From: David Tinker <dtinker@blunile.guild.org>
  To  : Granville Times <dtinker@blunile.guild.org>
  Date: Sat, 4 Dec 1999 16:03:37 -0400 (AST)

The Granville Times - December 1999

Here is the December 1999 edition of "The Granville Times".  It is
sent in two formats: a plain text version (see below) and an HTML
version (as attachments).

The text version is the same as the HTML version, but lacks the clever
graphics ;-) and active hypertext links.  Let me know if you are having
trouble and I'll try to help.

If you wish to be removed from this mailing list, just reply with the
word "Remove" in the Subject line or message body.

Best wishes for a happy holiday,

David

Attachment

6_gtimes.html

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                    The Granville Times - December 1999
                                     
   [Christmas Wreath Image] We are no doubt more conscious of the
   passing of time as we grow older, but it is still amazing to realise
   that another Advent season has arrived, and another year in Nova
   Scotia is passing. For those of us who: (a) run UNIX systems, which
   do not have any Y2K problems, and (b) realise that both the 20th
   Century and the second millenium will end on December 31, 2000, and
   not in a few weeks time, the end of 1999 is not more remarkable than
   any other recent year end. Still, the Advent and Christmas seasons
   are a time when I take stock of life, and am more conscious of the
   milestones that have passed and the dwindling number of milestones
   still to come.
   
   [Nutcracker Image] There have been quite a few milestones this year,
   both large and small. For those in the immediate family, the biggest
   milestone has to be the wedding of Athanasia Tsavalas and Michael
   Tobias Tinker, on November 16, 1999. Regrettably, neither the Tinker
   nor Tsavalas family were able to attend this event, which had to take
   place earlier than previously planned, owing to the fact that Tobias
   and Athanasia will be going to Munich to work, and the arcane EEC
   rules about foreign workers required it. Not much less significant is
   the move to Munich! Tobias is joining the circus - actually, the
   Cirque du Soleil troupe in Munich. This is a wonderful opportunity,
   and we are bursting with pride and happiness. Even though the wedding
   had to be low key, everyone may be assured that there will be a major
   gathering, feast and celebration on the grounds of Granville Manor -
   perhaps in 2001, when the new millenium is really established and the
   neighbours have begun to forget the last wedding here. Those who
   missed that event will have a second chance to experience a Granville
   wedding, this time with a distinct Greek flavour added.
   
   [Nutcracker Image] A lesser milestone was our trip to Victoria BC and
   California to visit the west coast branch of the family. It was a
   wonderful trip, and the scenery was spectacular. There is no doubt
   that Easterners like us find the West Coast to be pretty exotic, even
   though years ago we lived in the Pacific Northwest. But central
   California is exotic by any standards. Tim and Julie live on the
   shore of Monterey Bay, and I would recommend that anyone with an
   interest in the environment, ecology, sea life,and especially birds,
   go there as soon as possible! Monterey Bay is richer in life forms
   than any other body of water in the world, and most of those living
   species are spectacularly accessible to visitors on the shore. While
   there, I added 14 new species to my bird life list, and the sheer
   numbers of many of those species were almost overwhelming.
   
   One afternoon we stood on the shore at Elkhorn Slough and witnessed a
   flock of around a million Sooty Shearwaters (an estimate later
   confirmed by an expert spotter who had been monitoring the Bay from
   the air that day) - a solid river of birds a half-mile wide and two
   or three hundred feet in height, stretching for over 15 miles!
   (Harris' "Sea Birds of the World" remarks on this spectacular annual
   gathering.) All this while perhaps 100,000 Heerman's, California and
   Western Gulls, tens of thousands of Forster's Terns, several thousand
   Brown Pelicans and numerous other shorebirds wheeled about, dazzling
   the eye and mind. A short list of wildlife seen on our trip follows:
     ________________________________________________________________
   
    Mammals
    
   Sea Otter, Harbour Seal, California Sea Lion, Richardson's Ground
   Squirrel.
   
    Birds (Lifers)
    
   Plain Titmouse, Wrentit, Scrub Jay, Forster's Tern, Brandt's
   Cormorant, Long-billed Curlew, Chestnut Back Chickadee, Acorn
   Woodpecker, Sooty Shearwater, California Gull, Western Gull,
   Heerman's Gull, Anna's Hummingbird, California Towhee.
   
    Birds (Non-Lifers)
    
   Double Crested Cormorant, Surf Scoter, Great Blue Heron, Brown
   Pelican, Caspian Tern, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Marbled Godwit,
   Solitary Sandpiper, Willet, Pacific Loon, Steller's Jay, Western
   Grebe, Turkey Vulture, Hairy Woodpecker, Whitebreasted Nuthatch,
   House Finch, Robin, Cowbird, Mourning Dove, Oregon Junco.
     ________________________________________________________________
   
   The real highlight of the visit was, naturally, the Sea Otters, which
   thanks to Julie and Tim's connections with the Monterey Bay Aquarium,
   we were able to observe quite closely - but even for the casual
   visitor, they are hard to miss, and full of interest and appeal.
   
   For a good overview of the birds, mammals and sea-life of Monterey
   Bay as well as the quite fantastic Monterey Bay Aquarium, be sure to
   check out the website <http://www.mbayaq.org> .
   
   [Nutcracker Image] Another of this year's milestones was the long
   awaited arrival of our brand new harpsichord, which was finally
   delivered last weekend. We purchased it as a kit two years ago, and
   it was completed by Anthony Murphy of Dartmouth NS. It is, in a word,
   magnificent - the culmination of a lifetime dream for Sheila. The
   purity and clarity of the notes, and the power of the instrument, are
   wonderful. I am not a keyboard player (just a lowly chorister), and
   have never had the chance to closely examine an instrument like this,
   so I marvel at the complex physics embodied in it, at Tony's
   meticulous craftmanship, at the beauty of its shape, at the glow of
   natural wood and gleaming choirs of strings. Somehow a piano
   (probably made in a factory, by robots :-) doesn't have the same
   intimate presence. It's interesting to note that we have fostered the
   birth of an instrument which will be giving pleasure and inspiration
   to people not yet born, a hundred years after we are all gone to
   grass. That's sort of humbling. In the meantime, it will be bringing
   joy not only to us, but to the wider community in Annapolis Royal, as
   we are able to share in the active musical life here.
   
   We will eventually get a photo of this instrument scanned and
   distributed by E-mail, but in the meantime you can see what our
   instrument looks like on the website
   <http://www.zhi.net/kits/german1.html> . Our instrument is painted
   green, but is otherwise the same as the one shown on this web page.
   
   You can learn lots more about this wonderful family of instruments,
   by exploring the rest of the website of the Zuckerman Harpsichord
   company, <http://www.zhi.net>, as well as other sites you may find at
   the "Claviers Baroques" website, <http://www.interlog.com/~hpschd>.
   
   [Nutcracker Image] Winter has finally arrived, and we have just
   survived the first Nor'Easter of the season. These truly vicious
   cyclonic storms breed off Cape Hatteras and travel up the Gulf
   Stream, gathering energy, and passing to the south of us, bring
   blizzard conditions and storm force (Force 10 or more) winds - not as
   severe as a tropical hurricane, but as severe as I hope to see,
   thanks! I live in constant anxiety for 36 hours while they blow by.
   Literally, the house shakes in the gusts and picture frames rattle on
   the walls - I had to nail a prop to the barn door to keep it from
   being blown off the building. There was surprisingly little damage on
   the property, except a large part of our big Chestnut tree broke off
   and fell onto the telephone wires. It was nerve-wracking watching a
   branch that probably weighs close to a ton swinging wildly in the
   wind, wondering whether it would break the cable first, or pull over
   the pole. But it didn't do either, and eventually the cable crew
   arrived and lifted it down to the ground with a crane. We are going
   to chainsaw it up into firewood this weekend. These storms bring mild
   temperatures, and precipitation soon changes from snow to rain where
   we are, so today all the snow is melted down in the valley. But up
   above us on the mountain, the snow lies in the forest, and I see
   cloud shadows sweep along through the tree trunks.
   
   [Nutcracker Image] [Santa Image] As usual, the Christmas season in
   Annapolis Royal brings a round of special events and activities, and
   usually I bore everyone with my accounts of these. This year,
   however, the town has a rather nifty website where you can read all
   about our old-fashioned Christmas and our very special village. It
   can be found at <http://www.annapolisroyal.com>.
   
   I hope this hypertext edition of The Granville Times will be
   interesting and useful to those who have Internet access, while at
   the same time being readable to those who prefer the more traditional
   means of reading the news. Let me know what you think.
   
   A very happy Christmas to all,
   
   David

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 David O. Tinker                    |   E-Mail address:
 4311 Granville Road, Box 2030A,    |         dtinker@tartannet.ns.ca
 RR 2, Granville Ferry, Nova Scotia |   Alternate E-Mail address:
 B0S 1K0                            |         dtinker@blunile.guild.org
                                    |   Voice: (902) 532-2916
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 ***  Plan now to visit the "Port Royal 400" Celebrations in 2005 ! ***
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   The problem ... is that we have run out of dinosaurs to form oil
   with. Scientists working for the Department of Energy have tried to
   form oil using other animals; they've piled thousands of tons of sand
   and Middle Eastern countries on top of cows, raccoons, haddock,
   laboratory rats, etc., but so far all they have managed to do is run
   up an enormous bulldozer-rental bill and anger a lot of Middle
   Eastern persons. None of the animals turned into oil, although most
   of the laboratory rats developed cancer. 
   
   -- Dave Barry, "Postpetroleum Guzzler"
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