February 23, 2003

March 21 - 29

[Not a memory, but the day I was born in Manchester, UK. I understand it was at either 5 minutes to midnight or 5 minutes after midnight. Either way, I wasn't allowed to stay up that late again for 18 years...]

I think we lived in Poynton, near Manchester.

Went with parents to the Treguth Inn – played with fishing buoys in a small pond amongst sloping paths. Had to sit outside drinking lounge where singers were performing but passed in suggestion for “Michael Rowed the Boat Ashore”. Spent days at Holywell Bay.

We were on holiday in Cornwall. Stopped to buy petrol and the attendant told Mom and Dad that R.F. Kennedy had been killed (the night before in Los Angeles).

Holiday in Malta … visited Valetta, Gozo… big church with German bomb… US Aircraft carrier visited, band played a concert…

Emigrated to Canada. Flew BOAC 707 London Heathrow to Montreal Dorval, then Air Canada DC9 Montreal to Ottawa. Stayed about two nights in Webb's Motel in Ottawa

Moved to McKeler Park Apartments, 1939 Carling Avenue.

We moved to 50 Foothills Drive, Nepean (now Ottawa), Ontario. K2H 6K3.

The house had been owned by the Dever family; their son Dan was number 30 on the Ottawa Roughriders.

I wrote to him and got signed publicity pictures back, making me his biggest fan. Emulated him at Halloween.

Paternal grandfather Frank Haythornthwaite died in England.

[This might have been in the winter semester, i.e., January 1978]

First computing. At High School we punched FORTAN IV code onto Holorith ('IBM') cards on a huge card punching machine which were sent to Carleton University (where I would later study) and returned two days later with a printout showing either our errors or where a fellow student had inserted a joke card.

My paternal grandmother, Ethel Hilda Haythornthwaite, dictated her autobiography to my mother.

Summer Grade 13 French course in France (Perros Guirrec, Arles, Nice, Paris)

My paternal grandmother, Ethel Hilda Haythornthwaite, died. [Must insert date.]

Summer job with Polar Continental Shelf Project, Department of Energy Mines and Resources. Glaciological research in Arctic Canada.

First use of a PC - an Olivetti PC clone at the Polar Continental Shelf Project laboratory in Ottawa.

Summer job with Polar Continental Shelf Project, Department of Energy Mines and Resources. Glaciological research in Arctic Canada. Laboratory work lead to my B. Sc. Honors Research Project in which I used an ancient (Italian?) CCD-based device that measured areas of Arctic sea ice by assessing areas of contrasting tones in inked-in maps compiled from human aerial reconnaissance.

In fall semester went on a geography field camp course to Tennessee, North Carolina, etc.

In my last Carleton University B.Sc. semester I took my first graduate-level course, "Spatial Information Systems and Computer Cartography" - and got my only academic A+. This was to lead to the beginning of my Geographic Information Systems (GIS) career - and eventually six years of co-teaching that same course.

That course was also my first use of a 'mini-computers' - a large slow machine running the CPM operating system and MIGS GIS software written by Stephen Prashker at Carleton.

Graduated from Carleton University with Bachelor of Science (Honours).

Approximately then I got my first computer - a Radio Shack TRS-80. I think it was a 16 bit machine (better than the first IBM PCs) and had 16k of memory. It had a tape cassette recorder for storage and used a TV for a monitor. Upgrades included (splendid gifts from my Dad) first one then a second 5 1/4" disk drive.

Summer job with Polar Continental Shelf Project, Department of Energy Mines and Resources. Glaciological research in Arctic Canada.

Challenger disaster. Phoned my advisor (J. Peter Johnson Jr.) to cancel an appointment, saying I knew people die everywhere everyday but this was particularly upsetting me. He said he understood.

Graduated from Carleton University with Master of Arts. Thesis: "Topographic Change of the Meighen Ice Cap"

I had gone with friends to a town near Nakfa, the symbolic home of Eritrean resistance against Ethiopia. Woke up on New Year's Day and decided to return to Asmara rather than wait for them. This involved a 12 kilometre walk to Nakfa accompanied by youths who asked me about Québec separation. Stayed the night in a hotel/brothel in Nakfa, and then discovered that the bus to Asmara wouldn't be running for ages. Decided to hitchhike. My first leg was in the back of a farm truck with about 30 sheep and goats as well as, for a while, a dozen armed soldiers. One of them gave me his Kalashnikov to hold while he smoked.

Bought my first digital camera (Olympus E10). This is one of its first photos:

Was invited to give some GIS help to the Monitoring and Evaluation staff at CARE International in Sierra Leone after having managed to give them some technical help via a discussion group. This reminded me how much I'd liked living and working in the development world and inspired me to look for an overseas job. Stayed en route one night in Conackry, Ghana. While waiting in the airport for departure I took a photo of a young boy (with his permission) - and was supsequently threatened by an official with a weekend in jail. I had to clean out my wallet ($60US) to solve that problem. (My main money was stashed in my sock.)

Went to the Environment Systems Research Institute conference in San Diego. Got close to a Williams Formula 1 display car in the trade exhibit.

Also went twice by tram to Tijuana to buy tequila for Jenny. The first trip failed because all alcohol sales were prohibited during an election.

Jenny phoned me before I left for work to tell me that two planes had crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City. Called work to say I wouldn't come in and watched live on TV. Saw the 2nd tower fall and noticed that it took commentators a minute or so to grasp it.

In the following weeks participated in the Bechtel Hanford "Day's Pay" campaign to buy a fire truck for New York City. Eventually the average contribution was a lot less than anybody's day's pay and the goal was not met.

Set off on a grand road trip from Richland, Washington, to Washington DC to move to a new job at the Survey Action Center. Crossed eastern Washington and stopped somewhere in Idaho.

Crossed the Continental Divide

Attended IMSMA (Information Management System for Mine Action) training in Geneva, Switzerland. Here are my photos.

Visited beautiful Christa Cassandra Clark and her family in Montréal. There's just a little more about Christa here.

Went to Sarajevo to conduct senior staff training for the Landmine Impact Survey (see photos).

Visited Ben and Megan in Seattle. Made, I think, one of my best portraits ever of Bethany.

Train Norwich to London to stay with Jenny Laws and Derek; Blue Rodeo (supported by Jorane and Matt Mays and El Torpedo) concerts on 14th and 14th at the Borderline, London. (First night joined by Jenny, Derek, and Melissa Dobbs.)

Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy (left) and Greg Keelor (right), joined by Matt Mays of Matt Mays and El Torpedo.

Train to Leeds, via Manchester. Blue Rodeo concert (supported by Matt Mays and El Torpedo) at the New Rosco. Jim Cuddy learned that I would be at every show on the British Isles tour and promised to play 'Lost Together' for me. What a guy! Kathleen and Christine were there - but I didn't meet them. Stayed an extra day in Leeds.

Kathleen Jagger

Rode with Diane and Dan and Jenifer to Dublin. Blue Rodeo (supported by Matt Mays and El Torpedo) at Whelan's. Reunited (and danced) with Kathleen and Christine. Completed process of becoming enchanted by Kathleen. Said drunken goodbye to Matt Mays and El Torpedo.