Nanaimo's Winter Wonderland

France had cause to break her fur coat out of retirement as we got hit with two weeks of snow and below normal winter temperatures! She's still smiling... that's because we haven't started shoveling, yet.

Ah yes - the attitude of a true winter warrior... did I mention we hadn't started shoveling yet?

Food Chain

It's a standing joke that when you go for a walk in the country in BC you're not just part of the scenery, but also part of the food chain. Case in point from recent news.

Working late...

I'm often working until after dark these days... of course that just means until about 6 p.m.. Today I got the right wing baggage locker door almost finished, and started on my project to improve the top cowling.

Winter Works Project

I have a very nice hangar space rented for the winter:
Now I can work comfortably on a couple of larger projects that are due. I originally left the wing lockers unfinished so I could get the airplane flying sooner. Now I can finally finish them. Today I cut a big hole in the top of the right wing - I sure hope this works!

I used to say that I would paint the airplane when I was finished cutting holes in it. Well, now I'm not sure I'll ever finish making changes and improvements and adding little features. That's part of the enjoyment. And now that I'm retired, I have more time than money. I think this will be one of my winter projects. For inspiration, here's how an older Piper 140 looks with a polished aluminum finish:

My Good News "network"

There is a lot of good news happenings in the world that don't get enough press coverage. So I thought I'd grab a couple and post them:

A miraculous fall:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7539277.stm

Growing freedoms within China:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7537326.stm

Errington Fleet

While driving along Grafton Rd., I came across this entire fleet of
dry-docked aluminum boats. They seem to be in good repair, as if
ready to fish the forested seas of Errington.

Shogun, Haley M, and Grand Slam had at least enough history to acquire
names. The others are unidentified. Each one seems to be
built for a particular task - I'm curious to know what
those were and why they're here.

Life in Three Dimensions

The Caribou-Chilcotin region of BC is dotted with many lakes and
ponds:

Paul contemplates Green Lake...

Mount Begbie fire tower and lookout:

The Mount is not too tall, but the climb up has cliffs just high enough to barely kill you if you fell over....

The fire tower commands a huge panorama of the Caribou-Chilcoten plateau which sits at about 3,000 feet above sea level.

Road Trip

Paul and I drove up to 100 Mile House to visit "Gramma and Bill" ... but a fire in the Fraser Canyon sent us on a detour. We'd normally have taken the Trans Canada Hiway at Hope up through Lytton and then Hiway 97 at Cache Creek to continue north.

Instead we took the Coquihalla as far as Merritt. There we got onto the local hiways again and had a very quiet scenic drive towards Logan Lake, then past the huge Highlands open pit copper and molybdenum mine, then back onto our normal route.

Some photos:

Re: Accountingability

Response from London Mabel:

Not for me, bebby! I'm allergic to counting calories. (And do keep in mind that the BMI is not a great tool.)

Check out this book next time you're at Chapters--it's coool.

http://www.amazon.ca/Mindless-Eating-More-Than-Think/dp/0553384481/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214948666&sr=8-1

Brian Wansink is a Stanford Ph.D. and the director of the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab. He's spent a lifetime studying what we don't notice: the hidden cues that determine how much and why people eat. Using ingenious, fun, and sometimes downright fiendishly clever experiments like the "bottomless soup bowl," Wansink takes us on a fascinating tour of the secret dynamics behind our dietary habits. How does packaging influence how much we eat? Which movies make us eat faster? How does music or the color of the room influence how much we eat? How can we recognize the "hidden persuaders" used by restaurants and supermarkets to get us to mindlessly eat? What are the real reasons most diets are doomed to fail? And how can we use the "mindless margin" to lose–instead of gain–ten to twenty pounds in the coming year?

Accountingability

It's a known phenomenon that just the act of accurately tracking expenses leads to improved financial control. Even before implementing a budget, etc... I think it's the same for food intake... Anyway I'm stuck at a plateau in my desire to regain a healthier weight... always fluctuating around 220 to 225 ish...

So I'm getting back on a piece of dieting software I bought a while back - it helped me calculate body mass index, reasonable caloric target for gradual loss, etc... I think I'll put this in my Blog too as a way of "going public" with my goal of attaining a healthier weight and activity level.

To put this in perspective, my "ideal" weight is about 190 to 200. A 30 lb. reduction would be nice as this also happens to be how much fuel my little plane burns for one hour of flight. It would be like adding a performance gain in the airplane at NO COST! Wow...

FWIW if you care:

http://www.calorieking.com/software/ckdietdiarymac.php

Another lovely evening

I went for a lovely evening flight today - the last official day of
Spring in the northern hemisphere....

Backyard Visitors

We had some visitors in the backyard recently... The new fawns are
here! The new fawns are here! These are 'the twins' ...

Jack Point send off...

I drove Terri to the Duke Point ferry terminal then managed to find the park and trail to Jack Point. It's in this weird industrial area along the point so at first I was wondering if this was going to be worth it. But it definitely was.

The first km or so of the trail is in an area with highway and industrial noise from the lumber mill, but suddenly it descends into the quietness of a wilderness beach park. A few muted city sounds from Nanaimo make it across the bay along the north/west edge. At Jack Point itself, the view towards the city, then sweeping around to Gabriola island is awesome.

Once I suddenly encountered three huge ravens sitting on a dead branch near the path. I think one was a chick as his feathers were a little ragged like he had just lost his baby down. I began assuring them not to be afraid of me, then realized that as huge as they were, maybe I was the one that should be worried.
Some beautiful photos:
http://www.pbase.com/lady_d/jack_point_nanaimo

A further discovery about the historical significance of the point:

Jack Point Portal fall 2008

Jack Point, or slhthemun, a place of great spiritual significance for the Snuneymuxw First Nation people, is located near the Duke Point ferry terminal. At the tip of Jack Point there was once a salmon petroglyph where several species of salmon were carved into the rock. Each season here the shaman would perform a ritual ceremony guaranteeing an abundance of seafood for his community.

However, this petroglyph was removed from the site in the early 1970s and given to the Nanaimo Museum. The Snuneymuxw people strongly believe that this petroglyph needs to be returned so that the salmon and other seafood will return to the Nanaimo Estuary and the Nanaimo River.

In late fall, during the second portal ceremony, the salmon petroglyph will be returned to its original sacred site.

Tiercel

My friend Gregg had to close his King's Cafe due to many issues - too bad, it had neat potential. But along the way one of his customers gave him a 40 foot fishing boat. Yes, gave! Life is an adventure...
Apparently a Tiercel is a kind of hawk. The motor and gear work fine. Gregg's working on a new coat of paint and then it'll be all shipshape and ready to rock 'n roll....

For a few weeks I've been learning a little about playing Bass Guitar. Mostly what I'm learning is that I don't like playing guitar. I don't have excellent fine motor skills in my fingers like some folks. I don't like having the guitar slung on my neck or perched awkwardly on my lap. I don't like twisting my neck around trying to see what I'm trying to do on the fret board. I just don't enjoy the guitar as an instrument.

Which is kind of funny because I LOVE listening to what others do on this instrument. I'm enthralled by Steve Bell, and Eric Bibb and others who can tickle those little metal strings into a life of their own.

But as I've often suspected, I don't enjoy the mechanical process of guitar playing myself. I think I'd rather play the piano. Or maybe the xylophone/marimba .... something that's all out front of me, played at arm's length, incorporating percussion and space to play in. Similar to drums but with actual notes...

And learning more about music itself fascinates me. The whole concept of what music is and is not. How different cultures determine and define musical notes (i.e. why is oriental music so different than western music?) ... the science behind it. This all fascinates me and I hope to do more. In the meantime, I guess I'll keep plucking away at the bass guitar. Bassists seem to be in short supply around here...
But I wonder if I can invent a new instrument that I'd enjoy playing more... like maybe a Bass Piano keyboard? A Bass Pedal on my drums that can trigger a normal range of bass notes ...? Something...

La la la la la la la la la la la la la.... er, la?

What Be Your Nerd Type? Your Result: Musician   Doo doo de doo waaaa doo de doo! (<-- That's you playing something.) Everyone appreciates the band/orchestra geeks and the pretty voices. Whether you sing in the choir, participate in a school/local band, or sit at home writing music, you contribute a joy to society that everyone can agree on. Yay! Welcome to actually doing something for poor, pathetic human souls. (Just kidding.)
Literature Nerd
Science/Math Nerd
Gamer/Computer Nerd
Artistic Nerd
Social Nerd
Anime Nerd
Drama Nerd
What Be Your Nerd Type? Quizzes for MySpace

May Day Flight

That's May Day - not "mayday!" Significant difference. Last week I took a little hop over Nanaimo for sightseeing as well as recording some performance parameters for the aircraft. Here's a shot of the Pacific Biological Station in Departure Bay.

I recorded some video, which I've posted on my aviation-oriented blog:

A walk in the park....

Sunset at the shore

Summer at last ...

Good Vibe-rations

So, our new wheels look approximately like this ---

It's a 2005 Pontiac Vibe. It's called a crossover vehicle because it's sort of a mini-van and a car. Or some call it a mid-size sports-wagon.

The things we like it for:

Economy - a small 4 cylinder, 1.8 liter engine should give us significantly better fuel costs than the old van. And the purchase price was less than say a new Toyota Corolla, or similar car.

Utility - the back seats fold flat, along with the front passenger's seat so we can still toss in an 8 foot long piece of lumber, or maybe even an airplane wing when I need too?

Durability and Reliability - the main running gear is built by Toyota and it is mechanically the same car as the Matrix. It has a pretty good reputation for lasting a long time with no big maintenance issues.

Sportiness and solid driving feel - hey, we're not dead yet...

And there's even an online Forum for Vibe enthusiasts/owners. That should prove handy.

Slime of the Earth Award

I am officially awarding my newly-founded "Slime of the Earth" award to Bank Credit Card companies. Their tactics promoting excessive and unwise use of credit continues to astound and outrage me.

My current month's Mosaik Mastercard statement says:

"TO HELP YOU MEET UNEXPECTED FINANCIAL DEMANDS WE HAVE MADE THIS MONTH'S PAYMENT OPTIONAL. IF YOU SKIP THIS MONTH'S PAYMENT, INTEREST WILL ACCUMULATE. ..."

First of all, thanks So Much for offering such generous "help." With help like this the average person who doesn't understand the full details of credit cards is doomed to a life of indebtedness. In feudal times we called it "Indentured Servitude" and worse.

Secondly, what is the credit rate that they are offering me this generous "help" at? No less than 18.5% ! The official term for this used to be Usuary.

Merriam Webster: usury

- the lending of money at an ... unconscionable or exorbitant rate or amount of interest;

A few years back I recall a public outrage over high credit card rates that forced the banks to lower them. Then the inflation-crisis of the 80s came along and card rates soared up to their current levels. And now with bank rates down around 5%, the Cards keep charging outrageous rates and customers actually buy in.

Hello Customers! Get a bank loan at a much lower rate. Never! Never! Never, buy something on a credit card that you won't be paying off In Full at the next statement.

And speaking of statements. Have you ever noticed how credit card statements use a strange number of days for their payment cycles - never a regular calendar month? Why do you suppose that is? Could it be so we can never get into a steady rhythm of paying off our card balances each payday? And every now and then we will be hit with a double whammy -- credit card statements at the beginning and the end of the same month. Is the bank deliberately setting us up to pay this exorbitant interest on our balance?

So, in recognition of their enormous Greed and Predatory Attitude, I hereby award the first ever "Slime of the Earth" award to all Credit Card Companies who operate this way. (Which is all of them in my experience...)

Summer begins at last!

Well, by Thursday that is... I love the night time tempertures too. It cools off around here at night which makes sleeping more comfortable and air conditioning is not often needed:

For the Birds

I spend some time most weeks helping out at the World Parrot Refuge near Coombs. That's just a 40 minute drive up the road from home. One way I help out is by posting updates and features to their website: www.worldparrotrefuge.org

Over the last week or two I put together a couple of videos to illustrate how much continual effort goes into this amazing facility. I thought I'd copy them here as well:
PART ONE


PART TWO

Catch a Wave?

Apparently our trusty red Caravan is no longer so trusty. Our mechanic says that rust is attacking areas of the chassis and this makes it a poor investment to keep repairing. Any old car can be kept running a long time if rust in the frame/chassis can be avoided.

I realized yesterday that there are NO shops around Nanaimo specializing in under-coating to protect cars from rust and corrosion! Guess why.... There is a world of difference in the condition of older cars in this part of the world vs. Quebec and Ontario. Those "down east" cars are subject to the worst salting of the roads because their climate is such that salt is the main tool used to keep the roads clear. On the prairie province roads, the temps are usually so cold that salt doesn't work as well, and plowing/sweeping has to be used more. And on the west coast of course, the roads are rarely in need of winter maintenance of any kind (the interiour is a different story).

We decided to look at some "next-to-new" models around the 10 to 12,000 dollar level as a replacement that we can expect to keep for 10+ years. Perhaps we'll "Catch a Wave" ...

Book of the Week

The snow's all melted but it's still cool for this time of year... a good excuse to kick back and finish reading a book I bought as part of my Christmas cum Birthday present from my sister, Shelley (thanks again)! (If I'd known the online prices were so much better than the store prices I would have shopped online!)


In this autobiography Bobby Ackles describes his career. He literally climbed from his first job as water boy for the earliest incarnation of the B.C. Lions football team, to the front office of the current Grey Cup champs/contenders, with some significant stops in the NFL and XFL along the way.

Like most sports memoires it won't win a Pulitzer, but it's an enjoyable read. I found it interesting to see the transparency that exists between the CFL and NFL. Bob describes working relationships amongst football teams and individuals that move easily across the national boundary and league lines. When teams are looking for the right staff and players, there seems to be a level playing field. The right person for the job, with the right professional team experience is usually considered. That's interesting.

Because he was so much involved with team building and player evaluations and so forth, I would have enjoyed more insights into the key differences at various positions that might determine a player's chance of success in one league versus the other. In the epilogue Mr. Ackles touches a little on this, but more would have been appreciated:

"The NFL is a different kettle of fish - because it is huge. It's a different game. The athletes are different: in general, they're about 20 percent bigger, faster and more powerful. Still the same values hold sway in each league."

"If you have quality Canadians, you can find American players for other positions. There is just such a huge pool of talent south of the border.... Finding talented Canadians who can play at a professional level was more difficult."

He shares some insights regarding how professional players have changed over the last few decades, for example:

"...Kids today are coached constantly and, as they get to higher and higher levels, especially in the U.S., they receive specialized attention. In college and university, they have 10 to 12 assistant coaches... there are as many as 20 assistant coaches in the NFL..."

He's vociferous about keeping the NFL out of Canada, as he believes it would kill the CFL:

"... I sure don't want to see the Grey Cup game disappear, especially just because a few people in Toronto need an NFL franchise to feel good - to feel they're "major league." That's really what it is, isn't it? Ego. ... You will eliminated the economic benefits, the players, the support staff, the money that the Grey Cup brings into each host city. The economic impact of the Grey Cup in Vancouver was between $46 and $48 million. ... Other than for a few people and one city, what is the advantage of a (NFL) franchise -- except, as I say, for a few greedy people to turn $1 billion into $6 billion, while screwing the rest of the country."

I guess that's pretty clear!

I enjoyed seeing how hard work, dedication, loyalty, luck and a little chutzpa propelled Bob through all levels of professional football. It's nice to know this still happens.

Earth Day 2008, April 26, Bowen Park 11, am-4:30pm

Bowen Park has been transformed. A brand-new stream flows through the forest. Built by DFO last year, as a natural fishway it allows fish access to the Millstone River, bypassing all the falls. It works!

Last year coho swam up the channel to spawn in the river, and some of them spawned in the channel itself. If you haven't seen the new stream, you have never lived. The Goldstream is lame by comparison. On Saturday, April 26th, you will have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see this modern miracle. If you want to come down and see the stream, there will be a conducted tour at 11:30 am.

 After four months of intensive planning, the Earth Day Committee is hosting Earth Day Nanaimo 2008. It was no small task, but we have set up for a fun event, with music, stuff for kids, and most important of all (to me), a tree-planting tournament. We have purchased 150 native plants, and we need to get them into the ground, to protect and enhance the new stream. We are doing an ivy removal exercise, to liberate the native trees from the tyranny of this invasive parasite. We will provide the tools but if you want to bring a pair of snips to cut ivy, please do.

 For kids, there will be a fishing expedition, using fry traps and nets, to see what is there. The kids can go wading in the creek, using special buckets to see the life beneath the surface. Budding biologists will be supplied with waders and nets to do their own exploration.  The flowers are in bloom, so you will see White fawn lilies hiding in the forest.

P.S. the White fawn lilies are still out at Piper's Lagoon.

April Showers ... of SNOOOWWW!!?

Here's what we woke up to this morning! I guess it's a good day to stay home and read and putter... D'OH!

A Day

First, a musical theme for this day:



A deer hobbled past my window Saturday morning, unable to put weight on her left rear leg. She'd injured it - probably struck by a car. Some days I hate the world we've made, where our need to move seems so pressing that we've invented hurtling, lethal masses of metal which we drive at speeds harzardous to every other living creature on the planet. I hate our cities and roads that cut swaths through virgin forests, destroying habitat and creating new, incomprehensible mazes for all the forest beings.

And some days I don't know why God loves us so much, because frankly, on these days, I'd just as soon do away with us all and leave the planet in peace.

In my heartache I drove my own hurtling hunk of metal out to the parrot refuge where I spent the afternoon cuddling Ester. His remnant tumor on his tail was bugging him. Some days he can't rest because he seems to have twinges in his legs from the scar. So he fidgets and twitches and scratches at the tumor until he pulls the scab off and it bleeds. And that's okay with me (and Wendy). We don't "scold" him like some do for picking at this. Sometimes a wound just needs to bleed. I think.

So I hold him and massage his legs and stroke his ribs and pray in his ear. I remind him what an amazing creature he is and how beautiful he is. I tell him of his future when he will fly more freely and gloriously than we can ever imagine here in this painful era. And I recall the scriptures telling me how all of creation groans, awaiting it's ultimate liberation on that day when we the children will finally be born and fully revealed.

In the meantime my heart groans and like the psalmist's it cries out: "How long, Lord? How Long?"

Soon a mother and father arrive at the front counter with their daughter. She's about 15 years old but due to autism she seems much younger. She has trouble communicating, but apparently she's been here before with her school and loves the birds. She blurts out phrases from time-to-time which remind me of Dustin Hoffman's character in The Rainman. Her name is Stephanie.

As they begin their visit the parents soon realize that Stephanie cannot handle the continual noise and turmoil of the parrots, so Dad retreats outdoors with her to enjoy the warm spring day. Mom takes her turn to visit the other parts of the refuge before returning so Dad can have his visit. And I take Ester out for one his favourite pastimes - a walk in the sun.

Ester and I finally join Stephanie and her dad on a bench by the front door. Ester is now resting in my arms half asleep. Steph loves having the bird close by and from time-to-time she reaches up to stroke his wondrously soft feathers. Then she pulls her hand back as if she's experiencing something too lovely to endure, shuddering in delight. She blurts out some unintelligible (to me) words.

And maybe this is a good analogy for my heartache today. Maybe life in it's wholeness is just too wonderful for me? I do know that to be open fully to the true joy of the world, we also have to be open to the pains and disappointments as well. It's as if these two extremes are felt with the same sensors. And to live life wide open to the one, means being open to the other. And isn't this what all the poets of the ages have tried to tell us? That in order to truly laugh we also have to truly cry.

Slowly, my heart-sorrow and pity for the deer, and for Ester, and for Stephanie and her parents begins to fade and is replaced by admiration for their courage and strength and endurance. I am gently over-whelmed by their determination. That they dare to go on despite the suffering. Every day, they choose to care. They choose to live.

My heart heals just a little.

Then it's time for me to leave the refuge.

At the Qualicum Beach airport the sun is still brightly shining. A few small planes come and go, but generally I putter in solitude, surrounded by the sounds of life as I prepare my small plane for flight. Building and flying this machine was another experience in emotional highs and lows. There were exhilarating moments of accomplishment and thanksgiving, and there were times when I wanted to turn the damn thing into a huge lawn ornament - or worse. The final test of will came when the engine problems surfaced, causing several near power-losses in flight. I finally tracked down the cause and fixed it. Since then the engine has performed flawlessly. But trust, once broken, heals slowly - one flight at a time.

Soon I'm airborne again, surprised as always. When I really think about it I am still in awe that I can lever skyward borne only by ephemeral wind made solid through speed. The snow capped peaks of Mount Arrowsmith shadow me on the right, while the calm waters of Georgia Straight bracket me on the left. I climb to three thousand feet and put the aircraft through some gentle stall maneuvers, feeling the airflow breaking and re-clutching the surface of the wing. I take note of some airspeeds which I will use later to form a more detailed picture of the airplane's performance envelope.

It's good to be lost in activity.

The radio silence is momentarily broken as a small group of pilots returning from a day-trip to Tofino and back chatter happily. It's been a glorious day for sight-seeing across the mountains. I know how close the west coast of the island is by air and hope to make the same trip myself soon when both I and the aircraft are ready. Sometimes life seems to be about waiting, but its actually about preparation.

The flight ends with a smooth approach and touchdown as I see how slowly I can land and how little runway I can use. More information for the flight manual. As I pull back into my parking spot, and shutdown the engine and pop open the canopy I sit peacefully for a moment, feeling the freshness of the breeze and the warmth of the late afternoon sun.

It's been a day of huge emotions and now I'm spent. I'm calm.

The Life goes on. The Day is just a little closer. Even so Lord Jesus, Come.

And now maybe I'll close on this hopeful note:

April Showers

If you believed the forecast you'd think it was rainy here most of this week. But it wasn't. The showers were fairy sparse with many sunny breaks. But the temperatures have been around plus 8 degrees each day which is a littler cooler than the average of 13°.

I see the weekend is forecast to be mainly sunny and a balmy +16 or so! Whoopee.