Between The Bridges – September 11

As part of the City’s Plaza Evaluation Program, there is a community survey running until September 15. (You may have seen signage in Leg-In-Boot Square.) 

The survey will help the City better understand how well the plazas are serving their respective communities, and if there is anything they can do to improve them. The survey is short, online and anonymous.  

Please take a few minutes to let them know what you think about the plaza at Leg-In-Boot Square!  
Survey Link: vancouver.ca/plaza-review 

Start with extensive merchandise management and startup experience. Add a passion for reducing waste and living clean. Stir with a desire to contribute to community. Then, mix in opportunity in the form of an empty storefront steps from home in the Heather Point strata. The result is one of False Creek South’s newest retail outlets: The Refillery.

Samara Sidhu-Bickley, Saj Butt, and their three children opened The Refillery at 800 Millbank during the summer. From inside, and the chairs on the storefront patio, there is a view of the seawall and Heather Civic Marina. 

The Refillery features home and personal care and wellness products that are organic, plant-based, and eco-friendly. Saj emphasizes their focus on Canadian products, especially B.C.  

“I think we’ll always be in pursuit of new products,” he says. “I’m big on the concept of moments of joy and discovery. People can come in, try things, and find something new.”

A partial list of what can be found on the store’s shelves includes bulk cleaning products, gourmet flavoured salts from Vancouver Island, candles and soaps from a False Creek artisan, children’s bamboo rainbow toothbrushes, natural toothpastes, deodorants, creams, and more. Browsers can also find a selection of teas, high-protein Ramen noodles, farm-fresh eggs, and pretzels that light up the eyes of those in the know.

The hot summer weather brought seawall strollers in the door for cold treats from the freezer close to the entrance or from the nearby cooler filled with some less-typical beverages. One social media fan was so excited to find Japanese canned UCC coffee with milk in the cooler that he posted a video of himself leaving the Refillery with his drink. 

Saj says the store will continue to evolve. There are plans to use a front room as a community space where artists can hold workshops and cycling groups can store excess items while on their rides. His goal for the future of The Refillery: “I hope we are a thriving part of the community.”

Last month, writer Eve Lazarus posted a series of Bruce Stewart’s photos of False Creek South in the 1970s: a kind of graphic memoir of the period. But she also has a question: Does anyone know the identity of the two girls in this photo? And, if so, the date it was taken?

If you know or have further information relevant to this photo, please let us know at *email is hidden, JavaScript is required*, and we will pass it along.

Flash forward almost half a century to the site of the above photo, street signs now identify it as the intersection of School Green and Scantlings. The enclaves shown are False Creek Co-op and Marine Mews strata.

Are you feeling the craziness of the world these days? Might you be feeling the need for a friendly space for conversation, creativity, and connection? That is what I hope to offer at Circles in the Square, a community gathering place.

This is not what I expected in my comfortable retirement. But two years ago, I felt called to return to school to do a master’s degree in Public and Pastoral Theology. Not being at all religious, this was quite a surprise! But I have always followed my instincts, and sure enough, I have enjoyed exploring this new field. As I have approached my final year, though, where I am required to practice my theology in some setting, I have wondered how that might look for me. Again, I acted on a hunch when I passed a “For Sale” sign at a storefront at 665A Market Hill, a few doors up from Beth’s Convivial Café in Leg-In-Boot Square. Circles in the Square has emerged in an almost magical way.

Beginning this fall, we will offer a variety of gatherings to the False Creek South community. We will host groups looking for a space to meet, like the False Creek Friends Society, and we will offer workshops on topics ranging from Writing Your Memoir to Conscious Aging, Spirit Collage, and a Song Circle. These will be facilitated by members of the Inner Circle, a group of experienced workshop leaders who have joined me in building a community belonging space. We operate as a gift economy from a philosophy of abundance, where contributions to our sustainability are welcomed based on your experience and your means. If you are interested in more information or in joining us, please be in touch at *email is hidden, JavaScript is required* or www.circlesinthesquare.ca.

And what has all this to do with my theology?  I have come to think of myself as something of a spiritual entrepreneur, creating opportunities for quiet contemplation, deep conversation, and creative arts where we connect with self and others, drawing from our collective stories to sense right actions. I see my theology as Love in Action.

You are invited to participate in this thriving hub of consciousness, creativity, and community as a way forward in difficult times, a canvas for expressing ourselves in healthy ways for the sake of humanity and the planet. Please join us.

The next meeting of Nathan's Book Club is:  
Sunday, September 28th, 2:00-4:00 pm
"Circles in the Square" space, located at Leg-in-Boot Square (665A Market Hill).

Our book is: 
Messy Cities: Why We Can't Plan Everything
Edited by Dylan Reid, Zahra Ebrahim, Leslie Woo, and John Lorinc
https://chbooks.com/Books/M/Messy-Cities

We have some e-copies and hard copies that are available. If you’d like to borrow a copy, please send me an email: *email is hidden, JavaScript is required*

And last but not least, we ask that you please RSVP to
*email is hidden, JavaScript is required* so we can plan refreshments accordingly. 

False Creek Friends often gets emails and calls from neighbours upset about the clutter of grimy boats anchored out. Here is one from a while back:

Hello Zaida at False Creek Friends,
Is there anything you can do to get those eyesores out of the Creek? I get furious every time I hear about one sinking or catching fire. Why won’t the police do anything?

We often get these when people Google news headlines like “Ticking Timebombs in False Creek”. 

However, you can’t always judge a boat by its colour – or its paint job.

Take a fairly hard-wearing boat like the one Bruce lives on, often with his buddy Rick.

It’s one of the most run-down wrecks out there, but it has never sunk, and as far as I know, never has been involved in any criminal activity. 

I have known Bruce for a few years now. Like me, he worked in the logging industry, but unlike me, Bruce worked at it too long, and it was permanently hard on his body. He is a shipwright – and also, kind of a saint. 

I have personally seen him lend tools to others who live out in the sea-born slum. Quite unfairly, he’s had lots of stuff stolen from him. And I know for a fact that he keeps a lookout for young, vulnerable women who may find themselves stranded out on one of those forlorn boats. 

Yes, I know - that sounds suspicious. But I really trust him - and I believe so do most of the guys in the VPD marine unit whose job it is to patrol the Creek. 

Life has not been easy on Bruce and his buddy Rick, who went to high school together in Burnaby. But they pick up garbage without fanfare and don't ask for money or recognition. And when we comfy folks ashore look at the sad, dilapidated hulks out in the water, we may not know that aboard some of them are people who care. 

We actually have a “kindness plan” about what can be done to accommodate people like Bruce and Rick and help them keep False Creek clean. Want to know more?  Email me at *email is hidden, JavaScript is required*.

All are invited: Thursday, October 9, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Sitka Square meeting room (False Creek Co-op)
 
Live in False Creek South, or even just think about it, and you’ve likely asked: what makes this area different? This question prompted a new study to be presented Thursday, October 8 at an event called Rethinking Heritage: False Creek South as a Cultural Landscape.
 
The evening is an opportunity to better understand why this area is distinct and to share stories and reflections. Focus will be on the idea that Heritage is not only about what you save. It’s about what you create.
 
The event is hosted by the False Creek South Neighbourhood Association and Heritage Vancouver Society (HVS). Bill Yuen, HVS executive director, will present his study of False Creek South as a cultural landscape. Yuen’s approach centres on the human aspects of False Creek South as a distinct part of local heritage.
 
Commissioned by RePlan, Yuen’s study draws on residents’ input at City Council meetings, during community planning workshops, and in interviews. With this input, Yuen documented significant aspects of False Creek South heritage from the perspective of this area as a living community. 
 
Yuen focused on the daily relationships between residents and their neighbourhood, and how the people of the community embody a cultural life that makes False Creek South a distinct cultural place in Vancouver.

His study asks two key questions:
1. What characterizes life in False Creek South?
2. How are those characteristics reflected in the relationships that residents have with False Creek South?
 
Following the presentation, there will be time for discussion. 

RSVP here: 
https://www.falsecreeksouth.org/event/rethinking-heritage-false-creek-south-as-a-cultural-landscape/
 
For an advance look at Yuen’s report, click here.

First up on Wednesday, September 24: Walking in the Great Outdoors

Interested in walking in the UK with like-minded people? We find that walking with others boosts both our mental and our physical health. Over the years, we have chosen HF Holidays for our walking adventures. Its mission is to provide "shared holiday experiences that inspire friendship, fun, and an active enjoyment of the great outdoors.”

On this evening, we will share our walking holiday experiences, including the variety of holidays available, the levels of difficulty and the daily routines while staying at a stunning country house. As an example of one of the many holiday choices with HF, we will explore in depth our walk on the Isle of Wight.

To register please email *email is hidden, JavaScript is required*. We can host 18 participants at Circles in the Square at 665A Market Hill. 

Next up: Michael Nagel on "Short vacations you may never have thought of right here in Canada."