Beach Day!

It was a fantastic, sunny day on Friday and we decided to hit one of the great Gabriola beaches. The girls and I quickly packed ourselves up and went Pilot Bay to meet up with some friends, both the girls and mine. After a fun play in the sand finding shells, skipping rocks, and playing tag we headed up the road to the Twin Beaches Bakery for lunch. The girls gobbled down a yummy lunch followed by a gooey treat consisting of a "Twin Bit" doughnut and a Copenhagen pastry. After lunch we came home, grabbed the bikes and spent the afternoon playing hide and seek and riding up and down the hills in our backyard. It was such a wonderful day, a treat that the weather was so beautiful, spring is definitely in the air!

Gabriola Bottle Drive Fundraiser

This Saturday February 27th on Gabriola there will be a bottle drive fundraiser to help raise money for the Higgins family while John Higgins is in treatment for cancer. This fundraiser is being put on by the Gabriola 4-H Club and will take place at The Gabriola Commons on North Road across from the Elementary School. Please bring down all your bottles on Saturday starting at 10 am or call Cheryl at 250-247-8517 for pick-up of large amounts. Thanks to all who organized this, it is great to see how this community bands together when needed!

Gabriola to Host Radio Conference

Gabriola Radio Society has been selected to host National Campus Community Radio Conference from Monday June 7—Friday June 11th 2010. This premium conference, taking place at Camp Miriam, will be open to all NCRA members as well as anyone interested in expanding their radio skills and knowledge. Gabriola Radio Society will be creating “Camp Radio”, an atmosphere with a total 5-day immersion in all things radio, hosted by experienced radio professionals. Delegates will have the opportunity to be housed in either on or off-site accommodation with a 100 available at Camp Miriam itself and the remainder using local B&B's and hotels There will be a series of advanced upper level workshops which will also appeal to those just beginning in a radio career. Visit www.ckgi.ca for any information pertaining to this conference and the battle to bring community radio to Gabriola Island.

Yummy Cupcakes!

A childhood friend of ours has recently opened a cupcake shop called "A Wee Cupcakery" in the Old City Quarter in Nanaimo, just a hop from Gabriola. We had the chance today to swing by for a visit during our eldest daughter's ballet class. She has a fantastic shop with many different choices ranging from mexican chocolate to pineapple and red velvet. All made in shop from scratch, are beautifully simple and taste like a piece of heaven! Medina Mayes is the proprietor and baker, a lovely and passionate woman which is evident in every cupcake. A Wee Cupcakery is located at 407 Fitzwilliam Street in Nanaimo and is open 6 days a week, Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm (if the cupcakes last that long!) Weddings and custom orders welcome! www.aweecupcakery.com

Full day Kindergarten at Gabriola Elementary School

It was announced back in the fall that the province would be introducing full-day kindergarten for the September 2010 school year. What was not announced at the time was which schools would offer the full-day for the first year. Yesterday we found out that Gabriola Elementary would be one of the schools that will be participating in full-day kindergarten in September of 2010. I was ecstatic to say the least, as was my 4 1/2 year old daughter who exclaimed that meant she would need a lunch box because she would be eating lunch at school! Registration for Kindergarten began on January 4th and can be done anytime during the school day at the front office in the school, just bring the child's birth certificate, Carecard, and proof of address.

Gabriola vs. Quadra!

It's competition time! Gabriola and Quadra Island are competing to see who can be the most active and in turn help prevent cancer. It begins January 16th and runs until February 26th when one of the 2 islands will be crowned Most Physically Active. The challenge is $10 and you are to keep track of your numbers and call them in every week. Kids are only $2 and thanks to Arbutus Building Supply every child registered at Gabriola Elementary School has been sponsored. The extra bonus is not only the good feelings from being physically fit but all the proceeds from the registrations go to a local charity. The winning island gets 100% of their proceeds as well as 50% of the losing islands proceeds for a total of 150% going to the Lunch program at the Elementary School (when we win). Get your fitness challenge log at IDA Pharmacy in the Village, Arbutus Building Supplies and The Gym @ Twin Beaches. Come on Gabriola, let's get active and show who the winner is!

Happy Birthday Gabriola Artworks!

This past Thursday was the midnight birthday bash for Artworks here on Gabriola, 14 years, hard to believe! It was a great time with door prizes, champagne, food and cupcakes. Many items where marked down substantially with some being on sale until the 11th of January and a few straight through the month. We got there around 7:30 and had a nice evening sipping champagne while chatting with friends and shopping. A very elegant way to shop for sure!! Robyn bought a pair of Lindsay Godfrey earrings while I have my eye on a stone heater and may go pick it up today. Thanks to Artworks for being such a fabulous place to be, so many art shows and events you are a rockin' part of this community! Happy Birthday!!!

What a year!

Well the year is winding down and it is time to look back and remember all the days sunny or rainy, happy or sad. The girls are another year older and our oldest will be registered for Kindergarten in the coming months. The younger will be starting pre-school this year and so begins the yearly adventure of another grade, another teacher and so much to learn for both them and us. We added a new member to our family by finally getting a dog! Dexter is a 5 month old Bichon and is greatly loved by all, especially the girls. This year also came with the addition of 15 chickens of which 12 are still around and kicking, 2 of the 3 roosters became dinner this past summer and were quite tasty. Our garden was fantastic with beautiful tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash and beans, we are still eating greens, herbs and squash that we grew this year. Hopefully we will expand the garden next year and try growing new things such as some ancient grains.

I joined the board at People for a Healthy Community and look forward to working with the other amazing board members to give back something to the community that made me who I am today. Dave's business has taken off and Sleepdeprived Computer Tech's have helped keep many people's computers running smoothly. He also has spent a fair amount of his time volunteering with the Gabriola Co-op Radio. Through all of this we still manage sometime for each other and the kids and have really enjoyed the past year watching them grow while laughing at all the goofy things they say and do.

We always tried to keep Real Estate out of this blog but I am breaking the rules just for a moment. Business was slow in the beginning of the year but then took off at an incredible speed, so much for the "Quiet Year" perhaps that is still to come. Okay so know that the rule has been broken I will endeavor never to do it again and keep this an island lifestyle blog.

Thanks so much to all who have made this such a great year we really appreciate all your support.

The McMahon's/Vincent's/Wishinski's

Gingerbread Cottage

Last year we picked up a gingerbread house kit from Costco with everything you need to make a house. The problem was the ingredients were so awful the girls were not allowed to eat it. This year we decided to do one from scratch and it was much easier than I had anticipated. I used the gingerbread recipe from Martha Stewart, recipe here, and then cut out the shapes needed to build it. Once it cooled I made Royal Icing, recipe here, and then we got to building. We cut chocolate layer mints in half for roof shingle and then I let the girls get right into it. Of course every piece of candy we had purchased was used and I am amazed that it has stood up under the weight. The girls are very excited as they have been told they can start eating some on Christmas Day. It was a really fun activity to do on a rainy afternoon.

We Did It!!

Congratulations Gabriola, we did it. After making it to the semi-finals for the Aviva Community Fund we have moved on to the finals for Gabriola's Emergency Care Facility. The 25 favourite ideas are currently being reviewed by the competition judges. The competition winners will be announced January 25th, 2010. So with our fingers crossed and thinking good thoughts we enter into the holiday season with our hopes set on the biggest gift of all come the end of January. What a fantastic group of people to set this motion and thanks to everybody who reminded and reminded and reminded us to vote everyday, you are very dedicated. Everybody deserves this toast, "Here's to a fabulous community that extends far beyond our backyard, Thank-you"!

First Gabriola Snow!

"The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event"
It is the first Gabriola snowfall of the season and as always it is beautiful. The kids were so excited when I got home from work. We quickly got dinner started, got dressed and headed outside. Snowballs and snowmen and snow angels were made by all. Snowflakes were caught on tongues and much laughter and giggling came from all. Once we were ready to come in the girls enjoyed dinner and hot chocolate and my oldest gushed about all that she would be doing tomorrow in the snow, especially sledding. Here's hoping that the snow sticks around long enough for that to happen. What a wonderful evening we had marked by the first snowfall of the season.

Dance Recitals

Miss Mara's dancers will be performing for free this week at their dance recitals. The kids love to have a big crowd to cheer them on and as an added bonus they are free. The Kinderdance recital is Wednesday December 9, 2009 at 11:30 pm at the Gabriola Commons, the Grade 1-2 class is Tuesday December 8, 2009 at 3:00 pm in the Gabriola Elementary School gym and the Grade 3-4 class is Wednesday December 9, 2009 at 3:00 pm and is also at the school gym. All recitals will last about an hour. If your child is interested in starting to dance or just wants to watch this is a great way to introduce them to the world of dance that is on their front door step! For more information about Miss Mara and her classes offered visit her website.

Gabriola Street View

This past year you may have seen the Google Street View vehicle making its rounds around Gabriola. Well it is now official, visit Google maps and you can take a lovely tour of Gabriola on what looks to be a warm spring day. It covers every road on the island and does a 360 degree view from the road. See the ferry in dock, people on the streets, gas at $1.06/L, and many other things. A very interesting idea, now people who have never been here can get a good feeling for the island.

Gabriola gets her vote on!!

Congratulations to all Gabriolan's and beyond who voted daily to ensure our place in the semi-finals for the Aviva Community Fund. We are in need of a permanent emergency health care facility and we are now one step closer to realizing that need. Daily we voted, reminding each other at the end of the day to vote became an evening ritual. This evening my husband asked if I had voted yet today because we only had 14 minutes left, I had. So wonderful to see what can happen when something so valuable is needed by all. But remember we are not done yet, voting resumes on December 2 so please vote! What a great challenge and community building activity this is, keep up the good work everyone.

The Roxy Theatre

A girlfriend of ours had a great birthday celebration idea, she is hosting a wedding party. Come as a bride or groom, bridesmaid or groomsmen, wedding crasher or such. The question of course when you have young kids is were will you host such an event...The Roxy.

We are very lucky on Gabriola to have many venue all of differing size and location. The Roxy is a great 50-seat theatre, located centrally in the village area, showing a regular schedule of movies and offering a venue for lots of other events. A perfect place for a intimate birthday gathering such as this one.

For rent at a affordable $20 per hour it is a great venue for many parties, young and old! Happy birthday to the birthday girl, have a fabulous time! For more info about renting The Roxy please email them at theroxy@shaw.ca

Sunny Sunday

After what seems like weeks of rain it was a treat to enjoy a beautiful and sunny Sunday. It is amazing how a little bit of sun lifts your spirits and encourages outdoor activity. I was able to finish my fall garden chores and then I was off to the park for a good long walk. There are lots of puddles on the trails, each with a little trail around it!

Official Community Plan

It is time for Gabriola to review the Official Community Plan. The review will be made up of a 15 person volunteer group who will look at both the OCP and Land Use Bylaws. There were 29 applicants in total with 15 members appointed by way of Local Trust Committee motion on Friday November 13th. The full membership of the Volunteer Review Committee is as follows:

Carly McMahon
Bill Pope
Tom Kirchmayer
Kees Langereis
John Peirce
June Harrison
Daniele Rudischer
Adam Velsen
Sara Brockelhurst
Susan Yates
Melanie Mamoser
Kathryn Molloy
Robert Ferris
Lisa Webster-Gibson
Randy Young

I am excited to have been chosen to be on the review committee. It will be exciting and a fabulous learning experience.

Joy of Cooking

I don't remember when exactly I became interested in cooking but I have been asked many times by friends why I don't cook for a living. My answer to that is that I do it for the love of it and want to keep it that way. I had considered taking some classes to learn some new skills and tackle the dishes I have shied away from in the past. Now I can do that thanks to Gabriola chef Double Dave. He will be teaching the lucky class how to prepare a sensational yuletide feast using local Gabriola fruits, nuts, wild mushrooms, vegetables, seafood and free-range meats. Classes are to be held at Jupiter Ranch. select either the session on Friday November 13th from 6 to 10pm, or the session on Saturday November 14th from 6 to 10pm. Cost is 120.00 per evening. For more information visit Jupiter Ranch.

Olympic Torch Coming to Nanaimo!

It hasn't happened since 1988 but the Olympic Torch will be coming to Nanaimo. On October 31st starting at 5:45 pm at maffeo Sutton Park there will be live entertainment and the torch will arrive at 8 pm - actual Torch Relay Route will be announced 10 days prior to the event. See the City of Nanaimo site for additional info and have fun at the festivities!

Celebrate Summer and Welcome Fall!

It is that time of year again when the Gabriola Commons hosts the Fall Fair. It is a fun filled day full of animals and cotton candy, games, contests, demonstrations and more. It is wonderful way to spend the last day of summer, we hope to see you there!

For more info visit the Gabriola Commons website.

Shed Chic

A couple of days ago I was visiting with a friend who turned their 8 x 10 electical shed into an animation studio. It is a fantastic little space with insulation and drywall and even a cute little window. There is a fair amount of room and it functions as a great space for him to escape and get work done. On an island such as this where so many people work from home it is a cost effective way to turn a small outbuilding into a usable space. Outbuildings under 107 square feet can be built without obtaining a permit. If you decide to turn them into work spaces with electricity or a sink you will need the appropriate permit for either plumbing or electrical. Recently we have been looking into the idea of a workshop space outside for me and are having a great time looking at all the ideas for very nice "sheds". Books such as Shed Chic give great design ideas for outbuildings such a gypsy caravan or barn style while keeping it small. Take a look at some of the pictures and form your own ideas but be warned that it will be hard to decide what to build!
ps There are also pre-fab versions, check out Modern Shed for some ideas

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!

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.

An Evening Picnic

The weather has been fantastic, perfect for an evening picnic. We headed out around 4 pm, ten minutes from the boat launch we were climbing out on Oak Island. We spread our blanket in the shade of a Garry Oak, had a swim, supper and another swim. As the sun dipped in the west we motored back and were home before dark. A beautiful end to a perfect summer day!

Relaxing on Hornby Island

We had the luxury of getting a week off this summer and we went to Hornby Island. Many people looked at us rather oddly when we said we were going to another Gulf Island for a holiday but we so wanted to spend some time in a quiet place where we were totally anonymous. We arrived on Saturday afternoon and headed to the lovely cottage we had arranged to rent for a week. The property was beautiful and equipped with a zipline in the backyard much to our 4 year old daughter's delight. Hornby is a beautiful island which you can reach by taking a ferry from Buckley Bay on Vancouver Island to Denman Island and then driving across Denman to the Hornby Island ferry. The ferry ride to both islands are a short ten minute jump and the connections are quite good.

Hornby has a wonderful shopping area called the Ringside Market where there are 2 clothing stores, a coffee/ice cream stand with the best americanos, cafe, restaurant, book store, pottery store and of course the Hornby Co-op Grocery/Everything you need Store. While there we made trips to many of the local artist studios, beautiful beaches, farms, and of course the Cardboard House Bakery which has the best almond buns and cream puffs. It is also the home of Pizza Galore which beats any pizza place I have ever been to, fantastic!!!

Hornby is also home to two wineries and a meadery which we managed to visit without our kids thanks to our wonderful friends/travel companions. Middle Mountain Mead is an artisan honey winery combining the best of ancient and modern techniques to create small lots of premium handcrafted mead. We left with 3 bottles of Mead which we are eagerly awaiting to try. Visit their website at middlemountainmead.com.

We had such a fantastic and relaxing vacation that we will definitely be back next year anxiously awaiting anonymity and almond buns:)

The Circus Comes to Town...

The children found this little traveling circus very entertaining. There were no animals, just lots of clowning with jugglers and acrobats, music, hoola hoops and more. These performers generously donated the ticket price to the Gabriola Commons and the Medical Clinic. We were also treated to a release of Kelly's doves, the white birds in the light of the setting sun were absolutely stunning!

Garden by the Sea

At the end of Berry Point Road there is a charming little cottage garden by the sea that sells bedding plants, across the street is a wind swept sandstone beach and exhilarating view of snow capped coastal mountains. Around the corner is an orchard with dozens of varieties of apples, many of them heritage, pears and plums, all offered at a handy fruit stand.

Thursday Night Fun

It is always fun to go to the art openings that happen in the village at Artworks and Jeremy Maude's Studio. This week we were lucky to catch two very different shows. Artworks had it's yearly objects show and this year everything was based around a pack of matches. The works ranged from jewelry to mosaics and 3D interpretations. Very interesting pieces, definitely worth catching sometime this week when you are in the village. At Jeremy Maudes Studio in the village it was opening night for the Karen Curry exhibition. Beautiful photography and large paintings of the skeletal ribs of boats on birch panels adore the walls. It was such a treat to get to view these pieces and I wish I could have brought them home with me. We are so lucky to have such talented artists on Gabriola, if you have the time this week I highly recommend you go check them out.

We Rode to Conquer Cancer!

What an amazing event to be a part of! The Conquer Cancer ride from Vancouver to Seattle was a life changing experience. The ride consisted of 1701 riders whose combined efforts raised $6.9 million for the BC Cancer Society. Waking up at 5 am on Saturday morning we prepared to leave from Guilford Center at 7:30. The ride meandered through White Rock and across the USA/ Canada border. We continued through Washington state stopping at the many pit stops that were arranged for us along the way. Lunch was provided by the amazing and supportive volunteers in a beautiful park in Lake Stevens. Continuing along to Mount Vernon, 132 km from the start, where the busy crew of volunteers had set up a tent city for the over 1700 riders and many more crew. A wonderful dinner was provided and many stories of survival and loss from cancer were shared. After a good but short night sleep we prepared to depart from Mount Vernon at 7:30 am. Day two was incredible winding through Washington State up to Lake Samish and towards our final destination, Seattle. We continued along Lake Washington to the University and the finish line. We accomplished over 260 km in 2 days and I can't wait to do it again. See you next year in Seattle! If you are interested in doing this ride or joining the volunteer crew visit www.conquercancer.ca for more information, or talk to me, I am organizing a Gabriola team for 2010.

Walk On

We had the pleasure of taking the girls to the CD release show for The Kerplunks. The new CD is named Walk On and is chock full of upbeat tunes and snazzy songs that you will find yourself bopping your head to. The album is complete with voices from Gabriola's own children. The release show was packed with kids of all ages, balloon animals and of course cake. The girls had a blast and are very excited to listen to their new CD over and over and over and...
Visit their website for news, events and where to purchase their 2 CD's

Local Delivery

Being a both parents work family we have to divide our time up wisely. One thing that we have done to create more time and feel good about the outcome is to start using the Spud grocery delivery service. Spud is a local Victoria company that allows you to order all your food online and have it delivered to your door weekly. We started receiving a delivery 3 weeks ago and received our 4th delivery last night. We ordered fresh pasta from Bagga Pasta in Victoria, Mount Royal Bagels also from Victoria as well as a plethora of fresh fruits and veggies which have been wonderful quality.
When you look at your statement not only does it give you the price you paid and the quantity received but it also gives you the distance traveled. Last week I managed to have my average distance that our food travel come out at 750 km, the average to a typical grocery store is 2500 km. This week didn't come from as close being that I received Turbinado sugar which had to travel a whopping 10490 km! If you are interested go to www.spud.ca and if you decide to order use this promo code CRVIC-MCMCAR to receive $25 off over your first four orders.

Tour de Gabriola

Tour de Gabriola is a fund raiser for the Gabriola Health Care Society and it is a fun way to help. With donations and a registration fee you sign in at one of the check points and then ride round our very picturesque island. For us it was both a family affair and something to do with friends. These girls are pulling two children in each of those carts and to see them ride up the brickyard hill was truly inspiring!

On the Strait Of Georgia

The past week has been a hot one on Gabriola, absolutely fabulous weather! And the best place to enjoy it is at the sea. This sandstone beach is along Berry Point Road.

Yoga and Wine

While at a cross conditioning class this evening I came upon a brochure for what looks to be a well paired evening. This began last Friday but runs for four weeks so this Friday is as good as any...

Friday, May 22nd - 5:00 PM
Yoga and Wine Tasting
Progressively Enlightening Evenings

How it works ...

The evenings begin at Island of Peace Yoga (535 North Road) with a yoga experience of relaxation and breathing techniques to prepare us for a very complete experience of wine; 5 to 6:00 PM. To participate, you must be able to sit, stand, and breathe. Limit of 20 people per week. Reservations: 250-325-7221. $15 per person or $25 per couple.

Based on your tasting experience, then progress to the Village Liquor Store where you can purchase a bottle or two of your preferred selection.

The evenings conclude with a specially prepared three-course meal at The Surf, created to enhance the wine and continue your experience of mindful pleasure. Bring your newly purchased wine and enjoy no corkage fees for your evening meal with the island’s best sunsets. Price fixed meals $21.95. Reservations: 250-247-9231

The menu is listed on the Island of Peace website and it looks fabulous. So if you feel like a relaxing evening ending with great food and wine then try this out, I am sure your body and mind will thank-you.

Home and Away

It was the end of a sunny week when the idea of a camp-out struck me. Along with my husband, our kids and many friends both grown and growing we packed all our earthly belongings for one exciting night. We got in the car and drove...5 minutes to the local campground here on Gabriola! What a treat, the campground at Descanso Bay Regional Park is a beautiful and family friendly location. After hours of fun we strolled the short distance to the beach and sat to watch the sun as it set. A fantastic event to cap off a fantastic day!

A Dip in the Lake

A weather forecast of warm sunny days sent us off to Cowichan Lake to enjoy the mid week camping experience. We were not disappointed, a 1&1/2 hour drive and we were there, blue skies and clear water welcomed us. We tried out our new zero gravity lounge chairs and I took a dip in the lake, cold but very refreshing. Two days later we headed home, with a stop at Russell Farms Market for fresh local vegetables on our way back. We arrived home in time to garden on this very fine weekend!

A Shiny New Fire Truck

The Gabriola Fire Department has a shiny new red fire truck which came to us on the Quinsam (our ferry). Our old 1978 pumper truck was bought by the Mudge Island Citizens Society and is shown being barged over to Mudge Island.