Author: maherrv

Yesterday (Sunday) we made a second visit to the Lower Granville Hall at Port Royal. We enjoyed an excellent lunch prepared by the community. The guest speaker was Heather Leblanc. It was good to catch up. I recall the days when Planning students at COGS would work with the citizen group to use GIS technology to produce online maps of heritage buildings in the County. Map Annapolis also worked with Parks Canada and ground penetrating radar of the graveyards.

The current web site includes a number of excellent videos, produced by Andrew Tolson.

On Saturday night we visited the Evergreen Theatre in East Margaretsville. We enjoyed the music of Rachel and Darren. They were part of the award-winning group, Coig.

The venue was a chance to catch up with old friends at the Eastern end of the County. On a sad note, we learned from David O’Leary that Karen Reinhardt and her husband had passed away. Karen was at student at COGS in the early eighties.

My homework (reading) this week is Matt Rouse ‘Will AI take my job ? And Ronald Blythe Next to Nature. A Lifetime in the English Country side. The first is an introduction to current technology and the second prepares me for our life in the Nova Scotia countryside.

References

Matthew Rouse. 2023. Will AI take my job. ? Predictions about AI in Corporations, small business and the workplace.

Ronald Blythe. 2023. Next to Nature. A Lifetime in the English Countryside. John Murray.

This week, I stopped at the COGS library. I found ‘Canadians who Innovate’. The last entry, #60 was Fraser Taylor, Ottawa, Ontario. Fraser Taylor’s contribution includes the Cyber-cartography Atlas of Arctic Bay.

This led me to ‘AI and the Geography of Annapolis County: a proposal for students and faculty at the Centre of Geographic Sciences.

I have been writing a blog ‘Ernest Blair Experiment’ since 2013. Some times, it was posted to GoGeomatics. Since 2017, it was posted under Ernest Blair Experiment. The title comes from Ernest Buckler, author of ‘The Mountain and the Valley’. Eric Blair aka George Orwell. Experiment because using changing technology is always an experiment. Volume 9 includes all the blogs for 2024.

After attending Wayne Rouse’s talk on AI. I had this idea.

Could we use AI to link GIS to local Geography ?

Is this a project that might appeal to current GIS/AI students at COGS ?

Could this provide a model for other groups in other parts of the country to link local geographic knowledge and share it with the world ?

Here is my thinking. Each blog has date and contains reference to the local geography. In my case, Annapolis County or the Annapolis Valley.

Using AI could we take the total collection of blogs, identify themes and topics and produce a series of online maps ? We could use AI to identify the locations. We could use ArcGIS to map these locations.

Topics could include walking trails, canoe routes, mountain bike adventures. They could include types of retail outlets – restaurants, book stores, tourist services.

From a literary perspective, it could include geographic references in the writing of Ernest Buckler, David Whitman (e.g. Roxbury).

A recent blog feedback from Celes Davar showed me the technology for mapping bird calls. I can imagine something similar for mapping plant observations e.g. Agalinis neoscotica.

The fundamental challenge is to use current technology to extract local knowledge (in an electronic database) and to ensure it is taken into account when making resource management decisions about our ‘collective geography’. The tools exist; there are individuals who possess detailed experiential knowledge of our environment.

Let’s bring them together. Create a prototype at COGS; then share world-wide.

Reference

Roseann O’Reilly Runt. 2024. Canadians who Innovate. The Trailblazers and Ideas that are changing the World. Simon and Schuster. Part 9. Social Innovation for a better world.#60 Fraser Taylor, Ottawa, Ontario. p.300.

This week, I received feedback on my blog from Celes Davar at Earth Rhythms. Our paths have crossed several times : Newfoundland, Prairies, Nova Scotia. Most recently, in the context of experiential tourism and his work with Food, Art and Nature (FAN) in Kings County.

He tells the story of the return of the American Woodcock. He uses a PUC (‘a small recording device that sits in our sunroom and records bird songs, continuously uploading them in real time via the Internet’)

( I imagine doing the same with a beautiful male pheasant, in our backyard)

Edward sent me an email on Memory Mapping. Marlene Creates, a Canadian Artist is giving a talk at a UK conference, April 30, 2025 on’Walking and Memory Mapping’ ( I will try to add the link, in Edward’s absence).

Last Night (Wednesday) Heather and I attended Matthew Rouse’s presentation ‘ Introduction to AI’ at the Lower Granville Hall. It proved to be an excellent talk, to an audience of about 16, at a great location. The only drawback was the drive home to Middleton on a dark April evening.

There will be a lunch time presentation by Heather Leblanc on MapAnnapolis this Sunday, 12 noon, same location.

It is truly remarkable to find these presentations, available in rural Nova Scotia. It gives me insight into a proposal to COGS on ‘AI and the Geography of Annapolis County’. (See next week blog).

Reference

Matthew Rouse. 2023. Will AI take my job ? Predictions about AI in Corporations, Small Business and the Workplace. Self-published.

Acknowledgements

Edward continues to share his finds on the web. The same is true of Celes Davar. Thank you, both.

Today, Heather and I walked around First Lake, part of the water supply for Annapolis Royal (AR). This is part of our growing resolution – to keep healthy, we must find a significant walk every day. There was no-one on the trail. It is well-marked with flagging tape. There was a slight dusting of overnight snow. Afterwards, we stopped for a coffee at the Sissiboo Cafe on the Main Street of AR.

Between the endless election coverage, I have noticed the CHIP advertisements with Peter Mansbridge on the CBC. Mansbridge notes the stereotype of the retired segment of the population.

This strikes a chord with me. Since my retirement from the NSCC Annapolis campus (AGRG) I have continued to write a regular blog ( ernestblairexperiment.wordpress.com ). These blogs give a window on retirement living in rural Nova Scotia. I have made significant effort to engage instructors and students at the Centre of Geographic Sciences. I have worked with other retired faculty in an attempt to engage this segment of the population e.g. Edward Wedler, John Wightman. Each week, I forward my blog to over thirty associates from my previous working life in the county.

If Annapolis County is going to flourish into the future it is critical that the local population work together to promote the natural resources and human resources of this part of the province.

With a network of NSCC campuses, it can spread across Nova Scotia.

In particular,we must use modern technology to share current information on our landscape, our resources, our industry, our people.

My proposal is simple. We need to work together to present ‘the geography of Annapolis County’. We need to understand the landscape: geology, ecology, climate. We need to understand our resources: agriculture, fishing, forestry, mining. We need to understand our demographics. We need to use the latest technology to share images, links, research results. We need to join the ‘creative rural economy’.

If you are reading this blog, please imagine ‘ how we can join the dots’ ,’how we can empower all members of society’.

Please forward your questions and ideas. I will gladly share these findings. It could be a ‘story-map’. Together, we will enhance Annapolis County, the Annapolis Valley, rural society, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Postscript

This week, I am encouraged to see locally a talk on Artificial Intelligence (AI), Heather Leblanc on the findings of MapAnnapolis, and the availability of live music at the Evergreen Theatre.

I have shared this draft with Edward Wedler. He has asked for a rewrite on my expectations from the NSCC. My expectations are that the educational institutions treat the needs of the community seriously.

They have showed initiative with the formation of CORAH ( Center of Rural Aging and Health). They need to recognize that the new Geographic Science and Technology can address our ‘sense of place’, leading to experiential tourism and other economic opportunities.

The Spring Equinox is a harbinger of change. On Saturday, I wanted to celebrate, and decided to reconnect with Delaps Cove. We took the Bohaker Trail and enjoyed the beautiful clear vistas of the Bay of Fundy. Driving the shore road, you enter a different world, and a different economy, from the Valley. We decided to save Charlie’s Trail for another day.

After the walk, we stopped at the Crow’s Nest in Hillsburn for a late lunch: they serve an excellent sea food chowder, in a ‘homey’ atmosphere

Thrilled with this successful adventure, we stopped at Bees Knees for fruit cake. Then on to Kingston Park for a recreational cool-down stroll.

In the evening, I checked out Scott Osmond’s ‘Hidden Nova Scotia’. No reference to Delaps Cove. I had the realization that Osmond tends to focus more on the human artifacts on the landscape, and less on the natural features of the landscape

With much enthusiasm, I thought about a Sunday hike out to Peter Point in Kejimkujik National Park. But the weather did not cooperate; instead snowflakes on a cold wind. Must wait for more Spring sunshine.

Acknowledgements

Lacking access to Edward’s online talents, this short blog is devoid of links and images. Apologies.

Postscript

The last mile or two to the Delaps Cove trailhead is not in great shape.

Watch out for significant pot-holes.

Reference

Scott Osmond. 2023. Hidden Nova Scotia. Boulder Books.

With the first day of Spring, we expanded our walk to Valley View Park ( see Middleton Walks (1)). Today we celebrated with the CORAH exercise classes.

Overnight, Edward forwarded two links. The Map Reader is a film set in rural New Zealand, about a young man obsessed with his map collection. https://youtu.be/-m4xPr274gw?si=w4oQmDYLPdyo14O

The second was a conference from the Livingmaps Network, including Marlene Creates ‘Walking and Memory Mapping’. https://marlenecreates.ca/virtualwalk/

From the Centre of Local Prosperity, the link to the webinar ‘Safeguarding Community Economics in Troubled Times’ with Michael Shuman.

Meanwhile a phone call from The Inside Story in Greenwood. Scott Osmond’s book ‘Hidden Newfoundland’ had arrived for pick up. This is the companion to ‘Hidden Nova Scotia’.

Books to read ; online food for thought. Meanwhile the meadow alongside the Annapolis River is under Spring flood water.

Acknowledgements.

Thanks to Edward for the online links. When necessary, we can return to the Inside Story, previously owned by Edward and Anne Wedler. Heather and I look forward to rediscovering hidden Newfoundland this Summer. Edward is back in Florida. I will try to add the necessary links.

References

Scott Osmond. 2022. Hidden Newfoundland. Boulder Books

This week, we had to spend a couple of days in Pictou County. This provided us with the opportunity to visit the deCoste cultural hub in Pictou and the Museum of Industry in Stellarton (see also Pictou Visit) .

As before, I am impressed by the combination of the theatre, the art gallery and the library in downtown Pictou. It makes me reflect on what is the equivalent in Annapolis County? At the Centre, I discovered information on ‘Our Climate Quest’, a special exhibition at the Museum of Industry. This includes a series of Climate Conversations: a guest speaker series and a new exhibition by Science North.

Before heading to New Glasgow, I stopped at the Middleton Library.

Making the trip from Middleton to New Glasgow, we were fortunate to be accompanied by Gordon Lightfoot.

‘Country Road’ and other songs that illustrate the relationship between Canadians and their landscape.

This landscape is not simply a set of resources for exploitation, nor something to be traded away to the highest bidder. Within Nova Scotia, there is a diversity and richness that is not ‘up for grabs’. The landscape (aka Geography) cannot be separated from the people who share that richness.

Acknowledgements.

Heather took the winding road through the Rawdon Hills with me to Pictou County. Edward added his touch.

Reference

Sarah Sands, 2021, The Interior Silence: My Encounters with Calm, Joy and Compassion at 10 Monasteries around the World, Chronicle Prism.

The weather played a significant role in our weekly activities. We made the run to New Glasgow on Tuesday/ Wednesday.

Thursday is ‘Register/ Reader’day. We stopped at the Bridgetown library. I could put my feet up and read the Wednesday Register and the Thursday Chronicle Herald. Bumped into Steve Raftery. We compared notes about life in Bridgetown, Paradise and Middleton. Certainly, we are happy to be off Highway #201.

Overnight, the snow melted.

The meadow alongside the Annapolis River turned into a lake with ducks swimming. The deer must have headed for dry land. There are still blue jays and cardinals in the bushes.

Friday, we thought that we would take a stroll around the French Basin in Annapolis Royal. When we arrived, there was snow on the wind, blowing off the Basin. It did not take long for us to take refuge in the Sissiboo Coffee Roaster Cafe for a hot drink.

Fortunately, I had managed to attend men’s Strength and Fitness class at CORAH, earlier in the day.

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Andrew, my old school friend from England, sent me a reference to Dr Sanjay Gupta’s book Keep Sharp. I think somewhere in the basement, I may have my own copy. (Found it !)

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We are looking forward to the first day of Spring. And when we can bicycle along the Middle Road from Middleton to Lawrencetown. Edward writes to watch those potholes as he shows in his cartoon.

Acknowledgements

It has been a ‘tough’ week with all the nonsense, South of the border.

We must continue to appreciate the ‘simple things’. Even the crypto quote and word search in the Bridgetown Reader. Edward has returned from Florida, in time for Spring.

Reference

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Keep Sharp: Building a Better Brain at any age, Simon & Schuster

Today, Heather and I attended this immersive workshop on dementia at CORAH, NSCC Middleton. Our interest was the relationship between memory loss and dementia. The workshop was hosted by Sheila Schuehlein from AGE-u-cate training institute. The forty five minute event was held multiple times on Monday, March 3rd. ‘Participants gathered in small groups, don specialized sensor gear and engage in tasks within a controlled environment’. The simulation and debriefing included current CCA and Practical Nursing students.

After the debrief, we picked up three empowerment tools (handouts) on Understanding Behaviours, Better Communication and Understanding, Preventing and Responding to Stress Reactions.

The concept of a transformative simulation journey has considerable merit. In my upbringing, my sister suffered brain damage at birth.

As we ‘age-out’, we worry about the impact of memory loss. While this immersive workshop did not address this specific relationship, it provided a focus for understanding personal behaviour, and the impact of family context.

I have never forgotten the insistence of my parents, for my brother and I to ‘go out into the world’ (aka Canada) and discover our own way of life. While our sister was provided with long term care in England.

Over the weekend, we were in Dartmouth. Our grand-daughter, Isla was competing in the Eastern Canada speed-skating championships for Team Iqaluit at the RBC Centre. We stayed at the Sandman Hotel. Our biggest challenge was navigating the streets of Dartmouth with a paper map. For example, Saturday morning, I wanted to catch up with the Chronicle Herald newspaper. This involved a trip to the MicMac Mall.

When I explained this to Andrew (Isla’s Dad), he was astounded that I did not have Google Map on my cell phone. This has now become my next ‘learning experience’, aka memory task.

Acknowledgements

Heather and I shared Saturday night in the city, including Supper at Denny’s. This reminded Heather of the time when we lived in Redlands, California.