James' Summer

As a new teacher with the Squirrels I thought I would introduce myself to the Upstream community and tell you about my summer!

1. My first big adventure was hiking the Juan de Fuca trail with my wife, Elena. It was a muddy 50 km rainforest and beach walk. There were many slugs, eagles, and even playful seals in the distant surf. At one point I fell into a surprising mud-pit that went up to my thighs!

2. As a new homeowner, I have been slowly improving my garden. Rain barrels, sheet mulching, lattices, compost strategies, and sheet mulching are a few of the projects my wife and I tackled this summer. I would love to talk about Permaculture (permanent agriculture) if you are ever interested!

3. A happy place of mine for the last 5 years has been Naramata, BC, on the Okanagan. There is a peaceful retreat centre/family camp there called Naramata Centre. I camped there for a week, and then took a week-long position on staff as the Music Leader. It's nice to stay in one place for a while, without wandering too far and staying mostly on foot.

Anyway, that's me. During the academic year, I am a music teacher in the CBE. If you have a child in the Squirrel program you can be sure they will be singing!

-James