FERMENTATION 101
I am willing to hazard that you enjoy the results of fermentation in some way, shape, or form. What I'm not going ...
Words by
Photo by
ALL Fall
PUTTING YOUR VEGETABLE GARDEN TO BED
After our vegetable gardens has pumped out all of the food and flavour it can, one very important job remains: ...
Words by
Photos by
THE NIGHT RIDE
Night riding can be eerie, there’s no question about that. Casting shadows as I pedal through the forest ...
Words by
Photo by
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 ...
FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER: JIM WHYTE
Jim is a fifth-generation Comox Valley resident, born and raised here. His interest in photography began in junior ...
Photo By
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
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
DINNER IS SERVED
Eating local is a popular concept in the Comox Valley, with its long growing season and wealth of farms producing ...
Words by
Photos by
MAGIC IN THE DYE POT
When I was a kid growing up in the northern boreal forest, my mother took me and my siblings out foraging for ...
Words by
Photos by
EVERYTHING WE KNOW IS WRONG
Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.
– Søren Kierkegaard, 1843
I don’t ...
Words by
Photo by
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
Gallery Photo by
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
LITTLE VALLEY: DAKOTA BLOMGREN
Hi, my name is Dakota Blomgren. I was born in the Comox Valley and I am nine years old. I am a proud member of the ...
Photos by
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
ALTERED LANDSCAPE
My first home in Cumberland was on Camp Road, in a row of rough cabins that were built in 1888 when the coal mine ...
Words by
Photos by
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
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
Photos by
JUMP SCARES AHEAD
Decades ago, I was sitting in a cinema seat in Toronto, gripping the armrests as the tension heightened, and ...
Words by
Illustration by
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
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
Featured photo by
MISADVENTURES IN BAKING
Back in 2013, I started shopping around for healthy nutrition options to supplement my gym goals. I’d never given ...
Words by
Photos by
THE SCIENCE OF SASQUATCH
Do you laugh when you hear the word sasquatch? Do you believe that sasquatches exist? Do you think that a ...
Words by
Featured Photo by
VIVA LA TRASH PANDA
I’ve occasionally yearned to wear a Davy Crockett-inspired coonskin hat. The reason I don’t isn’t that I fear I’d ...
Words by
Photo by
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
THE WOMAN IN THE FLORAL DRESS
Our new Cumberland home came with a view of the crisp Beaufort Range mountains, Mount Apps standing tallest above ...
Words by
Photos by
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
Photos by
COME TO THE DARK SIDE
Does the thought of walking in the forest at night make you feel uneasy? Does it sound strange? And if you were to ...
Words by
Photo by
BULBS OF GLORY
The ashen moon hung low that brisk October night. Despite the obscuring fog, I could see my breath. The chill cut ...
Words by
Photo by
FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER: CURTIS BLACKBURN
Curtis was born and raised in the Comox Valley, where he pursues a number of hobbies and seasonal interests, ...
THE COHOUSING CONCEPT
t’s 7:30 a.m. and my 11-year-old daughter skips out to join our 74-year-old neighbour for a sprightly walk around ...
Words by
Photos by
FEATURED ARTIST: SHARON LALONDE
Sharon Lalonde has been creating all her life, using all forms of artistic expression.
The medium she chooses ...
THE NORTHEAST WOODS
Etched into the fabric of Comox life, the Northeast Woods are considered by many locals, especially newcomers, to ...
Words by
Photos by
WORD LOVERS UNITE
For over 5,000 years, the written word has carried knowledge and information to readers, supporting the ...
Words by
Photos by
PUBLISHED IN A PANDEMIC
MY DELIGHTFULLY DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY
AUTHOR: LORAINE HARTLE
GENRE: MEMOIR
A fascinating and engaging story ...
LITTLE VALLEY: RORY KEHLER
I am age nine and go to Miracle Beach Elementary. I have a younger brother who’s eight named Callum, and we have ...
Words by
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
Photos by
EVEN BETTER TOGETHER
Things are changing in the Comox Valley: our population is growing as more people move here in appreciation of the ...
Words by
Photo by
PUTTING DOWN THE SAWS
For British Columbians, whether or not we are directly involved in the industry, forest products are us.
When I ...
Words by
Photo by
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
Featured photo by
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
ON A HUMBLE SCALE
In 1845, Henry David Thoreau went into the woods of Massachusetts and built a simple cabin beside Walden Pond. For ...
Words by
Photos by
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
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
Featured photo by
THE EVOLUTION OF BANNOCK
Bannock: a simple quick bread made with a few ingredients most people will have on hand. But bannock, for all its ...
Words by
Photos by
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
Featured photo by
ON THE UPSWING
I’m so glad you’re here. As many readers know, each issue is part of a cycle with four linked themes.
COVID-19 ...
Words by
Photo by
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
Photos by
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
LITTLE VALLEY: ZOLA FINDLAY
Why travel makes us love home.
The very first thing she told us was that the monkey didn’t like kids. Of course, ...
Words by
with help from her sister
HOW YA GONNA KEEP ‘EM DOWN ON THE FARM
On a sunny Saturday afternoon, Fossil Beach Farm is a-bustle with activity. People are sitting at long picnic ...
Words by
Photos by
GLOBAL BUSINESS, LOCAL IMPACTS
One of the many big questions of 2020 is how we adapt and evolve as consumers, locally and globally. Whether we ...
Words by
Featured photo by
BEAVERS, WIDE OPEN!
I used to write science fiction (which means I know little about science, but I liked playing with ideas). In one ...
Words by
Photos by
THE ONLY WAY OUT IS THROUGH
Full disclosure: I am a Traci Skuce fangirl, but because one of the things I love so much about the way she writes ...
Words by
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
Photos by
GREY TURNED GREEN
The last in our series imagining how the Comox Valley’s communities could look 20 years from now.
It’s hard ...
Words by
Photo by
MORE THAN KUS-KUS-SUM
The famous French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau once said, “We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are ...
Words by
&
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
EAT YOUR MEDICINE
One of my twins’ favourite meals is tacos. They are easy to prepare and a great way to incorporate all the colours ...
Words by
Photos by
MOVING THROUGH CHANGE
Early in 2020, our editorial team envisioned the general look and feel of the covers and themes for the year ...
Words by
Photo by
ON SMOKING AND PICKLING
There’s something that connects me to a greater world when I fire up the smoker. I can’t put my finger on it. ...
Words by
Photos by
INFLUENZA’S DEADLY TRAIL
By all accounts, Johnny Bannerman is a very nice young man. He’s a member of the Cumberland Volunteer Fire ...
Words by
Photo courtesy of
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
THE SUSPENSE WON’T KILL US
Running a tourism business, especially in an area as remote as Kyuquot Sound, is challenging at the best of ...
Words by
Photo by
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
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 ...
FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER: GLYNNIS GREY
Glynnis was raised on a hobby farm on Vancouver Island by parents who were "hippies" of the day. Their ...
FEATURED WORDS: DISTANCE
The fire that forged the earth
holds the space between us
ancient atoms
in our blood and bones
pulled to the ...
Poem by
Photo by
PLAYING WITH FIRE
“All along the way, where the deep green forest used to stand, lies a waste of mangled trunks and branches, enough ...
Words by
Photos provided by
COURTENAY AFTER COVID
The third in our series imagining how the Comox Valley’s communities could look 20 years from now. ...
Words by
Photo by
DRAWN TO THE FLAMES
Earth, air, water, fire. In the extreme, these elemental forces can be either ineffectual or catastrophic. They ...
Words by
Photo by
ART, A HARVEST, AND A BLESSING
Burning sage, summer heat, and the vegetal scent of the plants in the traditional Indigenous tea garden of the ...
Words by
Photo by
SWEAT IT OUT
True story: my first-ever sauna experience included pitchers of gin Caesars and a waterslide—a really steep one. ...
Words by
Photo by
VERACITY OF THE VESPIDS
Before the headlines were screaming “Murder Hornets!!!” (officially known as Vespa mandarinia, aka “Baskin bees” ...
Words by
Photo by
PUTTING THE SUN TO WORK
From the expansive windows of Courtenay resident Tom Grimmer’s dining room, the Comox Valley is laid out below ...
Words by
Photos by
FORGED IN TOUGH TIMES
When I wrote the last Editor’s Letter, things were still reasonably normal in the Comox Valley. But some time ...
Words by
Photo by
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
COVERING NEW GROUND
Despite the perpetual spotlight that the world of technology enjoys for “changing the world”, few technical ...
Words by
Photo by
LITTLE VALLEY: MIA BEATTIE
I have lived in Cumberland my whole life. I was born in October, even though I wasn’t supposed to come until ...
Words by
CREATIVE MOMENTUM
Board riding culture and the visual arts have always held a natural alliance, sharing a rejection of norms to ...
Words by
Photos by
LITTLE VALLEY: ARYO BEHZAD
I’m a social guy. I love people. I love interacting with kids, adults, animals—most anybody really. If you’ve met ...
Words by
A NATURAL TEACHER
Local hunter, fisher, conservationist, and author Ralph Shaw once said, "The role of the successful fisherman and ...
Words by
WITCHES OF THE WOODS
Fall gives way to a darkness, where fairytales operate best. As the days grow shorter and the sun slips behind the ...
Words by
Photo by
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
Viktor came to Canada from Switzerland in 1978, eventually immigrating here. He spent 13 years in Calgary before ...
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
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
Photos by
PERSONAL STYLE
As concern for our environment spreads, we’re becoming more conscious of the ripple effects of our lifestyle. Fast ...
Words by
Photos by
THE FOREST AS OUR WITNESS
The idea that the dead remain with us in spirit is ancient. Cultures the world over document the presence of ...
Words by
Photos by
HELLO GHOST
Would you be less frightened of a ghost if you were able to greet it by name?
The Comox Valley contains many ...
Words by
Illustration by
COOL AND COLLECTED
It’s a long and lazy Saturday. The kids are sleeping off another busy week of school. Looking out the window, you ...
Words by
Photo by
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
Featured photo by
REBUILDING CHARACTER
Our heritage house was built in 1895 with the proceeds of a hip-length gold chain carried over the Chilkoot Pass. ...
Words by
Photos by
PROPHETS AND HARBINGERS
Owls are a fascinating subject rife with symbolism, mythology, and contentious conservationism. No Halloween would ...
Words by
Photo by
IN THE FIELD
PETER GEE: CONNECTOR
If you recently arrived in the Comox Valley and found a family doctor with little trouble, ...
Words by
Photos by
STROKE OF MAGIC
My boyfriend, Curtis Blackburn, and I love to be in the mountains. Although we spend most of our time in ...
Words by
Photo by
DIFFICULT TERRAIN
As I roll over a small bump in the slope, a voice calls out to move out further to the edge of the run on skier’s ...
Words by
Photo by
WHERE YOUR HEART IS
“I discovered mountain rivers late, for I was a prairie child… All I knew was that it was pure delight to be where ...
Words by
Photo by
CRUCIAL AND COMPASSIONATE CARE
Since 2011, Victoria Hospice Society has been organizing the Cycle of Life Tour, in which people from all over ...
Words by
Photos by
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
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
STANDING TALL
Driving on Comox Road along the Courtenay River estuary and through the K’ómoks Nation’s Number 1 reserve, it’s ...
Words by
Photos by
CREATIVE CONTROL
Corwin Fox is very hard to get a hold of.
If you’ve emailed him recently, you’ve received an automatic reply ...
Words by
Photo by
ON THE RISE
The dough stretches and resists my hands as I roll it on the floured surface. As I work, the aroma of yeast ...
Words by
Photo by
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
Illustration by
THINKING BEYOND BUSINESS
I enjoy a good local holiday, and one of the best things about living on Vancouver Island is the abundance of ...
Words by
Photos by
GATHERING WELLNESS
Growing up in the Comox Valley I have always been passionate about nature and the outdoors. Camping, hiking, ...
Words by
Photo by
ON ANY GIVEN THURSDAY
I came across a photo box recently containing pictures of a summer my family spent in a rented cottage at Penn ...
Words by
Photos by
THE CLARITY OF GLASS
I was sitting in a ceramics class attempting to blow into a hand-built vessel when the spark for glass blowing ...
Words by
Photos by
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
Photos by
SHUT IT DOWN
I am a true introvert, my husband a true extrovert. Which means we spend a lot of time telling each other how ...
Words by
Photo by
STONECROFT FARM
Back in the seventies, Glen and Kathy Beaton got married then saved enough money to buy 47 acres in Black Creek. ...
Words by
Photo by
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
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
Photos by
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
Photos by
CHEMAINUS
The sun rises from the east, cresting over the peaks of Salt Spring Island to bring light to the little village of ...
Words & Photos by
DAIRY FARMING ON VANCOUVER ISLAND
My husband Kyle and I grew up in the Comox Valley, both of us lovingly raised on the family farms started by our ...
Words by
Photos by
PRE-LOVED
I have always loved reading, but fell hard for books when I was eight. We were living in an amateur’s converted ...
Words by
Photos by
COMOX MARINA
The Purple Martins swirl and swoop in the air above my head, their bright chirping punctuating the sound of the ...
Words by
Photos supplied by
FORGING PERFECT IMPERFECTIONS
By his own admission, James Emslie has a knack for making modern things from other people’s discarded items. His ...
Words by
Photos by
CREATING FUN & GAMES
There’s a new sign up at the Harbour Centre building in Comox that maybe doesn’t quite fit with the other ...
Interview by
Photo by
HARVEST & SHADOWS
Summer lays down to sleep in the cool woods. The crisp fall air wakens. Trails of dark wet earth wind through the ...
Words by
Photo by
STRATHCONA PARK
The map of British Columbia is festooned with splotches of green, and we've got the granddaddy of them all—2500sq ...
Words by
Photos by
HOLISTIC HEALTH
In 1874 in Kirksville, Missouri, Dr. Andrew Taylor Still pioneered a form of manual therapy that emphasized the ...
Words by
HOW THEY ROLL
Over the years, I’ve quietly contemplated whether I have the skills—and the lady balls—to try roller derby. It’s a ...
Words by
Photos by
NOW ON DECK
After returning from an extended period of travel, in our case driving a van to South America for 18 months, one ...
Words by
Photos by
KISS YOUR FEARS GOODBYE
“I had no idea they made planes this small…it’s so cute. What a lovely scenic flight. Oh, look at Quadra and ...
Words by
Photos by
WEIGHING OUR OPTIONS
I’m standing at the sink, doing the dishes, washing out the plastic yoghurt pot before tossing it into the ...
Words by
Photo by
THE THREE RS
As we stood at the bottom of the twenty-one steps leading to the main entrance of the former Royston schoolhouse ...
Words by
Photos by
CELEBRATE
We have much to celebrate in the Comox Valley.
Aside from spectacular scenery and a host of ways to amuse ...
Words by
Photo by