Our house and property 533 Long Harbour Rd.

The story of this location starts with the First People who camped here in the summer and
enjoyed the plentiful clams and oysters. The evidence of this seasonal habitation is the
midden that encompasses this bay. Because of the fresh water that seeps out into the bay,
there are almost no starfish to eat these shellfish. Ample food was not the only draw as
those early inhabitants knew that the SW wind that blows frequently in the warmer months
blows by our bay and often leaves this house and property unruffled and calm.

This was one of the first locations chosen by early settlers also. The older apple trees
and the large pear tree were part of the original Fruitvale orchard and their produce was
taken by rowboat and barge to off-island locations to be sold. Many of these old varieties
are still productive. In subsequent years Bartlett pear trees were planted, and we planted
filbert nut trees, walnuts and Asian pear, the grapes and a Gravenstein apple. All of the
plantings love the location because, as one of our neighbors once said, 'if the sun is
shining on Salt Spring, it is shining on Fruitvale'.

In general this area is a dry one. We knew we wanted to grow food and wanted to have ample
water, so in addition to the drilled well we had we installed a new roof on the house and
copper gutters that fed a 27,000 gallon water collection system. The tanks are usually
full by the end of December, or at the latest in January, and although we use this system
for all of our irrigation, we have never managed to use all of the stored water. In
addition, noting the luxurious growth along the west border of the property, we installed
a 21' dug well that we now use for household water. The water is tasty and has served us
well. We had a full mineral test done on the water and it is perfect, tastes delicious and
is fed from a small aquifer of saturated pure coarse golden sand that sits on the bedrock
under about 12' of glacial till or stoney clay. The well was installed with a protective
barrier that prevents surface water from entering the system. The house has the option of
being run on rain water with only the kitchen cold water tap delivering dug well water.

There is a dike of sandstone that comes to the surface all across this property and the
adjacent properties and it retains the fresh groundwater like a dam so that the fresh
water only slowly gets to the high water mark of the sea with the previously mentioned
benefit of keeping the starfish from coming too close and devastating the oyster bed.

There is excellent crabbing for Dungeness in the harbour especially in the gap at the east
end of goat island, an easy row from the tidal float and ramp. 

As the house floors are already plumbed for hot water in floor heat, the conversion from
boiler supplied hot water to tidal grid supplied hot water via an exchange system and
compressors is the next logical step and the necessary lease is in place allowing the
installation of the grid under a dock approach, ramp and float running straight out from
the existing dinghy dock