Haliburton 2008 is now in the books.

Each year we take all of the kids from Grade 7 and up to a week long retreat in the Haliburton Forest Reserve where we undertake trust building and leadership activities as well as rock climbing and high ropes activities.

As has been the case for several years now, the experience was wonderful. It is very enlightening to see the students under non-academic conditions. Additionally we are able to understand their fears and desires through the reflective portion of the program. Every night we spend about two hours as a group talking about our goals in life and how well we are doing in achieving them.

Now - poor HBB is trying to recover from a severe lack of sleep as well as a blistered foot from pouring boiling water on myself while draining potatoes. This week there was a certain karma element with respect to HBB and water. It's a long story involving tipping instructors out of a canoe but HBB certainly experienced karma while in Haliburton.

I leave you with THE iconic picture of Haliburton - less the floating dock which was missing this year.

Week #3 - Alive and Well

Week #3 at the school is in the books and HBB is alive and well. Very little excitement this week as most students and teachers are beginning to fall into the routine.

Of note was the school trip to Stratford to see Hamlet. That is one long play!

I love to shop in Stratford on these occasions. Usually I purchase a few books from the discount bins along the sidewalk and visit a number of the stores which sell unique items. This year was no different as I picked up two books by Elmore Leonard and a most amazing invention, an attachment to your water tap which changes colour based upon the water temperature - blue for cold and red for hot.

I must admit I rushed home to try out this invention. LED eat your heart out!! Actually I would have picked one up for you LED, but they only had the one - and it's all mine!

Week #2 - Near Death

I don't often get sick but when I do it is a near death experience. All this week I've been fighting a cold using a tried and true remedy. After coming home I immediately make myself a hot rum toddy (heavy on the rum, light on the toddy) and then head for the couch where I cover myself with blanket after blanket. After 3 or 4 'remedies', I am ready for bed and a great nights sleep. When I awake in the morning the cold has temporarily been suppressed and I am fine for most of the day.


My strategy was working fine until Friday. Because of various school functions, I was at the school from 8 am until almost midnight last night. No chance to rest the aching bones. No chance for a remedy. The cold took hold of me and is currently kicking the crap out of me. I haven't given up on the remedy though, the only problem is that I have to drag my sorry butt out to the store this afternoon in order to refresh my supplies.

I guess one could attribute my current plight to karma - all of the negative vibes pouring down from Moosonee.

Week#1

Well it has been quite a week!

It is always exciting starting a new school year. New faces, new courses to teach, new parents, new teachers and a wealth of meetings. Added to that this week was the blog attack on HBB because of his comments on Moosonee. A most challenging week!


Things on the blog front seem to be settling down as my hit counter is finally dipping below 400 per day. Hopefully I'll soon be back to the level of blog obscurity that I usually enjoy.




On the school front, this year is shaping up to be a fun year. The kids are great and the parents seem very supportive. With that combination how can I not have a great year. Right now though, HBB has to go to bed. The school meeting until 11 pm last night did me in and I just want to curl up in bed and dream of WoW.

An apology (of sorts) to Moosonee

OK - OK - I give ! ! ! .......... I apologize ! ! !

So many people, so many derogatory comments! I get it - you all love Moosonee!

My response to a few of your comments.

1. First off - I get it. Moosonee is an ideal place to live for some people. To be honest, I was looking forward to the trip. I really wanted to go back to see how the area had changed and how it hadn't since I was there as a kid. I did not come with the preconceived notion that I was not going to enjoy myself. I do understand and appreciate the beauty of nature. No, I'm not an urban person. I live and have lived for most of my life in the rural areas of this and other provinces. I appreciate and enjoy small town life.

2. Understand - PLEASE understand - that most of my comments were based on being a tourist in Moosonee for 3 days. Some of you suggested that I didn't leave the hotel or try to experience the area. You are wrong. I did take a trip up to James Bay - and it was lovely. I did go to Moose Factory to visit and I did enjoy my visit to the HBC house. But let's be honest - there was only one museum open on the entire island. The beautiful church that I remembered as a kid was closed. I really wanted to see the church. Why is it closed? (Response to Jim - I also wanted to see the wooden pegs that I remembered as a kid but the church is closed - shut down - falling down - and yes it is a shame). Why hasn't the town, or whom ever is in charge, recognized the value of the church as an historic monument and done something about it?

3. I wanted to visit other museums in Moosonee but most were closed. When I asked people (yes I did talk to residents of Moosonee including people who should have had a vested interest in the tourist trade such as the owner of the hotel in which we stayed) what else there was to do and see, the most common response was, "that's about it". It seems that once Two Bay closed down operation no one bothered to fill in the gap left by their departure. Seriously - why isn't there an up to date brochure listing the places to go and see in the area. For some of you who commented on my research skills (Corrine) - most of the information that I was able to obtain was outdated. I talked to one couple who had come expecting to book on Two Bay as there is an internet site promoting Two Bay that is still active - they were from the US.

4. While some of you who have visited Moosonee remember the train ride with fond memories (again Jim), all I can say is that it is now not that enjoyable. Yes, the train still leaves Cochrane at 9am but you don't get to Moosonee until 4pm. The train leaves again at 6pm so you can't do a day visit (nor should you, that is why I booked for 3 days). The return train leaves at 6pm and gets into Cochrane at 2am (on the day we travelled). By the way, Jim - the bar car you remember so well closed at 9:30!

5. I understand that the people of Moosonee can't control the ONR, however, I truly believe that a united front could get the train to offer a better, more enjoyable service. After all the ONR is a government sponsored company. From the bottom of my heart I am telling the people of Moosonee that if they don't do something about the situation soon, the word of mouth ( I'm not the only one who was annoyed by the lack of communication with respect to tourism) will kill or seriously harm the tourism industry in the area.

6. To Terri & Corrine - I would have loved to go fishing and enjoy a BBQ and go for a nature walk - but none of those activities were promoted! I did walk back from the old base - and that was enjoyable as well but it only took an hour or so. Where are the nature walks - where is a map showing same. Where are the brochures on who to contact regarding a BBQ or a fishing service? When I was dropped off at Moose Factory and asked the driver what I should do/see, he responded with, "walk up there for 15 minutes and you'll see the HBC house. That was the extent of promoting activities on the island! As an aside - we were told by a local resident that we should try and rely upon the map we had as best as possible and not ask for directions (the map was brutally inaccurate), since some people think it is great sport to give tourist wrong directions. Again I repeat - this was a comment from a local person - a resident of the area!

7. As for the comment on dogs being smarter than 85% of the residents (check the wording on the original blog), I acknowledge that that comment was over the top but I must tell you - that phrasing came from one of the local residents when we enquired as to what we should do about the dog that was following us all day. We were so worried that the dog might not find his way back that we actually flagged down a cab and tried to get him to drive the dog back to the base. The cab driver was amused by our ignorance and concern over the dog.

8. I have a sense of humour - so yes, my houseboat (or boathouse - or other descriptions of same) is (was) a shitboat. But I loved that boat - and can laugh about your comments - which, in all honesty, are not that far off the mark.

9. As for the comments attacking me personally as a womanizer, pervert, bigot, shithead, dickhead, etc. - well, what can I say but that you have the right to comment as you please - unlike some of you, I'm not going to get upset about comments based on ignorance.

10. For those of you that included a name or tag along with your comments - Thank You.

HBB

p.s. - I sometimes do respond to well founded critism so I have removed the link to the Male Fantasy Files as it seems to have upset some of you - though I note that most people who commented on same spent more time looking at that link than the original blog!

Moosonee Revisited

Holy Cow!












I can't believe the feedback I've received from my previous blog entitled: Moosonee - A Trip Into The Past (refer to the comments on the third blog below). It would seem that I pissed off more than one resident of Moosonee. I direct most of this blog to Anonymous #4 (and #5). {as a side note - please use a tag instead of the most boring anonymous}

First off - you are right. Moosonee has a lot of qualities that a resident may desire - such as the short walk across town, the lack of pollution (if you don't count bugs as pollution), the fishing, the isolation from the hustle and bustle of a large town and the fact that everyone knows everyone else. A small town feel. I can appreciate those qualities.

However, to defend my rant about Moosonee as best I can - my comments originated from the perspective of a tourist - not a resident. As I mentioned in my earlier blog - the Polar Bear Express is recognized and marketed throughout the world. In the hotel guest logs I looked through, people from all over the world come to visit Moosonee. To be honest, most of the comments prior to 2006 were positive - people enjoyed the experience. Since 2006 however, the comments were mostly negative due to the lack of facilities for tourists. As I mentioned in my blog - most of the tourist sites were closed during our visit. In addition, the lack of tourist consideration of the train itself (with respect to timing) made my visit less than pleasurable.

OK - so whom do I blame. Honestly I believe the people who live in Moosonee have to accept most of the responsibility for the lack of tourist amenities. It is up to the local residents to decide - do you want tourists or not. If you don't I'm ok with that - just stop marketing the town and the Polar Bear Express. If you are proud of your town and want it to be a showcase then get off your ass and do something about the pathetic state of your tourist trade. You decide - either way is fine with me - just stop deluding tourists who spend a lot of money and time to come visit your community.

As for your last comment about the 'seeds that were sown', knowing my father I have no trouble believing that I have a half sister or brother residing in Moosonee. Since my father passed away a few years ago I have no way of confirming the state of my relatives so I just ask one question - do you have red hair?

5 Days on The French

The much anticipated French River trip has come to an end and I must say it was a most enjoyable experience. Mr. B. and I took 6 students with us for 4 nights / 5 days on the French River. In all we did approximately 60 km with a total of 4 portages.


Day #1 was uneventful save for the inability of a few students to maintain a straight line with their canoe. Luckily we had a good wind at our back and made the required 9 km that day.

















Day #2 started early as we had to complete 2 portages and 15 km in one day. I like this picture of the sun rising - it may be my new screensaver.

The second portage was brutal and we didn't complete it until 2 pm with still 7 km to go before camp. I'm not sure if the problem was with tired students, a rush to get to camp or the wind in our face for most of the day but the inevitable happened. A boat went over. A few items got wet as you might expect. What was unexpected was the beautiful underwear tree that came as a result of trying to dry clothing.








Day #3 was a carbon copy of the previous day - sunny and hot but this time with little wind. The portage was relatively easy and following a quick shore lunch we were able to do some small rapids. A most rewarding day.


































Day #4 - What can I say but another gorgeous day with little wind and a small portage. Time enough for another shore lunch and finally at our site by 3 pm - an easy day. Entertainment was provided by the only male student on the trip who decided to show us how to use a canoe as a sled. He suffered only minor scraps and bruises.










Day #5 and the end of the trip. A spectacular last morning to close off a spectacular trip.







Having reviewed the above, I must admit that my descriptions of the journey are rather boring. However - because of the various personalities involved, the trip was thoroughly enjoyable - on so many different levels. Unfortunately many of the funny stories can't be revealed in print nor would print do them justice. I guess you had to be there.

The French River - 2008

It has been a while since I have posted anything - I guess Moosonee left me shell-shocked. Haven't done much in the intervening days but for a few days of school meetings. A sure sign that summer draws to an end - meetings!

Anyway, tomorrow I am off to the French River for a canoe trip with Mr. B. and some school kids. The last hurrah before starting school in ten days. Should be fun - the canoeing that is! I'll blog more when I return, right now I have to finish packing.

Did I mention that I got rid of the 70 lb behemoth that was my favourite canoe and bought a new 36 lb beauty. I love the new canoe though I have yet to take it on a trip. For me canoes are a lot like women - and I like mine light-weight and easy to maneuver (ok - I have some work to do on that line).

Moosonee - A Trip Into The Past

The background - my dad was in the Air Force and as a kid from grades 4 to 7 we lived on a radar base next to a town called Moosonee. Moosonee is located on the southern shores of James Bay, some 300 km north of Cochrane. Cochrane being the most northern point you can reach by road in Ontario.

Last week I got the urge to take a trip to Moosonee. I wanted to see if the house we once lived in was still standing. A trip into my past so to speak. I was excited! A true quest!

Sunday was uneventful. We left around noon and drove straight to Cochrane. It only took about 7 hours - much faster than I remembered. The new road bypasses all those little towns that you once had to drive through. Towns like Cobalt, Swastika, and my favourite, Porquis Junction. We arrived in Cochrane at about 7pm.

It is hard to describe Cochrane. When we first arrived my first thought was - what a shithole! But after spending two days in Moosonee and getting back to Cochrane my impression was of a booming, prosperous town - but I am getting ahead of myself. For now - let's go with shithole.

After getting our train tickets for the next morning we tried for dinner. Several people whom we asked, including the guy checking us in to our motel, recommended Mike's Steakhouse. When I asked the guy if there was a dress code he gave me a look as if I had just arrived from outer space. This should have been my first clue. To describe Mike's as a steakhouse is akin to describing a Lada as a luxury Russian car (for those of you who remember the Lada). First comes the drink order - beer obviously - and the waitress asks if you want a glass with that (it's a northern thing I guess). Next - when my friend ordered the Silver steak special, the waitress shook her head and replied - no you don't want that - it's really tough. I think she took pity on us being as we were obviously from out of town. I say obvious because neither my friend nor I were wearing a 'T-shirt' as dinner apparel.

Back to the motel in anticipation of riding the Polar Bear Express to Moosonee the next day. At this point in the narrative I should discuss how the Polar Bear Express got its name. According to the story, it was given this name as a nick-name, a joke since there are no Polar Bears within a 1000 km radius and the train would stop for every trapper and prospector who flagged it down between Cochrane and Moosonee. For some reason the name stuck and it turned out to be a marketing miracle. People from all over the globe would come to ride the Polar Bear Express .... once!

The trip to Moosonee, some 300 km, took from 9am until close to 4pm by the time we got into Moosonee. At times we were travelling at 10 km/hr. The top speed was 70 km/hr. This means you are looking out the window for 7 hours at a world comprised of nothing but trees and the occasional hunt camp. But you must look out the window for the entire trip as a fisherman must look at the end of his pole - the belief that there is a chance of spotting a bear or moose. Trust me - there is no chance - but for some reason you must keep your face pressed to the window. I saw more F'n trees in that 7 hours than Paul Bunyan in his lifetime.

We arrive at 4pm. We get off the train. We see nothing but dirt/mud roads, native people wandering aimlessly, the local liquor store next to the police station - both with barred windows, and approximately 10 gajillion blackflies and mosquitoes. Now this is truly a Shithole! {In order, these are pictures of the beautiful main street and the view in front of out hotel - click on them for a closer look}.

My second clue came when we checked in. We asked the owner what sites we should see while in Moosonee for two days. He took a step back, cocked his head to one side and looked at me as if I had just peed on his foot. "Two days"' he questioned while looking through his reservation book. "Well Holy God, you're right", he said while shaking his head from side to side.

At this point in the narrative I must move away from a detailed step by step account of our experiences. It would bore you to death. Suffice it to say that it was probably the worst two days in my life and yet the best two days (only because I have a sense of humour). In the end you wander about the town looking for something to occupy your time and justify the expense. Most of the museums are closed down. There are only two restaurants in the entire town - one of those being at our motel. One grocery store and the liquor store. That's it! The good times come when you meet other tourist wandering around with the same expression as we were no doubt carrying - that being - What a SHITHOLE!

We met a lot of people during the two days. Nice people. We would sit for hours (because there was nothing to do) and talk about what a shithole Moosonee was and whether or not they should just let the whole town die by ripping up the rail line. The discussion also included talk about the role of the native people in this situation. For the most part they are happy with collecting there unemployment benefits from the government. You certainly don't get the impression that they welcome tourists. They certainly don't accommodate tourists. As an example - you must check out of your hotel by 10 or 11 am despite the fact that the train doesn't leave until 6 pm that day. The result being that there are many people wandering the streets looking for something to do to kill 7 hours before they can escape the shithole.

In the end we did escape. The only way the train ride could be worse is on the return trip. You leave at 6 pm and get back to Cochrane at 1 am. You don't even have the millions of trees to look at for most of the trip.

I leave you with some stories.

In the restaurant my friend asked the waitress what beer she had on tap. After a few seconds the waitress finally admitted that she didn't know what 'on tap' meant. You can only get bottled beer in Moosonee.

Another time, at the other restaurant, the husband of a couple we had just met also asked what beer was on tap. The waitress replied with the names of the three brands of beer they carried. He chose one and asked for a pint glass. She returned with a bottle. He should have known better.

One evening my friend ordered a pork chops with a baked potato for her meal. After placing our order, several other couples came in (we knew them all by this point) and ordered their meals. We waited and waited and waited. Approximately an hour later the waitress comes by with our meals and apologizes for the delay explaining that it takes a long time to make a baked potato. During this entire time no other orders were filled since the cook does one meal at a time - in order! My friend had backed up the whole restaurant by an hour with her thoughtless ordering of a baked potato.

One day while out for a walk at the old air force base (I did get to see where I grew up so that was neat - this is a picture of the old homestead), a dog started trotting beside us. He followed us everywhere including the mile long trek back into the town. He even stayed out front of the hotel while we went inside. My friend was worried that the dog wouldn't be able to get back home so she asked a native person about it and he replied that she shouldn't worry - that the dogs do that with all the tourists. We later found out from another person that the dogs follow tourists around hoping like hell that they will pick up the $55 tab to put them on the train so that they can get out of town. Apparently the natives don't treat their dogs very well and the dogs are smart enough to want to escape Moosonee. From my reckoning, that makes them smarter than 85% of the population!

Finally - Pictures!

Holy crap! Though I have been nagged (by the female members of the Cartel - who else!) on several occasions about not taking pictures of the Salt & Pepper shakers, I didn't realize it has been almost 2 years since my last update on the Cartel. Ok - so here goes.

We met this Saturday (minus D) and presented the wait staff with Mr. Salty and Captain Pepper. A set of shakers that I picked up on my recent trip to Maine. As you can see, both of the wait staff - oh what the hell - waitresses are extremely glad to receive such a fine gift.

We also talked to the owner about building a cabinet in which to display the shakers we have donated to date. I'm not sure of the number but it must be close to 150 or so. This may or may not become a reality but we shall persevere.

After dinner at Wild Wing we were off to the movies - yep - The Dark Knight. Not much to say that hasn't already been said by many others. A great movie. I must say that I like Christian Bale as an actor. I didn't realize that one of his first movies - American Psycho - was made in 2000. For some reason I thought it was much earlier. 3:10 to Yuma, Reign of Fire and The Machinist are also great movies.

After beating Dr. D in air hockey (3 out of 3) it was home to blog and pack. I'm off to Moosonee on the shores of James Bay tomorrow. This is a small air force town which I haven't been back to see since my family left when I was in grade 7. It has since been dismantled but I have a yearning to go back and see my old stomping grounds as it were - old age I guess.

Home Sweet Home

Back from Maine where the weather was perfect! Except for the drive back which was two days of continuous rain.



This year I discovered what they (people from BoothBay Harbor) call 'Land Trusts'. These are areas of land reserved for walking parks. Most of the Land Trusts are located along the coastal shoreline and I spent many a days walking them. Very interesting at low tide!




Also did a number of road trips in search of Lighthouses. One of these trips resulted in the discovery of a Salt & Pepper Museum - how cool.


















Then I came home. It wasn't as boring as this blog but I just don't have the time - must get back to WoW.

Oh Canada

Well, Canada Day came and went with somewhat of a bang. First, D and I went to see the movie, Wanted. I must encourage all to see this movie - it is well done and most entertaining.










Next we were off to visit a graduate (MT) who was running her dogs in a Canada Day show put on by her group Pawzie Traction. Though we couldn't stay for the entire show we did get to see some of the dogs practice. Truly fascinating watching how eager the dogs are to please. This is a picture of MT's dog - Bato.

Next stop was for dinner at a friends. After dinner and drinks, we lit some fireworks as is the custom. As you can see by this picture, I was enthralled by the spectacle. So much so I almost knocked over my martini. By the way - had baked potatoes with sour cream and caviar - nice - a first for HBB.

And tomorrow I'm off to Maine for just over 2 weeks. Have a great summer all!

The First Trip

On Thursday morning I left for my first solo canoe trip of the year. Forecasts of rain and cold weather could not deter my desire to get away for a few days. You might well ask, why does a man who lives alone feel the need to get away? I have asked that same question of myself and after three days of talking to no one but myself, I have the answer. But first some pictures.

One answer might be - I went away to try out my new canoeing gear. Here is a pic of my new, rain-proof tent. It was put to the test this trip as it rained every day. I must say I was pleased to wake up each morning in a dry sleeping bag. I love my new tent!


The first night was overcast and I was barely able to see the full moon as it peaked out of the clouds for a brief second. I was in bed shortly afterwards as I intended to be up early.






The next day I was off again - ok not so early - and it rained for most of the 5 hour journey. Despite the rain it was wonderful to be canoeing alone in the wilderness. Here is a pic I took while waiting out the heaviest of the downpours.

By the time I arrived at my second destination the skies had cleared and it was time to build a shore fire. As you can see, despite the wet wood, it doesn't take long to go from humble beginnings to a roaring fire.












Part of the answer to my question can be seen in these next two photos. This is why I go canoeing - to be able to better appreciate the beauty of nature and my role within it. It is difficult to describe the pleasure from sitting for hours with nothing to do but watch the world go from a sunlit wonder to a moonlit night scape.


The third day - the return trip - started out under sunny skies and then deteriorated into a full blown thunderstorm by the time I was halfway home. There is a certain fascination with mother nature while canoeing across a lake in the middle of a lightning storm. Scary for sure but nonetheless truly fascinating.

In the end I found the answer to my question of why does a man who lives alone find the need to go on a solo canoe trip into the wilderness. The answer, as is usually the case, is very simple. When you first arrive at a site there are a series of tasks which must be accomplished. The tent has to go up, lines for the food pack must be strung and then dinner has to be prepared. This gives me a sense of purpose. That done, there is nothing to do but build a fire, sit back and watch. This is the key - there is NOTHING TO DO! No bills to pay, phone messages to get back to, emails to write, no thoughts of what has to be done tomorrow. At home there is always something that you could or should be doing. In the wilderness by yourself there is NOTHING TO DO but sit and watch the world around you. That is the heart of true peacefulness.