, Martin Honisch, Joyce Kamikura, Etiquette Brent Lynch, Catherine Moffat, Olga Sugden, Russ Willms
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BALLET MEETS TANGO The dancing will be dark and sexy for Twilight Tango: Requiem for a Vampire, the latest presentation from Paul Destrooper, artistic director of Ballet Victoria. In honour of Halloween, Destrooper has created a vampire tale set in the sensual demimonde of Argentinean tango. An ardent tango fan, Destrooper had an uncle in Montreal who was a tango master as well as a composer. Destrooper took a neverperformed Mass composed by his uncle and incorporated it into a one-act ballet that he wrote and choreographed. The storyline is about a despairing vampire, suffering under the yoke of the owner of a tangueria club in Buenos Aires, who unexpectedly falls madly in love. According to Destrooper, the dancing will be an exciting fusion of classic ballet with
Twilight Tango features local dancers Robb Beresford and Amanda Radetzky, Oct. 24 at the McPherson Playhouse. Photo by Derek Ford
60 victoriaboulevard.com
intimate, old-school tango. “For partnering, the en pointe, with its extended legs, is beautiful. And with tango I love the soul of the music and the closeness of bodies,” he says. “It’s timeless, dark and subtle and has a passion similar to the vampire myths.” Rounding out the program will be a pas de deux set to Mahler and
NEW FRINGE VENUES Twenty-four years on, and the Victoria Fringe Festival is stronger than ever: the 11-day event has just added Langham Court Theatre as one of a pair of new venues. Attendance has been jumping up over the past few years, with approximately 22,000 attendees last year. “We’ve achieved a critical mass of acceptance in Victoria and a big audience now comes out for these shows,” says festival producer Janet Munsil. “And the performers like us because we have one of the higher ‘payouts’ on the Fringe circuit, thanks to the large
R E N ATO M U C C I L L O EDGE OF EXISTENCE Exhibition and Sale October 17 - 30, 2010
2184 OAK BAY AVENUE, VICTORIA 250-598-2184 www.theavenuegallery.com
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PALM COURT GOES RAGTIME Victoria’s Palm Court Light Orchestra, one of the world’s few ensembles that specialize in the light classical music that was popular in Britain from the 1920s to the ‘40s, will lose a teensy bit of gentility for its Roaring Celebrated ragtime pianist Frederick Twenties show, which Hodges appears with the Palm Court features an encore Light Orchestra for an evening of music appearance by from the Roaring Twenties. acclaimed ragtime pianist Frederick Hodges. Ranked as one of the best ragtime maestros in the world, the San Francisco-based Hodges is a vivid stylist whose performances combine technical verve with a deep affection for the music of this bygone era. (Fittingly for someone who inhabits the musical past, Hodges has a doctorate in history from Oxford University.) Three saxophones, a banjo and a tuba will augment the PCLO’s usual 20- to 40-strong contingent in order to bring the sassy syncopations of the Jazz Age fully back to life. Featuring classic dance music such as The Charleston and The Black Bottom — but sorry, no risqué flappers — the show guarantees two hours of nostalgia and foot-tapping charm. Appearing September 25, 7:30 pm at UVic’s Farquhar Auditorium, 250-721-8480; September 26, 2:30 pm in Duncan’s Cowichan Theatre, 250-748-7529; and September 28, 2:30 pm at Sidney’s Mary Winspear Centre, 250-656-0275.
S C O T C h p I N E AT D Aw N
choreographed by the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Bruce Monk, and another piece by Destrooper based on the songs of Jacques Brel. Performance: October 22-23, 7:30 pm and October 24, 2 pm, at the McPherson Playhouse. For tickets call 250-386-6121.
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Die Roten Punkte, a Berlin-based faux punk band, is a popular musical parody act on the Fringe Circuit.
number of shows that get big audiences or else sell out.” This year the festival had 107 applications for 38 spots, with 15 per cent devoted to overseas shows, including many British productions and a few from Japan and Australia. “Although
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several popular performers such as TJ Dawe and Die Roten Punkte are returning, many of the artists have never been here before,” notes Munsil. “It’s going to be exciting.” Running at multiple venues until September 5. For tickets and info google Intrepid Theatre Victoria Fringe Festival. THE NYLONS PUT IT TOGETHER The nostalgia will be of a more recent vintage when singing sensations The Nylons return to Victoria. This internationally acclaimed a cappella quartet first rocked the Royal Theatre three decades ago with their baby-boomer ear candy, so it’s fair to ask: have those Nylons begun to sag? Turns out that silver-haired tenor Claude Morrison is the only original member left, with the current roster filled by a trio of younger and ridiculously talented singers. Although famous for their “street corner” doo-wop stylings, for this Putting It Together show the Nylons shift from no instruments to full-on orchestral backing courtesy of the Victoria Symphony (but a few songs will be performed au naturel). After mixing in a little Pachelbel with the pop, they’ll present a segment featuring Canadian songwriters such as Gordon Lightfoot and David Clayton-Thomas (of Blood, Sweat & Tears fame) before ripping through some of their signature crowd pleasers. Ah, but are they still doing
FALL GROUP SHOW Artists in attendance
Keith Hiscock, Joanne Thomson, Marie Nagel, Bob McPartin, Jim McFarland, Desiree Bond, Michelle Lan, Donna Southwood, Ron Wilson, D.F. Gray, Deborah Czernecky, David Goatley Also works by Myfanwy Pavelic
Opening Reception September 10th, 7-9pm Show runs Sept. 10th to 30th
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Town Without Pity and The Lion Sleeps Tonight? Sorry, we’re sworn to secrecy. Performing October 21, 2 pm and October 22-23, 8 pm at the Royal Theatre. For tickets call 250-386-6121. CRAIGDARROCH CABARET “Craigdarroch Castle is a gorgeous building . . . I call it the set I could never afford to build,” quips director-actor Ian Case. “I also love the Victorian-Edwardian era and I think it has a special resonance for this city.” For just over a decade, Case has presented an annual gothic-flavoured show at the castle in celebration of the spooky spirits that haunt us at Halloween. From Fall of the House of Usher to The Picture of Dorian Gray, his site-specific plays have delighted audiences, which are required to move from one room to another in order to watch the play’s various scenes unfold. This year he’s directing an original work, a spectral musical written by local actor-writer Karen Lee Pickett. The Cursed Cabaret is based loosely on the life of “Texas” Guinan, a sometimes-notorious cabaret performer who achieved the near-impossible feat of being banned from Paris. She was also Hollywood’s first cowgirl star back in the era of silent films. A half-dozen original songs will be at the core of this supernatural tale of revenge, as the tormented “Texas” is doomed to repeat her final performance for all eternity, each and every Halloween. These performances almost always sell out, so get your tickets early. Running from October 13-31 at Craigdarroch Castle. For tickets go to the castle’s website or call 250-592-5323. TRESPASSERS at the BELFRY Twice honoured with the Governor General’s Award for Theatre, playwright (and actor) Morris Panych ranks among the royalty of Canadian theatre. A half-dozen of his plays have been presented at the Belfry over the years, including Vigil and The Girl in the Goldfish Bowl. His newest, The Trespassers, debuted a year ago at Stratford and gets its second staging as the Belfry’s 2010-11 season opener. The Trespassers tells a multi-generational tale about the relationships among a troubled 15-year-old boy, an over-protective mother, and a grandfather who, despite being a very questionable role model, attempts to steer his grandson through the tough times of adolescence. Although known for his unusual narrative approach, quirky-to-macabre perspective, and pitch-black wit, Panych embraces more mainstream themes here in a play written in response to the deaths of his parents. “Trespassers has a more traditional play format, but it doesn’t lack any of the bite or the great characters that Panych is known for,” says Belfry publicist Mark Dusseault. Showing from September 14 to October 17. For tickets call 250-385-6815. VB
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MAGNIFICENT UPLANDS HOME
designed by James Grieve, captures the splendor of an old countryside Manor. Historically-inspired detailing with livable family design and all the charm of modern day comforts . . . an architectural triumph of this new home that presents as if it has resided in this neighborhood for decades. $4,400,000. MLS# 278613 Exceptional home . . . in desirable 10 Mile Point. Built in 2002 with incredible custom detailing and sophisticated design. $3,295,000. MLS# 282086
Once in a lifetime . . . oceanfront home with over 400 ft. of shoreline. Private and gated with breathtaking 270° of south-facing, unobstructed views. Protected mooring buoy in your own sheltered bay with beach. Modern floorplan. $3,395,000. MLS# 277513
Terry Stockus terstockus@shaw.ca 250.477.1100 Century 21 Queenswood R ealty ltd. victoriaboulevard.com 65
HotProperties By Denise Rudnicki PHOTOS BY VINCE KLASSEN
Frog Song Farm Renovating a splendid place in which to live in peace, plant potatoes and dream
It’s the day after the pig roast. The 34-kilogram (75-pound) runt of the litter of Old English Large Blacks rolled on an outdoor spit for 7 1/2 hours. It fed 60 guests, who then danced to
music provided by friends of the hosts. Twelve musicians banged away at the baby grand piano, slapped guitars and drums, sang and shouted and stamped. Welcome to Frog Song Farm. victoriaboulevard.com 67
Hot Properties
The four-hectare farm includes a West Coast modern house that overlooks a flourishing garden (previous page), a barn (above) and a cast of characters including (clockwise) hen “Tina Turner,” more than a dozen sheep, llamas, Old English black pigs, and the farm doyenne, Lucinda Fothergill, who tends the vegetable garden.
Lucinda Fothergill stands with her hands on her hips and laughs. “When you tell people you live on a farm in the Cowichan Valley, they sure don’t picture this.” This is four hectares (10 acres) of apples trees, vegetable gardens, chicken, sheep and pig pens. Yes, it’s a farm. But it represents the owners’ quest for authenticity; not only for the look of their farm and home, but for the way they live. People are rarely willing to say no to what no longer serves them. But this couple did.
Wayne Kozak, 63, and Lucinda, 48, lived on Bowen Island for 21 years, raising a family and watching the waterfront be taken over by owners obsessed with manicured gardens and noisy water craft. They wanted a different life, one that would allow them to live simply, and raise and eat their own food. Never mind the 100-mile diet. They wanted the 100-yard diet. A walk around the small farm reveals a tidy, well-run operation. A greenhouse shelters the lettuce, spinach, tomatoes and garlic, and the
struggling olive tree. A garden plot contains the potatoes, beans, celery root and carrots. A pen keeps the chickens safe from the predatory ravens. The dozen sheep graze like sleepy puff balls, and the two pregnant sows loll in the warm earth as Percy, the boar, looks on. “This is what appeals to us,” says Fothergill. “A small farm with a little bit of everything. It’s tranquil and private and real.” That demand for authenticity is reflected in the renovation of their house, which started life as a ‘70s salt-box design but is now quintessential West Coast modern — clean and crisp. victoriaboulevard.com 69
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It’s small by some standards, two bedrooms on two levels and just 2,200 square feet. An enormous deck runs the entire length of the front, perfect for watching the Indian Runner ducks chase each other under the apple trees. Kozak points out the chains that catch and carry rain water from the roof. The drops for the chains are two upturned trombone horns, a nod to his love of music, and his roots as founding sax player for the Powder Blues Band. “Farming and playing music. To me, that’s the ideal life,” he says. The front door is 45 kilograms (100 pounds) of solid-core birch ply. It opens onto an entrance floored in engineered bamboo, uncoloured, 5/8-inch thick, tongue and groove and the second-hardest floor on the market. Only Brazilian Oak is harder. That’s
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the stuff they use on dance floors to withstand the punishment of stiletto heels. The entire house is floored in durable, low-cost, engineered bamboo. An offer to remove shoes is rejected. “We walk in this house with our boots on and we sit on the chairs,” says Fothergill. That last comment is explained by the Le Corbusier chaise lounge in the living room. The couple found it at an auction in pristine condition, having been owned “by an architect who never sat in it,” says Kozak. It’s well-sat in now and mingles like an old friend with the couple’s collection of Danish Modern furniture, collected over the years.
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Hot Properties
Musical motifs abound at Frog Song, such as this welcoming bass player.
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Reclaimed wood features, scavenged furniture and light fixtures, art collected from travels and friends; the house is designed for comfort and usability. Fothergill’s abhorrence of all things unusable because they are “precious” extends to her choice for the butcher block counter in the kitchen. When the solid maple countertop arrived for installation, it had been prepared the way most of these counters are — with a food-safe, sealed finish. Popular, but not what Fothergill had in mind for carving half-sides of lamb. She says she grabbed a butcher knife, shouted “This is what I want to be able to do!” and brought the knife down onto the shiny surface, sawing at the wood. Back the countertop went. It’s now a naturally oiled, rich cinnamon colour and well-scratched from a fine collection of cooking knives. Food and its preparation are integral to the daily lives of the homeowners. Above a commercial six-burner gas Anvil cook top hangs a red hood fan created for its contemporary look and matched to the colour of a favourite Danish Modern floor lamp. Builder David Coulson had the 45-kilogram (100-pound), powder-coated steel fan built in Shawnigan Lake. And not for this pair the Melamine cabinets with veneer doors. Their kitchen cabinets are solid cherry. That’s a feature Coulson loves. He appreciates their choice of a kitchen with no MDF or chipboard, no plastic gables or
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Hot Properties false panels. “Warmth’s one thing,” he says. “Real is another.” One of the realities of life in the Cowichan Valley is unpredictable weather. The air-source heat pump is backed up by a 10-Kw propane generator that runs the well and heating system during those inevitable icy days when the power goes out. It’s all part of life on a small farm. Unlike typical farm houses, however, three decks offer respite from chores with views of the orchard in the morning, and in the evening, the deep, fully-treed valley with Mount Prevost in the distance. An enormous wine cellar holds an extensive collection of BC wine. When guests and family converge, they can stay in the small guest cabin tucked into the trees beside the house. The cabin holds special meaning for Fothergill. Her father spent his last months here. His health was failing but she says he still loved to sit outside “watching the chickens shag.” He died on the farm last summer. On the deck overlooking the small orchard, Fothergill remembers her father and recalls a favourite children’s book, in which the Moomin troll (a Finnish troll character) says, “I only want to live in peace, plant potatoes and dream.” This couple has been able to do all three at Frog Song Farm. VB
SUPPLIERS AND TRADES:
Contractor/builder/designer: David Coulson Design Ltd.; Painter: Darcy Holte Painting; Electrical & back-up generation: Don Skerik Electric; Cabinetry & butcher block: KWB Construction & Cabinetry; Granite counters by Matrix Marble& Stone, stainless counters and hood fan by Island Stainless & Aluminum; Tiles: End of the Roll; Appliances: Trail Appliances; Plumbing fixtures/ hardware: Wolseley Mechanical Group; Flooring: bamboo from Bamboo Direct, marmoleum & carpet from End of the Roll; Windows: millwork from Canadian Bavarian Millwork & Lumber Ltd.; Awnings: Northwest Window & Door; Doors: Windsor Plywood; Hardware: Cantu Bathrooms & Hardware Ltd., Victoria Speciality Hardware; Lighting: McLaren Lighting; Masonry/stone work/scratchcoat fireplace: Quality Stucco; Theatre/home audio: Valley Thunder; Heating (air-source heat pump): Millstone Heating & Sheet Metal Ltd.; Fireplace: South Island Fireplace; Floral Design: Leaf&Petal.
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greathomes greatrealtors Boulevard Magazine’s Real Estate Advertising Section September/October 2010
SHOAL POINT AwardWinning condominiums at Fisherman’s Wharf. Amenities include 25m lap pool, steam room, sauna, exercise room, hot and cold plunge tub, putting green, 2 guest suites, 24 hour monitored security and concierge. Contact MARGARET LECK RE/MAX Camosun. bob hewitt Photography
greathomes greatrealtors Welcome to Boulevard ’s Great Homes, Great Realtors. This advertising section, showcasing prominent Victoria realtors and a hand-picked selection of currently available property listings, appears in each issue of the magazine. We hope that you will enjoy it!
MARGARET LECK - RE/MAX CAMOSUN My professional career in banking preceded my 27 year career in real estate involving sales, management and positions held as Director & President of the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board and Director and Vice-President of the BC Real Estate Board. Winner of many awards of distinction from RE/MAX, I specialize in marketing Shoal Point condominiums to a worldwide
audience and modest to luxury homes and condominiums in Victoria. My sincerity, passion for life and love of people is apparent in everything I do, often turning clients into life-long friends. Selling real estate is not just a job; it is an integral part of my life. My strong work ethic and willingness to spend the extra time and energy to meet my clients’ needs forms a bond of trust between us. margaretleck.com
LESLEE FARRELL - MACDONALD REALTY
SCOTT GARMAN - MACDONALD REALTY Victoria Inc.
I am a Simon Fraser University graduate and passionate about boating, the arts and charity service. After 30 years in my profession, I feel as committed to my clients today as I did on day one. I provide expertise in luxury and waterfront property marketing with a top ranking internet site. My goal is to provide ultimate concierge service to all my real estate clients.
My unique breadth of knowledge and experience in real estate, finance and business, backed by my BCom, MBA and CA, ensures attainment of my goal of protecting and contributing to my clients’ wealth. I provide my clients with practical guidance and advice every step of the way ensuring a sound real estate decision is made. The best is the least I can do . . . scottgarman.ca
lesleefarrell.com
DEEDRIE BALLARD - RE/MAX CAMOSUN
LISA WILLIAMS - CENTURY 21 QUEENSWOOD REALTY LTD.
During my 17 year career in Real Estate, I have been listing homes in Greater Victoria. Diversification and knowledge combined with personalized service has made me one of Victoria’s Top Realtors. Giving back to my community has been a vital part of my life, having served on many boards over the past 35 years. When you work with Deedrie Ballard; Expect Excellence. deedrieballard.com
A third generation Victorian, my passions are architecture, design and our fabulous West Coast lifestyle. Working in Victoria since 1990, I specialize in waterfront, unique and luxury properties and have sold many of Victoria’s highest priced homes. My mission is to exceed expectations, rise to every challenge and to always look for innovative ways to connect buyers and sellers! LisaWilliams.ca
LYNNE SAGER - RE/MAX CAMOSUN
DALLAS CHAPPLE - RE/MAX CAMOSUN
I’ve been selling unique and waterfront homes in Victoria for 25 years and offer knowledge in construction and interior design from my family business. I’ve been a member of the Education Committee for VREB for four years and am presently on the Community Relations Committee. I pride myself on keeping my negotiating skills and personal contacts current. lynnesager.com
Named after my father, bandleader Dal Richards, I have a Mass Communications degree from the Sorbonne in Paris. I’ve been a Victoria realtor for 18 years specializing in Oak Bay and have consistently placed in the top 100 of RE/MAX’s 6,000 agents in Western Canada. My goal is to help clients find their dream home and ensure their decisions are wise, long-term investments. dallaschapple.com
photos by bullock & kirstein photography
CAMOSUN
4440 Chatterton Way Victoria mleck@shaw.ca 250.413.7171 margaretleck.com
Luxury 3642 sq.ft. Sub-Penthouse at Shoal Point. Views of Strait of Juan de Fuca, Olympic Mountains and Victoria Harbour enjoyed from 5 decks! Enter the expansive suite from the private elevator. This dramatic, sun-filled south-facing condo features open floor plan, floor to ceiling windows, enormous living/dining room, family room with gas fireplace adjoins a gourmet kitchen with windowed breakfast nook, and 2 master bedrooms each with ensuite. $2,650,000. MLS#277438
Exceptional Shoal Point Penthouse! Professionally redesigned and fully furnished condo w/views of Mt. Baker, city and Inner Harbour! Main: open floorplan, formal dining, family room w/adjoining designer kitchen, cozy living room w/gas fireplace, master w/ensuite, spacious deck. Upper has a 2nd master bedroom and separate living room. Wall to wall, floor to ceiling windows and vaulted ceilings create a New York loft feeling. $3,100,000. MLS#280583
Turn Key High End Live/Work Ground Floor Office Space In Award-Winning Shoal Point. Tremendous exposure, walking distance to cruise ships, Helijet and downtown Victoria. Loads of potential for either 4 private offices or a 3 bed/2 bath home. Features: Gas fireplace, custom built-ins, 2 entrances, designer kitchen, air-conditioned and secured u/g parking. Immediate occupancy. $575,000. MLS#277992
Better Than New Immaculate 2 Bedroom Plus Den Suite At Exquisite Shoal Point! This 1460 sq.ft. condo is complete with granite countertops in kitchen & bathrooms, surround sound installed throughout and silk draperies! Entertain on the 500 sq.ft. deck with gas & water hook ups, which overlooks the professionally landscaped courtyard! $780,000. MLS#278003
Affordable 1 Bed + Den At Reflections! Amazing kitchen is extremely spacious and boasts granite countertops, double under mount sinks, stainless steel appliances and separate eating area. Electric fireplace, laminate flooring, double shower & raised sink with granite countertop in bathroom. Relax and enjoy barbecues on the deck! Pets okay! Perfect for the first time home buyer! $255,000. MLS#281895
Herbert Kwan Architect
Two-Storey South Facing Penthouse Suite at Shoal Point. Unique 3048 sq.ft. floorplan maximizes space and affords breathtaking views of Strait of Juan de Fuca, Olympic Mountains, landscaped courtyard and harbour. Main floor features: custom kitchen w/granite countertops, eating area, great room concept living/dining/den, private master w/ensuite. Upper level: master/ensuite w/adjoining lounge/office or third bedroom w/two-sided fireplace. 3 decks. $2,295,000. MLS#279732
GreatHomesGreatRealtors
prime location on Saanich Inlet. $8,900,000 MLS#233557
$69
Call Leslee for
SHOWCASE OF HOMES Email: leslee@lesleefarrell.com Your Luxury Waterfront Specialist Webpage: www.lesleefarrell.com Phone direct: (250) 514-9899 Phone office: (250) 385-2033
Leslee Farrel Boulevard ad Dec 21 1
Situated in idyllic Ardmore on a quiet cove, this charming south-facing waterfront residence, built in 2002, offers an open plan with soaring floor-toceiling windows to take in the ocean views. Easy access to the water, ready for immediate occupancy. Airport nearby. Offered at $1,795,000. MLS# 280708
This executive luxury condominium sits in a premier view position on the 7th floor of Swallows Landing. Ocean views encompass the Inner Harbour, the Olympics, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Enjoy the ever changing marine activity on the spacious deck off the living room. 9’ ceilings, hardwood floors, spa baths & 2 parking spots. Easy access into town along the Songhees walkway. Offered at $925,000. MLS# 274753
This 1910 heritage residence offers ocean & mountain views! Completely renovated in 2009. Rich wood floors, 10’ ceilings, crown mouldings, original light fixtures & fireplaces all contribute to the breathtaking beauty of the home. The chef’s kitchen features imported granite countertops & Heartland Classic Collection appliances. Billiards & media rooms, wine cellar! Offered at $3,595,000. MLS# 281532
This classic 1989 West Coast residence is situated on a 1.26 acre low bank waterfront in View Royal, offering complete privacy in a most serene and idyllic setting. Spacious roof top deck is a bonus. Garden is very low maintenance leaving abundant time for kayaking! Offered at $899,000. NEW PRICE! MLS# 272966
Aptly named Eagle’s Perch, this exceptional West Coast retreat combines the strength of west coast architecture with serene Asian influences. This residence artfully blends into its setting with extensive use of large stone pillars, exotic woods and massive beams, and a cantilevered wing suspending part of the home into the forest. This home is designed for complete privacy and entertaining. Simply best in class! Offered at $4,900,000. MLS# 272705
One of Cordova Bay’s most coveted waterfront locations; this 2.6 acre waterfront estate is a jewel of a setting for this custom executive residence offering 6 bedrooms & 3 ½ baths. Expansive ocean views are offered from all principal rooms. The high bank waterfront was once accessed by a staircase to the sandy beach. Offered at $2,295,000. MLS# 279847
LuxuryPortfolio.com
Direct: 250.414.8204 Office: 250.388.5882 Toll Free: 1.877.388.5882
755 Humboldt Street GreatHomesGreatRealtors
leslee@lesleefarrell.com
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Local Brand • Global Reach
luxuryhomesvictoria.com
Stunning five year old Zebra designed
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Beautiful Executive Royal Links
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5100 sq. ft., 4 bdrms, 6 baths, one acre, securely fenced. Please contact the listing team of Deedrie Ballard and Bill Pettinger at RE/MAX Camosun for a private showing.
Expect Excellence Phone
250.744.3301 deedrie@deedrieballard.com deedrieballard.com
4440 Chatterton Way, Victoria, BC V8X 5J2 TOLL FREE 1.800.663.2121
Camosun GreatHomesGreatRealtors
11260 Chalet Road
2715 Sea view Road
850 Hack amore Road
2713 Sea view road (lot)
Deep Cove waterfront Custom 3,515 sq.ft. $1,998,000
Spectacular southwest-facing waterfront with walk-on pebble beach. $1,998,000
Elegant 6,500 sq. ft. waterfront home at Ten Mile Point. $3,998,000
Available for $1,998,000 with the purchase of adjoining 2715 Sea View Road waterfront home.
Proudly serving Victoria for 25 years. PHONE 250.744.3301 • EMAIL lynne@lynnesager.com WEBSITE www.lynnesager.com GreatHomesGreatRealtors
RE/MAX CAMOSUN CALL: 250-744-3301 TOLL FREE: 1-877-652-4880 WWW.DALLASCHAPPLE.COM DALLAS SELLS VICTORIA / OAK BAY
“MY GOAL, AS YOUR REALTOR, IS TO FIND YOUR DREAM HOME, AND ENSURE THE DECISION YOU MAKE STANDS AS A WISE INVESTMENT OVER THE LONG TERM.” The Goodacre House is one of the turn-of-the-century beauties in Oak Bay. 6 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, spacious living room, family sized dining room, large recreation room; this is a great family home. The garden lends itself to garden parties and croquet! – $1,375,000
Downtown living at its best!
Fabulous Ocean Views! James Bay!
Treehouse Condo! Begbie near Royal Jubilee Hospital!
Beautifully renovated 2 bedroom, 2 bath suite with new tile, bamboo flooring, paint, carpets, counters, lighting, soaker tub & fixtures in both bathrooms. Kitchen features over height ceilings, step coves & cornices. Great roof top deck for barbecuing. – $529,900
Oak Bay Georgian Style English Manor just inside the Uplands Gates!
Gorgeous 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom renovated home retains its original features & mouldings! Reno by Pamela Charlesworth incl. beautiful kitchen with granite counters & an eating area plus sunroom overlooking the private English garden. – $1,550,000
Elegant 1 bedroom & den suite, features cherrywood floors, granite counters, stainless backsplash & appliances in the kitchen, French doors to the den, marble counter & European faucets in the bathroom. Balcony overlooks gardens & fountains. No one above this 4th floor suite and no adjoining balcony. – $417,900
Surrounded by trees, yet bright and sunny within. 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom top floor condo with skylights in a magical setting. Eat-in kitchen, spacious master bedroom & living room with gas fireplace. – $389,900
Brentwood Ocean Views!
Enjoy gorgeous views from the living & dining rooms of this 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom 1993 home. The open plan kitchen, dining & living room makes this a very bright home. Enjoy dinner on your west facing deck overlooking Saanich Inlet. Down is a 2 bedroom suite with kitchenette. – $729,900
Ocean Views! Gated Community!
Spacious level entry end unit townhome features 3 bedrooms and 3 baths, eating area in kitchen, large deck, perfect for those evening sunsets! – $519,900
DALLAS CHAPPLE - RE/MAX CAMOSUN 4440 CHATTERTON WAY VICTORIA, BC V8X 5J2 OAK BAY OFFICE 2239 OAK BAY AVENUE VICTORIA, BC V8R 1G4 P: 250-744-3301 F: 250-744-3904 TOLL FREE: 1-877-652-4880 E: DALLAS@DALLASCHAPPLE.COM GreatHomesGreatRealtors
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LISA WILLIAMS LUXURIOUS HOME WITH INCREDIBLE VIEWS! Stunning ‘09 blt OAK BAY 5-6 bdrm, 5000 sq.ft. home featuring spectacular panoramic ocean & Olympic Mt. views from all main rooms! Gorgeous finishing, Brazillian HW, coffered & vaulted ceilings, luxurious, private master suite, easy nanny accom. & so much more! South-facing, easy care lot . . . just 6 mins. from town! $2,490,000
WILLOWS BEACH! Spacious & sunny 5000 sq.ft. 5-6 bedrm, 5 bth hm just steps from the nicest sandy beach in Victoria! Enjoy spectacular s-facing views, high ceilings, huge windows & skylights, expansive private master suite, large office, games/rec rm, 2 separate 1 bdrm suites w/super views — super for your Universityaged kids, and lots of parking too! $1,799,000
WEDGEWOOD POINT LUXURY! Gorgeous executive home totally reno'd to the highest level . . . stunning! 3 bedrm + den, amazing gourmet kitchen, top-of-the-line finishing, expansive decks w/ocean views & so many extras! Parks, trails & beach access just mins. away . . . $1,298,000
FANTASTIC UPLANDS OPPORTUNITY! Enjoy gorgeous, panoramic views from this super .44 acre property with frontage on Beach Drive! Build your new dream house or renovate the 4 bedrm '57 blt home . . . lots of options! $1,498,000
IMMACULATE OAK BAY! Fantastic family home in quiet, Oak Bay location, steps from fabulous golfing, shops & all amenities! Spacious 5-6 bedrm design with lovely renovated interior, self-contained guest suite and gorgeous, sunny .24 acre property. $1,149,000
SPACIOUS & ELEGANT FAIRFIELD HOME 5 bedrms, 4 bths, 4192 sq.ft. and fully self-contained 1 bedrm suite! Extremely bright w/super design, gourmet kitchen, HW flrs, huge rec rm, family rm off kitchen & so much more! 1/2 blk to waterfront & 1 blk to Beacon Hill Park & Cook St. Village! $1,149,000
OAK BAY - LOTS OF OPTIONS Well maintained 2996 sq.ft. Oak Bay bungalow across from the Uplands with brand new selfcontained nanny suite plus 2nd possible guest suite too! HW flrs, coved ceilings, big windows & lovely .37 acre property w/orchard! $799,000
CONTEMPORARY UPLANDS - NO-STEPS! Fantastic 4 bedrm hm on a beautiful & totally private .6 acre lot! This DiCastri designed hm boasts tons of natural light, open, flexible design, huge windows & skylights, HW & tile flrs, gorgeous patio w/arbor, manicured lawns & gardens! $1,598,000
EXQUISITE COUNTRY ESTATE! Luxurious '07 blt 8500 sq.ft. home on a lovely Saanich West, 5 acre property . . . just 20 mins. from downtown! Enjoy incredible luxury throughout with tons of options plus a lg home office, super in-law, 5 car garage, 2 stall barn & riding ring too! $2,448,000
Lisa Williams offers professional & personalized service combined with the BEST INTERNATIONAL MARKETING STRATEGY and a commitment to achieving the BEST RESULTS FOR YOU
250•514•1966 Direct LisaWilliams.ca GreatHomesGreatRealtors
Century 21 Queenswood R ealty ltd.
It’s time to expect more from your realtor®
Scott Garman & a s s o c i a t e s “Scott maintained a high level of professionalism, ethics & patience during both our transactions. He negotiated an excellent accepted offer on the purchase of our new property and secured a fair price in a challenging market on the sale of our existing home.” Cheryl & Dan
10439 Allbay Road Stunning lowbank waterfront beautifully situated on Roberts Bay. Extensively renovated over the last year to exacting standards, this 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom contemporary home of almost 2,200 sq.ft. takes full advantage of the unobstructed views from all the
28 - 60 Dallas Road Beautiful one-of-a-kind contemporary condo in the heart of James Bay. This 2 bedroom/2 bathroom 1,100 sq. ft. showhome has too many features to list — private entrance & stairwell, endless windows & skylights w/great views, 14 ft. vaulted ceiling in main living area, insuite laundry, spacious balcony and private garage with storage. Upgrades: granite countertops, hardwood & heated ceramic tile floors, stainless steel appliances, gas fireplace. Master bedroom fits king-sized bed and has a luxurious ensuite bathroom with soaker tub & glass shower. $549,000 MLS 280748
250-896-7099 scottgarman.ca
main rooms. The main floor of open living was designed to wow your guests. Retire at night to a beautifully situated and appointed master bedroom which takes full advantage of the ocean views. $1,349,000 MLS 274674
1044 Queens Avenue A rare find indeed! An affordable, bright, attractively updated, centrally located, three bedroom duplex. Showcasing charming character features, ceramic and warm wood floors, feature gas fireplace, huge flexible master bedroom area, good storage space, and a secluded south facing garden/patio area. Close to downtown, schools, shopping, and entertainment. A perfect townhome/condo alternative with no costly strata fees! Bonus - no adjoining walls between the duplexes for maximum privacy and quietness! $449,000 MLS 279330
email: info@scottgarman.ca
755 Humboldt Street, Victoria, BC V8W 1B1
599 St. Patrick Charming South Oak Bay address, less than 500 feet to the ocean and one km to the Oak Bay Village. Rustic 900 sq.ft. home seeking your major renovation ideas or a great investment property while you plan your dream home. Deep (32’x226’) lot with large private and mature backyard. $579,000 MLS 271213
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Local Brand • Global Reach GreatHomesGreatRealtors
Hotdesign
By Shannon Moneo
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A charming or dramatic front door is a home’s focal point, the area where you make your first impression and really show your personality. Plus a front door has a serious practical duty, too: keeping out the weather and unwanted intruders. There is a science to that, say local door builders and designers. “The front entry is architectural jewellery. It adds to the overall value and the way you feel about your house,” says Daryl Wootton, owner of Victoria’s Prestige Window and Door. “It’s kind of like getting dressed up to go for dinner. You don’t go to a nice restaurant in gardening clothes.” Here are some hot ways to spruce up the entrance to your home.
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Paint! Go for a walk and count those six-panel, solid white, steel-front doors. Starting at about $175, they’re inexpensive, boring and oh-so-ubiquitous. Add an aluminum screen door and it is an even worse sight. If you have that look, don’t despair. Just ditch the screen and repaint. A vibrant accent colour in a primary colour like red, green or blue or in an elegant eggplant purple or rich glossy black on any old door immediately upgrades the home.
Replace it with wood Wood remains timeless and affordable. Long-lasting fir is by far the favoured material, followed by oak and mahogany For about $500, that uninspired metal front entry can be replaced with an edged-grain fir and glass door from
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hardward outlets. Spend just a touch more and you can get a locally made, quality product. Wootton and his nine employees at Prestige build about one door a day, which start at $650 for a basic 36-inch by 80-inch wood model up to $18,000 for a 42-inch by 96-inch white oak door with beveled glass. He’s known for building what a customer wants. Clients “hunt me out to have a locally made product rather than something off the boat from China,” Wootton says.
Add personal touches Along with Prestige, other local go-to spots for custommade doors are Aurora Woodwork and West Coast Wood Designs, both in Sidney. West Coast Wood Designs blends wood, glass, metal and even driftwood into unique doors that they call “functional art.” Before Aurora Woodwork owner John Denny hand-builds a front door, which takes about six days, he likes to get a feel for his client so he visits their home to nail down what they’re passionate about. In the case of the man whose prized possession was his 1927 Packard, Denny built a black walnut door reminiscent of the car. Denny’s doors start at $5,000 and can go up to $25,000, such as one big, cherry wood door he made with many curves and serious artwork. Before Will Maxwell moved into his new Victoria home 16 months ago, Denny designed and made a door of Paduk wood. Very orange initially, the African hardwood gets a stunning patina as it ages, eventually turning a rich walnut colour. “This door one is one of a kind,” says Maxwell. Beyond the alluring wood, the knockout door features lots of glass, sidelights and an unusual design that sets off Maxwell’s 4,500-square-foot, old-style, multi-pitched-roof bungalow.
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Tie into your home’s unique features When Darlene Fritz renovated and added to her 1955 Royal Oak home she opted to have her front door complement her great room foyer and kitchen backsplash, which is made of shattered glass. “It’s very intriguing,” Fritz says. The solid fir, natural-finish door, with three diagonal panels of smashed glass, was designed by Todd Martin, site supervisor for Victoria’s Abstract Developments. Martin, a carpenter, created eight designs for Fritz, who settled on the pivot door (hangs freely and is wider than normal), glittering with fractured safety glass. “I get a lot of compliments on the door,” she says. Martin says front doors should be unique to each home. Ideas are limitless, he says, particularly since a door can be made of many materials. “With deep pockets you can do
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Barry Moore of Victoria’s Pella Windows and Doors has been in the door-selling business for 25 years. He has been seeing an architectural shift in which the formerly reigning Arts and Crafts or traditional home styles are being dislodged by West Coast or contemporary designs. Arts and Crafts doors feature details like beveled glass, corbels (pieces of stonework that support weight) and exterior shelves. A contemporary home most likely has a rather Spartan door, where detail, be it metal work or obscured glasswork, stands out. Mixing styles, as in an Arts and Crafts home with a stainless steel door, is a faux pas. In older sections of Victoria, like Fairfield, many of the early-1900s homes have been “bastardized,” Wootton feels. Original wood doors, built to last decades, have been replaced with steel or fibreglass entries. To get an idea of what was lost Wootton recommends scouting the neighbourhood. When the right door knocks, “It’s like when you tell your children, when looking for a suitor, they’ll know it when they see it. They’ll fall in love,” Moore says.
Focus on the hardware Fifteen years ago, door hardware came in just brass, nickel and chrome. Today, there’s patinaed bronze, lifetime satin nickel and at least 20 more choices. Top places for door knobs, locks, levers and accessories include Victoria Speciality Hardware and Cantu Bathroom & Hardware Ltd. As with doors, hardware prices vary. Thumb-latches can start at $230 and run up to $5,000. Unlike East Coasters, who favour Victorian-style door hardware, West Coasters diverge into the very modern or the very rustic camps. The two biggest-selling brands are Rocky Mountain and Baldwin. Rocky Mountain offers bronze, rustic, but streamlined sets, while Baldwin delivers sleek modern pieces with its patented Lifetime Finish. Pivot hinge doors, which work via a 36- to 48-inch vertical bar, as well as deadbolt mortise locks, are gaining traction. Today, the front door and its hardware can be a home’s punctuation point, says Sue Emslie owner of Victoria Speciality Hardware with husband Bob. The outside of the door can be black with classic brass hardware while the inside can match the home’s interior. One crucial tip: “Never get the manufacturer to pre-drill the door before choosing the hardware,” Emslie cautions. Once holes are drilled, the desired hardware may not fit that cookie-cutter size. VB 90 victoriaboulevard.com
By Darryl Gittins
ANNE MULLENS PHOTO
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At back-to-school time computer deals abound. But who can make sense of all those numbers? Megabytes, megabits, RAM, giggle-hertz? The truth is, most of those numbers are not important. Aim for a middle-of-the-road system. Don’t buy cheap but don’t pay lots for features you don’t need. Stick with a good name brand and tell the sales clerk you don’t want a budget CPU. At minimum, make sure the system has a 500 MB hard disk, 4 GB RAM, and ask for a dedicated video adapter instead of one that is integrated into the victoriaboulevard.com 95
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motherboard. And get the BIG LCD screen as part of the package — you will be glad you did. Where to buy? The three main choices for purchases are: online merchants such as Tigerdirect.ca or Dell; big-box stores like Staples or Future Shop; and local “mom and pop” stores like DTI or Boomers in Victoria. I don’t trust buying computers online because I don’t trust shipping companies. Each time I’ve shipped a computer, the carton has clearly been bashed around. By contrast, the big-box stores’ bulk shipments on pallets don’t roll around in the back of the truck. And little stores typically assemble the system for you on site. Check the return policy. If a system from the online store is defective, you have to ship it back to them and you’re not likely to see a replacement for weeks. Most big-box stores have excellent return policies, likely replacing the system on the same day if it’s defective out of the box. Similarly, a local shop such as London Drugs, DTI or Boomers will fix you up right away. Who’s going to fix it? What if the system fails after a couple of months, after the return policy expires? Sadly few big computer manufacturers still provide good support. A recent call to the support line of one big name left me aghast. Unable to answer the most basic technical questions, their only suggestion for a crashing month-old system was to run the factory restore option, which would re-format the hard disk drive and erase all the data on the system. Otherwise, I’d have to ship the broken system to their service depot, where they would format the hard disk for me and return it in about a month. Their support was shockingly inept. Local shops, such as London Drugs or DTI, provide excellent support for their own systems, meaning you can bring in a failed system and perhaps have it back the same day. And they won’t just format your hard disk. Some companies such as Dell will provide in-home support, but for a substantial cost. In-home support is not a bad option, though, because you can watch what they do and make sure they don’t snoop through your personal data. PC vs. Mac? Maybe even Linux? At the risk of being labeled a blasphemer, I assert all three systems are excellent, depending on the person. Most people choose PCs (running Microsoft Windows). The volume of sales helps to make them the most economical and gives you the most choices in software and hardware. Linux is free, but best for the pure computer geek who likes to noodle.
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A Mac is typically more money, but it’s good value. Apple doesn’t build cheap systems, whereas ultra-cheap and poorly made PCs abound. But many manufacturers do build quality PC-based systems: you get what you pay for. Your choice might be influenced by who can help with it. If a friend is great with Macs, but clueless about the PC, then a Mac could be right for you. The best advice is to stick with the devil you know. Fundamental differences among the three systems can be confusing if you switch around. I’ve used all three but I’m most comfortable with the PC, so that’s the best for me.
need, such as trial versions that expire soon, so it’s best to uninstall those. In Windows, click Start, type uninstall, and then click “Uninstall a program.” Click the program, and then click Uninstall. Then, visit Ninite.com to find a list of excellent proven programs, including free virus scanners. After you have the computer configured, transfer your files from the old system. Search Google for Microsoft’s “Windows Easy Transfer” or Apple’s “Migration Assistant”. I prefer to copy my personal files manually to a backup media and then copy the data from the backup to the new computer. Not only do you gain valuable understanding of where the system stores your data, but you force yourself to do a backup, which is essential. The last job is to create factory restore disks. The computer companies no longer provide operating system disks. Everything is on the hard disk. You are expected to run a wizard that will prompt you to insert two or three blank DVD disks to create a set of restore disks if for example, you had to replace the hard disk. Without those disks, you might have to buy a new copy of the operating system. Store the disks in a safe place. Now it’s play time. Aren’t you glad you got that BIG screen?
Which system is most secure? Regardless of the system you use, be aware of the dangers on the Internet. No system is “secure” if you are lured to type personal data into a compromised website. So keep the operating system and the virus and spyware scanners updated. Use a router to connect to the Internet. Trust your instincts about suspicious websites and email. Because the PC has the biggest market share, it is the biggest target for the malware (viruses) whereas Mac or Linux are not so targeted. However, the current Windows operating systems are very secure. You bought it. Now what? Your new system probably came with software that you don’t
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The Louvré’s Greek god/ goddess Hermaphrodite peruses that latest Book Club offering.
BoulevardBookClub
By Adrienne Dyer photo montage by gary mckinstry
New Fall 2010
Middlesex
beautifully the essential, variable nature of identity explores
The Book: Middlesex, fiction Author: Jeffrey Eugenides Publisher: Vintage Canada, 6th edition, 2003 Length: 544 pages This Issue’s Book Club: the Leaf Turners THE CLUB: The Leaf Turners know how to have fun. I laughed so hard during the meeting I worried my convulsions might induce early labour. These women also understand that the intellect is better satisfied and discussion more clever when the belly is full; hence, wine and cheese “social hour” always precedes a sit-down dinner, a format that has served them well these past 12 years. Discussion takes place during dinner, moving around the table as each of the 10 members is granted her turn to comment on the book (no interrupting allowed). By the time dessert arrives, conversation flows freely: colourful and varied as the members’ personal backgrounds, which range from business women and health-care professionals to the first alderwoman of Victoria. THE AUTHOR: Princeton University instructor and 2003 Pulitzer Prizewinner Jeffrey Eugenides was born in Detroit in 1960. He is the author of the acclaimed novel-turned-movie The Virgin Suicides, as well as numerous award-winning short stories.
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After spending five years in Berlin, he now lives in Princeton, New Jersey with his wife and daughter. Eugenides was inspired to write Middlesex after reading Herculine Barbin, the memoir of a nineteenth-century hermaphrodite who kept the physical and emotional details of her sexuality piously out of the story. This frustrated Eugenides as a reader and prompted him to delve deeper in his own novel. THE PLOT: The narrator is 41-year-old hermaphrodite Calliope Stephanides, who discovers at age 14 that “she” was incorrectly identified at birth and ought to have been raised as a boy, adopting a male identity from that point on. Cal discovers that his intersex characteristics are the genetic by-products of the incestuous union of his Greek grandparents, Lefty and Desdemona. As he delves into his family’s past, he struggles to come to terms with his own identity in the gender limbo he inhabits somewhere between the clear definitions of male and female. Middlesex chronicles three generations of a single family, starting in a small village in post-war Greece in the 1920s. Orphaned siblings Lefty and Desdemona fall in love, marry, and are forced to emigrate to America to raise their son. As the story moves through the generations to Cal’s birth and journey into adulthood, the book explores the experience of living forever on the fringes of what society considers “normal.” DISCUSSION HIGHLIGHTS: It was interesting that I was pregnant while discussing this book, considering the physical and psychological issues of biological gender explored in Middlesex. Although the Leaf Turners couldn’t convince me to submit to the baby gender spoon test (the protagonist’s grandmother employs this bit of folklore in the book, foreshadowing Cal’s ambiguous gender identity at birth), my burgeoning belly added particular aptness to discussion surrounding the major themes of the book. For the group, whose members found Middlesex both educational and fascinating, Eugenides’s frank and detailed exploration of topics including incest, nature vs. nurture, rebirth, gender identity and a child’s right to choose his or her own sexual identity raises valuable points about often-overlooked societal issues. “I loved this book,” said one member. “It’s a family history book. It’s about immigrants facing cultural assimilation in a new country. It’s about the Detroit Race Riot. It’s about the start of Islam. It’s chock-a-block full of things.” “The book gives wonderful insight into Greek family life,” said another member, who was reluctant to read the book at first, but was quickly pulled into the story of Desdemona, the protagonist’s grandmother, who is wracked with guilt
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We can give, because YOU give. Victoria Hospice provides physical, emotional and spiritual end-of-life care and support to those facing advancing illness, death and bereavement. Nearly 50% of our funding is provided by donations. This year we look forward to the community helping us raise over $3 million dollars.
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over the immorality of her marriage. “I really sympathized with her and could imagine the pain she’d suffered. I could understand why she’d made the choices she did and the circumstances that caused her relationship with her brother to blossom into romance. She was a great character.” Another member agreed. “I almost resented having to read this book at first, and I didn’t like the technical/ biological aspects of the protagonist’s sexuality. But then I got caught up in the characters and the author’s deep insights into their feelings.” “The character development was brilliant,” said another member. “The characters are so different, yet I grew to care about and identify with each of them. That, in itself, makes the book worth reading.” There was some disagreement about Cal’s fate. Was he happy or sad in the end? Some felt he never really felt at home in his own body, sexually displaced as he was in a society that insists on classifying every human being as either male or female. Others couldn’t forget the suffering and frustration he must have felt as a child, or the degrading circumstances he found himself in while living in San Francisco. On the other hand, meeting others like himself must have relieved his isolation and sense of being alone in his plight. “I think things worked out for Cal in the end,” one reader argued, pointing out that Cal developed into a successful member of society. He also learned the truth he sought about his genetic past, and Desdemona was finally able to unburden herself of the truth about her incest and reconcile with her grandson. There was a satisfying sense of closure by the end of the novel, as though the characters were finally at peace with the issues that had plagued them. All agreed that reading Middlesex made for a fascinating learning experience. Many had no prior knowledge of intersex issues, the psychological implications of being neither male nor female, or that human sexual biology is actually a lot more diverse than many of us realize. The reading experience also opened their eyes to how similar we all really are. CLUB VERDICT: Middlesex is so well written, interesting and empathetic to the universal human struggle to understand identity that it won over even the most trepidatious readers of the club. Give it a go, say the Leaf Turners. You won’t regret the degree to which the book broadens your understanding of “normal.” Questions or comments? Want your book club featured in the magazine? Please email Adrienne Dyer at adyer@telus.net for more information. VB victoriaboulevard.com 105
TRAVELNEAR
text by keith baldrey photos courtesy of the golf clubs
Any time of the year, you can golf your way down the Island I am staring at a tough, long, downhill putt that will surely break right. I barely tap it and it rolls down the undulating slope, picking up speed. Unbelievably, it goes in! My audience seems unappreciative, however: a family of deer calmly munches only a few metres away. Other than my Bambi friends, I’m alone among the trees near Campbell River on the Storey Creek Golf Club, a gorgeous swath of green cut in a rain forest. Storey Creek course revels in its close connection to nature, and on this day nature is close indeed. A slight drizzle veils the lush fairways. It is December, and I am golfing while my wife and kids ski at nearby Mount Washington. Welcome to the Vancouver Island golf experience. Our temperate climate means we can play year-round on a wide variety of Island courses. I’ve played in the dead of winter with Winnipeggers pinching themselves because it is 20 below back home. More than a dozen quality championship courses lie from the mid-Island down to the capital region, offering everything from remote mountain locations to country club settings to new resortstyle developments. You can even order up your own complete
golf course tour by googling Vancouver Island Golf Trail. My own tour continues south: After Storey Creek is Crown Isle Resort in Comox. Where Storey Creek is pushed deep into the wilderness, Crown Isle winds its way through a posh resort development. Beautiful homes line many fairways, which can make novice golfers nervous — no one wants to slice into a window. But the course is so inviting and playable you’ll soon put those dented-house thoughts to rest. Gorgeous views of the nearby mountains exist from many holes and the course is always in fine shape. And it’s affordable, from $45 in the winter to $90 in the peak summer season. Further down the highway in Parksville lies the beautiful and challenging Morningstar Golf Club. Home to the Canadian Tour’s qualifying school annual event, it was named one of the top 10 public courses in BC by Score magazine last year. With changing terrain and tough fairways, you’ll see why top golfers are tested here to see if they’re ready to turn pro. But fear not novices, there’s plenty of room to make the occasional bad shot — okay, frequent bad shot — and not get beat up too badly. From $35 to $79. Fairwinds Golf Course is in Nanoose Bay. It also set among
From left: Deer are common companions at Storey Creek; Highland Pacific’s course overlooks Greater Victoria; a waterfall is a dramatic backdrop at Olympic View’s 17th green
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huge, million-dollar homes, but most are situated well back. Like Morningstar, Fairwinds was designed by renowned golf architect Les Furber, so features plenty of bunkers, rolling fairways, and undulating greens. My favorite hole is the 9th, a slight dogleg that tempts long hitters to drive the green (if you’re short, you’re in the pond). Fairwinds sometimes gets left off a lot of highlights of Island courses, but it ranks near the top for me. I play these up-Island courses from time to time, usually for charity tournaments. I play more often closer to home, in the capital region. My regular haunt is Cordova Bay Golf Course. To my mind it’s the best maintained course and extremely playable in any kind of weather. The holes are varied and challenging. Number 10 is perhaps the prettiest, while the dogleg 14th is the signature hole. And don’t miss the view of Mount Baker from the 15th. Throw in extremely friendly staff and you’ve got the perfect golf outing. To impress out-of-town golfing friends with our local “wow” factor, I take them to the Bear Mountain Resort. Two
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championship courses – the Mountain course designed by Jack Nicklaus and the Valley course designed by his son Steve – combine challenging golf with gorgeous scenery and stunning views. Check out the short par three “betting hole,” also known as the 19th, which is literally stuck on the side of the mountain with a stunning view of the city below. The Bear can be pricey, but it’s worth every lost ball (and you will lose many.) I prefer the Valley course. It’s more remote, just as scenic and slightly easier to play, although the greens seem to have elephants and VW bugs buried beneath them. A newcomer is Highland Pacific Golf, located off the Olympic View Trans-Canada highway about 20 minutes from downtown. This probably has the jewel has some of the toughest holes around and it has a toughest finishing remote feel that adds to its splendour. It can be a tough hole you’ll find walk because many holes are uphill and spaced far apart — anywhere — a you may want to opt for a cart — but I have a feeling this steep uphill par 5 course will be very popular. Nearby is Olympic View Golf that seems to go Club, which also has a wilderness feel. On a hot day, on forever. the 12-metre-high waterfall on the 17th green almost beckons you to stand under it. The first course Tiger Woods played in Canada (as an amateur in 1994), it probably has the toughest finishing hole you’ll find anywhere — a steep, uphill par 5 that seems to go on forever. Bar patrons sitting above the green take pity on the poor duffers below. The Victoria region also has several high-quality private or semi-private courses accessible at times to non-members. There’s stately Royal Colwood Golf Club, the more pastoral Uplands Golf Club, and hilly Gorge Vale Course, one of the toughest tests in town. The most picturesque is the Victoria Golf Club, or at least its front nine. Dubbed the Pebble Beach of Canada, it boasts seven holes running alongside the Juan de Fuca Strait. Whether you’re basking in seaside sunshine or trying to hit your ball in gale-like conditions with ocean spray in your face, those seaside holes are unforgettable. Yes, year-round golf is indeed a rarity in Canada, but not if you live on Vancouver Island. Chances are you’ll find me on one of those courses one weekend, no matter what the season. For more information and some special deals, Google “Vancouver Island Golf Trail.” VB
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Change the future victoriaboulevard.com 109
TRAVELFAR
text by rick gibbs photos by roger palmer
Barge your way through Europe: by leisurely canal boat, that is, not by behaving badly Roger Palmer first took his wife Chris to see Paris not by plane or train but on a “big old barge” they delivered from northern Holland to a town just upstream of the City of Light. “We came around a corner and there was the Eiffel Tower,” says Palmer, a 15-year veteran of inland cruising in Europe. “Once we got tied up, we had a great hotel right in the middle of the city.” Two of 12 partners in a 21-metre-long, 100-year-old, restored barge currently moored on the Canal du Midi in southern France, Palmer and his wife, both in their early 60s, prefer cruising the countryside. “You get to see Europe in a way that the typical tourist doesn’t because you aren’t going through all the big cities — you’re going through the country towns and small cities via the back door and often you’re the novelty,” says Palmer. The scenery alone is sufficient enticement, particularly on the Canal du Midi. A video the Palmers produced documenting their early experiences reveals serene, tree-lined waterways, lush vineyards, old stone bridges, and shady lunch spots under leafy green canopies. It’s countryside travel slowed to a watery
stroll, punctuated by the gushing excitement of the locks that must be negotiated to raise or lower the boat for the next leg of the journey. You don’t need your own vessel. Three years ago Debra Drury, her husband Bob, and their two teenage daughters Julia and Anne spent a week skippering a rented penichette, a fully equipped traditional boat, along a section of the Canal du Midi. They sampled some of the 91 locks, 40 aqueducts, and scores of other historic structures including bridges, dams and tunnels integral to the 240-kilometre-long waterway. Drury remembers not only drifting quietly through the countryside but also walking, running and cycling the pathways beside the canal. She was training for a half- marathon and found it easy to accommodate her running schedule. The dieselpowered boats slide along at a slow walking pace, so it’s simple, she says, to run or bicycle ahead to see what’s around the next bend, exercise or just experience variety. Canal systems were developed in Europe beginning in the 17th century for military and commercial transportation. The Canal du Midi, for example, was opened in 1681 and provided a shortcut
Historic villages, serene waterways, and classic vessels are all part of the European barging experience.
. . . here we are Robert Amos
between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, avoiding a long, potentially dangerous voyage around Spain, France’s enemy at the time. With the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, countries throughout Europe, seeking to ease the movement of goods from land to city to sea, developed their waterways. Today, this watery web provides thousands of kilometres of scenic routes through the UK, France, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Italy, Poland and beyond. France alone boasts over 8,500 kilometres. Palmer and Drury, both experienced boaters, say operating rental vessels is easy for novices and requires little training, usually no more than a 10-minute orientation provided by the companies. The boats move slowly, the water is shallow, and the sides of the vessels are well protected by fenders. There is, however, the challenge of negotiating the locks, which in France happens every kilometre or so. Many have automatic systems or lock keepers but often the boat’s crews must get involved.
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Jane and Harlow Hollis joined a group of friends who rented a boat and traveled from Montpellier to Negra, a two-week journey that Jane Hollis describes as “two weeks too long.” Wearied by the frequent need to work the locks (which she describes as “a lot of hopping in and out”) and feeling pressed to stay on schedule since the boat was due at its destination on a specific day, she didn’t like the experience. She might have had a better time aboard one of the fully crewed “hotel barges,” where all the work is done for you. Diane Thorp, in her early 60s, says the trip she and her husband John did two years ago on the Canal du Midi was “perfect” and one of the best travel experiences they’ve had. She recalls sitting quietly on deck and looking out on the tree-lined canal, partaking of local wines and cheeses, strolling through villages with old stone buildings, and enjoying delicious five-course meals served by a staff that pampered them and the two other couples on board. She calls it an experience of “total relaxation” that she would happily repeat. Another option is to forego the canal system and cruise a major European river aboard one of the small ships operated by companies like Uniworld and Viking. Angela Friesen, 35, the co-owner of a local travel business, did such a trip with her business partner this past spring. They spent eight days on the Seine traveling from Burgundy to Provence aboard a vessel
accommodating 134 passengers. “The whole time you are immersed with the land beside the river,” says Friesen. “You can sit in your cabin and read a book, and every time you look up you’re going by castles and the hustle and bustle of little villages.” Friesen says it was far more relaxing than Mediterranean cruises she’s been on, noting that once you’re docked, you can come and go as you please, returning to the ship for lunch or a nap with plenty of time to enjoy the interesting excursions that are part of the package. Of course you could get serious like Roger Palmer, who has logged thousands of kilometres on European waterways. The barge he and his wife bought into after their initial taste of canal cruising even carries an Austin Mini, which they drive onto land when it’s time to go exploring. However you see yourself doing it, those European waterways certainly beckon. The season lasts roughly from March to October with the spring and fall less busy and cheaper. Self-driven boats suitable for two are as little as $900 CAD per week. All-inclusive cabins on hotel barges begin at $3,500 per person or $2,000 on river cruise ships. Locaboat.com, drifters.co.uk, and gobarging.com are good starting points as are books such as Cruising French Waterways by Hugh McKnight. For river cruises a travel agent is recommended. VB
victoriaboulevard.com 113
libations
By sharon mclean photo by Anne mullens
Australia’s bubble may have burst, but a trip Down Under reveals new diversity and elegance,
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Wine courtesy of Everything Wine
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The big, rich, fruity Shirazes of Australia completely seduced me when I arrived in BC almost 20 years ago. How opulent and luscious they seemed after the wines of Bordeaux and Rioja that I was used to drinking. But you can only eat so much cake and gradually I returned to my traditional tastings grounds. I’m not alone. During the 1990s, Australia enjoyed a decade of double-digit growth. They successfully cornered the market in good value varietal wines and premium red wines of great richness and power. That bubble has burst. Australia is facing the challenges of a weak global economy, the consequences of excessive vineyard plantings and strong competition at the value-end of the market from South America and Spain. A recent trip to Australia, sponsored by the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation, gave me a chance to test out their response of focussing on regional diversity. Almost every region and variety can be found in BC wine stores — take your own tour. In the Yarra Valley, near Melbourne, Willy Lunn from Yering Station and Steve Flamstead from Giant Steps led us through a flight of Chardonnays from all over Australia. The diversity was huge, and — music to my mouth — there was restraint and elegance. There was some link between the
style of the wines and the climates of the various regions, but wine-making decisions like the use of oak and whether the wines goes through malo-lactic fermentation (a bacterial conversion of acids that produces a softer wine) appeared to be more influential to the final taste. Australia is the second-largest producer of Riesling in the world. Most come from Clare or Eden valleys, north of Adelaide, and tend to be dry and higher in alcohol than their German counterparts. These are incredibly crisp, clean and food-friendly wines. Jeffrey Grosset of Clare Valley is undeniably Australia’s Riesling king. Grosset proved how sensitive Riesling is to soil types by pouring his two Rieslings from neighbouring vineyards: Polish Hills and Watervale. The difference was staggering. The hard shale of Polish Hill lent a glinting minerality to the wine, while the softer red loam of Watervale gave assertive acidity, balanced with lime sherbet notes. Hunter Valley Semillon tends to be an oenophile’s wine. It has an amazing ability to transform with age, when it becomes rich and so honeyed it seems to have spent years in oak. I discovered, standing on top on Brokenback Range north of Sydney at 9:30 in the morning, that a youthful Semillon has tremendous charm all of its own. It’s delicate, structured and offers “lime and line,” a definite citrus character with high acidity and low alcohol. Elsewhere, Semillon is often blended with Sauvignon Blanc, its traditional partner in white Bordeaux. The best examples of Sauvignon Blancs and Sauvignon/Semillon blends, from Western Australia and the Adelaide Hills, balance the typical green flavours with the tropical fruit notes that come with increased ripeness. The Shiraz tasting, led by Louisa Rose of Yalumba in the Barossa Valley, showcased a greater emphasis on a leaner, more peppery style. Shiraz is grown all over Australia, and there is a strong link between style and climate. Expect bigger, fruitier wines from warmer regions such as Barossa and more savoury wines from cooler regions such Margaret River, Hunter Valley, Clare Valley or Coonawarra. Also watch for the age of the vines. Australia has some of the oldest plantings in the world — some are over 100 years old — and these produce concentrated fruit, which can’t be found in younger vines. Cabernet Sauvignon is also grown all over Australia. The tasting with Sue Hodder of Wynn’s in Coonawarra, in the far south-east corner of South Australia, demonstrated distinct regional variations: Coonawarra Cabernets showed a purity of red berries and a dried mint character; Barrosa wines were more tannic and slightly less complex; McLaren Vale were more upfront and juicer; and the Margaret River Cabernets had a distinct savoury, bay leaf, fresh mint character.
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Pinot Noir needs a cooler climate and production is concentrated in Yarra Valley and the Mornington Peninsula near Melbourne, Adelaide Hills and Tasmania. Climate change is a major concern for growers and some of are planting Shiraz as a contingency. For the time being though, the best Pinots show juicy red fruit, floral nuances and savoury notes. These are never inexpensive since Pinot is fussy and costly to produce. At the other end of the heat spectrum is Grenache, which thrives in warmer conditions. Sitting on the patio at Chapel Hill in McLaren Vale, south of Adelaide, we tasted a range of Grenaches and associated blends. Regional variations shone through: McLaren Vale wines were aromatic, earthy, savoury with soft tannins and relatively high acidity; Barossa gave sleek, dense, fruit-driven wines; and Clare Valley wines were pretty, floral and spicy. Almost a third of all Australian wineries produce a sparkling wine. The best hail from the cooler regions of Tasmania and Yarra Valley and are made with the standard Champagne grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. There were some fantastic examples, but they are rarely available here in Canada. On your travels look for Tasmanian producers Bay of Fires or Pirie, and Yarra producers Domaine Chandon (established by Champagne house Moët & Chandon) and Yarra Burn. Fortified wines used to represent almost 90 per cent of Australian wine production. It is only 7 per cent today, but some
real stars are hugely complex and intense: Campbells’ Merchant Prince Rare Rutherglen Muscat recently became the first Australian wine to score 100 points in Wine Spectator. A full range is produced: dry to sweet sherry styles; rich and sweet Liqueur Muscats and Liqueur Tokays; ruby, tawny and vintage port styles. Most come from the warm regions of Rutherglen, Glenrowan and Barossa. Look for Buller’s, Seppeltsfield, Peter Lehmann and Penfold’s. Overall, the gentle handling of white wines is producing some real gems and while there were fewer surprises among the red wines, the increased subtlety is allowing regional differences to be articulated. The winemakers who willingly shared their wines, their stories and their passion truly are the heart of Australia’s richness and diversity. Many of my favourite producers are not available here, but look for these in BC outlets: 2008 Innocent Bystander, Moscato: a fun, pink, sweet sparkling wine. $13.99 2006 Shaw and Smith, M3 Chardonnay: a gorgeous, structured wine. $49.99 (Everything Wine) 2006 Peter Lehmann, Semillon: a light, crisp white wine. $15.99 2005 Pirramimma, Petit Verdot: rich, dense black fruit. $27.99 2006 Jim Barry, The Cover Drive, Cabernet Sauvignon: black fruit and minty notes. $28.99 VB
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EATINGIN
By elizabeth levinson photo by gary mckinstry
Cooking and dining solo
a pleasurable process with satisfying results, all week long
Golden Curry is an easy nutritious meal that freezes well and tastes delicious, with its flavours even intensifying on reheating.
At the risk of hurting anyone’s feelings, I must say that I have long favoured cooking and dining alone. You can make whatever you want, eat as much or as little as you want and, without the obligation to converse, you can truly enjoy every mouthful.
“But,” says the naysayer, “I waste so much food. It’s too much effort to cook for one person. It’s just easier to eat takeaways.” Let’s not mince words here: to regard cooking and dining alone as a sad state of affairs is somehow to regard oneself as unworthy of good food and the pleasures of the table. Those who will dispute this view have only to try cooking and dining solo for a week — my way. Preparing meals for one person only seems daunting; in fact, both the process and the result can be nothing short of sensual, indulgent, guiltless pleasure. The trick is to get in touch with your food. The more we link sourcing our food to the cooking and dining experience, the more likely we are to enjoy the journey. You can begin your week with an inspiring shopping trip to your local farmers’ market (most are open until Thanksgiving) or nearby farm gates, choosing whatever you fancy. You may find that connecting with and getting excited about fresh ingredients go a long way to wanting to prepare and eat them. Picture this: On Sunday afternoon, you arrive home with a basket of seasonal produce (‘tis the season for lovely root veggies and apples), a pasture-raised chicken, some cheese and sausage, free-range eggs and crusty bread and maybe a nice bottle or two of local wine. Cut the bread into chunks and freeze for use throughout the week. You have several, easy-to-prepare meals in your basket, starting with that succulent bird. Roast the chicken with potatoes and root veggies for a splendid Sunday evening supper. On Monday, there will be cold chicken for your luncheon sandwich and the promise of a quick chickenveggie stir-fry or a golden vegetarian curry that evening. Speaking of curry, here is a quick and delicious version below to try. It will taste even better on Tuesday once the flavours have fully blended. Just reheat and serve with rice, naan and chutney. How easy is that? By Wednesday, you might appreciate a simple chive omelette served with sausage, a delicate salad and some of that crusty bread. Thursday is a good night to pour a glass of wine, spin some vinyl and prepare a light spinach and ricotta cannelloni (email info@victoriaboulevard.com for the recipe). A great, go-to pasta dish to enjoy straight from the oven, it can be savoured again on Friday with some sautéed vegetables or simply frozen in portions for evenings when time is short or some other diversion has temporarily replaced your passion for cooking.
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Friday can also be a great night to dine out with or without your friends. I love the independent fun of grabbing a solo seat at the bar of Brasserie L’Ecole or Cafe Brio and indulging in someone else’s good cooking and service. By Saturday, you’ll still have a few gems left in that basket of market-fresh ingredients. This is the night to relax and partake of an elegant, composed dinner salad. How about a salade niçoise? Open a tin of good tuna packed in olive oil; blanch some late-harvest fingerling potatoes and green beans; hard boil and quarter one of those farm eggs; add olives, sliced tomatoes and a couple of anchovies; and dress with a quickly whisked vinaigrette. Serve the salad on your best china with crusty bread that has been warmed in the oven (treat yourself like you would a guest — you deserve it) and a glass of Alderlea Vineyard’s Bacchus. If you’re still peckish, a little plate of cheese accompanied by roasted hazelnuts and a sliced autumn pear will complete your feast. Then, there you are at the end of a delicious week, well fortified and undoubtedly excited to hit the markets again on Sunday. My hope is that your week of cooking and dining solo has left you hungry for more. Golden Curry Makes four meals, which can be frozen or reheated. Serve with naan and rice.
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3 tbsp olive oil 1 large onion, thickly sliced 2 cloves garlic, crushed 2 small red chiles, deseeded and chopped 2 tsp pureed fresh ginger root 1 acorn or other autumn squash, cut into chunks 1 medium sweet potato, cut into chunks 2 tsp curry paste 398 ml can chopped tomatoes 150 ml vegetable stock 398 ml can cannellini or great northern beans, drained Salt and pepper half a lemon 1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, roughly torn Heat oil in large pan and sauté onion, garlic, chile and ginger until soft. Add squash, potato and curry paste and cook for two minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then add the beans and simmer gently until the squash is tender. Season to taste with the salt and pepper. Just before serving, add a good squeeze of lemon juice and the coriander. VB victoriaboulevard.com 121
DININGOUT
For 15 years the Oak Bay Marina Sushi Bar has been a popular spot for sushi aficionados.
By elizabeth levinson photo by gary mckinstry
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Who knew that Victorians would become hooked on sushi? A recent foray into our local sushi-yas (sushi eateries) certainly hit some high notes and ultimately answered that question. Dozens of sushi restaurants exist in the south Island. Taste of Tokyo is a friendly, family-run establishment located just off Beacon Avenue in Sidney. Kitty Lo and Chris Wong, former owners of Victoria’s Jade Palace, opened the restaurant 10 years ago in partnership with a Japanese sushi master. It seems that many of our local sushi eateries are owned by Chinese and Vietnamese who learned to make sushi from the Japanese. Mary Fang, daughter of the owners and Taste of Tokyo’s gracious hostess, says that has come about because “Japanese cooking is so attractive and healthy and pleases the eye as well as the stomach, so everyone loves it.” Fang was helpful in explaining the many menu options to me as I munched away on edamame, summer green soy beans, which are steamed, salted and eaten straight from the pod — so healthful and addictive. The next taste sensation was makizushi: vinegared sushi rice, together with pieces of fish, vegetables or tofu, is rolled up tightly inside a sheet of iodine-rich nori (seaweed) and then sliced, usually into six or eight pieces. Vegetarian cucumber and avocado maki were a nice segue to the fish preparations that followed. Temakizushi is prepared similarly to maki, but it is shaped into cones. The tekka (tuna) cone was a meal in
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itself. Nigirizushi, in which a single piece of raw fish or other protein is laid atop an oval-shaped “finger” of sushi rice, was beautifully presented with pickled ginger and a knob of wasabi (root of a Japanese plant). Sake (salmon) and the tamago (sweet egg prepared similar to an omelette) were both fresh and flavourful. If you really can’t make up your mind what to order, Taste of Tokyo has an ingenious solution. Its sushi bar is magically transformed into a popular Saturday night all-youcan-eat smorgasbord with both hot and cold items, enabling you to graze and sample. Sen Zushi is a long-time favourite among Victorians. Housed in a distinctive wooden building on Fort Street, it has a sleek, lacquered interior with lots of traditional artifacts and bamboo plants. Taisho (sushi chef) Kozo Kawada greets his customers with a hearty “Irasshaimase (welcome)!” To make sure the He and taisho Lynn HowardGibbin say their greatest sushi you are eating satisfaction is when a comes from sustainable customer says: “That was the best sushi I ever had.” sources and is not Their mastery of the endangered, check cuisine shines through in the Special Kappa Maki, greenpeace.orvg for a which women favour list of “green listed” and because it has no carbohydrate component. “red listed” seafood. This “sushi without sushi rice” contains cucumber, smoked salmon, sweet egg, avocado, cod roe and crab. It’s clean, fresh taste is highlighted by a miso (fermented soybean) and goma (sesame) sauce. Howard-Gibbin reminds me that soy sauce is for dipping (but not for soaking) the sushi and that the wasabi is provided to mix into the soy. It is not, as I had believed, to be added in a dollop atop the sushi because usually the taisho will have already added it. Like salt in Western cuisine, wasabi is added by the customer only as needed. That mound of gari (pickled ginger) is a palate cleanser, to be eaten on its own between bites of sushi. Speaking of sushi, Sen Zushi is known for fresh fish and generous, artistic nigiri. I sampled Botan (Japanese spot prawn), river eel with an unagi sauce that is made from the inside guts of the eel mixed with soy and pickled mackerel with green onion and ginger. Some creative license came into play with the Ranch Roll, maki fashioned from slightly seared Alberta beef, sushi rice, avocado, cod roe, sweet egg, cucumber and cream cheese. Next door to Oak Bay High School is the charming Mutsuki-An, meaning “comfortable place.” Step into a light
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and airy room where you are greeted with an elegant arrangement of peonies at the door, Picasso on the walls and a warm welcome from owner Nayumi Kushino and her daughters, Anne and Mari. This is modern Japanese hospitality at its best. Says Anne: “We want you to feel comfortable, like at home, and we are very picky about what we serve.” That means attention to detail and daily shopping trips that often include stops at the Saanich farmgates. The ladies insist that sushi rice be eaten fresh, never refrigerated, because temperature changes its consistency and flavour. Fresh is the byword here: the tuna, salmon and prawn nigiri tasted “just caught” as did the prawn seasoned with a spicy red pepper paste. True to the owner’s philosophy, when the fresh ingredients run out, Mutsuki-An closes for the day. Downtown, Ebizo (“prawn house”) is well regarded by local sushi aficionados. The long-time sushi chefs are Vietnamese brothers Kin, Thanh and Ly Dinh, who prefer to be “low key” and let their creativity and sense of fun come through in the food. In addition to sushi standards, the Ebizo house maki is a mélange of eight fish including the eye-popping, neon orange tobiko (flying fish) and masago (smelt) roe. Those in the know order the off-menu Ricky Roll (named for the customer who invented it) in which sushi rice, tuna, salmon and avocado is rolled around prawn tempura. The legendary tuna tataki is accompanied by shredded cabbage and sesame sauce. Another high note is the pickled daikon nigiri, crunchy and palate-cleansing after the fish course. At the Marina Restaurant, one of Victoria’s best-loved fish eateries, taisho David Nakyama holds forth at a sushi bar that has been packed with admirers for 15 years. In 1980, Nakyama was recruited to run the first sushi bar in Victoria (at Yokahama’s). “In those days, nobody would eat raw fish,” he laughs. Today, his select, high-quality sushi menu includes the Osaka Roll. “You don’t usually see this maki outside of Japan,” he tells me as he rolls up barbecued eel, cucumber, daikon sprouts and avocado, lashes on house-made sweet and spicy sauce and wraps the whole in kinshi tamago, the thinnest egg crêpe ever. As Nakyama serves the maki on a geta, a wooden plate named for the traditional Japanese sandal, he winks at me knowingly. Aha, so this is the taisho who knew long ago that Victorians would become hooked on sushi. VB
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The boys’ weekend is one heckuva party: If you dare, come along
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“Honey, where’s that big bottle of Rolaids and the 300 SPF sunscreen?” “Just lay off the fried food this year and wear a hat,” yells my wife after what I’m sure was a huge eye roll. Lay off the fried food? Good Lord, that’s part of the foundation that the “guys’ weekend” was built on. It’s no coincidence men don’t take their doctors with them on these trips. It’s our time to go wild . . . or in our case mild. Like a lot of men, I feel a great need to be with my own kind once in awhile and the “boys’ weekend” seems to fill that void nicely. I think for me it goes back to being a kid watching endless episodes of The Flintstones on TV. I remember marveling at the fellowship and comradery of the Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes of Bedrock. What a great club, with those big-horned hats, barbecued dinosaur ribs, huge tankards of cactus juice and no interference from the Missus, except during that fateful Miss Water Buffalo Pageant episode. Unfortunately, Betty and Wilma did show for that meeting and I’m pretty sure Fred spent the rest of his night on the stone couch. Once a year I look forward to a weekend with three of my great friends, Dave, Ross and Garner. All are original staff
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members of The Q and all of them have been (by radio standards) very successful. Dave is a born leader and heads up an entire radio chain’s programming department; Ross is a voice talent and is heard on stations coast to coast in Canada and the United States; Garner is fast becoming the most listened to radio morning guy in Edmonton; and I’m driving a 1997 sedan with fairly low mileage. This year we rented a vehicle so we could roll into Penticton and let the locals know that the boys were back in town. Admittedly, it’s tough to project that image when you’re four guys in Dockers driving a Dodge Caravan, but we did our best. None of us are very dedicated golfers, but golf, beer and fried food are the three requirements in the boys’ weekend manual, so off to the golf course we went. Ross was first to notice the “no beverage cart today” sign and we quickly drew straws to see who would have to tell Dave, or Thirsty as he’s sometimes known. Usually in golf the heavy swearing happens after the first tee-off. Not today. They say some of the best ideas are born on the golf course. I would have to say that Garner’s “Beef Jerky Club Grips” idea was easily a top contender. I think he thought of it when he noticed Dave gnawing on his nine iron: obviously he picked the wrong weekend to quit smoking. Can’t complain about our results though, we were all in the low 80s! Quitting after 12 holes does wonders for your score. It’s now 7 pm and we’re in the pub for dinner, exchanging inflated salary stories, backstabbing fellow employees and vowing to party hard to at least 10 pm. We opted for no nap today (unlike yesterday) so I didn’t expect us to make it past last night’s wild 11:15 pm ending, but somehow we hung on until nearly midnight. Dave retired at 10:30 pm though, claiming the Eastern Time zone as his excuse. We’re not tough guys, so when Garner starts into a story of how he needed stitches after a recent dust-up we were all shocked. But it turns out we misheard him. He actually cut his finger on a potpourri vase that broke while he was dusting. None of us could top that gory story of survival, so it was time to turn in and close the door on this year’s Men Gone Mild weekend. So what’s the message in all of this? Well, for me it’s that it’s still possible to get together with guys you had fun with in your 30s, but it’s impossible to be 30 again. Still, we’re not giving up. Even though our boys’ weekend in Las Vegas two years ago turned Sin City into Mischief City and included three pathetic hours shopping at an outlet mall (you should see the great $7 pairs of shorts we all got marked down from $11!) we plan to try that one again. I’ve already come up with our slogan: “What happens in Vegas won’t happen to us, so don’t worry about it.” VB
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Secrets&lies
By shannon moneo photo by gary mckinstry
KATHRYN LAURIN 52, CAMOSUN COLLEGE PRESIDENT On taking over as Camosun College President a year ago, you said you wanted to focus on “quality programs.” What does that mean? First to ensure we are relevant. We’re responsible for essential skills training and university transfer. We need to make sure the students we are churning out into the labour force have the right skills in order to be successful in employment.
Has society seemingly in recent years put a greater value on a university degree than a college degree?
of our Camosun students is 27 — not students coming out of high school.
There’s always been this stigma that going to college is a little bit lower than going to university. I think the tides are turning. People and government are beginning to understand its value. We are finding students who already have university degrees are coming back to college either to upgrade and go into a program to have some skill set in which they’ll be employable at the end. The mean age
You hold a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Indiana University. As an accomplished choral conductor, your every gesture is obeyed. Does that power translate to the college boardroom? (Hearty laugh.) Certainly not. That’s a good question. I try not to use my hands too much in the boardroom. There’s been some interesting studies done on the relationship between conductors and leaders that suggests there’s a lot of similarities between what the two do. I think that’s why I’ve enjoyed administration so much. The most successful conductors are able to inspire people to move beyond where they thought their own abilities were and to work together to have a great outcome. A great leader should do the same. You were part of the first German choir ever invited to sing in Israel; what does that say about music? That music is absolutely an international language. It speaks
directly to the essence of every person, speaks to the soul. That’s the beauty of it. You can be inspired and moved by music regardless of your race, ethnicity. That’s a pretty powerful thing. What’s your top playlist on your iPod? Mozart piano concertos, Brahms symphonies, and Celine Dion, she’s one of the greatest pop singers of this century. She gets a lot of flack, but anyone that can perform in Las Vegas for four years, seven shows a week, the sacrifices you have to make to do that, as a singer, it’s remarkable. What five words would you use to describe yourself? Focused, energetic, funny — I don’t take myself too seriously — probably organized, curious. What is your secret passion? I love cars. I drive a Lexus, flaming red. My father loved cars. As I child, he taught me about cars — was it a V8, a six-cylinder, 400 c.c. engine? It was passed down to me. I love looking at beautiful cars. I would love to have a BMW 330 convertible. I don’t think it would be red though. I’m done with red. This is my third red car. What is your greatest indulgence? Food, wine, and good chocolate. In the Camosun syllabus, what course would you like to take? There’s a course in navigating large ships. I want to try that course. I’d like to pilot a ship, just once, for the sheer experience. Interview has been condensed and edited.
Familiar Faces, Familiar Places
This is Cathy
Whitehead McIntyre, M.B.A., C.M.R.P.
Photographed at the Royal Colwood Golf and Country Club by Gary Mckinstry
with her
Cathy began her career as a Sales & Marketing professional and today is principal consultant of Strategic Initiatives Inc, a nationally recognized market research firm, which she founded in 1997. She counts among her clients many of the leading businesses in Western Canada, a host of well recognized local companies and a myriad of charitable and non profit associations. Since consumer research is her forte it would be natural to assume that rigorous research went into the purchase of her new Lexus. “Nope” she says. “My husband Murray looked up the consumer
2010 Lexus RX 350 reports and told me the car I fell in love with is top of its class. For me, it is my second Metro Lexus and I emphasize Metro. They are amazing to deal with, very professional and a local business that values giving to the community — something I also highly value.” She found a vehicle that fit her needs, surpasses all competitors in its class, bought from a dealership that values exceptional service and the community in which it is based. Cathy has an expression she uses to summarize that experience: “No brainer.”
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