B O R E D - Who could be this?

Many People Today Claim Boredom...Why?

So many people today are bored. Not just the retirees who never took the time, while still employed, to take up a hobby or outside interest; no, many retirees are bored due to the fact that their job was their life, it is a simple as that. But what about the other people? Those people who do have jobs, even those who work at home with families, why are they bored?

I am not qualified to answer the above question, but I must question why these so-called self-confirmed "bored" humans are in fact bored, especially considering that here in Sarnia, we have a most wonderful spot, a Carolinian forest that is located at the mouth of the St.Clair river and where the waters of Lake Huron flow into: Canatara Park.

This park can defeat boredom, however there is a prerequisite: walking, a feat that would take most away from the "Idiot Box", that machine that most humans stare at for hours on end without making communication to anyone, including the aliens they appear to be searching for on the screen.

As you can see, to the right, there are many unique artifacts in this forest to view; the beech and very old oaks are plentiful, as humans are not allowed to destroy anything within the bounds of Canatara Park. While walking in the forest be on the lookout for the thousands of acorns that are dropping off the oaks - the black squirrels are busy scooping them up while you pass on by.

Of course, after a while, you will bet tired and need to take a break from this long walk...a well deserved break will warrant this spot I have choosen to take in the sights and sounds of such a magnificant forest. However, beware of, what my wife calls, "the hitchhikers"; they are tiny burr like klingons that attach themselves to everything, including the hair on your legs if you have any LOL.

The realism of the magic here is the lack of human traffic. It reminds me of backpacking the Bruce Trail up at Red Bay, another great spot on the shores of Lake Huron, just south of Tobermory. Peaceful settings are getting fewer and fewer and we must enjoy the beauty of these parks and certainly respect those that fought to maintain their everlasting presence in a society that is such gung-ho on deforestration.

Once you get outside of the Carolinian forest, you head northward toward the more public area of the park. To get to the top of the park at the edge of Lake Huron, you walk around a small inland lake that is home to many Canada geese, beautiful white swans, turtles, carp and many others of nature's finest. This small body of water is named: Lake Chipican, after the native indians who once were the main settlers of Lambton County, until our society moved in and began construction of a city of cement and asphalt. The view during the walk around Lake Chipican is wondrous to the eye.

Canatara Park is a stone's throw from the USA border, at the least it is a good swim away to the west. Swimming is excellent on the miles and miles of clean white sandy beaches, the most bluish of waters, similar to the Carribean waters.

Today there are hundreds of sail boats, mostly gathered out to the east in a huge cluster, possibly saying goodbye to old friends and summer.

When you saw the old man in the picture at the top of this blog, did you believe the poor soul to be one of the "bored retirees"?

If so, you were wrong...the man and his dog were admiring the specticle of the fountain to the right here, one that is in the infamous Canatara pond, home to the most beautiful white swans.

You see, there is more to life; all you have to do is discover it in a magical place such as this pond.

If you look closely you will see there is a canal that leads into the park's animal farm, home to hundreds of farm animals, foul of all kinds, and of course the wild residents that call this place home on a year round basis.

And here is the farm and the canal that leads into it from the swan pond. This animal farm is a year round host to continuous bus trips carrying all kinds of visitors to marvel at this site.

This is a feastive place, celebrations of all kinds, from Easter egg hunts, Christmas campfires and sing songs, to many special events by local groups such as Scouts Canada.

Check out this fabulous park yourself. All you have to do is throw your TV remote into the garbage, leave your car keys at home, put on the old runners, grab the dog and WALK on over to a very wondrous place: Canatara Park.
Now there is no excuse you can dream up to get out of this walk to reduce your boredom. Nope, the map above is quite explicit. You can see Lake Huron at the top, St. Clair river to the left and to the right, near the top is Lake Chipican and Canatara Park.

If you are still procrastinating on this because you say you cannot read the text for the proper road routing, well hey, no problem - click on this.

As they say at Timmies (a future blog for sure), "Have a nice day eh."

greg