Monday, 29 January 2018

Amherst Island Ferry dock reconstruction 3

Reconstruction is going on at both ends: at Stella, on the island, and here on the mainland. It's to be completed by 2020.

The are rebuilding the dock in order to allow a drive on, drive off dockage.

Amherst Island Ferry - Loyalist Township

The Ministry of Transportation is constructing new ferry docks at Stella (Amherst Island) and Millhaven. The newly constructed docks will permit end loading of the Frontenac II ferry and other MTO-operated ferries. 
The project began in October 2017 with Stage 1, the construction of the temporary docks.

Drivers have to get on and off in the middle door. It's hard for me!

The trick with this ferry is you have to back up straight behind, watch your ferry crew like stink when you arrive on the other side, and turn when they tell you. I'm not very good at it!
In the meantime, they are dredging.


Anyway, I love work, I could watching it for hours!
For the duration of this project, the most current information will be posted on the project's website.

Ferry dock rebuild from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

This is my video of the getting on and getting off!
 

Sunday, 28 January 2018

Amherst Isl. Ferry 2

We'd planned on going to Amherst Isl., to look for owls. The ferry rolls on in, smashing the ice. It was cold, and they are rebuilding the dock to allow for drive-on/drive off. As it is, one must back up to get off. I'm not good at it.





Amherst Isl. trip: getting there 1

We were headed to Amherst Isl. We left at 7:39 a.m., and the sunrise was wonderful!



This dude, driving a rental truck, was anxious to go faster than the speed limit. Hubby pulled over and let him pass, he tooted thanks!


The ice on the rock. Temperatures have gone up and down overnight.


Horses



Open water!



Trucks spook me on 401. There have been some horrid incidents! They even have a reality TV show:

Heavy Rescue: 401, Their Twitter feed photos are striking.


Westport, there is a star atop the tree at the look out. This was on our way back, after lunch at Montana's in Kingston.

Saturday, 27 January 2018

Another demolition!

Perth is a town created by those who farmed. Demobilised officers, granted 600 acres, built an infrastructure overtop a region that supported Hunter Gatherers First Nations for thousands of years.
There are a few industries here, to support some factory workers. We still have heritage farms, that have been in the family for 100, 150, 200 years. The town has been growing, and some commute into Ottawa. It's a lovely tourist town, as well as a great place to live!

It's interesting what they are putting into old factories!
It opened in the 1930s or so.
Hubby worked in this two summers, 1969/70.
They made coffee and powdered milk.
The only major employer in town.
This factory closed about 10 years ago!

It strikes me, as our economy changes, that all of these abandoned farms need to be turned over for something. The cities encroach upon nearby farmland, and land use changes. This was a farmhouse outside Perth, which has long been closed up. It's not truly a heritage house, as they are a dime a dozen around here. People are finally grasping that concept. This farm house has sat empty for a long time. This farm house went down in a day.

Canada has moved from First Nations hunting and gathering, to agriculture, industrial, and now technology. We still need many professions, but it has changed and diversified. (I taught Social Studies back in the day!)


The Darou-McPherson farmhouse, just down the road, is being dismantled and will be rebuilt elsewhere, I'm fuzzy on the details. I've been watching that one for a few months. Hubby has been ever so helpful, as he goes into town more than I, and captures the state of affairs.


Friday, 26 January 2018

Coal mining, lies, obfuscation

Coal Mining around the world
 Oxymorons, such as 'Clean Coal' are accepted by some.  Like agriculture, mechanization has profoundly changed many fields, 'scuse the pun. Outsourcing has reduced work on this continent. This is why TPP and NAFTA are so important. Find a speciality, create the goods. MAGA doesn't work in this day and age.

Sadly, Trump is much concerned with what he calls trade imbalances. Truth is, our Canadian population is a fraction of the US, 36 million to 323 million. It makes more sense to trade goods, without a tariff, on the western part of the continent, across the border, and the same on the eastern coasts.

Hubby was reading some data in The Economist.

YEAR
1920       –785,000 coal miners in the USA.
2012      – it dropped to 90,000 miners.
2017      –50,000 miners in the USA.

1980       –Mines produced 1.9 tons per miner hour,
2017       –Mines can produce 6.3 tons per miner hour, 3x's more efficient!

"Some of Europe’s last remaining coal producers, in the Czech Republic, Romania and Poland, are grasping for government support to keep from going under and taking thousands of jobs with them.
Talks in Prague and Bucharest this week coincide with the news that the world’s largest private coal company, Peabody Energy, filed for bankruptcy protection in the U.S."


With Trump making a speech at Davos today, I wonder if it'll be the same old, same old!

Trump on the Affordable Healthcare Act: "You pay NOT to have insurance." No, you pay into a pot, to ensure that if you need it it will be there for you, just like life insurance.
Yet, 13 million will lose health insurance with his legislation.


Thursday, 25 January 2018

Whirlwind tour of Ottawa

We were supposed to have lunch with JB's aunt Monday, but she's having some issues. We thought we'd do some errands in the city (Ottawa), anyway, before the freezing rain began and rush home. The green is rain, the blue, snow.
The snow was being blown by the wind as we made it into Bells Corners.

Hubby had a couple of things to pick up at Carlingwood Mall. It's a formerly Sears-anchored mall. Sears is done in Canada. The blurry photo is pathetic. Rather fitting. The parking lot is bereft. I feel so badly for those whose pensions have gone, while they paid upper management millions in bonuses for staying on to shut down the company.

Coincidentally, the mother of an FB photographer buddy parked behind us in the parking lot. She lives in Merrickville. She posted that on FB and I had a good laugh. We have never met and might not recognize one another!

That said, there are still a number of stores in the mall. I found myself a new suitcase. Hubs says they match my red boots, which aren't waterproof BTW.


We dropped off a gift to my daughter, as well as the loan of my soprano recorder. I love music. I haven't a photo of me playing my little recorder, but I have a photo of the autoharp. I played and sang in church many times, both in choirs and solos. I joined the church choir with my parents when I was 13.

Josee is taking recorder lessons and will borrow my recorder. I've had it for close to 20 years, I think. It's a one-piece, a good style for newbies. In music camp, one summer,  I met some interesting players. I've often toyed with getting an alto or deeper recorder. I just need some motivation.

It was a lovely drive, considering the storm that was on its way.


We stopped to buy some mealworms for tree frog. He's still in the plant. He sang when I played the piano a few weeks ago. He sang randomly, when we were watching evening TV. The cats were amused.

I'm so sad. Big Al's closed in Kanata. In August! I didn't know. Its other Ottawa store is about 100 km away, in Orleans! This other one was on our way into Ottawa.


We spoke to a young man who worked in the Pet Store nearby. He said that Al's had management issues, yet many people still come into this store asking about things. He sold us some spray for the easy chairs. You can see how well it worked the first day. Yay, Annabelle.


Other purchases, a green tablecloth, new kitchen knives, and drink mugs.

We had lunch in Perth, on the way home. The snow had started and things were deteriorating.

Josee took piano lessons, and can read music. They are learning this at school.
Izzy is still taking ukulele lessons. Mommy sent me a photo.