It's The How That Makes All The Difference

The next time you eat lobster
know this;  at 1:00 a.m this
morning the local lobster men
left the wharf here and headed out to sea. 
They returned around 3 p.m
and unloaded a boat full of lobster.



These guys pulled up 250 traps,
measured the lobsters, rebated the
traps then dumped them back
in the ocean.
  

"This looks like hard work," I
quipped to a red cheeked man
who was sliding into the cab of his truck
as I walked by with Piper.

"It's mighty cold out there, that's
for sure," he said.

Jeff talked to a couple of guys
who told him to come back
at 1 p.m. tomorrow to pick
up a few lobsters, probably
$5 a pound.

"We should bring them hot coffee"
I said to Jeff.  I get cold just
looking at these guys.

Lobster season brings a whole
new meaning to knowing where
your food comes from.  Sure,
I always knew lobsters came from the
sea but I never knew the how.  

It's the how that makes all the difference.

Prepare the way for the.....

Homarus Americanus, 
known around these parts as
LOBSTER!

 I know that for some Christians,
the advent season is just around the corner,
a time to settle into the darkness of winter
while preparing for the LIGHT.

But here, in Blue Rocks, Region 33,
we have been preparing for
Lobster Season which starts
the last Monday in November,7 a.m. sharp.

Lobster Traps ready to be loaded onto the boats
The Point, Blue Rocks, Nova Scotia

For the past month or so,
the lobster folk have been
down by the docks
preparing their traps and
colourful buoys in preparation
for the first day of Lobster Season
here on the Southshore of Nova Scotia.

rope, a weight, a buoy, a tag

traps and boats are out to sea

more traps ready to load onto the boats

each trap is tagged

Dumping Day   began today,
a day late due to 50 kilometre winds
whipping up the whitecaps yesterday.
Lobster season begins a day late in N.S. | CTV Atlantic News

Though the thermometer has
dipped into darned cold temperatures
these fishermen (and here they are all men here)
brave the weather to race out,
drop their 250 traps and
set their buoys to mark their territory.




Just around the corner from us, the docks have been empty since 7 a.m.

 Finally, around 3 p.m. one boat
returns, empty of all her nets.

There are quite a few regulations surrounding

fishing for this crusty clawed crustaceans.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada monitors the regulations

• a limited number of licences issued, 250 in this region
• limited and staggered fishing seasons – lobster fishing is generally prohibited between July and the end of September to protect summer moults;
• protection of egg-bearing females – females bearing eggs must be released back into the environment alive to ensure the reproductive cycle continues (harvesters may voluntarily cut a small v-shaped notch in the female’s tail prior to release to ensure it will be released in the future, even when not bearing eggs);
• minimum lobster size limits – a measure to increase the likelihood that lobsters reach full adult maturity and reproduce;
• maximum lobster size limits (or a closed window size as an alternative measure) which protects large lobsters that proportionally produce more eggs;
• trap designs that allow undersized lobsters to escape and that include biodegradable escape panels to ensure traps lost at sea will not continue catching lobsters and other species; and
• ongoing monitoring and enforcement of fishing regulations and licence conditions.

Licenses don't come cheap 

and they are hard to come by,

usually being passed down in the family.

Kijiji, the equivalent to Craigslist in the States,

posts ads for a license.

Lobster License For Sale Lobster License - Area 31b This is a core license, selling license only.

$450,000.00

19-Nov-12 Halifax

But really, when all is said and fished,

this season is about the lobster and their sex life;  

without that we wouldn't be 

dining on these delicious invertebrates.

Speaking of their sex life, stay tuned!

Waiting until midnight before she can go out again to check the traps.

You can be sure that we will

be braving the winds and the rain,

in solidarity with the fishermen,

to walk down to the wharf

and buy our lobster right off the boat.

Christmas Parade in Lunenburg

Well, our beautiful, fall-like weather
of blue skies and warm weather
has come to an end.

A wicked wind is blowing off
the shore and we even saw
a few snow flurries this morning.

Lunenburg Harbour

Perfect weather for the Santa Parade
in Lunenburg this afternoon.



Dories were definitely the theme
of this maritime parade.  Oh how
I lust after the red dory in this
clip.

The Wee Bluenose

the christmas couple?

Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD)
Artist Residents in Lunenburg

Not sure who this guy is?  Sleigh maker????

I never knew the Grinch rode in a Dory

Christmas Mischief Makers

More music.

The Object of Jeff's lust
 (not the snowman!)

Those were the days.

Mr. and Mrs. Claus

After seeing all the "Dories"
in this Christmas parade
you may be wonderin' what
the heck is a Dory?
 Ah, that may just have to be another post.

25 days until those who have been good will
reap their Christmas reward.

Only A Stone's Throw Away

Sometimes I feel far away from my friends.

 As I sit at my desk, in this small,
 cape cod house plunked along
the southern shore of Nova Scotia,
I look out onto the North Atlantic ocean.

Apparently about 300 million years ago

Nova Scotia was attached to Morocco, in

Africa.  If you get my drift takes on a whole

new meaning.  The Meguma terrane of the southern

half of Nova Scotia, which said bye bye to Africa,

joined  the present North American landmass 

as part of the Appalachian orogeny.

orogeny:  the process of mountain making or upheaval.

When I pick my way along the craggy, 

rocky coast here in Blue Rocks, 

I walk upon the same formation of rocks 

that are in Morocco and can be found

in the Appalachian mountains,

 host to the Green Mountains of Vermont.

I walk upon an upheaval that has

created a magnificent,

geological masterpiece.  

Recently, my good friend Ann,

a French enthusiast and a 

kayaking/canoeing buddy, 

started  to slightly slur her speech.  

Though I have enjoyed a glass or two of 

fine wine with Ann, this new slip of the tongue

was not fermented grape induced.

Ann has a brain tumor.  

At present, while we do not know the prognosis,

it is quite clear that a simple scan 

created an upheaval in her recently,

retired life and in the lives of all

who surround her.

"Something is not right, something is quite wrong,"

Ann recited into the phone yesterday, 

quoting Miss Clavel from Ludwig Bemelman's

children's series Madeline.

In her cheerful, 

upbeat yet matter of fact style,

Ann talked about the unknown,

how we need to wait for the news

and then move on from there.

Really, isn't that what 

we all need to do?  

wait  

     listen

          move

Ann lives among the Green Mountains.

While I feel the distance between us,

I am really only a stone's throw away. 

I believe that when I 

meditate in the morning

and practice Qi Gong, 

my body is Ann's body,

I practice for her, with her.

After all,

I'm only a stone's throw away.

And we are all on this journey together.

Thank You Megan Leslie, MP Halifax

Thank you Megan Leslie,

community activist and New Democrat Party
Member of Parliament
for Halifax, Nova Scotia

Yesterday, Megan graciously welcomed Alec
into her office in the North End of Halifax,
for the Take Our Kids To Work Day for 9th grade
students across Nova Scotia.

My brother Rick, Legislative Assistant
to Claude Gravelle, MP for Nickel Belt,
Ontario arranged the introduction
of his nephew Alec with Megan.

Megan voiced her concern that
Alec would not see a "typical"
day in the life of an MP;
along with his Honour Brigadier-General The Honourable J.J. Grant,
CMM, ONS, CD (Ret'd), the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia,
Megan was to award the
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
to 30 recipients from her riding. 

A Medal?  From the Queen?
Oh Megan, Alec is all over this one!
While Tuesday may not have
been a typical day for Megan
it was a perfect day for Alec.

Alec lunched with Megan and a team
of community movers and shakers
who chose the 30 recipients of the Jubilee
Medal.  These citizens of Halifax
volunteered their time while advocating
for the homeless, for  literacy, native and women's rights,
 for  those living with  HIV/Aids and for
the the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgendered
communities of Halifax and Nova Scotia.
From age 11 to 100, these  activists
enlivened their community.  They focused
their passion to help  immigrants integrate
into their new country,
to protect women and children from living in poverty,
to support the Red Cross,
encourage linguistic duality and restorative justice and
to ensure that the arts were alive and well in Halifax.

Alec witnessed how volunteerism is at the
heart of any, vibrant community.

    "I don't know what your destiny will be,
      but one thing I know: the only ones among 

      you who will be really happy are those who have 

      and found how to serve."
                -Albert Schweitzer

After lunch,  Alec and Megan walked
over to the Governor's House.

Lieutenant Governor's Official Residence
Governor's House, Halifax, NS

  

For Alec, arriving at The  Governor's House
was the next best thing
to Westminster Palace in London.

After the ceremony of bestowing
the Diamond Jubilee Medal,
"you bow to the Lieutenant Governor just as you would
to the queen," Alec inspected the
downstairs rooms.

Driving back to Blue Rocks
at the end of the day,
we were treated to a virtual tour
of the Governor's Mansion via
Alec's descriptive narrative.


Huge paintings of several of the Kings
(he knew them all of course!) hung from the walls.

"There was a painting of the black sailor, William Hall,

a Nova Scotian who won the Victoria Cross." he informed us.

William Hall

Alec mentioned to Jeffthe specific medals people were wearing,
understanding what each medal entailed.
"You should have seen the clock with the
the Lion Rampart and Unicorn."

Heraldry should have been Alec's middle name.He was thrilled to know that the Lieutenant Governor's
personal flag does not conform to the Nova Scotia standard.

During the ride back to Blue Rocks,we talked about how the
Lieutenant Governor was chosen and we really
didn't know. Alec wasn't home five minutes
before he researched the history of the Lieutenant
Governor and gave us a mini history lesson.

Megan Leslie welcomed Alec into a bit of modern day
history with rich ties to the monarchy.

Last night he said, "When I'm MP I'll....."

You never know how one day,
spent in the shadow of a person at work,
be it a member of parliament or
a teacher or a city sweeper,
may have a lasting imprint
on the life of a teenager.

                 Never doubt that a small group of committed people
                  can change the world.
                 Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
                                               Margaret Mead

Megan Leslie, NDP Member of Parliament
with Alec Connor

We thank Megan Leslie

for her one day,

for welcoming Alec

into her life as a Community Activist,

for showing Alec

the importance of being 

a passionate voice

for a community,

especially for those

who may not have a voice.


Oh and Rick,
thank you for being
such a fabulous Uncle
to your nephew Alec.     

I always wondered why somebody didn't do something about that. 

Then I realized I was somebody.

--Lily Tomlin

Poppy, A Symbol of Remembrance

Since the last Friday in October,
everywhere you go---
cafés, grocery stores,
banks, the post office and
even the liquor store (yes, there
is a government run liquor store
in Canada), red, paper poppies are available
for a small donation.

As a  child,
growing up in North Bay, Ontario
I would see  the veterans,
standing outside shops,
a box full of poppies looped around their neck.
I couldn't wait to wear my poppy.

Royal Canadian Legion Lunenburg, NS

It seems fitting that during

our hiatus in Canada,

Jeff decides to become a 

member of the Royal Canadian Legion.

I'm not exactly sure how 

this American qualifies;  

I guess his service in the Coast Guard

earned him a spot!

Swearing In Of New Members

Jeff Connor, Member of the
 Royal Canadian Legion

How will Jeff celebrate
Remembrance Day tomorrow,
November the 11th?
He will chauffeur  Peter Stoffer,

New Democrat Member of Parliament
for the Sackville-Eastern Shore region of Nova Scotia
to numerous Royal Canadian Legion
branches.

I'm confused. As the only full blooded Canadian in
this family how is it that the only full blooded American
becomes a chauffeur to a CANADIAN member
of parliament?

Mr. Stoffer has a deep respect for Veterans.
He received the Veterans' Commendation Award for
advancing issues on behalf of veterans and their families.
At each of the fifteen Legion branches,
Mr. Stoffer will offer a toast in thanksgiving
for the Veterans' service to their
country; thus the need for a designated driver.

Really, Jeff is an appropriate choice;
a vet who also has a deep gratitude for veterans
and their profound service to our countries,
not to mention a wicked good knowledge
of WW1 and WW2 history.  (Alec
would have to join them if they want
to delve into Roman or Napoleonic history.)

Whether or not we support
our governments choice
to go to war,
let us remember all of those
men and women
who have served,
who have died,
for their countries.