My husband and I decided to take a walk on the Qualicum Beach walkway last week as the rain clouds looked a bit thick in Parksville. We hadn’t been there for some time.
As we walked along the ocean, we passed the concession stand and noticed that they were open and had a lovely closed in area protecting you from the wind, but still giving you the open view of the ocean and beyond.
We ventured in and had a coffee and talked about how we missed the concession stand in Parksville, wishing that our city fathers had not gone with food trucks. And now they want two more!
At the time of that decision I really thought about the people of Parksville, the visitors of which we get more of than Qualicum Beach because of the resorts and all the lovely newcomers to town. They can’t go down to walk on the beach unless they bring their own coffee, or wait until the food trucks are there, which heaven knows when they start up.
Would it have made some sense to have converted that concession stand we had into an area that had a view of the ocean as well? Glassed in for winter so that you can get a fabulous piece of pastry, or a sandwich and great coffee, sit with your new friends, old friends?
Perhaps you could even be very European and bring your little dog inside to sit at the base of the table as you sip and enjoy the view along with other dog owners. I wonder even a glass of local wine, local cheese, locally grown anything (hint, hint so that people get to know where those fabulous places are that sell those organic eggs, meat and other great things we grow).
Would city fathers faint at the mention of wine, perhaps, as I don’t think they are that sophisticated, or scared that perhaps we might become even more world class than we already are.
Nancy JonesParksville