Rising Sunsets
One hundred years ago it took you a day to go from downtown
St. John’s to Torbay. This is a twenty
minute drive today, but a hundred years ago, you needed to plan for a place to
spend the night if you were to do such a trip.
Where much of the trip today is done on four lane roads,
then, it was dirt roads through the woods.
Cart paths for horses. Perhaps a
small wagon to be towed for the family in summer, or a sled with runners in the
winter.
Summer cottages for St. John’s residents dotted Long Pond. Today, you can walk from the harbor front to
Long Pond in little more than half an hour.
Then, it was an out of town get away for summer picnics or for the rich
to get away from it all.
Back then, a trip from St. John’s to Ottawa would take
days. Perhaps weeks. You’d have to hitch a ride on a steamer
leaving St. John’s harbor. Cruise along
the southern coast of the island.
Perhaps stop along the way to pick up supplies and passengers or, if on
a strictly working vessel, perhaps you don’t hit shore again for a few days… in
Nova Scotia.
From there, maybe you’d get a train ticket and chuck for a
few days through more wilderness than civilization. Or maybe you’d continue steaming up the St.
Lawrence, likely going no further than Montreal before having to get on that
train.
A trip from St. John’s to Ottawa likely meant years
away. Letters could be written… finding
their way back over a few weeks time… perhaps a month if weather is bad. But that was it. You were cut off from those behind… in a new
world.
This past week I left St. John’s for Ottawa.
I left in the dead of winter, in the middle of a snow storm
and, within two minutes, I was into great sunshine, looking down through clear
skies at outport communities that had either found a way to avoid the weather,
or had already endured it.
In under two hours, I was in Halifax. Where snow was nowhere to be found and the
western sky glowed orange from the setting sun.
And within a half hour of our arrival, we departed Halifax
once again, causing the sunset to rise once again.
We chased it down. Saw
it again on the far horizon before it gave a final exertion to be able to lose
us for good and bring on the purple of the night.
But still we had cut up… even if briefly. A hundred years ago we were taking a day to
make our way twenty kilometres. Today
we’re causing sunsets to rise again… all while comfortably seated in leather
recliners.
Less than two hours after our dance with the sun, we arrive
in Ottawa. We flew over Montreal in the
process. Bypassing it completely and simply looking down upon it’s
lights… some of which are blurred by a light cloud cover between us and them.
And four and a half hours after we left St. John’s, we’re
there… in Ottawa. There were even other
flights that could have been booked.
Ones that would have made the journey even quicker. Bypassing Halifax just as we had
Montreal. Leaving St. John’s and arriving
in Ottawa in little more than a movie’s time.
A movie we could have watched within the seatback in front of us.
And after arriving, I e-mailed my parents back home. I texted my sister in BC. And they both responded to me within five
minutes of my contact.
It’s amazing how far the world has come. One hundred years isn’t so much. There are people alive today who were alive
when Torbay was a day’s travel from St. John’s and Long Pond held cottages for
the rich.
What changes will there be one hundred years from now? Will there be lunar cottages? Homes on the
sea floor? Or will a trip to Australia be complete two hours after it
began?
Will we ever catch up to that setting sun?
TUESDAY…
--- Off to Signal Hill in the early afternoon with dad. Take some pictures of the city from there and
drop by the Geocentre for a look around afterwards.
--- Some home time and then a trip to Bacalao for
supper. Great food there. I have some caribou and cod chowder.
--- A little evening TV with the folks. Arctic Air looks like it has some promise.
WEDNESDAY…
--- Fly day. Weather
isn’t good but the flight gets out no problem.
From Halifax, I see the sunset rise again… pretty neat.
--- unpack once home and watch some TV before bed.
THURSDAY…
--- First day shift with the new team. Pretty good.
Driveway shoveling after work is hard… rough with a gravel driveway.
Quite a workout.
FRIDAY…
--- Up early for home inspection… goes fine. I nap for an hour or so after that and then
go to physio. After physio, it’s nap
#2. Driveway shoveling follows. Run in to neighbour Chris there and we chat
as we shovel. Seems like a good guy.
--- Thai food at work for supper. Good night with the new team.
SATURDAY…
--- Up just before 11:00.
A little TV on a nice sunny white winter’s day.
--- Work is pretty busy.
At it fairly hard until 1:30.
Systems down and the like.
SUNDAY…
--- Up earlier than I should be. Take down the Christmas tree and put all the
stuff away. Some sweeping up and laundry
as well.
MONDAY…
--- Groceries, a trip to the mall, a walk in the woods/along
the lake. A good off day.
TUESDAY…
--- Freezing rain and flurries makes me happy to be
indoors. Some puttering around the
house.
--- Get the call this evening. Sofa and love seat are in. I’ll pop by tomorrow to pay the rest of the
bill and arrange delivery. Good stuff.
--- And I’m getting impressed with Canadian TV. Republic of Doyle is always good… Michael:
Tuesdays and Thursdays was fun this fall… I was surprised with how much I liked
Mr. D yesterday… and Arctic Air seems to be a winner too. 2nd episode even better than the
first.
