Gabriola Island Fall Fair

It was the Gabriola Fall Fair yesterday. Anyone else go? It was a beautiful day. Perfectly sunny yet cool enough that the walk uphill from the ferry terminal to the Commons was lovely. I did sadly get a really bad sunburn on my shoulders though.

There was so much to see. I was impressed with the HUGE garden protected behind a deer proof fence. There was music being played as well as highland dancers. We saw a lot of fall fair winners, from crochet table clothes to giant turkeys (well it was giant to me!).

What fall fair is complete without a squash race?



A very cool base guitar:

Marathons, Buskers and Movie Theatres

We were walking downtown today to watch the finish line of the half marathon. My husband had been volunteering earlier in the course and we wanted to cheer on a few friends we knew running. I couldn't believe all that was set up at the end of the race. I've seen these tent contraptions where runners could cool themselves off before where the tent is strung with small hoses spraying mist. Runners also had the option to take the seemingly more popular method of cooling off- by getting their hair washed by hairdressers. What a bizarre scene. There was also a fruit bar for the runners and a band playing in the back of the courtyard. 

Probably the highlight of the day was the busker/singer down in front of the fish and chips restaurant on the boat docks. I've seen him from time to time and man, can he sing. I always enjoy stopping for a longer listen.

We walked up Church street past the Modern Cafe and saw that the old theatre is getting torn down. Even though the theatre hadn't been showing pictures there in quite some time I find myself feeling down being reminded that if I want to go see a movie on the big screen I have to do it in North Nanaimo. I miss the days of walking to and from the movie theatre and never go see movies now because I'm not interested or willing to drive all the way to the characterless sprawl that is North Nanaimo. It just isn't worth starting up the car for. 

I'd love to see a working movie theatre somewhere in the downtown or south end. And I'm not talking about some megaplex with a ridiculous excess of theatres, gaming and other money sucks. Cheap- yet ironically expensive, faceless, zero community feel. Yes, the walmart of theatres is not what we need. 

Just a good old theatre with maybe one or two cinemas. Showing new movies or waiting a week or two after a movie has opened elsewhere. It would be perfect for the people who live here who don't have a need for instant gratification and enjoy not having to drive everywhere. It could get people out walking which of course is good for their bodies, minds as well as good for the community at large.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Okay so the title doesn't totally work but hey, it's catchy.

It's becoming more and more expensive to drive vehicles and fly airplanes these days. Prudent people are increasingly trading in their gas guzzlers for more efficient cars or even trying to go car free as often as possible. Buses and bikes are seeing more use as a result. Airlines are also scaling back on flights and even reducing airspeed in an effort to save on fuel costs. I can't help but agree with many out there that rising fuel costs are a blessing in disguise. That sadly this may be the only way our society will make a more ecological change in the way we do things. 

So even if we want to be gentler on the environment we still need to get places. Unfortunately, the way we live is not always logical or efficient. Living far away from where we work doesn't make a lot of sense and yet many people choose to make long daily commutes. There are so many residential waste lands far away from not only work but... well, anything. You have to drive to get groceries, take your kid to school, go see a doctor, rent a movie... It doesn't help that people in general love box store shopping. Everything you need and more things you don't, all in one place, cheaply made and a price to match.

North America is a car centered society. It's entirely redundant, expensive and ecologically unsound for every household to own and maintain at least one internal combustion vehicle and many families own more than one! Here in North America the mentality is often one of abundance and entitlement to that abundance no matter the cost to others or the environment. In many jurisdictions the costs of insuring and maintaining vehicles is becoming increasingly prohibitive. Automobiles put a huge strain on our domestic, civic and provincial infrastructure. Purely from a land use perspective to dedicate the space to park all these vehicles is simply wasteful.  

It's truly a shame that with a little forsight and community spirit as a goal we might all live with useful shops including a decent grocery store in walking distance and if we didn't work nearby there was some sort of transit option to get there with ease. Europe is an excellent model for this kind of living.

So here's where we get to trains. 

When rail systems are well maintained they can be a fantastic way to travel long or short distances. Trains can be incredibly environmentally efficient and safer than alternatives like driving on highways. Trains are a more comfortable way to travel because you can get up and stretch your legs, have space to catch up on work, and survey the passing scenery usually without that including endless highway. You can meet and connect with other people on trains, grab something to eat or have a snooze. All this you can do before getting to your chosen destination. The only downfall to train travel as I see it is the fact that it's not quite as fast as other options. All the more reason to slow down your life a bit, if you ask me the benefits far outweigh the converse.

It would be encouraging to see serious investment in train travel over Canada, throughout BC, on Vancouver Island and locally around Nanaimo. I would love to travel around Canada with my bike and backpack. I'd love to see far reaching places beyond what you can see from the limiting few highways. It would be great for tourism for most of these rural places if it were easy and comfortable to access the area. A trip up island for a couple of days via train would be fantastic. On the other hand, a trip down island to Victoria would be handy as well, not to mention much safer than driving the congested Malahat.

I walk around Nanaimo and imagine the train tracks already in place being used to their full potential and even expanded with more track laid. I can imagine a main downtown train station at 109 Front Street, right on the corner of Esplande where a dilapidated, slummy drug addict hangout currently sits. How brilliant would it be for people in North Nanaimo to hop on a train and come downtown for the day or evening event. It would be equally great for someone in South Nanaimo to go into North Nanaimo for a quick trip. No cars needed. No parking concerns. Ahhhh.... 

Trout Slapped and Falafel Heaven

Further to this posting...

Why put needed sidewalks on busy roads where they don't exist when you can just redo perfectly satisfactory sidewalks you already have? This is the corner of Albert and Kennedy downtown Nanaimo and not the only sidewalk getting a facelift. 

I don't even know what more there is to say about this.  

On a more positive note, while walking downtown to get some groceries from Thriftys last night we stopped and had supper at the Thirsty Camel. It was as fantastic as ever. I see that the Thirsty Camel is now making speciality coffees and more quick breakfast type items. The muffins sound amazing! 

Here's a shot of our supper- a Falafel Patter and a Chicken Platter. Best falafel I've had (and I've long made a great falafel!). The chicken is always so fresh and delicious. It probably has to do with the fact that it's locally grown and non medicated chicken from Piper's Meats. The tahini, the hummus, the olive oil... it's all so good! My stomach is starting to growl for more!

Third Most Walkable City in Canada?

NNB

They should clarify that distinction to "most drive to walking destinations". I walk often and I find "dangerous" to be a better descriptor than anything else when it comes to walking in the city of Nanaimo and the fact that it's dangerous seems almost entirely attributed to the lack of sidewalks this city has built. Is this problem exclusively a South Nanaimo problem or are there a lack of sidewalks on many main roads in North Nanaimo as well? Somehow I think not. 

With newer and more exclusive neighbourhoods, sidewalks being found on not only one side but both sides of the street is fairly common. What's ironic to me is that many of the people who live in neighbourhoods like these don't like to leave their overly large houses on small lots unless it's in their cars. Yes, this is a pretty big generalisation but in my experience a fair one. Most of these neighbourhoods don't offer anywhere to walk to even if you wanted to get out for a walk! They're residential labyrinths purposely designed to make it hard to find your way out once you've driven in. They're gateless (well, some are actually gated) gated communities with the only roads leading anywhere productive to be on the outside perimeter. So while they have sidewalks on each and every street winding this way and that, few people are out walking and less with any destination in mind.

There are many of us who can't afford to or simply can't imagine living in these kinds of subdivision "communities". I for one enjoy living in a small but decent sized home with character on a block where I know and talk to my neighbours. I like living where I can walk to the grocery store and enjoy all that the city's community has to offer in the way of parks and eateries. I like getting to know people and having people get to know me on my daily and evening walks. It is however a bit tiresome to be running from one side of a busy street to the other to avoid being hit by a speeding car because there are no sidewalks and no better place to cross when wanting to walk on the "safer" side of the sidewalkless street.

Look at Bruce Avenue as a prime example. This road has three schools located on it and doesn't have a sidewalk apart from a few random sections like the new addition of a one sided sidewalk next to the mall. So either kids are dangerously walking to school on the shoulder of the road each day or they are being driven to school however few blocks they live away. 

Pine Street is another street lacking in basic sidewalk requirements. Once it passes Third Street (or is it Fitzwilliam at this point?) it goes up over a limited vision hill and with the speed so many drive on this section of road a pedestrian must constantly be aware of impending danger. Pushing a stroller or wheelchair on this uneven gravel shoulder is next to impossible if your goal isn't to drive right into the littered bush. This road is even worst if cars are going top speed as it winds around to become Park Street. 

Harewood Road isn't much better unless you're talking about roads to successfully speed on. In that case it seems to be a very favourable road for that activity. Obviously a big part of the safety in walking on these roads has to do with drivers driving responsibly but this is a topic I'll save for a different blog posting.

I find myself questioning why $500,000 is being spend on "beautifying" a park that already exists and is already beautiful when the people who live here can't even walk to it in relative safety. Now I don't actually have a beef with money being spent on updating and renovating a park so it has a slightly different look for the sake of having it "feel" new and improved but it does seem to me like ridiculous city priorities.

I suppose that's how it works in bureaucracy and it's overwhelming singular interest in economy and wealth. Spend all the money on those who "contribute" most to the city. The tourists and those who live here who are more well to do. At least I imagine that's the city's thinking when it comes to city improvement projects. 

I'd like to see this city more useable for all the members of it. I believe something like sidewalks on at least one side of each street would enrich the community and offer a safer opportunity for people to leave their cars behind. It could encourage people to get outside where they would meet their neighbours and benefit their health and well being by moving their bodies and being in the fresh air.

There are a number of studies and books written about the enormous benefits of simply being outside. Studies that showed that sick people will recover at remarkable rates if they have even a small view of something outside. Children in particular can gain a great deal from being outside. Last Child in the Woods is a fantastic book outlining the pitfalls of our children being away from nature, including obesity and adhd type behaviour. 

The other obvious benefit of building sidewalks and walking when possible is not having to fill up your gas tank as often. With the ever growing cost of fuel it's a good time to be considering alternatives. Walking is certainly an affordable and proactive option.