I’d walked there every day for months, but had no idea that a fantastic network of trails began just a few feet from my regular route. What clued me in was the snow, followed by easy-to-follow footprints and pawprints all heading off into the forest.
Gabriola has lots of snow left, but no new snow, so [...]
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Look what the Shingle just published: Local accommodation stymies Hydro’s power outage response.
If you think Gabriola’s power outages are too long, you may want to invite a BC Hydro worker home for supper and a nap.
A lack of suitable island accommodations means Hydro (BCH) probably won’t send repair crews to the island until the following [...]
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Our water pipes froze in the last power outage, because a section of pipe outside the house wasn’t insulated. The guy who built the house ought to have insulated that pipe, but then, we should have checked these things before winter came, and we didn’t. As Heather Armstrong would say, "My advice to you is [...]
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If it were up to me to replace Gabriola Gertie, I’d create Gabriola Goethe.
Now Goethe is famous for lots of things. Wikipedia explains that Goethe:
…was a German writer and according to George Eliot, "Germany’s greatest man of letters… and the last true polymath to walk the earth."[2] Goethe’s works span the fields of poetry, drama, [...]
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This is Gabriola Gertie, who used to stand at the Gabriola ferry terminal in Nanaimo Harbour.
When Gertie vanished, people wondered why, and where she’d gone. The Flying Shingle explained that wood rot meant the end of Gertie; she’s been cremated.
From time to time somebody asks what should replace Gabriola Gertie. Well, who knows? [...]
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Here’s a peek into Gabriola’s log church at Silva Bay. I’m guessing that this is the island’s oldest church; it was established in 1920. There’s a bit about the church history over here.
Are there other log churches in BC? This is the only one I’ve come across.
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How many Gabriola birds would you recognize? Today the island’s birders are going out to count our birds, and similar events are happening all across North America. The Audobon Society gives the history:
Prior to the turn of the century, people engaged in a holiday tradition known as the Christmas "Side Hunt": They would [...]
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I love the signs people post on Gabriola’s bulletin boards. Items for sale, rants, offers of help, stern warnings — I read them all. Lately there have been signs like this one popping up all over the island. "Help me get out of this snow!" is the cry.
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It turns out that a Prius might be more practical for use on Gabriola than you’d have guessed. From Green Inc, a New York Times blog: Prius: It’s Not Just a Car, It’s an Emergency Generator.
The Prius has a new use, and it does not involve driving. The Harvard Press — which serves the Massachusetts [...]
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Whoops! This boat won’t be going anywhere for a while.
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Now here’s what I’d like to do: sail from Gabriola to Vancouver and back again, without getting into some horrible disaster. Never mind that I don’t have a boat — the bigger problem is that I don’t have the skills a boater ought to have. (I’m not stupid enough to blunder out onto the sea [...]
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We began the day with mince tarts, eaten in bed. A fine Christmas tradition, and I thank McLeans for their part in it.
Good though modern mince tarts are, I am tempted by the traditional recipe, too. Did you know that mincemeat tarts used to contain meat? Here, read this: Original 1648 mince pie put to [...]
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Merry Christmas, Gabriola!
I didn’t make it to your house with a crew of carollers this year, so let me send these guys instead, courtesy of Youtube.
Imagine them standing in the snow outside, singing for you as you sip your eggnog.
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This showed up in my email this morning:
The problem for Gabriola is that it is more vulnerable, for equipment reasons, not more wasteful than other communities. Gabriola has a single-feed connection from Cedar (in most other communities, load imbalances can be much more easily evened out).
BC Hydro says part of the Okanagan is experiencing the [...]
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Oh rats. The Gabriola Holiday Spirit Feast (community Christmas dinner at Camp Miriam) has been cancelled due to frozen pipes and because it looks like we’ll get more snow.
The Coffeehouse Boxing Day Kitchen Party is cancelled, too – nobody will be able to park at the Agi Hall in all this snow.
(Information source: Colleen [...]
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From The Province: Deserter from U.S. army gets small reprieve.
A Gabriola Island shop clerk facing deportation by Christmas Eve was given a temporary reprieve by Immigration Canada.
Clifford Cornell has another month to build his legal defence to stay in Canada. [continue]
Update: The Nanaimo News Bulletin has more details in the story they just published: Deportation [...]
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So apparently that power use warning is for real after all. The Nanaimo Daily News has the story.
Gabriola Islanders are being asked by B.C. Hydro to reduce their power consumption, and/or shift the times of the day they use more power, over the Christmas season.
The best line is attributed to BC Hydro spokesman Ted Olynyk: [...]
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Pardon my obsession with the snow these days — it’s just that I haven’t a hope of going anywhere until I shovel the driveway, and (after much effort!) I am only one-seventh of the way done.
So this is an interesting product. It’s called the wovel, and is supposed to make it easier and faster to [...]
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Is the snow getting you down? Here’s cheer, then! I bet you’re saving money in these areas, all because of the snowfall:
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I’ve had several versions of this email today:
BC Hydro phoned our RDN rep Gisele Rudischer and said that they are trying to stabilize our power today and would like us to cut back our usage. They are worried that we will lose our electricity. It is especially important to conserve during the peak hours [...]
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"So how much snow did you get on Gabriola, anyway?" This is what my city friends are asking. And here — this is how much snow we have in our back yard.
I’d guess that lots of places on Gabriola have about 15 inches of snow, but at our house we’re extra lucky.
In other news, [...]
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Remember the beekeeping course I mentioned the other day? I’ve been thinking about that, partly because I need a warm-weather thing to think about in the midst of all this snow. And who doesn’t like honey? Besides, the idea of being a beekeeper has a certain appeal.
What I’m wondering is: could I do it, here? [...]
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