Winton Woods Campground

The sky cleared overnight and it got cold, ie., close to freezing by dawn. I woke in the night and finished reading a book on my laptop before going back to sleep so I slept in.

Woke to the crowing of robins and the call of a woodpecker in the distance around 10:00 AM. The pair of Canada Geese I displaced when I parked still think they own my site.

Got out for a walk with my camera and captured a few shots:

Deluxe Cabin

Boat Launch

Service Berry

Redbud

 

Lesser Celandine

Violets Blue

Oh Canada!

As I head back toward the Canadian Border after a 6-month snowbird absence I ruminate about the country of my birth. It may be one of the best places on earth to live but no one would attempt to claim that it is perfect and under the Harper Government that just got kicked from office it took on an alarmingly ill-natured menacing tone. Whether or not the new Trudeau Government is up to the job or just fronted by a pretty face is yet to be seen.

Events have shown that home-grown terrorist incidents can happen anywhere and pointing the blame at foreign organizations is beside the point. What's important is how we treat people and making sure our society does not alienate and marginalize its citizens.

Nowhere is this sense of dissatisfaction more acutely felt than in our Native Communities. Beset by poor crowded housing, lack of sanitation and clean drinking water; most reserves are depressing places to visit, who would want to live there? Think of places such as Hobema, the murder capital of Canada. Or Attawapiskat, in the news because eleven of its young people attempted suicide in one night. The sense of futility this speaks to is chilling. Our jails incarcerate a disproportionate number of our aboriginal population.

The greatness of any nation is demonstrated by the manner in which it treats its most vulnerable and weakest citizens. In this regard it is ironic that our soldiers should become the subject of discussion—aren't they the toughest? Well all of us are mortal and the best of us only human. Whether or not we should be sending our troops to places such as Afghanistan and Iraq is topic for another discussion but having done so we have a moral responsibility to look after them when they return. My pacifist nature would question the efficacy of training young men to kill and elite forces to perform inhuman acts but having done so we have an obligation to rehabilitate the men and woman we have so trained when they return from the field of battle.

Incidents on military bases grab headlines. It's a sobering fact that today more soldiers die by their own hands than due to enemy fire and these statistics fail to grab the news. Call it shell shock, battle fatigue or the current catch phrase Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, the fact remains that not all injuries are physical. When politicians and generals wage war they seldom budget for the costs of taking care of veterans with a further 60-year life expectancy. A military cash strapped to supply adequate weaponry and transports tends to neglect veterans affairs and Canada's recently deposed Minister of Veterans affairs was worse than an embarrassment. With seventeen thousand files to be administered by less than twenty the agency is swamped. Making an amputee prove his disability yearly speaks to a ponderous bureaucracy.

Soldiers are taught to tough it out and elite soldiers such as Navy Seals are conditioned to continue fighting even while their bodies are dying. But we ignore at our peril the fact that even the toughest soldier has his breaking point. And just as lost limbs cannot grow back some mental and spiritual injuries are beyond recovery.

Rant for a rainy day

For anyone who hasn't read it may I recommend Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States. The book documents how big business and government have conspired to keep down the common man so that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

Witness Ontario's major brewers who control the majority of the beer market. When you-brew store-fronts started accounting for 10% of all beer consumed they panicked and lobbied government to levy sufficient excise taxes on the product to remove the price incentive to brew your own.

Brewers Retail in Ontario will be taking a major hit when beer sales begin in Ontario grocery stores.

Bell Canada has had its shorts in a knot ever since the government removed its monopoly on telephone service and allowed customer owned phones.

Cell phone service in Canada is controlled by a small coterie of service providers who conspire to keep prices high and squeeze competitors out.

Cable TV providers are another near monopoly that have long conspired to keep service charges high. When forced to unbundle cable service they made the basic package so undesirable no one wants it. In protest customers have been cutting the cable by the hundreds of thousands in favour of streaming services such as Net Flicks. Hard to feel sorry for them.

Cab companies are reacting to ride sharing operations such as Uber fearing they will cut into their profits. In many major cities a few companies enjoy a near monopoly on the trade and lobby municipal governments to ensure their profits.

When Napster made file sharing of mp3's easy major record labels panicked and lobbied government to shut them down. Major labels missed the boat on the marketing of electronic media and CD sales have plummeted to the point that storefronts are becoming a rare commodity and record labels are seeing their sales continually drop.

Online streaming services such as NetFlix have put storefront DVD Rental Companies such as Blockbuster out of business. Recently even Best Buy has ceased stocking a large catalogue of DVDs. If you still want a DVD you have to order it online from Amazon or another such enterprise.

The high price of the movie theatre experience and the exorbitant pricing of pop corn, drinks, and other confections at such outlets has made home viewing a more attractive alternative. Large screen LCD TV's and multi-channel sound systems make the quality difference negligible and provide the option to push pause for bathroom and food breaks. Also eliminates the need for a baby sitter, the drive, parking and the security risks of large malls, dressing for the weather, and waiting in line.

Audio books on cassette are a thing of the past though rumour has it that the cassette is making a comeback. Audio books are now on CD or even more convenient streamed online. Bibliophiles still prefer the look, feel, and smell of a hardcover book in their hands but e-Books and e-Book readers have made inroads into book sales. The likes of Amazon and Chapters Book in Canada have put most independent booksellers out of business. And then there's the phenomenon of customers checking out a book in the store and then using their smartphone to order it online. e-Books allow one to order books and magazines and receive them instantly from the comfort and privacy of one's own home and without the danger of their being out of stock. Better still one can now borrow them for free from your local library since your taxes have already paid for them.

Big box stores such as Wal-Mart have a lot to answer for putting independent local stores out of business and buying their products off-shore thus putting local manufacturers out of business and putting thousands out of work. If no one has a job how can they buy anything. Shoppers Drug in Canada has put most small independent druggists out of business. Office Depot has done the same to local stationers. Home Depot has led to the demise of the service provided by local hardware stores. Grocery shopping and the food industry generally is monopolized by about three holding companies North American-wide. Canadian towns and cities have been Malled to death turning downtown cores into ghost towns. The rare community that has managed to evade the arrival of big box stores celebrate the conviviality of their healthy main streets. Ban Starbucks, MacDonalds, and Tim Hortons in favour of locally owned bakeries, diners and coffee shops.

On to Winton Woods

The sardine can that was 2 Rivers RV Park was not worthy of photography. Pulled out around 7:45 Sunday Morning. Half an hour later crossed into Kentucky where I discovered the Welcome Centre fails to do so on a Sunday. Also that driving the 70 MPH speed limit meant I was the slowest vehicle on the highway. Two hours later when I reached Elizabethtown I'd crossed into the Eastern Time Zone and lost an hour. There I stopped for the Breakfast Buffet at Shoneys. Nothing particularly gourmet—the tiny pancakes were unappetizing looking—but it was filling. The bacon was crisp and the coffee was good. If I dined there regularly I'd start looking like too many of my fellow diners.

Stopped to gas up at Pilot an exit later and was pleased to discover my Good Sam Card got me a 3¢ discount. The station was very busy and provided very cramped quarters. My route crossed the city of Lousiville and thereafter I-71 was rather busy with truck traffic. Rubber-necking drivers caused a 20 minute backup when we encountered a collision in the South-bound lanes. The remainder of the 280-mile drive was routine.

Greenhills in Hamilton County north of Cincinnati, Ohio is a bucolic enclave home to Winton Woods Park and its Campground to which I have returned several times. Getting there involves crossing the Ohio River from Kentucky into Ohio State and navigating the ever reconstructed byways of the City of Cincinnati. The construction never seems to reach completion. Since my last visit the park has instituted a daily pass fee and installed gate keepers to collect that fee. These functionaries seem ignorant of the park in which they work. When I told one that I'd buy my park pass at the campground office I was told I was in trouble if I lacked a reservation. Moments later the young man in the office marked the four sites presently occupied giving me my choice of the other 60 or so. Another lacked knowledge of the park's trail system.

Those caveats aside this park-like campground does not disappoint. On this rainy Monday the nearest occupied site is 1000 ft distant and the only noisy neighbours the two Canada Geese I evicted when I occupied my site. Although the redbuds were in bloom along my route here spring has yet to arrive in a place that saw snow on Saturday. On my walk yesterday I did see daffodils and the hardwoods are beginning to bud. My site is surrounded by towering Pines. I have no legitimate excuse for not getting a good night's sleep.

Monday the eleventh was a day of overcast, rain squalls and wind gusts. A day to remain inside and catch up on reading and writing.

Nashville

As I sat and watched the gusting winds blow the dust around Wednesday I was thankful for my decision to stay put and wait for better driving conditions. The afternoon thunderstorm was just frosting on the cake. Over coffee I watched the exodus of palaces on wheels restoring for me a view of barge traffic on the river which disappeared when a new crop pulled in late afternoon. Most of the barge traffic was downstream with the current.

Got good internet bandwidth when it was magically restored around 1:30 in the afternoon until others caught onto the fact it was working. Caught up online and posted my latest blog entry, and uploaded some pictures. Got out to take a few pictures after the storm.

Thursday Morning began with a roundabout route over rough roads to access the crossing of Ole Man River. The remainder of the 230-mile drive was spent on I-40. Plenty of Truck Traffic and light crosswinds in the afternoon. The only significant occurrence was a one hour hold-up sixty miles South of Nashville. No idea of the cause. Roads into Nashville heavily pot-holed and maze-like. My route indicated Louisville as the destination on the signs.

Got the last available campsite at 2 Rivers RV Park being asked to try it out before I signed in. Hooked up, signed in, and walked down to KOA to sign up for the Opry Friday Night. The KOA is still under heavy construction. Stopped into Camping World to pick up some LED bulbs to replace my halogens. Service was pitiful but I spent my money and left with 6 bulbs now installed and working.

Settled in to catch up online and enjoy a ham, tomato and cheese sandwich with my last Shiner Ram Beer.

Slow start to the day Friday. Walked up eventually for a complimentary coffee and had a look at the cookbooks on offer in the camp store. Used Pocket books on consignment for sale.

Went for my weekly shower once it warmed up outside. Sign of the times, a notice warning against the use of hair dye in the men's?

Walked up to wait for the bus to take me to the Opry. [Review a separate entry.]

Spent too much time on you Tube when I got back before retiring. Enjoyed old sharp cheddar and some wine.

Saturday dawned clear and cold, even here with a frost warning in place. Present in one of America's most vibrant party and music cities I suppose lying back and doing nothing might be seen as a waste but having finished my browsing I'm well satisfied to sit back and write my notes, read, and rest.

A trip to the facilities reminds me that the washroom stalls are narrow enough to put one in mind of a cattle press. Back into the water-closet, wear the shower stall.

Suffered for the rest of the day from the dreaded internet squelching punishment for overuse. Oh Well.

Grand Ole Opry 2016-04-08

I miss the gal who used to play Minnie Pearl. Also Pat the driver who used to regale her passengers as she drove us up in her massive bus. Jose describes himself as a fat man, drives a smaller less luxurious bus, did not introduce himself, and made no announcements. But he got us there and had our tickets.

For the first time I had a direct view of the stage but far enough back that I was thankful I'd brought my binoculars. Everything came off with the same precision as always. The tall rail-thin cameraman in black Levis that hung limp from the belt at his hips, black shirt and cap worked the left side of the stage. Edward Stubbs made the announcements towering behind his stand.

The curtain went up at 7:00 to a full house filled with rather loud, raucous, enthusiastic high school teens. The sponsors were Boot Barn, Cracker Barrel, Dollar General and, of course, Humana. Once more we were shown views of biblical flood flowed across the hallowed stage and the clean-up that followed and the effort that made the show go on.

Many tributes to Merle Haggard everyone paying obligatory homage with stories of meeting, performing on stage with, or seeing him in performance. The first provided by half-hour hostess Jeannie Seely a well coiffured blonde who took the stage regally but insisted on hugging the two males she introduced. Jackie Lee wore skin tight jeans torn at the knees. Gary Morris in black suit with full head of white hair and well-trimmed full white beard provided traditional country ballads accompanied solely by his own guitar.

Mike Snider played hillbilly blue grass with his group reading his notes from a piece of crumpled paper appearing old as the hills himself. He sat on stage between his host gigs. Mandy Barnett clad in black leather sang in that traditional drawn out ballad style. Diamond Rio were a more new country rockability group whose sonic assault battered my ears.

Learned my seat-mate to the left was a Newfoundlander laid off from the oil patch starting a new job in Saskatoon here on a conference for work. He walked in and out over my feet at least six times in 2 hours.

Bill Anderson was another elder statesman of Country who introduced Jessie McReynolds accompanied by his younger brother and up and comer Will Hoge who was doing an in-store appearance one of two artists to use his own solo guitar accompaniment.

Riders in the Sky appeared in aged cowpoke style one clad in plush velour chaps. They sang traditional cowboy ballads ending the night with Happy Trails. Debut artist Alicia Witt clad in brilliant red creation sat the grand piano and performed on camera from that position. Kristian Bush talked of his children and performed new country.

Heading North in 2016

The last week in Austin had a definite sense of unreality about it. An orgy of cooking when I was offered too many opportunities to dine out. Breakfast Tacos Easter Sunday Morning. Wednesday noon cookies and coffee. More Tacos at Supper. Thursday noon BBQ. Thursday Evening Lasagna. Saturday Ziti and salad, and a meal offer I had to refuse.

Did laundry including my bedding replaced with flannel sheets for the trip toward colder climes. I cooked Sweet and Sour Salad, Chili Con Carne, Quinoa Salad, Tuna Salad.... Bought HEB's Hill Country House Brand Homestyle Potato Salad, Cole Slaw, BBQ Cowboy Beans. They may have decreased the salt content in all these but upped the sweetness to a disgusting level. Managed to fit it all in my fridge.

Saturday Night was the Youth Dinner Theatre written words and music by Lane Holmstrom. It's one of those events that attracts adoring grandparents, parents, and reluctant siblings. Items for silent and public auction. Frightening the amounts some bid. Said my good byes and finished making the van ship shape for travel.

Sunday at 3:30 AM a final heated coffee and off for a 300-mile drive. I'd have preferred to see the landscape in daylight but wanted to travel in light traffic. Managed to avoid running afoul of toll roads. South on 183 frontage road, East on 290 frontage road almost to Manor. North on Regional 973 through New Sweden; then North-East on Texas 79 to Taylor where I finally met up with I-20 East Bound. Never pleasant driving into the rising sun. Stopped for fuel in Jacksonville, Texas. To this point most of the roads were local two-lanes with winding ways and traffic lights in small cities—I'd call them towns in Canada.

I-20 is a 75 mph expressway. Left the Great State of Texas around 10:30 just short of Shreveport, Louisiana where I got off West of the city to camp at Tall Pines KOA. Paused for a free coffee at the Welcome Centre. The Red River divides Shreveport from Bossier and at present is at flood stage. That same river divides the state of Texas from Oklahoma where the oxbows existed when the border was defined. In the Texas Panhandle it cut the canyon that is Palo Duro.

The Shreveport KOA changed hands since I stayed there last but is still a pleasant location. Renewed my stay for a second day when I read the forecast for up North. Warm enough in Shreveport that I ran A/C all day and limited my sun exposure. I did get out to shoot some pictures.

Remarkably little traffic Tuesday Morning as I headed out leaving I-20 to take a regional two-lane north to Texarkana. The highway passed through rural farm country and wooded areas. Stopped before taking I-30 for brunch at Dennys. Still can't make decent coffee and my waitress here couldn't get my order right and had to be reminded to bring the orange juice the menu included. Stopped at the Arkansas Welcome Centre.

Passed the boyhood home of Bill Clinton at Hope, AR. Traffic was light until I approached Little Rock where I switched to I-40 a heavily travelled truck route. Nothing worse than getting caught behind two tractor trailers attempting to pass. The day was sunny and warm though cooled enough that I didn't have to run A/C. Only a slight breeze. Lost track of the fuel gauge as the miles passed until the low fuel alarm sounded. Fortunately there was an exit immediately after with an aging Shell Station where the geriatric fuel pump strained to pump 30 gallons of fuel. The card reader was non-functional. I was 25 miles short of my destination after driving 360 miles on a single tank.

Tom Sawyer's RV Park is on the Mississippi flood plane and the access route passes through a nondescript semi-industrial subdivision. West Memphis doesn't amount to much. A sign on the two-storey washroom/laundry building indicates the Flood Level in May 2011 about 15 feet up. The host's hillbilly beard reaches mid-chest.

The campground was full overnight but cleared out rapidly Wednesday Morning despite rather stiff winds blowing the dust around. I booked for two nights. Ole Man River is in full flood but still within its banks though the current has upstream barges moving at a proverbial snail's pace.

Internet Wi-Fi here, never up to much failed shortly after I sent my safe arrival E-mail and has been down ever since. The claim is that the ISP isn't answering calls. At least the power works. Wonder of wonders....

Death

Modern medicine has turned most natural human processes into medical events. Mothers are discouraged from having home births and physicians jealous of their turf have put up obstacles to block the certification of midwifes.

All human beings are mortal but too few people today get to die in their own homes surrounded by loved ones. Instead all too many get shunted off to sterile hospital rooms and denied the opportunity to die with dignity. Indeed unless a no code, do not resuscitate order has been signed the dying will be shocked back to life in a painful undignified attempt to delay the inevitable and extreme measures taken to prolong life where no quality of life can exist. It is now possible to maintain some semblance of life even when the brain is dead and the bodily processes can be continued when the person involved has no awareness and will never regain consciousness. Death has become something to be fought at all costs and not a natural part of living. In a hospital environment a person's loved ones are put in the untenable position of making a decision to let a patient die, to pull the plug. And if the event occurs past visiting hours even wives and husbands may be denied access by inflexible staff.

Death has been so sanitized and made taboo in our modern society that most reach middle age without ever having seen a dead body. It is lost upon most that some animal died to make possible that steak or chicken breast on their plate. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the language used to describe the event. People do not die, they pass away and even individuals dead for centuries are described as having passed. (To hell?)




 

Monday Rant

Just fought off the protective plastic ring protecting a bottle of Bread and Butter Pickles. I'm nostalgic for the days when such falderal wasn't considered necessary. When I could go to the hardware store and buy the single screw or bolt I needed without having to buy a blister pack with 5 or 9 items I didn't need and will probably not remember stashing away should I ever need them again. A regular customer at Spencer-Fraser Ironmonger in Oakville I miss walking their uneven floors and being told all too often, just get out of here with that.

How often have you come close to damaging a delicate item attempting to break it out of its protective stiff plasic wrapping? That new container of vinegar, mustard, of ketchup will not squirt until you fight to remove the flavour/security seal. That tub of yogurt, sour cream, or cottage cheese has a seal glued to the container's top. There's a zip seal to remove from your block of butter or box of crackers. An easy zip to pull off before you get to your bacon bits--easy? How often have you fought your way into a plastic or foil container of chips or cereal after unzipping the box.

Remember when grandma's baked cookies or made candied apples for Hallowe'en secure in the knowledge that no nervous parent would automatically dispose of them when their child got home. Now there's the additional concern that candies come impregnated with THC--the active ingredient in Marijuana. When   you didn't have to be concerned about finding nails or stick pins in a bag of potatoes? When the green grocers wasn't a possible source of some viral infection? When processed meats weren't a source of listeria? When letters weren't a source of anthrax? Today E-mail from an unknown source has the potential of viral infection--electronic viruses, a whole new class mischief. When medications didn't come in childproof containers only a child can manage to open--I've asked my druggist for non-childproof containers!

Walking the Streets of America

As a generalization I find Americans more litter-prone than Canadians hence American Cities have more litter. There are several processes at work here.

First smokers seem to treat the outdoors as an ashtray of infinite capacity.

Since most states lack deposits on beverage containers there is no impetus for youth or the homeless to collect empties for their value in redemption. Hence walking most roadways allows the pedestrian to assess the most popular soft drinks and beers in that neighbourhood.

It would seem not everyone subscribes to the virtues of "poop and scoop" laws. Even some who pick up their pet's feces leave the bag behind on a public or private lawn thus defeating the purpose.

Campaigns such as Don't Mess with Texas seem to be slow to catch on. Too many drivers seem to balance the limited chance of being caught or fined with the convenience of opening their vehicle windows and tossing. Orange-clad prison chain-gangs along major highways in States such as Florida are an all-to-common sight. The amount and diversity of the litter such operations collect is staggering.

The state of communities on Reservations on both sides of our border is a sad commentary on their poverty and depression. I distinctly remember pausing on a walk in the Saanich Peninsula of Vancouver Island to photograph Mountains perfectly reflected on a mirror-smooth lake. It was only later I realized I'd also captured a rusting metal bedstead sticking out of the water in the foreground.