Gabriola GertieThis 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? Who cares? The topic hasn’t grabbed me, so I’ve not thought about it. Today, though, the answer popped into my head. I know just what I’d put in Gertie’s place.

(This photo of Gabriola Gertie is one I took a few years ago.)