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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2006-10-11, Page 5The Huron Expositor • October 1 1, 2006 Page 5 Opinion A walk in the quiet beauty of the woods should be a refuge from technology - Basking in the quiet beauty of nature while walking through the woods is one of my favourite things to do. Whenever my worldgets too hec- tic, my head filled too full of the endless information generated in the news about the world's strife and misery, I seek out the trees, the river and the dirt path. Bannockburn Conservation Area quickly became my sanctuary after I moved back to Huron County eight years ago. Its man-made wooden boardwalks and bridges allow you access through marshy ground and over a sometimes swollen and fast -flowing stream until .you reach the dirt trails through the woods, where both hardwoods and pines provide an embracing, peaceful shelter. Hiking along trails where tree roots seem to reach out and provide natural . toeholds along the slopes and a layer of pine needles provides a soft carpet underfoot, I've always felt wel- comed by both the natural world and the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority staff whose plantings and trail build- ing has eased the path. My family has enjoyed, the exer- cise, the tranquility and the oppor- tunity to pass along the little bit of woodlore we possess to our kids. So it was with mixed feelings that I learned the ABCA is offering a somewhat high-tech tour of the area. Anything that educates and expands people's appreciation of the woods, the rivers and the wetlands is of course, a good thing. Living in a county with dwindling forest cover and wildlife habitat - I must, afterall, drive 15 minutes from Seaforth for a walk in the woods - makes Bannockburn a treasure. But, it seems to me that the new signs every 100 yards along the trail pointing out the notewor- thy natural features detract from the area's wildness and give the beautiful settings, such as the erod- ed gulleys with their gently -trick- ling water and the hardwood cathe- dral forest, the feel of various muse- um exhibits behind a velvet rope. Somehow as humans we feel the need to label everything before we can appreciate it. It also seems ironic to me that the new electronic tour that can be downloaded onto one's ipod or MP3 player is seen as an attraction to the woods. I'm sure it's highly edu- cational and jam-packed full of use- ful facts about the environment. But, since technology is one of the things I'm fleeing when I seek out the woods, the idea of plugging in earphones to a gadget that, yaks on about the flora and fauna around me is not particularly appealing. The only thing worse would be blathering into a cellphone as I walked the path - why not stay home and walk a treadmill, in front of the TV instead? It is the birdsong, the rustling leaves, the burbling brook, the tex- ture of bark behind my back and the softness of the ground as I sit absorbing the enduring strengthof the earth that is so soothing to the soul. It's unfortunate we seem to be los- ing our ability to listen to the silence and be nourished by it. Seaforth police chief says drinking and driving `almost a lifestyle' in area in 1981 OCTOBER 7, 1881 Miss Duncan, late of Brantford has opened dressmaking rooms in Meyer's Block upstairs where she will no doubt be always ready to attend to the . want of lady cus- tomers. Several of our prominent businessman have at last commenced to "talk up" the scheme of building a branch rail- way from Seaforth to Brucefield. Henry Hart, Leadbury, has rent- ed from Matthew Gilpin his farin consisting of 50 acres situated on the 7th concession of McKillop pay- ing for it a yearly rental of $135. R. Patterson of the Hensall plan- ning mills, appears to be kept very busy. He is at present manufactur- ing a large number of farm gates. Mr. Carmichael of Seaforth wants to sell the Mansion Hotel. There is not a better opening in Canada for a good man. OCTOBER 12, 1906 The Expositor has to thank Alex Stewart for a sample of delicious grapes grown in his own garden. Mr. Stewart is a successful grape grower and can almost beat Robt. Govenlock in this line. Geo. M. Chesney, of Seaforth will have an auction sale of a choice lot of Leirester and Cotswold breeding ewes at Dick's stockyards,` Seaforth on Saturday, October 20. The snow storm in Hens'all on Wednesday was a very heavy one for the first of the season and had the effect of breaking down a num- ber of fruit and shade trees. G.T. Turnbull of Seaforth is again buying and shipping apples. He buys mostly in the Southern coun- ties of the province and ships to Glasgow, Scotland. OCTOBER 9, 1931 Mr. and Mrs. W.A. Crich of Seaforth were in Montreal this week where Mr. Crich was attend- ing the annual convention of the Dominion Bakers' Association. The merchants of the surround- ing country met in Dublin on Thursday evening to discuss ways and means to cope with the present business situation. The meeting was well attended and the discus- sion on the adopting of more mod- ern business methods was most interesting and instructive. Margaret Drummond of Hensall has been very tastefully decorating her ice cream and lunch _parlour known as "The Do Drop In" and it now presents a very inviting appearance. Gladys Smalldon of Walton spent a few days with friends in Winthrop this week. OCTOBER 12, 1956 Seaforth voters will be asked to decide at the December elections whether or not there will be any further extdnsion to the town sewer system, it was indicated at council Tuesday night. The PUC at a meeting last week awarded a contract for the con- struction of walls and floors of new accommodations at the rear of the town hall to Seaforth Concrete General Contracting. The tender price was $2,790. Mr. and Mrs. J. Lamont and fam- ily of London visited at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Porter of Walton over the weekend. OCTOBER 7, 1981 In this area drinking and driving is almost a lifestyle, Seaforth police chief Hal Claus told about 90 - teenagers and their parents who attended a meeting sponsored by the Seaforth Leo Club at SDHS Saturday night. Seaforth Creamery Ltd. has been sold, and according to former owner Les Seiler, the new owners plan expansion and the hiring of more employees. The director of nursing with the Huron County Health Unit at Goderich says 25 students at Seaforth schools have been exclud- ed since the start of the school year because of head lice. The Huron County Board of Education accepted a tender from G.L. Slaught Ltd. of Credition to install an American made York - Shipley boiler at a cost of $34,611 in Seaforth's high school at its reg- ular meeting Thursday.