Tossing Pebbles in the Stream: 09/01/2010

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Five Years On

It has been five years since I began this blog. It does not seem that long. It has been an interesting activity for me which has allowed me to organize and write down some of my thoughts. It has also allowed me to get to know a small circle of fellow blogger and read many blogs I have found stimulating and interesting.

I was not sure what I would do with it when I started the blog. I am a news junkie, a compulsive researcher of anything and everything, a history buff and a follower of politics in a hand full of countries. I have a background in philosophy and theology which often find me with a head of ideas concerning the great questions in life. I at least figured I would organize and vent some of my thoughts in my postings. It turns out I have a recurring theme which often appears. It is the comparison of Canadian culture with American culture. Having lived in the United States and studies a lot of American history and literature, as a Canadian nationalist, I am always drawn to try to explain the differences. This has long been a preoccupation of mine.

It has turn out that I have also revealed a little about my life here on a farm property along the Temagami River, in Ontario. It amuses me that I get more comments when I post some pictures of critters around here, (who have mostly left not to return as my life moves on) particularly my beloved Heidi, my canine companion, the constant source of joy and amusement, than when I struggle to compose a thoughtful political comment. It seem it is easier for people to respond to an image rather than an idea and the personal rather than the thoughtful.

From the beginning, I thought of the blog in terms of a metaphor of a river passing by with me occasionally tossing in a pebble to leave my short lived temporal impression on the stream (of Life). The metaphor has a real image for me which is the Temagami River, which crosses my land. I love rivers . I particularly love "my river" which even as a child I thought of it as a river of romance and wilderness. It is probably the main reason I bought this property 30 years ago. My very first posting on September 28, 2005, was about the river as a place to sit and toss pebbles in the stream.

Without getting all theological about it, I find the solitude of being close to Nature as the closest I can get to the Sacred, the interior sense of the holy reaching out to the Holy of our external reality. (I often write like this without using that most problematic word "God".)

I guess I will continue to write in this blog about things I think are important or amusing as long as it meets a need in me to publicly reach out and express myself. I hope others may find what I write interesting and stimulating for them but basically I write not for others but for myself.

Finally, a spinoff from the blog has been emails I have been moved to write to fellow bloggers when leaving a comment on their blog is never enough. With a few some of these exchanges of emails has been extensive at times, often more personal then we would have written within the confines of the blog's comments. This has been a further enriching experience for me. A few people I have gotten to know "well" this way in spite of having never met. This is surely a strange medium, at the same time impersonal and personal (occasionally revealing more than we should). I hope to continue to have email extensions of the blog from time to time.

I always look forward to reading other peoples blogs so blog on for now!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Our Fragile Political Rights

I have over the years become aware how fragile our political rights are. Originally, I was convinced that they were a bulwark against arbitrary behaviour by governments interfering in the lives of indiviuals and groups. They are after all enshrined in our most precious documents of laws. Life, experience, study of our country's history and that of other countries has made me more cynical of the actual protections these much revered laws offer under circumstances of crisis, fear and hatred in our Society. These are the circumstance when we need them the most. Governments seem more than willing to set aside and undermine our "Bill of Rights and Freedom" in hasty response to such a state. Worse still, we as citizen so easily accept such a violation of our rights by government.

I just finished reading two interesting articles which illustrate this. The first is an article about Fred Korematsu, an American citizen, of Japanese heritage, who challenge the legality of the law to intern Japanese American during the second world war. He lost in the Supreme Court (to their shame) and he had to wait 40 years to have that reversed and himself vindicated. This lead to the official apology for the internment and some reparations for the suffering it caused.

In an atmosphere of fear and hate the American government failed to defend the rights of Japanese Americans, instead they set them aside, and did them grave harm in an act of group punishment.

The second article was about the American government's hasty fearful response to the events of 9/11. The American government under the leadership of Attorney General John Ashcroft began to round up people, citizens and alien residents alike, for reasons as shallow as "they appeared middle eastern" or had a muslin sounding name. They were jailed and tortured and deprived of the rights we take for granted such as speaking to an attorney. It is a scary story that the shallow American press never really pursued and informed the public of these disgraceful detentions. The article spells some of the detail. It bears reading. It is an article about a group of the detainees now suing those responsible for the harm they did.

It seem our political rights and freedoms, ensconced in law, are not a great bulwark against encroachment by government in an atmosphere of fear, hatred and racism.

We experienced this in Canada during the October Crisis 40 years ago. The Federal Government at the request of the Quebec government, enacted the War Measures Act, which allowed the police to set aside the rights of freedoms of citizen in order to do their investigations. People were arrested an detained without bail at the will of the police. There rights were denied. Ironically,it was one of our most liberal Prime Ministers, Pierre Elliott Trudeau who called out the military and activated the War Measures Act. He had been convinced by a fearful Quebec government that Quebec was facing an immanent insurection by the FLQ group which had kidnapped a Quebec cabinet minister, Pierre Laporte and a British diplomat, James Cross. They were making demands of the government and threatening to kill the two. Sadly, Pierre Laporte was killed.

There never was a threat of an insurrection. There was only two small groups of radical Nationalists (not more than 20 individuals) and not the 1000 cells of FLQ radicals , mentioned,all across the province. I shall never forgive Trudeau, who I generally admired, for giving into the fears of Quebec politicians who had a police problem and not one of national security.

I lived in the United States during the October Crisis. I was outraged on such a high handed action of the government to set aside basic rights. I used to say to my American friends that Canadians basically trust government and Americans basically distrust their government, would riot in the streets if there goverments set aside their consitutional rights.

(Here you can learn about the October Crisis from the CBC Archives )

(Here is an interesting exchange between some reporters and Trudeau. Here he uses his famous statement "Just watch me." In his controlled but arrogant manner he defends his actions. It is interesting to see a politician actual debate an national issue in such a sponstaneous encounter. I can't imagine an American politicial doing this. Trudeau was a unique politician for many reasons.)

How wrong I was. After 9/11 the Bush Administrations continually undermined the rights of Americans, the case against Ashcroft et. al. is just one such instance.

Sadly, the Obama administation, which once held promise to be a liberal administation has done little or nothing to rectify this erosion of American political rights.

IN Canada and the United States we need to stand ready to defend our rights and freedoms more vigorously than we do. When they are abridged by government is not time for polite debate. It is time fill the streets with protest and bring government to a halt until our rights are restored.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Little Mosque on the Arctic

I have been following with interest the creation of a Mosque in Canada's Northwest Territory, in the town of Inuvik on the Mackenzie River delta above the Arctic Circle.

This is an indicator that significant numbers of Muslims have immigrated to Canada and spread across the country, from sea to sea to sea. Much has happened since the first mosque in Canada was built in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1938. It is the al Rashid Mosque which was begun to create a spiritual home to some Syrian farmer in the area. The Christians and Jews in the then small city of Edmonton help them built their mosque.

The town of Inuvik about 3500 population.

There is a small Muslim group in Inuvik, about 100 people. They have been without a Mosque.
The Mosque is so central to the life of Muslims they have sent their children to live elsewhere in Canada since they are without a Mosque. Now they will be able to come home.

A Muslim charity in Winnipeg, Manitoba has had a small Mosque prefabed there and it has been shipped the 4000 km to Inuvik, across the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta and then north to the Northwest Territory and the town of Hay River. At Hay River the Mosque was put on the last barge north before Winter on the Mackenizie River to make the 1800 mile trip to Inuvik.

It has just arrived in Inuvik to the delight of the Muslim community there. After a little finishing work there will be an offical opening and an appropriate name given to the Mosque.

It joins the other unique religious home in Inuvik, the Igloo Church, Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church.

The mosque being built in Winnipeg.

The Mackenzie River is one of the great rivers of North American. It is the longest in Canada. Since it flows north into the Arctic few Canadians have seen it. It passes through some wonderful country with only sparse population. It is the traditional homeland of the Dene, Métis and Inuvialuit Nations. This is Canada's true North for those who think I live in the north here in the southern fringe of Northern Ontario. The river has been the traditional highway for transportion for those who want to go "down North" toward the Arctic. Now Inuvik can also be reach by car in the summer along the gravel highway, the Dempster Highway.

It was a great effort to transport the Mosque from Winnipeg to Inuvik. There was good will all along the way. In the light of the anti-Muslim attitudes in the United States these days it is reassuring to know that this Mosque was aided in it's journey and welcomed along the way with goodwill. This is just one of the ways that Canadian culture differs from American culture. We are more welcoming and less fearful of other religious and ethnic communities which seek to find a home in Canada.

We can all be pleased for the small Muslim community in Inuvik that now they have a Mosque, a spiritual home. It will make it possible for more Muslim families to consider making the northern community a place to call home.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Please Stand By. .

For the past two days I have been unable to access the Internet. How I hate this. It has not happened for quite a while. If the problem last very long I begin to experience withdrawal symptoms, pacing around the house to frequently return to the computer and try to go online again. I find myself doing busy work just to keep myself distracted. I even organized my knife and fork drawer, which has been a mess of a long time. I normally could have lived with it for a long while longer. (You can do such things when you do not have a wife., with obsessive cleaning disorder she learned from watching too much Oprah.) Could I really be addicted!

Almost right away I phoned up the AOL tech people to find out what is going on.They put me through the usually proceedures, which you think I would know by heart by now. My modem has three light on, all steady, which is unusually when there is a problem. Usually, the ready light is flashing which is a real indicator that the problem is with the Bell Telephone Company's distribution line. We remake the AOL connection. Still nothing works. With this first call (Yes, I made more than one call) the tech person said AOL was having a problem with the server for my area. I told her where I lived and then asked her how familiar she was with Canada, let alone Ontario, as I assumed she was in Bangalore, India, where AOL outsourced their tech services. (It used to be in Moncton, New Brunswicl, which allowed be to discuss the weather with the tech person)

Before the day was over I was calling the tech person again. We go through much of the process we went through the last time. By now I am getting friendly with the tech person (I long ago learned not to lose my temper. There was a time when I went through a dozen supervisors when I demanded to speak to someone in Canada, when I was trying to find out what Bell was doing on my behalf. I actually did finally get to speak to a Canadian.) This tech lady had a very sweet voice. Thinking she was an Indian I asked her if she was in Bangalore as I was going to congratuate her on the quality of her English. The Indians had been working of their accents and their knowledge of Canada. They even had crib notes on places in Canada so that when you mentioned a place in Canada they could make a friendly comment or pass themselves off as a Canadian. The tech lady, to my surprise said she was not in Indian she was in Romania. It seems AOL had outsourced their business to that country now. Her English was very good and I told her so. It turned out she was a student of languages and in fact had never been to an English speaking country. I thought she may have had an English speaking parent for I once learned an email Russian friend of mine spoke and wrote English, with little accent, very well because she had a mother that spoke English.

To pass the time while I was restarting the computer I told her I knew little about Romania but I was interested in the Romani (Roma, Gypsy) people in Europe. I asked her how many Romanians were Roma. I could not draw her into a political discussion ( against the rules of the job I guess.) Finally, my computer was full started and I tried to go online. No luck! I was still off line wanting to get on. She very politely said she could do nothing more for me and said good bye. There has been some bad weather south of here and we guessed the Bell Telephone company was working on it.

The next morning I tried to go on line again. No luck.! I think I even tried at 3:00 AM when I was up to let Heidi out for her toilet break. At 9:00 AM, the first moment they were available, I was on the phone again with the tech person. The same nice lady that patiently dealt with me the day before. We went through all the proceedures we went through the day before and even tried some new ones. I even changed to another modem (I have two spare modems that are good that I was supposed to return to AOL but didn't. There was a period when I was regularly having AOL sending me replacement modems in case my problem was in the modem.) That didn't work.This time the tech lady said she would report my situation to an AOL technician and the phone company. The two tech specialists will call me and decide it the problem is an AOL problem or a Bell problem. Once again the sweet lady said good bye. I must wait.

I was getting increasingly restless. I even tried to sign on with low speed over the telephone line. No luck, again! I started to play with the two old laptops I have that are not working right. One I tried to go on line with over the phone line. I couldn't get it to work. While on my main computer trying to get the phone number to get online over the phone line, I became aware that my computer was about to go online. Miracle of miracles! There was the little AOL "bon homme" (pardon my Franglais) moving from square one to square two and finally the AOL logo appeared in square three. "Welcome to AOL", my favourite greeting. I could now check my emails, get rid of my Spam and begin to visit my usual political sites. And, of course ,check my blog. Life is less lonely.

It is the third day now and in spite of the coming rain it seem to be sunny as I can access the Internet. All is right with the world. I will not have to "Please stand by . . ." today.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Trans-Canada Highway 50th Anniversary

Map of the Trans-Canada Highway

The section I am writing about is from the point of where Lakes Superior, Michigan and Huron seem to touch westward to the head of Lake Superior.

It was fifty years ago this month that the eastern gap in the Trans-Canada Highway was finally opened. This was the section over Lake Superior from Sault Ste. Marie to Thunder Bay (then know as Fort William and Port Arthur, Ontario). This was a 165 mile section which had to be crossed. 98 miles had to be cut through virgin forest and the rock of the Canadian Shield. The Trans-Canada Highway includes 7,770 km. Since its opening it has been an ongoing project. In 1962, when it was offically opened half of it was still gravel road. It is all paved now but much of it is just a two lane highway, as it is in Ontario, on the Northern route and the Southern route along the Great Lakes. Increasingly, it is being twinned as a divided highway. In the CBC archives you can listen to some radio shows about the development of the Trans-Canada Highway.

This final section from the Sault to Thunder Bay is a spectacular scenic drive in the summer and a challenging drive in the Winter. In the Winter it is often closed by snow storms. Besides the heavy snowfalls it is very hilly drive. I have driven it only once in the late 60's when my father and I drove my brother home from university in Mankato, Minnesota. Having driven there through the US we thought we would drive home through Canada. We had no idea how long a drive it is.

This is the goose on the edge of the Trans-Canada Highway at Wawa, Ontario. (It is in the process of being restored). Before the gap in the highway was opened Wawa was quite isolated. It was accessible by train, boat or airplane but not connected to the rest of Canada by road.

It would be nice to drive the whole length of the Trans-Canada Highway someday.

Frost: The End of Summer

Well, for me Summer is over. We had our first killing frost last night. Frost sensitive plants in the garden are gone. I picked the green tomatoes, onions and the summer squash. This event every year is the clear mark of summer being over for me. The official last frost free date in our zone is September 15. This year, like other years, we hope for a week or two more without frost but it seldom happens. With our record warm weather this summer I thought we had a good chance to extend the growing season but it seems not. Jack Frost showed up on time.

My grass this morning looked like this picture with frost on each blade.

There is lots of nice weather before Winter sets in. For many this is the nicest time of the years.
The leaves are changing. The air is crisp and cool. The nights are cool (good for sleeping) and the days are warm. (This afternoon it will be sunny and 17C ) The birds are on the move. The biting insects are disappearing. And for some, the hunting season will begin.

It will be early December before I feel Winter is getting a grip on us.

Monday, September 13, 2010

The Other 9/11

It was on September 11, 1973, that the Salvadore Allende democratic socialist government of Chile was over thrown in a fascist coup, lead by Augusto Pinochet, backed by the United States with CIA involvement. While the United States publically denied any involvement, history has come to show that their involvement under the Nixon administration was extensive. It began with years of American efforts to ruin the economy of Chile in an effort to discredit the Allende government. All this time the official policy of the United States was that the government should be toppled in a coup.

I find the ironic link with the 9/11 event of nine years ago fascinating. So many American asked the question "Why do the hate us?" seeking an understanding of why any group would want to attack the United States. The general belief in the United States is that the country is a force for good in the World; by example, a light of democracy to inspire the World and a generous country ready to step in and help other countries with aid, both economic and military, if they share America's values. If I can be cynical about this view, I would say that this is largely a myth. It is rooted in American "exceptionalism" belief that it is a special country created under God. Thus it shares with Israel that Americans are a "chosen people.

American exceptionalism when applied to foreign affairs gives the United States justification for involving itself any where in the World to promote it's interests and "share it's values". Surely, the fact that the US has over 700 military bases in the World and always lingers behind for decades with a big military presence in countries it has been at war with. (Germany, Korea, Japan and now the US is building large bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.) , illustrates the United States belief it has the right to enforce its will on others.

Under the Munroe Doctrine the United States has always claimed exclusive interests in Latin America. It has been the United States backyard where it can have the critical say in the governments there such that it often supported puppet governements and even overthrew democratic governments.

You you want to understand "Why they hate us?" a little study of the United States involvement in Latin American should answer that question. The United States has a long history of working against the poor and working class people of those countires, frustrating their right to develop as they see fit.

The Cuban Revoltution was a shock and embarassment to the US. The US hostility toward that small country for decades has be vindictive. I am sure when Allende was elected in Chile the response of the American government was that they would not tolerate another Cuba in Latin America. The Nixon administration went about guaranteeing its downfall.

Allende, like Castro, was ahead of his time. They were the vanguard of fundamental changes in Latin America. After a period of repressive military dictatorships backed by the United States the Latin American countries have wrest control of their countries from the United States so that now there are few pro-American countries left. The biggest client state is Columbia. The majority of countries are now left of Center.

I am convinced that had the United States not been so obsessed with the Middle East and its oil,
it would have sought to frustrate the left wing populist movements in Latin America. They did offer weak support for the unsuccessful coup in 2002 against Hugh Chavez of Venezuela, who they continue to demonize in spite of his long record of contined popular support in his country, winning 13 election or referendum votes in a row by wide margins. All of this in spite of the gains Venezuela has made in improving the condition of the majority of the people.

Salvadore Allende's legacy has been handed on.

Here is the translated text of Salvadore Allende's last address to the Chilean people as the presidential palace was under attach. Afterwards he commited suicide rather than surrender the government to the Pinoche fascists.

If you want to learn a little of the history of American involvement in Latin America and the efforts of Latin American's to get out from under American domination you can view all 10 parts on You Tube of John Pilger's film "The War on Democracy". It is painful for Americans to watch as it exposes some of their nation's biggest warts. It is a history that needs to be studied with lesson's learned in mind.

Here are the links to the film's parts dealing with Chile.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRn7VaOyi8Q&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5NmZ-PdwIo&feature=related

The writer Ariel Dorfman, who survived the Chilean Coup and the torture and killings that followed was recently interviewed on the British program "Witness". It is worth listening to here.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

9/11 Remembered

THE PHOENIX OF MANHATTAN

In the rubble of their shattered dreams our blessed brethren lie
victims of the evil that has darkened freedom's sky
but the Phoenix of Manhattan will surely rise again
from the ashes that will smother the evil deeds of men

Forget us not their spirits cry from where those towers stood
for here we worked and lived and died this was our neighborhood
It's only dust and rubble now, a place of tears and pain
but the Phoenix of Manhattan will make it pure again

Take up the torch of freedom from our lifeless hand
and proudly bear it in our stead throughout this fabled land
hold it high and shed its light for al the world to see
our foes may end our lives and dreams but not our liberty

Go forward now their spirits cry let us not be lost in vain
for the Phoenix of Manhattan is rising once again
to seek the brotherhood of man it's quest will never cease
when mankind lives in harmony then we shall rest in peace

Michael Kenneth Panton, Canada

After nine years I would have expected a concrete, steel and glass "phoenix" in the form of an impressive skycraper to fill in the gap of the New York skyline left with the loss of the towers of the World Trade Center. In time it will come. We know more patience is required.

The "phoenix" of lives of the families who lost a loved ones in that tragedy will take even longer to recover. The gap left in their family constellation may never be filled and yet their lives must ultimately embrace the space as part of their reality and finally move on to continue creating meaningful lives for themselves. For some, this has been achieved, for others, they will need more time. Patience is required.

Today we remember the events of that day nine years ago. We all know where we were when we first learned of the horrific events. We knew life would change for us.

Given the rising tide of islamophobia in the US and Canada, I have been thinking of how hard it has been to be a muslim in North America since 9/11. These 9 years that growing community has been attacked, discriminated against and generally viewed with suspicion.

I never thought I would ever give George Bush credit for anything. In spite of the mistake of refering the search for al- Qaeda a "crusade" (which someone, who knew more about history than he did, corrected) he consistently insisted the United States was not at war with Islam.

Involvement in the attack on the World Trade Center was by men who did not fairly represent Islam. I invite you to read Dr. Cole's comments on this point. "Top Ways 9/11 broke Islamic Law" on his posting on this day.

With the increasing hostilities toward Muslims in the US with the threat to burn the Qur'an, resistance to the location of Mosque's in any neighbourhood around the country, particularily the location of the Islamic Center a couple of blocks from the site of the WTC, one fears that an outbreak of violence against Muslim's in the US cannot be far behind. Might racism inspire lynching in the US once again.

It is time for more of us learn more about Islam and how it is important to our fellow citizens and neighbours who are Muslim. A good place to begin is the read the blog of "30 Mosques in 30 days". This year two muslim men set out to visit 30 mosques across the US within the 30 days of Ramadan. Last year they visited 30 mosques within New York City in 30 days. In their accounts they show that Muslims are part of America. Last years account show the wonderful ethnic diversity among the mosques in New York. We learn that mosques are not exotic and frightening places but very similar to churches where worship is held, along with the community gatherings where good food is shared and people learn about their faith as the worry about maintaining their mosque as a community home for them. Non-muslims with find a familiarity in the wide variety of mosques, which are now well established as a part of the religious mix of institutions in the country. Read about the Mother Mosque, the first established in North America, not in Detroit of New York but in the heartland of the US, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; just as the first one in Canada was established a couple of years later, (with the help of Christians and Jews, in Edmonton, Alberta. Perhaps, it is time to find an excuse to visit a mosque near you and come to know your muslim neighbours better. Muslims are an increasingly important part of both Canada and the United States. Recently, there was an article on the moving of a prefab Mosque built in Winnipeg and now being moved to Inuvik on Canada's Actic coast. The Northern British Columbia Community of Prince George eagerly helped the creation of a mosque so that the professionals who are muslim will settle in their city. Who would have believed it a decade or two ago. Muslim communities above to Arctic Circle. As we say is Canada we extend from "sea to sea to sea".

It is time to resist Islamophobia and reach out to the Muslim community and help them where we can and speak up against those who promote fear and hate.

Thursday, September 09, 2010

Blogging Again!

It has been so long since I last blogged anything I feel I should ask someone's permission to resume again, or perhaps, apologize for my absence. I am not sure why I became a lapsed blogger other than it seems like such a chore to organize my thoughts and post something. My postings of late have gotten longer and longer and seem to require more time and effort. I can always blame it on my frequent depressed moods or I have been distracted my a few things.
In truth, I have no excuse.

Since I last blogged I have officiated at a couple of weddings. They are always an enjoyable occasions for me; and, for the couple, I trust. It is my occasion to take center stage and perform. There is a little bit of the actor in every cleric. These occasions do take some time and energy which distracts me., giving me a chance to give in to my more sociable Self.

My friend, Lynne, was here visiting, speaking of distractions. We had a lovely visit in spite of our cooler and wetter weather. It is just a pleasure to spend time with her. We also got to do some dining out while she is here which is a rare treat for me. Then there was the problem with her car, which I will not speak about other than to say she did well to drive to her home with a less than a perfect car. She got home and the car is in the process of being repaired.

While our weather is now cooler and wetter, earlier last week it was very hot for three days, record hot. This kind of weather does not inspire me to do very much.

I have been following my brother and sister-in-law on there ambitious trek of the full length of the Appalachian trail. all 2187 miles. They began last March and now are reaching the end of the trail. It begins at Springer Mountain in Georgia and end at Mount Katahdin, in Maine. They are now in Maine with about 200 miles to go.

The Trail has proved to be a real challenge of them with some very rugged and dangerous sections. They are determined to finish. I think they have enjoyed fellow hikers and the comradeship among them. I think they have been very pleasantly surprised at the help along the way of "trail angels". (People who enjoy helping out hikers along the way out of the goodness o f their hearts.) This may include supplying food and drink in surprising ways, from a case of beer just left of the trail to a picnic spread where the trail crosses a road. They also offer transportation into towns and advice and fellowship as the Trail passes through their little corner of America. A lot of cynical things can be said about Americans these days but along the Trail it seem the spirit of America as a generous, gracious, and hospitable people to strangers in their midst is alive and well. There are lessons to be learned.

A couple of people, who read my blog, have followed closely "The Canadian Geese". (the trail name for Richard and Carol, my kin.) If anyone is interested in reading their trail journal in part or in total it can be found here. You can read it from the beginning or jump to the end and read some the the more recent postings. They have also posted some photos . It is an interesting and read of a personal adventure of two recently retired folk who obviously enjoy each others company.