STRANGER ON A STRANGE ISLAND: FROM MAIN STREET TO MAYNE IN THANE

In Vancouver, 600 dollars gets you half a bachelor suite. On Mayne Island, it gets you a three bedroom house overlooking the waters of Active Pass and varied wildlife and lush trees as neighbours. With that in mind, Grant Buday trades in the high powered city life in Vancouver for the small town eccentricities of Mayne Island. The scenery, however impressive, is not the only change. A college English instructor for six years, Buday now finds himselfworking wherever a hand is needed. Some of his more adventurous jobs included stealing a boat with one of the locals, who in exchange asked Buday for a word of the day; sheep herding on a deer farm with no deer; and his current part time gig of running the Island's recycling depot. Living on Mayne has also presented numerous opportunities for learning. Buday gets firewood picking lessons from firewood devotee and Mennonite neighbour, Jake, and chainsaw lingo lessons from the local dealer in Sidney. In Stranger on a Strange Island, Buday explores thelayered nature of small town life, the rich history of Mayne Island and the reasons that compelled him to trade in city life for the island life.