Monday, January 4, 2010

Found it!



The Farm
When I talk about The Farm,
this is what I mean.

Found the cable to my camera. Don't ask me where it was. I don't know. So now I have a whole smattering of pictures to share with you, which I will do as I tell you about life here on an island that has no central heating.

The town of Langley is five miles from my parents' home. It's a sweet little town--it has a little library in the cutest building (and it contains about 8 books), it has a post office, it has the Useless Bay Coffee Company (which makes the best cup of coffee I have ever had), a bunch of little boutique-y type shops, eateries, and a ton of bookstores.


Really, a lot of bookstores, given the three streets that make up downtown Langley. One shop sells new books, and at least four shops, all within a one block radius, selling used books. Of course, there is a yarn shop. And there is The Clyde movie theater.



My new office
Piles of yarn behind the couch
in my mom's family room.
Handy, convenient, and attractive.

The Clyde has about 250 seats and gets new movies that are on their way out of the mainland and are finishing up at all reputable movie theaters. It's great, actually. The tickets are $6, and $4 for a weekend matinee. Each movie is shown for about 3 days, and then the next one is brought in. Each month The Clyde puts out a schedule, which is the calendar by which my dad plans every other part of his life. A large popcorn is about $2 AND they let you bring in your own food. Like the fish and chips I walked in with, outstretched in my hands and not hidden away in my purse like I was smuggling gold.







Speed Racer
This is Eric's go-kart.
That my dad, McGuyver,
fashioned out of 3 pipe cleaners,
a lawn mower engine, and some dental floss.

And it's very apparent that my dad is not the only movie officianado on this island. Downtown Langley at 4:15 on a Saturday afternoon is the place to be.

Mike and I went to see The Blind Side (of which I cannot speak too highly, including what a cutie-pie that Tim McGraw is). We went early to park the car and walk around a bit (hitting 3 of the used bookstores as well as the yarn shop. I mean, they're right there...). We had been warned that, for the "good ones", you need to line up 45 minutes early. Mike is not one to heed my mother's warnings, but he also knows I'm a child of my dad and like to select my seats early.




Baby hats
See, I've been knitting...

Sure enough--4:15 and people were pouring into this teeny tiny little theater.

Mike and I sat in our (excuse me, MY) carefully chosen seats, eating our dinner, watching Langley night life spring into action. This theater is clearly the highlight of everyone's week.

In any other movie theater, the patrons come in two by two, everyone talks in hushed tones, and it's a very insular event. Not here. At The Clyde, people come in groups. In packs. There were clusters of people all over the theater who had been planning this event together. And wouldn't you know--they all knew the other clusters of people. So it was like a big cocktail party before this movie began. It was loud, people were standing up at their seats as well as in the aisles visiting with each other, and Mike and I were feeling both smug and isolated at the same time that we were the only people in this theater that didn't know all of the other 248 people there.


Ringo
Eric's Aunt Tiffany and Uncle Marcus have
recently acquired Beatles Rock Band. Guess
who gets 98% every time he plays....

Until we heard "Hi Mike!" and, as luck would have it, we actually ran into an acquaintance with whom Mike use to work. The one person we know on this floating piece of land.

And just like that, we hiccupped our way into Island society just a little bit.





Harpo and Halo
Ryan and his friend, Ben,
as surfing angels in this
year's Christmas paegent.
I'm starting to understand how my parents can meet someone for the first time standing in line at the post office, and then 8 years later spend a night on the town with these now good friends, seeing the 5:00 matinee at The Clyde. This is going to happen to me, isn't it?




Angelic
Eric, 2nd from right,
getting ready for the
Christmas paegent.

I mean, the most successful job interview I have had so far has been with this guy, Tom, who I met at Cozy's bar, and he handed me his expensive camera to download some pictures for him (don't worry, I know what you're thinking--he sells golf clubs) and start updating his Ebay account. The interview consisted of Tom having a couple of beers, asking me to take his camera home, and of me writing down my name, phone number, and email address, because at some point he was going to sober up and realize that he just handed off his $300 camera to a complete stranger.


Tom and I are still working together and to date he is taking me more seriously than the bank and the phone company. But again--this is life on the island. Not exactly corporate.





My Little Bum
Eric, the day after Christmas.
Wearing his new pj's, new sweatshirt,
playing his new Band Hero on his DS,
with no intention of moving.
That's all for now, people. Hats to knit, chickens to feed...this place doesn't run itself, you know!

1 comment:

Tiff said...

Useless Bay is my all-time favorite coffee shop, this side of the Atlantic. The Smuggler's Cove blend is to die for. Plus I want to model my front yard after their garden.