BACK TO THE LAND

From La Sonrisa’s winter home in Degnan Bay on Gabriola Island Thomas and Elizabeth have found their way “back to the land”, as each of us has done in former chapters of our lives. We seek to live simply and sustainably and to grow our own food. And we have found a place that feels like home.

It’s a ½ acre lot across the street from the beach on False Narrows, Gabriola Island

Lots of room for sunny, south facing garden beds.

We still have familiar marine neighbours: herons, sea lions, seals, eagles, gulls, ravens

Thomas gathers miner’s lettuce, our first harvest on the land,

For now, the little woods is storage space for building materials we come by. Later perhaps a kids' tree house?

Very political corner

We got to work on our new place before we moved there, even before the paperwork got completed.

The first 2 deep beds with movable cold-frame covers

Beside the compost frame is a haystack of dried grass mowed from the lot, to be added as needed to the compost

Here is the site of what has become our root cellar. Done in true permaculture style

where a problem becomes a possibility

Building a driveway from everything we dig up

Under that big rock is an original community well

The truck became a portable workshop and transport of plants to new homes

The garden expands

Thomas’ first building project for the homestead – made from the wood of a discarded futon base

Our first poultry. These California quail are just visiting. Soon we hope to have our own chickens.