Monday, December 9, 2013

brush pickers scum of the earth

5 December
Looking on line at Criags List I see this job posting -----
Work in the forest picking plants and Christmas greens.
No boss. Unlimited earning. Piece work.
Will train, transportation provided. If you are a small team even better.
If you have a car or if you have a tent or camper you can earn 3k+ per month.
Fun easy year round work. You will be working in Squamish or sunshine coast.
Start now and pick your own hours and days.
No resume needed.
Catch an early bus to Squamish. Work all day and get s free ride back to city.

might be interesting and it gets me outside so I emailed the person who posted the listing asking what was involved and was phoned back within ten minutes... and a followed up emailed. This young man wanted to take me out the next day and he would even provide me with his high cutters till I could buy my own....
Hi Marty,
Thanks for taking my call regarding brush picking in the wilderness.
If you are interested in doing x mas greens, cedar, balsam, hemlock, white pine and birch, give me a call or text.
$1.00 - $1.50 per bunch means $1000-1500 per 1000 bunches.  All piece work and no boss, you pick your days and hours.
Thanks xxx

So I went online to find out what they actually do,,,,, ,I copied this from part of another persons blog,,,,
 although it is illegal to do so, brush pickers often visit private property. People who pick brush for a living look for parts of wild plants used by floral companies to accent their flower arrangements. Whenever you buy a bouquet, keep in mind that those greens were picked by hand in Northwest forests. The pickers bring their bags full of greens to large warehouses where they are sorted and shipped out to florist shops. It is a growing industry. I have watched the construction of a half-dozen such warehouses in the past ten years.


Brush pickers bushwhack through forestland, 365 days a year, gleaning specific greens from it — salal, moss, beargrass, evergreen boughs, and
ferns. They have trimmed the lower branches off all the young western pine trees on this property. Each year around Christmas time, they trim a little higher on the tree. The boughs are made into Christmas wreaths. On some trees there are almost no branches left.
-------Sorry this is not the job for me – I am a tree hugger not a tree killer. So I past this information onto the environmental club here in Squamish.

"Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out." – Proverbs 10:9

6th December
Do trees cry? The Northern hemisphere is in a deep freeze.
Taking out the Dalhouise – man it is cold and windy.. I walk around the pond very quickly but not so fast not to stop and look for the ducks. The pond is mostly frozen over now and there are not any signs of any of the ducks – mergansers – herons or eagles.
Standing still I hear the cries – groans - eerie creeks of the trees as they express their sorrow, grief. OK maybe I am exaggerating slightly. But they have every right too – mankind has chopped – burnt – bulldozed – chainsawed them relentlessly since time began. Or is it cries of shame having lost their leaves and now standing naked and bare before the northern Arctic winds. Do they not know I can hear.


- As I left the my condo building Dalhouise and I encountered a free Pitt bull with no owner around that I could see. I had my hiking poles with me (for this reason) I hit the dog once and then kept sticking it in between it and my Dalhouise – finally it moved off a little and I left the area.. 

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Walk about the gulf course

A photo journal of today's outing. 

 Map 

 trails 

 dead salmon 

 Bald eagle 

American Dipper 

lets go home to have a cookie I told Dalhouise - and the result .... 
 

the reward  

that was good  

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Hiking in my "backyard"

Enjoyed my two hour walk / hike this day. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I would say it was a good day indeed 

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Elizabeth Arden Untold

http://www.youtube.com/v/ZQQ9Com6feM?version=3&autohide=1&showinfo=1&autohide=1&feature=share&autoplay=1&attribution_tag=KV_DZkps3tbFKDKhIhD0VA

Monday, November 11, 2013

Fresh Salmon

Friday, November 08, 2013

 

One can not stay inside if the sun is shinning.. Out the door I go again for a two hour walk and this time I brought the camera. 
 

The water has subsided some what and is running a little more clear, but still very fast. 
 

 

 

and the day is still young - I might still get out for an afternoon

Brohm Lake on a Sunny Sunday afternoon

 

It was not raining - I'll take these days and try to get outside. Dalhouise and Noni and I after church skipping our lunch even, went to Brohm Lake. 

 

We parked the car at the Alder Trail head parking lot and hiked over to where the map said you are here... it was not so far - just over a kilometer away. 
We met many people on the trail who had the same motivation - get outside before the rains come. 

 

 

 

 

Looking over the map I see the next place I want to go 

Monday, November 4, 2013

Frosty

Waking up to see frosted cover roofs from our third floor condo bedroom window with shivering people scraping icy windshields as they prepared to go about their daily business. 
I am glad I have no place in particular to go. 
Later in the morning after the sun has melted the icy sidewalks Noni and I with Dalhouise head out the door for a hour walk. I seen my first eagle of the season – juvenile bald eagle, and an American Dipper. I was more excited about seeing the salmon – the salmon have began their journey up the rivers to spawn. As we walked over a bridge we spotted a man fishing – then looking into the water - there they were hundreds of them all facing up stream. I knew I should had brought the camera.... as we continued along with our walk around the pond – I was able to spot one lone large salmon cruising the edge of the shore just before I spotted the eagle. 
For lunch we met my mother at Boston Pizza – it is so expensive – but as Noni said I still have my mother...... 
Pizza – expensive and so many calories --- well we walked to the restaurant and then around the plaza and home again and down town. We took the car to the pharmacy to pick up something for my mom then went walking around town again. Stopped in at the travel agent to see about a spring trip to Costa Rica – after leaving – it might be just to expensive for us and nothing really jumped out and grabbed us of interest. So I think that destination is crossed off. I still wouldn't mind considering Belize... Noni mentioned a trip back to Indonesia, but that is not really inspiring me at the moment. She also mentioned we should just stay in Canada - I want to go some place hot – beaches not cold – snow – cold – ice – cold. 

 

 



What would you choose - hot and beaches or cold and ice and snow and cold?

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Sunday afternoon Road Trip

 

I remembered to set the clocks back -did you? 
Woke up early coerce Dalhouise out in the icy chilled morning to walk around the block. Entered back into the warm condo – cooked breakfast of oatmeal – and then we were off to Sunday school and church. Afterwards it was home for lunch a salad and an omelet. 
The sun is shining – I don't want to stay home. OK lets go for an excursion and Geo caching. Driving here and there we eventually came to a dirt road which became more and more undriveable. We were driving through puddles that engulfed the whole route – no idea what lied under the surface – was there a huge hole – slowly we plunge in and plowed through. It is times like these that I wish I had a off road vehicle. If I were alone I probably would had kept going – but Noni was with me and she was telling me to stop, she was scared. There was a Geo cache only one mile away – I thought maybe I should just park the car and walk the remaining way – decided against this too – might come back alone some time in the future. 
So turning around we head to the paved highway and drive to Whistler. 
I don't know why – I can not put my finger on it – I don;t want to live here. I like to visit – I like to browse the shops – too expensive to buy much here. I like watching the people, happy faces , tired faces after hiking or biking or skiing the many trails and slopes. 
Success – Noni and I walked around the village and I was able to find five caches. This now means there is NO more in the village for me to find. I will need to walk the trails or head out into the surrounding areas to seek and find caches. Don't worry there are lots – but not in the safety of the village. Soon the snows will fall and you will not be able to find caches until spring most of them. That means I will be heading towards Vancouver where it is forever spring. 

 

 King Dalhouise 

 

 I found it

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Life in the down time

Home - sitting in my old fashion swing back chair with feet on the footstool – watching You tube clips on the computer about hiking, I even watch one on the Rideau Trail. I would like to to get out and hike but I don't for a couple of reasons – one Noni is a soft hiker and I want to go deep into the woods for hours maybe even do some camping. And the second is that I am always concerned about meeting a bear or cougar. 
Looking up now and then out the balcony glass door - I see that I have feather friends coming to my feeders. Juncos - Stellar Jays, Black cap Chickadees, American Flickers, Spotted Towhees. 
I am thinking all I need is to have an artificial fire going and I would be set. 
- I gave up living in the country with a real fireplace and trees and more birds than you can count on your fingers coming to my feeders - ponds in the back yard - That life is gone... so I must accept that fact, now that I am living in a condo that over looks a busy highway listening to the swoosh - swash of the cars... and OH I forgot to mention - just before I did the road trip to Oregon and California and our return I have been appointed back on council. We had three resignations of council members and I was asked to come back on Strata Council. Foolishly I said YES. 
I have mentioned things in my old posts about the drama going on in the strata - then I was not re elected at the AGM - but now I have been appointed back on and so the DRAMA continues 
I wonder what were the reasons why three people walked out of the last council meeting and resigned. I have heard rumours - into the hornets nest I go. Can't let life get boring while I am away from camp - can I? 
On my walk today in the light drizzle, I observed several Canadian Geese in flight and a bushy tailed Grey squirrel scurrying up a tree, but didn't see any eagles. Walking around the pond in some sections it smelled of rotten salmon from the last run in September. I was looking for ducks or other pond birds but none were to be found. 

 

Friday, November 1, 2013

Oregon Road trip Summary

I have so many more pictures and thoughts , but it is time to move on. 
But first.. I was thinking ...... 
I bet there are not many couples out there that can work together in a small confine spot ten hours per day for days on end with no breaks then spend almost all their free time together. 
Well that is exactly what Noni and I do. And then we go on a road trip sitting in a car for hours and hours. 

I am not claiming these are 100% accurate but they are very close - I might have misplaced a recite or two when we paid cash for something which wasn't often. But from my Credit card I paid............ (including the exchange rate) 

We drove 2395 km = 1488.2 miles from the Evening of 23 October to Afternoon 27 October 

GAS = 155.56 
Hotels = 332.33 
Food = 150.91 
Coffee = app 20 
Attractions = 57.74 
Cross the border shopping = 421.06 

So our total cost of a four day road trip 1137.60 Canadian dollars. 

We had a coupon book for our hotels - I also hold a choice privileged card - when we checked into the hotels they informed me that if I used the coupon I would save two dollars and not get points but if I used my card I would gain points to get that free room eventually - so I paid the extra two dollars and got the corporate rate from the card. 

I do have some regrets - I wished I had more money to spend - I do wish I could had stayed longer - I wished well just to spend more time exploring the beaches and forests and little towns on the way - but I am happy and satisfied with this Road Trip 
I hope to do it again some time in the future....... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Still in Oregon - in love

What is with it? 
Why am I so drawn to this vehicle? 

 

 

 

 

They do not make them like this any m