Windsor Plywood French Creek: The Pulse Community Podcast is brought to you in part by Windsor Plywood in French Creek, specializing in hard-to-source interior and exterior home finishing products including flooring, doors and moldings, and exterior project materials such as yellow cedar. Windsor Plywood, French Creek carries high-quality, responsibly sourced products, and are committed to providing outstanding value and personalized one-on-one service to all of our customers: homeowners, do-it-yourselfers, renovators, builders, designers, craftsmen, and contractors. Regardless of the type or size of your project, Windsor can help you bring your vision to life from start to finish. Let Windsor Plywood in French Creek help you with your renovation, new build, or building project. Visit them online or call 752-3122.

The Ballad of Peter & Gracie: Peter and his dog raced there and through fields so wide, with dreams in their pockets and stars as their guide. Every day's an adventure under the open sky. In their world of stories, time just flies by.

Peter McCully: Peter bounced excitedly in the backseat of his family's car as they drove towards Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park on a perfect Saturday morning. His fluffy white American Eskimo dog, Gracie, sat beside him, her pink tongue hanging out happily as she panted with excitement. Her bright black eyes sparkled with intelligence and curiosity, and her thick white fur looked like fresh snow in the golden morning sunlight streaming through the car windows.

Gracie was Peter's best friend in the whole world, and she had been a part of his family since she was just a tiny puppy with oversized claws and ears that seemed too big for her head.

"Are we almost there, Mom?" Peter asked for the 10th time, clutching his brand new rainbow kite tightly in his small hands.

"Just a few more minutes, sweetie," his mother replied with a smile. "Gracie looks just as excited as you are."

Gracie's tail wagged so fast it was almost a blur. She loved going to the beach, especially Rathtrevor Beach with its long stretches of sand and gentle waves. The salty sea air always made her nose twitch with curiosity.

When they finally arrived at the park, Peter could hardly contain his excitement. The parking lot was busy with other families enjoying the beautiful spring day, and the air smelled of salt water and pine trees. He carefully carried his colorful kite while Gracie walked proudly beside him on her leash, her fluffy tail held high like a white flag of happiness.

The kite was Peter's pride and joy. He had chosen it himself at the toy store, drawn to its brilliant rainbow colors and the long flowing streamers that promised to dance gracefully in the ocean breeze.

"Remember Peter," his father said, helping him with his kite, "if you need any help, just ask. There are park rangers here and lots of friendly families around."

"I will, Dad," Peter promised, already scanning the sky for the perfect spot to fly his kite.

The beach stretched out before them like a giant sandbox that seemed to go on forever. Tall Douglas fir and cedar trees lined the edge of the beach, creating a magnificent green wall that reached toward the cloudy sky like nature's own skyscrapers. Peter had never seen trees so tall; they seemed to touch the clouds themselves, their dark green branches swaying gently in the ocean breeze.

The beach was dotted with families setting up colorful umbrellas, children building elaborate sandcastles, and dogs of all sizes running and playing in the surf. The sound of waves washing onto the shore created a peaceful backdrop to all the joyful activity.

"Can Gracie and I go fly my kite now?" Peter asked eagerly.

"Of course, but stay where we can see you," his mother said, setting up the picnic blanket nearby, "and keep Gracie on her leash near the trees."

Peter and Gracie ran toward an open area where the wind felt strongest. Other children were already playing on the beach, building sandcastles and chasing seagulls. The sounds of waves gently lapping the shore mixed with laughter and happy shouts.

"Okay, Gracie," Peter said seriously, looking down at his furry companion, "help me find the perfect spot for my kite."

Gracie sniffed the air and wagged her tail as if she understood completely. She led Peter towards a clear area where the wind whistled through the tall grass and trees.

Peter carefully unfolded his beautiful rainbow kite, handling it as gently as if it were made from butterfly wings. It had long, colorful streamers in shades of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple that would dance in the wind like magical ribbons from a fairytale. He had been saving his allowance for weeks to buy this special kite, carefully counting his coins every night and dreaming of the day he could finally fly it. Today was finally that perfect day. The wind was just right, the sky was clear with puffy white clouds, and he had his best friend, Gracie, by his side to share the adventure.

"Here goes nothing," Peter said, holding the kite high above his head.

The wind caught the kite immediately, lifting it up, up, up into the sky. Peter laughed with joy as he watched his rainbow kite go higher and higher. Gracie barked happily, jumping and spinning in circles as she watched the colorful kite dance in the wind.

"Look, Gracie, it's flying! It's really flying!" Peter shouted, running along the beach to keep his kite in the air.

For several wonderful minutes, Peter and Gracie ran together along the sand, the kite flying beautifully above them. Peter felt like he was flying too, his feet barely touching the ground as he ran. Gracie's ears flapped in the wind, and her joyful barks mixed with Peter's laughter.

But then disaster struck.

A sudden strong gust of wind caught Peter's kite and pulled it toward the tall trees at the edge of the beach. Peter tried to pull back on the string, but the wind was too strong.

"No, no, no, no!" Peter cried, watching helplessly as his beautiful rainbow kite soared directly into the branches of a massive cedar tree.

The kite string went slack in his hands. His precious kite was stuck high up in the tree, its streamers tangled among the dark green branches. Peter felt tears starting to form in his eyes. Gracie whimpered softly and pressed against his leg; she sensed his sadness.

"Oh, Gracie," Peter sniffled. "My kite is stuck. What are we going to do?"

Peter looked up at the enormous tree, feeling very small and helpless. It was so tall that his kite looked tiny amongst its branches, like a small rainbow trapped in a green giant's hair. The tree trunk was so wide that it would take at least four people holding hands to wrap their arms around it. There was no way he could climb up there. The first branch was far above his head, and the tree was far too big and dangerous for his dad to climb either. Peter felt a lump forming in his throat as he realized he might never get his precious kite back. It had taken him so long to save up for it, and now it was trapped high above, completely out of reach.

Just then, Peter heard a voice behind him. "Hey, is that your kite up there?"

Peter turned around to see a girl about his age with curly red hair and freckles. She was pointing up at his kite.

"Yes," Peter said sadly. "It got stuck. I don't know how to get it down."

"I'm Emma," the girl said. "And don't worry, you're not the only one with something stuck in these trees."

Emma pointed to another tree nearby where Peter could see a red Frisbee wedged between two branches.

"That's my Frisbee up there," Emma said. "It's been stuck for 20 minutes. My little brother threw it too hard, and now we can't get it down either."

Peter wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "Really? Your Frisbee is stuck too?"

"Yep," Emma said. "Come and meet the others. There are more kids here with the same problem."

Emma led Peter and Gracie toward a small group of children gathered near the trees. Gracie's tail started wagging again as she saw the other kids.

"Everyone, this is Peter," Emma announced to the group with a warm smile. "His beautiful rainbow kite is stuck in the big cedar tree, just like all of our things."

A boy with dark hair and glasses waved to Peter in a friendly way. "Hi, I'm Marcus, and I'm eight years old. My remote control plane is stuck up there too." He pointed to a small white plane caught in the branches of a tall fir tree. "It cost me three months' allowance, and my dad helped me build it. I was doing loop-de-loops when the wind caught it."

A little girl with blonde pigtails smiled shyly at Peter. "I'm Sophie and I'm six. That's my favorite hat up there." She pointed to a bright yellow sunhat decorated with cheerful daisies that was perched on a branch like a bird's nest. "My grandma made it for me, and it has my name embroidered inside."

"And I'm Jake," said a boy with sandy brown hair and a missing front tooth that made him whistle when he talked. "I'm seven, just like you. My soccer ball is stuck way up there." He pointed to a black and white ball that looked like a small moon amongst the green leaves. "I was practicing my kicks for my team, and I accidentally kicked it too hard."

Peter couldn't believe it. All these kids had the same problem he did.

"Wow," Peter said, looking around at all the stuck items in the trees. "How did all of this happen?"

"The wind is really strong today," Marcus said. "It's great for flying things, but sometimes they go where we don't want them to go."

Sophie nodded. "My hat blew right off my head when I was playing tag."

"And my soccer ball bounced too high when I was trying to kick it to my sister," Jake added.

Peter felt much better knowing he wasn't alone. Gracie seemed to sense his improved mood and started sniffing around the other children, making new friends.

"So what do we do now?" Peter said. "None of us can climb trees that tall."

The children looked at each other. They'd all been standing around for a while, hoping their parents or the wind would somehow solve their problems.

"Maybe we should ask for help," Emma suggested.

"Ask who?" Marcus said.

"Well," Sophie said, "there are park rangers here. I saw one by the visitor center."

"And there are lots of grownups around," Jake added. "Some of them might have some ideas."

Peter remembered what his father had told him about asking for help when he needed it. At first, he had felt embarrassed about his kite getting stuck, like it was his fault. But looking around at all these other kids with the same problem, he realized that sometimes things just happen, and it's okay to ask for help.

"You know what," Peter said, standing up straight, "I think we should ask for help. My dad always says there's nothing wrong with asking when you need it."

Gracie barked once as if she agreed completely.

"Really?" Emma asked. "You don't think we'll get in trouble?"

"No way," Peter said. "We didn't do anything wrong. We were just playing, and the wind was stronger than we expected. That's not our fault."

The other children nodded, starting to feel more confident too.

"Well, let's go find a park ranger together," Marcus suggested.

The group of new friends, with Gracie leading the way, walked towards the visitor center. Peter felt proud that he had suggested asking for help, and he was happy to have made so many new friends.

At the visitor center, they found Ranger Johnson, a kind woman with a friendly smile, warm brown eyes, and a crisp green uniform with shiny badges. She listened carefully and patiently as each child explained their problem, nodding thoughtfully and asking helpful questions about what had happened. Gracie sat politely at Peter's feet, her intelligent eyes watching the ranger as if she understood every word that was being said.

"Well," Ranger Johnson said thoughtfully, "this happens more often than you might think, especially on windy days like today. You kids did exactly the right thing by coming to ask for help."

Peter beamed with pride; he had made the right choice.

"I have a special long pole with a hook on the end that we use for situations just like this," said Ranger Johnson. "Would you like to come with me and help get your things down?"

"Yes!" all the children shouted at once, making Gracie bark excitedly.

Ranger Johnson led them back to the trees, carrying a very long pole that extended like a telescope. She showed the children how the hook on the end could grab onto things and pull them free from branches.

"The trick," she said, "is to be patient and gentle. We don't want to damage the trees or your toys."

One by one, Ranger Johnson carefully used her special pole to retrieve each of the stuck items. First came Sophie's yellow hat, which fluttered down like a butterfly. Then Marcus's airplane, which he caught carefully in his hands. Jake's soccer ball bounced down with a satisfying thud, and Emma's red Frisbee sailed down like a flying saucer.

Then it was time for Peter's rainbow kite.

"This one might be a little tricky," Ranger Johnson said, studying the tangled streamers, "but I think we can do it."

Peter held his breath as Ranger Johnson carefully maneuvered the pole around the kite. Gracie sat perfectly still beside him, as if she knew this was an important moment.

With gentle movements, Ranger Johnson freed the first streamer, then another, and slowly but surely, the kite came loose from the tree's grip.

"Got it!" Ranger Johnson called out as the kite floated safely down to Peter's waiting hands.

Peter hugged his kite and then looked up at Ranger Johnson with gratitude shining in his eyes.

"Thank you so much," he said sincerely. "I was really sad when it got stuck."

"You're very welcome, Peter," Ranger Johnson replied. "I'm proud of all of you for asking for help when you needed it. That shows real maturity."

All the children beamed with pride. They had solved their problems by working together and asking for help from someone who knew what to do.

"Can we still be friends even though we got our stuff back?" Sophie asked.

"Of course," Peter said. "Wanna play together on the beach?"

"Yeah!" all the other children chimed in.

And for the rest of the afternoon, Peter, Gracie, Emma, Marcus, Sophie, and Jake played together on the beautiful beach like they'd been friends forever. They built an enormous sandcastle together with tall towers and seashell decorations. They played Frisbee carefully, keeping it away from the big trees, and took turns flying Peter's rainbow kite in a much safer area away from the towering cedars and firs. They also played tag in the soft sand and collected smooth stones and colorful shells, and even started a game of beach volleyball with some other families nearby.

Gracie had the time of her life, running and playing with all the new children who petted her soft fur and told her what a good dog she was. She especially loved it when they threw sticks for her to fetch from the gentle waves, barking each time she successfully brought them back. Her white fur became sandy and slightly damp from the ocean, but she didn't mind one bit. She was having too much fun with her new human friends.

As Peter and Gracie walked back to their family, Peter felt proud and happy. He had learned something very important: it's okay to ask for help when you need it, and sometimes the best adventures come from unexpected problems.

Gracie curled up beside Peter in the car for the ride home, tired but happy after their big adventure. Her white fur was sandy from the beach, and she smelled like sea salt and sunshine as they drove home. Peter looked out the window at the trees they passed and smiled. He would never look at tall trees the same way again. Instead of seeing obstacles, he would remember the day he learned that asking for help isn't something to be embarrassed about. It's something to be proud of.

The Ballad of Peter and Gracie: Peter and Gracie, the finest of friends, with tales of wonder that never end. In the pages of books or stars above, they find their magic in laughter and love.

Ian Lindsay & Associates: Ian Lindsay of Lindsay and Associates has played an active role in the local community since 1979. He has been with RE/MAX Vancouver Island's most advanced real estate business network since 1996, marketing and selling residential, rural, strata, recreational, investment, and project development real estate. Ian has received several awards recognizing his exceptional community commitment locally, as well as awards for outstanding performance and achievement from both RE/MAX International and the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board. You'll find true real estate professionals at ianlindsay.ca.