The Squamidian Report – Aug. 27 / 05
Also in this issue:
The Ontarion
Hi All,
There was full moon a week ago. I set up lawn chair on the side deck so we could sit and watch it rise. The moon at this time of year rises from behind the Garibaldi Park section of the mountain. The sky was dark with the trees even darker. Then a glow began to show, got brighter until the leading edge of the moon popped into view behind the trees on the ridge. It’s amazing how bright it is. It’s also amazing how fast it climbs as you watch. While is looks stationary when overhead, it moves fast enough to see when viewed through a foreground. Of course, it is not the moon that is moving, it is the earth that is rotating. The moon is moving in its orbit but it is our movement that we are seeing.
Please correct me if I’m wrong, but if the earth has a circumference of about 24,900 miles or so, and it makes one rotation in about 24 hours, then the rotational speed is about 1036.5 miles per hour. So as you watch that moon rise (and any other celestial body near the equatorial plane) you are passing by it at over a thousand miles per hour. And hardly breaking a sweat. Bottom line is that it was a much better show than watching TV or a movie.
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The early salmon are running in the Mamquam River, I think they are the Chum Salmon. Not as big as their more famous cousins. But they are pretty neat to see as they crowd in the deeper slower sections. The Mamquam’s lower reaches are a series of shallow gravelly rapids and then deeper slower areas, repeating this until it climbs up into the mountains. The fish fight their way up the rapids, then congregate in the deeper water. We can walk along the river and watch them, or we can simply stand on the Government Street Bridge or the Highway 99 Bridge and look down at them. The water is thick with fish. There should be runs of different kinds all through the fall and into the winter.
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Oh, I did a dumb thing this week. As you may know, we have a flock of rather loud pushy Stellar Jays hanging around here that expect a handful of peanuts every morning promptly on time. They look in the windows to see if we are here and then squawk their dissatisfaction at having to wait for their treat. They land inches away and eyeball me into submission. I usually set my bag of shelled nuts on a deck chair while I distribute the peanuts. Friday morning I forgot to bring the almost full bag back in with me. Talk about a mess. When I got home from work the bag was obviously empty but the results of all those peanuts is all over the deck, chairs, railing, everything. It must have been pure pandemonium. The whole friggin mob of Jays squawking, eating and crapping.
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We went on a short dirt bike ride last weekend. Won’t bore you with too many details but there was something kind of interesting. In a small field at the entrance to the logging road were four railway flatcars. The wheel assemblies had been removed. The purpose of the flatcars is for use as bridges over whatever needs to be bridged. The cars are long, and wide enough to make good strong bridges. In fact, they are massively built and can carry huge weight loads. The cars will be skidded to the location by a dozer and then jockeyed into place. A timber or concrete floor will be installed and the bridge will be ready for use.
Upper Squamish ride & flatcar bridges.
http://www.thedougsite.ca/Pictures/uppersqamish/shortride.htm
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Hello
everyone!
Well, we
should have been leaving today for the west but due to my heart surgery, we had
to cancel until a future date. We’ll make plans again after the New Year
sometime. We are disappointed but are also very grateful that I was alert
enough to go in to St Mary’s and check out the source of the bothersome chest
discomfort. As it turned out things were a lot worse than I ever imagined.
Thank God we have this great Heart Clinic right here in Kitchener. If you’re
looking for a worthwhile cause to donate some money to, consider St Mary’s
heart clinic.
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What
great weather we’ve had this past couple of weeks. Disregarding the thunder
storms that is! LOL! Now that we’ve had some days without the humidity and
extreme temperatures it’s a true pleasure to spend time out doors. Carole went
out last week and bought more plants for the already lovely gardens. She felt
that she needed more colour in the one end away from the pond. She was right! I
thought the gardens were full but the new additions made all the difference in
the world. The colour is now more balanced and Carole’s efforts this year have
yielded a beautiful back yard. It’s a true pleasure to sit out back and enjoy
the atmosphere of the gardens and pond. Of course, after a nice cup of tea and
a siesta in these beautiful surroundings, there’s nothing that tops off the day
like a spin on the new motorcycle! LOL! ………..and you thought I was getting all
mushy and boring! Hahahaaa…! Not on your life! Although I enjoy the relaxation
and serenity of the lovely gardens out back, I am thoroughly enjoying the
thrill of my new found hobby as well. I haven’t had a motorcycle since the
early 80’s and now that I have more time to enjoy it I’m making the best of
this hobby. I’ve never been one for long road trips on a motorcycle but I
thoroughly enjoy tooting around town and taking short trips on one. This bike
is a very fast 650cc dual purpose bike, designed for both street and trail
riding. It’s mostly white in colour but has blue black and yellow accents on
the decals of the tank. It also has bright yellow covers on the front shocks
and a large bright yellow spring under the rear fender to support the rear
suspension. I borrowed an old helmet from my cousin to bring the bike home from
the dealer. The helmet is an old XL sized one that almost spins around on my
head at higher speeds. I looked at the dealers in the area for one that I like
and found a new design called a “Modular” helmet. It’s a full faced unit that
has a movable jaw section. You squeeze a button under the chin piece and it
lifts up over the forehead of the helmet. This makes it easier than taking the
helmet off every time you stop or want to talk to someone. Basically converts
it to an open faced style. The helmet is made by VEGA, a company in Washington
State in the US. They export every colour they make to Canada except YELLOW. I
had to order a yellow one from a company in Augusta Georgia. I ordered it last
Thursday and received it via Canada Post this morning (Thursday). The
difference in price was only $60.00. I have, according to the company
spokesperson I talked to, the only yellow VEGA helmet in Ontario. There are other
companies that sell yellow ones but not of the “Modular” design. I was like a
kid anticipating Christmas morning. I could hardly wait to find the mailman at
the door. I have been lying in wait for our mail carrier each day since the
beginning of the week and this morning my dream was fulfilled. My YELLOW helmet
arrived at 10am and the duty and delivery costs were only $13.98. A small price
to pay for such satisfaction! I not only have the design of helmet I wanted but
I have the perfect colour to compliment the scheme of my bike. I put the helmet
on and went for a short ride. I couldn’t believe the difference in the way the
whole experience felt. The ride was quieter and I felt much more stable with
the proper fitting lid on my head. When a helmet is flopping around in the wind
you do not have a feeling of security. The other advantage of having a bright
YELLOW helmet is that the traffic can see you a little better than with a
colour that blends in with the surroundings. There is however one drawback to this
bright beacon. It says “HEY EVERYONE, there goes GREG PAYNE with his BRIGHT
YELLOW helmet on!” I guess that’s ok since I don’t go anywhere or do anything
I’d be ashamed of anyway. I’m sure that every other bike rider on the roads of
KW will be insanely jealous of my new lid. They’ll just have to be envious as
they eat my dust! If any of you see a bike on the road with a bright yellow
helmet on the rider, don’t forget to honk, it’ll be me!
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Have a
great weekend everyone 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>
The
intellect is always fooled by the heart.
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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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