This is one of the places I haunt on the way home from our forest walks. Mostly, it makes me happy. (There is only one unhappy detail in the photo – can you see what it is?)

When the light is right, when the clouds are right, when the day is right… then Gabriola waters almost blend into the sky. Very soothing.

Several participants on a ferry discussion website say British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. has used their photos of vessels without asking, paying or even providing credit.[continue]

Well, hmph. If your photos of BC Ferries’ vessels are on the web somewhere, you might want to take a peek and see whether your images have been taken, too.

The West Coast Ferries Forum thread where this is being discussed is here.

It’s pouring on Gabriola today, but my dahlias soldier on, ignoring the rain.

At the end of a Gabriola summer, we often find dozens of jellyfish washed up, dead, on the beach. These are Lion’s Mane jellyfish — the kind you hope never to meet while you’re swimming in the sea.

They’re dead already when we find them on the rocks at Whalebone, right? So I took out my knife and sliced one open to see what the insides are like. (As one does.) Took some photos of sliced-up jellyfish, and then noticed this little guy in many of the photos later on. Who’s he, and what’s he doing there? Is he a parasite, a symbiotic companion, or what?

Pass the shiraz, dear.

OK, beach-prowlers. What do you suppose this is? The photo was sent to me by a Gabriola blog reader who hopes you’ll know. Apparently the creature is about 9 inches long. Ideas?

Do you happen to know why some conifers ooze sap? Are they injured trees? Are insects attacking them? Or are they just unable to contain themselves?

This tree is on the path to Whalebone, by the way. Maybe if you go see it you’ll be able to get a better photo than this one.

Breakfast at Whalebone.

For ages I thought the arrows were some weird surveying mark, or that they were telling me go into the woods, here, this way! But now I figure they’re probably pointing upwards at the no trespassing signs above. Which reminds me: I must go see if the delightfully modified no trespassing sign is still there. Is it?

A fine way to begin one’s day.

It’s the place where a plane seems to have crashed into an old red truck, which is occupied by clothed skeletons, and… well. Go look at that blog post and you’ll see why it sticks in one’s mind.

Anyway, apparently the lemonade stand there is now open for the season; I’m guessing they’ll be open tomorrow. According to this sign, they sell coffee, produce, plants, and birdhouses.

I might just have to check this one out.

At first I thought it was the world’s biggest beer bottle, but no. It’s made of plastic, and the letters on the plastic say PERFEX. Is this another leftover from somebody’s forest grow-op?

Jenni Gehlbach’s sandstone quarries on Gabriola page has lots of interesting details; head over there to learn more abut this aspect of Gabriola’s history.

And yes, of course they’re just strolling about the neighbourhood.

Well, here’s the latest.

This amuses me, because it’s so typical of Gabriola. Up in the tree we see the official Government of Canada sign: No tresspassing! Next to the tree, some Gabriola resident has added a helpful TRAIL sign, which points right into the Government of Canada land.

(See also: Gabriola forest sign post from December, 2009.)

Dear glove-owner: I admire your bush-crashiness. I took your glove out to the nearest trail and hung it on an alder tree.

UPDATE: Well, that took all of four hours. The glove’s owner saw this photo and sent me a note.

It does seem to be the distinctive Gabriola fountain I blogged about last July.