Sometimes you must escape from an "island of prisons". And I must thank all of my friends who have helped me out whether they know it or not. You just might have saved my life...
I realize now that I must take my own advice. It is indeed a fine balance. But sometimes "something BIG needs to happen. Because 'fundamental changes' means everything shifts." But this means be smart. It doesn't mean it's over... You kill off that prickling negativity -- the seeping black oil that corrupts the mind and soul, but stand up strong like the carefree blossoming flower. Yeh -- don't ever let them tell you it's over.
Saskatchewan is just being overrun by oil interests and they don't really even know it yet. And the good hardworking farm town of Saskatoon isn't quite ready to be a star on the map. At its corer it is still a hard-working farming community. The whole northern portion of the city caters to it. Remember, 80 per cent of the men don't own a proper pair of dress pants, as one club owner wanted me to keep in mind. The locals just hate the foreign yuppies that are buying up all the million-dollar housing, putting average homes out of reach of average people. And it's very hard to get an event up and running if you don't have your country music in place.
And yet potash mines are planned. A lady with connections tipped me off to another one yet that's going to go forward. Cameco has big billboards set up, to convince the labour market that their uranium mines are the answer. Don't forget, they've assembled worldwide talent to tap what's there beneath the ground. And OIL... well, it's only the beginning. There's more oil to be had in Saskatchewan than in Alberta -- and they haven't even discovered most of it yet. As one of my rides said, as we headed south -- looking out over the rise and fall of the valley: "Wow, last time I was here there weren't any oil wells." And now across the misty green hillside stood stark black donkeys, consistently pumping like the diligent machines they are. Working as efficiently as possible -- because this is their nature, so the guy at the top can increase his stability. There were probably about 30 now. And the tar sands are still on the way...
Oh ya, this is a very dry place. A place creative minds can get sucked up in all too easily.
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Currently the future of this blog is in jeopardy... I'm not sure where I will go from here (and yes I mean that literally) -- though I have some really cool ideas...
But what I do now know is this: despite the incredible sadness my experiences have left me with... THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING!
I only had one way out. A business card with a map on it in my wallet: I swim naked in the stream, run up and down the hills, and burn away all the creeping insidiousness. Caught in the arms of the strongest defenses. Family farmer. The guy knows how to fix things.
It is here I see the most amazing sight: a small little cactus with a bright yellow flower poking its head out of the needles in the evening's dying rays. It is small and insignificant. Really it is nothing. But then again, it is the most stunning singular image that I see for acres and acres in all directions. Given the climate and terrain I think, I've never seen anything quite like this.
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6 comments:
Hey Drew-
really appreciated that bit about the cactus as it is so cool to find a gem in the middle of the mundane.
Did you ever see "cactus island" out in Regina Bay? Who'd a thunk that cactus could survive this far north, on Lake of the Woods.
As for waves, have you ever posted a link to the Great Big Sea song "Wave over Wave"? I bet you'd like the connection with the sailors love for the sea, and the waves.
I've got it on the "Up" album - and thought of you when I listened to the song "Something To It".
May yours be a phenomenal journey!
Dad
"Wave Over Wave"
Oh me name's Able Rodgers, a share man am I
On a three masted schooner from Twillingate Isle
I've been the world over north, south, east, and west
But the middle of nowhere wheres' I likes it best
[Chorus:]
Where its wave over wave, sea over bow
I'm as happy a man as the sea will allow
Theres no other life for a sailor like me
And to sail the salt sea boys, sail the sea
There's no other life but to sail the salt sea
Well I leave my wife lonely ten months of the year
For she built me a home and raised my children there
She never come out to bid farewell to me
Or ken why a sailor must sail the salt sea
[Chorus]
The work it is hard and the hours are long
But my spirit is willing, my back it is strong
And when the works over the whisky will pour
We'll dance with the girls upon some foreign shore
I've sailed the world over for decades or more
And oft times I wonder what I do it for
I dont know the answer its pleasure and pain
But with life to live over I'd do it again
[Chorus]
I don't know where but I have actually overheard this tune somewhere on my travels quite randomly...
I never knew Northern Ontario got cactus plants.
The song "Rise Again" by the Rankin Family made me think of you and waves.
When the waves roll on over the waters
And the ocean cries
We look to our sons and daughters
To explain our lives
As if a child could tell us why
That as sure as the sunrise
As sure as the sea
As sure as the wind in the trees
We rise again in the faces
of our children
We rise again in the voices of our song
We rise again in the waves out on the ocean
And then we rise again
When the light goes dark with the forces of creation
Across a stormy sky
We look to reincarnation to explain our lives
As if a child could tell us why
That as sure as the sunrise
As sure as the sea
As sure as the wind in the trees
We rise again in the faces
of our children
We rise again in the voices of our song
We rise again in the waves out on the ocean
And then we rise again
We rise again in the faces
of our children
We rise again in the voices of our song
We rise again in the waves out on the ocean
And then we rise again
Keep me updated on your life even if you don't continue the blog k?
randomly stumbled on your blog when googling "hitch hiking canadians".
i'm about to take on a similar adventure, across canada from oakville to victoria, b.c., then back again, through the states.
your writing has gotten me even more stoked.
just thought you should know.
random goodness is amazing -- especially for hitchhikers
thank you for popping by
please let me know if you have a blog about your own adventures i can check out as well: and if you go to Vancouver Island, make sure to stop by Tofino and check out the chill vibes and waves...
cheers
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