Progress
Commercial development continues apace on Gabriola: the soon-to-open Madrona Marketplace is having its parking lot paved this afternoon. (Why do I have this Joni Mitchell song stuck in my head?)
Filed in Gabriola Island One Response so far
Archive for April, 2010
Plastic island?
In bizarre island-related environmental news, we have this from Fast Company: Paradise Recycled: Architects Dream of Turning Great Pacific Garbage Patch Into Habitable Island. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a jumble of plastic trash that spans hundreds of miles northwest of Hawaii, has gotten lots of attention ever since billionaire adventurer and environmentalist David de [...]
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Panther cap
Seen this mushroom? It’s all over the place on Gabriola right now. Look for it on the edge of grassy roads in the 707 Acre Wood, or along whatever forest trail you like best. This shroom seems to be the Panther Cap: Amanita pantherina. It’s toxic, so don’t fry it up for dinner.
Filed in Gabriola Island,mushrooms,native plants One Response so far
Whiskey barrel house
You’re planning to build a house on Gabriola, and we’ll help. Here’s the plan: build a house made out of recycled whiskey barrels. To begin, order lots and lots of whiskey. We’ll do the difficult work of drinking the whiskey for you. Then you can continue with the rest of the building. What a plan!
Filed in environment 2 Comments so far
Gabriola Island Bicycle Route Plan
Interested in plans for cyclists on Gabriola Island? If so, you might want to take look at Shared Roadways – Gabriola Island Bicycle Route Plan. It’s just been posted on the Islands Trust website, in .pdf format. the document is here.
Filed in environment,Gabriola Island 2 Comments so far
Quinsam
Did you see the Quinsam today? She came and docked at Gabriola this morning, just after the Bowen Queen pulled out. This photo shows the Quinsam heading towards the dock at Descanso Bay.
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The kind of bicycle touring you’ve never imagined
Lots of cyclists come to Gabriola to pedal around the island. (Because, ha! They’ve never ridden up Brickyard Hill before.) Many plan to camp on the island, and I bet you’ve seen lots of those touring cyclists on Gabriola. They’re usually easy to spot because of their loaded panniers and sleeping bag rolls. I’ll bet [...]
Filed in environment,lifestyles 2 Comments so far
Flowers for Folklife
Here’s a whole truck-load of hanging baskets for Folklife Village. I suppose they’ve all been hung now. I used to have fantasies about having lots and lots of hanging baskets at home. But it turns out that you have to water the damn things, so nuts to that.
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On potholes
Many Gabriola roads have lots of potholes, so dodging them is a bit of an art for Gabriola drivers and cyclists. With that in mind, I thought you might be amused by this fellow in London who is planting flowers in potholes. Really!
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Potato boxes, and why you want one
Growing potatoes in the ground seems like too much work, and too much bending over. I did not move to Gabriola to do that kind of thing, but I want potatoes nonetheless. This is the answer — ha! I’ve got a plan. The trick is to grow potatoes vertically in a special box that saves [...]
Filed in food,Gabriola Island,gardening 14 Comments so far
The other Drumbeg
Where does the name Drumbeg come from? Gabriola Island Place Names says that Neil Stalker owned this point at the eastern entrance to Gabriola Pass. He named it Drumbeg after his family home in Scotland. Right. You knew that, but have you ever wondered what that other Drumbeg is like? Undiscovered Scotland shows you the [...]
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Today’s wreck
When I spot the remains of some old metal thing – a vehicle, an off-beat art project, a mystery – rusting away in the Gabriola woods, I’ll often leave the trail to go investigate. The wrecks usually aren’t on the main path – they’re likely to be ten or twenty paces into the woods, say, [...]
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Espresso machine arrives to save universe
I’ve been a bit grumpy for the last couple of weeks, because I’ve had a headache for all that time. This is — at least in part — because our espresso machine died, which is a lights-and-sirens emergency. (None of the coffee places on Gabriola make consistently good espresso, which is a sorrow too great [...]
Filed in food,Gabriola Island One Response so far
In case you lose your camera
Are you the one who lost your camera at the Descanso Bay Campground last summer? I think about you – and people like you – every time I see a posting on some social media website along the lines of Found camera! Help me identify the people in these images! (And then of course, all [...]
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Gabriola octopus
When we find an octopus on the rocks at Drumbeg, I wind up with this Ogden Nash verse stuck in my head, sometimes for days: Tell me, O Octopus, I begs Is those things arms, or is they legs? I marvel at thee, Octopus; If I were thou, I’d call me Us.
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Building with dirt bags
Maybe this is just the thing for your next Gabriola building project: building with dirt bags. A quick look at the honey house page will give you the idea, and the technique: The basic procedure is simple. The bags or tubes are filled with a suitable pre-moistened dirt right on the foundation, laid in a [...]
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Gabriola’s Oregon Grape in spring-time
Oregon Grape is native to Gabriola, and is wonderful for 74 different reasons. Right now many of Gabriola’s Oregon Grape plants are in bloom; perhaps you’ve noticed their yellow flowers. Now we’re seeing the transition between blossoms and tiny little berries. (Yes, those berries are edible, but not until they’re purple.) I highly recommend this [...]
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Gabriola camas in bloom
There are thousands of Camas lilies in bloom at Drumbeg now, nestled in the grass. Have you seen them? Now that we’ve less Scotch broom, we’re seeing more and more Camas lilies in the park.
