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Our Times in Canada - 1998
Oh what a lovely summer and fall we have had this year. Fantastic weather. The summer did not start all that great due to a bit of late frost which caused many farmers in this area to plow their 12" high corn under and start a new crop but after that it was just peachy; very little rain but still enough to ensure a very satisfactory crop, temperatures warm but very seldom extreme and this carried through until the end of October. We experienced our first frost in the last week of October and this was the death sentence for the impatiens that had been constantly in bloom since may. We are now in the first week in December and we are still enjoying double digit temperatures (this is off course above freezing) - very unseasonal
One of my ambitions since arriving in Canada was to go canoeing in Algonquin Park. This is the oldest park in Ontario and one of the largest in Canada. The park stretches over just under 8 000 sq km of lakes, rivers and forests and all the features that go with this. With all this water it is a canoeist paradise with over 1 500 km of canoe routes. Four brave souls planned a 45 km paddling route with 15 portages totaling 5 km, bought, rented and borrowed equipment and with provisions for 5 days set out on a sunny August Monday morning. The first afternoon after selecting a campsite, the rains came and we were able to test the equipment manufacturers claims of being waterproof. The fire was roaring and keeping it going in the rain was no problem. A nice touch at 3 of the 4 campsites we visited, the previous campers left a small quantity of firewood, enough to get the fire going before foraging for sufficient wood for the evening and next morning. This was a tradition we thought was worth preserving. The campsites are primitive in that they are basically a small clearing with a log or two to sit on around a fire pit and a open air privy a small distance from the site. Performing ablutions without the privacy of a locked door is a novel experience and very calming but can be a bit of an discomfort if it is raining. Keeping your mind on the business at hand is a bit difficult with cold water dripping down your neck. A few prunes every breakfast ensures a comfortable sitting. As we progressed we became more adapt at paddling and portaging with Natalie and Janine developing quite the efficient tandem operation, in stead of one carrying the canoe and the other the packs, they both carried a pack and the canoe and marched with purpose to the next lake. As our longest portage was less than a km we did not always follow the time honoured tradition of making a portage in one passing. Where the terrain was undulating, I found that going back uncumbered made me notice the arboreal features and birds along the trail and when I was carrying this heavy load I had to concentrate on where to put my foot. Apart from the shower the first day and a shower the Thursday afternoon, the weather was lovely. The Thursday we also experienced the crossing of one of the larger lakes against a fairly strong wind. Mathematically the shortest route between two points is a straight line but experience very quickly taught us that better progress could be made when keeping closer to the shore where the wind was less fierce. Every night was different; we slept on rocky outcrops and adjacent to sandy beaches. Making sure the food was out of reach for the local inhabitants was one the last chores performed every evening and ideas were formed to make this task easier - especially early in the trip when little food has been consumed. Bonnie and I are hoping to explore another area of the park next year and for this purpose we have joined the London Canoe Club and have been practicing on the Thames river for a number of week-ends. With some practice next summer we will be in good shape to do some bundu bashing now that we know a little more on what to expect.
Another milestone has been reached in our lives: Natalie has now left the house and has moved into residence at the University of Western Ontario in London. We realise it would have been cheaper for her to stay at home and commute but decided it was worth the cost to let her experience full student life. We are still close enough to go and have a cup of coffee and do her laundry but she has become quite involved and seems to be balancing her social and academic activities responsibly. She has had her days when this engineering course has overwhelmed her and everything went wrong and the next day all the pieces fell into place and she wondered why she was so uptight the day before. She is playing volleyball in the house league and her roommate is quite a party animal and this has made her experience the time honoured student tradition of sobering your buddy up with a cold shower while changing the bedding.
Nicholas had a relatively quiet year plagued by injuries. In high jump he didn't reach his previous year's best and this resulted in him missing OFFSA for the first time. Placing third the previous season and competing in the same age class offered possibilities but it was not to be. The school basketball team conquered the conference championship for the first time in 11 years and this to a team that beat them twice in the regular season. Their team stays practically unchanged for this year as they lost only two players through graduation. He was one of the two grade 11 players selected for a region "All Star" team that played a similarly selected team from the city. The academic side is not where it could be although he has been constantly on the Honour Roll, if similar effort was put into learning as what is put into sport, he could possibly be in line for academic scholarships. He has recently written his SAT's and we ate eagerly waiting for those results. The SAT program measures how well you are expected to do in the universities of the United States
Bonnie is redoing the family room downstairs. The previous owner was not very meticulous in decorating the room and after 9 years this project has bubbled to the top. The first step was to sand the stucco from the walls, remove the so-called trim and prepare the paneling for painting. Getting the fireplace to look planned rather than an afterthought was quite a challenge but a professional painter sowed a seed of thought that grew into a terrific idea and the room looks like a unit; this is even before the painting and papering.
The country is going through a period of high economic activity and although the "Asian Crisis" has affected some sectors of the economy, others are booming. A lower Canadian Dollar versus the American greenback has made our exports more competitive on the markets of our biggest trading partner and has made imports relatively more expensive- all good news for the manufacturing sector. There is always a down side and others warn that Canadian companies are bought for prices way under their market value due to the low C$. Low interest rates and minimal inflation has improved the quality of life but at the same time the growth in the savings for retirement has also taken a beating. Oh well, this event is still a fair number of years in the future and as long as we stick with the game plan, we should be able to enjoy our golden years in relative comfort.
Dit is nou omtrent ses maande later. Baie dinge het hier verander. Natalie werk vir die somer vir die paaie departement an dit was 'n bietjie van 'n probleem om 'n loonende somer pos te vind. Sy het vir 'n week by die plaaslike kalkoen maatskappy gewerk in die afdeling waar die voels ontsnawel, ontspoor (nee, nie die SAS nie) en gekeur word - nie baie opheffend nie maar dit maak dit moontlik vir verdere skooling. Haar ure was van 5 vm tot 1 nm so als en als nie idiaal nie. Gelukkig was daar toe 'n klerikale opening by die paaie departement en dit was meer in haar kraal. Vir haar verjaarsdag het ons haar rollerblades gekoop en ons is toe na London waar daar 'n wandel/fiets/rollerblade roete langs die rivier is. Bonnie en self laai haar eenkant af en beplan om by die kanoeklub te ontmoet. Sy daag toe nie op nie en ek loop terug om haar te soek. Vind haar in pyn wat blyk om 'n gekraakte beentjie in haar voet te wees. Ons spandeer 5 ure in ongevalle en Natalie begin haar nuwe werk op krukke. Gelukkig vir die klerikale posisie anders was daar geen inkomste nie. Ek maak swembad skoon en was besig om die mure te skrop terwyl ek op bie 15cm planke bo-op die swembad mure staan. die druk was te groot of die planke vrot maar die stellasie gee pad en ek land met my kop in die water en bene buite en die ribbes op die rand - baie pynlik; nie aan te bevele nie. Gelullig is my agterent swaarder en val toe agteroor op die gras. Die ribbes bly toe seer vir omtrent 2 maande en moes ek my toe ontrek van die muurbal liga. Met tyd heel alles net deesdae neem dit soveel langer.
Nicholas het besluit om te konsentreer op basketbal en het homself goed gekwyt van sy taak. Die skoolspannetjie het die silwer medalje gewen in die provinsiale skool kampioen­skap (die beste in die geskiedenis van die skool) met Nicholas die tweede beste speler van die toernooi. Die toernooi het hom baie aanbiedings van spanne vir die somer gebring en hy het sy provinsiale kleure gekry en is uitgenooi na ‘n evaluasie kamp vir die 80 beste spelers in die land - nie sleg nie. Dis nou waar al die breiers van universiteite van die sub-kontinent die talent evalueer. Ek mis net die atletiek, basketbal is nie my sport nie.
Hierdie somer het vroulief en self avontuur gaan soek op vakansie. Die tweetjies van ons was vir vier dae in Algonquin Park met ‘n tent en ‘n kanoe en het dit vreeselik geniet. Die slag het ons op een van die groter mere gebly, ‘n lekker kampplek gevind, en dag uitstappies (uitvaartjies?) gemaak. So dit was nie nodig om te “portage” nie en ons kon rus in plaas van elke dag oppak en die proses weer van voor begin op ‘n nuwe plek. Beide idees het voor en nadele maar ons het dit geniet - net ons het nie ‘n “moose” teen die lyf geloop nie en dit was een van die mikpunte van die trip.
WE WISH YOU A BLESSED CHRISTMAS AND EVERYTHING OF THE BEST IN 1999.
Jan, Bonnie, Natalie & Nicholas