Linda Studley

Can't Put the Pen Down…

Archive for the tag “British Columbia”

07 Sep 2017

What I Learned Today – PODS

Life with a capital L includes learning new things. Today I learned about a project called ‘Pender Harbour Ocean Discovery Station’ (PODS), an exciting project that is currently in the fundraising phase. They have already raised over $2 million and are closing in on the target amount with only $195,000. left to raise before the end of September.

The property in question is at Irvine’s Landing and the proposed complex is truly an amazing project that will include laboratories, a conference centre, underwater galleries, performance spaces, and restaurant. The link with Simon Fraser University promises some important work will be accomplished and excellent educational opportunities will be made available. The comprehensive array of alternative energy systems will be a showcase unto itself.

pods energy system

I was very impressed with the passion and dedication that surrounds this project. The foresight and potential is significant.

Have a look at the website – https://www.openpods.com/what-we-do/

Donate if you feel moved to do so; I did.

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04 Sep 2017

Cheaper Gas and Greener Grass

Apparently smoke isn’t going to be the only issue in our trip down south. Now the fuel prices in the lower half of the province seem to be skyrocketing! Okay, time to do the research… now a site that reports the price of fuel at different gas stations in British Columbia has taken its place in the ‘Favourites’ folder along with ‘Drive BC’ (for road conditions), Environment Canada’s ‘7 day forecast’ (for weather), ‘Air Quality Advisories’ (how bad is the smoke?) and, of course, a listing of every sani-dump in the province.

I don’t remember doing this kind of cramming for a holiday before. Is it just me or has the world become a more complicated place to navigate? I remember previous trips to the coast being, basically, toss the suitcases in the truck, fill up the tank, buy some munchies and start driving. Yes, we encountered high prices that we didn’t expect and flag people with stop signs; we just didn’t know where they’d be ahead of time.

So is it a good thing to be this ‘prepared’ or does it just end up focusing your attention on all the things that could go wrong? The element of surprise is always waiting around the next bend in the road, so, in the end, is it worth it to do all this advance research? Do I run the risk of concentrating so hard on finding the lowest fuel price that, eyes on the webpage or the map, I miss the beauty along the way. Bill doesn’t have to worry about that, he’s driving so he’s aware of his surroundings at all times (at least I certainly hope he is!). But how easy it could be for the passenger to become an obsessive navigator.

I’m going to have to watch out for that.

IMG_3106.JPGAre we seriously considering moving south? Well, it’s September fourth and Bill just came in to tell me the frost f***ed our corn. You figure it out, sigh…
Greener Grass

They say the grass is always greener
On the other side of the fence
and I’ve agreed and thought the adage
made a lot of sense.

Until recently I realized,
much to my chagrin,
that I can’t see the colour of the grass
when the snow’s up to my chin.

 

 

Posted in Epigrams and Essays, Life with a Capital L, Poetry, Writings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
16 Oct 2012
4 Comments

It’s All Your Fault

It’s all your fault you know.
The way you packed us up in the car
and dragged us across Canada and back.
If it’s Tuesday this must be Swift Current.
First the tent, then the tent trailer
then the bumper dragger.
I slept in the top bunk and hit my head on the ceiling
every morning.

It’s all your fault.
Those summers on the east coast,
lobster dinner in a Nova Scotia church basement,
Green Gables, Cavendish Beach,
the Reversing Falls, the Magnetic Hill.
The dip into the US; Maine, New Hampshire.
Stacks of snapshots and a few jerky regular 8 movies,
mostly of me and Mum standing beside
landmarks and signs to prove we were there.

It’s all your fault that my feet itch.
That I get that late night, headlight,
count the tar strip by the bumps longing
for the open road.
Your fault that when I’m on the coast I yearn for the mountains
and when I’m in the mountains I yearn t’ward the plains.
It’s all your fault, Dad.
Thank you.

 

#297

Posted in A New Poem Every Morning, Poetry, Writings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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