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Published: September 19th 2008
Before we took off to Smith Rock, Jono and I had a date with Cass. She took us to Vancouver Island and showed us around where she grew up in Campbell River, a logging town on the Island. We met her Dad, her mum (who are seperated), her sister and some of her cousins. One of her cousins has been adopted by the first nations people and lives on a reserve. His friend and flatmate is an incredibly talented carver, and artist and we got to look at a lot of his work. Breathtaking. He makes the big traditional masks that they use in ceremonies, and he is also commisioned by the council to do a lot of public art. The reserve was also the first one we had seen that was pretty and well maintained, which was great to see.
Swims in fresh water lakes and rivers punctuated the tour. Food, ofcourse also played a big part. Cass' Dad made us all a big birthday dinner feast, as it was Cass's 29th birthday in a few days time. He confesses to not being a great cook, but he makes damn fine chicken drumsticks and potato mash. We ate fresh
apples from the tree at Cass' mum's house while oogling over recent photos of a big black bear in the neighbour's apple tree. Cass's mum has a trailer in the front yard where her boyfreind sleeps with a sticker saying "Hug a logger, you will never go back to trees again".
We went to Quadra and stayed with Cass's sister in an old loggers hut with a beautiful big green backyard, partied that night Island style, watching a local band at a neighbourhood center (they were really good) and ate breakfast at the hotel where Cass's sister works the next morning.
It was great to get a different perspective of the island, a local's view rather than a tourist's one. The pretty, green and tranquil place you see as a tourist can be a rough and hard plave to grow up. Tensions between loggers and hippies, red necks and first nations people, drug users and shop owners, kids and parents, mums and dads all exist behind the pretty facade of cafes, hobby farms, fishing wharfs, cutesy cottage industry and craft stores.
Sorry for the brevity, but I am writing in retrospect again, and I still have to
write about smith Rock before we fly out back home tonight. I can't be writing a travel bl,og once I am home. Oh, and I need to do a little house work, bake a cake for Barb and Brian and finish packing.
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anonymous
non-member comment
So hilarious to read over this a year later. I'm extremely happy you guys made it to the island w/me. Can't wait until I'm done nursing to some see you guys! xox