Author: underswansea

Rob

Rob Dunn, who published The Valley Peak passed away last week. He had been battling serious health issues for several years. It still came as a shock to many of his friends and acquaintances. It seemed he had been on the doorstep quite a few times and always battled back. This time, unfortunately, it was not to be.

Rob’s paper, The Valley Peak resembled a coffee newspaper that you often find in cafes. Like a coffee news The Valley Peak contained jokes and ads, however, The Peak was much more. It was usually 8 pages printed on coloured bond paper, published weekly and widely distributed up and down the valley. But what really differentiated it from any other publication was that it contained a lot of Rob.

He promoted many worthwhile causes over the years. He set up a free food bin on one of Invermere’s streets for people in need. He espoused the benefit of gardening, fishing, cannabis use and roaming the outdoors. He often expressed his love for his hounds and the joy of being a dog owner.  He and I shared a love of stargazing and that is what we often talked about, as we did when we met in the grocery store about a week before his passing.

Rob was also a self described conspiracy theorist. Since the start of Covid he dedicated part of The Peak to his thoughts on the disease, vaccinations and alternative medicine. He also tackled other subjects such as global warming, woke culture and government interference. He had plenty of followers that agreed with his stance and also many people who did not. Regardless, he always seemed to know where to draw the line as not to piss off too many people, especially advertisers that he had many of. I was always in awe of this skill. Perhaps it was because he was always good natured.

An often theme of his short column Robservations was to treat each other with respect and compassion even when we don’t feel like it or have different views. It is a good message.

It seems the Valley is losing its character and special characters. Rob certainly was a character without replacement. Lisa and I extend our condolences to his family and friends. 

Happy stargazing Rob, wishing you clear skies and good fishing. 

The Evolution of the Bookstore

Lisa and I made a quick trip to Calgary on Friday. We didn’t have much time to look around. I was able to get to an Indigo bookstore for about 20 minutes. Always a treat for me.

This is what I have noticed about bookstores; it seems every time I go in them they have less books and more of everything else. The magazine section is all but nonexistent now as people now read on their phones or iPads where everything resembles a quick magazine read. Books, as well, are now consumed on line and read on a digital device. I am not there yet, and probably never will be, preferring instead to turn a paper page.

The extra space in the bookstore is taken up with giftware. high end crystal stemware, placemats, picture frames, plush towels, yoga mats, serving platters, art supplies, toys that only an adult would find interesting, games and health and beauty products, Including a little gadget called, The Firefighter Vibrator. It had a ‘Smile Maker’ extra 20% OFF sign beside it and promised ‘strong and focused stimulation of the clitoris’.  THIS in the bookstore where they no longer carry newspapers! I guess it is for the women who wants more than to curl up with a good book.

Damn I’m getting old. 

A Few Pictures

It was Willow’s birthday a few days ago. She is now 9 years old.
A cow elk at dusk.
A small spike bull elk in the morning.
The last of the evening light on the mountains reflected on Lake Windermere.
Frosted tracks leading to an old haunt.

Mid November

The sun, low in the sky at the start of winter, shines through the left over of a wild fire.

November can be grey, typically not a lot of snow, however it is calm. A welcome relief. It hasn’t been cold, but a thin layer of ice is forming around the shore of Lake Windermere. The lakes in the mountains are frozen over. Not enough that the ice can be trusted. Soon we will be donning skates for a trip on the inner edges. Spectacular if the snow holds off.

The fire started at the bottom and continued onto the ridges.

Lisa and I were out scouting around. We picked out a Christmas tree. It is still too early to cut. I will come back in December. The walk will be much longer and tougher as there should be at least a foot or two of snow by then. The small tree will be harder to find covered in snow. Lisa said we should have brought a bright ribbon to tie around it. Since we didn’t have a ribbon I suggested she hang her panties off of it. She didn’t like that idea.

Easy walking where there would normally be at least three foot high tangled underbrush. Lola runs toward the camera.

The next day we walked around an area of bush that had burned during summer. The underbrush having burned away made walking easy. Willow and Lola ran chasing rabbits and rodents. The dogs were out of luck with so many hiding places on the scorched earth. The roots of the trees catch fire and can burn for months leaving tunnels where the roots once ran. The trees blackened, but still sturdy will start falling in the brisk winds of spring. Many people have died from burnt trees falling on them. 

The edge of the fire. The orange colour is scorched fir needles yet to fall. It wouldn’t be hard finding ghosts roaming these woods.

The burnt mountain is eery but beautiful in its own way. 

Our grandkids slept over Saturday night. We had a nice dinner and watched a movie. They were up early Sunday with energy I can only dream of. A very fine weekend. 

Low sun, long shadows.

Conjunction

The moon and Venus looked great today next to each other in the morning sky. I have read the moon occulted Venus in the Southern Hemisphere. That would have been something to see. I was off to work before it got lighter which may have made for a better photo. Regardless, the clouds rolled in as dawn advanced.

Lisa popped out this morning when she saw a few Bohemian Waxwings feasting on the frozen berries. These birds will gather in large flocks and strip the trees of berries in no time, even getting drunk on the fermented fruit. It’s something to see!

It’s a little foggy!

Now I am getting older it’s important to remember where I left the truck.

Fog, rain, snow. It’s a little bit of everything. I was hoping to get in one more hike into the mountains with the kids from work, but it doesn’t look good. Today brought soft wet snow in the high country. If the sun decides to shine and the temperature drops we still might get a chance. A few years ago I took out a young couple from Scotland in mid November. It was a brilliant clear cold day and they got to see some sites from the top of a snow blown ridge.

***

Willow and I were out on Sunday driving the backroads. We managed to bring back a load of pine firewood. The roads were muck and very slippery, Lisa would have hated it. My father used to call those roads ‘gumbo’. I switched the beast into four-wheel drive and managed to keep it between the ditches. 

***

As I get older I wonder if I will succumb to the many conspiracy theories that are so prevalent and popular these days. I say this, because so many of my older friends have bought into the many out there. 

I don’t spend much time on social media so I am not being bombarded with bullshit. Older people have more time with some of these platforms such as Facebook. 

It’s possible that a good conspiracy is easier to believe than the truth. Conspiracy wraps things up nicely and also puts blame or vilifies an organization or government. God knows some are not trustworthy. However, let us not forget, they are mostly incompetent thus making them trustworthy in what they can and can’t actually pull off.

It is upsetting to see people who were once able and healthy skeptics believe nonsense. I think it is human nature to want to understand events. Unfortunately, many events, illnesses, etc are random.

I will use the moon for an example of randomness. From earth we only see one side of the moon, because it takes the same amount of time to orbit the earth as it does for it to spin on its axis. That is quite a coincidence. It also appears about the same size as the sun in the sky. It almost completely blocks the sun in a solar eclipse except for a thin outline. Yet the sun is massive and much further away. What a coincidence that just the right distance and size allows for this coupling. Are we to believe such random serendipity? The mathematical possibilities of these facts are, well, astronomical.

Or would it make more sense that the moon is projected onto the roof of the sky? And we are just living in a giant dome? And? And?

Although I am making fun here, it does bother me to see people who were once so sharp not able to see when they are being fed bullshit.

I will no doubt be there one day. One thing for sure, there is no shortage of bullshit in this world and people peddling it.

Late October

Chilly at -9°c this morning. The window scrapper I bought seems to work good. A skiff of snow here and there. Nasty roads going to work last Friday. Quite a few vehicles in the ditch. The first touch of winter can be that way with people learning how to drive icy roads again.

***

British Columbia and Canada had a bad forest fire year in 2023. Locally we had several fires burning close by, however I have seen worse years. Still, it has been reported, BC had one of the worst years in history, if not the worst.

Smoke engulfed many American and Canadian cities making breathing difficult for residents. In our part of BC the smoke wasn’t too bad. I guess it depends on the winds. We have definitely had worse. 

Here is a scary statistic; according to Natural Resources Canada forest fires caused triple the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere, then from all other sources in Canada, including the burning of oil and gas. Most would have come from BC.

Wildfires are considered a natural source and are not counted towards Canada’s emissions or climate targets.

In other words; Canadians could achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and we could still have run away global warming due to the forest burning and other natural disasters.

I also fear British Columbia Foresters could use these statistics to cut down every tree in BC. They are well on their way to doing it regardless.

***

Considering these statistics, even if we were to stop burning oil tomorrow we had better figure out how we are going to live on a warming planet. It is beyond humans control now – if it ever really was in our control.

Fall gardening

Getting some water on the garlic.

Planted 120 cloves of garlic and 64 daffodils. We had a good crop of garlic this summer and I saved the big heads to be used for seed. We have our fingers crossed for another good crop next year.

The garden is getting big for Lisa and I. Sometimes it’s tough to find homes for all the veggies it produces.

Tomatoes, tomatoes everywhere!

A few weeks ago I picked all of the green tomatoes and put them in the dark basement to ripen and ripen they did – all at once. We have made and canned sauce, salsa and tomato soup. Lisa has also dried plenty and has them stored for use.

We decided to put the remaining ones (7 beer flats worth) out on a table by the road with a FREE sign. Lisa also put a notice on Facebook group advertising free stuff.

Fifteen minutes later the tomatoes were gone. That Facebook is something else! We had people coming for hours after and turning around when they saw they were all gone. Lisa put up an updated notice on the Facebook post saying they were gone to save any others the trip.

Willow enjoying the last of the Marigolds.

We were glad to see them go. The garden took a beating from the grasshoppers but the tomatoes strived.

Other than kale and beats the garden is just about done for the year. Next week is calling for snow. We shall see.

Mt Nelson Place

Karen is a long time resident of Mt. Nelson Place. Lisa gave her a photo of the first cat we had 37 years ago. She still has the picture and always asks how our kitty is.

Mt. Nelson Place is a 24/7 staffed residential home for adults with developmental disabilities. Lisa and I have known many of the residents since we were youngsters. My Mother Isabelle was on the board that used to manage the facility many years ago.

We had not met Ed before. He turned out to be quite a joker. He was also a fan of hockey. His favourite teams are The Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers.

Over the years, Lisa and I have been asked to take pictures of the people who live at Mt. Nelson Place. 

Lisa and Edith worked together for several years at the bakery. They had a good laugh talking about how they didn’t miss it.

The residents are kind, gentle people. It is an exciting day for them with a beautician coming to their home to do their hair and get them ready for the portraits.

Edith is a long time resident. She enjoyed getting ready and was happy to pose for Lisa.

Lisa is exceptional at taking portraits, because she connects with people and makes them feel comfortable. She was the same when we used to photograph weddings and family events. I was always the 2nd shooter and my job was easy as the subjects were always at ease due to Lisa’s banter.

Jarett enjoyed getting out in the fresh fall air.

Isabelle, was also a wonderful photographer and she also had the knack of gaining people’s trust. So important when taking portraits.

Although we didn’t know Marlene when we started to take her photo, we became fast friends with this lovely lady over the course of the session.

The portraits of the residents will be sent to family and friends all over Canada and beyond. It is nice to be able to be part of this special project and always an honour to take photos of these wonderful people.

Lorie found it a little chilly outside, but had plenty of smiles. This is a photo captured while she waited for the other residents to join her for a group photo.

Crazy

Been keeping up with long walks after work. It is easing my mind in a crazy world. Good dorg Willow has also been enjoying it. 

***

District of Invermere, Councillor Gerry Taft has taken a leave of absence due to a recent mental health issue. He has been very forthcoming with his recent struggle, posting on Facebook, possibly to the detriment of his reputation, and granting an interview with The Columbia Valley Pioneer Newspaper. The article can be found here.

Gerry has been steady as a rock in local politics and as a businessman for many years. He served three terms as mayor. I have never asked him a question that he hasn’t answered, unlike many of the small town politicians that inhabit the local council chamber.

He has been a successful businessman running several businesses. He has had to give up his real estate licence, which I find funny, as a real estate licence is a licence to lie, cheat and steal, but apparently you must be sane to do so.

Gerry is however continuing to work on his latest project, transforming a downtown, historic, but dilapidated building into a small modern mini mall to house several unique businesses. I was impressed when he gave me a tour a few days ago.

I haven’t always agreed with his position on local political issues, but have always respected his opinion and the way he puts his ideas forward. He will be missed on Council by the citizens of Invermere for  the stability he brought to the young inexperienced Councillors and the current ineffectual Mayor.

Hopefully, this is a bump on the road for Gerry and he will be back to full strength quickly. Knowing Gerry he will use this ‘break’ to reach greater heights and share his knowledge to benefit his community.

***

It is surprising to me that even more people don’t experience mental health issues considering the state of the world, country and community, exacerbated by social and news media that fosters incertitude in what should be the best time of human history.