The Point Grey moose

 

What is a moose doing on top of the most expensive house in B.C.?

Walk along the pricey Point Grey waterfront in the mid-winter twilight, when the sparkle of lights in mansion windows starts contrasting deliciously with the purple-blue haze of the ocean and mountains behind, and if you look up, you may find yourself staring at a moose.

Or at least the figure of a moose. Larger than life-size, outlined in lights, it stands alone on the flat rooftop of the most expensive house in B.C. ($66.8 million this year, down from $78.8 million in 2018), saying … who knows what?

The house belongs to local billionaire Chip Wilson, co-founder of Lululemon, who is known as something of a jokester. But I could find no online explanation for why he chose a lonely moose as the sole (publicly visible) holiday decoration on his 16,000-square-foot house. It’s almost the opposite of how another B.C. billionaire, Jim Pattison, once approached holiday decor, setting his British Properties’ home ablaze with multi-coloured lights that drew visitors from around the Lower Mainland.

Ebullient Pattison versus elegant-eccentric Wilson? Who knows what messages billionaires are sending through their choices of holiday decor? But whatever the moose is meant to represent, when I came across it unexpectedly on a solitary Covid walk stolen between winter downpours, it seemed splendid.

 On the priciest house on some of the city’s priciest waterfront, a creature evoking Canada’s wilderness stood there, posing solemnly against the sea.

A gift that hit the spot

The perfect gift is a rare jewel that most of us are lucky enough to give – or receive – only a few times in a lifetime. In the dismal, isolated Christmas of 2020, my sister Betty and her husband Bert were the recipients of what I’d consider a pretty perfect gift. To my mind, it hit all the marks – it was unusual, thoughtful, tailored just to them, a complete surprise – and most importantly, it sparked delight.

I heard it in my sister’s voice during our post-Christmas FaceTime visit: “Just wait till you see what Etienne and Aya gave us,” she said, referring to her son and daughter-in-law, who live across the country from Betty and Bert but have a pretty good idea of what gives them joy.

The gift was a birdhouse -- but not just any birdhouse.

I call this unusual birdhouse a perfect gift for my sister and brother-in-law.

It had the requisite bird-hole in its sloped roof, but the ground floor was a kind of veranda reflecting the most treasured aspects of the Laurentian cottage that my sister and her husband call home. Two doll-house-sized Adirondack chairs recall the lazy days of summer and family vacations.  A tiny water bowl and a leash hanging on a pillar nod to the important third member of the household, their dog Molly. A fat Holy Bible on a little table honours their faith.  Tiny versions of snowshoes, paddles and a telescope recall their diversions, and a little signboard of boating rules is a reminder of the exquisite lakes nearby. And just to ensure that future feathered tenants know where they live, a little wooden sign on a veranda pillar bears the cottage’s address.

Thoughtful? Tailored to the recipients? Unusual? Causing delight? With this gift, Betty’s son and daughter in law – far away in Vancouver but knowing their elders’ softest spots – scored on every count.

The chairs, the Bible-bearing table, the snowshoes, dog bowl and address sign.

The dark dot on this tiny log stump is a replica of a ladybird. Nature abounds in this cottage country. 

A mini dog-leash to the left, and a canoe-carrying sign.