By Christie Mayall
Spring is just around the corner, and so is the upcoming semester of Cariboo-Chilcotin Elder College with 25 courses being offered.
There are many longtime favourites and several new courses as well being offered this spring.
In ‘Exploring Williams Lake’s History,’ Mary Forbes, Sage Birchwater, and William Adams will take you on a guided heritage walk through the downtown, discuss how to research and access local history, and take you on a guided tour of the Museum of the Cariboo Chilcotin.
B.C.’s First Nations people have a rich history extending back more than 10 000 years. In ‘First Nations Architectural Structures – An Archaeological Perspective,’ Beth Bedard will look at a number of these types of structures from different areas of the province and discuss how they changed over time.
A perfect complement to the archaeological course will be the ‘Cultural Tour at Xat’sull Heritage Village’ with an elder from the Soda Creek First Nation. At this award-winning heritage site, you will learn about their traditional way of life and see the pit houses, drying/tanning racks, sweat house, lean-to, summer hut, and teepee on the banks of the mighty Fraser River.
‘Birding, Ranch Style’ will be a one-day field trip to 144 Mile Ranch to see how Karen and Clint Thompson’s holistic ranching practices foster both wildlife and cattle use. Join Karen and birder, Cathy Koot, for a hike through the various habitats on the ranch to look at and listen to a variety of Cariboo birds.
Learn how to ‘Detox Your Jewellery Box’ with Gwyneth Nelson. You can bring your bulging jewellery box, and learn how to de-clutter and organize it. You will learn ways to repair and repurpose your treasures, including inherited items.
There will be five computer courses to choose from this semester.
‘Computers – The Next Steps’ with Lindae Hilton is for those who are comfortable with computers. This class is intended to expand your computer knowledge and will be based on the interests of the participants. Topics may include word processing, computer security, burning images and data to CDs and DVDs, and troubleshooting. The course will introduce you to the Windows 10 operating system.
Do you understand the full potential of your iPad or iPhone? Monica McGarrigle will teach two courses, introductory and intermediate, to help you to explore the capabilities of these amazing devices.
Many of us have android phones or tablets and, in ‘Getting to Know Your Android Phone/Tablet,’ Nicole McAlpine will help you to unlock its full potential.
In ‘Introduction to Excel,’ Hal Giles will help you to work through the many ways that this worksheet/spreadsheet app helps you to organize information. It can file your CD collection and be used for accounting, drawing, and a host of other practical uses.
Ken Grieve will be facilitating the ‘Philospher’s Cafe’ this semester. Topics for discussion are selected by the group and may include current and timeless political, social, and philosophical issues. It might be euthanasia one week and electoral reform the next.
‘Perk up Your Grammar’ with Judy Reid Lyoness. This class will cover some basic grammar, as well as sentence structure, how to avoid run-on sentences, and pesky punctuation.
Walter Brunner will teach two classes this semester. ‘You CAN Cook! For Men Only’ will help seniors and recent singles learn some easy and delicious dishes. No experience is necessary. ‘Slow Cookery with Walter’ will focus on preparing easy meals in your slow cooker, from soups and chowders, to chicken and beef recipes. If you’re interested, get to the registration early, as these classes fill up fast!
In ‘Photo Editing Workshop,’ Pat Teti will help you learn how to remove spots, sharpen, blur, crop, re-size, and use layer blending modes for creative effects. He will be using Photoshop Elements. Pat is a renowned local baker and, if you’re lucky, maybe he’ll bring some fresh bread to one of his classes.
Remember that nice little piece of furniture down in the basement that you’ve been meaning to refinish for the last umpteen years. Well, here’s your chance. Take ‘Furniture Refinishing’ with Tony Savile and learn how to strip, clean, stain and refinish a piece of wooden furniture.
Just in time for Easter, you can learn the ancient art of Pysanki, or Ukranian Easter egg decorating, with Elaine Watt and Audrey Dye.
For more on the spring Elder College courses see the Friday, Jan. 6 Weekend Advisor.