this delightful movie was inspired by a true story, with many of the details changed. It serves up thrills and adventure along with subtle messages about family ties and independence. thirteen-year-old Amy Alden (Anna Paquin), living in Ontario with her father and grieving the recent death of her mother, finds and adopts a flock of orphaned Canadian geese. she sets out to teach them survival skills. she feeds them, sleeps in a bathtub full of pillows next to their spot in the bathroom at night, and talks to them in geese-like noises. the geese follow her as if she were their mother. geese maintain very close relationships with their parents, according to this film, and when they are old enough to fly south for the winter, if the parents don't lead them on the migration and teach them the route, they will not know where to go or what to do. Amy, now age 14, and her inventor dad (Jeff Daniels) take to the skies in two homemade ultralight aircraft that he built to help the gaggle migrate 500 miles to freedom at a marshland nature reserve in North Carolina . Amy leads the flight, since the geese see her as their mother, with her dad flying behind her in his ultralight aircraft, with their support team on the ground, all keeping in touch. it becomes a media and political event before they finally touch down at the nature preserve. (1996). available on NetFlix, etc.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
water sports, gualala
Gualala maps
Gualala, California
"Well, it's a name that's hard to pronounce and even harder to spell. Sometimes it's hard to remember.
Some people call it gwa-LA-la, but the natives call it wa-LA-la. This comes from the Kashaya Pomo Indian phrase, "ah kha wa la lee" which means, "Where the water flows down", which makes sense--for the river goes out to the ocean right across from the center of town, right by that big sand bar where the whales stop for lunch every year.
It's up on the coast of California, north of San Francisco a ways. Not a big place, like some of those expensive resort areas. But, you know, once you've been to Gualala you'll never forget the wonderful times you had there. You'd love it.
Say! Let's go right now and I'll show you what you've missed. Even just talking about it I can smell that clean salt air and see the whales and seals.
I don't know what it is about that area that always seems so calm and natural. I come home feeling like I've found a special private retreat where I can always go when I need to just relax, kick back and have fun. Me and the beach, the redwood trees, and a few whales playing offshore. No boss. No noisy neighbors. No smog.
And we love the people. They're so calm and happy. I swear it's infectious. I come home smiling like I just won the lottery. And you know, in a way I guess I did.
I don't know why I never notice sunsets at home, for instance. But up there. Wow! They have this thing called a green flash during a sunset. At first I thought they were pulling my leg. But it's really true. We saw one and even got a picture of it!
So, are you packed yet and ready to start exploring? I just can't wait to go back! Come on! Let's go!"
www.gualala.com
Some people call it gwa-LA-la, but the natives call it wa-LA-la. This comes from the Kashaya Pomo Indian phrase, "ah kha wa la lee" which means, "Where the water flows down", which makes sense--for the river goes out to the ocean right across from the center of town, right by that big sand bar where the whales stop for lunch every year.
It's up on the coast of California, north of San Francisco a ways. Not a big place, like some of those expensive resort areas. But, you know, once you've been to Gualala you'll never forget the wonderful times you had there. You'd love it.
Say! Let's go right now and I'll show you what you've missed. Even just talking about it I can smell that clean salt air and see the whales and seals.
I don't know what it is about that area that always seems so calm and natural. I come home feeling like I've found a special private retreat where I can always go when I need to just relax, kick back and have fun. Me and the beach, the redwood trees, and a few whales playing offshore. No boss. No noisy neighbors. No smog.
And we love the people. They're so calm and happy. I swear it's infectious. I come home smiling like I just won the lottery. And you know, in a way I guess I did.
I don't know why I never notice sunsets at home, for instance. But up there. Wow! They have this thing called a green flash during a sunset. At first I thought they were pulling my leg. But it's really true. We saw one and even got a picture of it!
So, are you packed yet and ready to start exploring? I just can't wait to go back! Come on! Let's go!"
www.gualala.com
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Les Stroud, Survivorman
Lost in the Boreal forest in Ontario, Canada in the fall:
1. a male moose is rutting in the fall, and so is totally insane and may kill anyone in the area; the females are not dangerous, but there may be males following her
2. he drinks a lot of water and then marks a territory around his campsite to warn off other animals
3. water lilies -- have tubers underneath which can be eaten for carbohydrates and energy
4. he was able to start a fire using cedar shavings; his bow drill used one shoelace for the string. he made the round indentation in the wooden piece in the center that the bow drill sits on, and then he cut a notch on one of the long sides so it would all drop to the kindling below
Lost on a South Pacific island:
1. he had a flare with him. to start a fire with it, he piled up all the firewood he wanted to use to start the fire, including the kindling, then placed a big rock on top of it. then he put the flare under the wood pile, so the wood and the big rock kept the flare from flying off into the air. it worked for him!
2. hearts of palm are real, and very yummy
3. you can roast cocoanuts in your fire, and they taste quite good. you can use half of the cocoanut shell as a little saucepan to cook fish or seafood (i.e., clams, etc.) in. you can use some of the cocoanut milk as a liquid to cook them in
4. when walking in the water close to shore, do wear your diving booties, or the like, at all times to avoid foot damage
5. you can burn a bunch of palms and use as a torch at night. he even used one for night fishing. be sure and start the palm bunch to burning close to shore, or you have a long walk and the torch can go out
1. a male moose is rutting in the fall, and so is totally insane and may kill anyone in the area; the females are not dangerous, but there may be males following her
2. he drinks a lot of water and then marks a territory around his campsite to warn off other animals
3. water lilies -- have tubers underneath which can be eaten for carbohydrates and energy
4. he was able to start a fire using cedar shavings; his bow drill used one shoelace for the string. he made the round indentation in the wooden piece in the center that the bow drill sits on, and then he cut a notch on one of the long sides so it would all drop to the kindling below
Lost on a South Pacific island:
1. he had a flare with him. to start a fire with it, he piled up all the firewood he wanted to use to start the fire, including the kindling, then placed a big rock on top of it. then he put the flare under the wood pile, so the wood and the big rock kept the flare from flying off into the air. it worked for him!
2. hearts of palm are real, and very yummy
3. you can roast cocoanuts in your fire, and they taste quite good. you can use half of the cocoanut shell as a little saucepan to cook fish or seafood (i.e., clams, etc.) in. you can use some of the cocoanut milk as a liquid to cook them in
4. when walking in the water close to shore, do wear your diving booties, or the like, at all times to avoid foot damage
5. you can burn a bunch of palms and use as a torch at night. he even used one for night fishing. be sure and start the palm bunch to burning close to shore, or you have a long walk and the torch can go out
Monday, December 24, 2007
The Sweat Lodge
pix online? info online? purposes, history, etc.
Supplies for building a handy home sweat lodge in your yard:
1. galvanized metal bucket to carry hot rocks in
2. 3 to 6 large rocks, no bigger than 1' across
3. 1 shovel, for digging
4. 1 tent dedicated for this purpose; the size depends on how many people u want in it at 1 time
5. materials to build a good hot fire
6. bottles of water 4 cooling off later
Instructions for building a handy home sweat lodge in your yard:
1. pick your location
2. dig a hole in the ground as big as the bottom of the bucket
3. cut a hole in the bottom of the tent that is the same size as the bottom of the bucket,
preferably in the center of the tent
4. build a fire pit nearby for heating the rocks, but not so close 2 catch the tent on fire
Instructions for using the handy home sweat lodge in your yard:
1. put your tent up around the hole you dug, so the hole in the ground and the tent line up
2. put the bucket in place in the hole
3. build a good hot fire
4. when the fire is down to white hot coals, add the rocks and let them heat up
5. using some sort of tool, take the hot rocks out of the fire and put them into the bucket
6. gather your peeps
7. carry the bucket into the tent, placing it in the hole in the ground inside the tent
8. sit down, and sweat!
Supplies for building a handy home sweat lodge in your yard:
1. galvanized metal bucket to carry hot rocks in
2. 3 to 6 large rocks, no bigger than 1' across
3. 1 shovel, for digging
4. 1 tent dedicated for this purpose; the size depends on how many people u want in it at 1 time
5. materials to build a good hot fire
6. bottles of water 4 cooling off later
Instructions for building a handy home sweat lodge in your yard:
1. pick your location
2. dig a hole in the ground as big as the bottom of the bucket
3. cut a hole in the bottom of the tent that is the same size as the bottom of the bucket,
preferably in the center of the tent
4. build a fire pit nearby for heating the rocks, but not so close 2 catch the tent on fire
Instructions for using the handy home sweat lodge in your yard:
1. put your tent up around the hole you dug, so the hole in the ground and the tent line up
2. put the bucket in place in the hole
3. build a good hot fire
4. when the fire is down to white hot coals, add the rocks and let them heat up
5. using some sort of tool, take the hot rocks out of the fire and put them into the bucket
6. gather your peeps
7. carry the bucket into the tent, placing it in the hole in the ground inside the tent
8. sit down, and sweat!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
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