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Posts Tagged ‘gabarus’

Cape Breton, Morse Code, and Service

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on November 21, 2013| 2 Comments »

Cousin Claire fell in love with Cape Breton, Canada, some years ago. As she does all things, she dug deep — into its history, geography, and people. (I wrote about her efforts to help protect the crumbling Gabarus seawall, here.)

Now Claire has published an oral history of one of Cape Breton’s best known residents, Mildred Gray.

From Amazon: “Mildred Gray is acknowledged as the last surviving government-employed Morse Code operator and one of the last surviving manual switchboard operators in the Canadian Maritime provinces.

“Between the 1940s through the 1970s, Mrs. Gray was a one-woman 911, information and referral service, spiritual advisor, and companion to people giving birth and people dying. This comprehensive oral history includes maps, historic photographs, a 50-page section of Highlights of Gabarus History, and an extensive bibliography.”

Claire says in her introduction, “Gabarus is a place both beautiful and real. The windswept rocky shore contrasts with the warmth of community.

“As Mrs. Gray points out, the old values still live here. Wherever you live in the world, you can learn about how to live a good life by following the story of Mrs. Gray and her community of Gabarus in guiding us all to be useful, compassionate and honorable. You will see
that Mrs. Gray and her family and neighbors, whether they are
Methodist or not, live by John Wesley’s directive to ‘Do all the
good you can. By all the means you can. … As long as ever you
can!’ ”

Find the book here.

Photo: http://www.risingtideexpeditions.ca/
Cape Breton

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Symphony for Ships’ Horns

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 5, 2012| Leave a Comment »

John is quite a rich source of blog ideas. Here’s a story he knew I’d like. It’s about a symphony for ship horns.

“The Harbour Symphony is original music written for the horns of the ships in the St. John’s harbour [Newfoundland, Canada]. This signature fanfare of the Sound Symposium transforms the ships in the harbour into an orchestra on water. Each Harbour Symphony begins with a radio countdown transmitted to the bridge of the ships by the Coast Guard where players stand at the helms of tugboats, trawlers, and ocean-going freighters.

“At the signal, a giant, floating horn section reverberates off the Southside Hills and through the streets of old St. John’s, echoing the soul of this 500 year old seaport.

“The acoustic characteristics of the bowl-shaped St. John’s Harbour encourage the sound to resonate and carry for up to 12 miles. The best place to listen is up on Signal Hill, on the Southside Hills, or in the Outer Battery. These locations give a sweeping view of the Harbour and the city. You can hear the delay of the horns as the sound travels over a mile across the water, and hear the sounds resonate against the surrounding hills.” Read more.

I wonder if Cousin Claire in Gabarus, Cape Breton, knows about this. Of course, I don’t know my geography very well. Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, is probably nowhere near Newfoundland. If you are better at geography, please give me an idea how far apart these places are.

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Cousin Claire’s Seawall

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on February 6, 2012| 2 Comments »

When my cousin Claire is not in Arizona, she is in Nova Scotia. Recently, she got involved in efforts to save the worn-out seawall that the little town of Gabarus depends on.  No one seems to know who has the responsibility to mend it.

“A group says their tiny community in eastern Nova Scotia and its livelihood are being placed at risk because a 70-year-old seawall that wards off the Atlantic Ocean is on the verge of collapse,” writes the Huffington Post.

“Local resident Tim Menk said finding the money to repair the structure that protects the 300-year-old village of Gabarus in Cape Breton has become a four-year battle that’s mired in the murky details of who owns the seawall.

“At stake for Gabarus is its fishing industry, road access to the village and several private homes, said Menk, an organizer with Friends of Gabarus.

” ‘We believe … it could be, as we say, one wave away from failure.’ ” Read more.

It’s the sort of thing that worries everyone who lives or works near the sea.  When I was a child, storms that ripped neighbors’ Fire Island houses out to sea made a big impression on me. You learn respect for waves.

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