Tribute to Willow

Today Willow went to kitty heaven.  She was almost 17 years old.  We will miss her greatly.
Recently she has been sick, got better, got sick again, and finally all her functions shut down. She had stopped eating, and would occasionally take some water.  A very sad day at our house.

Willow you provided us with many years of joy ...

A few years ago I wrote this about how she became Lucy's pet...

                     Willow

All I wanted was that cute kitten in the store front window.

Being a cat person was my secret joy and that kitten sure was cute.

Cuddled up in a sleeping ball, she would raise her head and look at me.

Deep brown was her tail and ears, with clear blue eyes that seemed to plead with you.

Even her paws were cute with her dark brown socks and light brown legs.

For me, this was going to be my very own kitten, purchased with my own money.

Goodness, she was sure cute being that breed called Siamese and Himalayan.

“Hurry up”, she would seem to say as she meowed at me.

I already loved that cute blue-eyed kitten.

Just to hold her and hear her meow would make my heart jump with joy.

Keep yourself in that store window, I dream.

Like she was meant for me, she remained in the same window, day after day.

Meowing when I came each day, she would purr and rub my hand.

Nothing was as cute as that cuddly blue-eyed kitten.

On one visit she jumped up on my lap, I knew she was for me.

Purring was the sound she would make as I petted behind her ears.

Quickly I ran to the store that day, with money in my hand.

“Release her to me, she is mine” I said to the store owner.

“So what are you going to name her?” the owner asked.

“To tell the truth, I have a name all picked out for her.”

“Unless she already has a name?” was my question, hoping that was not the case.

“Very few kittens have names before they leave the store,” was the reply.

“Willow is her name,” I said.

“X, please sign where the “X” is,” the owner said as he passed me the pen.

“Yes, Willow is her name,” I repeated.

Zero is my bank account, but now I have my own Willow with cute blue eyes, brown socks and she talks to me every day.

Written by Frank Spence

(Based on a true story)

Deer Run Touring Trail

Today we took a 190 KM drive around the Deer Run Touring Trail.  This trail goes north of Elliot Lake up past the Provincial Park to Highway #546.  South to Blind River, East to Elliot Lake turn off on Highway #17,  and north on Highway 108 back into Elliot Lake.  

We are told that this is a very colourful trail in the fall but so far we have always been in Algonquin Park at height of the colours.

  

The changes in elevation are significant:  Elliot Lake 1086' northward we climb to 1250' and when we get to Blind River we are at 577' above sea level.

White River is open in some parts

Brrr, that looks cold!

A high hill in the area along hwy #546

Example of snow and road conditions.

Lucy's comment about the trip,  Sure was a long way around the block !

Not far from home:

Lucy was out with the camera this morning and came home with these pictures...  Near by is a walking trail around one of the lakes.  Many people visit the area and feed the birds.

Plaque Wording for The Detention of Second World War Military Prisoners of War and of Enemy Aliens Sent to Canada from Great Britain

Feb 14, 2012:     DRAFT

I received a phone call this afternoon from Parks Canada - Thunder Bay office indicating that the draft plaque wording was ready for the consultative process in an effort to ensure that the wording is appropriate. Anyone wishing to read the text can email me and offer suggestions back to me for inclusion with my own comments. Parks Canada has selected a limited number of people to consult with but I can consult with any number of people provide that the comments come back to me and I file one document with them. I am asking for input back to me by February 21, 2012 

It appears that every effort is being made toward having everything done so that the ceremony could be held this year. Lets hope so.

Frank


email:  frankspence@eastlink.ca 

UPDATE: The Detention of Second World War Military Prisoners of War and of Enemy Aliens Sent to Canada from Great Britain

Update: In my continuing efforts to keep everyone informed of developments, the following has occurred:

I have good news and not so good news regarding the historic event plaque unveiling ceremony to be held at Neys Provincial Park, formerly WW-II PoW Camp 100:

The good news is that I’m told that Parks Canada and Historical Sites and Monuments Board staff are doing all they can to have everything ready for an unveiling ceremony at the earliest possible date. In addition, Parks Canada have offered to record a message from Paul Mengelberg on the “off chance” that he might not be able to attend the actual unveiling. Paul who is one of the original supporters of the nomination and regular speaker at the Neys Visitor Centre turned 96 on February 5th. Paul for many years has captivated audiences with his talks about what it was like to be PoW in Canada.

The not so good news is I have been unsuccessful in having the powers-to-be set a date for the unveiling. I would prefer an announced date far enough in advance to allow people to have adequate notice to make the necessary arrangements to be able to attend the unveiling. From what I have been advised, Parks Canada is likely to receive a relatively short notice confirming the date of the ceremony (e.g. a few weeks). (I’m guessing that the notice will come from either the HSMBC office or the Minister’s office) Once confirmed an announcement can be made.

From what I can gather, the two windows for the potential unveiling ceremony appear to be later part of August thro to mid September (Neys closes mid September) or delay the ceremony until 2013.

I have from Parks Canada an outline of the schedule that still needs to be done before the ceremony can be held, should anyone wish to have that information.

From what I can gather, the government prefers not to set a date and work towards having everything in place before making any announcement. I’m disappointed that the public notification of the ceremony appears to be limited to a few weeks notice making it difficult for some people to participate.

Frank

Neys Provincial Park APPROVED to receive a Canadian Historic Event Plaque !!!

Left:  Neys Camp 100                        Right:  Neys Highway #17: Entrance

Historic Sites and Monument Board of Canada - announcement:
We were notified on January 30th, 2012 at 4:43 pm that Neys Provincial Park,  has been approved as a location for a historic event plaque.  As many of you know on July 21, 2011, the Minister of the Environment, approved the nomination of the event titled:  "The Detention of Second World War Prisoners of War and Enemy Aliens Sent to Canada from Great Britain" on the recommendation of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.  Today, the plaque location was announced in an email to us as the nominators on record for this event.

Many of us have been working on this project since June 10, 2008.  Neys was the location of Camp 100 during WW-II.  With today's announcement, we now know that a plaque will be located at the site of PoW Camp on the north shore of Lake Superior.  Neys was one of 29 Camps holding 33,798 PoWs. 

With the announcement today, the next steps are:
a)  Sorting out the wording for the bronze plaque.  This will take sometime as numerous stakeholders will need to be consulted.  We are one of the stakeholders.
b)  Once the plaque is approved by the HSMBC, then the plaque can be made.  The next meeting of the board is July.  Casting of the plaque takes many weeks.
c)  The unveiling ceremony date and time will then be sorted out.
d)  Parks Canada will soon be in touch with Ontario Parks to discuss arrangements.

Thanks to everyone who supported the nomination, wrote letters to the Government, and provided encouragement and support during this long process.  We hope we will see many of you at the unveiling ceremony (date and time to be determined)

We are pleased with today's developments especially when we confirmed that we could announce the news.

Four Seasons RVing Book - 2nd Anniversary

January 2010, we released the printed version of our book "Four Seasons RVing".  Recently we took delivery of our 5th printing of this 104 page book of ideas, pictures, and suggestions on how to maximize the use of your significant investment in a recreational vehicle.  Whether that be a motor home, 5th Wheel trailer, pull behind trailer, or a pop-up; extending your season to encompass more of the year is easy and this book provides the ideas and hints to allow you to do that comfortably.

The book is also available on CD.

Anyone wishing additional information or to order a copy, please email us at frankspence@eastlink.ca