Erin Baumeister is a transplant. She landed in Pemberton after a nomadic childhood — her dad, in global telecommunications, moved the family to Taiwain and then Israel. At 19, Erin, who had spent her youth taking camel-riding field trips with the Bedouin and fundraising to deliver school supplies to Masai kids in Kenya, found herself…
The power of pulling together
It’s the best feeling I’ve ever had — although fresh tracks, a sweet mountain bike descent in which I manage to stay off the brakes, a crash-tackle hug from a dear friend, and a baby falling asleep on my chest are nice, too. My last year at University, my three best mates and I…
Rising Strong
It was the last question of the night. The panel had faced some tough ones, but it was a heckler-free crowd – friendly, supportive, curious. It’s not often, despite our proximity, that Pemberton women get to hear from Lil’wat women. Three Lil’wat Nation councillors, Lois Joseph, Maxine Joseph Bruce and Helena Edmonds, sitting alongside Pemberton’s…
Making light of the ask
I’m sitting at the Blackbird Bakery across from 33-year-old Polek Rybczynski, and his almost two-year-old son Tae, leafing slowly through a proof of his coffee table book, Valley of Light. It’s the final stage of a project that began in 2014, when he committed to a personal practice of taking one photograph of the Pemberton…
The best place to be is in the kitchen. Being cooked for.
Technically, I’m a vegetarian. Have been for over 20 years. Pretty much since I was in a position to say “this is what’s going into my body, and this is not, “I’ve taken a left turn at eating anything that used to have a heartbeat. But when Chef Randy Jones says “try this” and slides…
Forget you Siri. I don’t want a robot PA. I want a doula.
I read an article that said the single best way to win the dinner party (ie make a positive enduring impression) is to ask people what they do for a living, and then say: “That sounds hard.” Apparently, this social ninja move is the fail-proof opening gambit. Three simple words to bypass tedious small…
Would you take a wellness workshop from your dentist?
Last I heard of Pemberton’s stalwart dentist, Anne Crowley, she had put on a backpack and was about to solo trek across the country. I didn’t really expect her to be offering an eight-week wellness course at the Pemberton Community Centre, starting Jan. 18. “I made it to Lillooet,” she said. She’d set out with…
Some stuff I learned in 2015
I’m a slow learner. But this is what I managed to piece together during this most recent solar orbit. I learned that productivity is a con (and I should really stop clicking on all those headlines that offer happiness and productivity hacks), that hope is a radical act, and that writing is still my best medicine,…
What 13,000 year old human footprints on a BC beach taught me about living in the moment
This, from the latest issue of Coast Mountain Culture, which can be hard to find on the ground – being such a luscious piece of print yumminess that it gets scooped up quickly. So, here’s one of the pieces I penned for the Holy issue. Ancient human footprints unearthed on British Columbia’s Central Coast challenge…
Got stress? Try impromptu living room dance parties. Science rates it.
I’m working on a new stress management strategy. Gritting my teeth and just getting ‘er done has backfired. Compulsive clenching has begun to undermine the fillings in my molars. So much for the grin and bear it approach. So, impromptu dance parties it is. I mean, how good does it feel to crank the tunes,…
Lisa Richardson Bylines 