Art & Archtecture in Ambleside

 

The Villa Marais, better known as the Pink Palace in West Vancouver  Credit: Gralla/Reddit

 

Art and Architecture in Ambleside intersect continuously in this community. The new Grosvenor building supports this theme with both James Cheng’s West Coast Modern Architecture and the public art of Douglas Copeland, Gordon Smith and Kevin Gould.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3Twd4hLKT0

We also have heritage houses like the Ferry Building on the waterfront, Gertrude Lawson House at 17th and Esquimalt and two early Craftsman style homes (Rush House and Vinson House) which incorporate these ideas from the past. To this point, the newly refurbished Ferry Building is the home of the North Shore Artists’ Guild and the Gertrude Lawson House is our West Vancouver Art Museum.

In July, the West Vancouver Art Museum is providing an opportunity to experience the architecture of our unique and fascinating  mid-century apartment buildings gracing Argyle and Bellevue Avenues in a walking tour. The apartment buildings in Ambleside, many of which were built in the 1960's, are more than deserving of this special attention.

Tickets are available for twenty dollars for this approximately three kilometer, two hour walk with experienced guides. 

https://westvancouverartmuseum.ca/event/home/inaugural-walking-tour-series-modern-gems-ambleside

Ambleside Festival Today

Each year, the District hosts a two day multicultural festival in Ambleside Park. You can still attend the second day of this festival today between 11 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. It used to be called the Bridge Festival. This year it is called "The West Vancouver Community Cultural Fest" and includes live music, dance performances, food vendors, a kids’ zone, and cultural pavilions.

Festival Schedule Today 

Saturday, June 3rd (2023)

---

 

Main Stage

• 11:15 am – West Vancouver Youth Band with Bob Baker
• 12:45 pm – Tiller’s Folly
• 2:15 pm – Non Sweet
• 3:30 pm – Hayley Wallis & The Bright Futures
• 5:00 pm – Bukola
• 6:30 pm – The Whiskeydicks
• 8:15 pm – Mostly Marley

 

West Vancouver Schools’ Stage

• 11:00 am – École Pauline Johnson Elementary (Grades 6 and 7)
• 11:55 am – Irwin Park Elementary Bands (Grades 6 and 7)
• 1:15 pm – West Vancouver Secondary Jr. and Sr. Concert Bands
• 2:10 pm – Combined Chartwell Elementary and Gleneagles Ch’axy Elementary Intermediate Choir
• 2:40 pm – Caufeild IDEC Elementary Band (Grades 6 and 7)
• 3:10 pm – Combined Chartwell Elementary and Gleneagles Ch’axy Elementary Grade 6 and 7 Band
• 3:40 pm – Sentinel Secondary Grade 8 Concert Band
• 4:10 pm – Sentinel Secondary Jazz Band
• 4:40 pm – Sentinel Secondary Rnb Band
• 5:10 pm – Rockridge Secondary Drumline
• 5:30 pm – Rockridge Secondary Rock and Metal Band – Nokturna

 

TD Cultural Dance Stage

• 11:45 am – Brazilian Swag
• 12:15 pm – Seymour Dance
• 12:45 pm – North Shore Academy of Dancing
• 1:30 pm – Gleneagles Scottish Country Dance Club
• 2:00 pm – Method of Modern Movement
• 2:30 pm – Mexico Vivo Folklore
• 3:15 pm – Dance of Joy Academy
• 4:30 pm – Dovbush School of Ukrainian Dance
• 4:45 pm – Southeast Asian Cultural Heritage Society
• 5:15 pm – Vanleena Dance Academy
• 6:30 pm – Kitka and Hubavitzi (Bulgarian Dance)
• 7:00 pm – Sentinel K-dance Crew 

https://www.google.com/search?q=bridge+festival+2023&rlz=1C5CHFA_enCA962CA968&oq=Bridge+Festival&aqs=chrome.2.0i131i355i433i512j46i131i175i199i433i512j0i512l2j0i20i263i512j0i512l5.11931j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Ambleside Ambiguities

When I moved to Ambleside in 2015 from another Vancouver suburb, I was intrigued by many seemingly odd real estate situations. For instance, in an area that was screaming loudly for more affordable housing, many units in my building, which is and was always affordable, had remained empty for many years. In doing my research I found that some of these empty units had not been put on the market within the past five years. Why would someone willingly pay taxes and maintenance, often amounting to around three percent of the unit value, and continue to pay this amount year after year on an asset that had not maintained its value. 

One answer to this question may be found in Matthew Soules book entitled "Icebergs, Zombies and the Ultra Thin".  His thesis is that since the 1980's, there has been a movement toward "financialization" of real estate. Previous to this, people bought homes primarily to live in or to receive rents from. If real estate values increased in time that was simply a bonus. Since the 80's, people started buying real estate expecting it to act like a stock market commodity. It appears to be a safer way to preserve capital over time. With increasingly unstable areas of the world, many people from other countries have sunk their capital into real estate in safe countries like Canada resulting in many empty homes in my neighbouhood.

Ambleside has a very low tax rate compared to similar communities in the U.S. and Canada. As a result, real estate sales have become the predominant industry in this area. It will be interesting to see how recent legislation such as the empty home tax and restrictions on foreign buyers plays out over time.

It Takes a Village to Age Optimally

Ontario, once again, seems to be miles ahead of BC with helpful programs for older adults. McMaster University has produced an Optimal Aging Portal with a motto of "Healthy Aging Information That You Can Trust". Check this site out:

https://www.mcmasteroptimalaging.org/

If you subscribe this this site, you will receive emails occasionally which will contain reliable information on living successfully. 

A recent topic, 'Intergenerational Programs: It takes a village to age optimally', discusses the importance of interacting with young people. Often, particularly for people without grandchildren, we associate only with adults.  

If you are a senior living alone, there are not many opportunities to interact with young people in Ambleside. However, our Senior Activity Centre has a free program called, Intergenerational Screen Time for Seniors, that can help solve this problem.  Not only do you get to interact with local students, you can also eliminate many irritating  issues you may have with your cell phone or tablet. 

On Thursday May 18th and June 8th from 4:30 to 5:30, there is a free drop-in for seniors to ask questions about their electronic devices from the expert young people who volunteer their time. 

Village Art

 

French Courtyard by Denise Wheater 

We live in an artistic seaside village that attracts many very talented people. Over many years, the North Shore Artists Guild has provided a place for artists to create outstanding works of art and usually twice a year provides an opportunity for residents to purchase some of this original art. 

Next Saturday, April 29th, the Guild will display over four hundred pieces of art at the West Vancouver Community Centre from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

 

North Shore Artists' Guild
PO Box 91051, West Vancouver, BC V7V 3N3

 

What's Happening in Ambleside

If you would like to hear a choir...

St Stephen's Community Singers

Director Annabelle Paetsch

Presents

Music of the British Isles

With Harpist Bess Lu

And Flutist Nancy Riecken

Sunday, April 23rd at 2:00 p.m. 

St Stephen's Anglican Church 

885-22nd Street, West Vancouver

Admission By Donation

If you would like to see a play....

APR.

20

8:00 P.M.

THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP

• Thursday, April 20, 2023
• 8:00 p.m.  10:00 p.m.
• McEwen Theatre - Kay Meek Arts Centre (map)

Presented by Theatre West Van
McEwen Theatre

Cost of Admission - $30.00 for Seniors

Or are you thinking ahead to Mother's Day

Mother's Day Market By Portobello West

 

 

Sat, May 13 2023 - 10am to 5pm

 

Lalji Family Atrium, West Vancouver Community Centre

Just in time for Mother's Day!
Shop a curated selection of gifts and find something as special as your mom—from jewelry and art to home décor, skincare, and more!
This event is presented in partnership with Portobello 

West
Free admission

 

Ambleside By The Sea

 

The District would like to revitalize our village to create a more vibrant high street. From this corner of 13th and Marine, the downtown core of the village would extend up to 18th and include both Bellevue and Clyde within its boundaries. To establish this walkable, exciting shopping and entertainment area, the District needs to gently increase density in Ambleside in order to create enough patronage for new downtown businesses. One way to achieve this is by re-zoning single family property so that more townhouse complexes and mid rise apartments could be built over time. This, however, may result in driving low income seniors out of the area.   

The statistics on the surface look alarming. According to the last  census Ambleside had 7,500 residents with over half living in single person households.  

About half of the people in Ambleside are over sixty-five years of age and about one quarter of the people in Ambleside make less than $30,000, three-quarters of the people make less than $50,000. 

We are often accused of being the richest postal code in Canada. Many of the seniors may have annuities and other tax havens. The income that shows up on their tax returns may be only a portion of their actual income. However there may be many seniors renting homes (almost 50% of Ambleside residents are renters), who may be forced out of the area due to new higher rents. 

I believe that Ambleside could create an attractive business area and Seniors could remain in their homes. It doesn't have to be an either/or situation. The District needs to take care of rezoning Ambleside and the Provincial Government needs to protect low income Senior Citizens. This could be done through the existing rental subsidy. Using both an income and a means test, people who need this support could age in place comfortably knowing that rent increases would not force them to move.

If there were a number of NORC committees established in those apartment buildings in Ambleside with a majority of older people, they could come together and approach the Provincial Government to make this possible. We are fast becoming a very large demographic. 

Park Bench Pensioner

 

Many years ago, a Vancouver Sun article presented a study of retirees based on their income. I think there were five categories from the very rich who had yachts and country clubs to entertain themselves to the other end where people barely survived on government pensions and subsidies. 

In the middle were three categories, with the lower one having just a little discretionary income compared to the upper category who were those who could afford to travel extensively and live as lavishly as they did before retirement. 

I fall squarely into the lower category which the piece called a Park Bench Pensioner. Often, when I am sitting on one of the many park benches in Ambleside, I think back to this article; the purpose of which was to offer suggestions of how to make the most of whatever situation applied to you.

As I was about to be laid off from my last permanent job, I took these suggestions to heart. Eighteen years later I am still applying those ideas. Basically, I need to find inexpensive ways to socialize and entertain myself so that I can save money for the odd luxury which for me often means travel. Next week, I am embarking on my first major trip in a very long time.

I know, of course, when I get back home, I will need to find inexpensive ways to keep myself amused over the summer and fall. Luckily for me, there are many options which I hope to explore in this blog over the next few months.  

Why I Like Costco

 A few weeks ago, the computer on my car showed that my tires needed air. As I no longer have snow tires to swap out and it is not yet time to have the tires rotated, I thought I could find someone at one of our service stations in Ambleside to help me out. We have four stations within a four block radius of my apartment. 

No luck with that! 

Then, I spoke to the car dealership who suggested that Shell might help me. When I called to find a time convenient to them, I was told they would only help me out if I purchased a full tank of gas at the full serve pump and let me know that a good tip might be in order. When I told him my car was electric, he made it quite clear that they did not deal with electric cars in any way! 

I am no longer able to sit on my haunches long enough to put air in my tires and I find it difficult to read the little air pressure gauge. I suspect there are many seniors that find this task difficult to do. Given the high number of older people in this area, you would think at least one of the service stations would see that as an opportunity to make this service available. 

In any event, on the weekend I went to Costco in Vancouver. The tire shop told me to pull up parallel to their open bays where an employee cheerfully checked and filled all four tires to the correct psi in less than two minutes.  It is a free service. 

Then, the employee refused to accept my gratuity!

Flowers in the Morning

A good morning...

This is my view from my bedroom window each morning. The magnolia tree is almost in full bloom.

Few things enrich my life more than flowers. They are a continuing source of satisfaction for me. If I can wake up to see flowers outside my window, my day is off to a good start. 

When that is not possible, I try to have flowering plants inside my apartment. Lately this has been the second bloom on an orchid plant which a friend gave me last summer. This is what I see first each day as I approach my kitchen to make breakfast. The flowering cherry tree just beyond the window lifts my mood as well.

Happy Spring!

NORCs Everywhere

When I started blogging a while back, my aim was to find people in my neighbourhood who were seniors like myself who live alone in an apartment building.  My interest was two-fold:  to make all of our lives more interesting and fulfilling by creating a network of ‘seniors helping seniors’ and to provide local information about our little village, the kind that might have been available in the past from a local radio station - weather, tides, upcoming events, etc.

I live in a building and a village both of which can be described as a Naturally Occurring Retirement Community or, NORC, for short. Statisticians in Ontario coined this term when they discovered pockets of older adults living within a short radius of each other who were actually aging very successfully in place. Like my neighbours in Ambleside, when people find a place with good amenities and services, they very rarely leave. My next door neighbour who is in his nineties has lived in his suite for over fifty years. 

Then, the University Health Network in Ontario promoted the formation of NORC Committees which is a group of people within a building dedicated to improve the lives of seniors. They have been successful in establishing a network of these groups in Ontario. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find something similar happening in British Columbia. 

My building is a Naturally Occurring Retirement Community as are several others within a few blocks from where I live. My thought was that I could encourage a few people to form a NORC committee within their building, and of couse our building, based on guidelines presented by UHN (University Health Network). 

https://norcambassadors.ca/about/

At the same time, however, I am just discovering the many secrets of successful of blogging in 2023. Due to the high volume of bloggers like me, search engine companies like GOOGLE are overwhelmed with us and have had to set criteria on what becomes searchable. I have also found that I need to engage with social media - facebook, instagram, pinterest, etc., - and to learn about search engine optimization. It may be as much as ninety days before I can expect this blog to become searchable online. The only way to see my blog at present is by knowing my blog address (URL).

While I am waiting for people on the internet either here in Ambleside or from anywhere to find me on a search of keywords like ‘Aging in Place’, ‘Aging in Ambleside’ or ‘NORC’, I have a couple of months to get involved with other social networks and to learn more about blogging in general. In the meantime, I intend to keep blogging and hoping that my small circle of friends and family will help me promote this blog one person at a time. 

As I write this, it occurs to me that this network does not need to be just in my small community, it can be anywhere the internet takes it. NORC committees could be set up and associated with others in all parts of Canada where there are pockets of retirees. Although it would be nice to have a few close enough that we could meet for coffee from time to time.

Cruise Ships Burrard Inlet 2023

  

Sapphire Princess

Have you ever wondered about the cruise ships that pass under the Lions Gate Bridge frequently in the summer?

The Port of Vancouver posts a list of the ships scheduled to sail over the season. Below is a seven page pdf of voyages scheduled between April and October this year.

The first one will be the Sapphire Princess today. 

https://www.portvancouver.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023-Cruise-Ship-Schedule-as-of-February-28.pdf

When I returned to the Lower Mainland in 1990, the Maitre D’ at the Beach House Restaurant would take a microphone and describe the history and attributes of cruise ships as they passed by the restaurant on Friday nights. My workmates and I would rush down after work to get a good table for this event as often as we could.

I hope someone revives that tradition.

Do You Believe in Coincidence?

Serendipitous coincidences have occurred in my life occasionally and I am always amazed when it has happened. Today, I am again surprised.

I started this blog on March 6th, over a month ago, with a plan to attract ‘older persons’ in Ambleside who, like me, live alone in an apartment. There may be as many as three thousand of us in this small ten block radius of Ambleside.

In February of this year I came across a TV Ontario documentary on Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities which led me to a University Health Network website in Toronto which  has created a NORC Innovation Centre to enable retired people to successfully age in place.

https://norcinnovationcentre.ca/

As I hadn’t blogged in several years and had not even heard about SEO (Search Engine Optimization), I was frustrated to see that I was getting almost no traffic on my blog. I tried to search for my blog and nothing came up on Google or Bing or any search for that matter. 

Today, while I was once again searching the internet, one of my key words, ‘Ambleside’, found this March 6th article from the Ottawa Citizen.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/kinless-growing-numbers-of-canadians-are-aging-without-a-partner-or-children

Ambleside, which is part of the City of Ottawa, also has a large number of older persons who may improve their lives by setting up NORC’s in their buildings. 

My hope is that once people understand the potential of a NORC committee in their building, it will be possible for these groups to support each other. The British Columbia Ambleside might even form bonds with the Ontario Ambleside.

Elizabeth May is Coming to Ambleside

 

One of the regrets I have is missing the opportunity to hear Tommy Douglas speak in 1968 on Vancouver Island. My father, who lived in Northern Ontario and was an avid CCF member, admired him. I guess I thought Tommy Douglas would be around for a while; it was summer, there were other things to do. Years later I realized I had missed out and would nevhear him speak. 

Elizabeth May will be speaking here next week on  

Climate Change   

Kiwanis Terrace Garden Great Hall 

959 West 21 St.WV.    

Friday, April 14th at 7 p.m. 

Everyone is welcome to this free event. Parking is available at the recreation centre. 

Please invite your friends and neighbours.

Elizabeth May has served on boards of numerous organizations, national and international.  She has written eight books.

Elizabeth May OC MP is a Canadian politician, environmentalist, author, activist, and lawyer who is serving as the leader of the Green Party of Canada since 2022, and previously served as the leader from 2006 to 2019. She has been the member of Parliament for Saanich - Gulf Islands since 2011.

Here is a list of some of the honours she has received:

Honours and awards

• International Conservation Award from Friends of Nature, 1985
• Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada, in recognition of significant contribution to compatriots, community and to Canada, 1992
• Elizabeth May Chair in Women's Health and the Environment, Dalhousie University, 1998.^[19]
• Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters (DHumL), Mount Saint Vincent University, 2000.
• Harkin Award from the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society for her lifetime achievement in promoting the protection of Canada's wilderness, 2002
• Best Activist Award, Coast Magazine, Best of Halifax Readers' Poll, 2002
• Honorary Doctorate of Laws, University of New Brunswick, 2003.^[96]
• United Nations Global 500 award.^[97]
• Officer of the Order of Canada, 2005.
• Couchiching Award for Excellence in Public Policy, 2006
• Honorary Doctorate of Laws, Mount Allison University, 2007.^[98]
• Newsweek Magazine: One of World's Most Influential women, November 28, 2010^[99]
• Maclean's Parliamentarian of the Year, 2012^[100]
• Awarded the Canadian Version of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012^[101]
• Maclean's Hardest Working Parliamentarian of the Year, 2013^[50]
• Maclean's Best Orator of the Year, 2014^[102]
• Honorary Doctor of Divinity (D.D.), Atlantic School of Theology, 2015.^[103][104]
• Maclean's Most Knowledgeable Parliamentarian of the Year, 2020^[105]

First Official Meeting of Aging Gracefully

On Tuesday April 4th, we had our first official meeting of the Aging Gracefully group at the Senior Center. There were 17 people in attendance. 

Paula Cline opened the meeting with a delightful overview of what we hope to accomplish and introduced our speaker, Dr. Deborah O'Conner, 

Deborah O’Conner, who is a Professor at the School of Social Work at UBC, presented our group with her modified version of Palmore’s Facts on Aging Quiz. This sparked a lively discussion around how the normal aging process affects our daily lives. Once we have a basic understanding of what normally happens to our bodies and minds as we age, we can more readily determine when we need additional help or services before a crisis emerges. 

Three main themes of the afternoon were:

• Advocacy - we need to advocate for ourselves and/or have someone advocate on our behalf
• Ageism - we need to be aware of myths perpetrated by ageism which may stop older adults from seeking help
• Social Isolation - we all need to be more aware of a drift towards social isolation and its dangers.

In future sessions, Aging Gracefully hopes to delve deeper into many of these ideas. In May, we will hear from Sgt. Mark McLean, WVPD, and Jeff Palmer, Block Watch Coordinator, on how to recognize and thwart scams. In June we will hear from experts on Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD).

Stephen Leacock

Stephen Leacock has played a small but significant role in my life. I think he might have been on one of my reading lists in high school. But, it was when I took my first (night) course at a university in the Stephen Leacock building on the McGill campus, my life changed. I was over-awed by the building and the course and the realization that one could spend their life with debate and discussion about literature - at least it was a possibility. One that was not fulfilled for many years. 

Over all those years, Leacock’s vision of the perfect small town has stayed with me. From time to time, I have thought I might find a version of it in the Okanagan. Lately, I have discovered it right here in Ambleside. 

We have the banks - many banks along with many money exchanges. Our shops can be a little off the wall - the large corner woman’s shop that sells only pajamas and maybe the odd bathing suit. Beside that one is/was a shop that sold only organic fertilizer and designer wall paper.  (Covid may have put him/her out of business). And, just steps way, is our own exclusive pot shop. Our new delightful mayor is just quirky enough and friendly enough with all the shopkeepers.

As I sit on a park bench by our newly re-opened Ferry Building, I can envision a steam boat (or party boat) picking up the town’s elite from the wharf to take them for an excursion up to Indian Arm for their annual picnic on the August Bank Holiday.

We have our very own Mariposa.

Back in the day, Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town was one of the short stories that was required reading in high schools all over Canada.

Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town is considered the masterpiece of Stephen Leacock. Originally published in 1912, it is a set of fictional tales occurring in the little hamlet of Mariposa, on the coast of Lake Wissanotti. Mariposa is not an actual place. This composition has continued to thrive for its global appeal. Many of the characters, however patterned on locals of Orillia, are country town cliches. Their inadequacies and weaknesses are depicted in a funny yet sympathetic way.
Quoting Leacock: "Mariposa is not a real town. On the contrary, it is about seventy or eighty of them. You may find them all the way from Lake Superior to the sea, with the same square streets and the same maple trees and the same churches and hotels."

 

Picnic Time?

 It is 2 degrees and raining this morning in Ambleside. Alexa tells me to expect more of the same with a high of only 7 degrees but shows me that the rain may ease around lunch time. This is day thirteen and the last day of Nowruz, the Persian New Year, which is often celebrated with a picnic in the park. 

As the thirteenth day of this holiday lands on a Sunday this year when many people are not working, normally every picnic table in the area would be claimed early in the day. Unfortunately this day may turn out to be the coldest and wettest of the season. 

However there may be a few traditionalists that brave the winter conditions and have their picnic around noon if the rain slows or they can find a covered picnic area. 

The idea of concluding the celebration of Spring with a picnic each year is enticing. This could be the official start of the picnic season as  the days are noticeably getting longer and hopefully warmer.

The seawall and the beach are great places to bring down your lunch or dinner or, even your breakfast bagel and coffee, to enjoy in the fresh air, especially when it is sunny.  From now until mid October we can look forward to many good picnic days. 

Outdoor Gym

It looks like we are going to have a new outdoor cross fit type gym next to the skate board park at the beach. Our mayor has negotiated a deal with Larco (Park Royal developers) to create this facility on Ambleside Beach in the same area that occupied the outdoor swimming pool many years ago. 

Sometime ago this old pool area was redeveloped as a skate board park which is very popular in good weather. I have wondered from time to time if the park board could install park benches with seating on both sides. This way people could watch their children using the skate park while others who wanted to enjoy their takeout food from the Boat Shed nearby could enjoy the water views. 

Sometime ago, as well, another outdoor gym was installed in this area. It can be found in the weeds just east of the entrance to the Ambleside par 3 golf course. It looks a little sad and neglected. Perhaps the Park Board (if we have one) could establish a running/walking circuit between the old one and the new one. This would give runners a break from the hard surface of the seawall and a chance to break their run with a few more chin-ups. 

We're The Best

 

Ambleside may be the very best place to retire in Canada and possibly in the world. We have the perfect mix of urban/country living. As well, we have just about everything a retiree could want - a temperate climate, a picturesque location, an accessible, walkable village, fairly good public transportation, and an exceptional library and senior center. 

Our senior center, in addition to a wide variety of programs that can entertain and enlighten you, has a cafeteria that offers healthy, hot, delicious lunches seven days a week. The chef is outstanding and food selection is interesting and varied. Soon, special evening meals served twice a week will be available again. Through the shuttle bus service and special programs, the center is accessible to all seniors in the area. 

Our library is just as accessible and welcoming. Along with a world class book selection and wonderful tech services, it offers a variety of both free courses and free entertainment. Tonight, at 7:30 there is a free concert featuring The Slocan Ramblers. Here is the link 

https://westvanlibrary.ca/event/friday-night-concert-the-slocan-ramblers/