Ahhh...The Cottage Life!

So many wonderful watery views can be found at Watery Wednesday! Thanks to 2sweetnsaxy for hosting this meme! Outdoor Wednesday by A southeren day dreamer here!

 A few posts ago I showed a photo of Old Woman's Bay on Lake Superior which is one of the 5, and most notorious of the Great Lakes.  It is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area and is the world's third largest freshwater lake by volume. Lake Superior has a surface area of 31,820 square miles (82,413 km²), which is approximately the size of South Carolina, USA. There is enough water in Lake Superior to cover the entire landmass of North and South America with 1 foot (30 cm) of water.
Annual storms on Lake Superior regularly record wave heights of over 20 feet (6 m)^. Waves well over 30 feet (9 m) have been recorded. I alway think of the Edmund Fitzgerald when I think of Superior due to the song about the disaster, the subject of Gordon Lightfoots 1976 hit song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald".


SS Edmund Fitzgerald (nicknamed "Mighty Fitz," "The Fitz," or "The Big Fitz") was an American Great Lakes freighter  launched on June 8, 1958. At the time of her launching, she was one of the first boats to be at or near maximum St. Lawrence Seaway size which was 730 feet (220 m) long and 75 feet (23 m) wide. From her launching in 1958 until 1971 the Fitzgerald continued to be one of the largest boats on the Great Lakes.

On November 10, 1975, while traveling on Lake Superior  during a gale , the Fitzgerald sank suddenly in Canadian  waters approximately 17 miles (15 nmi; 27 km) from the entrance of Whitefish Bay  at a depth of 530 feet (160 m) The sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald is the most famous disaster in the history of Great Lakes shipping. Fitzgerald left Superior, Wisconson on the afternoon of Sunday, November 9, 1975 under the command of Captain Ernest . McSorely. She was en route to the steel mill on Zug Island, near Detroit, Michigan, with a full cargo of taconite A second freighter, Arthur M. Anderson , destined for Gary Indiana out ofTwo Harbours, Minnesota, joined up with Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald, being the faster ship, took the lead while Anderson trailed not far behindCrossing Lake Superior at about 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph), the boats encountered a massive winter storm, reporting winds in excess of 50 knots (93 km/h; 58 mph) and waves as high as 35 feet (11 m). Because of the storm, the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie were closed. The freighters altered their courses northward, seeking shelter along the Canadian  coast. Later, they would cross to Whitefish Bay  to approach the locks.
Late in the afternoon of Monday, November 10, sustained winds of 50 knots were observed across eastern Lake Superior. Anderson was struck by a 75-knot (139 km/h; 86 mph) hurricane-force gust. At 3:30 pm Fitzgerald radioed Anderson to report a minor list  developing and top-side damage including the loss of  radar. Visibility was poor due to heavy snow, and the Coast Guard warned all ships to find safe harbor. Two of the Fitzgerald's six bilge pumps were running continuously to discharge shipped water. The lighthouse and navigational radio beacon at Whitefish Point had also been knocked out by the storm. Fitzgerald was ahead of Anderson at the time, effectively blind; therefore, she slowed to come within 10 miles (16 km) range so she could receive radar guidance from the other ship The Anderson was soon after notified by the Coast Guard that the Soo Locks were closed due to the storm and all ships were advised to find safe anchorage.
For a time Anderson directed the Fitzgerald toward the relative safety of Whitefish Bay. At 5:45 pm, Captain McSorley radioed another ship, Avafors, to report that Fitzgerald was suffering a bad list, had lost her radars, and had seas washing over her decks. McSorley described the situation as, "One of the worst seas I've ever been inThe last communication from the doomed ship came at approximately 7:10 pm, when Anderson notified Fitzgerald of an upbound ship and asked how she was doing. McSorley reported, "We are holding our own." A few minutes later, she apparently sank; no distress signal was received. Ten minutes later Anderson could neither raise Fitzgerald by radio, nor detect her on radar . At 8:32 pm, Anderson was finally able to convince the U. S. Coast Guard that the Fitzgerald had gone missing. Up until that time, the Coast Guard was looking for a 16 foot outboard lost in the area. The United States Coast Guard finally took Captain of the Anderson, Jesse "Bernie" Cooper, seriously shortly after 8:30 PM. The Coast Guard then asked the Anderson to turn around and look for survivors.
Once Anderson noted the loss of Fitzgerald, a search was launched for survivors. The initial search consisted of the Arthur M. Anderson, and a second freighter, SS William Clay Ford . The efforts of a third freighter, the Canadian vessel Hilda Marjanne , were foiled by the weather. The U.S. Coast Guard launched three aircraft, but could not mobilize any ship. Her crew of 29 perished in the sinking with no bodies being recovered. When the wreck was found, it was discovered that the Fitzgerald had broken in two.

I was deserted this weekend! I was supposed to get up to the cottage but the rest of my family had made alternate plans and as I can't get the boat in the water alone I decided to just stay home. Everyone has gone off somewhere so it was too quiet and boring! I decided to go hunting yesterday and it turned out to be a good days hunt! I got beaver, turtle, turkey vultures.. Oh, and my hunting is only with a camera! No bloodshed!

I have never been to the Luther Marshes, about an hour and 15 minutes from here. I wanted to go for a walk as well, some where near water as I was missing the cottage andI found this area on line. It is a huge area, 5915 hectares for the Luther Marsh Wildlife Management Area and another 1582-hectare for the Luther reservoir. Today, the Luther Marsh Wildlife Management Area is a core of wetland habitats, including bogs, fens, swamps and marshes, augmented by a patchwork of upland forests, plantations, grasslands, rented farm fields, and recently restored habitats, which together make this the largest "core area" of primarily natural habitat in the watershed.

When I first entered I saw a lake. I didn't expect a 1,400 hectares lake in this area. I thought it was all going to be marshy and boggy. Luther Lake is shallow though and very weedy and full of stumps. It is man made from the headwaters of the Grand River watershed by a damn. Make sure to enlarge these photos for a better look!














The path through the woods was so beautiful and vivid green, lined with many kinds of wildflowers.




As I was driving by this small pond I saw rings in the water.  I stopped, expecting I would see fish.






There were many marshes and little ponds and I saw lots of water fowl. I continued to drive around the wetlands and saw such beautiful farmland, with soil so rich! At one farm I saw an old barn and a couple of large birds sitting on a pile of old wood. Looking more closely  I saw they were Turkey Buzzards. I stopped my car and got out quietly hoping for a couple of pics. Surprisingly they didn't fly away.

 It was through desperation that the thought finally surfaced. I've had enough of the searching, the let downs and the attitude. Apparently you are a second class citizen now if you cannot find work. Of all the thousands of jobs that have opened since the recession, the field I was in was very narrow and there are few companies in the area.
So it is, that I will start a new business of my own. Sounds simple enough. Give myself employment. Well, simple it is not. There is so much to consider. What will be the nature of this business? Should I specialize or go general? What kind of name and logo will stand out in peoples minds? What type of marketing works and how do I get it out there? So, so much.

I had been speaking with a counselor at the local VPI which is a leading Canadian Employment, HR Management and Rehabilitation Firm. I mentioned to the counselor that I thought the best path was to start my own business, become self employed. She informed me of a new government program to assist those that want to start their own self employment or small business. She sent me to "Job Skills" through Employment Ontario to a seminar supplying information to prospects about the Self Employment Benefits Program.

Now my last dealing with the government, it took months to put together all the information they required and then, after 6 months waiting,  I received  a letter stating "they had changed the criteria and I no longer met the requirements of that criteria". I am very leery of any government programs!

This application, which goes through much faster, in just a few weeks, is also through Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. The Job Skills counselor meets with the applicant and decides whether the business and the person applying has merit and is eligible. They will than recommend (or not) that person to the MTCU. The applicant has 1 week to fill in a very technical and exact application that is ten pages long. If you are accepted they will assist you to set up the business and get it started. 42 weeks of mentoring and assistance! 

That is where I stand now. This is a brutal application. Not like applying for a job by any means! There is, and rightly so, a wealth of information they require to decide if you are eligible for assistance. There are things in here I never really thought of. So I am researching. Good information for me to know, obviously. They do not want anyone who has already started a business. It is OK if you have picked a name and registered the business but that's all they will allow. I am antsy to get going. The wait will be torture for two reasons. I am not to start the business. I will not find out if I am accepted until mid June. My insurance runs out at the beginning of June! I am really excited and very nervous about the prospect. Wish me luck!