Gabriola Island Lifestyle Blog

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Mt. Washington day trip

Thursday, December 29th, 2011

One of the wonderful things about Gabriola being so close to Vancouver Island is the ease at which we can make a day trip up to Mt. Washington. Yesterday for a treat we took the family, including my sister-in-law visiting from Toronto, up to the mountain to go snow tubing for the afternoon. What a treat for the girls, the snow was falling and they felt as though they were in heaven.  Our 4 year old was a bit scared and decided she would tube down with me which was a blast for both of us. The eldest whom loves roller coasters was vibrating with excitement and after whipping down the hill the first time decided that she could do this forever. It was quite reasonably priced at $49 for the family for 2 hours which is plenty of time for the adults of the group (I think the kids could have gone all day). Next time up there the girls have expressed interest in skiing (I think the idea of hurtling down the hill at breakneck speed appeals to them), I on the other hand would love to try cross-country skiing.

Posted in Daytripping on Vancouver Island, family life, fitness, Gabriola Island, Gabriola Living, Gulf Island Lifestyle, Holidays and Special Events, Kids, People, west coast, West Coast Living | No Comments »

Happy Holidays to all

Saturday, December 24th, 2011

Wishing you a Happy Holidays and wonderful 2012 from our family to yours. May you be surrounded by love, warmth and light this holiday season!

All the best,

Carly, Robyn, and Lesley McMahon

Posted in family life, Gabriola Island, Gabriola Living, Holidays and Special Events, Kids, People, west coast, West Coast Living | No Comments »

Gift Giving Gabriola Style

Monday, November 28th, 2011

This year I have made a pact that the majority of my Christmas gifts will be locally bought from our incredible selection of local merchants and artists. You may ask “How do you decide where to go as they are all so fantastic?” and you would be right! I usually start at the craft fairs in the hopes of finding locally crafted items to send to Ontario, sending them a little “Gabriola Style” every year. This year was fun (as usual) as I picked up items at “Crafted Booty” and the Rollo Center Christmas Craft Fair. As for my own family members here on Island I tend to shop around for them until I find the right thing that is just for them. The Gabriola Island Elementary School Christmas Craft Fair is this coming Saturday at the school and as well as the craft fair there is the Silent Auction where you can pick-up a plethora of local good and gift certificates to local merchants.

For your ease of shopping I will list some of my favorites for gifts big and small and some great ideas for stocking stuffers!

North Road Sports – Great clothing, shoes, and accessories for anybody in your life

Slice of Life Gallery – Local artists as well as imported items, bright colors and great atmosphere

Mad Rona’s – Gift certificates, apparel, and to-go cups

Woodfire Restaurant – Gift certificates and specialty foods

Village Liquor Store – Great selection of wines, beers, and scotch among others

Raspberries Cafe – Gift certificates

Artworks – Local artists, home decor, gift certificates, apparel, and so much more

Wooden Hanger – Lovely boutique clothing and accessories

IDA Pharmacy – Home wares, decorations, children’s toys, cards etc.

Village Foods – Specialty Foods and gift certificates

Robert’s Place Restaurant- Gift Certificates

Harvest Thyme Restaurant – Gift Certificates, books, and some gift wares

Colleen’s Home Center – Housewares, apparel, baby clothes and toys, shoes

Madd Art – Hemp clothing, giftwares

Silva Bay Pub and Restaurant – Gift Certificates

Gabriola Arts Council – list of all the artists that belong to GAC www.gabriolaartscouncil.org

And check out the Gabriola Chamber of Commerce webpage for more links to local businesses.

Have fun shopping…I know I will!

Posted in Buy Local, family life, Gabriola Island, Gabriola Living, Gulf Island Lifestyle, Healthy Living, Holidays and Special Events, Kids, People, Shopping on Gabriola, The Arts, west coast, West Coast Living | No Comments »

Zombies Attack…

Sunday, October 30th, 2011

Gabriola survived a zombie attack on the village area yesterday, albeit we now have a slightly lower population of living but a higher number of undead! At 1:45 pm on Saturday October 29th a small but terrifying group of  zombies descended on the downtown of Gabriola Island searching for good eats.  Thankfully they were slow moving so we got some good pictures before retreating to the safety of our office in Folklife Village. Photos courtesy of Carly McMahon or Siki McIvor

Posted in Gabriola Island, Gabriola Living, Holidays and Special Events, Kids, People, The Arts, West Coast Living | No Comments »

Gabriola Ferry Diverting to Duke Point

Friday, August 12th, 2011

This morning at approximately 3:45 am there was an incident with an asphalt truck falling through the trestle at the Nanaimo side terminal of the Gabriola Ferry. Click here to see the story at the Gabriola Sounder page for more information or go to BC Ferries for the service notice. Photo by William Basaraba

Posted in Gabriola Island, Gabriola Living, Gulf Island Lifestyle, People, west coast, West Coast Living | No Comments »

Arts Alive 2011

Sunday, July 17th, 2011

We are very lucky to have wonderful friends on Gabriola Island who are willing to take our eldest daughter everyday last week to Wellington Secondary School in Nanaimo to partake in the Arts Alive Summer Program for “A Play in 5 Days”. The kids in conjunction with their wonderful teacher Mary-Jo Fulmer created an entertaining and very goofy play complete with bad guys, magic bananas, a princess, fairies and more.  After working on it all week family and friends were invited to watch the play which the kids performed in the auditorium.  It was a wonderful introduction to drama and I am sure many will continue on as the kids were all fantastic.

Posted in Daytripping on Vancouver Island, family life, Gabriola Island, Gabriola Living, Gulf Island Lifestyle, Holidays and Special Events, Kids, People, The Arts, West Coast Living | No Comments »

Once Upon a Time…

Monday, July 11th, 2011

There were two curious little girls who were able to spend an afternoon exploring within a fairytale land.  There were dragon’s, castles, lush greenery, faeries and so much more!

This past Saturday the girls went and explored the wonderful Once Upon a Time art market/tea house here at a private residence on Gabriola. There were 16 artists, a tea house, faeries and more located in beautiful lush gardens making it a very magical experience for all.

This beautiful dragon and its rider is made from foam found on the beach then carved and felted, absolutely stunning!

Posted in family life, Flora and Fauna, Gabriola Island, Gabriola Living, Gardening on Gabriola, greener living, Gulf Island Lifestyle, Holidays and Special Events, Kids, People, Shopping on Gabriola, The Arts, West Coast Living | No Comments »

Winter Day

Monday, January 17th, 2011

They have told us to be prepared for one of the coldest winters on record.  Yesterday, as if mother nature was thumbing her nose at the whole idea, the afternoon temperature crept up to an absolute balmy 15 C and sunny. We spent the afternoon outside walking in the woods and checking out our pond which is much larger than usual (In the picture the pond usually ends at the brush in the background).  The girls had a blast pretending to fish and splashing in the water.  What a treat in the middle of what should have been a winter day!

Posted in family life, Gabriola Island, Gabriola Living, greener living, Gulf Island Lifestyle, Kids, People, west coast, West Coast Living | No Comments »

Thanks to all and a Happy Holiday!

Saturday, December 18th, 2010

Thanks to all who made it out to the studio today for the Gabriola Winter Art Affair, it was a fantastic event!  To all who receive the gifts we hope you love them even more than we do, locally made is extra special!  Also a very happy holidays to all, may it be full of warmth, family, friends and laughter.  Here’s to a great last 2 weeks of 2010 and a smile to the year to come, may 2011 be a wonderfully special year with new adventures and experiences. Thanks for all the support and business we have received this year, you are all wonderful in your own special way and we appreciate all of you!

“Ther are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward”

Kahlil Gibran


Posted in Buy Local, Crafts, Gabriola Island, Gabriola Living, Gulf Island Lifestyle, Holidays and Special Events, People, Shopping on Gabriola, The Arts, Uncategorized, west coast, West Coast Living | No Comments »

Halloween Fun

Saturday, October 16th, 2010

We were so lucky today to have the chance to take the girls to a pottery class at Feedlot Studios here on Gabriola.  We were greeted by an extremely fun and warm Mariko and her husband Bryan in their large, bright studio space located at 800 Valli Place.  The girls started by getting in the Halloween mood with some ghoulish drawings to get the creative juices flowing.  Once they had done a drawing Mariko showed us how to create a Halloween landscape complete with owls, pumpkins, snakes, crows, tombstones, cats and “Do Not Enter” signs as well as so much more.  Once the creepy landscapes were formed the kids were able to paint them with a non-toxic ceramic paint in fun colours such as orange, green, black, red and white as well as a myriad of other “non-Halloween” colours.  Once they were finished the kids were told that there pieces would be put in the kiln and would be ready for a later date.  The finishing touch for the kids was a lovely little treat bag with Halloween candy and stickers.  What an incredible way to spend a Saturday morning in October!  To keep up to date on what this talented couple are doing subscribe to their blog http://feedlotstudios.blogspot.com/ and check out their website at http://feedlotstudios.ca

Photo courtesy of Bryan and Mariko

Posted in Crafts, family life, Gabriola Island, Gabriola Living, Gulf Island Lifestyle, Holidays and Special Events, Kids, People, The Arts, West Coast Living | No Comments »

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