Sam Knowles, whose son Oscar suffered a horrible accident a couple of weeks ago, wrote a moving letter about why living here is great.



If there was one thing I'd like to ask candidates in this election, it's how they see their role in preserving and protecting that kind of spirit. How a politician aims to care for the intangibles that make community work is high on my list of criteria for voting.



So candidates, what do you think? How, as municipal politicians do you see your role in protecting this precious resource that Sam and Dale and Dave and so many others rely upon when overwhelming needs appear?

My annual post that marks the beginning of the snow fall. On Thursday night while I was away in Victoria a cool rain storm came through the Strait and on the weekend when the clouds lifted, there was snow on the mountains. Seems to be only around the 1500 metre level at this point, as there was no snow on Mounts Black and Hollyburn, but Brunswick and Harvey were whitecapped.

The juncos are here now, coming down from their high summer homes and on Saturday, sitting on the beach at Cape Roger Curtis, we watched the snow geese flying down the Strait towards their staging grounds in the Fraser estuary.

Most of the maple leaves are down on the ground and the alders, which haven't really gone yellow at all, are starting to shed as well.

Happy Halloween. I'm stuck in Victoria while my kids take part in the Bowen National Holiday. There is the usual trick or treating in Deep Bay, a community haunted house in the Cove and the annual Volunteer Fire Department fireworks display off Sandy Beach.

Richard Smith over in Tunstall Bay captured the perfect light from this week's fall windstorm. That's Paisley Island you're looking at and the Strait of Georgia behind looking north towards Texada and Lasqueti, which are hidden in the clouds.

After the big rain earlier in the week I have been keeping a keen eye out for the return of the salmon. Yesterday morning I left early for the 6:30 ferry and spent about a half hour sitting by the causeway at the Lagoon listening in the dark for the salmon. I heard three splashes in the estuary and wasn't able to see anything in the dark, but it's clear that they are back.

If you're down in Deep Bay or hanging around the Cove, now's the time to watch for the chum. The coho will be along in a couple of weeks.

And in other news, speaking of things on a three year return cycle, our municipal elections are next month and the campaigns are up and running. I have a number of friends and neighbours running for office this year.

Here's a list of sites and blogs for candidates. If you know of others leave me a comment. Any blogs that continue to be updated after the election will be added to the sideroll and welcomed to the ongoing meaning-making noosphere!

Candidates for Mayor

Terry Cotter
Wendy Merkley
Bob Turner

Candidates for Council and the Islands Trust

Peter Frinton
Deborah Kirby

Candidate websites are alos listed at the Bowen Island Chamber of Commerce site.

I'll update this list as I find more sites. Feel free to drop yours in the comments box.

We're under our first heavy rainfall warning of the season right now and the marine forecast for Howe Sound includes these words:

a broad frontal band with a tropical tap of moisture is streaming across the north coast and will slump southwards tonight and Monday.

"Tap" is a good word. Outside right now, it's as if someone has turned on a tap and let it run. We found another leak in the roof, over the north dormer in the loft, so that'll need some attention.

A little neglect in this corner of the blogosphere, but James left a comment that prods me to write.

Indeed, the weather here has been by turns springlike and stormy. Coming off a few days of sun at the beginning of this week (which dried out Thanksgiving rain) we got our first big blow of the season last night. The wind whipped up in the early morning and howled for a few hours - not a big storm, but a taste of things to come.

I'm not much good at predicting how cold the winter will be, but two signs have pointed to this being harsher than usual. First the arbutus tress are covered in berries like I've never seen them before. Some of them are red, and you can't even see the leaves. Second, my friend Bruce Steele, a long time resident of these parts, tells me that when you can smell the pulp mills up Howe Sound, it's a sign that the cold air is coming down. The earlier you can smell them, the theory goes, the longer the winter. We caught our first whiff around September 25.

The rain from last night has stopped and the ground is littered with yellow fir needles. We're getting ready for another cozy Irish music session at The Snug tonight, so come an join us if you're on island.