Had a great lunch with Bob Spensley of Sequoia. Sequoia, started by Bob and his wife, has partnered up with C-Free Power on a run-of-river (ROR) independent power project (IPP) at Jamie Creek. In an ROR, water is diverted from a stream, used for power and then redirected back into the flow of water with little loss of water and no contamination. Brilliant.
Bob cut his teeth on a wind farm power project with a small community in Manitoba where all the young people had left to find work elsewhere and there was nothing to attract newcomers. The monies realized were used wisely by the community and spread to the outlying areas so there was widespread benefit from the project. He just lights up when he tells the story; a lot of good was done in that town.
The financing for the Jamie Creek Project is not completely nailed down but if and when it is, the benefit to our end of the valley will be very tangible. Sequoia will need accommodation for 20 to 50 people and all that goes along with that - meals, laundry, fuel, supply runs and more. Different contractors will be coming and going. In fact, Tom Illidge is already using his cat to clear road for one of the contractors, just not sure which one. The project is planned to take two May-November seasons and a slim probability exists that the required work would take only one season. That is the best-case scenario.
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Have had a few days and nights of snow as the temperature hovers around the freezing point. One morning it was -12C but that did not last long. While we were having steady snow, freight truck driver Kane said the snow did not go much beyond the Tyax turnoff towards Lillooet. And apparently Lillooet was having spring that day. How fair is that?
The snow can look beautiful, though and one night the colored seasonal lights really added to the picture.
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After a series of meetings, our school has once more been spared from the guillotine so that is really good news. Two more kids next year as well I hear - Mia Hopp and Noah Keller. And Jessica Holden is here living with dad Scott (belated birthday wishes for the 12th) for the rest of the school year. Was great to see her smiling face again.
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Lost two future students, though. Kevin and Tayler Cosgrove and baby Casey have moved closer to family while Kevin goes to work in Indonesia for two years. Six weeks in and two out or some such arrangement. Likewise, Shy-Anne Gunville and Will Lamont and toddler Trinity are heading for Vancouver Island where Will will work as a faller. All the best to them as they move to the next chapter in their lives.
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Maybe we mere mortals have nine lives, too, like a cat. Maybe every major, or not so major, change we make to have a new life is counted as one. Clumsily said but you get the drift. And some of us get new life after new life until we finally get it right - sort of a conscious reincarnation. Makes sense.
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Suddenly little Mandy Greenman, who was about three when we moved here, is a self-confident young lady of 19; her birthday was on Mar. 11. She stopped in the Library for a short visit when she picked up the mail. She is living here with dad Gord for a couple of months because she wants to spend some time with him. That is nice; better use her Library card, though. Her brother Tim, 16, has been working at the mine for several weeks. Good on 'im.
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Deb Demare, new Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) Area A representative, has thrown herself wholeheartedly into her new job. Her submission to this month's "Mountain Telegraph" gives an update on area happenings - parks, roads, funding and the like. Already the Bralorne Community Advisory Committee has received funding to hire someone to assist in the completion of a management plan for the Sunshine Ski Hill and Chalet, which has been held by community tenure since 1978. The recent renewal extends that tenure to 2020.
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Guess that is about it for this time; seem to have lost my handy-dandy book of 5,000 quotations, which is my fallback when my mind goes blank searching for a quote. How about "life is a jigsaw puzzle with most of the pieces missing?" The real test? Will we recognize the pieces if we do come across them? Ah, a puzzle for the ages. Be safe, all, and to paraphrase an old song, "If you cannot be with the one you hug, hug the one you are with."
