D-Day Anniversary a Reminder to Everybody

The 65th Anniversary of D-Day, the Allied invasion to liberate Europe from the Nazis came and went this past Saturday. I was watching a number of documentaries, read some news articles and thought lots about the men who lost their lives on those beaches so long ago. I think war can be over glorified at times and sometimes, this is done for the wrong reasons but D-Day is not that at all. It is a focal point in the history of mankind, an event of such monumental scale and sacrifice that what happened there should and must be remembered. If only for the reason something like it doesn't have to happen again.

Unfortunately, mankind is always the agent of his own demise. As a species we just can't get along and history clearly shows that because of either politics, nationalism - and in the case of Hitler - genocide, ours is the most violent and uncontrollable species on the planet. Thankfully, like on D-Day, there are enough humans out there across the globe to do something about it.

I grew up in the 60s and 70s and it seems we are getting further away from the goal those soldiers died for at Normandy. I mean we still can't get along. The Middle East has been a disaster for the entire globe and American Foreign Policy has also created problems where none existed before. Take a look at the news and there are still a variety of wars going on at any one time,

I wasn't there but if I had to guess the men that fought and died on the beaches on June 6th, 1944 would say that we should remember why they did what they did and don't forget the fundamental values they fought and died for. What was at stake that day were the fundamental under-pinnings of modern societies - democracy, rule of law, human rights and freedom of speech. As we march on as a species, I hope we continue to remember what those guys died for.

We can't afford not to......

The Moon is cool.....

I took this image of the moon a couple of years ago. It show some of the surface detail. This was shot using a 300 mm lense. I read the other day that the foot prints of the astronauts who landed on the moon will remain intact for thousands of years beacause there is no weather on the moon - no atmosphere. Talk about leaving behind something for the future eh :>)

Testing

I'm just trdting out the "blog this" feature on picasa 3. It look's like it works....

Cold is a relative term.

As I sit in my house out of the -40 celsius weather, I wonder what the term "cold" means to people around the world. Cold to me is death to someone say, who lives in the tropics - they just could not deal with what is outside there today. For someone say in the U.S. Midwest, it is much colder than they get most of the time but still, they have probably felt this weather at least once in their lives.

It's -40 celsius here.... BTW that is also -40 Farenheit - (with the "wind chill" factored in) and by any definition, I think, that's COLD!!!!

What does cold mean to you?

Puppies are a lot of fun.

My golden retriever had 8 puppies on Wednesday October 15th. They are awfully cute little critters. Halley their mother is doing well and is an excellent care giver. Very attentive and caring dog. My kids love it but always want to handle the puppies - too small for that just yet. Here are some photos.

Restoration of the Argyle II

I am the Secretary-Treasurer on the Argyle II Restoration Committee, a group of people from the Kenora, Ontario area who have dedicated them selves to the salvage and restoration of the old wooden boat Argyle II. This boat once plied the waters of the Lake of the Woods as a transportation vessel - essentially a "water bus" that took people who could not afford their own boat out on to the lake to enjoy its natural beauty and recreational opportunities.

One of the major trips was the excursion to Coney Island Beach, just a 5 minute ride from the Kenora Harbourfront where you could spend the day swimming, playing on the beach and enjoying a beautiful summer day. I went on the boat at least once when I was a child and perhaps more - I can't remember exactly how many times to tell you the truth.

Regardless, I do remember what a thrill it was to step on this boat's deck and watch as we pulled away from the dock and embarked on the short trip to Coney Island. The fare was around $1.25 per person or something ridiculously cheap like that. The boat was manufactured in 1936 and plied the waters as a commercial transport for almost 5 decades. It was sold to private interests in the mid-1970s and the folks who bought it used it as a cottage on the water for several years. However, the boat eventually fell into disrepair and the owners had planned to scuttle it in September of 2007. This is what the boat looks like today.

After looking at this image, you may be thinking I and the other people on the Committee are crazy - there is nothing to save. Hardly, the superstructure of the boat is still in fairly good shape and the steel ribbings on which the carvel wood plankings are attached is in very good condition. We do realize that it is and will be, a monumental effort to restore the boat and that it will take tons of sweat equity, time and money to do but what the hell, anything in life that is worthwhile is usually challenging - otherwise it would not have been worthwhile in the first place.

Our first task is to prepare a business plan for the salvage of the boat and present it to and have it accepted by, the current owners. We have to float the boat from its current location on Channel Island on Lake of the Woods to a drydock location at Kenora Forest Products in Keewatin. Once accepted by the current owners of the boat, we plan to execute the salvage phase of our plan between May 1 and May 14,2008.

As a Committee, we are in the process of incorporating as a not-for-profit entitiy and we hope to also obtain charitable status so we can provide tax receipts to people who give donations towards the restoration effort.

We are in need of cash right now however - and have raised about $6000.00 so far - but we estimate the salvage effort alone will cost between $10,000.00 to $12,000.00 to pull off. So if you agree this is a worthwhile endeavour, why not consider sending a donation to our Committee? Cheques can be made out to the "Argyle II Restoration Fund" and mailed to the Argyle II Restoration Committee, c/o Box 647, Kenora, Ontario, P9N 3X6.

As a token of our Committee's appreciation, anyone who makes a donation of $250.00 or more will receive a limited edition, 16x20 inch signed and numbered print of the Argyle in her hey day taken by re-knowned Kenora photographer Tom Thomson. There is a value to history and to preserving things from the past so why not consider lending us a hand?

Fall is a Time of (Quick) Change in this Part Canada

Well it is almost October and up here in Canada, Fall is here and it is here NOW. Compared to most of the United States, our Fall in this part of Canada lasts only about 2 months and then the last month to month and a half (although technically is still "Fall") looks a heck of a lot more like winter. We get snow in this part of Canada usually by the first week of November and it doesn't go away until mid-April on average. Sometimes the snow and cold weather linger into the early part of May but that is pretty rare.

While our Fall is short and winter comes early, the "change" is truly beautiful and it occurs rapidly. Our "Fall colours" only last for 2, maybe 3 weeks and then all the leaves fall. This doesn't make it any less beautiful however. While I am used to winter, snow and cold because of where I live, and I don't mind winter too much, the fact it comes so early and leaves so late can be a little depressing. On the positive side the fishing is great at this time of year and since I love muskie fishing, I try to get out at least two or three times before the snow flies. It can be cold in the boat especially when the wind blows but the fish are hungry and are usually in the mood to bite. This guy certainly was and my buddy Marc caught him trolling last week. He was about 40 inches long and he weighed somewhere in the range of 15-18 pounds. Once we got him in the boat we took a few quick pictures and released him back into the lake. Maybe we'll catch him again next year!

I am not looking forward to winter this year, at least not now anyway. My kids love the seasonal change of course. Playing in the leaves is one of their favourite things to do in October - as it is for just about every kid I'm sure. I remember loving it as well when I was a kid so I guess some things never change and in my opinion, that is a good thing. Since we have two dogs one of the important things to do in our yard is making sure you clean up the doggy d00-doo BEFORE you rake the leaves. If you don't well, I'm sure you can figure out the potential consequences.....

Hockey season is also just about to get underway and boy, I hope the Maple Leafs actually do some this year. Making the playoffs would be a good start. They have not won the Stanley Cup since 1967 so hell it's about time don't ya think? Anyway, hockey means winter so I guess that I don't want to rush things as pretty soon, the beautiful fall colours will be gone and the land up here will look a lot like this- yikes!