Wow... what a day!

It was April Fool's Day and Mother Nature pulled a fast one on Timmins with a howling snow storm.(look in the pic for the flag blowing in the wind!) For the first time this winter, they closed the highways into and out of the city because of the white-out conditions. The snow and wind howled till about five oclock this afternoon, just on time for everyone to get home and shovel their driveways. This day is also Tyler's birthday so in honour of my first grandson I enjoyed chocolate cake for breakfast! I should mention that I happened to have the cake because yesterday was my birthday and even though I worked late, I managed to sneak over to Claudette's place for a late night bite of cake and some coffee and Bailey's. Storm or no storm... chocolate cake for breakfast is a great way to start the day!

Roomie is a great cook

I have a roommate. Scott is staying at the house for a several weeks while he upgrades his electrician's papers at Northern College. The cool thing is that every now and then when I get home, there's food on the table. Today was one of those long days at work, but when I got home, woohoo, there was garlic-glazed ham, veggies and scalloped pototoes. This is all good.

Hockey Night in Canada - in Westree

The family was all at Don and Denise’s camp in Westree for the Easter weekend. It was a great Canadian moment Saturday night when Don Alexander, Jennifer’s father-in-law, came back into the cottage just as the game was starting. Everyone was singing O Canada, so Don, despite being a good Newfoundlander, took off his ball cap like everyone and sang along. Then the fun began because that’s when Don noticed the entire Alexander family had put on Toronto Maple Leaf sweaters. Don is an Ottawa Senators fan and was ready to throw the entire family out in the snow. It was all good… especially since the Leafs did the unexpected. They won the game.

Sun block

Who would have thunk it? It's still winter and I get a bit of sunburn! I was out on the ski trails last week,... no i wasn't skiing, i was snapping photos. I cannot ski. But anyway I was out on the snow in bright sunshine for about thirty minutes. And now I am red! And I am not blushing. What's worse is that the top of my head is red! My hair is thinning to the point that the sun burns my scalp. Gonna have to dig out the SPF lotion!

The pilot and the pantyhose!

Interesting news in Canadian aviation this week. Yeah I know I’m an airplane nut, but anyone who has lived in the North appreciates the de Havilland Twin Otter, one of the best airplanes of the 20th century. Well it’s so good that they’re going to start making them again. A Canadian company called Viking Air Ltd. plans to build another 200 planes over the next ten years. They used to make them at the plant on the Downsview air base where I lived as a kid.
One of my fave Twin Otter stories takes place some years ago when I was on a photo shoot with some fellas from Austin Airways. We landed on the ice for a refuelling stop at a place called Ivujivik, on the Hudson Strait just below Baffin Island. It was so goddamn cold I’ll never forget it. And we were still 200 miles south of the Arctic Circle. The pilot was worried that the fuel, stored inside a big rubber bladder, would be turned to jelly because of the cold. Luckily it wasn’t, but the windchill was seriously around minus 70! I’ll never forget how cold that felt. But because we were refuelling, everyone had to leave the plane. A group of Inuit villagers came out on the ice and boiled up some tea for us. (There is no Tim Horton’s in Ivujivik.) Then the pilot did the strangest thing. He pulled out a small package, and unwrapped it. It was women’s pantyhose! I didn’t know what to think until he explained that the nylon pantyhose was the best fuel filter you could use for bush flying. He said you don’t take chances when flying in the Arctic.
You may remember the Twin Otter from a famous news story from a few years ago. There was a women in Antarctica who desperately needed breast surgery as she was critically ill. The United States military, with all their power and might, tried TWICE to carry out a rescue using their biggest all-weather cargo planes. They couldn’t do it because of a howling winter storm.
But then a Canadian charter company, flying a simple Twin Otter, took off from Alberta and flew to the bottom of the world, landed on the ice on skis, picked up the dying woman and flew her safely back to a hospital in New Zealand where she was treated. How cool is that?!

They'll let anybody in!

Well I guess it's true... they'll let anyone into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Well, they let me in.... that picture up there was three years ago and I had to pay $15 to get in. I was there the day U2 were named to the hall of fame. I was there. U2 wasn't! - - they were in New York. Who wants to go to Cleveland in March???

But I guess what I mean is now that they have inducted Madonna into the upper stratosphere of Rock and Roll royalty, it just sort of cheapens the place. Oh well, if you know me, you know I don't hold back on important things... like the R&R hall of fame. I still get goose bumps when I remember seeing John Lennon's handwritten lyrics for one his greatest songs: In My Life. I remember it from Grade 9. Slow dancing in the high school gym on Friday nights.

Amazing melody. Fantastic lyrics. And Lennon of course, was a genius.

---

There are places I'll remember
All my life,
though some have changed,
Some forever, not for better,
Some have gone and some remain.


All these places had their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall.
Some are dead and some are living,
In my life I've loved them all.


But of all these friends and lovers,
There's no one compares with you,
And these mem'ries lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new.


Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before,
I know I'll often stop and think about them,
In my life I'll love you more.


Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before,
I know I'll often stop and think about them,
In my life I'll love you more.
...In my life I'll love you more.

Nova Scotia and Timmins

I found some interesting info this morning at the Timmins library, while researching history on Ontario Mine Rescue. It seems there was an incident at the old Moose River gold mine, south of Halifax, back in April of 1936. It wasn’t that big a deal except for the fact that CBC Radio was able to broadcast the emergency live across the country. Three men were trapped underground after a cave in. The public was enthralled for ten days as the rescue effort carried on (there was even a movie made!). That might be the reason that a team of hardrock mine rescue experts from Timmins was rushed all the way by train, seaplane and taxi to the mine site in Nova Scotia. It took a day and a half, which was pretty good by 1936 standards. The Timmins fellows crawled into the darkness and worked side by side with Dreagermen from Stellarton, NS to carry out the rescue, which took ten days! One of the fellows died, but not before Bill Hannigan from Timmins was able to write down the man's will as the man lay dying. Some story, eh?

Oh and here's another history tidbit for my CB Cousins. There's a well-known fellow who plays the fiddle in Cape Breton... goes by the name of Buddy MacMaster. Well, well... I saw the documents this morning. Buddy was born in Timmins. Yep, October 18, 1924, Hugh Allan MacMaster was born to Sadie (Sarah) MacMaster, listed as 'wife', and J.D. MacMaster, listed as 'miner', living at No. 14 Messines Ave., which was the Hollinger Mine townsite. Interesting.

They like my photos!

Anyone who knows me well, knows I'm an airplane nut. I like planes. Always have. It's one of the reasons why I shoot as many aircraft photos that I can. I send them in to the JetPhotos website just for bragging rights. They're very fussy and very exacting. I send in tons of photos, but very few get accepted. This week they accepted two shots! Woohoo. To see them just click on my links over there on the right side of the page where it says My Plane Photos.

Snowshoes and chasing helicopters

I was out and about Saturday when I noticed a helicopter crew in the west end. So I went snooping to discover the crew setting up this helicopter for an electro-magnetic survey. It’s one of the things they use to find minerals – things like gold, copper, nickel – in the ground. The rig includes a massive transponder 50-feet wide that sends a signal into the ground and then the torpedo shaped receivers read what sort of metal is in the ground. These fellows were from Australia, Yellowknife and Mississauga. They said they were just testing their equipment. Hmmmmm. Well even if they weren’t “testing” they’re not likely to blab to a reporter where they are surveying. Mining exploration is big business and they’re very secretive. I had to put on the snowshoes to get close enough to some good shots. It was a nice day to be outside.

Happy Leap Year eh!

It's been a few days since I have dropped by, but happily work is keeping me busier than ever. And sssshhhh,... don't tell anyone, but they actually give me money to do this! I love this work and yet every couple of weeks they throw money at me!! Lucky me eh.

So here are a couple of interesting winter photos. The one of the winter trees is one I shot a while ago, but I just like it so much. The other photo is a shot of a sun dog. It's something that happens on those really, really, really cold days we get here in Timmins. The sun reflects off the ice crystals in the air and gives the impression of three suns. I saw it one morning as I was heading into the senior's home for a photo shoot. so I snapped this quick pic through the trees.

My new scanner

It’s funny how much technology improves, when you’re not paying attention. I use VHF radio scanners for work. I had three… the newest being about 15 years old. The others are 20 years old. It was time to get a new one. So I went online with the Uniden company in Texas. They sent my new scanner by Fedex this week. It was only about one third the cost of the one I bought in the 1990s, and yet it has twice the power and capacity. The nice thing is that thanks to the free trade agreement, and because the product is made in the US and not some place like China, there was no duty...and no taxes!!!

Em Oh Oh En - Moon!

Yeah I was like a lot of people tonight. I went out and found a dark spot on the Hollinger tailings, set up the tripod and snapped a couple of shots of the lunar eclipse. Problem: the camera exposes the shot for 5 or 6 seconds, just enough time to cause a little blurring... because hey, the Earth is moving! So here's my moon shot... I don't think NASA will be impressed.

It's family day

Happy Family Day ... if you're in Ontario. It's a new stat holiday here... Thanks to liberal premier Dalton (the Deceiver) McGuinty. He promised a new stat holdiday during the last election... and everyone fell over when he actually lived up to a promise. Oh well, I guess he can't be blamed, he's a true liberal... says ANYTHING to get power.

Guinness is good

I’ve stopped drinking beer. Well that’s what I tell my friends. Even on a hot summer day, I’d rather have water to slake my thirst. But I do enjoy having a Guinness every now and then. Maybe once or twice a month. I had one before supper tonight, and even though the weather was so cold today, the Guinness just seemed to be a fabulous winter drink. It’s hard to explain. It sure has a different taste. It’s good. I remember years ago, when Jenn was in university, I was passing through Sudbury and dropped by for supper. I asked for a beer, she gave me a Guinness and I refused to drink it. Funny eh. Oh yeah... one other thing. A pint has only 198 calories. That's less than orange juice!

Jazz rocks!

What a cool night at the Grammy Awards! First we heard Herbie Hancock playing Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. Anyone who has been to my house knows that music since I play it often. It's one of the best pieces of American Jazz from the 20th century. And then Hancock won the most prestigious Grammy, the album of year, with a jazz album. Yeah, the world is good tonight.

Fireworks and cold weather

One of the nice things about living in Northern Ontario is that one eventually gets used to living in the cold. I was in South Porcupine tonight to see the winter carnival fireworks. Walking out on the ice of Porcupine Lake, it was interesting to see literally hundreds of others out there as well. The windchill was minus 41. But that didn’t seem to slow anyone down. Kids and parents were running around and laughing like it was normal.
I found a good spot to watch and shoot some pictures. I was dressed warmly so I figured the easiest thing was to lie down on the ice, use my camera bag as a pillow and watch the show overhead. I felt a bit self conscious for a moment until I looked around and saw other people lying on the ice, watching the show. It was quite comfortable. I met Ashley later and we went to Tim’s. She told me she sat on a park bench by the lakeshore to watch the fireworks. Of course, she was all snug head to toe in a snowmobile suit. So sitting on a frozen park bench at minus 41 is just a good thing to do… if you live in the north.

Interesting grave markers

I was on a bit of a bizarre story chase today. I went looking for the graves of a couple of Cornish miners who came to Timmins in the 1920s to work in the huge Hollinger gold mine. The two fellas were lifelong friends who worked together. Unfortunately, they died together exactly 80 years ago when the disastrous Hollinger Mine Fire occurred. (Feb. 10, 1928) I was a bit surprised to find their graves were side by side and they shared the same headstone.
Moments after I snapped the photo I noticed footprints leading to another grave not far away... being a nosey sort, I checked it out. Imagine my surprise at finding the grave of the great Bill Barilko. I think only real diehard hockey fans would know about "bashing Bill." But obviously somebody was interested since there were footprints leading up to the headstone... and they weren't mine! Fans of The Tragically Hip will know that Barilko was the subject of their song Fifty Mission Cap. Click the pics to see full size.

Superbowl Updater-Giants 17-14 over the Patriots!

Wow! What a game. Just got home from Casey's (the ribs and wings were great, the chocolate cake I had for dessert was too big) and it was an excellent evening. Of course there was the usual crowd there, and we split ourselves quickly into the two camps... Them for the Patriots and Us for the underdog Giants. We figured the game was lost in the the last four minutes when Tom Brady threw a TD pass in the Giant's endzone. Suddenly the game was 14 to 10 for the Patriots. Oh well, the Giants played their best we figured. It was a good try. But then, by some miracle, the Giants rallied and came back and starting moving down the field. With 35 seconds left in the game, Eli Manning threw a pass and it was a touchdown for the Giants. Unbelievable!!! We shouted ourselves hoarse with cheers and hollers. Who woulda thunk it?! What a game!

Superbowl Sunday

I will have to go out and find a TV today so I can watch the Superbowl. I confess I have not watched a game all year. But this is different. Today's game will be talked about for decades. For the first time ever, one team, the New England Patriots has had a perfect regular season, not losing one game. So there is a chance the "Pats" could have the perfect season. That would nice to see.
On the other hand, the New York Giants are the ultimate underdogs ... in that the Giants could be (pardon the pun) the giant killers if they can defeat the Patriots in this one game! What an upset that would be. This is usually the most-watched single sporting event in the world. Today it will be huge. Either way, it's gonna be a great day for football!

It's not news ... it's just sad.

There has been much media attention about Britney Spears struggling with some personal problems and it seems to gather a lot of attention. I really don't know too much about this person except that she's one of those Hollywood people. I've never regarded the entertainment shows as news. It's all gossip presented as news by the prettiest boys and girls they can find. Anyway, one hopes they leave this person, and her mental health issues, alone.
As for interesting stuff, here in Ontario we have an inquiry going on into the misdeeds of a pathologist who used to work for the Hospital for Sick Children. Dr. Charles Smith has made too many wrong decisions and has provided testimony that sent a lot of innocent people to jail. I am following the story because Smith accused a 12-year-old Timmins girl in the death of a 16-month old baby girl. He was so wrong. But the babysitter's family went bankrupt hiring lawyers to prove her innocence. You can read more about the inquiry here: Inquiry into Pediatric Forensic Pathology in Ontario. Read the transcripts.; amazing stuff.