BC Book World

This week, we headed to Vancouver Island. Took the ferry from Tsawwassen to Nanaimo. The plan was to spend two nights camping at Parksville and two nights in Victoria. Everything went pretty much according to plan.

Our purpose was to remind ourselves about the joys and limitations of living in BC. We stopped at Duncan, Sooke, Nanaimo and Brentwood. We camped at Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park in Parksville.

On the ferry to Vancouver Island, I checked out BC Bookworld. I noted a review of ‘Love of the Salish Sea Islands: new essays, memoirs and poems by 40 Island Writers, by Mona Fertig (ed) and Gail Sjuberg (see page 24). I also noticed a copy of ‘The Nature of Canada’ edited by Colin Coates and Graeme Wynn. I resisted the temptation of purchase because I knew that there would be a time in Victoria to visit Munro’s bookstore, always a must when in the BC capital.

The splendour of the landscape, the BC outdoor lifestyle removed the desire to put my nose in a book. I can save my purchases for another time, another place.

However, at Munro’s, I did find Ground Work: Writings on Places and People, edited by Tim Dee.

“We live in an age where everything is being determined by the activities of just one soft-skinned, warm-blooded, short-lived pedestrian species. How then, should we live in the ruins that we have made? “

“These rich and varied essays bring together voices from diverse backgrounds and geographies.” Guardian.

Back in Walnut Grove, there will be time to savour both the British perspective (Tim Dee) and the Canadian perspective (Coates and Wynn).

“The Nature of Canada will make you think differently not only about Canada and its past but also quite possibly about Canada and its future.”

Wynn is Professor Emeritus at UBC in Geography and Environmental History. Coates teaches Canadian Studies and Environmental History at York University.

We have a week of ‘downtime’ in Walnut Grove: to enjoy family, the walking trails, community recreation centre. Tonight (Friday) we will attend the Jazz Festival at Fort Langley. Next week, we leave for Haida Gwaii. The joys are apparent: landscapes and people. The limitations are all questions of economics.

Acknowledgements

To Laurel, Nic and their extended family for logistic support. To Glen and Shelley for memories of Edmonton, and Royal Roads University, and advice on knee injuries. Heather for sharing the journey. Edward for his graphics contribution.

References

BC Bookworld. Volume 33, No. 2. Summer, 2019.
Tim Dee (Ed.) 2018. Ground Work: Writings on Place and People. Vintage Press.
Colin W. Coates and Graeme Wynn. (Eds.) 2019. The Nature of Canada. UBC Press.