New FerryCam up and running

Did anyone spot the camera fairy climbing atop the Skol Pub to fix a new webcam for the ferry line up?

Now we can monitor BC Ferries as well as the newspaper vendor!

Great picture of the Viking Warrior too !!!

Check it out for yourself here

No time to travel the Canada Line?

There's no excuse.

Just about everyone who's tried out Canada Line since its opening last week has been full of praise for the project.

If you REALLY don't have the time to try the service for yourself, here's your chance to travel from Downtown Vancouver to Richmond - and YVR - and back, all in a couple of minutes.

Just CLICK on the image above to start the ride!

Tintin arrives at the Roxy

Remember when we sat fixed to our seats as Herge's adventures of Tintin boomed out from the TV?

Well, this weekend the real thing comes to Gabriola's number one film venue, The Roxy.

It’s the third annual Tintin Film Festival at the Roxy and it’s a fundraiser for the Gabriola Elementary School Library. Roxy host Steve is going all out this year with what he describes as an "extra heavy duty, fun for all ages, full-tilt boogie film festival".

Starting off this year’s Tintin Festival Saturday afternoon are two full length Tintin animated film adventures and a live reading between the shows.

Sunday will be Steve's big, knock your socks off, tie your undies in a knot, kick out the jams fun-a-thon especially designed for the little ones. There will be an animated Tintin adventure to start with at 2pm, followed by a live skit with Tintin, Snowy, and a host of your favourite characters at 3pm. Then there will be another film adventure, and new this year, a photo opportunity for kids of all ages with their favourite Tintin characters, in the Roxy and outside in the Roxy parking lot. Anyone can have their picture taken with the characters and one of two or three amazing vintage automobiles similar to those in your favourite Tintin adventures!

So bring your family, your cameras and a small donation and all the neighbourhood kids you can muster -- it’ll be fun and it won’t hurt a bit. Come Saturday and your donation will cover both days -- how cool is that?! As Steve always says, Gabriola does provide!

How many of the characters can you name?

Sand sculpture extravaganza in Parksville

Gabriola's Sand Festival is not the only place where you can appreciate the amazing skill of the sand sculptor.

Last weekend saw the 2009 Canadian Open Sand Sculpting Competition held at Parksville Beach on Vancouver Island. Despite some anxious moments on Saturday as the breeze swept in from the ocean, some fabulous results wowed the crowds. Photographs courtesy of the Oceanside Star.

The Sand Boxers, of Victoria, pose with their $7,300 winner in the team category: "It Has A Ring To It".

Brett Stocker works on "The Portcullis".

Bruce Waugh puts the finishing touches to "On Thin Ice".

Denis Kleine finishing his sculpture titled "Grateful"

Karen Fralich’s creation "Snow Heaven" was a favourite in the solo category

Peter Vogelaar puts the finishing touches to ‘Dreams of Gold,’ winning the solo category of the 2009 Canadian Open Sand Sculpting Competition, taking home $3,800.

Ferry innovative

Cartoon courtesy of the Vancouver Sun

Meteor Showers over the islands

On the night of August 11-12, the Perseids Metor Showers are expected to be visible once again across BC. Meteor showers are associated with the left over debris from comets as they orbit the sun. This shower is associated with the comet Swift-Tuttle, discovered in July of 1862 by two independent astronomers, Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle. Since this comet’s orbital path crossed our earth’s orbital path, we travel right through any and all debris that this comet leaves behind. Most of this consists of tiny dust and ice flakes which have fallen off the comet. When these little specks hit the earth’s atmosphere, they burn up leaving a very bright ionization trail for all to see.

Stargazers will be out in force to watch the annual Perseids meteor shower from Monday to Thursday. This year promises to be one of the best years yet with experts expecting more fireballs than usual. The best night of the week to pull up a chair to see the most frequent shooting stars is Tuesday.

This event happens as the Earth moves through the same debris field leftover by the same comet every year. The difference this year that has stargazers excited is that the debris field is thicker than usual, meaning there should be a good light show. The best time to see the most shooting stars will be just after the sun goes down until midnight. When the moon gets too high in the sky it will start to wash everything out.

The best place to get a great view will be anywhere facing northeast and away from ambient light. My front garden, in fact! If only I were there!!!