On The Land

Back home again…(in Yellowknife)

Monday, September 01, 2008, 1:45:15 PM | donkeycat

August 23, 2008

Today was a travel day.

I spent the morning out walking on the tundra and through the town taking photos (they will be added as soon as I can). The flight left Taloyoak at 1500hrs, took ½ hour through rain and strong headwind to get to Kugaaruk (formerly known as Pelly Bay is located on the shore of Gulf of Boothia, Kitikmeot, in Canada's Nunavut Territory. Kugaaruk means "little stream", the traditional name of the brook that flows through the village.) another 35-40 minutes and we were in Gjoa Haven and then 3 hours to touchdown in Yellowknife. The temperature change was from 0^oC in Taloyoak to +18^oC in Yellowknife quite a shock to the system, especially when you are dressed in fleeses..

I will spend Sunday working on the computer updating the spreadsheets.

Cheers

Pat

It's not the hotel from hell, but you can see it from here.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008, 5:51:18 PM | donkeycat

August 21 2008

What a day I had…up at 0530hrs to work on photo logs and descriptions of the buildings I was in yesterday (actually I could not sleep, and as this is the usual time I wake up I thought I might as well get paid) instead of lying in bed reading, I couldn’t even watch T.V. because it would wake up my roommate. There was a heavy frost and snow last night.

Here’s what $210.00 a night gets you Taloyoak:

·       A bedroom, with two beds and possibly a roommate (could be male or female depending on who checks in)

·       A television with basic cable (I do mean basic) and no remote control.

·       A common bathroom at the end of the hall (incl. shower/tub) sometimes there is no toilet paper, and there is a common cloth hand towel. (the exposed light fixture has an asbestos heat shield, and there is mould behind the tub surround. I know because that is what I do for a living!)

·       A common dining room with:

o   First up makes coffee.

o   Fix your own toast if you want any.

·       Breakfast is served at 0800hrs unless the cook does not show up.

·       Lunch has a choice of whatever they are serving “with or without onions” (today it was cheeseburger with fries, I took mine with onions).

·       Dinner tonight was steak with or without onions (cooked as you wish, but they are all cooked to medium-well) with mixed vegetables and pan fries.

I have no idea what the meals are going to cost me but I’ll find out soon enough. I’m working longer days to get the work done sooner and trying to schedule a flight out of here two days early. I know I’ll have some time to kill before I leave here so I’ll take a trip around town and possible out on the land and get some photos.

Cheers from Taloyoak, Nunavut                                                 

Pat

P.S. it’s dark by 2200hrs and cold, we will have frost again tonight and possibly snow.

(photos to be posted later)

Traveling to Taloyoak...

Tuesday, August 26, 2008, 5:20:51 PM | donkeycat

August 20, 2008

Leaving on a jet plane (actually it was a ATR turboprop)

I left Gjoa Haven at 1500hrs (airport security consisted of asking if I was “Pat” and when I acknowledged I was given my boarding pass) and arrived in Taloyoak at 1530 hours and did it ever feel good to get out of Gjoa Haven, mostly because it means that I’m getting closer to home. Gjoa Haven is a very dusty and dirty town and cannot even compare to Cambridge Bay in any respect, except that again the RCMP officers that I had the privilege to work with, were outstanding. The landscape is flat to rolling sand and gravel with few a plants and they were spaced far apart, although the ocean is always nice to look at. The town seems to be in a state of municipal kayos and the maps that I picked up (I had two) were not the same and neither matched the actual town. I did manage to pick up a surprise for Shelly and Thomas (handmade seal skin slippers).

Anyhow on to Taloyoak…the flight lasted 35 minutes with a landing akin to dribbling a basketball, the airport is a trailer on blocks and the baggage is just dumped out of the back of a truck onto the ground in front of the building. The only way to know that the bags have arrived is to watch the people inside (everybody stays inside because it’s cold and windy outside) and when they move you know that everything is unloaded. There is no taxi service, or hotel shuttle service from the airport to the hotel (I hitched a ride with the Co-Op delivery truck). The hotel…now that is an overstatement…it’s a house with 9 bedrooms, kitchen, dining room and a sitting room. Check-in takes as long as it takes to find the manager (today was pay-day - meaning that the government checks have arrived – so everybody was at the Northern Store) and then 20 minutes while she finds some keys (they are all in a wicker basket and you need two an front door key and a room key) to put on a ring for you. Then you fill in the registration and go to your room and meet your roommate. My roommate is a guy from Thornhill (his office is at Bayview and John St. and my office  is at Leslie and 16^th Ave. about a 10 minute drive apart) who is up here doing geophysics for the mining industry. What odds!  There are no phones in the rooms and the manager leaves the hotel phone in the dining room to be answered by whoever is closest to it.

Then off to work…and yes I missed dinner again. I have to keep an eye on the time (dinner here is served AT 1730hrs sharp) or I’ll end up eating pepperoni sticks and chocolate bars for dinner (which I’m doing tonight). 

Well that all now!

Cheers

Pat

My final night in Shangri-La….

Sunday, August 24, 2008, 1:53:05 PM | donkeycat

August 22, 2008

Today was an easy one for me, I had to inspect three small one room sheds and finish the Detachment, even that went quickly as 75% of the cells were occupied which meant I did not have access to them.

I had a local resident, a “sik-siks” or arctic ground squirrel, keeping a watchful eye on me while I worked outside around the buildings. They are all over this town, as I was walking around after dinner I must have seen twenty of them, some sitting watching the comings and goings of the residents and others collecting arctic cotton to line their burrows with. I had taken my camera for the walk and did manage to snap a few photos of the town and the people, however the battery died 1/3 of the way into my walk so I did not get to take some of the shots I would liked to have taken.

 I just arrived back from another walk this time on the outskirts of town and I got a couple of shots of the sunset and the surrounding area. This is quite a place! Photos do not do it justice, the land is so beautiful and unforgiving, and so massive in its expanse that to go on the land brings both feelings of excitement and panic. I have been doing some reading, as well as the book on the natural environment of the arctic, on arctic rangers (Canada’s guardians of the north) and the survival skills that they posses, I heard some stories of planes going down and…well I won’t get into this now, Shelly will read this and put an end to my trips up north. Anyhow, I have developed a new understanding and a certain respect for the people and the land of our Canadian north.

I was just trying to figure out an ending, when all of a sudden it hit me…it’s now 2200hrs, I know this without looking at my watch, and the fire warning alarm just went off. The alarm is an old air-raid siren and it is activated every day at 1200hrs and 2200hrs, this is more tradition than testing.

Some interesting facts that I have heard about are:

·        There was an armed stand-off in Cambridge Bay yesterday; however I cannot get any details on what happened.

·        I found out that the reason that there is on toilet paper in the hotel is...there is no toilet paper in the town. The Co-Op and the Northern store are sold out and both are waiting for re-supply, likely by air in the next couple of days as the barge does not arrive here until sometime in September.

·        Tonight is bingo night…if you have worked in the north you will know what that means…at 1900hrs the local radio stations (there are two, one CBC and one local) starts calling B-I-N-G-O in English and Inuktitut (in the western arctic) and playing snippets of old time country and AC/DC.

Cheers and goodnight

Pat

(sorry about the photos..I may have to upgrade to flickr-pro)

Gjoa Haven

Sunday, August 24, 2008, 1:34:13 PM | donkeycat

August 18, 2008

Today was a hurry up and wait sort of day. I started early 0900hrs at the detachment, however my work was held up due to the heavy work load the RCMP and the Crown Attorneys had. You see today was court day in Gjoa Haven, legal cases have been building up for the last 3 months. Anyhow I managed to complete my work here and will try to get moving to my next port-o-call. Taloyak here I come…

The view from my window.

The restaurant at the Amunadson Hotel (the place I was to be staying in) what an interesting dining experience.

The breakfast I had today was not bad and not as expensive as in Cambridge Bay, lunch however was a different story. I had ordered a clubhouse sandwich and fries, the fries I recognized but the sandwich was not a clubhouse..no tomato, and the meat was a deep fried breaded chicken cutlet, there was more mayonnaise than I would put on sandwiches for a family picnic and the cheese was a spread. After lunch I headed to the Co-Op to get a frozen dinner to cook up for supper. I ended up back at the restaurant (I was invited by the three RCMP officers I have been working with) for dinner…I had something resembling a cheeseburger (I think deep fried) and french fries that were cooked to the point of kettle chips. (it’s now midnight and dinner is still with me)

After supper the two officers, the two crown attorneys and I headed across the tundra, on quads to a point of land about 20 minutes up the coast from town, to do some fishing for arctic char and burbot (ling cod). No fish were caught, but it was a beautiful evening all the same, the sun was setting and the moon rising and the temperature was dropping.

Quads being made ready.

Fishing in the Arctic Ocean.

Fishing for char under the setting sun.

The rising of the moon.

Here is some information on the types of fish, taken from “A Naturalist’s Guide to the Arctic” by E.C. Pielou.

Arctic Char, Salvelinus alpines. It is the most truly arctic of fish, it has a range that extends farther north than that of any other freshwater fish; they have been reported from the northern part of Ellesmere Island and they are highly prized by both fisherman and cooks alike. Many arctic char are anadromous like salmon, spending most of the year at sea and entering fresh water only to spawn. But not all char populations behave this way; some spend their whole lives in fresh water. And, unlike Pacific salmon, char do not die after spawning; they may live for several years (occasionally to age 40) and span repeatedly. They spawn in the fall in rivers and lakes with gravelly bottoms, and at this time they are spectacularly colourful: the large spots on the sides and bellies become a vivid orange.

Burbot, Lota lota, is an inland is an inland fish of temperate latitudes whose range extends north of the treeline from Hudson Bay westward. Its distinctive fin pattern make it easy to recognize. Burbot is the only completely freshwater member of the cod family. Burbot spawn in under the ice in mid-winter, only in the dark of night.

I may try to put together something on the arctic terrain, (sort of the Coles notes version) the formation of it is rather interesting if you like reading about ground formations and the ice age….not for everybody ….  

Cheers for now

Pat 

P.S. I haved reached my max. on flickr for photos for this month. I'll load more as I can and put then on the blog.

working on the computer.

Sunday, August 24, 2008, 1:33:39 PM | donkeycat

August 19, 2008

Today was a work at home day. That means that I was on the computer for the day trying to complete the electronic data sheets that I need to do for this project. It started out O.K. but as the day progressed things went wonky. I lost one of the spreadsheets I was working on due to “computer error” the dam thing somehow decided to copy one cell to 3 columns by the full size of the excel program (I don’t know how big that is but it came back with a Microsoft Office error and shut down the program and I was left to re-enter the data. I would rather be on my belly crawling around under buildings that working on spreadsheets.

Seeing as how I’ve been on this thing all day I think I’ll just sit and watch T.V. or read my book.

By the way the wind has shifted to from the north it’s clouding over again and there are snow flurries.

Cheers

Pat

P.S. I took a walk around part of the town and here are some photos; (photos to be added later)

“On the road again” or more accurately in the air again…

Sunday, August 24, 2008, 12:32:54 AM | donkeycat

August 17, 2008

I finally got some photos of local plants and….yes I did get a shot of a muskox! It was not as exciting as I had hoped…you see he was at the airport.

Muskox at the airport.

This is a very common sight all through the arctic. it seams that all babies are carried in the coat on the back of the mother.

Plants of the arctic:

entire-leaved chrysanthemum.

Arctic willow.

Cushion plant.

Today I left Cambridge Bay for Gjoa Haven. The airport announcement said we would be departing late  due to weather and that the landing was “weather dependent”. All air travel up here is weather dependent, that means that you may take-off from one place bound for another and end up at a third place or even back where you started. The weather in the north is very unpredictable and can change in mid flight, this can drastically alter the flight path. Anyhow, I arrived safety (although it was cold, windy and raining) at the airport, just before the fog came in, and confirmed my suspicions that the hotel does not have a room for me for the first two days of my four day stay. Being open minded and prepared for just such a situation I suggested to the RCMP that I could bunk down in one of the cells. This did not go over to well as it would mean that they (or someone) would have to stay at the detachment for the night…protocol you know…nobody can be left in the cells alone, and yes they have to close the door! Their suggestion of staying in one of the residences was a better idea altogether. Accepting this offer afforded me a warm dry place to stay and very close to work…get out of bed and I’m there! However this also presented me with another challenge…eating. I will have to make arrangements with the hotel to take my meals there. Public (non-hotel guests) don’t get to dine until after 0900hrs and supper is served at 1600hrs..it seems that the farther east I go (in the Arctic) the breakfast gets later and the dinner gets earlier. By the time I get to Hall Beach (eastern Arctic) breakfast and dinner will be served together at noon.

Gjoa Haven is not the holiday spot I imagined it to be..for starters it is much flatter that Cambridge Bay and more windswept. It is located on the south east point on King William Island and the Rea Straight is on 3 sides. The hamlet is named after the ship that Amundson used to cross the Northern Passage with.

Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen  (July 16, 1872 – c. June 18, 1928) was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He led the first Antarctic expedition to reach the South Pole between 1910 and 1912. He was also the first person to reach both the North and South Poles. He is known as the first to traverse the Northwest Passage. He disappeared in June 1928 while taking part in a rescue mission.

Northwest Passage

In 1903, Amundsen led the first expedition to successfully traverse the Northwest Passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (something explorers had been attempting since the days of Christopher Columbus, John Cabot, Jacques Cartier, and Henry Hudson), with six others in a 47 ton steel seal hunting vessel, Gjøa. Amundsen had the ship outfitted with a small gas engine. They travelled via Baffin Bay, Lancaster and Peel Sounds, and James Ross, Simpson and Rae Straits and spent two winters near King William Island in what is today Gjoa Haven, Nunavut, Canada. During this time Amundsen learned from the local Netsilik people about Arctic survival skills that would later prove useful. For example, he learned to use sled dogs and to wear animal skins en lieu of heavy, woolen parkas. After a third winter trapped in the ice, Amundsen was able to navigate a passage into the Beaufort Sea after which he cleared into the Bering Strait, thus having successfully navigated the Northwest Passage. Continuing to the south of Victoria Island, the ship cleared the Canadian Arctic Archipelago on August 17, 1905, but had to stop for the winter before going on to Nome on the Alaska Territory's Pacific coast. Five hundred miles (800 km) away, Eagle City, Alaska, had a telegraph station; Amundsen travelled there (and back) overland to wire a success message (collect) on December 5, 1905. Nome was reached in 1906. Due to water as shallow as 3 feet (0.91 m), a larger ship could never have used the route.

Gjoa Haven (Inuktitut: Uqsuqtuuq; meaning "lots of fat", referring to the abundance of blubbery sea mammals in the nearby waters) is a hamlet in Nunavut, above the Arctic Circle, located in the Kitikmeot Region, 1,056 km (656 mi) northeast of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. It is the only settlement on King William Island. The name Gjoa Haven is from the Norwegian "Gjøahavn" or "Gjøa's Harbour"

The growth of a permanent settlement at Gjoa Haven mirrors the movement of the traditionally nomadic Inuit people toward a more settled lifestyle. In 1961 the town's population was 110; population was 960 according to the 2001 Census, having grown due to people moving from the traditional camps to be close to the healthcare and educational facilities available at Gjoa Haven. As of the 2006 census the population was 1,064 an increase of 10.8% from the 2001 census.^[2] Gjoa Haven has expanded to such an extent that a newer subdivision has been set up near the airport at 68°37′56″N, 095°52′04″W.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

Cheers from Uqsuqtuuq

Pat

Could I call this place home?

Saturday, August 23, 2008, 11:48:10 PM | donkeycat

Saturday August 16, 2008

Well I managed to sleep-in until 0700hours, I tried the coffee machine again..to no avail, now all I have to do is wait until 0900hrs for breakfast….tic…tock...time keeps on slipping into the future…tic…0800hrs and I’ve had enough! I’ll just go and sit in the restaurant until they feel me or throw me out…0815hrs the cook took pity on me and made me breakfast.  By 0900hrs I was at work, however nobody else was! Friday night must have been a busy one. I went back to the hotel to have coffee and to do some of the paperwork I had been neglecting. I commandeered a corner table for my office and have scattered my papers all over the table top. 1000hrs back to the Detachment, this time they are open for business, and yes it was a busy night…the place if booked solid, not a vacant room in the joint. I made arrangements to visit another building at 1300hrs, until then I’ll go back to my office to work. I took the long way around town to the hotel, walking down on the shore and noticed that the Coast Guard ship “Sir Wilfred Laurier” was in the bay.

It come in late last night and is here to help in conducting a medical program and to escort a research vessel to through the Northwest Passage. By 1500hrs I was back at my office waiting to inspect the last building….tic…tock…1600hrs, working on paper word…tic…tock 1700hrs, grab a bit of supper…tic..tock..1800hrs, time to go to work…the last building to survey, hooray! By 2030hrs I was back in the hotel ready to relax, when I was called to one of the residences I had surveyed. This call was of a social nature to have dinner with the RCMP (my second dinner tonight and a home cooked one at that, how could I refuse!) I had been working with.

Photos from around town:

The Arctic Visitor Center.

The R.C. Chruch.

Nunavut Arctic Collage.

The tundra with Mount Pelle in the background.

A typical front yard.

A local out for a walk.

The only sunset I saw.

Anyhow to conclude: my time at Cambridge Bay was very enjoyable. The RCMP officers that I was working with were kind, considerate, helpful and good natured. The town is one of the cleanest native towns I have ever worked in and the people are extremely friendly, they will cross the street to say good morning. This is a place I felt safe to walk around at night (although it did not get very dark during my stay) and was I so inclined, a place to live and work in. 

See you in Gjoa Haven

Pat

Seems like I'm always working...

Saturday, August 23, 2008, 11:12:17 PM | donkeycat

August 15, 2008

Well here I am again…missed dinner! I managed to complete three more buildings today and while I was sorting through the photos, the 4:30 – 5:30 dinner hour slipped past me. I even took a walk down to the Co-Op (one of the two general stores in town) and it was closed, I missed it by 5 minutes.

From there I headed to the Northern Store (the other general store in town) and met a few of the local kids along the way, upon my arrival I found it had just closed.

I could see the staff inside but they would not come to the door. So tonight I go hungry!! (gum and water for dinner..I think there is something in the Geneva or possibly the Warsaw Convention about this type of treatment) Breakfast is at 0900hrs so I’ll start work a little late tomorrow.

Even the coffee machine I have in my room is working against me, or more accurately, it’s not working for me at all.

My room including the coffee machine.

They even have an RBC in town. I would think that it's got to be their most northern branch.

Goodnight to all from under the midnight sun.

Pat  

Still working...

Saturday, August 23, 2008, 11:10:06 PM | donkeycat

August 14 2008

Very busy day today, I managed to complete 3 ½ buildings and walk around town. I took several photos and found out that C.B. is 632 miles above the arctic circle…very cool…ha ha, it is also on the shores of the Northwest Passage (did I mention this already? The days are long and by the time I sit down to type this I’m very tired and my mind wanders easily).

The temperature is staying around the 6 to 10⁰C mark and there is always a wind..this is good as it keeps the mosquitoes down, there are no black flies up here, it almost makes moving this far north worthwhile…

I was told that a heard of muskox is hanging around just north of town and will be getting closer over the next week. They are grazing on the nice green grass on the outskirts of the hamlet. I hope to see some before I leave..now that would be cool. They are not as big as I had thought, but they are tough and will charge if they feel threatened. I understand that a few were shot last year because they were too close to the town (a real danger around children), they do not shoo too easily and once they start coming around it’s hard to get them to go away.

Well that’s all for now.

Cheers from north of 60.

Pat

Here are some photos of typical streets.

Working away in Cambridge Bay

Saturday, August 23, 2008, 10:43:16 PM | donkeycat

August 13, 2008

Today started off slow and just kept going that way. I was up and around at 0600hrs (to make sure I did not miss breakfast) and to my surprise the restaurant did not open until 0700hrs. I was told the night before that they open at 0530hrs. I wish somebody would get the story straight (myself included). I did get eat – 2 eggs (sunny side up), 2 toast, 3 rashers of bacon, 3 small hash browns and a cup of coffee $16.23, …having breakfast under the arctic sun…priceless.

The work is going very slow, as I have to create the detailed floor plans as well as conduct the survey and collect the samples. The work has to be detailed and accurate because it would be very expensive to return for one afternoon of work. I managed to finish working on a building I started yesterday, completed 2/3 of another building before my access was restricted and complete a third building. I still have 6 ½ buildings to go and 3 ½ days to complete the work.  Wish me luck!!

I am still hoping to get out and about in the town and get some photos..

Cheers

Pat

Cambridge Bay, Nunavut

Saturday, August 23, 2008, 10:41:37 PM | donkeycat

August 12, 2008

I’m sorry it’s taken so long to post these but I did not have internet access at any of the locations I was working at.

Even though I was in Yellowknife I was still at the office at 0730hrs (old habits are hard to break) and I managed to check my e-mails, take a walk to the Chamber of Mines (which is closed on Tuesdays) run into an old friend (who works around the corner from our office), grab a bite to eat, check-out of the hotel and be at the airport (1 hour early) for a 1220hrs flight. Ah…the 1220hrs flight…now that was interesting. There is no security to clear if you are flying north from Yellowknife. We all (crew change for the mine site, teachers returning after summer break, IT technicians heading north to solve the computer and communications problems that wreak havoc in communities on the land, residents returning home from vacation south, 1 small dog and 1 environmental engineering technician…) waited  eagerly  at the gate to board the plane for our trip north. For most of us on the flight it was the first trip to Cambridge Bay. At the appointed hour we were told that the ground crew was still loading cargo and we would board as soon as this was completed. Twenty minutes later the announcement came…however not the one we were waiting for! This one was to inform us that there was a problem with the runway at Cambridge Bay and they (First Air) were on hold until they received word that it was safe to land (whatever that means!). Thirty five minutes later and we were off, First Air is a wonderful airline to fly on, the staff is very courteous, the plane (737) has wide comfortable seats and there is a choice of hot meal (salmon, chicken or vegetarian) complete with wine or other drink. One hour, twenty minutes later and we arrived safely in Cambridge Bay (no problem with the runway).

Cambridge Bay Airport

+6^oC feels very cold when you are accustom to +20^oC’s add the wind to that and you are going to need a jacket.

I am staying at the Arctic Island Lodge and have taken this from there brochure (there is no internet connection at the hotel to research this place) and edited to suit my intention.

The Arctic Island Lodge getting it's water supply. Water delivery and sewage pickup are done every other day.

Cambridge Bay (C.B.) is in the heart of muskox and midnight sun country. Located on the south shore of Victoria Island, at the center of the Northwest  Passage, Cambridge Bay is the administration and transportation center of the Kitikmeot Region.

Summers in C.B are brief, but memorable (I know I will not forget this trip) and by the summer solstice on June 21 many of the birds are back and nesting, wild flowers are starting to colour the tundra and the night has disappeared (as I’m typing this, it is 2100hrs, and the sun is still high in the sky). Only miles from town the muskox graze under the midnight sun and the Arctic char are starting their river runs to the polar seas.

Some of the sites to see are: muskox at Mount Pelly, explore the town and viewing the remains of Amundsen’s ship and the old stone church at the former C.B. townsite. There are also hunting, fishing and bird watching tours that can be set up with local operators.

Things here are very expensive, everything is either flown in or brought in on a barge. So far I have found that photocopying is $1.25 a sheet, laundry is $10.00 per load, I guess I find out how much a phone call is, and the hotel room is $210.00 night…I wonder how much gas is..ha ha.. I missed supper tonight, I worked until 2000hrs walked back to the hotel only to find out that the restaurant closes at 1700hrs. I’ll have to make sure I catch breakfast or I’ll be starting one hell of a diet.

I have started reading “A Naturalist’s Guide to the Arctic” by E.C. Pielou (ISBN 0-226-66814-2) and hope to be able to add some information on Arctic plants and wildlife as soon as I identify some. Do you remember that I had said “it’s three days walk between trees” when describing the tundra in NWT. well here there is nothing taller than grass in any direction, as for as you travel,  NO trees!

Well I have to go and finish some paperwork and down load photos of my sites. I’m sorry I won’t be able to describe the work I’m doing in any detail as these sites are confidential, but I’ll do what I can.

Cheers from the Arctic

Pat

Saturday, August 23, 2008, 10:18:34 PM | donkeycat

Back in Yellowknife…it feels like I’m home….

I left home at 0400hrs this morning and arrived safely in our Yellowknife office at 1300hrs.   (1500hrs EDT) that’s 11 hours of travel from home to work…ha ha…talk about commuting time.  I will be over-nighting here before moving on to Cambridge Bay, Nunavut.

I think I take it easy tonight and catch up on some reading or just crash early.

Some photos to help me get through the trip:

My little bear.

My love - Shelly.

Some photos of Yellowknife (some you may have seen on previous entries)

Polar bear in the Yellowknife airport.

My hotel.

Cheers

Pat

P.S. I took this photo but forgot to add it to the post.

Hoping for the best, but planning for the worst!

Wednesday, August 06, 2008, 10:03:22 AM | donkeycat

Well here it is, 12 days after I found out I going up north, and I’m still trying to book hotels! So far I have spent over ten hours trying to find and book rooms in Nunavut and the situation stands at, rooms are booked in Yellowknife (NWT), Iqaluit, Cambridge Bay, Gjoa Haven (I managed to get two nights of a four night stay booked, every room in town is booked due to construction projects and the Nunavut Court Circuit), I have the number of a hotel in Hall Beach (but have not been able to reach anybody) and as for Taloyoak, I can’t even find the name of a hotel, this could be interesting.

I have booked my flight and have worked out the mileage to be 7875km to be flown in 21 days. I have also been checking the weather for the sites and it’s going to be cold.

Hall beach’s current conditions (observed at 0944hrs EDT Wed. 6 Aug. 2008) are:

Condition: light rain

Temperature: 2.6^oC (0^oC with wind chill)

Pressure: 101.2 Kpa/ rising

Visibility: 16 Km

Humidity: 96%

Dew Point: 2.0^oC

Wind Speed: E 11 km/h

(http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/forecast/canada/index_e.html?id=NU)

I will be crossing paths with the Nunavut court system in at least two of the towns I will be working in, so being the curious person I am, I looked this justice system up and found that Nunavut has a unified court system. It is Canada's first, and only, single level court, which came into existence in Nunavut on April 1, 1999 and combines the power of both the Territorial Court and also the NWT Supreme Court. The Supreme Court had more power or jurisdiction to hear cases than the Territorial Court.  But now, the jurisdiction or power of the two Courts has been brought together under one "judicial roof".

The Nunavut Court of Justice covers the entire territory of Nunavut with respect to the provision of court services. As such, the Court travels to approximately 85% of the communities across the territory (only the larger towns that have Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Detachments)

The Court travels to these communities every 6 weeks to 2 years, depending on the number of charges coming into court from that community. On average, the Nunavut Court of Justice has 2 – 3 court sittings per week each year, with at least one traveling court circuit and one court sitting in Iqaluit. This traveling court includes: a Judge, clerk, court reporter, prosecutor and at least one defense attorney as well as other court workers and interpreters. Court is held in community halls, school gyms, or any available conference facilities and all court proceedings in the communities are interpreted for the public. Elders and Justices of the Peace (JPs) sit with the Judge in the courtroom and are given the opportunity to speak with the accused following sentencing submissions and prior to the passing of sentence. In a territory as large as Nunavut it makes sense that one Court has the power to handle any type of case.

The question that you are asking is “What are you doing in Nunavut?”

The short answer is; I will be performing “Phase I Environmental Site Assessment.” and “Hazardous Material Sampling” at several properties across Nunavut. (To check out the company I work for and what we do, visit www.dcsltd.ca).

A “Phase I Environmental Site Assessment” consists of:

1. Review of historical data for the site and adjacent properties;
2. Review of existing assessment reports;
3. Searches of environmental databases for potential issues;
4. Land registry and city directories searches;
5. Detailed site and facility inspections;
   1. This includes visual inspection and photographic documentation of all buildings (incl. basements, crawlspaces and attics) and property for any environmental impacts (hydrocarbon, asbestos, lead, mould, CFC’s etc.).
   2. The inspection will also include limited sampling of any suspect material that is observed.
6. Interviews with property owners/managers and site staff;
7. Assessment of potential for environmental impact;
8. Provision of recommendations for additional investigations, as necessary; and
9. Development of Phase II ESA investigations including soil and groundwater investigation programs.

The sections I will be focusing on are # 1, 2 and 3 if there is any information available on site and number 4 if the town office even has a land registry. Numbers 5, 6 and 7 are my main focus and will be used to provide in necessary information for numbers 8 and 9.

I keep you posted

Cheers for now

Pat

So much for staying home!

Thursday, July 24, 2008, 5:06:09 PM | donkeycat

Well I’ve been back to work for 21 days now (and have put in 30 hours of overtime as well) and the office has already set my schedule for the next month…that should teach me to take time off…ha.ha

Anyhow I will be traveling back to the north country, spending some time in the Northwest Territories at another mine site on the south shore of Great Bear Lake and then moving on to Nanavut. I’ll be traveling across the artic and visiting sites in Cambridge Bay, Gjoa Haven, Hall Beach, Taloyak, Roberts Bay and I may even get to visit Iqualut.

Here is a little information from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia;

(This was easer than writing something myself. However, I did edit it to suite my own purposes)

 The Flag of Nunavut features a red inukshuk—an Inuit land marker—and a blue star, which represents both the Niqirtsuituq (the North Star) and the leadership of elders in the community. The colours represent the riches of the land, sea and sky.

Nunavut (IPA: /ˈnuːnəvʊt/) is the largest and newest territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999 via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries were established in 1993. The creation of Nunavut resulted in the first major change to Canada's map since the incorporation of the new province of Newfoundland and Labrador in 1949.

The capital Iqaluit (formerly "Frobisher Bay") on Baffin Island, is in the east and other major communities include the regional centers of Rankin Inlet and Cambridge Bay. Nunavut also includes Ellesmere Island to the north, the eastern and southern portions of Victoria Island in the west and the islands in Hudson and James Bay. Nunavut is both the least populated and the largest of the provinces and territories of Canada. It has a population of only 29,474 (in 2006 Newmarket had a population of 77,518) spread over an area the size of Western Europe (approx. 1.9 million Km²). If Nunavut were a sovereign nation, it would be the least densely populated in the world: nearby Greenland, for example, has almost the same area and nearly twice the population.

I am hoping to be able to update daily (once the trip starts) with photos and stories of the arctic.

Cheers

Pat

And They're Off...

Sunday, July 20, 2008, 8:12:24 AM | donkeycat

A journey of a thousand miles…

On the 15 of May we (Shelly, Thomas and I) began a journey that would take us from home to the Gulf of Mexico and then north again to the shores of Georgian Bay, a round trip of five weeks and 10,000 km.

Section I – The Start of a Long Trip.

Chapter one…Watkins Glen, New York

It all started at 0500hrs on Thursday May 15, as we finished loading our truck for the trip and hooked up with two other families (both of whom live on our street) to form the beginning of the convoy that would complete the five and half hour drive to Watkins Glen, New York, USA.  From the onset, this leg of our journey was plagued with minor problems that would change the length of our drive to over seven hours.

No sooner had we left the driveways the components of the convoy went in separate direction and took over an hour to regroup at the Tim Horton’s coffee shop that is only 10 minutes form the house. At this point it seemed as if we had our act together, and we headed for the highway. For the next hour we maintained visual and radio contact and everything was going fine until the leading vehicle had to pull over. It seemed that when we put the roof top carrier on the van we had done so incorrectly (none of us has ever owned a carrier before and when we assembled and mounted it the night before leaving, we strapped it down wrong) and the straps that held the unit on were causing a terrible buzzing sound that had been driving them crazy since we hit the highway. When the van pulled off the highway the family inside fled the van like wasps from a nest, and I was told that the kids in the back had been watching a movie in the back with pillows over their ears. Forty five minutes later, after unpacking the carrier, redoing the straps and loading it up again, we were back on the road.  One more stop in Vineland (a small town about an hour from our last stop) for a washroom break and to refuel on coffee for the drive to the boarder (which is about an hour away). At this point, I was beginning to see a pattern to our travel.  When finally we reached the border it was another one hour stop in the duty free store to pick up ½ priced alcohol and beer. You should have seen it, we were like kids in a candy store, there were people with shopping carts full of booze going in every direction. $97 later we were back in the parking lot trying to find room in the truck for one case of beer, two bottles of vodka and two bottles of Bailey’s Irish cream (a must for morning coffee at camp).  It was not until we were talking to the U.S. border guard that we realized we were way over our legal limit of alcohol (aprox. double) and were in for a very large bill in U.S. customs tax. However due to the sweet nature of the border guard and I suspect my honest looking face…ha ha.. we were let off with just a warning. One hour later, we were at the Flying J truck stop in Corfu New York to hook up with another segment of our group and for breakfast. Our convoy complete (one Xterra, two vans, one van with camper and a truck with trailer, in total 22 people and one dog), we began the trek to the camp site.  You guessed it…one hour later and its time to stop at Wal-Mart, to pick up some camping supplies, in Geneva. Up to this time the sky had been clear, the sun was shining and it looked like it was going to be a great May 24 weekend, regardless what the weatherman had said. As we left Geneva and headed south along Hwy 14, a beautiful scenic drive along the shores of lake Seneca, it began to rain…go figure!  The farther south we went the harder it rained until one hour later when we reached Watkins Glen State Park it was a torrential down pour, the wipers could barely take the rain from the windshield.  John and I struggled to get a large tarp up in the wind and rain while the kids played in the water and the wives and baby sat in the truck to keep warm and dry.  A brief respite in the rain and we attempted to get the tents up…ha ha, no sooner were the tents laid upon the ground the rain returned. The tents erected although wet inside, John and I soaked through to the skin, we turned our attention to the building of a fire..dealing with the wind, rain and wet wood was one thing but the biggest problem to keeping the fire going was trying to stop the kids from putting handfuls of wet leaves and sticks on it. God love the wee ones.  Two more tents went up and the trailers were set in place before the rain stopped. At this time another small contingent (three more) of our group to arrive and managed to set up dry tents. Then the rain started again.  A quick trip to Wal-mart to pick up extra propane cylinders for the tent heaters and lamps, which we used to dry out the tents and then back to camp for supper cooked over an open fire. The next morning saw breakfast cooked over an open fire followed by a hike through the Watkins Glen Gorge then back to camp for lunch and some shopping in town (our car camping trips are not all that rough). On Sunday it rained again (this was too much for one family in the group and they packed it in and headed for home.  They have 3 young ones and every thing the kids owned was soaked).  The rest of the group decided to take a trip to Corning New York to visit the Corning Museum of Glass. Absolutely fascinating!!! (http://www.cmog.org ) On the way back to Watkins Glen we stopped at She-Qua-Ga Falls, another beautiful falls right in the middle of the small town Montour Falls. While on the road (a 5 minute drive) back to camp, the rain came down again, (the theme song for this May 24 is “It’s Raining Again”) that night while lying in the tent listing to the rain and trying to sleep, Shelly and I decided that it was time to head south, three days of cold and rain are one thing (we have dealt with it many times over the years) but putting a baby (only 8 months old) through this on his first camping trip is not fun at all.  Monday morning saw us packing our tent and loading the truck while the rest of the group got ready for some hiking at Taughannock Fall on Cayuga Lake (about a 45 minute drive from camp).

The weekend was not a total loss – the company was great and I would love to camp with this group again, the hiking was spectacular (although more an easy walk than hiking) and we did get to practice all kinds of fire making skills. The general consensus among the camp was that in future years we will move the May 24 camping weekend to later in the summer!! (four years and four years of rain).

There are lots of photos of the trip on my sister-in-law’s flicker site.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/staynergirl

Shelly and Thomas at our camp site.

 

Thomas (in backpack), Kevin and I.

One small section of the george.

Chapter Two… Mammoth Cave, Kentucky

Shelly and Thomas at the gate.

Our camp site.

Breakfast done, truck loaded by noon and we were on our way to Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. Six hours and one state trooper roadblock later, we were in Ashtabula, Ohio for the night.  It was nice to have a hot shower and warm, dry bed to sleep in. Tuesday, May 20, we left the hotel at 0930hrs in the morning and spent the next 10 hours on the road (did we ever underestimate this trip – the problem was we calculated it in miles, but figured the driving time out in Km’s – Ha ha..sounds like a Robin Williams joke) only to arrive at the national park only to find out that it had closed for the evening….a second night in a hotel. The next morning we registered at what is one of the best kept camp grounds we have ever been at (and we have camped through out Ontario, New Brunswick a little in Quebec). This park is quit different than the others we have stayed at. It is mostly hard woods and there are animals and reptiles that we do not have at home (timber rattle snakes, copperhead snakes and tarantulas). Some web sites for the park are http://www.nps.gov/maca and http://www.mammoth.cave.national-park.com and they offer a much better description than I could ever write.

We set up camp and then took a drive to Wal-mart to pick up dinner and some beer…to our surprise the county we were in was DRY…no beer or alcohol for 30 miles, we would have to make due with the 6 pack we had…. We returned to camp and made ready to go on one of the cave exploration tours that the park offers. The tour that we chose to take first was called the Frozen Niagara tour. This was a little over an hour walking tour that takes you through some of the most spectacular underground structures in the Mammoth Cave system. The walking was easy with the exception of having to duck to avoid very low ceilings.  The historical and the geotechnical discussions that took place along the walk were very fascinating and the tour guides deliver it with such enthusiasm and humor that even someone that has no interest in either would still enjoy the talk.

That night, steak dinner was cooked over an open fire with long slow sips of the few remaining cold beer, under star filled skies with not a biting insect (or snake) in site. The next morning we prepared for our second foray underground. This time we chose the Mammoth Passage tour. This tour takes you through the largest looms in the cave system. This area of the caves was used during the civil war in the production of black powder. Again the tour was delivered with such fervor and wit you could not help but enjoy it. The tour guide who escorted throughout this walk is a fifth generation caver at Mammoth Cave. His great, great grandfather was a slave that mined the caves as was his great grandfather. His grandfather and father conducted tours in the caves in the early 1900’s and now the responsibility of educating the youth of today falls to him. We spent a second wonderful night in the park and then began the trip to San Antonio, Texas.

Chapter Three… San Antonio, Texas

Eight hours of driving saw us as far as Brinkley, Arkansas for the night. Again a dry county, we were in the middle of the Bible belt now. We got an early start the next morning and drove for twelve hours through the cities of Little Rock Arkansas, Texarkana (which sits on the border of Arkansas and Texas), Dallas, Texas and finally arrived at our destination of San Antonio. San Antonio is the home to Shelly’s aunt and uncle and the reason we made the trip in the first place. Shelly’s aunt June has just turned 62 years old and still full of piss and vinegar. She has just graduated as a registered nurse and is now working full time in a local hospital. David (Shelly’s uncle) is approaching the youthful age of 78 and works out at the gym for two hours very morning before sitting down to enjoy his hobby. David’s hobby is cycling…regularly doing between 50 and 100 miles daily.

Thomas with his Great Aunt June.

By the time we arrived at Aunt June’s, Thomas had pushed through three teeth and had started crawling. Much to the surprise of both Shelly and I, the trip down with a baby was very easy. He slept most of the drive and when he was awake Shelly sat in the back with him and sang songs or read books.

San Antonio is a beautiful old city full of culture and history. At the heart of the city are the Alamo and the river walk.

The Alamo (San Antonio de Valero Mission) is a former mission and fortress compound, which originally comprised a sanctuary and surrounding buildings, was built by the Spanish in the 18th century for the education of local Native Americans after their conversion to Christianity. After its abandonment as a mission, it was used as a fortress in the 19th century and was the scene of several military actions, including most notably the 1836 Battle of the Alamo, one of the pivotal battles between the forces of the Republic of Texas and Mexico during the Texas Revolution.  The fort was occupied by Mexican forces almost continuously until December 1835, when it was surrendered to Texan forces by General Martín Perfecto de Cos during the Texas Revolution. Two months later, on February 23, 1836, Lieutenant Colonel William B. Travis entered the Alamo with a force that later totaled approximately 187 men to defend it against the advance of the Mexican army. Approximately 6,000 Mexican soldiers under the command of General Antonio López de Santa Anna laid siege to the fortress for 13 days. The siege climaxed on March 6 and resulted in the death of all of the Texan defenders. Although the military significance of the battle has been debated by scholars, the bravery of the Texan forces and their sacrifice inspired the battle cry "Remember the Alamo" used in the subsequent battles of the Texas Revolution.

Thomas and I at the Alamo.

Thomas in his coon-skin cap.

When walking through the Alamo there is a feeling of sadness at the loss of so many great men and at the same time a strong feeling of pride that these men gave their lives in the fight against oppression and in defense of freedom.

The San Antonio River Walk (also known as Paseo del Río) is a network of walkways along the banks of the San Antonio River. The River Walk was the idea of architect Robert Hugman in the late 1920s, as an alternative to paving over the troublesome San Antonio River. Today the River Walk is an enormously successful special-case pedestrian street, one level down from the automobile street. The River Walk winds and loops under about 20 bridges as two parallel sidewalks lined with restaurants and shops, extensive plantings (including some bald cypress that are several hundred years old and whose branches stretch up to 10 stories high and are visible from street level) connecting the major tourist attractions in the area, The Alamo, the Rivercenter Mall, the Arneson River Theatre, Hemisfair Park and the Tower Life Building. During the annual springtime Fiesta San Antonio, the River Parade features flowery floats that literally float. Shelly and I (we left Thomas to get acquainted with his great aunt and uncle) spent an afternoon strolling hand in hand, along the river enjoying the sights. We had a wonderful Mexican dinner including the serenading by a Mariachi band at Casa Rio.

Shelly enjoying a Mexican lunch.

The restaurant founded in 1946 by Alfred F. Beyer, sits on land first granted title in 1777 by the King of Spain. The Spanish Colonial period hacienda became the core of the new business. The cedar door and window lintels, the fireplace, and thick rock walls, are still evident inside the building. Casa Rio was the first San Antonio business to open its doors to the River and take advantage of the River's setting. We also took a cruse along the San Antonio River and were regaled with stories, history and interesting facts and fiction about the river and the city.

We also toured the Natural Bridge Caverns just outside San Antonio, all I can say is WOW! The caverns are much smaller that Mammoth Cave but the structures in these caves is just awesome, far superior in both number and beauty than those of Mammoth cave.

Thomas and I getting ready to go underground.

Shelly in the cave.

Chapter Four… Corpus Christi, Texas

Corpus Christi is a bustling port city on the Gulf of Mexico about three hours of air-conditioned driving from San Antonio. The purpose of our side trip was to see the Texas State Aquarium and Mustang and Padre Islands and to splash in the gulf.

The Aquarium has a vast array of displays housing fish which are indigenous to the Gulf of Mexico, as well as a few exotic species. There are daily programs, including: Dolphin Presentations; Dive Encounters; Reptiles; Birds of Prey; and much more. The fish tanks were Thomas’ favorite. He enjoyed standing at the glass watching the fish swim. We all were amazed at the dolphin show, the skill of the trainers and the dolphin’s willingness to perform for the crowd.

Mustang and Padre Islands are just beautiful with fine white sand beaches as far as the eye can see. The Gulf of Mexico is as warm as a bath but a little rougher and saltier. It was here that that we had a very unusual dining experience. We stopped at a place called the Crazy Cajun in Port Aransas. The food was in the Cajun style (all seafood, boiled and spiced) and very good. The interesting part was, there were no plates, the food was just dumped on the table. I guess it makes the clean up easer. Anyhow it was a lot of fun and I/we will go back next time should we find ourselves in Port Aransas again. Two days of sun, fun and surf and it was back to San Antonio to prepare for the return trip home.

Dinner is served.

Thomas at the front door of the Crazy Cajun.

Shelly, Thomas and June in the Gulf.

Our stay in San Antonio was both relaxing and enjoyable and we would love to return and continue to explore Texas.

Thomas relaxing in at June's house in San Antonio.

Section II - The Return Trip

Chapter Five… Cedar Hill State Park, Texas (just outside Dallas)

We decided to limit our driving to around the five hour mark and try to enjoy the return trip. Our first stop was at Cedar Hill State Park (http://www.cedarhillstatepark.org) just outside of Dallas Texas. It is a beautiful park with walking and biking trails, a lake, a historical farm and educational events on snakes, and other local wildlife. Thomas loved the snakes; he kept trying to grab the rat-snake they use in the demonstrations.

Park ranger and ratsnake.

Thomas and ratsnake.

Our camp site was very clean and close to the lake.

 

Our camp site.

I had convinced Shelly that this was a good place to swim, until we saw a diamondback water snake. That put an end to going in the water here. We did swim at the public beach at Joe Pool Lake. Two wonderful nights under the stars of Texas and we were off to Hot Springs Arkansas. However, we had to make a quick stop in Buda Texas to visit the Cabala’s Store to check out the camping and hunting equipment. http://www.cabelas.com WOW what a store, if you’re into this sort of thing.

Thomas and I.

Chapter Six… Hot Springs Arkansas

The childhood home of former president Bill Clinton, Explains a lot..ha ha. What an interesting place and so full of history and stories. The park itself is in the town, or that is on one side of the main street from the curb to the top of the mountain and from behind the houses on the other side of the street to the top of the mountains. It is the only national park that will allow you to take away it’s natural resources (the reason the park http://www.hotsprings.org was set up in the first place) home with you. There are several public fountains that flow with 140 degree spring water that is open to the taking. These hot springs are known for there healing properties and that is why people from all over the U.S. come to get the water. We spent two days exploring the century old bathhouses and the surrounding country side.

Shelly testing the water.

Shelly and Thomas in the foyer of one of the bath houses.

Chapter Seven… Tennessee

Another early morning rise, breakfast on the road and several hours of interstate highway saw us into Memphis Tennessee, the home of Elvis.

The gates of Graceland.

We made a short stop the gates of his house for a photo or two and then we were off for a Mississippi River boat tour. We elected to take the shorter tour of the waterfront rather than one of the longer gambling boat tours. The boat we were on was the Island Queen (http://www.memphisriverboats.net) and the tour director was very knowable in the history of Memphis.

Mississippi River boats.

His talk was punctuated with humorous stories and jokes which made the cruise all the more enjoyable. From the tour we learned that they have found bull sharks in the harbor and that all of the cobbles that were used in the construction of the waterfront were purchased and brought from England, and Ireland, and that Memphis was the largest supplier of top quality cotton in the world.  After the tour had ended we boarded the Xterra and proceeded with out journey to Nashville Tennessee home of the Grand Ole Opry.  

Shelly and Thomas at the doord of music history.

Thomas and I taking a break.

Thomas just came into my arms and is helping me type this entry.

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From his remarks you can see that he liked Nashville as much as Shelly and I did.

From arriving in this city we all agreed that we should spend some time here and check it out. Gaylord Opryland (http://www.gaylordhotels.com/gaylord-opryland) is out of this world. We spent the better part of a day in the convention center. You have to see it to believe it! Beautiful gardens, rivers and fountains, quaint restaurants along the river bank and all inside the building. There are also huge ballrooms, and shops that would satisfy the needs of any traveler. All this is right next door to the Grand Ole Opry. It was just our luck that there were no shows on during our stay. We ventured across the street to the Nashville Aquarium Restaurant for a wee bit of dinner. What a place (it seams that they don’t do anything small in Nashville, either)

Shelly in Opryland.

The tables are situated around the 200,000 gallon centerpiece aquarium, which allows exceptional floor-to-ceiling viewing of more than 100 species of colorful, tropical fish from the Caribbean Sea, Hawaii, South Pacific and the Indian Ocean reside in the tank. To the great delight of Thomas, a diver makes feedings twice a day in full view of the dining room. He really liked the sharks and rays and could have stayed there all day.

Thomas at the fish tank.

We did some touring through the old section of downtown Nashville and saw some of the famous and infamous site and returned to Opryland that evening for a spectacular water and light show. What a great place and we are planning to return when the Opry is in full swing and spend a week or two.

Chapter Eight… Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York states

Back on the interstate for another long day of driving. We pulled over at one point because we could hear this high pitched whining and thought we had lost a wheel bearing. To our surprise it was just the cicada bugs. These bugs hatch every 17 years and blanket the country side.

This photo of a cicada was taken at our Mammoth Cave camp site.

For more information of this little creature check out this web site http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/03/0329_040329_cicadas.html  We did see a few of these on out trip down in Mammoth Cave National Park.

We continued on our way safe in the knowledge that our wheels were not going to fly of the truck and ended the day in the town of Wilmingtom Ohio the home of the Bananna Split Festival, which was just getting started when we arrived. The festival is set around the 1950’s and 60’s, drive-in movies, poodle skirts, sock hops, Dick Clark's American Bandstand, hula hoops, classic cars, etc. http://www.bananasplitfestival.com

We left Wilmington and proceeded in the direction of our next stop, Allegany State Park in New York. We had stopped in to check out this place on the way down and had decided to end our trip with four days of camping here, we even had our campsite picked out. As we proceeded north on I90 the sky began to turn dark grey. Upon reaching the Ohio/Pennsylvania border we were in the middle of a full force Midwestern thunderstorm. This tempest kept pace with us through Pennsylvania and into New York state. By this time the rain was horizontal and the wind was blowing the truck sideways. It seams that it our destiny that we are to camp in the rain in this state…Now was the time to decide if we were to wait out the storm and camp or continue on our way home. The decision was made by Shelly to do neither but instead to head to Cambridge Ontario for the weekend for a visit with her brother and family and to surprise her sister who would be arriving the next morning.

Chapter Nine… back in Ontario again

A good weekend was had by all in Cambridge complete with BBQ, campfire and sing-along, and a trip down to the edge of Lake Ontario in Burlington for the summer fair complete with a band from Newfoundland.

Shenneyganock on the shores of Lake Ontario.

Shanneyganock is a great band that plays the traditional Newfoundland and Irish music. Check out their web site at http://www.shanneyganock.ca and have a listen to their sound. Bye the bye the band are friends of Captain Mike O’Brien and family and they were happy to see each other so far from home.

Thomas got to see some of his cousins.

Thomas and Michael in Cambridge.

We finally made it home on June 15, but only long enough to do laundry and repack the truck for the trip north. We arrived in Stayner Ontario for a few days with my sister-in-law and that redheaded husband of hers. That is we stayed at Natasha and John’s place. The girls had a Pampered Chef party and I worked on the van that we have stored there. From Stayner we moved farther north to Perry Sound and Kilbear Provincial Park.

Again we were camping with Gordon and the Kovacs clans, in a very nice park on the picturesque shores of Georgian Bay, and wouldn’t know it, it rains all night on us. After our tent leaking on Shelly several times we again decided to pack it in and head for home. We spent the rest of the night in the Gordon trailer and in the morning we broke camp. We loaded the truck with everything except the tent, that ended up staying at Kilbear and as we exited the park Shelly was heard saying “We are done camping until Thomas is a little older”

All in all, the trip was a huge success and I would love to take the time to travel again with my family.

Happy to be home but ready to travel again.......

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY

Sunday, May 11, 2008, 9:28:42 AM | donkeycat

On Sunday, May the 11^th we will be celebrating “Mother’s Day”. This one day out of 365 days is set aside for us to honor you our mothers and to say “thank you” for being there when we needed you. From the pain we put you through during childbirth to the comfort you provided to us as children to the stress we caused you as teenagers to the advice you offered to us as parents ourselves, we thank you.

Through out my life my Mom had been a strong example of what it means to be honest, moral, caring and loving. She taught me to play, to read and to swim (although there was some external pressure applied to this). She taught me to enjoy life, through exposure to music, art and literature and just by sitting and listen to nature. She was never afraid to answer any of my questions, even the unasked ones. Her advise was always sound, although it may not have been what I wanted to hear. She has shown me how to be a fair and compassionate parent.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY

And

Thank You for everything.

I love you Mom

Pat

To my Mom...

You Let Me Know You Love Me

You let me know you love me
In so many different ways.
You make me feel important
With encouragement and praise.

You're always there when I need you
To comfort and to care.
I know I'm in your thoughts;
Your love follows me everywhere.

Thank you for all you've done
And given so generously.
I love you, my wonderful mother;
You're a heaven-sent blessing to me.

By Joanna Fuchs

I love you Mommy

Thomas

Sit Booboo Sit!

Thursday, May 01, 2008, 10:43:05 AM | donkeycat

The other week we saw a good thought provoking movie (“Lions for Lambs” directed by Robert Redford) and had several discussions about it. They ranged from just enjoying the verbal fencing that takes place between the characters to “Do we really know what our government is up to?”, to deeper discussions regarding when do you take a stand for something that you believe in (even though it may not be right. Example – interfering with a legal seal hunt by sabotaging the fisherman’s equipment.), to when do you stand up for what you know is right (Basic human rights, the need for shelter, potable water, food and medical attention) and what action do you take.

“If you don't STAND for something, you might FALL for anything”

I believe that this holds true in our day to day lives. If you don’t like the way things are being done, don’t just complain about it.  Do something…anything to correct the situation. I was brought up with the phrase “If you don’t vote, you have no right to complain about the way the country is being run”. You might think that “I am only one vote and that cannot make a difference, therefore I will not cast a ballot”. Wrong! There are lots of people with the same idea in their head and if they all voted it would make a difference. We, as a nation, must stand up for what we believe is right and just, and force the people we elect to lead this country in the direction we believe will best benefit us and all of mankind.

It is time to make our leaders see that we are not blinded by the petty goings-on of government, the pointing of the finger of blame for trivial matters that only serve to make one party look better for divulging the short comings of the other, all the while wasting valuable time and the taxpayer’s dollars bickering in parliament about who said what and who it offended and whether or not they should resign or be fired. While all this nonsense is taking place the real decisions are being made behind closed doors by lobby groups and big businesses whose only interest is their own financial gain. These groups don’t give a hoot about the people, the country or the environment unless they can turn a buck from it. 

If the government can continue to keep us occupied with these trifling matters and the press keeps reporting on them as if they are of the utmost importance to our safety, security and the well being of our society and we, the people, keep squabbling amongst ourselves, I believe that we are doomed to be lead like sheep, to suppress our own knowledge and understanding of integrity, morality and justice and in turn adopt the “virtues” of our handlers.

“When I want your opinion, I’ll give it to you”.

Something to muse over.

Pat

Camping Tip # 2

Wednesday, April 30, 2008, 3:04:32 PM | donkeycat

Watkins Glen Wilderness Weekend

(The annual May 24 camping trip)

The main purpose of any camping trip is to have fun with family and friends, enjoy the great outdoors, and learn new outdoor skills, practice old skills and shop at Walmart…. LOL (see I’m learning this computer shorthand).

Some of the issues to be addressed when camping (or car camping) are:

Setting up a camp:    

• Layout:
  • Proper location of tent, cooking and dining area.
• Set up of tent:
  • How to properly set up a tent. The use of groundsheets, flies and tarps.
• Set up of tarps:
  • How to setup a tarp for shelter.
• Dining area:
  • Layout and care of the dining area.
• Cooking area:
  • The use of stoves and fire for the preparation of meals.

How to make a fire:

• There are three elements require to have a fire (heat, fuel and oxygen):

Heat can be made from a number of different ways, here are just a few:

§         Matches - These should be carried at all times when you are traveling in the bush. Make sure they are the "strike anywhere" type and that they are waterproofed.

§         Lighter - An excellent source of spark even when you run out of fuel.

§         Flint and steel - A descendent of the Stone Age. The flint and steel method of fire starting is one of the safest and most reliable. I use a Swiss Steel and the spine of my Spyderco knife.

§         Battery - An electric spark can be produced from your car, snowmobile or boat.

§         Magnifying glass - Focus the sun's rays on a small amount of good tinder. The lens from a camera, binoculars or any convex lens will do.

§         Fire bows, drills and ploughs - If constructed properly, a bow drill, consisting of a fireboard, a drill, a socket and a bow, will create heat that can light tinder. A notch must be cut in the side of a fireboard through which a drill will pass and rest on a flat grooved surface below.  A socket to fit the hand will allow the drill, operated by the string of the bow, to rotate first one way and then another until a fine dust results. The dust will smoke when it becomes heated. Then it should be placed into the tinder and blown into flame.

Fuel comes in many forms:

§         Tinder - Maybe in the form of dead dry grasses, cotton, dryer lint, gas-soaked rags, and fine amounts of dry bark such as birch or cedar - the finer the better.  Start with a base of fine tinder and then form a teepee shaped pile with the larger tinder.

§         Fire starting blocks can be purchased at outdoor stores or they can be made at home (consider it part of the camping experience) from an egg carton, dryer lint and paraffin wax. First, take the bottom section of the egg carton and fill the sockets with the dryer lint then pour melted paraffin wax throughout the entire unit making sure the wax soaks through to the outside of the egg carton. To use these to start a fire, just break off one of the egg sockets and place amongst your tinder and light. It should burn for between ten to fifteen minutes.

§         Fuel - In going from the tinder to the fuel stage in fire lighting, remember large fuel materials require greater heat to ignite. Therefore kindling is required. Some forms of kindling are: dry twigs, birch bark, wood shavings and fuzz sticks.

Oxygen – the fire will need air to burn.

Everybody has their own style of making a fire some prefer tried and true methods while others like to pile wood up. Here are some of the traditional styles:

• Teepee - A basic fire used to start other fires. Lay the A-frame and the tinder. Then set the kindling and fuel on end in the form of a teepee.
• Log Cabin - To get a good bed of coals, build the log cabin fire by forming a basic A-frame and a teepee of tinder, then placing logs in the center as if you were building a miniature log cabin. Gradually lay the logs toward the center as you build the cabin. This is a good fire (in my experience) for cooking as it provides a solid flat surface for placing a frying pan upon.
• Crisscross - For a large, deep bed of coals for Dutch oven cooking or roasting, prepare a crisscross fire. After forming a basic A-frame and a teepee of tinder and kindling, place the logs on the fire in layers, one layer crossing the other. Leave a little space between each log for air to circulate.
• Star - Use the basic A-frame and the teepee of tinder and kindling to begin the fire then feed the long logs into the center as needed. Not a traditional camping fire as in most parks you are required to use the provided fire pit.

Other things to consider are what to do! You are camping now and supposed to be enjoying the wilderness and the great outdoors. There should not be a T.V., video games or DVD’s counted amongst your camping equipment. I know what you are thinking, I have camped with kids before and I understand the need to keep them from getting bored, thus causing them to misbehave and us to become irritable and the weekend and the whole camping experience ruined. 

Here are some things that can be done for fun and to teach children about the great outdoors.

The identification of Wildlife (Have you ever wondered how hunters (or MANTRACKER catches his quarry?  That is for those of you that watch OLN.) can find game even when it seems like there are no animals around? They use clues or "animal signs" to find places to hunt. With some homework, books and DVDs about wildlife, you can start practicing reading animal signs anywhere animals live. This is the kind of skill that will make you an expert tracker!  These are the kinds of signs to look for - 

1.                  Feeding evidence  

2.                  Hair / feathers

3.                  Tracks, trails

4.                  Droppings

5.                  Scrapes, dens, wallows, rubbings, etc.

6.                  Sounds

    

Plant life identification is another skill that can be practiced while hiking the trails. Most provincial parks provide trail maps that include some information on plant life particularly if it is endangered or has special significance to local folklore. Carry a field guide (i.e. Petersons), note pad and a camera to record your findings.  Please do not collect samples of everything. You will only end up throwing them out and leaving nothing but an empty spot for the next hikers to see.

“Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints.”

For the followers of “Survivorman – Les Stroud” who wish to nibble on natures wild buffet, I would caution against this. DO NOT EAT THE WILD PLANTS……The identification of plants for the purpose of eating, requires a variety of skills beyond simple plant recognition.

The night, Oh the night! As darkness shrouds the camp and the light from the camp fire causes the shadows to dance upon the trees. This is the time of magic and mystery, the time when the imagination runs wild. This is the time to explore the art of darkness and the science and mythology of the night sky.

“faeries, black, grey, green, and white

You moonshine revelers, and shades of night.”

William Shakespeare

What do we do after dark? Camp fire stories, songs, star gazing and even night hiking are just some of the ways to pass the time. Try watching the night rise instead of the sunset.

The study and identification of the stars and planets requires some training. Try to become familiar with one group of stars at a time. Start with the easy to recognize ones that you have been looking at all your life, and point these out to the younglings. The northern constellations that are very easy to find are: Ursa Major (the “Big Dipper”), Ursa Minor (the “Little Dipper”), Cassiopeia (“Queen of Aethiopia”), Draco (the “Dragon”), Bootes (the “Plowman”), Orion (the “hunter”) and many more.

Teaching kids to navigate with a map and compass is another activity that will help keep them occupied and provide them with a useful skill. Start by teaching them the features of a compass. It is best to give them a compass of their own to work with. Silva makes a beginner's compass called the Starter 1-2-3, which is inexpensive and useful for most navigating situations. Point out the different parts of the compass: the direction of travel arrow, the magnetic needle, the graduated rotating dial and explain how the needle always points north, no matter which way you turn while holding the compass. I use a Silva Ranger Model 515.

There are usually 3 different types of arrow marked on the compass. The arrow marked on the plastic base plate is your direction of travel arrow. This is the only arrow you ever follow.

The arrow (needle) that spins in the middle of the compass (usually coloured red and white) always turns to point north (the red end is the end that points north). NEVER follow this arrow because you will always be walking north then, no matter where you actually wanted to go! When using a compass try not to hold it near any metal or magnetic objects or else this arrow will be attracted to them and you will end up going in the wrong direction.

The third arrow (usually a hollow red) is the one that will be marked upon the dial. This is the one that will match up with the north pointing arrow (needle).  When you want to read a number off the dial, look at the point where it touches the line at the top (the one marked by ‘read bearing here’), this is the number you want.

NOTE: There are 360 degrees in a circle. Be careful about how many degrees each line on the compass represents. Normally on compasses of this type each line is “worth” 2 degrees. This is important, as a difference of 5 degrees over a walk of 6 miles will mean you will be about half a mile from where you should be!

A traditional watch with two hands can be used to find direction, provided it is set to true local time (without variation for summer daylight saving and ignoring conventional time zones which do not match real time). In the northern hemisphere, hold the watch horizontal. Point the hour hand at the sun. Bisect the angle between the hour hand and the 12 mark to give a north- south line.  The half way between the hour hand and 12 o’clock is due south. 

My wife loves the watch method for finding direction.  In her words, “it is quite cool”.

The shadow stick (18 to 20” long and stuck in the ground in an open area) uses the sun rising in the east and setting in the west to determine the north south line. In the Northern Hemisphere, when the sun is at its highest point in the sky, it will be due south and in the Southern Hemisphere this noonday point will mark due north. The hemisphere will be indicated by the way that shadows move; clockwise in the north, counterclockwise in the south. Shadows can be a guide to both direction and time of day, though reasonably accurate and time consuming this method uses marking the first shadow tip in the morning with a stone, the shadow tip at midday with a stone and the shadow tip in late afternoon with a stone. By joining the points marked through out the day an east and west line is constructed with west being the morning mark. To find north from this established line, bi-secting the line to the stick will give a north south line with the stick at the south end.

The long stick in the center is the "shadow stick".

The small stick on the right is the morning shadow marker.

The small stick in the center is the afternoon marker.

The small stick on the left is the late afternoon marker.

the white string represents the west-east line

and the stick in the center (flat on the grass) showes the north-south line

with North at the top of the photo.

Here is a list of a few (and there are many) of the books that I use:

Peterson First Guides – Birds    A simplified guide to the common birds of North America

by Roger Tory Peterson, ISBN 0-395-40684-6

Peterson Field Guides – Edible Wild Plants, Eastern/Central North America

by Lee Allen Peterson, ISBN 0-395-92622-X

Lone Pine Field Guide – Animal Tracks of Ontario

by Ian Sheldon,  ISBN 1-55105-109-5

Pocket Guide to Knots & Splices

by Des Pawson, ISBN 1-55267-218-2

Up North – A Guide to Ontario’s Wilderness from Blackflies to the Northern Lights

by Doug Bennett and Tim Tiner, ISBN 0-409-91101-1

Acquainted With The Night

by Christopher Dewdney, ISBN-10: 0-00-639164-8, ISBN-13: 978-0-00-639164-7

See “Camping Etiquette and Tips” posted 02/15/08 for more information.

Cheers, and here’s to enjoying the Great Outdoors.

Pat

The Twelve Labours of Pat

Friday, April 18, 2008, 12:24:24 PM | donkeycat

I started my parental leave at the beginning of April and had planned to spend the time with my family and work on the several projects I had left in the wings.

Well here we are the 18^th of April and I have managed to complete (with the help of my redheaded brother-in-law) the three main tasks on my list of twelve.

 At the first of the month my brother-in-law moved in and my family moved to Stayner to stay with his wife. John, who is a master craftsman and a perfectionist, set the schedule for the work at hand, complete with milestones to be completed by certain days. The days were long, averaging 10-12 hours, and the work moved along as planned. I was forced to become an uncompromising worker and adopt the same standards as John. I did learn a lot about framing and electrical and I have a great deal of respect for the skill and knowledge that is necessary to do finishing and millwork.

Here are a couple of before and after of the basement.

John, thanks again for all your help.

The list stands….toy box – completed, breakfast bar – completed, family room – completed, work outstanding…move the laundry room, build a spare room in basement, kitchen cupboard renovations, painting of two bathrooms, landscaping of the front and back yards, organizing of the garage and put a ceiling light in Thomas’ room.

Isn’t owning a house wonderful…..

Cheers

Pat

 

Back from TCI

Friday, March 21, 2008, 2:34:04 PM | donkeycat

Well we made it there and back in one piece. It was a wonderful adventure from the get go..the flight down was full of small children and as such Thomas had a great time. The resort was almost too good to be true (accommodations were top notch, the food was world class and the beach was unbelievable).  However, for the adventurous sprit there was world class diving (we did manage to get in two dives and one snorkeling trip), parasailing and wind surfing but nothing to explore on this island.  The weather was unbelievable with every day at +27C and sunny (Too hot for me.  We kept Thomas in the shade as much as possible) and the ocean was as warm as a bath and we all enjoyed swimming in it. The trip home was quiet as all the children slept for the entire flight. However, upon our arrival back in Toronto we were greeted by 2 feet (600mm) of snow that was not here when we had left.

Our arrival at Beaches Turks and Caicos.

Dad and Thomas in the ocean.

Thomas and friends.

Under the Sea.

This was our dive group on the reef at 60 feet deep.

Shelly taking photos.

At 60 feet Shelly ran into some trouble when her mask strap came undone from her mask.

Cruising the reef.

 Pat at 60 feet below TCI.

Spotted eagle ray.

Great Barracda.

Thomas the adventurer.

One night I dreamed of walking along the shores of different lands.
I could tell that You were with me by the footprints in the sand.

Cheers

Pat

A time to unwind

Saturday, March 01, 2008, 12:14:17 PM | donkeycat

This is the start of my holiday. Two weeks away from work. Two weeks away from cell phones, computers (for work) and TV. I decided to begin my de-stressing by listening to some music (Great Big Sea, Irish Descendents, Shanneyganock and maybe slip in some Johnny Cash) while enjoying a fire in the back yard.

Although the night was cold (-12C), the falling snow danced in the light of the fire and made a searing sound upon touching the hot metal of the fire pit. The strong south east wind made it tough to get the fire going, however once the fire was underway the wind caused the flames to climb in spiral fashion.

This time off of mine will start with a through house cleaning (not my idea of fun, but lets just call it a pre-spring, spring cleaning to get the winter dust out) and then off to Turks and Cacaos for a week in the sun. This is the first time I have been on a holiday with such a young child. The travel alone will be an adventure in itself. We plan to enjoy the sun, surf (Thomas has just completed his starfish level of swimming) and explore the island and possibly get in some diving (mom and dad time). I hope to have a few good stories and a couple of good photos to show for this trip.

“The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.”

Saint Augustine

In the meantime, the logistics has been driving me nuts!...what do you take with you for a week away from home, in another country, with a 6 month old? And as we are limited to only two bags I think that most of the space will be taken for his needs.

And no I have not finished his toy box! and yes I have started working on finishing the basement (so much for promises). I have this all planed out (if things go my way) construction WILL start in April (I hope).

Cheers, Bon Voyage

Pat

Camping Etiquette and Tips.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008, 10:52:32 AM | donkeycat

As promised in the e-mail….Here is the first installment on camping. Please feel free to comment and add any tips you may have.

 

Camping Etiquette Tips

Being a good neighbor is a big part of staying at campgrounds. You need to be considerate of other campers, and you have the right to consideration from others. Many campgrounds have rules posted around camp. Here are some tips on being a good neighbor, even when there are no officially posted rules.

• Be respectful of the natural environment.
• If you are going to fly flags at your campsite the proper thing to do is fly the country flag of the county you are camping in, then your country flag.
• If you carry it in, please carry it out-this will eliminate litter in the woods. This also applies to car camping. If you bring it take it hame.
• Protect water sources from contamination.
• Be a good neighbor - control your noise and your pets.
• Always keep your dog on a leash no longer that 6 feet, and away from public swimming areas. Clean up after your pet.
• Avoid borrowing tables from other sites.
• Clean your campsite before leaving, including your fire pit.
• Follow the park rules.

Camping with kids

If you teach your children to love and respect the outdoors and you will have camping partners for life. Remember that they (children) will imitate you and your actions.

• Teach children to stay within eyesight and earshot.
• Teach children to stay where they are if they feel that they are lost. Provide each child with a whistle around its neck to call for help when lost. (We used to put glow in the dark sticks on the kids at night)
• Children get cold faster than adults. The key to comfortable camping with kids is to dress them in several layers, which can be peeled off, as they get warm or added on as they cool off.
• Provide each child (the definition of “child” in this category is subjective) with their own flashlight. They are lots of fun.
• Bring along games you all like to play at home. Cards for inside the tent in the event of rain and ball and glove or bocce ball for outside.
• Teach your kids to treat the outdoors with respect. (Try not to scare young children with tails of monsters, unless you want to be up all night with them.)
• Camping with children is more fun when you bring a playmate along for them. Two or more children will entertain themselves for longer periods than will a single child. Shelly and I were camping with my daughter several years ago in Algonquin Park on the May 24 weekend. Syd had brought a school friend with her and the two of them had a great time together even though it snowed the entire time we were camping.

Setting up Camp

Tents

Shelly and I have been through snow, rain, tornado warnings, major thunder storms and some brilliant sunsets and in the process have figured out how to set up our camp. So here are some tips to help you get you started:

• Plan to arrive at the campsite early in the day. Then you can set up camp, have dinner, clean up and relax before it gets dark.
• Set up a new tent at home before your trip. This lets you check its condition, and learn how to set it up without the pressure of darkness or rain at campsite.
• Avoid setting up camp next to stagnant water, which is home to biting insects.
• Don't set up the tent in a low spot or depression. Rainwater will collect under the tent and can soak through into your sleeping bag.
• Put a plastic tarp on the ground under the tent. It should match the "footprint" of the tent so that it doesn't gather rainwater. This groundsheet protects the floor of your tent from stones, sticks, and general wear and tear.
• Don’t set up the tent to close to the fire.
• Get the sturdiest tent stakes possible. Most campgrounds build sites with gravel, and this hard ground will bend or break most lightweight stakes.
• The rain-fly is a special tarp that is spread over the top of the tent to make it waterproof. Most tents come with a matching rain-fly included. The rain-fly should allow the tent windows to remain open for ventilation while protecting the seams from potential leaks. Get a tent with a full fly, or use tarps to cover the tent.
• Keep a whisk in the tent for sweeping out dirt and leaves.
• Remove your shoes before entering the tent. This helps keep the tent floor and sleeping bags clean. We have found a grass mat works great as a door mat and gives you someplace to take your shoes/boots off before entering the tent.
• Protect your property. Lock your valuables in the car away from prying eyes. Also lock your food in the car, this will keep it away from any animals in the area.
• Pack a book to read in case of bad weather.
• Bring a field guidebook about the animals and plants you may encounter during your visit. Then go on a nature hike and try to identify the wildlife and plants you see.
• Take plenty of bug spray (see Sunday August 19 of this blog for a section on mosquitoes) and sunscreen.
• Bring a pair of flip-flops for the shower.

Cooking Area

        

Here are some tips on setting up your camp kitchen and selecting your cooking gear. Shelly and I have gone from a two-burner naphtha stove to a two-burner propane stove and now we are using a single burner propane stove although most of our cooking last year was done over an open fire. We are working at getting our camp down to the barest of necessitates but still being able to enjoying the experience.

• Write down the menu for all the meals for your trip. This helps you pack all the ingredients you will need without forgetting a key ingredient.
• Measure and combine dry ingredients in Ziploc bags prior to packing. Make sure you label the bags.
• If possible cut up all vegetables, meats and other ingredients for meals at home and keep in Ziploc bags. This will save time preparing suppers.
• Bring a grate to put over the fire.
• Have a separate set of dishes, silverware, dishpan, washrag, towels, and soap, just for your camping trips. Keep it with your camping equipment.
• Purchase a quality camp stove. Propane stoves are easiest to use, while white gas stoves produce more heat but cooking on a wood fire seams to add something special to the meal.
• Use tarps over the dining area if you don’t have a dining tent.
• Bring small amounts of cooking supplies instead of large quantities. It will save quite a bit of packing space.
• Carry instant or dried soups to serve with meals on cold or rainy days.
• Use block ice in your cooler. It lasts longer than cubes.
• Bring along food that the whole family can participate in cooking like hotdogs (or spider wieners).
• Use Aluminum Foil for making packet meals. Just wrap up some sliced potatoes, onions, carrots, zucchini, salt & pepper, and a little butter, seal the ends well, and lay it on the grill to roast.
• Get a small plastic cutting board, picnic tables are notoriously dirty.
• Make sure the clasp on all coolers is secure, or use a strap to hold it shut and prevent animals from getting inside. Shelly and I watched a rather large raccoon enjoy our final meal of the trip because we did not secure the cooler.
• Meat frozen at home before packing will last longer.
• Place your trash bags in the special bear-proof receptacles at night.

More tips to come before the May 24…

Cheers

Pat

Just thinking out loud?

Tuesday, February 19, 2008, 8:54:12 PM | donkeycat

I was sitting on my remediation site (a beautiful wooded lot north of Toronto) today watching the snowfall and waiting for trucks to show up. The site was a residential lot that had a scrap dealer as a tenant. For years and years he accepted batteries on the property, which he crushed, to reclaim the lead from with-in. In so doing he littered the property with battery casings and contaminated the soil with lead. We have removed most of the contamination (we still have to excavate two areas) and sent it to a controlled landfill and have now started with the backfilling of the remeadeated areas of excavation. This involves the importing of inert, selected backfill material, in other words soil that is free of chemical impacts and any foreign debris (bricks, wire, concrete, etc.). This being said between 0830 and 1200hrs we had eight trucks arrive on site and I rejected six of them because they did not meet the “inert, selected backfill material” criteria as defined in the contract.

It must be in our human nature to attempt to deceive one another and ourselves, if not openly than through our inaction (turn a blind eye to what is happening). I know that my actions of refusing the material to my site, will lead to claims of extra time and equipment charges and the statements that I have unfairly delayed the project. Why is it that when we agree to do something, it seems that we do everything to get out of doing what we have agreed to, or at least part of it?

When counting trucks, you have a lot of time to think about what is going on in your life. I was thinking about a promise I made to construct a toy box for my son. The promise was made over 6 months ago, before my son was born, with construction starting over a month ago the work is currently only a third of the way done. At this rate he will be able to help me complete it. I have spent a great deal of time thinking about this project but very little time acting on it. My initial delay in getting started on this endeavor was my wife was decorating the room. While this was true she had asked me to build this toy box before she had even started with her work (which I must say she completed long ago). Then it was “I’m waiting for my brother-in-law to help”, well he lives over an hour drive from my place and he is very busy in his own right. Then it was “well it’s too cold outside and I don’t want an open hole to the outside wall in Thomas’ room”, followed by “it’s Christmas”, “it’s the weekend and I’m too tired”, “you wanted to go to your sisters for the weekend” and finally “I need to get some new tools”. Well I did get the saw I needed, I’ve run out of excuses and I was instructed, “his room is like an icebox, open the wall and check the insulation and while you're there build the toy box”. So now I’m 1/3 into this promise and I’ve already promised to finish the basement this summer.

I digress.  Back to my original thought, “deception”. In the case of my project site I suspect that there is no cost associated with this sub-standard material, as the originating site wants to get rid of it without having to pay for the disposal. I do know that there is a payment item to bring material onto my site. Ergo the motivator for this deception could be financial.  However, in my own case, there is no financial benefit. There are costs for materials, tools and my time to actually do the work. “Time away from doing the things I WANT TO DO”.  However here's the kicker, I like to build things (just ask my wife how many things I have constructed just because I thought I need it or could save a buck doing it myself) and I like to spend time with my family. So this procrastination must be a subconscious blocking of my time in anticipation that something will come up that I’d rather be doing. I do believe that the power of the spoken or written word (a persons bond) has led me to this epiphany. The simple words “I will” or “I promise to” can bind a moral soul to an action. But moreover I believe that such statements are made for the feeling we get when we see the look of hope or admiration in the eyes of the person receiving the promise.

This year I promise, less promises and more action on outstanding promises.

Cheers

Pat

Rant #2

Saturday, February 16, 2008, 2:47:35 PM | donkeycat

Last night it was -10 deg.C (according to the weather network); I sat in the back yard and had myself a camp fire and enjoyed the cool air, the light from the fire and quietness of the night.  

I would rather do that than watch TV. I find that there is nothing on TV that stimulates the mind! These reality shows that they try to push down our throats are nothing more than some producer’s fantasy of what is real and matters to me.  I personally don’t care about who gets fired, or kicked off some island, or whether or not I’m smarter than a fifth grader.  Has our society slipped so far that we find it entertaining to watch somebody else fail?  Are we so insecure about ourselves that we need to raise ourselves on the back of someone else’s humiliation to make ourselves feel good, or are we letting someone else dictate how we should see and feel about who we are and the lives we lead.  Are we not worth more than the almighty marketing dollar?  Do we not count as individuals?  Is this not one reason that there is such mistrust in the world today?  It seams that at every turn someone or something is pitting us against each other.  I think that it is time to get back to basics. Get to know our neighbors, not just the “Hi” in the driveway, but really get to know who they are, where they come from and what they are about.  Talking to people is far more interesting than watching TV and having someone else tell us what to think and feel about others.

Don’t get me wrong, I think that TV and the media have a very important roll to fill in the informing (through responsible journalism) and educating (by use of factual documentation) of society in general and yes in the entertaining of people, but does that entertainment need to be based on the failure of someone else.  I understand the need for winners and losers and for competitive sports to have a definitive outcome but to be voted off of the island or out of boardroom because the marketing people feel that it will sell more TV shows by belittling the individual seams very wrong and is quite possibly one of the reasons that there is such indifference in the world today.

Just something to think about.

Pat

Thursday, February 14, 2008, 8:35:14 AM | donkeycat

Look To this Day

Look to this day:

For it is life, the very life of life.

In its brief course

Lie all the verities and realities of your existence.

The bliss of growth,

The glory of action,

The splendour of achievement

Are but experiences of time.

For yesterday is but a dream

And tomorrow is only a vision;

And today well-lived, makes

Yesterday a dream of happiness

And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

Look well therefore to this day;

Such is the salutation to the ever-new dawn!

- Kalidasa

The power to help.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008, 12:54:14 PM | donkeycat

Last night Shelly, Thomas and I decided to have some supper at the restaurant in the sporting complex where Thomas takes his swimming lessons.  As we were waiting for our bill, our server collapsed and was having a seizure behind the bar.  I was absolutely amazed at the response from the patrons in the restaurant and their willingness to help her.  However, I was utterly shocked by their lack of current first aid knowledge.  The help they were attempting to provide was very old school with a little urban legend mixed in therefore I assumed control of the situation, provided first aid and stayed with the girl until the paramedics arrived to take over.

I would like to reiterate, how impressed I was with the willingness of people to help a stranger.  Witnessing this has revitalized my belief in the decency of humankind.

This event has reconfirmed the importance of learning and keeping current basic first aid and CPR training.  I have been certified in first aid and CPR for over 20 years, and have been the health and safety representative for our company for the past six years, and yes I complain about having to re-certify every year, but this event as well as other situations in the past, have shown me that the time spent re-certifying is well worth the effort. 

Learning to provide first aid and CPR and encouraging others to learn is the best way I know to protect my family and friends. The ability to provide basic medical treatment (for soft tissue wounds, like the typical bruises, cuts and scrapes of everyday life, along with the not-so-typical, more life threatening accidents like puncture wounds, spurting cuts and amputations; burns, from mild sunburn to third-degree; poisoning; choking; and, of course, "natural" encounters - bee stings, poison ivy, and the dangers of anaphylactic shock) until a higher level of medical treatment can be acquired, gives me the confidence to deal with any situation that may arise, from the backyard, to the camp site, to the construction site.

Remember that knowledge is power and that the few hours you spend gaining the knowledge of first aid and CPR may give you the power to help someone!

Cheers

Pat

Saturday, January 26, 2008, 3:55:45 PM | donkeycat

Happy New Year to All:

It’s been a very long time since I posted anything to this blog, since that wonderful day of September 20, 2007 things have been very busy.

The holidays were fantastic…..We started off on the 24^th with our traditional family (Shelly, the kids and I) Christmas dinner of pizza and a movie, sounds strange but it’s very relaxing with no stress put on anyone, there is enough of that already during the holiday season.

The two brothers.

This was followed by a day trip to Cambridge on the 25^th for a brilliant home cooked Newfoundland style Christmas supper (turkey, salt meat and cabbage, turnip, carrots, peas-pudding, dressing, gravy, etc.) prepared by Shelly’s sister-in-law Penny.  The Harrison family Christmas with another wonderful dinner prepared by my sister Sandra occupied the 26th. This traditional turkey dinner includes a splash of French cuisine and a hint of Estonian flavoring. As the family expands so to do the experiences. The time up to New Years went by lazily, spent with family from both side (hunting, snowshoeing and eating of course). Thomas spent many days enjoying the out of door in his new sled (in Southern Ontario’s North…Stayner).  

The family

Number 2 son

Making bush tea

Mother and child

As I reflect upon the resent holiday I realize just how lucky we are to have our families close at hand and in good health, to be able to enjoy such wonderful feasts with such good quality and quantity of food readily available and to be able to travel with out restriction in out own country. WE truly are the fortunate ones…

I am eagerly looking forward to the New Year with all its surprises and adventures (both near and far) and I will try to keep this blog updated as we go.

Peace, health and prosperity to all.

Pat

A Lesson Learned

Sunday, January 13, 2008, 6:03:26 PM | donkeycat

“The pen is the tongue of the mind.”
Miguel de Cervantes

A Lesson Learned

The other day I sent an e-mail (in italics below) to a company, of which I have been a loyal customer.  The mistake I made (not counting the two spelling and possibly some grammatical errors) was to put pen to paper or in this case fingers to keyboard when I was spoiling for a fight.  This led me to put too much trust in the spelling and grammar Wizard in Outlook Express. This hot-headed approach to e-mailing led me to commit what I now believe is a major breach in e-mailing etiquette, which is to “CC” everybody in your contact list.  I did receive several very good comments, some words of encouragement and a few “who the h@## are you?” and so did everybody else. This has left me feeling quite embarrassed and several contacts on my list quite confused, for this I apologize and promise I will not commit the same mistake again. From this experience I have learned several lessons that will be applied to my future e-mailing endeavors.

-         Let cooler heads prevail.(Do not compose when irritated)

-         Do not put all your trust in Wizards. (Read and reread what you have written, check for simple things, spelling and grammar, that show you have taken care and put some thought into what you have written).

-         Don’t be afraid to have someone review or proof-read your writings.

-         Update your e-mail contact list regularly.

-         NEVER “CC” your entire contact list. (If this must be done use “BCC” with you as the recipient.)

-         When on the receiving end of one of these mailings, just delete it.  Do not respond.

To whom it may concern…

I have been a loyal Sunoco customer for the better part of 25 years. I have always found the service stations to be very clean and the attendants friendly and helpful. I would go out of my way to find and use Sunoco stations wherever my work took me (throughout Ontario, Manitoba, NWT and Eastern Canada). I would even use Sunoco gas although the competition across the street would be a bit cheaper. The one small consolation I had was the CAA points, this contributed to my yearly fee.

However now that Sunoco has abandoned this simple program in favor of this new "Performance Points" program, which offers nothing to those of us that purchase  $100.00 to $150.00 a week of regular gas (Sunoco87) depending on the distance to our field programs, I will no longer be so picky in the selection of which service station I frequent. As this is no doubt only a marketing took for you I may as well be tracked by Esso or PetroCanada which will at least give me something for my efforts.

Your  truly

Rant # 1 - I hope not to have many more...

Wednesday, January 09, 2008, 3:07:53 PM | donkeycat

I would like to begin this year off with a rant…

Manners, Politeness or Common Decency…. What ever you want to call it…

I have observed that the more advanced we get in the technology department, the more we regresses in the human interaction department. Everything needs to be done five minutes ago; we need to be accessible to everybody 24/7 and this leaves us with no time for ourselves let alone anybody else.

Through the Christmas holidays…the time of brotherly love, peace and kindness on earth and goodwill to ALL mankind…we tend to push and bully our way through the streets, stores, offices and even our own homes without giving any thought to the other people (adults and children alike) that are occupying OUR space. We drive our cars and walk down the streets talking on our cell-phones and text messaging on our Blackberries with out even looking where we are going. We walk into other people with out even a nod of acknowledgement let alone an apology, and step off the curb into oncoming traffic then berate the driver with a barrage of obscenities for almost running us over because THEY were not paying attention to there driving. We talk on our phones to everybody about everything (which more often than not is nothing) all the time. We stand in line to be served at our favorite coffee place talking on our phones to our friends about what happened since we last saw them five minutes ago and then have the nerve to tell the person taking our order to “hold on a sec…” while we finish our conversation. We bustle through doors we open just wide enough for ourselves or charge through those held open by other without saying thank you.

We complain about how our neighbourhoods are going to hell-in-a-hand basket, yet we do nothing to encourage the sprit of community. We watch as our elderly neighbors struggle to clear the snow from their walkways or drag their garbage bins and blue bins to the curb every Thursday.

Have we forgotten the manners we were taught or do we choose to use them only for people we consider worthy? Are we so absorbed in our own affairs that we cannot take the time to be polite to others? Have our lives become so sad that we do not even think of wishing someone a good morning?

Treating someone in a hostile or confrontational manner will in turn lead him or her to treat other as they have been treated. If this is true then the reverse should also apply, to treat someone with kindness and respect should lead them to in turn to treat others with kindness and respect, (sound familiar…possibly from a parent, grandparent or even “the good book”).

This year I will make an effort to use the manners I have been saving, to try to make my life more decent by turning my cell-phone off when I’m driving, holding doors for others and living in “a community” by getting to know all my neighbors.

Something to think about...

Cheers

 Pat

My son has arrived

Wednesday, October 03, 2007, 8:21:34 PM | donkeycat

Sorry it’s been so long getting these posts and photos in but things around here have been very busy…..

Since getting back from Bayfield and getting around to writing on this blog I have become a father again….Yes that right…. I’m the proud dad of a 9lbs.13oz. baby boy. He was born on September 20, 2007. Both mom and child are doing well (dad is a little tired) and I’m looking forward to many new and exciting adventures…..

Cheers from home..at last..

Pat

Still in Bayfield

Friday, September 28, 2007, 10:04:13 AM | donkeycat

10 September 2007

Still in Bayfield….

Not much to report on today.. just work..We did however have “Gail Warnings” and lots of rain, I spent the day soaked to the skin, but got some good photographs..

Enjoy…

For those of you that have seen the movie cars, I found the summer house of one of the stars...

The Great Lake Huron.

Cheers from the shores of Lake Huron.

Pat

Eastern shores of Lake Huron

Friday, September 28, 2007, 9:53:05 AM | donkeycat

10 September 2007

Hello from Bayfield….

Bayfield is a quaint town on the eastern shores of Lake Huron. The town is quite old, by Canadian standards, and has served as a commercial fishing port and now also as a seasonal resort. There are four marinas in the first kilometer of the river (from the mouth at Lake Huron to the bridge) that service over 400 sailing boats per season. The town is comprised of small cottages on very large lots, to very large homes also on very large lots to some wonderfully strange houses all with manicured lawns and trimmed hedges. The downtown section is made up of old store fronts converted into pubs, restaurants and art stores. The hotel that I’m staying at was built in 1840’s by an Irish bricklayer. In 1857 a large addition was built and the establishment was opened as a hotel.  Currently there are four rooms, a common room and an outside hot-tub for use by tenants. There are no phones and no TV’s (at least I’m maintaining a standard this summer) and a restaurant, currently closed due to nearing the end of the season, and a pub that’s open to 0030 hours. Along with the room key they give a front door key just incase you do not make it home before they lock up for the night.

My hotel

A house I saw in Bayfield, and it's not even close to the shore. 

 

Cheers from the shores of Lake Huron.

Pat

Lonely Island Lighthouse

Friday, September 28, 2007, 9:47:45 AM | donkeycat

September 7, 2007

Lonely Island……(photos added at the end)

The drive to Tobermory, Ontario was beautiful. The weather cooperated and the company was good. I was traveling with a biologist and we discussed many things of the natural world on our journey. The drive took us through Stayner (where my sister-in-law and her red-headed husband live), to Collingwood, along Georgian bay through pretty little towns along the shoreline to Meaford the site of CFB Meaford Tank Range. Across farm land to Owen Sound then up to Wiarton (the home of the famous weather predicting groundhog – Wiarton Willy). More farm land, where we observed 30 Sand Hill Cranes, dozens of Wild turkeys, Canada Geese by the thousands (hunting season opens on Sept. 8) and turkey vultures. Finally arriving in Tobermory for supper. The motel (Grandview motel) we stayed at offered a spectacular view sun sets and sun rises over the bay. The rooms were comfortable even though there were no phones (I kind of like that, not having a phone all summer). Tobermory is a paradise for naturalists, leisure-seekers and outdoor enthusiasts, Tobermory is full of  historic character and natural surroundings making it an outdoors enthusiasts dream come true. It is located at the intersection of Georgian Bay and Lake Huron and is the final destination for hikers walking the Bruce Trail, which travels 850 km (527 mi) all the way to Niagara Falls, Ontario. Tobermory is also the home of many natural and historical attractions. Flowerpot Island having the unique flower-pot shaped limestone towers that date back to the prehistoric history of the Great Lakes. Tobermory has the highest concentration of orchids in North America. Fathom Five National Marine Park features all kinds of historic lighthouses (one of the reasons I’m up here) and shipwrecks and is the dive capital of Canada. (I sound like a travel agent).

Our Wednesday started off at 0530 hours, being woken by the thunderstorm and howling winds. I was lying in bed wondering if we’d sail today. At 0730 hours we met with the Capitan of the Teak Isle, Steve Tiernan, and were told to call him at 0830 hours after he checked the radar. By 1000 hours the rain had stopped and we to sea. The wind was not the expected “from the south” as reported by Environment Canada, but was from the east and quite strong. The 40 Km trip took three and one half hours to complete and we were up and down the 1 to 1.5m waves the whole trip. The biologist was not to happy about this as he hung on to the rails or ladder for dear life and tried to keep his breakfast down.  With the wave action the way it was and the shoreline comprised of shale slabs and limestone boulders, we were unable to get the tug close to the shore and had to use the zodiac. Forty five minutes later, a 1 Km walk and a climb up a cliff, we were at the lighthouse. What a view!!! The site was heavily overgrown which mad my work more difficult. We did see the tail end of a snake (sorry no photos – there to quick) but we are unsure of the type. I think it was a Mississauga Rattlesnake. At 1600 hours we received a radio call from the ship telling us to get our A*#’s in gear as there were more thunderstorms showing up on the radar and he did not want to get caught in them. There’s not a problem with the ship handling 12 foot seas, it’s if the ship gets struck by lightening we loose all our electronic navigation. The walk back to the zodiac was even longer as I was caring a 70 Lbs pack of soil samples. The return trip was more of a challenge, at least for the biologist, with 2 to 3 meter seas all the way home. He had a tough time keeping his sandwich and beer down while I fell asleep on one of the benches.

Here’s a little information of the site.

Lonely Island Lighthouse, Ontario, Canada

Still actively operating in Georgian Bay in Lake Huron, the Lonely Island light was one of several established in 1870 to mark shipping routes through numerous bays and harbors. The 1880s brought a massive boom in shipping throughout the Great Lakes. In treacherous waters, disaster often claimed boats that were undermanned and overloaded with grain, coal, and stone. The present tower -- white, octagonal, with red lantern area -- was built in 1907. Lighthouse information: Managing Organization: Canadian Coast Guard; Tower Height: 54 feet; Height of Focal Plane: 195 feet; Characteristic and Range: Flashing white every 10 seconds, visible for 17 miles.; Description of Tower: White octagonal tower with red lantern; This light is operational however not open to the public. Date Automated: 1987.  Historical information: The other Buildings including a house were destroyed 1995. The earlier Tower was built in 1870 and was a Square wooden tower attached to dwelling. This station was manned throughout most of its history. Her keepers were: John Egan (1870-1872), Henry Solomon (1872), Dominic (Domonic?) Solomon (1872-1885), John Haitse (1885-1914), Louis Roque (1914-1916), Harry Loosemore (1916-1942), Edward Rousseau (c. 1943-1958), John Adams (1959-1965), Aldon Brethour (1966-1978), Lorne Gibson (c. 1982-1986)

The Mississauga Rattlesnake. (Sistrurus catenatus)

Sistrurus catenatus is a venomous pit viper species found primarily in the United States and also in Canada. Three subspecies are recognized, however I will only focus on the one that is found in Ontario.  

 S. c. catenatus is not a large snake, with adults ranging from 45 to 75 cm in length. Its color pattern consists of a grey or tan ground color with a row of large rounded brown/black blotches or spots down the centre of the back and three smaller rows of alternating spots down each side. Solid black melanistic examples are also known, as well as cases where the back blotches join with those on the sides. A rattle is present on the tail. Young massasauga rattlesnakes are well-patterned but paler than the adults. This is the only Ontario snake with vertical pupils. It has heat-sensing pits on each side of its smallish head, the scales are keeled and the anal scale is single.

The name massasauga means "great river-mouth" in the Chippewa language and was probably given to describe its habitat in Chippewa country: swampland surrounding river deltas.

Geographic range

Found in North America from southeastern Ontario (Canada) and western New York State southwest to southeastern Arizona (USA) and northern Tamaulipas (Mexico). In Mexico, isolated population exist in southern Nuevo León and north-central Coahuila. It occurs in various habitats ranging from swamps and marshes to grasslands, usually below 1500 m altitude. The type locality given is "... on the prairies of the upper Missouri" (Valley, USA).^[1]

The venom of rattlesnakes contains specialized digestive enzymes that disrupt blood flow and prevent blood clotting. Severe internal bleeding causes the death of the small animals that this snake eats. After envenomation, the rattlesnake is able to withdraw from the dangers of sharp toothed prey animals until they are subdued and even partially digested by the action of the venom.

S. c. catenatus is rather shy and avoids humans when it can. Most massasauga snakebites in Ontario have occurred after people deliberately handled or accidentally stepped on one of these animals. Both of these scenarios are preventable by avoiding hiking through areas of low visibility (in rattlesnake country) when not wearing shoes and long pants, and by leaving the massasaugas alone when they are found. There are only two recorded incidents of people dying from massasauga rattlesnake bites in Ontario and in both cases they did not receive proper treatment. In at least one of these cases, the victim was a young child.

In Ontario the massasauga rattlesnake is found only near the eastern shore of Georgian Bay, the Bruce Peninsula, Wainfleet Bog and Ojibway Prairie. Although it also ranges through several American states this is its only range in Canada. The rattlesnake is becoming rare in Canada due to persecution and loss of habitat, and is designated as Threatened by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada COSEWIC and the Committee on the Status of Species-at-Risk in Ontario (COSSARO).

Flower Pot Island

The Che-Che-Mon ferry. It's a car carrier that travels from Tobermory to Manatoulin Island.

Our sea-sick Biologist. 

Our boat the "Teak Isle"

The beach head at Lonely Island.

The lighthouse.

Cheers from the weary traveler

Pat

P.S. on Monday I leave for Bayfield on Lake Huron so I’ll be posting an update when I get back.