Get Out! Sidney Spit

by Frank Gee

The Get Out series is aimed at reminding us how lucky we are to live on southern Vancouver Island – one of the most diverse and livable places on earth! All my adventures are from the basis of a family with pre-teen kids. Get out and enjoy!

Sidney Spit is a must-do for locals and visitors alike because it is such an easy way to enjoy a marine excursion (for those of us living on an island without a boat). Simply walk to the end of Sidney’s Beacon Avenue (the main street) and your adventure has started!

The walk-on ferry schedule is very convenient for a day trip or afternoon and it provides access to the camping facilities (group and individual).

Day trips will feel like a real get-away as you lounge on the many beautiful beaches, explore the tidal flats, stroll the spit or wander the forest trails. If you’re there for the beach but need some relief from the sun, set up your chairs in the grassy shade of the point just above the cluster of picnic tables.

Campers have access to large wheelbarrows to haul gear to their site, making it a lot easier on dads! Group campsites can be booked through the Parks Canada office in Sidney and offer a huge kitchen shelter.

Fantastic beaches exist on both sides of Sidney Island. If you’ve planned your visit around a low tide, then go to the east side and enjoy the extensive tidal flats and sunny sand. Herons and eagles are almost always present and kids can watch crabs and sculpins in the pools. The beach area near the dock is also nice and is convenient to the cluster of picnic tables. It’s also a good place to watch the boats coming and going. This beach curves gently towards the campground to the south, or extends north out on the spit. Both areas provide quiet spots to settle in and enjoy your day.

Incredible wildlife viewing opportunities abound. As mentioned, herons and bald eagles are common. Osprey frequent the shallow waters, but don’t forget the many swallows and purple martins. Walkers are almost certain to spot deer in the shaded woods; both coastal black tail and (introduced) fallow deer are common.

Ten To Untangle

by Jan McRae

Should a couple of grandparents be doing this? My husband, Joe, and I are attempting a new
position that requires one of his legs to slip between mine before going on to the next move. On the video demonstration it appeared very sensuous, yet easy; we could hardly wait to try. So why has he gone east while I’ve gone west? And instead of seductively brushing his leg with mine as in the demo, why do I have the urge to kick him? Because we’re learning Argentine Tango.

We’ve been assured the feeling of impending murder is not uncommon for couples learning together. Two beginners can hardly give each other confidence; more often they focus on the other’s mistakes. Our teacher wisely encourages switching partners throughout the lesson. How much kinder one can be to a stranger who lands on your toe.

My back went up a tad when learning that the woman is called the follow while the man is the lead. But I soon learned that Argentine Tango is not “I command, you obey.” Rather, it’s a silent conversation of invitation and acceptance, allowing both parties to express themselves. In fact, most moves showcase the woman and provide opportunities for independent embellishments of her choice. I’ve learned that flirty-leg-flip-thing is a boleo, and that little tracing-a-circle-with-a-toe-move is a lapiz. Who could not love anything when it’s said in Spanish? Sigh.

A complicated dance, it can take months of practice for the mind and body to cooperate. Stumbling around the dance floor, I notice a poster with bad news/good news: It Takes Ten to Tango – 10 years to become proficient, but 10 years of fun along the way. One can hope. At the moment, our smooth moves are more like Franken-lurches.

What prompted us to take this on? Quick answer: a lifelong interest in music, including Joe’s love of playing and building guitars, and a PBS special on Argentine Tango. Within an hour we were mesmerized by the unique music, tangled limbs and layered history. To my surprise, Joe said: “We should do this.”

“What?!” His only previous dance experience is a best forgotten youthful-drunken-bar-room-table-top-flamenco performance.

Lavender Fields: More Than Soothing Scent

by Moira Gardener

Did you know that we have Provence-like lavender fields right here on the Saanich Peninsula? This I have to see, so with pen in hand and camera slung over my shoulder I depart. Take a trip with me to discover what’s down the graveled lane off of John Road outside Sidney.

On arrival as we step out of the car, there are warm welcomes from Max and Cosmo – the farm’s Welsh border collies – who wag their whole bodies in greeting. Next we meet the birds: ducks, chickens, geese and peacocks go about their business as we begin to explore the wonderful gardens coming into bloom. The most popular varieties of lavender are grosso and royal velvet, but the betty blue is my favourite, with its stalks of star-like flowers coming into full bloom every July.

The farm I’m visiting is an agri-tourism farm and one of four sites belonging to Victoria Lavender, owned by Alan Mayfield and Susan Abbey. This is the only farm site they have open to the public. It supports 11,000 bushes with 30 varieties on seven acres and has two lavender shops; one on the farm and the other in Sidney on Beacon Avenue.

I get a chance to meet the farmer himself, whose passion for his work is so apparent, and am amazed to find out that all of what I see here has been accomplished in two short years. Wow - now that’s passion for a project! Farmer Alan explains that this past winter he cleared out the brush at the entrance of the property to create yet another delight. The area will become a Garry oak meadow complete with native wildflowers and a duck pond – what a resort for our feathered friends.

Not only is it tranquil, interesting and beautiful, but above all, the lavender farm is functional. I never dreamt lavender was so versatile: it is used for far more than the traditional sachet or the obvious beautification of your garden.

Lavender is an herb whose disinfectant and antiseptic properties can make it useful in healing many types of aches, pains and swellings. The rejuvenating herb’s scent at evaporation may calm, refresh and soothe, making it a perfect choice for aromatherapy by offering both physical and emotional support.

Wsi-I-Kem: Gateway to Paradise

duck

by James K. Finley

The very first glimpse, and the very last impression, of Vancouver Island for millions of residents and tourists alike is a beautiful little lagoon called Wsi-i-kem. As they hurry to and from the Swartz Bay ferry terminal in North Saanich, most do not realize they are bypassing a little piece of paradise.

Unfortunately, the scenery is marred by highway signs, and the landscaping has been badly neglected along the Trans-Canada highway and biking trail. The lagoon is obscured by an unsightly thicket of Scotch broom which, for once, has a useful purpose in maintaining the tranquility, protecting a rare intertidal plant community and limiting disturbance of the winter-resident green-winged teal (pictured at top right) that thrive on the rich tidal mudflats.