September 17, 2019. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Our Hockey Rink.

Dave and Irene say that the Liverpool hockey rink is the cleanest hockey rink they have ever been in. I agree with them. Yesterday I could see why it is kept so clean. Our rink is more than a hockey rink. A walking track was installed around the top of the seats. And on the first floor there is a fitness center with all sorts of equipment. Classes are also held in the fitness c enter. Dave and Irene worked out three times a week. Of course, concerts are held. Last week the national team for women held a camp for those women trying out for the national team. Last week was a busy time at the arena, with games held every night and the drills every day all day. When Anna and I arrived to walk, a man with a cart full of cleaning equipment was waiting for the elevator. He graciously pulled his cart back to allow us to use the elevator. When I finished my first lap, I could see him cleaning the floor with a mop, first washing the floor adjacent to the walking trail. The second lap I noticed he was mopping at the bottom of the stairs close to the ice. By the third lap He was washing the stairs and the floor along the stands. Then I realized that he was just beginning to clean the whole arena. I stopped for a drink of water which I keep on a railing behind the stands. I would have been so discourages to be facing that task and I felt sorry for him. I chatted with him and discovered why the place is so clean. I commended him on his diligence and told him about my families comment. He was bright eyed and told me that the whole cleaning crew was determined to keep the arena clean at all times. "We work hard to keep this place clean," he told me. Rather than feeling despondent that he had to clean the whole p[lace, he was enthusiastic to get the job done. I was impressed. He told me that there was a hockey game tonight and the whole place needed to be ready for that game. He was a man about 45 years old. No wonder that place is always clean and neat. These folks take great pride in their work. This hockey rink is important to the town but when it was being built, it was controversial. Too expensive. Do not need it. It is called Queens Place/The Emera Center. I call it the arena. And I like it. Even the naysayers like it too.