Canadian writer, author, blogger and photographer.
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  • READER'S DIGEST CONTEST: Read my entries~ Stories, Poems, Limericks, Song Lyrics and one Tall Tale...

PLEASE VOTE FOR MY ENTRIES!

Reader's Digest has a contest currently running to find Canada's most interesting town.CONTEST OVER- Juging begins...

READER'S DIGEST CONTEST
MY AMAZON AUTHOR'S PAGE

1   MOST ARTISTIC: Three Seasons in One Day: An Artist's Dream

Picture
Comox Marina Mirror
We are your warmth. We are your cold.
We are your soft and we’re your bold.
In one full day, you’ll feel it all
from beach to greens then mountains tall.
Begin your day upon the Mount;
upon the snow you shall surmount
the urge to slide, to play and shout
and paint the grandeur all about.

Next you’ll plummet to the green
and forest parks that must be seen
with Mother Nature’s splendid hues
that make us, foremost, Artists’ Muse.
The deepest blues. The brightest reds.
Let fragrant breeze caress your head
and sketch while spralwed ‘neath might Oak;
let Valley moods become your cloak.

And then a dash to water run
to snap a family splashing fun
or lazy launches languid lay,
their mirrored colors rippled play.
To Comox you will have to go
And let your inner-artist flow
on sand or snow or in verdure,
it will appear, of that, I’m sure.



VOTE FOR Three Seasons



2   GREENEST:  Ubiquitous!

Picture
Fair Floral Maiden
Get me OUT of Comox, BC! I’ve really had enough. Green, green, all I see is GREEN. I want WHITE! Give me some snow. Frostbiting, spit-freezing pure white snow!

Too much of a good thing is still too much. For the entire year, save for a few blessed days in the dead of winter, our cheery little seaside town is drenched in a sea of green. A blanket of foliage that is, to be perfectly honest, smothering me. How much verdure can one person endure? It’s like living in the Jolly Green Giant’s hair (or is that a hat… I could never quite tell).

All I wanted was to retire in a pretty town that had some nice trees to fall asleep under while reading and a few trails to hike these old bones around to keep from rusting. But what did I stumble into? With the blind faith that I was in Canada and therefore immune to the perpetual spring/summer-like temperatures that encourage rampant growth of tropical vegetation, I inadvertently moved to a place surrounded by 9 provincial parks that are not only riddled with myriad walking/hiking trails, but wind through a total of 531 hectares of…wait for it…GREEN! The Filberg Park Lodge down my block is utterly breathtaking as well, but guess what? I need my breath, thank you, and I am tired of having it snatched from my lungs every sunrise and sunset and most times in-between.

Please. Save me. Toss a crumb of white my way.



VOTE FOR Ubiquitous



3   BEST DESTINATION:  The Legend of Jas'Mine

Picture
Jasmine our Tuxedo Kitty
Nowhere in Canada will you find a more intriguing tale of vile deception, treachery and thrilling mystery than that which is Comox, BC’s ‘Legend of Jas’Mine’.

It is said in local folklore that in 1669, in the Golden Age of Piracy and during a rare blistering winter storm, a crippled pirate ship known as ‘The Jas’Mine’, tossed hundreds of miles off-course, blew into what is now the Comox marina. Before she sank, two lone survivors, the captain and his black and white cat, made it to shore. Half dead from injury and cold, it is said the pirate captain lived for two days before writing his final confession on a scrap of goat skin and secured it to the collar of his cat, then promptly died.

The cat was found and the confession bound to her neck told a tale of mutiny, murder and madness. And buried treasure.

The captain had been able to secure a tin of priceless diamonds before jumping ship and buried it with only his cat as witness. In his fevered mind, he wrote a perplexing riddle to the whereabouts of his treasure:

Corner. Open Meadow. On the ‘X’

Shortened over the years, it became the anagram C.O.M.O.X. and eventually, simply Comox. Every meadow was dug up in a fifty mile radius but the treasure has never been found. The cat, dubbed Jas’Mine after her ill-fated ship, was watched closely and each stone she sniffed was overturned and every tree she climbed was dug up, but to no avail. She wasn’t giving up her Master’s secrets.

Jas’Mine’s ancestors live in Comox to this day, and our Tuxedo kitty, named Jasmine, is a direct descendant.

We watch her closely and carry a small spade with us when she goes outside.

So, if you have a taste for legendary huggermuggery, you need look no further than our wee seaside town.

Oh…and by the way, if you find that nobody in Comox has ever heard of this legend, please do not jump to the conclusion that I just made this story up because I love my cat and wanted Canada to see her picture. That is simply not true.

Really.



VOTE FOR Jas'Mine



4   MOST ARTISTIC: Dear Abby...

Picture
Sunset Over Goose Spit Park
Dear Abby,

My name is Scarlett Orange and I have a problem that I hope you can help me with. I have been a tube of oil paint for six months now and I need to tell my owner that I want to leave. Don’t get me wrong, he is a good person but where we live on the prairie, well, it’s nice, but to be honest, I am not needed. My best friends Sky Blue and Wheat Field Yellow are more than happy to stay where they are useful, but after seeing a postcard from my cousin Tropical Green who recently moved to Comox, BC on Vancouver Island, I haven’t had a moment’s rest.

She wrote me that the Comox Valley has the highest concentration of artists and writers in Canada and besides the numerous art and bloom festivals that happen often throughout this lush valley, the picturesque little seaside town of Comox is an artist's nirvana. It has myriad colors from the beaches and marina to the flower filled parks and forest trails that shift and change all year round, giving each color a chance to shine. Every day is a celebration of local beauty, but the epitome is the annual four-day Filberg Festival, held within the prestigious ocean-front grounds of the Filberg Heritage Lodge and Park grounds.

Each BC Day long weekend their wee drop of a town swells into a rolling sea of art lovers who come from all over Canada to glimpse or grab an original work from some of the 120 participating artisans, and then relax to live music and eat local delicacies while breathing in the invigorating salty air and watching the sunlight dance on the waves.

Tropical Green ended her note by saying she was too busy to continue and was off, once again, to help recreate a splendid landscape with her new boyfriend, Mountain Peak White. Then came the clincher:

“P.S. - The sunrises and sunsets here would take your breath away.”

So you see, Dear Abby, I must go to Comox and live where every color is needed equally and where I can do some good with my life.

Please advise.

Signed,

Sleepless Off the Palette



VOTE FOR Dear Abby



5   BEST DESTINATION:  5 Things Comox Doesn't Want You To Know

Picture
Stanley the Seagull at Goose Spit Park
The following are five facts about Comox, BC on Vancouver Island that they do NOT want you ‘Off-Islanders’ to find out about. They want to keep it all to themselves:

1) Comox has the cleanest, tastiest tap water in the world. When we moved here our daughter said, “Did we buy a filter? This water is SO good!” A teenager taking the time out from their perpetual whining to compliment ANYTHING should be proof enough of its value.

2) The new library has a lovely ‘living room’ section complete with fireplace, TV, comfy leather chairs and dozens of newspapers; a cozy bit of Home-Away-From-Home time while waiting for someone or just ‘getting out for a bit’. I go there every day for a calm 15 minute strength-building/courage-gathering visit before I go back home and tackle cleaning the aforementioned daughter’s bedroom.

3) Comox has the ‘Berwick’. It is a world-class retirement community that has a gorgeous building right downtown within walking distance to all amenities. It even has its own private movie theater and professional hairdresser salon! I walk past it quite often and peek in the windows and feel jealous of the old grey geezer that always looks at me, but then I realize it’s only my reflection and I'm okay then.

4) The place they call Goose Spit, is named so as to keep you away, thinking it a park full of heavily salivating geese. Not so. It is a local hot spot…a longish, mini-peninsula if you will, where they all go to swim, jog, picnic or court their sweeties. Some even just go to sit and meditate. I tell my husband it is a park of salivating geese. I like to go there alone.

5) Comox marina is home to ‘Nautical Days’, home to Dragon Boat Racing and the Bullhead Derby (the largest catch-and-release fishing derby in the Pacific Northwest) attracts up to 500 participants. In Canoe Jousting, combatants try and knock each other overboard and I hear that the loser has to dive underwater and catch a fish with his/her teeth. Could be a rumor.

The secrets are OUT!



VOTE FOR 5 Things


6  BEST CUISINE:  Ode To My Favorite Comox Restaurants

Picture
Oh Canada!
*SUNG TO ‘OH CANADA’ (standing with hand over heart optional)

Co…mox, BC!

Our lovely seaside town.
If… you… must eat, then please just look around!

The…Blackfin Pub, with its sea…food fare;
finest chefs they do employ.

Tos…cano’s ‘fritto mi…stos’,
such flavor; what… a… joy!

Mar...tine’s Bistro: you’ll…have…to go
there…to…eat Rack of Lamb you won’t...be…lieve!

Once… you…eat here you’ll never want…to…leave!



VOTE FOR Ode


7   HEALTHIEST:  Sports By The Sea

Picture
Katharina's World Cup Soccer Tourney
If looking for amateur sports
in fields or perhaps on the courts,
then come to our town
and play all around
then visit our spas and resorts.

All ages between young and old
have sports they can choose, I am told!
Perpetual sun
continuous fun
our temperatures rarely get cold.

First: soccer, oh my! What game!
Once started then you shall remain
a player and fan
who does best he can;
remembers each goal, dreams of fame.

There’s tennis to help you get fit,
you’ll feel like a pro with each hit!
Set one then Set two
and then when you’re through
walk down for a swim at The Spit.

Our piece of the ocean is grand
with shores; rounded rocks, silky sand.
Kite sailing takes strength,
a challenge at length
that athletes will fight to withstand.

Our golf course sits right in our heart,
all ages, both sexes take part
no matter the skill
or size of the hill.
Come walk, or if tired take a cart!

With trails all around here to hike
and paths designated for bike,
we rarely stay in
to do so, a sin!
Heart healthy is something we like!

So come visit Comox and see
how sports gives us high quality
of living and life
that’s free of all strife;
The Sports by The Sea Family!



VOTE FOR Sports



8   MOST COMMUNITY SPIRIT:  Together We Are Invincible

Picture
Kat and Meggs: Best Friends
There is only one thing more important than having a sense of community spirit. It is having our YOUTH have a sense of community spirit. Like the old song says ‘The Children Are Our Future’.

A fine example of this sensibility in Comox is one of our local school’s ‘Highland Legacy Project 2012’.

Every graduating class from Highland Secondary School creates a legacy to hand down to future students. The class of 2012 chose to make a video and stated: “This video is a handbook of messages and ideas that we think will help create a positive community.” Our small town and surrounding cities have had their fair share of teen suicides and this video addresses how many teens feel alone, shunned and misunderstood. Their poignant message is ‘if we stick together, care for one another, we can make it.’

We parents were given a viewing of the video in the gym when our freshly minted Grade 8 sons and daughters were welcomed at their new high school and I have to say, it made me cry. There was barely a dry eye in the house. It is a professionally made video with outstanding acting, music, composition and most of all, a hard-hitting and important message.

I was expecting a nice-try-but-this-is-sappy clip made by a bunch of kids, but instead was floored by a well thought out, brilliant depiction of life as they see it in terms of self-worth, teenage angst, perceptions and finally understanding and acceptance.

Please, take the time to view it for yourself. Teen suicide is important to us all, Canadian, American, ALL of us worldwide and this message for teens, by teens, is a powerful one that gives us hope that the future generation gets it…that being part of a community and watching out for each other counts. It counts a lot.

The video is called ‘Together We Are Invincible - Highland Legacy Project 2012’ and can be found on YOUTUBE at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53bhPH3TxxM&feature=colike or just type in the title on Google.

A fine legacy indeed.



VOTE FOR Together



9   MOST ENTREPRENEURIAL:  The Best Medicine

Picture
Comox Barber Ad in Mall
They say that laughter is the best medicine. I agree…but it is also a glue. A glue that keeps a community close…united.

Do you know the feeling you get when you’ve shared a joke and everyone laughs and talks about it afterwards? You feel good, smile a lot, hug your wife and pet the dog. Everyone wins. That should be, and oft times is, the key to good advertising. It becomes memorable, and in business, being remembered is everything.

In Comox, we have an abundance of clever businesspersons who know the base to which they are appealing and their advertising reflects this. One ad in particular made me stop dead still and laugh out loud. Then I showed my handsome hair-challenged hubby (think: Vito Corleone) and he laughed as well and said, “I wish I had a reason to go in!”

My picture above says it all. (*In case it is cut short, it says:)

"COMOX BARBERS
Lower Level Outside
"If we can't make you look good, you're just ugly."

Yes…Comox is a FUN place to live, and if you understand that from reading a single sign in a mall, you know you are in the right place.

*And if you are not amused by this sign or are indeed offended by it, you can rely on the whole town to rally around you and expedite an intense search for your lost sense of humor. We are, after all, a certified ‘No Killjoy Left Behind’ community.



VOTE FOR Best Medicine



10   BEST DESTINATION:  A Day Of Seasons

Picture
Comox Glacier: "Queneesh"
We are your warmth. We are your cold.
We are your soft and we’re your bold.
In one full day, you’ll feel it all
from beach to greens and mountains tall.
Begin your day upon the snow
on mountain high, cares left below
and ski or snowshoe in the sun
with promise of more joys to come.

Next you’ll plummet to the green
of forest parks that must be seen,
for nine provincial parks surround
our happy, little seaside town.
A golf course in our center lay
with pristine grounds for all to play,
and down the block The Filberg stands
a mansion, park and luscious lands.

And then it’s time to have a swim
with choice for all; for every whim.
A dip in ocean waters clear
that lap upon our shores so near,
then off to sail in jolly boat
or just lay on a tube and float.
All this in one day spent, ‘tis true,
Come see! Our Comox waits for you…



VOTE FOR Day of Seasons



11   BEST DESTINATION:  My Green Runneth Over

Picture
The Filberg Heritage Lodge and Park
Get me OUT of Comox, BC! I’ve really had enough. Green, green, all I see is GREEN. I want WHITE! Give me some snow. Frostbiting, spit-freezing pure white snow!

Too much of a good thing is still too much. For the entire year, save for a few blessed days in the dead of winter, our cheery little seaside town is drenched in a sea of green. A blanket of foliage that is, to be perfectly honest, smothering me. How much verdure can one person endure? It’s like living in the Jolly Green Giant’s hair (or is that a hat… I could never quite tell).

All I wanted was to retire in a pretty town that had some nice trees to fall asleep under while reading and a few trails to hike these old bones around to keep from rusting. But what did I stumble into? With the blind faith that I was in Canada and therefore immune to the perpetual spring/summer-like temperatures that encourage rampant growth of tropical vegetation, I inadvertently moved to a place surrounded by 9 provincial parks that are not only riddled with myriad walking/hiking trails, but wind through a total of 531 hectares of…wait for it…GREEN! When you walk out my front door and turn right, a five minute walk brings you to a lush and lovely golf course in the center of town, and if you would have turned left, a five minute walk would bring you to the famous, oceanfront Filberg Heritage Lodge and Park. Yes…stereo GREEN.

It is all utterly breathtaking, truly, but guess what? I need my breath, thank you very much, and I am tired of having it snatched from my lungs every sunrise and sunset and most times in-between.

Please. Save me. Toss a crumb of white my way.



VOTE FOR Green Runneth Over
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