Up in Ontario

Squamish Winter Fishing Photos

Here are some photos to go with the three Winter Fishing stories from the November archives: Winter Fishing on the Upper Squamish, And the World Was Silent and From the River.

cb rigs his fly rod and readies himself of the shore of the Squamish River. The snow had just started at this point.

cb takes a break from fishing as we move up the river in search of fish.

A chum salmon rests in the shallows in the foreground. By the time of this photo, this fish had already spawned. Snow collects on its humped back as it waits to die.

With darkness approaching I hooked one in a small current break.

A ferocious fight ensued as the trout battled me back and forth across the current.

We landed this beauty bull trout, snapped a photo, unhooked her and then watched her swim away.

The snow was so deep on the drive home along the logging road that it piled up at the front bumper and on the hood. Every few minutes we had to stop to clear it away, otherwise it flew up onto the windshield and the wipers, even on panic speed, couldn't keep the sightlines clear.

Schott's Miscellany

I received a slim hardback book from a friend this Christmas. It is called Schott's Miscellany (Buy/Browse at Amazon.com) and it is one of the finest things to have on your bookshelf, in your travel pack, on the coffee table. Why? Well because you can pick it up, open to any page and discover something interesting about the codes that we live with everyday in our world.

Vancouver Launch

After many months of talk, I have a firm date for the launch of Up in Ontario in Vancouver.

Live at the Lake

Winnipeg Comes to the West Coast

Vancouver - Friday, January 16 - 8:00 pm to whatever

"Live at The Lake: Winnipeg Comes to The West Coast" is scheduled for January 16 in Vancouver, and is designed to give Vancouverites an unforgettable introduction to a legendary Manitoba institution: The Social.

Live at the Lake is the Vancouver launch event for the novel, Up In Ontario, and it's going to be a fine old time. So hop on the bandwagon. To misquote Kim Mitchell, we're ready, willing and able to kick this party into high gear. The following features will distinguish Live at the Lake from any other event you've ever attended:

Some Seasonal Notes

A Christmas Carol, Preface

"I have endeavoured in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it."

Their faithful Friend and Servant, C.D.
December, 1843.

Smith Camps

Just a quick note to let people know that they can learn more about Smith Camps by browsing the Smith Camps website. Photos, maps and an extended story called 'On the Edge of Nowhere' that ran in Boating Life magazine await on the site.

Winnipeg Launch

After many months of talk, I have a firm date for the launch of Up in Ontario in Winnipeg.

Winnipeg - Sunday, January 11 - 2:00 pm

Help me (James Sherrett) launch Up in Ontario at McNally Robinson Bookstore. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to come out and celebrate. Prizes will be won, James Sherrett will read from Up in Ontario and sign books, members of his family might shed a tear or two. Full details at the McNallyRobinson website events calendar.

Need more convincing? The Prairie Ink bistro at McNallyRobinson serves a wicked omelete along with great soups and sandwiches. The ambience is fine and I could take requests if you have a particular section of Up in Ontario that you would like to hear read. Still not convinced? There will be prizes. Good ones.

So if you live in Winnipeg, I want to see you at the launch. If you know someone who lives in Winnipeg, I want to see them at the launch. Either way, those coming should make sure they arrive early, since seating will be limited, and if I get out in front of a crowd, I could go on forever. Just pass me the mic.

Winnipeg Event: Friends and Family Party Report

When I landed in Winnipeg on Thursday night the thermometre read -28C and I was quickly reminded that as much as you think you remember what cold is like, you forget. The feeling of the cold, dry, crisp air entering my lungs as I exited the warmth of the airport was not something I held close to my heart. Soon after, the hairs inside of my nose started to freeze together. "Now this is cold," I thought to myself.

I spent Friday afternoon signing books in the McNallyRobinson flagship Grant Park store. Paul McNally set me up at a desk beside the cash dias with a sign on the front of the desk, "Meet James Sherrett, author of Up in Ontario." He handed me a stack of books and a roll of stickers and I signed the books and placed the stickers on the cover. Shoppers, in their pre-Christmas fever, walked by staring at the books, the sign, me. At some points I felt like I imagine an animal at the zoo feels. But only for brief moments.

Some folks stopped to ask what this Up in Ontario was all about and I told them. Some seemed satisfied at that, others wanted to know more. One fellow asked about my family name, if I was related to the Sherrett's that lived around Portage-la-Prairie, and I told him I likely was, and confirmed it the next day with my dad, that my great aunt Jo had lived in Portage and sent my grandfather Pa cigarettes during the war. Another fellow told me he was from Kenora and he knew my great grandfather, (J.A.) Joseph Allen Sherrett, Gramp to us, when Gramp had been editor of the Kenora Daily Miner & News.

On Saturday night we held the Friends & Family party and it went off swimmingly. Folks showed up in droves and we sold out of books in the first two hours. I read four times from Up in Ontario and received my first request for a reading from a woman I knew only as Cordelia.

My mom cooked a huge ham and we served it with fresh buns and fixings. Cheese plates and pickles and chips and dips covered the tables. We served farmer's sausage sliced into rings as hors d'ouevres with toothpicks as utensils and fancy mustard for dipping. At one point the place was so packed I couldn't get down the stairs to tend to the ringing doorbell. Larry Bratland picked up the book, skimmed through the first few pages, looked up at me and declared, "I can see you're an existentialist." Once he had progressed further in his skimming he looked up at me again and said, "You're definitely a conservative." At that point, I had to sit down and talk with him about it. Asking a writer pointed questions about their work is like offering a bone to a hungry dog.

At the end of the night my grandfather told a story of a young boy in Kenora who swore too much. On a number of occasions he was sent home from school for swearing. The boy's mother was concerned by her son's swearing and provide a vigourous example of punishment to make sure the boy understood her concern. She even threatened to not let him go to the birthday party up the street on the weekend. The boy promised he would not swear and was allowed to go to the party. The mother dressed him in his best outfit and placed the gift in his hands to deliver to the birthday girl. Then she watched him walk up the street to the party.

A few minutes later the boy started walking back down the street towards home, his gift still in his hands. The mother saw this and knew he had been sent home again for swearing. As soon as the boy was within reach she started administering the punishment. Between blows she yelled, "I thought you promised no more swearing?"

"But mom," the boy said. "The goddamn party isn't until tomorrow."

After everyone had left the party I went with my friends Jeff and Kerrie, who are married to each other, to VJs, the best hamburger stand I have ever eaten at and a Winnipeg institution. Kerrie always orders a milkshake and never shares it with Jeff. He sometimes tries to get a sip but she maintains that she will not share. She always warns him she in advance that she will not share but he still tries to get his sip. This time Jeff and I shared. It's funny how some people share and some people don't and a real dividing line can exist between the two.

The evening ended in true Winnipeg winter style, with me letting Jeff out to start his truck while I parked beside him. He got back into the warm car to wait while the truck warmed up and we listened to the distant sound of a train's whistle as it approached the crossing a few blocks away. Kerrie started to feel drowsy in the back seat as Jeff and I talked about when we used to own a sprinkler company together. We still point out the installations we did when we drive past the old job sites. We had nicknames for each other and for our employees and for many of the shovels and tools we used, and sitting there watching the exhaust rise into the cold air I felt the past coming back to me in waves. The wail of the train whistle sounded out again in the night and I recogized then that Winnipeg will always be home.

Building Consensus in Australia

Now this is an unexpected guest contributor: Josh Payne. All the way from Australia, Josh writes of his exploits in building international relations. He has been travelling downunder for a few months now and seems to have settled in very nicely. All incoherent elements that you will find in the story below have been retained to preserve Josh's unique storytelling voice, and not as lazy editing by this meager editor.

Note to anyone who has not read Money by Martin Amis: this might not make as much sense as you and I both hope. So you should read Money. As my friend Craig told me the other day, "Everyone needs money, that's why they call it money."

Josh's Story

well all..gday
first of all....damn you Yard for saying that i had to get kicked out of more bars for you... did you NOT read my first letter of being kicked out of 4 bars in sydney...

well since then..hmmm..long time

i went to brisbane ....ho hum...diddly dum..quiet by myself on the outskirts of town...then moved into town to another hostel...met up with david kearney, an Irishman....bad news already....he said i had a glint in my eye ...(i thought the same myself about him)...that said i needed a drink ;) so we headed downstairs his two Irish mates ended up meeting us there...and before long i'm off to Noosa just 2hrs north of Brisbane with them the next day seems he met up with a chap in S. America who said if he ever came to oz he would hook him up... since i was adopted irish… i was included (josh fitzpayne)

turns out this chap owned beach front condo's....absolutely stunning view of the ocean..so we spent a good 4-5 days there… dirt cheap (now for yard) we single handedly managed to get kicked out of not 1...no, not 2....but ALL 3!! of the resort town's bars in a span of a few days...sheesh the first bar we were denied even before we got in....he said my id was no good and to stand over there....so we did… but when questioned as to how come, he got fairly loud and angry..then the police asked us to leave… well, long boring story there...man the irish are funny :)

so the next night we watch ireland get killed by australia...too bad… although from the following events of the night… i'm not sure a win would have been any better… we went strong into the night consoling each other… me being irish after all originally we weren't allowed into that bar because we didn't even bring our id… (it didn't work the first night so why bring it the second?) but with some smoooooth talking we got in.... red bull... vodka... redbull/vodka... redbull/vodka/vodka... uhh... uh-oh so after the bar closes... ish... say 3 we are out side oh yeah rule #1 of travel... make friends with as many people as you can... so I did at the pub watching the game ;) talked french to a french dude, talked english to a pomie, i think English to a welsh man, and of course being irish canadian...well, i just made friends with everyone i could find.... flash forward

so at the end of the night a car comes tearing into the parking lot ....aledgedly to pick up the bouncing staff to escort them to another bar… the same one we were going to...cool :) we continue to party outside when the yahoo in the car decides to back the car up c.r.a.z.y. fast... i barely catch the car out of the corner of my eye and jump to attempt to get out of the way… landing as softly as i could on the trunk of the car....he shouts at me so then WWIII starts as 3 bouncers jump out of the car to ''talk'' (mom) to me i turn to explain that it was alright that they nearly ran me over when I almost get hit with a flying something… turns out it was two flying Irishmen delivering the bouncer to the pavement....like a rock... then i look to the driver to also explain there is no need for angry words when he is promptly sat on his arse by ...the united nations... yup. i will never say the french aren't tough again...at least not their hookers...(he played rugby) as well the welshman and the pomie were having a go

so i sat down and finished my beer quietly on the curb watching the car eventually take off down the street....and we continued on our way... cheerio to you all etc. etc. , have a good night and the like

so we eventually arrive at the next bar and are promptly told that we cannot get in...turns out there was an A.P.B. bouncer-style in Noosa for two irish guys and a canadian...and i haven't the faintest idea why...i still am blaming the irish guys but they always just give me this mad look we have since been to ..uhh… just thinking now...well lets backtrack a little...i am now in Point Douglas… just north of Cairns on the east coast...we stopped in Ingham… lovely town… very rural...yeah...watched France get there butts handed to them...damn pomies before we were in...well i won't bore you with all those silly details...has anyone read Money ..>>>scott... i hope you are picking up some of the references right now cuz that is exactly how i feel and am writing this...fighting with the broom closet and all...and losing oh yeah.. that's why…

and so now we are back to the future with 6 minutes left on my computer and nothing left to say… ahhh life is grand isn't it… too bad it only cost me 8 FREAKIN DOLLARS to those that know how i feel, continue to know...to those that don't I hope i at least entertain as the life of a bard means nothing if he doesn't

thinking of hooking up with some boys down in Mackay to play rugby and work now... brett they are essentially waiting for us if we want and said they should be able to look after us… they need help in the backs they said...let me know… preseason training starts in january

now.....

feel the love from down under... i don't want to come home but still… would like to see y’all every now and then

xoxo
to those who deserve it
and the rest ...
cheers

jpac

A Slight Difference of Chromosomes

Christmas Lists

What's on your list for the holidays? Any guesses as to what will be under the tree when you wake on the 25th?

What I want:

Sherrett Index

Average number of lists that, at any one time, you can find in my mother's house: 13

Number of those lists taped up in the kitchen: 6

Number of lists to keep track of the lists: 1

Number of people I know whose bathroom cabinets I have snooped through: 5

Chance that they know who they are: 40%

Number of junior hockey championships won, wearing #3 and playing defense with the Charleswood Hawks: 4

Number of years played with the Charleswood Hawks: 4

Times since my last game that I have worn my Charleswood Hawks #3 jersey: 2

Instances of 'Good hugger' that I have seen in resumes evaluated over my career: 1

Chance that I hired the 'Good hugger' candidate: 100%

Chance that content on UpinOntario.com is true in the conventional understanding of the word: 74%

Chance that anyone can define the conventional understanding of truth: 8%

Chance that anyone believes there is an alternate understanding of truth: 2%

Rank of West Vancouver of Canadian municipalities in terms of wealth: 1

Rank of Vancouver's downtown eastside for hepatitis and HIV infection in north america: 1

Estimate of the percentage of orders at Indian restaurants that include butter chicken: 24%

Estimate of orders that include naan bread: 86%

Number of trout caught on my new fly fishing rod: 1

Number of times I have told the story of the one trout caught on my new fly fishing rod: 14

Number of posts in the Up in Ontario Blog that the one trout caught on my new fly fishing rod generated: 3 (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)

Number of times this week that I have been asked, "What is a blog?": 3

Chance that this is a rip off from Harper's magazine and that it has already been done by too many people who think that they too are clever: 100%

Number of people whose cleverness has exceeded this cleverness: 7

Becoming a Bestseller

Well paint me pink and call me Eunice. The Duck and I received a call this morning from my mom. She told us that Up in Ontario had made the bestseller list in Sunday's edition of the Winnipeg Free Press. A quick check of the McNallyRobinson website confirms it. There it is, #9 on the Trade Paperbacks.

Thank you to everyone who helped push Up in Ontario onto the list. Now, we have eight more positions to climb. Who's with me? Can we do it? Yes we can!

Site Updates: News, Author, Book

I've spent the past weekend updating the Up in Ontario website. Have a cruise around when you get the chance. Of particular note:

Barry Broadfoot Dies

I read this past week that Barry Broadfoot had died at the age of 77 and I said to myself, "Who is Barry Broadfoot?" Turns out I should have known him, or at least his work. Broadfoot is credited as the writer of some of the best-selling and most-enduring books of Canadian history. He seemed to take it as his mission to collect the stories of the pivotal events of the 20th century.

Broadfoot's first book was Ten Lost Years, a chronicle of the great depression. He followed with Six War Years, about the second world war, The immigrant years: From Europe to Canada, 1945 to 1967, about the influx of immigrants arriving in Canada, and Years of Sorrow, Years of Shame, about the internment of Japanese-Canadians during the second world war.

Looking back on this bibiography, it seems that Broadfoot assumed the duty of documenting the history of Canada that passed in his lifetime. All the events that shaped the nation through the early and middle parts of the 20th century he took as his subject. Or rather, he took as the subject he presented to people; because Broadfoot's method was to go out and ask people to tell him their stories of those times. He recorded them speaking then transcribed the tapes on an old Underwood typewriter. These transcriptions he collected and edited and submitted to publishers as his book. Stories were not credited to individuals. Instead, Broadfoot rolled them all up together to create a collage, as if the people spoke in one voice, directly through the text.

The resulting books manage to bridge the gap between the events of history and the lives of the people who lived through the times. The dates we remember are given a context by the quotidienne experience of ordinary people: history told through the memories of the man on the street.

I confess that I am fascinated by this type of storytelling. I have added a number of Barry Broadfoot books to my Christmas list. Many of his titles are out of print, but the great reserve of the Advanced Book Exchange will locate them for you if you so desire. Give them a look and find the human dimensions to history.

Haig-Brown Institute

Today is a chance for me to include one of my favourite images and to make a plug for my friend, Chad Brealey and the Haig-Brown Institute. From the Haig-Brown Institute website I present, A Fisherman's Spring.

Fisherman's Seasons Limited Edition Prints: Fisherman's Spring

Fisherman's Spring is the first of the Haig Brown Institute's limited edition series of prints entitled, Fisherman's Seasons. To purchase a copy of Fisherman's Spring please contact Chad Brealey, HBI executive director – 604 657 3007.

Fisherman's Seasons Limited Edition Print details:

The Mayor's Annual Christmas Sale

Mark down Thursday, December 4th on your calendars!

The Mayor of Kitsilano, Nicole Milkovich, emailed me yesterday to let me know that she has included Up in Ontario in her annual Christmas sale. Every year, she and a few creative friends get together to socialize, eat, drink, and sell their artisan wares. If you're in the Vancouver area, you need to come by and see what's happening. Food and drink will be served, new acquitances made, and unique gifts purchased. What's not to love?

So let's make an evening of it. Email me and let me know if you're coming and I'll provide you with a bonus invitation to a venison dinner at my place on the same night. The venison is fresh from Manitoba, a gift from my brother. If venison is not your thing, alternate dishes will be available. Dinner starts at 6 pm and the sale starts at 7 pm. You can't afford to miss it!