So you may have noticed a drop in posts. It is Summer here and I am recently returned from Hornby Island, an island in the Strait of Georgia.

This post will have some pictures, as I try to show you all what some of the West Coast Lifestyle is like.

To get to Hornby Island, you need to go from Vancouver Island, to Denman Island (by the longest cable ferry in the world), and then via another ferry to Hornby itself. Some take boats to the one marina at Ford’s Cove, while others seek anchorage in Tribune Bay (but only in the Summer before the winds shift and the bay becomes exposed).

We are lucky enough to have family property (and family residents) there, as the population of the island swells up (from about 1,000 normally to over 10,000 in the Summer), so space is at a premium. This is somewhat at odds with the reclusive hippie/artist lifestyle on the island, but it’s an important money making time for the locals. There are markets held in a forest near the community centre twice a week:

The markets are great. Everything from snacks to local produce, art (from ironwork to quilts), to massages and haircuts. As Hornby has a great music festival and still has a free-living lifestyle, the markets now have community health initiatives stands(sexual health and naloxone instruction by paramedics) which is great as there are no resident doctors on the island.

The community centre near the market itself has a nice performance venue and an interesting exterior:

The main notice board for the community:

Unlike some other parts of Canada, we don’t get as much humidity here, but we do get hot weather (for us). We do have great beaches, the most famous of which is Tribune Bay. With our 5 metre tide range, the sand soaks up the heat and then makes the water nice and warm. Even swimming at low tide is pleasant. The beach is stunning:

And the water is clear:

Along with lovely water, we also have tall trees here. And I mean tall. On Vancouver Island some trees push above 80m in height! On Hornby, most of the trees are second growth, but they are still tall (40m+).

These tall trees are wonderful, but as you can see in the picture above, should they fall they do considerable damage. Therefore, Summer time is also a great time for arborists who climb to dizzying heights to remove branches or fall trees that will pose a danger once the Winter winds come.

The gardens on the island are still blooming, and the fruit is ripening nicely. Apples are ripe, quinces are almost there, blueberries are ready, and the first of the many, many blackberries are edible.

That means that walking to a beach, or just wandering the paths you can find food at your finger tips.

The small building on the right in the photo above is a well. As rainwater fed aquifers supply the fresh water on the island, water conservation is a big deal. We really don’t want the aquifers to drop too low as the sea will rush in and then we’d be forced to truck in water. We have two large cisterns (one under the house) that provide us some lee-way.

Anyway, there is a brief look at some of the West Coast lifestyle out here. The heat is supposed to break this week, so I should be able to get some more painting and prepping done.