Not for Sale

What an odd little island this is. Still on Denman Island. Funny how each of the islands has its own personality. Went over to Hornby Island yesterday which was much different from Denman, which is much different from Cortes, Gabriola etc. I have now been on six of the Gulf Islands and the contrast between them is striking.

Denman and Cortes are really hardscrabble little places where you can tell how much people are struggling. Hornby and Gabriola are more gentrified. We won't even talk about Saltspring, which is positively suburban.

All of the islands are getting rapidly bought up by people who have much more money than the people who have lived here for twenty or thirty years. The islands have been a haven for back-to-the-landers, draft dodgers, artists and anybody else who wanted to escape. And they're not all taking kindly to the influx of city folk who are waving large bankrolls in front of the islanders. It's a big temptation when you're offered half a million dollars for a place that you might have spent $50,000 on. Even for the people who don't sell, it's changing the community.

Here on Denman, some of the local folks are doing their own form of "Hell No, We Won't Go". Mixed in with "For Sale" signs throughout the island are "NOT for sale" signs. The real estate company advertised has names like "Bananarchy Realty - Pimping the Planet One Acre at a Time". It's very funny. I'm going to go out today and get some pictures of some of the more unique ones (though they're ALL unique).

I can see what they're trying to protect. It's real tempting to stay here and never go back. This morning I went out into the yard and there were two does and four fawns grazing about ten feet away from me.

Yesterday we went to Hornby Island, which is a little more gentrified than Denman. It has a GREAT nude beach with clean, fine sand. Almost ended up walking 8 miles from the ferry terminal because of it, though.

We lost track of time and didn't catch the ferry until 7:15. By the time we got back to Denman it was starting to get dark and there wasn't much traffic to hitch a ride with. Fortunately we met a nice man who was out for a night time walk and we explained we were out on a VERY long walk. So, in typical island fashion, he offered us a ride.

The islands are really good for that kind of thing. Sure hope they can preserve that spirit in spite of encroaching development.

Oh, and did I mention there is a cougar and a bear and cubs on the island? Sure glad we got that ride ... "lions and tigers and bears, oh my!"