THE TALE SPINNER
Vol. XVI, No. 39
September 25, 2010
IN THIS ISSUE:Vol. XVI, No. 39
September 25, 2010
Shirley Hargreaves concludes her story of a visit to Haida Gwaii
Kate Brookfield resumes her account of their recent visit
Carol Dilworth asks for suggestions for Halloween treats
Zvonko Springer forwards more paraprosdokian sentences
The editor ponders Cambridge's project to stop wasting waste
Sites are suggested by Carol Hansen, Gerrit deLeeuw, Jay, and Zvonko Springer
Shirley Hargreaves concludes her story of her trip to
HAIDA GWAII
Train travel is very comfortable; it is not as cramped as a bus. You can walk to the observation car or lounge and use the washroom. There is a tray on each seat to use as a table or a desk. As the miles rolled by we were served cold lunch and dinner.
As we headed for the coast, the scenery became greener and more mountainous and very densely wooded. Aspen and paper birch are plentiful near Houston and Smithers. We got out at Smithers for five minutes and I saw Hudson Bay Mountain. We continued through the Bulkley Valley and a series of tunnels and trestles to the Hazelton area.
Then we followed the Skeena River through fabulous scenery to Prince Rupert. Clouds with golden edges dropped their moisture on dark green mountains, and shafts of sunlight made their raindrops shine. Adventurers paddled downstream in a high-prowed canoe. We followed the tracks through woods and tunnels and over trestles built on the banks of the river. Terrace has a very wide railway yard and many “big box” stores and Pizza Hut, McDonalds and Save On - we were back to the modern commercial scene. Too soon we arrived at Prince Rupert. I walked a few blocks and then went to find my room at the Crest Hotel. It was down a long hall to the end and around the corner. Once I had found it I didn’t leave until morning.
After breakfast the next morning the bus took us to the harbour and we boarded the B.C. Ferry to sail across Hecate Strait to Haida Gwaii. We sailed all day on calm seas under a sunny sky ... too cool to stay on deck. I finished reading my novel and had an interesting conversation with the guide. Our local bus met us and transferred the group from Skidegate over a small ferry to Charlotte City and Sea Raven Motel, where we spent the night.
On the following rainy morning our destination was Haala Gaa Taa Naay, or the Kaay Centre. It is a modern museum which houses tribal treasures and provides workshops for the continuance of Haida crafts. A young man explained the stories and symbolism of all the outdoor poles as the rain poured down on our umbrellas. He told how the poles were erected.
Then we went into the shed where several artists were carving huge poles. This shed was the home of the famous canoe which has been displayed all over the world. He discussed their construction step by step, and I learned that ribs had been added to the original design. The high bow rides the waves rather than cutting into them. In a glass case was a diorama of an ancient village, from which we learned much about village life. The section for the displays of Haida articles contained button blankets, taxidermy, tree species, Chief Skidegate’s argillite carvings, poles, copper shield, etc. A large room for meetings and ceremonies was patterned after the original style. We were served an excellent lunch featuring salmon and berries, and then we continued on to Port Clements on Graham Island.
This town was the centre of logging during World War I to supply the wood for building airplanes, particularly the “Spruce Goose”. It was the location of the Golden Spruce, a rare mutation, until a disgruntled former forest worker cut it down to make a political statement in 1997. It was 50 meters tall and 300 years old. We visited a museum full of old stuff. Of great interest was a stuffed albino (white} raven. Outdoors was a collection of old logging machinery, including a very large donkey engine and a huge grappling hook.
We visited a few little craft studios on a hill in Tlell before returning to the motel. Then we paused for a few minutes to peek through the trees at Balance Rock, which we would visit later. In the evening we attended a slide show at the visitor centre in Charlotte City.
The next morning we crossed the Skidegate Ferry to Alliford Bay and climbed into vans. They drove over logging roads for an hour to Moresby Camp on Cumshewa Inlet, where we were dressed in waterproof gear and loaded into two Zodiacs. The trip to Skedans was very exciting: we crossed wide stretches of water at fast speed, made lots of noise, and bounced over the waves. We slowed our speed to go through Selwyn Inlet, where we looked into the shallow water at sea anenomes and starfish and seaweeds. There were quite a few bald eagles perched in the trees.
It was sunny and warm at K’unna Linagaay as our crew beached the boats. Our lunch was spread out on driftwood logs. Half of the group toured the old site. We were led by young “watchmen” who live there for the summer and guard the ruins. Most of the buildings and poles have been reduced to pieces of wood overgrown with plants, but a shell-lined path guides the viewers around the old village. While the second group toured, my group ate lunch. The ride back was very fast and bumpy and we completed our circumnavigation of Louise Island. Off with the heavy coats, a trip to the outhouse, and everyone was ready for the return trip over the logging road. What an exciting day!
In the evening I returned to the visitor centre to watch slides of the birds of the Islands. I could hardly keep my eyes open!
The next day we returned to Balance Rock. There we had some time to look at tide pools and pose for pictures. We saw many deer as we drove the highway. We continued north through Massett to Agate Beach, where we could walk down to the water’s edge and wander for half an hour. That was a treat. The waves, sand, stones and driftwood all had their own areas. We looked for agates among the pebbles and enjoyed a coffee break.
The road led us to Naikoon Park. We drove through rain forest quite different from our mainland forest. Then we followed a boardwalk to Tow Hill. This formation was a result of geological action. At the shore there stands a lone high hill of black basalt. A blowhole has formed where at high tide the waves shoot high into the air, but it was low tide. And it began to pour, so we returned to the campsite, where our bus driver had a fire to warm us. Then the sun came out and we enjoyed a picnic lunch. On the return trip we stopped in the rain forest to experience walking on the thick growth of moss. At places it has covered the ground as deeply as five feet. Next we stopped at New Massett, where there was a store selling beautiful crafts. I walked outside and took pictures of a modern totem pole.
We had time to prepare for the Haida feast. We were invited to the home of a resident family and sampled a large variety of their regional foods: venison stew, halibut, salmon, octopus, cranberries, bannock, and berry pie.
And that was the end of our holiday. The next day we drove to Sandspit airport and left Haida Gwaii.
Kate Brookfield resumes her story of their recent visit to
SCOTLAND AND NORTHERN ENGLAND
We managed to get the house in order and everything packed up in the cars for the next family get-together in Yorkshire. We were sad to leave the place we had called home for six days, but all good things come to an end. Robert and family were first to leave. They planned to spend the night in York before going on to Dover, which is on the south coast of England.
Michael and I travelled in convoy with Caroline and Ken and the two boys. Our first stop was the Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick. This is an amazing place for seeing sea birds close up without going out in the wind and rain! They have webcams set on the rocks and in the comfort of the centre you can watch the birds and zoom in to see the birds in close-up detail. The rock is covered with thousands of gannets with their eggs and chicks of all sizes. You can also see grey seals and sea eagles, and we were told, dolphins visit this area. But we didn’t see any. Check it out at http://arunaurl.com/4021
As we were homeless, I was trying to contact my sisters in northern England, but I couldn’t find a telephone booth. I asked a construction worker at the bird sanctuary where I could find a pay phone and he handed me his cell phone. I could not get my Rogers cell phone to work all the time I was in the UK. I found out later that they had given me the wrong code when I set it up in Canada! It seems the Brits have moved in droves to cell phone use and pay phones seem to be dying out from vandalism and no demand for them anymore. He did not seem to mind that I was calling Yorkshire and Durham and wouldn’t take any payment. I only got answering machines but was able to leave a message to say we were on our way a day earlier than planned.
Our next stop was Alnwick castle in Northumberland, England. This castle was used for the setting for Hogwarts School in the Harry Potter films, and they are certainly cashing in on the new-found popularity as a tourist spot. It was 12.50 British pounds for adult admission to the castle and grounds and 5.50 for a child. As we were just passing through, we did not want to spend this amount of cash, so we skirted round the outside. I remember going to Alnwick as a child and the place was deserted! Incidentally, my ancestors come from this town. My great-great-grandfather was a baker here. It was hard for the little ones not to get into the playground area and walk on the bridge over the moat. You can see more of this castle at the website http://arunaurl.com/4024
We went into the town and had a meal in a restaurant. Caroline started clicking her gadget which was a new I-Pad. She got a code from the staff and was able to search the area for accommodation. It was not a phone, but she could get e-mails and websites. She did not want to land on my sister with two small children, if not expected. I kept telling her that it would not matter, but she was determined to make their own arrangements. So I rushed off once again to find a pay phone and eventually was successful and got through. My sister confirmed that the beds were all ready and they were expecting them that night anyway. I got back to the tourist office just in time to stop Caroline booking a place in Alnwick.
The rest of the journey was easy for me as this was home territory for me. We drove down the north-east coast of England. My home town had changed little and we finally arrived at my sister’s home. Michael and I had to continue across the North Yorkshire moors to my other sister’s home in Sleights, just outside Whitby. My paternal grandfather’s family all originated from this seaport, famous as the home port of Captain Cook.
It was this sister who was hosting the family re-union for my side of the family which was to be held at the weekend. It was seven years since we had last seen each other, so we had a lot of catching up to do at the same time preparing all the dishes for the event.
On Saturday everybody started arriving from all over the UK. My brother and his wife with my nephew and his wife came from Northampton; another brother and his wife came from Ilkley in North Yorkshire. My sister and husband came with Caroline and family from Hartlepool, where they had had a good time in the last few days seeing the sights the Heritage Ministry had created to revive the once industrial north into a tourist haven. The clipper ship the "Trinkamalee" sits in the now-fashionable port. This ship was restored by the local marine craftsmen whose livelihoods were lost when the ship building industry declined in the north-east. My niece, who is a potter, had just moved to a new home in Sleights the week before we arrived. I had not met her partner or her son, Jack, who is seven. She was pregnant with him the last time I saw her. Robert and Amanda arrived back from Dover. They and Caroline’s family rented townhouses on the seafront at Whitby. The others stayed in a very attractive bed and breakfast in Sleights with a fabulous garden full of interesting flowers and shrubs with a beautiful view of the North Yorkshire hills.
On Sunday morning, we all met up again at the home of Jack’s grandfather. He is a model railway buff and he had invited his fellow train enthusiasts to bring their trains to run on the extensive track he has set up in his back garden, overlooking the sea. Once again it rained, but the kids loved seeing the trains and they didn’t seem to notice the rain. There are more photos of this re-union at my Picasa site: http://arunaurl.com/3m3c
To be continued.
CORRESPONDENCE
Carol Dilworth writes: For Halloween, I would like to give out a food item instead of my usual school supplies. I was thinking of a small jar of peanut butter but my budget is about $1 per item. Can you suggest something? And does anyone give away environmentally-friendly bags that are not advertising something?
Zvonko Springer's cousin sent more examples of
PARAPROSDOKIAN SENTENCES
"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate." - Henry J. Tillman
"I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat." - Will Rogers
"She got her good looks from her father - he's a plastic surgeon." Groucho Marx
"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it." Groucho Marx
"One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas I'll never know." - Groucho Marx
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx
"It looked so good out this morning, I thought I'd leave it out." Paul Benjamin King
"I haven't slept for ten days. Because that would be too long." Mitch Hedberg
"You know, I'm sick of following my dreams, man. I'm just going to ask where they're going and hook up with 'em later." -
Mitch Hedberg: "There’s a bunch of different crunches that affect the abs ... my favorite is Nestle." - Shmuel Breban
"Actually, my cd was released in 1985, in return for two German missionaries and a Dutch urologist." - Emo Philips
"I discovered my wife in bed with another man, and I was crushed. So I said, 'Get off me, you two!'" - Emo Philips
"Mark my words. No, Mark, I really need my words." - Stephen Colbert
"If all the girls at Vassar were laid end to end, I wouldn't be surprised." - Dorothy Parker
"It's too bad that whole families have to be torn apart by something as simple as wild dogs." - Jack Handey
"On the other hand, we have different fingers." - Jack Handey
"The face of a child can say it all, especially the mouth part of the face." - Jack Handey
FROM THE EDITOR'S DESKTOP
I was intrigued by the article written by Jay Lindsay of the Associated Press about a project in Cambridge, Mass., about a novel idea for turning waste into light, the "Park Spark". Created by Matthew Mazzotta, it converts dog poop into power for an old gaslight-style street lantern in a dog park.
The converter is two steel 500-gallon oil tank painted bright yellow, attached by black piping to the lantern. After dogs do their business, signs on the tanks direct owners to use biodegradable bags supplied on site to pick up the poop and deposit in the left tank. People turn a wheel to stir its contents with water. Microbes in the waste give off methane, an odourless gas that is fed through to tanks to the lamp and burned off.
It occurred to me that this idea would be a great solution to the problem of waste at factory farms, where tons of manure produce methane gas which contributes mightily to climate change. With the power produced they could run their factories and probably have power left over to sell. If they must congregate cows and pigs in huge factories they could at least prevent the manure from polluting the atmosphere and the ground waters which are so vital to the growing of crops.
To read the whole article, go to http://arunaurl.com/402c.
SUGGESTED SITES
If misery loves company, some of us may find satisfaction in seeing that not all glamorous movie stars have aged especially well either. Carol Hansen sends this link:
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"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good." - Samuel Johnson
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