Salt

I am starting to learn about salt. I have an audiobook entitled "salt a world history" that I got from the library and just got this link to a great website that clarifies the different harvesting techniques for various kinds of salt. Seems like there is a good potential for people here on Haida Gwaii to produce their own sea salt, and this is one product idea we have been toying with at the HGCC. I am bouyed by the fact that they are alredy producing salt on Vancouver Island at Vancouver Island Salt co.

Book Bus

I also want to start a book bus. They have one in coquitlam...More on this later. Here's one that started in Tampa Bay Florida, Bess the Book Bus.

Bike School

At the moment I am house sitting for a couple who own a high performance bike shop called cycletherapy in Queen Charlotte City, Haida Gwaii. Part of this house sit means working at their store. I love bikes and have derived great distances, excercise and joy, especially from bikes that fit me and worked well. Being here in the store has made me think about the times when I have fixed me own bike and the satisfaction and empowerment that came from those experiences.

The people I am house sitting for will be moving off the island in the next year or so, leaving a hole where parts, repairs and skookum gear are concerned.

The other night at a party I started talking about this impending void with a group of teachers, there happened to be representatives from elementary, highschool and alternative school present. We discussed the possibilities of incorporating bike maintenace and bike riding into curricula. All were excited.

In highschool I took a class in car mechanics, learning how to change brake pads, oil etc. Only this year (10 years later) did I actually end up owning a car though (thanks dad!) and sadly most of that knowledge has been lost to the ether. I have, however owned many bicycles, which have needed many repairs. Thanks to Our Commuinity Bikes, and the Bike Kitchen in UBC I have been able to at least assist in many of these repairs. These places make bike repair approachable and practical by supplying you with all the parts, tools and assistance you need. Sadly, Here in small town Haida Gwaii there is simply not the volume to support something like this, however the idea of a bike club, which could evolve into a bike class seems totally feasible. It has been tried in Montreal as a way of keeping at risk kids from dropping out of school. I feel it would also be a great way of promoting physical education (the kind you don't need a team for, even better) and reduced carbon emmisions. Yet another tangent for me to send myself on.

I am just starting to read Zinn & the art of Road Bike Maintenance which was reccomended to me by one of the teachers at that party. We happened to have it at the bike store, It includes tons of illustrations and great instructions. Hopefully it can help me start a bike school. I have been in touch with the Haida Gwaii Semester Abroad program, which is run through UBC to see if any fot their spring students feel like taking this on as a student project. Time will tell.

Five Left

My friend Lincoln (yes he is American) is a pretty amazing guy. I met him while working with his wife Alison at Edie Hats. One Lincoln is so great is his talents with leather. Years ago my brother asked if he would make a bag like Lincoln's own, a rough, old-school, lunch box shaped wonder of brown leather. It was the manliest book bag imaginable. Lincoln made him one and after that, kept churning out more and more beautiful bags for men and women, and some wallets, and card holders, and bracelets, and myriad other wonders. He started a company called five left. Now my brother is the one working for Lincoln, usually at local craft fairs and a couple weeks back at the Eastside Culture Crawl. Check out his website , blog the article about him in the sun and on this fashion blog. Both Lincoln and Alison graduated from Emily Carr and I have been impressed and inspired with how they have both managed to make art a part of their lives (she is a part time high school art teacher and mother of 2).

Maybe I can get him to make bags out of Haida Gwaii deerskins?

Deer Hunters are "the ultimate localvores"

New article this week in the washington post about deer hunting and urbanites who like to hunt. Also, on CBC a story about an urbanite who goes on a hunting adventure, listen here.

LOHAS

Just found out about an interesting marketing demographic courtesy of a group of German marketing students who did some research for the Haida Gwaii Culinary Co-operative this week. LOHAS or Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability make up about 2/3 of the German market! I wonder how many Canadians would be considered LOHAS? How about that? Better than just calling them hippies right? I was just discussing the other day with someone how we needed to develop more words so that we aren't just constantly referring to the 70's. Thank you Germans!

The Living and Learning School

This week my friend moved up from Vancouver to work at the Living and Learning School! The most inexpensive alternative school in BC. I am so happy to have her here, as are the children, parents and fellow teacher and principal! This is an amazing school. The picture above is of a deer carcass that washed up on the beach in front of the school last week. The reaction to it was to cut off it's head and put it in a crab trap (courtesy of one of the dad's at the school) which would serve to strip the skull in a few days. One child in kindergarten wrote in her journal "my teacher is the best, she gets us deer bones". The kids also wrote about the deer bones on their blog.

I love this place.