Art Off the Fence: A Pender Institution

Art Off the Fence 2018
Art Off the Fence, last year, in the churchyard of Church of the Good Shepherd

It’s one of the great institutions in the cultural landscape of Pender Island!

Art Off the Fence is a showcase for for some of the most talented artists on the Island, the Southern Gulf Islands and even the province! These artists are cultural gemstones and their work brightens the lives of all those who live and visit here.… Continue reading

A Small Scoundrel

The baker with headlight. Note the wet mouse feet on the gravel (you need to look very closely)

The walls of Mildrith’s dome were close to 800ºF when the mouse appeared the first time. He was standing on hind legs on the wall beside the oven, sniffing the air.

He gave me a start, the little bugger.… Continue reading

A Summer’s Morning

Craddock Beach in the early dawn

I stand at my kitchen door looking out at Boundary Pass, off the south coast of South Pender Island.

It’s not long after 6 am, but the bird life has been active since long before consciousness began seeping into me. I lay for a while in bed listening to the family of ravens yelling at each other in raucous squawks.… Continue reading

Let’s Raise a Glass to Mildrith the Oven!

Mildrith exceeds expectations with this busy bake! Here, she dispenses with 12 of the 20 Sprouted Kamut Loaves this week.

Permit me to extoll Mildrith’s virtues.

She continues to exceed my expectations, yet she has simple needs. If I feed her enough wood and fire, she is with me. She performs. On Friday, she was miraculous!… Continue reading

Benediction on Mount Norman

We stood on that high ground …

We stood on that high ground
Looking down at the inlet
Our eyes like eagles, 
Dropping over the tops of fir and cedar
The moss-covered rock
Over the quiet water below
And out into the islands and the sea opening into the sunlight.
There was no horizon.

Our legs were warm from the climb
Our lungs still calling for air
Blood coursing through the limbs.… Continue reading