The Squamidian Report – July 9 / 05
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Hi All,
Mountains peaks showing through the clouds. That’s one of the really cool things about coastal mountain weather. We can have days where there are bright white fluffy clouds floating around in the valleys. You can look up through them and see the peaks. Depending on the angle, you can look up through them and see sun-lit trees. Or you can drive up through a sudden fog bank which is really just a cloud that is toughing the ground and then look down on them instead of up at them. So hand in hand with our 3D scenery comes an interesting relationship with our clouds. In a lot of ways, we live in them instead of under them. And one evening this week one of those clouds slid right up our street, rendering the houses on the other side almost invisible.
Although I’ve found it to be quite enjoyable, our June and first few days of July had been cooler and wetter than what was needed to bring the local blueberries to full ripeness, mine included. In early June they looked like they would be ripe by mid month. They are just now starting to ripen but boy are they tasty.
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Many years ago the ever-illusive wife and I decided it would be nice to do something together that we could both enjoy. So we started going out for a combination coffee and Sunday morning motorcycle ride. We would choose a coffee shop destination, usually a Horton’s, and partake in a morning ride. It gave us something to look forward to, the ride, the outing. When that riding season came to an end we realized this had been a good thing for us and therefore continued the trips to the coffee shops in the van. Here’s where it became complicated. Both of the dogs loved car rides and wouldn’t hear of being left out from wherever it was we were going.
Now the precedence was set. The trip to Horton’s evolved past being an outing or a treat for them, it became their RIGHT. And that’s how it stood for these past years. The bike sat in the garage as the four of use would head off for our coffee (and their donut) outings, regardless of the time of year.
It is motorcycle season again and of course both dogs have now passed on so we have started to do our Sunday morning coffee shop rides again. Unfortunately there is only one Horton’s here in Squamish and Starbucks is out of the question. I’ve used this forum to complain about our local Horton’s in the past. They have not improved one bit. They have people behind the counter who can’t count, can’t make change and most likely can’t walk and chew gum at the same time. Mind you, they can stand behind the counter and chew gum. I don’t bother to complain about Starbucks because we never go there. Don’t mind drinking the auld coffee but I can’t drink that over-priced paint stripper. However, the local Starbucks is a destination for dozens of bikers that like to make the run up the Sea to Sky highway from the city. That parking lot on a Sunday morning often looks more like a bike show than anything else with every sort of rider sitting at the outdoor tables sipping their lattés. But after all these years we are back to our rides, I guess we have come full circle.
d
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Doug,
I sent this to Greg and he suggested it be submitted to the Squamidian. It
surely would stir the pot. I'll leave it up to you. I put it on
Clydeascope if you want to use the link.
Clyde
http://ca.geocities.com/clydeascope@rogers.com/clyde/immigrant.html
Editor’s Note (that’s me): This is an interesting article on immigration posted on Clyde’s web site. Rather than duplicate it to here, you may read it at the above link should you be so inclined.
****
Hi Doug. At the Brubacher Bash, Sus was encouraging me to write something for the Squamidian. Well, David and I recently competed in a huge Dragon Boat Race festival. If you think the Squids would be interested, I offer this up:
Picture 4500 people, paddling furiously, in boats adorned with dragon heads and tails. Most of these people have never paddled a canoe, let alone a dragon boat. Such was the infamous Nortel Dragon Boat Festival, held in Ottawa on June 25 and 26. Each boat had 20 paddlers, a steersman standing at the back like a gondola steersman, and a caller, who beat a drum and yelled out the strokes. Somehow my whole family found ourselves signed up to help represent the Ottawa Children's Aid Society - David and our 24 year old son, Andrew, in the mixed boat, and Adrienne, our 21 year old daughter, and me in the ladies' boat.
Now, not all 4500 of us race at the same time! There were 170 entries, rotating through on the same 12 boats. It was quite an organizational feat - 10 minutes to get into the boat, paddle to the starting line, run the race, and get the hell out of the way.
Everyone raced twice on the Saturday, with the top 60 teams going on to the Sunday finals. In past years CAS had never made it into the finals. But we were ready. After our 4 practice sessions, we were two finely-honed teams. We knew the strategy. Sixteen quick strokes, followed by a series of long, deep strokes. Get out of the way you other boats! We'll leave you in our wake!
Our ladies boat got ready. Six boats bobbing along an invisible starting line. We were in lane 6. Paddles in the water. (Remember what the coach said - 16 quick strokes followed by a series of long, deep strokes.) Bang! We were off, and paddling like frenzied wackos. Hey, what happened to the strategy? What about the long, deep strokes??? I glanced up to see a boat gliding through the water, right across our path! What the heck was THAT doing there? It wasn't until we finished, second last, that I heard it was boat number 5. The steersman realized he was heading into our lane, overcompensated, and fell in the water.
That afternoon we were ready to go again. But there was a problem. I said, "What do you mean we're missing 3 women?" (If you don't have a full crew, you're out of the race.) Well, one rower had to leave at noon because her daughter had booked her 14th birthday party that day, forgetting to clarify the date with her mother. A "sub" was brought in, someone who had agreed to be on hand in case of just such an emergency. I asked her, "Did you come for any of the practice sessions?" "Couldn't", she said, "I was playing volleyball". Good grief. We gave her a two minute tutorial. At the last minute the other two showed up, all wide-eyed and wondering what all the fuss was about. We nearly got disqualified, that's what the fuss was about!!!!! I was paired with "The New Girl". A rather rotund rower in front of me, turned to The New Girl and said, "If you get tired, just lift your oar out of the water for a few strokes". "What????!!!!! No!", I yelled, "You don't stop rowing!"
We got into our lane. The gun cracked. And we were off - you guessed it - paddling like frenzied wackos again. Our time was 2 min. 51 sec. for 500 meters. As we crossed the finish line, The New Girl beside me gasped, "Oh, my god".
With the results in, we were 40 sec. from the last boat (ie. number 60) that made it into the finals, which roughly translated into 156th out of 170. The mixed team did much better. They were 90th, and would have done better except the biggest storm of the summer so far was approaching, making the water very choppy. They docked just as the heavens opened up - lightning, thunder and torrents of rain. What a day. It was hot, wet, anxiety-provoking, frustrating, exhausting - and I'd do it again in a second.
http://members.shaw.ca/doug_b/Pictures/Others/rosy.htm
****
Well, it's been many weeks since I could set aside some time (and energy and brain cells) to share my little piece of the world with all you fine folks. There have been many noteworthy experiences that I would love to share, but I best keep it short or risk falling asleep at the keyboard.
The Grand Opening
We are officially open and fully operational as of last weekend. We had a full house booked for both nights of the Canada Day weekend. A full house for us is 12 guests--all five guest rooms plus both folding cots. There were highs and lows, lots of lessons learned, lots of rewarding moments...overall a great success. One of the highlights of the weekend: the group that stayed with us all belong to a traditional chinese choir. We had a bonfire for them on Saturday night and they sang into the night. It was absolutely beautiful--bass to soprano, all in perfect harmony and clear vibrant voices, professional quality. It was like being treated to a private concert under the stars. Most of the songs they sang were in Mandarin, so neither Jim nor I understood the lyrics, but it didn't matter. To give you a sense of the type of music, the english songs they sang were Beautiful Dreamer, Swanny River, and Eidelweiss.
Cooking and serving breakfast for 12 was totally manageable with both me and Jim, and with lots of planning and prep work. The guests were appreciative and had a wonderful time both here at our property and in the area. We helped them arrange horseback riding, fishing, sightseeing, etc.
Work, Work, Work
The frantic prep work leading up to our big weekend is starting to ease up. In the weeks leading up to it, we easily spent 90% of our waking time working on the place and getting it in shape. We had LOTS of help from family and friends. We're quite blessed with generous people in our lives who will come up and get their hands dirty for us. Mom and Al were up for a few days to sew, weed and paint (thank you!!) as well as some friends of ours from Toronto and also our wonderful local neighbours.
We still have tons of stuff to do, but at least all the rooms are fresh and good for guests. Next on my agenda is to do some serious weeding and plant a bunch of annuals to add more colour to all my perennials. We signed up for the Horticultural Society garden tour, so on July 17th I'll have a bunch of people strolling through my gardens admiring all my...weeds! Oh well, maybe it'll make someone feel better about their own garden. :)
Another First
We had our first repeat guest for the past two nights! She was our very first guest, way back in April before we even had a kitchen. She was amazed at the transformation in the place since she was first here, and says she'll be back in the fall. Yay! I guess we're doing something right.
Play Time
As busy as we've been, we still make some time for fun. After all, that's one of the reasons we wanted to move up here. One of the local guys told us about a local swimming hole just a few minutes drive from our house. It's a little lake, no cottages or houses or boats. Just a small sandy entry and water as warm as a bath. He said it's for locals only, no telling our tourists about it. It was nice during that heat wave. Of course there are at least four public beaches a short drive away, but this is a nice little sign that we're blending in with the natives.
There's also a little lake just a 15 minute walk from our house. A friend of ours was up visiting and helping us out for a couple nights. Last night he took his fishing pole out to that little lake and came back with two beautiful large-mouth bass. The bigger one was 16 inches, if that means anything to anyone. They made a delicious dinner fried up in butter with plenty of lemon balm from my herb garden. Yummm.
Wildlife and Weather
I've seen two deer at the little marsh behind my neighbours. Jim saw two deer on our own trails. We both were treated to a visit from a deer right on our lawn up by the gazebo. I know any gardeners out there will be cringing at the thought of deer eating our stuff, but I still think they're great. The dog and I saw a porcupine (no harm done) and I had to brake for a beaver crossing the road with a leafy branch in his mouth. We have monarchs, dragon flies, and pesky deer flies. We also had a couple weeks with a great show from fire flies. There were tons of them, like little paparazzi with their flashes going off all around us.
The weather has been beautiful, although we could use more rain. But everything is green and lush, the sky is so blue. It's hot and sunny during the day, but cools right down at night to the point of needing a sweater or long sleeves. Perfect.On a flora note, I was able to pick wild strawberries right out of my lawn and from along the Seguin trail. Mom and my uncle Gary picked some wild blueberries when they went for a walk here. The gazillions of raspberry bushes lining the trail and growing like weeds around the property will hopefully have a beautiful crop of fruit in good time.
Finally Got Myself a Fireman
I can't remember if I mentioned that Jim volunteered for our fire department. He passed his first test, just needs to be voted in now. Not only does he get training in fighting fires and car accident extrication, he also gets first aid and CPR training. He wears a pager (more like a one-way radio) that dispatches the different area fire departments to the various emergencies. Jim hasn't actually had an emergency to attend to yet, but he's had a couple false alarms where he was already in the car and on his way before the alarm was cancelled. He loves it, and it's great to be able to contribute to the community.
That's All for Now
I haven't run out of things to say, but I have run out of fuel. I have one last room to paint and I want to get it taken care of early tomorrow. Hopefully we'll get some last minute bookings for the weekend. Grandma and her niece Sandra will be here Monday to stay for a night on their way back home from a visit up north. Mom brought Grandpa, Cindy and Gary over for a short visit and tour of the place while they were spending the week near Parry Sound. I love to show my family and friends my new home/new venture/new lifestyle. It's like weaving little threads to connect my new life to my old.
****
Hey there
fellow Squamidians!
What a
week in the news! First we had the “Live 8” concerts, then the Karla Homolka release
and now the G8 summit meetings. The pair of 8’s is related, with one pressuring
the other to do a good deed for Africa and forgive billions of dollars of debt.
The Homolka release is the culmination of 12 years of incarceration for
unspeakable crimes committed by this sick individual. Which one of these events
do you think will dominate the news the longest? I’m not going to venture a
guess on that one! In my lifetime I can recall many such events that seemed to
be in the news forever. So much so that everyone was sick to death of listening
to it. When I was in public school, it was the nuclear threat from the Russians
accentuated by continual soundings of an alarm bell in the school that had us
all filing out into the halls to assume the “Turtle Position”. AS IF curling up
on our knees and forehead on the concrete floor with our hands clasped behind
our heads would prevent us from melting into a blob if an H bomb were to drop
within a 100 miles of the school! Get real!!! Next was the launching of the
Russian space satellite “Sputnik” that placed tremendous pressure on the USA to
get their asses in gear and send a monkey up before the Ruskies. After all that
commotion finally settled we were confronted with the nuclear “Bay of Pigs”
incident. This only served to prolong the fad of building bomb shelters into
the basements of homes under construction in those days. I’m sure many of them
are still in existence today. The next incident that made the news was the
election of JFK as president of the US. He seemed to be getting things under
control with his powerful grasp of what actions were necessary to prevent
global annihilation by the Russians when “BANG BANG” his life was suddenly
snuffed out. We were treated to a couple of years of intense repetition of news
reports and analysis of who had done it and why. Everything from the guy they
thought pulled the trigger to “The CIA had him done in”! All of this was
intermixed with the war in Vietnam. This of course dominated the news with anti
war protesters and movie stars getting involved with the condemnation of a war
that had little or nothing to do with North America. All at once along came
Richard Nixon with his brand of secrecy and palm greasing to keep the war going
to bolster the US economy. This backfired on him and OOOPS, we got slammed into
the mess of “Watergate”. We had to listen to that for Gord knows how long!
Interlaced through all of this was the NASA Space Program including John
Glenn’s big event not to mention the landing on the moon and mission after
mission of the various rockets and space craft carrying everything from
monkeys, as I mentioned previously, to crews of 4 or more Astronaughts. With the end of the Vietnam War finally
accomplished we were able to turn on the news without having war be the
dominant story. The only problem was that Hollywood came out with a string of
Vietnam War movies and protest films to document the previous 15 years of war
and anti war history. Back to the news, we were thrown into the “New” space
program that was made up of “Space Shuttle” events. Things were of a positive
nature regarding this program until the shuttle that carried Krista McAuliff, a
school teacher and 6 other crew members to a tragic end of disintegration over
the state of Florida. Once again, we heard that one over and over for about 2
years. Not that I disagree with paying respect and tribute to the brave souls
that lost their lives that day but this event was just another in a long line
of over broadcast happenings by the media. Acts of terrorism were beginning to
become more commonplace in our world. The “Air India” disaster over Ireland 20
years ago last month was certainly one of the most notable news items of the 20th
century. How tragic that nobody has had to answer for that terrible loss of
life! On we went into the 90’s and right here in Ontario we had the Paul
Bernardo/Karla Homolka crime spree to contend with. It was a sickening
situation that concluded not to everyone’s satisfaction. After 12 years +, we
are still embroiled in one of the most sensational murder cases in Canadian
history. Previous to this case, with the change of administration in the US, we
were treated to first hand video reporting of the Gulf War. Pretty amazing
sights were broadcast by the news media for months on end. President George
Bush senior had the chance to finish the job by doing in Saddam Hussein and his
cut throat henchmen with just a couple of more months of mopping the desert
floor with what was left of Iraq but decided to stop short of looking like a bully
to the rest of the world. Too bad he didn’t take the opportunity to complete
the task at hand. With that war under wraps, things were starting to get back
to normal when the Oklahoma situation came to pass. A dastardly individual by
the name of Timothy McVey with a screwed up notion of revenge on his own
government perpetrated one of the worst acts of terrorism on US soil. At least
the Americans new how to deal with this SOB and made short work of finishing
the task. Once again, although the situation was resolved in a reasonable
length of time we listened to the backlash for months in the news. With the
more recent major events ie: The World Trade Centre bombing and the ongoing war
in Iraq, I’m sure you all get the idea that we’re subjected to perhaps too much
info via the media. Perhaps many of these news items were over played. It’s
unfortunate that so many negative events overshadow much needed good news in
the world. In closing, I will say that I sincerely hope for the sake of the
families of the Bernardo/Homolka victims that enough is enough and the news
media will stop giving this criminal so much attention. It has gone beyond a
duty of the press to inform the public of her whereabouts and has become
another feeding frenzy. She’s not worth the breath everyone is wasting on her!
I’m sure she’ll get her just reward somewhere along the line and then they can
make everyone’s day by reporting her demise.
I’ve
carried on enough for this week so I’ll sign off for now.
I look
forward to seeing you all again in the next Ontarion Report, thanks for tuning
in!
Bye
for now……. GREG.
PS:
Something to Think About>
Many
receive advice, few profit from it!
PPS: OH
YES, and let’s not forget the “Hostages in Iran”!
****
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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