Gabriolan.ca » Gabriola Island

Ants and spit-bubbles

Gabriolan — Wed, 23 May 2012 04:45:05 +0000

I thought ants had nothing to do with spit-bubbles on plants. Yet today I watched a group of ants who seemed awfully interested in these bubbles. What’s up with that, do you think?

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Oh, alpacas

Gabriolan — Tue, 22 May 2012 03:07:18 +0000

Alpacas make me happy — they’re just so amusing, and interesting. And they look as if Dr Suess drew them into creation.

Recently the alpacas on North Road were sheared, and now they look even funnier than usual.

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Mowing down seagrass meadows will cut loose carbon

Gabriolan — Tue, 22 May 2012 02:28:12 +0000

You wade in the sea around the island? You know, then. It’s everywhere. Drumbeg, Whalebone, Sandwell… on and on. It brushes your legs as you walk about in the shallows, and waves about in the water as the tide comes in. It’s eel-grass, or sea-grass. And here’s an article on its importance from New Scientist: Mowing down seagrass meadows will cut loose carbon.

They may be trickier than trees for environmental protesters to chain themselves to, but it turns out that seagrass ecosystems hold as much carbon per hectare as the world’s forests – and are now among its most threatened ecosystems.

In the past century, 29 per cent of seagrass has been destroyed globally, mostly by water pollution, dredging for new developments, and climate change. With seagrass meadows disappearing at an annual rate of about 1.5 per cent, 299 million tonnes of carbon are also released back into the environment each year, according to research published this week in Nature Geoscience (DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1477).

Piecing together old and new data from 946 seagrass meadows around the world, an international team of researchers estimated that seagrass captures 27.4 million tonnes of carbon each year, burying it in the soil below. And unlike forests that hold carbon for about 60 years then release it again, seagrass ecosystems have been capturing and storing carbon since the last ice age. [continue]

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Gabriola Library construction progress

Gabriolan — Mon, 21 May 2012 04:23:38 +0000

A few days ago at Folklife Village the ‘new library’ section of the boardwalk was hidden by sheets of plywood. But now the plywood is gone, and we can all get excited about the new book return slots. Progress!

Somebody apparently in-the-know told me that the electrical work was being done a few days ago, and that once that’s done they’ll get it all inspected and will move on to drywalling. My source thought the entire project might be done by August.

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Flowers at Descanso Bay

Gabriolan — Sun, 20 May 2012 19:01:42 +0000

A while ago I missed my ferry, and spent an hour exploring Descanso Bay. These tenacious little flowers remind me of the John Masefield poem that begins:

I have seen flowers come in stony places

And then of course I have that running through my head for days.

Here’s a prettier photo of a Descanso wildflower:

Why isn’t everybody down on the beach? Such beauty.

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Gabriola Farmers’ Market: a vendor’s perspective

Gabriolan — Sat, 19 May 2012 15:49:51 +0000

The Gabriola Farmers’ Market opens at 10 this morning, so vendors are probably packing up their stuff and getting ready. Sal at Sweet Rock Farm offers some thoughts on Getting Ready for Market.

The local farmer’s market starts this weekend, and for the first time I am taking part as a vendor. I am excited, a little nervous, but eager to try something new. This is quite different from operating my roadside stand, which I’ve done for a couple of years now. There are a lot more things to take into account because its not just bunching up veggies and walking them down to my stand, and cutting more when I run out. I need to have an idea of how much to bring (not a clue), the best way to transport them (figuring it out), and a nice display (my weakest area, but my wife and daughter are helping me).

And pricing. There is no shortage of opinions on the pricing of vegetables at the market. I have been told in no uncertain terms that I should be in line with the other vendors– and that means high pricing. I have also been told that many local people don’t shop at the market because the produce is way too expensive, and that it is mostly being sold to tourists and rich locals. The only time, in fact, that they go at all is to bring guests there when they visit.

I have a couple of things to say on the subject. First, [continue].

Interesting perspective. I’m one of those locals who almost never goes to the Farmers’ Market anymore, though I do buy from Gabriola farmers at roadside stands and such.

Do you shop at the Farmers’ Market?

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Gabriola Farmers’ Market: now with more yellow!

Gabriolan — Sat, 19 May 2012 03:34:01 +0000

The Gabriola Farmers’ Market opens for the season tomorrow, and the Agi Hall parking lot is ready. But hmmm, what’s with the yellow rocks? Since when do we need to paint rocks?

It’s as if the Health and Safety people have arrived. (See this excellent article about them.) But no, they’re British. What’s our equivalent? WorkSafe BC? Do they say that rocks at markets have to have yellow splotches now?

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Camas, at last!

Gabriolan — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:10:29 +0000

When we moved to Gabriola, we had a bare patch of earth where the soil had been disturbed in order to put in the septic system. It was pretty ugly. Since then it’s been returning to a managed bit of wild. I yank up trees that won’t work there, but encourage native ferns and flowers. I planted mockorange, highbush cranberry, and huckleberry there. Blueberry, too, even though that’s non-native.

But there was no camas. Only the cool kids had camas in their gardens.

Last year a friend gave me some camas plants, and in they went. Now they’re blooming, and I am a happy camper indeed!

(Oh, and yes that is horsetail in the background. There seems to be no way to get rid of the stuff, and anyway, it’s native. So I just garden amongst it.)

Camas was hugely important to First Nations, and is part of Garry Oak ecosystems. To learn more about it, see these blog posts:

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Judy’s Root at Folklife Village

Gabriolan — Fri, 18 May 2012 03:46:18 +0000

Have you been to Folklife Village in the last few days? And, if so, did you notice the new thing? It’s this, a stone carved by Nancy Crozier and called Judy’s Root.

This overview photo has Village Foods in the background to give you an idea of where the carving is: in one of those mid-parking lot gardens. But wouldn’t you rather see the detail carved on the other side of the stone? Here, then:

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Caterpillar feet

Gabriolan — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:20:08 +0000

This caterpillar decided to hang out on one of our windows, which must have been a request to be photographed.

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Gabriola Musuem and the brickyard story

Gabriolan — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:06:00 +0000

The Gabriola Museum opens for the season this weekend, on Saturday, May 19th. (10 am to 3pm.) Their events page introduces the new exhibit:

More Than Just Clay and Mortar: The story of the Gabriola Brickyard and the workers and their families

For more than five decades until the early 1950s, the Gabriola Brickyard was the biggest industry on the island. Millions of bricks were manufactured and exported annually to Vancouver, Victoria and New Westminster where they were mortared into roads and buildings, may of which still stand today.

But the Brickyard was more than just shale and clay. It was [continue]

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Just Another Weed Patch

Gabriolan — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:39:07 +0000

If you’re interested in growing things on Gabriola, or in agroforestry, there’s a blog you’ll want to read. It’s Just Another Weed Patch. The about page explains:

We’re ‘Just Another Weed Patch Farm’ located Gabriola Island, in British Columbia Canada.

Starting in April 2012 we began a 19 month agroforestry adventure to transform our 2 acre pasture into a productive demonstration site of 250 nut trees surrounded by alley food and flower crops interspersed with happy laying hens, troublesome sheep and buzzing bees. That’s our plan!

This web site will document the good, the bad, and the ugly for your web browsing pleasures.

The project has a target completion date of all trees in the ground and cultivated alley crop rows established by November 2013 so the clock is ticking. Stay tuned for weekly updates via text, photos and video postings showcasing our progress and learning curve. [continue]

Just Another Weed Patch posts interesting and well-written stuff, so I’ll be following this blog.

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Willing to pay more property taxes for these things?

Gabriolan — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:52:19 +0000

We’ve heard so much about proposals for a bus service on Gabriola. There’ve been surveys, articles, and meetings.

Howard Houle, our RDN rep, has posted this very sensible thing on his website:

Lately there has been talk about a bus service on Gabriola. I would love to see that happen when the community is ready.

When I read the feasibility studies however, and yes, more than one has been conducted, they do not ask the most critical question, which is: Are you as a property owner willing to pay an increase in your taxes for a bus service? [continue]

Howard adds:

While I am at it, the Gabriola Radio Society would like to receive some of your property taxes as well. They are thinking about a tax request of $60,000 per year for seven years that will run about $24 for a $300,000 property. [continue]

What do you think? Would you be willing to pay more taxes to have a bus service? To support the Gabriola Radio Society?

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

The Brickyard Beast

Gabriolan — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:34:18 +0000

Well, this is insane. Stan and Nancy from The Gym at Twin Beaches have organized a running event called The Brickyard Beast. It’s a 10k road race that starts at Tait and Ferne, heads down to Brickyard, goes up Brickyard Hill, and then along South Road, Lochinvar, and North Road to Gabriola Elementary School. And this on August 5th, which is likely to be a hot day.

Runners apparently do this kind of thing voluntarily.

Would you run up Brickyard Hill?

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Entrance Island Lighthouse keeper to stay

Gabriolan — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:55:24 +0000

The Daily News has a story about the lighthouse we see from Berry Point: Lighthouse keeper will remain in place at facility on Entrance Island.

The Entrance Island lighthouse, just one of approximately 50 manned lighthouses left in Canada, and its keepers will continue to provide services for the local marine community.

Gabriola boaters, and others concerned with marine safety, are sure to be relieved.

But lighthouse keepers fear that the federal government’s recent decision to halt plans to destaff all the remaining manned lighthouses in the country is just a temporary measure that may soon be revisited. [continue]

Sigh.

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Bears: how to avoid, etc

Gabriolan — Sun, 13 May 2012 05:37:37 +0000

Now that we’ve got a bear on Gabriola (seen on Ferne Road today), some of us will be a lot more alert in the forest. This list is from Backpacker Magazine’s article, Rip and Live: Learn to Survive a Bear Attack.

Here is when and where you’re most likely to see them:

Dawn and dusk. Although bears are active at all times of the day, this is when you’re most likely to see them out and about.

In the fall. This is when they gorge themselves silly—called hyperphagia—to store fat for hibernation from October through March. But don’t assume all bears are hibernating. Some emerge to dig under the snow for food, and in the South, black bears stay out year-round.

Food-rich areas. Since bears are ruled by their stomachs, you’ll find them at nature’s buffet tables: berry patches, forests laden with hazelnuts, beechnuts, or acorns, clamming areas, near carrion, and salmonspawning areas.

Avalanche chutes and trails. Bears enjoy easy travel just like us.

In the silence. Bears probably will hear or smell you before they see you. To help avoid surprising one (especially if you’re downwind), make noise: Talk, clap, sing, jingle bells (in some areas, bears have learned to associate metallic sounds with people). [continue]

The list above is from page 3 of the article.

(By the way, you’ve just got to see the classic bear warning sign.)

I’m not sure if North Road Sports sells bear bells, but outdoor stores in Nanaimo certainly do. (Check at Valhalla Pure Outfitters or Alberni Outpost.) And of course you can order them online from Mountain Equipment Co-op.

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Mystery berries

Gabriolan — Sun, 13 May 2012 05:09:08 +0000

Last spring a mystery plant appeared in my garden. It grew some leaves, then sets of delicate white flowers, and then dark berries. I knew it wasn’t any of the berry plants native to Gabriola, but what could it be? I meant to find out, especially because I thought about eating those berries. But I didn’t find out, so oh well.

Summer went, the plant died. On cold winter nights I puttered about on the web instead of in the garden.

Now, in the winter I spend too much time on a certain seed company’s website, and I order more from them than I should. When the garden was under snow, the description of a plant called sunberry seemed particularly appealing: a thornless plant, with berries vaguely similar to blueberries or huckleberries. Sounded like a fun thing to try, so click click, order, done.

I started those sunberry seeds indoors, and planted them out into the garden today. And you know? They’ve just developed sets of delicate white flowers. It’s the very same plant I wondered about all last summer.

So are you growing sunberry plants on Gabriola? Because the seed that grew last year’s sunberry plant had to have come on the wind, or through a local bird. Was it a seed from your plant that somehow made it over here?

Sunberry, by the way, is one of the plants Luther Burbank claimed to have developed. See sunberry page at Vegetables of Interest for more details.

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Mind the gap (or not)

Gabriolan — Fri, 11 May 2012 04:51:36 +0000

By now you’ve probably heard of Phillip Vannini, who lives on Gabriola, teaches in Victoria, and wrote Ferry Tales: Mobility, Place, and Time on Canada’s West Coast.

Today the Bowen Island Undercurrent has an article on Philip and his work: Mind the gap (or not). It includes this bit:

Vannini inquired about the various signs about the line-up and ended up including a chapter in his book entitled Mind the Gap. There is a significance in the gaps, he said. And I compared Bowen to Gabriola and Sointura. On Bowen, if you go and join the ferry line-up and lineup hasn’t stretched beyond overload sign, you can fill the spaces at the bottom of the hill. On Gabriola, you don’t do that ever. [continue]

Well. Who knew Bowen had different rules?

The article also mentions that Philip has a website to go along with the book. It’s FerryResearch.ca, and of course there’s a Gabriola Island section.

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

On killing Scotch Broom

Gabriolan — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:15:41 +0000

For years now, groups of volunteers have been working to eradicate broom on Gabriola. They hold broom-yanking parties at Drumbeg and other spots, and often seem to use something called an extractagator to pull broom out of the ground.

I happened to be over at a Comox Valley website this morning, and found mention of a different approach there:

Now that the broom is beginning to shows it yellow flowers, it is time to cut it. If broom is cut at ground level while in bloom, the plant will die in the summer’s dry heat – and it will not form more seeds.

Is that right, broom eradication experts?

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Quinsam sailings cancelled until further notice

Gabriolan — Thu, 10 May 2012 02:17:36 +0000

Oh my. Here’s the latest from BC Ferries:

Sailing Cancellation – M.V. Quinsam

Please be advised that due to mechanical issues the M.V. Quinsam is currently holding in dock at Nanaimo Harbour until further notice.

So I imagine we are back to foot-passenger-only watertaxi service, which is what usually happens when the ferry’s ill.

UPDATES: see comments below.

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

One proposed pole design

Gabriolan — Wed, 09 May 2012 23:03:14 +0000

Kathy Ramsey sent this along for us. It’s an artist’s rendering (drawn by Derrill Shuttleworth) of a painted pole. This seems to be the design intended for the corner of Taylor Bay Road and North Road.

What do you think of it? Would you like to see a pole painted like the one shown below?

(There are all sorts of comments about the whole idea of Painting Gabriola’s hydro poles – you might want to put your general comments about the program over on that comment thread, and your reactions to this specific design here on this post. But hey, we’re not that fussy. Just have your say!)

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

More Quinsam sailings cancelled today

Gabriolan — Wed, 09 May 2012 18:51:32 +0000

BC Ferries says:

Please be advised that the M.V. Quinsam has cancelled the following sailings due to mechanical difficulties:

1200 departing Nanaimo Harbour
1235 departing Descanso Bay

Source: service notice on the BC Ferries site.

UPDATE: for the latest, see the comment section of this post.

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Bear on Gabriola?

Gabriolan — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:36:25 +0000

Somebody has seen a bear down at Twin Beaches, GROWLS says. So, hmmm. If you’re heading down to Taylor Bay, Pilot Bay, or anywhere near there, you might want to be a little more alert than you might otherwise be.

And of course that bear could be anywhere on Gabriola by now, or might have already pushed off to head for another island.

If anything on your property might seem like a food source to a bear (meat, fish, birdseed, fruit, garbage) then you might want to make some changes. I’ve seen what two bears did with a bottle of fish-fertilizer intended for the garden, and it was pretty extreme.

If you hear a bell jingling in the woods today, it’ll be me with bear bells on my pack.

(The bear photo here is a cropped version of this photo, which was taken by Traveler100 and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.)

Update/see also: How to avoid a bear attack.

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Yurts on Toast

Gabriolan — Mon, 07 May 2012 02:37:50 +0000

This has got to be one of our island’s more perplexing signs.

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Burdock Cardone

Anon E. Mouse — Sun, 06 May 2012 20:47:21 +0000

Gabriolan, you know that patch of burdock you posted about last year? Assuming it hasn’t been sprayed or anything, you might want to consider harvesting some of it to make cardone. Now would probably be a good time for that, while the stems are still young and tender.

I was foraging at a friend’s place and came home with a bag of young burdock leaves and stems yesterday. We had the pencil-sized stems for lunch following this recipe. I had never cooked with burdock stems before, and I was a bit worried they might be bitter. But even the kids liked them. It helped that they had already eaten the first one before the inevitable question, What is this stuff? I also made breaded cheese in case they hated the burdock, but I was pleasantly surprised — they actually preferred the burdock. We dipped the breaded stems in mayonnaise and ate them with our fingers.

Real cardones or cardoons are the stems of artichokes. I’ve never had them. Making use of a substitute which cost only my time to harvest it, and at the same time maybe limiting the growth of an invasive plant a little bit, seems like a win-win situation, especially considering that all parts of burdock (even the burrs, which I’ve recently learned can be made into tea) are supposed to be very good for you. The leaves I brought home are in the dehydrator – they’ll join the other greens I’ve been gathering and drying (so far this spring, dandelion, violet, and goutweed) in ‘mixed-greens’ jars. Basically, any time I pick too many herbs to use fresh, they go into a jar of dried greens – the idea being that a pinch or a handful can be added to soups, sauces, omelets, teas or whatever on the spur of the moment. I find it’s an easy way to get these greens into our diet, it suits our recipes-are-only-for-inspiration way of cooking (and, honestly? no one else in our household seems to know the way to the garden, so if I’m not home fresh garden herbs and veggies are usually off the menu).

If you want to learn about the health benefits of burdock and get more recipe ideas, this web site is a good place to start.

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Salal leaf, pretty in death

Gabriolan — Sun, 06 May 2012 17:55:08 +0000

In the warmer parts of the woods, salal is starting to bud. All very pretty, of course, but I’m more taken by this skeletonized salal leaf.

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Potato or fungus?

Gabriolan — Sun, 06 May 2012 15:36:38 +0000

At first glance, it’s hard to tell, except that potatoes don’t generally appear in the middle of the forest overnight. These strange fungi are the size and general shape of potatoes, but they’re hollow inside.

I assume slugs made the portholes.

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Tiny red bug

Gabriolan — Sat, 05 May 2012 05:06:52 +0000

You’ve seen those moss-draped branches in the Elder Cedar Nature Reserve. Well, today we were ducking under one of those when we spotted a tiny red speck. And then the speck moved! Turns out that it is this wee bug, which is less than half a centimeter long.

I think it’s probably a spider mite.

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Be Disaster Ready

Gabriolan — Sat, 05 May 2012 05:03:26 +0000

Are you ready for a disaster? The Gabriola Ambulance Society hopes so. To help you prepare, they’re presenting Be Disaster Ready tomorrow, May 5th, from 10 am to noon. It’ll be in the Phoenix Auditorium at The Haven. Topics/presenters include:

Gabriola Geology — Nick Doe
Are you Ready? — Maggie Mooney
The Galiano Fire Experience — Bill Jones

The community groups that work to keep us safe and healthy will be there, too: GESS (Gabriola Emergency Social Services), NEP (Neighborhood Preparedness), PALS (Pets and Livestock), RCMP, Gabriola Volunteer Fire Department, and of course the Gabriola Ambulance Society.

(Good thing this is at the Haven. Last time we tried to attend a presentation by Nick Doe it was at the Agi Hall, and the crowd was so big that only early-birds got in!)

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Gabriola Spring Fair, 2012

Gabriolan — Sat, 05 May 2012 04:33:49 +0000

Gabriola’s Spring Fair will be held tomorrow (Saturday, May 5th) at the Gabriola Commons. Are you going? It’s from 10 am to 2 pm.

There’ll be an exchange/sale of plant starts, and maybe Eric will be giving out bean seeds again. They’re having a trail walk – hey, SpecialK, perhaps they’ll show all of that trail to the school you were wondering about.

You’ll be able to visit donkeys and baby goats, watch a scything demonstration, and gawk at Morris Dancers.

They say there’ll be a potato growing competition – surely this is just the start of it? I kind of suspect they’ll give you starter spuds to plant in your gardens, and then you’ll bring back your biggest potato for the competition at the Gabriola Fall Fair. But that’s just my guess.

These fairs are always great fun, and worth attending. I’m not sure if I’ll make it this year, so if you go and feel like telling me all about it or sending some photos, that’d be very cool. (See contact form.)

(Related post: On the Gabriola Fall Fair.)

(From Gabriolan.ca.)