The Outdoor Season begins at Mansons Friday Market

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Mansons Friday Market’s ‘Outdoor Season’ officially started on May 19.

“I think it's great. It's a beautiful sunny day and long weekend and, but still mostly locals, which is really nice to have their support,” said Sara Stewart, of Reef Point Farms.

CC: Can I ask, where do you do most of your business?

“I have a lot of different venues. There's the farmer's market. I also have the farm stand. I sell to the co-op and to Hollyhock and the Gorge Store when it's in the middle of the summer,” she replied.

 One of her customers, Judyth Weaver, interjected, “I go all the way down to this farm stand. Is it happening already?”

“In a couple weeks,” said Stewart.

“Okay. I was wondering, and I love it when she comes here. I've been buying her greens whenever she's had them at the Co-op, so I've been eating off of you for a long time.”

CC:  How long have you been operating Reef Point Farms?

“I have a business called Wildfire Produce, lease land there and started in 2020. So this is my fourth season,” explained Stewart.

Rod Lee has been selling his cedar bird houses ever since he took up his perminant abode on Cortes Island, about 23 years ago.

 “I'm an amateur and birdhouses struck me as being something I could make out of small pieces of lumber that were available from mills in the reject pile, where I could cut defects out and create a usable piece of wood. So birdhouses and the boxes are a variety of sizes. I just simply wait till I get a number of pieces of a similar size, make a box or a birdhouse out of them,” he explained.

CC: Are there specific houses for specific birds?

“There can be. For instance, I make a Swallow House because Swallows fly directly into the nesting area without using a perch. Whereas most of the other smaller birds, including Wrens, will use a perch before they climb into the nest box. Some of the ducks that use nests like Harlequin Wood Duck, have to be close to water. The young, when they come out just fall to the ground and then carry on. They use a different size box and often there's a bit of a ramp built into the box to give the ducklings access to the opening. So yeah, there's some differences.”

CC: What do you use the boxes for?

RL: “I made up a little piece of paper that said ‘you can use them for anything you want.’ My wife told me my dresser top was messy, so I now have a wooden box with all my stuff in it. She's happy and I'm happy. I know where everything is, but people will use them for anything. I've had people buy them for sunglasses. I've had people buy them to use in display areas. I've had people buy them with lids as jewelry boxes, key boxes. Some workers have kept special screws, nuts or bolts in them.”

CC: Where do you sell your boxes and birdhouses?

RL: I’ve been a salesman all my working life, so it's a natural habit for me.
I enjoy it and I enjoy meeting people. As a member of the Cortes Island Craft Shop, located in Squirrel Cove, I get to meet people from all over that are holiday or coming off their boats. It’s always fun.”

“I will sell here on the island at the Friday and Saturday markets, Mansons and the Gorge. I do have one off island company, Shar-kare in Campbell River who take my bird houses.”

Loretta from Tenant Farm did not want to be recorded, but had no objection to my photographing her interaction with two customers examining a colorful hand spun toque.

Most of the action is still indoors, where there were about 17 booths set up in the hall and entrance foyer. That is far too many people to interview.