The Spirit Trail began as a walk in the woods with Pearl the Wonderdog.  We discovered a seemingly abandoned trail that meanders through a wonderfully mysterious bit of old second growth forest in which the processes of renewal are seen everywhere.  In the spring and early summer, the false Lily-of-the-valley covers the forest floor in shiny green and year by year the moss envelopes the wind-fallen trees, seemingly giving them a second life.

It is an enchanting place to walk, and as time passed the trees seemed to me to be alive in an other-worldly sort of way.  As a lark, I created a dozen ceramic faces and surreptitiously hung them in the trees, hoping to cause a laugh or two among other walkers who might discover the trail.  The compulsion was on me and the dozen eventually became over thirty.

At the turn around point of the trail, there is a circle of trees, a sort of committee of spirits.  I made a dozen ceramic faces of women from different places and circumstances and I call them the “Goddesses”.  They are meant to evoke the quiet but monumental strength of women from all over the world.  Most have their eyes closed to impart a quiet, meditative feeling to the spot.  The whole endeavor grew of it’s own accord, without a plan or even a particular goal in mind.  The first masks were put in the trees over three years ago, and apart from knowledge of its whereabouts by the Geo-caching community (People who use GPS units to find stuff) and a brief mention in British Columbia Magazine, little effort has been made to publicize their existence.  Instead, it has been a kind of “Guerilla art”, meant to be a surprise and mildly subversive.

photo compliments of Sandra Weins

The Artist: Ernie became involved in the ceramic arts soon after his retirement as a high school shop and theatre teacher four years ago.  He has a small studio in his garage in which he throws pots (sometimes against the wall), sculpts and tries to figure out how to glaze stuff.

Spring has Sprung…don’t miss the final week (Wednesday Thru Sunday) of  Tulip Festival 2012 at Seabird island.  Once again, Kate has done a spectacular job and you can’t help but feel priviledged to be given the opportunity to “Tiptoe through the Tulips”.

Although tulips are often associated with the Netherlands, commercial cultivation of the flower began in the Ottoman Empire,and are indigenous to mountainous areas with temperate climates and need a period of cool dormancy.  Holland is the world’s main producer of commercially sold tulip plants, producing as many as 3 billion bulbs annually, the majority for export.

It is believed the first tulips in North America were introduced in 1847 in Salem, Massachusetts. By a wealthy landowner who imported many different trees and plants from all parts of the world to landscape his property.

The word tulip has a rather odd origin.  When the tulip was introduced to Europe, many gardeners saw a resemblance between the flower’s shape and Turkish headwear, and they dubbed the flower “tulipan”, from “tuilbend”, a Turkish word for “turban”.  From “tulipan” came the French word “tulipe” and the English word tulip.  There is, as you can see, only a whimsical connection between tulips and two lips.

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The Harrison is the first river in Canada to receive the designation of Salmon Stronghold as the only area in BC to host all five species of salmon and steelhead trout. This incredible biodiversity provides the perfect environment for a host of species that rely on the salmon as a food source.  In addition to the thousands of bald eagles that descend on Harrison Mills every fall, seals, seagulls, bears and sturgeon all rely on the spawning salmon.

To celebrate the natural spectacle of thousands of bald eagles congregating on the Harrison River the Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival was established in 1995.  While some bald eagles are present on the Harrison River year round, the great congregation runs from October to February peaking in mid November when the Festival takes place.

Harrison Hot Springs celebrates this spectacle with a variety of events.

Graham Osborned. Photograpy Workshop & Seminar

World renowned photographer Graham Osborne is hosting two talks as well as a day out on the river where he will hold a workshop to teach you the art of outdoor photography.  This is a great opportunity to get up close and personal with the Eagles and learn some great photography techniques.

When: November 18,19 2011, Friday eve 7-9pm, Saturday 9am-9pm

Where: Harrison Hot Springs Resort, British Columbia, Canada

Cost: $239 + tax [includes 2 seminars, 2 hour Eagle Float and evening talk]

For more information visit Harrison Eco Tours.

Photography Exhibition – Nature Exposed.

The Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa is hosting a wildlife photography exposition entitled “Nature Exposed” on the weekend of the Bald Eagle Festival:

Friday Nov 19  – 5 to 9 PM

Saturday Nov 20 – 10 to 5 PM

Sunday Nov 21 – 10 to 2 PM

For more information visit www.harrisonresort.com

The  best way to experience the incredible wonder of this event is out on the river.  Harrison Hot Springs has two companies that will take you there.  For more informaiton visit:

Harriosn Eco Tours

Shoreline Tours

Bands on the Beach 2011

Saturday September 3rd the first annual Bands on the Beach took place and was a great success.  This inaugural concert was also the grand opening of the new Beach entertainment Venue and the day could not have been better with sun, sand and great tunes making for a perfect day.  Mayor Ken Becotte and Chamber Director Sonja Reyerse did the official opening of the new facility and then handed the microphone over to Curtis Pope “the Pope” of Country 107.1 the events official MC.   With four great groups on hand “the Pope” had a busy afternoon but luckily was assisted by his enthusiastic young son.

With the sun shining down and not a cloud in the sky it was the pefect day to lay back on the grass and enjoy the sights and sounds of Harrison Hot Springs.  While “Bands on the Beach” was only put together at the last minute the Harrison business community rallied behind the event.  Sponsors included:  The Village of Harrison Hot Springs, Tourism Harrison, The Harrison Agassiz Chamber of Commerce, Savvy Fashions, The Springs RV Resort, Crazy Fish Bistro, The Glencoe Motel & RV, Harrison Heritage House, BC Sportfishing Group, Muddy Waters, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Old Settler Pub, 3A Network Group, and Harrison Lake Retreats. Read the rest of this entry »

Getting away from the hustle and bustle of city life is the perfect way to recharge your body, refresh your mind and reconnect with your partner.  Slowing down to notice the beauty around us, whether it is the simple song of an evening Swallow or the spine-tingling  majesty of a lake and mountain sunset, brings a sense of inner peace.  Finding peace and quiet, finding rejuvenation is not easy to do sitting behind the wheel of a car, stuck in rush hour traffic, regardless of how good the sound proofing.

Harrison Hot Springs surrounded by incredible natural beauty offers the perfect location for a car-free vacation.   Once you park your car in Harrison there is no need to use it again.  All the shops, cafe’s and hotels are within walking distance.  Many of the local hikes are accessible from the Village.  Bring your bike with you to Harrison Hot Springs and you can access the back road farm country and do the Circle Farm Tour.  Turn you cell phone off, shut your blackberry down, leave your car keys in your room and explore the earth by foot or bike.  Want to explore the water, go for a guided kayak tour down the Harrison River, listen to the river as the steady current carries you along.  Depending on the season you will find Herons, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Seals, Otter and other wildlife along the way.  This is life at a pace that allows you to enjoy your life.   Come enjoy a few days of your life in Harrison Hot Springs.

The beautiful interior of the new Layback Lounge

The much anticipated Layback Lounge is now open for business and fully operational Wednesday to Sunday 8pm (ish) to late (ish).  Fridays and Saturdays feature live music (jam sessions are welcome as well!) and Sundays are Salsa night!  Want to be in the lope on whose playing and what’s happening – ‘like’ the Layback’s facebook page and while you’re there check out their before, during and after renovation pictures.  You can also lend them a hand in convincing Hawaiian ukulele player Taimane Gardner to play their killer new venue.

The Agassiz Slow Food Cycle Tour 2011 was the biggest and best ever.  With warm temperatures and sunny skies it was the perfect day for a bike ride.  What makes this ride particularly enjoyable is that not only is the countryside beautiful, surrounded by incredible mountains but it is flat.   There is nothing finer than biking down “flat” country roads on a sunny day.

The Pie stop at Blackberry Lane

This years event saw in excess of 800 participants not including the cows, chickens, sheep, goats and horses.  While all the stops are great there was real enthusiasm at Blackberry Lane Pies.

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What a fantastic display of true Festival spirit!  Both the crowds and performers endured the drizzle without too much complaint and neither let the less than ideal weather dampen their enjoyment of the weekends activities.  The beach stage performances were exceptional – from the hot fiddle of New Country Rehab to the haunting harmonies of the Aboriginal Collaboration – the diversity of talent was a real treat.  Even the art market huddled under walled tents along the waterfront offered an array of unique hand crafted gems.  The Memorial Hall pumped out three great concerts with Fridays Ti-Coca & Wanga Neges Twoubadou (troubadour) music and Saturday and Sundays sold out performances by Hawaii’s HAPA and the legendary James Cotton Superharp.   A fantastic closing weekend to yet another first rate Festival.  Congrats to all the staff and volunteers on a job well done.

The best little art market in the Fraser Valley

The evenings beach stage concert was a riveting performance by Ann Vriend.  Her vulnerable yet exquisite voice echoed across the shores of Harrison Lake and into the very soul of the entranced crowd.  Etran Finatawa‘s Memorial Hall performance brought the traditional sounds of Niger to a small but appreciative audience and clearly demonstrated the African origins of today’s Blues genre.

Even with the rain, the Festival‘s Children’s Day activities were enjoyed by both the young and young at heart.  Crafts included mosaic magnets, fluff ball pets, bread dough medallions and bead work accessories to name a few.  There was of course the ever popular climbing wall and the Go Ahead and Get Creative Zone for younger aspiring artists as well as interactive displays hosted by BC Hydro and the Stream Keepers Group.  Performances included Major Conrad Flapps, Jacky’s Village, Kunaka and Dianna David.  Major Flapps was super good fun for everyone with his catchy sing along songs and plenty of audience interaction.

The evening concerts kept the days youthful spirit alive with Kunaka performing on the beach stage and Ireland’s Beoga in the Memorial Hall.  Kunaka was an impressive display of young artists – the audience simply could not resist the urge to get up and move to the infectious rhythms rippling from their marimbas.  Beoga’s playful energy was a delight to experience and their musicianship was superb as well as their accompanying Irish dance troupe.