The Squamidian Report – June 20 / 09
Issue #369
Including:
The Ontarion
Hi All,
I was out for a walk the other morning and a kid about 10 or so on a bicycle started chatting with me about all the local cougar sightings. He told me about how he and some of his friends were on the river dyke down by their school and were startled to see one of the big cats standing in the middle of the trail watching them. He then told me that one of them used a cell phone to call the school for help. Then, he used a term I had forgotten about a long time ago. He said that when some adults came to escort them back to school that they told the adults that there were still some ‘old kids’ further up the trail. That really sounds funny when you think it over in your head. Old kids. We used that terminology ourselves many years ago to refer to kids that were older than us. But to us now at the age most of us have become, the term ‘old kids’ is an oxymoron. It makes no sense at all. How can a kid be old? It also gives a glimpse into the life outlook of a ‘young kid’ and to how they view the world around then and their place within that structure. It points out how removed from the adult world they see themselves when they envision layers of age / social groups between themselves and the adult world. So, just like the rest of us, we all seem to live in ‘our own world’.
And getting back to the cougar thing again, there have been several rather unfortunate encounters over the past week. One down right gruesome. A cougar had begun staking out the upper half of the trail that everyone uses to climb the Chief. It was waiting for the inevitable family dog to be brought right to it by its owners as they did the climb. The big cat pounced out and snatched a dog, leash and all and carried it up a tree where it then devoured the unfortunate dog. Needless to say the owners were horrified and devastated. Conservation officers then closed the trail but the never-ending crowd of people who want to do the climb ignored the closer and headed on up. The cat then tried to take another family dog but only managed to maul it a bit before the owners beat it back with a stick. At this point the trail was closed again and the conservation officers tracked down the cougar and destroyed it. Very unfortunate because the cougar was just doing what a hungry cougar does. It had found a way to feed itself.
The next attack was in the Brackendale section of Squamish. A mother and her 3-year old daughter were out for an afternoon walk and the toddler was targeted. The cat pounced from behind and had the child pinned to the ground. The mother pulled the two apart and tossed the cat off the trail, picked up the child and backed away. The mother acted out of instinct to protect her child, and the little girl suffered only relatively minor wounds that required stitches. Conservation officers hunted down and shot that one as well.
What seems to be going on here is that these cats are fairly young and are hungry. The long hard snowy winter we had has reduced the amount of natural prey out in the wild so they have turned to the next best thing and any small animal in and around our ‘civilization’ will do. The cougar’s natural prey is deer but there does not seem to be as many of them around as there were a year or so ago. Winter was hard on them as well.
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I enjoyed reading Greg’s account of his bike trip in last weeks addition. He was able to experience the freedom of the open road and the connection between him and his machine and his surroundings. Reading his story also reminded me of just how close to our annual motorcycle trip we are. In fact, by the time next weeks issue comes out, we will be heading out. The plan at this point is that Sue and I on our Harley and Ryan on his Harley will head southeast, and Paul and Sherry will head southwest. We will meet up in Sturgis South Dakota, spend a day there and then head on down through Colorado and just see where we end up. No real destination, just the horizon through our windshields.
I’ll fill in more details as they are worked out. But for now, I need to say that in preparation for next weeks issue, June 27, I’ll need any articles for that issue sent to me no later than the Thursday, June 25 because the Squamidian will be going out on the Friday afternoon, not the usual Saturday morning. I’m hoping to bail from work a few hours early on the Friday so that we can hit the road and be clear of the Lower Mainland rush hour traffic.
doug
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Hello
Everyone!
Summer’s
commin’ and the weather is getting hotter and hotter. Yesterday was sweltering
around here and it looks like the next 4 to 5 days will be wet and hot at the
same time. With Father’s Day in the offing I wish I could say the weather will
be perfect for the next week but the weatherman says no! Oh well, there are
loads of inside activities we fathers can do with our families. I’m sure the
weather won’t affect the fun and joys of the day come Sunday. Whatever we do to
celebrate the occasion will be just fine with me. I don’t ask for much on this
designated day but that we spend it together whatever we do. I’m sure most
fathers can agree with this premise especially when they’ve been experiencing
Father’s Day for as many years as I have. It’s a situation where it’s very
difficult to answer when asked with a request for a particular gift idea,
because at this age fathers don’t need anything, just the simple fact that they
are acknowledged by their offspring and spouse to still be loved and
appreciated is most definitely enough! We always enjoy such occasions together
and as a family we understand that spending it together is the best gift any of
us could ask for. I am looking forward to whatever they have planned for me
(us) this Sunday and will cherish the memories of the day for a long time to
come. I like special occasions no
matter what they are and this Father’s Day will be no exception.
Gotta go
for now!
Thanks
for tuning in and I look forward to talking to you all again next week in The
Ontarion Report!
Bye for now…Greg.
PS:
Something To Think About>
Happy
Father’s Day to All You Dads in our Squamidian Group!
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Have a good one..
the doug
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