Who can harness the wind?

In Steveston, we are no strangers to the wind.



As soon as the weather improves, it seems, we converge at Garry Point Park to watch kites being pulled and tugged to the sky. You can spot their colourful bellies grow full and hear their tails snapping as they pressed against the wind. Any British Columbia Kitefliers Association member would tell you that Garry Point Park is one of a few favoured locations to host kite competitions in the province.

It came as no surprise then that Olas de Viento - or wind waves - took up temporary residence at Garry Point Park in early December 2009. What better place to showcase the red circular form of steel curves that represents - what else - the wind that blows through the landscape and the waves that break at its feet.



And there couldn’t have been a more fitting place to embark on a nature-inspired experiment.

When I first came upon the light pole just steps away from the Garry Point Park concession window, I was intrigued by the solar panel and mini wind turbine sprouting from the top of what would otherwise be a very ordinary looking light pole.



To create a more sustainable community and reduce its greenhouse gases emissions, the City of Richmond has installed wind turbine and solar powered lighting system - one at the Vancouver Airport and one at Garry Point Park - to test the viability of the hybrid power system.



The pilot project commenced on May 14, 2008. The ten metre pole uses Innoair 600 PV technology to channel energy harnessed from the wind and sun to a battery pack, which provides illumination from dusk to dawn.

The success of this study will lay the foundation for further expansion to designated locations around Richmond. If adopted in the wider community, can you imagine a neighbourhood with no electrical cables and a green lighting system that’s 25 percent cheaper than that provided with the standard street light?

OK, I hear the naysayers say! What would happen when the sun decides to hide behind low lying clouds? After all, it happens, even Richmond. Are we then doomed to go about our business in darkness after sunset?

Apparently, the wind is a much more dependable source of energy than the sun, and the next item on the project team’s agenda would be to determine whether or not this light could function with only wind power.

In the meantime, whenever I need to press my hat down, or pull my jacket close to my chest, or turn my umbrella right side out, instead of complaining, I will think about the tremendous power we can harness from this force of nature and rejoice in its endless supply and enduring strength.

Sakura in Steveston

Did you know that Richmond has a sister city in Japan?

If you have ever strolled through Steveston in early spring, you would know why.

Rows of cherry blossom trees seem to simultaneously erupt into frothy pinks or whites – in public parks, private yards, and along the streets.


Trees in the Steveston Community Centre parking lot


Trees leading up to the Gulf of Georgia Cannery

It is glorious to watch the branches burst into life, then stoop under the weight of densely packed blossoms, and within weeks, scatter their airy mantle to the winds.



The cherry blossom, or sakura, is Japan's national flower and its arrival heralds not only the coming of spring but the start of the school year. So seriously do the Japanese take the blooming period that weather forecasts include reports on the blossom season as it sweeps across the country. People eat, drink, and - no doubt - fall in love under the cherry blossom trees. For extreme sakura worshippers, viewing cherry blossoms - in daylight and moonlight - is a cherished past time. I know this is true because, like you, I have seen "Memoirs of a Geisha”

Do you catch your breath at the sight of pink and white petals being fanned off a tree, engaging in their swan dance mid-air, and fluttering in wide sweeping arcs down to the ground? It kind of reminds me of a spring snowfall – but without the wet hair, soggy socks, and squeaky sneakers.

This majestic display can be interpreted in many different ways. The Japanese view the fragility and fleeting presence of the cherry blossoms as symbolic of the human existence. The flash of brilliance that is soon extinguished parallels the limited time that encompasses the rise and fall of our lives. No wonder then, that the richly symbolic sakura has inspired many poetic souls and found expression in their arts.

*Cherry blossom poem:

"If only I could
divide myself,
not miss a single tree
see the blossoms at their best
on all ten thousand mountains!"
-Saigyō Hōshi(1118 – 1190), a Japanese Buddhist priest-poet

*Cherry blossom art:


-Katsushika Hokusai c.1834 "Goldfinch and Cherry Tree"

*Cherry blossom music:



*Cherry blossom movie:


-scene from "Memoirs of a Geisha"

So, before the cherry blossoms disperse and disappear from Steveston for another year, let's get out there and get utterly lost in their beauty.

A postcard from Steveston

Others may not have been enamoured with the idea of hosting a world-class event, but I felt thrilled that for two weeks, the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games held the world's attention, that the name of our city was repeated in multiple languages, and that the beauty of our province was displayed on millions of TV screens across the globe.

To relive that magical time, I decided to pull out and post scenes I captured as we stood on the threshold of this historic event. On February 9, 2010, the torch relay wound its way through the village and my neighbours and I flocked to the intersection of No.1 Road and Steveston Hwy to welcome the flame.

At around 6:00 PM, everyone rushed out



We positioned ourselves at the curb and craned our necks to spot the approaching caravan.



Although it was bone-chillin' cold, we stood rooted to the spot.



Then they came, in quick succession.

The Coke truck



The RBC truck



The truck with the Olympic mascot



And right behind clusters of security personnel, the torch itself



It was over much too quickly but we all felt lucky to have witnessed the procession first hand and the sense of community it awakened in all our hearts. Now, if only we could repeat the whole process all over again...

Baby steps led to Heidi's Cookie Creations' success

Heidi surrounded by her signature bouquets

Some people think that success is a matter of luck. Heidi Thorsteinson knows better.

Heidi's home grown custom cookie business was built on solid hard work. She spent five years researching, planning, testing, and refining her cookies to perfection. As her reputation grew – primarily by word of mouth - so did her customer base. This slow and steady process, sometimes measured in small steps, has brought Heidi her own brand of good luck.

How did it all begin?

Heidi was introduced to baking as a child. With the help of her Betty Crocker oven and later her mother's toaster oven, she churned out mini cookies and cakes under the watchful eye of her mom. By the time she reached adulthood, Heidi's repertoire had expanded to include all kinds of cookies –sweet harvests of her labour of love.


Samples of Heidi's baked-to-order cookies

The nudge to graduate from hobby to business happened by chance.

Like other moms who participate actively in her children’s school life, Heidi did her share of doling out orders on food day, transporting students on field trips, and reading stories to foster student literacy. One day, she brought a platter of mini decorated sugar cookies to her children’s pre-school and blew the teachers away. Have you thought of selling them, they asked? Well, the rest is history.

How did it grow?

Like Rome, however, Heidi’s cookie business was not built in a day. It required diligent experimentation to arrive at the right formula for great taste and a flawless look. It chewed up hours of Internet time searching for inspiring ideas. And it also demanded the courage to start charging for her hard-won signature pieces.

“At first I just asked customers to cover the cost of supplies at $2 per cookie. The next order was $2.50 per cookie. Next order was $3 per cookie. Next was a $30 cookie platter. In the beginning it was hard to price myself. I came up with it gradually. It took a lot to say $4 a cookie," says Heidi.

Although she does most of her business in Steveston, Heidi has expanded into North Vancouver, West Vancouver, and beyond the border to Seattle. Her cookies have traveled to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Nova Scotia and an order of her golf course cookies has even gone all the way to a wedding in St. John’s, New Brunswick.

Heidi attributes her success to her quality product and highly personalized service. At Heidi’s Cookie Creations, every batch is baked to order. This Steveston’s small home-based business is poised to win customers over, one cookie at a time.


Lovingly crafted cookies for Valentine's Day

Heidi on the Web

Heidi's business made its debut online on February 17, 2008. Her website was hosted on Steveston Kids' site and provided a great new way to introduce her products to potential customers. So successful was this website that two years since it went live, Heidi decided that it was time to have her own Internet identity with her own URL. She encourages everyone to visit her at her new website at http://www.heidiscookiecreations.ca/ and take a look around.

What’s next?

When asked what’s next on her agenda, Heidi says that she is contemplating marrying two of her passions – cookie creation and event planning – in the form of cookie parties for children.

“All the parents would need to provide is a table with disposable table cloths. I would bring all of my supplies such as pre-made cookies on a stick, terracotta planters, pre-mixed royal icing, sprinkles and other decorating items. I would guide the children in this creative activity. They can make it as nice as they want, as detailed as they want, or as simple as they want,” says Heidi.

Congratulations on your new website and thriving business, Heidi! We hope 2010 will bring you closer to your goal of conquering the world, one delectable bite at a time.


Heidi and daughter Hallie with the the Hearts for Haiti cookies they baked to help victims of last month's devastating earthquake