I have been on the island for just over a week and have done almost nothing. That is not entirely true but it feels that way. I have been to the beach a couple of times, socialized a few times with my son's friends and their kids, spent a fair amount of time playing with my grand sons and finally typing up my blogs already posted and piles of emails etc. I have as well started working on the design for my newest walking stick/cane.
The sticks are always a challenge both in terms of design and implementation. I am always
aware that the vision that gets shaped in the wee hours of the morning as I lay in my bed, unable to sleep is both impractical and for someone of my limited artistic and carving skills, somewhat impossible to achieve. But the more critical factor in deciding how it will turn out is the wood itself. I am never sure what type of wood I am gong to get to work with. I am always amazed at how beautiful the end product is as it gets sanded and oiled. But sometimes when I am carving the stick the beauty of the wood (and on occasion) the design is not readily apparent. Of course the little drops of blood from the countless nicks on my fingers seldom add to the beauty. This year I am attempting to do a cane with a dragon for the handle and dragon/snake scales down the shaft. It should not surprise anyone that figuring out how to do that has me stumped. It is clear in my head how it should look but what is in my head and how to get the stick to look like that are about a million miles apart. Still it keeps me busy.
Keeping busy seems to be important. I think I have lost some of my capacity to do nothing. I do wish that I could get it back. I suspect that I would feel as if I had accomplished something if I felt like I did not need to accomplish something.
The weather on the island has been hot (some might even argue that there were a few day when it was too hot) with no rain on the horizon. Which is of course great for all except for those who worry about, monitor and on occasion have to fight forest fires.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
On the Road Again 2013 # 3
I did not sleep well. Part of the problem was that the spot I had chosen was on a bit of a slope. Just a small slope but it was enough to cause me to slide down to the end of my sleeping bag and the bivy sack. Having my legs scrunched always wakes me up. But there were also other distractions.There were at least two other people in the part all night. One of them walked quite close to me. There was also a skunk who walked closer to me than I would have chosen. Neither the four legged or the two legged mammals paid me any attention. I was happy with them ignoring me.
I was up and getting my stuff together by 5:00 am. It was getting light and I was pretty sure that the city fathers (and mothers) did not want folks sleeping in the park. I am quite sure that there would have been no consequence if I had been seen but there was no point in looking for trouble when I could avoid it. As well that silly skunk was rooting amongst the flowers just across the path from me. Again it is better to avoid trouble as opposed to fixing it. And finally it was starting to rain and I would much prefer to pack my stuff when it was nearly dry as opposed to it being soaking wet. So up I got, not feeling particularly well rested but happy to be moving again.
There was not much happening in the area. There was a guy sitting in the bus shelter who when I asked him the time ( I had neglected to set my watch to Pacific time the previous night) answered rather grumpy that he didn't know and a lady with two well behaved but large dogs who told me that she had missed the last ferry and had spent the night walking around. She apologized if she had stepped on me in the dark. I don't think she did but I wondered if the dogs padding by had been one of the things that had awoken me.
I bought my ticket as soon as the terminal opened and shortly after 6:00 was on the ferry. I used the bathroom to clean up a bit, saw and talked to Michael for a bit and then had some breakfast. People complain that ferry food is lousy - I personally like their scrambled eggs and it was nice to have a cup of tea after my long and somewhat uncomfortable night. By 8:00 I was in Naniamo, I got a city bus to the Greyhound Terminal and five minutes later I was on to a bus to Duncan.
I was at my son's house by around 10:30.
Not the most eventful trip out west by any measurement. It was in fact probably the eaiest. While I am not complaining, it was not at all what I had envisioned as I lay in my bed during the sometimes cold and frequently dreary days of winter but then it does no good to complain about what the gods of hitchhiking send us. Whatever happens - I need to be thankful. And I am.
I was up and getting my stuff together by 5:00 am. It was getting light and I was pretty sure that the city fathers (and mothers) did not want folks sleeping in the park. I am quite sure that there would have been no consequence if I had been seen but there was no point in looking for trouble when I could avoid it. As well that silly skunk was rooting amongst the flowers just across the path from me. Again it is better to avoid trouble as opposed to fixing it. And finally it was starting to rain and I would much prefer to pack my stuff when it was nearly dry as opposed to it being soaking wet. So up I got, not feeling particularly well rested but happy to be moving again.
There was not much happening in the area. There was a guy sitting in the bus shelter who when I asked him the time ( I had neglected to set my watch to Pacific time the previous night) answered rather grumpy that he didn't know and a lady with two well behaved but large dogs who told me that she had missed the last ferry and had spent the night walking around. She apologized if she had stepped on me in the dark. I don't think she did but I wondered if the dogs padding by had been one of the things that had awoken me.
I bought my ticket as soon as the terminal opened and shortly after 6:00 was on the ferry. I used the bathroom to clean up a bit, saw and talked to Michael for a bit and then had some breakfast. People complain that ferry food is lousy - I personally like their scrambled eggs and it was nice to have a cup of tea after my long and somewhat uncomfortable night. By 8:00 I was in Naniamo, I got a city bus to the Greyhound Terminal and five minutes later I was on to a bus to Duncan.
I was at my son's house by around 10:30.
Not the most eventful trip out west by any measurement. It was in fact probably the eaiest. While I am not complaining, it was not at all what I had envisioned as I lay in my bed during the sometimes cold and frequently dreary days of winter but then it does no good to complain about what the gods of hitchhiking send us. Whatever happens - I need to be thankful. And I am.
On the Road Again 2013 #2
As soon as I opened up the pickup's door, the first words my driver spoke were "I hope you don't mind dogs". I like dogs but there have been times when sharing the front seat with a large dog or even a couple of dogs has been a bit uncomfortable. But not this time. Michael was travelling with three miniature dogs and they were very well behaved. No barking, no fuss and for the most part they were well content to lay on their bed between the two of us. There was a long haired Chihuahua, a tiny dachshund and a larger (although one must recognize that "larger" is a relative term)long haired dachshund. The latter was quite affectionate and was content to lay on my lap.
Michael was from the Drumheller part of Alberta and was on his way to Port Alberni. Because of the flooding in the southern part of the province he had chosen to go up to Edmonton and then south again through Jasper. He was originally from Canmore and seemed to know what was happening with the flooding. My friend from last year had told me that Banff was a ghost town. Michael confirmed that story and said that there was no traffic getting through on the Trans Canada. Which was why he had taken this long circuitous road to the west coast. The only other alternative had been for him to go through Crow's Nest Pass which would be very slow with all of the trucks taking that route.
We had been talking for about 30 minutes when I got around to asking where he was actually aiming for for today. I was delighted when he said "Horseshoe Bay". From train station to ferry terminal in one ride is pretty good travelling.
Michael and I talked for almost the entire time we were in the car. He was now, and had been for a number of years a professional, certified dog groomer and dog trainer. He also owned a kennel where folks drop off their pets when they were away. So we started our conversation talking about pets and owners , dog food and life in small towns. We then moved on to why people build on flood plains, why municipalities let people build on flood plains, who should pay for their losses, cell phone use, global warming, people who think oil is limitless, all of the jobs that he had had and a thousand other topics. I am not sure if it was really a conversation in the sense that there was a full exchange of views.There were times when that happened but much of the time he told his story or made his point and I agreed. I think we were perhaps ten years apart but generally we were either exceptionally flexible in our opinions or we had very similar values. It was an interesting ride and one, that considering how far we travelled together(800km) a very quick ride.
We stopped once in Merrick for gas and for the dogs to get out and stretch their leg. A number of times Michael's wife called just to chat - she was in Port Alberni and was anxious to see him. It was not until I got out of the truck that I realized that in spite of the fact that he had spoken to her four or five times, not once did he mention that he had picked up a hitchhiker.
The traffic was not too bad and there was no time that we had to slow down because of it. At one point it had felt as if Michael might stop in one of the little towns before Vancouver. That would have been just fine for to me. I had slept the last two nights on the train and was ready for a full nights sleep on a motel bed. A shower would have been dandy as well. However Michael didn't seem at all tired and we got to Horseshoe Bay by 11:0 or 12:00. Michael drove me to the park around the ferry terminal and then went to park his car so that he could be first in line to get on the ferry the next morning.
While I had been to the terminal a number of times, I really was not too sure where to sleep.I picked a likely looking spot and tried to set up my bevy sack.It had been a year since I had used it. I really should have practiced once beore setting it up in the dark. There was however enough light from the docks and the ferry to figure out what I was doing. There were a lot of strange noises or at least noises that I did not recognize. It was windy which caused various bits of rigging in the sailboats to flap around. At one poin during the middle of the night I heard something that sounded like a shopping cart full of wine bottles being pushed along a bumpy sidewalk. After listening for a few minute I realized that it was just some bits of metal clanging against some metal masts.
As I was setting up my shelter I kept on hearing a man shouting. I could not understand what he was saying but he sounded very firm. I was almost afraid that he was yelling at me. Somewhere around 2:00 in the morning I heard "this is the captain speaking - abandon ship". I then understood that I had been listening to drills conducted on the ferry that was berthed there for the night.
Michael was from the Drumheller part of Alberta and was on his way to Port Alberni. Because of the flooding in the southern part of the province he had chosen to go up to Edmonton and then south again through Jasper. He was originally from Canmore and seemed to know what was happening with the flooding. My friend from last year had told me that Banff was a ghost town. Michael confirmed that story and said that there was no traffic getting through on the Trans Canada. Which was why he had taken this long circuitous road to the west coast. The only other alternative had been for him to go through Crow's Nest Pass which would be very slow with all of the trucks taking that route.
We had been talking for about 30 minutes when I got around to asking where he was actually aiming for for today. I was delighted when he said "Horseshoe Bay". From train station to ferry terminal in one ride is pretty good travelling.
Michael and I talked for almost the entire time we were in the car. He was now, and had been for a number of years a professional, certified dog groomer and dog trainer. He also owned a kennel where folks drop off their pets when they were away. So we started our conversation talking about pets and owners , dog food and life in small towns. We then moved on to why people build on flood plains, why municipalities let people build on flood plains, who should pay for their losses, cell phone use, global warming, people who think oil is limitless, all of the jobs that he had had and a thousand other topics. I am not sure if it was really a conversation in the sense that there was a full exchange of views.There were times when that happened but much of the time he told his story or made his point and I agreed. I think we were perhaps ten years apart but generally we were either exceptionally flexible in our opinions or we had very similar values. It was an interesting ride and one, that considering how far we travelled together(800km) a very quick ride.
We stopped once in Merrick for gas and for the dogs to get out and stretch their leg. A number of times Michael's wife called just to chat - she was in Port Alberni and was anxious to see him. It was not until I got out of the truck that I realized that in spite of the fact that he had spoken to her four or five times, not once did he mention that he had picked up a hitchhiker.
The traffic was not too bad and there was no time that we had to slow down because of it. At one point it had felt as if Michael might stop in one of the little towns before Vancouver. That would have been just fine for to me. I had slept the last two nights on the train and was ready for a full nights sleep on a motel bed. A shower would have been dandy as well. However Michael didn't seem at all tired and we got to Horseshoe Bay by 11:0 or 12:00. Michael drove me to the park around the ferry terminal and then went to park his car so that he could be first in line to get on the ferry the next morning.
While I had been to the terminal a number of times, I really was not too sure where to sleep.I picked a likely looking spot and tried to set up my bevy sack.It had been a year since I had used it. I really should have practiced once beore setting it up in the dark. There was however enough light from the docks and the ferry to figure out what I was doing. There were a lot of strange noises or at least noises that I did not recognize. It was windy which caused various bits of rigging in the sailboats to flap around. At one poin during the middle of the night I heard something that sounded like a shopping cart full of wine bottles being pushed along a bumpy sidewalk. After listening for a few minute I realized that it was just some bits of metal clanging against some metal masts.
As I was setting up my shelter I kept on hearing a man shouting. I could not understand what he was saying but he sounded very firm. I was almost afraid that he was yelling at me. Somewhere around 2:00 in the morning I heard "this is the captain speaking - abandon ship". I then understood that I had been listening to drills conducted on the ferry that was berthed there for the night.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
On the road Again 2013 a brief intermission #1
Yes I am "holidays" as are most politicians and therefore I should have relatively little to complain about but........
So there is this flood in a small town that forces the evacuation of the majority of its citizens. The RCMP conduct a house to house check to make sure that every one has gotten out. During that search the police notice that there are some unsecured rifles in a few houses. The police take those rifles and then tell the owners that they can have them back when the people move back to their homes. That makes sense to me. Not only is it the law (I think) that fire arms need to be secured but it seems reasonable that owners should not leave their firearms around where they could be taken and used by other people.
The Prime Minister's staff tell the police that it is not their job to take the rifles and suggest that there may be consequences. Excuse me!! One , it is their job and they should get recognition for doing so when things were so chaotic and two, the PMO (Prime Minister's Office) has no right to tell the RCMP how to do their job.
One would think that with all that is going on the PMO would have better things to do. They are dead wrong on this issue.
#2 in report released by the CBC - it was stated the the civil service has grown in number by 14% in the past few year. This is in spite of the fact that this government has campaigned on reduced tax load through cutting back costs. Perhaps they should fire a few more staffers (there are 892 of them) from the PMO - they clearly have too much time on their hands!
So there is this flood in a small town that forces the evacuation of the majority of its citizens. The RCMP conduct a house to house check to make sure that every one has gotten out. During that search the police notice that there are some unsecured rifles in a few houses. The police take those rifles and then tell the owners that they can have them back when the people move back to their homes. That makes sense to me. Not only is it the law (I think) that fire arms need to be secured but it seems reasonable that owners should not leave their firearms around where they could be taken and used by other people.
The Prime Minister's staff tell the police that it is not their job to take the rifles and suggest that there may be consequences. Excuse me!! One , it is their job and they should get recognition for doing so when things were so chaotic and two, the PMO (Prime Minister's Office) has no right to tell the RCMP how to do their job.
One would think that with all that is going on the PMO would have better things to do. They are dead wrong on this issue.
#2 in report released by the CBC - it was stated the the civil service has grown in number by 14% in the past few year. This is in spite of the fact that this government has campaigned on reduced tax load through cutting back costs. Perhaps they should fire a few more staffers (there are 892 of them) from the PMO - they clearly have too much time on their hands!
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