Cowichan Valley's first snowfall - the view from the kitchen

Tane Hiira Pou Karanga – Te Awhio Whio – The Welcoming Spirit Of Sound Above Tane Hiira, The King Of The Cedar Forest was carved by Tupari TeWhata (Maori) of Kaikohe, New Zealand in 1986.

Tupari TeWhata is a carver in Kaikohe, New Zealand, a sister city of Duncan. Tupari came over to Duncan in 1986 to carve a Maori pole and headed back to New Zealand with a Northwest Coast pole. This Maori pole is located next to the Nha Trang Maki Sushi Restaurant at 62 Kenneth St., Duncan, British Columbia.

The plaque reads – In

Continue reading The Welcoming Spirit Of Sound Above Tane Hiira, The King Of The Cedar Forest – Tupari TeWhata

Tsonoqua, Mythological Wild Women Of The Woods (Thunderbird Above Tsonoqua)  was carved by Ned Matilpi in 1990.

Ned Matilpi is of the Ma’amtagila band and the Kwakwaka’wakw and Tlingit nations. Ned was born in 1957 in Alert Bay into the Maamtagila band on northern Vancouver Island. He began is art training in Victoria under his father, the late Oscar Matilpi Sr.

Presently Ned Matilpi lives in Alert Bay on the northern tip of Vancouver Island. 

This Totem presently stands in Station Street Park at 79 Station Street, Duncan, British Columbia.

Additional photographs of

Continue reading Tsonoqua, Mythological Wild Women Of The Woods (Thunderbird Above Tsonoqua) – Ned Matilpi 1990

Raven Holding Totem Pole Above Son Of Indian Chief Above Beaver was carved by Douglas Lafortune in 1989. This totem lies directly south of the Duncan Train Station and is one of the most impressive in the city.

Doug LaFortune is one of the best known names in west coast Native art. LaFortune was born in Bellingham, Washington in 1953 and started working as a professional artist in 1973. Douglas Lafortune was taught by the gifted carver Simon Charlie.

Additional photographs of Doug Lafortune’s Raven Holding Totem Pole Above Son

Continue reading Raven Holding Totem Pole Above Son Of Indian Chief Above Beaver – Douglas Lafortune 1989

Technical Data:

Live Christmas

Continue reading BC Forest Discovery Centre Christmas Express 2009

The BC Forest Discovery Centre began life as a private collection assembled by Gerry Wellburn and his family. Today, the  collections include over 5,000 artifacts, operational steam locomotives, over 12 heritage buildings and an amazing collection of tools used in the logging industry. The centre is located on the Trans Canada highway just north of town, look for the large steam locomotive on the eastern side of the highway.

Many events are

Continue reading BC Forest Discovery Centre – Duncan

The Kinsol Trestle is an amazing structure when viewed from the air. Aerial photographs show how large the Kinsol Trestle really is from a very different perspective. For those not familiar with the Kinsol Trestle, the trestle was completed in 1920, its dimensions measuring 38m (125 ft) high and 188m (614 ft) long making it the largest wooden trestle in the Commonwealth of Nations and one of the highest railway trestles in the world.

Aerial view of the Kinsol Trestle showing the Trans Canada Trail on the north side, Cowichan Valley, British Columbia,

Continue reading Kinsol Trestle Aerial Photos

Kinobe and Soul Beat Africa, Islands Folk Festival 2009

Summer is over and I am spending my time working through approximately 30,000 photos of the Cowichan Region that I shot in the past 4 or 5 months. The more I see of this beautiful area the more impressed I am with what the Cowichan has to offer and I think that many will agree. I have always mentioned to people that actually doing the photography is the easy part, putting the computer time in to edit and label the images is another story. It does

Continue reading Cowichan Valley Photos – Large gallery update and news

Whippletree Junction was started about 30 years ago by a fellow named Randy Streit with a funky collection of old heritage buildings rescued from demolition. The Wickertree was the first building rescued having come from the old Chinatown in Duncan. An old fish cannery in Sooke was brought back to life as Wagon Wheel Antiques and Cobble Hill’s old post office and bank were resurrected to what is now Black Coffee.

These days the old buildings house antique shops, new furniture stores, a restaurant, a tack shop and others. The Whippletree Junction

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Richard Hunt’s Cedar Man Holding Talking Stick is the world’s largest totem pole in diameter, measuring 1.8 meters (6′ 7″) across! It is carved in the Kwakwaka’wakw style and represents Cedar Man transforming into his human form. One cannot appreciate how large this is until you stand underneath the impressive totem. The tree from Port Renfrew was estimated at 775 years old when it was cut down and donated to the City of Duncan. Cedar Man Holding Talking Stick is located near the Duncan court house.

Additional photographs of Richard Hunt’s Cedar Man Holding Talking

Continue reading Cedar Man Holding Talking Stick – Richard Hunt 1988