Marylyn Crossley Beaubien launched her self-published family memoir Wives and Mothers at Pages Bookstores on Gabriola Island in 2014. She and her husband operate a bed n' breakfast called Casa Blanca by the Sea on Gabriola Island. Along with writing, she enjoys painting, carving, knitting and weaving. She told Seniors Living magazine, "I'm always doing something with my hands. And I've always loved baskets and wanted to know how to make them. Our group now is about 10 people who meet at different people's homes. We use many different kinds of materials, a lot gathered locally - like ivy and blackberry vines. With blackberry, for example, you have to take off all the prickles. We wear leather gloves, run our hands down the vines one way to remove all the leaves, and then the other way to remove all the prickles. August and early September are the best times to gather these vines after they have grown the longest, so they have some woodiness and strength to them. We are always gathering throughout the year - depending on what type of plant or supply we may be looking for.";

[BCBW 2014]