A Day at the Beach

We started the day in the garden, but it got to be so warm that we decided to finish it at the beach, so we packed up the older grandchildren and headed off to Sandwell Park on Lock Bay. There were quite a few people enjoying the day but this is a big stretch of beach so there is plenty of room for everyone. We found the water to be quite comfortable and we all had a nice swim. The children played in the sand while we sunned ourselves and we all ate cookies and water melon. Lots of fun!

A Swim

We were back at Pine Point this week with a new camera. Our goal was to learn how to use this new and somewhat complicated instrument. Flowers were our main subject, and there were plenty of wild roses, bushes of them, sweet smelling and beautiful. The weather was sunny and warm and I went for a swim, brrrr, icy but invigorating. No wonder, there was still snow on the surrounding mountains!

Millstone Quarry

The Millstone Quarry is a small park close to the ferry. Climb an easy path to a pretty view out over Descanso Bay, walk a bit further to a pile of rejected millstones, evidence of a bit of Gabriola's history. The area above this park has quite a large expanse of exposed sandstone and the quarry extended far beyond the little park. From 1889 to 1918 large slabs of sandstone were cut and shipped to Vancouver to be cut into building blocks. From 1931 to 1936 millstones were cut and shipped, the small ones were used locally to grind wood into pulp for the paper mills. The larger ones went to Finland. There were many imperfections in the stone and many of the rejected millstones are piled in the park. For more about the quarry read 'The People of Gabriola' by June Lewis-Harrison.

Pine Point

I was excited at the prospect of two days at Pine Point on the shores of Cowichan Lake - about two hours from Gabriola. The weather co-operated nicely with blue skies and warm sunny days. On the way we stopped at Russell Farms for fresh fruit and vegetables, artisan bread and browsed their nursery and garden gift shop. We arrived at the campground as the weekend crowd was leaving and just about had the place to ourselves. We sunned, walked, read, talked, roasted sausages over the camp fire and had a wonderul time - I would have liked to swim but couldn't make myself brave the icy water, maybe in July it will be warmer!

Market Day

The weather was very pleasant this morning and we decided to go to the market. There is such a variety of crafts, furniture, art, pottery, clothing, toys, cards, jewelry, and foods to choose from, all locally produced. We went for the food. Glenn choose an artisan licorice and a white chocolate blueberry scone. I bought organic whole wheat medjool date raisin bread which makes heavenly toast, a huge head of butter lettuce and a pretty note card. We browsed through the rest of the stalls and then headed for coffee at Art Works. An enjoyable morning!

Hallowed Ground

It was a lovely day and as we drove past the cemetery I noticed that the grass had just been cut. This encouraged us to stop for a bit to wander beween the graves, both old and new, and reflect on the past. I had just been reading The People of Gabriola, by June Lewis-Harrison and had learned that in the mid 1850's europeans that had come to north america to find a better life began to settle on Gabriola Island. Many took aboriginal wives and they claimed and farmed the land. In 1882 Magnus Edgar donated a small patch of land for a cemetery where he buried his first wife. Over the years additional land was added and a burial register was kept. The section nearest the shore is the old graveyard. I have always called this the pioneer cemetery, but the sign says Gabriola Community Cemetery.

The Early Years

I have lived on Gabriola Island for 30 years yet I know little of its history, I am endeavoring to change that and intend to use the Gabriola Museum as part of my education. This will be the first of several blogs that are meant to explore Gabriola's past.

During the ice age Gabriola was deeply buried under ice at times almost a mile thick. At the end of the ice age, around 11000 BC, people first immigrated from northeast Asia to Alaska and the Queen Charlotte areas. In the early period after 8000 BC the climate was hotter and drier than it is now. There were no forests on southern Vancouver Island or the Gulf Islands. Only Garry-oak and Doulas-fir savannahs, and grasslands parched in the summer. Land and sea mammals were the most important sources of food. People started populating Vancouver Island at around 7000 BC. Around 4500 BC the climate in this area cooled and became wetter and rain forests began to develope. The earliest evidence of habitation in the Gulf Islands, found on North Pender Island, goes back to 4000 BC. Shell middens became common on the Gulf Islands after 3000 BC, progressively larger more substantial village sites appeared and tools became more sophisticated. The earliest archaeological record on Gabriola is a cave burial radiocarbon dated to about 1500 BC. By 400 BC - 500 AD life became quite compex in the Georgia Strait area with high populations, ranked societies, distinctive artwork, large houses, and wealth accumulation. Evidence of warfare appeared. From 500 - 1774 AD there are strong signs of outside influences, a decrease in political complexity, and towards the end a smaller population (Krakatoa erupted in 535 AD with dust in the atmosphere for 18 months and causing intense cold for a few years). Warfare intensified around 800-1000 AD and persisted until the 1860's. The Snuneymux, the people of the Gabriola and Nanaimo area, have several oral histories about the battles that they fought. Contact between people on the BC coast and Europeans began with the voyage of Juan Perez sailing from Mexico to the Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlottes). More significant to the local people was the arrival of fur traders on the west coast of Vancouver Island after Cook's voyage in 1778. In 1782-83 there was a smallpox pandemic that killed two thirds of the population on average and locally more.

Source - article by Nick Doe in Shale journal of the Gabriola Historical Museum Society.

Church on Sunday

If you drive down North Road on Gabriola you will pass through a beautiful stretch of road fondly known as the tunnel, at the far end you emerge into sunshine and pastures, old and new farmhouses and eventually end up at the quaint old log church, just across from Silva Bay. We once had a Brazilian foreign exchange student staying with us and I took her to this church at Christmas, I am quite sure the experience was different than she expected, but it is a charming little church.

A Quiet Day

On a day when life seems a bit too complicated, meandering at Gabriola's pastoral south end can be very beneficial. The lambs in the fields with the old farm house location in the background is a very pretty sight. This tranquil scene is just a short walk from Drumbeg Provincial Park where you can wander along sandstone and white shell beaches, be alone with your thoughts and find a few of natures treasures along the way.

Tour de Gabriola

Today was the 4th annual Tour de Gabriola, a 27 km cycling event around the island. This is a fund raiser for the Gabriola Health Care Society. We rose early, had a big breakfast and headed off to the starting point at the Gabriola Elementary school. It was a great day for a ride, overcast and cool, and we headed off at great speed. 1 hour and 25 minutes later we were finished! It was really quite fun with people waving as we rode and Carly and I vowed we would make this a regular ride, perhaps with a stop at the Silva Bay restaurant for lunch.