The
Squamidian Report – Aug. 14 / 10
Issue #429
Including:
The Ontarion
Hi All,
Landslides in the mountains are fairly normal occurrences. At least on
a geological time scale. In the young Coastal Mountains they happen
quite regularly. In the 9 years we have lived out here the Trans Canada
Highway just west of Hope in the Fraser Valley has been blocked about 3
times by rock and mud and logs that have broken loose and come sliding
down from the slopes above. The catalyst for these slides has been the
lubricating and saturating effects of the winter rains. Just a couple
of years ago the whole cliff face that had been hanging over the Sea to
Sky Highway south of Squamish at Porteau Cove gave way and buried the
highway under thousands of tonnes of rock. That slide was the result of
hydraulic pressure on the weak boundary layers within the cliff.
The slide that has been making the news these past few days just
northwest of Pemberton is really no different in origin than any of
these others. The mountain in question is Mt Meager and it is a very
young one AND it’s a volcanic mountain. We have two kinds of mountains
around here, volcanic and uplifted granite. The volcanic ones are the
younger and more unstable ones. Often the side slopes consist of a
mixture of rock and gravels and sub soils all mixed together that turn
to shmoo when disturbed or saturated. This shmoo can instantly become
liquid in nature and flow at a tremendous rate. When it stops flowing
and dries out it will be as hard as concrete but can instantly return
to a liquid form under the right moisture conditions.
The main concern for the Pemberton Valley was that the debris flow
blocked the Lillooet River for a time and forced a lake to back up
behind the landslide. Had the slide debris held for a while and then
let go, that lake would have roared down the valley bringing the mud
and rocks and trees with it. That could have wiped out everything in
its path all the way down to Harrison Lake.
The catalyst for this slide was not rain, we are having a summer
drought. The source of the saturating water was the glacier up above
that broke loose. The melt water was the lubricant, along with the
large chunks of ice that ended up mixed in with the mountainside
materials.
Luckily, because the debris field was spread out over a large area, the
river was able to cut a new passage through and over the field and the
lake was able to drain at a pace that did not create any further
immediate danger. The whole area will be too unstable for recreational
use for quite a while now. There had been campsites and hot springs and
hiking trails throughout the upper valleys but they will now be
out-of-bounds for the next few years. The big concern now it that
during the rainy season more of the now disturbed mountainside will let
go and result in another big slide that could wash further down the
valley or block the river. The blocked river would breach the blockage
and become a wall of water, rock and trees that would race down the
valley at high speed. The local geologists will be kept busy for some
time to come.
*
I know that the mid summer meteor show is a big event, anticipated by
all of us. It was however a bit of a disappointment for us out here.
Our night sky was cloudless and the moon was not above the horizon so
viewing should have been very good. Instead, viewing was so poor that
it was impossible to see any of the ‘shooting stars’. There is still a
lot of forest fire smoke in the air, especially in the upper atmosphere
and the resultant haze blocked out everything. I want my money back!
doug
****
Anyone interested in what Wild Wood Warren is up to these day, check
out this link he sent in:
http://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=bde5739de8abdcf4ad354a945&id=7539f76110
****
THE ONTARION REPORT
Hello everyone!
I’ve always wondered why we boil corn and call it a “Corn Roast”. For
the past 55 years or so I’ve been having “Corn Roasts” either with my
parents and or some other relatives. My uncle Jerry and his wife Thelma
(my mother’s sister) were indeed very famous for holding a huge “Corn
Roast” every summer and we were always in attendance as a family
affair. My mum and dad and myself and my brother and sister when we
were younger kids were in Thelma and Jerry’s back yard up on Roosevelt
St in Waterloo munching corn until the wee hours of the morning and the
adults were into drinking case after case of beer, usually in the form
of Red Cap Ale and once Carling Brewery became Labbatt’s they switched
to drinking Blue. We kids didn’t have to worry what brand of booze was
available until of course we were old enough to drink, so pop was the
method of washing down the corn in the early days of the gatherings.
When we and our same aged cousins became old enough to drink at these
occasions Labbatt’s pretty much had to put on a third shift to keep up
with the consumption by my relatives. This of course was back in the
50’s 60’s and 70’s and once the older family members began to meet
their maker the amount of beer needed to wash down all that corn
decreased and Labbatt’s eventually closed down the entire operation in
Waterloo. I guess that tidbit of information in Labbatt’s history will
likely never be made public but the members of my family claim it to be
a fact and will always regard it as one of our claims to fame.
Now to get back to my “Corn Roast” point! I only recently became aware
of a method of preparing corn on the cob for dinner that is amazing
indeed. I guess what I was trying to say was that of the thousands of
cobs of corn prepared and consumed by the famous “Thelma and Jerry”
“Corn Roasts” not one of them was actually “Roasted”! They were all
boiled in huge kettles of water on open pit fires in their back yard.
Carole and I have continued to boil our cobs of corn for the past 38
years in the Thelma and Jerry tradition and of course enjoyed the
results. There were times when the corn wasn’t quite as tender and
sweet as we would have liked it to be but we just chalked that up to
the luck of the draw from the crops of that particular year. Some times
you get great corn and sometimes you don’t! That’s just the way it goes!
Well, we were treated to a feast of corn on the cob last weekend by
friends of ours that we’ve known for 35 years and have never believe it
or not eaten corn on the cob with. They came to our house for an
afternoon visit and an early evening meal. They insisted on providing
the corn for the occasion. I was surprised when I saw Carole placing
the cobs still encased in their husks in the kitchen sink immersed in
cold water. When I asked her what she was doing she said she was just
following orders from Paul our guest. He said he was going to treat us
to the best tasting corn on the cob we’d ever eaten and just to do as
he said! LOL! So on that note, I just turned the process of cooking the
corn over to his capable hands. What do I know anyway???!!! LOL!
As I started to dig out the “Corn” boiling pot from beneath the
cupboard I was once again surprised to hear from him that we would not
need the use of the famous 38 year old corn pot. He said we’ll be doing
the corn on the BBQ. I know, you’re probably saying “How can Greg not
know of this method of cooking corn?” Well, I guess when you are
conditioned as a youngster to do it as your parents always did, you
don’t look for any other method of preparing such foodstuffs! Anyway,
he instructed me to warm up the BBQ and after an hour of soaking, the
corn was ready to cook. I carried the tray of corn out to the patio and
was about to start husking it when he once more stopped me in mid
“husk”. Paul told me to get him a pair of heat resistant mitts and
stand back and watch a pro at work. I did find a new pair of leather
welding gloves in the garage and brought them out to the patio. He
placed the cobs of corn on the grill complete with husks and closed the
lid. He said that it would take 20 minutes and the corn would be ready
to eat. I watched as he timed the opening of the lid at 5 minute
intervals and each time he opened it he turned the corn cobs a half
turn on the grill. After performing this feet four times he removed the
corn from the BBQ one at a time and with the welding gloves he removed
the husks and placed the stripped cobs on a tray in a stack. He said
“There you go, PERFECT CORN! In a nice loud and proud voice. Well, I
could hardly wait to try this steaming stack of yellow delight! The
ladies had set up the patio table with all the necessities to handle
the hot cobs and away we went! We devoured that dozen huge cobs of corn
in record time and we were amazed at how sweet and tender it was. It by
far surpassed any “boiled” corn we’d ever eaten. Even my Uncle Jerry’s
famous corn could not hold a candle to this amazing stack of sweetness!
I can honestly say, I have never tasted such incredibly delicious corn.
Paul had succeeded in teaching us the true meaning of “Corn Roast”! No
more “boiled” corn for these guys that’s for sure. To truly “Roast” the
cobs of corn on the BBQ is the only way. Paul explained that soaking
the corn, husks and all in water for up to an hour made it possible to
steam the corn in their own jackets on the BBQ by roasting the complete
ear, thus keeping all that lovely flavour and sweetness in the kernels
for eating! WOW! I would never have thought of doing corn on the cob
that way and never have believed it would taste superior to our old
tried and true method of yesteryear! Sorry Uncle Jerry, but your
boiling method is now “History” in the true sense of the word! It’s
just too bad that you and aunt Thelma and mum and dad aren’t here to
enjoy a few cobs with us on the patio via this amazing cooking method.
I’m sure you’re all looking down on us every time we have corn on the
cob because we feel and talk about your presence when we do have a
“Corn Roast”. Those days and good times will always be with us in
spirit as I’m sure so will the four of you. You’re always welcome at
our corn roasts! We’ll save a spot for each of you for sure!
That’s it for this week!
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>
How many cobs of corn can you eat at one sitting?
PPS: The corn was so moist and sweet that we didn’t even need to
smother it in butter (or low fat margarine) and salt. Give it a try!
****
Have a good one..
the doug
http://www.thedougsite.net
The Fine Print!
The articles in these issues are the sole property of the persons
writing them and should be respected as such.