Hi! My name is Ashlyn Anstee, and I tell stories with words and pictures. Sometimes, that’s picture books (like Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Select “Hedgehog”), or graphic novels (my series “Shelby and Watts”), and sometimes it’s animation (I’ve directed at places like Warner Bros. and Cartoon Network).
This column, “For the Fun of It”, will also have words and pictures. Sometimes it will be stories, or how-tos, or thoughts. A little bit of everything. Hope you enjoy!
The Island
I usually tell people I grew up in Vancouver, but I also spent a large part of my childhood on Pender Island. The Gulf Islands are a group of small islands that sit in the Georgia Strait, between Vancouver and Vancouver Island. And when you say “The Island”, it doesn’t refer to a specific one, just whichever one you happen to be on at that time. So, we would spend summers on the Island.
My dad is from Ontario, a province which has a huge cottage industry (hoho). Since there are so many lakes in Ontario, it’s common to spend summers out in rural cottages on the lake, whether you rent or own. They even call it “cottage country”!
We had a tiny cabin- 400 sq feet for the five of us, and our dog. There was one bedroom where my parents slept, and us three kids would sprawl around on the living room.
Each island has its own personality. The largest of the Gulf Islands (and most populated) would be Saltspring. Saturna has a bunch of wild goats. And on and on!
Pender is actually two islands- they were split in two in 1903 to let boats pass through, and in 1955 they were joined by a little bridge. The place names on the island are magical- there’s a literal Magic Lake, Enchanted Forest, and you come in off the ferry to Otter Bay.
I recently watched Island of the Sea Wolves, a beautiful documentary on Netflix narrated by Will Arnett, about the creatures of Vancouver Island. On Vancouver Island, they have predators like wolves, but on the Gulf Islands, there are rarely any. There are so many deer that you really do have to be careful crossing. In the Spring, the deer will come out and teach their fawns how to cross the road.
The otters.
Though our cabin on Pender was tiny, we did have one coveted feature- steps down the sheer cliff to the water.
So when we first moved in, we were SHOCKED one morning to see otters bounding up the lawn from the cliff. Literally three flights of stairs, and they were running up to go make a home in the foundation. My dad had to close it off, much to our frustration as kids (otters look like literally sea puppies).
The thing is that otters are like tiny little frat bros, and they would have filled the foundation of the house full of rotting mussel shells and clams. So my dad closed off under the house.
Still, a girl can dream about otters in the family.
If you haven’t read the beloved Canadian classic, Owls in the Family by Farley Mowat, it’s worth a read. It’s a book that is still taught in schools (though the book was written in 1961, so take it all with a grain of salt). It’s set in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan about two brothers who end up adopting a menagerie of creatures, including two owls. There’s a big brash one called Wol, and a shy, nervous one called Weeps. Also, look at this bomb cover. Love the lettering.
Thing of the Week
And my thing of the week are wildlife cams! A great thing to look at if you’re looking for a drawing warm up- check out this twitch channel from the Marine Mammal Rescue! Look at that sea puppy rub its face. Sea animals, they do their skin care routines, just like us.
ok love you bye.
What an adorable glimpse at little Ashlyn! ❤
I love wildlife cams too! I’m currently hooked to this cub cam at my local zoo. https://www.youtube.com/live/-GiGlImvYSo?feature=share