Proud Lac des Roches residents Tony and Marguerite Neill will see a lot more of their daughter, Sandra, since her recent relocation to Kamloops with the RCMP. After many years of working throughout the Cariboo as a biologist in the forest industry, Sandra switched careers four years ago and graduated from the RCMP’s Regina Depot in August 2005. Const. Neill’s initial four-year assignment to the small town of Chetwynd in northern British Columbia, where she received "good experience," ended last month when she assumed her general duties much closer to home. Now, if only Tony and Margueritecould convince their son, Scott, who resides in Australia, to move his wife, Becky, and baby son, Finn, a little closer to Lac des Roches.
Winter gardening
Wendy Marshall advises there are still plenty of garden tasks remaining despite the snow we’ve had. Late root crops of carrots and parsnips must be pulled from the damp soil, dried and stored. Apparently, autumn is the best time to plant spinach seeds and garlic gloves for the following growing season. It may be necessary to scrape away snow, but if the soil is not frozen, seeds and cloves can still be sown and bone meal added to a six-inch deep hole — best for garlic. Both spinach and garlic will often sprout under the snow, she says, so when the snow melts, a new vegetable crop is right there to welcome the warmer days of spring.
Fishing trip
For many years, longtime resident Bill Jollymore and his wife, Loraine, have enjoyed fishing the pools along the Margaree, a Canadian heritage river on Cape Breton Island, N.S. Their 65-day, 22,300-km, round-trip drive was made even more enjoyable this year when neighbours Gordon and Wendy Marshall flew out to join them for some world-famous Atlantic salmon fishing. The Margaree Salmon Association honoured Bill this year for his many years of generous support and conservation efforts for the river. He has this prestigious award and his stunning pictures to add to his collection of souvenirs from these trips to Canada’s east coast. It was the first trip to Cape Breton Island for Gord and Wendy, and they added a drive along the nearby scenic Cabot Trail to their adventure. Wendy says the changing colours on the different trees were breathtaking. As with any fishing trip, weather is a key factor and a rainstorm, which lasted several days, resulted in muddy waters and poor results for our local fishers and the 50 other fishers out on the river. Gord’s response to the fishing conditions was his familiar adage: "The fishing was great — the catching was lousy. " All four agree — their trips were fantastic.
Hazardous hill
Two traffic accidents on Highway 24 at the west end of Lac des Roches on Oct. 25 have renewed concern among area residents about construction of an access just east of the hill. Slippery conditions, resulting from the shaded pavement, steep slope and sharp bend of the road, are notorious for surprising even the most experienced drivers. Residents are particularly concerned slow or stopped vehicles using the new access could compound the danger on this stretch of the road. They are quick to urge neighbours and friends to drive with extra caution on this hill, especially during the winter months.