Webcams offer alternate reality

One of the gifts of technology is the ability to be in more than one place at a time, at least virtually.

From those of us lucky enough to live in Campbell River but who don’t have the view they’d like from their home or office to our friends and relatives living elsewhere, here’s a variety of webcams featuring our community:

* Need your boat and water fix? Try this view from Discovery Harbour, looking south to Quadra Island:

http://www.marineharvestcanada.com/campbell_river_cam.php

* For a view of Seymour Narrows, give this one a try:

http://www.webcams.travel/webcam/1237482777-Weather-Seymour-Narrows-Campbell-River

* Interested in a view of the Inland Island Highway (and really, who wouldn’t be?!)

http://images.drivebc.ca/bchighwaycam/pub/html/www/121.html

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Tibetan monks offer variety of gifts

Starting next Tuesday, October 27 through to Wednesday, November 4, five exiled Tibetan monks will make Campbell River their home as part of their Sacred Art cross country tour. A variety of community programs are happening during their stay.

Join the monks every day except Sunday at the Art Gallery in Tyee Plaza between 10am and noon and again from 1:30pm to 5:00pm for chanting in the morning and to watch the creation of a sand mandala. The suggested donation is $5.00. Timberline  Secondary is the place to catch them on November 3 at 7:00pm for music and blessings. Call 250-923-9500, ext. 218 for more information.

For those outside of the Campbell River area, be part of this unique opportunity at 7:45pm on Quadra Island, at the Community Centre, for Tibetan music and dance followed by a screening of “Unmistaken Child”, a current documentary. Admission is $5.00 for adults and $4.00 for seniors and students. If that day doesn’t work for you, how about Saturday, November 1 for a talk and meditation at the Community Centre starting at 11am? Admission is by donation. And for those on Cortes, come on down to Manson’s Hall on Sunday, November 1 at 7:00pm for Tibetan music, debates, and chanting. Admission is by donation for this event too.

The sand mandala the group creates as part of their meditation practice will be dismantled at a ceremony starting at 1:30pm on Wednesday, November 4. Following this, there will be a walk to Discovery Pier to release the sand.

The monks are also available for private blessings of people or places during their stay in our area. Give the Campbell River Art Gallery a call at 250-287-2261 for details or email them at contact@crartgallery.ca.

Monies raised from their time in Campbell River will benefit the monks’ monstery in India. The monk’s appearance on Cortes is sponsored by Hollyhock and the Squirrel Cover Trading Co. Their residency at the Campbel River Art Gallery is sponsored by Klari Varallyai and the Campbell River Physiothearpy Clinic.

Welcome to Campbell River. We are blessed to have you here.

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Discover local attractions with a Staycation

It’s no secret that people from all over the world come to Campbell River to experience our broad variety of actitivites and attractions. The visitor’s book at the Visitor Info Centre in Tyee Plaza is full of enthusiastic comments from those who have experienced first hand what our community offers, whether it’s for three days or two weeks. 

Since moving here seventeen years ago, I’ve learned to welcome the sight of shorts-clad families and couples, complete with cameras and maps wandering throughout the community anytime after the Victoria Day long weekend. Discovery Pier, Tyee Plaza, the Pier St. Market and the stores along Shoppers Row are popular gathering places. 

When I ask a simple question such as, “Are you visiting?”, it inevitably leads to comments such as, “You live here? Wow! Lucky you”, “We’re thinking about moving here in a few years”, “It’s beautiful, even though it’s rained a lot”, or my personal favorite, “Can we move in with you? We promise we’d be no trouble”.

For those of us fortunate enough not to need to travel here by plane, train or automobile, we have within easy reach the potential for life experiences we may not even be aware of. How often I’ve heard locals say, “We had family staying with us from fill in location here and we took them to the museum. I’d never been there before. I had no idea there was so much to see. The kids loved it”.

But maybe the challenging economic times that many in our community are living with have left you convinced you’ll have to leave the fun to the tourists this year. However, don’t despair.

Thanks to the Campbell River Spirit of BC Comimttee and Rivercorp, in conjunction with What’s On Digest and local tourism operators, here’s your chance to kayak on Quadra, stay overnight at Painter’s and April Point, or take a wildlife tour, all at very special prices until June 22.

The Staycation concept is a simple one: let residents know there are tons of things to do and see in their very own backyard and that it doesn’t have to cost your food budget for the month to scope it out.

Your copy of the 2009 Staycation Guide, found in the June issue of What’s On Digest, is set to hit your mailbox very soon if it hasn’t already. It can also be picked up at the Visitor Info Centre.

Don’t let your out of town guests be the only ones to have terrific stories to tell about Campbell River.

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