Editorially speaking…
August, already! Where does summer go? Blink twice and it’ll be Labour Day. Reminds me of when I was going to school: wait all year for summer vacation and, so it seemed, poof! it was gone. Sigh...
The famous and controversial 1967 shot of a female Sasquatch crossing a northern California creek bed by Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin. —Wikipedia
Sasquatch aka Bigfoot hasn’t been in the news lately but some Williams Lake residents were reminded of the elusive giant recently when they found a B.C. Forest Service bulletin attached to their windshields.
Headlined SASQUATCH ALERT, the notice advised of recent Sasquatch sightings in the area and urged that anyone encountering one of the hairy creatures not to be alarmed, that Sasquatch come down from the mountains to feed on fish, freshwater clams, vegetation and to mate.
—Remain Calm
—Do Not Run
—Do Not Separate From Your Group
—Do Not Chase Sasquatch
—Do Not Feed Sasquatch
—Use Extreme Caution When Mating Occurs
—Do Take Photos
—Record Location and Direction of Travel
—Report Encounter to the Forest Service
It’s that reference to coming down from the mountains to mate that’s the scary part.
But not to fear, the Forest Service denied authoring the bulletin, that it’s a practical joke. Darn.
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One of the stops during last Sunday’s tour of Ross Bay Cemetery by the Old Cemeteries Society was the grave of a long ago Victoria alderman. Since the tour was about scandals, he wasn’t remembered for his contributions to the city during his several terms in office but for the fact that he was the only member of council who had nothing to say when a presentation was made about the evils of prostitution in Victoria.
His silence was understandable: he and several other leading citizens drew substantial incomes from renting downtown buildings. Including buildings whose primary tenants were brothel operators.
The 1892 Duck’s Building owned by another onetime city alderman Simeon Duck to house his carriage making business on the ground floor, rented suites above, including one of the city’s leading bordellos. About to be resurrected as a hotel, the handsome facade has been saved because of its city and national heritage designation. —Victoria Online Sightseeing Tours/templelodge33.ca
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A national convention of Chinese Freemasons in Nanaimo brought back memories of digging in the last of the city’s Chinatowns for bottles and artifacts. Many an enjoyable day we spent scratching and making some good finds. But my best score, I was reminded by news of the convention, was a Chinese Freemason’s badge.
That treasure, I found, almost on the surface at a former sawmill site at Lantzville. The Chinese Freemasons in Canada go back 162 years, the sawmill dated only back to 1926. My badge is in excellent condition and is an excellent keepsake of Chinese Canadian history which has always been of interest to me and fellow digger Jennifer.
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A subject that comes up in the news almost year-round is that of invasive plants. Most recently, the City of Nanaimo considered banning the sale of non-native plants. If they follow through, some of the most attractive flowers and shrubs in your garden may well find themselves banished from nurseries.
It’s easy to understand Council’s concern; while walking the old CNR grade by my house, I’ve counted (so far) 14 invasive species, including holly trees, ivy, ox-eye daisy, Canterbury bells, broom, domestic cherry and apple trees, laurel, Daphne and, and, and... You get the idea.
We like to curse broom but it sure is pretty! —Wikipedia
There’s no way of knowing how many of our floral invaders actually reached these shores but in two instances we do know exactly who to blame.
The Pimbury brothers brought us the ox-eye daisy and Capt. Walter Colquhoun Grant, curse him, imported the broom plant that now dominates the sides of the Island Highway and hydro power lines.
The stories behind some our most prolific invasive offenders can be fascinating and I’ve been compiling data for years with the intention of devoting a Chronicles post to this subject. Gardener, stay tuned!
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