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 He who knows only his own side of the case, knows little of that.
--- John Stuart Mill ---

Examining hives

Friday 1 August 2003
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We left Aaron's in the morning and drove to Rhode Island, arriving just after lunch. The weather is hot and rainy.

So far, I've heard no real response to the points made about the CHC's continued support of a total embargo on import of US bees.  I did, however read some correspondence in which a number of their number congratulate themselves for not indulging in 'argument' and pat themselves on the back for being so 'polite'.

po•lite —adj., -lit•er, -lit•est.
1. showing good manners toward others, as in behavior, speech, etc.; courteous; civil: a polite reply.
2. refined or cultured: polite society.
3. of a refined or elegant kind: polite learning.

That's an interesting word, 'polite'.  My wife pointed out to me, many years ago, that true good manners and politeness have much more to do with caring about others and being kind and considerate of their needs than being able to mimic a particular queen or king, or acting in the courtly manner of one particular culture, and I've tried to keep that in mind.

What is curious about the concept of 'politeness' is that ruling classes have always considered themselves 'polite', even when they are seen to be trampling the rights of those less powerful, or even killing them.  At the same time, the victims are somehow considered to be rude and unmannerly, should they protest or insist on equity and rights.

In my opinion, stonewalling and refusing to address the petitions of constituents is pure  arrogance, and arrogance is ill-mannered.  If our CHC 'representatives' were truly polite, they would listen carefully to the presentations of those who are being oppressed, consider how to meet the diverse needs of different regions of the country, and rush to ensure equity.

Instead, I hear them saying, "Let them eat cake". 

Saturday 2 August 2003
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The rain continued, with sunny breaks.  In the afternoon, We all went down to the sea, and Katrina played in the park.  Later, Jon, our son who is a Master Beekeeper (Simon Fraser) but who is currently working in database development here in Providence, Sarah his wife, and Katrina (18 months), plus the baby (Kalle, 6 weeks) went home, and Ellen and I decided to hike up the beach.  We did a mile and a half, then returned home.

Sunday 3 August 2003
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This afternoon, Jon, Ellen & I had a good hike along the bike path.  Oddly enough, as we crossed a causeway over a bay, far from shore, Ellen was stung on a toe (she was wearing sandals).  Apparently a honeybee was working on  Dutch clover along the path, and she happened to kick it in the business end, by mistake.  Odd; we never get stung by honeybees at home, even though our yard is full of bees, but here, far from any obvious hives, she was stung. No big deal.

Sarah's mom, Margot and brother, Billy came by for supper

Monday 4 August 2003
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This was our day to go to Cape Cod, so we packed a lunch and drove east on 195.  We arrived in Falmouth a while later, and drove down to Woods Hole.  The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is based there and we decided to take a look.  The centre has presentations on their work, and a simulated bathyscaphe made out to resemble their underwater explorer that found the lost hydrogen bomb several decades back, And more recently, the Titanic.

We continued on up the spit to Craigville Beach and watched the ocean for a while, then drove on out the spit towards the park.  We got to Nauset Beach around 5 and had a long walk up the beach, then got on Route 6 and got home about 8:20.  The area is quite interesting, but we spent a lot of time driving on roads through woods.  I think that next time, I'll plan a bit better and also stay overnight somewhere on the Cape.

As we came in the door, Jon was on the phone and he handed it to me. It was Jean.  She had just gotten home from Waterton Park, where Chris had conducted a marriage ceremony for a friend, also named Chris. They had borrowed our truck and camper for the weekend.  Everything had gone well, but, apparently the transmission had given out about 70 miles from home and they had arranged to have the truck and camper towed to Swalwell.  Fortunately they had purchased the AMA Plus plan and the tow was free.  As for the transmission, I told her not to worry.  I'd been planning to get rid of the truck, and this is a great excuse.

I'm moderating BEE-L again (still) but seldom post anymore.  I guess, now that I'm retired and traveling, my interest has declined. I've also been through most of these discussions before.

Here is a link to a list of my posts from April 15 to May 31 & a list of my posts since then,

Today .. Sunny with cloudy periods. Wind becoming north 20 km/h. High 25. UV index 6 or moderate. / Tonight .. Cloudy periods. 60 percent chance of evening showers. Risk of a thunderstorm. Low 11. / Normals for the period .. Low 10. High 24

Tuesday 5 August 2003
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Today we're planning to go to New York City.  Later in the week, we have to meet up with Aaron and Betsy at Brunswick, Maine.  They are attending EAS, but I have decided not to go, unless I decide to take in a day or two at the end.  I had intended to go to the whole event, and even tried to pre-register.  That attempt had ended in frustration, due to lack of a clear schedule of events and presenters for the short course.  I also find the cost quite prohibitive, especially with a $50 late fee tacked on.

Ellen, Jon, and I  left Providence at 8:50, and arrived on FDR Drive in Manhattan at noon.  We toured the city until four, then headed back to Providence.  We arrived home at 9 PM.  The return took two hours more than the outbound trip, due to rain and traffic congestion.  All in all, the day for me consisted of 12 hours of steady, full-on driving, with an one-hour stop at Battery Park, a twenty-minute stop on 48th, and a couple of short stops coming and going, for fuel and burgers. 

I particularly enjoyed driving in the city.  The cabs are amazing.  Cabs, all the same shade of yellow, dodge in and out in instant give and take, constantly responding to changes in flow and sharing the road in an most co-operative fashion.  The pedestrians are something else, though.  They walk anywhere, any time.  People don't just stand on the corner waiting  for a walk signal; they wander casually off the curb, signal or no signal, and remind me of baseball players stealing a base.  Random jaywalkers are a constant source of anxiety for drivers trying to turn, or even drive through a green light, and bicycles can appear from anywhere, going in any direction, in any lane, at any instant.  I wondered if I could last driving cab in Manhattan.  As much as I enjoyed NYC traffic, I decided that I'd burn out in about six hours.

The most impressive thing about Manhattan for me is the sheer size, height, and density, as well as the condition of the roads. Some routes have large holes that appear to have been there for some time, untouched, and lane markings seem random; lanes often do not continue through intersections, and some wide streets are without lanes.  Double-parking or even triple-parking is widely practiced, and apparently tolerated or even expected.  All that does not seem to matter, since the rules seem to permit almost anything in traffic, except actual touching, and I only saw one driver who seemed less than polite and courteous.

Today .. Sunny. Wind becoming southeast 20 km/h near noon. High 26. UV index 6 or moderate. / Tonight .. A few clouds. Wind southeast 20. Low 14. / Normals for the period .. Low 9. High 24.

Wednesday 6 August 2003
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Jon took another day off work, and we wandered around a local marina.  He is thinking of buying a small boat, and I have been considering buying a ten-metre sloop, so we were interested to see what is on the market.

Later, we all went out for supper. and stopped along the way to buy a baby carrier.  Along the way, we found ourselves in Toys R Us and were surprised to find they sell bicycles for adults.  The prices are amazingly cheap, too; a 21 speed bike with front and back shocks and decent-quality parts sells for around $100!  I'm considering getting a bike and carrier for the Prince Edward Island part of our trip.

We ate in a steak house and bar.  Can't recall the name.  Personally, I don't much care for eating in fancy restaurants.  I find the food and service variable, expensive and slow compared to what I can get at home, but the others seem to like eating out.  All I was thinking, though, was that the money we spent would have bought one of those nice bikes.  El and I are not retiring in our fifties because we are big spenders.  We are retired because we have watched our pennies, and plan to continue to do so.

Today .. Sunny with cloudy periods. 30 percent chance of thunderstorms this afternoon. Wind becoming south 30 km/h this afternoon. High 26. UV index 6 or moderate.
Tonight .. Cloudy periods. Low 11.
Thursday .. Sunny. High 27.
Friday .. Sunny. Low 11. High 24.
Saturday .. Sunny. Low 11. High 27.
Sunday .. Sunny. Low 13. High 26.
Normals for the period .. Low 9. High 24.

Thursday 7 August 2003
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Today, we drove up to Brunswick. Maine and arrived at EAS around noon.  There was no one on hand for registration, so I wandered around EAS for the rest of the day.  The first people we ran into were Medhat, then Aaron and Betsy, and then Gordon Wardell; so we met all the people we had come to see right off  the bat.  In the evening, we went to the local bar, Joshua's with a crowd of beekeepers and presenters.  More later...

Friday 8 August 2003
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I registered for the day and attended meetings, then the banquet. More later. 

Saturday 9 August 2003
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Ellen's birthday.  We drove up to PEI, and arrived around nine.  We'd stopped along the way to look at bikes, but I did not buy one.  Aaron and Betsy were already there

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