Subverting Bureaucracy
It’s not clear to me why people’s attitudes towards bureaucracy generally aren’t more like the gun lobby’s: “Dang it! Why shouldn’t I be able to drive a car as fast as it will go? Or walk my pet alligator onto …
The Halifax Explosion
When I lived in downtown Portland for a bit I was struck by how many young people simply walked off the sidewalk and into the street without looking first. Just walked out blindly. Expecting cars to stop for them. I’d …
Photos: Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard
Edgartown is notorious for all the wrong reasons. Long before the Kennedys, Edgartown was and remains a quaint place for sea captains to hang their caps. Today its core is boutique hotels, t-shirt emporiums, and chichi restaurants – much like …
Waiting for the Electrician (or Someone Like Him)
Position: 41°42’26.3″N 70°45’29.6″W Aleta’s been a bit reluctant to start recently. I am certain it is related to an electrical problem that we have had since we bought her: the notorious ‘wacky tachy’. The tachometer, as you know, is connected …
Wonders in the Deep
Position: 43°21’49.3″N 68°01’52.6″W They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. – King James Bible, Psalm 107: 23-24 Twenty four …
Mahone Bay
Position: 44°31’49″N 64°14’04″W Dotted with islands and snug anchorages, Mahone Bay is Halifax’s sailing playground. A typical beginner’s tour starts with Chester and ends in Lunenburg with stops along the way. CHESTER Chester lies at the top of the bay …
Photos: Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
Position: 44° 22’N 64° 19’W For the past few days we’ve been enjoying sailing and seeing the sights of Mahone Bay. The pretty port of Lunenburg was deemed to be the best example of an British colonial settlement in Canada …
Shipwrecks and Shaggy Dogs
Position: 44°37’18″N 63°34’52″W I’m going to tell a joke. This may take a while. By way of context, let’s start with the fact that Halifax, Nova Scotia, has a long, rich, nautical history. Strategically placed at the far eastern end …
Isles of Shoals
Position: 42° 58′ 40″N 70° 36′ 48″W There’s not much we can add to Wikipedia’s entry on the Isles of Shoals, except that Aleta looks very fetching against the rugged rock of Gosport Harbor with its bright red house on …