exploring the legendary

My Table at the Book Fair exploring the legendary 2

exploring the legendary

All my life, I have been interested in legend, and in particular the creatures of legend: the Ogopogo, the Sasquatch, the little folk, the Loch Ness Monster and so on. Perhaps it is my general interest in biology, my writing about science fiction and my love of story. I also know that we humans do not know ‘everything.’ Each day I learn of a new species I have never known about before. Or I hear of the discovery of a new plant or animal. Or I marvel at how strange nature really is.

For these reasons, when I heard on CBC that there would be a new, concentrated search for the Loch Ness Monster, the first such effort since the 1970s, I thought it would be interesting to participate. The Loch Ness Centre is organizing The Quest for the weekend of August 26 and 27, 2023. The weekend effort will include observations by volunteers at arranged locations along the shore, as well as explorations by drone and underwater devices.

I am not traveling to Scotland any time soon, but the interview said people could take part remotely via webcam. So, I went to the website and now I am registered to watch Loch Ness for five hours on Sunday.

The Quest

I will be watching the webcam at Lochend, near the outlet of the Loch. The webcam swings back and forth, so I will get a full view, constantly changing. Watching a bit of water for five hours will present challenges, no doubt, but I will prepare myself for a long haul with water and snacks and lots of enthusiasm. Botanists are used to watching plants grow, so I am looking forward to this new adventure! Here are a couple of views of the area I’ll be watching.

The participants have had a briefing and a briefing package. This weekend, there is a preparation presentation via Facebook and wrap-up sessions at the end of each day, also via Facebook.

I will have fun and perhaps I’ll spot something of interest. The organizers tell us to expect to see water craft, floating logs, standing waves, debris, and, yes, perhaps even Nessie!!!!!!