Misnomer of the Sunshine Coast

I have been asked to clarify details of where in the world we are located - our little piece of Paradise is called Sechelt and the exciting details of the town are of course on Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sechelt%2C_British_Columbia . Suffice to say, it's not big (3 main streets) and it's not 'happening' (unless you count drunk Canucks fans at the Lighthouse Pub) and most of the residents are indeed well over the age of consent (for a quick sherry over bridge at the Senior Centre). However, it does lie on an isthmus of land sandwiched between the Georgia Straits, with a view over to Vancouver Island, and the Sechelt Inlet - also the sea on its way round from Powell River further north. Our current house, which we are renting for now while we peruse the area, overlooks the Inlet and the beach of the Porpoise Bay (yes, really, despite the obvious lack of porpoises) Provincial Park. The view with breakfast is a definite improvement over watching the Israeli lady below have a cigarette and the meditative peace is the clear winner over endless Russian disco music from the flat above where the inmate kept rather odd hours and rather odd company. For this, we sacrifice late takeaways, corner shops open all hours and movies the week they come out.

Sechelt is home to the Shishalh (say it quickly and it becomes apparent how the town was named by the European settlers) First Nation who have a reserve in the town - funnily enough where both Starbucks and the Hospital sit, among other shops and restaurants. Many of the orginal First Nation population were wiped out by diseases such as smallpox brought by the settlers. Unfortunately they are now being wiped out by drugs, violence and alcohol more often than they should be, having gone through a horrendous residential program akin to that of the indigenous population in Australia, which left a post-traumatic stress disorder that was hard to fix with apologies. More on some of the remaining traditions in a later post.

We sit between Gibsons/Langdale where the ferry from Vancouver runs back and forth at the whim of BC Ferries and Halfmoon Bay/Pender Harbor to the north where another ferry heads 'upcoast' to Powell River. The Sunshine Coast was apparently named by some braniac in Roberts Creek who had obviously lived in Vancouver way too long and realised we have minimally less rainfall per year. And this is where the tourist industry began.....Although as we are constantly being told, there are 5 more 'growing days' per year here than in Hawaii (along with 'we never get snow', a myth that was quickly dispelled this year).

More on the various communities in later posts and it actually was sunny today.