Turns out we’re wintering over in British Columbia. After housesitting during the holidays in Victoria, we visited nearby Sooke, Salt Spring Island, and Shawnigan Lake. We’ll be in Bowen Island in March, then Shawnigan Lake until mid-April when we must leave Canada after visiting for six months.
We’re now in West Vancouver, where a short walk takes us to a deep rainforest with impressive waterfalls rushing through narrow rock canyons (see and hear Cypress Park water fall).
Yes, we look to be in wildness wherever we go. The Pacific Northwest is Robin’s home country—raised in Olympia, university in Seattle—so it’s been a happy heart coming home for her.
We’re grateful for the generosity of new friends who open up opportunities like housesitting and longer stays. This road trip wouldn’t be possible without hosts offering a place to park, plug in, maybe camp on the wi-fi, and of course, share in new friendships.
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Janaia & Robin
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Janaia’s Journal
Victoria. In late January we biked to Thunderbird Park and visited the BC Royal Museum to deepen our exposure to the First Nations lifeways – sustainable for thousands of years before the Europeans came.
We videoed A Locavores’ Potluck we shared in. It feels like You Are There (except for the great tastes!) One viewer said, “I loved this… Makes the whole concept more realistic, tangible and personal for the people who are just discovering or learning about sustainability. The video’s biggest accomplishment was demonstrating the warmth and friendship created because of the common interest of folks gathered.”
Late in January we packed up the house, let her wheels roll, and found ourselves discovering Sooke, Salt Spring Island and Shawnigan Lake (great pictures at this link.)
Sooke. We shared good food and conversation with our hosts Stephen and Lee Hindrichs, videoed at Sooke Harbour House and InishOge Farm, and biked to a steep canyon waterfall at the Sooke Potholes.
Salt Spring Island. We loved this Island! Enjoy these pictures of us Visiting Jan Steinman at EcoReality Co-op, a cooperative organic Permaculture farm in the making. Jan’s “Veggie Van Gogh” delivery van took me back four decades, when I bought the identical van to convert into a motorhome and named it “Van Gogh.” My name was Jan back then, too. Pretty amazing synchronicities, don’t you think?! 
We visited Transitioners and Climate Change activists, then videoed shows at Salt Spring Seeds, Salt Spring Dollars, and a recently-built abattoir for commercial animal processing. One sleety day we hiked to a breathtaking view from atop Mt. Maxwell, where my watercolor was even more watery than usual.
Shawnigan Lake. We videoed Ezio Cusi’s cob house-cum-art-piece, and visited longtime friend Brandy Gallagher at O.U.R. Ecovillage.
West Vancouver. Now we’re at Vandy Savage’s home with a grand view across Burrard inlet to the western tip of Vancouver (top photos). We walk to nearby Cypress Falls Park, a rainforest with impressive waterfalls rushing through narrow rock canyons (watch the falls here).
Videos to Look Forward to
Sooke Harbour House innkeepers Sinclair and Frederique Philip have served seasonal local food for decades.
Dave Pollard, big-picture thinker of howtosavetheworld blog
Village Vancouver big city transition activities with Ross Moster, Ann Pacey and Rand Chatterjee
Rhythm Keepers Shasta Martinuk & Brian Hoover, whose weekly Bowen Island Song Circle we delighted in
Chris Corrigan & Dave Pollard on The Art of Hosting (group dynamics)
Vancouverites Ann Pacey & Time Beale are Ready for Any Emergency (and here’s what to pack).
At InishOge Farm, the Coll-Unger family is building a cob house with annualized geo-solar (AGS) heating, a smart form of passive heating that’s new to us.
Stephen Hindrichs’ innovative Vertical Space Gardening uses every ray of sunshine on his sloped and shaded parcel. 
Ezio Cusi’s cob house at Eagle Yew is an art piece with the comforts of a masonry woodstove and AGS space heating.
At Salt Spring Seeds, Dan Jason not only raises and sells seeds, he’s created a Sanctuary network of saved seeds.
Salt Spring Dollars is a successful longtime local currency. President Michael Contardi explained why.
Ann Macey’s tour of the Agricultural Alliance’s recently-built abattoir enables commercial animal processing on Salt Spring Island.
New Videos from Peak Moment TV
Climate Change and Fukushima — Radio Ecoshock Paints the Big Picture. Alex Smith of Radio Ecoshock summarizes the latest reports and predictions but has ideas on how we can respond.(Episode 251).
Monroe’s Sharing Garden — The Giving is Growing. With a garden now triple in size, Sharing Gardens coordinators Chris Burns and Llyn Peabody and their ShareGivers share the bounteous harvest with their community. Episode 252.
Smart Choices for Meeting the Coming Bust, part 1 and part 2. Nicole M. Foss of The Automatic Earth depicts how the coming depression means there’s not enough money in circulation. Her colleague Laurence Boomert of The Bank of Real Solutions, shares several success stories from New Zealand, including alternative currencies for local liquidity. Episodes 253-254.
Catch the Rain. Savvy Seattleites are capturing rain from their rooftops not only to water their yards, but to slow stormwater runoff into the streets. Jim Bristow gives a gutter-to-ground tour of a residential system, and a rain garden. Episode 255.
Living Tiny, Finding Community. Tour Logan Smith and Tammy Strobel’s tiny house – mobile, affordable and “enough.” Having planted their house, they’re now expanding into their community. Episode 256.
A Locavores’ Potluck. You are there! Enjoy a locavore’s potluck in Victoria, B.C. with small-scale food producers. They talk with producing food in their region – using animals, edible landscapes, and the challenge of affording land. Episode 257.
Local Communities Dismantling Corporate Rule, part 1 and part 2. Community Rights organizer Paul Cienfuegos explains how communities are exercising the authority to govern themselves. They’re dismantling corporate rule and winning – by passing local ordinances asserting community rights to clean air, water, and more. Episodes 258 and 259.
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Produced by Janaia Donaldson and Robin Mallgren, Yuba Gals Independent Media 15504 Lone Bobcat Way, Nevada City, CA 95959 530-265-4244 info@peakmoment.tv
Photos by Robin Mallgren. Watercolors by Janaia Donaldson.
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