Read through previous articles from the CV Collective, or pick up the current issue at one of our distributors or in our online store.
Sara Kempner
Photos
Sara is a freelance photographer based out of Cumberland. Born and raised in the Comox Valley, she developed an early appreciation for the outdoors, which has heavily influenced her photography and lifestyle. Sara’s passion for travel has taken her all over the world, but Vancouver Island will always be her favourite place. While her first love was landscape and nature photography, Sara’s passion for capturing memories for people as they do what they love has evolved her business into active lifestyle, event, and sport photography as well. When not working, you can find Sara out mountain biking, snowboarding, or just wandering the forest, camera in hand.
Connect with Sara
Volume
31
Read more
SUNSET AT SMITH LAKE FARM
Words by Sara Kempner
Photo by Meredith Rose
Gallery photos by Jenn Dykstra
Sara Kempner
Karen McKinnon
and Meredith Rose
Four photographers capture more than just snapshots.
As I pull through the gates of Smith Lake Farm, I’m greeted by the sounds of chickens...
Volume
30
Read more
CHEERS TO THE LAZO BARREL COLLECTIVE
Words & photos by Sara Kempner
Three self-proclaimed beer geeks are crafting unique, tasty brews.
It’s a lazy Sunday afternoon as I make my way through Alex Blais’...
Volume
31
Read more
RIDING DRAGONS ON THE SALISH SEA
Words by Anne Arseneau
Photos by Sara Kempner
Hope Afloat marks 20 years in the fight against cancer. Paddles up!
The very first time I dipped my paddle into the Salish Sea, wedged...
Volume
30
Read more
BRANCHING OUT
Words by Mike B
Photos by Sara Kempner
As a planner, Pieter Rutgers helped shape Vancouver’s parks. Now in semi-retirement, he shapes wood into beautiful furniture.
Like most...
Volume
30
Read more
LITTLE VALLEY: DARRAGH TORMEY
Photo by Sara Kempner
Reflections from a younger resident.
Hi, my name is Darragh Tormey, and this is my love essay.
Love can mean a million things, and...
Volume
29
Read more
FELLOWSHIP OF THE FOREST
Words by Dawn Copeman
Photo by Sara Kempner
Along the Cumberland Trail Network, you’re sure to be in good company.
“Expect mountain bikes, hikers, runners, dogs, children, and...
Volume
28
Read more
LITTLE VALLEY: AVA THOMAS
Photo by Sara Kempner
Our young residents reflect on the home they’re growing up in.
My name is Ava, and I am ten years old. I was born in Vancouver and moved...
Volume
28
Read more
BREWMOX VALLEY 2.0
Words by Max Oudendag
Photos by Sara Kempner
Not even a pandemic has stopped our growing love for local craft beer.
When I wrote The New Brewmox Valley for the inaugural issue of this...
Volume
27
Read more
COMOX VALLEY STARGAZING
Words & Photos by Sara Kempner
How to explore space from your own backyard.
Fighting the urge to crawl back into my warm bed, I force myself to grab my camera bag and head...
Volume
17
Read more
ROCK BEATS WATER
Words by Ryan Stuart
Opening photo by Sara Kempner
Gallery photo by Crystal Chowdhury
For climbers, the attraction of Comox Lake has always been the cliffs.
Watching John Waters scramble up a rock face is like watching a...
Volume
26
Read more
REIMAGINING REGIONAL RECREATION
Words by Andrew Findlay
Photos by Sara Kempner
Four local governments working together for better
parks and recreation management? It could be a reality very soon.
Imagine three...
Volume
26
Read more
WELCOME TO HISTORIC CUMBERLAND
Words by Dawn Copeman
Photo by Sara Kempner
The newly renovated Cumberland Museum offers more stories and more points of view.
A few years ago, there was a local kerfuffle because a...
Volume
26
Read more
BEYOND FARMING FOOD
Words by Bevin Clempson
Photos by Sara Kempner
How one local’s getting creative with her land.
At the end of a dirt road, minutes from the sea, sits an idyllic farm.
Youthful alder,...
Volume
25
Read more
FEATURED WORDS: KUS-KUS-SUM
Words by Lorin Medley
Photo by Sara Kempner
1. Field’s sawmill
A burial site with ghost bodies on platforms in treesretaining walls at the river’s edge
log booms...
Volume
25
Read more
PEDDLERS OF DELICIOUSNESS
Words by James McKerricher
Photos by Sara Kempner
Local food trucks do more than serve quick and tasty food. They help connect the community.
The Comox Valley has long been home to an...
Volume
25
Read more
SUPERSONIC MEMORIES
Words by Rick Zyvitski
Article photo by Sara Kempner
Tour the Comox Air Force Museum with a former Canadian Forces fighter pilot.
Editor’s note: Rick Zyvitski, now retired, used to fly...
Volume
25
Read more
THE NATURE CURE
Words by Shawn Peters
Photo by Sara Kempner
The Comox Valley isn’t just a pretty place—it can heal what ails you.
It is no secret that the Comox Valley offers us a unique...
Volume
24
Read more
MUD, MESS, AND MAGIC
Words by Britt Hanson
Photos by Sara Kempner
Making a case for outdoor education.
I respectfully acknowledge that we are on the unceded traditional territories of the K’ómoks First...
Volume
23
Read more
FROM FENCE BOARDS TO SURFBOARDS
Words by Dave Nowak
Photo by Sara Kempner
No foam here: old cedar takes on new life in handcrafted heirloom surfboards.
When you first look at a Waterman surfboard, you wouldn’t...
Volume
22
Read more
THE ART OF THE ARCHTOP
Words by Jen Groundwater
Photo by Sara Kempner
At the pinnacle of guitar making, you might just find Comox Valley luthier Wyatt Wilkie.
Musical wizardry is something I’ve always...
May
3
ONLINE ONLY
Read more
Shelter From A Storm
Categories Covid-19, Online Only
Exploring the wonders next door at home during COVID-19
“Huh,” I think as my gaze follows the path squirming off into the forest. “I’ve never...
Volume
21
Read more
THE SONSHINE LUNCH CLUB: A LOCAL LIFELINE
Words by Mac Newton
Photo by Sara Kempner
Turns out there is such a thing as a free lunch. Five days a week, the Sonshine Lunch Club in Courtenay provides a nutritious meal and a gathering place for...
Volume
20
Read more
WHERE YOUR HEART IS
Opening Introduction by Allie Jenkinson
Photo by Sara Kempner
“I discovered mountain rivers late, for I was a prairie child… All I knew was that it was pure delight to be where the land lifted in peaks and plunged in...
Volume
19
Read more
WHEREVER HELP IS NEEDED
Words by Mac Newton
Photo by Sara Kempner
Celebrating 10 years in the Valley, the Comox Bay Care Society’s mobile Care-A-Van continues to drive forth positive values in our community....
Volume
18
Read more
ABANDON SHIP
Words by Ryan Stuart
Photo by Sara Kempner
Orphaned by their owners, a number of derelict boats litter the shores of Comox Harbour. Due to murky jurisdiction and a lack of accountability, they’ll...
Volume
16
Read more
STANDING TALL
Words by Roger Albert
Article photo by Jenn Dykstra
Gallery photos by Sara Kempner
Karver Everson and Randy Frank are resurrecting a style of totem pole carving traditional to the K’ómoks people. Their Guardian poles continue to be raised...
Volume
15
Read more
FAMILY FRAMEWORK
Words by Jamie McCue
Photos by Sara Kempner
The A-frame is an architectural style that needs little explanation, aptly named for its high peak and steep angles. A-frame popularity can be attributed to a...
Volume
14
Read more
THE NATIVE SONS HALL
Words by Kerry Hale
Photos by Sara Kempner
The history of a storied and culturally significant building in the heart of our community
Long known as “the cultural heart of...
Volume
12
Read more
Coffee & Coastlines in Peru
Words & Photos by Sara Kempner
My first impressions of Peru came on a domestic flight between Lima and Cusco. Bleary eyed after 20 hours of travel from Vancouver Island, I sat on the plane...
Volume
11
Read more
Cody ‘Beaver’ LaFrance
Words by Dan LaFrance
Article photo by Sara Kempner
Gallery photos by Dan LaFrance
The evolution of a visionary carver
At the tender young age of eight, while attending Quadra Elementary School, Cody LaFrance (Beaver)...
Volume
9
Read more
Finding our way: Learning lessons on the mountain
Words by Mike Mccall
Photos by Sara Kempner
Navigation is integral to our daily lives. It’s not just for seafarers, mountaineers or explorers, but a learned skill that is used by most of us every day....
Volume
8
Read more
Angling For More Than A Fish
Words By Myles Armstead
Photos By Sara Kempner
Musings of a Comox Valley fly fisher.
My earliest memory of holding a fly rod was on the Cowichan River, at the age of seven, in...
Volume
7
Read more
Lost In The Wilderness
Words & Photos By Sara Kempner
A close encounter with the Cumberland Lake Wilderness Society
For those of us fortunate to live in the Comox Valley, we find ourselves...
Volume
6
Read more
Outside In
Words By Tao Werner
Photos By Sara Kempner
A young man’s journey from the forest to the Banff International Film and Book Festival.
Being outside is one of the most...
Volume
6
Read more
Collective Efforts: Lifelong Learning
Words By Sue Loveless
Photo By Sara Kempner
Community education thrives in Cumberland.
When the dismissal bell rings at Cumberland Community School, the day is far from over....
Volume
4
Read more
Memories of Chinatown
Words By Dawn Copeman
Intro Photo By Ed Brooks
Gallery Photos By Sara Kempner
Walking along the old Wellington Railway trail where alder, hard hack and osier dogwood create a bower of beautiful for wildlife, I smell the coal dust still...
Volume
3
Read more
Shared Source
Words By Meaghan Cursons
Photos By Ian Adams
And Sara Kempner
The Comox Lake watershed is beautiful. The bird’s eye view is truly epic. Crystal clear icy water flows down from the Comox Glacier and craggy snow topped...