Category Archives: Adult Memories

Mise Tales Thirty-Eight

Adult Memories, Audio, Canada, Lighthouses, Ontario, Photographs, Photos, Videos, , , , , , , ,

 

For an update on what a Mise Tale is then please see Mise Tales One.

As mentioned earlier on the front page of my website, any photos or cartoons, or short information will also be included again later in the next Misc Tales when it is removed from the front page. That way you can keep track of it, or copy it.

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MoonFarolCaboEspichel-netLovely night sky photographs including a couple with  lighthouses, all by Miguel Claro.

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Canadian WatershedsAn excellent interactive article on Explore Canada’s ocean watersheds from Canadian Geographic. It shows how dependent we all are on our water supplies – from source to oceans. Keep them clean!

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A song sent to me on Facebook by my cousin. Lyrics are here.

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CN-8839-6018-8808-mile-22.7-PARRY-SOUND-SUB-092608Two things I love best – lighthouses and trains!

From the site Railpictures.ca – CN 8839 with the 6018 and 8808 lead a northbound train at mile 22.7 on the CP’s Parry Sound Sub September 26, 2008

Once Upon a Foggy Night . . .

Adult Memories, Audio, Boats, British Columbia, Canada, Equipment, Fishboats, Fishing, Foghorns, History, Information, Lighthouses, North America, On The Job, Videos, , , ,
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There is a boat out there . . . click the button below . . .

Imagine you are a lighthouse keeper on the graveyard shift on a foggy night. All you hear are the diesel engines running, the foghorn blowing at intervals. As you stare out into the gloomy mist you hear this sound. It is a boat, but what kind of boat? What kind of motor?

Many old-timers will recognize it as the sound of a classic make and break Easthope 2-stroke marine gasoline engine on idle. It probably belonged to a fisherman waiting out the fog so he could see where he was going. It was a sound that carried through the fog just like the foghorn.

To hear it again brings back many memories. If you wish to see the fishboat that housed this engine take a look at this Youtube page.

EasthopeMarineSign

 

 

 

Mise Tales Thirty-Six

Adult Memories, Books, Books, Books, British Columbia, Childhood Memories, Children, Coast Guard, Construction, Hobbies, Humour, Icebreakers, Incidents, Information, Lighthouses, Models, Photos, Photos, Ships, Toys, Videos, Videos, , , , , , , , , ,

 

For an update on what a Mise Tale is then please see Mise Tales One.

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[youtube url=”http://youtu.be/b3e7CDg8a3g”]

Here is a great video taken on board the Coast Guard ship CCGS Sir Wilfred Laurier as it services the mountain-top radio sites using the onboard helicopter. Great shots of the Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwai) and the old lighthouse and radio station at Cape St. James.

It is titled on Youtube as the “Big Red Restaurant“!

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Early 1900’s Tin Lighthouse Windup Toy with Four Airplanes

Adult Memories, Advertisement, Construction, Hobbies, Information, Lighthouses, Models, Models, , , , , ,

$_3This item appeared on ebay recently and became an instant hit. On the ebay website it was described as:

DESCRIPTION: This is a very unusual and rare early aviation airplane toy called “Light-house Aero-Planes”. It is marked on the toy and box “Mfgd. By Valentine Sandberg N.Y. Pat. Appd. For”. Included is a partial original box, lighthouse tower, 4 airplanes, and all parts needed to assemble it. When wound Continue reading Early 1900’s Tin Lighthouse Windup Toy with Four Airplanes →

Reprint – Sentinels Encased in Ice

Adult Memories, Automation, Construction, Government, History, Hobbies, Incidents, Lighthouses, On The Job, Photos, Reprint, Storms, Weather, Women, , , , ,

Sentinels Encased in Ice by Elinor DeWire

from WeatherWise November-December 2011 

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The ice was here, the ice was there
The ice was all around;
I t cracked and growled, and roared and howled
Like noise in a swound…
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

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Caption: St. Joseph Pierhead in Michigan as it appeared on December 20, 2010. Continue reading Reprint – Sentinels Encased in Ice →

Oh No! Not Another Accident!

Adult Memories, Coast Guard, Equipment, Helicopters, Information, Lighthouses, Videos, , , , , , ,

 This story could be titled Oh no, not another accident or to be more truthful How to give a helicopter a bath!

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If you keep up with aviation news you may have heard about a Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) helicopter that crashed in the Arctic. Continue reading Oh No! Not Another Accident! →

What a Nice Christmas Present

Adult Memories, British Columbia, Coast Guard, Environment, Equipment, Helicopters, Keepers, Light, Lighthouses, On The Job, Storms, Travel, Videos, Videos, Weather, , , ,

What a nice surprise! Today on Facebook the lighthouse keeper, Colin Toner, who is residing at my old workplace at McInnes Island posted a fantastic video of the lighthouse. Please watch in full screen to get the full effect.

Watch as the MBB105 helicopter approaches the island in the rain. You can see the rain striking the windscreen on the front of the helicopter.

Later get a tour of the light and a walk around the island in the stormy weather. Take note of the heavy seas. That is life in winter on the west coast of Canada.

Thanks Colin for the memories, and special thanks goes to Tineke Veenhoven for creating the film!

For a larger and higher quality version please go to Youtube. I had trouble getting it to embed here.

Pachena Point Lighthouse

Adult Memories, Anti-Automation, Automation, British Columbia, Canada, Coast Guard, Construction, Equipment, History, Information, Lighthouses, North America, On The Job, Photos, Tourism, Travel, Visitors, , , , ,

Pachena Point LensThe photo at the left shows the lamp, lens, mercury bath bearing, and winding apparatus which was installed on the Pachena Point lighthouse in February 1908. The lens is a 1st order Fresnel lens made by Chance Brothers of Birmingham England – one of the largest sizes possible, and it all sits on a wooden tower!

The glass lens, 3 m tall, 2.5 m wide and weighing 400 kg was brought by boat around Cape Horn. The 1000-watt bulb in use now puts out four million candlepower and is visible from Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula. (reference)

This graphic was sent to me by a friend but I have no idea of the source. I have searched Google and the only mention of the photo that I found was in reference to the Eddystone lighthouse, which this definitely is not. Continue reading Pachena Point Lighthouse →

Mise Tales Thirty-One

Adult Memories, Art, Coins, Denmark, Europe, Faroe Islands, Foreign, Lighthouses, Photos, Photos, Souvenirs, Travel, , , , , , , , , ,

 

For an update on what a Mise Tale is then please see Mise Tales One.

960Waves crash against a lighthouse during a storm named Christian that battered France at Boulogne sur Mer
Source: Reuters – Mon, 28 Oct 2013 12:34 PM
Author: Reuters

 

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The Faroe Islands Are Our Travel Tuesday

A serene haven of tranquil waters, green grass and colorful houses, the Faroe Islands are located halfway between Norway and Iceland. 

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Reprint – A Sailor’s Journal

Adult Memories, British Columbia, Canada, Coast Guard, Communication, Construction, Equipment, Fishing, Icebreakers, Information, Lighthouses, North America, On The Job, Reprint, Search & Rescue, Ships & Shipping, Stories, , , , , ,

LaurierThe Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) carries lighthouse keepers and their supplies (groceries, mail, household goods, etc) usually by ship or helicopter. This story describes the inner workings of the Canadian Coast Guard light icebreaker Sir Wilfrid Laurier as told by my friend Abe Van Oeveren. I have been on several ships and they are indeed a complicated piece of machinery run by very competent men and women.

Abe’s comments to me about the story when I asked permission to reprint:

The account is based on material gathered on several trips blended together to make a story that flows end to end. To make it readable I avoided talking about too much crappy weather which keeps everybody on board the ship unable to fly up to Van, Naden or Barry, or how the ship’s crew’s collective mood changes as the 28 day typical patrol proceeds.  Continue reading Reprint – A Sailor’s Journal →