Just the pics....

 This island has so much beauty that I want to share more of it with you...

How can you resist?

My fans come running when I arrive.

It's not everyday that a barge with two houses arrives.

Tricky wind conditions eased so the tug could back the barge in.

And here are two of the locals watching.

Loads of neighbours were out to watch the spectacle.

The houses were trucked 1.5 km along a gravel road to the prepared lot.

That's the driveway they had to go up
Nickel Brothers did an amazing job!

Our new painted Sointula - Place of Harmony mural.

There kayakers enjoyed the fall weather too.

Another dinosaur spotted in town.  

Another dinosaur - no that's Jim working on his tie art a few months ago.

"School" is finally finished!  Of course Jim has other creative tie art ideas already underway.

I've moved away from bird house painting to canvas.  I'm having fun.

That's all for now, folks.

Cheers from Sointula.

Tricia and Jim Bowen

tandjbowen13@gmail.com

Weird Weather Meandering

What a week of weather!

Sunday, November 15 

Last night we were treated to something very unusual....

Winds were blowing 40 knots and gusting up to 45 knots SE since mid afternoon and the evening was just as wild but not that unusual. It was as the wind calmed down and the rain stopped when we thought we felt a rumble then heard thunder. We turned the lights out and sat on our bed and watched the light show promised before us. We couldn't have planned the view any better if we tried. For the next hour we were treated with no fewer than five sheet lightning strikes and one fork lightening strike. Sorry - no photos! At one point we were tired of watching black and relaxed, letting out eyelids close for just a second...Then someone let off a huge flashbulb in our house! The sheet lightning was so bright that we both sat bolt upright going "Wow". 

Next morning we woke up to see rolling puffy clouds with patches of blue. Everything looked fresh and beautiful.  I hoped that we were going to have a sunny Sunday so I could go to the beach.  When I looked west towards Pultney Point and the tip of Malcolm Island I could barely see it.  Black clouds were heading our way quickly and within ten minutes the deluge hit us.

Mid November is not a time when you expect to get hit with hail but we did! Fortunately it didn't stick around but nor did the sunshine!

About 20 minutes later I walked outside onto our patio to look and see if there was a rainbow around but instead I caught sight of a beautiful bald eagle soaring just above our cherry tree then angling down so he swooped right above me, over our roof and let the draft take it back up towards the cedar trees. Then I caught sight of another eagle playing in the air currents! No rainbow today but two soaring eagles definitely brings me great joy. What a way to start my day! 

Monday, November 16, 2020 

My friend, Lynn, and I were having a social distance visit when she asked me if I was ready for the big windstorm on it's way. I hadn't known so I checked the marine forecast as soon as I got home and rubbed my hands together. I LOVE a good storm. As a kid I used to go to the Ross Bay waterfront in Victoria and walk along Dallas Road with waves breaking over me. The road was closed to cars but a handful of local kids always walked around the barricades to play chicken with the waves. I arrived home soaked to the skin on more than one occasion but Mom never said a word.   

Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Nowadays I enjoy storms from the warmth and comfort of our home or truck. Hurricane force winds were breathtaking, as I followed the storm with my camera. 

That's a patch of water being lift by the intense winds.

A pretty high tide when you have to worry about wet feet!

The Alert Bay/Port McNeill high school 'bus' next to the horizontal ramp.

Debris pushed over the road in a number of places.

It was an ugly sky, and bitterly cold.

The breakwater barely protected the fish boats. 

Tarkenen's Boatyard suspended work for the day.

Notice the scaffold a the bow...it's partially underwater.

Two days in a row brought extreme high tides.

Storm over; peace renewed.

Erosion during the storm left some trees on shaky ground.

Many spots had debris pushed to the side.

Our local snow capped mountains after the storm.

It's not even the end of November and we've had a four day power outage.  We had a freezer full of food to worry about and no heat in the house.  Lots of blankets helped. Thank goodness we had the little table top bbq from our sailboat to cook on.   One of the commercial fish boat skippers also started his freezer up so people like us could save our food.  I took three containers full of our produce and meat down to the harbour for freezing til we were sure the power was back on.  What a nice gesture!  

Lesson learned:  If one buys a freezer on Malcolm Island, one should also buy a generator to handle the power outages.  We were lucky this time!

Saturday, November 20, 2020

We purchased a generator today to keep the freezer frozen, the fridge cold and a heater heating.  We're ready now!

Cheers

Tricia and Jim Bowen