To the seasons of life
The true north strong and free…Photo KDG:
The Coopers grocery store is charging 4 cents for grocery bags, the good news is that the price of the reusable ones is down to 99 cents. IF they sell lots that way does that make it the same on the good old environment…
No more copper pennies made in Canada so enjoy the Maple leaf photo as you think on your better ecological footprint.
On this Day: June 2nd 1855
The Barnum circus begins to tour the United States.
An old box Kodak camera, File Photo KDG
The local museum is having a presentation on a couple that documented the Nicola Valley during its youth in the early 20th century.
Harry and Lily Priest are the focus of a talk by Jolene Castillou Cumming grand daughter of Judge Harry Castillou, an early politician and pioneer to the Nicola Valley.
Titled the Photographer and the Teacher it is at the Merritt Seniors center June 8th 7:00-8:pm, free admission. The Museum and seniors center is at 1675 Tutill Court behind Coopers in the downtown Railyard Mall.
Tom Edwards and Murphy Shewchuck ,museum principals are a wealth of information about the early days of the Central interior of BC….
On this Day: June 1st 1980
Cable News Network starts its broadcast. CNN
Any one following this?
File photo KDG
Tired of thistles?
The Regional District had a booth at the spring festival last week, it was about invasive weed and plant control.
Herbicide free options include insect introduction to deal with :
Merritt is circled by a large rural population of land holders, maybe you might not be using insects to control weeds but your friends may want to . Also in the city there are bylaws against bad weeds over a certain height and they need to be removed by cutting if necessary. To that end the TNRD is having a long term strategy to control select invasive species with insects.
An assessment of your property is available by contacting the TNRD They say that free insects are on a first come first serve basis.
On this Day: May 31st 1977
The Trans Alaska pipeline is finished.
Diversity makes for a broader community.
File photo KDG
This is walk or bike to work or school week. There are many promotions in effect. The local community police office is selling decals for 10 dollars, they attach to your bike and are linked to an app. If your bike goes missing the app will send out an alert for 15 Kilometers around its last location.
The Merritt CPO is at Spirit Square off Voght.
On this Day: May 30th 1975
The European Space Agency is established…
60,000 liters gasoline delivery ….
For a barrel of oil investment three barrels can be produced in the Alberta tar sand development. This is quite different to the 1 barrel to a hundred of our youth. Conventional oil is different in its yields and process makes a difference. Tar sands are not conventional oil
Not all oil sands projects are created equal, of course. Cenovus, which uses super-hot bursts of steam to melt seams of bitumen buried too deep to mine, says it can coax oil from the sands for between $35 and $65 (U.S.) per barrel, depending on geology and other input costs. That’s “among the lowest-cost globally,” chief executive officer Brian Ferguson told New York bankers recently. source: Globe and Mail 2014
Oil is less than 50 dollars a barrel at this writing and no mater what the price the ratio of energy used and energy produced is a better scale for rationalizing development. With 240 billion tons of proven oil reserves world-wide and 5 billion a year produced giving 50 odd years of reserve. It looks like oil in
Alberta will be there for a while.
The twinning of the Kinder Morgan line is starting this September from Kamloops and we presume that the economy of following an already producing line gives a better ratio. We should be on guard for the dynamic of investment to diversification that shields real income for income that is circular . The axiom that we live under, reuse ,rethink and does energy east pay… in real terms… in present modes…
It will be good to see how the twinning to the west coast changes things in the real world as different to the academic….PP
On this Day: May 26th 1986
The European community adopts the European flag.
Nissan Leaf, gets DC quick charge in Merritt
File Photo KDG
We talked to two Nissan Leaf owners on the long weekend that used the quick charger at the downtown tourist info center on Voght street. Henny a brick layer from the lower mainland and on his way to Kelowna was driving a new Leaf and showed us the compact bakery under the front hood. He was saying that he needed a full charge to have confidence to carry on to Kelowna. The car was equipped with a solar panel on the roof as well and it only managed another lead acid battery that ran the lights and other then motor electronics.
When he returned the next day full of excitement we picked up on his confidence in the new experience.
The other driver a man in his 30s and a boy going camping at a local lake returned to recharge as well.
The comments were that the 500 volt quick charger was a green lot numbered one and it was surprising to see one that you needed to pay for.
Henning wondered if it was possible to use both the quick charger and the 90 amp 220 Volt charger at the same time as there are two charging ports supporting each one.
On this Day: May 25th 240 BC.
The first recorded passage of Hailey’s Comet.
City map on a shop on Voght Street.
File photo: KDG
The above map was made by a local sign painter some years ago, the art depicts the disposition of the two local rivers passing through Merritt BC.
Overnight brought a low pressure front to us in the Merritt area and a pronounced drop in temperature bringing the Nicola River level down about a foot at the Voght Street bridge, picnic park semi submerged picnic table scale. Water also retreated back and past the last cross street/cul de sac on Garcia.
The overnight also brought rain and snow and snow is visible at the 4000 ft. level on Iron Mountain.
On this Day: May 24th 1940
Igor Sikorsky flies a single rotor helicopter for the first time.
Sand made available at city hall
File Photo KDG
Sand bagging was done on Garcia Street over the weekend as well as 2 nd avenue. Water levels are staying static during the good weekend weather.
On this Day: May 23rd 1911
The New York Public Library is dedicated.
Know as the trans-mountain apartments Photo KDG
Know as the trans-mountain apartments, they remain a legacy from inter provincial construction six decades ago.
Photo KDG
The photo above shows the building with buds in full bloom known as the trans mountain apartments to some. Built for the pipeline six decades ago it shows that Merritt has always had a drive for a future.
Two new offices are going into the Community Futures building on Voght in Merritt. Community futures was the product of Western Economic Diversification when the Canadian Government removed the crow rate rail subsidy that helped industry get their product west of Ontario and Quebec. The rail subsidy was a huge part of nation building and east west dynamics in Canada.
Free trade later made things like the auto pact with the Americans and tariffs less of a concern to Canada’s nation builders.
Editors Note: World trade is said to have lifted 900 million people world wide from poverty, but has problems associated with it.
The offices are at 2185B Voght street in Merritt and is shared with the local transit authority.
The carpenter that did the renovation said he was a qualified Red Shield Journeyman, Red Shield is an program developed in recent years giving recognition to trades across provincial barriers.
On this Day: May 19th 1743
Jean- Pierre Christin develops the centigrade system of temperature measurement.
A new brood of ducklings
Photo KDG[/caption]
This new born brood of ducklings seemed unconcerned with sand bagging and took to the water just like ducks would.
On this Day: May 18th 2005
A second photo from the Hubble Space Telescope confirms that Pluto has more two moons.
Garlic festival in Lower Nicola 8 KM to the west of Merritt BC :File Photo KDG
Lower Nicola is a small unincorporated community to the west of Merritt BC, on highway 8 to Spence’s Bridge on the Thompson river. Lower Nicola is at the merging of the Guichon Creek and the Nicola River. Guichon Creek drains an area known as the Highland Valley.
According to what LN resident Sharon Woods said today a boil water is in effect for the community. Woods was down to the Nicola river in Merritt today checking it for levels.
Lower Nicola has community water and a park as well as other community property.
The community hosts a fall garlic festival that brings out antique farm and logging equipment as well as many home recipes and crafts.
They are also responsible for issuing notifications about drinking water quality. These are there notification levels, ranging from the least to most serious:
- Water quality advisory
- Boil water notice
- Do not use water notice
Note: Health authorities differ in whether they call such notifications “advisory,” “notice” or “notification.”
Vernon just had their boil water advisory lifted!
The advisory effects about 300 people in the community, and has been in effect for over a week.
Editors Note: Check official government sites for status reports.
On this Day: May 17th 1814
National Day in Norway established.
Friday March 12th saw road closure on Garcia St
Photo KDG
Flood control in the Nicola Valley saw the levels rise and lower with the controlled spilling of the dam on Nicola Lake and rainfall.
The green pointer on Voght street was back over the weekend indicating drought or ground level is normal once again. The rivers had been closed to fishing two years ago because of low water levels, rains on thanksgiving weekend in 2016 started a marked increase in water content in the valley culminating in some more activities in management this spring.
Ground saturation is obvious.
The regional district have waived tipping fees for flood damaged debris and property, supplying a phone number is required.
On this Day: may 16th 1770
The marriage of 14 year old Marie Antoinette to 15 year old Louis-Auguste.
Hey Merit what do you say?
Kevin Griffiths
percypaschal
