NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2
A GREAT LAKES SAGA Travelling scary waters as a favour to a friend
NEW MUSIC FROM NEW PLACES Great new artists with a strong appreciation for the past
THE SIDEONE PHOTO ESSAY
Andorra - the tiny state tucked between France and Spain
CONSPIRACY THEORIES The anatomy of the why
PERSONAL PASSIONS
ISSN 2563-9005
An exploration of personal passions from four of our regulars
IN THIS ISSUE... WELCOME TO SIDEONE. PG.03 The passion project.
A GREAT LAKES SAGA. PG.04
Travelling scary waters for a friend.
CONSPIRACY THEORIES. PG.08
• LIFETIME’S LOVE OF DANCE. PG.35 • A PRIMER ON THE NORTHERN ESSENTIAL –
SNOWMOBILES. PG.39
COMING UP. PG.41
Highlights from the next issue of SideOne.
A lesson in anatomy.
NOT EVERYONE KNOW THIS… PG.12
Mary Stuart’s father, the Prince of Wales, Tchaikovsky and Joe Kapp all in one place!
THE PHOTO ESSAY. PG.16
Andorra – The tiny state, tucked between France and Spain.
NEW MUSIC FROM NEW PLACES. PG.23
Something different, but still rooted in the past.
PERSONAL PASSIONS. PG.28
An exploration of their distinct passions by four of our regular contributors.
• WRITING THE FIRST NOVEL - YIKES! PG.28 • FUN AND ADVENTURE CYCLING DOWN THE
OPEN ROAD. PG.31
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SIDEONE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021
FOR THE GENERATION THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING. Editor and publisher: Kevin Gilligan Contact Email: sideone@gilligangroup.net Mail: PO Box 43503 Leaside Toronto, ON M4G 3B0 Phone: 416-489-9257 SideOne Magazine is published every two months online @ www.sideonemagazine.ca SideOne Magazine is a division of The Gilligan Group Inc.
SideOne. YearOne. Kevin Gilligan is the editor and publisher of SideOne Magazine. After years in marketing and advertising, he decided to do something he truly loves. This issue features a number of stories about the personal passions of some of our regular contributors, although the stories written by all our contributors are personal passion projects in and of themselves. SideOne, itself, started as a passion project while Covid was starting to ramp up and business was ramping down. The idea was simple. Create a magazine for baby boomers that was for them and not about them. And certainly not about retirement or aging. Just a good read covering human interest stories that fellow boomers would be interested in. One year later and it’s time to take a re-look at what we’ve done and where we’re going. We’re going to take another break and spend some time thinking about everything we do. From the stories to the format of the magazine itself. We’ve had some success in gaining readers and subscribers but in order to continue, we need to do better. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the stories in this edition. Here’s a quick glimpse at a bunch of them.
A GREAT LAKES SAGA
Ever day dream about travelling to the Carribean by boat. Where the answer is yes or no, this is a fascinating tale of the challenges faced on the difficult waters of the Great Lakes. Funny, they look so friendly on maps.
CONSPIRACY THEORIES – THE ANATOMY OF A FALSEHOOD.
a rabbit hole of misinformation. But how does it happen and why are people fouled so easily?
NOT EVERYONE KNOWS THIS… Always a fave. Mary Stuart, Thanksgiving Day’s shifting dates, Frankenstein the Nutcracker and the recently deceased, CFL great, Angelo Mosca all in one more wonderful edition of Not everyone know this…
NO NEW MUSIC LIKE OLD MUSIC. New tunes, different tunes, but well-rooted in music’s past. Hit the Spotify link and give a listen while you read.
ANDORRA – THE TINY STATE. Travelling is starting to become possible again, but if you want a quicker escape just flip the pages of this edition. Andorra is a beautiful state tucked between France and Spain. Take a trip through the counrtyside in this month’s SideOne photo essay!
PERSONAL PASSIONS We asked four of our regulars to write about their personal passions. It’s an interesting exploration into the worlds. of writing, dance, cycling and even snowmobiling. I hope that we’ll see you again in the spring of 2022. We may look a bit different and hopefully that will be a good thing.
Take a different trip down what could easily become
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A GREAT LAKES SAGA
TRAVELLING THOSE SCARY WATERS AS FIRST MATE FOR A FRIEND
By Lloyd Walton Lloyd Walton is an award-winning director/ cinematographer, painter and writer. His adventure historiography, Chasing the Muse: Canada is available through Chapters Indigo, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kindle and bookstores everywhere.
’T’was an emotional departure in Penetanguishene
later we pulled into a quiet cove to anchor for the
for my old friend, Jim, as friends and family came
night. This would prove to be our last anchorage in
down to the dock to bid farewell, toast, and salute
pure wilderness. A problem with the pump resulted
him for bravely following his dream. As we loaded
in us losing all potable water. No matter – we locals
our gear onto his boat, Tim Horton’s coffee was
drink the fresh Upper Great Lakes water regardless.
served, topped off with Bailey’s Irish Cream. At nine o’clock sharp, we slowly pulled away from a long line of waving hands. Ship whistles from around the harbour sounded off. For the first hour or so Jim took the helm and could not speak. I was choked up a bit myself. We met in Grade 4 in the Soo, went through public and high school together, played hockey, football, and basketball, canoed wild rivers, got our pilot’s licenses together, then went our separate ways with careers and family.
CRUISING TO THE BAHAMAS All those years later, with both of us retired, here I was joining him on the first leg of his cruise from southern Georgian Bay up across the North Channel, then down through Lake Michigan to Chicago. From there I would fly home while a couple would join him for the next leg. He’d travel down the Mississippi, canal over to Tennessee, go down through Alabama to the Gulf of Mexico at Mobile, curve around the tip of Florida, then sprint over to the Bahamas to spend the winter. It was not a large boat: a 31-foot trawler that cruised at seven knots. As we approached Giant’s Tomb Island, the wind was whipping waves up onto the windshield. It was a brilliantly sunny day, as I took control at the helm, but the wipers were busy clearing my view for the myriad of channel markers
I was joining him on the first leg of his cruise from southern Georgian Bay up across the North Channel, then down through Lake Michigan to Chicago. A DAY OF ROCKING AND ROLLING Day 2 found us crossing the Northern part of Georgian Bay in low grey skies, hefty seas, and steady wind. It was 9 ½ hours of rocking and rolling. We saw no other boats, but the fish finder marked thousands of fish, in waters where few venture to search for them. Large flocks of loons floated out in the middle of the lake. Were they there for the fish, or was winter coming early? Time at the helm, one hour on, one hour off, would go quickly. I was still brushing up on my navigational skills, matching the numbers (always moving) between course over water and true bearing. I felt comfortable on the big water, having spent much time at work and play on the Great Lakes. When we docked at Little Current on Manitoulin Island, the fuel needle had still not moved past the full mark. It cost $9.20 per hour to run this boat called Bluenoser. Jim fixed the water pump.
in these shoal-infested waters. To remain steady in
It was off-season for marinas. Docking was free. It
my seat, both feet had to be locked ahead against
was off-season for these northern tourist towns as
the lower part of the dashboard, one hand tight on
well. Hungry for a hotel meal, we found the only
the wheel and the other gripping a rail. We opted
place in town was closed for a private gathering.
for the Whaleback Channel, winding through the
Back on the street, we heard that another hotel some
30,000 islands, to stay out of the wind. Seven hours
distance away might be open, so we set out on foot
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A CONFUSED SEA Waiting for us outside the harbour was a confused sea. The current was running in one direction and the wind was from another. Another grey day heading West watching those numbers, one hour on, one hour off, always whipping the wheel back and forth, trying not to overcorrect. Drummond Island, U.S.A., appeared off in the distance. We stopped at an old haunt, Hilton Beach on St Joseph Island, before
Big sky, big water, and a verdant green land lay way off on the horizon. A taste of what’s to come, we hoped.
We pulled out of Hilton Beach in a low-hanging morning fog. As the rising sun began to penetrate the mist, we sailed on glassy water for three hours through a yellow haze, zig-zagging small islands, and shoals. At Drummond Island, our port of entry into
for it. Jim looked at me and said, “It would be nice to
the United States, the customs agent mostly wanted
call a cab, but likely there isn’t one in this place.” A
to talk hockey. Bluenoser took on 81 US gallons of
taxi immediately appeared and delivered us to the
diesel fuel.
hotel and the driver, going off shift, said, “No charge.”
NO MORE WHACKING AND BANGING
BIG SKY MEETS BIG WATER
From there it would be a five-hour run to Mackinac
Day 3 was a glorious ride across the top of the beautiful Manitoulin Island. The sky and sea were cerulean and ultramarine blue respectively. The wispy clouds were forming in the shapes of hearts, and ancient pictographs. I found myself dancing on
Island through yet another type of sea. We were facing a steady headwind for the first time. No more whacking, banging and sliding sideways. It was easy to hold the course. Big waves lifted and pounded the nose deep into the narrow troughs.
the back of the boat with headphones singing at the
Through the busy windshield wipers, Mackinac
top of my lungs. Big sky, big water, and a verdant
Island rose low on the horizon two hours away
green land lay way off on the horizon. A taste of
like the giant turtle from which it received its
what’s to come, we hoped.
original Ojibway name, M’kinnock. There are no
Jim’s actions of the last few weeks and months were starting to settle in. He sold his tools, his truck and left his wife at home. She’d be joining him for a stint
cars on Mackinac Island except for a fire truck and ambulance. People move by horse and carriage or bicycle.
I understood why Manitoulin is the largest
THE MAGISTRATE, HIS CLERK AND MEN WITH GUNS
freshwater island in the world, arriving at dusk in
A day of relaxation and biking eight miles around
the hamlet of Meldrum Bay at the western end of the
the island netted us some interesting new friends
island. Setting off on the morning of Day 4, a shaft of
from down Michigan way. One, a magistrate, was
light shot out of the clouds right onto the 100-year-
interested in sampling any Canadian beer we had on
old hotel where we dined on elegant whitefish.
board. He was also treating his beautiful court clerk
in November. He had a lot to contemplate.
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crossing the border.
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There are many shoals that require deft observation and seamanship skills. Then there are the winds. to a conference on legal issues at a luxury resort. I imagined that there might be more personal legal issues coming for him soon. I became suspicious about a number of men with short hair lurking around with guns hidden underneath their loose-
THE FEAR OF WHAT COMES NEXT Jim was brooding about the next leg of the trip. Local boaters call the upper northeast corner of Lake Michigan “spooky.” There are many shoals that
fitting casual shirts. Something was going down. I
require deft observation and seamanship skills. Then
volunteered to shoot their group photograph when
there are the winds. Lake Michigan is known
they boarded the State Police boat back to the
for its September winds. For the seven-hour trip
mainland.
from Mackinac to Charlevoix, there are no ports to pull into for protection. Lake Michigan is a vast
Mackinac Island on September 11 had the feeling of the last summer’s day of the year. A solemn ceremony of fireboats escorted a barge carrying a replica of the Statue of Liberty to be paraded through the streets in a horse-drawn carriage.
inland sea. Lurking even further down the coast was the Lake Michigan Triangle. To be continued.
CONSPIRACY’S GREATEST HITS
REWRITING HISTORY – IT’S EASIER THAN YOU THINK By Jacques Daviault Jacques Daviault is a Montreal-based writer and art director with a curiosity that knows few bounds.
In late June 1985, 14 of the most senior members of the U.S. State Department and the Chairman of the U.S. Joints Chief of Defence staff met the Canadian Defence Minister and the Canadian Chief of the Defence Staff at the Mount Washington Hotel in New Hampshire.1 This was the site of the famous Bretton Woods Economic Conference that largely determined the course of economic thought, co-operation, and business modelling for the post-war period. They chose this auspicious spot for its symbolism and its secrecy. No one would be looking here. Their preoccupation? Not the Warsaw Pact, not Afghanistan, nor the increasing communist influence in Central America. It was the Northwest Passage.
GIVING UP THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE In 1985, Canada gave up the Northwest Passage in return for the U.S. abandoning its covert support of the Quebec independence movement, which it had hoped would destabilize Canada and make it vulnerable to breakup and assimilation, largely to gain unfettered access to its vast resources.2 Canada had been facing another existential threat across the Arctic Ocean – the Soviet Union had been dipping its toe into Canadian territorial waters, challenging our sovereignty, and exercising their territorial ambitions. This seemingly minor battle was lost amidst the larger issues of nuclear disarmament, acid rain, and the befuddled, but mildly entertaining, presidency of Ronald Reagan.
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Their preoccupation? Not the Warsaw Pact, not Afghanistan, nor the increasing communist influence in Central America. It was the Northwest Passage.
Our signing over of the Northwest Passage was timely, and fortuitous, as the early 1980s saw the publication of the first reports of global warming. The Reagan administration was fully aware of the incontrovertible evidence that mentioned an ice-free Arctic, yet chose to publicly refute the findings and demand that more research was needed.4
In early 1986, The Globe & Mail reported the story,
Why? Simple, deflection and distraction. The
diluted, redacted, and buried in Section B of the
Canadian government was a victim of the subterfuge.
world news. “Canada Offers To Share Northwest
It did not realize the long-term economic and
Passage Policing With Allies,” is word-for-word the
geopolitical advantages that came with controlling
headline they were fed by spokespersons from the
the waterways in an ice-free Arctic. Instead the U.S.
Canadian Government. The deal was sealed.
encouraged Canada to recognize and act upon the
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THE COMING OF AN ICE-FREE PASSAGE
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threat of Soviet incursion into the region – a region so vast, it could not possibly hope to police on its own.
...documents reveal , the CIA had infiltrated the Quebec separatist movement, supplying it with funding and advice. 5
and frank discussions with the Prime Minister’s Office. This in turn led to the June 1985 meeting at Bretton Woods. The rest is history. Canada has until 2029 to announce the formal ceding of the Northwest Passage to the United States.7 Remember, you read it here first.
STOPPING THE SEPARATIST THREAT In parallel, as newly disclosed but still heavily redacted State Department documents reveal , the 5
FOOTNOTES 1 p.134-146: The Hidden History of The Washington
CIA had infiltrated the Quebec separatist movement,
Hotel - Bretton Woods to the Dayton Accord.
supplying it with funding and advice, albeit under
Archibald Alec Leach, Render & Annan, 1994
the guise of like-minded French nationals who served as convenient patsies. Their objective was one of preparedness and not necessarily determined action: destabilize if and when needed, monitor and maintain to preserve the status quo.
2 p.44: The CIA Declassified, Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, Ackerman University Press, 2017 3 Section B - Page 19: Canada Offers To Share Northwest Passage Policing With Allies (Leonard Franklin Slye) The Globe & Mail.
THE REAGAN DOCTRINE Diplomatic decorum demanded that Canada, upon being apprised of this by British envoys in the know, not raise its public ire. Instead it needed to reach some sort of quiet agreement with America and
February 6, 1986 4 p.17: Reagan Administration Officials Dismiss Global Warming, Demand Additional Research. (Marion Morrison) Time Magazine. October 19, 1985
counter its passive-aggressive tactics of providing overt and covert aid to resistance movements as dictated by the Reagan doctrine. The Soviet threat was just as real, so keeping up
5 US State Department Records 1980-1986; Public domain, redacted and declassified. 6 p.209: The Hidden History of The Washington
appearances was essential. It was a simple matter of
Hotel - Bretton Woods to the Dayton Accord.
choosing which threat to side with. Convenience and
Archibald Alec Leach, Render & Annan, 1994
geography won the day. The U.S. dictated the terms and Canada folded.6
7 US State Department Records 1980-1986; Public domain, redacted and declassified. Corroborated
At this time, representatives from Secretary of State
through Canadian access to information
George Shultz’s office began a series of clandestine
protocols.
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I have my own political and social biases, but I recognize when those who share my beliefs are laying it on a bit thick.
assassination after their restaurant was identified
TRUTH OR FICTION
Conspiracy theories and theorists are not going
stood a fair chance of being assaulted in immediate post-9/11 America, and the innocent owners of a pizzeria in Washington were targeted for as the headquarters of a nefarious ring of child abductors led by the Clintons.
IN THE END...
That was easy, wasn’t it? A clearly explained,
away any time soon. They’re a necessary part
rationally-detailed and chronologically-pristine chain
of our culture of dissent – dissent is good. Many
of events complete with paper trail, names, and iron-
of the greatest advances in human history were
clad references. What’s not to believe? Except none
encouraged by dissent. But dissent should never
of it is true.
mean connecting dots that aren’t there, or blindly
Harmless? Yes, because the truth is here. But conspiracy theories, the big ones, evolve and mutate organically through social media’s lack of vigilance
believing a rumour because it suits our own personal beliefs or helps us explain and make sense of a world where things sometimes just don’t make sense.
and supposed support of free speech. Pushed
That’s not dissent, that’s lunacy. I have my own
along by rampant confirmation bias, they have the
political and social biases, but I recognize when
potential to wreak irreparable harm, even cost lives.
those who share my beliefs are laying it on a bit thick. By exposing myself to both supporting and
THE POWER OF CREDIBILITY. THE FAILURE OF CRITICAL THINKING. The Protocols of the Elders of Zion are an excellent example. These Tsarist-era historical document fabrications were initially intended as an inside joke for anti-Semites. They explained in excruciating detail, and quite convincingly, that a cabal of Jewish
is exposed. Sadly, it’s not nearly as entertaining as a conspiracy, but at least it’s true. And the middle ground provides that one place where fact and belief are rarely contradictory. Mulder and Scully of The X-Files said it best: the truth is out there. It just might not coincide with what you want to believe.
merchants and bankers pulled the strings on world
Because something is believable doesn’t mean it
events. In the early 1930s German schoolchildren
should be believed. And rest assured, we’ve still got
were taught this as if it was fact.
full sovereignty over the Northwest Passage.
There are other examples. Anyone with a turban
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opposing views, the mediocre middle ground of truth
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NOT EVERYONE KNOWS THIS…
By John Chaput John Chaput, born and raised in Montreal, eventually morphed into a Westerner. A retired writer and editor. he occupies much of his time as president of the Regina Little Theatre.
ILLUSTRATIONS BY KATE JOHANSEN
DECEMBER 14, 1542 Mary Stuart’s father, James V, dies and she becomes Mary, Queen of Scots. Not everyone knows this, but if Mary could have seen into the future, she might not have been keen on becoming a monarch. She married the Dauphin of France, who a year later became king, but a year after that died of an ear infection. Her second marriage to Lord Henry Darnley didn’t end any better when he died suddenly, probably at the hands of nobles embroiled in Catholic-Protestant intrigue. Inevitably, Mary was forced to abdicate and finally was executed by beheading after being found guilty of plotting to assassinate her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I of England. Mary might have been spared all this had she prepared herself better upon ascending the throne, but foresight is rarely a gift bestowed on someone who is all of six days old.
NOVEMBER 6, 1879 Thanksgiving is observed as a national holiday in Canada for the first time. Throughout the 19th century, the observance had been employed for various acknowledgements of public gratitude, such as the end of the War of 1812, the end of the Lower Canada Rebellion in 1838, and the recovery of the Prince of Wales from typhoid fever in 1872. Not everyone knows this, but Thanksgiving was quite the movable feast. Starting out as a November holiday unto itself, after the First World War it was held in conjunction with Armistice Day until 1931, when annual proclamations moved it to the second Monday in October. An exception was made in the midst of the Great Depression in 1935 because the government had called a general election, which must have made the population especially thankful. Legislation to maintain Thanksgiving on the second
(This segment sponsored by Hive Got a Secret –
Monday in October was finally passed in 1957,
beekeeping supplies for people who don’t want others
thereby establishing 78 years as a baseline for having
to know about their hobby.)
Ottawa make up its mind.
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NOVEMBER 23, 1887 William Henry Pratt is born in Camberwell, England.
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DECEMBER 18, 1892 The Nutcracker premieres in St. Petersburg, Russia.
The youngest of nine children, he is groomed to
Not everyone knows this, but what has become
follow his brothers into the British civil service but
probably the most performed ballet in history
he will drop out of university and head for Canada.
started out with a thoroughly mixed reception.
There, he will work at a number of farming and
Piotr Tchaikovsky’s music (which he had partially
other odd jobs until he discovers the theatre and
debuted months earlier with a 20-minute selection
takes up acting. In 1912 his performing company
that became known as The Nutcracker Suite) was
happens to be in Regina, survives the devastating
quickly and generally hailed as magnificent, but the
cyclone that hits that city, and assists in rescue and
dancing and story drew harsh criticism. Tchaikovsky
cleanup efforts. Mr. Pratt will be the most famous
would die a year later and, while The Nutcracker
person to be in Regina for that event, although not
Suite and much of his work continued to be popular,
everyone – well, not anyone – knew it at the time.
The Nutcracker was staged sporadically – an English
The stage name he adopted would not become
production in 1934 marked its first performance
universally recognized for another two decades,
outside of Russia – and paled in reputation to other
when Boris Karloff starred as the monster in the
Tchaikovsky-scored ballets like Swan Lake and The
movie Frankenstein.
Sleeping Beauty. It wasn’t until 1954, when Maria
(This segment courtesy of Quaran-Teens, the newest
Tallchief sparkled as the Sugar Plum Fairy with the
spinoff of the Degrassi universe in which the students
New York Theatre Ballet, that The Nutcracker broke
struggle to maintain social relationships while isolating
through and became, especially in North America, a
at home.)
staple of Christmas entertainment.
SIDEONE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021
NOVEMBER 9, 1989 Günther Schabowski, leader of East Germany’s Communist party and the government’s top
NOVEMBER 30, 1963 The British Columbia Lions, despite having homefield advantage at Vancouver’s Empire Stadium, lose the Grey Cup Game 21-10 to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Overshadowing the result is the questionable hit that 275-pound Hamilton defensive tackle Angelo Mosca puts on 180-pound Lions halfback Willie Fleming just after Fleming is tackled on the sideline, knocking the Lions’ star out of the game. Fast-forward 48 years to 2011 and Mosca finds himself at a CFL Alumni fundraiser with Joe Kapp, the Lions’ quarterback in 1963. Kapp jokingly offers Mosca an artificial flower as a peace offering, an unimpressed Mosca whacks Kapp in the head with his cane, Kapp punches Mosca out of his chair, and YouTube shows the world what a couple of pissed-off 73-year-old scrappers look like. (For the most part, really clumsy.) Not everyone
spokesman, presides over probably the most poorly-prepared and inept press conference ever conducted. Over the past several weeks, East and West German authorities had been negotiating to loosen travel restrictions that had been strictly and sometimes brutally in force since the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961. Not everyone knows this, but there’s a reason why all the t’s are crossed and the umlauts are dotted before governments make official announcements. Not fully briefed on the contents of what was only pending legislation, Schabowski gets confused and states that open travel and permanent emigration between the two Germanies will be established almost immediately. Whoops! Within hours, millions of people swarm on both sides of the wall, tear it apart faster than Joshua or Pink Floyd could have imagined, and the Iron Curtain begins to
knows this, but Mosca donated that cane to a
disintegrate.
charity auction in 2012 and it pulled in a winning bid
(Brought to you by Tokin’ Resistance, the support
of $7,700.
group for people trying to break the cannabis habit.)
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THE PHOTO ESSAY
ANDORRA
TAX-FREE SHOPPING IN A COUNTRY WITH GREAT SKIING AND SPECTACULAR VIEWS
I travelled from Pamplona, Spain to the principality of Andorra, following the beautiful N260 national road in Spain for most of the six-hour drive. It is the northernmost east-west road in the country and is an incredibly scenic drive into Andorra. The views are spectacular as the route cuts through gorges and makes its way up and down the foothills of the Pyrenees.
By Michael Doherty Michael Doherty is a film and television editor based in Toronto. He is also an avid traveller with a keen eye and some amazing experiences.
Andorra, the sixth smallest European state with a population of 77,000, lies 1,000 metres up in the Pyrenees mountains. It is bordered by France to the north and Spain to the south. It is also the only country in the world with Catalan as the official language. I stayed in the main city, Andorra La Vella, which lies in a beautiful valley surrounded by mountains. I travelled in late September, a perfect time to go, with few tourists and daytime temperatures between 23 and 25 Celsius. The city is easily walkable, with narrow streets in the oldest sections, and wider boulevards on the outskirts.
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There is a wooden walkway that winds its way on a north/south axis, partway up the mountainside. It offers terrific views back down to the city and is an extremely comfortable hike in the early fall. The country has three national parks covering much of the land area and they are perfect for day hikes. Madriu-Perafita-Claror is the biggest, covering about 10 per cent of Andorra – it’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Andorra’s national dish is escudella – a hearty stew made with meat and pasta shells. Snails are popular, as are wild boar and rabbit. These dishes are available in the very charming local restaurants. For those who prefer winter travel, Andorra gets abundant snow in the winter and becomes a haven for ski lovers.
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Andorra is a tax-free country, so it is a popular shopping destination for the French and Spanish. Though Andorra is not part of the European Union, the euro is the local currency. I’ve travelled to 52 countries in the world so far. Andorra was number 51!
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NEW MUSIC FROM NEW PLACES Dolls, books, television shows – these were just
some of the cultural artifacts that were missing or
TIME TO OPEN YOUR MIND difficult to find 30 years ago, when my children were
small, so hardly anything had changed since my own childhood.
THEIR OWN STORIES
As my girls grew up, I made a decision to surround our family with black images in our home, despite
the challenges in acquiring these items. I knew the
majority culture existed just beyond our front door and my children would absorb it by osmosis, so
my duty as a black parent was clear: Teach, guide,
seek out, and listen to information on black culture. Present my kids with their own racial stories.
By Terry Paquet
I became even more intent on supplying my girls with positive role models to reinforce their racial identity.
Terry Paquet is an award-winning copywriter with more than 20 years’ experience. He is a regular contributor to SideOne.
Now that my children are adults, the task of finding Jeff Lynne from ELO once said that “old music is black culture in the wider society no longer the same as new music – it’s just aisdifferent way of delivering it.” That inherent truth is what I’m listening for when I curate this collection of artists for you. Because I know it’s hard to open your ears up to new music when so much of what’s on the radio is, from my point of view, uninspiring. So, I look for something different and new but that’s still rooted in the past. Or inspired by it. Real harmonies, catchy melody lines, lyrics that mean something and, most of all, musicianship. Believe it or not, they’re all alive and well somewhere in this vast world – you just have to know where to look. The hope is that you give them a chance, discover something new and in some small way expand your musical world.
TO LISTEN WHILE YOU READ, CHECK OUT SIDEONE’S NOVEMBER/DECEMBER PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5MEx8bsqYoYGYOOSAe6b9X?si=236a09a7ea0a4629
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JMSN
TRACKS TO CHECK OUT
Most musicians are creative, but some more than
• Drama Velvet (2018)
others. Such is the case with JMSN (pronounced Jameson) who hails from Detroit. In previous career incarnations he has gone by the names of Christian TV, Snowhite, and, as recently as 2016, Pearl. His real name is Christian Berishaj, a one-man musical force with a business card as long as his arm. As a multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter, music engineer, mixer, producer and video director, his creativity reaches far and wide. And although his music may be new to you, he’s been around for some years. He’s been called your favourite artist’s favourite artist because he outputs inventive, yet classic, R&B that smolders and builds in all the right places in just the right way. Small wonder Usher proclaimed him his favourite new act in April of 2012. His influences include Whitney Houston, Phil Collins, Radiohead, and Fiona Apple, but they’re not obviously noticeable in any of his songs. “I’ve built up my confidence enough to know that I don’t have to take so many outside influences and worry about what’s going on in the music game.” His catalogue is a sultry, melodic world where grooves rule and he’ll do whatever it takes, creatively speaking, to get the best sound. Even if that means doing very little. On his 2017 album, Whatever makes you happy, he recorded most of the songs in one take. As he explains it: “There’s something about the first time you sing it, there’s this innocence about it.” It’s a gutsy move in this world of overproduced pap, but it pays off big time.
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• Street Sweeper JMSN (2014) • Drinkin’ Whatever Makes You Happy (2017) • Always Something Whatever Makes You Happy (2017) • Funk Outta Here It Is. (2016)
MIKE PINTO
TRACKS TO CHECK OUT
Raised in the outskirts of Philadelphia, Pinto
• Crooks Hotel Rendezvous (2017)
has become a prominent fixture in the Southern California music scene, taking his gritty East Coast perspective and blending it with laid-back surfer vibes to create a sound that is silky smooth. His musical influences include Bob Marley, Jack Johnson, and The Beatles, but it’s Bradley Nowell, lead singer from Sublime, that he seems most inspired by. No coincidence that Pinto was asked to contribute on The House That Bradley Built, a
• Come a Long Way Single (2020) • Superstar Punani The House That Bradley Built (2021) • Where the Beach Meets the Ocean Truthful Lies (2013) • Bad Luck Live @ Sugarshack Sessions (2019)
collection of artists paying tribute to the late singer. With his signature narrative style, Pinto’s songs are deeply personal, yet widely relatable. While he can be pigeonholed into the world of ska, reggae and dub styles, the man is fearlessly exploring alternate genres. For example, his most recent single, Danny Loves A Fight, is Irish punk rock. As Pinto puts it, it’s “a far cry from my other songs, but this f*$ker is just too catchy to resist.” On 2017’s Hotel Rendezvous, Pinto borrows from a broad spectrum of musical styles including folk and even country music (on Nine Lives). Musically schizophrenic? Yes. But the common thread throughout is an unabashed love for music that ekes out of every note.
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BROS The BROS is a project from Ewan and Shamus Currie, actual brothers and members of platinumselling Canadian band, The Sheepdogs. Far from the crunchy rock of that band, this outing is a cool, vibey, vintage-y promenade into a world of yester-pop with influences that run the gamut from Gilberto Gil to Badfinger. Musically, it’s consistently familiar from start to finish, and yet it all seems so new and fresh. That’s no easy task to pull off but the BROS do it with bucketloads of mustachioed style. On You Love This Song, there’s a crazy guitar line that harkens back to The Isley Brothers classic, Who’s that Lady? Boogar Sugre is all the funk you never knew you needed with a rhythmic guitar line, groovy horns, and a preacher-like invitation to “come on.” Close your eyes and listen to Crazy Schemes, then tell me this couldn’t be an intro to a 70’s sitcom. Garbanzo Man is a sonic dose of pure happiness and could have come from Zach Gill himself. All in all, what the BROS have created is catchy, campy, feel-good music that’s clearly not from these times, but feels oh-so right for them.
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TRACKS TO CHECK OUT • Never Gonna Stop Vol. 2 (2021) • Garbanzo Man Vol. 2 (2021) • Crazy Schemes Vol. 2 (2021) • Tell Me Vol. 1 (2016) • Boogar Sugre Vol. 1 (2016)
CONOR GAINS Conor Gains is a singer/songwriter from Toronto who first started playing when he was 12 years old. Even though he was so young, he’d purposely hang with more experienced musicians who would encourage him to pursue his love for performing and writing. Lucky for us, Conor listened. Today, he’s toured all over Canada, the U.S., Jamaica, and Costa Rica but currently has his sights set on bringing his music to Japan and China.
TRACKS TO CHECK OUT • Ordinary Love Compass (2018) • Walking Alone Compass (2018) • Light Shine In Light Shine In (2021) • Mirror Three (2021) • Mexico Compass (2018)
His sound sits in the same room as Amos Lee, Hozier and Donny Hathaway and draws from a wide range of influences to create a ‘90s R&B sound. To give you an idea where he operates from, he has said the Unified Field is what drives him to wake up and create every day. This explains why he gets out of the way before he writes, because he believes great songs come through people rather than from them. Clearly, this belief in a higher, bigger force and where he sees himself in the creative process is driven more by spirit than ego. Of course, that may be a big notion for some to believe, but it has given him a catalogue of truly inspirational music… so more power to him. In a world desperate for healing, Conor’s voice just might be the medicine we are all looking for.
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PERSONAL PASSIONS: WRITING
WRITING THAT FIRST NOVEL - OH MY! By Elizabeth MacGregor Elizabeth MacGregor is a former educator and a regular contributor to SideOne.
I have secretly wanted to write more with no restrictions on the number of words – the freeing experience of writing until I have nothing further to say.
include me in their plans.
A LIFETIME OF WRITING I have written for this magazine since its inception, for a blog, have had articles published in national magazines, written business letters for busy professionals and regularly create greeting cards for friends and family. All my life, people have commented positively on
Lying awake in the middle of the night, my thoughts
my writing and encouraged me to write – from an
travel to my characters – those created people who
elementary school teacher to my high school English
inhabit the pages I have been writing. They are
teacher, who coached me in grammar and style for
likeable, complex, and in some cases, deeply flawed.
four years.
I am in love with them.
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I am not sure where they will take me, or if they will
I have secretly wanted to write more with no
I imagine their world, how they feel, what stirs them
restrictions on the number of words – the freeing
to action, what crushes them into despair. I can be
experience of writing until I have nothing further
surprised by what they say or a decision they make.
to say.
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WITH PENCIL AND PAPER, IT BEGAN Three years ago, retired, I decided to try. Due to a concussion, I couldn’t use a computer for more than
in my imagination and I sought a way to connect them. My research provided the glue.
a few minutes, so I sharpened a pencil and started
SEARCHING FOR IDEAS THAT DON’T EXIST
to fill the pages of a notebook. It felt tedious, though,
I wrote slowly, eyes aching, unable to get momentum
since my graphomotor skill had also been affected. I did not find this worked for me, even though many famous writers write books on paper first. Back to the computer I went. I knew what I wanted to write about. It would be a historical fiction about a natural disaster that happened in North America. My mother had told me a story about our family surviving it. A secretary I worked with added events she had experienced. Then, I came upon an unusual place in Toronto that became necessary because of this event. Those kernels of information were swimming around
going. Sometimes the thoughts came faster than my hands could type, and sometimes I sat in front of my keyboard, searching for ideas that did not yet exist. I sought advice from writing pros. I learned that an outline is essential, so I created one. This helped fill in the blanks and gave me a direction for the story. It gave confidence in what I was exploring.
A WRITER’S GOT TO WRITE Margaret Atwood advises that writers write. If you want to be a writer, stop talking about it and write. Discipline would be a necessity. I’d write for an hour and then not for days. I seemed
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stuck at 5,000 words and worried that I didn’t have it
before this. The story advanced, my ideas came and
in me to create enough to write a novel. With an eye
created more ideas. My characters came alive for me,
on the page and one on the word count, I did not see
and I cared about them.
this as viable.
This was another piece of advice I received. Make
Going for a walk on one of those frustrating days
sure your characters are fleshed out in a way that
when no progress was being made, I considered giving up this pastime. I heard Jake Tapper of CNN
people will get attached to them. You must care about them to convince your reader that they should
interviewed on a podcast I was listening to. He’s
bother to read on.
written several books and was asked how he does it,
Margaret Atwood advises that writers write. If you want to be a writer, stop talking about it and write.
since he has a full-time job. Here came the magic I needed to hear. Write for 15 minutes every day. Before his day started, he would write for 15 minutes. And, he said, the pages add up over time! Every day for 15 minutes made sense to me.
MY NEW FRIENDS I started to do this, and yes, I was able to get to 10,000, 40,000 words, but most importantly, I found my work flowed, a momentum existed that did not
I am at the editing stage now, and still writing, still creating. I do not want the book to end, or to close it on these lovely people I have come to know. A followup book is possible, I suppose. In any case, once this is published, a goal will have been reached and I can look to others.
PERSONAL PASSIONS: CYCLING
Fun and adventure as a kid – young and old By Allan Kunigis Allan Kunigis is a Canadian-born freelance financial writer based in Shelburne, Vermont. He is the author of A Kid’s Activity Book on Money and Finance: Teach Children About Saving, Borrowing, and Planning for the Future, published in September 2020.
Think back to when you were a kid and life was as
snapshot of today’s typical active Baby Boomers and
simple as hopping on your bike and exploring. You
a look at how we have changed over the years.
had no destination, no goal, no exercise watch, and likely no helmet, either. It wasn’t “exercise” per se and maybe you didn’t “commute,” although I did ride to elementary school
People in their 50s through 70s are certainly not all active, but many of us are. We’re staying young longer and having fun through outdoor activities and athletic pursuits, some serious and many less so.
for a while until my bike was stolen from the rack where I had locked it.
FUN AND ADVENTURE
This is a personal recollection of my lifelong cycling
The days seem like they’ve morphed into one now,
journey, from roughly ages six to 64 (and counting).
decades later, but I recall aimlessly riding around my
I’m sharing it because it might reflect the experiences
suburb of Montreal in the early to mid-1960s as a 6 to
or observations of others. It also might serve as a
12 year old. There were other neighbourhoods that I
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was somewhat familiar with. Why not just ride over
way to get exercise and be efficient as I could pretty
and discover?
much get to work as fast as or faster than by public
I bought a new bike, upgrading from an early 1980s vintage 10-speed to a whole near world of greater efficiency.
transit. I did develop a healthy respect for taxi
I recall one day when my friend Scott and I cycled to a nature spot that no longer exists. (It’s now the Cavendish Mall parking lot!) But back then, there was a beautiful, untouched pond. We just rode there and skipped stones beautifully and blissfully. Oh, to have the peacefulness and innocence of that day back! Years later, I’m not sure what possessed me, but I signed up for a ride from Montreal to Sutton in the Eastern Townships. I had never done anything like that 62-mile out on Saturday and 62-mile return on Sunday with a well-organized group. I remember the fresh and wonderful feeling of drafting off of other cyclists in a group of 10 or more along the shoulder of the flat stretches of highway
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drivers and bus drivers, along with a sixth sense as to when they would pull out and cut me off. My most memorable mishap was swerving to avoid a squirrel that darted in front of me on Sherbrooke Street near Westmount Park. I jammed on my brakes, catapulted over the handlebars and bruised my ribs and tore my favourite work shirt. Of course, that rascal squirrel was so fast and skilful that I couldn’t have run him over had I tried. Lesson learned. To this day, I will holler, sing, or whistle loudly when approaching squirrels, chipmunks, wild turkeys, or any other varmints that come near the road.
A SMART OR NECESSARY REPLACEMENT FOR RUNNING Many years later, and now in my late 40s and living in Vermont, I was unable to run for a good number of months because of a torn meniscus. As frustrated as I was, I bought a new bike, upgrading from an early 1980s vintage 10-speed to a whole near world of greater efficiency, easier shifting, and “clipless
heading away from the city. I recall the crazy hills
pedals,” which call for special cycling shoes.
we pedalled once in the Townships, approaching
That sudden shift from running to pedalling instantly
Sutton, so hard on the ups and so incredibly fast on
put me in touch with much longer outings and
the downs. I also recall being drenched as it poured
venturing into new towns, and just exploring once
hard towards the end of that first day’s ride. I was so
again! It kept me fit and sane, and by the next year, I
happy to warm up in a bath at the motel we stayed
was balancing my running and cycling, without being
at. And the following day was sunburn city as it was
too serious about either, but thankful to be active
bright and I was unprotected all the way back to
and fully enjoying the great outdoors in a beautiful
Montreal. Fun adventure, for sure!
area.
A HEALTHY AND SENSIBLE WAY TO GET TO WORK
BIGGER CHALLENGES AND DEEPER FUN Flash forward a bit more than a decade and I was
It would be a good number of years until my next big
now just over 60 years old and in a relationship
cycling adventure as I tended to simply ride to work
with a very active woman. She would ride with me
in downtown Montreal as a young adult, about four
sometimes, appreciating how strong a cyclist I was –
times a week for about half the year. What a fabulous
strong but casual. She would repeatedly say, “I don’t
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know why you don’t push yourself.” I would respond, “Because I don’t feel like it.” This exchange was repeated so often that I can’t even estimate how many times we had that same exchange. It became a joke, at least to me! But eventually, I guess she got to me. In 2018, I signed up for triathlon training but didn’t race. My running was slow and painful. My cycling was decent. My swimming was a slow and uncomfortable work in progress. But when triathlon training ended, I focused on what
I knew people who had done them. I imagined that I was capable. I figured that I should just apply the methodology of marathon training, with which I was familiar, having done a bunch, primarily way back in the 1980s in Montreal.
I GUESS I’M CRAZY I met a friend of a friend at a dinner party one evening, a guy who was a coach of many endurance sports. I asked him for training advice to build up for the century ride. His wise and succinct answer: “Spend time in the saddle.”
I did best and enjoyed the most – pedalling. And
In other words; Just ride, longer and longer. I did.
pedalling… I set my sights on an event that I had
Going from 40 miles as a long ride to 51. Ouch! That
previously thought only crazy people did: A century
51st mile, partly up a slight hill, almost did me in. But
ride. Century as in 100. That’s miles, not kilometres.
the next week, 60 didn’t seem as hard, and then 70
I remember the fresh and wonderful feeling of drafting off of other cyclists in a group of 10 or more along the shoulder of the flat stretches of highway heading away from the city.
and then 80 and then a fabulous experience at my
down the final 10 miles of the Bike for the Lake
first century ride. Success! It felt wonderful. I guess I
century ride on the Champlain Islands in June.
was now a crazy person! And I wasn’t alone.
I came up with a creative distraction that worked
The next year, I did enter and complete a baby triathlon. They’re called “sprint” events, but I did nothing resembling a sprint. And then it was time to train for the Kelly Brush Century Ride again. This time I did it with a buddy, and we just blabbed and gabbed and laughed for seven hours-plus. It was like a long airplane ride next to another talkative person, and you were both happy to keep chatting and pedalling. The following year (2020), there was no century ride, but I somehow created this magical group, the cycling posse as I called them – various cycling and spinning friends from over the years came together happily for regular Sunday morning rides. It kept us all sane and healthy during the COVID summer of 2020. This year, there were fewer of those group rides, but I managed to do two century rides, one with another buddy and one solo. I recall how Tiki and I counted
like a charm to take our minds off of our sore, fatigued legs.
MULTILINGUAL COUNTDOWN We counted down those last 10 miles in English, French, Spanish, Yiddish, and German. His German was as good as my Yiddish. My French is now rusty, but I can still easily count my numbers, and en Espanol as well. I don’t know what awaits me in 2022, but I do know that I love cycling and I live in a cycling paradise. Working from home, the commute doesn’t call for a bike, but I regularly do “ride around the block” (a favourite 20k+/13-mile route) with a neighbourhood buddy before work. It gets the blood flowing, is beautiful, enjoyable, and easy on the joints. Cycling has changed over the years, for sure. But in a way it really hasn’t. Just get on the bike and pedal. And never stop!
PERSONAL PASSIONS: DANCE
The greatest passion of my life By Sonia Huggins Sonia Huggins is an educator who gave up her distinguished career one year ago this month as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. She is a regular contributor to SideOne. I have always loved to dance. I have always loved music. The two always went together for me. As a child who was born in Northern England, I wasn’t exposed to dance at all, but I loved to move. So, my mother found a ballet school close to London – or so she said. I only knew that we lived in Derby and we had to take a double-decker bus to my ballet classes and it was so exciting! Geography was not my strong suit as a five year old. Back in my day the only form of dance training available was ballet … didn’t matter to me ... the music was beautiful and the dance movements
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Dance was my passion and I knew it even if my parents didn’t – and I was really good at it, too.
were exquisite. I fell truly madly deeply in love with
I danced with a small ballet school in Montreal and
the ballet. I lived and breathed for those weekend
the teacher took an interest in me for the first time
classes. At the tender age of five my passion was
and decided to create a solo piece for me from the
born and it never died.
music of Johann Strauss called The Blue Danube
THE UNFORGETTABLE EXCITEMENT My first ballet was a timeless classic, The Nutcracker.
Waltz. It was my first solo because my teacher felt I was a protégé. As I stepped onto the stage I knew this was where I belonged …
As the only child of colour, I was given the role of a soldier. I did very little movement but the excitement of watching the other dancers was unforgettable in my now eight-year-old mind.
NO FEAR OF HARD WORK
I loved those early days of what would become the
I loved the physicality of dance and I wasn’t afraid
greatest passion of my life.
to work as hard as I needed to get there to become a
As soon as we moved to Canada in the Sixties, my mom began looking for classes again and of course it was always ballet. I knew nothing of other styles,
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I would become … a ballet dancer!
professional dancer. Little did I know that my dream would change as I grew older and developed new skills.
probably because I was enamoured with ballet.
And so began the dancer’s life of taking daily classes
During those times ballet was big – it was what “real”
and eventually learning to go on pointe shoes! I was
wannabe dancers did. I was no different.
so in love …
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One day, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, a world-
was a fast-talking New Yorker and former dancer who
renowned company based in Montreal, came to
was teaching college dance classes at my school.
my school looking for apprentices for their student program. I was chosen and I thought this was it!
FORBIDDEN CHANCE When I told my parents they absolutely refused to let me pursue this path. I was told that this was not a
One day I passed by the dance studio and saw a class moving in a style I didn’t recognize, called jazz ballet. Betty asked me to join the class but I refused. She challenged me. I still refused but went every day just to see her teach and watch the dancers dance.
serious career … dance led nowhere and becoming
Until one day, I finally stepped into her class, where
an artist would lead to drugs, alcohol and a life
she took me under her wing and by the end of
of poverty. At 13 years old, my dreams began to
that year I taught my first dance class to the same
slowly crumble. And even though Les Grand Ballets
students whom I’d seen in her class and we called it
Canadiens’ apprentice program was practically free,
The Jazz Dance Club.
my mom made me choose between ballet or piano lessons because they could no longer afford both. At the time, playing piano was more lucrative and pianists were held in high regard – had I wanted to pursue a career in classical music. My parents never thought I would ever want hard enough or be good enough to be a dancer. I felt defeated, so I chose to continue music even though I turned out to be a mediocre piano student. Dance was my passion and I knew it even if my parents didn’t – and I was really good at it, too.
A CONSTANT YEARNING All through high school I yearned to dance but the only programs offered that interested me were gymnastics and music … dance was not an option. So I learned to play the flute and as a result I was selected for concert band. I focused on sports as well and became quite good at any sport, especially gymnastics. In my senior graduating year I received a silver medal for being one of the top athletes at my high school, but I still thought of dance constantly. Upon graduation, I went to college and thought I needed to give up any thoughts of pursuing a dance career. My parents still weren’t supportive, so that was it! Until I met a woman who influenced my life and my career forever. Her name was Betty and she
THE PASSION RETURNED There was no end to her support – she was passionate, tough and really believed in me. My passion returned in a strong, steady and urgent way. I started taking classes outside of school but when I was in school I spent every waking moment in the dance studio with my teacher, the other dancers, or alone making up choreographies constantly. It was an incredible time to be infused with so much passion and desire.
Upon graduation, my parents were thrilled that I now had a stable career, a degree as a teacher and would finally forget about “that dance stuff.”
time!
FORGET THAT DANCE STUFF Upon graduation, my parents were thrilled that I now had a stable career, a degree as a teacher and would finally forget about “that dance stuff.” Much to their chagrin, I taught dance wherever I could stick it into my schedule and just got more and more work
As my CEGEP years came to an end, university
as a dance teacher, while doing my regular job as a
loomed into view and I tried to find a program that
classroom teacher. Life was busy and I was popular.
would satisfy my need to dance, perform, teach and just immerse myself in my one true love. In those days (late Seventies) there were no dance programs in my city at the university level, so I chose to do a Bachelor of Education with a major in physical education. At least I would be sort of close to dance – little did I know that the course of my life was about to change again, but this time my original dreams of dance would remain. I had discovered that I could teach. All through university, I taught dance and realized I loved inspiring and motivating students. A new passion was born which seemed harmonious with my first
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passion. I began teaching everywhere and all the
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I was teaching kindergarten by day and dance by night. Then came one of the most intense moments of my life, when I realized I could meld my passion for dance into my regular teaching job. I was offered a position teaching dance as part of a high school curriculum. What an opportunity! A regular teaching gig – teaching dance at the high school level all day, every day, with a teacher’s salary and benefits. No more hustling or hiding my night jobs … a chance to inspire, motivate and train youngsters. And so I got to live my passion for the next 25 years. What a creative, rewarding ride it was!
PERSONAL PASSIONS: SNOWMOBILES
A primer on one of Canada’s beloved contributions to winter living By Alain Lajoie Alain Lajoie was a teacher in Northern Quebec for 28 years and an owner of five death tobaggans during that time.
In close to 30 years of snowmobiling, I’ve never
ice fishing or going out with our Cree culture teacher
ridden on a groomed track. Snowmobiles up north
to film him emptying a fishing net set under the ice
are essential to experiencing the land. I’ve ridden
or setting up traps at a beaver lodge.
at crazy speeds over a frozen James Bay – carefully in narrow paths on the way to a bush camp or to a beaver lodge or out of the village at night to get away from the street lamps – admiring the aurora borealis
In the north during spring time, you see trains of snowmobiles and sleds heading out over the ice as the camp’s families get ready for the spring Goose Break. They ride out and fly back by chartered
or just the millions of stars that are only visible away
helicopter at the end of the hunt. Once the ice
from population centres and their atmospheric and
breaks up, they travel by boat to retrieve their
light pollution.
snowmobiles.
Some of the best times I’ve had involved a bunch of
When I started snowmobiling, it wasn’t rare to finish
us heading out to a camp on one of the rivers to go
a weekend ride towing a broken-down snowmobile;
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The original snowmobiles were cross-country machines. The trail networks that are found throughout northern North America didn’t exist. The first machines had to be able to break their own trails. Before long, snowmobilers started racing each other from point to point; the manufacturers noticed and started creating models to race.
MORE THAN JUST A SKI-DOO This led to the cross-country machines of today, light single-rider snowmobiles with high-performance motors, shortish tracks with suspensions built to absorb the biggest jumps in the lightest form that never happened in my last decade on a snow machine, as reliability improved with technology. On the other side, there wasn’t much that couldn’t be fixed with a rock on earlier snowmobiles, but, like modern cars, modern snowmobile engines require specialized diagnostic tools to repair.
The original snowmobiles were cross-country machines. The trail networks that are found throughout northern North America didn’t exist. WHERE IT ALL STARTED
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possible. They are often ridden standing up and your knees double as additional suspension travel; fun for youth, not so much for older knees. As snowmobiling boomed in the ‘60s, snowmobiling clubs sprang up. They organized special events, had clubhouses where one could warm up and they started grooming trails, going from one clubhouse to another and opening the access to wooded areas and local sights. With the expansions of the trail networks, it was now possible to travel long distances on comfortable, groomed trails.
TOURING SNOWMOBILES The twitchiness of cross-country snowmobiles was superseded by the comfort of touring snowmobiles, generally built to take a couple on trails as smoothly
Bombardier produced the first modern snowmobile
as possible. Tracks are longer to accommodate
in 1959, the two-passenger Ski-Doo (Ski Dog +
two-up seating, the seats are more richly padded
printing mistake). The motor was in front of the
and sometimes heated, the windshield is larger to
passengers, who rode on the tunnel that the track
keep the riders warm, the suspension is more softly
occupied – it was steered by skis. This is still the
sprung, side bags and a trunk are available to pack
template that modern snowmobiles use.
the needs of a tour.
The original Ski-Doo was widely copied. In the
Touring snowmobiles have also contributed to the
mid-sixties, dozens, if not hundreds, of companies
(partial) greening of the species. One of the favourite
building snowmobiles came and went – of those, five
touring areas in the United States is Yellowstone
main brands survive today: Bombardier Recreational
National Park. In 2001, up to 65,000 snowmobilists
Products’(BRP) Ski-Doo, Lynx (Finland), Polaris
visited the park, and this led to many complaints
Industries, Yamaha and Arctic Cat.
about the noise and pollution emitted by all these
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machines. Since the winter of 2006, snowmobiles
dramatically over the last years, and you can now
used must be on the BAT (best available technology)
find models that are more trail-oriented, others that
list. The BAT requirements are that a snowmobile
are tuned towards more off-trail riding and some that
emit less than one-tenth of the hydrocarbons, one-
come closer to our last category, the utility sleds.
sixth of the carbon monoxide of a standard EPAapproved two-stroke engine. The maximum sound level allowed is 67 dBA, versus 78 dBA for a standard two-stroke snowmobile.
MOUNTAIN MACHINES While touring riders luxuriate in their seats, mountain riders stand. Mountain sleds are made to be ridden in the deep snow bowls of the mountainous areas. Originally exclusively found in the Rockies, where they were often used to carry skiers and snowboarders to pristine high mountain snow, they have spread to other hilly areas. They have the lightest chassis with the longest track possible and a motor that is often turbocharged to fight off the power losses of higher altitude.
The twitchiness of crosscountry snowmobiles was superseded by the comfort of touring snowmobiles, generally built to take a couple on trails as smoothly as possible. UTILITY SLEDS If you are a skier, you may have crossed utility sleds on your favourite hill, as they are often used to groom ski hills and cross-country ski trails. Utility sleds are used to get wood for camps, to pull ice
If you take the wider front end of a cross-country
fishing cabins by hunters and fishermen. They tend
sled and unite it to the (shorter lugged) long
to come with taller windshields, double seats, a
track of a mountain machine, while putting on a
longer and wider track with storage space on the
bigger windshield than either, you’ll have created
tunnel and more rugged suspensions. The wider
a hybrid snowmobile, competent on either trails
track gives more flotation and utility sleds often
or bushwhacking. This category has expanded
come with a gearbox with lower gears and reverse to
help with pulling heavy sleds and navigating in
to be able to pull loaded sleds without digging into
the bush.
the snow. With their four-stroke motors, they get
As in any other form of motorized transport, the electrification of snowmobiles is coming.
good fuel economy, which is a big plus in places where gasoline is way more expensive than in the “south.”
THE FUTURE As in any other form of motorized transport, the
You will find the greatest concentration of utility
electrification of snowmobiles is coming. A Québec
sleds where there are no groomed trails, in Northern
company, Taiga Motors, already builds electric
Canada. When I was living in the James Bay area of
snowmobiles and BRP announced this spring that
Northern Québec, most snowmobiles (and every
electric versions of each of its product lines would
family had at least a snowmobile) were utility sleds,
be available by the end of 2026. Yamaha, which also
mainly BRP Tundras and Skandics. They have a
supplies some engines to Arctic Cat, has already
narrow front end that is perfect for use in trails that
designed a high-output motor for cars and Polaris
were originally made by sled dogs and enough track
Industries already sells electric ATVs.
COMING UP:
Au revoir. For now. We’re going to re-look at everything we do and hope to return with an improved version of SideOne in the spring of 2022.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2
