Poisoning the Well

Poisoning The Well

Finally, a week’s worth of news not overshadowed by the need to select a Republican candidate for the upcoming US elections, nor the outrageous lip-service being paid to us by politicians claiming to be saving us from an economic crisis that my personal spending habits have created! This week I was able to view, with both disbelief and revulsion, the events in London and the Horn of Africa. Believe it or not, there’s a link.     

In the early 80’s I attended a day-long seminar at the Scarborough U of T campus. The topic of concern was environmental disease. Environmental diseases are an interesting phenomena; illnesses caused by the quality of the environment we live in. Quite often they can reach epidemic proportion, sometimes devastating entire communities, towns and cities, and even whole societies. These illnesses and the resulting devastation sometimes led to scientific and medical breakthroughs but more often than not a shift in societal priorities.

Historic accounts of environmental diseases include the Bubonic and Pneumonic Plagues that ravaged Europe throughout the Dark Ages, Middle Ages and the onset of the Industrial Revolution. More recently, an outbreak of Cholera during the mid nineteenth century in the US led to the first recording and tracking of a disease. Eventually the reporting of Cholera in the US gave way to the creations of such reputable groups as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC).

Earlier this month the latest Cholera outbreak was reported. Among the refugees traveling from famine ravaged Sudan to Kenya, Cholera has claimed well over two-hundred lives. Although this is but a small number comparative to those affected by the famine, and sentenced to death by starvation, it is still an outbreak of an environmental disease. A disease created or perpetuated by the environment lived in, or traveled through in this case, and indicative of its quality, its poor quality.

Getting back to the that U of T seminar. The disease being studied was not Cholera, it wasn’t either of the great plagues that ravaged Europe long ago. Its aim was the study of water borne parasites. During the 80’s, and I’m quite sure little has changed in thirty years, one in four people on the planet suffered from parasites; in other words twenty-five percent of the world’s population had worms. Our study concentrated on west Africa, where that percentage was considerably higher. This high incidence was created  by a contaminated water supply. Not caused by a chemical spill or industrial accident. This was simply poor waste disposal, inappropriate sewage control. In other words, defecating upstream of ones’ water supply.

At that time a great amount of resources, financial, research hours and technology, was pouring into solving this problem. Education programs were created, teaching the local populations how to properly dispose of their waste. NGO’s were funding filtration systems. Church groups were financing the drilling of better wells. Unfortunately Geo-political happenings in the early to mid 80’s overshadowed the importance of the measures taken. The public lost interest in such causes, transferring their care, and therefore their donated dollars to more fashionable concerns. This of course was then reflected in the monies allocated by western governments.

Environmental disease took a backseat to more fashionable issues. Tackling environmental disease had fallen from favor. There were more pressing concerns, at least for those that decided what was stylish and what would gather a greater audience share.

By ignoring the affects of environmental diseases, and their causes, we have seen other  tragedies in the past few decades. E. Coli is an environmental disease which has affected many communities in the western world. Most recently an outbreak in Europe involving tainted vegetables. Closer to home, and perhaps even more telling, the Walkerton tragedy and the evacuation of the Kashachewan First Nations Reserve. 

Environmental diseases point to a problem: abuse of the environment. The environment then tries to warn us of our abuses of it, or tries to rid itself of what is causing the problem; Us. When are we going to learn that peeing upstream of our water supply is not a good idea?

Nature has a way of defending itself, of correcting out of control abuse. Wildlife populations run in cycles; lemmings cast themselves off cliffs, snowshoe hares are thinned by lynx predation. Lightning creates forest fires which cause re-growth of unproductive stretches of woodland. And disease and starvation reduce a population that demands more on the environment than nature can feasibly sustain.

When man dumps sewage and other wastes into the environment with complete disregard for nature, man pays the price and suffers the consequences. Nature tries to eliminate the cause and return a balance to the environment. When man pees upstream of his water supply the entire village gets sick. If that village continues with this irresponsible waste management program the village is destroyed. 

It doesn’t stop at waste management: But it does begin with personal responsibility.

       

When are we going to realize that speeding on a residential street could cause harm and injury to those we love? And how long will it take before people understand that talking on a cell phone while driving puts your passengers at risk? 

Will we ever come to understand that littering in our neighborhood parks and street sides not only shows a disrespect for our personal surroundings but also a disregard for the environment that nurtures us?                          

The disenfranchised are not furthering their cause by steeling flat-screen TV’s. 

Burning our neighbors’ homes down, trashing the local convenience store and beating on those around us with similar concerns, or living under alike circumstances, is simply poisoning the well we all must drink from.

My Dilemma

Those of you that follow my ramblings on the blogosphere or Facebook are well aware of my employment status; that of course being unemployed. Being unemployed affords me time for many things. Once my job searching is done for the day, resumes sent out, follow up emails written, read and more sent, there’s time to fill. Not as much as one would think. Finding a job can be a full time job!

Most countries in the western world have measures in place for those like me that are unemployed. The social security net; pensions for those unable to work, insurance for those unable to find work. I though have managed to find a hole in that net and fall through it! And for being honest, forthcoming about my actions, for playing by the rules and not flaunting them.

For those who have yet to cash in on their insurance policy, mandated and enforced by the powers that be, that is Employment Insurance, I’ll attempt to outline some of the rules.

First, to qualify, one must have lost one’s job through no fault of one’s own. I was “terminated without cause.”

Second, there is a waiting period; two weeks. That waiting period comes after the time it takes one’s severance pay to dwindle. Two weeks of limbo, two weeks of no income or immediate means of personal support. Two weeks where one must live even more frugally than one already is, or rely on the hospitality and kindheartedness of friends and family. The best wishes of others and their good intentions don’t pay the bills, but they are appreciated!

Third, and occurring every two weeks, there is a report to fill out. Numerous questions to be answered, mostly mundane; have you moved? Have you received any income? Were you capable and willing to work within the preceding time-period? But here’s the one that got me; Did you leave the country?

Well, I left the country. I flew from Toronto to Augusta, Georgia, and not to play golf! From there I was driven to Edgefield South Carolina; for a day-long series of job interviews.

I left Canada just prior to noon on Tuesday and was back on home turf by one o’clock in the wee hours of Thursday morning. Out of the country for less than forty hours, at least ten of those spent at the office of a prospective employer. This time out of Canada I reported on my next electronic filing for my Employment Insurance claim. That filing occurred on the Saturday, two days upon my return.

Answering “yes” to the question “Have you been outside Canada during the period of this filing” allows you to go no further with the electronic report and prompts you to call the offices of Employment Insurance Canada. That call lasted about forty-five minutes, most of which was spent on hold, waiting for a representative to take my call “in a timely manner.”

After explaining my reasons for leaving Canada, and providing a phone number of a person in the HR department where the interview took place, I was told my claim would come under further scrutiny and payment of my benefits would be suspended until it could be proven my reason for traveling was legitimate and I was not contravening the Employment Insurance Act, and might still qualify to collect said benefits! It could take up to three weeks.

This week I received a letter dated June 12th, one week and a day after the above phone call was made. “We are working on your claim. A decision will be made soon.” Of course this letter took two and a half weeks to arrive, thanks of course to work stoppages instigated by Canada Post employees and its respective union. My bank account shows no automated deposits, so obviously they are still working on my claim! That’s four weeks, unless you do not count the week and a day it took to type, date and mail the letter so kindly informing me that “A decision will be made soon”!

As mentioned previously, I’m in a fortunate situation. My housing, transportation and general living expenses are not reliant upon these insured benefits. For this I am very thankful! But there must be many others who, finding themselves without work, depending on their Employment Insurance benefits, and having paid the premiums all their working lives, are denied these benefits. Just for seeking employment, a condition demanded by the Employment Insurance Act, by attending interviews outside Canada. By denying them these benefits, how many find themselves in a position of true financial hardship? Is it not contradictory to demand one seeks employment yet cease payments if attending interviews outside Canada? Even when the job would be within Canada?

Were I to have traveled for vacation, I would expect benefits to be withheld for that time-period. But withheld for complying with and being honest concerning one’s obligations seems ridiculous and counterproductive.

A Sporting Choice

A Sporting Choice

A few days ago I posted a link on my Facebook page to an article in the National Post. The federal government had decided against funding a hockey arena in Quebec. I am in full agreement with this decision. My biased comment concerning this posting stated that there are only three sports worth government funding. These three sports are worth funding because only these three and the research which happens because of them, benefits society as a whole. I then asked my Facebook friends if they could name them. Of course most guesses or suggestions were tongue-in-cheek; dwarf tossing, ferret legging, and of all things, curling. Curling! What does curling-funded research lead to? Better brooms?

All kidding aside, here are my three choices for the only sports and the public funding of, that lead to bettering our society: Hunting, fishing and motor sports.

Now before I cause an uproar and you all write to me in disagreement, I'll outline a few reasons in support of my choices.

First motor sport, a sport I have little interest in although many of my friends and family do.

But motor sports, whether GP, NASCAR, F1 or off-road rallying, lead to important research contributing to better passenger vehicles. More fuel efficient engines. Development of stronger and more durable construction materials. But most importantly, safety features in most modern passenger cars have been greatly improved through research and development due to the sport of racing.

Now I’m not recommending the government fund Grand Prix or Formula 1, in-fact, by bailing out the motor industry over recent years, our tax dollars have already contributed too much to the motor industry. But for the sake of safety, the protection of the environment through better emission standards, and lowering of fuel consumption, all of society reaps the benefits.

Hunting and fishing though, are two sports that the government should not only fund, but encourage the public’s participation in.

Now before anyone tries to argue that hunting and fishing are not sports, let’s define the word “sport.”

Noun - An active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition.

Both activities are most certainly physically exerting. And both can be very competitive. But one of the beauties of hunting and fishing is that neither need be competitive and can be enjoyed even more when the competition is eliminated, or better yet, against one’s self.

So why should the government fund hunting and fishing with our tax dollars? Even those who neither fish nor hunt benefit in profound ways through the research and accomplishments of the fishing and hunting communities.

No other group can claim to have increased awareness, or safeguarded the natural resources of our lands, protected more areas of environmental significance from adverse development and ensured that our watersheds and vast tracts of forest and prairie remain natural, pristine and functioning as nature intended. Wildlife, migratory and not, thrive in these areas. The flora that carpets the forest floor or crowd the wetlands, clean and purify the air we breath and the water we drink; essentials to life.

Groups dedicated to the promotion and participation in hunting and fishing are at the forefront in the fight against invasive species. The sea lamprey, round goby and zebra muscle; kudzu, dog-strangling vine and giant hogweed, to name but a few. Hunting and fishing clubs are educating the public about these creatures and plants, and about the damage they cause. These groups are at the front-line, on the ground and water so to speak, actually making an effort to eradicate their presence.

Our right to access Crown Land has always been an issue throughout Canada. Mining, lumber and petroleum companies have sought to have these rights limited and in some areas eliminated. Hunting and fishing groups, from local clubs to national organizations, tackle manufacturers and retailers, private lodges and camps, have worked hard and spent millions to ensure we will always have access to these lands and the waters that flow through them. This ensures that even those that don’t hunt or fish will be able to enjoy our great outdoors. Whether you canoe, hike, bird-watch or even collect rocks and minerals, groups dedicated to the preservation of our hunting and fishing traditions ensure your access to areas you also can enjoy.

Unfortunately our tax dollars can only go so far. There is of course a limit to how much funding the government can and chooses to supply. And of course, we as individuals might not have the finances of our own to support the many endeavors and groups acting to protect these resources. But there are other ways that we can contribute to these important causes.

Many groups and organizations are always looking for new members and volunteers. A membership will cost you a few dollars each year but probably a monthly magazine and discounts at a number participating retailers will be included in the fee. This easily makes up for the yearly dues.

Smaller, locally dedicated groups are even more in need of our attention. These groups are always looking for volunteers. Anyone with a want to become involved with the community, meet new friends and contribute to a conservation effort will be welcome! Even skills far removed from the outdoors are needed; every community rooted group needs a book keeper and a minutes taker.

But if you’re more a hands-on type there are many things to do. Stream reclamation, tree planting, even garbage pick-up to name a few. All activities are an important part in the fight to better our natural environment and promote the sports of hunting and fishing.

If I’ve managed to peek anyone’s interest, and you’re itching to get involved, or simply want more info, here are a few groups I believe are making great contributions to the sporting traditions of hunting and fishing. Better yet, these groups bring environmental awareness to the forefront. And some, through social outreach, make life better for the less fortunate in society.

Ducks Unlimited Canada has been helping to preserve wetlands since 1938. Since then they have helped to preserve 12.5 million acres of wetlands. Robert Bateman is a long time supporter of DU. Quite often you will see his prints up for auction in your local grocery store. If a limited audition print is out of your price range, they have many other products for sale which raise funds for their cause. At the moment I’m wearing a pair of their socks!

Worldwide DU has over 700,000 members so not very grass-roots, but worth a look at if you’re not familiar with them.

The National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) is a wonderful organization that contributes greatly to the enhancement of our woodlands. Especially those areas bordering our important farmlands. Their efforts have educated both the public and farm owners to the benefits of the preservation of standing hardwoods.

The wild turkey was virtually extinct in Ontario until twenty-five years ago. They now number well over a hundred-thousand. Not since the dawn of logging in the province have turkey numbers been so high.

The NWTF also contributes to the community through their outreach programs. Each year thousands of farm raised turkeys are bought and donated to the less fortunate. Through the efforts of the NWTF special dates and locations for disabled hunters have also been established.

Their dedication to the sport of turkey hunting not only helps their quarry and the folks that pursue them, but also the communities their members live in.

Trout Unlimited Canada (TUC) is another grass roots group that is dedicated to the betterment of our environment. Founded in 1972, out of a growing response to the challenges that were threatening our freshwater and cold-water fisheries at the time, TUC has since dedicated itself to educating the public about these threats. Their main interest lies in hands-on work to preserve of our watersheds and the species that depend on them. These small areas are an indication of the health of our entire environment. In a sense, our streams and rivers are the cannery in the coal mine, an indicator of the environmental health of our entire planet.

TUC is dedicated to the health of the watersheds that run through our cities, our farmlands and the forests that border the neighbourhoods we live in. Places we walk through, take our children, run our dogs and find peace. The preservation of these places and the importance they play in life should be of a concern to all of us, not only those that fish and hunt them.

If you live in Ontario, and decide to join and support only one group, my recommendation is the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH). Since 1928 the OFAH has been an advocate for natural resources and the rights and privileges of Ontario’s residents to hunt and fish. The OFAH is the leader in outdoor education programs, natural resource awareness and species reintroduction.

The wild turkey is only one success story that the OFAH can take responsibility for. This coming September marks the first open season for elk in Ontario. Before logging, rapid settlement and land being converted to crop and livestock production in the mid 1800’s, elk were common in southern and central Ontario. By 1900 only a few small herds existed in the Kenora area. Through significant financial and volunteer contributions by the OFAH, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) has successfully created a self sustaining elk herd in and around the Bancroft-North Hastings area.

The OFAH is also a leader in the promotion of outdoor pursuits. For sixteen years now, the Ontario Family Fishing Weekend encourages families from all walks of life to get out and enjoy a recreational sport that promotes a healthy lifestyle and encourages inter generation participation. And for fifteen years the Women’s Outdoor Weekend has given women the chance to meet other women with similar interests, sharing knowledge and experiences, dispelling the image that hunting and fishing is a man’s world.

Hunting and fishing are important recreational sports, their impact upon our society is far reaching. Financial support by all levels of government is imperative. Hunting and fishing are traditional activities that reflect the Canadian character. Unfortunately the funding that is coming is inadequate. Right now support by individuals and private groups are the most realistic force behind increased hunting and fishing possibilities and the benefits they create for Canadian society as a whole.

RES-DOGS

We've now been back from Sandy Lake for just over a month. Aimee and I have commented to each other since, that the four months we spent there seemed an eternity, and for all the wrong reasons. The Sandy Lake part of our adventure had been less adventurous and more tedious. Navigation had been of personalities not back roads. In fact, we travelled less than two or three kilometers from our home while being there. Each new place we visit, each community we spend time in, have been and will be places of learning, or in the least, experience.

In Sandy Lake though, few lessons were learned, mostly it was harsh realities realized.

Learning of those harsh realities seemed to have become the purpose for our visit there. But towhat purpose?

Let's visit one of those harsh realities. Sometimes prejudicial biases are based in truth. Sometimes the truth is worse than the prejudice. And sometimes that actual truth is even ignored by those that preach those prejudices.

Many people in communities in the remote north hold very differing ethical attitudes to those of us from the densely populated areas of this country. It is one of those differing attitudes that has led us to what we believe has been our purpose being there.

Aimee's job actually forced her to confront these realities in a way I did not have to. But the reality that gave us our purpose is a reality that permeates both our lives. On December the ninth Aimee worked later than I. When she arrived home that evening she did not arrive empty handed. Aimee came home with a dog. Had Aimee not come home with that little dog, that little dog would now be dead.

In most communities in the far north there are too many dogs. Most breed uncontrolled, increasing the population. Some residents fly new ones up there only to be set free to run wild when the novelty stales. So some of them starve to death. Some freeze to death. Some get eaten by the wolves, or by the other dogs they run wild with. And when those harsh realities of that unforgiving landscape fail to control the canine population the locals start shooting them.

In some northern communities there is a bounty on dogs. There is no licencing though. No leash laws. There isn't even much of a move to neuter or spay the existing population. There is simply a complete disrespect and ill regard for dogs.

We named the little dog "Alfie". She came into our home emaciated and stinking of garbage, inside and out. She was timid, frost-bitten and starved. She ate nonstop for three days. And the most amazing thing was that Lyndy seemed to understand her plight as much as we did. She let Alfie eat her food, drink her water and sleep beside us in our bed as she does. Lyndy and Alfie have become the best of friends.

Alfie also became best friends with "White Dog". The only thing we miss from Sandy Lake is"White Dog". Living beneath our house, finding a small source of heat from the warmed pipes there, "White Dog" was one of the other stray dogs on the reserve. We started feeding her after finding she chose to stay within our compound. It was difficult for me to walk in the bush, whether with Lyndy or on my own, without the company of "White Dog". She would even follow us

onto the lake for an afternoon of ice fishing.

Leaving Sandy Lake was not difficult. Leaving "White Dog" was. But we had saved one little dog from a miserable life with an inevitable, and quite possibly brutal end to it.

Lyndy is a traveller just as Aimee and I are. From the day we got her she came with us everywhere. By the time we had reached Sandy Lake, Lyndy had traveled with us over many miles. She's been in cars, over frozen lakes in snow machines, thousands of miles by rail and on several planes. But Alfie had barely travelled a mile from where Aimee had snatched her up, from behind the store, to our house.

All four of us flew out of Sandy Lake the evening of Valentine's Day. We arrived in Thunder Bay five hours and three planes later. And that night Alfie not only flew in a plane, but walked on pavement, on carpet and climbed stairs for the first time!

Alfie now lives in Whitby, with Lyndy, and Aimee and I of course. Also Lucy the Shih-poo. And cats! She still doesn't understand cats! Do you play with them? Do you chase them? You can't simply leave them alone. And if you chase them and catch them, what do you do? Georgie, the brown tabby says if you catch a cat, you scratch its tummy. Alfie and Lyndy don't agree.

With almost a half-acre of fenced yard, uncountable squirrels, and gardens to dig in, Alfie has a great life now. Unfortunately most reservation dogs don't. Life for a dog on a remote First Nations reserve in northern Canada is inhumane and cheep for most, precarious at best, and quite often short-lived.

Dogs on Native reserves are frequently disposed of in the most heinous of ways. Even when a bounty is not in effect. Throughout the north, thousands of husky-crosses, amongst other breeds, are slaughtered yearly. Some are strays, some even discarded family pets. But all are "Res Dogs". If you ever find the time or resources to help one of these beautiful creatures do so. Not all need to exist like "White Dog", some can live like Alfie.

Back In The GTA

Here we are, back in the GTA. The story of our travels will soon follow.

It's funny how re-adjusting to an old environment can be more stressful than adjusting to a new one. Creating new habits seems easier than picking up ones left behind, and settling into a past life more difficult than embarking on a new one.

For instance: When I returned from the UK I found it peculiar driving on the right-hand side of the road. Even after a couple of weeks in the Bahamas, returning to Canada and the right side of the road can seem alien.

Or the noise! Waking to the sound of traffic, horns, sirens, the 401 in the distance. Maybe the silence and peace of the north was simply a welcomed relief from city noises, but returning to it seemed a bombardment of the senses.

And the amount of people! In an hour I've walked past more people, seen more faces, heard more voices than I would have in an entire month!

So, if it seems I've not contacted some of you, or sent a personal message your way, don't take offence, you are not alone! This return south has been a bit overwhelming and it will take a short time getting used to. But a short time it will be!

I have been busy though: newspapers to read, Tim Horton's to visit and the novelty of high-speed Internet. Not to mention the LCBO! Oh, there's also that silly thing about finding a job!

The return of high-speed Internet has allowed me to download more images to my Flickr! page. And the time allowed by being between jobs has given me the opportunity to cruise through old files and edit long forgotten images. In doing so I came across a shot taken a couple of years ago in the Bahamas. And the little critter needs to be ID'd. It's not the greatest shot but it certainly depicts the subject and all its features in an unmistakable manner. If there are any arachnid enthusiasts out there that can help me, it would be appreciated! Have a look and fire me off a comment with your suggestions to its name. Some good web pages anyone might send me to would also help. I've already tried a number of possibilities but no luck.

There's also that other little thing I've been working on and any assistance would be more than welcome. Employment... OK, I've updated my resume and I'd love to forward it to any interested employers out there. But first of all I've decided to limit my search to prospective employers that meet certain criteria;

1. Vehicle provided

2. Can take my dogs to work

3. Expense account for use at the LCBO

4. Enough vacation time for deer season, turkey season, bear season

5. Opening days and adjacent weekends off for trout, bass, grouse and waterfowl seasons

Any ideas, send me your comments. All will be considered and none scoffed at (publicly).

Now back to my busy schedule. Should check the fishing gear, off to Lake Scugog later in the week for some hard-water fishing.

From Beaches to Backwoods, From Crete to Cree

From Beaches to Backwoods, From Crete to Cree

This last year has been interesting to say the least! Thousands of miles by air and rail, countless airports and a few places we'd choose never to over-night in again. Sub-tropic to sub-polar environments, walking in ruins of ancient civilizations to residing in ruined societies.

First hand we've seen the social progressions of man but also the degradation of a culture once proud of its roots. We've watched the same moon rise over prosperity and joy, but only months later to set upon a bleak and inhospitable forest of self decay. And the people we've met, those that will share all of the little they have, those that have much but are willing to share so little. Openness, care and respect. Disdain, apathy and arrogance.

Freedom 45

In January, only a few days after my 45th birthday I was packaged-out at work. The thirteen years of service amounted to enough to pay the bills for a while and dental coverage for a few months. It was a shock, a bit of a blow, but it was also a chance to try a few different things. Aimee was let go exactly a month later. But the Saturday before that, we found Lyndy, the best Valentine's ever!

As neither of us had really taken any time for ourselves in many years we both decided that we would enjoy this new found freedom, see a few things, maybe go a few places. We would not take jobs unless they offered a chance to explore, the world and ourselves. So we started exploring, and that lead to adventure!

We fished, we visited with friends. We cooked, ate and drank. And we laughed.

Early on we spent a week of our time at our friends’ Jeff and Lisa’s. We swam in their pool and lazed in their sauna as the snow fell and the freezing rain coated the outside world. Each night we dined and drank wine. Then, take-outs with Pam and Eric, returnees from the Southwest, were a weekly occurrence, whether from Johnny’s or Tim Horton’s.

Ice fishing wasn't a simple day outing. We slept on the ice. We fished through the night, watching the stars and the dark water. The silence only broken by the booms of cracking ice.

A day or two at the cottage would inevitably turn to a week.

We bird watched, we people watched. We watched the lake.

We collected stones. Shiny round ones that looked like beads. Faceted ones, beautiful ones. Any stone that caught our eye. Stones of every colour you can imagine. And I skipped a lot of stones.

Training a new dog, throwing stones and doing crosswords doesn’t really make for full-time employment. And none of these activities would pay the bills. So in March we attended a job fair in downtown Toronto. This lead to attending a seminar a month later. The North West Company seemed to be what we were looking for. Enough money to pay the bills, experiencing different cultures and the chance to see parts of the world otherwise out of reach. So on the first Tuesday of August we left for northern Ontario. But before going north, we went east.

Our Travels

On a Saturday morning in February we met two friends for coffee, it was in-fact the same day we picked up Lyndy. Faye and Spiro were to be married on the 25th of July. They had asked that I take their wedding photos. Over the next few months emails were exchanged and a number of conversations were held over the phone, but the next time we met face to face with them was in late July on the island of Crete.

Traditional Greek music and dancing, food and drink. The ceremony was beautiful, couldn't understand a word, but beautiful. And we were pleased beyond doubt with the photos we took!

Photos at the chapel, the receptions, after the ceremony and a gathering the night before. But the shots in the back alleys and later on the beach thrilled us all.

Our personal time was exciting and relaxing; swimming at the beach, walking the ancient town;

sampling the hospitality, the culture, architecture and of course the food.

Leaving was bittersweet. Leaving a place filled with history and myth, a foreign yet welcoming culture. Leaving warm sun and warmer beaches, fantastic scenery; a blend of an ancient people's impact on the land and the rough landscape still enduring.

But we were returning to see our families. Returning to our little dog. Returning to embark on our adventure north.

So on August 3rd we boarded a Via train north. With Lyndy safely secured in her crate aboard the baggage car, we settled into our berth. As we left the station we made our way to the observation car to be served Champagne and nibblies. The meals and service over the next day were superb. A train traveling north through the dark green forests of Ontario, commencing in the busiest hub in the country, seemed the ideal setting for the adventure we were embarking upon!

Twenty-two hours later we arrived in Nakina. We settled into our new apartment with the possessions we took with us on the train; clothing, photos, the kitchen gadgets we couldn’t live without, some affects that make a house a home. And of course, fishing gear! Our best friend Dave would travel north to see us the following week. He had kindly offered to take with him some other much needed goods. Specifically Aimee’s beads and my guns.

Nakina

Now let me tell you a bit about Nakina. It’s a town of about three-hundred and fifty people. A few years ago its population was over seven-hundred. When the lumber mill shut down the town went south. For half the population it literally went south! It has a Post Office, an LCBO and a bank that’s open two days a week. It also has an airport which caters mainly to the First Nations reserves in the area and those investing in the hopeful prosperity of the Ring of Fire project. Those of you that know of Nakina probably do through outdoor publications and TV shows; Because Nakina has the best moose hunting and walleye fishing available in Ontario, maybe all of Canada.

There are no traffic lights in Nakina, only four-way stops. There are no sidewalks, no crosswalks. Rarely will you see someone speed. Everyone stops at the stop signs, well almost everyone, but that’s a story for another day... But Nakina is the friendliest town in all Ontario! Everyone waves to each other; friend or stranger. Within a few days we were invited to dinner. Within a week customers and neighbours alike knew our names. Within a couple of weeks we had been invited blueberry picking and speckled trout fishing. To quote Daryl Cronzy, “It’s Paradise!” If Aimee and I were ever to buy a place in Ontario, it will be in Nakina.

Further Afield

Our traveling though has not stopped. We even traveled while living in Nakina. On September the 23rd I flew from Nakina to Thunder Bay. Took a flight from there to Montreal, staying overnight. The following day I flew to Waskaganish on the Quebec side of James Bay.

Waskaganish is the Cree name for the community originally called Fort Rupert. In 1668 The Hudson Bay Company established its first outpost at the mouth of the Rupert River. The Northern

store there sits on the same parcel of land. So for a week I worked at the oldest retail establishment in the New World. Unfortunately that meant Aimee and I would not be able to spend her birthday together. I was scheduled to fly out the day after her birthday. We were to meet that evening in Thunder Bay and spend the night there.

I arrived at the Waskaganish airport just after two. At about the same time, Aimee started the 400km drive to Thunder Bay. My 3:45 flight was delayed by half an hour. The transfer in Val-d’Or was further delayed. By the time I had reached Montreal I had missed my connection to Toronto and subsequently the connecting flight to Thunder Bay.

Needless to say, Aimee spent the night alone in the Thunder Bay hotel room. I slept in the lounge at YYZ.

Over the next week we received more news of our further travels. A week in Kashechewan, together this time, and then a transfer to Sandy Lake.

The trip to Kashechewan was in some sense a blessing. It allowed us to travel on the train to Toronto to visit with family before flying to the Ontario side of James Bay. We had Thanksgiving dinner on the train; again excellent food and wonderful service. My Mum and Dad met us at Union station. We had coffee with them, a great morning. They later dropped us off at Aimee’s house in Whitby. We had a super time with friends and family, and the next morning flew north.

Kashechewan is almost a polar opposite to Nakina and in so many ways. And although the same culture as Waskaganish, and only just across the bay, so very different from there too. We were there a week. Five days too long. Travel home couldn’t come soon enough.

The trip out of Kashechewan was as interesting as the rest. From Kashechewan to Fort Albany. The shortest commercial flight in the world; the landing gear goes up and stays there for less time than it’s down. From there to Moosanee, and from there a connecting flight from Timmins to Toronto. Tom and Sharon picked us up at the airport, we were very grateful. Another day with family then back on the train.

Four days after our return to Nakina we left there again. But this time for good. We packed, said our goodbyes and were flying once more. From Nakina to Fort Hope, then a connection in Thunder Bay. From there to Sioux Lookout. The connection from there to Sandy Lake was delayed due to weather. After finding a dog-friendly hotel we spent the night.

The flight the next morning was another mini adventure. Lyndy was stuck in the baggage compartment for almost an hour before take-off. And the flight was another thing. Just enough visibility to fly. But as we rose above the clouds it was spectacular, as bright as one could imagine!

Descending through the clouds was like passing through nothing. But what we saw and experienced as we left them now seems a foreboding omen. What struck me first was brown and grey. The grey of the landscape overshadowed the green. The brown water of the vast lake blotched out the blue of the smaller surrounding lakes. Sandy Lake is aptly named. The lake truly is sandy! The water is the colour of bad chocolate milk! And the landing! We were all over the ice coated gravel runway. And as we exited the plane the cold hit us!

Getting out of the airport was worse than going through customs. Everything was searched. And what they queried was just mind boggling. Our guns were fine, but the collection of goat cheese and olives certainly seemed to raise some eyebrows. But they never found the bottle of bourbon! Looking back it’s almost too bad though, might have got us that BCR to get us out of here!

Life on the Reserve

Sandy Lake is a whole other world! Depressed, repressed and miserable, everything about it. I’ll not go into it. Those that would like to hear more should contact us and ask. But be prepared for some horror, some sadness and some maddening stories. It’s not a pleasant place!

We have our little house though. It’s affectionately been labeled the “Doll House”. A small two-bedroom; smaller in-fact than the apartment in Nakina. The view is pleasant; trees sloping down to the lake. It’s bright when the sun shines. We’ve hung photos, and personal items are throughout, making it seem like our own. But for how long, who knows?

I walk Lyndy a few times a day. On-leash all of the time though; for her it’s not really safe. We’ve blazed a trail through the woods to the west of the “compound”. Beautiful path, and now especially with the spruce and fir trees laden with snow.

This time of year, the days are short and the nights are long. The sun rises around eight and sets by four. But our workdays are long. Out at seven-thirty in the morning, not home until eight or nine in the evening; sometimes later.

We’re hoping to do some ice-fishing soon. Once the Christmas selling season is over there just might be some time to relax. But for now, our days off are spent regrouping and recovering our physical and emotional strength.

Lessons Learned

We asked for an adventure, and that’s what we got! So far, this year has been a great learning

experience for us. We have been taught much, as much about the world around us as we have of ourselves. We’ve seen how other people live and react to those around them. We’ve rediscovered how well we’ve been blessed; with reliable friends, good family and able bodies and minds!