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| The Vancouver Island flag was approved by Queen Victoria in 1865, but remained relatively unknown until a Victoria resident asked The Flag shop to make a copy in 1988. Since then, it has taken off again. |
June, July, and August in Courtenay arrived and as quickly as it was upon us, it was gone. We have had a gorgeous summer, and to go along with that we have had the pleasure and the company of visitors from Calgary and Nevada. It was so nice to see everyone again.
As explained in our last blog, we have had water issues on the island but as September closed in the rain arrived that we badly needed and before we knew it, the watering restrictions were partially eased and lawns began to green up once again.
We still need more rain to raise the levels of the rivers and reservoirs on the island and many locals are also calling for snow in the mountains too.
The local Ski Resort on Mount Washington in Strathcona Provincial Park is desperate to get going this winter as last winter was a complete disaster with zero snow - resulting in the resort having to refund season ticket monies to all who had purchased them.
The local Ski Resort on Mount Washington in Strathcona Provincial Park is desperate to get going this winter as last winter was a complete disaster with zero snow - resulting in the resort having to refund season ticket monies to all who had purchased them.
With an El Niño being forecast for this winter and the Farmers Almanac just out, both calling for a cold dry winter here and a hot dry summer, this might not be good news for some of the local farmers who depend on precipitation to grow their crops.
Sept 16 - I dropped Donna at Comox airport for her flight back to Calgary to see the kids and the grandkids, gave her a big hug and sent her on her way. She would be gone for six days.
Donna really enjoyed her time back in Calgary catching up with friends and family on local new items etc.
Meanwhile, I remained in Courtenay. My five days were also productive. The night Donna left, I sat through the much anticipated US Republican debate which was not that informative but it did contain some interesting back and forth jibes and interaction between candidates.
The rest of the time, I was doing my thing attempting to master some of my Indian Recipes such as home made Vegetable Samosas and a Lamb Biriyani. Donna does not eat lamb and as a result, I rarely get to taste it either.
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| Donna with six of the eleven grandchildren. |
Meanwhile, I remained in Courtenay. My five days were also productive. The night Donna left, I sat through the much anticipated US Republican debate which was not that informative but it did contain some interesting back and forth jibes and interaction between candidates.
The rest of the time, I was doing my thing attempting to master some of my Indian Recipes such as home made Vegetable Samosas and a Lamb Biriyani. Donna does not eat lamb and as a result, I rarely get to taste it either.
By late September, it had cooled off considerably, but we still enjoyed temperatures on some days as low as 10C (50F) or up as high as 21C (70F).
Although we still had flowers in pots outside, I completed an early fall cleanup, had the lawns over-seeded and added some badly needed top soil ready for the spring weather which arrives earlier on the island than in other places in Canada.
Although we still had flowers in pots outside, I completed an early fall cleanup, had the lawns over-seeded and added some badly needed top soil ready for the spring weather which arrives earlier on the island than in other places in Canada.
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During the last week of September, we had two earthquakes off the coast of Vancouver Island west of Port Hardy (the most northerly city on the Island).
The first, a 4.2 quake on the Richter Scale followed a day later by a 5.7 quake which occurred roughly 150 kms west of Port Hardy out in the Pacific which we did not feel in Courtenay. These quakes are considered light to moderate and occur on our planet about 30,000 times a year but cause little or no damage.
Earthquakes in our neck of the woods are not considered an unusual occurrence as we are living on or close to The San Andreas Fault Line.
As one drives to Port Alberni mid-Island, the expectation of what could happen becomes more noticeable as you drive by many signs warning of Tsunamis. It's a good reminder (lest we forget) that the narrow channels and deep valleys here and around Port Alberni are very similar to what you would find in Norway and if a tsunami did occur, the narrowing channels would force the incoming water to rise considerably.
As one drives to Port Alberni mid-Island, the expectation of what could happen becomes more noticeable as you drive by many signs warning of Tsunamis. It's a good reminder (lest we forget) that the narrow channels and deep valleys here and around Port Alberni are very similar to what you would find in Norway and if a tsunami did occur, the narrowing channels would force the incoming water to rise considerably.
40 or 50 ft. would not be out of the question.
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To Go Or Not To Go? - That Was The Question.
With the Canadian Dollar dipping below the 75 Cent mark for the first time in eleven years, we have decided that it's not the best time to head south again this winter even though the Canadian dollar has bounced back to 77 Cents to the US dollar. Another reason for not going south is that we would really like to experience a winter here as we have never done that before to that's the plan this year. Stay here and accrue some loot as they would say.
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As sure as eggs are eggs, the one constant is that winter is on its way. We will not miss the white stuff for one moment. Rarely does it snow here but even if it does, the locals tell us that it's gone the next day so we have not purchased a s**w shovel for the upcoming season yet! I just hope I am not being over optimistic as I have seen the odd snowblower advertised and appearing in the stores such as Home Depot and Canadian Tire.
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Along with Winter, another issue rears it's head at this time of the year. That of tires - winter tires. Even on Vancouver Island at certain times of the year there are places you don't venture without winter tires.
This is a "heads up" for those who may consider coming to Vancouver Island from Calgary or the mainland.
Anyone found driving on certain road stretches (the Malahat Highway on the Island or over the Coquihalla between Hope and Kamloops are two areas that immediately spring to mind) between October 1 and April 1 are required by law to have winter/snow tires.
These restrictions are placed on all types of vehicles. if you are stopped and caught without the correct tires by the RCMP it's a $167 fine. Worse still it's something that not all BC or out-of-Province residents are aware of so when you are on the highways here, read the signs. They are enforced.
This is a "heads up" for those who may consider coming to Vancouver Island from Calgary or the mainland.
Anyone found driving on certain road stretches (the Malahat Highway on the Island or over the Coquihalla between Hope and Kamloops are two areas that immediately spring to mind) between October 1 and April 1 are required by law to have winter/snow tires.
These restrictions are placed on all types of vehicles. if you are stopped and caught without the correct tires by the RCMP it's a $167 fine. Worse still it's something that not all BC or out-of-Province residents are aware of so when you are on the highways here, read the signs. They are enforced.
To solve this problem if we ever venture onto those roads, we will use the Truck which has the M+S (Mud and Snow) rated tires. Even as Canadian Residents,we only learned about this by looking at fairly non descript road signs on our way out to the island. We had driven this route many times but had never noticed this before.
Mid October - You Reap What You Sow!
Yes, we have to do this now if we are to enjoy a wonderful flowering yard in the spring, so I placed 60 bulbs of Narcissus and Daffodils into the yard in anticipation of a grand show of flowers early next year.
We have to be careful what we plant because the deer and rabbits eat the shoots of certain plants when they are on their way up and needless to say, there are lots of both species around.
Funnily enough, I found out from a local walking by our home one morning that in December, Home Depot sells off millions of bulbs really cheaply and many people wait until then for the bargains as it is that mild, we can still plant in December as the ground is rarely frozen. I will have to remember that for next year. I glean all this information as I talk to almost everyone who walks by. Either I open up a conversation or they ask..."you're new here aren't you. Where did you come from"? Everyone is so chatty here......Just like back in Mesquite.
Project Planning Time
Between the busy season of fall cleanup and Thanksgiving, I decided to make myself a workbench to be located in the garage. I was very happy with the way it turned out. It is secured to the wall and ain't going nowhere.
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Mid October - You Reap What You Sow!
Yes, we have to do this now if we are to enjoy a wonderful flowering yard in the spring, so I placed 60 bulbs of Narcissus and Daffodils into the yard in anticipation of a grand show of flowers early next year.
We have to be careful what we plant because the deer and rabbits eat the shoots of certain plants when they are on their way up and needless to say, there are lots of both species around.
Funnily enough, I found out from a local walking by our home one morning that in December, Home Depot sells off millions of bulbs really cheaply and many people wait until then for the bargains as it is that mild, we can still plant in December as the ground is rarely frozen. I will have to remember that for next year. I glean all this information as I talk to almost everyone who walks by. Either I open up a conversation or they ask..."you're new here aren't you. Where did you come from"? Everyone is so chatty here......Just like back in Mesquite.
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Project Planning Time
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El who?
Having said earlier that El Niño (translation - The Boy) is almost upon us and that it would be a dry winter, October 7th saw the beginning of the approach of what meteorologists term "the Pineapple Express".
The Pineapple Express is the description given when very wet depressions or tropical storms move up from Hawaii across the Pacific and onto land in either NW Washington, Oregan, the coast of British Columbia, Canada and southern Alaska.
We have needed rain for sometime now so the dump of rain the Pineapple Express is expected to bring is welcome.
It probably won't be cold enough to turn the rain to snow at higher elevations but who knows. We will have to wait and see.
Maybe it's already here. Today, Donna and I headed out to vote in the Canadian General Election and it was bucketing down. We commented on the volume of rain to a lady while we stood and waited to vote.
Her reply was "Oh this is nothing, wait until November comes, then you'll really see the rain. I am told that the southeasters bring lots of moisture to Comox Valley during winter.
Canadian Thanksgiving is almost upon us (Mon Oct. 12) and US thanksgiving will take place November 26th. Our turkey is defrosting in the refrigerator and we are preparing a two person Thanksgiving Dinner which we normally cook on a Sunday. So we will be on our own this year. No big deal, at least the pressure will be off and we can have a more relaxed approach to Thanksgiving unlike many past years when we have been with friends or family and fed up to 14 people.
Before we leave you, not five minutes before I sent out this blog, we caught a glimpse of a Northern Goshawk in our back yard probably looking for rabbits. I never had time to get to my Camera with the telephoto lens on but I quickly snapped a picture to share with you.
There are about 300 breeding pairs on Vancouver Island and this one (although the picture is a little fuzzy) stood about 18 inches or 45 cms. tall. So here he is hot off the press. Here it is perched in our Japanese Maple tree. Look at the talons on this magnificent bird.
In closing, we will cook the turkey on the Traegar again like we did last Christmas in Nevada and we will be thinking of you all on our respective Thanksgiving days. So to close out this blog Donna and I would like to say to you all;
Stay Safe and enjoy every minute you can.
Ken and Donna
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