Wildlife Up Close - August 6, 2009

This was the view from my window when I first woke up this morning. Deer have been visiting regularly as the plums have ripened, but this morning was a special treet. A doe and her fawn were enjoying plums and leaves for breakfast. If you look closely, you can see the white spots on the fawn. I just had time to admire and find the camera before they were on their way. Luckily one of our guests was up early enough to see the show as well.

We had picked a handful of plums before today...just enough for a quick snack and to make the first plum-blueberry cobbler of the season. YUM! With deer arriving daily to snack and wanting to avoid the black bear, we started picking for real tonight. Over 50 lbs of yellow plums are now in and that is only the beginning. We didn't even have the ladder out except for about 5 minutes. I will definitely be at the Fiddlehead Farmers Market on Saturday with fresh plums, plum muffins, and maybe plum galettes.

Commotion by the Ocean - August 1, 2009

Monday is BC Day so we celebrated the long weekend by making a trip to Gambier Island for Commotion by the Ocean. Gambier is the island I see out my window every day, but in 3 years I had never visited.

Commotion by the Ocean is an annual event with food, family fun and great music to raise money for community activites on Gamier Island. The weather was absolutely wonderful today and they had a great turnout. Burgers and beer on a summer evening with fabulous local bands surrounded by the forest. What could be better? This picture is looking back from Gambier Island to our home at the base of Mt Elphinstone. Note the 7km/h speed limit....ahhhh island life.

Sibling Rivals was fantastic, and boy can this gal play tenor sax. The crowd was up dancing the entire time for both sets. Nearly Neil is a great cover band with terrific energy. Bobby Bruce can totally do Neil Diamond...it's amazing. I could have listened to these groups all night. Unfortunately, the official gig wraps up at 9pm so that all of us mainlanders can catch the last ferry off the island. However, I am sure that the locals are still going strong even now. We thank them for starting mid-afternoon so that we can enjoy many hours of great music.

I am looking forward to a return trip next year.

Rainbows - July 25, 2009

Mother Nature is just amazing. Tonight we were treated to a fabulous display of lightning and beautiful rainbows. Now for many people, this is a common occurance. However, on the south coast of British Columbia we don't see lightning very often....and especially not over an hour of both cloud to cloud and cloud to ground snake lightning.

Things got started about 9pm which is 45 minutes before sunset. The storms were to the east over the North Shore Mountains so while watching lightning displays in 1 direction, the sun was shining with clear skies to the west. The result was this fabulous rainbow which the pictures just don't show the real effect. I could only get a shot of the rainbow base...it was a full arc with the entire shape in sight out over Howe Sound. At times it was a double rainbow in full grandeur. As the sun set, the sky became a wild shade of red as the storm built.

Once the sun was down, the storm really kicked in. Major lightning display across the entire horizen for a full hour. While it was only sprinkling here, the rain was so heavy over the water that I could no longer see the mountains. Eventually it poured here as well which was wonderful after months of unseasonal dry weather.

I only hope the lightning didn't spark any wildfires. The forest is extremely dry and there are major fires in other parts of the province.

Oceanbeach Esplanade - July 22, 2009

Another absolutely beautiful day on BC's Sunshine Coast. I took time today to head out to the beach for the first time in weeks. Oceanbeach Esplanade aka Bonniebrook Beach is on the southern tip of the Sunshine Coast just outside of Gibsons. This protected beach stretches on for about 5km. It is mostly rocky, but there are a few stretches of sand depending on the tide levels.

People walk and bike this stretch of beach 365 days a year. Today, on a somewhat hot day, (25C) it was warm enough to swim, stroll, or just about anything. There are multiple park benches along the route that I found perfect for relaxing in the shade and feeling the refreshing ocean breeze. A very pleasant place to meditate and enjoy the rhythmic pounding of the waves along with any number of birds.


In the background of the first photo, you can see Vancouver Island and, if you look really close, the ferry that travels from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo.

In the second photo you can see Canada geese swimming along the shore.

Music in the Landing - July 11, 2009

One of my favourite summer activities is Music in the Landing. Gibsons Landing puts on free concerts in various parks every weekend all summer long. Kick off the weekend on Friday nights at the Gazebo, Saturday afternoon by the Visitor's Centre, Saturday night by the marina, and Sunday afternoon at the artisan's market. Every concert features fabulous local talent and the series covers a wide range of musical genres.

Saturday nights are my favourite, as they are a great way to wrap up a long day following the Fiddlehead Farmers' Market. Tonight's show (sorry, forgot the camera) featured Chelsea Crawford and Verna Chan each playing 1 hour sets. Winegarden park is next to the marina. You'll have to imagine sitting by the ocean, watching the boats come in for the evening, with picturesque mountains in the background listening to light jazz. Some people spread out the blanket and have a picnic. Others stroll by with gelato from down the street. Everyone greets their friends and neighbours who have come out for the evening. Kids run freely in the back with plenty of space for tag and other games. By evening, temperatures slip into the 60's and with a light ocean breeze a jacket or a blanket is required.

What a fabulous way to spend a Saturday night! I can't wait for next week.

Strawberry Season - June 22, 2009

I love strawberries and local strawberries are now in season!

Monday, I travelled to Aldergrove which is in the Fraser Valley just east of metro Vancouver. Travelling by ferry means that this is a once a season adventure, so you have to make the trip count. My partner and I managed to pick 38 lbs of berries which will be come pie, shortcake, stawberry-banana bread, smoothies, and my favourite...fresh berries in a bowl. I'll freeze enough to last all winter for breakfast smoothies and french toast and/or crepes topping.

It was a perfect day for picking with clouds and cool temps in the morning. Krause Berry Farms is my favourite farm to visit. It is just off highway 1 and has built facilities to make for a pleasant tourist experience as well. You can buy pre-picked flats or you can get out in the fields like I did and pick your own berries.

There is a market for fresh veggies as well as delicious looking strawberry pies. There is a concession stand where I treated myself to a fresh strawberry milkshake for lunch.

It is fun to see the 3-5 year olds being so excited to see fresh berries and learn how food grows. They chatter endlessly showing each other the delicious bright red berries they've found.

This farm will have raspberries available by mid-July and blueberries at the end of the July. For more u-pick farms in the Vancouver area, visit the BC Strawberry Grower's Association.


By afternoon, the sun was out and it was a beautiful day to sail home to the Sunshine Coast.
This picture is taken near the end of the trip looking back over Bowen Island and the Coast Mountains. We spent the entire trip outside on the very top deck enjoying the sunshine and the amazing views. The photo just doesn't do the scenery justice. Every shade of blue and green surround you with forested islands on all sides and mountains stretching off to the north. A sight to behold....

I

Gibsons Landing Jazz Fest - June 13-14, 2009

Gibsons Landing Jazz Fest is my favourite festival of the year, and there are a lot of community festivals to choose from. Every genre of jazz is covered and there is a mix of great local talent and big names. Jazz week is 7 nights of live jazz in most of Gibsons's restaurants. Excellent entertainment for the price of a meal.

The official 14th annual Jazz Fest kicked off Friday with Sibel Thrasher backed up by 4 excellent local musicians. Sibel really knows how to entertain and leaves the audience wanting more. A true professional and an inspiring spirit.


Saturday we were blessed with sunshine and 25C for our main event in the park...5 groups and 5 hours of music. Easily the most entertaining of the day was East Vancouver's Carnival Band.

Endless energy fills this group playing Dixieland Jazz. Not to be limited to the stage, they marched through the park around the audience getting everyone out of there chairs and dancing. In true carnival style, clowns and ringmasters filled their ranks.



Sunday afternoon features free jazz in Winegarden Park for everyone to enjoy. Three hours of jazz from very talented local performers.
Definitely Divas always puts on a great show. Great harmony and energy help them cover a wide variety of tunes, from Bugle Boy of Company B to Sweet Dreams by the Eurythmics.


The final act of the festival was the Elphinstone Jazz Band, from our local high school. This is a very talented group of kids, many of whom have a future in music if they choose.


Winegarden Park is the perfect setting for an outdoor concert. The hill makes for a natural amphitheatre to sit an enjoy the sunshine. And then there is the view....great music with a picture perfect backdrop as we watch boats come and go in the marina.




I can't wait until next year!