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.

The Freedom to Vote--- Use It.

Monday, November 5, 2012,

the eve of the Presidential election

in the United States of America,

a country that is anything but

united.

Years ago, when I first arrived in

Virginia I was talking to a friend 

about the Civil War.  In her lovely,

soft and southern accent she proclaimed,

"you mean the war between the States?

There was nothing civil about it." 

Substitute political parties for States

and my friend could have been talking

about the political campaigns

which will thankfully terminate

tomorrow.

Living in Canada now, 

 without a television, I have been

spared the political promises from

both camps.  Speaking of camps, 

I thought they were supposed to be for 

the children.

In North America we have the

freedom to vote yet  during the 2008

presidential election only 57% chose to 

honour this freedom,  

about the same percentage which 

elected Andrew Jackson in 1828! 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_turnout_in_the_United_States_presidential_elections

Canada's voter turnout in 2011 was not

much better,  61%,  down from 73% in 1867.

Canadians voting overseas, 1917

In many countries people walk for miles,

barefoot and probably hungry, sometimes

fearful for their lives, to dip their finger and

ink their precious vote in their shaky democratic

societies.

Last year in France 80% of the people

voted in the Presidential election.





And the winner of the highest voter turnout

is the Republic of Malta.   93% of the people 

voted in their last election.  Perhaps islanders

are a lot more relaxed when it comes to voting.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090215/local/malta-has-highest-free-voter-turnout-in-the-world.245033

It is too bad the United States

of America is such a divided

country. 

Perhaps we should

leave the camps to kids;  

they know that when you

 mix  red and blue together

you create the beautiful,

 deep royal colour of purple,

full of nuances, 

a potpourri of potential,

a palette of unending possibilities.

Whether you choose to ink 

in red or blue,

just choose to use it,

your vote.

Wawa

In the wake of  Superstorm Sandy
I want to talk about
Wawa.

No, not an infant's first words,
hands raised asking
for water, but a small town situated
along Lake Superior
in northern Ontario, Canada.


Just before Sandy,
a record amount of rain
flooded the outlying areas
of this town, collapsing
a huge section of  TransCanada
Highway 17.



I'm really not chasing stories of
loss and destruction.  If I  am
chasing anything it is stories
of hope and resilience.

Meet Mo and John,
owners of Northern Lights Motel.
in Wawa.  Scroll through their photos of the flood
damage to their motel but read
Mo's captions.

"We had plans of landscaping the backyard, 

but this wasn't quite what we had in mind."

In true Northern Ontario spirit
Mo refuses to let disaster dictate
her disposition.

"It's time to rebuild. We've more than LOVED this business

 and this is just another challenge along the way," Mo

writes.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised to find the

following quote on their website.  

"Throw yourself into some work you believe 

in with all your heart, live for it, die for it, 

and you will find happiness that you had 

thought could never be yours." Dale Carnegie (1888-1955)

Thank you Dale (and Mo) for the reminder.

.

The Calm Before The Storm

from Herring Rock Rd in Blue Rocks

Thursday afternoon, in bright
blue skies and brilliant
sunshine Alec and I left Blue Rocks
and drove into Halifax to pick up
Jeff from the airport.
He was flying back home from
a conference in South Carolina.

While waiting in line at the airport
Timmys,   Alec's favourite place in Canada,
 a girl told us that all flights were
cancelled from New York!



Looking up at the departure board
(yes, in Tim Horton's) Jeff's flight
was nowhere to be found.

Yikes Alec,  we may have to return
home without Jeff. 

We drove over to the terminal and lo and
behold, there was Jeff, getting off one
of the last flights from New York.

That was Sunday, in the 60's  with
the trees still wearing the multi-coloured

tresses.

Today, I  braved the 45 mph winds
to walk along the rocky coast here in Blue
Rocks.

We were not in the direct, physical

 path of Sandy, we were spared

her torrential rains and flooding.

In Lunenburg, however, the 

community had special ties

to the HMS bounty, a ship

that was built there 50 years

ago and that sunk off the coast

of North Carolina. 

"The Bounty was a spectacular ship and a 

symbol of Lunenburg's proud tradition of shipbuilding," 

Premier Dexter said.

 "It is a sad loss for the community, but no ship is as

 important as the safety of its crew."

 They are saddened to

hear of her sinking and of the

loss of one of her crew.

The Coast Guard is still holding

out hope of finding Captain

Walbridge.

We can only hope as well.

To all the men and women 

who risk their lives to save

others, I thank you.