CV Collective Spring
The merry month of May is highly anticipated in the Village of Cumberland. Since 1888, Villagers have gathered on Victoria Day (Queen Victoria’s birthday) for a civic celebration unparalleled on Vancouver Island. When I arrived in Cumberland 28 years ago, I spent my first Victoria Day on the roof of the old Nakanishi building, drinking […]
Words by Meaghan CursonsPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Fall
My first home in Cumberland was on Camp Road, in a row of rough cabins that were built in 1888 when the coal mine opened. The interior walls were thick Douglas fir boards, 14 inches wide, blazed with circular saw burns. The wood was dark, stained with a century of wood smoke and coal dust. […]
Words by Meaghan CursonsPhotos by Scott Bell
CV Collective Spring
We meet in the shadows and plan our route for the late afternoon, prowling the alleys, neighbourhood by neighbourhood, looking for hints about what lies behind the hedges, fences, and doors. Sometimes we’re caught—mistaken for real estate agents or eager home buyers—and we quickly reveal our purpose: we’re with the Cumberland Community Forest Society and […]
Words by Meaghan CursonsPhotos by Jenn Dykstra
CV Collective Winter
May 31, 2021: “Hey, Meaghan, we’re thinking if some restrictions lift this summer we might try to book some shows for early July. It’s all dependent on health orders, but if things are looking up would you consider some sort of outdoor concert? Even a backyard private thing with a 50ish capacity. No pressure. Totally […]
Words by Meaghan CursonsPhoto by RJ Herron
CV Collective Summer
March 4, 2021: “This is not good. I’ve just gone to look at the area. The flagging starts about 50 meters beyond the Perseverance Creek bridge and runs west to Horbury Road, close to Comox Lk, both sides of the road. What is most alarming is that they plan on cutting the steep bank directly […]
Words by Meaghan CursonsFeatured photo by Meredith Rose
CV Collective Featured Words Winter
On the longest night Tuck tiny love notes Written with winter berries Into the dark earth Whisper them lullabies With your warm breath Gently cover them With the dying leaves Of this strange year Related posts: WINTER’S POEM THE THREADS OF RECOVERY SALMON AND STEWARDSHIP GOING PUBLIC
Words by Meaghan CursonsPhoto by Meredith Rose
CV Collective Fall
One of the many big questions of 2020 is how we adapt and evolve as consumers, locally and globally. Whether we are considering online purchases or picking up groceries, we are recognizing the impact of our choices more than ever before. Economically, it is a very dynamic time. Many of us are asking ourselves: “What’s […]
Words by Meaghan CursonsFeatured photo by Sarah Barrie
CV Collective Fall Featured Words
The fire that forged the earth holds the space between us ancient atoms in our blood and bones pulled to the safety of flickering light Our tender hearts explore strange distance our fragile bodies move in from the shadows our hunger to touch fed only by the flames Related posts: SUNSET AT SMITH LAKE FARM […]
Poem by Meaghan CursonsPhoto by Scott Bell
CV Collective Featured Words Spring
Curled against you under the night sky your touch reminds me that my flesh is made from the spark and dust of inaccessible stars Dawn takes a deep breath and pulls us close whispering promises I will be back, soon, with the ideas you planted Life bursts into flower without warming our tangled hair keeps […]
Poem by Meaghan CursonsPhoto by Jennifer Brazil
CV Collective Featured Words Winter
Even in the darkest winter under the frost-hardened earth the roots are deep in discussion through mycelium threads exchanging plans for spring sharing secrets about their emergence following the black icy fingers of underground rivers In the fields and forests winter’s cold hand rests on our backs while fires are kindled with breath and belief […]
Words by Meaghan CursonsPhoto by Eugene Chung
CV Collective Fall
Fall gives way to a darkness, where fairytales operate best. As the days grow shorter and the sun slips behind the horizon earlier and earlier, we journey past the fall equinox and head down the shadow path toward Halloween. This is the time of year when many cultures believe the veils are thinnest between the […]
Words by Meagan RobergePhoto by Karley Bracey
CV Collective Summer
In Cumberland, the community and forest are inexorably linked. Whether we explore the woods as athletes or artists, educators or explorers, we all find shelter in the shade of her trees, coolness in the lush green ravines, and peace in her silent places. These varied forest experiences are expressed in the unique forest protection efforts […]
Words by Meaghan CursonsPhotos by RJ Herron
CV Collective Fall
Summer lays down to sleep in the cool woods. The crisp fall air wakens. Trails of dark wet earth wind through the forest. The prints of thirsty animals in the dry creek bed dissolve with the rain. The stream rises from its summer slumber. Wetlands and floodplain forests fill. Dust is washed away revealing the […]
Words by Meaghan CursonsPhoto by Jenn Dykstra
