The Urban Whale

November 19th, 2007 by LB, under Living and Learning. 4 Comments

While he lead us through the whole whale autopsy process, Micheal Moore, the biologist, talked about his work with the Northern Right, or Bowhead whale.  These animals are not rebounding with the same success as their southern cousins.  There are only a total of just over 300 of these animals left, and every year a third of this tiny population becomes entangled in fishing gear.  Some animals are able to disentangle,  but others die a long slong death.  The average time from entanglement to demise is five months.

Micheal has written a chapter in the newly published Urban Whale.  I’ve ordered the book if anyone wants to borrow it, and since this trip I have decided I will no longer purhase fish.

Farewell Horse

October 2nd, 2007 by LB, under Living and Learning. 4 Comments

Some eighteen years ago, when I was a young women with a teeny tiny basement suite a wild cat appeared out my door.  So wild that the minute I looked out the window she would vanish.  But she was hungry, so I bought cat foot and would put out a dish whenever I saw her and eventually from a distant corner I could watch her scarf it down, and that’s how she became Horse – because she ate like a horse.

Every day since I was 22, this cat has shown up like clockwork twice a day to eat, except for every once and a while when she would dissappear for two to three weeks at a time, and God knows where she’d go, but she’d always come back.  We even moved away for two years and when we came back, there was Horse like we’d never been gone.

When Shark and I moved into town we weren’t sure what to do, so Bill trapped her and she lived in the house for a couple of weeks where she’d hide under Shark’s bed and so for the two years we’ve been here, she’s been here showing up early in the morning, at dinner time and every once and a while being brave enough to come in for a visit.  She’s always loved Shark and so somehow Shark has always been able to coax her into the house and they snuggle while Horse drools all over her.

The last year, she hasn’t looked good and I’ve been worried and today, tonight, she came up on the porch, but she wouldn’t eat.  She looked at me, and the way she meowed… I know its time…… and God it feels so silly, but I ache, I ache, I ache…..  and so tommorow Shark and I, and Bill will make the trip to Tlell.

They really, really touch you… animals, they really do.  I will miss her so much.  And its funny I feel the desire to blog – to tell you all.  I suppose because the greatest comfort is not being alone, and I know we’ve all gone through this.   That, and knowing that she’ll be with Bert and Taz and Jake. And of course Bert has been there for some time, so he’ll know the ropes.

Bum Darts

June 14th, 2007 by LB, under Living and Learning. No Comments

We did many great things at Lepas and I am in the process of posting some pictures in the photo gallery, but in the meantime, this one game warrants special mention….

 

Here D gives a briefing of the rules of the game…..  which are basically, clench a spruce cone in your buttocks, run to to the specially designated pit, and make the drop…..

First, load the amunition….

 

Then give’er, but as W demonstrates, technique is everything… hips must point forward….

 

Then, aim, and fire….

Laskeek Found

May 28th, 2007 by LB, under Living and Learning. 4 Comments

   A couple members of our Laskeek delegation are absolute purists.  Their planned dinner meal, an extreme variation of the 100 Mile Diet, was in my mind, right out of Survivor.  Laskeek Found meant we could only eat what we could find in the immediate vicinity of camp.  Above, the kids are searching for Goeyducks pn the low tide. (more…)

Things That Go Bump in the Night

May 27th, 2007 by LB, under Living and Learning. No Comments

The focus of the Living and Learning trip to Laskeek Bay was to participate in the annual monitoring of Ancient Murrelet Chicks done by the Laskeek Bay Conservation Society. I believe, and please I am by no means an expert, the birds spend their life at sea and only come on land to breed. Limestone Island, off the southeast tip of Louise Island is a breeding colony, or at least I think that’s what you call it.

Anyway, its quite a spectacle. The birds lay their eggs in burrows and the minute they hatch, without even partaking in a first meal, they take off and head to the Ocean, but only at night to avoid predators like Eagles and Falcons. They are programmed to head for the light  because the water shows up lighter at night, so these tiny little birds are bumping and rolling their way down the rocks and cliffs in the dark.

As volunteers our job was to wait, in the dark, for the chicks to roll down the hill into one of these man made funnels.  It is essential that we turned off our headlamps, or the birds would fly right into us, which is exactly what an adult bird did to me as I walked down the path.  We then carefully grabbed each wee birdie (there were 6 during our time) and put them into a little bag so they could be weighed.  After researchers collected the necessary info,  we then took each chick down to the water line,  made sure we had no lights on, and listened and watched as the tiny little things took off.  We had to wait at least five minutes before turning our headlights back on to make our way back up to the forest or the birds would turn around and fly rightback towards our lights.

Our watch started at 11:00pm  and wrapped at about 2:30 am, during which time I was privledged to huddle, in the dark, with my daughter and her two closest friends under millions and millions stars.  I was able to participate in conversations about the most embarrasing things parents do, (and I am a culprit), partake in the sharing of organic fair trade chocolate as well as maple sugar candies, and laugh hysterically at the sounds of adolescent birds flying into trees and calling out to future mates.  Dare I say we bonded.  Although I sure that if any of them read this, their eyes will most certainly roll.

Well if that wasn’t enough bonding we were then able to snuggle up with the six others in a tiny, tiny cabin, only to be woken up three hours later for the boat ride back to camp.  Funny though, because I can’t wait to do it again.  This group is doing some great work and you can check out their work at the above link.  I highly recommend volunteering.

School in the Bush

May 25th, 2007 by LB, under Living and Learning. No Comments

The Living and Learning School headed to Vertical Point on the Southest corner of Limestone for the long weekend for the annual school in the bush trip. 

Here they invade the spacious ferry lounge…  (more…)

To be, or not to be….

April 14th, 2007 by LB, under Living and Learning. No Comments

Today I went ‘into the hills’ with Shark and her class, and as part of our outdoor education adventure we were asked to choose a nature name for ourselves, something that exists outdoors.  I thought for a while and wanted to choose something strong and powerful, so decided on Cougar…..(Yikes, what was I thinking? Remember, I am an egghead)  It actually took me a good half hour to realize this was not a good choice….

Perhaps I’ll stick with something a little more benign like Ladyslipper or Crystal.

When exactly did I become a middle aged woman?  Complete with distengrating eyesight (in low light only),  grey hair in unthinkable places and a fly through brain……   and a fear of becoming a you know what…..

Solve for X

April 2nd, 2007 by LB, under Living and Learning. 2 Comments

These actual test questions were forwarded to me by my brother John.  We enjoyed a good giggle over these, and I feel compelled to share them with the students I have the pleasure of spending Sundays with, and anyone else who might enjoy them.

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Magic Returns to Graneth Grove

March 14th, 2007 by LB, under Living and Learning. 3 Comments

Well…. in a play where students were able to concieve, write and act out their very own play, Shark plays two characters.  Star the Unicorn as shown above and Star the horse.  “The best part.” she told me, “is I only nee done costume with a detachable horn.  Yes, well here it is.

 

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I didn’t know what to say…

December 18th, 2006 by LB, under Living and Learning. No Comments

 

Shark went Christmas Caroling in the long term care wing of the hospital with all the Guides, Brownies and Sparks this morning.

When we left she had a series of questions and I struggled with the answers.

“Mom, why are those people in the hospital?”

“They live in the hospital because they are getting old and they need help taking care of themselves.”

“Do you think Granny and Grandad will end up living there to?”

“I don’t know, they might one day.”

“But I don’t want them to because I love them.”

“I love them to, but one day I might live there and one day you might live there to because we are all getting older, so we just have to soak up all the time we have.”