How we love this place…

If you have read “About this blog” and gone on to “Who is this Ancient Islander“, you may understand how I came by my affection for Georgian Bay. But these legacies are not unique to me or my extended family. Numerous permanent and seasonal residents have felt the pull of this region for centuries andContinue reading “How we love this place…”

Frank Rourke was a man with ‘sweet waters’ in his veins

To followers of this blog, the Rourke name might ring a bell. There are posts about Juanita Rourke, and her brother-in-law Emery O’Rourke. There also are mentions in other posts of Juanita’s husband Frank Rourke. Now it’s time to do the memory of Frank justice with a post about him and his incredible affinity forContinue reading “Frank Rourke was a man with ‘sweet waters’ in his veins”

Catch and release, because you never know…

Does heredity make good anglers? I don’t know if Izaac Walton covered that topic in his fishing bible (The Compleat Angler, of 1653), but the Chisholm boys in the 20th Century cause me to wonder. If it’s true, Steve and Robin Chisholm came by their talent, first, through their father Sandy whom I remember asContinue reading “Catch and release, because you never know…”

Emery O’Rourke: a man of the shore

He was not a hard-nosed businessman but he was competitive in his own way without being aggressive. He seemed to live by the Golden Rule and would go to great lengths to help friends and customers. He was a physical strongman despite being seriously ill as a child. He knew the waterways among the islandsContinue reading “Emery O’Rourke: a man of the shore”

Living in harmony with the land and water

A nature writer who has been my idol for about 60 years is the late Sigurd F. Olson of Ely, Minnesota. The title of his first book was The Singing Wilderness. Now, how can that not make you want to read it? His home ground was the Quetico-Superior canoe country northwest of Lake Superior. ButContinue reading “Living in harmony with the land and water”