Nonfiction
1998 University of Washington Press
Finished on August 1, 2021
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)
Publisher's Blurb:
By chance, writer and artist Hilary Stewart finds herself buying property on Quadra Island, off the east coast of Vancouver Island. Then she begins a search for the ideal house design and moves into a new life.
Through anecdotes and 200 drawings, she shares her delight in discovering the small wonders of the natural world. Wandering the island's beaches, forests and lakes, she gathers seaweeds, mushrooms and berries. Ever curious, she expands her knowledge of wildflowers, lichens, lowly beetles and more. Her encounters with deer, bats, raccoons, frogs, snakes, birds and other wildlife are, by turns, humorous, exasperating and poignant. And she constantly works at enhancing her three acres of garden, meadow and forest jungle.
Hilary Stewart also offers glimpses of the people and events that make up island life: learning local ways and history, attending Native peoples' ceremonies, observing the water dowser, helping to discover petroglyphs, circumnavigating Quadra by boat, coping with wild winter storms, taking part in the annual eagle count--and drumming up the full moon.
Here are the many pleasures and occasional frustrations of life on a small island. It's a life attuned to the natural world, sparked by the joy of discovery, flowing with the seasons, the weather and the tides--on island time.
There is something about islands, particularly those in the Pacific Northwest, that call to me. In 2007, my husband and I joined my father and stepmother on a two week cruise through the San Juan and Gulf Islands aboard their Richardson cabin cruiser. We explored Anacortes, Friday Harbor, Reid Harbor, Roche Harbor, Sidney, Brentwood, Cowichan and Victoria. It was an amazing vacation.
Later that year, I picked up a copy of On Island Time while we were on vacation (visiting my mom and stepdad) on the Oregon coast. I took it back to Nebraska where it sat, unread for the next 14 years! It took moving to Oregon and living in a similar environment to that of the author's before I finally felt compelled to pick it up. The timing was perfect. I don't think I would have appreciated all the details about moss and ferns, eagles and great blue heron, banana slugs and raccoons while living in the Midwest. I didn't know anything about nurse logs, scotch broom or bracken until we moved to Oregon. Berries from salal and and huckleberry, as well as salmon berries, were a puzzlement. Were they poisonous or edible?? I can now identify them, as well as elderberry. I can recognize an oyster catcher by its red stockings and bald eagle by its cry. We may not have made it as far north as Quadra Island back in 2007, but I know it would feel familiar if I ever found my way there now.
On Island Time is a lovely book filled with beautiful line drawings (by the author) and interesting anecdotes. I read it over the course of several months, many times thinking of local friends who would appreciate Stewart's insight into a quiet life surrounded by a forest, as well as the ocean.
The Lady Mick
Sunrise over Friday Harbor
Washington State Ferry
Departing Port Sidney
We didn't make it to Quadra Island on our 2007 trip, but I still dream about someday traveling on those northern waters again.
How interesting that the book waited for the right time--it sounds like a book that would ease the many stresses of the year and recall a wonderful vacation cruise. Here's hoping you will make it to Quadra Island and appreciate it all the more!
ReplyDeleteJenclair, I often think that the success of reading a good book depends on timing. This one was very enjoyable and it was fun to look back through all my photos from that cruise with my family. I don't know if we'll ever cruise those islands again, but it would be fun to take the RV up there (via the ferry system) someday!
DeleteWhat a lovely post! Love the pics too. Lady Mick looks like a wonderful boat. You must have had quite a voyage in 2007. And I'm glad you got to read this book after many years .... seems a winner. I have not been to Quadra Island but have been close -- went to Comox and Lund. I'm curious to get this book ... it reminds me of an old Canadian classic memoir called A Curve in Time by M. Wylie Blanchet, who was widowed in 1926, and left to raise five children on Vancouver Island. She spent the summers on a boat with the kids & had various adventures. The book came out in 1961 ... and still is a mainstay. So I think I'd like Island Time too.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThanks, Susan. I thoroughly enjoyed the book AND looking back through all the photos from that vacation. The Lady Mick was a great boat, although being made of wood, it did have its issues with leaks. ;) My dad and stepmom lived aboard for 17 years (I think that's correct) on Lake Union in Seattle. I'd cruised with them a few other times, but this particular trip was the longest. In many ways, it's a simple life. When they moved ashore to a condo in Kingston, WA, they continued their nomadic adventures in a motorhome. Anyhow, I had a copy of A Curve in Time and tried to read it, but gave up after a few chapters. Blanchet wasn't much of a writer and the book felt more like a diary. Maybe in the hands of someone else, it would have been a more enjoyable read. I do think you'd enjoy On Island Time, though!
DeleteWow they lived aboard Lady Mick for 17 years ! ... I worked in Seattle on the harbor tours in 1991-3 which included the locks etc. so perhaps I went by the Lady Mick and didn't even know it. I'm impressed by their lifestyle.
DeleteOK, now I'm curious! Which company did you work for? My stepsister worked for Argosy Cruises for several years. Probably later than 91-93, though.
DeleteLovely post and beautiful photos... I'm glad you finally found the right time for this book. I'd love to read something like this set along the Gulf Coast islands. Still so much for me to learn about my new surrounding.
ReplyDeleteThanks, JoAnn. I do love traveling on or near water! I'll bet you could find a book like this one in an indie bookstore near you.
DeleteWhat a great post and pictures Les. On Island Times sounds like a nice change of pace story. BTW - I meant to say previously, I love your header! Have a good week.
ReplyDeleteDiane, thanks so much. It was fun going through all my photos from the trip to find a few to share in this review. The book was a soothing read over the past 6 months and I'm glad I finally made time to give it a try. I'm glad you like my new header. Blogger has finally sorted out the issue of correct sizing for the header after several months of problems, so I'm glad I can get back to switching it out every month.
DeleteI LOVE the San Juan Islands area! To me, it is just so peaceful. I spent a summer up there and have returned a couple times, each as enjoyable as the last.
ReplyDeleteHelen, the San Juans are such a special place! We've been to Friday Harbor a few times, but the other spots on this trip were new to us. We're hoping to take the RV up to Vancouver Island in another year or so, which would be a different way to explore the area.
DeleteThis sounds like a perfect book for this time of your life. I'm glad you enjoyed it so much.
ReplyDeleteDeb, it was delightful.
DeleteMy husband and I watch a show called Maine Cabin Masters where they take this camp sites in Maine, some of them on islands and renovate them. It's fascinating how they have to work around the weather but I dream of living by a body of water someday.
ReplyDeleteTi, that sounds like a fun show to try! We've never been to Maine (or anywhere around the northeast), but we'd love to travel there in the RV someday.
DeleteThis is a book that I need to read. We spent eight summers on Lopez Island as interpretive hosts at the state park. We absolutely fell in love with the San Juan Islands! And we spent five weeks RVing on Vancouver Island several years ago...and we went to Quadra! So I need to read this book. There is something truly magical about the islands. I love that you feel that, too.
ReplyDeleteLaurel, I think it's so awesome that you guys summered on Lopez, working as hosts at the state park. There is certainly something magical about the San Juans! I have your Vancouver Island posts bookmarked for when we head up there. Since you've been to Quadra, I think this book will be perfect for you. Enjoy!
DeleteExcellent review and I love the pictures you shared. We were in Vancouver several years ago and loved every minute of it. Our only regret was not going to at least one of the surrounding islands. This book really sounds wonderful and I'll have to add it to my list.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Iliana. It was fun re-visiting that trip as I looked at all my photos. I hope you enjoy the book. It's not one that many people know about.
Delete