The Squamidian Report – April 30 / 05
Also in this issue:
Ryan’s Rock Climbing Adventure
Hi All,
Well, for starters, my blueberries are in full blossom. Just thought you’d like to know.
Working along the Mamquam Blind Channel is kind of interesting. Actually, I was working in Rose Park, which is beside the Channel. Rose Park looked like a very small park with some flowers and stuff opposite the end of Cleveland Ave. However, it is quite large. Most of the park had become overgrown with blackberries, shrubs and weeds. The far end had become overrun by a trucking company that was using it as a dump for old parts, tires, oil filters and so on.
We were sent in to clean up the park and get it to the point were the parks department could begin restoration. Hauled out untold loads of junk, debris, brush and garbage. (Lowlife people are the same no matter where you live.) Anyway, the park is beside the Channel. The Channel is interesting. As you may recall, it is the original riverbed for the Mamquam River which blew straight across the valley about 100 years ago during a flood. Only small streams now feed the Channel. So when the tide is dropping, the Channel flows out. When the tide is rising, the Channel flows in. Sure looks weird to watch it reverse direction. And it happens quite quickly. You can be working away and it is flowing one way, look back a while later and its flowing the other way.
The mud flats that become exposed attract all sorts of mud flat birds. Eagles sit in the trees watching for fish as the water becomes shallow. Always something to see.
*
Ryan and I made an attempt at crossing the rockslide up the Indian Arm Pass road last Saturday. Sorry, no pictures. Our strategy was to walk the bikes over but even with both of us pushing and lifting we could not get them though. The rocks are too loose and uneven, giving no footing. In fact, I dropped my bike while trying to push it. Couldn’t keep my balance on the rocks and control the bike at the same time. No damage, just a battle scar on the bush guards we have on our handle bars.
We then tried the road that climbs up in behind the Chief. We move the rocks at the spot Warren and I turned back last time but from there on up it was so washed out and boulder strewn that we turned back. Still had lots of fun and a good ride. Too hot out to have gone much further anyway. And by the way, bananas don’t fare all that much better in a backpack.
But hey, we did take some pictures the next day, last Sunday. Ryan, Warren and myself trucked the bikes up into the Upper Squamish Valley. We parked the trucks and rode the bikes on up along the river. It was a bit on the dusty side as gravel roads here are made of rocks and dust. Headed up under Mt Cayley, a spectacular, jagged volcanic mountain. The logging road took us into a spectacular stand of tall straight trees. Unfortunately, it’s a cut block and the poor trees are destined to be cut. In fact, the logging equipment is in there now, preparing for the harvest. If only the trees could run for their lives. Anyway, for more info and pictures, feel free to check out the web page I’ve posted.
http://www.thedougsite.ca/Pictures/Kayley/kayley1.htm
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We like to attend the
Barbershop conventions (Lorne has been singing barbershop music for
years). The fall convention is in
October and the spring one in April. Last
spring and this spring it was held in Niagara Falls. Now that sounds pretty great.
We all know Niagara Falls is a real tourist attraction and the 2 main
convention hotels were on each side of the old casino. We were booked into the Sheraton. We had a nice leisurely drive down with no
problems. When we arrived we could see
our hotel but had to find the entrance into the parking area, which meant a
left turn. We got just too far so had
to turn around. On our right was a nice
parking area that wasn’t full and the gate was open so Lorne pulled in to turn
around. The only problem was when he
turned around the gate closed and he couldn’t drive out. When he drove around to the far side of the
building looking for the exit we realized the way out was over the bridge into
the States, we were stopped at the duty free shop!
While Lorne went into the shop to find out what to do, Cindy and I walked over to the hotel and got signed in and found our room. We signed up for parking of course and it is quite expensive. Then we walked to the garage and found Lorne so we could get in and park. That is when the next problem started. The cars were driving like crazy all over the parking garage. Road rage is worse when you are driving around and around with parking paid for but no place to park. Lorne finally found an attendant and asked what he was supposed to do. They finally sent someone to open up another level for parking. After much distress we finally got all our stuff to our room and decided it was time for a stiff drink. We also decided to cancel our reservation for Sunday night (the 3rd night) as we figured we would all be ready to go home and relax by then.
The convention was wonderful – one of the best – but we have decided we won’t attend any more of them in Niagara Falls. Maybe next spring they will hold it somewhere else. We had a lovely drive home along the scenic route and got home feeling great.
****
I had to rent climbing shoes so my feet would stick to the rock face and so I could jam my toes in the vertical cracks. They have to be the most uncomfortable shoes to walk on in the world. The way that they’re designed your toes are tightly curled up and squished together. (Imagine if you are a size 10 shoe wearing a size 6) They say it is for strength and support. The funny thing is that they are not that uncomfortable while you are climbing. It’s only when you are on the ground that they hurt.
We started off in Murin Provincial Park on what is considered a 5-5. (Basically pretty easy for climbing standards). The cliff was 20 meters high which seems like a lot when you are holding on to it by your finger tips. Unlike the climbing walls you see at gyms and ‘Sports World’ type places there are no placed objects to hold on to. Instead you are looking for cracks, bumps and any imperfections you can grab. We did 4 climbs in Murin Provincial Park ranging from a 5-5 to a 5-8. (A 5-10 to 5-14 is stuff like the 2500 foot Chief).
Next we went to The Smoke Bluffs in Squamish so I could learn Slab Climbing. Basically with slab climbing the rock is too smooth to really grip anything so instead you have to climb up very shallow cracks and fractures pulling with your hands and pushing with your feet to hold you in place. It is quite challenging, especially for your first day ever of climbing. I made it to the top though. I think the hardest part is problem solving while on the cliff. In most cases you cannot easily climb down to find another route so you have to be creative and trusting of your equipment to get past obstacles. For example, when I was slab climbing there was one section that had nothing to hold on to for about 6 1/2 feet. Now this may not seem like much but I am only 5’7”... What I had to do was hold my body weight on my right foot’s toe (Which was gripping a little hole about 1 1/2 cm deep) and reach up with my body to grab a small crack 6 feet up. Pretty nerve racking when you have a small fear of heights and are 80 feet up in the air.
Now I should mention that we were using proper ropes and harnesses so we were not in any real danger. The worst that could happen is you fall a couple feet and scrap your legs and arms on the cliff. But I did not fall or slip once during the day which was awesome!
I never pictured myself ever having the ability or nerve to try real climbing. Now that Christie has shown me that it is fun and do-able I might just try some more.... (After all, this IS the Outdoor Recreational Capital of Canada).
****
By
Tara Wasilka (Nee Brubacher)
Did you know that it is now considered a crime, yes a crime, to spank your child?!
It’s true, my best friend’s brother works for Children’s Aid; this is how I know.
Having been spanked myself as a child I may be biased, but I believe there is a huge difference between spanking and child abuse. A quick slap on the bum never hurt anyone! Although, if the law says it does, then who am I to argue? It must be true.
I guess my dad should’ve just told me “No” when he saw me trying to stick my tongue in an electrical outlet when I was one year old. I probably would’ve listened to that.
(Hey, I bet now I can finally commit a bunch of crimes and get away with it! It won’t be my fault I did it, I was spanked as a child!)
I’m sure there are at least a couple of people out there that are of my parents’ generation who completely agree with this mentality, although I’m willing to wager not many.
I think we’ve all watched the screaming brat in the grocery store, restaurant, movie theatre, or wherever else and thought, “Man, that kid needs a good licking!”
Spanking (not beating) is a tried and true method. I don’t know a single adult (well, adult to me, that is) that wasn’t spanked as a child. In fact, I don’t think I have any friends that weren’t spanked while growing up. As I speak to my friends, I realize that most of us are of the same opinion concerning the spankings we received; I Deserved It! All of them!
I come from a very loving (albeit sarcastic) family. I truly believe that my parents derived no joy from having to discipline me in such a manner. I was not spanked on a daily basis, although I’m quite sure there were weeks when I deserved to be. And I have to say; the spanking itself was not the worst part for me. My dad used to make me wait upstairs for half an hour before I actually got the spanking. The anticipation of it was enough to make any kid regret their naughty deeds! Much more cruel than a spanking!
The point is, discipline is not supposed to be pleasant (although you’d never know it from the penitentiaries in this country. Oops! That’s a whole other topic!). Whether it’s standing in a corner, getting a spanking, or losing PlayStation privileges for a month (hmm, do you think that will work for a toddler?), the point of punishment is to make the guilty party have remorse. I personally don’t believe that the government reserves the right to decide how we should punish our children. What’s next? If you really think about it, it can be quite scary.
You’re probably thinking, at this point, that I am definitely going to spank my daughter when she misbehaves. The truth is, probably not. Not because I think it’s wrong, but because I love my daughter too much to have her taken away from me by CAS.
So the next time you’re in the grocery store, bank, or wherever and you see some kid throwing a fit, and you wonder to yourself “Why isn’t that mother doing anything about it?” go easy on her. Legally, she can’t. That will probably be me in a couple of years.
Hello everyone!
Well, it’s just about time for the spring flood of
garage sales to start. As I’ve said before,
“where would we be without them?” Yesterday I was cleaning up the
kitchen for Carole and in the process I managed to break her favourite little
Corning Ware saucepan. It was white glass, 6” in diameter with a handle and a
small spout on the lip of the pot. We’ve had it for as long as I can remember.
I imagine if I asked Carole, she could remember exactly when and where she got
it. The breaking of it was purely accidental. I was holding it about 3” above
the bottom of our fiberglass sink and it slipped out of my hand. One would
think that a short drop like that wouldn’t be enough to break this sturdy
little pot but it was! It wound up in about 100 pieces. I immediately set out
to find a new one to replace it as it was literally used every day in our kitchen.
Well, guess what, I couldn’t find one. I started at Wal Mart and progressed to
3 other stores that I thought might have one, but to no avail. I finally phoned
the “Corning” store in St Jacob’s Outlet Mall and was told that it’s no longer
in production. Here’s where the spring “Garage Sales” will finally come in
handy! I’m determined to find a replacement if I have to spend every Saturday
morning from now to September searching people’s junk filled driveways. I’m
sure someone will have a few old pieces of Corning Ware in their display. I’m
not one for making use of other peoples cooking utensils and neither is Carole
but with no new models on the market, a refurbished, slightly used saucepan
will have to do. Wish me luck!
Hmmmmmmm….. if any of my fellow Squamidians happen
to know of or have a replacement for our little pan I’d appreciate your help
and gladly reimburse you for it. It would save me a lot of shoe leather this
summer, not to mention put me back in Carole’s good graces! LOL! Please check your cupboards!
*
Once again, it looks like Canada is headed for a
federal election. We’ll see as early as next week if things will be going that
way. I’ll reserve my comments on the political front until we know what’s going
to happen in Ottawa. It looks like Mr Martin is hoping that holding off until
the results of the Gomery Inquiry are published will help his cause. Not in my
mind it won’t but, Canadian’s tend to be forgiving when made to wait long
periods of time for answers. I hope they’re smart enough this time to know when
they’ve been lied to and stolen from and make the guilty pay. Even if many of
today’s Liberals are guilty only by association with the actual perpetrators of
the scandal, TOO BAD, you’re still part of the party that’s the base of the
problem and I say “I hope you learn a lesson from this horrendous abuse of our
trust!” You’ll just have to spend a few years earning that trust all over
again!
*
On a personal note, Carole’s brother Norm just went
through a major operation. He had 8 arteries replaced in bypass surgery this
past Monday at St Mary’s Hospital in Kitchener. Carole was up to see him today
and said she can’t believe how well he’s coming along. They’ve got him out of
bed and walking around a little and have already removed some of the staples
holding him together. It’s amazing and miraculous what the doctors of today can
do. I say that if PM Martin wants to gain favour with the taxpayers of Canada,
he should pour the billions he’s committed to less important causes into our
Health Care system. The latest 500 million going to foreign aid would make a
real dent in our ailing medical programs. The doctors that save Canadian lives
every day by performing surgeries such as open heart deserve whatever it is
they ask for salary wise when we see the results of their work. They are truly
amazing! Norm has had a great many years added to his life with the help he
received this week and like so many other Canadians (including myself) I’m sure
would like to see our Health Care system become a number one priority with
whatever government we have in power from now on.
That’s all for this weeks folks. Thanks for tuning
in and I’ll talk to you all again next time in The Ontarion Report!
Bye for now…GREG.
PS: Something To Think About>
Plan ahead……It wasn’t raining when Noah built the
Ark!
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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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