Ernest Blair Experiment

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.

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.

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.

On Sunday, we decided to check out the Clarence Country Market. This was prompted by our reading of Ida Red. We were pleased to see Bob Bent manning a stall of his books. We picked up some postcards, as well as a map of Nova Scotia country markets. The postcards were produced by Woodshed Press in Port George. They were a quality product, which we sent to the children, as a reminder of our life in the community.

To remember the geography, we went up the Station Road, down the Fitch Road, and finally along the Mount Hanley Road. Passing through Clarence, we caught a wave from Vicki Barteaux. We stopped for a chat, and reconnected with Jeannie (her daughter) and her husband. Jeannie was a baby-sitter during the period 1981-87. She subsequently has had a career in Health Research at UBC and Dalhousie University.

This led to conversations about Ernest Buckler, and Graeme Wynn, Professor of Geography at UBC. I now have some homework; to re-read Wynn’s book The Nature of Canada. I also have to remind myself of the research by British geographers: Doreen Massey and Raymond Williams.

My last connection with UBC was Brian Klinkenberg. He was also a graduate student of Professor Michael Goodchild at Western University (UWO) in the early ‘70’s.

Saturday evening at John Wightman’s in Bridgetown, John passed me a salvaged copy of Acadiensis. It contained two items of interest.

John Wightman and the War of 1812. by GB Manzer.

The Mayflower. A poem by John McPherson

Acknowledgements

Heather joined me on the trip through Clarence and at the Country Market. Jeannie Barteaux identified the UBC and UK Geography connections. John Wightman discovered the back issue of Acadiensis.

References

Acadiensis 1908. Volume 8 Number 2. A Quarterly devoted to the interests of the Maritime Provinces of Canada.

The Mayflower. Verse 1 of 5 by John Mc Pherson.

Sweet child of many an April shower,

First gift of spring to Flora’s bower,

Acadia’s own peculiar flower,

I hail thee here !

Thou com’st, like Hope in sorrow’s hour

To whisper cheer.

Colin M. Coates and Graeme Wynn (Ed’s).2019. The Nature of Canada, UBC Press.

Doreen Massey. 2005. For Space. Sage Press.