Just returned from Wasaga Beach, http://www.wasagabeach.com/ post “Blackout” , doing the family camping thing, was uneventful until listening to the music from the arcade at the beach pounding away at your head, the beer parlours playing rap or house or hip hop , noise is noise when at 4:14 Thursday afternoon it all became quiet. Since California has had rolling blackouts, Canadians are smug and leave worries to other nations until something like this happens. A misspent youth and memories from my single days draw me to this beach, to capture that magic . Now with hair turning white and two kids, my dear wife turning red under the sun, I feel life has been kind. Even the silence pierced the sea gulls cries for a stray pomme frit, only the gentle surf was louder. Determined to lose my headache, I strolled in search of asprin but was met with closed shops and lo even the arcade had dropped its doors. Power failure , that was the word on the street, the beer parlours were still slinging but no lights or sound was made. Ah, sweet relief. A stroll further along the bikini walk was pleasurable knowing the mating rituals are not affected by blackouts, nuclear attack or plague. All the local stores had closed up or having discount sales on ice cream. The gas pumps were also closed, another worry. I had enough chow for a few days. The thought of shark feeding raced through my mind and reduced my estimate. Returning to our blanket, I scanned the channels on our FM band and heard the worse. The entire east coast and Detroit was unpowered. Talk to anyone from Toronto and they will burden the listener with SAR’s , Mad Cow, The Rolling Stones, getting out of the city by their employers generosity and civic holidays. Wasaga Beach remains the great equalizer, as everyone on the beach is equal under the sun. My thoughts return to Santa Cruz, the beach volley ball, the Crows Nest Restaurant, the Marina, a different place sharing the sun. The campsite supper was by coleman lamp and candles, the park lighting and water system dead. I had stashed some water in my cooler for the kids, so I took quick inventory and if things got really bad, I would unpack my water filter and refill the bottles from the river. It was also amazing how other campers gather together around a fire and start to relate the news heard on radios since all cell phones had died. Candles were shared, baby food, batteries, harmonicas. We went to bed late, thankful, listening to the CBC most of the night thinking about others who are in true need.