Life on Salt Spring Island

It’s hard to believe how fast things can change, especially if you spend money like a drunken sailor on shore leave.  Since returning to Canada I’ve purchased a 1997 Toyota Sienna van, complete with trailor hitch that also holds a bicycle rack.  Ruth and I both bought new bikes, and for the first time in my life I’m riding a bicycle that actually fits me.  What a wonderful change that is.

Ruth and I also bought a Bounder motor home, which Ruth has named MH Opportunity.

GouGou at window of Opportunity.  No, she's not driving.We purchased it from an old friend of the family for a very good price, and it’s in fantastic shape. I had a motor home toward the end of the last century, but it wasn’t as big as this one.  I loved it though.  They are so amazingly self contained, with bathroom, shower, kitchen, and in this one a walk around bed.

Inside MH Opportunity.  Lots of room.  We are now parked in the yard across from my son’s lab on Salt Spring Island.  This is my idea of roughing it in the bush.

Our current location in the woods behind Casey's lab. My kind of camping.I’m looking after Casey’s business while he takes a much needed vacation.  My son is a chemist.  He formulated a product called Marseilles Remedy Thieves Oil, an anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-viral concoction of natural oils.  It’s now flying off the shelves in a couple of hundred retail outlets, plus Internet sales.

Casey left us with a few hundred bottles in stock.  All we are doing is packaging, shipping out the orders, and depositing the cheques. So it’s hardly a forty hour work week.  Ruth and I have plenty of time to enjoy this splendid island.  There are lots of musicians here, some quite famous.  We caught Valdi at the Tree House Restaurant last week, a great entertainer.  Yesterday we hiked up Mount Erskine to a fabulous view of Crofton and the Vesuvius ferry.

Last night as we ate dinner, two fawn stepped out of the woods under our window.  The were soon followed by the doe, and shortly after that a young prong horn buck walked across our yard.  The beauty of this place is breath taking.

Despite the charms of Salt Spring Island we will probably be moving back to Nanaimo around the first of November.  I want to be closer to a university, and to the conveniences and culture of a larger city.  So we’ll ask my tenants to vacate my house and move back in.

3 thoughts on “Life on Salt Spring Island

  1. Dear Mr Zalen

    I am in London, trying desperately to find a copy of your film Skip Tracer, with no success through the BFI and Telefilm [CFDC]. I am hunting the film for an aged scottish uncle and his B-movie mad irish partner, nothing commercial, would just love to source a viewing copy as longtime film fans. Sad to say they’ve been ripped off on ebay a couple of times. If you could help or point me in the right direction we’d all be very grateful. And my apologies for posting this here – if you feel it’s inappropriate delete it as you will, or PM me.

    Like your blog – what a life, nine years in China and returning, I think to a very different Canada. my wife and kids are legally Canadian so I’m a bit interested…

    Have a great day,

    Drew Law
    London

    • Dear Drew Law:

      Thanks for your interest in my ancient movie, “Skip Tracer”. I can’t help you myself, since I only have a 35mm print now. But please contact:

      Sylvia Jonescu Lisitza
      Executive Director/Market Development
      Moving Images Distribution
      511 West 14th Ave, Ste 103
      Vancouver BC V5Z 1P5
      North America toll-free: 800.684.3014
      Local 604.684.3014
      Moving Images

      She was involved in arranging the last screening that I’m aware of, in Vancouver, and she may be able to help you.

      Cheers

      Zale Dalen

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