The Squamidian Report – Nov. 6 / 04
Also in this issue:
Musings From Evelyn
North Nova News
The Ontarion
Hi All,
Well, lets see now. The eagles are starting to return to the valley. I’ve seen a small flock of them soaring high above the river in the clear early morning air. They look pretty impressive against the backdrop of slopes and snow-topped peaks. Been watching some ravens as well. They are all over the place where we are working in Britannia. There was one that decided to check out the pickup truck box that our foreman has sitting at our site. You realize how big these rugged looking black birds are when they are on something that lets you get some prospective. It was kind of entertaining. It would poke around in the tools, then lift it’s head to keep an eye on us, then go back into poking around. I gave it some of my lunch. It didn’t seem all that grateful, just acted like it deserved it. Never even thanked me.
And speaking of Britannia, that is ‘gold’ country. There had been mining and prospecting going on in the area for over a century. There are still old hermits living there that make a pretty good living panning for gold in the surrounding creeks and rivers. Every time we dig into an undisturbed gravel seam, the whole pipe laying crew including the foreman dive in head first to poke around for nuggets. They would need a pan and water to find the small flakes that are probably present but they all hope to stumble onto a big shinny chunk.
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We did a short back country bike toot last Sunday but didn’t get into any scenic areas to take pictures of. What we did get into was ice covered rocks and gravel as we worked our way up in elevation to the freezing level. At that point riding got a bit tricky due to the rather slippery conditions so we headed back down and then stuck to the main logging road. By early after noon we were getting a little chilly so we packed it in. I guess this time it’s a ‘non’ story. It could have been very interesting as the area we were trying to get into is that high country up behind the Chief and above Shannon Falls, just below Goat Ridge.
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We are currently having a great night sky showing by some of our neighbouring planets. As you know, Venus has been very prominent in the pre-dawn morning sky. That bright object sitting very close to her is Jupiter. They are actually millions of miles apart but their orbits make them appear to be very close together at this time. Mars is following along, about half way back down the sky toward the approaching Sun. Saturn is far ahead, just over half way across the sky near Gemini.
The fall sky is always interesting with the Milky Way still visible and the early winter constellations easy to see. The winter constellations are probably the most interesting and easy to identify. The most obvious is Orion, followed by Taurus, The Pleiades, and Cassiopeia. Andromeda is up there as well, so is M32, the Andromeda Galaxy which at about 200 million light years distance is the furthest object away visible to the unaided eye. You need a clear dark sky to see it but that’s still pretty cool. What you are seeing of course is light that left M32, 200 million years ago. You are seeing the distant past.
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Musings From Evelyn
It was 30 years ago this
past month, October, that my father, Will Brubacher passes away. I got to thinking about all the changes that
have taken place since that time; changes in our world, political, medical,
technical. There have been changes in
the community in which we live and in our family. I would have to write volumes to state all the changes in
medicine, technology and the world.
Needless to say I have neither the time nor intelligence to do so.
Our area, Waterloo Region, has grown in “leaps and bounds”. Our farm on Old Chicopee Rd has been torn down, replaced by Grandview Baptist Church. Much of the pond was filled in and became a parking lot. Much of the surrounding land was swamp or very hilly. “Pop” always said that much of the land would remain in its natural state as it would be too difficult to build on it. But eventually many of the hills were flattened and the excess land used to fill in the valleys. The swamps were drained and a subdivision has been built. Lorne and Vivyan’s home is now in the middle of the city, with neighbours close by. New homes and businesses are being constructed in every direction of the city. They are built almost “over night” due to today’s technology and newer building methods. I’m sure “Pop” would become confused and lost traveling along all the new streets and extensions of the old ones.
Our homes are now equipped with microwave ovens, VCRs and DVDs. Many of us have computers even though some of us, including me, are completely computer illiterate. E-mailing has become as much of a day-to-day form of communication as the telephone. The cell phone is everywhere and some are even equipped with a digital camera to send instant pictures. Years ago people worked much harder physically but life seemed to be lived at a slower pace. Oh there was always 7 days in a week, 24 hours in a day, 60 minutes to the hour etc. But 30 years ago instant meant to do or achieve in the next few minutes or a parent saying to a child to stop or come this instant (depending on the circumstances). A few foods like instant rice were “on the market” but they still took about 15 minutes to prepare. Now instant means: microwave food, central heat and air conditioning at the touch of a dial, e-mail, TV and radio programs (especially news items) from around the world with events happening as we are viewing them. Phone calls from the remotest parts of the world, money from ATMs, banking from home by computer and so many other types of communication that I won’t mention, mainly because I don’t understand them.
There have been changes in the family also, besides getting older. Several of our close relatives have died and many have been born. Only 2 of my siblings were grandparents in 1974 and now all have reached that milestone, some graduating to great-grandparents. “Pop” would be so proud of all his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. They all have very special talents. Their lives are very different and will continue to be different from the less hectic time in which he was raised and lived his life. If my dad could come back for just a day he would be surprised, baffled, amazed, confused, awed at the many changes since 1974. Perhaps he would be thankful that he lived in a more serene era.
I could touch upon hundreds of things that have changed, both good and not so good things, in the last 30 years. I will leave it to you to take the time to think about all the changes, technically, scientifically and even morally that have changed in your lifetime. The thought is overwhelming.
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North Nova
News
Adventure on the high seas continued:
As we motored out
of Charlottetown Harbour under cloudy skies, Jane (our host) prepared our
breakfast down in the galley. The winds
were quite light at this time so eating was possible. After the breakfast cleanup, sandwiches were made in case the
weather turned nasty and we wouldn’t be able make lunch. No one likes bad weather but going hungry
sounded worse. Outside the harbour is a
large body of water called Hillsborough Bay. Some of the homes surrounding the
bay are out of this world. One had an
iron spiral staircase leading down to the water. We had to get the binoculars out to check it out. With the wind
coming from behind we unfurled the jib and found our speed increase. Sailing is all about speed…..the challenge
of moving by wind alone. Most sailors
(in larger boats) won’t use their sails unless they can go faster than 5 or 6
knots (10 or 12 km.) otherwise they motor or motor sail. The wind was definitely increasing and we
found the jib was all that was needed to speed us along. Dave and Jane (our hosts) and Peter took
one-hour turns on the helm. I sat and
worried, but not too much. The gravol was working. By noon the waves were building with white crests breaking all
around us. The day’s forecast was
proving to be true and we were only half way home to Pictou. We ate our sandwiches and I popped another
gravol in anticipation of what was to come.
We were now
closer to the Nova Scotia coast but with poor visibility at times. Off and on land came into view and the wind
had now changed to an easterly direction hitting us on the beam of the boat. We still had great wind power with Peter
exclaiming at one point we hit 8 knots.
At this time we donned our safety harnesses and attached ourselves to
the boat in case of any sudden lurches. Their shifts on the helm were reduced
to a half hour as it became more strenuous and Jane decided it would be too
much for her to handle. She instead
spent her time charting our course on the computer down below and calling up
compass bearings to steer by so as not to hit any reefs or shoals and to keep
us on course. Luckily she has no problem with seasickness for we were being
tossed around continuously. The waves
were now big rollers at least 10 to 12 feet high and it felt like we were in a
giant washtub. The sailboat, Romana,
was handling 30-knot winds quite well as were our experienced sailors Peter and
Dave who were enjoying this exhilarating challenge. Finally reaching Caribou Harbour we noticed the ferries going to
Prince Edward Island were still running.
That was reassuring but the last thing we needed would be to get in the
way on one of those big ships. By this
time the tide had turned and was now pushing us home. Our knot reader now read 9.3.
Wow! We were racing home!
“The Big
Jibe” At last the entrance to Pictou
Harbour came into view. We were almost
home but one more critical maneuver was needed in order to take us into our
protected harbour. Our jib was rolled
up half way keeping it secure and then the sail was gradually allowed to move
to the port side. In these waves any
sudden move could have caused the boat to broach laying the boat on its
side. It was successful and we could
all sigh with relief. Along side the
boat we spotted a large seal accompanying us.
It must have been fun swimming in those waves. Fairly quickly the waves began to diminish and we sailed into
calm waters as we passed the entrance to the harbour. It was a very different world here. After docking the boat and putting our gear away we retired to
the main cabin with a big drink of dark rum.
Never has it tasted so good.
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THE ONTARION REPORT
NOVEMBER 6, 2004
Greetings once again!
I’m usually walking for an hour at this time of night but tonight it’s raining out and I figured that missing my walk for one night won’t kill me. However, you never know, I may just go after I finish The Ontarion. I’ve been making a point of walking for an hour a night to help me keep my glucose readings in the proper range. Since finding out that I’m type II diabetic three years ago, I’ve made an effort to improve my eating habits and to get more exercise. I’ve been extremely lucky to be able to control my blood sugar readings in this manner. Many people can’t seem to do it with these two methods and a lot of self control but it works for me. Of course there are times when my morning reading is higher than I’d like it but that just makes me a little more disciplined for that day and I get back on track. It’s amazing how many people have this disease and don’t know it. I urge everyone over the age of 45 to get tested with their annual physical for diabetes. Not to mention a PSA test for prostate cancer for the male members of our age group. I have a good friend in Saint John NB that is on his death bed at this very moment because he waited too long to have this test. He was one of those people that just doesn’t visit a doctor unless there is something obviously wrong with him. He’s now 60 and is bed ridden and taking a high dosage of morphine to quell the pain. We don’t expect him to live to see this coming Christmas. It’s most unfortunate that more people don’t get regular checkups on an annual basis.
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On a happier note, it’s raining again!!!! What else can we expect in November in Ontario? LOL! I guess I shouldn’t be complaining since the months of Sept and October were very Summer like. The snow will be starting soon and then at least I won’t have the rain go gripe about. I’m trying to make up my mind whether to continue walking out doors when the weather gets wintery or to take advantage of the City of Waterloo’s Recreation Centre. The Rec Complex has a nice warm dry walking or running track and it is open for use from 6am to 10pm every day of the week. As a retired employee of that city, I have a pass for 40 free visits to the complex per year. If I decide to walk between 6am and 3pm Monday to Friday or anytime on weekends, I get in for free. If I walk between 3pm and 10pm there is a charge of $3.50 per night. Since I prefer to walk after supper to help wear off the food I’ve just taken in, I think I’ll continue the evening routine. My card for this year will last 8 weeks if I walk weeknights. That will get me through to January of 2005. Once I’m in January, they will issue me a new card for another 40 visits. Considering that there will be nice enough winter weather during some of January and February that I’ll be able to walk outdoors a number of evenings, 40 visits may just be enough to see me through the bad nights and help me make it to Spring. I’ve come to enjoy my walks. It started out as a bit of a chore to get up half way through the evening and walk for that hour but, the more I walked, the more I came to enjoy it. It gives me a chance to think of something other than Law and Order or CSI Crime Scene Investigation on TV. I’ve even become accustomed to the exhaust fumes that permeate the evening air here in Kitchener. It’s not like cleansing one’s lungs with the fresh mountain air that Doug enjoys out in BC but it’s not the oxygen starved air that inhabits our closed up homes in the winter either. It somehow doubles for fresh air and I always come home feeling better than when I started on the walk. Carole and I used to cross country ski and maybe this winter we’ll get up the ambition to take that sport up again. We still have the skis and boots etc up in the rafters of the garage. I’ll have to see how ambitious we feel when the snow is on the ground. I can still hear the rain and it sounds quite heavy at the moment. I think I’ll dig out my old track pants and a tee shirt and do my walk on the treadmill downstairs tonight. It doesn’t seem that the rain is letting up and the indoor temperature is more appealing to me this evening. I’d better go do the treadmill thing before the urge wears off.
Until next time, thanks for tuning in and I’ll talk to you all again next week in The Ontarion Report.
Bye
for now….GREG.
PS: Something to Think About>
A man of decision will never get stopped.
A man of indecision will never get started.
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The family site:
http://members.shaw.ca/doug_b/
The Squamidian Site:
http://members.shaw.ca/doug_b2/
Have a good one..
the
doug