Last Saturday was our 39th anniversary and we decided on Friday night to simply drop everything and go "sploring" . We left about 11 am and headed up the Bruce Peninsula to Tobermory at the top. It's about an hours drive if you don't lollygag along the way so it took us about two and a half hours to arrive. One thing inescapable about living where we do is the omnipresence of the Niagara Escarpment. We even have a minor outcropping of it about a quarter mile behind our yard, that the neighbourhood kids used to toboggan down when they were genuine young'uns. It sure makes you realize that deep deep beneath us there are still cataclysmic things taking place, albeit slowly, in the earth's crust that dwarf anything that we paltry humans may be up to on the surface.
It's not as awesome as the Rockies of course ( Hell, what could be ? ) but it makes for some pretty impressive landforms popping up out of both the land and the water, none-the-less. Some of the most awe-inspiring escarpment outcroppings can be found on the way up to and around Tobermory. This geological awesomeness coupled with its historical position as a major intersection for Great Lakes shipping means there are also lotsa shipwrecks as well. The islands that congregate at the " Tip of the Bruce " are all gathered into a national park known as Fathom Five National Park. It's a major mecca for divers for those two reasons. It's also the southern terminus for "The Chi Cheemaun" the ferry that travels to Manitoulin Island three times daily from April til almost November. It winters here in Owen Sound harbour each year. Chi Cheemaun is an aboriginal name that translates to " big canoe ".
You can see it popping out from behind one or the larger islands, below.
We were lucky enough, despite our gadding about on the way up the peninsula, to grab the last two tickets for a 2.5 hour cruise around the islands of Fathom Five on a glass bottom boat. So we got to see some submerged shipwrecks as well as some unique natural features. I kept reminding myself how lucky I am to be living about an hour away from all this. 
Most of the tour is spent nosing about these islands ( or, as the sailing folks call it " gunkholing" ) There are lots of secluded bays and inlets where one can steal in, drop anchor and simply revel in the timeless serenity of being on the water. I kinda wish I could have been one of the folks on the yacht that we tiptoed past in our dipping into one bay in particular. It would be most sweet and therapeutic.
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If you look closely at the reflection in the window of the bridge, above, you'll hopefully be able to make out a dim figure of a scruffy, touristy type individual waving - that's me. The stuff on the rocks in the other pic, that looks like rust, is actually lichens, and some of the scraggly trees clinging to the sheer cliffs are over 1300 years old, too. Apparently they have survived this long, in part, because they cling to the vertical sides of the rocks and any lightning induced fires on the tops of the islands burn out before they can reach down that far. The most astonishing fact is that they grow out of the rock itself. The roots just sneak down into the crevasses that the water and waves create and hold on for centuries. Talk about tenacity !
It was a magnificent afternoon to say the very least. One interesting thing I noticed when we were getting our tickets for the cruise was that the brochures were available in two languages. This being Canada, you'd think French and English. Not so. They are in English and Mandarin. A glance around and a listen to the chatter in the air confirmed that a very sizeable number of the people we were in the midst of were from places on the Pacific Rim. My LSBH and I were used to seeing that when we went to the West Coast but I was surprised to see up here in the wilds of mid-Ontario
Small somewhat academic item to pass along here. Thought I could help myself prepare for the next 8-ball season by actually learning about what happens in the process of smacking a ball about on a felt covered table. So I ventured to find out something or more about the physics of the spherical arts. Wow, was I out of my depth!
My eyes were 90% glazed over just looking at this first one but the next one - that purported to clarify and explain - really sealed the deal. I noted pages of text following that included equations stretching from the left margin just about over to the right one, too.
Arrggh, lemme outa here!
Sooo..... maybe I'll just try to practise more.
Hopefully the cast-removal and subsequent testing of the waters as to what can and can't be done, go well.
Carolyn, I simply can't imagine you being the type to push yourself too soon, too fast and too far - he said facetiously !! I will be curious to see how your Wired generation endeavour unfolds as well and will be glad to do any beta-reading, editing or whatever y'all could use.
Two little final items that arrived just before the presses started rolling here. Saw a most vibrant and cool " supermoon begin its arc across the sky last night right from my front porch.
Also, very dismayed to hear that Robin Williams is dead and especially that it's being treated at this point as an apparent suicide. Can't think of too many things more important on a daily basis than laughter. I also can't think of anyone else who brought more of it to me than Mr. Williams. It really puts a sad edge to the day, for me.
See ya later,
Don
Figures 10 and 11 sourced from Google Images:
10 - www.real-world-physics problems.com
11 - www. real-world-physics.com
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