Bowen Island Journal: life in the Salish Sea

The transformation of Cape Roger Curtis has begun. The owners have punched a road into the lot from the end of Whitesails, officially making it a subdivision and changing all of the options at the same time. Once there is work on the land, a comprehensive plan becomes a difficult thing to do.

Islanders will be out there tomorrow for a rally. I'm not sure what the options are at this point but I know they are substantially limited by the fact that the road is being built.

It's a sad day. I wrote a song about this in the style of an Irish Aisling which has been sung around the island for a few months now. Seems like a good place to post it.

One stormy spring day
As I rambled at the Cape
And gazed out to the ocean
Where the seals sport and play.
From the sea foam and spray
There arose a fair maid
As she stepped on the rocky shore
To me she did say:

Oh the old world is dying, and the new is yet to come.
Oh the old world is dying, and the new is yet to come.

Her gaze met my eye
And she began to cry
And her keening stilled the south wind
In the far distant sky
Said she "Sir, you stand
Firmly rooted on this land
I appeal to your true heart
Will you give me your hand?"

For the old world is dying, and the new is yet to come
For the old world is dying, and the new is yet to come

The wind died away
And the sea foam and the spray
Took back the fair maiden
At the end of the day
In a grove of old fir
I felt my heart a-stir
To respond to her calling
And devote my life to her

For the old world is dying, and the new is yet to come
For the old world is dying, and the new is yet to come

I suspect next spring, we will be unable to harvest nettles down there. This is a big change for the island in many ways. I am certain we will look back on the building of that road as a turning point.

If you can make it to the rally, it's at 10:30 tomorrow morning at the end of Whitesails in Tunstall Bay, the new access road to Cape Roger Curtis.

posted by Chris at 10:43 PM | |