Kidding Around Vancouver Island

This Saturday and Sunday, May 2nd and 3rd, world-class clay artist Heather Goldminc is opening up her spectacular waterfront property to bring together area artists and musicians in the spring air for the first annual Picnic in the Art. Heather’s work is collected around the world and this is a chance to see her workshop [...]

It was such a lovely holiday Monday, we thought why not drive off and explore the phenomenon of micro-climates.  Ok, it didn’t quite go down that way, it was more like, ‘hey let’s find this cool new beach we heard about near Bowser.” So we’re motoring up the island highway past Parksville, then Qualicum Beach, [...]

The Easter long weekend is upon us and that means two things for our kids:  turkey and chocolate.  If someone could come up with a chocolate turkey… but enough of my dreams.  Cooking turkey is my excuse for teaching the girls math, which does not bode well for their future as we often have to [...]

When I was little we had a canary that loved to escape and fly around the house.  I couldn’t imagine over 700 birds having the run of the place, but that’s what you’ll find at the World Parrot Refuge in Coombs.  Two giant wings of the building – if you’ll pardon the expression – allow [...]

We gave Grace and Ella a choice this past weekend – watch paint dry or watch cheese being made. They opted for the cheese, but, as the folks at Little Qualicum Cheeseworks are fonding of joking, there’s not a lot of difference. However, seeing all the animals at the cheeseworks and hearing about how the [...]

That week is coming. You know what I’m talking about, parents, “the week the kids went” and leave school, only to ask the eternal question “what is there to do?”. The better question is, how do we fit it all into one week? If you’re looking for pre-planned days for the kids, I really like [...]

Have you heard of Wacky Woods (or Funny Forest as others call it)?  It’s up in Fanny Bay and I think it’s a real Island place – fun, unique, creative, quirky, and off the beaten path (literally).  How to describe it.  Well, it’s a woods (or a forest as others call it), and it’s wacky [...]

Need a relaxing spa getaway for an afternoon, where kids have plenty to do, but still taking it easy on your pocket book?  Look no further than the Nanaimo Aquatic Centre.  Ok, maybe “spa-like” would be a better term or “sort of spa-ish” – the point is, a few hours swimming with the kids can [...]

Well, the snow may be fading away (at least til April), but it’s still the rainy season, and for our family that means one thing: indoor gardening. I’m referring of course to raising couch potatoes. With frequent channel-changing and plenty of snacking, you’ll soon have prize-winning potatoes all over your couch. Or… You can get [...]

I can’t count the number of times we’ve driven along Departure Bay Road in back of Brooks Landing heading to the ferry in Nanaimo. Did we ever notice that there was a park at that corner? Not that it’s easy to spot. The day we visited Beach Estates Park, we encountered two different couples on [...]