Where does the time go? It seems there is never enough time in a day to get things done. That’s why I want to tip my hat to those of you who take time for others. People who volunteer in our communities are amazing, selfless givers who are not thanked enough.
Earlier this week, I received this lovely letter from David Hutt.
“Hi Cindy Day – I’m writing as a volunteer Scouter with the 36th Halifax Scout Troop. I thought you would be interested in an environmental phenomenon the troop encountered last night.
We have not let the pandemic keep the Scouts from doing their thing. While we would ordinarily hold weekly meetings indoors, we’re now meeting outdoors every Thursday evening, masked-up and physically distanced. We are Scouts, after all. Since September, the troop has been to Point Pleasant Park, Herring Cove, and Fleming Park, doing various Scout-y things like shelter building, map and compass activities, geocaching by GPS, and hiking. Notwithstanding the dark, the masks, distancing and other pandemic restrictions, the Scouts, 18 kids ranging between 11 and 14, have been game for everything.
“Last night we enjoyed a short hike-by-flashlight at Long Lake Provincial Park. It was about 1°C when we started, but there were signs of ice in the puddles and mossy areas. From the trailhead on the St. Margaret’s Bay Road side of the park, we made our way along the west side of the lake, and up Beaverdam Brook.
“A few hundred metres up the brook from the lake shore there’s a small set of waterfalls. In the pool at the bottom of the falls, the froth from the rapids was gathering in the eddies, with the foam forming itself into strangely uniform disks about 20 to 30 centimetres in diameter. Attached are a couple of pictures of the foam pancakes. Some of the Scouters walked in to the falls last Sunday, just four days earlier, but did not see anything like this.
“We were interested both in the origin of these disks and the fact that we had not seen this happening just a few days before. We assume it must have something to do with the temperature and whatever the water is carrying this time of year. Any advice? Thanks in advance.” - David Hutt, Scouter, 36th Halifax Scout Troop
On Saturday, I will explain the science behind the dazzling disks that caught the attention of the 36th Halifax Scout Troop.
I will leave you with one of my favourite quotes:
“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.” – Elizabeth Andrew
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Cindy Day is the chief meteorologist for SaltWire Network
