Archive for the ‘Family’ Category
August 2nd, 2010 | 
Author: Greg and I just got back from Leominster, MA. We were attending the second annual Northeastern Treatment Free Beekeeping Conference. Tired doesn’t really begin to cover it: 640km down, 3½ full days of speakers and talking bees, then 815km back (side-trip to see Gary & Maude).
To say that I’m glad to be on vacation for the next two weeks wouldn’t begin to cover it. My family, getting away from the rat race of town and a few projects are really looking good right now.
I’m off to the 8:30 boat to paradise.
I’ll try to post a few pictures from the projects. Take care and have fun.
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I wear my heart on my sleeve around here, so it should come as no surprise that I’ve been to my fair share of protests over the years. Usually, but not always, with a camera in hand. What you may not know is that my in-laws are a bunch of rowdies, too.
It all stems from Bridget’s parents. There were both politically active farmers for about half their lives. I don’t know how active they were before 1969, but that year they really stepped in and helped to found the National Farmer’s union in Canada. It’s an association more than a union, but the represent the interests of smaller farmers all over the country. John was Eastern Ontario Coordinator for the NFU for at least the decade before he died. Bridget says she grew up cranking a mimeograph machine and attending rallies with them. In fact, she celebrated a birthday in Ottawa in the middle of a protest. 
After John died in 1991, his second-son Peter stepped into his shoes in various capacities and several other members of the family have done and do work for the NFU still. Peter’s wife, Dianne, is vice-president of Local 316.
The prison system in Canada has six farms connected with them. They’re classified as lower-security institutions that the inmate can earn their way out of the full prison to. There are two here and they produce very high quality eggs and milk for the prison system. Enough that they pretty much cover the system’s needs.
So, we spent the afternoon and evening over on Simcoe yesterday. Nice and relaxing: I mowed the lawn, while B and the boys puttered about. Just before dinner, I went down to the hives for a bit of a peek. It looked like some weather was coming, but it’s hard to judge over there. Just as often as not, the system that was heading straight for us hits the lake and suddenly heads north and away from us.
I had to trim some grass around the hives, so I rode the mower down the lane. It’s not way to save time, though: there’s something wrong with the transmission and the top 3 gears don’t work. So, I cut my pathway in to the hives then suited up for a look-see. Just as I opened up the first hive, the wind blew up out of nowhere and I realized that the thunderclouds that I had expected to move down the lake hadn’t gone far enough and I was about to get wet.
If I’d had the van or car, I would have just waited it out there. No such luck, so I hunkered down beside one of the hives. It sits in a crescent of red osier dogwood that makes an amazing wind-break. I crouched down there and watched the wind tear through the trees all around. Bits of poplar rained down while the trees themselves bent over into amazing arches. When the rain finally did hit, it wasn’t much: a few widespread, big, drops for 5 minutes or so and it was done.
We’re a week into the first real blast of summer heat around here and it’s been interesting getting used to it. We didn’t have much of this at all last summer. It rarely got above about 25C (77F) and it was extremely wet. The bees had an awful time getting the nectar that they needed to survive, never mind getting enough to put away honey for winter.
Jump to this year and the only time it’s been below 25 this month is overnight and Friday after a rainy Thursday. Most days it’s been hovering around 35C (95F) and throw in humidity levels around 85% and nobody with any sense is doing anything very quickly. Apart from the bees: they’re simply thriving. Warm, moist weather means the plants are growing like mad (my garden looks like a jungle) and the foragers are having no problems finding the nectar and pollen that they not only need to survive, but multiply.
This weekend was the annual Kingston Busker’s Rendezvous and we braved the heat to head downtown and check out some of the acts.
Phil set off on his first canoe trip with the Scouts today. 7 kids and three leaders paddled off into the wilds of Frontenac Provincial Park tonight, not to be heard from until Sunday:
This place is incredible: 48 campsites in 13 areas scattered amongst 12,000 acres of semi-wilderness and dozens of lakes. There’s zero cell-phone coverage, no artificial lights away from the office and motorized boats are prohibited in the vast majority of the park. Sounds like heaven, doesn’t it?
Oh, did I mention that none of the sites are accessible by car? You have to hike or canoe in. 