Blue Moose Coffee House in Hope

Hope. We all live in hope. Especially the 6000 people who call the town home.














Hope is located at the eastern end of the Fraser Valley and is at the southern point of the Fraser Canyon. To the west is the Lower Mainland and Metro Vancouver. To the east, over the Cascade Mountains, lies the Interior region, the Okanagan, wine country and more. For many drivers, Hope is a convenient stop-off for petrol or coffee.

People have lived in the region for almost 10,000 years, when Sto:lo First Nations resided and prospered in the area. A smallpox epidemic in 1782 killed thousands of Sto:lo, or an estimated 60% of the population of the time. Europeans arrived in waves beginning in 1858 for the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush.



The Blue Moose Coffee House began at the end of last century, when Wes Bergmann opened a coffee shop in December 2000. He had a vision for a place where people could meet and enjoy great coffee and conversation. Judging by our repeated visits, he succeeded.

It's a busy place throughout the day, with locals and travellers enjoying coffees, pastries and light lunch items. There always seems to be a queue to order coffee and the cafe staff are friendly and helpful. There's a positive atmosphere at the Blue Moose.









The wait for the coffee can be longer than might be expected, though it's worth it. Beans are from Ethical Bean Coffee of east Vancouver; the coffee is organic, shade grown, fair trade, locally roasted and tasty.

The tuna cheese melt sandwich was wonderful and made-to-order. I would have expected a nice Kosher pickle on the side, but ...










So. Next time you're on your way to wine country don't give up Hope. Stop and walk around and enjoy the vibe and the coffee at the Blue Moose.

Photos by Jeem. Copyright 2015 by Jim Murray.

 

No deficits? A balanced budget? Not possible? Try again.

The matter of deficit spending has become an issue in our federal election campaign and much of the negativity is directed at Tom Mulcair and his pledge to balance the federal budget.

Mr Harper says this is nonsense, that the NDP has made too many costly promises to achieve that goal without raising taxes or abandoning commitments.

Mr Trudeau suggests deficits are a fine way to grow the economy amid global instability. The Liberals plan to run deficits to at least 2019, in an effort to spend our way into prosperity. Justin says the NDP plan to balance budgets will mean cutting existing programs.


Is spending borrowed money, even at low interest rates, the way to go? Obviously Tom Mulcair doesn't think so. Justin would have us believe his party is more progressive, more leftist than the New Democrats. That is balderdash, plain and simple, and we only have to recall North America's first socialist regime to see an example of progressive and prudent government.

Tommy Douglas came to power in Saskatchewan in 1944 and his crown corporations delivered provincial road systems, electricity to rural citizens, built modern water and sewage systems and created Canada's first universal health care system.

And he did it all, without going into debt. In 17 years as premier, he produced 17 balanced budgets.



When Tommy Douglas took office in 1944, Saskatchewan had a debt of $218 million, which was a staggering 38 percent of provincial GDP. Five years later he had reduced the debt to $70 million, and by 1953 the debt was eliminated altogether. By reducing debt, and interest costs, his government was able to spend more on public services without raising taxes. By the time he left office in 1961, Tommy Douglas had produced 17 successive budget surpluses.




Tommy's example was followed again in Saskatchewan by Alan Blakeney who produced an unbroken string of budget surpluses, plus an activist and progressive political agenda, between 1971 and 1982.







The Liberals and Conservatives will tell us Tom Mulcair's plan isn't possible, that it can't be done. And we will know better.

Copyright 2015 by Jim Murray.

Idabel Lake and the danger of loons

Idabel Lake is an amazingly beautiful lake south of Kelowna. While it's minutes from the Big White Ski Resort, and only 45 minutes from Kelowna, Idabel is wonderfully remote and secluded. Apart from disturbing stretches of blocks of logged forest nearby, the terrain almost Hiroshima-like in its imagery.













Mobile phone coverage is spotty at best, and television, if at all, is by satellite. Idabel is largely a drive-by lake; people drive by on the way to somewhere else. For those who stop however, there are clear mornings, wonderful swimming and fishing, the joy of peace and quiet and the melancholy voice of a lone loon on the lake.

On a clear night the Milky Way is a brilliant display of planets, stars and all sorts of satellites and space craft from our world and others too. The natural audio of the lake in the middle of the night includes owls and raccoons, deer and other mysterious creatures that banged around outside our door at three in the morning.




Signs are prominently posted at Idabel offering warnings about loons. These birds might look innocent enough but the recent truth is much more disturbing. The signs, in plain English, warn boaters to beware of loons. Apparently, and increasingly over recent years, loons have been dive-bombing canoes, kayaks, and row boats with a passion to injure humans within the craft. Many boaters on waters known to be held by aggressive loons, have taken to wearing bike helmets and hockey shoulder pads to protect themselves.






We think of loons as being solitary, lonely and peaceful. All Canadians recognise the call of the loon as essential to our very national experience. That experience seems to be changing.

Photos by Jeem . Copyright 2015 by Jim Murray.