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A few weeks ago, I attended part of a National Forum hosted by ARC. The original idea was to create an event where the staff for ARC in Manitoba could connect with those of us based here in BC but it ended up becoming an event of the Americas as we had representatives from AR Peru, AR Columbia, AR International (including the new CEO), and AR USA. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet others and put a face and bit of a personality to the names we all hear. It was also great to hear about what AR is doing in other parts of this world - very encouraging. We also took everyone (and it was a group of about 50 people) on a field trip, including a trip down to the estuary by White Rock to show them some restoration work we have been doing there as well as a stop for tea and snacks at the Field Study Centre, giving those who haven’t been there yet could see it. While there, I took the opportunity to snap a few photos, for a small virtual tour for you guys - I should really plan to do a more thorough one in the summer when the weather is slightly better as not all of my photos turned out. But, here’s a little snip-it of the Centre where I spend two days a week.
This is a drawing of the entire property at the Field Study Centre (if you click on it, you should get a bigger image). It’s a bit of a mix of current and proposed uses, but the actual layout is relatively accurate. Our office is located in the main house, and this is where we hold community meals and most evening events. Several staff and interns also live in this house. The farmhouse is where the directors live with their two girls, and there are additional bedrooms available for visitors & interns.
This is the main living area in the main house. Jay, who serves as center director with his wife, is giving a brief overview of what life at the Centre is like to all the forum attendees.
This is where all the garden action takes place - the home of the Community Shared Agriculture plan that we run. In the background is the farmhouse.
We have a few Highland Cattle on the property that are raised for beef - they are also quite the tourist attraction as most visitors are drawn to them because of their cute looks.
This shows a corner of the garden as well as part of the pasture where the cattle graze.
A slightly blurry shot of one of the newest buildings on the site - home to the native plant nursery (also shown in the second picture) and the store, where we sell various crafts etc. produced by local artists.
At the north end, we also have a pond/wetland (shown below) as well as a grove of cedar trees.
And lastly, I’ll leave you with a drawing of the Manitoba site (again a mix of current and future uses) - for those of you in the area, it’s definitely worth the trip as it really is very beautiful. And it's right next door to the Pembina Valley Provincial Park.
I've been treated to quite a few beautiful sun-ups and sun-downs recently - mainly because my Saturday class had me on the bus by 7:15am and my Tuesday and Thursday trek to South Surrey has me on the bus by 7:35am. And my trek home from Surrey brings me home at 6:30pm, after the sun has disappeared behind the buildings.
The other day, while sitting on the 351 and passing through South Delta on the way to ARC, it almost felt like I was crossing the Alberta prairies. Maybe it was the early morning sunshine on the green fields, spotted with farmhouses and clusters of trees. Of course, this feeling quickly disappeared when the ocean appeared.
The beauty of this area is soaking into me more and more as I find myself having time to relax and take it all in during these bi-weekly bus trips.
In other news, my midterm crunch is pretty much over. This was marked by a celebration - doing a frenzied surface clean and vaccuum of our place, since that was left for several weeks. Funny when this is your way of celebrating. But, it does feel much better to have a few evenings when I can curl up with Mark for a movie or continue reading my book instead of studying away. Within an hour, we'll be off to Seattle to pick up Mark's sister and cousin from the airport, then tomorrow is a wedding celebration and Sunday with a 'potlunch' with friends after church. Should be a good weekend.
I leave you with a smattering of photos from the past few weeks: a foggy field in the early morning
Look Mom! I caught a bug! (and it's blocking Mt. Baker)
If you look closely, you can see a gaping hole just below center - this is where a plane crashed into the building, only one block from our apartment!
And last weekend was a carving adventure
