We had some very exciting news in the last few weeks: our building permit was issued on October 3, 2023, and we're thrilled! It took...

Meet Josh Wylder: Professional Pizza Phenom, Composer, Performer A few years ago, in 2020, Josh decided to make the leap back into the restaurant industry after a long hiatus. He was living in Victoria working for a telecommunication business. Life was good, but he certainly wasn’t passionate about his work. All his life, the culinary arts and music occupied much of his love and his spare time, so when he was presented with an opportunity to make a change, he jumped on it. Th

Since the house was delivered to our lot by Nickel Brothers on June 13, we've been busy moving things along, patiently waiting for...

After we purchased the lot on Gallagher Bay Road, Dana and I were curious about the history of our new property. We knew the previous...

"The 44" is a fabled property on Mayne Island, one that's as mysterious as it is legendary. "Mysterious" because folklore says it was developed as a kind of a Utopian community by its original owners, and "legendary" for how it attracted the Island's youth for clandestine parties and escapades. For Margaux and Katharine from Mayne Island's Cove Candle Co ., The 44 was a place to enjoy Halloween bonfires, escape and dance all night in the "shop", which is now the "studio." The

Micro-breweries have flourished in Canada and abroad. For beer enthusiasts, there's something special about discovering local micro-breweries and tasting new and interesting beers. I'm not a connoisseur of all things hoppy and malty, and I wouldn't put myself in the category of "beer enthusiasts", but I enjoy visiting tasting rooms and patios of local micro-breweries. In Victoria, one of my favourite micro-breweries is Driftwood Brewery , located in Esquimalt, although I'm no

It's been four days since our house was delivered to our lot on Mayne Island. It feels like we got an Amazon delivery, except it didn't...

With the trees and logs out of the way, Matt T started excavating where the house will sit. Normally, excavation starts once the building...

Recap: Nickel Brothers is a company that buys houses from people who are redeveloping their property. They save houses from being...

With just a little over two weeks to go before the " new used house " is delivered to the Grove, we're continuing to work on preparing the lot to make room for it. The amount of work and planning to make this happen in such a short time frame is dizzying. It feels like we're juggling hundreds of balls (or flaming torches?) at the same time, with all of them hovering over our heads, not knowing which one we'll catch, and which one we'll drop. While trying to line up all the tr

Sometimes, being flexible is important. Maybe it's important all the time, actually. For those who have followed our Mayne Island...

Last week at low tide, Dana and I visited Campbell Bay. The bay is home to one of the Island's best beaches, with a relatively...

Even though we're not in the big City, it doesn't mean you can't go to the movies... Volunteers organized a showing Sing 2 in the park,...

We're learning a lot about designing and building a home. As discussed in the Finding a Builder blog, some builders provide a suite of...

It's hard to beat the view from this place, especially when it's a warm summer evening and the sun's setting over Active Pass. Throw-in some tasty fish and chips, a burger, a cold beer or a couple of cocktails, and it's pretty much heaven! I'm talking about the Spring Water Lodge , of course, located on the west side of the island in Miners Bay, right on Active Pass. The Springwater lodge is reported to be the oldest continuously operating hotel-bar in British Columbia. It wa

Mayne Island has several parks to explore, with options for everyone. From gentle forest walks, to sea-side strolls, to more exhilarating hikes to scenic points overlooking the Southern Gulf Islands, there is something for everyone. Mount Parke can tick a lot of boxes for residents and visitors, whether you want to take it easy and do a slow forest stroll, or a more strenuous hike to the top to get your heart pumping. It's part of the Capital Regional District Regional Park s

Researching and evaluating home builders could be a full-time job. The options are endless. There are small builders, big builders,...

While we were still in bed this morning, lightning struck not too far from The Grove. Maybe it hit Pender Island across Navy Channel, or...

I needed a diversion to make sure we would be out and about to drive to the Government Dock at Miner's Bay, at the exact time Cassia was...

We're so happy we found this lot... Thankfully, the offers we made on other properties fell through, or we walked away after the home...