Perfect Summer Time Weather on Bowen Island

The weather in July was absolutely fantastic! We had the fans on high and the shades closed as the Bowen Island temperatures reached record levels for July 09. What a shame to hide the spectacular view. But, it made jumping into the water that much better. What a "cool" place to hang out. True to tradition, Dana Mar joined Akira for the sunny days.

For weather variety one Saturday evening we had a colorful storm. The winds came up and the rains began just before sundown. As the sun set the view ranged in color from orange to lavender. We turned our chairs around to face the colorful view. The thunder pounded Eagle Cliff and the lightening illuminated the evening skies. And then came the double rainbow. Our 3 weeks at the Lazy Bowen Hideaway was filled with many activities. Leonard Gurski, our island guide and wonderful neighbor, lead the way on several beautiful hikes. The photo below was taken on our way up to the summit of Mt. Gardner: looking east toward the Coastal Mountains and Horseshoe Bay. I learned that hiking Mt. Gardner is for experienced and fit hikers with the right boots. It took 2 1/2 hours to arrive at this location with the summit an additional hour straight up the mountain. Akira and Len would hike to the summit a few days later. Because the weather was so hot the view was hazy but still a 360 degree view of all the surrounding islands and mainland. As you can see, the Mt Gardner summit also has cell phone towers and helicopter pads.

With a few days of rest we were ready to hike through the Cape Roger Curtis acreage on the south west coast of Bowen. It is gorgeous nearly untouched land soon to be developed. Personally, I enjoyed the "walk" rather than the long steep hike up Mt. Gardner. Enroute from CRC we stopped at my favorite destination, Alderwood Farm, to enjoy a BBQ'd lunch. As we sat outside in the shade waiting for lunch the pet chickens hunted and pecked all around. These beautiful pets provide free range eggs for the farm store...they are never food. That being said, my chicken sandwich was delicous.

Mixed into the hiking, swimming and long walks we accomplished many chores and home improvements. After 30 years all the decks were pressure washed and oiled. It was the perfect job to complete with the high temps. The decks look renewed.

Screens on the screen doors were replaced. The bath tub drain was cleaned. The 30 year old stove fuses were replaced as well. So many odd jobs to keep the house in repair. One of these days I may really find the time to read a book.

And finally, the trees on the property were pruned. Dave's Tree Service was fantastic. They showed up on time and worked steady (no breaks) throughout the day. I got more than my money's worth. Dave gave the arbutus trees some needed attention, trimming out the dead wood. Dave bravely dangled in the tree out over the cliff. He was amazing. My favorite work of Dave's was the spiral pruning of the fir tree. He lightly pruned it to create a gorgeous living sculpture.

Dave's guys also cleared the land of dead trees and cedars that were growing like weeds. At each step they would ask, "What more can we do?" They were patient and civil, the kind of hard working guys you don't mind having at your house all day. I highly recommend Dave's Tree Service. You will not be disappointed.

One of our natural nightly treats was the visit from a young buck. He stopped by to slowly graze on our property eating the blackberries. As you can see, he is directly below the deck without a fear of us at all. He eventually broke through the fence surrounding Colleen's garden. Bad Buck!! They are determined to eat all the pretty flowers and tasty greens. I don't blame him, everything is so fresh on Bowen Island.