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Grizzly Comes to Town

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And gets moved on Tuesday Sep 24th Sunrise over the Salish Sea - with a BC ferry in the distance A Grizzly on the Coast is big news.  W e don't get many.  The young bear in the link was wandering around the roads in upper Gibsons which backs onto Mount Elphinstone and the forests that go on for hundreds of miles.  We get a sighting maybe once a year and the Conservation Officers were soon on the scene setting up a trap and subsequently catching the said Grizzly before relocating it by boat.  We know not where, for obvious reasons. This was a good outcome.  Bears are often shot if they become a nuisance, particularly Black Bears which  apparently, are difficult to relocate.  They cannot be placed  into another bear's territory and will often return to where they were causing a nuisance.   Picking garden produce early as bears come in to their hyperphagia period (eating as much as possible before hibernation), especially fruit trees and other food sources, is encouraged to reduc
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Salt & Vinegar or Gravy with your

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Chips Portland Willamette River waterfront A Canadian export that the USA can't slap an import tax on - the more the merrier, they crap everywhere!  Thu Aug 29 A 45 min hop in a Dash 8 If you have been brought up on salt and vinegar with your chips (or fries as they are known over here) the idea of having them soaked in gravy may feel somewhat alien.  Poutine, or fries with brown gravy and cheese curds originated in Quebec.  Some say it was invented to mock French society (and cuisine) in the Francophone province.  Whatever the true story it has become popular across Canada.  I have avoided it, preferring to stick with the traditional British salt and vinegar 'dressing'.   I mention it because we were in Portland last weekend and spent our first evening at a Peruvian restaurant.  I ordered Lomo Saltado or stir-fried sirloin with tamari, tomatoes, red onion, papas fritas (fries), garlic and rice. Tamari, it turns out is a brown sauce, a byproduct of miso. I remain unsure of
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From Top Dog

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To Underdog Wed Aug 6th A fleet of Martin 242s Or whatever the nautical equivalent is?  Perhaps big fish small pond, small fish big pond may have been more analogous.   This last weekend, a long one as it was British Columbia Day on Monday, I was in Cowichan Bay on Vancouver Island with the some of the Fast Lane race team taking part in the Cow Bay Regatta. It was also the Martin 242 North American Championship, in which we were competing.  Meanwhile Fred was playing in the 49th Sunshine Coast Open Tennis Tournament, which had competitors from Vancouver and further afield. What an interesting weekend.  In Gibsons, Team Fast Lane (TFL) as we are known, are leading the tables for both the Wednesday evening series of races as well as the Sunshine Coast Yacht Club Sunday races.   In Cow Bay, we had our asses handed to us on a plate, coming 20th out of 21 boats! It was a humbling and educative experience.  We thought we were pretty good, not excellent but hoped for a place in the top third.
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Dogless in Whistler

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Wolf on the Loose Tue July 30 Pet not predator Just back from a week in Whistler where we took advantage of not having Jack with us and were able to spend a lot of time up the mountains and in bars, where dogs are banned. Promoted as 'dog friendly', compared to the UK it is anything but.  More of Whistler later. Morning walks along Bonniebrook beach almost came to a halt a few weeks ago, before we headed North, after I came face to face with a large wolf gambolling along the road heading for Jack.  What do you do when a wolf heads towards you?  I had no idea.  It had, what I assumed was a tracking collar, but turned out to be a domestic dog collar.  His name I discover is Rudiger and he has a reputation for escaping from the compound his owner created for him with 12' high fences with an overhang. He wanted to play with, rather than consume Jack, but it was still an initially unnerving experience.  Rudiger has been the source of much social media commentary as he is quite i
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