It's picking time on the Island.

I was down to take a listing of a beautiful acreage on the weekend and while I was there I couldn't help but notice all the blackberries. The owner said I could come and pick blackberries, so I took my son,my dad and a few empty containers and headed over. The picking was great, there was lots of large berries, it was overcast and there weren't any wasps to speak of. We may have ended up with a few scratches, but nothing compared to the taste of our fresh sweet handpicked berries. I've frozen a few so that we can be reminded of the local summer harvests all year long. You'll find lots of blackberry bushes on the sides of the roads on Gabriola, or if you want your own patch you may just want to take a look at the acreage we just listed. Submitted by: Tina Lynch,

Gabriola Portrait Day!

Yeosmith Studios is coming to Gabriola this Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011!

Cassandra Yeomans-Smith is a great friend of mine and a truly amazing professional photographer. Recently she came to the Island to do a special photo shoot so that we could have some family shots with my dad and I know these will be family treasures for years to come. She'll be back to the Island this weekend, so you have a chance to have a photo session with her.

At this time there are a few sessions open on Sunday, Session Fee for each session is $49 or you can choose a session package.
If you are interested in a session, it is important to have a consultation either in studio or on the phone. This way Cassandra can get to know you and what you are looking for in your portraits. For all Yeosmith Website, go to www.yeosmith.com.
Please call 250 739 0340 to book a consultation or email Cassandra at yeosmith@shaw.ca .

Submitted by : Tina Lynch

Fishing Thrasher Rock

We had a few hours yesterday afternoon that we could spend on the boat, so we loaded up the kids and took my dad out to Thrasher Rock, near Silva Bay on Gabriola Island. The water was calm, it was hot and sunny and there were lots of boats of all sizes out on the water. We did some jigging at about 50-60 ft, and landed 3 nice size Ling Cods on the boat. I recently found this website that shows the bites and tides in a visual format, which I think makes it pretty easy for anyone to follow : tides4fishing Submitted by: Tina Lynch

A view of the Island.

If you'd like to keep an eye on Gabriola, the Island has a few web cams that you may want to check out. One of the web cams has views of the Straight of Georgia, with Entrance Island as the focal point, it gives you a good indication of the current weather, on the website you'll also find videos of community events, Gabriola Georgia Strait Cam. The other website that is very useful when you are trying to determine what the ferry traffic conditions leaving the Island are like is the ferry cam website which has three different vantage points of the line up. Take a minute and enjoy the view from here.

Gabriola Campground- Descanso Bay

Located just a short distance from the Gabriola ferry terminal, Descanso Bay Regional Park offers 32 camping sites on a beautiful 40-acre oceanfront property. There are three bays, one of which is a designated shellfish-harvesting beach (check for closures). There is also a great picnic/day use area with gorgeous sandstone beaches. Just off the shore is this small "island" that makes the perfect destination for those that would like to do a quick little paddle. To make reservations at the campground located at 595 Taylor Bay Road call 1 250 247-8255.

Cistern rebate on Gabriola Island.

The Regional District of Nanaimo is currently offering a rebate of $500 for those that install a cistern (minimum of 1,000 gallons) on Gabriola if you meet the criteria. The "Rainwater Harvesting Incentive Program" is in response to the growing population in the area and the increasing demand on water resources. As the population of the Regional District of Nanaimo continues to grow, reducing demand on water resources and water systems will become increasingly important. I think this is a great initiative and one worth looking into quickly as they have a limited number of rebates available, if you go to the RDN website you can get the application form, details and a list of suppliers.

Gabriola - exploring the waters.

It was a bit windy on the Island on Saturday, so we decided to take the opportunity and go for our first sail aboard our 16 footer. We loaded up the cooler, tent, propane stove and kids and left Degnen Bay and headed towards Blackberry Pt on Valdez. It was a great late afternoon sail, we found a compromise that worked for our family, my husband fished, I sailed and the kids tattooed each other with their special markers. We set up our tent about 15 feet from the sandy beach, started a small camp fire and watched this amazing sunset. It did rain during the night, but our tent didn't let in a drop of rain, and we woke up to another sunny day. Submitted by: Tina Lynch