Monday, August 31, 2009

The Calm Amid the Joy

Oh, that Martin!
He was so enthused by his visit to HBH and the study where Rod wrote most of his books, I thought he might actually start jumping in his excitement.

Joyce was the cool one.



She sat back and smiled, looked slowly in his direction at his enthusiastic remarks then returned her gaze my way.
Shaking her head a little, her comments were something like, "Martin's the book collector." Or, "Martin's the Haig-Brown historian."

So cool and so sweet. Joyce, Martin and I had many laughs and the whole visit was a great time for me.

And then Van Egan, Roddy Haig-Brown's good friend, neighbour, and fishing buddy, came for breakfast on their last morning here and I think they enjoyed that very much.

More on Van Egan next post.

Martin, I'll have that photo of the study to you asap.
See ya next time, you 2! Take care.
Sandra

Kayaking at Killer Whale Kamp

With the children safely ensconced with the parents, Jenifer and Nathan left their busy work behind in Vancouver and drove to HBH for a fast sleep.

Next morning, they were out the door for an early Quadra ferry, and on their way to killer-whale camp in Robson Bight.

Jenifer and I hardly had time for a few minutes of conversation while I made breakfast...

The Orca Base Camp, operated by Out For Adventure of Quadra Island, is just the thing for busy folks who only want to paddle, and then return to the same camp (instead of setting up and taking down each day) for a meal prepared by experienced outdoors-people and friendly guides.

"Our ecologically friendly camping site is located in the heart of Orca territory yet completely off the beaten path and directly across from the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve. This allows us to look towards the reserve without being hampered by the one kilometer boundary that encompasses the surrounding waters."

Visit
http://www.outforadventure.com
for more fun and adventure!
Hope it was a wonderful trip, you two. Come back again!
Sandra

Flame, Sun & Fireworks




Flaming Tomatoes

These are a variety of Beefsteak Tomatoes and display a pattern akin to racing cars with flames pumping out the top. They're huge, heavy, plentiful, plus they are delicious! With a full, meaty flesh and flavour, I think I've found a fave.



Surreal Sunflowers

This one stalk has produced about 6 sunflowers now, and shows no sign of stopping. Glad the bunnies (grrr!!!) didn't eat this one.



Floral Leeks

A couple of leeks were left in the garden from last year and bolted, causing these beautiful sprays of bloom, like ethereal balls of fairy fireworks. Here's hoping they'll last a long time for the pleasure of their company.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Ducati





He may try and look mean, but he's a teddy-bear of a guy - articulate, worldly, artistic and professional.

He called himself 'high-maintenance' then with a big smile, removed a very large cigar from the leather deux détenteur de cigare and lit it up.

Kurt arrived on the Ducati, an Italian racing-style bike - the Ferrari of the motorcycle world - and one which he's worked on himself; customizing, tuning, toning.

He's created a system of shocks on his bike to allow for the grips to rise or lower, according to terrain and need; quite unique I think (see photo 2).

For fresh air and a new slant on the world, Kurt left his Victoria home for a very fast ride along the Island Highway and came to rest at HBH.
The evening spent at the foot of the lawn, watching the river flow and easing through the stogie, seemed to have the desired effect of relaxation.

I was simply taken by the bike (you may know how much I enjoy a bit of chrome and a good motor) and am well aware of the Ducati's rep, having experienced one on the Gold River Highway, a.k.a. Highway 28 which runs past the property here.

That stretch of road, with its isolation and wide curves, has been on Easy Rider Magazine's top ten list of best highway rides in North America and the beauty of the ride alongside several long, slim lakes with the Vancouver Island Mountain Range always on the edge of your vision is heavenly. Plus the odd scare of a bear or deer keeps the blood pumping even more.

Speaking of pumped blood, Kurt told me of his eagle encounter as he burned along the highway.
Eagles eat carrion, or roadkill, often in the roadside ditches which makes them hard to spot right away.
As he came around a corner, the eagle took flight from the ditch, and Kurt barely saw it out of the corner of his eye. Already into the curve and leaning the bike over for it, any major maneuver would have been devastating to the balance, so Kurt ducked and hoped for the best. Good choice! He might have been knocked over or at least had a scratched helmet if he hadn't ducked his head.

Goes to show, trouble can happen anytime, anywhere. Let's be careful out there.
See ya next time, Kurt. Rubber down.
Sandra

Thursday, August 27, 2009

George & Beth

OK, you two, time to give the lawn back now...

The very adorable Beth and George wanted their photo snapped while standing in the middle of the sweeping formal lawn.

It does kinda look like they're home, doesn't it?

I'm sending this to all of their friends to remind them of what their place really looks like....

...oh, well, we tried.

Curious and inquisitive, they really seemed to enjoy the study (as well as that lawn!) and Beth had tales to tell of her own heritage-style house in Ontario where she grew up.

The HBH reminded her of it in many ways and we talked long about these old farmhouses, their orchards and fields, creaky staircases and dark, dank basements, plus grandparents who lived there and put up with the grand-kids and their antics.

Beth and George, it was lovely to visit with you in the study. I hope you enjoyed it as well.

See you next time.
Sandra

A Good Man...



I do believe that when a man makes the romantic arrangements for the upcoming 14th wedding anniversary, the woman has got to hang on to this one!

Helen knows this to be true, and looks like she does plan on keeping that man, Larry.

It was a great pleasure to hear him call, with all surety, to make the arrangements for the room and their evening out. Perhaps Larry should be offering some lessons to a few other fellows...

I hope you two had a sweet anniversary, and I look forward to having you return to HBH anytime!

Sandra

Alan and Anya Haig-Brown

I opened the door just as the fellow was knocking. Instantly, he put out his hand, and, with a big smile, said, "I'm Alan Haig-Brown, and I used to live here."

Delightful from the first moment!

Alan smiled and laughed and thoroughly enjoyed himself and the conversations between me, him and his lovely wife, Anya. They told me of their beautiful marriage ceremony here years back, and all of the intimate, thoughtful and spiritual segments which made up the 2 hour, 3 location nuptials on the property.

This time, Alan and Anya were passing through town, on their way up island, and only had a short visit. Too bad. I was taken with them, their charm, wit, and grace.

As we chatted and reminisced around the yard, I asked Alan to relate the story of the cottage, which now stands dilapidated alongside the drive.

He explained the origins of each section. The larger, sturdier part was the garage and the added wing was a work shed.
When he was 18 with a new young wife, he asked the construction crew who had just finished the highway out front for the now empty work shack. Upon their consent, he hauled the shack from the new highway into the yard, alongside the old garage, and attached the two. He then shingled the new addition with hand-made cedar shakes.

On this day he pointed them out to me and exclaimed that he had made them all - himself - by his own hand. He's still proud of his work. And so he should be (the photo - above - was taken in front of the shingled cottage)

After many years of creating and editing a number of west coast trade magazines, Alan says, "Now I just write and make pictures." He's published several books. All of this, and more, can be found at a couple of his websites / blogs:

http://www.haig-brown.com
http://www.tideandcurrent.net

As for the beautiful and inscrutable Anya, she works with The Food School and the two of them split their time between New Westminster (just outside of Vancouver) and Thailand.
Sandra

Bacardi Lightnin!

A couple of the nicest guys you ever wanna meet -
these lifelong friends, Lee the pilot (left) and Bill the teacher (right) parked the boat in the drive overnight to be fresh for their road trip to Gold River next morning.

They were on their way to fish for salmon and halibut on the 'outside' via the inlet from the west coast which holds Gold River, the town.

Bill has no idea where the boat got its name; that happened to be on it when he purchased it. Both he and Lee claim they are instantly recognizable on the water, and not just because of their handsome good looks!

Come back for another stay, guys!
Sandra

My Bountiful Harvest Begun

My thumb is not green (see photo).

However, I'm lucky - and have a fabulous friend in the gardener at HBH (bless your heart and your cotton sox, too, Marcy!).

Notwithstanding the
deer
slugs
rabbits (don't get me started!)
fungal diseases of plants, or whatever other disease they can get
heat
overwatering (my bad... sigh)
birds (they eat the tiny new shoots. Who knew?!)
and now, judging by the piles of scat in the orchard, bears -

anyhoo... where was I? Oh, yeah -
Notwithstanding all of the predators on my attempts at produce, I've actually managed to grow something!

Aren't they pretty?! (OK, enough of the interrobangs...)

The zuke is from a plant Marcy gave me, and the tomatoes are 'grape tomatoes' which are a whole hekuvalot larger than grapes, and very, VERY tasty.
yum
Sandra

Ciao, Carlo!


Ah, if only Ann were here today! Ann Haig-Brown spoke Italian very well, and might have enjoyed a conversation in the classic romance language - in her own home.

When Carlo booked the room over the phone, his beautiful accent did not interfere with his perfect English; indeed, it was charming.

Since his work (steel fabrication machinery) causes him to travel much of the world , it also allows the odd perk of a day to fish. That's why he dropped into the Campbell River via HBH.

During our conversation, I sensed this man is another fisher who does it for the joy of the sport, including being in the river, not just snagging the animal.

Once again, I offer a hurried snapshot of a guest as he quickly gears up to fish the river early in the morning! Hope it was great, Carlo. Come back again! Ciao!
Sandra

Friday, August 21, 2009

Texans At The Door

When they knocked on the door, it was a late sultry afternoon in August. They looked a little wilted and all seemed a wee bit flaccid.

After inspecting the rooms, a brief family meeting, and realizing there wasn't much else up the road, they each took a bag upstairs.

Almost immediately, the boys and their dad left, heading off for a walk while mom, Mary, had a nap.

A half hour later, over a glass of wine, she and I were laughing and chatting, like old chums. Mary brightened considerably, confessing that, like myself, she hardly indulges in alcohol - though apparently this was hitting a good spot!

It wasn't until much later when her husband, Phil, proposed a toast to his wife, wishing her "Happy Birthday!" Aha!

I made ice cream for all of us, and we indulged heartily - lots of smacking lips, mmm's, and wonderment over the Clodhoppers in the dessert.

Zack, 14, was mesmerized by the ice cream making process I use and then told me of his cooking exploits. It was great to hear of a young man so interested in the culinary arts. Both he and his brother, Eric, were friendly, interested, and interesting!

This photo might not show it, but these young men had the wonder of the world in their eyes, along with parents who were calm, understated and patient. I compared their parenting to my brother and sister-in-law, who I think are the best parents in the whole wide world.

Mary turned the same age as me (no, I'm not telling). When they were leaving, she brought out the exact same camera, and we seemed to speak from such familiar experiences and toward similar vision.

And while not born Texans - though that's where they currently reside - I'll always think of them as such.
I hope the whole Vancouver Island exploration, including the whales, was the best holiday!
Come back again please.
Sandra

Tony

Tony called to arrange a room for himself for 2 nights.

When he arrived, he kindly introduced himself, brought his bag to his room, and I hardly saw him again.

He went fishing.
Out at the edge of dawn, back for a bite of breakfast whenever I had it scheduled, then gone again.

I hardly saw him at all until late in the evening, when he came back in to retire to his room.

Then he would do it all again. Always with a smile on his face.

After 2 days, he returned to the lower mainland, I assume to return to work.
Then he called and came back again, this time for 1 night. His son and grandson are also here, so he fished with them at the edge of dawn, and then he was gone again.

He called once more, but I was sorry to say that the rooms were all booked up for that night.

Looking forward to Tony's return - again.
Sandra

Sugar Plums a.k.a. Sticky Business

After picking the Golden Plums a few weeks ago, I made Ginger Plum Jam (which I previously posted here).

With so many perfect ones I wanted to somehow preserve them and happened upon a recipe for Sugar Plums.

This recipe hearkens back about 500 years, when one way to preserve fruit was with sugar... lots and lots of sugar. Lots of sugar.

This would have been very dear; sugar was a rarity then, and close to worth its weight in gold.

Nowadays, I find sugar in everything, and normally shop carefully, always reading the labels, to try and avoid at least some of it.

However, I wanted to see if I could have Sugar Plums dancing in my Christmas dreams so here's what I did..





SUGAR PLUMS

Using a heavy bottomed pot, I layered about 20 plum halves , cut side down.

The recipe said to "cover the layer in sugar", which I did.

Then the next cut-side-down layer, "cover in sugar", repeat, and again.

I had 5 layers, which amounted to over 80 halves, and 1/2 of my big bag of sugar!



Next step: turn the burner on low and very slowly heat the pot of plums and sugar and eventually bring to a slow boil, a.k.a. "walme".
I believe it's pronounced 'wawm'

Do not mix, move, or disturb the plums. The whole point is to infuse the sugar into the somewhat delicate plums and have them retain their shape.

After finally coming to a boil - this takes about an hour or more - boil only for a minute.



Well, that's hard to measure, as the boil starts very gently, and takes so long to go through the whole mix it's hard to determine when the boil started, and whether it's even 'boiling' or simmering, or really getting started...



















After the boil, very gently transfer to a wide dish; in this case, a 9" x 13" glass baking pan.

Let sit, undisturbed, for 3 days.

After 3 days, carefully return the sugar and plum mix back to the pot, and bring back to a very slow 1 minute boil.

Once again, this takes up to an hour.

After the boil, transfer back to the wide glass dish.

Repeat 3 times.

Yes, the recipe says 3 times. For a total of 9 days.

That means having this now thick, syrupy mix, full of glossy bits of fruit, attracting ants, for days at a time on the counter in the heat.

The recipe even addresses this, suggesting to put the dish into a water-filled pan which is bigger than the glass dish.

The water then is the moat over which the ants have trouble crossing.

Quite appropriate having a moat, considering how old the recipe is.

After the second or third boil, the fruit was the colour of deep russet or cabernet sauvignon, or darkest cherry wood and extremely beautiful.

And this is when the situation got sticky.


Next step:
Remove the plum pieces from the syrup. Hmm?

Using a slotted spoon to remove the pieces was pretty simple.

Putting them on the mesh rack was fairly straightforward. But it was my attempt at sorting and peeling each off the other where things got a bit sticky.

Trying to keep the plums from bunching up and drying into one sweet reddish gob gave me big fingers, as the syrup and the fruit bits stuck and made the job a little, um, sticky.

Finally, they were sorted and spread, on one wire rack, and allowed to drain and, hopefully, dry.



2 weeks later
Still, the fruit was 'wet'. Mostly, very sticky and covered with the now cooled syrup, and even more fragile. Heavy sigh.

The recipe says to coat the pieces in sugar(!) and transfer to a container for keeping, where they would keep for a year or more. I guess so!
I filled a bowl with more sugar.

Peeling them off the wire rack was another exercise, again singling out the small halves, now breaking or stretching into long sticky stretches of fruit.

Coating in sugar made them no less sticky.
They soaked up the sugar and still remained wet, so I filled another bowl, this time with powdered sugar (or castor sugar), and tried that type.
Still no difference.

Once again, big fingers. I pushed on.

Between peeling with my fingers and scraping with a food scraper, the plums were finally peeled, separated, coated, and layered into separated tiers in a container.

I hesitate to put a photo of them up here.

They're no longer gold, nor red.

They are now a muddy brown, all rolled into little lumps. I've never licked so much sugar from my hands, making myself sick. The leftover syrup has the tartness of the plum skins and is used for pancake syrup for something less sweet.

My final comments on Sugar Plums?
Never, never attempt to do this unless you have someone looking over your shoulder who has the experience and more positive results!
I shall update around Christmas to see if there is some kind of magical change in the Sugar Plums. Perhaps the Sugar Plum Fairy will wave her magic wand and make them all... well, prettier or lovelier in some way.
And maybe she'll make all that fuss and muss go away.
Sandra

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Shaun and Senella's Wedding Photo Shoot



When Shaun, the groom-to-be, came by several weeks back to book the grounds for his wedding photo shoot, Senella the bride-to-be was not with him.
On the day, as she stepped from the 1940 Cadillac, her arm in his, she was amazingly radiant. They both were.
Such a lovely sight, this very happy couple.

Indulge me for a moment, because the Cadillac was a vision, too! I'm a nut for chrome and hunt out car shows just to shoot the shiny stuff, specially a figurehead like this one.


On that sweltering day, one of the hottest in August, the amazingly radiant bride kept her cool the whole time (several hours worth) of the photo shoot.




So did her attendants and the perfect little flower girls in their perfectly crisp white dresses, though occasionally a wrist went a little limp.





Some removed shoes to stand - or crouch to avoid wrinkles - on the lawn's cool grass.





With so many great places for photos here, Ingrid the photographer kept busy with her creative edge.
She loves her job, and is always upbeat.









For those interested, feel free to call the Haig-Brown House to arrange for your wedding photography shoot, or book the day for your ceremony - 250-286-6646
Plan ahead!
Dates for 2010 are already going fast!
Sandra

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Sarah, Sue, Thomas & Kali in Bella Coola

Sarah called from Port McNeil, on the north end of Vancouver Island. They had just disembarked from the ferry, having sailed from Bella Coola earlier that day. All four were tired, and looking for a restful stop for the night in Campbell River, knowing they'd be pulling in to town after 10 pm.

I had just enough room for them and when they showed up, all went to bed pretty quickly.
It was the next morning that we really got to meet and talk, over fresh blueberry pancakes and maple syrup.

Taking their leave from Bella Coola could not have been more timely; just hours after their departure, the town was given an evacuation alert due to forest fires. Sarah commented that while there, water from taps was sporadic and colourful.



Sue and her teenage son Thomas were here from Chester, England, to visit her cousin Sarah for a few weeks in Victoria, plus the Bella Coola trip. I asked Tom how traveling with "all these women" was for him.



He didn't seem to mind, and was a pretty happy fellow overall. Did you make it to Poland, Tom?



His cousin, Kali, also seemed a happy traveler with a nonstop smile on her face as well. Is this a family trait?
Whatever the traits, it was sweet to be able to accommodate all of you and a lovely pleasure to meet you all as well. Happy travels and come back again!
Sandra

Danish Joes



Those boys from Copenhagen are lively, funny, and were just here for the fishin'!
Too bad their bags didn't show up with them on British Airways and instead, limped in on a local airline 48 hours later.

So Peter and Lars went shopping for t-shirts in the "Joe" department at Zellers, armed themselves with new toothbrushes and razors, and that ever-industrious fishing guide, Ken Moreau of Single Spey, came through with all the gear needed for a day on the river.

Peter creates his own line of fishing rods and tackle (?)... actually, apologies on my part: I'm not the fisher, so all of that gets a bit tangled, kinda like my fishing lines. Anyhoo, here's Peters' website so you can see for yourself:
http://norsker.dk
While most of the site's in Danish, I find the language quite similar to English plus the site is full of photos and easy to navigate. Well done Peter!

Lars, on the other hand, is the comic who is a writer, who models, who speaks Russian and flawless English (as does Peter) and is very generous with his boots. He takes direction well and works hard (see previous post: "The Days Are Just Packed") and not at all self-conscious.

They seem to have fished all over the world! Russia, Ireland, Quebec, Iceland, and the Pitt River here in BC.
According to the photo I took, they have halos while at the Campbell...

It was great having you guys here, and I hope you'll make it back to this neck of the woods again.
Sandra

Saturday, August 15, 2009

The Man, The Fisher Man and The Facts, man

The man, not the fisher man, was how Dennis put it when he described the article he was writing. "Those who know him, know him as the fisherman; I'd like to portray how the man, Roderick Haig-Brown, lived his life."

Dennis stayed a night and asked me many, many questions about the Haig-Brown's...
  • what I knew of their lives (varied, educated, au natural, community, neighbourly, interesting, social)
  • their work (pro-active, visionary, valuable, compassionate, sensible, hard)
  • the books (he wrote about 25; I say "about" because some were published posthumously and he collaborated on several, plus wrote hundreds of essays and papers, as well as a number of magazine articles)
  • house (they purchased it - including the almost 20 acres around it - 13 years after it was built by the Pidcock brothers, Reg and Herbert. Rod and Ann finished the upstairs, the basement, added onto the kitchen, built the library, added the carport, and made additional modifications both interior and exterior)
  • money (there was none. Or very little. For a very long while. They worked hard to make money, and early on traded dairy and vegetable produce for sundry items)
  • food (mostly, they grew their own, milked their own cows, fished for their dinner...)
  • kids (there are four: Valerie, Mary, Alan, Celie, and they all have children of their own)
  • friends (goodness, where to begin! Innumerable!)
  • families (Ann was born in Seattle, to a Canadian mother and American physician father, and Ann loved her family dearly. Rod was born in Lancing, Sussex, England, loved his family very much as well, and lost his father in WWI)
  • likes (or loves! Ann loved everything Italian, made several visits to Italy, re-configured the terrace at HBH to resemble a terraza and apparently spoke Italian. Rod liked the colour red, and loved writing!)
  • dislikes (Ann did not like red. Rod did not like the water pump at the house in the early years....)
And pictures. Dennis took many, many pictures of anything and everything Haig-Brown. Dennis is nothing if not thorough. His quiet insistence and pursuit of the story was evident. I answered what I could; apparently there's still much for me to learn. In the end, I encouraged him to research Wikipedia and a few books since I was starting to say, "I'm uncertain about this fact or that fact..."

Looking forward to seeing the finished story, and to see how the factoids look when put together under the influence of the writer's quill. Let us know, Dennis, how it all turns out! See you next time.
Sandra

Friday, August 14, 2009

Terry & Derek - Like the Beauty of Birds








She was a bride out of ancient times, when "hand-fasting" was the name of the ceremony, and such natural charm and grace was the norm - sans makeup and accoutrements.

Enigmatic in her beauty, with a most handsome husband at her side, they were surrounded by love. This new couple was serene, sharing a peaceful demeanor, quietly arranging the positions with the photographer, gathering attendants or parents to pose for another shot.

Perfect young children suddenly ran along the lawn, and just as suddenly slowed and sought shade from the heat, and occasionally dipped a finger into the goldfish pond.

The wedding party sought shade as well, going into the glade for photos under the canopy of trees, seeking coolness in the evergreens.

They all glided softly around the property and found their way back to the cars (likely air conditioned). As they drove off to the wedding reception, it seemed like quiet birds were taking flight for a skyward path to another land.
Sandra

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Romancing the Fly

Often I see the silent passion in the eye of the fly fisherman who knocks on this door.
Doug had that look.
His soft-spoken words and respectful demeanor belied the depth of feeling for the state of the art.



After a very early morning at the river, he returned for breakfast. Since he intended to depart for the river again immediately after eating, I suggested he simply leave his waders on to make life a bit easier. For that he was grateful and so, in the dining room with the white tablecloth on the beautiful wood table that Roddy built, sat the passionate fly-fisherman - decked out in his waders.



He did remove his hat upon entering the house, so it wasn't until he geared up again that I noticed the tiny flies hooked into the band, obviously made with such attention and devotion - and they were now a part of the outfit. Somewhat like standard trim on a uniform.

Doug explained 2 of them to me.
One was from a dear friend, someone he had brought to this area a few years back. His friend was ill then, and has since passed away. Though Doug had planned this current trip as a present to himself for his 50th birthday, I had a sense he was celebrating his friend as well.



The other fly was from a local fly fishing guide, Ken Moreau (Single Spey Fly-Fishing Adventures http://www.bcflyguide.com/), who tied the fly for Doug last time he was here. This too had an honourable place on the hat-band.



Perhaps Roddy smiled at the gentle man sitting at breakfast in the dining room in his waders.
Perhaps he would have smiled at the gentleman's way as he set off for the river once more, reminiscing on past dear friends. I think they would have enjoyed each other's company.
Sandra