Outdoor Rink: Part One

The boys helped clear off the space for the small ice surface.

Today was a sunny, snowy day.  The temperature never came above freezing so I thought I would try making my first outdoor rink for Seth to enjoy.  I have no grand illusions of boards and nets and all the glam.  In fact the ice surface won't be that grand.  Seth, a friend of his, and I cleared off a space about 10m X 6m to start flooding.  After we cleared the space I took the boys to Bill's Corner store for a hot chocolate.  The boys then played in the fort for a while before we went in for lunch.



The boys enjoyed their hot chocolate while
sitting on the steps of the St. John's United
Church Center.



I didn't put down plastic, I didn't build boards.  Seth, the other boy, and I shovelled off the space and put the pile along the edge to create the boundary.  We did that this morning.  I then fought all day with my hose and the pipes trying to get the water to flow so I could flood the ice tonight.  It was a bit frustrating but finally I got the hose clear of ice.  Just a note for those who might find themselves in this same predicament; I put the hose in the bathtube with hot water.  It took about 10minutes to melt the ice out and I cleaned the hose while I was at it...oh and then the bath tube.

Under the stars and a cool night sky I applied a generous amount of water straight to the grass snow mix area that the boys and I had cleared off earlier in the day.  Now I will wait and see what it looks like tomorrow morning and hopefully flood again.



There is nothing better than a kid's rosy smile while enjoying winter.



Winter Winds

Seth loves snow forts and snowballs, especially if
I build the fort.

Winter has finally landed with a thud...literally almost.  I think the snow landed all in one moment with a thud.  I went to bed at midnight on Sunday night and when I awoke at 6:00am there was a ton of snow sitting in our driveway.  When my son woke up he couldn't wait to get outside and play.  I love that he loves winter time and his youth keeps me young.



The two in one fort/sliding hill near the
driveway is a family favorite, after a talk
about safety near the road.



After a modest breakfast of toast and cereal we layered up and went out to do battle with the blowing snow.  My son saying to his mother "Mom! Dad and I are going outside so he can shovel the driveway and I can throw snowballs at him!"  Which he did while telling me where to pile the snow higher to make a fort and sliding hill...which I did.  It was a great morning but already this winter I have broken a shovel and am extremely sore from shovelling the driveway not once, not twice, but three times in one day.  

I am not sure why but it seems to be winter time when my son and I have the most fun together.  We camp in the summer but he doesn't seem to get the same enjoyment out of it.  Maybe because I don't let him throw rocks at me :)

I hope the New Year blows great things your way.

Cheers all.

Christmas Trees and Memories

 

The trees in downtown Sussex can put maybe

even the Grinch in the Christmas spirit.





It is that time of year when inspiration and hope is all around us.  All you have to do is look at the face of a child as he watches the Christmas parade, or watch an elderly woman singing carols as she searches for a perfect gift.  The life in young and old seems elevated during the Christmas season and it is contagious and only the coldest of hearts is immune to the warmth.  One of the longest standing traditions of this festive season is the Christmas tree and this is "one of my favorite things."

If you have a Christmas tree in your home it is likely because your parents had one and you have strong memories and rituals attached to your tree.  Whether you decorate a real tree or the more modern fake tree you likely have that old ornament that has to be hung just right by the specific family member.  Maybe you have to enjoy a box of chocolates or some hot chocolate while decorating the tree while Christmas music plays loudly in the background.  For some it might be a loud boisterous affair with laughter while others reflectively admire the tree before putting on each decoration.  For me and my family it is a rather loud affair, filled with laughter, the smell of chocolates and hot chocolate, mixed with balsam fir needles.  The music varies from Alabama's "Thistlehair the Christmas Bear" to Madonna singing "Santa Baby" but one thing is consistent and that is that it is played a bit louder than normal.



Seth loved being able to climb up on a
chair and decorate the tree this year.



Irony on the Lawless Road



The sign showing the Lawless Road



I have been able to put some extra time in at work over the last little while so I had some time coming to me.  I have always wanted to hike up Pickwauket Mountain just outside of Hampton for sometime now and today, I made the trek up the steep slope.  Work had taken me to Hampton for the morning and so I decided that while there I would explore the area a bit.  The weather was not looking promising, mild for this time of year but calling for rain.  I crossed my fingers as I parked my car along the Lawless Road and set a course for the rocky outcrop on the southern face of Pickwauket Mountain.

It was ironic to me that I was on the Lawless Road when just a few weeks ago I started a hike off on the Law Road.  The first obstacle that I would have to overcome on this hike would be to cross Pickwauket Brook.  After a short jaunt up the stream I found a spruce tree that was stretching its limbs across the brook.  I carefully stepped across the tree and landed safely on the other side.  It was all up hill from here but it would turn out to be a great walk.

This maintained woodlot near Hampton
made you feel like you were walking into
a postcard.

There are times when I envy some landowners for what they have and for what they have maintained.  It is not enough simply to own land but I really admire those who work their land and maintain its integrity.  As I left the flood plain with its scruffy alders, thick black spruce, and white birch, I moved into a well kept pine stand.  The forest stand was not so impressive but the road that led me around to the north side of the mountain was very picturesque.  It seemed to envelop you in a blanket as I walked along.  It made it very difficult to leave the road to head for the higher slopes. 

The forest had turned to thin yellow and white birch stands with the odd spruce and pine thrown in.  The final ascent to the top of the mountain was challenging but the biggest challenge I faced was which approach to take to reveal the scenic vista over the Hampton Marsh.  I raced up the slope and stepped onto the rock precipice and took it all in. The view was amazing, even with the gray overcast day, the site line stretched a long way across the Marsh to the far hills.  I sat on the south slope for a while, because the wind was cool on the north east, but I still took time to take in the view from that angle as well.  I took notice of a stunted spruce that was growing with a majority of its roots upturned.  It was a true testament of the will of nature to see that tree growing on such a wind torn and rock hard place.

With some hesitation I left the small mountain that juts out of the landscape like a volcano on the prairies.  It was a great hike that was overdue and it set my mind right again as I start to prepare for the holiday season.



Looking down onto the Hampton Marsh from the top of Pickwauket Mtn.



Hockey (or sport) is the Building Block for Life

I can remember, not that long ago, rushing to the rink in my parents van, fully dressed in hockey gear, which my mother insisted I put on.  My father was flustered as he had rushed home from work and was running behind, hence the reason my mother insisted I put on my gear before getting to the rink.  As fast as those days went by, they still consume a great deal of my memory bank and the smell of damp hockey gloves still invokes an adrenaline rush within my aging body.

I couldn't really remember my first years of hockey.  It took an enjoyable phone call with my Mom to remind me about those first important years on skates.  Through mine and my brother's first years of hockey it was my Mom who shuttled us to the rink and tied our skates. It must have been tough for her because if I was anything like my son is now it would have been a struggle simply to get me to sit down to get my gear on.  For that I thank you Mom.  Hockey played a big part in my family's life as I grew up and early indications seem to show that that trend will continue with the next generation, and it excites me, I am Canadian after all.

After a short time of consideration I decided to become the hockey coach for my son's Initiation team, and I have realized I owe my parents another huge thanks.  It is hard work getting my son out the door and to the rink, getting him into his gear, getting my skates on, and getting the practice organized but well worth the effort.  The young kids all have fun and their parents all look on with pride and it makes the early morning and rushed afternoons worth the effort.

It is astounding how quickly the kids learn.  They are learning to play hockey much faster than I am learning how to coach it.  I still scurry around before practice in a disorganized blur, while the kids now step onto the ice comfortably.  Where once most fell in a heap shortly after stepping on the ice, they now can't wait to get going and glide off with only a slight hesitation.  We spend less time picking them up off the ice now than we do trying to get them to stop and pay attention to the next drill.

No doubt my son will only have vague memories of this part of his life when he is older, but I hope to share with him the stories of my past and his past so that we can remember together.  I don't simply remember the game, I remember the little life lessons it provided and the lasting friendships it forged.  Like in all sports, youth hockey coaches, I'm starting to realize are not just coaching a player, they are coaching the future leaders of their community. 

High Water High

The weather forecast called for a great deal of rain and I got excited.  When we get rain like this I often need to go out and inspect some of the KWRC restoration sites and see how they are doing.  After a morning meeting, Chris and I headed out, not really approriately dressed for rain especially this much rain.  We laughed at the absurdity of the rain that was coming down.  I was impressed with how well the restoration sites were handling the heavy rains. 

This small tributary beats an angry path
towards Ward's Creek

Over the last 24hours it has rained a ton and the river levels have risen dramatically.  The hydrographic station in Apohaqui is nearly floating but still kicking out readings.  I was out checking out some smaller streams but even those were an unruly, riled, brown mass, rushing over the banks towards the larger stream systems.

The longer we trudge around the sites, the wetter we got and the harder we laughed.  The best thing about the day was that, despite being November, it was very warm.  We weren't cold and wet, we were humorous and wet.  As I mentioned in my Law Road hike entry, I get foolish when wandering in the rain.  This afternoon was no different except that it was raining much harder.

Earlier this year the KWRC completed assessments on a number of culverts within the watershed and we checked on some of these as well.  One that has been worked on, as a result of some input from the KWRC, was playing music as we approached it.  Large stones were rolling through the metal pipe striking lots of different notes as they did. 

Stones and sometimes rocks were rolling out of this culvert
that carried water towards the Kennebecasis.

Just a great day.

I just gotta say, if you haven't been to Cornhill in awhile, you should go and enjoy the long stretches of farm ground, the rolling terrain, and the slow pace of the gurgling brooks.  I had a great afternoon in the field today, first planting some trees with a grade three class from Apohaqui (thanks again to Mrs. Reicker's class), and then assessing a potential project site.  When the sun is shining like it was today it makes any place uplifting, but the ridges and fields around Cornhill possess something special.  Get out there and explore a farm field near you.  Be sure to wear your hunter orange though.

I got no pics sorry but just take my word for it.

Roots with a Purpose

I have been researching a lot lately as I have been starting to prepare funding proposals at work.  I have been digging up some cool facts on trees and the role they play in nature.  I find it interesting that we seldom notice trees until fall when they provide us with a colorful canvas.  Trees are so much more than a part of the landscape, they are the fabric that holds the balance of earth in the air.  For me I often utilize trees to improve riparian areas which in turn improves watershed health.  I see daily how valuable they are to water quality and the relation they have with aquatic ecosystems. 

Fighting The Law

Meg and Chris admire the view across the
man made pond as rain lightly falls.

For some time I have had a strong desire to rise up out of my office chair and take the Law on.  All I needed was a simple reason.  It didn't even have to be a good one.  I was anxious and the frustration of being cooped up in my office or at the mulititude of meetings I seem to be taking part in recently had me a bit on the touchy side.  Finally, I had been pushed to far, and I couldn't take it anymore.  I headed out to pick a fight with the law and there was no way the law was going to win this fight. 

Ok so I'm no rebel and the law I'm referring to is the Law Road.  This short, deadend, dirt road, has always spurred my curiosity, with the deep looking ravines and steep slopes.  I was certain, as I spotted it one day while hiking the Piccadilly Mountain ridgeline, that it had some exposed slopes and thus I knew I would have to go investigate it.  I took some work time to explore the headwaters of McLeod Brook, which runs out of the steep valleys in this area, in hopes that I could form an arguement to have these waters classed as an outstanding water through New Brunswick's Water Classification Program.

The small stream that flowed from the deep
valleys where McLeod Brook began.

The weather was not great as the sky was gray and there was constant drizzle.  It was going to take more than that though to keep me and a couple of colleagues from getting out into the woods.  We pulled the truck down Law Road and pulled up to the end of the road.  The road ended near a farm house on the left with a well maintained front lot and some expansive, worn fields, leading out the back.  Between us and the front yard a small stream flowed from the hills in front of us and we were all itching to find out from where it began.



The view over the farm below from atop the rock face.



Before you could sing the tune "I fought the law and the law won" we were on our way up the stream.  In no time we were standing on the shore of a man-made pond glaring through the fog and an impressive three faced rock outcrop.  With the rock staring down on us it made it hard to take the appropriate time to enjoy the pond which had a clear bottom and a green sheen to the clear water.  We took a few pics before heading further up the ravine so we could approach the rock face from the southeast flank.  A short time later we were stopping to take off a layer of clothes as the difficult climb was causing us to heat up.

In no time we had forced ourselves up the hill and pushed through the tree line and onto the exposed west facing rock.  Before us was an grand view that provided a panoramic greater than 180 degrees.  Even with the fog and rain it was a place that you simply had to sit and enjoy.  The massive hulk of the Piccadilly Mountain was west north west and further north was the looming cranes and construction of the new PCS mine while the old mine sat in the background.  The fall colors were just starting to appear and the hardwood ridge to the south west was glowing yellow as the sun played a short game of peekaboo. 

I found my pictures this day looked better if I
focused on the smaller things.

The rock was weathered and the hill was obviously losing its battle with time.  Large cracks and slabs littered the hillside below us and we youthfully tossed stones at various targets.  It was humbling to sit there and play in this large space where time was moving slowly while at the mine site man was frantically moving to exploit our natural resources for the mighty dollar.  It donned on me that no matter how hard we work to control nature, it will never happen.  If this rock face couldn't win then we don't stand a chance. 

We sombrely left the rock escarpment and headed to the top of the ridge to circle the drainage and come down its west flank.  We walked along the edge of a large clear cut and as we did I realized that with this huge scar on the landscape the small tributary could not possibly be considered an outstanding water class.  What was even more upsetting was that the clear cut was on Crown land.  I am not trying to harp on logging companies, there was no laws being broken that I could tell, but it was, I guess an unneeded reminder of the impact we do have on the wilderness.



The moss covered rocks provided some inspiring imagery
and of course I love playing in water.



We dropped off the ridge into the main stream of this small drainage and had some lunch.  I took sometime to photograph the stream a bit and the bright green of the moss on the rocks caught my attention.  Even on the gray day the greens seemed to stand out.  Every now and then a bright red leaf would also catch my eye and I realized that on an overcast day that the small things are easier to photograph than the landscape itself.  This is likely a no brainer for a photographer, but I have never made that connection before as I have never claimed to be a photographer.

After lunch we circled the two other small tributaries and I noted the great diversity of the forest both in species and age composition.  Huge hemlocks with younger spruce and pines were the stalwart coniferous present, while yellow birch, sugar maple, young elm, and a scattering of beech made up the hardwoods.  Before I was ready we were heading down the main stream again towards the truck and I was already planning my next exploration of the Little South Branch Kennebecasis River.

View Law Road Hike in a larger map

River Clean Up has big Impact

Clean rivers and river banks are important and over 50 volunteers gathered recently in the Kennebecasis Watershed to make sure the rivers there stay clean.  Over the last three years people along this river have been gathering on the 3rd Saturday of September to clean up litter along the river.  It is a great way to get involved in an environmental project and it is a relatively simple activity to take part.  People of all ages worked with the Kennebecasis Watershed Restoration Committee for this event and all had a great day and left feeling rewarded.

Everyone there aided in cleaning up a bit more than 6km of stream and removing 1300kgs of trash and litter.  Illegal dump sites provided a good portion of the trash that was collected.  The impact of this 1/2 day event is not just a local one.  When you keep trash out of a river you also keep it out of the ocean and that is a global impact.

Next time you see a piece of litter make a global difference and take the time to pick it up.  Waste management services now a days make it easy to get rid of your trash with little effort.  Most waste doesn't need to even go to a landfill because technology is making it possible to recycle so many different things. 

Thanks to all those who came out and helped out and made a great global difference.