What a Bunch of Turkeys!

No, I'm not talking about the Denman Northlands developers, but the 20 wild turkeys that invaded our backyard last evening. They roosted in the trees in the yard and then about 6:15 this morning began crowing or gobbling as the case may be, right outside our bedroom window. There appeared to be 10 hens and 10 toms. As the hens went about scavenging for food the toms spent 15 minutes jousting and showing each other how beautiful they were. Two of the more immature toms were quite aggressive and spent some time giving lock-beak onto the other's neck, then sprinting around the yard. Apparently these big birds can fly or run very quickly when need be. The darker pics were taken right below our window.









A Newcomer's North Lands Position
The jockeying for position continues on Denman to determine the future of the North Lands. The Developer, while attempting to wear the hat of, (what some describe as) “visionary”, has proposed 3 alternatives for the future development of the island? As the factions’ square off, it’s becoming more apparent that there are almost as many views as residents. The jostling, for the most part, takes place in the form of an insert into the weekly newsletter, “The Grapevine”. These inserts have now evolved into mini petitions of a sort, as those polarized begin to show their colours. (I suggest green, yellow and blue armbands to determine teams)
The bait dangled before the residents is: in return for the development of additional lots (than current zoning allows), the developer will “donate” tracts of land to the Island residents for community use. The conundrum is, what level of development is acceptable? The amount of development agreed upon, will dictate how much land will end up in the hands of islanders as lake access, parks, bogs, forests and even a gravel pit.
As a newcomer to the island, Ive attempted to catch up on some of the history of these lands. In short, it’s appalling to read what’s happened in the past. This area has been a sore spot for many years, so it’s understandable given the history, that this subject has been degraded to a personal level. I assume it will divide friendships and even households with differences of opinion. Everyone wants what’s best for the island, but what is it?
Although it has absolutely no legal bearing on the issue, the developer is attempting, (by way of survey), to secure enough information to go forward with the rezoning proposal that is most likely to succeed. There is a corporate backer for this development that expects a return on their investment. Obviously, they would like that return to be as soon as possible and as large as possible. However; this is contradictory to many that feel “less is more” and would forgo the gifts of land for less overall development.
I for one would love to see land put aside for community use. At the onset, this development was touted as “doing what’s best for the island”. Islanders were to have the opportunity to participate and decide what should be done with these lands and subsequently, how much profit would be realized. However; to my knowledge, budget and profit potential have never been divulged for each plan. Initially it appeared that the developer had no preference as to which scenario was chosen. If that is truly so, then the lowest profit scenario should be acceptable to the developer and applicable to any of the options, (with reasonable variances for time costs). I believe when negotiating a deal, that at the end of the day nobody gets what he or she really wants…. So what should happen? In my analytical view, I’d give the developer an indication to go forward with the “full meal deal”. I’d select the option on the survey with the largest potential profit and, (what I want), the most “donated” land for the community. Some people have described the survey as a vote. It’s not in any way a vote, but option #3 has the most donated land and subsequently is the closest to my goal. The fact is, I want the maximum amount of land donated; in return for the minimal amount of development, but that isn't an option on the survey. The fight, (or negotiation) really begins when the fish is on the hook. The biggest difference between negotiators in this case, is one side makes decisions based on emotion, the other by money. It’s up to the Islanders to decide which end of the line they want to be on. Dangle your own bait, set the hook and see where the fish swims. There will be plenty of time during due process to alter any survey consensus. Meanwhile, think about sending the developer a survey of acceptable options. Worst-case scenario if the big one gets away? Status Quo.

Last Sunday, (1st no screen day) was spent on Mount Washington. The "O"zone tube park was the destination and we spent an enjoyable day without screens. (Someone forgot the camera) The screen challenged day was met with maximum resistance by our resident pre-teen once we returned home, however we have stayed firm.

There has been an abundance boat traffic on the Sound as herring season officially started this week. Along with the fishing boats, the coast guard has stepped up patrols in the area. The picture was taken on Wednesday during a beach walk. Note: the unexpected and short-lived blue sky.

CJ in NZ passes on the following travel (unedited) update: "THere's a break in work which worked out perfectly in-line with our trip to Tauranga for the birthday party. we leave tomorrow morning on a bus back to Tauranga to spend the weekend back at the Grandparents house. When we return on Monday we will probably still have a couple days off that we will spend in Te Awanga. We met a good friend through picking apples, Pai, who lives in a remarkable area in Hawkes Bay; its a neibourhood called Te Awanga and its right on the ocean. He;s a musician/surfer/Karate sensai/apple picker....pretty neat life..."

The Blog is early this week, as my sister & Brother in law are coming for a visit this weekend. They drink much more than I do :-) so there should be many reviews to report.

Cheap Dave's Wine Corner
Tormaresca Paiara Negroamaro 2003, $10.99 A few weeks ago, We tried a wine from Italy that had been voted a "showstopping Bargain" by Vanmag's international Wine Awards. This wine was going head-to-head with $50 wines. The bottle I opened was destined for the septic field as it tasted a mix of gasoline and sweat socks. OK, so I'm not an expert, but I assume this is an extreme case of a corked wine. I was under the impression that synthetic corks (which this product uses) eliminated the problem. Interestingly enough, I stumbled upon another blogger's review of this wine and he seems to have had the same experience in a lesser form, but raved about the second bottle. It interested me enough to secure another before it sells out, and I'm glad I did. Here's what the Wine Diva has to say about this wine: "This wine is one of those secrets you hate to give away (in case everyone actually reads this and buys it all). It has all the rustic elegance of Italian wine-sour cherry, dark flowers, sweaty leather, red berry and earth, a sweet velvety mouth-feel, tobacco and spice with soft tannins-all at a price point that will make you giggle with glee. Negroamaro and Cabernet Sauvignon."

QOTD comes from a Vanmag editorial: "take comfort from the recent study in the Journal of Wine Economics suggesting most people in blind tastings actually prefer inexpensive wine. "