Posted in Art, Event Review, New thinking

5,000 km ends at The Teichert Gallery

Posted on by Edward Wedler

Anne and I are back from our two-year project. Footsteps East took us to places throughout Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Ontario.

This June 2023 started out rocky. Storms greeted us near Québec’s Lac Témiscouata.

While painting at Petite Saguenay, a sudden storm thundered 20 km away at our campsite at Baie Eternity. Multiple road washouts trapped over 200 people at the campsite. Many were airlifted out and escaped by boat. Overland flooding, tragically, washed two people to their deaths. It took us over a week to be able to follow a Saturday convoy to our site and recover our belongings. More heavy rains prevented further recovery of cars, RVs, and camping gear for 2-3 weeks.

Over twenty times we set up and broke camp during our journey — only a few times, thankfully, in the rain.

A typical rainy end in this short video.

Our journey was filled with adventures — tenting, painting, hiking, canoeing, riding the rails, and visiting art galleries. We filled two sketchbooks and submitted over 40 original paintings to the Teichert Gallery, adjacent to the Nova Scotia Art Gallery in downtown Halifax for our exhibition in September.

So, what’s next? What can grow our love of art and geography in Canada?

We figured an artist residency where we could explore the boundaries between spatial technologies (GIS, remote sensing, drones, etc.), the visual arts, and the culture of Place, would be a fruitful challenge. I’d love to develop a project, say, on “The Nooks and Crannies of Fogo Island”. Maybe you could help me out here.

Posted in biographical sketch

Between Meetings

Posted on by maherrv

This week has been full. After the Liberal picnic on Sunday, I had a video chat with ESRI Press. The outcome was a proposal to ESRI on the feasibility of linking my blog, ernestblairexperiment.wordpress.com with their online StoryMap software. Edward had returned from his trek, Following in the footsteps of the Group of Seven, and has some excellent suggestions. Next month, the paintings of Edward and Anne can be viewed in Halifax at the Teichert Gallery.

His comments related to the possibility of corporate sponsorship, and to avoid the ‘herding of elders’.

The same day, I discussed the Annapolis Valley Exhibition with Brian Arnott. Specifically the juxtaposition of the exhibition grounds and COGS. There should be an opportunity to develop an educational partnership, centred around Agricultural GIS. From a visitor perspective, there could be workshops at the college, in the same time frame as the exhibition.

Thursday, I met with Carman Kerr. Following my meetings earlier in the week, we discussed experiential tourism and the opportunity presented by the Exhibition.

At the end of the week, Frank Fox, Paul and Ruth Colville, Heather and myself met at the Capitol in Middleton. We reviewed the above schedule and the untapped potential in the Annapolis Valley.

Between meetings, Heather and I escaped the heat of the Valley. We went across to the Bay of Fundy at Hampton Beach. On another occasion, we cleared a path down through the Hunter farm (across the road) to the Annapolis River. We returned to Highway #201 via the Tree Nursery. Stopped at Lunn’s Mill to purchase a growler of Brickyard Red.

Finally, Heather returned to her bicycle, after an absence,. enjoyed the ride along the Middle Road (Lawrencetown Elementary School) to Middleton.

Postscript.

Once again, I want to emphasize the value of The Bridgetown Reader to the community. In this week (August 25) issue, for example, the front page includes information on Mental Health Programs, ‘Living Life to the Full’ and an advertisement for Spectacle,Performance and Play, a collection of films and photographs from the Annapolis Heritage Society Archives at the O’Dell House Museum Saturday, August 26th 7:00 pm.

Acknowledgements

Appreciation to Edward Wedler, Brian Arnott, Heather Stewart, Ruth and Paul Colville, Frank Fox, Carman Kerr for their feedback on a very busy week.

Posted in Uncategorized

Blackberry Picnic

Posted on by maherrv

John Wightman invited us to pick blackberries from his garden. This week, we made blackberry jam, following Jane’s recipe.

Afterwards, we decided to attend the Liberal Annual Picnic at the Legion in Bridgetown. Guest speaker was Stephen McNeil, former Nova Scotia Premier. He described his work in marketing Nova Scotia’s Resources to the world. For the current government he agreed that the issues were health services, housing and inflation. Our current Liberal MLA is Carman Kerr. I hope to meet with him later this week. My concerns would be quality versus quantity. And in particular leveraging our intellectual resources.

Within this context, I had a useful video chat with members of ESRI Press, Catherine and Stacy. The general topic was the application of StoryMap software to my blog. A more specific issue was the representation of rural Geography to a global audience.

I found it revealing that I had been anticipating a conversation between rural Nova Scotia and urban California. In reality, Catherine was located in Maine, Stacy in New Jersey.

This week, aside from a conversation with Carman (face to face). I will meet with Edward Wedler to discuss the technicalities of connecting my blog to online GIS software. More later.

After attending the Annapolis Valley Exhibition, I remain concerned about the linkage between the education Resources at COGS and the need to provide agricultural education in the Annapolis Valley.

We need creative application of the technology to maintain the agricultural lifestyle in rural Nova Scotia. This means leadership.

Acknowledgements

John Wightman shared his blackberry patch, and encouraged our attendance at the Liberal Party picnic. Carman Kerr shows his continual support for the community. Catherine Ortiz and Stacy Krieg from ESRI Press for the video chat. Feedback came from Edward Wedler, Brian Arnott and Heather Stewart.

Posted in biographical sketch, Event Review

Valley Daze

Posted on by maherrv

Yesterday, Saturday, was the final day of the Annapolis Exhibition. We started early with a drive to New Minas. Heather had some maps on her cell phone. She wanted them printed and laminated. We went to Staples.

Afterwards, I wanted to check out a book on the Acadia campus in Wolfville.The Bookstore, Student Union and Library were all closed. The town was busy with students being dropped off, by their parents or friends.

We stopped in Kentville for brunch at the Half Acre Cafe, before going to Greenwood. We needed salt for the water purification system.

At four o’clock, I was scheduled for a beer with John Wightman. We reminisced about the 1980’s at COGS. The involvement of Roger Tomlinson, ESRI. We talked about the changes in the family farms in the Valley. Also the socio-economic changes within the small towns e.g. Bridgetown, Middleton.

Afterwards, with a stop for a slice of pizza, Heather and I went to the Garnet Rogers concert at the Evergreen Theatre, East Margaretsville. We noticed that there were crowds of cars parked in Lawrencetown. The Exhibition was a buzz.

To get to the theatre, we took Highway #1 to Gouchers Farm Market, then North to East Margaretsville. It was a full house, started at 8 pm. Garnet was a musical delight.

The concert finished around 10:15 pm. We decided to return via the coastal road. Through Margaretsville, across Delusion Road, down Gates Mountain Road to Middleton. In Middleton, we hit Highway #1.

As we approached Lawrencetown, there was a stream of cars leaving the village. We decided to avoid the traffic. Left at the Mount Hanley Road, across the Annapolis River, right on the Middle Road. Pitch black. No street lights. Heather’s sharp eyes spotted the deer and the skunk crossing the road. Eventually, we joined Highway #201, street lights and home. It was past 11 pm.

We turned on the network news. Fires still raging in BC and NWT. We reflected on Andrew and family driving from Midland, Michigan to Rossland, BC. Remembering our earlier cross-Country drives from California to Ontario, BC to Nova Scotia.

At the end of the day, we recalled one of Garnet’s anecdotes.

“Life is like a toilet-roll. As you reach the end, it unrolls much faster than at the beginning”.
We have strong memories today, of the dark skies in rural Nova Scotia, whether Delusion Road or the Middle Road, at 11 pm.

Posted in Uncategorized

The Exhibition

Posted on by maherrv

This week, it is the Annapolis Valley Exhibition, established in 1926, in Lawrencetown. Heather and I have fond memories of our boys showing calves and chickens at 4H in the 1980’s.

We visited the Ex. on a quiet Wednesday afternoon. We heard the voice of Phil Milo giving the commentary for participants in the main arena.

Our overall impression, aside from the beautiful hooked rugs and quilts, was less engagement from 4H, less engagement in terms of fruit and vegetable displays.

The Exhibition should be a showcase for agriculture in the Valley; an opportunity for wider public education on new trends in the farming community.

On a different note, this week, I have had conversations about land administration in the Annapolis Valley. I recall the days of collaboration between COGS and the Planning community on the application of GIS. There was the CLICK project, a collaboration between Roger Sturtevant, Eric Melanson and others. The initiative seems to have vanished. Including the data.

I wonder how effectively we are monitoring and managing land use change in the County. The tools exist, and are increasingly accessible to the wider public.

In the words of ESRI, if we want to be ‘valuing place and purpose’ in Annapolis County (or beyond, the Annapolis Valley) it is essential that the educational community engage with the land management community. COGS, the agricultural sector (including the Exhibition), the forestry sector, the mining sector, the fisheries sector need to work together to ‘organize Nature’ ( reference Cohen and Biro).

Acknowledgements

John Wightman suggested that I talk to Roger Sturtevant. Catherine Ortiz at ESRI Press. Heather Stewart shared the Exhibition visit.

References.

Brent Jones, Keith Mann (ed.) 2022. Applying GIS. Land Administration. Valuing Place and Purpose. ESRI Press.

Alice Cohen and Andrew Biro. 2023. Organizing Nature. U of T Press.

Posted in biographical sketch

Library Books

Posted on by maherrv

Today, it was 4H day at the Annapolis County Exhibition (August 14). The 4H pledge remains relevant to society.

“I pledge my HEAD to clear thinking. My HEART to greater loyalty. My HANDS to larger service. My HEALTH to better living, for my club, my community and my country.

In the morning, I stopped at the COGS Library. Andrew Hannam was cataloguing new books for September. I was able to sign out three books from ESRI Press in their Applying GIS series.

Valuing Place and Purpose (Land Administration)

Designing our Future (Architecture, Engineering and Construction)

Creating a Smarter Campus (Education).

“The Applying GIS series explains how to become a spatial thinker, with ideas and strategies for building location intelligence into your profession, industry or discipline. Each pocket-sized book is divided into relevant topics that include a set of case studies and a road map for getting started with GIS.”

It was exciting to discover and access these new resources. For myself, it raised many questions about the change in technology and education, since my retirement (2011). It also raised questions about the application of GIS technology in rural Nova Scotia for Land Management; Architecture, Engineering and Construction; and Education. Has COGS maintained its position in creating a smarter campus ?

I look forward to conversations on this subject with COGS faculty, researchers, students and administration.

On the weekend, Heather and I enjoyed a drive to Blomidon. This was followed by lunch with Laurel’s in-laws from BC at Dickie Baxter Tap Room and Grill in Canning. Excellent food and ambiance.

Acknowledgements

Andrew Hannam allowed me to sign out three books in the Applying GIS series. Heather shared the Blomidon drive and meal.

References

Joseph Kerski and Matt Artz (Ed). 2022. Applying GIS. Education. Creating a Smarter Campus. ESRI Press.

Kathleen Kewley, Micah Callough, Keith Mann (Ed.) 2022. Applying GIS. Architecture, Engineering and Construction. Designing our Future. ESRI Press.

Brent Jones, Keith Mann. (Ed.) 2022. Applying GIS. Land Administration. Valuing Place and Purpose. ESRI Press.

Posted in Book Review

Fact or Fiction

Posted on by maherrv

A month ago I attended the Authors’ Market at MareGold in Annapolis Royal. This Saturday (August 12) will be the second Authors’ Market.

It has taken me the full month to read Bob Bent’s Ida Red, in part because I prefer non-fiction. Ida Red is a fictional Love story set in East Clarence. It is a long story, over four hundred pages.. There is a distinct pleasure in recognizing the geography : names of roads, the physical landscape and the sense of community.

Several times, I nearly gave up. Fortunately, I continued to the surprising ending. The last hundred pages would not allow me to stop reading. Congratulations to Bob Bent on crafting this page-turning story ending.

While in Kentville (waiting on car repairs at Honda) I reached the conclusion, and associated food for thought, about living in rural Nova Scotia.

In Kentville, I stopped at Gaspereau Press. I was able to purchase Harry Thurston’s latest poetry book Ultramarine. At the Half Acre Café, there was time to grab the latest Grapevine (August 2023). I noted Wendy Elliott’s column Books by Locals. She reviewed Organizing Nature by two Acadia University academics, Alice Cohen and Andrew Biro, published by University of Toronto Press.

‘The duo used the lens of nature-society to examine how ecosystems have been turned into Resources’. Another trip to the Lawrencetown library is in the offing.

From the Reader, I note startingTuesday, August 15 there will be an Acadian Map exhibit at the O’Dell House Museum in Annapolis Royal hours 9:30 – 4 pm Tuesday to Saturday. Maps from 1686 to 1755.

Acknowledgements

Heather shared my delight in a story set in Clarence( East Appleton)

References

Bob Bent 2023. Ida Red. A Love Story. 442pp. Self-published.

Harry Thurston. 2023. Ultramarine. Gaspereau Press.

Wendy Elliott. Books by Locals. The Grapevine. Arts, Culture, Community. August 2023 No 20.08 p.10.

Posted in biographical sketch

Hazel Close

Posted on by maherrv

A few years ago, Heather went to a Department of Agriculture workshop in Kentville. They were trying to persuade landowners to diversify their tree crops.She brought home and planted some hazel nuts.

The other evening, looking out of the living room window she noticed hazel nuts in the greenery, besides the house. This struck a chord.

In England, Peter and I, lived at 39 Hazel Close, Whitton, in Middlesex. Perhaps it is time to name our property on Highway #201: HAZEL CLOSE.

In response to my latest blog, Glen Langford, from BC, was wondering how and where Heather and I met.

The simple answer was the West Coast of Newfoundland, Gros Morne National Park in 1975. Heather was a seasonal naturalist. I was running ten day back-packing trips into the Long Range Mountains, for Black Feather, Wally Schaber in Ottawa. During the rest of the year, I was teaching in the Department of Geography, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s.

In turn, I should explain that I met Glen Langford in Edmonton , Alberta in 1979. I was working for Chip Ross at Alberta Recreation, parks and Wildlife. Glen had developed a GIS/ Image Analysis system (POLYGRID). This was before I established a relationship with ESRI in the early ‘80’s and the move to COGS.

Let. me fill in some of the missing pieces. University of Birmingham 1963-66. 1966-67 VSO in Montserrat. Upon returning to England, I had to find employment. My Mother encouraged me to take computer aptitude tests for both IBM and ICL I accepted the position of Junior Systems Analyst with IBM. This led to to a job maintaining IBM 360 computers at GCHQ ( Government Communication Head Quarters) in Cheltenham. After two years, I recognized that I did not want to become a corporate employee. The opportunity arose to return to Canada, as a graduate student at the University of Western Ontario, under the supervision of Professor Michael Goodchild. From 1969-1972, for both my M.Sc and Ph.D. The latter awarded in 1976.

Acknowledgements

It was Heather’s sharp eye that spotted the Hazel tree.

References

R.V Maher. 1971. Complexity Analysis of Vegetation Patterns in an Alpine Meadow. M.Sc. thesis. Department of Geography, University of Western Ontario.

R.V.Maher.1975. An Inquiry into the Nature of Biogeography. Ph.D. Thesis. Department of Geography, University of Western Ontario.

Posted in biographical sketch

Birmingham Days

Posted on by maherrv

Peter, my older brother, sent me the following link.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001p713

Open Book – Birmingham – BBC Sounds.

It is a half hour podcast discussing the literary scene in Birmingham, England today.

He sent it to me because, after Chiswick County Grammar School for Boys, I went up to Birmingham University. Within the context of the podcast, it references Hall Green, where I rented a room in my first year. Moseley, I had Geography friends in that neighbourhood. And Edgbaston, where the university is located in the City.

Suddenly, there are memories of hitch-hiking along the M1 from London to Birmingham. On the weekends a group of us would go caving in the Mendips or Derbyshire. I would return with a rucksack full of wet, dirty clothes. My landlady was appalled.

At Birmingham, I completed my first degree in Geography, with a minor in Mathematics. the Chair was Professor David Linton. Other notables, for me, were Roland Moss (Biogeography), Gordon Warwick ( Geomorphology) and Harry Thorpe (Historical Geography).

Each Summer, I would take a BUNAC flight to North America. This led to two field seasons working out of the McGill Sub-Arctic Research station in Schefferville. This allowed me to experience the Canadian Shield in interior Labrador. After a Summer in the wilderness, I would buy a Greyhound $99 dollar ticket for ninety nine days. The first year, I ventured South to Vera Cruz, Mexico, across to California, up to Victoria, BC, then back to catch my flight home from Montreal to Heathrow, London.

The second year, Peter had emigrated to Toronto. We travelled in his sports car down to Cape Cod.

The next leg was Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) on the island of Montserrat, BWI. And so the story unfolds.

Posted in Book Review

School Days

Posted on by maherrv

Last week, I received a copy of Viram Jasani’s book, ‘ Independence to Freedom’. Viram was born in Kenya in 1945. He came to England in 1949. Our paths crossed at Chiswick Grammar School for Boys (Chapter 6). We shared a passion for cricket, as well as an academic interest in Geography.

Between 1956-1963 Viram developed a deepening involvement with Indian classical music.

“For me Indian music grew to be a means of peace and reconciliation both at a personal level and on the global stage; it gave me a true sense of my identity.” p.122.

After completing his undergraduate degree at St Andrew’s University Viram joined the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and became part of the music scene in London, playing the sitar.

After working in the business world, Viram created the Asian Music Circuit (AMC), Europe’s best company promoting traditional music culture – generating huge audiences all around the UK, many iconic productions at major venues .’ From 2000-2012 AMC the charity was at the height of its achievements producing major events throughout the UK and also in Europe’

Subsequently Viram became more deeply involved with traditional Indian culture through several trips to India and the inspiring thinking of ascetics and wandering scholars – the Vedic culture and revelations. The final chapter (18) describes his path to freedom. ‘ He overcame the prejudices he faced from the British arts elite and jealous Indians by embarking on a journey into Vedantic philosophy.

Reading Viram’s life story provided inspiration, starting with our parallel paths at Chiswick Grammar School for Boys. We continue to seek the same freedom, away from ruling elites, huge imbalance of power and wealth in societies across the world, uncertainty in our daily life. p.353.

Acknowledgements.

To Viram, Andrew Ronay and others who have shared these moments in time. To Heather Stewart for her lifelong support.

Reference

Viram Jasani. 2023. Independence to Freedom. Austin Macauley Publishers.