For Cheryl Roller, it was a recent trip to Central America where she was overwhelmed by the beauty of the people and the colours-from the striped blankets and colourful ponchos to the faces and a landscape shaped by tectonic forces.

For Gerald Stanick, inspiration is found in the interplay of music and art-the first a field where he’s earned distinction for most of his life, the second a pursuit that was once a hobby, and is now a growing passion.

Both Stanick and Roller-who live in Richmond-are among the 45 artists whose works have been selected for Oil & Water, the South Delta Artists Guild’s biggest show of the year, opening July 26. It is a juried exhibition of some of the region’s most accomplished artists.

Roller’s contribution is a pastel work titled “The Avacado Lady”-a woman she encountered in Antigua in January, on an organized tour with 18 other artists.

“She was sitting in a doorway,” Roller says, adding that many people she met were camera-shy.

“Her face had so much character in it, that I asked if I could pay her to take her picture.”

The woman agreed, even placing the basket of avacados on her head.

By the trip’s end, Roller had 800 photographs to inspire future paintings, and an unforgettable experience that included culture, the companionship of fellow artists, and some education from two art instructors who were part of the trip.

“It was a perfect mix of travelling, sightseeing, art-and shopping,” she says with a laugh.

Music heard in visual terms

Gerald Stanick’s three works in Oil & Water include two nautical scenes in oil, and a charcoal life drawing.

Unlike many artists, who come to the craft later in life, Stanick has carried a sketch pad at his side for most of his 73 years.

Though it’s only since he retired from his role as a music instructor at UBC 10 years ago that art has become his primary focus.

Stanick’s name is well-known in classical music circles. He met his wife, Mary, when they were both playing viola in the Winnipeg Symphony almost 50 years ago, and he went on to perform with the Fine Arts Quartet-one of the most renowned chamber groups in the world.

“It’s interesting how the arts intertwine so easily,” Stanick says, of music and the visual medium. “I think there’s a deep emotional involvement-or should be-with both of them.”

He cites Impressionist art-exemplified in the work of painters like Claude Monet, Camillle Pissarro and Edgar Degas-and its “light, flamboyant” qualities, comparing it to the “Impressionists” of music-composers like Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, whose works are characterized by a similarly colouristic effect.

“When I talk about music, I talk about the need for colour and light,” Stanick says. “I find I use artistic forms quite frequently with my teaching.”

Though music consumed much of his career, he says his life is now more in tune than ever.

“This is my first love, really, drawing and painting,” he says, “I just got back to it. It’s just marvellous.”

Oil & Water debuts with an opening reception Thursday, July 26, 6:30-9:30 p.m. at the Tsawwassen Longhouse Gallery, 1710 56th St. Artists will be in attendance. Show runs to Aug. 25.

Again this summer, the Cammidge House Committee is hosting its car boot sale at Boundary Bay Regional Park, to raise money for Cammidge House.

It’s like a flea market, with vehicles paying the committee $10 to rent a parking stall and selling items from the “boot” (to use the British slang for trunk) of their car.

“It’s exciting,” said event organizer Harry Caine. “We started it four years ago, and it’s been really very successful.”

Caine says the car boot sales feature items you would find at any garage sale, but it’s more convenient because “everybody selling things is right next to each other.”

He was introduced to the concept of the car boot sale while in Christchurch, New Zealand five years ago.

“I saw it and I thought ‘What an amazing idea to raise money.’ My mind is always clicking away for neat things like this.”

The Cammidge House car boot sales have room for 40 cars- significantly smaller than the events held in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, where vehicles in the hundreds flock to parking lots.

But in Tsawwassen’s case, the local sale is also helping provides some added value to a local landmark.

The historic Cammidge House in Boundary Bay Regional Park became a heritage home in 1998 after it was moved from its original location at Boundary Bay Road and Third Avenue, and was fully restored and opened to the public.

The building not only offers visitors a look at life 100 years ago, but it has also become a picturesque and popular place to host a wedding.

Money raised from the boot sales this year will go towards furnishing “Laura’s Room.”

Laura Cammidge’s second-floor bedroom will be used as an area for brides and bridesmaids to prepare, whilst taking in the beauty of the century-old vanities that adorn the room.

Caine is confident the Cammidge House committee will be able to fully furnish Laura’s Room by the end of summer-as long as bargain shoppers come to Centennial Beach to enjoy the car boot sales.

“It’s become so great and so much fun,” said Caine. “It’s a fantastic way to spend a Saturday.”

- The car boot sale runs 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the first and third Saturday of every month, from June to September. Vendor parking spots are available on a first come, first served basis.;

This year’s Tsawwassen Sun Festival will be “alright” indeed.

The 34th annual festival’s theme is the Groovin’ ’60s-guaranteeing plenty of great music to fill the Delta air.

The people, the colours and the music of the 1960s will be thriving throughout Tsawwassen during the festival’s weekend run.

“Everybody seems to be into the ’60s music right now, so we thought it would be the perfect theme,” said Henri Wendel, chairman of the Tsawwassen Sun Festival Society.

Taking place over the B.C. Day long weekend-Aug. 4-6-the annual Sun Festival features a great selection of daily entertainment.

In tune with the Groovin’ ’60s theme, the Sun Fest will have a non-stop supply of psychedelic music coming from the main stage, as well as a tie-dye T-shirt vendor.

“We really want to make this like a small-town fair,” said Wendel.

Games and rides, a pie eating contest, delicious food and a weekend-long softball tournament are just a handful of the things South Delta residents can enjoy.

Activities will also include skateboard competitions and BMX bike races.

“One major highlight of the festival every year is the fireworks display,” said Wendel. To cap off the weekend, the sky above the South Delta Recreation Centre will be alight with fiery colours on Sunday night.

On holiday Monday, the streets will be lined with crowds, as the always-great main street parade featuring more than 80 floats, local groups and organizations, vehicles and performers will make their way through the heart of Tsawwassen.

The South Delta Recreation Centre will also play host to an antique fair, lined with treasures for event-goers to peruse.

As well, there will be an international marketplace with vendors selling items ranging from children’s toys and clothing to eyewear.

Delta residents are encouraged to come to Winskill Park and the South Delta Recreation Centre to take part in the annual Sun Fest activities, and experience the sunny Tsawwassen spirit.

South Delta is known as the sunniest place in Greater Vancouver, so it’s no wonder the aptly-named Sun Festival is such a perfect event for Tsawwassen.;

The flat, fertile land of the river delta proved irresistible to early settlers and agriculture developed as one of Delta’s first industries. Rich soil and a temperate climate led to the establishment of productive local farms. Most settlers started with subsistence farming, agriculture grew in importance as the land became easier to cultivate (through a series of dyking initiatives) and through improved transportation. Many early farmhouses and agricultural structures remain in relatively original configuration, and have been continuously used for generations.

The river was originally the primary means of transportation until the road system became functional. As early as the 1890 the basic road pattern had been established, but not completely reliable until the dyking system provided full flood protection. By the late 1890s, most roads had been planked, and after 1900, many of them were upgraded to gravel.

As the population grew, the Fraser River, once the prime link to other centres, was now seen as a barrier. Access to the rest of the Lower Mainland became a serious economic issue, as Delta still had no connection to the regional network. This isolation kept growth in the municipality relatively stagnant, but also preserved a rural way of life for many decades.

In 1959, the Massey Tunnel was created and the need for rapid suburban growth was met.

Today, Delta is a vibrant community within the Lower Mainland, and road, rail and water to the rest of the region connect it. Delta continues to display a balance between rural activities, and despite many changes, there remain tangible links to the past that help explain its pioneer origins and remind us of the vision of its settlers.