The Editor:
If it takes a village to raise child, it also truly takes a community to host a successful Garden Tour!
On July 15, the Point Roberts Garden Club, with the help of many other members of the community, hosted the 15th Point Roberts Garden Tour. We welcomed about 540 visitors as they toured eight varied gardens. Four hundred of these guests also came to the community center where they enjoyed tea, cookies, music, and perhaps a peek at the historical society display. All reports that I have heard indicate that our visitors had an enjoyable day.
On behalf of the Garden Club, I extend a special thanks to the garden owners who worked especially hard beforehand to keep their garden watered and weeded, so that they could proudly share their gardens with our visitors.
Thank you to all of our greeters who welcomed each visitor at each garden.
Special thanks also go to Chris Cameron and her hard working team who decorated the community center, set up tables and chairs, and kept the cookies, water, and tea flowing in order to offer refreshments and a respite to our visitors. The tables set up in the shade of the willow tree and adorned with bouquets in teapots offered a pleasant venue to enjoy the music provided by the Point Roberts Winds and we thank them for sharing their musical talent.
Thank you to all of the cookie-bakers on the Point who allowed us to offer home-baked goodies along with the tea. We thank the Point Roberts Historical Society for opening and staffing their room where they shared their displays with any interested guests. I would like to especially thank Jennifer Urquhart for handling all of our publicity. We can tell what a great job she did from the number of people who attended from all over the lower mainland.
Once again, we were fortunate to have Scott Hackleman design the beautiful graphics on our posters, ads and tickets. Thank you, Scott!
We sold raffle tickets on a garden-themed quilt, and were delighted that long-time Point Robert resident Sally Roberts was the lucky winner.
We also want to thank our ticket vendors, Nielson’s Building Center and Auntie Pam’s Country Store in Point Roberts, and Harris Nursery and Blue Door Interiors in Ladner, as well as Flowers Beautiful in Tsawwassen.
Once again it was a pleasure to work over the past several months with all of the Garden Tour committee!
In total, we had over 100 volunteers from our community helping us on a hot, sunny day in July. And we thank all of you for contributing to the success of our Garden Tour!
Jane Donaldson, chair
Point Roberts
The Editor:
Last month’s cover photo highlighted a group of people titled “the folks who brought back the 4th of July.” The first since 1916. Wow, I thought, 60 years of living in Point Roberts and no Fourth of July festivities till 1976? A lot of things must have been happening in those 60 years.
I have no idea why no one celebrated for 59 years but am grateful that a civic-minded group decided our nation’s 200th birthday needed to be celebrated.
Thank you, Ruby White, for organizing the reunion. What a fun time it must have been for everyone to reminisce. We take for granted the things we expect will happen, like a Fourth of July parade, but we also tend to forget that it takes a lot of people behind the scenes to make it happen.
I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all the behind the scenes people who have made so many things happen year after year that we have all thoroughly enjoyed.
Renee Coe
Point Roberts
The Editor:
Having toured so many of the featured gardens on the Point Roberts Garden Tour over these many years, I am once again delighted by this excellent event. It is always a highlight of the (now biennial) season.
How amazing that we are invited to enjoy these gems of local gardens, in addition to being entertained while having tea with yummies under the willow trees. All this for a nominal cost and thanks to the fine efforts of so many volunteers. My sincere appreciation to all who contribute to make this event continue.
Thank you!
Dee Rothwell
New Westminster, B.C.
The Editor:
As an artist, I have always been a big fan of the U.S. Not anymore! I grew up on military bases in Europe, spent a lot of time playing sports and hanging out with the New York Yankees. In the ‘40s Americans and Canadians were heroes that saved Europe from the Nazis and the Russians.
I have crisscrossed the U.S. many times and graduated with a Master’s Degree from Western Washington University. When I relocated my gallery and studio in Vancouver, I was thrilled to purchase a property near South Beach.
I was helping my partner Christina Lake in her mentoring of seniors in their pursuits of the arts. Christina teaches painting, drawing and pottery. Recently, I was harangued for 20 hours at the border. One of the students was also harangued; all students are seniors citizens and were stressed by the experience.
I was even told not to do a mural at the Shell Station. I was willing to do a $50,000 mural for free to support the community in Point Roberts.
I was told at the border I could not paint a mural as I am classified as an “alien.” I am banned from the U.S. for five years and have to pay a $1,000 fine. I refuse to pay the fine; I am selling my Point Roberts studio and with a heavy heart I intend to never set foot on American soil again.
Brian Scott
Vancouver
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