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puter "room with
a winter view
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I guess the logical choice of a start would be to tell you a little about where MistyBrook
Acres is situated.
We are fortunate to live in Canada, recently declared by the United Nations
as the best country in the world to live in. This good fortune is further enhanced by experiencing life
on the Queen Charlotte Islands(Haida Gwaii)
The Queen Charlotte Islands are an archipelago of
islands that lie 60 miles off the northcoast of British Columbia and about 40 miles from the Alaskan
Panhandle. They are rugged, pristine, and unique in character- an environment diverse in natural elements
and wildlife species with unusual subspecies. For instance, our indigenous black bears are larger than
their mainland relatives. Our rainforests present conifers towering over lush under growth of shrubs,
ferns and mosses. The rain fills our streams and lake with clean water to support the life abundant in
them. Our beaches are awesome in their beauty and bounty, inviting you to harvest delectables, listen
to the heartbeat of the mighty Pacific, watch whales frolicking, hear the screech of an eagle, or just
mediatate on the powerful impact of nature on one's soul
Despite what some in the "lower 40's"
think our climate is temperate. Some winters we don't even get snow. However we do experience a lot
of wind and rain. I personally like the wind and rain, find them comforting knowing they are a
major factor in the creation of the essence of these islands. Their sounds and sights are far more seductive
than noises and neon lights that contaminate your senses in urban area.
MistyBrook Acres is 15 acres
of well manicured lawns and beautiful gardens(I wish!!!!) on the northern most tip of the Charlottes,
just a hop, skip, and jump away from the beach and a 5 minute car ride to the village of Masset.
Believe it or not, we actually lived in that shack for over a year. It was meant to be a shelter while
constructing the house but as usual things didn't work out as expected. With some adaptions (like a fourth
wall !!!) we wintered in it. In those days I was old enough to know better but still young
enough not to care. I would not do it at this stage in my life but back then it was an adventure. Vince
and I have many good memories of those times. There was the satisfaction of working hard and seeing
our labors come to frutition. Pleasures were simple and every little progress was a celebration. We
also remember all the good friends that visited us there and the great cookouts and parties. Friends
didn't come around us as much after we moved to the "big house" They said it wasn't as much fun, too
civilized!!! My girls were teenagers at the time. They thought of it more as a "misadventure"
than an adventure. Imagine teens with only an outhouse for a bathroom and no telephone. I'm sure they
thought we were abusive but now that they are adults perhaps they have a different perspective.
Vince worked very hard to get us where we are now, milling lumber, gathering shake bolts and splitting
them, constructing windows and doors, digging wells, etc. Our house is no castle but it has heart and
I think reflects our personality.After moving to the "big house" we still didn't have power or telephone
but managed quite well with generators, propane, batteries, etc. We now have power and telephone so
able to have most amenities. There are times I wished I didn't have a phone but without it I would not
be able to have my computer online experiences. This property was a log sorting area before we
arrived and was nothing but sand and bark and pretty desolate. You can see that now vegetation abounds
with invasive brush and towering hemlocks, cedars, and the occasional spruce. We gave up trying to tame
it and decided our landscaping theme would be "au naturale" We have two sloughs on either side of us
that make excellent fences and allow us to view an assortment of birds and animals.
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