To echo Laurie Page, I get the feeling that 2014 is going to be a great one for Nakusp. And not just for Nakusp, but the whole area. I’m sorry I’m going to miss it.
It’s been a whirlwind two and a half years. It never ceases to amaze me how much is happening around here. When there aren’t planes falling from the sky, there are always the most interesting little ventures happening tucked out of sight to write about.
Nakusp, Arrow Park, Burton, Trout Lake, Galena Bay, Fosthall and all points between – there are a million stories in the mountains, and I only discovered a fraction of them. There are so many stories that I didn’t get a chance to write, but maybe with luck I’ll get to them in the future. It’s been an honour to write some of the communities’ stories.
Two and a half very busy years later, I look back and see how much I’ve witnessed and learned about the amazing people who choose to live here. When folks pull together, they can accomplish the incredible. The recent Blue Knuckle Derby is just one example among many. What is accomplished by volunteers is astonishing. If it weren’t for their many hours, there wouldn’t be a ski hill, a library, a youth centre, or so much more.
In my time at the Arrow Lakes News I’ve learned huge lessons, one of the most acute has been sussing the difference between dreams and reality. Deadlines are a hard taskmaster, and they don’t allow for much dreaming; print shows the reality of typos and mistakes to the whole reading world.
My first contact with ALN was a call to the editor to volunteer as a proofreader for the paper. There were so many errors it was like shooting fish in a barrel. Now I see those errors as a lack of time as the deadline comes crashing down each and every week without fail. Joke’s on me. The flip side of making heaps of mistakes is that you learn heaps as well, one lesson being that mistakes are just learning in action.
If it sounds like I’m going somewhere, I am. I’m heading out to the Big Smoke (d meat) of Montreal. For just over a year, I’ll be in the big city again learning new skills that I can bring back to the jewel of the Arrow Lakes, one of the most beautiful places in the world.
It’s hard to say goodbye to all this beauty and all the friends and acquaintances I’ve been privileged to encounter here. I’m really going to miss the camaraderie and real connections I’ve found, but their flame will be with me, warming and inspiring me in the heart of the city.
Taking my place is Alex Cooper, whose name you may have seen on the pages of the Arrow Lakes News. Although he’s new to Nakusp, he’s not new to the wonders of the mountains, having lived in Revelstoke and worked for the Times Review for several years. He’d be happy to go back country skiing with you, if you asked him.
Alex is an actual journalist, as in he went to school for it, and has a background in the field. He will be bringing his considerable reportage skills to the paper which will give it a new feel for sure. As of the end of this week, if you call my cell phone, you’ll get Alex, who is looking forward to getting to know you and discovering the stories of the communities here.
So, although this is farewell for now in print, I’ll be seeing you around town for a few more weeks, and then again next spring. May all your dreams come to fruition in 2014.