The Inn-side Scoop
Have you heard about star gazing at The Inn at
Spences Bridge? Every
Wednesday, weather permitting, people are gathering to observe the skies. Last year, Frank Coker arrived from Toronto with his telescope and has been conducting free sky watching sessions at The Inn. Frank has been an amateur
astronomer for more than 45 years (since Sputnik was launched!) and has a real talent for sharing his enthusiasm by introducing
others to stargazing. What you see varies depending on the time of year, so every season brings new things to see. Word from
the sky guy himself:
“You can expect to see the ethereal beauty
of Saturn with its fabulous ring system and many moons. It is visible from nightfall until well past midnight. You
will always remember your first view of this interesting planet. Currently the Cassini space probe is sending a large quantity of data back
to earth broadening our understanding of the planet itself as well as the rest of the solar system. In late spring, Jupiter
will rise early enough to be viewed just after dark and throughout the night. The dance of Jupiter’s four Galilean moons
is always interesting as well as its surface features such as the dark bands of cloud and the Great Red Spot. A recent announcement
by NASA that a new large storm is producing another red spot is quite exciting! The Great Red Spot was first seen by Galileo
in the early 1600’s, so it is at least 400 years old. I wonder if the new one will last as long?
As the sky changes with the seasons, I will be
highlighting the most interesting object that are best seen at that time of year, as well as some others that are not as well
known. Come out and see the planets, star clusters, nebulae, galaxies, comets & meteors that grace our nights’ skies.”
Frank hopes to publish updates of what to expect to see in the sky in future issues, so stay
tuned!
Stargazing sessions happen each Wednesday, WEATHER
PERMITTING (no clouds, rain, or strong winds) at around 9 p.m., although this will get later as the year goes on
and the days get longer. Hard to see the stars when the sun is still shining! Since Daylight Savings Time begins in a few
weeks, now is the perfect time to get the kids out to see the stars and still get home in time for bed. Frank is also available
to do custom star sessions for a nominal fee. Call 458-2311 to book or to check if this week’s session is a go.
The Inn at Spences Bridge is open daily for lunch and dinner, featuring fresh homemade
food, baked treats and our famous bread, from 11:30 am to 7:00 pm. We will be extending dinner
hour as of the May long weekend.
Lynne Nigalis & Frank Coker
The Inn at Spences Bridge
theinn@spencesbridge.ca
www.spencesbridge.ca
3649 Highway #8
250-458-2311
What’s in A Name?
I got an e-mail a few months ago from a gentleman asking for information about Boston
Bar City. “I used to live there.” He told me. “But, I
haven’t been back in a while, just wondering about the population and the economy, not the usual tourist junk you get
fed over the internet.” I sent him the info and mentioned that I was mildly
curious why he had referred to our community as Boston Bar City. He told
me that is our actual name, but that several years ago the “city” must have been dropped. It’s a very interesting thing; the subject of town names.
“Hey Crystal, I’ve had enough of the two names, why not just change Boston
Bar and North Bend to one name that reflects the combined community?” A fellow said to me recently. (not word for word, but you’ve got the idea) Which got me thinking, why not one name? Would that
really be such a bad idea?
As a person who is often writing letters to support community initiatives, writing
“Boston Bar/North Bend” gets tedious. And every single committee
that is struck has to begin with BB/NB so that no one is left out. Here’s
a great example, there is a committee in town called Boston Bar/North Bend Building Bridges/New Beginnings, now… break
it down to an acronym, correct! It is BB/NB BB/NB. Now that’s crazy!
