Back to: Poor Clio; or, back to: Past history
        8.16.2000/21:30
tail Today, in the Atlantic, we went on a boat tour to see puffins and whales.
    8.15.2000/22:55    
On First Looking Into Lobster Cove
I thought that I would see sea anemones,
But I did not see sea anemones;
I did not see any of these.
And though I would have been so pleased
To see sea anemones,
I did not see any of these.
  8.15.2000/17:30      
Dildo Many Newfoundland fishing villages are quite stark and, quite frankly, not all that attractive. However, we found the little town of Dildo to be quite charming.
        8.15.2000/10:40
How and when Poor Clio is made, on the road.
  8.15.2000/10:30      
Here we are, taking a tour of the (fabulous) fjord-like Western Brook Pond.
      8.15.2000/10:25  
A hike behind the new parks center in Gros Morne National Park in western Newfoundland led us to some marvelous views. This is one of the few areas in the world where some of the earth's mantle rock is exposed. A geologist's dream, this place is often called, though I didn't see many sleeping geologists to account for it all. I really liked this upland bog, crossed by some boardwalks maintained by Parks Canada.
  8.15.2000/10:15      
wake A couple of notes: postings are erratic just now, and the very most astute might attribute it to the fact that I am on vacation. So much so that I'm only around a working phone line every few days. We've been staying in remote cabins on the Newfoundland coast. We got from Nova Scotia to Newfooundland on the Max Mols, a catamaran ferry that that sustains 70 kmh-plus on the journey, throwing up a tremendous plume of wake as it slices through the water. Also note that since this page has more photos than usual, it will load relatively slowly. Such are the sufferings of the Poor Clio reader.
      8.10.2000/18:10  
hole We went this afternoon to the reconstructed fortress of Louisbourg, a French Canadian outpost that withstood the British for a few decades after the 1755 grand dérangement before being reduced to rubble. The entire site was restored a few years back, and the advantage of doing this where there had been total destruction was that there was nothing else around, and the reconstructed village and fort stand remotely alone (you park a ways away and are bussed in, and even the bus area isn't too close). The photo I've included is worth clicking on to see in a larger view; it shows a view of the harbor from a little protected aiming tower. College kids play soldier and citizen, and there are enough of them who are francophone or passably bilingual to give it the French sound it should have (military drills are barked in French). Except for the zattz of a credit card slip printer in the not-quite-concealed back room of an eatery, the aural quality of the place seemed remarkably old fashioned...it must sound even more like the old days than it looks (the sneakers and Goretex on most of us visitors spoils the visual when you can't angle your vision to only the costumed staff). The sea gulls, I'm almost certain, sound just like they did 250 years ago.
  8.10.2000/17:55      
bore Because it was at the right spot to stop for the night as we turned north, we stayed last night at a motel in Truro, Nova Scotia that is at the far end of one reach of the Bay of Fundy's remarkable tides. We checked in a few minutes before the tidal bore (the rush of water this far inland when the tide sweeps up the river current) and were urged to take our place along the bank of the Salmon River. There were even lights set up; the tidal bore was due in at 9:22 local time. From about 9:05, a couple of hundred of us gathered on the shore and watched the placid stream. Right on schedule, the water started flowing in at 9:22 and we stayed until we saw the tops of several large rocks disappear under water. Two things about it interested us; first, that such a low-spectacle natural event can draw such an intent (and largely satisfied) crowd; and, second, that it really was engaging, simply because it was happening faster than you might expect. It helps, I think, to be by inclination rather easily amused.
    8.10.2000/15:50    
Fur Perhaps there should be little doubt that the fact that I find this rather unlovely is a shortcoming of mine, rather than any failing of the designer. The fur-trimmed one, on the right, is the item in question. Or maybe you knew that. Just by looking.
8.8.2000/07:20        
Hey, why don't you read this and tell me what you think.
        8.8.2000/07:15
Looks like Delta Airlines is aiming to beef up its D/FW presence, focusing some on its regional feeders. Wonder if this will work out to some competition-fueled fare breaks for us bumpkins in south Louisiana?
      8.7.2000/20:30  
What a discovery! A wealth of information about a little-known but fascinating group, the Louisiana Rebbones.
  8.6.2000/17:40      
We went to see Space Cowboys, which is about a dire situation arising, and despite a supposed richness of young talent, the only real solution is for four senior-aged but rugged men to be sent into to rescue the film industry. Oops! Make that NASA. The conceit that drives the action is best not examined too closely, but who's to quibble? The movie is great fun, and my guess is that, when word of mouth sets in, it will wind up as the biggest movie of the summer...not for its special effects, which are, by the way, pretty good, but for the fact that it got some likeable actors together, sculpted some (only) halfway believable but likeable characters for them to play, and let them run. I did leave with one question, though...could there possibly ever come a time when Kevin Costner is viewed in this light?
        8.5.2000/07:40
The hurricane forecast has been reduced a bit. I'm relieved.
    8.5.2000/07:30    
Bug pix.
        8.4.2000/08:15
This is kind of spooky.
      8.4.2000/07:55  
For fans of mustelids.
8.4.2000/07:50        
This list of hot search terms from Alta Vista not only slices and dices the search topics in several ways, it also gives a nice topical textual report.
  8.4.2000/07:40      
We live in a Truman-era house, with an Eisenhower-era addition and a Clinton-era kitchen. We have one Gulf War-era cat and one Amazon.com-era cat. I am sharing all this information by typing on my Gates-era computer.
        8.4.2000/07:35
This new service called "Print to Kinko's" offers an option that is, in essence, a day quicker than overnight for sending a document. As long as you trust the proofreading you did on your screen. Looks like it can only be a winner.
8.3.2000/17:40        
Naptster knock off, or spontaneous cyber-crime? CNN has a story on elderhackers who hotly swap pirated needlepoint patterns.
      8.3.2000/07:30  
Perfect gift for that distaff slot machine player on your Christmas list.
  8.3.2000/07:25      
All about pikas.
    8.3.2000/07:20    
Interesting site about the effect of wildfires on the Colorado Plateau is certainly timely.
8.3.2000/07:15        
The Radio Hall of Fame.