Opinion: 18 years . . . and what do you get?

By NORENE PROCTER I have made 18 trips to my favourite place: Salt Spring Island. With astounding beauty and quiet and peace one can find STILLNESS almost immediately if they [...]

By NORENE PROCTER I have made 18 trips to my favourite place: Salt Spring Island. With astounding beauty and quiet and peace one can find STILLNESS almost immediately if they allow. I believe this island to be in a vortex; as soon as I get off the ferry and drive to a quiet peaceful cabin, all of life’s little woes disappear and one sees and feels the beauty all around.

Waking up to the heavenly sounds of birds at 5 a.m. Peace. Quiet. Hearing the sounds of the waves and seeing the endless ocean’s beauty brings a prairie person a new perspective on life.

The folks I meet are very open, warm and welcoming. Mouat Park is an example of where to meet up with good, kind folks with fun-loving dogs. I met and befriended Jazz and Margaret, Catherine and her standard poodle, Mike and Rosie, and Lorne with Seazar dog; all kind souls with fun-loving sweet companions.

Mike suggested I check out the Legion, being a lover of blues and more, for music. Going solo I met almost everyone there; great musicians, super acoustics and fine and fun service; thank you, Adrian and others, for fine music and conversations. A visit to the yoga centre on Blackburn Road is another place with a high-vibration of healing energy.

Their farm stand is worth visiting for some homemade treats of granola and produce. There I met both Verdang and Rowan, who shine with welcoming energy. What a groovy place to help one find even more peace on this island of wonder!

Afterward a hike with a good friend down the Blackburn trail in the forest takes you out of yourself and immersed in just BEING. Daily I swam across Cusheon Lake, my favourite lake in the world. Again more lovely folks to meet there on the new dock!

On a hot +27o day having my pups in the car with windows down, I had a few quick minutes to buy salmon at Thrifty’s and a complete stranger offered to leave her groceries at the till and run to show me where the salmon was. Welcome to Salt Spring! The farm stands are all worth supporting and lucky for us for their hard work.

The Saturday Market is loaded with fine artists. I bought a lovely bowl from Pottery By Wendy and a super painting and art cards from another Wendy there. Fine works of art and more.

Three beautiful friends came to visit while I was on Salt Spring . I miss Roger Warren, the finest artist I have ever come to meet, who passed away a few years ago but always welcomed me to his home to view his new creations. I miss Arthur Black on Beddis Beach.

He gifted me with a walking stick he made out of arbutus wood when I commented on how beautiful it was and that I loved the arbutus trees best. He just gave it to me. He liked my dogs.

I miss Matt Steffich of Steffich Fine Art. He always warmly welcomed me from Alberta on every visit, along with my pups. Elijah, a yorkipoo, had a few shrimp there at one art opening!

Foxglove is an amazing nursery and place to take tons of photographs of their gorgeous plants, flowers, water features and sculptures. It’s also a super place to come home with a unique gift. Eighteen years and what do you get?

INSPIRED. The writer is an artist from Cochrane, Alta. who has visited Salt Spring for the past 18 years.