The waters between the west coast of Canada (the mainland) and our own Vancouver Island (comparable to Th Netherlands in size) are dotted with many islands of various sizes. Most of them have been, or are inhabited. This past weekend, Tim and I took a short boat excursion to Thetis Island. It's very rural, with no town to speak of, but it's only a short ferry ride to a village with most services. On Saturday mornings there are 2 farmer's markets on Thetis. We purchased a loaf of freshly made bread and a cinnamon bun for Tim.
There's a small red schoolhouse with one room. The student population fluctuates from year to year - this year there are 12 students. We peeked in the windows and counted the desks. High school students take the ferry across to a larger school.
Roads wind along the shoreline and across the interior of the island. Walking trails lead to abandoned barns and rocky inlets.
On Saturday we walked south to north, covering about half of the length of the island - 5 miles there and back. Tall grasses waved at us as we passed and the daisies nodded with friendly smiles.
Abandoned outbuildings reminded us of years past when hardy souls made a living from the sea and the soil.
From a quiet shelter in the trees, a deer watched us pass by. He didn't seem startled or frightened, merely attentive.
In the evening, long shadows fell across limpid water. A belted kingfisher flew from one tree to another, patrolling the shoreline, chattering at each stop. It moved much too quickly for me to capture on camera.
In a narrow passage between two islands a white house perches on a wooded point. It looks idyllic, doesn't it?
Here's a closer look. Would you like to live in such a remote place? I like the idea of it, but I wouldn't want to live too far from family and friends. The peace of this place is appealing, but perhaps it would become lonely.
Daisies and ferns lined the pathways and roads. I picked a small bouquet for the boat, thinking of Kathleen in the movie "You've Got Mail" who said, "Daisies are the friendliest flowers."
Linking with Mosaic Monday, hosted by Maggie of Normandy Life.
I so love your posts, Lorrie, because you take us to new places and I love each and every one. Gorgeous pictures. I could totally live here, I can be a bit of a loner. As far as provisions, if there isn't a place on the island to buy essentials, that might be a problem! But nature...you just can't beat that!
ReplyDeleteJane x
Lovely. Definitely a nice place to visit and wander. But wouldn't want to live their full time. Wishing you a great new week.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, calming post. I too sometimes imagine that I would like to live somewhere like that but I know I wouldn't really as I need people and places to go - I am off to Salisbury today to meet a friend - so maybe it's best kept as a dream and your lovely photos illustrate my "cabin in the woods" day dream!
ReplyDeleteA beautiful place and yes it would suit me perfectly.
ReplyDeleteWonderful and idyllic walk, indeed! With summer so near, I can wait to see myself some daisies! The deer is so, so cute... Such lovely aspects captured! Nature is always amazing in Spring!
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for sharing the beauty of nature and Havea great new week ahead! Alexa
Being an educator lije you I woukd love to explore the old school. perhaps living there fir a short oeriod of time would be lovely but there woukd be so many things to muss. Thanks fir the vurtual vusit.
ReplyDeleteAt this time in life I could live in a quiet, somewhat remote place like this lovely island, and would be perfectly happy - but Bob definitely wouldn't as he loves cities and people! It would work as a special vacation retreat perhaps, but then you know us, we rarely return to same place over and over when there are so many new places to discover, haha! Of course I realize the years ahead will probably require easy access to facilities dealing with old age/health issues etc., so a place like this might not be feasible. . . . . . but I can dream!
ReplyDeleteLoved the photos from your hike Lorrie - thanks for taking us along. Daisies - YES! Just planted some in pots over the weekend and hope they do well - can transfer to the garden later.
Have a good week - Mary
I think I would love such a place and for long stretches at a time. Civilization is highly overrated. 🙂
ReplyDeleteI guess if you lived there you'd think twice before running to the shops -- you'd have a full list ready for the trip across on the ferry. It does seem appealing in many aspects.
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful place.
ReplyDeleteSmiles x
What a fabulous place. It would be great to have a summer home there but I don't think I'd like to feel cut off in the winter. Quite a big island compared to my Five mile by seven mile world. We're off to a very small island called Herm tomorrow. Only about a mile by a mile. We even get to sleep there for the night. Can't wait. B x
ReplyDeleteLorrie, What a nice little trip with a very long walk. That was very interesting along the way. Thanks for sharing. Sylvia D.
ReplyDeleteGreat tour of the island. Very beautiful.
ReplyDeleteWe love taking the back roads around here but this takes it to another level! What a day trip that would be....but no, I would like to visit but wouldn't want to live there. I lived in a remote spot in the Mts of NC before I met my husband and it was too lonely. Enjoy your week and that fresh bread! Hugs, Diane
ReplyDeleteLovely place to visit but I need to be a little closer to a city. Beautiful photos.
ReplyDeleteSome people do enjoy living in remote places ... but it wouldn't suit me.
ReplyDeleteHowever, it was lovely to see your photo's here and the one of the deer watching is just great.
All the best Jan
I love the thought that there is still a one room school house being used in the world today! :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a little kid, my grandparents 'camp' was a one room school house in Clarion, Pennsylvania, PA. Where the teacher and blackboards would be in the raised front, was a series of four 'bedrooms ' separated by curtains.
They put in a kitchen sink to the right when you walked in...the living room area was to the left.
The bathroom was a long way off...kind of scary to go to it in the dark...it was an outhouse at the very back of the property :)
Thetis Island is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there!
ReplyDeleteI think it would be lonely out there on the island, but a wonderful place to escape to once in the while. I do love your visits to the islands around you. What fun to explore.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely place for a getaway! I think I'd enjoy a visit, but not sure if I'd want to live in a remote area. A couple of years ago, I'd have said yes! But since we moved to a neighborhood close to town, I have found that I enjoy being nearer to stores and people and coffee shops. :)
ReplyDeleteStunning photographs from your weekend boat jaunt, what a wonderful place to have close by with a farmers market offering fresh produce and warm bread. Not sure I could live there permanently but a long visit would be a real treat.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your trip with us MM this week.
What a great place to explore! Love the idea of living on an island, but perhaps only for the summer! Wonderful photos. xx Karen
ReplyDeleteHow lovely a place that you ventured and I truly must say that it so much looks like the beauty that is right here in my land as well... I love old barns and structures, always taking photos, just in case they fall to the ground soon~
ReplyDeleteI think that I would love to spend the summer months but winter might be grey and lonely. I have relatives on Whalsay in the North Sea but they live in family communities. Thanks for sharing your adventure.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos Lorrie - that is a rural idyll indeed. AlthoughI myself would not want to live in such a desolate place. But in the summer yes! We Finns love our desolate summer cottages on our thousand lakes :)
ReplyDeleteI would love to live there for the summer, it is gorgeous and so peaceful looking.
ReplyDeleteHow fun to be able to explore some of those small islands 'at will'...but maybe not to live. :) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteIt sure would be a different way of life, isolated on a little island. If you ever do a tour of Gabriola, I'd love to see some of it as that's where my cousin lives, part of the music culture there. One of the women in my Tues. morning Bible study was stationed (Salvation Army) on Vancouver Island and laughed when I told her where my cousin lives. She said it's all the hippies from the 60s residing on Gabriola and I said "yup, that's her". lol
ReplyDeleteDaisies surely are cheery flowers.
Lorrie, it looks wonderful - love your photos! I think living on a small island would suit me beautifully in some ways but that it would soon make me claustrophobic.
ReplyDeleteYour excursions to pretty paradises near you always enchant me, Lorrie. The close up photo of the white cottage is alluring, but having lived in a tiny village here on the island now for about 5 years, I sometimes miss the hustle and bustle and convenience that the city provides. Sometimes. I am lucky to have one very close friend here which makes all the difference, and every so often we drive into town to run our errands and chill out with iced coffee and chit chat, and then I can't wait to get home!
ReplyDeletePoppy
What a beautiful post, both words and pictures. Thank you. I know that I couldn't live in such a remote place, but the idea of spending a little time there is wonderful. Sometimes my husband and I see a remote house somewhere beautiful and comment that "it's a long way to buy a pint of milk and a newspaper in the morning". x
ReplyDeleteDearest Lorrie; Wonderful excursion, I truly enjoyed these scenes from Canada♡♡♡ How wonderful if I could visit your country♪
ReplyDeleteSending Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan to my Dear friend, xoxo Miyako*