Fireside Books: There's exciting news for book lovers. Fireside Books in Parksville now has a second location in Port Alberni. The Bookwyrm — used books are just $5 or less. The Bookwyrm, on the corner of Redford and Anderson, opens seven days a week from 10 to 5, building your personal library for less. Fireside Books at 464 Island Highway East in Parksville is a book dragon's dream come true. Browse their extensive collections seven days a week. Both locations make growing your personal library easier than ever. New and used books and so much more. Order online at firesidebooks.ca and pick up at either location. Details available online.

The Ballad of Peter & Gracie: Peter and his dog raced here and there, 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 the car as they drove along Highway 19A towards Qualicum Beach. Gracie sat beside him, her white, fluffy face pressed against the window, watching the world go by. "Are we almost there?" Peter asked for the third time. "Almost there," Dad said with a smile. "Just a few more minutes."

Today was a special Saturday adventure. Peter's family, along with their neighbour Priya and her mum Maya, were visiting the Qualicum Beach Hatchery. Peter had been learning about salmon at school, and when he told his parents all about it, they decided a family trip to see a real salmon would just be perfect.

"I'm so glad Gracie can come this time," Peter said, hugging his dog. "She would've been so sad to miss this." "Well, we called ahead to make sure dogs were allowed in the outdoor areas," his mum said. "As long as we keep Gracie on her leash and away from the ponds, she's welcome to join us." Priya leaned over from her seat.

"Do you think Gracie will like the salmon?" "I don't know," Peter said thoughtfully. "She's never even seen a fish before. Well, except in our neighbour's aquarium — but those were tiny." When they arrived at the hatchery, Peter clipped on Gracie's leash, and they all walked together toward the entrance.

Gracie's nose immediately went into overdrive. There were so many new smells here — water, fish, plants, and other visitors who had been there before. A friendly woman with a bright blue jacket greeted them near the entrance. Her name tag read "Linda." "Welcome to the Qualicum Beach Hatchery," Linda said warmly.

She looked down at Gracie and smiled. "And who's this beautiful dog?" "This is Gracie," Peter said proudly. "She's an American Eskimo. Is it okay that she comes here?" "Absolutely. As long as she stays on her leash, she's very welcome. Dogs are naturally curious about salmon — their ancestors used to catch them in the wild."

Linda knelt down and let Gracie sniff her hand. Gracie's tail wagged politely. "Are you here to learn about our salmon?" Linda asked. "Yes," Peter said eagerly. "We've been learning about them at school, but I wanted to see real ones — and I wanted Gracie to see them too."

"Well, you've come to the right place. How about I give you a tour? Follow me and I'll show you the amazing journey that salmon take during their lives." She led them to a large outdoor pond. Gracie pulled slightly on her leash, curious about the water and the movement she could see. Peter held on tight.

"Look, Gracie," Peter whispered. "Those are fish in the clear water." Hundreds of small fish swam back and forth, all about the size of Peter's finger. Gracie's ears perked forward. She'd never seen anything like this before. Her nose twitched as she tried to understand what these silvery, moving things were.

"These are coho salmon fry," Linda explained. "They hatched from eggs about three months ago. Does anyone know where salmon eggs come from?" "From mama salmon?" Priya said. "Well, that's right — but here's the amazing part. The mama salmon travel hundreds of kilometres to lay eggs in the exact same stream where she was born."

"How do you think she finds her way back?" Peter thought about how good Gracie was at finding things with her nose. "Does she smell it?" "Exactly," Linda said, looking impressed. "Scientists think salmon can smell their home stream. They remember the unique smell of the water where they were born, even after years in the ocean."

She looked at Gracie. "It's like how your dog probably knows the smell of your house and could find it even in the dark." "Gracie has an amazing nose," Peter said. "She can smell when we're cooking dinner from upstairs." Gracie wagged her tail at the mention of dinner, momentarily distracted from the fascinating swimming creatures.

Peter and Priya leaned over the edge of the pond to get a closer look. Gracie strained to see too, standing on her back legs and putting her front paws on the low wall around the pond. Peter gently pulled her back. "No, Gracie, you have to stay down here. We don't want you to fall in." Gracie huffed, slightly disappointed, but she sat down obediently, though her eyes never left the moving fish.

"Your dog is very interested in our salmon," Linda observed with amusement. "That's actually a good instinct — in the wild, dogs' ancestors, wolves and other canines, would catch salmon during spawning season. It was an important food source for them, really." Peter looked at Gracie with new appreciation.

"Did you hear that, girl? Your great-great-great-grandparents used to catch salmon!" Gracie tilted her head as if she was trying to understand. "Now here's where it gets really interesting," Linda said. "These fry will grow bigger and become smolts. When they're ready, they'll swim downstream all the way to the ocean.

"Some species spend one year in the ocean, some spend several years. They eat and grow and can travel thousands of kilometres through the Pacific Ocean." "Why do they go to the ocean?" Peter asked. "Great question. The ocean has more food, so salmon can grow bigger there. A salmon fry might be this small" — Linda held her fingers close together — "but an adult salmon can be this long," and she spread her arms wide. Gracie's eyes followed Linda's arms spreading wide. She seemed to be trying to imagine a fish that big. "And then they come home?" Priya asked. "Exactly — when it's time to spawn, the salmon stop eating and begin their journey home."

"They swim against the current, up rivers and streams, jumping over waterfalls and rocks. It's exhausting work. Many salmon don't make it — they're caught by bears, eagles, or fishermen, or they're just too tired. But the ones who do make it are able to lay eggs and continue the cycle." Linda led them inside a building where there were several large tanks.

Gracie's nails clicked on the concrete floor as she walked beside Peter. The indoor space had a distinct fishy smell that made Gracie's nose work overtime. "This is where we keep adult salmon that have returned to spawn," Linda explained, bringing them to a large tank. Peter and Priya pressed close to see.

The salmon were huge — much bigger than the tiny fry they had seen outside. They had beautiful silver bodies with spots, and some had started turning reddish. They swam slowly, their powerful bodies moving gracefully through the water. Gracie stood on her back legs again, this time putting her paws on Peter's leg to try to see better.

Peter picked her up carefully, holding her so she could see into the tank. "Look, Gracie," Peter whispered. "Those are grown-up salmon. They were babies, like the ones outside, and now they're huge." Gracie stared at the fish. Her ears were forward. Her body was tense with attention. A small whine escaped her throat — not scared, just intensely curious, and maybe a little excited.

"I think Gracie wants to go swimming," Priya giggled. "Well, these are coho salmon that came back this fall," Linda explained. "See how their colour is changing? That happens when they return to freshwater to spawn. It's like they're putting on special clothes for the most important journey of their lives."

She showed them a special incubation tray filled with orange eggs, each about the size of a small pea. Peter set Gracie down gently, and she immediately went back to watching the fish. "Why do you do that?" Peter's dad asked. "Why help them?" "Because salmon need our help," Linda said seriously. "A long time ago, there were so many salmon in our rivers.

"People said you could walk across the water on their backs — but humans changed things. We built dams that block salmon from reaching their spawning grounds. We polluted the rivers. We caught too many salmon. We cut down the trees near streams, which made the water too warm and took away the shade that salmon need."

Peter felt worried. "Are the salmon going to disappear?" "Not if we can help them," Linda said firmly. "That's why hatcheries like this one exist. We help more salmon survive by protecting the eggs and the young fish during the most dangerous times of their lives. When we release them, they have a much better chance of making it to the ocean and back."

Linda led them outside to a viewing area where they could watch the Qualicum River flowing by. The water rushed over the rocks, creating white foam and a pleasant rushing sound. Gracie immediately became alert, watching the moving water with great interest. "In the fall, when the salmon are running, you can stand right here and watch hundreds of salmon swimming upstream," Linda said. "It's one of the most amazing natural events you can witness on Vancouver Island. Sometimes you can even see bears waiting to catch them."

"Can we come back in the fall to see it?" Peter asked his parents. "I think that would be wonderful," his dad said. They stood for a moment, watching the river flow.

Gracie pulled toward the water's edge, wanting to investigate. But Peter held her leash firmly. "No, Gracie, the current is too strong. You have to stay here with us." Gracie looked up at Peter and wagged her tail, and then went back to watching the fascinating moving water. Before they left, Linda gave each of them a small card.

She even gave one to Peter on behalf of Gracie. "This is your Salmon Steward pledge," Linda said. "It lists the ways you can help protect salmon and their habitat. I hope you'll all become salmon stewards — people who care for these amazing fish and the rivers they need." Peter read his card carefully, and then read Gracie's to her.

"I pledge to keep streams and rivers clean. Save water. Never litter. Learn about salmon and teach others. Respect nature and wildlife." "Did you hear that, Gracie? We're salmon stewards! Now we have to protect the salmon." Gracie wagged her tail, which Peter took as agreement.

On the way home, Peter was quiet, thinking about everything he'd learned. Gracie had curled up beside him, tired from all the excitement and the new experiences. "That was really amazing," Priya said. "I didn't know fish could be so interesting." "Pretty incredible, wasn't it?" Peter's mum said. "Mum, those salmon swim so far just to go home and have babies," Peter said. "And they don't even get to meet the babies."

"They do it anyway because it's important." "That's right," his mum said softly. "It's one of nature's most powerful stories — about sacrifice and persistence and the importance of home." "I think Gracie understood how important the salmon were," Peter said. "Did you see how interested she was? She watched them the whole time."

His dad glanced in the rear-view mirror and smiled. "I think Gracie was just fascinated by something she'd never seen before. But you're right — she was very well behaved." Peter stroked Gracie's fur. "I want to help the salmon. We're going to be salmon stewards, right, Gracie?" Gracie's tail thumped once against the seat.

When they got home, Peter got out his art supplies and started drawing. He drew the lifecycle of a salmon: eggs in the gravel, fry in the stream, big adult salmon in the ocean, and finally a big salmon jumping up a waterfall to get home. In the corner of his drawing, he added Gracie watching the fish at the hatchery.

That evening, Peter showed his drawing to his parents at dinner. "That's really good, Peter," his dad said. "What will you do with it?" "Well, I'm going to put it on my wall to remember," Peter said. "And I'm going to tell everyone at school about the hatchery. Maybe Mrs. Wilson can take her whole class there." "I think that's a wonderful idea," his mum said.

Peter looked at Gracie, who was lying in her favourite spot near the kitchen window. "Gracie got to learn about salmon today. She's probably the only dog in Coombs who's a salmon steward." His parents laughed, but Peter was serious. He felt like today had been important — not just fun, but meaningful. He had learned about creatures that made incredible journeys, faced impossible challenges, and never gave up. He learned that everything in nature was connected, and that even small actions — like not littering or saving water — could help protect something as amazing as a salmon.

Before bed, Peter knelt beside Gracie's bed. "Thank you for coming with us today, Gracie. I'm glad you got to see the salmon. We're going to help take care of them, okay? We're going to help keep the rivers clean and safe." Gracie licked his face and wagged her tail. And as Peter drifted off to sleep that night, he dreamed of silver salmon leaping up the waterfalls, swimming through vast oceans, and always, always finding their way back home.

Just like Gracie would always find her way back to Peter, no matter where they went.

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.

Fireside Books: There's exciting news for book lovers. Fireside Books in Parksville now has a second location in Port Alberni. The Bookwyrm — used books are just $5 or less. The Bookwyrm, on the corner of Redford and Anderson, opens seven days a week from 10 to 5, building your personal library for less. Fireside Books at 464 Island Highway East in Parksville is a book dragon's dream come true. Browse their extensive collections seven days a week. Both locations make growing your personal library easier than ever. New and used books and so much more. Order online at firesidebooks.ca and pick up at either location. Details available online.