Last night Jeannette and I were walking along Purdy's Wharf in the the Halifax harbour, a location that happens to be adjacent to a naval base, when we heard a loud announcement stating that the HMCS Fredricton was on fire. Troops were requested to muster immediately.
Given that both of us were familiar with the concept of Halifax explosion and aware that the explosion was caused by a the combination of fire and military vessels our first reaction should have been to vacate the area. Clearly standing around and watching a naval ship catch fire is not a particularly good idea.
Of course, instead of immediately making our way back to a location that wasn't completely open and from which the HMCS Fredricton wasn't visible we decided to take a seat on one the benches on Purdy's Wharf and see if we could figure out what was going on. At first the only thing that happened was that we were treated to another instance of the original announcement, confirming that something was up.
Amazingly, though I guess we were a little ways away, it wasn't immediately obvious that emergency crews were springing into action or that any mustering was taking place. Fortunately there was also no smoke to indicate that the fire was particularly large or spreading.
After a few minutes of what appeared to be complete inaction (as far as we could tell we were the only ones even remotely concerned about the whole thing) another announcement was made which suggested that everything was under control and the the situation had been caused by something or other shorting.
Though in the end nothing much happened, this brief flash of excitement did provide me with an opportunity to learn three things:
1) This blog, and my desire to fill space on a regular basis, has encouraged me to look for content in the worst circumstances. For instance, instead of trying to leave the site of a possible naval disaster I took a seat facing the source of a possible explosion hoping to see any excitement so that I could relay the details to our large, loyal, and discerning readership.
2 The Canadian Forces provide high-quality, information rich announcements. Even though I was on Purdy's Wharf I knew exactly where the problem was almost immediately and shortly thereafter I knew how the situation had been resolved. I was able to leave the site comforted with the understanding that had neither missed anything or that I would possibly have to run from a giant explosion.
3) From the outside it is damn difficult to see that anyone is engaged in responding to an emergency announcement at this naval base. As far as I could tell there was just as much action on the base before the announcement as there was immediately after. It was strange to hear such a shocking announcement and then see absolutely nothing happen in response. It almost felt like base was already empty and that there was no one there to respond to such an announcement (though I am sure that this is not the case). Actually, where the hell was the fire boat that I know they have? Wouldn't you expect such a piece of equipment to be deployed in such a situation?
Showing posts with label Ships. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ships. Show all posts
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Thursday, August 27, 2009
A Few Quick Notes 349
-Today was quite pleasant, though a little breezy at time. The most significant feature of today's weather, at least as far as I am concerned, is how much it has cooled down this evening. At the moment Environment Canada is suggesting it is 12, but that it may go to as low as 8. I guess I may soon need to start thinking about moving my plants in to avoid frost.
-Early this evening, or maybe it was late this afternoon, I went for my daily walk along the waterfront. The number of cruise ships then in port immediately stood out. Actually, maybe it was just that there were multiple, large cruise ships.
I had the feeling that quite a bit of the harbour front traffic was related to the cruise ships. My sense was that people were heading back to their ship after a day on their feet in Halifax.
As I was heading back one the ships was in the process of leaving. The departure was actually quite impressive as the ship had to do a 180 and then immediately navigate around George's Island. Maybe the most impressive aspect of the entire manoeuvre was that it all took place in only a matter of minutes.
-As I was returning to our apartment I passed through a small park. I was immediately struck by the apparent similarities between photos of tobacco plants that I have seen and these plants. Anyway, now that I have had a chance to look at the plants a little more closely, and also examine a few more photos, I am pretty sure that HRM is growing tobacco, or a related plant, in at least one of its parks as a decorative plant.
-My own tobacco plants aren't as large as those that I spotted this evening, though they definitely are making some progress. I am hoping that in a few weeks they may even start to look a little like HRM's crop.
-The thesis party is still going strong. I think I will have to put in another few hours tonight before I can pack it in for the day.
-So far we have received no word from the Las Vegas contingent. I presume that this means that they managed to lose just about everything on their first afternoon and are now frantically trying to win their life savings back so they can save face. If this is the case I hope Neil isn't so frazzled that he strays from Blackjack and starts playing the slots or some other loser game.
-Most of the bean plants took quite a beating during our recent Hurricane. Fortunately, I don't think any of them were killed. Most of the other plants, because they were indoors, seem to have managed to pass through almost completely unfazed.
As things have gotten a bit cooler growth really seams to have slowed down. I think it would be nice if in the next few weeks would could get one last spurt of growth that would allow for the production of all kinds of consumables so that the entire effort can be justified.
-Early this evening, or maybe it was late this afternoon, I went for my daily walk along the waterfront. The number of cruise ships then in port immediately stood out. Actually, maybe it was just that there were multiple, large cruise ships.
I had the feeling that quite a bit of the harbour front traffic was related to the cruise ships. My sense was that people were heading back to their ship after a day on their feet in Halifax.
As I was heading back one the ships was in the process of leaving. The departure was actually quite impressive as the ship had to do a 180 and then immediately navigate around George's Island. Maybe the most impressive aspect of the entire manoeuvre was that it all took place in only a matter of minutes.
-As I was returning to our apartment I passed through a small park. I was immediately struck by the apparent similarities between photos of tobacco plants that I have seen and these plants. Anyway, now that I have had a chance to look at the plants a little more closely, and also examine a few more photos, I am pretty sure that HRM is growing tobacco, or a related plant, in at least one of its parks as a decorative plant.
-My own tobacco plants aren't as large as those that I spotted this evening, though they definitely are making some progress. I am hoping that in a few weeks they may even start to look a little like HRM's crop.
-The thesis party is still going strong. I think I will have to put in another few hours tonight before I can pack it in for the day.
-So far we have received no word from the Las Vegas contingent. I presume that this means that they managed to lose just about everything on their first afternoon and are now frantically trying to win their life savings back so they can save face. If this is the case I hope Neil isn't so frazzled that he strays from Blackjack and starts playing the slots or some other loser game.
-Most of the bean plants took quite a beating during our recent Hurricane. Fortunately, I don't think any of them were killed. Most of the other plants, because they were indoors, seem to have managed to pass through almost completely unfazed.
As things have gotten a bit cooler growth really seams to have slowed down. I think it would be nice if in the next few weeks would could get one last spurt of growth that would allow for the production of all kinds of consumables so that the entire effort can be justified.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
A Few Quick Notes 334
-Well, we seem to be back to the gray and rainy weather of June. I guess I am glad that we had a least a few days of sun, but it would have been nice if it had lasted at least a few more days.
-Neil and I have another Ultimate game tomorrow. I am really hoping that the rain doesn't make the field too wet and unpleasant. Though I haven't yet discussed it with her, I wouldn't be surprised if Kirsten came along with us to see us play (assuming our game isn't rained out).
-Though I haven't purchased them yet, I am thinking that we might have burgers for dinner tonight. I hope this is alright with everyone else.
-Last night Kirsten and I, along with a friend of mine, made our way down to the waterfront to check out some of the tall ships that are in town for the Tall Ships Nova Scotia Festival 2009. We timed our visit so that we could see some of the ships during and then hang around for the nightly fireworks show, which Kirsten was particularly interested in seeing.
The show started with a literal bang, though the figurative bang seemed to be missing. For about the first five minutes they kept sending up lone fireworks, all of the same variety, about every 45 seconds. This was less than enthralling, certainly when you have been hanging around just to see the fireworks show. Eventually things really picked up and the show turned out to be one of the best fireworks displays that I have seen. They did some neat things so that there were roman candle type things that went up to just below where the shells were exploding, which was a very nice effect. The other neat thing they did was have multiple shells explode in quick succession so that it seems smaller explosions were filling the ball created by a larger explosion. (It seems that tonight's show has been pushed to tomorrow because of the poor weather.)
After the show we met up with my friend's sister. As Kirsten wouldn't have been able to join us at a bar we all made our way back to our apartment where we had a few drinks, talked, and consumed a few pounds of turnip sticks. I like to think a good time was had by all, minimally, I exposed three people to the pleasure of raw turnip sticks.
-This morning Kirsten and I made our way to the Halifax Farmers' Market for a brief visit. Before heading to the waterfront to check out a few more of the tall ships we stopped for breakfast a local coffee and donut shop. We each had a beverage and I ordered a half-dozen donuts for us to split. It seems Kirsten was only willing to eat one of the donuts, which meant that there were five for me to eat. While I was able to cruise through the first four pretty quickly, I simply couldn't make it through the fifth. So while I am disgusted with myself for not being able to finish, I am pretty sure it wasn't worth powering through just so that I could say that I had completed the task. If you are interested, this is what was left of the final donut.
(Edit: Last night we spotted Newfoundland cabinet minister Tom Hedderson along the waterfront, and this morning we spotted our local MLA, and former political science prof, Leonard Preyra.)
-After 'breakfast' we made our way back to the waterfront, where quite a bit of fog had rolled in since the night before. I was quite impressed with the fog effect, it made things look a little more piratical, even the Coast Guard ships.
Unfortunately, the fog and moisture didn't really do much for the bouncy apparatuses. I really can't imagine that these could be any fun in such conditions.
-Last week we had the Paul McCartney concert, this week we have a KISS concert. While the Paul McCartney concert was fortunate enough to have near perfect weather, the Kiss crowd won't be so lucky. It is presently raining and there is a chance that there might be a thunderstorm this evening. I am also wondering who, and how many, will be attending this show. I just can't imagine that many people have much of their ticket budget left given the number of large shows that have already taken place (Paul McCartney, Bon Jovi, and the country thing in PEI), or are about to take place (AC/DC) in the region. Hopefully they make a go of it tonight. Whether it is a success or not, we are likely to all go for a walk by the concert site to see how things are going, and so that we can claim to have heard KISS in concert.
-Neil and I have another Ultimate game tomorrow. I am really hoping that the rain doesn't make the field too wet and unpleasant. Though I haven't yet discussed it with her, I wouldn't be surprised if Kirsten came along with us to see us play (assuming our game isn't rained out).
-Though I haven't purchased them yet, I am thinking that we might have burgers for dinner tonight. I hope this is alright with everyone else.
-Last night Kirsten and I, along with a friend of mine, made our way down to the waterfront to check out some of the tall ships that are in town for the Tall Ships Nova Scotia Festival 2009. We timed our visit so that we could see some of the ships during and then hang around for the nightly fireworks show, which Kirsten was particularly interested in seeing.
The show started with a literal bang, though the figurative bang seemed to be missing. For about the first five minutes they kept sending up lone fireworks, all of the same variety, about every 45 seconds. This was less than enthralling, certainly when you have been hanging around just to see the fireworks show. Eventually things really picked up and the show turned out to be one of the best fireworks displays that I have seen. They did some neat things so that there were roman candle type things that went up to just below where the shells were exploding, which was a very nice effect. The other neat thing they did was have multiple shells explode in quick succession so that it seems smaller explosions were filling the ball created by a larger explosion. (It seems that tonight's show has been pushed to tomorrow because of the poor weather.)
After the show we met up with my friend's sister. As Kirsten wouldn't have been able to join us at a bar we all made our way back to our apartment where we had a few drinks, talked, and consumed a few pounds of turnip sticks. I like to think a good time was had by all, minimally, I exposed three people to the pleasure of raw turnip sticks.
-This morning Kirsten and I made our way to the Halifax Farmers' Market for a brief visit. Before heading to the waterfront to check out a few more of the tall ships we stopped for breakfast a local coffee and donut shop. We each had a beverage and I ordered a half-dozen donuts for us to split. It seems Kirsten was only willing to eat one of the donuts, which meant that there were five for me to eat. While I was able to cruise through the first four pretty quickly, I simply couldn't make it through the fifth. So while I am disgusted with myself for not being able to finish, I am pretty sure it wasn't worth powering through just so that I could say that I had completed the task. If you are interested, this is what was left of the final donut.
(Edit: Last night we spotted Newfoundland cabinet minister Tom Hedderson along the waterfront, and this morning we spotted our local MLA, and former political science prof, Leonard Preyra.)
-After 'breakfast' we made our way back to the waterfront, where quite a bit of fog had rolled in since the night before. I was quite impressed with the fog effect, it made things look a little more piratical, even the Coast Guard ships.
Unfortunately, the fog and moisture didn't really do much for the bouncy apparatuses. I really can't imagine that these could be any fun in such conditions.
-Last week we had the Paul McCartney concert, this week we have a KISS concert. While the Paul McCartney concert was fortunate enough to have near perfect weather, the Kiss crowd won't be so lucky. It is presently raining and there is a chance that there might be a thunderstorm this evening. I am also wondering who, and how many, will be attending this show. I just can't imagine that many people have much of their ticket budget left given the number of large shows that have already taken place (Paul McCartney, Bon Jovi, and the country thing in PEI), or are about to take place (AC/DC) in the region. Hopefully they make a go of it tonight. Whether it is a success or not, we are likely to all go for a walk by the concert site to see how things are going, and so that we can claim to have heard KISS in concert.
Monday, July 30, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 109
-Though today was supposed to be rainy and overcast this was not the case. Just like the preceeding two days, Monday turned out to be a pretty clear and pleasant day. Arguably, the only problem with any of the past three days has been heat. On Sunday we even managed to make it all the way to 30 C (86 F). Fortunately, the humidity has been relatively low, making the temperatures much more tolerable than they would have otherwise been.
-A few days ago, while poking around the PEI government website I came across a body that I had never heard of before, the Anne Authority. This is the body that officially licenses Anne of Green Gables products. A list of companies so licensed can be found here. I guess when one character is such a substantial part of the economy it pays to kept track of the products that represent that image. Another question that may soon arise is what happens when Anne enters the public domain or if that is even possible?
-These past few weeks have been pretty disappointing when it comes to trivia results. Consistent with our current Rose and Thistle slump, we finished several points away from first. Pop culture keeps killing us. Though on the plus side, one of our wrong answers did cause me to learn that Casanova became a librarian in his retirement.
Unfortunately, my old trivia stand-by, Bitters, has also been less successful in these past few weeks. Again I would say that my scores are being impacted negatively because I don't watch TV, many movies, or listen to popular music.
-On a related topic, in a week from tomorrow Rose and Thistle Trivia will be adding a fancy/crazy tee-shirt component to the mix (for one week only). As I know that the host is a touch anti-American I was thinking that decking the team out in US army shirts might do the trick, but I am not sure. Another idea was that we buy a few white tee-shirts and then cover them with some of the host's favourite topics, particularly collective nouns and animal habitats, though maybe this would be a bit to much. Any ideas would be appreciated because I think just tossing on a few Hawaiian shirts won't be enough for the win.
-On Friday the Gorch Fock came into port. Since her arrival I have been informed by two independent sources that this German naval training vessel is a very famous ship in Germany. While many people were taking photos of the ship (as I was also) it seemed that many of the photos didn't really capture the entire ship. It seemed that to accomplish one would have to be a bit higher. Fortunately the ship was docked right across from the parking garage. Upon ascending to the top level I learned that not only was I the only one there, but also that I had a pretty good view of the ship and the harbour as a whole.
-For some reason I have not been posting very much. In many ways this is hard to explain because it is not as though I have been occupying my time with important time-consuming activities. It actually seems as though I have been accomplishing less in these past few days, particularly as I have been reading less than usual. More striking is that I actually managed to post today, particularly considering that I have spent several hours on work related matters already this evening. Maybe that is the trick on both fronts, work at home in the peace and quiet of an isolated room without the common distractions of an office environment.
-A few days ago, while poking around the PEI government website I came across a body that I had never heard of before, the Anne Authority. This is the body that officially licenses Anne of Green Gables products. A list of companies so licensed can be found here. I guess when one character is such a substantial part of the economy it pays to kept track of the products that represent that image. Another question that may soon arise is what happens when Anne enters the public domain or if that is even possible?
-These past few weeks have been pretty disappointing when it comes to trivia results. Consistent with our current Rose and Thistle slump, we finished several points away from first. Pop culture keeps killing us. Though on the plus side, one of our wrong answers did cause me to learn that Casanova became a librarian in his retirement.
Unfortunately, my old trivia stand-by, Bitters, has also been less successful in these past few weeks. Again I would say that my scores are being impacted negatively because I don't watch TV, many movies, or listen to popular music.
-On a related topic, in a week from tomorrow Rose and Thistle Trivia will be adding a fancy/crazy tee-shirt component to the mix (for one week only). As I know that the host is a touch anti-American I was thinking that decking the team out in US army shirts might do the trick, but I am not sure. Another idea was that we buy a few white tee-shirts and then cover them with some of the host's favourite topics, particularly collective nouns and animal habitats, though maybe this would be a bit to much. Any ideas would be appreciated because I think just tossing on a few Hawaiian shirts won't be enough for the win.
-On Friday the Gorch Fock came into port. Since her arrival I have been informed by two independent sources that this German naval training vessel is a very famous ship in Germany. While many people were taking photos of the ship (as I was also) it seemed that many of the photos didn't really capture the entire ship. It seemed that to accomplish one would have to be a bit higher. Fortunately the ship was docked right across from the parking garage. Upon ascending to the top level I learned that not only was I the only one there, but also that I had a pretty good view of the ship and the harbour as a whole.
-For some reason I have not been posting very much. In many ways this is hard to explain because it is not as though I have been occupying my time with important time-consuming activities. It actually seems as though I have been accomplishing less in these past few days, particularly as I have been reading less than usual. More striking is that I actually managed to post today, particularly considering that I have spent several hours on work related matters already this evening. Maybe that is the trick on both fronts, work at home in the peace and quiet of an isolated room without the common distractions of an office environment.
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