Hillside Hideout

This gorgeous view from the hillside above the brickyard beach takes in False Narrows with Gabriola on the left and Mudge Island on the right. Beyond is Pylades Channel and the southern Gulf Islands. Click on the History label below and find a brief history of the brickyard as well as other local history.

Quick Pickles

This is the time of year for pickling, when the garden has an abundance of cucumbers, carrots and beets. This was Carly's first try at pickles and she was impressed with how easy it can be. Pour a boiling mixture (1 part water, 1 part vinegar and 1 tablespoon coarse salt per cup) of liquid into hot sterile jars that have been filled with raw carrots and cucumbers or green beans, fresh dill and garlic, and screw the cap on tight. The jars will seal and in a few weeks you will have pickles.

This little piggy went to market...

Entertainment abounds both on and off Island this weekend. On Gabriola we had the Theater Festival, a three day extravaganza with eight superb plays, Street Art Artists Fair, Lions Pancake Breakfast, an Improv Workshop and dancers and musicians. At the same time in Nanaimo the Vancouver Island Exhibition took place at Beban Park. On Sunday we decided on a trip to the exhibition and enjoyed seeing all the animals and exhibits. There was a horse show, vintage cars and tractors, dog trials, home arts, a food fair and of course a midway - lots of fun!

Mimosas

It's Friday afternoon and we've had a busy week so I put out a call to the family. "Let's all meet on the deck at 5:30 for Mimosas under the mimosa tree". Our mimosa tree is covered in little pink brushlike flowers and looking at it this morning I thought of the refreshing drink called a Mimosa, made with three parts sparkling wine and two parts fresh squeezed orange juice it is delicious! I stopped at the liquor store and chose a yellow tail bubbly, at the grocery store there were beautiful minneola oranges. The children were served orange juice with sparkling water and we sipped our drinks in the shade of the mimosa tree.

Shale

These blocks of blue shale line a driveway on Gabriola. Large chunks were dug up then dropped, they broke into these quite regular rectangular shapes and were then moved to line a long driveway to a spectacular hillside homesite.

Market Kaleidoscope

This week the market offered a kaleidoscope of goods. Gorgeous hand dyed yarns, soft leather bags, bright tye dye clothing, gleaming pottery, aromatic canteloupe, deep green watermelons, sparkling jewelry, all produced on Gabriola. We bought a beautiful stoneware mug some canteloupe and a watermelon and headed home for tea - yummy!

Air Show

This past evening was a warm and sunny affair, perfect weather for an outdoor dinner party. Wine, good food, friends - and the Snowbirds for entertainment. They were doing an airshow in the Nanaimo inner harbour and this brought their flight path in a curve over our property. It was a very impressive addition to our get together!

(photo by MCpl Robert Bottrill)

Salmon BBQ

Yesterday evening my daughters and I served food at the 54th annual Salmon BBQ which took place at the Gabriola Island Community Hall. This has been a favorite event for Gabriolans for all the years I have lived here with non stop music, a fabulous meal of fresh salmon, salads and a bun, and a beer garden. There were 750 meals served and everyone had a wonderful time! There was plenty of food and at the end there was still a bit of salmon left.

Salt Marsh

We swam in the mid afternoon at the far end of Lock Bay and walked back to the road on the high path. We passed the salt marsh edged with the beach logs that wash in with some of the high tides that bring salt to the marsh.

Sandwell Park

Sandwell Park is on the edge of Lock Bay. There is a short and beautiful hike through cool forest and massive rocks which opens onto a sandy beach with a spectacular view of Entrance Island and the coastal mountains. We have been swimming there every evening during this heat wave. The water is very clear and warm with a sandy bottom and there is a little swimming platform made of beach logs anchored not far from shore to dive off of.