AmplifiedLIFE

Walking through the fields of Val des Monts in Quebec, Canada, we hear the sound of an unusually low and slow-moving airplane. Seconds later, we’re pleasantly caught by surprise as the first of a series of fat-winged planes, laden with water, zoom low and fast overhead and release their loads right at the edge of the forest. It looked so exciting, and watching these daring pilots made me wonder what kind of a career it would be fighting fires from the air. I found out there is a high demand for “aerial flame suppression” pilots. In fact, many places are having a lot of trouble filling positions, due to retirements and an increase in airlines hiring-away the already-small pool of potential aviation firefighters. It turns out that helicopters make up most of these aerial fleets, though firefighting is typically just one of a helicopters' multipurpose roles, and many types of aircraft are used as well, ranging from single-engine air tankers - often adapted from crop-dusters, to larger tankers (more than 3,000-gallon capacity). Even jet transports have been repurposed for dropping massive firefighting loads. The firefighting pilots come from various backgrounds and experience, including commercial and military flying. These brave pilots have to rely on old-fashioned natural ability and flying expertise since there is no automation to help them out. The average Forest Service pilot earns around $100K per year. Many pilots work as private contractors, or freelancers, and are paid by flight time, so their income can fluctuate. Some of them can earn hundreds of thousands of dollars in a busy season, and demand seems to be on the rise. Seasonal contracts are popular as well among these firefighters, who can enjoy long periods of “off-time” during the winter.

This is part four of our ‘vintage mobile home upgrade’ series. Powerwashing is actually really fun. So much so that everyone wants to have a go at shaking off some of life’s frustrations by taking charge of some focused, forceful water, and blasting away at some grit and grime. And watching it disappear! Very satisfying. In the case of this job – it was decades old dirt that needed blasting. This German-built, Bürstner trailer came as part of the deal when a young couple purchased a lake cabin, and it seems to have been sitting here since the 80’s. The front of the trailer had quite a buildup of moss and other material as it faces the lake to the north – from where the wind regularly blows up the hill right at it. Since the trailer is stationary,It was tough trying to fit the washing wand in between the back of the trailer and the adjacent hut. We’ll do the rest of that side later, with a bucket of soapy water and a sponge. And if you look very closely, you’ll notice an orange band suddenly appear across the top of the trailer, right at the 51 second mark. The orange stripe is the original look, and the former owner used some yellow vinyl siding left over from the cottage, to help the mobile home blend in with the cottage. However, after all these years, it was time becoming tattered. Time to strip the trailer back to its basics and proceed from there. Next up — furniture and power. Stay tuned! Part1 – Painting the walls: https://rumble.com/vgi373-terrific-trailer-time-lapse.html Part2 – Painting the floor: https://rumble.com/vie5i7-worn-out-floor-gets-fresh-coat-of-paint.html Part3 – Installing new floor: https://rumble.com/vikgg7-installing-new-floor-in-1980s-mobile-home-time-lapse.html

These lucky miniature horses live at the Sugarplum Rescue Farm and Petting Zoo, in Temecula, California. Every morning they take a walk with our AirBnb host and co-founder of Sugarplum, Lani Rager. Lani is originally from Manhattan, and moved to Temecula, a beautiful town about an hour out of San Diego, about 20 years ago. The area has evolved from being considered mainly “horse country”, to now also being known as “wine country” and, some might argue, “avocado country,” as it is also home to huge avocado ranches and large groves of orange trees. Among the many animals Lani and her husband Greg have at Sugarplum, is this trio of miniature horses. “Mini horses” as you might surmise, are horses defined by their small height. The result of centuries of selective breeding, these horses only reach a height of approximately 34–38 inches. They are true “miniatures” in that they retain the physical proportions of a full sized horse. This differentiates them from ponies, which are not as short, and have stockier builds. Miniature horses are generally friendly, interact well with people, and can make good family pets. However, they retain the behavior of full-sized horses, including a natural fight-or-flight instinct, and must be treated like any full-sized equine. Some minis have been trained as service animals and others take part in equine agility and other competitive horse show events. Miniature horses were first developed in Europe in the 1600s, and by 1765 they were seen frequently as the pets of nobility. The oldest living horse on record was a miniature horse named Angel who lived to be over 50. The current record holder for the world's smallest horse is Thumbelina, who stands 17 inches tall and weighs 60 pounds.

Listen to this mesmerizing music. You’re hearing a “Hang Drum”. Hang means "hand" in the Bernese language, and is pronounced "hung or hong". The Hang was developed in Switzerland. It was the result of many years of research on the steelpan and the study of the diverse collection of instruments from around the world, such as Gongs, Gamelan, Ghatam, drums, bells, etc. The instrument is played with the hands. Udu-like sounds are produced with the air resonance, the sounds of the clamped shallow shells sound like bells or harmonically tuned steelpans. The inner note on the bottom dome is the bass note, and when played in a dampened way allows change in pitch like a talking drum. Seven to nine notes are tuned harmonically around a central deep note. The hemispheres are hardened by a process known as gas-nitriding. This is a thermal treatment process in which nascient hydrogen atoms diffuse into the steel and form nitride compounds with many of the alloys in the steel.

Standing atop the Flora footbridge, overlooking Ottawa’s Colonel By Drive, I spot an odd site. A fellow on an electric skateboard - managed by a remote-control in his hand, following behind a zipping-along electric toy car - managed by the remote-control in his OTHER hand.

This shot was taken on Lac St Pierre, in Val des Monts, Quebec, Canada on a beautiful fall afternoon on September 9, 2021

While walking around Toronto’s amazing Kensington Market area, where you are surrounded by a potpourri of sights, sounds and smells, we encountered a street musician guitar player with a very trippy look and guitar style. My daughter dropped some coins in his basket and we were on our way. Best of luck to him!

Good morning! Time for a piping hot espresso, courtesy of our vintage Velox Ferrara electric coffee percolator, made primarily of bakelite and aluminum and designed in the 1950s. This one makes a single cup but BOY is it good! Velox has been manufacturing electric coffee makers in its historical Ferrara, Italy location since the 1920s. An espresso machine brews coffee by forcing pressurized water near boiling point through a "puck" of ground coffee and a filter in order to produce a thick, concentrated coffee called espresso. The first machine for making espresso was built and patented in 1905. An espresso machine may also have a steam wand which is used to steam and froth liquids (such as milk) for coffee drinks such as cappuccino and caffe latte. Espresso machines may be steam-driven, piston-driven, pump-driven, or air-pump-driven. Machines may also be manual or automatic. And in case this is your first time hearing about bakelite: Polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride, better known as Bakelite, was the first plastic made from synthetic components. It was developed in New York in 1907. The creation of a synthetic plastic was revolutionary for its electrical non-conductivity and heat-resistant properties in electrical insulators, radio and telephone casings and such diverse products as kitchenware, jewelry, pipe stems, children's toys, and firearms. The "retro" appeal of old Bakelite products has made them collectible. Bakelite was designated a National Historic Chemical Landmark on November 9, 1993, by the American Chemical Society in recognition of its significance as the world's first synthetic plastic.

The magical Rideau river in Ottawa, Canada. This particularly peaceful spot on the river is just a few minutes’ walk from my house, so I come often, in all four seasons. It always has something special to offer. This early morning in May, a family of Canada geese are making their way across the glassy, rapidly-flowing surface. Mom (the goose) always leads the way, with the little goslings following in a line behind her, and Dad (the gander) bringing up the rear. The goslings in this clip are only a few weeks old, and not yet able to fly, so Mom and Dad are keeping them close and safe. Curiously, there also seems to be a little bit of commotion going on behind them at one point in the video. Perhaps some sort of goose disagreement? Did someone honk too loud? Enjoy the serenity as the geese glide by. And it’s fun to remember that as graceful and calm as those geese look as they cross the river, underneath the surface their little feet are paddling like mad!

The key features of Norwich Terriers is that they are: Alert. Curious. Affectionate. Gregarious. And loyal. Yes! But … can they play badminton? We set up our game on a dirt surface at our Quebec, Canada cottage. That fluorescent green birdie we were using, really caught Russell’s eye and he was determined to get a hold of it. Norwich Terriers are plucky little dogs named for their hometown in England. Standing no more than 10 inches at the shoulder and weighing about 12 pounds, Norwich are among the smallest working terriers. Beneath the hard, wiry coat is a stocky, substantial dog. Norwiches may be toy-sized but they were originally bred as tough and fearless ratters. They are happy-go-lucky, fearless, and sometimes even bossy. Norwiches are energetic enough to play fetch all day, but affectionate enough to enjoy hours of lap time with their favorite human. It’s a clever but sometimes stubborn breed. Three words convey the overall dog: cute, cuter, and cutest.

Staying with some friends in Gardnerville, Nevada, we’re so close to the California border that we can see it from our kitchen window. The farmers are out early every morning in the winter, driving their ATV’s and dropping off hay for the animals. The vast majority of the Sierra Nevada mountain range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily in Nevada. The Sierra Nevada is part of the American Cordillera, an almost continuous chain of mountain ranges that forms the western "backbone" of the Americas. The Sierra runs 400 miles (640 km) north-south and is approximately 70 miles (110 km) across east-west. Notable features include General Sherman, the largest tree in the world by volume; Lake Tahoe, the largest alpine lake in North America; Mount Whitney at 14,505 ft (4,421 m), the highest point in the contiguous United States; and Yosemite Valley sculpted by glaciers from one-hundred-million-year-old granite, containing high waterfalls. The Sierra is home to three national parks, twenty wilderness areas, and two national monuments. These areas include Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks; and Devils Postpile National Monument. More than one hundred million years ago during the Nevadan orogeny, granite formed deep underground. The range started to uplift four million years ago, and erosion by glaciers exposed the granite and formed the light-colored mountains and cliffs that make up the range. The uplift caused a wide range of elevations and climates in the Sierra Nevada, which are reflected by the presence of five life zones (areas with similar plant and animal communities). Uplift continues due to faulting caused by tectonic forces, creating spectacular fault block escarpments along the eastern edge of the southern Sierra. The Sierra Nevada has played an important role in the history of California and the United States. The California Gold Rush occurred in the western foothills from 1848 through 1855. Due to its inaccessibility, the range was not fully explored until 1912

Me and my camera roam the city streets, one slightly rainy but warm October afternoon.

This is what the beginning of new building construction looks like. That is, after they’ve flattened whatever was there before. This is in Ottawa, Canada in late April. Need some holes dug? Let me introduce you to the Post Hole Auger. It’s a piece of equipment that drills into soil to create an exact, vertical hole for posts, trees and is occasionally to take soil samples. This kind of tool is beneficial because it reduces the amount of strain required to dig a large hole. Holes needed for fences and housing foundation can often be several feet wide and very deep. Certain types of soil, such as clay-based soils, are hard-packed and dense. They usually call for a great amount of force to move the earth and create a hole when digging by hand. This machine operates by turning a spiral drill-head into the soil. The drill-head is typically made of steel. And because I know you love trivia, let me tell you about five of the deepest holes we humans have ever dug! 1. Russia: The Kola Superdeep Borehole is 7.5-miles deep. Started in 1970 by Russian scientists and ultimately becoming the deepest hole in the world—deeper than even the deepest part of the ocean—after about 20 years of digging. The 356 Fahrenheit temperature at that depth, however, made it impossible for tools to keep going. The site has been abandoned since 2008, and the hole bolted shut so nothing can get in. … or out! 2. Utah: The Bingham Canyon Mine, over 100 years old, is the world's largest copper mine and is considered the largest man-made excavation. It dips nearly three-quarters of a mile down and covers 1,900 acres. First started in 1906, the mine is still open, but that hasn't kept it from being named a National Historic Landmark with a visitor center for folks who want to come and gawk. 3. Africa: The Kimberley Diamond Mine, “The Big Hole”, is one of the largest hand-made holes in the world. More than 50,000 miners have been pick-axing their way into the soil since 1866. More than 6,000 pounds of diamonds have been pulled from it. 4. Canada: The Diavik Diamond Mine opened in 2003 in the Canadian Arctic, and it has reached deeper than 600 feet. The mine is accessible only by plane—there's a gravel runway big enough for a Boeing 737—and an ice road. And that's only if the weather is good enough. The mine yields 3,300 pounds of diamonds annually amidst the ice. 5. Montana: The Berkeley Pit opened in 1955 to mine for copper in Butte, Montana. The pit grew to a depth of 1,700 feet before it was closed down in 1982. Since that time the pit has filled with over 900 feet worth of groundwater and rainwater.

Music: Die Mulde, Manuel Göttsching (2005) Shot & edited by Peter Beamish (2023) Shot on an iPhone 15 Pro Max

Outside Juneau port in Alaska, I’m standing on the balcony of my cabin on the ship Celebrity Solstice. I’ve got a warm drink in my hand, and as I enjoy the view, here comes another Celebrity ship – the Millennium, serenely passing by. Good thing I have my Canon 80D at the ready to capture some video of this passing of two ships in the cloudy Alaskan afternoon. I wave at the Millenium passengers and they wave back. There’s always some cheerful camaraderie between passengers cruise ships as they gracefully glide past one other. It reminds me of when I was a child, and people who drove Volkswagen Beetles always honked and waved at each other as they passed one another on the road. The Celebrity Millennium was built in France, in 2000, making her the oldest operating ship in Celebrity's fleet. She weighs almost 91,000 tons and measures over 950 feet in length and 105 feet in width. Millennium has 14 decks, a can cruise at a top speed of 28 mph (24 knots). Capacity: 2,138 passengers and almost 1,000 crew. This video was shot in 2014, and in 2019 the Millennium had a massive multi-million-dollar refurbishment, so she is now sporting the enhanced features of Celebrity's Edge-class ships.

"Seems like a dream. Got me hypnotized." A meditation on sand, water, clouds, sun and wind.

Now here’s something to chew on! Underneath the famous Pike Place Market in Seattle, you can experience a local landmark—The Market Theater Gum Wall. Believe it or not, it is listed as one of Washington’s “must see” tourist attractions. Just like it sounds, it’s a wall covered in ACG (already chewed gum). This strange and smelly phenomenon has been around since the early 90’s when patrons would wait in long lines to get tickets for the Market Theater. Apparently since back then, people didn’t have cell phones to keep them occupied while waiting to purchase tickets, someone started this innovative, if unsanitary creation by sticking gum on the wall and then sticking a coin into it. Others quickly followed suit and soon the wall was covered and thousands of wads of chewing gum! Some began sticking larger and larger blobs, even fashioning works of sculpture out of them. This unique and colorful attraction now runs along a 50 foot long section of wall, and gum covers it all the way up to 15 feet high! Theater workers did scrape the gum away twice, but people just started it up again, and eventually the theater gave up and gave in after market officials deemed the gum wall a tourist attraction around 1999. It seems the odd landmark had achieved a certain notoriety. The colorful wall emits a cacophony of smells—in every flavor under the sun. It REALLY SMELLS – so keep that in mind when visiting. You might also want to keep in mind that it was named one of the top 5 most “germy” tourist attractions in 2009 by Trip Advisor, second only to the Blarney Stone (which is kissed by up to 400,000 visitors each year). In 2015, for the first time in 20 years, the Great Gum Wall received a total scrub-down and steam cleaning, because the sugar in the gum was causing the wall to erode! Clouds of cloyingly sweet smelling steam blew through Post Alley and rose up into Pike Place Market as two men in protective suits and masks raked and sprayed down the wall. Gum softened and dropped from the wall onto steel plates that lined the ground to catch the sticky, germ-laden mess. Onlookers snapped photos for Snapchat while TV reporters launched into live reports. The cleaning took 130 hours to complete, and workers filled 94 buckets with 2,350 pounds of gum! When the cleaning was finished, the gum-sticking almost immediately began again! By the time Pike Place Market put out a Press Release saying Seattle’s famous gum wall was now clean, it was already no longer true! A couple other facts about the wall for you to chew on: A scene in the 2009 Jennifer Aniston film Love Happens was shot at the wall. And for some unfathomable reason it's a popular spot for wedding photos!

Look at this ant! Is he planning on scaring his friends by holding a giant set of claws in front of his face? I slowed the video down so you can get a better look because - as you know - these guys move fast!! In fact, they are the fastest moving creatures in the animal kingdom (for their size) and the trap-jaw ant has the ability to close its jaws at about 140 mph! Ants have inhabited our planet for over 100 million years. There are more than 22,000 known ant species! Ants have high levels of socialization, defined by their cooperative brood care, division of labor and generations of large colonies. Ants have colonized almost every part of the world, except Antarctica and some other remote and inhospitable areas. Little black ants are scavengers that will consume anything from bird droppings to dead insects. Workers may forage in households, but nest in soil mounds. I don’t know where this particular ant found these big jaws, but I’m glad he’s staying outside. While you’re having a look at our busy, masquerading friend, here are a few more interesting ant facts. ⁃ An ant's body is divided into 3 main sections. The head is where the eyes, antennae, and mandibles are located. The middle section is where all 6 legs are attached. The back end of the ant is called the Metasoma. It contains organs and may have a stinger. ⁃ Ants don’t have ears so they hear with the help of their feet. They basically feel vibrations through the ground. They communicate with chemicals called pheromones. ⁃ A single ant has the ability to lift 20 times its own body weight. ⁃ Ants don't have lungs or a heart. Air enters through their exoskeleton. A tube runs the length of the ant, acting like a heart by moving fluid. ⁃ Ants are great at colonizing and as many as 50 million ants can come together to form a single, cooperative and highly efficient colony. ⁃ The queen ant of a particular ant species has been reported to be able to live up to 30 years. ⁃ One of the largest ant’s nests ever found was over 3700 miles wide. ⁃ Ants are normally super aggressive and feisty so when they fight among themselves, it is usually to the death! ⁃ Red fire ants are unusually small, however, they cause over $5 billion worth of damage every year!

As you make your way through Old Ottawa South, there are always new (and sometimes hidden) delights to be discovered.

My friends and I visited Funchal, capitol city of the Portuguese Island of Madeira, where our main intent was to ride toboggans. Really! This totally unique tourist attraction got started way back in 1850. The people living “up” in the city of Monte, needed a fast and easy way of getting themselves and their goods down to the big city of Funchal below. So they came up with a very unique solution to the problem. They decided to SLIDE down! Of course, the invention of the automobile overtook the practicality of the toboggans many years ago, but the tradition lives on as an attraction that brings thousands of tourists every year. Everyone wants to try the exhilarating and unusual experience of sliding quickly down the narrow, winding streets to Funchal. Each toboggan car is made of eucalyptus wood and wicker, and has a two-person upholstered passenger seat built on two wooden slats. (The seats are padded which is much appreciated on the somewhat bumpy ride). These cars glide down the pavement on wooden runners, pushed and steered by two men called “Carreiros,” traditionally dressed in white cotton clothes and straw hats. The drivers grease the slats with tallow to help them slide. There are two holes at the ends of the slats, called muzzles, where rope is inserted, with the ends coming out of each muzzle. Not exactly precision steering, but it works! An ‘old-fashioned’ toboggan ride. - careening through city streets - pushed by strange men at wild speeds. With people and vehicles randomly appearing here and there. Sure. Completely safe. :) The 10-minute downhill ride is very picturesque, offering views of the sea and the island neighborhoods you zip along for a total trip of about a mile and a quarter. The toboggans can reach speeds of just under 30 mph! Don’t be alarmed, but our friendly “Carreiros” have only their rubber-soled boots to use as brakes! People always talk about tourist attractions that “cannot be missed”, but this really is one of those, because you will not find this particular experience anywhere else in the world! It’s adventurous while at the same time, relatively safe. (Careening through city streets people and vehicles randomly appearing here and there…I did say “relatively” safe :)

If you live in Ottawa, Canada, there's a good chance you've seen this car. I spotted it in the parking lot of the Billings Bridge Shopping Plaza. This decked-out Honda is decorated in a plethora of hood ornaments and is equipped with spinning hubcaps, a rear spoiler, and subwoofers. At night, the car can be seen from a mile away with its red, yellow and green LED lights. It looks like Back the Future's Delorean time machine. Except, a little more eccentric. The car is an attention grabber and whether it makes you smile or cringe, there's no denying its uniqueness. But perhaps, more unique than the car, is the driver himself. His name is LBG Ismael. He's a mechanic, father, and a proud Canadian. He’s also, the Ottawa "Car Guy". Ismael came to Canada in 2007 after escaping war-torn Congo. Here in Canada, Ismael said he is thankful for his new life, his Canadian rights and, of course, his one-of-a-kind car. Ismael bought the car for $100 — a "garbage car," he calls it — which he began repairing and customizing soon after. Why go through all that effort to repair and customize a $100 car? His answer was simple: "To make people happy." - From a CBC article by Arash Randjbar

Almost every morning my friend Drew lets his dogs run free on Del Mar beach while he sips his fresh coffee and appreciates his life. A verse from the French novelist Honore de Balzac: "This coffee plunges into the stomach...the mind is aroused, and ideas pour forth like the battalions of the Grand Army on the field of battle...Memories charge at full gallop...the light cavalry of comparisons deploys itself magnificently; the artillery of logic hurry in with their train of ammunition; flashes of wit pop up like sharp-shooters." Coffee makes us feel so good because it’s able to tap into virtually every reward system our brain has evolved. Hidden within that hot elixir is a chemical that takes over your brain by mimicking the actions of cocaine and marijuana. So go ahead. Have another cup. :)

One of my favorite backyard visitors is the red-headed woodpecker, a medium-sized woodpecker common here in Eastern Canada. Almost everyone can identify the very charismatic and colorful woodpecker. Some of its whimsical nicknames include flying checker-board and shirt-tail bird. My back garden attracts these birds (and many other forms of wildlife) with its combination of fresh seeds, lovely sheltering trees and bushes, and the chance for a cool bath in my fountain-pond. I’m sure it was a welcome stop in this little bird’s day. He didn’t even seem bothered by the neighboring rambunctious pool party in my usually serene neighborhood. After all, woodpeckers can be noisy themselves, with a variety of harsh “churrs” and rising “query” calls. Woodpeckers love my backyard garden (as do all birds and animals anywhere nearby). The combination of fresh seeds, lovely sheltered trees and bushes and the chance for a cool bath, I’m sure make it a welcomed stop in this little bird’s day. Oh, and please note, there’s some rambunctious pool party audio in the background of my usually-serene neighborhood. It was a HOT day!

I recently bought a trail camera, and I’m having great fun with this amazing piece of technology! No, I’m not out on the trail. I’m right here at home, and this camera is doing a great job of helping me discover who visits my backyard when I’m all tucked in at night. I just set it up, and the camera sleeps until it gets triggered by heat or motion. (The camera can sleep for months, if necessary, but with my backyard being such a popular wildlife night-spot, I don’t think that will happen much around here.) Once triggered, it starts shooting 4K video … with sound! So, guess who showed up last night? Why none other than, Pépe Le Pew. Mr. Smooth himself. I had set the camera very low to the ground, and the skunk woke it up by bumping right into it. The skunk did a little bit of thrashing, perhaps surprised by this unknown entity. But skunks probably don’t have much fear, right? Who would want to mess with one? Day or night. Satisfied that the camera was a benign addition to the scene, the skunk aimed its very intimidating backside at us before walking towards the pond to enjoy some fresh water. It took a while to find the right spot, finding the front too steep for a prolonged cool drink, but the stone plateau that has fresh water bubbling over it was apparently just right. A skunk’s stripes all lead to their weapon — that well-known noxious spray, which when fired can reach up to 10 feet! It’s believed the dramatic markings give potential predators fair warning as to where the danger lies. Skunks always prefer to intimidate rather than spray. And for good reason. After firing off that shot, the skunk is helpless for nearly 10 days! That’s how long it takes its body to ‘reload’. Skunks have great night vision and usually come out after dark. They’re smart, curious, and according to pet owners, they have individual personalities just like a cat or a dog. It had been a hot August day in Ontario, and this particular Mr. Smooth was obviously very thirsty tonight. I was glad to provide the amenities, and also glad to get some great shots of this esteemed visitor. When he’s finally quenched his thirst, he slowly heads off into the night, relaxed and confident that anyone with any sense would never mess with him. In fact, most would go out of their way not to bother him. Not a bad situation - if you are the skunk.

Hail, the irregularly shaped lumps of ice that tumble out of the sky during thunderstorms, comes in all types - from soft and fuzzy to hard like a rock. It certainly is a puzzling precipitation type - yet rare enough in these Canadian parts that it always causes fascination and delight. And you know how it’s made, right? Even though outdoor temperatures might be high right outside your door, tens of thousands of feet above, temperatures are typically freezing, thus setting up the potential for hail.