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FEATURED ARTIST: LAURIE MARTZ

FEATURED ARTIST: LAURIE MARTZ

Laurie is a “late in life” painter who moved to the Comox Valley after retiring in 2015 from a busy career as a ...
FOLLOW THE MOUNTAIN HOME

FOLLOW THE MOUNTAIN HOME

It is usually late May when I embark on the first mountain trip of the season. In this particular year I was ...

Words & photos by

Claire Gordon

THE COAL BENEATH OUR FEET

THE COAL BENEATH OUR FEET

Starting in 1888, a vast labyrinth of extraction tunnels was carved beneath the village of Cumberland, the old ...

Words by

Dawn Copeman

WERE IT NOT FOR THE BIKE

WERE IT NOT FOR THE BIKE

This past January, I received an email from the organizer of the BC Epic thanking me for my registration. Which ...

Words & Featured Photo by

Dave Nowak

Gallery Photo by

Gary Egli

ELDER VALLEY: RETIREMENT REDEFINED

ELDER VALLEY: RETIREMENT REDEFINED

I spent most of my career trying to demystify things. Working as a civil servant in both Ottawa and Victoria, my ...

Words by

Photo by

THE DAY THE PRINCE CAME TO TOWN

THE DAY THE PRINCE CAME TO TOWN

Over a century ago, on a Monday in late September, crowds of young and old thronged Vancouver’s sidewalks. Mothers ...

Words by

Dave Flawse

FEEL LIKE A KID AGAIN

FEEL LIKE A KID AGAIN

What an ugly night. It’s dark, pouring rain, and there are still remnants of slushy snow melting in the driveway, ...

Words & photos by

Kyle Hansen

WHALE BREATH AND ANGEL WINGS

WHALE BREATH AND ANGEL WINGS

You don’t need to be an oyster farmer or sport fisherman for the daily ebb and flow of the ocean to impact your ...

Words by

Ryan Stuart

Photos by

Luke Phillips

JUMP SCARES AHEAD

JUMP SCARES AHEAD

Decades ago, I was sitting in a cinema seat in Toronto, gripping the armrests as the tension heightened, and ...

Words by

Mac Newton

Illustration by

Ian Adams

A DOORWAY TO HOPE

A DOORWAY TO HOPE

When David and Angela Mackenzie open the door to their new home, they will bring with them an unwavering ...

Words & Photos by

Karen McKinnon

SUNSET AT SMITH LAKE FARM

SUNSET AT SMITH LAKE FARM

As I pull through the gates of Smith Lake Farm, I’m greeted by the sounds of chickens clucking and disc golfers ...

Words by

Sara Kempner

Featured photo by

Meredith Rose

CHEERS TO THE LAZO BARREL COLLECTIVE

CHEERS TO THE LAZO BARREL COLLECTIVE

It’s a lazy Sunday afternoon as I make my way through Alex Blais’ yard, following the sound of laughter toward an ...

Words & Photos by

Sara Kempner

RIDING DRAGONS ON THE SALISH SEA

RIDING DRAGONS ON THE SALISH SEA

The very first time I dipped my paddle into the Salish Sea, wedged awkwardly in the belly of a dragon boat, I was ...

Words by

Anne Arseneau

Photos by

Sara Kempner

FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER: CURTIS BLACKBURN

FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER: CURTIS BLACKBURN

Curtis was born and raised in the Comox Valley, where he pursues a number of hobbies and seasonal interests, ...
FEATURED ARTIST: SHARON LALONDE

FEATURED ARTIST: SHARON LALONDE

Sharon Lalonde has been creating all her life, using all forms of artistic expression. The medium she chooses ...
PUBLISHED IN A PANDEMIC

PUBLISHED IN A PANDEMIC

MY DELIGHTFULLY DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY AUTHOR: LORAINE HARTLE GENRE: MEMOIR A fascinating and engaging story ...
THE VILLAGE TINKER

THE VILLAGE TINKER

After the year that was 2020, we’re starting to see light at the end of the tunnel—a return to the way life was ...

Words by

Dave Nowak

Photos by

Jenn Dykstra

FROM SECRET KNOWLEDGE TO SELF-IMPROVEMENT

FROM SECRET KNOWLEDGE TO SELF-IMPROVEMENT

If you take a moment to reflect upon the immense amount of organization, dedication, and perseverance required to ...

Words by

Kevin Flesher

Featured photo by

Jim Whyte

SHOW US YOUR WORDS

SHOW US YOUR WORDS

BECAUSE I AM QUEEN   I wear a crown of many eyes that sees right through your bullshit lies. My ...

Photo by

Sara Kempner

COMOX VALLEY STARGAZING

COMOX VALLEY STARGAZING

Fighting the urge to crawl back into my warm bed, I force myself to grab my camera bag and head into the chilly ...

Words & photo by

Sara Kempner

A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO GREEN BURIAL

A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO GREEN BURIAL

It’s better to burn out than to fade away? Not always. New alternatives to cremation allow bodies to return to the ...

Words by

Madeline Christie

Featured photo by

Sita Then

ROCK BEATS WATER

ROCK BEATS WATER

Watching John Waters scramble up a rock face is like watching a monkey climb a tree. A moment ago, he stepped off ...

Words by

Ryan Stuart

Featured photo by

Sara Kempner

THE MYSTERIOUS FAROE ISLANDS

THE MYSTERIOUS FAROE ISLANDS

The rising sun cast a pink glow on the cliffs as we prepared for landing on a crisp November morning. Just five ...

Words by

Kat Craats

Photos by

Kat Craats

GOING DEEP

GOING DEEP

When I'm under the water, I feel at home. As soon as my head goes below the surface, an almost instant calm comes ...

Words & Photos by

Ryan Miller

FROM FENCE BOARDS TO SURFBOARDS

FROM FENCE BOARDS TO SURFBOARDS

When you first look at a Waterman surfboard, you wouldn’t expect it had been crafted by a guy who grew up on the ...

Words by

Dave Nowak

Photos by

Sara Kempner

THROUGH THE VENEER

THROUGH THE VENEER

“Now gently let your breath out and slip beneath the surface. I’ll go under first and be ready for you to join ...

Words & photo by

Lisa Graham

THE BEAUTY OF THE BURN

THE BEAUTY OF THE BURN

Oh my god, this hurts so bad... Why does this hurt so bad?? Ohmygodohmygodohmygod. Uggggggghhhhhh, this burns so ...

Words & Photo by

Sarah Seads

ALL FIRED UP

ALL FIRED UP

“I take a lot of my inspiration from the natural world around me,” says Gordon Hutchens, Denman Island’s ...

Words & Photo by

Trish Weatherall

FEATURED ARTIST: RICHARD MRAVIK

FEATURED ARTIST: RICHARD MRAVIK

Richard Mravik was born in 1973 in the city of Nove Zamky, Slovakia. Of Hungarian descent, he was noted from a ...
NOW OR NEVER

NOW OR NEVER

Last summer my family and I embarked on an epic journey. 10 months, 10 provinces, 25 US states, 17 Mexican states, ...

Words & Photos by

Alice Grasby

COVERING NEW GROUND

COVERING NEW GROUND

Despite the perpetual spotlight that the world of technology enjoys for “changing the world”, few technical ...

Words by

Mike B.

Photo by

Scott Bell

A NATURAL TEACHER

A NATURAL TEACHER

Local hunter, fisher, conservationist, and author Ralph Shaw once said, "The role of the successful fisherman and ...

Words by

Kerry Hale

FEATURED ARTIST: SARAH BERGERON

FEATURED ARTIST: SARAH BERGERON

Sarah is a Comox Valley-based artist primarily working in oil painting. At the core of her practice is an ...
FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER: VIKTOR DAVARE

FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER: VIKTOR DAVARE

Viktor came to Canada from Switzerland in 1978, eventually immigrating here. He spent 13 years in Calgary before ...
RADICAL VULNERABILITY

RADICAL VULNERABILITY

“Every child, every person, needs to know that they are a source of joy; every child, every person, needs to be ...

Words & photos by

Alex Nataros

DARK SCIENCE

DARK SCIENCE

[On Judgement Day] …men will cast away their idols of silver and gold—the idols they made to worship—to the moles ...

Words by

Tim Ennis

Photos by

Neil Borecky

ABOVE AND BEYOND

ABOVE AND BEYOND

If you know what to look for, the signs of the Comox District Mountaineering Club (CDMC) are everywhere. A new log ...

Words by

Ryan Stuart

Featured photo by

Ryan Stuart

WITH CHILDLIKE WONDER

WITH CHILDLIKE WONDER

Our trip to South Africa was twelve years in the making. In 2006, my mother returned to her native homeland to be ...

Words & Photos by

Andy Phillips

THE GEM OF ISLAND  MOUNTAINEERING

THE GEM OF ISLAND MOUNTAINEERING

Mt Colonel Foster is among the most impressive peaks on Vancouver Island. Its east face rises over 1000 metres and ...

Words & Photos by

Tyler Bellows

VOTING FOR  VITALITY

VOTING FOR VITALITY

If there was ever a time to exercise your democratic right to vote, it's now. Across the globe, research has shown ...

Words by

Andrew Findlay

Illustration by

Ian Adams

PREPARING FOR THE PRESENT

PREPARING FOR THE PRESENT

On a sunny afternoon six years ago while riding my motorcycle home from Campbell River on the Old Island Highway, ...

Words by

Mac Newton

Photos by

Jenn Dykstra

COFFE AND COASTLINES IN PERU

COFFE AND COASTLINES IN PERU

My first impressions of Peru came on a domestic flight between Lima and Cusco. Bleary eyed after 20 hours of ...

Words & Photos by

Sara Kempner

A CABIN BUILT FROM THE WOODS

A CABIN BUILT FROM THE WOODS

I met Cyril Werlen from cascadianwoodtech almost a year ago in our favourite coffee shop. Unbeknownst to me, this ...

Words by

Dave Nowak

Photos by

Caleb Hansen

OUR CHURCH BUILDINGS

OUR CHURCH BUILDINGS

When I was a little girl in the 1960s, we’d play hand games to amuse ourselves: cat’s cradle, shadow puppets, and ...

Words by

Dawn Copeman

Photos by

Ron Pogue

HOLISTIC HEALTH

HOLISTIC HEALTH

In 1874 in Kirksville, Missouri, Dr. Andrew Taylor Still pioneered a form of manual therapy that emphasized the ...