Category Archives: Commentary

Last Monday in Aruba

November 30, 2010 Maurice Leave a comment

Today we took it easy, just one swim at Boca Catalina. Whenever we go in at Boca, we swim up to Malmok, because that’s where most of the reef is located. It was a pretty clear day, and nice clear water, for the most part. Sometimes close to shore it gets a bit churned up from the sand and waves.

Today we saw some nifty stuff, including several new fish. There was a quillfin blenny, which we had not see before. It’s kind of a large blenny, and rather strange looking. It’s a shy fish, and quick to take cover, so we’ve never been able to photograph it before. There was another blenny, a two-toned blenny that we managed to get a shot of too… it’s another fish that won’t sit still for a shot, so we were lucky to nail her.

We saw a queen angelfish, which have been very few and far between. I think we’ve only seen her once before, and Pam was the only one who saw her. It’s a really colorful fish, bright blue and bright yellow/orange.

There was a yellowtail jack – in a school of four or five. The look and act just like a barjack. The other fish get nervous when they cruise by. They come out of nowhere and blow by you in a hurry. You have to have your camera on and ready to take a pic in order to get a shot. We got lucky today!

I managed to get a shot of a queen triggerfish with her front trigger raised. The first time we’ve managed to do that I think. They use the trigger to lock themselves between rocks, when they feel threatened (I know this because I read it in our fish book!)

We saw another turtle today, a hawksbill. She was quite a bit smaller than the one we saw yesterday, so that means there are least three turtles in this area! It’s been a treat each time we get to swim with them. They only use their front paddles to move, unless you startle them, then they kick with all four legs.

We followed the turtle out quite a ways from shore. Then we saw this large school of fish we’d never seen before. They were quite large, about two and half feet up to about four feet. They moved quickly, darted around in a huge circle. We think it might be a rainbow runner, or a guaguanche, which are related to the barracuda class of fish. They are long and thin, and amazing swimmers.

There was a Spanish hogfish that I managed to get a pretty cool shot of… I dove down, and as I was coasting along the bottom, he popped up from behind a rock and I had my camera ready. I think it’s one of the best shots I’ve taken the whole trip!

This is one of Pam’s favorite fish, so I was glad to get this shot! I guess it’s the color of them… they do stick out in the ocean! But I still can’t figure why this fish is called a hogfish. Maybe it has strange eating habits!

I also got another pic today that I’m pretty happy with as well. I was diving down to get a shot of a scorpionfish, a fish we’ve taken enough shots of! I saw this great photoscape and just took it. It came out better than I dreamed! Really happy with this shot.

On the way back, we saw a balloonfish. They are cute little guys, with weird psychedelic eyes. They have a green pattern, like some pattern you’d see on a disco light show! Usually they are under a rock, peering shyly out at you, but this guy was laying in a depression of the ocean floor. Maybe he thought he was hidden! Quite a cute little fish.

I’m going to add a second one, just because he’s cool. He’s about ten to twelve inches long. He has these little quills that he will stand on end, and he’ll puff up to be about two or three times his size, if he feels threatened.

Commentary

And the guns lay silent…

November 11, 2010 Maurice Leave a comment

On the the eleventh day, of the eleventh month, at eleven hundred hours, the guns will go silent….

November 11 is meant as a day to pay tribute to our soldiers who fought, and died to keep our country safe and free. I hope you will take two minutes to remember those who gave their lives, so that ours would be better.

I offer this video, as a reminder of how simple it is. On November 11, 1999 Terry Kelly was in a Shoppers Drug Mart store in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. At 10:55 AM an announcement came over the store’s PA asking customers who would still be on the premises at 11:00 AM to give two minutes of silence in respect to the veterans who have sacrificed so much for us.

Terry was impressed with the store’s leadership role in adopting the Legion’s “two minutes of silence” initiative. He felt that the store’s contribution of educating the public to the importance of remembering was commendable.

When eleven o’clock arrived on that day, an announcement was again made asking for the “two minutes of silence” to commence. All customers, with the exception of a man who was accompanied by his young child, showed their respect.

Terry’s anger towards the father for trying to engage the store’s clerk in conversation and for setting a bad example for his child was later channeled into a beautiful piece of work called, “A Pittance of Time”. Terry later recorded “A Pittance of Time” and included it on his full-length music CD, “The Power of the Dream”.

Aruba, Commentary, Vacations

Tuesday at Baby Beach

November 9, 2010 Maurice Leave a comment

We took a drive to the beach, and things seemed to be calming down, so we drove down to the south of the island to Baby Beach. It’s always been a great place to snorkel, with a man made barrier that creates a bowl of calm water, that is never over five feet deep.

Well, it was a great decision! The water was clear, and there were just tons of fish to see! We were very surprised how good it was. The water levels are high, and we were able to easily go further out than we ever have before. We saw all the usual suspects, chubs, yellow tail snapper, parrot fish, blennies, damsel fish, Sgt Majors, plus durgons, Caribbean reef squid and many others.

I took a few nice movies, that I think are worth taking a look at…

They are in high def, so I think they give a better feel of what it is like to be in the ocean here in Aruba. The first movie is of the Caribbean Reef Squid. They hang out in schools, and there were about eight or ten of them together. They communicate with each other by changing color. They are pretty shy, and move off when you get too close to them.

This movie is of a Black Durgon, a type of triggerfish. It is quite a dark fish, but it does have some yellow around its eyes. I like the way to moves, quite graceful.

This last movie is a little longer, but I was just drifting along a rocky ledge. When I paused, you can see several fish coming up to the camera. The smallish darker colored fish that is quite aggressive is called a Damselfish. He is the most aggressive – and will often nip at you! haha Delusions of grandeur I guess – or maybe a shark in a previous life!

Just a reminder about the photos: if you click on the GALLERIES link at the top of any page, you will see a new Gallery called Aruba 2010 – that has all the pictures from our trip this year. I have not referenced all the pictures in the blog posts. As of today there are 13 pictures in the gallery, but I have referenced only 10 in the posts. So if you want to see more pics, then head to the Aruba 2010 Gallery.

Commentary

We are the Champions of the World!

March 1, 2010 Maurice 2 Comments

Well what a game! And what an aftermath! It was an amazing experience to be able to be surrounded by about a quarter of a million Canadians in downtown Vancouver yesterday. I can’t even begin to describe what it felt like, but if you are a Canadian, I don’t even have to try to explain it – you just know!

So what that we set a record for any host nation, and even, So what that we set a record for ANY nation!? The ONLY Gold Medal that mattered was the hockey gold. If we had got silver, this would not have been a successful Games. Period. Canada would be in depression.

But we won the coveted Hockey Gold medal and all is right with the world!!! It was scary and crazy, and watching the USA tie it with 25 seconds left put an incredible celebration on hold for a few minutes kind of making it even sweeter really. Kudos to the Americans for not quitting! The game was played at a level all we hockey fans can be proud of – hard fought, and clean. Both teams can be proud of how they played.

I’ve separated my shoulder from high-fiving half of Vancouver!!! My voice doesn’t really work today, but you know what? That’s ok!!

It was an ecstatic and classy crowd! So much joy, so much pride. I’ve never experienced anything even close to that. I remember after game 6 of the Rangers-Canucks series, the downtown core was packed with people, but it was a “group” compared to this crowd! We got to Granville and Robson and the place was so packed, we could barely move. It was amazing.

Everywhere you turned, people were cheering, crying, smiling, dancing, celebrating. Well done Canada. Well done all you people who come downtown and were so well behaved – what else would you expect in Canada, eh?

Here are a couple of videos we took downtown.

Commentary

Tom Brokaw, the Olympics, and Canada

February 23, 2010 Maurice 1 Comment

There is a video that has gone viral in Canada, and is racking up hits like crazy on YouTube. If you have not seen it, and you’re a Canadian, you should watch it! I was very moved by this tribute.

It’s been described as “Tom Brokaw explains Canada to the USA,” but Canadians have dubbed it a “Love Letter” and I really like that description. There are a number of things I really appreciated hearing, especially the line “And if you’re in a fight, you want the Canadians on your side…” Our military is often maligned, even by Canadians, so it was good to hear that the USA appreciates the bravery of our men and women in uniform. I remember a dinner party at our house about fifteen years ago, when a couple of lesbians sneered and laughed at our military. When I suggested that perhaps their grasp of history was a tad weak, they have refused to speak to me ever since. So it was good to hear that a world class military power understands our abilities, even if ignorant Canadians fail to appreciate it.

I’m willing to bet a lot of Americans were surprised about the amount of oil that Americans get from us, and that we are such good trading partners… I’m pleased that Mr. Brokaw was able to point out how we stand arm in arm, even when we disagree, that friendship can rise above disagreements. It was a really beautifully done piece of journalism.

The remarks at the end, describing how our Prime Minister, Mr. Stephen Harper stood in Parliament to encourage Canadians to be outwardly patriotic, wave the flag, and show our pride during the Olympics and we’ll apologize for it after was quite funny. You could see Mr. Brokaw shaking his head, chuckling, as if to say, “Can you believe that? Apologize for being patriotic? What a country!”

What a country indeed!

Thank you Mr. Brokaw, thank you NBC, and GO CANADA ALLEZ!

Commentary

Friday at the Olympics

February 19, 2010 Maurice 2 Comments

We decided to brave the crowds and check out the Olympics in Downtown Vancouver on Friday. We had tried to get downtown on Thursday, but found no parking at the Park ‘n Rides for the Skytrain so we decided to give it a try on Friday, by driving all the way downtown! We parked close to where we used to live, and grabbed the train at the Broadway Station. The flowers and cherry trees are blooming all over the place. Not really Winter Olympics, but hey, we’re cool with that!

The trains were packed tighter than sardine cans, but nobody seemed to mind. Everyone was in a good mood. There were TONS of national flags from many countries. It was exciting and quite moving, really. We don’t often see such patriotism in Canada, but we saw so many Canadian flags, painted on faces, on hats, coats, and of course the mittens. People wore the flag like a cape – which Pam did too, of course!

We checked out the Cauldron, and it is MASSIVE. It stands 20 or 30 feet high, and is incredibly large. I didn’t think it would be so big, but man, it really dominated the skyline. There were just tons of people everywhere. The square was full, and people just kept coming!

We turned around and made our way up Granville Street. Granville is a major street in Vancouver, and it’s been shut to cars and other vehicles and it’s just loaded with people. The whole street is filled, and the sidewalks are overflowing too. There is a guy in a top hat and tails, doing card tricks. A musical duo, a drummer and a guitarist are playing Dire Straits. Guys on stilts make kids laugh with their antics. There are pin traders everywhere, with little stands with hundreds of pins from Olympics past and present.

People are in costumes everywhere. Canadian flags are over people faces, the Dutch are painted in orange, with orange jackets and orange pants. Russians are dressed in the real cool Russian jerseys, wearing outrageous red/orange wigs that make them look Shaun White, the USAs dominant snowboarder. Danes are wearing Viking helmets, blowing trumpets, draped in flags. The Swedes are resplendent in the blue and yellow of their flags.

Everywhere, people are happy, cheering, high fiving. They stop each other in the street to take pictures, posing for each other, outrageous, and crazy and happy.

We reach Robson Street, also close to traffic and we find the square behind the Art Gallery is filled to overflowing, people fascinated with the Zipliners… They have constructed a tower near the Law Courts, five stories high. You get in a harness and you fly across the square, across Robson Street to the side of the Art Gallery. Some people try to do flips, some simply scream! It’s truly something to see.

There is an outdoor skating rink, bigger than the one that used to be there, at the base of the Art Gallery. People can skate for free, bring your own skates, or get some from there. It’s a gas seeing them boogie around the place, young and old.

We grab a hotdog ($4 – 3.50 cheaper than at a hockey game!) from a street vendor and turn back onto Granville Street, meeting some crazy fans, dressed up like who knows what! There are huge displays of public art, and more pin traders. We offer some grapes to the cops doing traffic duty, but they decline with a laugh. The Bay has huge portraits of Olympic athletes, five stories high! Very very cool.

There are displays of Native Indian art all over. There are several pavilions with the Four Host Nations featured prominently all over downtown. We sample some delicious venison stew ($5), but have arrived too late for the bannock bread ($2) much to Pam’s disappointment! We make our way back to the Bay to check out the Olympic Super Store, but there is an hour’s wait to get in, so we decide to head home. It’s been an awesome day. I never dreamed it would be so much fun, but it’s very exciting. We will definitely be going down again. It’s just too much fun to miss!

Commentary

Opening Ceremonies

February 15, 2010 Maurice Leave a comment

I watched the 2010 Olympic Opening Ceremonies and I loved them. I thought they were amazing, a display we Canadians could all be proud of… but like true Canadians, we experienced considerable angst over them.

Quebec complained there was not enough French; Chinese and East Indians complained there was not enough focus on immigrants; Native Indians complained only the Four Host Nations were adequately represented, and on and on…

[First about the French – during a first viewing of them, I felt French was more than adequately represented. It was the first language spoken by the narrators at every turn. French was the first language used when countries entered, and it was used quite extensively. On a second viewing with Pam (I recorded it because she was working) I see where their complaints had some validity. The “story” was often only in English, and that could have been better done. Does that bother me? Only slightly – these are OUR games here in predominantly English speaking BC, and we will foot the bill when they lose money. French was spoken enough.

And let me say this — do you think China even considered using a pop-tartlet from separatist Tibet to sing their national anthem during the 2008 Olympics? I seriously doubt it. We considered it, and we let a singer from Quebec, a separatist province, sing our National Anthem here. And I felt she did a truly poor job… For me, this was a major disappointment with the Opening Ceremony, but you know what? It’s ok – we’re fine with it, I wouldn’t change it, because we want all Canadians to feel part of these Olympic Games, even the separatists.

The complaints of the other Native bands was silly. Native elements dominated the story line, and if they felt more Native representation was needed, tough. Deal with it. The Native community in BC is vibrant and alive and those nations whose land is being used were excited and pleased with their showing. The Native elements all over Vancouver for the Games is exciting for all of us, and in no way were Natives denigrated.

The story line was moving and interesting. I’m sorry that not every single aspect of our culture was made clear – like the oppression of Irish settlers, the prejudice against Hutterites, the sacrifices of the Calgary Highlanders, a volunteer regiment of mostly Scottish men… but you know what? You only have so much time in an Opening Ceremony and you can’t include everything. I’m sorry Chinese and Indians felt left out. But I’m not sorry for the way the event unfolded.

I loved the dude flying over the wheat fields, loved the floating bear, loved the whales breaching in the stadium! SO much was RIGHT with the ceremonies, I’m saddened that people feel the need to complain all the time. It was a joy for me and for Pam and we enjoyed it immensely. The fiddling was fantastic. Loved it. Ashley MacIsaac was awesome.

kd Lang’s version of Hallelujah was fantastic, breathtaking, a bravura performance. It made tears stream down both our faces. We had to rewind it to listen to it again. But hey! Did she look a little too much like Wayne Newton or what? Terrific, terrific performance. Each note was perfect. Thank you so much kd. Really and truly, thank you so much.

It was a shame that the fourth pylon for the Olympic Cauldron failed to rise from the floor, but stuff happens right? It was still a great event. I’m glad I got to see it. Not sure I would have had Wayne Gretzky hop into a truck to go light the outdoor cauldron, but hey, picky picky…