Whispers Across The Pond

Whispers Across the Pond is a book of photography, poetry, and prose by Eugene H. Ware. This is the third book written by Mr. Ware, the others being “The Moods of Presque Isle” and “A Walk on the Park”. The poetry and prose within this book blend to produce reflections and emotions within the reader. In his books, Gene paints with words in order to share with you, the reader, a piece of nature you might otherwise never have had the opportunity to see or consider. Over the last few years, Gene, a financial consultant for over 45 years, has allowed his attention and mind wander into the area of writing. This coupled with his long history of nature photography has led to his authoring of this and his other books. Most of his writing centers on relating, through poetry and prose, how nature affects people and their lives. Presque Isle State Park is the center of most of his writing. The park is located five minutes from his home and its unique beauty and habitat draw more than Four million visitors a year. The park, an eight mile long sand peninsula jutting out into Lake Erie, is a place where solitude, reflection and beauty are allowed to blend with nature and bring nature into visitor’s lives. It is Gene’s hope that as you read each poem, you will be able to slow down, take a minute to reflect on the photography accompanying the words. He believes that if you experience nature, nature will open a new world for your enjoyment. One of Gene’s goals in writing his books is to get people outdoors exploring and enjoying nature themselves. Presque Isle State Park is handy for Gene, however no matter where you the reader live, somewhere nearby lays a natural adventure open for your exploration and enjoyment.

Leilani Muir was severely abused by her mother, who told many lies in order to have her daughter admitted to the Provincial Training School for Mental Defectives in Red Deer at the age of 11 and branded a moron. But Muir never was mentally defective and never should have been in that institution in the first place. Because of a terrible injustice, a normal child became an insider in a mental institution and is now able to convey to us what life was like there in the 1950s. She tells about how she was briefly questioned by the Alberta Eugenics Board and then sterilized by two clumsy physicians under the guise of having her appendix removed. The agony of her many later attempts to have the sterilization operation reversed is described in detail. She eventually launched a lawsuit against the Alberta government and won an important judgement that led to compensation being paid to hundreds of other victims. After the trial, she became a public figure and continues to speak against all forms of child abuse and discrimination against the disabled. This is Leilani Muir’s story in her own words.

The Great Lakes Basin is the largest surface freshwater system on Earth. The more than 30,000 islands dotted throughout the basin provide some of the best ways to enjoy the Great Lakes. While the vast majority of these islands can only be reached by private boat or plane, a surprising number of islands—each with its own character and often harboring more than a bit of intrigue in its history—can be reached by merely taking a ferry ride, or crossing a bridge, offering everyone the chance to experience a variety of island adventures. Great Lakes Island Escapes: Ferries and Bridges to Adventure explores in depth over 30 of the Great Lakes Basin islands accessible by bridge or ferry and introduces more than 50 additional islands. Thirty-eight chapters include helpful information about getting to each featured island, what to expect when you get there, the island’s history, and what natural and historical sites and cultural attractions are available to visitors. Each chapter lists special island events, where to get more island information, and how readers can help support the island. Author Maureen Dunphy made numerous trips to a total of 135 islands that are accessible by ferry or bridge in the Great Lakes Basin. On each trip, Dunphy was accompanied by a different friend or relative who provided her another adventurer’s perspective through which to view the island experience. Great Lakes Island Escapes covers islands on both sides of the international border between the United States and Canada and features islands in both the lakes and the waterways that connect them. Anyone interested in island travel or learning more about the Great Lakes will delight in this comprehensive collection.

A history of Presque Isle and Erie from the ice ages to the early 1950s told as in fictionalized conversation between legendary Joe Root and the author.

There is a longstanding tradition that God whispers in our ears. He does not shout. It is in "the holy whisper," writes the Quaker mystic, that we hear Abba's voice, not in the noise of clamoring crowds or the incessant barrage of social media. To hear the voice of God is an awesome thing--to know his thoughts, to intuit his love, to participate in his good pleasure. It is both a gift to be received and art to be cultivated. It can call to us when we least expect; but we can train ourselves to become receptive listeners. We need help to separate the cacophony of voices calling to us from the quiet whisper of Abba--barely audible. Since our wordy world masks the quiet, respectful voice of God, we need to recognize the primary ways that Abba communicates with his creation. We must embrace practices that move us out of lives of distraction and exchange old patterns of living with new ways of seeing and hearing. From our deep Christian past we hear the voice of St. Augustine murmur, "Whisper in my heart, I am here to save you. I shall hear your voice and make haste to clasp you to myself."

General William Howe was the commander-in-chief of the British forces during the early campaigns of the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783). Howe evoked passionate reactions in the people he worked with – his men loved him, his second-in-command detested him, his enemies feared him, his political masters despaired of him. There was even a plot to murder him, in which British officers as well as Americans were implicated. Howe's story includes intrigue, romance and betrayal, played out on the battlefields of North America and concluding in a courtroom at the House of Commons, where Howe defended his decisions with his reputation and possibly his life on the line. The inquiry, complete with witness testimonies and savage debate between the bitterly divided factions of the British Parliament, gives Howe's story the flavour of a courtroom drama. Using extensive research and recent archival discoveries, this book tells the thrilling story of the man who always seemed to be on the verge of winning the American Revolutionary War for Britain, only to repeatedly fail to deliver the final blow.