B.C. couple names bush ‘The Dude' after carving faces into it
Every time she backed up her car to leave her driveway, Tracy Ferreira's view of the oncoming traffic was blocked by the bush.
'It was a bit of a challenge, safety-wise,' Tracy says.
But Tracy didn't want to cut the bush down, so her husband John wondered if the best work-around would be to cut a window through it.
'So I made a couple holes,' John says.
Which proved to be a whole lot of help for Tracy.
'It's brilliant!' Tracy says, showing how she can see through the bush.
'It's so much easier to get out of the driveway.'
And that would have been that, until a friend mentioned the hole in the bush looked like a mouth.
'So I made a face,' John says.
He cut two smaller holes above the mouth to make a pair of eyes, before pruning the sides of face and leaving the top to grow wild like hair.
Finally, he named it The Dude. But despite John's best efforts, The Dude seemed to be somewhat dour.
'I thought it was great. But it was a little too grumpy for me,' Tracy says, showing how the mouth looked like it was frowning. '(I said) 'You've got to do one on the other side that's happy.'
So John cut two more eyes on the other side of the bush, and adjusted the mouth to make it smile. The happy Dude not only inspired passing people to share appreciative comments, they left presents too.
'They stopped and left a beer there for me saying thank you,' John says, adding that kids ask to cycle past The Dude with their parents and the residents of a nearby retirement home would make regular bus trips to visit it.
'For Christmas, someone left a card that said thank you.'
Every season, Tracy and John find a way to make The Dude even more dynamic.
'For Halloween, I have a mannequin I stuff in it's mouth,' John smiles.
While the grumpy side of the bush can get ghoulish, the smiling side is happy to sport bunny ears and buck teeth for Easter and wear a massive hand-made Santa hat for Christmas.
But when it comes to celebrating our country, there's a consensus that both sides fly Canadian flags attached to hockey sticks.
'In today's world, we need to do happy stuff,' John smiles.
Which is why John has expanded his positive pruning to include a second bush along the driveway featuring half a dozen happy faces that he calls The Little Dudes. Tracy calls it The Kids, because like real children, they can't get enough of Christmas and wear mini Santa hats.
'A little bit of effort can bring a whole lot of joy,' Tracy says. 'So why not take the time?'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
26 minutes ago
- CTV News
The event highlighting Manitoba's glorious gardens
Harrison Shin takes a closer look at the Gardens of Distinction in Winnipeg. From Prairie plants to roses to lilacs and lilies, Winnipeg is home to many lush, vibrant and diverse gardens. To highlight these tranquil sanctuaries, Nature Manitoba holds an annual fundraiser called the Gardens of Distinction tour. During this event, attendees take themselves on a self-guided tour of some of the city's most gorgeous gardens, all while raising money for the non-profit organization. Tim Evans, coordinator for the Gardens of Distinction tour, is the one who chooses which gardens are featured in the event. He admitted he's quite picky about what makes the cut. 'It has to have an appeal to it. It has to be something that would be tour-worthy,' he said. 'So that's where I get a little persnickety… It has to have a beauty to it.' This year's Gardens of Distinction event takes place on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with 14 glorious gardens in south Winnipeg for Manitobans to enjoy. Those taking part in the tour can take pictures, ask questions and discover new plants they may have never seen before. Gardens of Distinction A rock garden that is part of this year's Gardens of Distinction Tour is pictured on July 2, 2025. (Tami Bradford/Nature Manitoba) Which gardens are involved The 2025 Gardens of Distinction event includes several home gardens, as well as stops at FortWhyte Alive and Aurora Farm. One of the gardens being featured belongs to Rita and Len Giesbrecht. Rita said their garden has evolved over 35 years and features a rock bed with a pond, as well as irises, peonies, lilies, and more. She noted it takes a lot of work to keep the garden going. 'We work on it from spring to fall constantly,' she said. 'There's weeding, moving, deadheading… It's basically set up so that we have something blooming from the spring all the way through the fall.' Gardens of Distinction Rita and Len Giesbrecht's garden is seen in this undated photo. (Rita Giesbrecht) Other gardens on the tour are found at Aurora Farm, which has seven unique gardens with their own story and purpose. This includes a rose garden, a medicinal moon garden and a fireweed garden for culinary herbs and edible flowers. 'With Aurora Farm, I consider the entire property a garden,' said co-owner Louise May. 'So, it's an ecosystem with a lot of different components to it.' Those on the tour will also make a stop at FortWhyte Alive, where they will get to take in its solar pollinator garden, which includes colourful wildflowers and native Prairie plants. Heather Skrypnyk, FortWhyte's farm operations manager, said the garden began in 2018 with the goal of showcasing the native species that can be grown with solar panels around. 'The solar pollinator garden has a couple of things starting to bloom,' Skrypnyk said. 'It's really active later in the summer, and in the fall, there's lots of those classic Manitoba purple and yellow colours.' These are just a few of the gardens featured in this year's Gardens of Distinction tour, which still has tickets for purchase Saturday morning at FortWhyte Alive. Why is the event important? The Gardens of Distinction tour holds significance for its organizers, featured gardeners and plant lovers around the province. According to Evans, the event gives people a chance to see amazing gardens that are produced in harsh environmental conditions. 'Not too many places in the world have got -40-degree weather in the wintertime and go up to 40 [degrees] in the summertime. We have a temperature range of 80 degrees unlike any other place in the world,' he said. 'If you can create a beautiful garden in Winnipeg, you can create a beautiful garden anywhere around the world.' Gardens of Distinction The solar pollinator garden is pictured at FortWhyte Alive in this undated photo. (FortWhyte Alive) May said it's an honour to be a part of the event and looks forward to getting feedback from those on the tour. 'This is my 20th year gardening here, so it's a 20th anniversary garden,' she said. 'So, I really pushed myself to just go all out and do everything I always wanted to here. I love the gardens here. I'm very excited about the gardens.' The love of gardening When it comes to what people love about gardening, it's different depending on who you ask. For some it's about being outside and connecting to the earth, while for Rita Giesbrecht, it helps her find calmness. 'I can get out there and I can start weeding, and you just don't think about anything else,' she said. 'You're in the moment.' Skrypnyk said she enjoys gardening because she gets to work with her hands and see the results of her work. 'When you come to a space like a garden and your task is weeding, at the end of the job, you can look back and it's very obvious that you've made an impact. And so that can be really rewarding for people,' she said. Tips for future gardeners For those who are interested in gardening and its many benefits, May said it's all about observing and enjoying. She added it's also important not to come in with too many expectations or give up if things go wrong. 'Just take it one year at a time,' she said. 'Every single year that I've been gardening, which is almost my entire life, has been a different gardening year. So, if [something] didn't work one year, try it again next year.' And who knows, if you start now, maybe you'll be featured in a future Gardens of Distinction tour.
CBC
42 minutes ago
- CBC
8 B.C. books to get you through the summer
Social Sharing Ah, summer is here, at long last. Whether you're headed to the beach, into the woods or staying cool at home, summer is the perfect time to immerse yourself in a good book. And while Canadians are coming together to support local businesses, why not take that approach with your book selection? There is no shortage of great local literature from brilliant B.C. writers. There are classics, like M. Wylie Blanchet's The Curve of Time, and award-winners, like Michelle Good's Five Little Indians. And great new reads are always hitting the shelves of bookstores and libraries. CBC has put together a list of some recently-published titles, mostly by B.C. authors and in many cases about B.C. locations, to inspire your summer reading list. She's a Lamb! by Meredith Hambrock Vancouver-based author Meredith Hambrock's She's a Lamb! chronicles the story of a musical theatre worker who aims to be a star — partially based on Hambrock's own experience as a theatre usher in Vancouver. The writer said she was "beseeched by this fear" that she would never accomplish what she was hoping for as a writer. "It was sort of a horrifying thought for me," she said. Hambrock writes from the perspective of Jessamyn St. Germain, who's hired as the childminder for the children in a production of The Sound of Music, but believes she's destined to play Maria. She descends into the mind of someone who's blinded by ambition, desperate to be seen and willing to do anything to make it happen. Bones of a Giant by Brian Thomas Isaac It's the summer of 1968 and 16-year-old Lewis Toma is spending the summer with his cousins while his mom picks fruit in the United States. That's where we begin in Syilx writer Brian Thomas Isaac's new book, Bones of a Giant, the follow-up to his award-winning debut novel, All the Quiet Places. The first novel focused on Lewis's brother, Eddie. While Bones of a Giant has a much more serious, dark tone, it was a little more fun to write, Isaac said. In fact, he said it mirrors his own life. Isaac is grateful for becoming a published author in his 70s. "Writing ... has just changed my whole life. I'd rather be doing that than anything." Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley Read this one soon — a film adaptation is already in the works, and isn't it always better to read the book first? Holly Brickley's debut novel begins in the year 2000, when boy bands and pop princesses reign supreme, while music lovers thumb through CD binders looking for their favourite album. "It was really fun to go back to that time," Brickley said. When two music lovers cross paths, a romance begins. A romance between two people, of course, but also with music. Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang For those looking to get lost in a thriller this summer, Liann Zhang's Julie Chan is Dead has it all: a long lost twin, an island retreat and a murder. Julie Chan is a supermarket cashier. Her twin sister is a popular influencer. But, she's dead. Julie assumes her sister's identity, only to find out how difficult that life could be. She goes on a week-long retreat with a group of influencers, where Julie learns what might have happened to her sister, and that she might be next. Zhang said she focused on themes of race and class, what happens to two people who are so similar but are raised in different circumstances, and online identity. "I just hope people look at influencers in a different way and acknowledge that these people that act like our friends are really, completed fabricated identities, usually," she said. "I would also hope that [readers] feel entertained enough to flip another page instead of picking up their phone." The Riveter by Jack Wang Jack Wang's latest work delves into the complexities of love and war, while simultaneously exploring his own keen interest in the contributions of Chinese Canadians during the Second World War. In The Riveter, Josiah Chang leaves his work as a tree faller in B.C.'s Cariboo region for the big city, with plans to serve his country in the war. But when that doesn't work out, he finds a job as a riveter, building ships to support wartime efforts. That's when he meets Poppy, with whom he falls deeply in love. A complicated love, that is. "I was interested in a woman who was perhaps not so interested in waiting around for a man to come home from war, and a woman who valued her own needs and desires and how might that complicate a relationship," Wang said. Charity Trickett is Not So Glamorous by Christine Stringer Fans of Sophie Kinsella will surely get a laugh from Christine Stringer's debut novel; loosely based on her own experience as an assistant at MGM, Stringer's Charity Trickett feels like she's about to get her big break when she suddenly becomes the subject of an FBI investigation. While Stringer loves Hollywood and was happy to write a novel set there, she was adamant about making sure her hometown of Vancouver was represented. "The Vancouver film industry is so vibrant. It's so alive. Our filmmakers are beautiful filmmakers. We have awesome actors here. We have the best techs ever. Like we just have such a beautiful, thriving industry of film in Vancouver," she said. And if you love Charity Trickett is Not So Glamorous, good news: there are two more Charity Trickett books on the way. The Last Exile by Sam Wiebe In the fifth novel of the Wakeland series, private investigator Dave Wakeland is drawn into a volatile case involving a single mother accused of murder, the notorious Exiles biker gang and a mystery witness. Author Sam Wiebe wasn't sure he'd write another Wakeland novel, but fans all but demanded it. Now, he said he's happy to be writing about a city he knows well — the good and the bad. "I love the idea that I can show Vancouver the way that I see it, not the way a tourist would write about it — the way somebody who grew up here sees it," Wiebe said. "I think over the last few years, obviously development has just shot up, and a lot of things have been lost. It's very hard to live here and it always has been. But the fentanyl crisis and with COVID, and some of the anti-Asian racism that came out of that, there's a lot of darkness that I didn't quite anticipate. So I wanted to sort of capture that too." Finding Flora by Elinor Florence Invermere's Elinor Florence has drawn a little inspiration from B.C.'s eastern neighbour for her latest offering, Finding Flora, about a Scottish newcomer in 1905 who jumps from a moving train to escape her abusive husband, and sets down roots on what eventually becomes the Alberta prairie. She finds friendship with the her five neighbours, all women of different backgrounds. Together, they deal with life's challenges. Florence said her characters are fictional, but the things that happen are accurate for the time. "I think people will learn a lot about Alberta history through this novel," she said.
CTV News
43 minutes ago
- CTV News
Alberta karaoke bar provides community as well as a stage
The winner of the KWC Global Karaoke contest in Thorsby will have the chance to sing on a global stage. CTV News Edmonton's Connor Hogg has the story. Like many small towns, the hotel that serves also as a bar and restaurant in Thorsby, Alta., is the most happening place Friday nights. Located on a main street corner, the hotel boasts live local music every week — karaoke, that is. Thorsby Hotel Bar and Grill The Thorsby Hotel Bar and Grill is seen in this June 29, 2025, picture. (Connor Hogg/ CTV News Edmonton) The singers put on their best show last Sunday for a chance to participate in the 2025 Karaoke World Championships (KWC) finals in Bangkok, Thailand, in November. 'It can be a little intimidating once you get into the further parts of the competition, but honestly, it's actually one of the best things I've ever done,' contestant Pandora Aurora Knight told CTV News Edmonton. 'I've grown so much and gotten so many good people in my life as a result.... It gives me that sense of community, of a place where I fit.' Knight didn't exactly willingly begin karaoke 10 years ago. But the push was enlightening. 'I've discovered a passion for music and singing that I didn't really realize I had, and it's become very much a focal point in my life.' Thorsby Hotel Bar and Grill karaoke Pandora Aurora Knight sings karaoke at the Thorsby Hotel Bar and Grill on June 29, 2025. (Connor Hogg/ CTV News Edmonton) Other karaokers echoed the sentiment. They all credited the judges' feedback for improvements in their performance and lauded competition as a confidence booster. But largely, they touted karaoke for its other benefits. 'It's kind of a release of endorphins,' Laura Mae Cartledge said. 'I like to bottle them up and try not to let my emotions show too much. And then (through) music, I can express them a bit more.' Alex Schwarzer added, 'I was a singer when I was in grade school, and I knew I had a little bit of talent, but I didn't know how much talent.... You get the applause, there's some sort of validation there saying, 'Yeah, you're as good as you think you are.'' Whether it's in Thorsby – a community of 1,000 about 70 kilometres southwest of Edmonton – or their own home cities, some singers on Sunday said they do karaoke multiple nights a week. Thorsby Hotel Bar and Grill karaoke Alex Schwarzer sings karaoke at the Thorsby Hotel Bar and Grill on June 29, 2025. (Connor Hogg/ CTV News Edmonton) 'We're very supportive. We like to look out for what songs fit our vocal range, what we can kind of adapt and work with each other to get better,' Cartledge said of her 'KWC family.' The group gathers not just for karaoke, but holidays and other occasions, too. 'I moved a couple months ago and we put up a little post on our community wall. I had like 11 people show up to help me.... We are there for each other,' Knight told CTV News Edmonton. 'That's more important than anything — knowing where you belong or where you can fit in. Everyone needs that. Everyone longs for that.' With files from CTV News Edmonton's Connor Hogg
