GABRIOLA. A simple little card to make island living easier

HAPPY NEW YEARS!  

It's here, a way to make island living a little easier.  We (the Lynch group) worked with a local designer (Nina from Paprika Designs) to come up with a card that islanders can put on their fridge, have in their office or keep in their car.  It's a 6 month design that has the current ferry schedule, important numbers, the garbage schedule, and some conversions for cooking.  We're already in the mix of creating the card that will be released in June, if you have any suggestions- we're always open to hearing them.

Gertie- Gabriola's community bus.

We were lucky enough to have been near the bus stop last week when Gertie (Gabriola’s Environmentally Responsible Transport for Islanders Express) pulled up and was en route to the ferry.  The kids and I hopped on and took our first ride in Gabriola's community bus.  It's a great service, we currently have 2 buses running on the Island, friendly volunteer drivers on board, the bus is equipped with bike racks, it's comfortable and clean and a great way to get around Gabriola.  If you'd like a copy of the current schedule and for more information, visit A COMMUNITY BUS FOR GABRIOLA 
ISLAND

A new take on ADVENTS & post its

When Dec. 1 rolls around, we immediately hunt around for the kids advent calendars so they can begin celebrating the magic of the season.  They open the little "windows" leading up to Christmas, the windows remind me of post in notes, just saying a little something.  So this year, I've decided I would share a little insight in our (the Lynch's) Live with you over the 25 advent days.
It's our 25 day "post-it"advent celebration!

'Tis the Season

     It's holiday time, and there seems to be no better way to celebrate than giving back...  We love this community we live in so we are spreading the joy this holiday season...  On behalf of our clients we've been busy filling donations for a couple of  Christmas Good Samaritan boxes...  In our creative life we've been busy making donations for  the fundraiser for the Gabriola Elementary School, as well as cookies for the famous cookie walk.  In hopes to bring one of our clients a fabulous Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, we purchased raffle tickets for all of our clients actively listed for sales - names, and even if they don't win - there is a silver lining that all the funding goes to the school.  December 1st will mark the convoy of lit up fire trucks that will make there way collecting food & toy donations for PHC and families here on the island and we'll be in the support vehicle collecting the totes - so we hope to see you out there!  Being passionate about gardening, but never having enought time, we've also put together a donation for our friends at the Gabriola Garden Club - as many of the gardens we all get to enjoy.  This community is amazing - thanks Gabriola for all your support throughout the year, and for all you do to make this home!

Ride to Conquer Cancer

 Vanessa, Tina, Guy & Mike - our Gabriola Heroes

This past weekend marked a pretty special occasion for our family, my sister Tina Lynch & husband Guy Parcher participated in the Ride to Conquer Cancer, in honour of our dad Jack Lynch.

Our dad who was diagnosed with terminal, asbestos related lung cancer in July 2011 and I remember how happy he was when Tina and Guy told him that they were doing this ride for him – he was hopeful that it might make a difference for others.

Right now, 2 in 5 people will hear the words: "You have cancer' in their lifetime, and the ride works to change that.” The ride raised over $11.2 million dollars for the BC Cancer foundation, and monies raised went back to the communities that they were fundraised in.

The journey took them from Vancouver down to Seattle and despite the downpour of rain, there were people all along the way to cheer on and provide some much appreciated encouragement to the riders. There on the finish line we watched them cross the line on Father’s day – my dad’s spirit with them, it was so moving watching all the riders come through – I know he would have been so proud of them all!

To all those of you who supported the riders - thanks so much for your generosity...

Gabriola Real Estate Testemonial

From time to time we receive feedback from our clients on the service we as the Lynch's provide to Buyers & Sellers on Gabriola.  Here's an email we recieved from a client who said we could pass it along...

Three years after I bought my land at 1046 Harrison Way in Nov. 2008, I was still benefitting from the expertise and thoroughness of having dealt with the Lynch's as realtors.  They gave me so many important papers, things I did not, at the time, realize I would need.  Most recently, after purchasing a mobile home from Gordon's Homes, the Regional District of Nanaimo insisted more than a year later that they must see the proper Letter of Certification re: the septic system.  Luckily the Lynch's had providied that with the sales file.  in fact I seem to recall it was an item they were insisting must be completed before my purchase was finalized.  I did not understand why it was important at the time, but it certainly was. ...

A. Torchia

We are always greatful for the opportunity to work with so many wonderful clients!

Happy Holidays

Community….

I’m often asked why I think Gabriola is such a special place and I can truly sum it up in one word – community. It’s amazing how strong the sense of community is, and it’s a little bit almost overwhelming the generosity of this special place we call home.

My Dad (aka my hero and best friend) was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer this year, it was a complete shock to the family and to my Dad. We have been overwhelmed by the support for the family in this difficult time, and feel fortunate that we do have the opportunity of time.

My sister wanted to have something positive to focus on during this time, and I’m very proud of her, last week she signed up for the ride to conquer cancer, a 2 day 200km cycling event from Vancouver to Enbridge. Within a couple of days signing up, she was inundated with friends, family & community that wanted to take the ride with her. There are many others that offered their support to help make this long ride a little easier by; running a training program, graphic support, artwork donations, financial donations in benefit of cancer research, and the list goes on…

I’m truly amazed and humbled by all the people of Gabriola and their amazing generosity, we are so grateful for being part of this community.

Please take the time to check out her personal page for the ride, Team Papa.

7th Annual Tour de Gabriola Bike Ride

Be A Part of History... The seventh Tour de Gabriola Bike Ride will be held on Sunday, May 29th.

We have had the opportunity to particpate in this great & very worthwhile event, & the organizers do a fantastic job. It's a great day for a family ride; we braved the entire island with my neice & nephew who were only 2&4 at the time. I was greatful for having the double bike with Bianca, my niece who peddled the whole way around the island (making my cruising very easy).

The clinic benefits all generations and participation in the Tour de Gabriola should reflect that. The Twin Beaches to Orlebar Point circuit is ideal for families with young and old riders and those who might wish to walk or run. The traditional ride around the island is a little more of a challenge, but we know kids as young as 8 years old who have accomplished this. But, you don’t need to ride, you may sponsor a rider, make a donation or ride a horse -- use your imagination. In years to come, when you look at the clinic, you will know that you were part of history.

On Saturday, June 4th, the groundbreaking ceremony for Gabriola’s permanent clinic will be held. All Gabriolans can be considered owners of this facility; it has been a community facility from the beginning. This proud effort has been fueled by various fundraising events, it has not increased taxes and receives more benefits from our tax dollars because of VIHA participation. Knowing that you don’t need to take the ferry immediately in an emergency helps ease the stress and prepares the way for appropriate action. In many cases, Gabriolans now receive much of their health care without leaving the island.

Gingerbread Cookies

Growing up on Gabriola, we always thought that my Mom was the best baker… Of course when you come home to the smell of fresh cookies just waiting to greet you, I think she had us won over. One of our all time favourite recipes, that’s a super easy Christmas recipe, is gingerbread. During this festive season, I wanted to share with you one of our all time favorites… and when they come out of the oven fresh give us a call – we’ll be right over!

Easy Gingerbread Recipe…

Ingredients
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Butterscotch Instant Pudding
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. ground ginger
1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions

BEAT butter, sugar, dry pudding mix and egg in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Mix remaining ingredients. Gradually add to pudding mixture, beating well after each addition. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.

HEAT oven to 350°F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into gingerbread shapes with 4-inch cookie cutter. Place, 2 inches apart, on greased baking sheets. Use straw to make hole near top of each cutout.

BAKE 10 to 12 min. or until edges are lightly browned. Let stand on baking sheets 3 min. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Decorate as desired. Insert ribbon through holes to hang cookies on tree.

Gabriola - Island of the Arts

Gabriola is well known to many as “Isle of the Arts,” with a great Arts Council which supports many artistic adventures. In addition Artworks is a hub for the many artists on Gabriola to exhibit their work, and for tourists and islanders alike to come and gather in this energetic gallery.

Thursday night, Canada Day, from 7 – 9 pm marks the beginning of the summer shows, one that the Lynch’s are very excited to be a part of. “Measure Up” will run from July 1st – 14 featuring mixed media works of 30 artists each given a ruler to transform into a masterpiece. Randi, Jennifer & Tina were thrilled to each be able to contribute a piece to the show and invite you to come check it out!

Thanks again to Kathy R. and her amazing staff at Artworks for all the work they do in making Gabriola such a vibrant community!

A trip to Oz…

Well firstly, I have to start off by stating that this is all about being an Auntie, which gives me HUGE bragging rights, which will be apparent in this blog…

Last weekend, at the home Tina & I grew up in on Gabriola, we celebrated by neice Bianca, and nephew MicGill’s birthday party and WOW, what a spectacular celebration. Our friends & families came to take a walk on the yellow brick road where they met Oz, the wicked witch of the East (aka Tina my sister), the good witch, Tin Man, and hosts Dorothy (B) and Lion (M). Along the journey their were games to keep the munckins busy and it truly felt like we had left Kansas and ended up in the magical world of Oz (Gabriola).

Guy stole the show, as the Tin Man who kept telling everyone he only wanted a heart, but he couldn’t resist blurting out to our local Dr. that he also wanted his spleen back!

Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate, and to our hostess Dorothy(Bianca), and Lion (MicGill) – I am SO proud to be your Auntie, you guys are both amazing kids!

Happy Birthday!

XOXXO Your Auntie, Jen

With Glowing Hearts...

The Island was full of Canada day events and activities yesterday, there was a band playing and a bbq in the Village parking lot, the Potato Gun Contest at Brickyard beach and in our own neighborhood we had a party.

In my eyes a great country starts with good families, and neighbours that stick together, and yesterdays gathering at Spring Beach with more than 100 neighbours was evidence that Gabriola is on track. It was a heart warming event to watch the kids dance around and dip into the ocean, neighbors catching up with each other and trying to answer the local trivia quiz and it ended with the most delicious cake I've ever had!

The day was capped off by a friends & family BBQ with the little ones still active, from the cake they at the events they had travelled to that day... Just another day of glorious island living! Submitted by: Tina LYNCH

The Empty Bowl Project Part Two

On May 30th, we took the opportunity to drop into Sunstone pottery, on Gabriola to create our bowls for Hunger in support of People for a Healthy Community's Emergency Food Depot.

On walking into the pottery studio, we felt fortunate to have the talent if many exceptionally tallented local potters who came out to lend their support and guide us in molding, creating & glazing our bowls for hunger. We spent time sculpting, creating & re-creating the bowls - trying to get them just right, only to look at Emma & Jane (4 years old) and realize who had created the master pieces!

The bowls are now finished, thanks to Potter Graham Sheehan and his colleagues, and will be on display at Artworks from 18 June to 24 June, 2009. The bowls are up for silent auction, so you can bid on your favorite bowl (or for those who just want to donate bid on bowls 37 to 40 - they may not be beautiful but they were created with joy!)

All proceeds from this event go to Gabriola's Emergency Food Depot - so it's a great cause, & helps our community locally.

Fish ON!

If you are looking for something to do this weekend on Fathers day, then the Silva Bay Salmon Derby, on Gabriola, comes at the perfect time... Held from dawn till dusk Sat. June 20th, and dawn until noon the June 21st, they are anticipating 75 or so participants, with all the nice weather we've been having in June hopefully even more than last year! We will be out there with our Dad fishing on Ship's Point - look for us reeling in the really big one...

Bob Meyer, of Silver Blue hints that, "fish have returned to their normal haunts off the Grande & the structure off Thrasher. Depths range 85 to 180 feet, Rhys Davis teasers in clear green scale for whole or strip baits, Coyotes in glow green/silver, green/white, or black white or the green spackleback hoochie are top producing lures." Bob Meyers fishing charters can be booked through Bob@SivlerBlueCharters.com .

Against Bob's best advice, and I give him full credit as the local fishing expert, I'll be fishing with some unidentified pink lure - for those that know me that's no surprise :), (I'm not sure my Dad will be impressed.)

Tickets are $25 per rod, $50 for immediate family.

Tickets are available at Village Paint and Hardware, or Silva Bay Marina, Harbour Chandler or Pages Resort & Marina.

Prizes on lower deck at 1 Sunday, and includes some great stuff, combo GPS/sounder, portable VHS, etc. $1,000 for largest Chinook. $1,000 donation to the Nanaimo River Hatchery. Good luck!

Trail Running - the Gut Buster 1/2 Marathon

Last Sunday, we headed for the hills in Nanaimo to take part in the the Gutbuster trail running series. Lesley Standerwick, who is a personal trainer on Gabriola (www.standerwickpt.com) was with us and finished the half marathon in great timing.

The trail system was amazing, we started at the Colliery Dam (just off of Wakeshiah) and went towards Nanaimo lake roads, on the ridge we saw a beautiful view of Nanaimo, the ocean and Gabriola. There were plenty of ups and downs on the route, a few rivers to cross, which weren't bad, and through this mud puddle at about the 12 Km mark.

If your looking for a nice place to go for a hike, you might like to try some of these trails, or the trail system around Westwood Lake is a nice 6km hike. Submitted by: Tina LYNCH

A perfect 10… Coast Realty Group (Gabriola Village) Ltd. celebrates a 10 year milestone.

We are excited to celebrate Coast Realty Group (Gabriola Village) Ltd. 10th year anniversary on 1 May 2009. A company based on “People. Above All,” the company has grown over the years to include 13 Realtors® & our 2 amazing support staff.

As the Realtors in the office are fortunate to live and work in this community, there is a strong sense of pride and recognition of the Quality of Life that Gabriola offers. Coast Realty has very much enjoyed the opportunity to serving the island, and has been active in the community, from it’s annual Easter Egg Hunt, youth softball, to sponsorships which help put on events such as the Dancing Man Festival, Concert on the Green, Home & Garden and so much more….

Having worked for this dynamic company for the past 10 years, we feel very fortunate to have met and had the opportunity to work with some amazingly talented people both in the office & the new neighbors who have allowed us the opportunity to help them relocate.

Roots Show

Be prepared to be dazzled as you enter the ROOTS show, hosted at Artworks in the Village, there are still three days left to treat your eyes to this community art event.

This years theme really challenged the artists... We were very impressed with the creativity that was invoked by this show and the ages and diversity of the participants.

If you have a chance to go, have a look at Melinda Wilde's painting as it tells a very interesting story about family in a beautiful way. Another piece that I found intriguing is Donna Zakreski's quilt, she has a very artistic approach to quilting. Of course, I need to mention the family members who also have their pieces in the show, Randi's "14 carrots" incorporates her love of quilting into an amazing fiber art piece, and Bianca, my 6 year old niece for her brilliant painting entitled Hungry, after her neighborhood rabbit - who gave grief to her garden! (Congratulations B. on the sale of your very first piece- with her family roots I'm sure it's the first of many more to come...)

There is also a silent auction which has numerous items; from the beautiful driftwood coffee table, to tempting jewellery, island services & so much more, it's a great place to stock up on gifts for friends and family, while supporting the Gabriola Arts Council.

MS Walk Nanaimo 2009

On Sunday, we loaded up the family & friends and sailed across from Gabriola on BC Ferries, to meet our team for the annual MS Walk. The weather was absolutely stunning, which was complimented by the gorgeous walk along down town Nanaimo’s sea wall.

We were walking in support of our good friend Jodi, who was diagnosed with MS when she was only 31, she is an amazingly vibrant person who has not let it affect her day to day living, or her attitude on life. She is a hard individual to keep up with as she is very athletic & outgoing and has so many friends…

So, this year was the first year we put together a team, in full costumes modeled after MS. Canada we entered in the MS. Cured team, with over 20 of participating. The boys looked especially good in the evening gowns, and while none of them shaved their legs, we did help raise some money & awareness (the photo in the paper caught some attention) and to also for the opportunity to spend a couple of hours with good friends!

MS affects so many, friends, co-workers, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons & daughters out there, as was evident in nearly 335 participants coming out for the 2009 Nanaimo MS Walk, nearly $75,0000 was raised.

To all those affected, we want to let you know, we care and we are with you every step of the way!

The Work Party

No, I’m not talking about gathering with co-workers for a glass of wine, but that’s also a lot of fun too! When you live in a rural setting, there are always projects that you can work on or come up with on a moments notice, I have a long list of them hanging on my fridge.
A few years ago, we decided that it would be fun to spend a day off working together with friends to start and sometimes finish projects together. Our group, was made up of five Gabriola families and our goal was to go on a rotation once a month to one of the homes and work on whatever project they had chosen.

The day started at 10, with lunch provided by the hosts at noon, and a potluck dinner served around 5. Officially beer & wine we’re opened at 4, but I seem to recall seeing a beer a little earlier than that once or twice. A few of the projects that we worked on: fencing, chopping firewood, moving, laying floors, painting, prepping garden beds & harvesting some crops, pruning trees, a lot of raking and lots of burning which allowed for some marshmallow roasts.

This was a great way to get things done and to have some fun at the same time, it’s nice to visit friends and look around their house and feel like you’re a part of it. We were sad to see one of the families leave the Island in October and haven’t been on track since, but I’m sure we’ll be back into working with our friends again when Spring hits. Submitted by: Tina LYNCH