Being secular but spiritual in a landscape of wonder

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Delightful Life

Delightful Life

M&M, Cascadian Lovers
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So there is this place that some of you may have hoid aboot, a culture extending from BC all the way through High Washington (*puff**puff*), Oregon & perhaps Northern California.

The peoples in this area share more in common with each other than their Eastern neighbours.

From this region have come such awesomeness as grunge rock, Life in Hell, Starbucks, the Occupy Wall Street movement, Do Nothing Day, Greenpeace, the world's first commercial quantum computer, the world's first diving hard suit, a secessionist country...

Local writer and Doc of Divinity Douglas Todd, who has a blog I adore, The Source, has been writing aboot this concept for a bit now. He even has a book on the subject, called "cascadia: the elusive utopia -- exploring the spirit of the pacific northwest"

Here is an excerpt:

http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2008/...in-nature-and-in-yearning-for-a-fresh-future/

I'm making this thread as an opportunity for my fellow Cascadians to relate their stories, experiences, theories, musings, riffs, videos, images on all things Cascadian.

This'll give non-Cascadians here some insight as to what informs us, makes us tick...
 
I grew up for a few years of my life living next door to an astrologer who was Canadian but had lived in California (is that Cascadia?) and New Mexico (hey can we include that as a desert colony of Cascadia) during the late sixties and early 70s and (claimed that) she had lived on a commune with rock stars. She was a 'deadhead' type who later became a professional astrology consultant. She had long crazy hair and wore tie dye. In the 80s she got a short savvy haircut and put on a suit, and a VW Golf, and when I ran into her in about 1985 I didn't even recognize her. She moved to a fancy neighbourhood and provided astrology services to young upward professionals...that's not uncommon here in Cascadia - a new term to me but it makes sense.
Her children, who I went to school with had very interesting names which I won't write because they are very unique...but that was also common. I did know a girl named Jolly Sunshine, in grade one.
 
We owned a VW camper van in the 70s and spent a lot of time in nature - and did road trips to Washington ( and later Oregon).

My friend's family built a cabin on Salt Spring Island - together, as a family. Just like the Swiss Family Robinson.. I camped with them once while they were starting to build it.

Many young people spend summers in Uclulet and Tofino, surfing and working
at hospitality jobs. It's BC's Long Beach and I think it's one of the most beautiful spiritual places on earth. We used to go as a family, a group of families, and spend parts of the summer there, too. My dad used to windsurf in his younger days. I can't surf or windsurf but I 'boogey boarded' many times which is a body surfing board with a cord and wrist strap. It was a gas! The water's a bit cold (compared to California) so if you want to be in it for awhile you need a wetsuit.
 
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I'd say Emily Carr was a Cascadian (I like the idea in a spiritual sense, there are many similarities between the area from BC to Northern California, you can 'feel' it, but I don't think we need to change borders - in that sense I am not a Cascadian. I'm a West Coast BC Canadian. And also I'm Christian but still appreciate the biodiversity and people diversity here).

https://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/collection_and_research/emily_carr.html

More on Emily Carr, who questioned organized religion in the 1920s. She actually really captures a lot of the West Coast BC vibe with her almost psychedelic forest paintings.
http://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/the_exhibitions/exhibit_carr_theatre_transcendence.html
 
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Actually it's sort of gypsie funk. What is that music? I like it....Dr.Draw, Pushkin. I just looked it up...Dr.Draw does not hail from Cascadia, but is actually an electric violinist from Toronto.
 
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My very favourite BC restaurant, opened in 1979 ( has served Allen Ginsberg, Saul Bellow, Susan Serandon and Bob Dylan...and Wayne Gretzky...I remember the photo on the wall). Actually even though Vancouver's a big city absolutely no restaurant in my lifetime compares to this place. So much character!

http://pagliaccis.ca/

Menu with a sense of humour:

http://pagliaccis.ca/pages/dinner_specials.htm


This is the owner, Howie Seigel. A real character! He's semi famous in Victoria. He used to own an old movie theatre, too, called Roxy Cinegog...that played B movies, classics, and the Rocky Horror Picture Show on Fridays. That's quirky BC!!!

http://douglasmagazine.com/resources/42-profiles/132-howie-siegel.html

...nostalgia, nostalgia...gives you some idea of how BCers tick...why we're so loonie!
 
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