Moving on

Atter serious thought I have decided to discontinue writing my blog here at E’zabu.com effective today. It’s been a great experience to let you know what is going on in and around Campbell River, however, it’s now time for me to move on.

I hope you will all continue to support e’ZABU.com.

Best wishes.

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Incognito relocating

Incognito owner Tina Creelman is getting for the spring move of her consignment clothing store.

Starting Tuesday, May 18, Incognito will be located at 780 13th Ave., Unit C, next door to Bird of Paradise and Odyssey Computers.

Shopping hours won’t change – you can shop for funky clothing and accessories Tuesday through Saturday from 10am to 6pm. Call Tina at 250-286-1903.

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Studio 10 proves a passion for hair

Spring time is a natural time of the year to think about changing your hair style. After a long winter, it can be the perfect pick-me-up. Let the team of Lisa, Marlie and Angie at Studio 10 help you!  Or – if you crave esthetic or spa services, Studio 10 is also the spot for you.

Owner Lisa Sharpe opened the doors at Studio 10 on Ironwood Road March 1 and has been pleased with the way word is spreading amongst both new and existing clients who happily made the move with Lisa and her staff.

While the full range of hair services, from cuts and colors to highlights and foils, are the core business, nails, make up, tinting, and waxing are offered. There’s facials and massages too.

An innvoative service is the convenient online booking. Check it out at www.mysalononline.com/studio. Schedule your appointment when it fits into your busy life, whether it’s late at night or early in the morning. No more waiting for the salon to open.

Another unique advantage to Studio 10 is also technology related – surf the ‘Net while having your hair colored and you’re waiting for it to work its magic, for example.

Looking for a different way to celebrate the birthday of that special preteen girl in your life? What about a private Sunday glamour party at Studio 10? Each girl receives a mini manicure and pedicure, hair style, and of course a splash of sparkle make-up. The girls are welcome to bring their own music, munchies, and drinks to add to the festive atmosphere. The birthday girl receives a small gift. The cost is $35.00 per girl to a maximum of 12 girls.

Give them a call at 250-830-1002 or visit in person at 1261 Ironwood Road, beside Hub Barton insurance. Hours are 9:00am – 5:00pm Monday through Wednesday, 9:00am – 7:00pm on Thursdays, and 6:00pm on Friday. On Saturday, the stylists are avaialble from 10:00am until 4:00pm. Sundays are reserved for the private pre-teen parties.

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Checking in with Mr. Tyee – in his own words

I’ve finally realized what’s been missing and amiss in Tyee Plaza.

The Mr. Tyee carving, created in 2003 Chad Mergaert as part of the annual Driftwood Carving competition, has been moved. He’s now perched (tyee – fish – perch – get it?!) in front of the Java Shack. It’s handy for him when he doesn’t have time in the morning to make his lunch or grab coffee before settling into his location for another day’s work. But let’s hear from Mr. Tyee directly, shall we? I caught up with him recently and introduced myself as a local writer and generally nosy person.

The first thing he shares is, “I miss being in front of the laundromat. I got to know the lottery and laundry regulars. There was always something going on, especially when Super Valu was still open. But, really, it’s not too bad here. The Java Shack staff tell me what their soup of the day is every morning so I can let customers knows before they’re even inside. You can’t get much better customer service than that, can you?”

Mr. Tyee pauses for a moment as the afternoon walk-on ferry crowd headed for Quadra trot by.  “Just wait,” he whispers to me. I wonder what’s going on.

“Hi, Mr. Tyee,” says one person.

“See you in the morning,” says another.

“Looking good, Mr. Tyee,” comments a third person, as she smiles at us both.

The crowd thins for the moment and Mr. Tyee continues.

“People are so kind. I know I’m looking a bit worse for the wear these days – the rain takes its toll – but I’m still a darn good ambassador for the plaza.”

“Another thing I miss, now that I’m not as front an centre as I used to be, he says with a sigh, is being so close to Logger Mike. He’s grouchy a lot of the time but we get along pretty well,” confides Mr. Tyee.

We have figured it out though says the wooden status, putting his hand (fin?) into his pocket and pulling out a cell phone. We’ve each got one. It’s handy because Shopper’s sells the phone cards. This way we can keep in touch, he said.

We keep each other up to date with what’s going on in our neighborhood, explained my wooden friend.

I’m just about to ask Mr. Tyee if I can buy him a snack when his phone rings.

“It’s gotta be Mike, nobody else has my number, not even my mom. Excuse me,” says Mr. Tyee, ever polite.  He answers his phone with a flourish.

“How’s it hanging, Mike? I’m being interviewed.” There’s silence for a moment as Mr. Tyee listens.  “You’re not the only media star around here you know,” boasts Mr. Tyee. I can hear Logger Mike’s expletives through the phone. Mr. Tyee rolls his eyes and I turn away in case Mike hears me giggle.

“Keep your axe on. I’m not horning in on anybody’s territory. She’s lovely to talk to  and I’m having fun. Bug off. I’ll talk to you later.” Mr. Tyee hangs up his phone.

“Sorry to have caused problems with Logger Mike,” I say.

“Don’t worry. His language is rather ripe but deep down, he’s got a heart of gold. He’ll be fine in ten minutes.”

“I should head off anyway. I’ve got more than enough for my story, Mr. Tyee. Thank you very much for your time. I’ve always wanted to meet you”, I say.

“Just a minute, before you go,” he says, scribbling a series of numbers onto the corner of my notebook. With a glance I see it’s Mr. Tyee’s cell phone number.

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Order of the Eastern Star book sale well attended

The Order of the Eastern Star volunteers are pleased their spring semi-annual book sale was a success again this year. They made a profit of $2,000.00 from three days of book sales last week.

They send sincere thanks to the owners of 922B Island Hwy. for the use of their space as well as everybody who kindly donated books.

Get busy reading the piles of books you found at last week’s sale – the next one is in October, after Thanksgiving.

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10th Ave. Cafe and Deli a downtown delight

 In less than a month, the “luck” that has made Ben Luck’s Comfort Zone in Willow Point such a success is being repeated downtown on 10th Ave. in the former Plaza Bakery location. 

There’s a daily soup as well as House Specials – quiches, BLT, and more. Of course we can’t forget the wraps that have made a trip to Discovery Pier and Comfort Zone a treat. There’s a good choice of salads too.

I treated myself to lunch last week with a friend. Service was prompt and courteous despite the crowd. My lunch mate and I were pleased with our choices – I had the lemon pepper shrimp wrap and she had the vegetarain panini. Both were winners.

The 10th Ave. Cafe and Deli is open Monday through Friday from 7:30am until 4:30pm and on Saturday starting at 9:00am until 3pm. Give them a call at 250-914-3354.  Plaza Bakery breads are still available too.

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Cheerleaders, quilts and blankets at the Art Gallery

Join artists Vivienne Pearson and Siobhan Doherty at an opening reception on Friday, April 16 from 7:00pm-9:00pm as they celebrate the opening of their new exhibits at the Campbell River Art Gallery.

Pearson’s “No Place Like Home” offers textiles on a large scale. Blankets and quilts are the focus as they interpret how community, our environment and sense of belonging all connect to our feeling of “home” and what it means to each of us.

This exhibit is sponsored by Poppy Steele and Hans Op de Beek of Royal Lepage Advance Realty.

In the Discovery Gallery is “More Hot Cheerleaders”. Siobhan Doherty gives us 30 miniature wax sculptures of these well-known pop culture icons. Come by and explore the parallels to The Little Fourteen Year Old Dancer by Degas.

Both exhibits are on display for your viewing pleasure until May 21, 2010.

Admission is by donation. The Campbell River Art Gallery is at 1235 Shopper’s Row, across from the library and in the same buildling as the Visitor’s Centre. The Art Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon until 5pm.

The Gallery appreciates the support of its members and volunteers, the Campbell River Arts Council, the Friends of the Campbell River Art Gallery, Marna Disbrow, the City of Campbell River, Shaw Cable, Moeller and Co. Chartered Accountants, Areas B, C, and D of the Strathcona Regional District, as well as the BC Gaming Commisson, the BC Arts Council, Canadian Heritage, and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada.

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Eastern Star sale offers book bounty

Hot on the heels of the museum’s annual book sale is a three-day book event sponsored by the Chas Maria Star Charitable Society, aka the Order of the Eastern Star.

This year’s sale is set for April 15, 16, and 17 (Thursday through Saturday) starting at 10am each day.

The new location is 922B Island Hwy., beside The Bargain Shop and across from the foreshore.  Note that each day has a different closing time: On Thursday it’s 5pm, Friday it’s 6pm, and things wrap up on Saturday at 3pm.

For anybody who’s even remotely into reading, make the time to stop by. I’ll be found in the kid’s section, on the hunt for a couple of Artemis Fowl books. Thanks to lots of hours by a myriad of volunteers, the books are meticulously arranged. It will be simple for me to know if the two Artemis books on my list are for sale. Browsing is of course encouraged too.

Donations of good quality used books are welcome. Please give Margaret a call at 250-923-1760 or Joan at 250-923-0840 to arrange pick up. And starting today, Monday April 12, you can drop books off at the site of the sale. Parking is available across the street at the foreshore.

Proceeds from the sale go towards supporting Eastern Star’s cancer projects. Earlier in 2010, the Order of the Eastern Star, in conjunction with the BC Cancer Agency, which benefits from funds raised by Eastern Star, were jointly honored by BC Lieutenant Governor Steven Point for their efforts in the fight against cancer.

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Plethora of plants soon looking for new gardens

Over the next couple of weeks I’ll be welcoming spring in one of my favorite ways: visiting plant sales. I’m looking to add a couple of perennials to my north-facing container garden and possibly something house-plant related too. Even if I don’t see anything that screams out, “Take me to Chateau Gina, take me to Chateau Gina”, it’s a pleasure to not only browse but chat with fellow gardeners. I always come away from plant-related events having learned something.

The first of the events, the annual Plant, Jumble Sale and Auction  is this Saturday, April 12 at the Community Centre on 11th Ave. Be there for the 9am start time for the best selection. It finishes at noon. Not only is this an excellent opportunity to add to your garden inventory but you can shop for garden accessories as well as homemade baking and crafts. And don’t forget the “jumble” portion of the day - there will be lots of miscellaneous to choose from too.  I particularly look forward to this event every year as a way to keep myself supplied in comfy handknit slippers since my knitting skills go no further than scarves.  By this time, last year’s slippers are pretty worn out and sad looking.

Another event worth making time for is the Campbell River Garden Club’s sale on Saturday, April 24, from 9am to noon at the Bethany Lutheran church. That’s at the corner of Birch Street and 2nd Avenue.

I’ve got my spiffy new gardening gloves ready and I’m looking forward to putting them to good use after both events. See you there!

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Art as remedy to indifference

Public land that sits idle, devastated by abuse and neglect, affects they way we view our community.  The Campbell River Art Gallery will host an illustrated talk on Wednesday night, March 31 at 7:00 pm at the Gallery by land artist Oliver Kellhammer. He’ll discuss his restoration of public property ravaged by industrial activity and neglect. 

“Kellhammer is a gifted speaker,” says Gallery Director Jeanette Taylor. “His work is both uplifting and inspiring, a model for positive solutions to our current environmental crisis.”

Kellhammer will describe a number of the sites he’s worked on, bringing an artist’s sensibilities to the transformation of difficult cityscapes like a three-acre site in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Kellhammer led the process of transforming a place littered with weeds, pet carcasses and needles into a lush community garden. This and other projects have impressed Kellhammer with nature’s surprising ability to rebound.

Oliver Kellhammer is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art, Bainbridge Graduate Institute and the University of British Columbia’s Masters of Fine Arts program. He has taught all over North America. His talk at the Gallery will appeal to not only art lovers but those interested in social values, landscape renewal and community action.

The Gallery also extends an invitation to the public to attend their Annual General Meeting, which precedes Kellhammer’s talk at 6 p.m.  Gallery staff and board will give a fast-paced preview of plans for the coming year, followed by an election of officers.  Attendance at the AGM is free. It costs $5 to attend Kellhammer’s talk if you’re not an Art Gallery member.

Campbell River Art Gallery is in Tyee Plaza, across from the Tidemark theatre. The current exhibitions are open by donation on Tuesday through Saturday from Noon to 5:00 pm. Call 250-287-2261 for more info.

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