Perhaps it’s tonight, the last night of the year, when Gabriola trees add a new ring of bark. Maybe they do it whilst sipping wine and eating shortbread cookies. (Or maybe I should not blog after wine and shortbread.)
Filed in Gabriola Island,native plants,photos Comments Off
Did you know that one of Vancouver’s famous buildings is called Gabriola? It’s on Davie Street near English Bay in the city’s West End. The City of Vancouver explains: Gabriola, (at the northwest corner of Davie and Nicola), is the last of the community’s truly grand mansions. Built in 1900-1901 for industrialist Benjamin Tingley Rogers [...]
Filed in Gabriola Island,history Comments Off
A few weeks ago a big old alder tree toppled over in the Gabriola woods. It didn’t fall across the path, but along the path, which is much worse: the trunk took up the entire path, and branches sticking out all over the place made the path unusable. We had to bushcrash our way around [...]
Filed in Gabriola Island,trails Comments Off
Did you know that you can donate online to any of Gabriola’s registered charities? This method is easy, convenient, and offers options that I love. Interested? Hop over to CanadaHelps. Type Gabriola in the search box and you get to a this list of Gabriola charities. Click the name of a charity to learn more [...]
Filed in Gabriola Island 3 Comments so far
You’ve seen some stunningly expensive houses for sale on Gabriola. There’s that one down on the waterfront that costs more than I can imagine spending on anything short of saving the world. Then there’s the massive property with enough land and buildings to house a religious cult. Then there’s…. oh, you get the idea. We’ve [...]
Filed in environment Comments Off
New today in the Gabriola woods: these ever-so-small mushrooms. I’d never be able to see all this detail without the zoom lens. (The mushrooms, in real life, are about a centimeter wide.)
Filed in Gabriola Island,mushrooms,photos Comments Off
So. Let’s suppose you’re going to give a bit of money to some Gabriola charity. Which one will you select, and why? To help with the decision, I made a list of Gabriola charities that are registered charities, and can give tax receipts. Then I narrowed that list down by seeing which charities have websites. [...]
Filed in Gabriola Island One Response so far
Two paths diverge in a Gabriola wood. This antler, wedged between two trees, marks the spot.
Filed in Gabriola Island,photos,trails Comments Off
Got the Gabriola font on your computer? Then perhaps you’re wondering how to switch between the different stylistic variants (lettering styles) the font offers. (I know there are a lot of people who want this information, because they arrive at Gabriolan.ca after searching for ‘how to change lettering style in Gabriola font’ or some such.) [...]
Filed in assorted,Gabriola people Comments Off
When I’m out at Berry Point, I wonder what’s going on under the waves, and whether the newly-planted kelp will thrive there. Remember hearing about the Help the Kelp project a while back? Today I visited Dr. Michael Mehta‘s website and noticed a link to this Youtube video of the Gabriola kelp re-planting: Also of [...]
Filed in environment,Gabriola Island 3 Comments so far
You’ve seen those signs the Government of Canada has posted along the edges of their Gabriola property. They say private property and no trespassing. Or at least that’s what the signs all used to say. This one’s been modified. Typical of Gabriola, don’t you think? (Don’t you tell me what to do!) The sign is [...]
Filed in Gabriola Island,photos,trails 2 Comments so far
Mother Jones magazine has a fascinating article about a fungus that grows on islands near Gabriola. (And who knows? Maybe it grows on Gabriola, too!) The article is Return of the Fungi: In the old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest grows a bulbous, prehistoric-looking mushroom called agarikon. It prefers to colonize century-old Douglas fir trees, [...]
Filed in environment,mushrooms Comments Off
Did you know that frost flowers are all over the Gabriola woods these days? They’re gorgeous. Get up early on a cold day if you want to see them, and head to a place where alders or maple trees grow. If the conditions are just right, you’ll be rewarded with much frosty beauty. And what [...]
Filed in Gabriola Island,photos,weather Comments Off
Off the path, crashing through the Gabriola woods, I sometimes come across well caps like this one. Are they locked so that the forest animals won’t install pipes and a dishwasher?
Filed in Gabriola Island,photos 3 Comments so far
The Gabriola forest was magical this morning.
Filed in Gabriola Island,insects,photos Comments Off
One of the Gabriola blogs I visited today is Colin’s Rowing & Sailing Stories. Colin Masson lives on Gabriola, and he’s got the kind of boat I want: a traditional handliner. Here are Colin’s Reflections from Rowing the Bus to Work: The best part of this rowing day was the orcas, but I’m getting ahead [...]
Filed in Gabriola Island,Gabriola people Comments Off
Lost your gloves on Gabriola? By now somebody has found them, and your gloves are decorating a tree, just waiting for you to return. These gloves are in the 707 Acre Woods. Other lost gloves are similarly displayed on other parts of the island. Maybe one day I’ll find the one black glove I lost….
Filed in Gabriola Island,photos Comments Off
Here’s some Christmas music for you, Gabriola! This year I send you the Toronto Consort singing Praetorius Christmas Vespers.
Filed in assorted,music One Response so far
