Just in time for the Christmas Season comes another great compilation CD of Bowen Island musicians called "Snowin' on Bowen." It features 20 tracks in the usual Bowen electic aesthetic, with jazz, lounge, classical, folk, rock, pop and Corbin Keep being the gamut of genres. Proceeds from the album will go to building a performing arts centre and supporting Bowen Island Family Place.



I have the pleasure of appearing on two tracks, in wildly different styles. On one I am playing flute and siging with Alison Nixon (viola and voice) and Carol MacKinnon (voice) on an old carol called Myn Lyking. On the other I am adding didgeridoo to my friend Chris Coon's tabla beats on another very old carol along with a wild soundscape of guitar, cello, percussion and vocal arranged by Julie Vik.



We are launching the CD on December 3 and 4 at Cates Hill Chapel with two nights of live music. Alison won;t be joining Carol and I but instead, Bazil Graham will add his sonorous tenor and Moritz Behm will be stepping in on violin. Tickets available at Phoenix Photo, The Office and Family Place. See you there if you can make it!

Raining right now. Not unusual for the fall, but it's steady rain with no wind. I've just done a bunch of scouring around and discovered that there is a warm front crossing over us with high pressure to the west and south. No low pressure, no wind. Interesting. It's a new kind of rain.

After a few days of heavy rain, the creeks are swollen and the coho and chum salmon have the taste of their birthplace. They have started running on Killarney and terminal Creeks, part of the cycle that Finn helped to initate last spring.



This is a photo of a coho chum coming up the weir from Deep Bay into the lagoon.

The first snow appeared on the tops of the Brittania Range mountains last week. This photo was from October 19, when a chilly overnight rain at our elevation resulted in the first high level dusting of the fall.

Returning to Snug Cove last evening, the October sunlight filtering through a lemon sky.

As you may have heard, Mount St. Helens is erupting again. It's a long way from here, in southern Washington State, but back in 1980 when the mountain well and truly did her thing, there was some ash that fell in these parts. That was in the spring when southerly winds are not so prevalent. This time of year, it's not unusual for the wind to come out of the south, so hopefully, when the mountain does blow, we're not in the throws of a Pineapple Express or it will be ash, wind and rain we'll have to contend with.



Follow all the action through the new earthquakes link at the left.

For those of you new to the island, or just visiting, or contemplating a move here, take heed of the most important information you will ever need to know: ferry line-up etiquette

1. parking in the ferry line lane and leaving your car there over a ferry loading time is a no no. In fact, using the ferry marshalling lane as a parking spot between ferries can be dodgy. Getting back to your car (or truck) after the vehicles have unloaded from the ferry is pushing it. Driving around a driverless vehicle is OK if the line in front of that car (truck) is moving to load
   
   
2. parking on the faint painted cross hatch lines is also a no no
   
   
3. leaving gaps between your vehicle and the buggy in front is not to be done
   
   
4. filling in gaps when there are no vehicles in the ferry lane west of the crossroads seems to be OK
   
   
5. when irritated because you just missed the ferry (for any reason) try to think of an aphorism that Ed Sanders would quote
   
   
6. letting lineup rage overcome you, even when you’re totally in the right, will eventually put you in an early grave. Just get in your vehicle, close all the windows and scream.
   
   
7. try to understand that the ferry is what makes this place the place it is. A bridge would make it just another Richmond.
   
   
8. it is not appropriate to assume that catching this ferry is more important to you than it is to anyone else in line.
   
   
9. try to give in and go get a coffee when the lineup is dangerously getting past the school
   
   
10. always carry reading material.
    
    
11. do not idle your engine in th eline up and don't start your engine until the car in front of you has started theirs (and even then, make sure it's just for loading). Bring blankets or a close friend to keep warm in the winter. And never start your engine when the footpassengers are waiting to get off in Snug Cove. There is nothing more unpleasant than standing in a cloud of carbon monoxide in the pouring rain waiting for the ferry to berth.

The last one is a bit of a rant, I admit, by hey, it's my blog! So That is the current state of collected wisdom on the subject. Ignore it at your peril!



Note: Post updated October 2 with the last two points