alison dyer

Summer arrived in May

2009-06-24T23:13:00.002-02:30

Yeh, summer arrived in May this year. Every single tree is out strutting its foliage. We are in the midst of a glut of green. It is gorgeous. And I've been out paddling, and kayak camping, even swimming in the North Atlantic... in June!

Will post some photos of trips soon. If I'm not out on the water. Alison

Music in all its forms

2009-03-22T20:38:00.002-02:30

Concert
When: Today
Where: Outside
What: New Philip Glass composition performed by a northwest breeze and a million ice-encrusted branches
Audience: A skeleton flock of herring gulls chipped off a grey sky
Blue-sky performance piece encore: A pack of silver foxes storms the hills; the City retreats.

Snowstorm and sedentary kayaks

2009-03-21T22:50:00.004-02:30

Second day of spring. A snowstorm swirling, a sky full of whirling dervishes, an ecstasy of snow. My white kayak would probably join in but for the tie-downs keeping it horizontal on my roofrack. Beginning to forget the feel of pulling through saltwater. These days, kayaking is roll practise in chlorine.

The Abstraction of Nature

2009-03-09T10:19:00.006-02:30

"In some sense, the physical world is no longer as real to us as the economic world - we cosset and succor the economy; our politicians gear every decision to speeding its further growth. So if someone says, 'Ending our reliance on fossil fuels will harm the economy,' that settles the issue. By contrast, if someone says, 'Relying on fossil fuels is wrecking the planet,' it seems an almost irrelevant objection - the Earth has become abstract, and the economy concrete, to us."

Bill McKibben, The End of Nature

I came across these words jotted down in an old journal of mine. And with them my thoughts: It's as though we treat Earth as our mother. And like a mother, we expect unconditional love, and unconditional forgiveness. Everything will be rectified, if we screw up, by mother earth.

Coming to a backyard near you...HENZILLA

2009-03-08T21:39:00.003-02:30

Vancouver city council votes to allow residents to keep chickens in backyards (Chicken-Bylaw)The Canadian Press Mar 05 23:58 EST

VANCOUVER _ The B.C. SPCA is crying ``fowl'' after Vancouver city council voted in favour of a bylaw that makes it legal to keep chickens in backyards.

SPCA spokesman Shawn Eccles says he's concerned that people who never would have considered having a chicken of their own will now give it a try because of the attention the bylaw has received.

Eccles says those individuals might not have the knowledge or experience to deal with chickens, meaning it's the animals who will suffer in the end.

He says there's much more to taking care of chickens than most people realize, including the fact that the birds can attract rodents.

Vancouver will not be the first Lower Mainland municipality that allows residents to raise chickens outdoors, as Burnaby and New Westminster already do.

Residents in New York, Seattle and Portland are also permitted to keep the birds. (CKNW, CBC, The Canadian Press)

I love it. Chickens can attract rodents. So can cats, dogs and particularly people who barbque & leave stuff out in their yards. But getting closer to our food source? Ooh, scary.

Seed bombing and Canning swaps

2009-02-18T20:14:00.002-03:30

Came across two neat ideas that have definitely found their time.

The newest weapon of the guerilla gardener: making a seed bomb for hard to reach places:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/video/2008/apr/25/seedbombing

Want to keep it local but add some diversity? This is one type of party you'll want to go to: the canning swap party.
http://www.foodroutes.org/ffarticle.jsp?id=13

Tasting Grace in Wild Spaces

2009-02-03T14:25:00.002-03:30

[Photo: Chance Cove, Trinity Bay. Copyright: Lewis Greenland]

"People need wild places... We need to be able to taste grace and know once again that we desire it. We need to experience a landscape that is timeless, whose agenda moves at the pace of speciation and glaciers. To be surrounded by a singing, mating, howling commotion of other species, all of which love their lives as much as we do ours, and none of which could possibly care less about our economic status or our running day calendar. Wildness puts us in our place. It reminds us that our plans are small and somewhat absurd. It reminds us why, in those cases in which our plans might influence many future generations, we ought to choose carefully."

Barbara Kingsolver

Wind: a love - hate relationship

2009-01-23T16:52:00.005-03:30

Wind (by Ted Hughes)

This house has been far out at sea all night,

The woods crashing through darkness, the booming hills,

Winds stampeding the fields under the window

Floundering black astride and blinding wet.

Till day rose; then under an orange sky

The hills had new places, and wind wielded

Blade-light, luminous black and emerald,

Flexing like the lens of a mad eye.

At noon I scaled along the house-side as far as

The coal-house door. Once I looked up -

Through the brunt wind that dented the balls of my eyes

The tent of the hills drummed and strained its guyrope,

The fields quivering, the skyline a grimace,

At any second to bang and vanish with a flap;

The wind flung a magpie away and a black-

Back gull bent like an iron bar slowly. The house

Rang like some fine green goblet in the note

That any second would shatter it. Now deep

In chairs, in front of the great fire, we grip

Our hearts and cannot entertain book, thought,

Or each other. We watch the fire blazing,

And feel the roots of the house move, but sit on,

Seeing the window tremble to come in,

Hearing the stones cry out under the horizons.

* * * *

In January, February, March my heart pounds more, because

I'm sure

the westerlies, northerlies and otherlies bang on my door.

no. in fact they like to raise my bed,

in my balloon-frame house they shake every darn piece

of furniture. Not just shake but rattle and unhinge.

And that goes for my nerves too.

Only heavy wool blankets stay on my bed in these months.

Even the foster cat finds the rocking chair preferable,

a pleasant counter-action, like a hammock on a ship, to the

plundering wind.

When we lived in Port au Port

(and the axe blew over one blustery winter day)

I joked that my kids were growing on an angle.

Like tuckamore. Resilient.

Storm-bound

2009-01-13T19:22:00.003-03:30

Storm-bound days on kayaking trips can drive you batty. I like to think they offer opportunities for creativity. Take one day last August. Our group of 3 were 'stuck' on an island, thickly wooded (think knitted wood) on either side of our football-sized meadow. Steep but navigable cliffs to beaches on either side. I wandered down to the south-facing beach and started on one of my ongoing little projects: documenting the garbage that had made its way to and back from the ocean. But this time I saw new potential. Grabbing J (an artist), I explained our afternoon activity: arranging as many different colours and hues of garbage into a Rainbow. At one point I thought I might be on to a new grant possibility for environmental art! Imagine creating Garbage Rainbows at remote beaches to draw attention to the problem of using our oceans as dumping grounds. May still do it.

Meanwhile, some stats:

Did you know?
Time taken for objects to dissolve at sea
Paper bus ticket 2-4 weeks
Cotton cloth 1-5 months
Rope 3-14 months
Woolen cloth 1 year
Painted wood 13 years
Tin can 100 years
Aluminum can 200-500 years
Plastic bottle 450 years
(Source: Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association

Boxing Up a River

2009-01-04T02:23:00.004-03:30

[Photo: Manuel's River, Alison Dyer]

Boxing Day usually means a hike somewhere. This year, that is, last year, it was a hike up Manuel's River. (I always want to say a 'short walk' a la Eric Newby. A hike sounds too grand.) And it's mainly an excuse to take some Christmas leftovers for a picnic. At least, that's what I always tell the kids. Darn cold but some lovely tinkling sounds of frozen grasses at the river bed. Manuel's River is known internationally for its fossilized trilobites. We've been coming for years to this river-park. And this year, that is, last year, son #1 actually found part of a trilobite in one of the rocks.

Roy's Garden

2008-12-15T23:24:00.003-03:30

[Photo: Roy's Garden, Alison Dyer 2007]

On guard for thee

Toe positioned in westward stance
Heel toward the eastern trench
A lone rubber boot, upturned on staff, presides
in centre field. A quiet commandant
rallying the troops.

All flanks armoured with bits of fencing,
metal, plastic and noisemaking:
a cadre of rusty cans, an infantry of laundry bottles,
an ambush-ready bedspring
in its deep grass position.

Scraps of onion bags, shredded tarps, a regal blue overall
arms and legs stuffed and tied with a pink silk scarf,
a cracked orange bucket and, past kitchen duty but with three good legs left for battle,
a wooden kitchen chair.
All enrolled for nocturnal combat.

In Roy’s garden Major Boot,
with a commanding view up the valley,
enlists this band of the crooked, the lost, the rejected
in the twilight war of
vegetables versus ungulates.

(Alison Dyer, 2008)

Roy sets a wonderful vegetable garden near me in Caplin Cove. Only he is hounded by moose. Or just one who loves to tease and eat tender beet greens. We are toying with the idea getting a moose license (um, thoughts of tasty roasts). If only that moose knew that I gave up being a vegetarian of 16 years for moose stew!

a poem for december

2008-12-06T14:00:00.004-03:30

Mid-december and pewter-coloured water, burning to the touch, kills most thoughts of paddling. But it's a time to remember, plan and read poems about this crazy magnificent coastline.

cliffs

and a thin green

cover. like

dinosaurs crouching under a rug. then

through the rowdy narrows

a sunlit bay: spits, shoals and islands, white

birds lifting out of the blue. no

centre. no shadows here. no lines

leading anywhere. waves

capes scrub-tufts shift, shuffle

under the open sky

(John Steffler in "The Grey Islands, Brick Books. 2000. John Steffler was the former Canadian poet laureate).

Bay Bulls - out past Long Harry and Spoon Island

2008-11-19T19:02:00.007-03:30

Bay Bulls, on Newfoundland's Southern Shore, and just 35 minutes from St. John's, is home to two expanding whale watching tours. Apart from an aborted night paddle several years ago, I admit I've taken the bay for granted and tend to paddle much farther away. But on a recent November trip, with shortening days grabbing our paddle leashes, we headed out to explore its southern side. The wind was blowing: 30km with gusts of 50km from the sw. That provided a good tailwind for the trip out. We found and explored several caves and, near the headland, a rather lovely section of sea stacks: from Maggoty Cove, past Spoon Island, and beyond Cheese Point. [the map above is lifted from a real estate website... as you can see, land is quickly being bought & sold here.]

The name Bay Bulls is somewhat of a mystery. The name first appears on a 1592 map. Perhaps it was Bay Boulle named by Jersey fishermen. Or perhaps it derives from the common Dovekie Bull-Bird found in the area.

Still looking for a beach (gravel or boulders would do), we kept going outside until only a faint glimpse of Ireland could be seen. Okay, Ireland was beyond the horizon, but one of the islands of the seabird sanctuary was nearby. But no beach.

Never mind. A brisk headwind paddle back to near the put-in and we found a spot for lunch. Sardines and tea tastes delightful outside.

a gift in november

2008-11-07T01:23:00.004-03:30

For some it was a time to haul up the boats. Not for us. A perfect November day, warm (17C), sunny - never mind its midweek, or winds were blowing - this gift of a day was celebrated on the water.

Bay Bulls East Coast Trail

2008-11-02T22:00:00.005-03:30

[Photos: East Coast Trail, Bay Bulls, NL 2008 A.Dyer]

Today the woods beckoned. A hike with family and friends on the East Coast Trail - Mickeleens Path - from Bay Bulls on Newfoundland's southern shore. A boardwalk questioned and we answered with pitter-patters, thuds and mud-caked soles. Whispers from every type of green. And nearby, below, a shoreline sucked and smacked by salty lips.

See: http://www.eastcoasttrail.com/trail/view.php?id=6 for a splendid view from this trail.

More Colinet Island

2008-10-27T16:43:00.002-02:30

[Photo: Peter A explores Regina(ville), Great Colinet Island, Oct. 2008, Alison Dyer]
[Photo: Paddling west side of Great Colinet Island, Oct.2008, Lev Tarasov]

Having a devil of a time posting to & editing the blog - some html ghost keeps popping up and making away with text and photos.

For archival photos of former community of Regina(ville), see: http://www.mun.ca/mha/resettlement/colinet_1.php

Circumnavigating Great Colinet Island

2008-10-25T22:16:00.007-02:30

[photos: alison dyer, oct.2008]

It so reminded me of Monty Python's Holy Grail. You know, where buddy is running up to the castle and each time the guards look at him, he's back in the distance, starting all over again. Well, that was the headland at the end of Colinet Island: an elusive target, an illusory landscape. So it was better to just pummel the bit of wind of waves, enjoy the late autumn rays, and forget about an actual destination.

We started from Admiral's Beach, an end-of-the-road community in St. Mary's Bay, and paddled the short (<2km)across to Great Colinet Island. A cursory exploration of Regina and lunch on beach at NW tip. Smoke train clouds across a blue sky. Forecast 20km wind gusts to 40km. So, with heads down we punched into straight wind and waves for 2 hours. Rewarded with a following sea as we cruised through some nice chop at the southern headland. By this time, our initial group had splintered into 3 distinct parties.

Our group of 3 continued on to explore the resettled community of Mosquito which, in late afternoon provided a particularly pleasant backdrop, with a nearby family of seals playing dolphin. A very satisfying 20km circumnavigation.

Photos above:

1. Lev in part of community formerly known as Regina and, prior to the 1900s known as Mother IXX's (also Mother Rex). Population, peaking in 1945 to 104, was of course dependent on the cod fishery and first settled by Irish-born fisherman named Dalton. "The broad cove at Regina offered a good beach for drying fish and was likely used by migratory fishing crews prior to settlement.."[Encyclopedia of NF, vo.4]. Resettlement occurred in 1960-62: ~ 70 families moved to Admiral's Beach.

2. Looking north from beach at Regina, Great Colinet Island.

3. Pete N enjoys a beverage and cigar at lunch - only indulging in such on special paddles.

4. Lots of great rock formations on both sides of island

5. Trio of erstwhile spruce, still clinging.

6. The sedimentary rocks on the east side of the island had a particularly 'temple of doom' type appearance: as though pressing on one might set in motion all kinds of locks, levers and uncover secret vaults.

7. & 8. On the east side of island is the resettled community of Mosquito. Each community (M&R) had a church but shared a school halfway between communities. We didn't have time to explore the carttrack between the communities, but Peter A believes he found the foundation of Mosquito's church.

"Occasionally there was a shipwreck from which the Colinet Island inhabitants salvaged hardware, furniture and sometimes livestock." [The settlement pattern of the McEvoy Family on Colinet Island, by Ted Tremblett]. Mosquito was first recorded separately in census in 1845 with 24 people - probably taking advantage, says Newfoundland Encyclopedia, of rich fishing grounds, dense forests and fertile soil. Population peaked at 62 in 1901.

"By 1881 a school was operating in Mosquito. In the early 1900s, however, children walked 4 km to a schoolhouse in Regina...A two-room building was opened halfway between the communities around 1917...The oldest headstone standing in the cemetery in 1990 was that of John Doody, who died in 1845." We didn't find the cemetary which means another trip.

Woody Island in fall colours

2008-10-21T14:45:00.006-02:30

[photos by Alison Dyer, 2008]

Paddling buddy Peter A has to have an annual pilgrimage to Woody Island and Rattling Brook Falls (and pool) in Placentia Bay. Which sits perfectly well with me. Last weekend, with larch and maple showing off particularly nice shades of ochre and amber, and winds all but ceasing on the Avalon, 5 of us launched from Garden Cove for the 22km or less return paddle.

We headed around the eastern side of Sound Island, once home to a community of a few hundred people, now dotted with a few cabins in coves. No sightings of otters but out in the Bay a dory, with two fisherman jigging on the last day this year's recreational cod fishery, was backdropped by a gargantuan oil tanker parked and smoking near Merasheen Island.

We grabbed lunch on a tiny sun-split beach - Peter and Liz snoozed on shale while Janaki and Lev scrounged for smokey ripe partridgeberries on the spongy ground above.

A quick paddle to Woody Island to nod to Loyola's 'Woody Island Resort', then on and over to Rattling Brook. At this time of year a mere trickle. Still, the deep pool above enticed the dry-suited members of the party (note: heads and hands are above the frigid waters).

No caribou sightings either this time, just a few eagles. Still, the perfect paddling conditions and fall colours made the day simply memorable.

Go Jack Go

2008-10-15T15:35:00.003-02:30

In a landslide election, Jack Harris (former provincial NDP leader and one-time MP) has been elected by 3/4 of voters in St. John's East as their MP in Ottawa. Go Jack Go!

Fortune Bay

2008-08-25T00:52:00.002-02:30

(Paddling near Rencontre East, Fortune Bay: photo by Alison Dyer, Aug.2008)

Last week spent nearly six days paddling and exploring Fortune Bay. Rare finds, magnificent vistas, glorious and terrifying geology. Details and photos forthcoming.

Greg Rocks

2008-08-03T22:42:00.003-02:30

"Following are my trip statistics. I’ll also put a gear list together, along with a list of what gear worked and what gear didn’t make the grade.
Total distance paddled: 2102K (1306 miles)
Daily average: 60.05K (37.3 miles)
Longest day: 93K (57.8 miles)
Shortest day (aborted crossing of Trinity Bay): 27K (16.7 miles)
Total days: 44Paddling days: 35Weather/Rest days: 9
Many hundreds of whales, dolphins and blowspouts! Two sharks and two sunfish. And of course, and most important, too many life-changing memories to list…"

Posted by Greg Stamer, world-record-holder for paddling around island of Newfoundland, completed this past week. Way to go Greg.

check out his site for simply gorgeous photos etc.
http://www.gregstamer.com/

Caplin Roll in Caplin Cove

2008-07-28T23:15:00.004-02:30

Carpet of iridescent green, writhing. A thin fog half-heartedly obscuring cliffs, solemn, battle ship grey with their longitudinal lines. Impressive, but the veil of mystery soon lifting, peeling back to show true blue.

This past wednesday, the caplin rolled onto the beach. Almost to the day they did last year (a month behind from years ago). Son Ezra first out at 6am to net a few. The ritual cooking up of a few on the Regal woodstove. Then such a fine day, I launched and paddled over to Hant's Harbour to let some friends know 'the caplin are in'.

Run River Run

2008-07-07T00:56:00.008-02:30

(photos of Exploits River/Grand Falls Canyon River, A. Dyer July 2008)

Sometimes you just have a try something new. I believe. And so two weekends ago, although the forecast temperatures were below seasonable, and drizzle drizzled, a few of us headed out to central Newfoundland and the grand Exploits River for KNL's Badger Run. Posted especially for sea kayakers with little WW experience, it was a fun weekend. We camped at Paul & Joy Roses' place (who run the wonderful Rafting Newfoundland trips).

Exceptional hospitality on their part added to the weekend. Me, being the only novice (a single 2-day course on the Ottawa River in 2005 my only previous WW), I impressed myself that I never swam on this trip. Following sat. night's steaks, beer, and campfire, we scouted the Canyon section on Sunday. Class 3. I waved the flag and said "next year," (hold me to it).

My compadres and more experienced river rats Brian, Pete, and Dick ran it no problem - although it wasn't without excitement. The amazing Paul Rose (with a hole in his boat taped with duct tape) and youngsters Andrew and Breen strutted their stuff for some time on the Virgin Wave. While the waves look almost grandmotherly here, I can attest to their testy and toothsome nature. Know your stuff or be eaten!

Meanwhile, back at the camp--where Paul & Joy are building 4 1/2 star chalets with jacuzzis and hot tub--the huskies are simply adorable. An all around great weekend.

Discover your passions, respect the Earth

2008-06-20T12:29:00.004-02:30

[Photo: Ezra near the top of the world 2007]

"Live your dreams, discover your passions, adventure safely with care, consideration and respect for planet Earth. Create a connection with the natural environment to encourage yourself and others to protect our world and all living things, discovering the true and natural essence of humanity."

This is the philosophy of Hayley Shepard. From New Zealand, Hayley is visiting and kayaking part of Newfoundland. Welcome. Enjoy.

8th Annual KNL Retreat

2008-05-26T22:06:00.004-02:30

It was great. Terrific guests Bryan Smith and Fergus (forgive me but it's on the KNL website). However, I reneged again on any river stuff but did 3 new paddles: around Swale Island (finding a fantastic cave behind a waterfall - five kayaks inside and still more room); up Bloody Reach (didn't look for Beothuk artifacts, but lots of Osprey); out from Wild Cove around Cow Head (impressive headland with a nice sea running) near Salvage. Lunched on Sailor's Island - another resettled community and gorgeous spot for camping. Bloody big bits of ice (think small mountain) out in the bay--we figured about 1 1/2hrs one way paddle so gave it a miss. Eagles, seals, yada yada. Oh yes, and we partied hard at night too.

No camera, no photos. But check out Stan's website for some. (And Neil's on yesterday's trip in Placentia Bay.)

First pond practice tonight. Bob G smiling into hand rolls and I'm grimacing at the thought of 6 degree water--though that's appreciably more than the 1 or 2 degrees paddled in Bonavista Bay. Finally grin and bear it and roll. Not so bad. Thank you Kokatat!