Before the Rain

By and large, we have settled into our unfurnished Nanaimo rental - with school starting next week. Thrift shops, Costco, etc. have been sources of various necessities that have enhanced the ambience of our condo to a more comfortable 'shabby penthouse' level. Our 4th floor unit offers views to both the east and south of the harbor and mainland mountains in the background of the strait. We can see Mt. Baker to the south on the occasional crystal clear day. The sunny weather should give way to the rainy season (lasting only 8 or so months) by October - although it can arrive early, we're told.

The various Canadians we've encountered from customs through the university bureaucracy have been universally friendly and helpful. Last weekend was a BBQ at the home of one of the computer science folk with whom I'll be working. The setting was quite dramatic, with the Nanaimo River below the cliff, swirling through a narrow slot. It reminded me of Wolfklamm in Austria.

This coming weekend's weather looks favorable for the several days of sailing with Tom and Karen. They should arrive Thursday evening and will be our first condo visitors, although they'll stay overnight on their boat. After their weekend with us, they'll spend another month sailing hither and yon, presumably staying in the strait.

I've been told that US visitors here are almost universally apologetic about George Bush. Certainly, he is now seen by many in the USA as the worst president in US history, having done domestic and global damage that will take decades, if ever, to unravel. The democratic party should not be gleeful at this turn of events. The public seems to be awakening and seeing corporate lobbying as the culprit, with members of both parties being equally culpable. In fact, the harm done by George Bush is due, in part, to the failure of the opposition party to moderate his actions. The traditional give and take between the more fiscally conservative republicans and more socially concerned democrats has completely gone by the wayside. The old rhetoric remains, but only as a way to motivate their core constituencies.

Richard
2006.08.29