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 is 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 tucked his small hand carefully into his deep pocket and felt around for the smooth stones he had collected that morning. Peter's fluffy white American Eskimo dog, Gracie, trotted happily beside him with her pink tongue hanging out. The warm summer sun made her thick white fur shimmer brightly like fresh snow.

"Come on, Gracie," Peter called out cheerfully. "Let's go explore the boardwalk today."

Gracie's bushy tail wagged so hard, her whole body wiggled. She loved adventures with Peter, especially when they could meet new friends and discover exciting things. Together, they looked ahead at the magnificent Parksville boardwalk, which stretched out before them like a smooth wooden ribbon beside the sparkling turquoise ocean.

Peter could smell the fresh, salty sea air mixed with the sweet scent of sunscreen and the delicious aroma of fish and chips from the nearby restaurant. He could hear the gentle, rhythmic swoosh of the foamy white waves rolling onto the golden sandy beach. Seagulls called cheerfully overhead, their wings catching the bright morning sunlight, and families were already setting up their colorful striped umbrellas and comfortable beach chairs on the warm, inviting sand.

As they walked along the smooth wooden planks of the boardwalk, Gracie's little nails made a cheerful clicking sound that seemed to keep time with their leisurely pace. Her triangular, pointed ears twitched curiously at every interesting new sound: the distant laughter of children, the gentle splash of waves, the cry of seagulls overhead. Her small, dark nose sniffed eagerly at all the wonderful smells floating on the refreshing ocean breeze—salt water, seaweed, barbecue smoke, and the sweet fragrance of beach roses growing in the nearby gardens.

"Look, Gracie," Peter pointed to a family building an enormous sandcastle near the water. "Should we go say hello?"

Gracie barked once, which Peter knew meant yes. They walked down the sandy path toward the beach where a mom and dad were helping their twin daughters decorate their castle with pretty seashells.

"What a beautiful dog," said the mom, brushing sand from her hands. "She looks like a little polar bear."

Peter giggled. "Her name is Gracie, and I'm Peter. We live here in Parksville. Are you visiting our town?"

"We sure are," said the dad. "We drove all the way from Calgary to enjoy this wonderful beach. The girls have been collecting shells all morning."

One of the twins, who had sandy blonde braids, held up a perfect pink shell. "Look what we found! It's shaped like a tiny fan."

Gracie sniffed the shell politely and wagged her tail. The other twin, wearing a bright yellow sunhat, giggled when Gracie's soft fur tickled her arm.

"Would you like to help us finish our castle?" asked the mom. "We could use some expert local advice."

Peter's eyes lit up. "I know the best spot to find the prettiest shells. Gracie and I come here all the time." He led them to a quiet area where the waves had washed up treasures from the ocean. Together, they gathered smooth sea glass, spiral shells, and even a piece of driftwood that looked just like a tiny dragon.

"This is the most beautiful castle we've ever made," declared the twin in the yellow hat. "Thank you for showing us the secret shell spot."

Peter felt especially proud and happy in that moment. He absolutely loved sharing his favorite secret places with enthusiastic visitors who appreciated the natural beauty of his hometown.

"Maybe we'll see you again before you go home to Calgary," he said hopefully, waving as the family returned to their magnificent sand castle creation.

After waving goodbye to their new friends, Peter and Gracie continued their boardwalk adventure. The wooden walkway was getting busier as more families arrived to enjoy the perfect beach day.

Near a bench, they met an elderly gentleman with a kind smile and a fishing hat covered in colorful lures. He was sketching the ocean view in a worn leather book.

"That's a magnificent dog you have there, young man," he said, looking up from his drawing. "American Eskimo?"

"Yes, sir. This is Gracie, and I'm Peter. Are you an artist?"

The man chuckled. "I try to be. I'm visiting from Vancouver, but I couldn't resist drawing this beautiful coastline. Your Parksville is quite special." He showed Peter his sketch, which captured the rolling waves and distant mountains perfectly. Gracie sat politely beside them, her tail creating a small dust cloud as it wagged.

"I've been coming here for 30 years," the artist continued. "Every time, I discover something new to draw. Today, I think I'll add a fluffy white dog to my picture. Would that be okay?"

Peter nodded enthusiastically. "Gracie would love to be in your drawing."

The artist's pencil moved quickly across the paper, and soon Gracie appeared in the sketch, sitting proudly beside a beach umbrella with her ears perked up, alert and curious.

"There," he said, tearing out the page carefully. "A little memento of our meeting."

Peter accepted the drawing with wonder. "Thank you so much! We'll take this home and frame it."

As they walked away, Peter carefully rolled up the precious drawing and tucked it into his backpack. Gracie seemed to understand how special the gift was, walking with extra dignity and pride.

Further along the boardwalk, they discovered a group of teenagers from Victoria teaching each other to skateboard in the skateboard park. One girl with bright purple hair was patiently helping her friend learn to balance.

"Whoa, cool dog!" called out a boy with a backwards baseball cap. "Can we pet her?"

"Of course," Peter replied. "Gracie loves making new friends. Just let her sniff your hand first."

The teenagers gathered around Gracie, who basked in all the attention. Her tail wagged so enthusiastically that it created a happy rhythm against the boardwalk.

"We're here for a week," explained the girl with the purple hair. "Our families have big RVs. Is there anything super fun we should definitely be doing while we're here?"

Peter thought carefully. He wanted to give them the best advice possible. "Well, if you wake up really early, you can see the most amazing sunrise. And at low tide, there are tide pools with tiny crabs and sea anemones. Oh, and the ice cream shop makes the best strawberry cones in the whole world!"

"Awesome tips," said the boy with the baseball cap. "Thanks, Peter! Maybe we'll see you around again."

"I hope so," Peter waved as the teenagers continued practicing their skateboard moves.

Gracie looked up at Peter with sparkling eyes that seemed to say, "What's next?" They discovered their answer when they heard cheerful music drifting from a small gathering near the beach.

A family from Edmonton had brought a guitar and was singing folk songs while their little one danced in the sand.

"Do you know this song?" asked the guitar player, strumming a familiar tune about sunshine and friendship.

Peter nodded and began singing along in his clear, sweet voice. Gracie sat beside him, her head tilted as if she was listening carefully to every note.

"You have a lovely voice," complimented the toddler's grandmother, "and your dog seems to enjoy music too."

It was true. Gracie always seemed happiest when there was music around. Sometimes at home, she would even howl when Peter played his recorder. As the impromptu concert continued, more people joined the circle. There was a couple from Japan taking pictures of everything, a family from Toronto sharing homemade cookies, and even some local Parksville residents who had come to enjoy the beautiful day.

Peter felt a warm glow in his chest. This is what he loved most about living in Parksville—how visitors and locals could come together and share happy moments like this.

When the music ended, everyone applauded and began to scatter back to their beach activities, but the feeling of community and friendship lingered in the salty air.

"Thank you for sharing your music with us," Peter told the family from Edmonton. "It made our walk extra special."

"Meeting friendly locals like you makes our vacation extra special too," replied the guitar player with a warm smile.

As the afternoon sun began to sink lower in the sky, Peter and Gracie continued their boardwalk journey. They passed a group of children from Seattle building elaborate sand sculptures, their parents cheering them on from colorful beach chairs.

"Look at that creativity," Peter whispered to Gracie, admiring a sand sculpture that looked remarkably like a whale.

The children noticed Peter and Gracie watching and waved them over.

"We're having a sand sculpture contest," announced a girl with curly red hair. "Do you want to help us judge?"

Peter felt honored to be asked. He studied each sculpture carefully. There was the whale, a castle with multiple towers, a sea turtle, and something that might have been either an octopus or a very abstract flower.

"These are all amazing," Peter declared. "I think everyone should win a prize for being so creative and working so hard."

The children cheered and began planning their next sculpture project together, deciding to combine their talents into one enormous creation.

As Peter and Gracie walked away, they could hear the children laughing and making plans. It made Peter smile to know that his small suggestion had helped turn a competition into cooperation.

The boardwalk was beginning to quiet down as families packed up their beach gear and headed back to their hotels, but Peter and Gracie weren't ready for their adventure to end yet. They discovered a quiet spot where an older couple from Prince George was sitting on a bench, sharing some tea and watching the waves roll in peacefully.

"Beautiful evening," the woman said to Peter as he and Gracie approached. "You two look like you've had quite an adventure today."

"We have," Peter agreed, settling on the grass nearby with Gracie curled up beside him. "We met so many nice people visiting Parksville. Everyone is so friendly and happy to be here."

"That's the magic of places like this," said the man thoughtfully. "Beautiful scenery brings out the best in people. We've been coming here for our anniversary every year for the past 15 years."

"Fifteen years!" Peter's eyes widened. "You must really love it here."

"We do," the woman smiled, "but meeting young people like you, who clearly love and appreciate this special place, makes it even more meaningful to us."

Peter felt proud again. He loved being an ambassador for his hometown, showing visitors why Parksville was such a wonderful place to live and visit.

As the golden sun began to paint the sky in shades of orange and pink, Peter and Gracie encountered one more special group of visitors. Near the ice cream stand, a family from Winnipeg was celebrating their youngest daughter's sixth birthday with colorful balloons tied to their picnic table.

"Happy birthday!" Peter called when he saw the little girl wearing a sparkly tiara and a bright pink dress covered in sand from playing on the beach all day.

"Thank you!" she giggled, running over to pet Gracie. "I'm Emma, and today I'm six years old! Is this your doggy?"

"This is Gracie, and I'm Peter, and we live here in Parksville. Are you having a good birthday at our beach?"

Emma's parents smiled warmly. "We chose Parksville specifically for Emma's birthday because she loves the ocean. She's been talking about this trip for months."

"I learned to build my very first sandcastle today," Emma announced proudly, "and I found 17 different kinds of shells. Want to see?"

She led Peter and Gracie to the picnic table where she had carefully arranged her shell collection in order from smallest to largest. Each shell had a small piece of paper next to it with Emma's attempt at spelling what kind of shell she thought it was.

"These are amazing, Emma," Peter said, impressed. "You're a real shell expert! Now, this one here," he pointed to a spiral shell, "is called a periwinkle, and this flat round one is a sand dollar, but it's broken, so some people call it a sea cookie."

Emma clapped her hands with delight. "A sea cookie! That's the best name ever!"

After taking several photos with Emma's family, Peter noticed that the birthday girl looked a little sad as the sun continued to set.

"What's wrong, Emma?" he asked gently.

"I don't want my birthday to end," she whispered, "and I don't want to leave Parksville tomorrow. What if I forget everything about today?"

Peter thought for a moment, and then he had an idea. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a small notebook and a pencil he always carried for interesting discoveries.

"How about we write down all the best parts of your birthday so you'll never forget? Gracie and I can help you make a special birthday memory book."

Emma's eyes lit up like fireworks. "Really? That would be the best present ever!"

They sat cross-legged on the sand while Emma told Peter about every wonderful moment of her day. He helped her write down each memory in simple words she could read herself: "Found 17 beautiful shells, built the biggest sandcastle in the world, met Gracie the fluffy white dog, learned what sea cookies are, and made new friends with Peter and Gracie."

Emma's mother wiped away a happy tear. "This is so thoughtful of you, Peter. Emma will treasure this memory book forever."

"Every time you read it, you can remember your special sixth birthday at Parksville Beach," Peter told Emma as he handed her the completed memory book, "and maybe you'll come back and visit us again someday."

"I will!" Emma promised, hugging the notebook. "And I'll bring my memory book to show you all the other adventures I have."

As Peter and Gracie finally began their journey home, they waved goodbye to Emma and her family, who were packing up their birthday picnic as the first stars began to twinkle in the darkening sky.

Walking back along the now quiet boardwalk, Peter felt a warm glow in his heart. "I think the best part about living in such a beautiful place isn't just the ocean and the beaches and the boardwalk," he said to Gracie. "It's how all these wonderful things bring people together and help them become friends. Each person we met today was different, but they were all happy to be here and excited to share their joy with us."

Gracie's fluffy white tail wagged one final time as they stepped through their welcoming front door, both of them already peacefully dreaming about tomorrow's potential adventure and wondering what new friends they might meet along the beautiful Parksville boardwalk.

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.

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 is 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.