Fragments of Time and Place

The season brings with it comfort in the form of messages from around the world. - season’s greetings from those whom the Time Traveller has met during many random gyrations around the planet.

Here a flock of Ravens are startled from a backyard in northwest Canada.



From eslewhere in British Columbia comes a summer memory of Slocan Lake where the Time Traveller’s grandparents lived in retirement for almost 40 years.



In the streets of Montpellier in southern France, the festive season was celebrated with costumes and musical instruments.



The mountain towns of south Lebanon celebrated Christmas as the sound of church bells echoed into the valley. . . .



. . . . where remnants of Lebanon’s ancient cedar forests still grow.



Closer to home, in Toronto, a Christmas Eve celebration came to a close and the guests headed home once more.



And, back in a small Ontario town, a stone angel was deep in snow at the End of Days of 2010.

Baywatch

A short-time ago the waterscape of Long Point Bay on Lake Erie was swept into waves by autumn winds.

Now, the view across the bay reveals a gray-blue surface . . .

. . . ready for high speed ice boats.

The regular floating type boats are hauled out of the water and suspended inside boat houses lining the frozen waterways.

A blue heron has adapted to the new landscape with a new hunting location - closer to the fish.

Over most of the north shore of Lake Erie, the wind and waves are eroding the shores – but in a few locations the currents have deposited the sands to form long beaches, protected bays, and natural habitat for boaters and water birds.

Long Point Provincial Park Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Point_Provincial_Park

A tourism website

http://www.itcwebdesigns.com/longpoint_ca.htm

Time Stream

A long time ago an Engineering student on his first job on a new career path applied to join the American Water Works Association.



To a Time Traveller, it seems like yesterday.

Urban Migration

As the first snow hits the ground, a cast of characters returns to the stage for the seasonal show of urban household bird-feeding in the backyards of this small Ontario town.

Numerous bird species (and squirrels, chipmunks, etc) have come to rely upon the generosity of humans in the form of sunflower seeds, grains, and suet to make it through the cold days ahead.

In one hour on a Spring day in one small backyard a total of 22 species appeared. And now the first of them – a female cardinal, has returned.





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Cardinal

Shift to the White

“When the Gales of November come early” . . . is a line from the Gordon Lightfoot song about the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgI8bta-7aw

These days, winds sweeping out of Northwest Canada meet the still-warm autumn waters of the Great Lakes. What starts as a cold dry breeze can accelerate into a “Hurricane Westwind” as the latent energy of warm water vapour surges from the waves like steam from a boiling pot of water - as shown in this satellite photo of the Great Lakes.


http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap041130.html

In addition to occasionally sinking ships, the winds carry heat inland – where vapour condenses and then freezes into snow - releasing Gigajoules of energy and moderating the Southern Ontario climate - as explained at the link below:
http://www-das.uwyo.edu/~geerts/cwx/notes/chap10/lake_effect_snow.html

A consequence of all this moderation can be extreme snowfall – and lots of it. In a small Ontario town many inches of snow can fall every hour.



The snow brings the Christmas decorations to life.


And, on a morning walk – a winter wonderland is revealed.


The "Lake Effect" is a journalistic challenge - leading to invention of the term “Streamers” of snow-laden wind – dropping heavy snow along one path – but leaving bare land a few kilometres to either side.



Newscasters may even film the traditional residential "clearing of the driveway" for their shows.




Further reading . . . .at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake-effect_snow

Season's Twilights

Winter winds may threaten
With a frigid bite
But against the season’s body
Are held daggers of light



A pastoral daytime scene of residential caribou



Is transformed into a glowing herd

Of magical sleigh-ready reindeer



An innovation of agnostic Chinese manufacturers

Has given life to an army

Of inflatable santas . . .



who rise at nigiht to lead a retail crusade . . .



Along city streets and paths . . . A thousand points of light . . .



. . . lead faith in volunteerism



. . . and community traditions.

Just in Time

Before the snow arrives and temperatures drop to unknown levels, some contractors are finishing work around this small town. A new bridge in three sections is lowered into place on new concrete foundations in the town’s memorial park.



Thoughtful advice from a passing citizen ensured that poured concrete ramps would smooth the way for cyclists on their way to a community gym.



Railway maintenance beside a church reflects the continuum of work, faith and progress in this town with many Scottish protestant foundations. . .



. . as reflected in the towns coat of arms.

Journeys

What was once vapour,

And then rain,

And then a companion of small fish,

Has now stuck in place beside a bike path

It too may wait months before

finding again its journey through time.

Compressed Time

A trip to the Gym . . . the light levels seemed too low. So I thought to suggest improvement to the lighting at the local community centre? So, Google “Gym design lighting” and find articles, examples, companies, assessments of optimum colours.

http://www.precisionintermedia.com/color.html

Distractedness – from excessive internet use – caused one to notice a gym-related book on the “new editions” shelf of the library.

A read of this book uncovered names and events – all new Google links to the history, evolution, and current state of body building and the origins of Gold’s Gym – which later spread around to world to . . . Cairo for example.

http://www.goldsgym.com/gyms/international/eg/71

Decades of information, exercise, technology and diet have been gathered, condensed and displayed on website - including videos of exercises

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/lying-face-up-plate-neck-resistance

. . . and transformational documentaries

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/trans_o4011.htm

The result of this distraction - a new exercise routine . . . an understanding of the successful life of Governator Schwarzenegger . . . and design suggestions to the managers of the Time Traveller's current gym.

Distractions to Heart

And, what can be gained from an Internet distraction? . . . consider an article on CNN about Bill Clinton losing weight for Chelsea’s wedding. Bill Clinton + losing weight = news.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqvjCIKoo8M

The former President mentions the diet suggested by a doctor at a Cleveland clinic. A Google search of “cardiac doctor and Cleveland Clinic” finds a doctor and author of a book titled “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, and related authors - Dr. Dean Ornish, - and titles “Diet Evolution” and “The China Study”. A reading of “The China Study” by Dr. Colin Campbell provides a comprehensive research background about heart health and nutrition.




YouTube videos feature Dr. Colin Campbell talking about the study.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6GaAnM9jDM&feature=related

Other books were by Dr. Dean Ornish:



As described on a YouTube Blog . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1qIpkMSvKU

and another book by a Dr. Grundy called “Diet Evolution”




http://www.amazon.com/Gundrys-Diet-Evolution-You-Waistline/product-reviews/0307352110/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

In “Diet Evolution” the author describes how the human body responds to diet. The author suggests an effective and easy-to-implement diet of three easy steps to reduce weight and reduce risk from cardiac and inflammatory diseases.

The third book, by Dr. Caldwell Esseltyn, was designed to rescue cardiac patients at immediate risk of death.



Dr. Esselstyne’s diet aims to eliminate animal sources of food, and is the diet Bill Clinton says he has followed.

So, this is how one short “internet distraction” uncovered a topic, leading opinions, and recent progress and opinions about health and diet.

Paper Ideas

In a library where the students go,
Books are stacked row on row,
Pages glued to stiffened spine,
Hold much wisdom safe from time.

When a gap in time gets in your way, one can visit the local library and read a good book. But internet users may just scan some pages, read the foreward, and pickup another book. . . . which reminds me of a review about how brains are finding new ways to think.

From this book it was learned that there are two main influences on the human mind: one is an influence upon mid and long term memory, because of . . . well, uh, I saved the passage in an email to myself and I will check it later.

Another influence is to increase the load on working memory – the part of memory which deals with now and bits to either side. The multi-tasks and multi-interruptions are apparently reducing patience with reading longer passages and . . . well, you probably know already.

Internet use is apparently resulting in physical changes to our mind through the mechanism of neuro-plasticity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W86P_FX6PdI&feature=related
Affecting our deep thinking
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6wB1JZj-CY
. . . and, although it is redundant, it apparently changes our behaviour through repetitive actions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1RWsCdYbu4&feature=related

Which reminds me of a video I saw . . .

Gleam Away

Before the Grey Skies of November arrived, a short bicycle ride into the countryside surrounding this small Ontario town discovered the gleam of low sun’s rays on the edge of a season slipping further away with each turn of the planet. Faint hues of colour wash the side of a barn holding a summer’s harvest.

Barren branches catch bronze light embracing a river’s evening hurry.

A yellow sun grows weaker by the day.

Time Trails

On 100 acres land a few kilometres to the south of town a local millionaire has bought a piece of natural habitat and made it available for the public to visit and enjoy.

Signs near the entrance to the trail system describe some of the wildlife that may be seen in the woodland.

A number of trails weave past hidden ponds, hills, and past trees over one hundred years old like this yellow birch.

The leaves along the forest floor constantly change in texture . . .

. . . according to the type of trees overhead.

And the trees and branches now stand naked before an approaching winter .

With each passing the week, visitors experience the season’s continuing change – always starting and always ending in the great cycle of time.

Fogs of November

Below the heights of an ice-age geological feature called the Ingersoll moraine some of the country's thickest fogs are created as moist air from the Mississippi valley is guided north into the chilled confines of the Thames river valley. In these times drivers exercise caution and the sun is barely visible.

At these times shadows hide easily in the grey light and the forest possesses a silence wherein elves could live.