this comment from Lucia prompted me to explain:
"Beautiful! Looks like a winter wonderland. But I don't know how you do the grocery shopping in the winter...seriously, please do a post showing how you grocery shop for a family of five without a car. How do you physically get the groceries home? and do you take your kids with you on shopping trips? do you do one big trip or lots of small ones throughout the week? Enquiring minds want to know...or at least mine does."
first we take the ferry to the city. it's about a 10 minute ride. the ferry accommodates delivery or service vehicles only- we ride bikes or walk. that's our giant red cart you can see in this photo. (here's a video about the ferry- some nice shots)
then we walk to our van (we bought a van when we lived in Vancouver last year, then drove it back- see Road Trip 2008!) which is parked on the street. it was completely plowed in when i went on Monday and i had to be shoveled and pushed out by some kind folks! i drive and get the groceries, come back, load up the cart, and walk back to the ferry- working up a sweat pushing the cart and the kid(s) and the huge load of food.
here's what we looked like the other day, with what is actually a pretty small load (only 1 kid, and not as much food as we're going out of town later this week):
here's another picture with everyone aboard. i usually go during the week and only take Asa and Maxine with me- occasionally i manage to go alone, and once in a while everyone comes. i plan for the week and have gotten good enough at it that a once-a-week shop is sufficient. it basically takes 1/2 a day no matter how much stuff i get, so i may as well get as much as possible. plus, i'm forced to use up whatever's in the fridge in the last few days before a shop!
there aren't any stores or businesses on the Island so really there is no other option. it is really amazing living here, but for sure it is not for everyone, and this is probably one reason. (i do appreciate being (more) away from consumerism, and love that Lee for example had no idea what McDonald's was until he was about 5 or 6. he also had no idea what a donut was either, 'very cruel,' my father said)
thanks for asking, Lucia! this blog is becoming all about island living lately...
