This was the view from our house on Cates Hill, taken in late November. It was a frosty day in Howe Sound! 

Rainin' on Bowen

I am writing today, to the beautiful sounds of the recently released Snowin' on Bowen CD. It's helping me ignore the weather outside, which is one of those Wet Coast days when it rains hard for hours on end and leaves you wondering where all that moisture can possibly be coming from! We didn't have that kind of weather back in Ontario. It must be a phenomenon unique to the rainforest climate here. I'm becoming accustomed to it. That and the darkness. I'm sure Chris Corrigan (of Bowen Island Journal blog fame) knows what Bowen's lattitude is, but I'm not yet educated in those finer points of island geography. I do know it's farther north than Cambridge, Ontario. More daylight in the summer :-}, but less in the winter!
But I digress. My latest news: the move from one side of the island to the other took place last weekend. "My View" has changed - literally. Pictures coming soon - when I get around to posting them! We all survived the move (mostly) intact. It was a house switch with a long time island family. Not everything went as planned. For one thing, the beautiful, sunny weather we ordered arrived a day late. It rained all day, while we carried boxes in and out of cars and pickup trucks. Thanks go to Ted, who helped us out when the moving truck turned out not to be large enough for all our furniture! As soon as we shut the door in our new home, the rain stopped. Luckily, we ended up with the cutest house on the island (in my opinion), fully equipped with a wood burning stove and fireplace. It didn't take long for things to dry out inside! I first realized the sky had cleared when I could see stars and the lights of Nanaimo outside my bedroom window! What a VIEW!
The move taking place on Saturday didn't prevent us from attending the CD Launch concert for Snowin' on Bowen on Friday night. What a treat! Anyone who hasn't got their hands on this excellent CD had better do so while there are still copies to be had! It's destined to become a collector's item. With beautiful renditions of old Christmas favourites by such amazing artists as Shari Ulrich, Wayne Kozak, Christie Grace, et al and many wonderful new tracks by other amazingly talented Bowen musicians and composers, it's a great way to enjoy some of the best music of the season, while also supporting efforts to finally realize the dream of a Community Arts Centre here on the rock. As much as I love many kinds of music, I have a soft spot for melodic cello and violin. Thanks to Corbin Keep (The Wild Cellist) and Moritz Behm, the CD satisfies that craving as well!
Next on the Bowen arts agenda is the opening of the 5th version of a popular local classic: Mad Mabel's Christmas. We've got our tickets. Can't wait to see it. Apparently it's also Corbin's acting debut! Runs Dec. 11th to 22nd. Also this Saturday is the Community Choir Christmas Concert, which I am hoping to attend. I just can't resist Christmas carols! There are many other musical and artistic events happening this month, but I'm afraid I won't be able to attend them all. I'm only human, after all! What a great island!