We’ve got porta-potties on the Quinsam now. The Tyee explains: BC Ferries using portable toilets, not treatment, on Gabriola vessel.
…the ferry serving Gabriola, the Quinsam, had three portable toilets added to its deck this morning. That’s right—the washrooms are closed and the vessel is using the same kind of plastic johnny-on-the-spot toilets more familiar to [...]
Filed in Gabriola Island, environment, ferries One Response so far
Continuing our sometimes-series on unusual trailmarkers in the Gabriola woods, I offer you this stunning specimen, which appeared within the last month or so.
What kind of horns do you think these are? Steer?
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Well, well. Apparently this lighthouse de-staffing thing has been put on hold. The Canadian Press explains:
Fisheries Minister Gail Shea has ordered a review of Coast Guard plans to automate lighthouses in British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador.
Shea says safety concerns have been raised by a number of parties over the gradual de-staffing of light stations [...]
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The lighthouse keepers have left the building… and the light, and Entrance Island. This according to our well-informed source, that is.
Apparently there are petitions in various shops around Gabriola, so you can go find one and sign it if you’d like our lighthouse to be staffed.
Previous posts on this topic:
Island lighthouse will lose its keeper
Keep [...]
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These are thistles, gone to seed. I watched them waver in the sunlight this morning, all shimmery and bright. Then came a gust of wind, and they were gone, along with Gabriola’s summer.
Welcome to the autumn rains. I think I’ll put the fire on tonight.
Filed in Gabriola Island, invasive plants, photos No Responses yet
You never know what you’ll see on Gabriola if you wander off the beaten track. You just never know.
So, there’s this red truck, with part of a yellow airplane crashed into it. Somebody’s painted Jesus is Lord on the airplane. The truck’s occupants are skeletons. Oh, and don’t miss the chain saw on top of [...]
Filed in Gabriola Island, photos One Response so far
Here’s a Gabriola wildflower I haven’t seen — or at least haven’t noticed — before. It’s growing in a lightly-shaded meadow in the middle of the forest. Do you know what it is, or whether it’s a native plant or not? I think it might be Erigeron annuus.
Filed in native plants One Response so far
Here’s the latest news from Gabriola Radio:
Rogers states their reason is to improve service to their existing coverage area but their expansion of 98.5 FM will wipe out the last channel available for Gabriola Radio to use. The issue is the last channel going to a community applicant for a news service or a small [...]
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Gabriola neighbours and those of you who’ve been reading this blog for a while might remember that I was rather too late this year when I finally got around to planting sweet peas. But you know? We’ve had gorgeous, fragrant, delightful sweet peas all summer long. So there!
I think the moral of this story is [...]
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Are there house for sale by owner signs on Gabriola? Oh yes. In fact, there are so many people selling their own Gabriola houses that I wonder if real estate agents have a much of a future.
Before real estate agents came along, all property sales were for sale by owner, as far as I can [...]
Filed in Gabriola Island 5 Comments so far
I’ve heard of the Gabriola Green Bikes project, but this the first time I’ve seen a green bike at Folklife Village, just hanging around the place.
I was gawking at the bike while my beloved shopped for groceries. As I stood there, a few other people came along, and we all had the same question: can [...]
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There are a lot of mysteries for me on Gabriola, like what’s that weird gloop on the beach, and why there are suddenly swirls of white stuff in the winter woods. Sometimes web searches help me find the answers to puzzles like this, but sometimes not. I have a long list of unsolved island mysteries.
Here [...]
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You walk along this trail quite often. Within the last year or two, another trail has developed off to the left there. But why? That other trail doesn’t seem to go anywhere, yet it looks more travelled every time you pass. Puzzling. What’s up?
You may be walking past a geocache. Here, geocaching.com explains the game:
Geocaching [...]
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I can’t begin to tell you how often I get lost in the Gabriola woods. Of course, this wouldn’t happen if I’d just stick to the trails, but what fun is that? Sometimes there’s something that looks like a trail, and it wants to be explored. But then it turns out not to be a [...]
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If you had to guess, how old would you say these trail blazes are?
Filed in trails 3 Comments so far
What kind of wasps do we have on Gabriola? This kind. Here’s the nest I almost walked into the other day in the woods.
If you happen to know what this kind of wasp is called, please let me know.
Filed in insects 2 Comments so far
Gabriola looks out on the Entrance Island lighthouse. After reading the other day that this lighthouse will lose its keeper, I started reading up on what that might mean to boaters and others. Here’s what the
Filed in Gabriola Island, environment No Responses yet
Ah, Labour Day. Some on Gabriola will be sad about this, but others will be euphoric. It’s the same on other Gulf Islands, as this article about Hornby Island explains:
You’ve heard of the Wave Party? asks Karen Young with a grin. (…) At the last ferry at the end of the season, Labour Day weekend, [...]
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This is O.B, the dog who rides around in the Summer Rain water delivery truck. He’s a rather grand fellow, especially for one who is less than ten pounds.
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From the Nanaimo Daily News: Island lighthouse will lose its keeper.
A lighthouse on Entrance Island, located off the tip of Gabriola Island, will lose its keeper for the first time since 1876.
The fully automated lighthouse is one of four along B.C.’s coast that the federal government is looking to destaff in the near future, with [...]
Filed in Gabriola Island One Response so far
Have you been to the Gabriola Commons lately? I stop by to visit the gardens every week or so — I meet fun people, and pick up ideas for my own garden.
Anyway. I like this scarecrow.
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There are about 800 gazillion mosquitoes on Gabriola, and they like to bite me. But why me, when they leave my beloved alone? The Wall Street Journal might have the answer in their Finding Smells That Repel article by Shirley Wang, which states:
If you’re one of those people whom mosquitoes tend to favor, maybe it’s [...]
Filed in insects No Responses yet
