Our Lot on Gabriola Island

New Flooring in the Shabin!

Recently Angelo embarked on a mission to install some tiles and flooring in the shabin. He began with an outline of smaller, red tiles around the perimeter (tiles given to us by our previous landlord in Comox), then applied some larger white tiles just inside the front door (courtesy of tiles left in our basement when we bought our house in Nanaimo) to be followed by high-end, manufactured flooring picked up at a thrift store. Pretty impressive, given that we don't have running water or electricity on the lot! Check out his outdoor work area (-: Stay tuned for more updates!

leveller

inside the front door

first bundle of flooring installed

Drumbeg Bay

Another day of beach combing at Drumbeg Provincial Park, on the south end of Gabriola Island!

Check out the Ochre Sea Star, a purple sea star that hides in cracks

and under rocks to avoid the hot sun.

The Lean-to Still Standing!

Almost three months after the kids built the lean-to, Angelo and I returned to the Shabin to make sure everything was put away for the winter. The friendly, neighbourhood deer quickly came over to say hello; Angelo picked a few apples from the tree and tried to get her to eat out of his hand, but no luck. Maybe next time.

This funky face originated up-island in Merville (just north of Courtenay) and was donated to the cause by our friends Janet & Todd. It's one of the first pieces of our outdoor art gallery (-:

Awesome Photos!

Our friend and amateur photographer Perry took a couple of amazing shots - on his phone no less!
The arbutus tree is often found on exposed rocky bluffs overlooking the ocean. It is known for its unique bark, which is thin, smooth, and reddish-brown, peeling in thin flakes or strips to expose younger, smooth, greenish to cinnamon-red bark underneath.

Then, while waiting for the ferry, we stumbled down to Descanso Bay to check out the scenery.

Look at this the rock!

To the Beach!

When you feel like going for a swim, walking along the beach or exploring the tide pools, Gabriola has several beaches to choose from. After the kids put the finishing touches on the lean to, we drove to Twin Beaches to check out the water.

Camping Continues on Gabriola!

July of 2018 saw our second set of overnight visitors! With no tv, internet or electronic stimulation, the kids got into the old building supplies and quickly erected a lean-to that would last for several months. It kept them occupied for hours, while the adults indulged in certain beverages (-:

First Overnight Guests! SEPT 2017
Completion of the composting toilet opened up the possibility of overnight guests, and this honour went to my co-workers Janet and Izabela, plus daughter Adley, who comprised a weekend Girls Gone Wild on Gabriola!

in the fall of 2017.
Most pictures can't be published as jobs could be in jeopardy, careers lost. Suffice to say my guests provided their own overnight accommodation, as shown. As they say, a good time was had by all (-:

Summer Fun on Gabriola!

Yes, the photo is blurry...but you get the picture (-: life is good

Outdoor sink now in place!

Is this cool or what? An outdoor sink and counter for washing dishes and prepping food. I believe the term is 'glamping' lol.

Angelo finishes building # 2!

After warming up his construction skills on the Shabin, Angelo tries his hand at creating our second building on his own. The finished product is awesome! Full Disclosure: a hornet's nest and an anthill were disturbed during construction of this building.

Burn Barrel

Our neighbour, Steve, generously gave us our very first burn barrel! It makes a big difference, especially in the fall.

Early days on Gabriola! 2009: Visitors from Ontario - Suse, Wiz and Tan! We went swimming in the ocean...it wasn't very warm.

Ali gets in on the action

Last summer Angelo built the structure to house the composting toilet and outdoor shower. As he continues working on the inside, I tried my hand at shingling. As long as I don't have any drinks, it works out fine (-:

My Favourite Part of the Lot

There is something to be said about a driveway that isn't paved over in asphalt. This is still my favourite view of our lot.

Pet Deer

As mentioned earlier, our neighbour Steve feeds the deer every morning. He has been doing this for years and now has fawns eating out of his hand. Here are a couple of visitors making their way through the lot.

The Shingling Continues!

As I type this it is August 5, 2009. The cabin weathered a very windy and wet winter and was still standing when we returned for a visit in the spring. A couple of issues with the van have put us slightly behind schedule but as you can see the exterior is now almost completely finished.

Let the Shingling Begin!

Roof over our Heads!

Here is Angelo in our sleeping loft and downstairs on the main floor.

Construction Begins!

It only took a few weekends of camping on our lot before we got the bug to stay longer on Gabriola. It may sound hard to believe but it sounds different when you are on a smaller island, and it feels different, too. At dusk we watch red-headed woodpeckers fly about the lot and the deer have worn their own trails through our property (the neighbour feeds them).

After a few trips in the van we decided to move ahead with plans to build a 10' x 10' storage shed with a sleeping loft upstairs (no government interference I mean permits involved). We fondly refer to it as 'the shabin' as it is a cross between a cabin and a shed. We hired two local builders from Gabriola to get it to lock-up stage, and from there Angelo volunteered to put up the shingles on the outside and finish the interior. The actual structure went up within a few weeks in the Fall of 2008.

Home on Wheels

Well, after receiving the quote for a class II septic field and realizing that we were unlikely to actually activate and use the septic field for several years, we made an executive decision to purchase a VW westfalia camper van instead. I like to say that we are driving our septic field - they cost about the same! Now we have the best of both worlds: we can use our lot without having to build right away and we have a place to sleep.