Fire status on Gabriola

Fire status on Gabriola
I guess the drought is well underway.

Men in whites annual dinner with the left overs

Al fresco dinner at nick's. Antipasto, insulate de mare, chicken picata and gelato. An Italian meal in memory of Peter who founded the group. Seventeen people had a really excellent meal in great company. A lovely clear sky and warm wind added to the ambiance.

As one of the participants commented "A big thank you to the Men in Whites from a grateful Leftover.  A delicious dinner with convivial company in a beautiful garden:  what more could a woman want?!"

Going back to Gabriola

 Gabriola in the foreground, mountains on Vancouver island in the background. The ferry in the picture is going from Duke Point (Nanaimo) to Tsawassen (Vancouver).

Leaving Nanaimo on the Gabriola ferry. The splashes on the mirror are salt water, it was very windy!

Vancouver Day II and III

 The model  fishing village on Georgia Street.

Trout lake farmers market

Claire at work puting together her ikea chest of drawers

Claire is moving to another apartment at the end of the month. I did take some pictures of the new one but will wait till I can post before and after shots. Its empty for now.

Recording of Philip at Oliver's Barmitzvah 2004

Trip to Vancouver Day I

Last Thursday we took the ferry to Vancouver to visit Claire and to see the Lion King. The view coming in to Horseshoe Bay, Vancouver is amazing. The little ferry in the centre of the picture is about the size of the Gabriola ferry!

This is the view up Howe Sound towards Squamish

On the way into Vancouver we drove up to Cypress Bowl ski area. This is the view of Vancouver from the lookout at about the 1000 metre level.

Pictures from the Silva Bay Boat School

Spent the morning taking pictures of the students working at the school. Hopefully some of them can be used for the new brochure.

Viisit from Gary and Glen& Betty

Over the weekend we had a visit from Gary who was Robert's best friend when they were growing up and has remained a friend ever since. He brought a recording of Philip recounting some of his war stories at Oliver's barmitzvah in 2004. We also met with Glen and Betty  at the Crow and Gate for lunch - they were en route for Tofino. Its an English pub (copied from a real pub in the UK) set in a gorgeous garden. The food is pretty good and the atmosphere is great. Before driving to the pub we also visited an area of Cedar where Michael has been offered an apartment with support. We will go and meet the landlady/support worker on Thursday week.
PS the parrot belongs to a friend of Gary's who also lives on Gabriola. The 2nd picture is at the A frame restaurant, the 3rd at Orlebar Point.
PPS pictures of Glen & Betty to follow

New clam garden at Gabriola Passage

BY DUSTIN WALKER, THE DAILY NEWS JULY 7, 2010
The Snuneymuxw First Nation hopes to conduct aerial surveys that could provide more insight on ancient clam gardens that have been uncovered in the region. First Nations people all along the coast used these structures to harvest seafood more efficiently. These long mounds of rocks may not seem like much to the layman, but for ancient aboriginals, they were a vital resource in gathering food. The garden are fenced in with rings of rocks around the tide line to increase the intertidal area. This prevents sand from eroding away and creates a garden for such seafood to flourish.
Clam gardens on Gabriola Island near Gabriola Passage were discovered about a month ago, while other clam gardens were previously found in the Dodd Narrows area. However, archeologists suspect that there are far more along the Nanaimo coastline that haven't been documented. The Snuneymuxw First Nations looking for government funding to pay for an aerial survey to document and learn more about these and other gardens in the area. Snuneymuxw councillor Geraldine Manson said the gardens represent an important aspect of ancient First Nations life.

Guitar Strings - did you know they are color coded?

Wow. I have played my guitar for long enough that I had to change the strings today. The difference in sound is amazing, didn't think I would hear it but I can. Here I come Hotel California.

The tree frogs are back - grribbitt

The day started at about 4:20am when the power went out causing a loud crackle on the radio! Apparently a car smashed into a hydro pole in Nanaimo. By 12 noon all was well again. This tree frog has taken up residence in our main house rain barrel. He is just over 1 inch long. Since the roof is cedar shingle we cant drink the water but we can use it on house plants etc. Apparently frogs like it too. The pond in front of the greenhouse is full of tadpoles so this guy will soon have company. The frog chorus at night in late summer can be quite "interesting".

Repairs to the millenium falcon

I had to glue the radar dome back on the the millennium falcon (see below). Michael took one look at it and told me in no uncertain terms that I had it on backwards - they don't want to see where  they are going they want to know who is chasing them.

Happy Canada Day

 

We slept in until 12:30 today so we missed the potato canon festivities. Michael did have this great hat though. Rather cool today just like the summer so far. Hope it warms up soon for us and the vegetables. We moved the chickens to their summer home, pictures to follow - they seem to like it. If you haven't tried the new Hagendas chocolate raspberry ice cream you should. For pictures of the "canons" see

http://www.flyingshingle.com/news/photos/pot_cannon_2010_big.jpg