Standing Into Danger

Monday, June 1, 2015

Scavenger Hunt: May, 2015 ~ Rocky Mountain Airshow

Happy June, Everyone!
I hope you had fun,
finding May's items.

After a wet, cold, and grey May,
we are finally seeing
warm sunshine on the high plains.

The High Plains in Eastern Aurora

Mount Evans is in the background.

On Saturday I attended the Rocky Mountain Airshow
and hunted down the items on May's Scavenger Hunt.
I had to stretch on a couple of photographs,
but "Whatever works!" is my motto!

All the military services were represented,
but it was the Air Force's show,
because the highlight of the event was the thrilling
performance by the United States Air Force Thunderbirds.

An F-16 Thunderbird Performing a Slow Fly-by

It practically hovered!

See the pilot in the bottom one!!

Had the Royal Canadian Air Force had more opportunities

for women when I graduated from high school,

I would have aimed for a career in the Air Force.

I would have proudly followed my parents

who both served in Canada's RCAF.

My Parents on Their Honeymoon

May's List

1. Blue

What could be better than to start the list

with U.S. Air Force blue which these members

of the U.S. Thunderbird photography team are wearing.

They were saluting during the singing of the national anthem

shortly before the Thunderbirds appeared.

(Just one quick snap ~ That's all I did during the anthem.)

The U.S. Thunderbird Photography Team

Their photography equipment is a little more sophisticated

than my little point-and-shoot Canon.

Plus the airmen have advance knowledge on which direction

the Thunderbirds are roaring in from.

Head on, you don't always hear them coming.

They can change their angle in the sky and vanish.

2. Crystal

It was a hot day (finally!) at the reservoir,

and I hunted and hunted for crystal.

Fortunately someone dumped a cooler

and left a fast-melting pile of ice on the ground.

But I like the diamond sparkles on the water much more!

3. Vintage

I sure hope I'm right on this vintage plane: a B-25,

and should I be wrong ~ please let me know!

The B-25 is a famous American bomber that played

an important role during World War II.

Many Allied air forces used it too, including the RCAF.

4. Fluff

I thought that somewhere among all the food stalls,

I would find a vendor selling cotton candy for fluff.

I used to love watching cotton candy spun and twirled

onto a long paper funnel in fluffy clouds of pink or blue.

It wasn't until I was trudging back to my car

because I didn't want to stand in the humongous line

in the scorching sun to catch a shuttle bus,

that I spotted cotton candy, pre-spun

and sold in a bag ~ no fun in that!

There were fluffy clouds everywhere,

but my favorite fluff was the giant heart

spun in the sky by the screaming Thunderbirds.

Forming the Bottom

of the Heart

5. Global

The navy to the rescue with global!

6. Mask

Remember that stretch I mentioned?

Three blown up Batman toys were the closest

I could come to mask.

7. Bus

A traffic mess occurred when thousands and

thousands arrived and left at the same time.

One look at the huge line of people waiting

for a shuttle bus had me and many others walking

the mile and a half to the parking lots.

If you look closely along the right edge

you can see a bus heading back to the reservoir

to pick up another load.

8. Frame

Aurora Reservoir Framed in Lots of Ovals

I found a perfect spot to watch the Thunderbird demonstration.
Oops! I don't think I was supposed to be there.
I sat under a pine tree and hoped no one would evict me.

9. Collection

Of course, this collection of planes appeared after
I got in my shuttle bus and it started driving to the reservoir!
And, of course, my camera was in my purse!

10. Poster

11. Ribbon

Rocky Mountain Aero Squadron Member

12. Whatever You Want

Guesses Anyone?

That first photo shows the very tip
of the front end of an F-16 Thunderbird.

The left photo is looking straight on

at the tip. And the bottom, side on.

In the photo below, you can see the needle tip

of the F-16s and the pilots.

I can't imagine what flying one feels like.

Seat

Cockpit

If you are wondering how a pilot fits inside this cockpit,

check out this beautiful and terrifying video!

You Tube ~ Unicorn Breeder

Talk about a spectacular day hunting for photos!

I wanted to go back again yesterday,

but the Ever-Patient talked me into watching

the Thunderbirds from our deck

and then dragged me up the hill to Black Hawk.

Happy hunting in June!

June's List:
J is for ?, Rust, Smooth, Imagination, Classic, Similar,
Parallel, Socks, Bead, Mug, Post, Whatever you want.

Thanks to Jill (Greenthumb)

and her Made with Love blog

for setting up the scavenger hunt.

Friday, May 29, 2015

The Lansdowne Letters: Traffic Jam

Whenever I think of the North fifty years ago,
I think of bush planes, canoes, and dog teams.
I was fascinated by all of them;
as was my father, despite his grumbling
about his trusty little Hudson Bay Company canoe.

On Saturday, October 22, 1960
My father wrote:

Hi There Everyone:
Today was a lovely day,
and I think that every plane in the North Country
was in at Lansdowne House.

I counted five planes in here at one time today:

three Cessnas,
wikimedia

a Bellanca,
wikimedia ~ in Norway

and a Norseman.

Photo by Don MacBeath, September 1960

If they have much more traffic than they had today,
they will have to build a control tower at Lansdowne House.

Well, I had a good mail again today,
although not as good as last week;
well, I won’t say not as good,
but rather not so many letters.

Well, that’s not exactly right either,
because I believe I had just as many letters.
I know for sure that I heard from more people.
Oh, I know what was wrong.
There were only magazines and very few newspapers.

The company has left, and so I can continue with the Letter.
Oh yes, I suppose that you are interested in
knowing who the company was.
The company consisted of four or five little Indian children.
They are always coming to visit Uno.
I wished I lived nearer to my children on the mainland,
so they could come to visit me.

We have been having a real bang-up time here today again.
The Brother is going after the rocks with the dynamite.
He’s really a noisy character when he cuts loose with the pyrotechnics.

I don’t think that I have ever seen such a
beautifully perfect day as today has been.
There was hardly any breeze blowing,
and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

flickr: JH license

And it was so warm!!!!!
The temperature actually rose to 21 above zero.

After the cold weather we have been having,
this felt like you could go about in shirtsleeves.
As it was, everyone was going about
with their parkas open and their earlugs turned up.

Uno and I even went on a canoe trip for pleasure.
I never thought that I would establish enough rapport with
that fiendish contraption to enjoy going on a pleasure trip in it.

flickr: Chris Huggins license

A lot more Indian families left for the winter traplines today,
but they must have been some of the better off Indians,
because they all left by plane.

I never fail to be fascinated when I watch them loading
an Indian and all his accouterments in and on a plane.
Today I watched Harry Evans load up his Bellanca
for a trip to Big Beaver House today.

Big Beaver House Area

Wunnummin Lake

You can see ice on the lakes.

wikimedia

When Harry took off he had two large canoes
lashed to the pontoons outside, and inside he had
the father, the mother, four children of assorted sizes,
and all the winter supplies, cooking utensils, clothes etc.,
and oh yes, four dogs and the family cat.

Float Plane with Canoes Lashed to Pontoons

wikimedia

They use the dogs in the sleigh, and as I’ve said before,
the cat enjoys special prestige among the Indians.
They would never leave without pussycat.

The dogs may be mongrels, but they are quite valuable.
A good team of four dogs is worth anywhere
from 150 dollars to 200 dollars, depending upon
the dogs and the demand at the particular time.

The way they treat them in the summer though,
when they aren’t earning their keep,
you wouldn’t think that they were too valuable.

flickr license

Credit: Bud Glunz. National Film Board of Canada. Photothèque. Library and Archives Canada, e010962320 /

Even when the poor brutes are earning their keep,
they aren’t exactly sufficiently fed, at least not by my standards.
Their daily diet (one meal) consists of one or two raw fish.
Frozen yet!!!

No wonder the poor things are hungry all the time.
As I said before, in the summer,
they exist on what they can scrounge.

Brian was over tonight, and we had a couple of games of chess.
He hasn’t beaten me yet, but he is getting better.
I got an awful trimming from the Brother at dinnertime today though.
He is a very canny player.

Well, I guess that winds her up for tonight.
Will be back again tomorrow.

By now,
Love,
Don.

My dad really enjoyed a good game of chess or cards.
My brother Roy and I spent many hours playing games with Dad.
Eventually, Roy became so good at chess
that he could trounce our father,
much to Dad's chagrin and Roy's delight.

Till next time ~
Fundy Blue

Notes:
1. The Brother:

Brother Raoul Bernier, OMI,
Roman Catholic Mission, Lansdowne House

2. Brian:

Brian Booth, clerk,
Hudson Bay Post, Lansdowne House

3. 21º F = -6.1º C

4. Flying in a float plane.
This is what it sounded like when you were a passenger!

you tube: yedaki76

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Falling Further Behind!

Just want to update you:
Things don't always go according to plans!

I've been dodging monkey wrenches
for almost a week now.

Prisoner of Time

From an unexpected trip,
to unexpected
visits from friends,
to a contractor
ripping out carpet
and installing tile,
abruptly scheduled for today,
life has been more than interesting this week.

So I'm falling behind with everything.
I did not visit blogs as I had hoped.
We're eating tomato soup
because I haven't gotten to the grocery store.
And our guest room looks like it's occupied by a hoarder,
since we stashed the contents of our master bathroom
and walk-in closet in it (with 30 hours notice).

And I damn near stepped on a six foot long
bull snake when I took a breather in the park.
Good news: I learned that I can jump backwards
from a starting point with my right foot stopped
about six inches above a coiling snake!

But the sun is shining,
and I'm off for a morning of pampering:
hair, manicure, and pedicure.
I'll let the Ever-Patient deal with
the arrival of the contractor.

I'm still determined to get my northern post finished
on schedule, and I will get around to visit
all your blogs that I'm missing!

I hope all is well with each of you!

Till next time ~
Fundy Blue

Friday, May 22, 2015

The Lansdowne Letters: A School Party

My brother, and I were really curious about life
in Lansdowne House in Northern Ontario.
We knew at some point we would join our father there.
My younger sisters, aged six, four, and one
understood less or very little.

But to Roy and me, the thoughts
of flying Way-Up-North in a bush plane
and of going to school with real Indians
was terribly exciting and adventurous.

Whenever one of our father's letters arrived in the mail,

we couldn't wait to hear about his adventures

in a place so different from Nova Scotia;

but most of all, we wanted to hear about Indian children.

Ojibwe Children

Wild Rice Camp, Minnesota. circa 1940

http://ojibwe.lib.umn.edu

license

On Friday, October 21, 1960

My father wrote:

Hi There Everyone:
There was no mail again this Friday.
It was a real blizzard up here all day.
There is quite a lot of snow on the ground,
but the lake is still mostly open, although
there is quite a bit of ice in some of the bays.

I don’t expect that it will remain
open much longer though.

Albany River

wikimedia

Harry Evans,
a pilot for Superior Airways
out of Sioux Lookout,
told Bill Mitchell
that all the lakes
north of the Albany River
are frozen solid,
except for Attawapiskat
and one or two other larger ones.

The Albany is a river halfway between
Nakina and Lansdowne House.
I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if you don’t read
what I am typing now till the last week
in November or the first week in December.

Albany and Attawapiskat Rivers

(to the left of James Bay)

wikimedia

Well, I wish you could have seen me with my Indians.
I decided to give them a party this afternoon.
I bought a whole lot of candy and fruit down at the Bay,
and I took it to school for prizes.

The party lasted all afternoon,
and I had a hard time to get rid of them at four o’clock.
We played Musical Chairs, Blind Man’s Bluff,
Pin the Tail on the Donkey,
and lots of other games of this nature.

My Father's Students Dunking for Apples
(Note: stoves in the background that caused problems)

We cleared all the furniture out of the main part of the school
and had races and other forms of entertainment.

Two of my boys even put on a boxing match for us.
I am going to have to get a set of boxing gloves,
and teach them how to box correctly
as they are very interested in it.

When the afternoon was over, I still had
lots of prizes left over, so I had a drawing
and a scramble to give them away.
I took care to see that everyone won something.

The children must have had a good time,
because they were all after me to find out
when I’m going to hold another one.

I guess that I will have one on Halloween.
I believe that I will start them making
a paper mache pumpkin Monday.
Also, I’m going to have them make
masks and all that jazz.

I don’t relish operating that confounded canoe
in this weather. I will be awfully glad
when I am able to walk over on the ice.

That reminds me of a term
that I have heard since I came up here.
It isn’t the most delicate or respectable,
but it is highly amusing.

There was a character here last year
who taught school in the school
that Uno teaches in this year.

Uno's School

Roman Catholic Mission

Father's Island

Whenever he was over visiting on the other side,
and it came time for him to put on his overboots
and head across to the island in the winter,
he always said, “Well, I guess it’s time for me
to put on my Jesus Boots and head across the water."

He referred to his overshoes like this
because he could walk on water
(albeit the water was frozen) with them.

There was quite a bit of ice along the shore again
when I went down to launch my canoe this morning,
and I had to break a path through it for the canoe.

If it keeps getting any thicker, I will have to carry
a little hand axe and sit right in the prow of the canoe,
and chop my way along through the ice.

That ties it up for today.
Will be seeing you all again tomorrow.

Bye for now,
Love,
Don.

Eventually Roy and I did fly Way-Up-North
in a bush plane and go to school with real Indians,
and it was every bit as exciting
and adventurous as we had imagined.

Till next time ~
Fundy Blue

Notes:
Bill Mitchell: Hudson Bay Store Manager, Lansdowne House

Photographs:
It's hard to find images to illustrate my northern posts.
My father could only afford to take a few photos,
so I scour the internet looking for things I can use.

Sometimes I use pictures from a different area,
like the photo of the Ojibwe children in Minnesota,
because they illustrate similar people, culture, or landscapes.

In my searches for this post,
I came across two archival photographs
related to the Indians and the Albany River.

I think they are interesting because they illustrate
a way of life that was vanishing just as my father
arrived in Lansdowne House in 1960.

The National Archives UK/flickr

CO 1069-279-22
Indian Summer Camp, Albany River, 1913
This image is part of the Colonial Office photographic collection
held at The National Archives.
Feel free to share it within the spirit of the Commons.

The National Archives UK/flickr

CO 1069-279-21
Cree Indian, Albany River, with unfinished canoe 1913
This image is part of the Colonial Office photographic collection
held at The National Archives.
Feel free to share it within the spirit of the Commons.