We caught a taxi from the hostel to the ferry terminal- it was pouring with rain which seemed to ensure the taxi driver offered no help with our bags etc at either end. Once at the terminal we bought our tickets & wandered on down to the waiting area passed a number of kiosks selling sweets, food, coffee & clothing. Plenty of people shopping!! A couple of large groups boarding with us as there was a big women’s rugby tournament on in Vancouver so a bit of a rush & squeeze getting on especially as we have such large bags.
The ferry journey from Nanaimo to Horseshoe Bay was uneventful though the captain did announce that he’d spotted a pod of orca off this starboard bow but we didn’t manage to spot any. Spent the hour 40min of the crossing reading magazines & wandering round the ferry ... again, the shop was busy with people shopping as if their life depended on it!
As we came into Horseshoe Bay I noticed just how steeply the hills (mountains) rose up from the coast, straight up, clothed in forest where the rock allowed otherwise it was barren with perhaps a little moss covering the granite rocks [geology]. Carol collected us off ferry and we transferred our bags & ourselves to her car, then waited to get on the ferry to Langdale so we could travel up to Sechelt. The drive out of Langdale was steeply up the Trans-Canada highway but we turned off at Gibsons to head in for a look-see & a cuppa. Not a lot happening in the cafes & shops as there was a power-cut but we finally found a bakery in a second-hand shop where we were able to get a snack & a drink. Gibsons village was a pleasant wee spot overlooking the Straits of Georgia – we saw a bit of it whilst it wasn’t raining but by the time we were heading on the rain was hosing down.
We arrived at Tessa’s late afternoon to a warm welcome. Her place is deep in a forest hill area overlooking Porpoise Bay – lovely & green. A pleasant evening passed catching up on 6 years & enjoying a meal of spaghetti squash lasagne Carol had prepared.
The next day was again wet – the weather report had predicted heavy rain all day & it pretty much did as expected. We had decided to check out a few of the artisans from the huge number listed on the Sunshine Coast Art Crawl programme & to enjoy a lunch at Gumboot Cafe in Robert’s Creek. Lovely soup lunch – kidney bean soup for C & a lentil soup for me with a couple of good chunks of their handcrafted bread.
The artisan workshops/ outlets we visited were:
- tems swiya museum of the Sechelt Indian Band: here we were guided through the exhibition by Molly, a member of the shishalh nation who proudly explained the archaeological, artistic and photographic displays. The central part of the exhibition was the recreation of the facial features of the 4 skeletons unearthed during the archaeological dig – they had digitalised the re-creation so 4 faces were looking out from a screen, blinking & moving their heads. The older man is thought to be a chief aged around 50-55, with the young woman (possibly 19-24 yo) either his wife or a daughter, plus twin young adult males. There was also a baby who was not digitised. Found around their bodies were lots of shells beads, around 53,000 of them which indicates that this was a wealthy, chiefly family. The skeletons have been dated as around 4000 years old, which blew me away how well the bones & shells were preserved. Another key piece in the exhibition is an ancient stone carving of mother & child, which was found buried on the coast 100 years ago & was placed in a museum in Ottawa (Picture). It was returned to the Shishalh nation only recently & takes pride of place as the story behind the carving is a central one in their oral history. We moved onto the museum shop & looked through their collection of carvings, weavings, paintings etc – we just bought a couple of mugs!
- Red Cedar WomanWeaving Studio – here we watched a student of Jessica Silvey do some weaving & talked to another woman about how the cedar bark is stripped & soaked prior to weaving. Some truly beautiful baskets, blankets, hats and mats were displayed.
- Shishalh First Nations artists @ the longhouse – absolutely in awe of the skills of Shyanne Watters, a cedar hat weaver. Chatted with Jamie Jefferies, a cedar wood carver. Caroline bought a lovely cedar wood & abalone pendant from Shain Jackson. We went into the longhouse where Raquel Joe introduced us to Andy Johnson who talked to us about the carved poles, the significance of the soil/sand floor for being close to Mother Earth & how the house is used for teaching their youth & sharing culture. Can be slept in overnight on the stepped seating on either side of the house. We also were treated to a drumming song telling of the loss the Nation has suffered but that they remain and will continue stronger into the future. The drumming & chanting brought tears to my eyes – an overwhelming sense of grief or sadness for the loss the indigenous people suffered through colonisation. [note: impact of smallpox on Sechalt] Andy is a language teacher who is very keen to visit NZ to learn more about language recovery from Maori. Notes: http://www.shishalh.com/education & Sechelt-language-saved-for-posterity
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| Listening to the chant. Note double eagle head symbol with the head of orca below; representative of peace & chieftainship. |
- Eco Freako – ‘planet friendly passions & awesome artists’; just had a quick look at the paintings, jewellery, soaps etc before heading across carpark to lunch.
- Health Food store – bought some lovely fresh veges & peanut butter for preparing the evening meal.
- Mustard Seed Clay ceramics – we were shown around the pottery by Ray Niebergall. He, his wife & son all create work there – loved their designs & the colour of their glazes. Learnt a bit about firing in a gas kiln, with a clever use of cones to help judge the heat & colour of glaze.
- Fibre Friends & More @ Sunshine Golf club – spinning, weaving, knitting, clothing design. Lots of lovely creations where I bought a felted hat from an Austrian felter, Ursula Bentz of Feeling Art.
- La Petite Souris Chocolate – boutique chocolate studio where we tasted a number of their confections & played a ‘determine the flavour’ quiz. Very tasty.
- Next to the chocolatier was an artisan clothing store, Megan's Boutique, where I bought a Canadian-made bamboo fibre miel bra.
It was STILL RAINING as we drove home!
Links: Sechelt-nation-taking-control-from-province; Law giving Sechalt nation self govt.; Sechelt_Indian_Government_District; totems; Legends & symbology
Sunday was a lazy start day – should have got myself up earlier as the day was fine to begin with. Enjoyed griddle scones with maple beans for breakfast. And, then out for a walk in the woods at Hidden Groves with Tessa to get up to a view over the straits toward Vancouver Island. The park we went to was saved in 2001 by vigilant locals who found out that the area was going to be clear-felled. Had a close look at the bark stripped from cedar trees - only 2 hands wide - for weaving by First Nations weavers.
We made the 1.45pm ferry for a calm sailing across to Horseshoe Bay despite not having a reservation. On the other side the rain started again as we journeyed up the Sea-to- Sky highway. Stopped to look at the spectacular view over Howe Bay toward Vancouver Island – quite atmospheric with the rain & low cloud.
Despite the heavy rain we managed to unpack all the gear quickly into Carol’s apartment & then relaxed for the evening. Nibbles & omlette meal .....and a night in watching nature doco & political commentary on Trudeau’s govt & whether Trump should be impeached! Liked Andrew Sullivan for his strong opinion commentary on Trump. Final event of the night was watching Gord Downie in a performance of his Secret Path album in memory of Chanie Wenjack, a First Nations boy who died running away from a residential school. Stunning - tear jerking particularly in the light of Downie's recent death.
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