Look what came calling today...(click to enlarge)

We've been watching this guy for a few days now. He moves around our little bay...some days he moves in and other days he's anti-social and stays further out.

Today, though, was different. He literally came crashing into our rocks!

It was amazing to watch it so close up. It was like a huge teeter totter....one side would go up in the air while the other side went down, almost totally submerged under the water. A few minutes later, they'd reverse positions....sooo cool!

Larry and Jake went out on the rocks for a closer view. Even though this iceberg is a lot smaller now than it was (and is really small compared to most icebergs)....it still must be huge. In the bottom pics, notice how small Larry and Jake look (if you can find them!)







O.K....can you find Larry and Jake in these pictures? Click to enlarge and look closely!

A truly 'Green' idea

Well...I checked three 'green' items at Dominion this morning.

All.made.in.China.

I couldn't actually check the black bags as they were all sold out. Guess they'll have to order some more from China. To me (as I've probably mentioned once or twice already ;0)), this screams "Cash Grab" , it comes on the backs of customers and uses the environment to do so.

There are other ways if they had they truly did have environment's best interest at heart. I'm sure they could come up with several, if they'd just try.

Not sure if anyone remembers the old grocery store ....Knob Hill Farms? I used to shop there with my parents and myself when I was first on my own (back in the 80s). They had an excellent idea...way ahead of their time. It dealt with the issue of plastic bags, saved the environment and in the end, did not cost the customer any extra.

Their system was quite straight forward. At the checkout, the cashier would put your groceries into basket type containers, some were cardboard, some were hard plastic. If you took the cardboard type, they cost $1.00, the plastic, $2.00. They were sturdy (especially the plastic ones...we still had one up until we moved in 2007), held a fair amount and were convenient for lugging groceries. Upon your next visit to the grocery store, you'd simply return the baskets for a full refund.

Simple.

Straight forward.

Kept plastic bags out of landfills.

No extra charge for the customer.

A win win situation all around....

and it truly did help the environment.

Yep....made in China

Further to yesterday's post, it seems like the reusable bags are made in China.

Why am I not surprised?

According to this CBC article anyway, 4th paragraph from the bottom, it states:

"Loblaw's reusable bags are about 100 per cent post-recycled plastic and are made in China mostly from recycled bottles"


CBC article

So....while we're to use (oh...and buy) the reusable bags, you know, for the good of the environment, we're just to ignore the fact these reusable bags, are made in China.

We won't discuss how these bags get here or the negative environmental impact that has. We'll just look the other way.

We also won't discuss how we're in an economic crisis, with Canadians loosing their jobs at an unprecedented rate and yet we buy these bags from where?

Perhaps though, as the above article is five months old, they've changed their ways and are selling bags made in Canada? (I'm sincerely asking because there is not a lot on-line mentioning where these bags are produced....but if they are made in Canada...why not promote that fact?) If they have changed to made in Canada bags, I'd be a little more willing to believe they are truly concerned about the environment and not just trying to cash in on it.

Earth Day

I'm all for protecting the environment....I really am.

I am opposed though, to corporations cashing in on it, making themselves look great and doing it all at the expense of the little guy.

For example....beginning today, one of our grocery chains will be charging .05 per plastic bag. Their claim...they are concerned about the environment and want to do their part to keep all those plastic bags out of landfills.

Fine....I'm with them so far. Except.....they're already charging me, indirectly for those grocery bags. Those prices are included as overhead and included in the price of groceries. Hmmm.....will I now get a discount when I don't use those bags? Will they decrease the price of groceries because their overhead will now go down? I'm not holding my breath. (and just a note here...we do not have chains such as No Frills or Food Basics who charge for their bags but in turn have lower priced groceries to reflect their lower overhead. Here grocery stores are all on the same level with prices being pretty much the same all across the board)

Next on their agenda, in order to help save the environment, they want us to purchase their reusable bags. Ok....these bags are .99 each. We would need about 10, I'm guessing, so that works out to $9.90. So now, on top of making money on me for the plastic bags I no longer get, I have to pay additional money to the corporation for their reusable bags. (For example we probably average 15 plastic bags per week. At .05 per bag that works out to $39.00 per year they're charging me for, included in their overhead costs, plus another $9.90 for reusable bags...and that's assuming these bags last me all year.)

Hmmmm....how long will these bags last? Forever? If not, I will need to buy more....again more money for the corporation. (We buy 8, 2 litre cartons of milk every week...how long will those bags stand lugging them?)

When these bags wear out or the handles break....what will I do with them? Throw them out in the garbage?

What about when the juice tin leaks all over the bag. Or the ground beef leaks all over the bag. What will I do then...wash the bag? Doesn't that require energy (hydro for the washing machine,) water and soap being flushed into the environment? etc. Perhaps I should just throw that bag out....and then what...into the landfill it goes and I can just go buy another one...wow more money for the corporation.

But....it gets better. The corporation has said it will make a donation, a large donation to a charity. Again...that looks good on the surface...what charity wouldn't benefit from such a large donation?

But wait a minute....doesn't the corporation get a tax write off for this donation? And....it's not even their money they are donating...it's money they've made charging for plastic bags they no longer give out (or charge for again) or money they've made from selling reusable bags.

Not bad....charge for an item then don't give it out...unless the customer still wants it then charge again. If the customer doesn't want it...then charge more money for another similar item. Then out of all that money, make a huge donation (which works out to be what percentage of money actually taken in?) and then get a tax write off for doing so. Not bad, if you can get away with it.

I really think, if the corporation was truly interested in the environment....they'd give out those reusable bags for free (remember....they've already charged for the plastic bags and without having to get them week after week it would work out the same, perhaps even less, for them). Either that or reduce grocery prices. Again...I'm not holding my breath.

Which brings me to another point....I wonder *where* those reusable bags are made? Canada? I certainly hope so....I'd hate to think a corporation who is so concerned with the environment is having them trucked in from somewhere else.

A beautiful day here on the Rock (click pics to enlarge)

It was about 15*C (59*F)here today, the sun was shining and there was a warm, gentle breeze blowing. I went to our lookout to take it all in...I never get sick of it back there. It will be better when we get our benches back out there...hopefully this week.

Here are some shots...panning from south to north. I quite often get asked how high up we are or how big the icebergs are. It's hard to know exactly....other than I know we are high and the icebergs are (usually) huge. My pictures never do it justice..the rocks always look small.....but these ones just might show things a bit differently. Can you see the people in these pics? You may have to click on the pics to enlarge them enough to actually see the people. I hope this puts it into a bit better perspective seeing how small the people are compared to the rock.






Continuing to pan to the north out over the ocean....(well....you didn't think I'd skip a picture of 'my' iceberg, didya?? ;))....actually...this guy is a playful fellow. He floats in toward shore, then he'll hide behind the fog for a day or two, then float outward for awhile and so on. It's always interesting to see where he ends up. Today, he is out quite far.




Here is the view to the north. Once again this will better illustrate how high up we are and how huge the rocks are...can you see the people in these shots? Click to enlarge and hopefully that will bring them up enough....one person is wearing a red shirt which may help a bit.






We were able to get a start on next year's heating supply. To our surprise, Jake insisted he was big enough to help...so help he did....



















The night was equally as beautiful. The moon shining across the ocean is amazing. My camera does not take very good pictures and does not do it justice...but I tried.


This one is taken from beside our house.




This one is taken from our lookout.

He won!

One of the local radio stations here has a birthday club each morning. Anyone can email or call a birthday wish into the station and djs will wish that person a happy birthday. After they've read all the birthdays, the names are placed in a hat and one name is drawn to win a prize.

On Jake's birthday, Brittney emailed his birthday in and at the end of the names, Jake's name was drawn! He won $20.00 in gift certificates from a local restaurant. He was ecstatic!!! I was glad to see he won, seeing as I wasn't able, health-wise, to have a regular birthday party for him.




Jake with his prize...

An award!

Linda, over at Remote Treechanger has awarded me an award! Thanks very much Linda! I am very honoured to receive this.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *



This award is given to a blog that shows great attitude or gratitude.

Here are the rules for accepting this award:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post;

2. Nominate at least 10 blogs that show great attitude or gratitude;

3. Link to your nominees within your post;

4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog;

5. Share the love and link to this post and person from whom you received the award.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I know I'm supposed to award this to 10 other people...but I truly have trouble choosing and narrowing it down to 10. All of the blogs I follow show wonderful attitude or gratitude.

Sunrise, Icebergs and the Atlantic

Click to enlarge and see icebergs on the horizon as the sun rises ....

ooppps...my mistake

I've been referring to the ice currently in our bay as "Sea Ice". I was talking to another CFA and she mentioned they'd been calling it "Pack Ice". Sooo...that got me thinking and wondering what the proper name was. I googled it, which wasn't much help as both names seemed to pop up interchangeably. Sooo...I went to my resident expert on all things Newfoundland (ie his family has been here for generations) to ask what the proper name was.

He said, "It's just ice....only mainlanders name it something other than ice." He was just kidding of course...but he enjoys pointing out our different (than his) mainlander ways. (Same as the ocean...I call it the "Ocean"...cuz it *is* the ocean....but he refers to it as "the water".) Anyway....when I kept pushing him for a name....he said if he had to say, he'd call it "Pack Ice".

So...sorry for the wrong term...it's my mistake and from now on I'll call it either "Ice" or "Pack Ice".

More Icebergs (Click to enlarge)

Actually...maybe the same ones from yesterday but the sky is clearer and perhaps they've moved in toward our shore a bit more as well.

The two icebergs as we see from our back yard..



Up close and personal with one...



and the other....






From a different vantage point on our property...