Friday, December 10, 2010

Brrrr...

So just thought I would update on what its doing here.  Not exactly what I would call balmy.  Right now its -36 but feels like -41 with wind chill, and yet the sad thing is, it feels WARM to what it was earlier today.  The weather at the airport today was -49 with the wind chill, and I had to work outside.  It was horrible.  Even with 2 pairs of gloves on my fingers froze in about 2 minutes and I would have to go in and two of the guys would warm my fingers up for me.  Needless to say, we could call it teamwork. Ha.  Anyway Nuka puppy doesn't mind it to much for about 10 minutes and then shes booking it up the stairs to go inside again. 

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Meet....

NUKA!

 I went and picked her up this weekend.  Flew down on to Edmonton on Friday and back on Sunday.  She was so good, was such a brave girl on the plane and in her new surroundings!  She loves the snow so much, especially the powder, she'll porpoise through the snow shoving her face in every few feet and comes up with a frosty white face only to realize that she is freezing all of a sudden and can't get inside soon enough.  I think that she'll make an excellent ski partner one day!  Its so cold here right now that its making it hard to tucker her out though.   I had some video of playing in the snow but can't get it to load right now.

When we got home she found a comfy place in my suitcase

Life is tough being a puppy 

Just a picture of me at a cabin a few of us sledded to

Saturday, November 20, 2010

The Northern News

So my life in a nutshell.  I am getting a puppy! Yay! So excited!! I am hoping to get to Edmonton on Wednesday this week to pick her up, and then fly back up here with her on Friday, but we'll see how my schedule goes.  Plans seem to change rapidly up here and getting a dog here is no easy feat!  Anyway she is a Shepherd/Husky cross, she is at a rescue center in Whitecourt, just north of Edmonton.  Her story is that there was a litter of 9 and on Halloween the pound was called to a house that was giving away puppies and candy to kids.  7 were given away and they seized the last two, her and her sister, they were only 6 weeks old.

 Isn't she a pretty girl!  I just need a name now, so hard to settle on one.  I think I need to meet her first before I choose!

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Little of this, little of that

I am here in my new temporary home.  My life feels pretty temporary in all ways right now, and I kind of like it like that! Temporary home, temporary place of work, temporary town.  Who knows how long temporary is, but its fun while its lasting.  I've got a few random pictures I will post of what I have been up to lately since it has been so long since I posted anything.

I took a 10 day Wilderness First Aid course in Squamish, BC.  Now that I have it the RCMP up here want me to be the first responder on accidents which happen out in the bush.  We don't have a hospital here and no paramedics.  Only a nurses station and the nurses cannot leave it to go to the scene of an accident.  Here are some pictures from the course.





These are courtesy of the instructor Shelley Secord.  I'm in all of them, can you find me???

Then it was off to Ottawa for some company meetings.  Didn't get to do all that much there sightseeing wise, but 3 of us walked around the Parliament Building one evening, and went to the unknown soldiers grave.



Those are the two that walked to the parliament with me.  Kevin and Chad.

Then....I came back up North.  We got a bunch of snow one night and I got out for my first sled ride last night.  It was awesome.  I didn't get any pictures, but here are a few random ones of just things that go on up here.  Nothing very interesting.
First snowfall

Plane that brings us our groceries and supplies

Me all geared up to work outside, minus the toque

My rides to work, which shall I choose today?

A cold day outside the hangar

Well that about sums it up.  Not too much excitement.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

I'm here

Well I got up here Sept. 2. I still love it here, so mellow, and slow paced.  Just like it should be.  I love it. I've promised for awhile to get some pictures of town and stuff, but I just haven't yet, so I'm sorry.  I will though I still promise!!  These mountains are across the river from the town, I look at them all day and wish I were over there.  They are amazing! The one with me at the lake is about a 10 min drive from town, but the rest are from across the river. 



Have I convinced you of just how beautiful it really is up here. Town is not quite like this but I love it anyway for all its simple charm. 

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Norman Wells

This is my new home, this is Norman Wells, NWT.  I'm moving up there Sept. 2 for at least 2 years!!  I am all sorts of excited and nervous.  Hopefully it all goes well!!

My Hangar:



My Office: (ugly I know)


My Helicopters:



Saturday, May 29, 2010

A new post

So, I'm back to reality!...I got my mom here and we are getting rid of STUFF!  Today we had a garage sale and pretty much sold everything. About halfway through the day she wasn't sure whether she was gonna stay or not because I sold her bed haha.  So now I am pretty much the proud owner of the contents of a duffel bag and I love it.  YOU might be receiving a visit from me this summer as we have no where to go now.  I had a visitor yesterday, Zoe stopped by for the night, it was good to see you!  I kinda fell off the face of the earth this past month with the whole blogging thing.  I have been up in Norman Wells, which I absolutely loved!  It is between Yellowknife and Inuvik.  There are about 700 people who live there,  it is so expensive because there is no road.  In the winter there is a winter road (part ice) but as soon as the spring hits that closes and then the only way is to fly, or take your boat up the Mackenzie River.  It is such a simple way of life, lots of the buildings are ATCO trailers, such as grocery store, restaurant, and hotel.  I am supposed to be going up there at the end of this time off so I will try and get pictures because it really is beautiful.  I kinda want to spend my whole summer up there.  It gets so hot there, right now it is about 30deg, wishing I were there because it is about 12 and rainy making it cold and dark yucky.   Ok thats all thats new.  I'm so glad to have my mom here. 

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Hanging out in the Arctic

I'm still up here in Inuvik.  Not much to say or tell.  Its ways lighter than it was the last time I was here!  Instead of 1 hour of daylight its now light until 10pm!  Changes so fast.  I flew over to the Yukon in a bush plane the other day, we landed on the tundra right on the ocean, saw a herd of about 200 cariboo, it was so amazing.  Not much else to tell, I ate some Muskox chili it was yummy!  Thats all my news.  Oh ya and I drove on the ice road!!!!  I got some pictures of where we went in the Yukon but my camera died and I forgot the charger so can't post anything.  I'm definitely looking forward to time off though....   

Friday, February 26, 2010

Some beautiful days off

I am now back to work in Inuvik so I guess the play time has got to end.  These pictures were taken at one of the beautiful spots me and Jay snowmobiled to from a secret BC town!  One of the best weekends I think I have had!  New sled...No cell phones...tiny remote town...my best friend...and mountains...what more could you ask for.

 
After a month up here hopefully there will be enough snow to get back out there!!!

Thursday, February 4, 2010

The Torch

Today the Olympic torch came through our neighborhood and it was kinda cool!  I don't know if I will ever get to see that again.  A lot of people around here are not super stoked on the idea of the games, but I think it is exciting.  I hope I am home still to be able to spend a day at Whistler!

The sponsers:

 
 

Carrying the torch

 

The Hand off

 

Another runner

Monday, January 11, 2010

Deja Vu

Well what do you know I am spending the last three weeks of January the exact same way I spent the last three weeks of January 2009!  I am once again in Montreal, fumbling my way through French trying to fake it but definitely not doing a very good job!  It seems that me and the 6 other English only speaking guys that I am here with are totally transparent before we even open our mouths.  I did make it through the grocery store checkout today without the cashier switching to english so it seems I may have fooled her.  Why oh why didn't I try harder in high school french!  I guess I still have time.  I feel bad that I am not fluent in one of the national languages of our country...not only am I not fluent but I can hardly make out what they are saying and I certainly can't answer very many things..so basically I am depending on them to switch over for me...that just doesn't seem right...it really should work both ways...maybe i'll make learning french my new years resolution!!!