The vicissitudes of fog and rain.

• Author: Atkins, Michael
• Position: President's Note

And now for my annual summer report from the south shore of Nova Scotia. Wet and foggy! This concludes my report. Seriously, this is nuts. The sun came out for 22 minutes the other day and we didn't know what to do. By the time we got our yellow rain jacket, and three layers of clothes off the moment had passed. We felt silly for such an obvious seduction. It is the only time I've seen the sun since arriving. To be fair I commute to Ontario to pay the bills and admit there was a sunny day when I flew up to be in the Ontario rain.

Last night as we walked on the beach we were reduced to talking about how lovely it was to walk in the fog and the drizzle when it was so warm. Sounds like Vancouver talk to me.

It's be an odd summer season.

To begin with, the doors swell with this much sustained dampness. If you manage to actually close a door you are in for a fight for your life to get it open again. Each day there are numerous little decisions about doors you wouldn't normally confront. There is a higher degree of risk when you have visitors and minimum standards of privacy are required. Don't stand on a throw rug while fighting a door. I was trying to escape the bathroom the other day when the door finally gave way and I flew across the bathroom and impaled myself on the sink.

Late at night as you lie in bed and hear someone heading for the washroom you can't help but place small private bets as to whether your friends will risk embarrassment of not closing the door or not being able to open it.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Worse than doors however, is my boat. I haven't yet been out for a sail. This year was to be a big year. I finally managed to get the boat moved from a difficult dock location to the top of the finger dock. This means quick and easy access to the river but also means she takes the sea from a Nor'easter, which we don't get much in the summer (south'wester generally the rule), except, well, this summer.

I was busy cleaning the boat the other day (surprising in and of itself) when a Nor'easter sprung up and before long the waves were rocking the old Eku II consistently. The longer I worked the more I realized something was wrong. Damn it, I was getting sea sick at my own dock. It doesn't get much worse than that...