Thumbs-Up From NBC

NBCOlympics.com today includes The Eco-Shed in a roundup of things to see and do, and places to eat and sleep out here on the island, which the outlet describes as “hidden in plain view, right in the midst of the 2010 Winter Games arena.”

We’re not exactly in the middle of the Olympics arena, we are a 30 minute jaunt by water taxi, or a 20-minute ride on the car ferry. Here’s what they had to say about us:

Healthy and sustainable are the watch words at the Eco-Shed. This free standing cottage, with room for two, is a model of green building techniques.

We really appreciate the love, NBC, but for the record, we can’t guarantee our famous jumbo-sized berry-packed breakfast muffins are exactly “healthy.” Delicious, yes. Healthy? Well, that depends on how you look at it.

Thumbs Up from Granville Magazine!

Granville Online—the popular blog of Vancouver’s leading green-living magazine—finds much to like just inside our front gate in a new review just posted.

“This tiny gem, perched atop the side of an island floating in the middle of Howe Sound, has European charm in a stunning natural setting. But that’s not what hooked us: the Eco-Shed, besides being quaint, offered an eco-friendly retreat—with passive solar heating, reclaimed materials and a roof that feeds a rainwater cistern for the edible organic garden that surrounds it.

”

Paula Gradsal wrote the review after spending a weekend here over the summer. There’s even a nifty slideshow from Granville Online Editor Hilary Henegar that offers a peek inside our legendary continental-breakfast basket!

Come and see what the buzz is all about. Our off-season rates kick in at the end of the month, and the wood stove is ready to roar.

Bowen’s Restaurants, Sliced and Diced

The Globe and Mail newspaper today reviews a number of Bowen’s restaurants and finds much to like. Check out “A Day Trip to Pulled Pork and Madelines,” by Alexandra Gill.

The Ultimate “Staycation” Station

Songbirds… Quiet beaches…. Forest trails… Eagles… Deer… ocean swims… wine… We’re a world apart from the city, but only a half-hour boat ride. If you’re looking to escape, skip the airport and head for the dock at Granville Island….

Got 90 Seconds? Peek Inside Our Door..

Join Our BowFEAST!

We’re proud to be organizing BowFEAST, an annual farmer’s market and festival of island agriculture, set for Snug Cove village on August 15. Shop for fruit, berries, and veg, visit the bee display, learn about soil production in the kid’s tent, and much more.

BowFEAST is a production of OneDayBowen, a grassroots group supporting local solutions to global challenges. It’s sponsored by the Bowen Island Parks and Recreation Department, with further support provided by a community grant from Bowen Island Municipality.

Calling All Locavores!

We’re proud to be organizing BowFEAST–a one-day farmer’s market, celebration of Bowen agriculture and food gardening, and festival of local eating. It will be held in Snug Cove August 15, between 9am and noon.

Now in its third year, BowFEAST is becoming a bit of an island tradition, timed to the peak of the summer harvest.

Note that we’re planning something special for that night. Please drop us a line for details if you are interested in booking on the August 14-15 weekend.

10-Meter Diet, Anyone?

The strawberries are going nuts in the bed just steps from the Eco-Shed’s front door. The gorgeous fruits shown here, harvested earlier this evening, tasted intense and sublime. Next up will be tayberries, raspberries, and blueberries–provided we can keep them away from the birds. We’re encouraging our guests to browse the coming bounty as the crops come into season, and we’ll be rolling this fruit into our baked goods and breakfast baskets.

Homegrown Melodies

There’s a thriving music scene on Bowen Island; a variety of cafes offer drop-in and open mic events, such the popular Snug Session that brings live celtic music to the Snug Cafe on Saturday nights, from 7 to 10pm.

This Friday the Happy Isle cafe, just down the hill from us, will offer live jazz from 7:30pm - 11:00pm with Bowen’s own Teun Schut, Buff Allen, and Ryland Haggis. The trio will play selections from Pat Metheny, John Scofield, Michael Brecker, and George Benson. Fill your glass, join our community, and enjoy these intimate shows.

For full listings of all the musical events out here in the Salish Sea, check out the brand-new Music On Bowen site.

“The Most Comfortable Bed on the Island”

We recently hosted the delightful Monique Trottier (self-portrait at left) and her partner. By day, Monique co-owns a Vancouver-based internet consulting firm; and by evening she is a perfumist and blogger who writes about Canadian literature and the publishing biz. Last summer, Monique reviewed my memoir Almost Green, which tells the colorful story of how I built The Eco-Shed. And last night, she “reviewed” the suite on So Misguided, her blog.

“Having read the book, I knew that I wasn’t going to sleep over in some drafty garden shed,” she writes. “But I had no concept of how lovely the eco-shed really is.”

Check out the piece and her photos, one of which features “the most comfortable beds on the island.”

And by the way, we invite future or past guests to share and ‘tag’ their photos with “eco-shed” as Monique has done, so that we can check them out and perhaps add them to our group pool on Flickr.