If you reside in Southern BC you will have lived through quite a few weeks of daily rain or if not raining, then seeing a grey, gloomy and overcast sky. On these dark days when I feel no desire to spend much time outside I find the best cure is to go through my stash of yarns and fibres and plan the next colourful crafting adventure. I wish I could show you a new finished project, but despite a lot of time indoors I did not finish anything in the past 7 days. The timed knit project takes astonishingly long. As of now, I have knit 70 rows from the toe up on both socks and need to “turn the heel” – which means: knitting the heel – and it already took me 7 hours to get there! At this point I am unconvinced that working two socks at a time on one long, circular needle is really faster. So, the time trial continues.
We were quite excited that the clouds finally broke last weekend and took it as our opportunity to visit Bowen Island in the suburb of West Vancouver. One can travel there on bus (take the bus #250 or #257 express to Horseshoe Bay from a bus stop close to the Hudson Bay department store in downtown Vancouver) and ferry and spend an afternoon or longer walking around. Our favourite hike on Bowen Island is through Crippen Park along the beach and onto the forested trail up to Dorman Point.
For some reason we think the hike takes at least an hour, but it really is just 30 minutes of a brisk walk up the hill to a rocky cliff viewpoint. On a clear day the view goes all the way into the valley and Mount Baker (US) can be seen. It is a great spot for a picnic, watching some wildlife – we saw a few bald eagles and ravens – and the ferries sailing in and out of the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal.
We often end our visit with a stop at one of the cafes or pubs. Just be aware that most stores and cafes close early (3-4 pm) in the winter months when it is mostly locals frequenting the village.
Another well-known area, but seldom visited by us, is the UBC campus with its many museums and gardens. It was an afternoon “down memory lane” when we arrived on the 99 bus and walked the North campus from the bus loop to the Museum of Anthropology (MOA). Half of the buildings we knew from our time studying there 20 years ago had been renovated or replaced with something new. At least the Koerner grad pub was still where we spent evenings with our friends drinking beer, albeit in an updated version. The Chan centre, rose garden and museum had not changed. It was a treat to walk the high-ceilinged halls of the MOA and being awed by the craftsmanship of the totems, carvings of masks and to my personal delight the spinning, weaving and knitting of goat and sheep fibres. The collection of delicately woven cedar bark and root baskets makes me want to try my hand at it.
Inspiring as this visit was I will stick with my current crafts of spinning and knitting and not being pulled into weaving as alluring as it seems to be.
Have a wonderful week!
beecosydesign 