Notable Neighbours

LV trainer publishes first novel

Nicole Palacios is best known in Lynn Valley for her personal training business. But that may change now that she’s also the author of her novel, Bel Air Bodies, available for sale as an Amazon ebook. We tracked Nicole down to ask her about her writing, her background, and her life here in Lynn Valley.

Tell us about your writing background…. has it been hobby, career, or both?
My writing career has been something that I didn’t realize I wanted to do until about seven years ago. I started writing fitness-related articles for magazines, then realized my passion for fiction. I always enjoyed writing fiction in my youth, but put it aside to focus on schooling and child rearing. Now it’s back in my radar.

Now tell us about your fitness biz! (And, while you’re at, it, the rest of your life, too!)
I am a North Shore personal trainer; I’ve been involved in the fitness industry since I was 17! I started as a fitness instructor, then got my personal training certification and received my degree in Exercise Science. I train people in their homes/ outside or in my gym facility. I mainly work with females looking to get into shape/lose weight/etc.  Since I was six I’ve lived on the North Shore (with a three-year break living in Minnesota of all places!) I have three beautiful girls, and an awesome husband. We are totally in love with Lynn Valley where we live!

What made you decide on the romance genre when you turned to fiction writing?
I wouldn’t classify this as romance per se, more of a “chick lit” novel. There is some element of romance, of course, but that is not the only theme. What fun is it to read a book without a little romance? It keeps things fun and light.

What other kinds of writing do you do?
I write health and fitness articles for magazines such as Alive, Pregnancy (when it was still being published!), Fitness Business Canada, Personal Fitness Professional, the North Shore News, and a few others. I also maintain a fitness blog at: http://ptfitnesswriter.blogspot.ca/

How did you find the self-publishing process? Why did 
you go with Amazon?
It’s very difficult to get published with a mainstream publisher; you really need an agent first. They are hard to please! Amazon made it simple and was very easy to use.

What were some of the ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ of self-publishing?
I would say all “pro”! It is very easy to do with a computer.

Did you have any help, or is this a solo project from start to finish?
This was my own personal project. I wanted to finish a book; there are a few others that I have started and left hanging for a few years.

What’s your goal for the book?
I would love to see it sell one hundred copies; that’s a goal. As well, it would be nice to just to have some people who I don’t know and didn’t tell about it to read it and hopefully enjoy it!

What are some of your other writing goals?
I am currently working on a non-fiction book on fitness for baby boomers. I hope to publish that the traditional way and have it “in stores”.

How will you be promoting Bel Air Bodies?
Twitter, Facebook, other blogs, word of mouth.

Any advice for aspiring novelists?
Stick with it! Don’t give up and don’t let negative comments get you down.

Anything else you’d like to tell us?
I am happy to be living on the North Shore and have such a great group of other writers and friends to bounce ideas off of! This community is so warm and welcoming and I really feel blessed to live here!


August 14, 2012 in Blog, Current News, Notable Neighbours

Lynn Valley mom itching to share eczema tips

When a pediatric nurse told Shula Klinger that her incessantly wailing baby boy was “going through a rough patch,” she didn’t realize how prophetic those words would prove to be.

Months of crying jags, rashes, breathing difficulties and ER trips later, Joel was finally diagnosed with atopic dermatitis (eczema). Finally, she and her husband could start to understand what would and wouldn’t help their child, and would gain him – and themselves – some uninterrupted sleep. A bubble bath at bedtime? Forget it – even a few minutes in the tub would cause a horrible itchy reaction. But organic home cleaners, and plain, non-appliqued baby clothes? Those would help.

Now the Lynn Valley mom is sharing all her trial-and-error tips with the rest of the world in a new blog. Says Shula: “A ROUGH PATCH chronicles the day-to-day struggles of an infant with eczema, asthma and allergies. The site is packed with personal anecdotes, tips and tricks for families in a similar predicament.  But it’s not just about the daily rigours (or agonies) of life with these health problems; you’ll also find light-hearted entries, product reviews, interviews, guest essays and recipes.”

Shula will be pulling in international guest bloggers, medical experts, and parents of fellow sufferers in the posts to come, and the blog itself is being profiled in an upcoming newsletter of The Eczema Society of Canada.

Shula is a well-published writer already; after coming to Canada to pursue a PhD in Education at UBC and later developing online curriculum for the BC school system, she turned her focus to her creative life. Her young adult novel, “The Kingdom of Strange,” was published in 2008 and she has also illustrated “Best Friends Forever: A World War II Scrapbook.” She continues to work in print and radio journalism, most often for the CBC.

Shula, her husband Graham, son Benjamin (age five),  Joel (now 20 months) and their “eccentric dachshund, Moby” moved to Lynn Valley last October, where she says they all feel very much at home, despite ongoing home renovations. Shula says her neighbours are wonderfully relaxed and welcoming (Ed. note: They no doubt appreciate Shula, as well – she is apparently a prolific baker!) Other favourite pastimes include visiting the library and taking Benjamin and Joel to the local parks.

Check out A Rough Patch to learn more about this family’s experience with eczema; to learn more about Shula’s writing life, visit her website. Shula invites people with questions and comments to post them on A Rough Patch – she’s happy to be a sounding board!

– Peggy Trendell-Jensen, editor. Photo by Laura Lui of http://www.dolcepics.com / Laura Hana Photographer: http://www.facebook.com/LAURAHANAphotographer

July 29, 2012 in Blog, Current News, Notable Neighbours

Knee Knacker just latest challenge for elite LV runner

Some of the world’s top ultra-marathoners will be participating in this Saturday’s infamous Knee Knacker, a 30-mile run from Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove along the Baden Powell trail, and Hilary Ewart is excited to be amongst them.

It’s the second Knee Knacker for this Lynn Valley mom, and though she doesn’t consider herself a natural runner – “I’m not built for it, “ she claims – she says there is a mutual feeling of equality and respect at the starting line, regardless of ability.

“I’ve never been made to feel that I shouldn’t be there,” she said this week as she reflected on some of the races she’s tackled. “Though I sometimes question myself.”

It’s hard to imagine anyone questioning Hilary’s credentials when you look at her running CV. While she says she wasn’t particularly sporty as a youth (“Honestly, if I can do this, anyone can”), once she started running, there was no holding her back.

She started as a recreational jogger, then decided to join her husband Ian as he trained for a half-marathon. That was semi-successful – she liked to chat the whole way, which drove him nuts – but it was the start of a pursuit that would end up changing her life and how she lives it.

Her determination (or, in her own words, her “obsession”) kept pushing her to longer and more far-flung running adventures, encouraged on by the friendships she developed with other women keen to travel to races.

One of her favourite memories is accomplishing her very first marathon in her native Scotland, with her parents there to cheer her on. She still gets goosebumps recounting the pride with which her father congratulated her after her triumphant finish.

She’s raced in Big Sur, in Paris, and in Wales. Along the way, she became bored with road running and decided to try her hand – or her feet – at trail running. “I can still remember my first run with the Knee Knacker training group,” she recalls now. “It was humbling… it was really challenging.”

But this is clearly a woman who likes a challenge. In August 2010, she decided the 15 months ahead would include the Dirty Duo race in Lynn Canyon, the Diez Vista in Burnaby, her first Knee Knacker, and, to top it all off, a three-day, 85-mile run in Wales. While she was admittedly burnt out by the end of that time, she says the Welsh race was one of her best.

“I don’t know why, but I just felt wonderful,” she says. “At times along the way, I was feeling euphoric.”

People are always searching for that “runner’s high,” she says, although it tends to be elusive. It’s more common to encounter the lows when you’re running a tough course.

“You know the gremlins are there,” notes Hilary. “Sometimes they don’t appear; sometimes they spend the whole day with you. But you eventually learn that the bad feelings go away.”

Hilary’s health routine includes twice-weekly yoga, pre-race massages at Canopy Health, and keeping well fuelled during a run. She finds that her ‘away’ races can be easier, in that she’s divorced from her daily responsibilities and can be “a bit selfish,” focussing just on her challenge ahead.

She has spent this week getting over her jet lag from a trip to South America with husband Ian, catching up on her human resources job at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C., and dealing with a few butterflies as she contemplates Saturday’s Knee Knacker – one of the toughest trail runs in North America.

She’s done it before, but not in the heat that is forecast for Saturday. Between Horseshoe Bay and Deep Cove, she’ll face 16,000 feet of vertical climb and descent, and hopes to complete the course in somewhere between seven to nine hours. “I’m a back of the packer,” she chuckles, saying she is built for endurance, not for speed.

Anyone who tackles this run is an elite athlete in our book, regardless of their final time, and at LynnValleyLife we wish all 200 runners good health and good spirits. We’ll be reporting back with Hilary’s experience, and tell you all about her next adventure – a six-day stage race in the Himalayas this fall!

– Peggy Trendell-Jensen, editor

Update: We checked in with Hilary on Sunday afternoon, and were delighted to hear she completed the race despite the heat and the record number of runners who dropped out along the way. Our congratulations to anyone brave enough to cross the starting line, and all those determined enough to reach the finish line!

 

July 12, 2012 in Blog, Current News, Eco-Awareness & The Great Outdoors, Notable Neighbours

Family needs your help to bring mom back to health

UPDATE! Come out to the Friday Night Concert in Lynn Valley Village on July 6 and register with Canadian Blood Services on the spot to see if you are a potential donor for Erica or another person in need. Read on to hear Erica’s story.

Now that the sun is shining, most parents and kids are thinking about beach days, play dates, and picnics in the park. Unfortunately, one Lynn Valley family’s summer dreams have been cut short in a manner as tragic as it was unexpected.

Erica Harris is a wife, a mom to two young sons, and a chiropractor who has spent time working at Canopy Health in Lynn Valley Village. She has owned her own clinic and built her career helping professional and amateur athletes reach their peak. But on June 6 she received word that her own health is facing a severe challenge. On that day she learned she has acute myelogenous leukemia, and was immediately admitted to hospital.

Two days later she started a week-long course of chemotherapy intended to wipe out the cancerous cells in her bone marrow. It was not successful. In fact, the percentage of leukemic cells in her blood was even higher than before.

Doctors now know that Erica is in a high-risk category that requires an even harsher round of chemo to wipe out all the cells in her marrow, good and bad alike (she is just finishing up these treatments in the next day or two). This sets the stage for a bone marrow transplant to follow, which will provide her with ‘seed’ cells to regrow the marrow she needs to produce healthy blood cells.

But there’s a problem. So far a suitable match has not been found for Erica, and her need is urgent and time-limited. That’s why her friends, family and colleagues are doing all they can to spread the word to encourage people to do the simple steps necessary to see if they are a potential match.

This involves a simple cheek swab (you can do it all by mail, or to save precious time, in person at a Canadian Blood Services centre). If a match is found, the vast majority of donations are made via a minimally invasive procedure involving blood collection; occasionally a more involved collection of marrow from the iliac crest is done under local or general anesthetic.

Of course, there are more people than Erica in need of these life-saving treatments, and her family hopes that others will benefit from the kindness of donors who may not be a direct match for Erica.

“Also, if you, and/or anyone you know, are able to donate blood or platelets – this is also very important,” says Erica’s husband Harley Harris. “Erica had a number of transfusions … in her first round of chemo, and we anticipate there will be many more transfusions during this next chemo treatment.   You never realize how important donating blood and platelets really is until you are receiving them.”

Harley’s great wish is to have Erica home again and tucking in their two boys at night. The two- and five-year-old lads are her biggest cheering squad, urging her ‘good’ cells on with chants of “Go, fighters, go!!”

But Erica’s ‘good’ cells need a helping hand, and that’s what neighbours are for. So please learn more about the donation process and how you can get involved. And please spread the word on your own Facebook pages and amongst your email lists.

We’ll be sure to update you with any other opportunities to give this Lynn Valley family a hand.  In the meantime, please continue to keep Erica, Harley and their boys in your thoughts.

– Peggy Trendell-Jensen, Editor

July 5, 2012 in Blog, Current News, Getting Involved, Notable Neighbours

Bob Rasmus takes pride in the Lions

FROM THE EDITOR: If you’ve attended a Lynn Valley community event any time in the past two decades, chances are you’ve crossed paths with a Lion – a certain Lynn Valley Lion, that is.

Bob Rasmus is known to many as the former owner of RJR Contruction Management, a company he and his wife Peggy ran for many years before his retirement in 2010. But he’s probably met even more people through his role in the Lynn Valley Lions, the community service club he joined in 1990.

It all started when he built a house for a client over in Vancouver. When Bob presented his bill, the client told him “I’ll pay it as long as you join the Lions Club.” Bob took up the challenge, and – having moved to Lynn Valley in 1976 – joined the club in our neighbourhood.

Payment of invoices aside, Bob says “One of the reasons I joined is because I was making my living from the community, and I wanted to give back to the community. I think a lot of people feel that way.”

Many people may feel that way, but we suspect Bob may have given back more than most. Currently the secretary of the 31-member club, and zone chairman for the larger community of local Lions Clubs, Bob has been president of the Lynn Valley Lions three times, most recently last year. As of writing, he is working 10-hour days organizing the 100th Lynn Valley Days celebration on May 25/26 – but that didn’t stop him or his fellow Lions from setting up their infamous Cook Shack for Lynn Valley Village’s Easter weekend festivities. (For more about the Lynn Valley Lions and their role in the community, click here!)

Bob’s history of volunteering pre-dates his Lynn Valley Lions days; father of two, he was a baseball coach and Scoutmaster, and a participant in the YMCA’s “Indian Princess” program for fathers and daughters.

It was a circuitous path that brought Bob to our neighbourhood; born in Portage La Prairie, he left there for Mission when he was two, then moved to Vancouver in 1966 and to Lynn Valley a decade later, where he lives on Alderlynn Road.

Since arriving, Bob and his fellow club members have done a great deal to improve our community. We can only imagine he’d love to issue the same challenge to our male readers as he received all those years ago – “Join the Lions Club!” Even without the motivation of an outstanding invoice (!), we hope you consider taking him up on it.

– Peggy Trendell-Jensen

April 9, 2012 in Blog, Getting Involved, Notable Neighbours

Finn’s friends have formed landmark charity

From Lynn O’Malley: There aren’t many of us who can claim our lives have had the same immediate impact as that of a little boy named Finn.

Finn Sullivan was a Lynn Valley lad – brother to Sarah and Baird, son of Patrick and Samantha – who was diagnosed with cancer at 21 months and succumbed to his illness when he was three years old. We can all imagine the hole he left behind.

But – holy smoke! – that sure wasn’t the end of his story. That was the beginning of “Team Finn’s” determination to honour his life by raising funds to help alleviate the suffering of other families experiencing pediatric cancers, and ultimately to help fund a cure.

Since his passing in October 2008, Team Finn has raised over $1,000,000 for the B.C. Cancer Foundation. Yes, you read those zeros right – that’s one million dollars, raised via ongoing charitable adventures such as the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer and the Children’s Hospital’s ChildRun.

Coming up are two great events for local supporters who might not be up to cycling across Western Canada (as Finn’s dad, Patrick, did last year!)

A Team Finn Wine Tasting Festival at Seymour’s Pub takes place on Wednesday, April 4 from 6 to 9 p.m., where you can enjoy 19 different wins, great appies and a super silent auction. The $35 tickets must be purchased in advance, and all details are on this poster.

On Saturday, April 7, Escape Adventures will host a Team Finn Family Day and take families for a cycle tour of the Seymour Demonstration Forest. The $25 fee covers a family of four for the 90-minute expedition. Registration details are here.

“We have been incredibly fortunate to have the support of our Lynn Valley community and think these events are a wonderful opportunity to continue to support Team Finn,” says his mom, Samantha Mason.

Well, we at LynnValleyLife think our community is pretty lucky to be home to special families like this one. We look forward to hearing more about the amazing achievements of Team Finn and its many supporters.

For more information, visit www.teamfinn.com.

 

 

March 30, 2012 in Blog, Community Events, Current News, Notable Neighbours

LV artist exhibits work at district hall

 

Local artist lives a colourful life

Lynn Valley artist Ishrat Khan has experienced a rich life, including immigrating to Canada from his native India in 1965. Yet another highlight will be the exhibition of his work in the District Foyer of North Vancouver District Hall, beginning with a reception on April 4 and continuing through to May 29.

We wanted to learn more about this artistic Lynn Valley resident, so asked Ishrat a few questions about his craft, and his life since moving to this community in 1996.

How would describe the type of art you create?  
Contemporary; semi-abstract.

What’s your ‘artistic journey’ been to date? Have you always painted, or have you worked in different genres? 
It’s been great to be able to express feelings through painting; I have been painting since my high school years. It’s a wonderful pastime; it’s very fulfilling and keeps me out of trouble.

Do you work alone, or take part in some sort of artists’ community?
As far as painting goes, I have always worked alone, except for shows where I have displayed works with others.

What inspires you to create works of art?
Inspiration comes from people, surroundings in Canada and through my travels in Asia. Vancouver’s West End and Stanley Park have always inspired me to paint.

What do you do with your finished pieces?
Usually sell them.

Can you tell us about one or two of your favourite pieces?
The Kayakers, Mountain Highway, Brick Crushers Bangladesh.

What are some of your other hobbies?
Mostly tennis – I play on the Boulevard and at the Grant Connell Tennis Center in North Van, and at the Stanley Park Tennis Courts.

Can you tell us a bit about your ‘day job’?
Looking after the cat!

How can people see or learn more about your work?
The best way is to visit my website: www.ishratkhan.com

March 19, 2012 in Blog, Current News, Notable Neighbours

Win tickets to see LV actress in soccer mom saga

Jenny Mitchell is a Lynn Valley mom like many others – she loves heading out on the trails, hitting the library, and socializing at Browns. Her kids, Dylan and Evan, go to Lynn Valley Elementary and play baseball and soccer.

Not many local moms, however, get to play a maternal alter-ego on stage. But that’s what Jenny will be doing when the show Secrets of a Soccer Mom opens at Presentation House on Friday night.

Jenny plays Lynn, one of three moms taking part in an informal soccer match against their eight-year-old sons. What starts out as a friendly game, though, becomes something else entirely as the afternoon progresses and the moms make surprising discoveries about themselves, their children and each other.

Jenny describes Lynn as “a PAC mom, who takes on lots of volunteer tasks and is always eager to help out for the kids’ sake.   But her enthusiasm is short-lived when she starts to realize that people might be taking her for granted.”

Perhaps there are some moms in Lynn Valley who can relate?! Either way, the play sounds like it’s filled with laughs and good conversation-starters. It runs from March 1 to 10, so get your tix now!

Fortunately for LynnValleyLife readers, we have two to give away. Just tell us one more arts event you’ve enjoyed right here in Lynn Valley – at a school, in the village square, or ?? – and we’ll put your name in a random draw. Winner will be announced Wednesday evening, so get your entry in now, either via our Facebook post or by emailing [email protected]. Deadline: Wednesday, Feb. 29th at 5 p.m.

February 27, 2012 in Blog, Contests, Current News, Notable Neighbours

LV locals make recovery in VGH Burn Unit a little easier

COMING TO YOU FROM LYNN O’MALLEY: Greetings, neighbours! I was really looking forward to telling you the story of how a generous donation from the Lee family (owners of the Mountain Market corner store at Mountain Highway and Frederick) resulted in a domino effect that benefitted people not just in Lynn Valley, but from Metro Vancouver and beyond.

Unfortunately for me, I couldn’t improve upon the following account, written by a Lynn Valley Elementary School dad, who relates how the Lees’ donation of hundreds of prime DVDs snowballed into something his family could never have imagined. So I’ll let him tell the tale (he remains anonymous by request), and when he’s finished I’ll let you know how you can play a part in creating this happy ending.

It all started with a group of very passionate nurses who banded together and created a Facebook page “Donate your DVD’s to VGH please!” to help replace the Burn Unit’s DVD collection that was stolen! Yes, that’s right…stolen!

Just think: other than the entertainment value that movies provide for most people, for some of the patients on this unit, it’s ALL the entertainment they get.

 Well, it just so happened that I knew of two boxes of DVDs that were looking for a home.  The two boxes were left over after Lynn Valley Elementary School’s thrift shop fundraiser, whereby all of the families donate “lightly used” goods so that the students can purchase items at thrift shop prices.  

The presents are then wrapped, on site, in order for them to give something to their parents or siblings during the holiday season.

 The Lynn Valley PAC uses the proceeds to help with the ever-increasing amount of wonderful programs and initiatives they undertake throughout the school year. The kids love it, and there are many volunteers and donors that make it a success.

The biggest donor of the DVDs was the Lee family, of the “Mountain Market”, who are parents in the school.  Their thoughtfulness and community spirit led to money being raised, programs being run, gifts being given, items being replaced, smiles on many faces and the realization that it only takes a little selflessness to make a huge difference.”

 We all love good news stories (in movies, yes, but especially in real life!), and we all love the chance to play a role in them. So if you would like to contribute to making life just a little more entertaining in the Burn Unit, please have a look in your collection to see if you have DVDs that could use a new home.

The fine folk at Mollie Nye House (940 Lynn Valley Rd.) have agreed to act as a drop-off point for the DVDs, and will be accepting your donations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays until the end of March. Our anonymous dad, above, will be delighted to take them to VGH for us.

PLEASE make sure that your contribution is in perfect playing condition – nothing worse that having your viewing interrupted by scratches and glitches!

Thanks to everyone at Lynn Valley Elementary who got this ball rolling, and thanks to all you Lynn Valleyites in advance who will keep it going strong!

February 22, 2012 in Blog, Current News, Getting Involved, Notable Neighbours

Bob McCormack spends his life making shade for others

FROM THE EDITOR: The Greeks said it best: “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”

They must have been thinking ahead to people like Bob McCormack, who – now 70 years old – has spent most of his life ‘planting trees’ of one kind or another for his native Lynn Valley community.

“I won’t see the fruits of most of these [long-term] projects,” Bob acknowledged recently over coffee at Delany’s, one of his favourite places to meet with fellow citizens working on issues around the town-centre development and future transportation systems. But he doesn’t show any signs of slowing his pace.

“There’s something inside me that always makes we want to say ‘yes’,” he chuckles, as he recounts just some of the roles he’s played over the past few decades. They include everything from coaching football to sitting on the rec commission to years spent serving on the boards (often as chair or vice-chair) of groups such as the Lynn Valley Community Association, the North Shore Disability Resource Centre, Greater Vancouver Neighbourhood Houses, Silver Harbour Centre, the arts council, and the Mollie Nye House standing committee.

In fact, most people are so familiar with Bob’s many volunteering hats, they may well have forgotten that he had a long professional life as well, starting in the White Spot commissary – he knew “Uncle Nat” Bailey well – and ending with his retirement in 2003, from a position as purchaser for the Vancouver Coastal Health District, responsible for food services and capital buying.

Given all the achievements Bob has played a role in over the years, I was curious to know what he’s most proud of.

“I was really happy when the district started listening to the needs of physically challenged people,” he said, pointing to improvements in sidewalks and street corner buttons that have helped a much wider range of people be independently mobile. And he’s proud to say that the recreation commission, too, has greatly expanded its offerings to encompass people of all abilities.

Personally, though, one of his definite highlights was getting a last-minute call to step in and be a torchbearer when the Olympic flame was run through Lynn Valley on Feb. 10, 2010.

From having his photo taken with the torch on the suspension bridge – an image that appeared worldwide via Reuters – to having his picture taken with hundreds of local revellers at the Valleyfest celebrations in Lynn Valley Village (which, of course, he’d spent hundreds of hours helping to plan), Bob says “it was amazing and I loved it all.”

One of the things he remembers well is the Quebecois ‘handlers’ who were travelling with the torch telling the driver of the pace vehicle in Lynn Canyon Park to “go slow – this is the most beautiful place we’ve seen on the route so far.”

Bob’s community pride is evident in most of his comments, and he talks about all the wonderful people he’s crossed paths with over the years.

“A community is only as good as its volunteers,” he emphasizes. “The community isn’t its mayor and council. The community is what you put into it … and Lynn Valley is a prime example.”

Bob’s roots grow deeply in this neighbourhood, starting with grandparents who were involved with the Lynn Canyon concession stand in the 1940s and a dad who was a local firefighter.

Many of his growing-up years were spent living at 555 Fromme Rd. He could look across the gravel road to the site of what is now Argyle school, but was then a large acreage with only one house situated near the current James Buchanan Theatre. During the summer, 15 to 20 horses grazed the property, which stretched almost all the way down to Mountain Highway.

The Brier Block circa 1971

He’s a living repository of all sorts of other memories, too; he recalls the grocery store that used to be in the Waves coffee shop locale, and the Brier Block that was situated where the Petro-Can now stands, kitty-corner to the still-existing Fromme Block. He even remembers his grandfather telling him about a proposal that was being touted in the mid-20th century for a floating dance hall in Lynn Canyon. The idea was shot down; at that time, the various churches held sway in the valley and there was nary a drink to be had anywhere.

Fortunately, Bob and his wife Judy have 21 nieces and nephews, and 27 great-nieces and –nephews, who will take at least some of his memories of times past with them into the future.

Looking back now, Bob credits his volunteering spirit in large part to an accident – one that happened when he was 17 years old. He was a passenger in a car exiting out of a laneway near the site of the Black Bear Pub and driving onto Lynn Valley Road. The next thing Bob knew, he was waking up in a ditch – having been smashed by an oncoming vehicle – and was whisked to hospital, where he had to deal with the amputation of his leg.

He says that his immediate response – uncharacteristic, he says, for the free-spirited youth he’d been up until the accident – was to say, “Well, there’s no use in crying over spilt milk.”

He says the community was wonderful in the way it stepped up to support him and his family at that time, and he’s been joyfully paying back ever since.

“If I hadn’t lost my leg, I wouldn’t be sitting here now,” he says emphatically. “It changed my life. You just don’t know yourself until something happens.”

Well, Bob knows himself now, and so do hundreds of other Lynn Valley residents whose community has been enriched by his ongoing efforts. Thanks from all of us, Bob, for planting those many trees.

– Peggy Trendell-Jensen

February 22, 2012 in Blog, Notable Neighbours