This weekend past was Canada Parks day and many parks around the Country celebrated with some great events. Parks Canada opened their gates for a day and waived entry fees. This provided many with an opportunity to maybe explore that park or historic site close by. That National monument that they've been meaning to get to. I know that is what my family did and it was a great experience. We checked out Carleton-Martello Tower National Historic Site in west side Saint John, NB. What is impressive about this tower is that it is the oldest structure in the country's oldest City.
Stay tuned for more on this great East Coast family adventure.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Canada Parks Day
Hey did you know that this Saturday is Canada Parks Day? Many parks across the country are offering free entrance on Saturday and are hosting many special activities. If you love the outdoors and our great parks check it out.
This is a great way to share some great fun at little cost. Some parks have geo-caching events, campfires, guided hikes, and many other cool events. There is something for everyone so come on, get out and support our parks.
Dickson Falls in Fundy National Park where on Canada Parks Day you can take a guided hike.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Busy
Wow the heat is crazy nowadays in this part of the world. I have a great deal to write about it but no time to write. When things slow down I will get back to getting trip reports and such on here. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
What did you do on Canada Day?
Whalen's Wanderings Column in the Kings County Record (July 6 edition)
So what did you do for Canada Day? Was it the same thing you did last year for Canada Day? I know I did the same thing as last year. For me that is what Canada Day is about. It is about family and tradition and it is about hanging out with close friends and family and sharing the celebration together. Canada Day is about setting time aside to slow down and appreciate what we have here in Canada
I can't recall how long ago our current tradition began. It was likely the first year after my wife and I moved to Sussex
This year's Canada Day was spent like the last 4 at least. While some people may like a change, for me it has become a great way to connect with some of those people I don't get to see regularly through out the rest of the year. In total there are likely 5 or 6 families that have enjoyed this party regularly over the years. The families would span three generations and most of the people in the first generation who have attended in the past, knew me as a child, and I grew up with their kids. Now our lives are busier and I have lost touch with them and their children. Our Canada Day tradition allows us to catch up and span that generational gap. There is a long history between many of those who attend and to keep that history growing, this Canada Day party allows us all to continue to add to the story. It allows a generation that had a huge impact on me to also provide that same wholesome, family oriented, positive impact on my children.
I think that a get together like this builds a strong sense of what it means to be Canadian. As Canadians we love our families, we love our backyards, we love being outdoors, we love our stories, we love to play, and we love to celebrate. A couple of people love to play music, some love to swim, some like to toss washers, some like to talk, and we all love to eat. When you bring all this together it makes for a diverse party atmosphere that slightly symbolizes the diversity that makes Canada
Did anyone see where I put my towel?
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Thursday, June 24, 2010
June 22, 2010 Column in the Kings County Record
Whalen's Wanderings
Playing to Build Relationships
It was my privilege recently to take a trip to Guatemala Guatemala
Despite being a pick-up game it was still fast paced and competitive, with a few obviously talented players. I grew up playing soccer and considered my self slightly less than talented back then and I am sure as I've aged modestly since then I am likely no better. That being said, I think I can spot a good soccer player when I see one, and the opposition team had a few more than the team I played for. However, the team I played for was more competitive. Oh. Maybe I should state that I played for a team of misfit Food for the Hungry Canadians (no offense guys if you read my column), while the opposition was a diverse and experienced Food for the Hungry Guatemalan team. It was all in fun though, and boy it was fun.
Unlike our soccer here, the small court requires much more ball precision, especially when it comes to passing. The passing lanes tend to fill up very quickly. It plays like hockey in the sense that there are five players plus a goalie on each team, but it is gentlemen's hockey as there is no hitting. Blocking is allowed though and with the fast pace of the game there were a few collisions. No one got hurt though and it was all in fun.
What I really liked about the game was how controlled it was, well at least for the opposition. Despite the competitive nature of the game and the language barrier between opposing players, there was a bond being built. Personalities come out when one competes. During this game each of us was sharing his or her personality with the others in a manner that will allow us to remember each other 3 or 4 years down the road when we might work together again to better a community. The slight built, taller, and slightly cocky looking player, who backed up his personality with his quick foot work and skilled, play-making leaves an impression. The older, stocky, slightly over weight, thinker, who quietly dominated the game with hardly seeming to move, surely will be remembered. They might remember me for my in-ability to put the ball in the net, or maybe my persistent but clumsy defense.
Competitive sports, whether hockey or court soccer, often breeds a respect for others and during this trip I gained a great deal of respect for the resilient people of this struggling country. Despite having to continually work simply to survive, many still find time to play and build relationships that will last a lifetime. Their talent on the court proves it.
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Monday, June 14, 2010
Island Memories and a Great Get-a-way
Right now I sit, exhausted, watching cartoons with my son in a cottage in Prince Edward Island. My wife worked hard to organize a family vacation and she picked a great spot to stay. We have spent the last two days exploring what the Cavendish area of the Island has to offer a young family of four. Now everyone is a bit tired but can't wait until tomorrow to find another beach to explore or a play area to enjoy. It is just about time for my son's bedtime snack and I'm putting in time by putting thoughts to paper before I cut up some apple slices for him.Now the trip is over so lets scroll ahead and look back....
The cottages my wife booked are "Swept Away Cottages" and I would recommend them to anyone. Family friendly, great service, and an excellent distance from many of the Cavendish areas great activities such as golfing, beaches, theme parks, and evening entertainment. With two young kids my wife and I had no problems keeping them entertained. The cottages contained many amenities that made our trip simpler, including a dishwasher, and Heather was always available to provide some insight as to what to do next.
Of course we spent a good portion of time on the beaches and built sandcastles and splashed around. We also went to Santa's Woods, the Cavendish Boardwalk, and the Stanley Bridge Marine Aquarium where fish were kept in live tanks for kids to see and touch. I have to admit I was pretty impressed with the fish and stuffed bird and insect collection. It was a naturalist's haven.
No trip to PEI is complete without a stop at the Gateway Village and our son had lots of fun creating havoc at the shops here while my wife searched for deals. Of course my son was also very impressed with the Confederation Bridge and anyone who has ever travelled it will tell you that it truly is an engineering marvel. With lots of sun and little wind, the 12.9km drive over the bridge flew by. We cranked our necks in every direction trying to take in as much of the scenery as possible before entering the Gateway Village.
It was ironic that as we sat in a small diner in the Village that an old country song "Islands in the Stream" started playing. Ironic for two reasons; first we were on an island; second because that song would likely have been playing when I was a bit older than my son and visiting PEI with my parents. It instantly took me back to the number of family vacations I took with my parents and quickly I went through a number of childhood memories and hoped that I could help Seth and Shaylee create similar lifetime memories. A great family trip that will start a new treasure chest of memories for me for sure.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Whalens Wanderings from Guatemala
If you read my last column you´ll know that I was travelling to Guatemala on a Mission trip. Believe it or not I am still here and sending this from a computer in Antigua, Guatemala at the "Casa de Los Bucaros." Our trip has been prolonged due to the eruption of Mount Pacaya, a volcano near Guatemala City, as well as a small earth quake, and by tropical storm Agatha which caused severe flooding and mud and rock slides. Our team was fortunate enough to be able to make it from a small community, Villa Hortencia II, to Nebaj before any of these disasters hit. The usual five hour drive however, from Nebaj to Antigua the following day, took us almost 13 hours. The rains from the front end of Agatha caused mudslides and rock slides, which blocked our way numerous times or simply slowed travel. The van we were shuttled in narrowly missed a few of these. As night fell and we thought we were almost there, a bridge to the hostel we were to stay at had been washed away and a mud slide blocked our access less than 200meters from our destination. We therefore ended up where I sit today after a lengthy search for a modest hotel, and these people have been extremely hospitable.
Most of the damage has been done, although a sink hole occurred in Guatemala City yesterday, and now Gautemala is left to clean up after these natural disasters. Our team has worked with "Common Hope" the hostel we were to stay at and prepared food rations for those communities heaviest hit and it was very rewarding to be able to continue to serve in this dire time of need. We have also struggled with our own situation as we continue to wait for the airport to open so that we can return home. I could write for hours about my first mission experience but I could never do it justice, and the mission part of my trip now seems to pale somewhat compared to our effort to get home and the countries effort to get back on its feet.
We drove out of Antigua two days ago so that we could visit a beach on the Pacific Coast and as we did we got to view some of the devastation up close. Rivers that had now receded, showed severe erosion and completely changed channels that were lined with garbage. A large number of bridges were heavily damaged or roads were eroded or mud now replaced pavement. Small homes teetered on the banks of the rivers and some had likely been washed away. As we got nearer the coast homes were completed flooded and the families were encamped on a piece of higher ground as they waited for the river to subside enough so they could clean their homes and reclaim their meager belongings.
For me this has been an incredibly humbling experience and it has made me appreciate what I have and where I live much more. The efforts that many non profit groups are putting in down here is incredible and if you have ever thought about taking a Mission trip I would suggest full heartedly that you take it. I not only was able to help a poor community but this country in a time of need. I too also recieved a huge reward from this Mission as I now have a completely different perspective on what Third World country means and I hope that even upon returning home that I will be able to keep serving this people in one capacity or another. That being said, I miss my family and hope to see them real soon, but until I board the plane I hope I can continue to serve a purpose here in Guatemala.
Ben Whalen
http://www.whalenswanderings.blogspot.com/
"See you in the woods or on the water."
Ben Whalen
http://www.whalenswanderings.blogspot.com/
"See you in the woods or on the water."
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Wednesday, May 19, 2010
A short fishing story??
I've been preparing to going to Guatemala on a Mission Trip recently and the trip starts tomorrow morning. Since I will be away from home for over a week and a half, I wanted to spend some quality time with my son. What better way to do that than to take him fishing. We invited his grandfather to come along and decided to head to the headwaters of a stream I know well. Small cascades, or waterfalls, depending on whose perspective you use, dominate this small brook, and my son loved watching the water cascade over the rocks, but it was even more fun to toss sticks in and watch them go down stream as well. We didn't make a great deal of distance fishing but we did catch 4 brook trout; 5", 7" and two 10", of which we kept one trout to take home. Seth managed to hook a trout on his own but couldn't land it. This resulted in numerous tellings of "the one that got away" by him when we returned home.
It was a great evening and a wonderful way to bond with him and letting him know about the purpose and length of my mission. Now though, I haven't even left, and I can't wait to get home and take him fishing again.
It was a great evening and a wonderful way to bond with him and letting him know about the purpose and length of my mission. Now though, I haven't even left, and I can't wait to get home and take him fishing again.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
A Mission Trip Involves Two Communities
I've been on some great treks lately up and down rivers and along some small ridges and this is usually enough to inspire me to write. This week though I want to write about something that is coming up, rather than something I have already done. This is no small event, at least not for me. I have been given an incredible opportunity to be part of a Mission Trip to Guatemala
Excited doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about this trip. For the first time in my life I have a passport and I will be flying. I am use to driving or walking every where so this in itself will be culture shock. That shock will likely not come close to that which I will feel when I reach my destination in north central Guatemala Atlantic Community Church
The appeal to me for this mission comes from the fact that the Church is making a long term commitment to the Village in Guatemala
This trip would not be possible without a good team. The team is not simply those people who are heading to Guatemala
Our path will take us from Apohaqui to Bangor , Bangor to New York City , New York to Huston, and then to Guatemala City
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Wednesday, May 5, 2010
FW: McCrea Farms Fishing Derby
The following information was sent to me from the Fundy Model Forest. If you are looking to try fishing for the first time this could be a great opportunity, or maybe you want the prize money. What ever your reason, get out there and have fun.
McCrea Farms Annual Fishing Derby
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Registration at 9 am
$5 for adults and $2.50 for children under 12
Lunch will be served at noon (hotdog or hamburger, drink, chips, cookies) for $5
There will be lots of prizes including heaviest fish, most fish caught, oldest/youngest fisherman, etc.
Lots of Prizes, Lots of Fun for the whole family. Come enjoy the outdoors, food, fun and fishing....
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