In my travels today I twisted my ankle a it bothers me a bit. I mentioned (read complained) about this to my wife and told her that “it is twisted a bit, not too bad, just enough to be annoying.” Her response was “oh, it is just like the rest of you then.” Sigh. I have to be more careful when looking for sympathy.
I have been on PEI for quite a long time and I have somehow managed to avoid the Blooming Point part of the province up until Sunday. I suppose it is a testament to the beauty and variety of PEI’s beaches that I have never had to search out Blooming Point and have been able to do very well with the other beaches.
On the suggestion of friends we went to the beach on Sunday. We were too many for a single car so we broke up into two vehicles. Since we needed directions, one person who knew the beach we were heading to went in each car. After a brief stop to get a snack (mmmm, bagels) we were off to find the beach.
My car got lost.
Some minor miscalculations provided the car I was driving with a scenic tour of the northern part of PEI. While very scenic, it tended to distract from the purpose of the adventure, namely going to the beach. We spoke to several very nice people (including one person who went into her house to rouse her father to get directions) and remained quite lost. The kids had a rest. One fell asleep. We drove.
Normally this problem could have been solved with a number of things.
As I said, we had none of these things. But the drive was pretty and we got to see some lovely trees … and dogs.
We finally hit upon a set of directions from a gentleman in a Tracadie Bay restaurant. We were a mere six kilometres and two left turns from the beach–yeeha. As we finally drove to the beach amidst the ever-growing number of familiar landmarks (including the previously mentioned trees and dogs) we met the other car coming from the beach to find us. Apparently they had put in over an hour and had gotten worried. We all turned around and went back.
It was great. The water was cool (not terribly cold–we swam and played in the surf) and we had a few snacks to eat afterward when huddled in blankets in the dunes. Good location, good company, and good times.
I am currently on vacation with my family and hope to remain so for quite a long time. You can follow our travels (if you are so inclined) at mentaltrackmarks.com.
Jan and I had some business in Charlottetown yesterday. As we were waiting to cross the street I saw somebody I had not seen for a while. He was looking more well-dressed than I remember being usual for him; no doubt this was a result of him being very good at what he does and being promoted accordingly. We crossed the road against the light to chat for a minute. I told him he was looking good and asked him what he was up to.
“I’m livin’ the corporate fuckin’ dream.” was his response, spoken with deliberate deadpan clarity. I still think of the possibilities of corporate life and the steady paycheck (and so do many others). It is good to be reminded that the dream may not be all bunnies and unicorns.
Wednesday afternoon was a great time to go biking. There is nothing better to beat my blasé attitude out of me in the middle of UPEI’s reading week then to hop onto a tandem bike with Dave and be propelled around Charlottetown on a beautiful warm-ish winter day. The streets were free of snow (though the amount of traction sand and run-off water was impressive) and car traffic was very light. A little over an hour later we finished our ride covered in damp sand–me taking the forward soaking and Dave with the telltale stripe up his back. Grit-filled satisfied grins all around. Thanks to Dave I have been biking in the first two months of this year.
As it turns out, the very next day I learned that “[c]ycling advocates in Charlottetown, including the Medical Society of P.E.I., are upset accommodation for bicycles is not part of a $5-million expansion of Riverside Drive“–and this was one of the very same roads on which we were biking the day before. Of course, given the limited number of roads into and out of Charlottetown, it was hardly a surprise that we would be biking on one of the access roads. The only other cyclist we met on our ride was biking from Stratford and into town on Riverside drive. It is not the most direct route to the heart of the city but it is the most scenic and the relative lack of traffic is a benefit to anybody on a bike.
Rather than comment on how biking is great and more bike lanes and paths would be good for Charlottetown (well, maybe I will comment on it by saying I will not comment on it) I simply note that I am raring to get back to work and am planning on how I can bike in every month this year. Time to get back on the rollers for a while and hope for a warm and clear day in March.
The Noye family, inspired by a man that I smell like (and without needing two tickets), Jan and I and the girls went out to Orwell Corner Historic Village yesterday to partake in the Orwell Corner Winter Fun Day. The writeup in the local paper suggested that we could
Visit with farm animals, go sledding, make snow taffy, help Blacksmith make a nail, horse and sleigh rides (weather permitting), plus traditional indoor board and card games. Hot chocolate will be served.
It was all true and to top it off there was a light snowfall that floated clumps of stick-on-the-end-of-your-nose snow. It is very hard not to spout words like “idyllic,” “rustic,” “picturesque,” “unspoiled,” and other synonyms … because it was a lot of fun. A lot of people worked hard to make an afternoon of sleigh rides, hot chocolate, and maple syrup taffy in the snow.
We spent about 45 minutes in the blacksmith shop and Robin and I got to make some crafts with steel. She got to make a nail and I made a double-ended hook. When Robin was not making her nail and hammering she was driving the fan to keep the force hot. She was told that in the late 19th century she might earn ten cents for a day of keeping the shop clean and the fire hot. She would probably also have been a boy.
All told, we spent a little over two hours wandering around the village, eating taffy (actually, picking taffy out of teeth and hoping not to dislodge fillings), patting bunnies (free to a good home), going on sleigh rides, and drinking hot chocolate. We finished the day at home with warm stew and many smiles.
I have been busy. It was more than that … but I have been busy.
I want to pimp a cause: Camp Triumph. My family has taken advantage of the camp for two years (the first year was in the old location; this year was at the new, very beautiful and developing location).
The creation of the new camp has involved a lot of donated time, materials, and sweat and has resulted in a beautiful beginning. I really suggest that you take a look at the previous link (repeated here) to see the effort that went into planning the new site with respect to everything from wind direction to sunsets to energy efficiency to longevity of the buildings.
There is a Facebook group for the camp and you will find many, many people extolling the camp’s value. If you are unsure of the camp’s value then take a look at the testimonials of the children who attended and their parents. I know it is truly a great place.
What I would like you to do (whoever you are) is to consider voting at the Aviva Community Fund site for the project to Build a Lodge for Camp Triumph. It will cost you a registration (email and password–you can disable the “send me updates emails” while registering) and allow you to cast a vote each day from now until December 16th.
That is all. If you can find the time and inclination I would appreciate it and you might (no guarantee) get a small warm feeling in your belly. Your mileage may vary. I want to help the camp because it helps others a great deal.
I will end with one final note from the write-up on the Aviva site that underscores the commitment to the camp by the people who work there. Nobody at the camp gets paid, it is a labour of love,
“Everyone who works at Camp Triumph is a volunteer. In 2009, 74 volunteer staff participated. All of the Camp counselors are university students coming from a variety of faculties such as Medicine, Engineering, Architecture, Journalism and Fine Arts. Our other volunteers range from Educators and Guidance Counselors to Firefighters.”
Then at that very instant we heard a loud WHACK!
From out in the fields came the sickening smack
of an axe on a tree. Then we heard the tree fall.
THE VERY LAST TRUFFULA TREE OF THEM ALL!
Well, I have taught my first class at UPEI after a reasonably long period of not teaching anything to anybody. It was as nerve wracking as always. I have accepted that this will always be the case. Lots of nerves, lots of preparation, things work out more or less okay. There is still a lot to be done. I have had a little under two weeks to prepare my courses and I am not finished yet. But, it was a good start.
Since I will be writing class notes and lecture slides and all the stuff I should be doing to make a good class instead of writing here I will leave you with a version of “Tainted Love” by Pop Stasi that is very good even if it is being used as an advertisement. You can also check out the original by Soft Cell.
Lest you think that I am worked off of my feet, I tok a little time today to make a panoramic view of the Sun-N-Shade looking from just outside of the office toward the entrance. I used Hugin (after seeing what Peter Rukavina created with a few pictures outside of his door) with my iPhone camera (advertising slogan: “it is what it is”). It turned out quite well considering the camera and the overcast day. I am going to play with Hugin more.
