A visual journey through hikes in and around Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Author: marialegault
I spend my time hiking in nature and reading great novels.
Car Troubles and the Little Village I Live In
The other day, I happened to look out the window of my top-floor apartment and see that the gentleman living below me was fussing under the hood of his car, which was popped up and exposed to the humid August air. I immediately surmised that there were some mechanical problems with the vehicle, as he was…
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
Orwell, George. (1949). Nineteen Eighty-Four. Penguin Books; London. There are many novels which you will want to read at least once in your lifetime, and this is one of them. Containing suspense similar to the distorted culture of Brave New World, mixed with the apocalyptic fear of The War of the Worlds, and as strangely…
Fit for Fighting with @K_TownMuayThai
With the crows calling from tree branches and the frequency of cool, rainy weather increasing, it’s pretty clear that summer is almost over. Perhaps this means that your energy levels are plummeting: suddenly there are fewer balmy, sweet-smelling evenings for a long hike, and it seems pointless to push yourself with no beach season looming…
Kolapore Uplands – Beaver Valley, ON
Kolapore Uplands Resource Management Area offers the curious and adventurous hiker access to biodiversity, rugged terrain, and some very cool caves. After visiting the area, I can affirm that the experience of hiking here is well worth the drive. I couldn’t believe that I was still in Ontario, Canada, my homeland and stomping grounds –…
Old Baldy Conservation Area – Kimberly, Ontario
Although I visited this hiking spot on a grey, cool, and overcast August day, the views were still spectacular. Old Baldy, a part of the Niagara Escarpment, rises 152 metres above the Beaver Valley (Grey Sauble Conservation, 2013). You have to walk about 15 to 20 minutes through open pasture and forest cover to reach the…
Sylvia Plath Poems – Chosen by Carol Ann Duffy
Plath, Sylvia (Author) and Duffy, Carol Ann (Compiler). (2012). Sylvia Plath Poems. Faber & Faber; London. I am not a regular consumer or producer of poetry; given a pile of poems, I would likely think them all of equal stature. It takes someone with a discerning mind and conscious heart to identify poems of great…
The Painted Bird by Jerzy Kosinski
Kosinski, Jerzy. (1965). The Painted Bird. Grove Press; New York. Let me begin this review by providing the potential reader with a warning – this book describes incredibly disturbing acts of violence and sexual depravity. The plot follows a young boy, abandoned by his parents during World War II, as he wanders from one village…
Two Unpublished Research Projects
There are certain days when I pile through my old university files and feel nostalgic about the younger me who pursued abstracted research with a clear heart, believing totally in the value and importance of said investigations. Two of these projects stand out to me as being particularly original – they were fully ‘my’ ideas…
Planet of the Apes and its Allegories
Two weeks ago, I went to see the most recent movie in the apes-versus-humans saga, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. I had no background knowledge of this series, but the film piqued my interest in seeing the original Planet of the Apes film from 1968. Let me note, briefly, that the most recent film…
Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew B. Crawford
Crawford, Matthew B. (2009). Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work. The Penguin Press; New York. As those I’ve had the occasion to speak with about employment well know, I am obsessed with the value and significance of work. This beautifully-written book by Matthew Crawford provides a philosophical investigation of abstract, knowledge-based…
Staycation this August 4th Holiday
It’s both a joyous and deflating time – the August 4th holiday, which is positioned midway through the summer months. It is our first reminder that summer isn’t going to last forever. Additionally, not everyone gets this day off and confusion proliferates over the exact name of the holiday (for e.g.: it is known as…
Maria Legault 