With Among the Blue Mountain, Comox author Ruth Dickson completes the poignant tale she began in Pebbles in the Stream — River Rocks.
With her husband and three children, she now lives in Camp 3, a large railway logging camp near the head of Cowichan Lake. Although a less remote location than before, it is not without challenges.
During a labour strike, Dickson and her husband decide to take the family on a camping trip around the B.C. interior. This was a time when highways, bridges and parks were under construction and big changes were underway in the old “frontier” towns and “simple” way of life.
Illustrated with Dickson’s drawings and photographs, the book is alive with wonderful vignettes and heartfelt love, imparted in a clear, modest style. It’s a delight to read, cover to cover.
Dickson also wrote Lighthouse Kids, a special story for young people, which draws on the experiences of her family as lighthouse keepers on Pine Island, off the northern coast of Vancouver Island. It is also illustrated with her drawings.
Dickson, who celebrates her 93rd birthday this year, is an active, accomplished artist, as well as a writer, producing about 15 paintings yearly. She shows regularly with The Brushworks group at the Pearl Ellis Gallery in Comox.
Meet Ruth Dickson this Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Laughing Oyster Bookshop on Fifth Street in Courtenay. To find out more, visit www.laughingoysterbooks.com or call 250-334-2511.
— Ruth Dickson