Submitted by Morning Bay Vineyard & Estate Winery:
Join us this summer for the following special events:
Danielle Caron, exhibition of paintings – July 9 to August 7
Show hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm.
Opening night reception: Wednesday, July 9 between 6 and 9 pm.
Experience the massive and colourful works of this Pender Island painter. A member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, Danielle has exhibited in Vancouver, Montreal and Pender Island. She reaches into the subconscious for her imagery. “… my goal is to reach a point where the notion of good or bad, pleasing or ugly, will not be an issue in the way I paint.”
Shirley Valentine Returns – August 1, 2, and 3 at 7pm
Ever yearn to go to the land where they grow the grape and sit by the sea and sip a glass of wine? Well Shirlley Valentine has. Played by former Pender and now Saltspring actor Grace aka “Sheila” Jordan, Shirley returns to Morning Bay for a magical evening of comedy and drama. Join us Saturday night for a special Mediterranean Winemaker’s Dinner before the show. Admission for the play is $20 per person, $10 for students. Children and dogs on leashes free, although be advised there is some adult content. Three-course supper with wine, gratuities, taxes and play admission is $95 per person. Tickets available at the winery or in the usual Island outlets.
Winestock 2008 – Saturday, August 30 from noon ’til dusk
Our biggest party of the season. Five bands, 10 hours of music, food, wine, arts and fun. This year, our third, we feature Spirit of the West in our oceanfront vineyard. Also in the line-up this year, Dave Rave formerly of “Teenage Head” returns, as does Wyckham Porteous, Simon Kendall and the Morning Bay City Rollers, our rockin’ house band. Don’t miss the hottest party on the Island. Tickets just $25 per person and available at the winery or all the usual outlets.
For more information on the above events, and others, visit www.morningbay.ca
photo: Jocko
Store and Post Office, Port Washington, Pender Island, B.C. c. 1913
Cute, but not so cute…
Originally posted Dec. 10, 2007 and here updated.
Paranoia of the day!
There has recently been an explosion in the numbers of rabbits in the Okanagan (see Bunny Explosion) for the full story. Having the rapid spread of the Eastern Grey Squirrel on Vancouver Island, one realizes how vulnerable Pender Island is to introduced, invasive plants and animals. If you have a bunny, all precautions should be taken to ensure your lovable pet doesn’t make a breakout and end up causing even more native plants to disappear by their voracious feeding. And think what might happen to your favourite veggie and flower garden! Racoons have been spotted running around the island, so let’s hope they don’t become the kind of problem they are in some urban areas by raiding garbage cans and invading attics and crawlspaces to find harbourage and a place to reproduce.
June 2008 Update: Oh no, rabbits have been reported running loose on Gowlland Point Road. Apparently somebody has somehow let their pets free. Now residents of the area are scrambling to find ways of trapping and relocating the animals, which have an amazing reproductive capacity. If the release cannot be contained, the rabbits will become increasingly feral and no doubt make their way northward. These adorable looking creatures can wreck havoc on native vegetation and crops, and by their tunneling, damage foundations and facilitate the entry of other pests such as rats and mice. Raccoons have reportedly cornered and killed a domestic peacock on the island and they are now another pest to contend with.