Sunday, January 15, 2017

GETTING ACQUAINTED

     The first time I had some free time I headed to the ocean shore. For this prairie boy it was the first time I lived on a coast and I was eager to get acquainted with the new territory.

      I watched until the tide went out and took my walk. The beach is very rocky and pebbly. It's also slippery. I boldy walked down to the edge of the water. Then I looked back. I became alarmed. I was looking up a hill. I almost panicked for an instant but I looked back at the beach and let it sink in. Tides there were a little over 40 ft. Currents in and out of the bay were 10 - 12 mph.

      The bay would freeze over with these huge tides. The ice would lie on the beach and when the water came back in the ice would rise. There were huge boulders and the ice would lean on the boulders. We could always walk out on the ice without worrying about going through a hole.

    So quickly back up to the high water mark. The settlement was on a steep slope. The government in its wisdom chose to put its buildings up at the top of the slope. The Administrator (me) could look out over his kingdom and have a good view. The Inuit were at the bottom of the slope close to the beach. The Inuit did not have to walk up the hill. Their business was at the water line where they would come and go and bring back seals and fish. Any time I had business I walked down the hill and then back up. I lost weight! I paid for my beautiful view.

   After 2  or 3 nights I heard and awful bang on the side of my house. It was a whoomf sound. It sounded as if a train hit the house. 3 or 4 days later another whoomf. The siding on the house was metal. I couldn't figure out what caused the noise. Gradually I discovered a strong wind would come up suddenly and hit the side of the house and the metal would bend in and make the noise. I had to get used to this for two years.

    It was very windy at times and the wind would blow for days on end. I looked at the weather yesterday and it was minus 24 C and the wind was 49 KMH.

   I consider myself to be lucky to live in a place with a beautiful sea and interesting terrain which was very colorful at times when there were different colored plants. Then there was a long time where things were white.

    The top of Quebec is fairly flat and drops sharply off into the sea. There are 1000 m (1600 ft) cliffs along the edge of the sea. There were some interesting places to walk. Almost every time I went out for a walk a few kids would show up and walk with me. I remember them telling me "Don't go there." if they thought it was dangerous for me.

     I'll finally get to work here but I wanted you to know what the place was like. I have many slides but haven't scanned them.

35 comments:

  1. It was good of the kids to keep you safe! I for one would like to see those slides once you get them scanned. No pressure :)

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    1. If you gave these people a chance they really looked after you.

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  2. Hello!
    I have been browsing here a little and read about your two adopted children, I see you have a number of posts about rabbits, too.
    My mum has sometimes recounted an adoption story from a friend of hers. The couple had been undergoing the adoption process and were unexpectedly called to pick upa little boy. They didn't have a single baby item but by the time they had gone to pick the little guy up (several hours away) their friends had supplied everything they needed, either pre-loved or bought new as gifts.
    That couple unexpectedly had a baby they conceived themselves within twelve months. What an experience that would be!

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  3. That bang on the house must have been frightening to hear. Nice post about a remote area.

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  4. That high tide would be tough to play with

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  5. What a harsh winter up there. Ice now frightens me for walking. I used to be carefree and headed anywhere. But I was quick to react to a skid or two. I scanneda bunch of slides years ago, but have 100s that are not scanned.

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    1. You can be prepared for a harsh climate and do well in it. this ice was always snow covered.

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  6. What interesting memories! I could almost hear that sound from the way to described it, the side of the building buckling in the wind. :-)

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    1. Some memories were vivid and some I didn't remember as my wife reminds me.

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  7. The vastness and variety of this country is astonishing.

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    1. Vastness doesn't even begin to describe it.

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  8. Wow. You have amazing stories!

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    1. In your 20's you still think you're invincible.

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  9. You really describe some beautiful sights! I can't imagine the tides moving all that ice. You have had some fantastic experiences!

    I have a lot of slides and I finally took part of them to a place to be scanned to a disk. It was so nice to be able to see those old pictures again! If you shop around you might find a good place that could handle your slides.

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    1. The tide only lifted the ice up and down. the ice stayed connected.

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  10. I really enjoy hearing your changes in life as you moved to the new location. I could see that metal siding would be a bad thing for the area.

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    1. changes in life would be an understatement. It was challenging.

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  11. Your picture resembles the view out my front window.

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    1. Well, it's the view out my back window a few days ago!

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  12. That sounds like a harsh environment to me.

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    1. It was harsh and you had to be well prepared for it.

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  13. Fascinating. I've enjoyed all your posts of your life in the Far North...:)

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    1. Thanks. I certainly enjoyed the experience.

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  14. A harsh climate, but interesting and very foreign. I like you descriptions.

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    1. You had to respect things to survive.

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  15. When our son was two, and we walked on the beach of Useless Bay, where the tide goes way out on a shallow bay,he would worry that the tide wold come in and get him. But it happened so slowly there that it was never a real worry. However that does not sound like the case there where you were with a swift current and a dramatically high tidal range.

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    1. Useless Bay? What a bizarre name! I just looked it up and see that it was so named by George Vancouver who found the bay "useless" for anchoring larger boats because it was so shallow.

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  16. Scan the slides! I would love to see pictures!

    I can't imagine living in a place where the side of the house would bang randomly in a high wind. That must have been annoying, to say the least. But losing weight doesn't sound so bad!

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  17. Now what I would like to know is how The Micro Manager felt about this remote place. What did she do? There must have been ups and downs for both of you. I admire your apparent ability to just go with the flow Red.

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  18. Sounds like a beautiful place, albeit a harsh one at times. If you have pictures, I'd love to see them!

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  19. I also would like to see those slides. Wow that for a whole year Red that Metal banging. You had good nerves. And the high winds as well.

    I enjoy your reads my friend.

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  20. What an experience! It sounds like a beautiful but cold place! :)

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