One reason for each of its years to love B.C. A personal list of the people, places and things that make B.C. what it is
Ian Haysom BC Global TV News Director Saturday, August 02, 2008
How do we love thee, British Columbia? Let me count the ways. As singer James Taylor rightly said at the start of his concert in Victoria, it's nice to be here in paradise.
Here are 150 (very subjective) reasons to celebrate today on this, the weekend we celebrate our birthday as a province. The people, places and things that set us apart. It's my list. Pick your own!
1. Hornby Island's Tribune Bay: This is endless summer. The best place to swim and play with your kids. 2. Windsurfing off Jericho, and the Vancouver skyline in the distance. 3. Munro's bookstore, the glitterati of the literati. 4. Mount Robson, highest peak in the Rockies. 5. Nanaimo bars. Retro, perhaps, but still a guilty pleasure. And so many versions. 6. Vancouver's Commercial Drive. Alternative chic. 7. World-class music celebs: Bryan Adams, Sarah McLachlan, Nelly Furtado, Diana Krall. 8. Symphony Splash. Especially when they play Mascagni's Intermezzo. 9. The boardwalk at Telegraph Cove. 10. The West Coast Trail. Have you hiked it yet? Me neither. I will, knees permitting.
11. The Orpheum. 12. Amor De Cosmos. They don't name leaders like that anymore. 13. Great writers: Carol Shields, Joy Kogawa, Susan Musgrave. 14. The Okanagan, our desert. Blisteringly hot. 15. World-class inns: Wickaninnish, Sooke Harbour House, the Aerie, Hastings House, Yellow Point. 16. Pamela Anderson: Hey, she shows we're not boring. 17. The Empress. 18. Seventh Heaven on Blackcomb Mountain. 19. The view from Cypress Mountain. 20. Dionisio Point Park, Galiano Island, and sandstone cliffs.
21. Granville Island market. 22. Luminara. Lights up our lives. 23. Long Beach. And sunsets. 24. Kayaking Nootka Sound, and staying clear of bears onshore. 25. Golfing holes 3 through 9 at Victoria Golf Club as it dips toward Juan de Fuca. 26. White Spot's pirate pack. 27. Salmon fishing in the Charlottes (not so good this year). 28. Skiing the Cut at night at Grouse Mountain, urban piste, overlooking the city lights. 29. Butchart Gardens. 30. Horse-riding in the Cariboo. Cowboy country.
31. Emily Carr. Dark, moody. 32. Rain. It defines us. It makes the flowers grow! 33. The gold rush. Without it we'd probably never have a British Columbia. 34. Terry Fox. Would have been 50 this week. 35. Rick Hansen. Still inspiring. 35. Gassy Jack. 36. First Nations: They were first. Our spiritual ancestors. 37. Ma Murray. Swashbuckling newspaperwoman. 38. Jack Webster. Precisely. 39. Denny Boyd. Columnist who bled all over the page. 40. Tea at the Empress.
41. Fraser Valley Heritage Park, Mission. The view is pure Tuscany. 42. Bella Bella. 43. Great artists: Toni Onley, Robert Bateman, E.J. Hughes, Max Jacquiard (he paints steam trains -- look him up! 44. Provincial parks. Strathcona, Manning, Rathtrevor, etc. 45. Robin Skelton, poet. 46. Cathedral Grove. 47. Jim Hume, newspaperman. 48. Wineries: Okanagan and Island. 49. Microbreweries, Vancouver Island, Granville Island, et al. 50. Diversity: We are the world. In a province.
51. Restaurants, unbelievable variety, ethnicity and quality. 52. David Suzuki. 53. Vicki Gabereau. 54. Bill Richardson. 55. Moss Street Paint-in. 56. The PNE. 57. The Belfry. 58. The Trail Smoke Eaters. 59. The Vancouver Canucks (they'll break your heart, but you gotta love 'em). 60. Harry Jerome, sprinter.
61. Silken Laumann, rower. 62. Greg Moore, late, great race car driver. 63. Trevor Linden. 64. David Foster, musical genius. 65. Bill Reid, artistic genius. 66. Bobby Ackles: Outpouring of emotion after his death showed how he was revered. 67. Bobby Lenarduzzi, Mr. Soccer. 68. Saturday markets: Ganges, Moss Street, Peninsula, Trout Lake. 69. The Vancouver Folk Festival. 70. Night markets: Richmond, Sidney, Chinatown.
71. Ian Hanomansing. Handsomemanthing. 72. Tony Parsons. 73. Nancy Greene, skier. 74. Karen Magnussen, skater. 75. Judith Forst, opera singer. 76. Killer whales. 77. Vancouver Island marmot. 78. The Kermode (Spirit) bear. 79. Expo 86. 80. Skating on Lost Lagoon.
81. B.C. Ferries, the most beautiful crossings in the world. 82. James Douglas, pioneer. 83. The Museum of Anthropology. 84. The Royal B.C. Museum. 85. Stanley Park and its spectacular walking/rollerskating/jogging/biking seawall. 86. The Kitsilano Showboat, corny and still going strong. 87. Theatre Under the Stars (ditto). 88. B.C. salmon, best in the world. 89. Valdy and Bim: Folk music royalty. 90. The Whitecaps.
91. E&N Railway. 92. The Rocky Mountaineer. 93. The Galloping Goose. 94. Okanagan peaches. 95. Coombs Market, and the goats. 96. YVR and YYJ. Vancouver and Victoria airports; shows large and small airports can be people-friendly. 97. Sidney's bookstores. 98. Lotus Land. Our nickname. 99. Whitewater rafting on the Cheakamus, Thompson, Fraser. 100. Michael Bublé.
101. Michael J. Fox. 102. The Great Bear Rainforest. 103. The Lions Gate Bridge. 104. The Myra Canyon's trestles, now reborn. 105. Lori Fung, rhythmic gymnast. 106. Symphony of Fire. 107. Iona Campagnolo: Regal. 108. Jimmy Pattison. Bazillionaire. 109. Jon Kimura Parker. Superb pianist. 110. Tofino.
111. Victoria's Inner Harbour. 112. Howe Sound. Our fjord. 113. The tennis courts at Tribune Bay on Hornby. Better views than Wimbledon! 114. The Curve of Time, by M. Wylie Blanchet, a memoir of a woman and her children on a boat travelling B.C.'s coast. Magical. 115. There Is a Season by Patrick Lane. Gardener's heaven. 116. Vancouver Aquarium. 117. Sun Yat-Sen Gardens. 118. Wreck Beach, a nice place to dangle your dingle. 119. Ben Heppner, tenor. 120. Rosemary Brown, politician and activist.
121. Raymond Burr, Mr. Perry Mason. 122. Steve Nash. 123. Jack Shadbolt, artist. 124. Bruce Hutchison, journalist. 125. Rowers on Elk Lake. 126. Nicola Cavendish, actress. 127. The Beachcombers. 128. W.A.C. Bennett. 129. The arbutus, our West Coast tree. 130. The Last Spike.
131. The dogwood. 132. Mount Washington, summer and winter. 133. Mist-shrouded mountains. 134. The Pacific Ocean. 135. Greenpeace. 136. Doug and the Slugs. 137. Barkerville. 138. Nelson. 139. Wacky B.C. politics. 140. Bald eagles.
141. The Chief in Squamish, watching rock climbers. 142. Great cartoonists: Peterson, Norris, Krieger, Raeside, Bierman. 143. Rafe Mair. 144. Great Rivers: The Fraser, the Thompson, Nechako, Tatshenshini, et al. 145. Dal Richards (playing on Monday at 90!). 146. Stan Smyl. 147. Totem poles in Stanley Park, Duncan and the Charlottes. 148. Draft dodgers. 149. Sea-to-Sky Highway. Spectacular. Spectacularly dangerous. Watch your head. 150. Two letters: B and C. Bee-See. Casual. Laid back. West Coast cool. Paradise!
Ian Haysom is news director of Global News in British Columbia. He divides his week between Central Saanich and Vancouver.
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