Monday, November 28, 2005
Ed
Port Hardy is the Twilight Zone, the same caravans passed us 6 times each, with the same nursing home attendants waving and pointing excuses for not picking us up.
Big bearly man saved us on only his second pass, after getting gas. Covered pickup man, slicked grey-white hair, big deer belly under plaid shirt - cannon voice - a logger. "Oh I don't cut trees, I build logging roards. But I'm semi-retired now - only work 6 months a year. Not as much work these days anyway. So I have more time to visit my daughter. She just dropped out of school. She's a receptionist now. I guess she's happy. I'm on my way to see her - first time in 6 months. Thanks to the US boycott on softwood. I'm a yank myself - from Louisiana, not far from Baton Rouge. Wife makes the best jumbalaya you ever tasted! Yessir.
"But I love Canada. Came to this island 30 years ago and never wanted to leave. I rarely go back to Louisiana now - been 5 years.
"I like the land here. I like the animals, especially the bears. See them all the time. We had one at work got into the whipped cream. We warned the chef not to leave anything out, but he didn't listen. Sure was funny to see that bear into the whipped cream - ate a whole barrel! Oh yeah - seen one carry my neighbour's garbage can 100 yards one time, into the woods. I wished I had a camera - funniest thing. He carried that thing, walkin' on hind legs, hundred yards. Ha! It was so funny.
"Only thing about Vancouver Island is all the Indians." I zoned out on that broken white man record. Nice friendly white bigots coast to coast.
Big bearly man saved us on only his second pass, after getting gas. Covered pickup man, slicked grey-white hair, big deer belly under plaid shirt - cannon voice - a logger. "Oh I don't cut trees, I build logging roards. But I'm semi-retired now - only work 6 months a year. Not as much work these days anyway. So I have more time to visit my daughter. She just dropped out of school. She's a receptionist now. I guess she's happy. I'm on my way to see her - first time in 6 months. Thanks to the US boycott on softwood. I'm a yank myself - from Louisiana, not far from Baton Rouge. Wife makes the best jumbalaya you ever tasted! Yessir.
"But I love Canada. Came to this island 30 years ago and never wanted to leave. I rarely go back to Louisiana now - been 5 years.
"I like the land here. I like the animals, especially the bears. See them all the time. We had one at work got into the whipped cream. We warned the chef not to leave anything out, but he didn't listen. Sure was funny to see that bear into the whipped cream - ate a whole barrel! Oh yeah - seen one carry my neighbour's garbage can 100 yards one time, into the woods. I wished I had a camera - funniest thing. He carried that thing, walkin' on hind legs, hundred yards. Ha! It was so funny.
"Only thing about Vancouver Island is all the Indians." I zoned out on that broken white man record. Nice friendly white bigots coast to coast.
Labels: 2001, Canada, non-fiction, Travel
