Life's treasures & simple pleasures on the beach!

We've recently been working away on renovations to our home and had a local stone masonry suggest that we send the kids on a treasure hunt to find some old spikes to use around the mantle piece.

The exact location for this treasure hunt, the beach in front of Degnen Bay Road, on Gabriola. The kids were in search of long rusty spikes that once were used to hold together a boat, while they aren't something we'd like to see on our shores it's something that can be taken & reclaimed as long as your careful. For us the transformation of these spikes was from garbage on the ocean floor to hooks for our kids Christmas stockings. Submitted by: Tina Lynch

Gabriola Players presents "Rumpelstiltskin"

The Gabriola Players are set to present “Rumpelstiltskin” at the Gabriola Community Hall. Last year, they did an amazing performance of Cinderella that entertained a very pleased audience, at the end of the performance the Fairy God Mother in true style handed over her wand to a very delighted child, proving that dreams do come true!

Tickets are at Artworks and are $12 for adults, $5 for youths and children 5 and under are free with a food donation that will go to the People for a Healthy Community. Evening performances on Thursday Nov 27 & Sat Nov 29 at 7pm, Matinee will be on Sat Nov 29 & Sun Nov 30 at 1:30.

A boat seems to sit perfectly with the Island Life.

You’ll find a variety of options for boaters when you arrive on Gabriola, BC offers one of the best coastlines to explore. Courses are offered for novices and those wanting to learn a bit more, you’ll often see a Boat Safe course or Power Squadrons course advertised in one of the local papers. You may want to moore your boat at Silva Bay Resort & Marina or Pages Marina, or put a mooring buoy in Degnen Bay to make your boat excursions a little easier. You’ll need to ensure that your mooring buoy is properly marked and maintained, to ensure that you are in compliance with the Private Buoy Regulations in the Canada Shipping Act2001, this information can be found on Transport Canada’s website @ http://www.tc.gc.ca/actsregulations/GENERAL/C/csa/regulations/050/csa053/csa53.html.

If your interested in sea-going adventures, you may consider joining the Silva Bay Yacht Club http://www.silvabayyachtclub.com/ , a great place to meet other Islanders that share the same love of the sea.

Free Range Eggs

These eggs come from a charming hobby farm in the south end of Gabriola, located at the corner of Islands South Road & Islands View. They make great omelets, waffles and most of the baking. One of the great things about them is they didn’t have to travel far, about 75 feet from the chicken coop to the stand.

I notice that they have a light on in the stand now, a great way to take advantage of the shorter day light hours and extend the shopping hours for neighbors & tourists alike. You’ll find a variety of road side stands on Gabriola, giving you lots of choices & opportunities to support the people in the community and appreciating local food.

It’s blue skies today!

Gabriola is fortunate to have a climate with moderate temperatures, with dry summers and wet winters. The average summer temperature on the island is about 20-25°C, and although our winters may be wet at times they seldom go below freezing. The average annual rainfall is about 34.5 inches, giving Islanders the perfect opportunity to stay by the fire and read a novel. For now, it looks like more sunshine heading our way. To view the 14 day trend visit the Weather Network http://www.theweathernetwork.com/fourteenday/cabc0108 .

Gabriola Island - Holiday Shopping Continued

With the holiday season upon us, we wanted to continue sharing some of “island ideas” & showcase some island businesses, to help make your holiday shop easier.…

Gabriola Island Winery http://www.gabriolawinery.com/
This new family based business, has just released a Merlot & Port this year, we are very excited to support the islands first production vineyard. There is a limited quantity, so you’ll want to get your hands on a bottle or two! They opened a tasting room in Summer 2008.

These are only a sampling of what is available. On an island with so many talented artisans, musicians, popular Bed & breakfasts, retreats, health & fitness opportunities, local merchants & entrepreneurs - there are no shortage of gift giving ideas, and how better to support the community than by buying local.

Gabriola Shale www.gabriolamuseum.org/shale.html#To_Buy
How about a subscription to SHALE, the journal that celebrates and records the rich ecology, history, and pre-history of Gabriola, Mudge, and De Courcy Islands, and the surrounding area of the Strait of Georgia, on the northwest coast of North America. These are a very interesting read, and give lots of history about the island and surrounding areas.

The last one isn’t from the island, but makes a wonderful gift…

Eco-friendly reusable bags. Billions of plastic bags end up in our landfills each year. There are a variety of different bags to suit individual tastes. One
of the website that sell these bags are: http://www.reusablebags.com/store/shopping-bags-c-2.html

Happy Holiday Shopping!

Gabriola Island - Holiday Shopping

With the holiday season upon us, we wanted to share some of “island ideas” & showcase some island businesses, over the next couple of weeks, to help make your holiday shop easier.…

New Society Publishers http://www.newsociety.com/
New Society Publishers, is now a 20 year old island company who’s mission is to publish books that contribute in fundamental ways to building an ecologically sustainable and just society. They employ approx. 12 island residents, including the two owners. They offer a wide variety of books & some fabulous green building books & cookbooks – that we have in our personal collection.

Greenbeans http://www.greenbeans.ca/
This relatively new island online company offers a healthier more environmentally friendly alternative to plastic water bottle & thermos bottles. They also offer hemp bags, everything from market bags to backpacks. We have had opportunity to use the klean kanteens that they offer for sale, and would highly recommend them!

Gabriola Coffee Company e. organiccoffeeongab@shaw.ca
Gabriola Coffee Co. features 100% Certified Organically grown coffee beans, custom roasted and blended to please the most discerning coffee lover. Their roasting process develops the coffee's peak aromatic characteristics resulting in the perfect cup, smooth and rich in flavour and aroma. Email Di for additional information on their variety of offerings – this is a great way to wake up on Christmas morning!

Happy Shopping!

Local Government Elections

Greetings Islanders -

Just a reminder that Election Polls are open Saturday November 15th, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

All residents and non-resident property owners may vote at the following locations:

* Gabriola Elementary School - North Road, or
* RDN Admin Office - 6300 Hammond Bay Road, Nanaimo.

VOTE EARLY if you can, as this greatly reduces the demands on volunteers & scrutineers on election day.

To vote, take two pieces of ID to the polls, one with photo ID, in case you're not on the Elector's List.

Official voting details, including voter eligibility and how non-resident property owners can vote, are available at the RDN website at: www.rdn.bc.ca, or by calling 250-390-4111.

Submitted by: Vote Rural Organizing Committee

Growing Beyond the Market Place...

With the current situation in Real Estate we have decided to focus on marketing Gabriola Island in other areas and to investigate marketing tools and trends. Randi & Jennifer have just returned from attending NAR (National Association of Realtors) in Orlando. This 4 day event features key note speakers such as Lance Armstrong and Joe Theismann, provides numerous seminars in marketing, green sustainable living ideas and technology, and has an expo with over 500 exhibitors with leading edge products.

We also plan to have Jennifer & myself attend the BANFF Western Connection from Jan 31- Feb.2, as we feel networking locally & internationally are both key components in our Real Estate business.
During the next few months you'll see that we'll be implementing some of the new ideas that we learn and we will be working on integrating new technology into our business.