The Squamidian Report – Sept. 23 / 06
Issue #225
Also in this issue:
Hi All,
Well, the wedding went off without a hitch. Probably the nicest one I’ve ever been at. The kids are happy, and relieved that it is over. They are on their honeymoon now, aboard a cruse ship headed for Hawaii. I’ll have a bunch of pictures posted as soon as I have time to work through them so just be patient. And we took back half the booze we had purchased for the reception so that speaks highly of all who attended.
*
The next few days were filled with returning things like the booze and rental stuff. That went well once whoever walked off with three of the tablecloths brought them back. I think they accidentally got mixed in with the caterer’s equipment, but they seemed to appear magically one the word was out that we were looking for them. Then once we had a few minutes for ourselves we hooked up with Greg and Carole for lunch and a quick visit to the Harley dealer in Kitchener where we drooled over a couple of Heritage Classic Softails. Also managed to find some time to play a bit on Beth’s new mandolin. She will be playing circles around me in no time.
We then managed to fit in an overnighter to Sue’s parent’s cottage up near Tobermory. I was really looking forward to a drive up through the farmland of Southern Ontario. The drive was nice, with leaves beginning to turn and rolling fields. Some with hay bails, some with cattle, some with crops. We don’t have farmland or even barns out in the mountains and you kind of miss that kind of stuff. Didn’t do much while we were there, just recuperate after the stress and pressures of the last week or so. One weird thing, the water level in Lake Huron and Georgian Bay is about four feet lower than it was six or eight years ago when we used to go to their cottage. We watched the Chi Cheemaun come in under some rather windy conditions but it docked OK. There is a new outdoor center just outside Tobermory that has a high observation tower for people to climb and look around from. Pretty good view from up there. Then there is the ‘Brake for Snakes’ sign on the Warner Bay Rd road that we drove past. And then just a bit further along I had to swerve and brake for one that was sunning itself on the road. That area has Mississauga rattlers that are endangered so we are asked not to run over them.
Then, like all trips, it was time to head home. This one was too busy to qualify as a vacation, it was more like a business trip. Oh well. Getting to the airport meant another excursion down the dreaded 401 but we found our way to the car rental return place and then on into the terminal. I can never figure out whether we are arriving or departing. I guess we are arriving at the airport so we can depart on our way to Vancouver. Good things they have those signs showing the planes going up or coming down. The flight took us over Wiarton and Owen Sound, then up out from the west side of the Bruce Peninsula. Not much to see while over Lake Superior until we got to Thunder Bay. Then we basically followed the Trans Canada into Winnipeg. After that we were over a cloud cover so I could no longer follow our progression. The occasional break in the cloud cover over the prairies didn’t give me enough time to figure out exactly where we were, but the clouds did break before we landed in Vancouver so that was good. Now I just need to catch up on reading a weeks worth of newspaper comic sections and life will be back to normal.
We have returned to find warm sunny days and cool mountain nights with clear soft air so settling back into things should be easy.
doug
****
I had a great visit with family and friends
last week in Kitchener. Cousin Carol
not only invited me to stay with her but also drove me around all week. We relaxed and spent a fair amount of time
talking and even had to stop to give Carol’s voice a rest. I do a fair amount of talking all day long
in my work so I guess I’m conditioned.
The days went by fast. Everyone
made me feel very special. Ryan and
Emily’s wedding was the icing on the cake.
They are a truly beautiful couple and I wish them all the happiness in
the world. Somehow I think they have
already found it.
Our summer here went by very quickly. After my father’s passing I dove into my business. The only way I know to get through it all. I may even be considered a work-a-holic. I have to make a huge effort to stop working and think about having fun. Luckily I have a husband that recognizes my problem. The last week of July I had planned to take a week off work to get caught up on neglected chores around our house. Peter thought we should at least spend a couple of days on the boat first. I agreed thinking I still will have 5 days left to get my work done. Well we took off with the boat loaded with food for Wood Islands, P.E.I. along with another couple in their boat. The sail over took about 3 hours. We went for walks, toured the park, drank beer and ate. The next morning we awoke to thick fog and rain. We decided to stay for another day and wait for a change in the weather. So we played games and relaxed more. Well the weather changed for the better and off we sailed around the southeast tip of the island into a place called Murray Harbour. We saw seals and birds and breathed in the fresh salt air. The little town of Murray Harbour was charming. Our friends were great company and we spent another night having fun.
Another beautiful morning arrived and we headed northeast along the coast to Cardigan Bay and then up the long Montague River between muscle beds or oyster beds we are not sure. It must have taken a couple hours of motoring to get to the town of Montague. Everything is far by boat. This beautiful little town was enchanting. Even the furniture store was fun. We ate at a restaurant called Windows on the Water, toured the oldest museum in Prince Edward Island and walked the trail beside the river. The weather couldn’t have been better. We stayed for two days, so much for the work I had planned; I was having a whale of a time and was actually relaxing. You may wonder why after all the time we’ve had a boat I haven’t been able to relax on it. Well mostly we had raced it. As much fun as that is, it’s very stressful and a whole lot of work. So this year we are in “cruise mode”.
It was almost sad to leave Montague but we must start making our way back home. So off we sailed back down the river and out to the open ocean to find the wind in our face and a struggle to get anywhere. After 5 hours of tacking, reefing and unreefing the mainsail and just working much too hard, we decided to pull into Murray Harbour again for the night.
It was the right thing to do. We were exhausted. A storm alert was posted for all of P.E.I the next morning so we sat and waited it out. By noon the sky cleared and the forecast improved so we headed for Pictou Island. The wind on our beam, we set our sails enjoying the breeze making 7 knots at times. It was exhilarating. We made good time to Pictou Island. I have written about Pictou Island before so you may remember it is only 11 miles long by 1 wide, has only 9 or 10 permanent residences with many cottagers in the summer. There is only 1 road where the mail plane lands, a community hall which doubles as a school and a ton of rabbits. We spent the last night of our cruising holiday tied up to a fishing boat wishing we could just keep on sailing. So that was the week that changed my mind. Peter and I sailed our boat so well together and enjoyed every minute together. Now we go on weekends for short overnight trips on the boat. There are many close little harbours where you can anchor your boat and watch the eagles and ospreys battle each other for fish and perching rights.
Thanks Doug for encouraging me to write
again. It was so good to be with you
and Sue again in Kitchener. I hope you
had a good trip home.
Until
next time,
****
All quiet
on the South-Western Asian Front ... ...
The introduction title speaks for itself, it has been a much better couple of
weeks, more-so than my first; although our brothers in arms suffered
casualties, we as Canadians were lucky enough to stay out of the line of fire
for a time. Not to be a pessimist but rather a realist, lady luck
may change her mind by the time many of you receive this update, that ' s just
the anatomy of war, but we all hope the proverbial horseshoe stays stuck just
where it is.
As per my last transmission in regards to rocket attacks (> "> I can
only hope that they get easier from here on in.> ">
) Here is the truth; they do. They seem to happen with
such an occurrence that they have become more of an annoyance than a
threat. Rocket attacks tend to happen on nights when the dust in the
air is thicker than normal, the insurgents seem to think it aids in their
cover. The other night we had two attacks in a row on the base, a
first for almost everyone here. The attacks usually happen just when
everyone is racking out for the night, once the explosions and sirens cease it
is still near impossible to get back to sleep because an array of air traffic,
made up mostly of American Apache Helicopters and the impressive American
Predator B take to the air to survey the outer perimeter of the base.
Although I came to Afghanistan as I clerk, I quickly realized there are many
hats to be worn in and around the base. As a clerk, whenever the
chance to learn about weapons, drills or battle procedures surfaced I was like
a sponge, because as a generically base-side occupation, RMS clerks do not get
to see and experience a lot of what happens on the ground per se, am I ever
glad I paid attention! After my first few days I thought that I had
come to the realization that the office was the closest I was going to come to
seeing Afghanistan, boy was I wrong. A few days ago I was put on
escort duty; a little background for you - During the current > ">
OP MEDUSA> "> Canadians have been stretched to the limit
both on the battlefield and in the support roles, particularly transport, there
are just not enough personnel and/or vehicles to transport supplies to the
forward operating bases (FOB> '> s). Solution: local Afghanis
are more than happy to provide us with the drivers and vehicles for our needs,
- the only question is operational security OPSEC. Now this is where
I enter the picture.
I will have to admit it was another shock to me the first time I was a convoy
escort, we drove the G-Wagon to a place on the base I had never been and pulled
over, the driver looked at me and said > "> It> '> s
Showtime.> "> This is the first time since arriving other
than on the ranges where I had to kit up and put a magazine on my
weapon. Not to be left in the dark, I asked the driver why we needed
these precautions, to which he replied, > "> We> '> re going
out.> "> I felt the butterflies in my stomach right away,
a little of it was nervousness but I think for the most part it was
excitement. Soon enough we were through the maze of the inner
perimeter gate when we had to pull over where some Americans had a makeshift
hut filled with locals. We read off the vehicle number to one of
their trucks, and a scared, skinny face poked its way around the corner, I took
the driver with me to his truck for an inspection, he sat in the drivers seat
while I poked and prodded around the vehicle and finally made my way to the top
to smell the remnants of his last load, his tanks smelt like diesel and
that> '> s what we were going to get more of so that he could deliver it
to other Canadians in the Zhari district. I hopped in the passenger
seat and was straight-faced until we passed the Americans one last
time. Not to > be prejudiced but the Americans are all business
no matter where they are, they are a very hard country to go to war with, their
mentality consists of the fact that everyone all the time is trying to kill
them.
On the way to the Diesel pumps I loosened my stance and asked the man his name,
at first he did not understand what I wanted but I pointed to myself and said
PETER, to which he pointed to himself answered Mir-Ahmed. While the
truck was filling with diesel I got to know this man whose cultures and beliefs
were so different than mine, between his sparse broken English and my pretty
much non-existent Pashto, I found he was 21 years old, had three children and a
wife in Kandahar. Once the rapport was flowing steadily he felt
confident enough to show me a few things, > "> Taliban, no good>
"> he said as he pointed to two bullet holes in the cab of
his truck, which coincided with two horrendous scars on his upper and lower
right leg. The Taliban were such oppressors that if they saw people
working for someone other than them, they would shoot them as they drove by.
I know I have a long way to go still before I come home but something I will
not forget is the gestures and words Mir-Ahmed left me with, something all
Canadians can be proud of.
Mir-Ahmed drives his truck back and forth from the Kandahar Air Field to the
FOB> '> s everyday in support of our military's mission, ever knowing
that it could potentially be his last trip, he does this to earn money for his
family, all the while keeping faith that some day soon Canada will topple the
Taliban regime and he will be able to send his three young children to school
to get an education, without worrying about the consequences.
Now it is clear why we are here.
"> KHANADA GOOD> ">
Peter Larsen
Pte Larsen P.J.
NSE MAINT PL CLK
TFA R2 KAF
Loc 5718
****
Hello
all!
I hope
everyone had a good summer. My only real complaint is that it's over! This
summer I noticed some of my petunias were covered in small black eggs at one
point. They were stuck here and there, and crammed in to crevices. I didn't see
what had laid them, but I knew from other infestations that I needed to take
action immediately. I trimmed them down considerably, and sprayed with some of
that soap solution. I think previous problems with spider mites in our office
had me a bit paranoid. The next weekend in the bright light (and after a good
sleep) I noticed that something similar was going on with other petunias, but I
looked closer this time. They had gone to seed! Those were just seed pods
crammed with petunia seeds, and they scatter after a sort of pop. I was
defending my flowers from their own seeds! I am a city a boy.
*
The
last few weeks have been memorable. UU and I were getting ready for the camping
trip labour day weekend. Fortunately we already got her a few of the more
important items earlier in the summer (super warm sleeping bad, Therm-a-rest,
back pack etc.). It was a bit risky to take someone "interior"
camping for a week and half their first time out! But she had done well with
hikes and canoeing in the spring. Most importantly she tends to be in a good
mood, and it takes more than rain to get her down.
Of course
there was also time for the BBQ at my Mom's, with the annual bocce ball
tournament and homemade burgers. It was a success once again, despite a little
light rain (lucky!). My Mom actually won this year (with Dave Windover), likely
a fix. These days there is so much cash at stake, and with all the media
coverage people can get way too serious about it. I can't believe I wasted all
those hours practicing in the off season!
Okay,
maybe not. But it was a great BBQ.
The
day after Labour day we drove up to Killarney to spend the night in the run
down cottage place, as usual. The next day was very warm and fortunately it
didn't rain. We canoed and portaged our way to OSA Lake (Ontario Society of
Artists) in Killarney Provincial Park. A tremendously beautiful place. There
used to be four camp sites on that lake, but I think they're down to three now.
The maximum stay is four nights. We were only able to get a booking for two
nights! We spent our one whole day at OSA climbing up a stream bed to Teardrop
Lake. The stream was down to a trickle, probably related to the
"extreme" fire hazard warning we had seen on the way in. The summer
was wet further south, but I guess it was dry around Georgian Bay and Sudbury.
Further north there are all kinds of small forest fires recently.
Anyway,
Teardrop Lake wasn't sad at all, it was beautiful in fact. The view of OSA was
also lovely, as always. It's a small, round lake dotted by tiny islands, and
surrounded by the beautiful ranges of white quartzite. The water is sapphire in
the sun, although half dead. There is a mix of coniferous and deciduous, with
the latter just starting to turn on the tree tops. I slept with only a screen
blocking my view of the lake lit up by a full moon.
The following
day we set off to canoe and portage our way to Norway Lake. It's a little
smaller, but still has three camp sites. The shape of it means that we still
have privacy and quiet (except for the animals and birds). It's one of my
favourite places, and we can stay a lot longer than OSA. The morning we left
started out very hot. By mid day there were light showers, but we were ready. I
tend to choose lakes that are relatively easy to get to, with short portages.
That way we can bring lots of stuff! After canoeing down a long majestic lake
called Killarney, we made it to the short cut. At this point we let off half of
the paddlers at the portage, and continue through shallow water with the gear.
This knocks about a kilometer off the portage!
This
year there were three canoes and three couples. The dog died shortly before we
left. Contrary to the opinion of Mary Molnar I do not hate dogs, and was sad to
hear it. I believe that Keisha suffered long enough and was probably better
off, but we still missed her. Also, Jamie wasn't able to go, but he's still
alive. I actually missed him more, but he found a nice lady and work so I
wasn't so sad.
Claire
and Mark have been on several trips together so I knew they'd do well. It was
UU's first time, but I was pretty confident about her and I. Mary Stuart and
Dad had been before, and on one camping trip together. But she is partially
disabled, and we knew it would be difficult for her on the portages. So she,
Dad and I took the canoes up the shallow creek towards Norway Lake. It worked
out well.
Last
year there was a beaver dam that we had to lift the canoes over, no big deal.
The beaver had been busy though, and this year it was a real wall! We had to
totally unload the canoes, move the stuff then reload them. Of course it
started pouring at that exact moment. Still better than the long portage
though! Eventually we made it to the end of the creek, which left only 345
meters to portage (about 377 yards). We handled that well, and were on Norway
Lake hoping for an end to the rain. One thing that made it easier was a method
that Dad and I thought of the day before we left for carrying the cooler. Two
people carry it between two long poles, which is much easier. Plus the poles
can be extended for our tarp later on.
So we
had our first choice for a camp site for the rest of the trip, seven nights. We
set up in the rain, but it soon let up. By the end of the evening we had
enjoyed shelter, dry cloths, a warm fire, steak dinner (fish for UU) with lots
of extras, and maybe a taste of port. I felt great after that. We pulled
together as a team really well when the going got tough.
The
next day we dried everything out and set up the camp well. We went on some
hikes, climbed and canoed. We also took it easy much of the time. We swam most
days. Okay the others swam, I mostly just jumped in the lake and jumped out
again! But there were a couple of warmer days when I spent a little longer in
the water.
The
area is excellent, but well used. The day before we left the wind shifted for a
while and our pristine beach collected soap suds. Disgusting! Don't put soap in
the lake! That's my pet peeve. I can't stand soap in a lake! It takes about ten
billion years for it to break down. People go way up to the near north to get
to a beautiful place like that, then wash their dishes or their hair in the
lake. I drink that water! The worst thing is that people get
"biodegradable soap" then figure it's okay to just dump it anywhere,
without even reading the label. That soap only takes about a thousand years to
break down in the lake, as opposed to the usual ten billion! There's even a
diagram that shows where to dump water like that so that it breaks down
properly. I'm usually picky about that when we camp, and it can be a hassle to
walk in to the woods to do it. But this was a good reminder as to why! I'm
happy that we've learned over the years. I guess I shouldn't complain after
hearing about the spills on the west coast!
The
rest of the trip was much clearer, and generally cooler. Very few bugs, and the
star gazing improved as we went. Towards the last couple of days it clouded
over, but cleared again the last night. It was a great feeling to once again
drift out on to the lake lie back and gaze up at the show. The best part is
having a few special people to share it with. Good food and warm cloths also
made it better. That was a wonderful way to end the trip.
The
journey out was smooth. I'm always slow, but we made pretty good time. I
tripped while carrying a canoe, which could be dangerous. But although careless
I was under control and let it go to the side. I had a minor scrape on my knee,
but not serious at all. A few of us went for one more dip at the last lake
before driving home. For me, that was the end of the summer. The trees in the
park were maybe 20% turned by that time.
One
problem is that I forgot to bring an extra camera battery, and mine died on the
first day! It was actually refreshing to forget about it for once. Besides UU
and Mark took some anyway. If possible I'll pass along a few of the better
ones. But I blew it with the cruse photos though, so we'll have to see!
On the
way home I talked to Sus. She was in town from Nova Scotia for the wedding,
which was the next day.
*
After
a shave, shower and good sleep in our own beds we were ready for Emily and
Ryan's wedding. It was fun to be so clean shaved in a suit after being in the
woods for a week and a half! UU and I just made it on time for the ceremony,
which was lovely. The whole thing was exactly as I'd pictured it to be. The
church and community hall were not too large and not too small, genuinely
beautiful rural spots. It's no surprise that someone as attractive as Emily
comes from somewhere so nice. Once again I want to thank Emily, Ryan, Sue and
Doug for coming here for the wedding. Some of us would have been able to go to
BC, others not. I really enjoyed seeing everyone, particularly those from BC
and Nova Scotia. Emily's family are obviously the best sort of people too, and
I hope I see them again. The whole evening was just a lot of fun, overflowing
with positive emotion. But the visit with Sus, and Doug's BC branch was almost
painfully brief. I hope we can all see each other again next summer in Nova
Scotia! I'll be there.
*
The
day after the wedding I just sort of sat around. I did some laundry. The
following Monday I started my new job at Rogers! That'll be a different e-mail.
It's going well.
As
usual my letter is really short, so I'll try to flesh it out a bit at the end.
At my Mom's BBQ several people asked me about Rogers Home Phone, because I work
for Rogers (in another company). Normally I avoid inflicting sales stuff on my
friends and family, for many obvious reasons. I don't want to be "that
Rogers guy" everywhere I go, sometimes dealing with the phone company can
be tough, and no one likes bills. But... I did some investigating and I think
this might be worth while for some. Some Squamidians have or are thinking of
changing their number from Bell to Rogers. If that's you send me an e-mail and
I can get you a discount. The service is fine, and even if you did run in to a
hassle there are people here who are very determined to set them straight.
Hope to see you again soon,
Ewan
****
I
dedicate this Ontarion to Emily and Ryan. Congratulations to the newlyweds!
Thank
you both so very much for including Carole and I in your special day!
Hello everyone!
Well, the wedding is history and the kids (I mean young adults) are well on their way in a honeymoon that should a very memorable time. I hope they remember that they have a camera with them. This past week was a busy one for the whole family but in the end, all the hard work and planning was worth it. The ceremony was lovely and the setting was such that everyone present at the church had a nice view of the proceedings. The Bride and Groom both remembered their lines and seemed to be sincere, something that is necessary when you’re making a life long commitment. LOL! The bride and groom looked radiant as did the rest of the wedding party. Heck, even the best man managed to procure a professional hair cut and beard trim for the occasion and he looked on at the front of the church with great pride. When I realized that Doug was standing at the front of the church with the rest of the wedding party, I thought maybe he was having one of those “Seniors” moments that us folk over 50 sometimes have. I was sitting at the back going “psssst, psssst Doug….. psssst” and as I was about to get up and run down to tell him to take his place in the “Father of the Groom” seat, Carole gave me an elbow in the ribs and said “Settle down, Doug IS the best man!” LOL! Of course I’m just kidding but it is the first time I’ve seen this situation. What a tribute to the father son relationship Doug and Ryan have that Ryan would ask Doug to fill that role! Carole and I were very pleased to be part of the whole day. The church ceremony was beautiful and thank goodness the weather here in Ontario was pleasant enough to add to the day, not put the damper on it. The last thing anyone wants to do is travel 5000kms to get married and have it rain on the occasion.
The reception was the topper to a lovely day. In a village in rural Ontario that can rival any quaint location on a movie set we gathered for the feast of celebration. Carole and I were so pleased to be seated with the heart of Ryan’s family and be treated as members of the Brubacher clan. As the head table guests of honour were being introduced we saw a little of each persons personality emerge. We hadn’t met Emily before doing so in the receiving line at the church. Although we had heard stories of happenings involving her over the past few years in the Squamidian we really didn’t know what to expect. As it turned out, Ryan has lucked out, Emily is a lovely young woman and anyone can see that she and Ryan are made for each other. Probably, luck has nothing to do with it. Ryan is as fussy and analytical as his old man and from what I can see, he doesn’t make decisions flippantly. He and Emily have obviously grown together since early high school and it has culminated in their deciding to make the union a permanent one. May they love and respect each other for many years to come. They appear to be very happy and heck,,, they do make a cute couple, don’t they? After all, how can you not love a girl that wears Army Boots under her wedding gown and a guy that had his thong on backwards under his tux! LOL!
I did witness the Army Boots but I’m only guessing about the thong thing! Ryan seemed to be squirming a tad on his chair at the head table! LOL! (Just kidding Ryan!)
That’s all for this week folks! Thanks for tuning in and I look forward to talking to you all again next time in The Ontarion Report!
Bye for now… Greg.
PS: Something to Think About>
Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just don’t have a flash card!
****
The Family and the Squamidian sites:
http://members.shaw.ca/doug_b/ and http://www.thedougsite.ca
Have a good one..
the
doug
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