Carpentering for the Carpenter

Two people could ride side by side in the front seat while the pilot operated it from the back seat.

The star attraction of the airplane exhibits was the one and only replica of the Avro Arrow.

The intriguing story of the Arrow is still filled with mystery. It was designed, tested and constructed between 1953 and 1958 in Malton , Ontario. It was the most advanced interceptor of its time. It was capable of Mach 2 and could fly as high as 50,000 feat.

Only five such planes were built when the program was abruptly canceled by the Canadian government on February 20th, 1959, Some 14,000 employees lost their jobs and about another 15,000 in spin-off industries. Within two months all planes, parts and production equipment were officially scrapped.

32 engineers moved to the U.S. and worked for NASA. This prompted the Canadian expression, "the brain drain," which we apply to other situations as well.

Why the Arrow was canceled remains a mystery. Speculation involves politics, economics, military strategies, and security in the middle of the cold war.

However enough information was gleaned so that many years later the full scale model pictured above could be built. I am thankful for having the privilege of seeing it. It will soon be moved to other venues for other people to view.

Just a few highlights from Canada's one hundred years in the air.

How did we celebrate the Labor Day weekend? We took Suzanne, Roger and Jonathan, and a friend to the Reynolds Alberta Museum. It is a large museum of the equipment that build our province featuring four distinct areas: Industry, Agriculture, Automobiles, and Aviation.
Being the fall long weekend, the main events focused on harvesting. This Steam Traction Engine would soon operate the threshing machine.

Leigh and Randy Kvill ("quill") are members of our church. He is one of the leaders of the Museum and she was doing the announcing at the threshing demonstration. She is a school teacher and taught our children when they were in high school. Randy's father has build several model steam engines that actually work. We also know Randy's uncle who is Chancellor of Peace River Bible Institute.This threshing machine was to be used for the demonstration. If you look closely you will notice that one side of the feeder chain is hanging down because a link is broken. there was about a twenty minute delay as the men fixed the break. "This is all too real," I thought as I reflected on memories of harvest time when I was a teen-ager.

Threshing in progress. Two men are pitching bundles of winter wheat onto the feeder of the threshing machine. If you look closely at the spout going into the green wagon you can see a "dump"of grain (1/2 bushel) coming down it. Behind the threshing machine and wagon you can also see the beginnings of a straw pile and more straw coming down out of the blower pipe attached to the back of the thresher. Everything is working! The wheat will be taken to one of the museum buildings where it will be ground into flower and made into bread that can be eaten in the restaurant there.

Adjacent to the threshing demonstration, these men were cutting a field of winter wheat. The binder cuts the grain and ties it into bundles or sheaves which you can see piling up on the "bundle carrier" attached to the right side of the machine. Ted and I learned to drive the tractor this way at age ten. Dad attached a rope to the leaver clutch of the tractor so he could stop it.

In the background you can see three large steam shovels that were used in coal mining in years past.

In the next field a man was seeding winter wheat for next year. Yes, this is the right time to be doing it. In the foreground are the bunches of bundles left by the binder.

Our friend and I enjoyed this reenactment of activities from our respective childhoods. Outside there were a lot more old tractors and farm equipment to be seen. Inside the pavilion were several exhibits of farm equipment, industrial machines, an automobiles.

We had a wonderful day taking in all (well most) of what there was to see. Roger and Jonathan did very well too.

I now have a new job, and another, and another... No, I'm not getting fired, or laid off, over and over again. I've put in several resumes at different places, all to no avail. I had just one call back for an interview and that was two months ago. Nothing further.

But I have been busy working. I continue to do the maintenance job and it has involved up to 16 hours a week the past couple of months. Ever since Easter I've been doing some renovation and/or fix-it jobs. Most of it has been for a man in our church who has a couple of apartment buildings. But there have been several other jobs as well.

And I'm loving being self-employed.

Last week when things were slower I started redoing our basement bathroom. Now, I'm too busy to finish it. (I do have to stop and watch the hockey game. "Go Red Wings go!")

The result has been that I've been kept busy and I'm making a relatively steady income. It's kind of day to day but the Lord is providing through it all. Praise His Name.

New Year’s Resolutions:
10: Learn to play at least one Wii game successfully.
Haven't done much on Brian and Sue's Wii.
9: Win $1,000.000 on “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth-grader?” (the PC game)
Done this one several times, too bad it wasn't in real life.
8. Work on my novel.
Haven't even thought about it.
7. Read more good books.
I've read about 8 or 10 and enjoyed them. Mostly apologetics and Christian history.
6. Do more Bible study—sermon preparation.
Only for the few times I've preached.
5. Finish my autobiography this winter.
Almost done the "first draft" and working on adding pictures.
4. Exercise regularly.
Went to the walking track about three times a week till recently.
3. Read my Bible more.
I've made it through Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers.
2. Spend more time in prayer.
Maybe a little, but not much considering I have more time to spend.
And my #1 New’ Year’s Resolution is:Get a job!
That one's still a no-go. A few nibbles is all.
So I re-evaluate and keep at it, all the above.

If you walk into a flower shop and see a strange plant that looks like a Venus Fly Trap, only different, don't buy it. Advise the shopkeeper not to feed it. And definitely DO NOT feed it blood. Such was the mistake made by Seymour and in the end it would cost him his life.

By now some of you will have figured out that I am talking about the Broadway musical "Little Shop of Horrors." It was presented here in Camrose by the amateur organization the "ChurchMice Players." The person playing Seymour, the main character, had many lines to learn and many songs to sing. And in my humble opinion, he nailed the part.

Colleen and I took Thomas to see the opening night production last night. All three of us loved it. Seymour was played by our son-in-law Brian. I knew he could sing, but now I know he can really act too! Great job!

She was a member of our family for 19 years. But alas she is no longer with us. I remember the first time I saw her. It was just a week or so after I'd had my famous accident on the river hill. We went over to Wetaskiwin and my Dad showed us the newest addition to the Turner family. She was just a newborn but she was a cute as could be.