Fun at the lake

We woke up this morning to a fresh 4-inch dusting of powder. After a raclette breakfast Blaine and I went out to plough the drive, well he ploughed I just rode along. Justin got packed up and headed off, we had an awesome visit with him and the time just flew by. It was a lovely mild day so we went out front on the lake and did a little ice fishing. Blaine set up patio chairs and I made us Sailor Jerry hot chocloate so although we didn't get a bite it was lots of fun.

To maximize the enjoyment of our environment we hitched the qamutiq up to Blaine's sled and he towed me and the puppies over to Indian Hill. Alas with all the powder and extra weight we couldn't get all the way up the hill so had to walk the last little way but the view always makes it worthwhile. Me and the puppies got covered in snow but I couldn't get a picture as my iPhone was in my inside pocket.

For dinner we had Mexican, heating our tortillas on the raclette. I have a chest cough so am resting up in bed with lots of Kleenex and cough meds. Blaine and the dogs are keeping me company watching Sons of Anarchy.

Posted with Blogsy

Merry Christmas!

Call me immodest but I totally rocked Christmas dinner. On Monday I mixed up fresh thyme, rosemary and clementine zest with lots of butter which I then rubbed under the skin of our 12lb turkey. I also baked some soft white bread rolls.

Christmas Day I started cooking at noon and didn't stop until 6pm! The bird  was covered and roasted at 200 for 3 hours with the 2 clementines cut in half and placed in the cavity along with a handful of fresh thyme. 

We like lemony Greek potatoes so much that we eat them at every opportunity and the citrus was a nice refreshing flavour amongst the richness. 

http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/31522/recipegreek-style-potatoes

For veggies I made Blaine's favourite green beans, fried in garlic, butter and olive oil, glazed carrots, and steamed Brussels sprouts. For stuffing we had the last of Shalla's yummy stuffing which I had frozen on thanksgiving, and a pork, apple and sage sausage inspired by Gordon Ramsay. Finally we had a big jug of turkey gravy.

For desert I made a peach cheesecake. The base was 200g biscuit crumb and 75g butter. The filling was made by whipping together 4tbsp caster sugar and 250ml whipping cream. Beat 250g of full fat Philadelphia cream cheese until soft, add 1tsp pure vanilla extract and then whip in the whipped cream until it is smooth. Stir in some finely chopped peaches, pour onto the base and chill. Easy as pie!

We drank prosecco, Viognier and Malbec then sank into the hot tub. Merry Christmas everyone!

Sent from my iPhone

Weekend in SunPeaks

We spent the weekend snowboarding at Sun Peaks with the Guertins. There was lots of lovely ego snow and my leg held up really well. The Delta hotel has a great deal $200 for 1 night and 2 lift tickets. Since lift tickets are $83 each it was a no brainer.

Dum Aloo

Tonight I cooked up an East Indian feast. I used my "go to" naan bread and tikka marinade recipes from my Curry Bible cookbook then also tried out a new potato curry recipe that I found online. It was really very delicious and although the recipe seemed rather complicated I have to say it was worthwhile following. Try it for yourself by following this link.

http://www.ecurry.com/blog/indian/curries/gravies/dum-aloo-potatoes-simmered-in-spices-coconut-milk/


No photos as we devoured it all right away sorry.

Posted with Blogsy

Toy Boy?

I always go to the same gas station in Williams Lake, the Super Save near the casino. The staff are super friendly and the prices are always the cheapest. Oh yeah, and they pump the gas for you and will even clean the windows. I usually clean my own windows (because my vehicles are so dirty!) while Rena pumps the diesel or petrol and we chat about stuff. Yesterday I was in town with Justin as his pickup was the perfect vehicle to take Blaine's skidoo to hospital. We pulled up to the pump and got out, then Rena said "hey so this must be your husband". Evidently Blaine and I have not been to fill up together. It was pretty funny.

Posted with Blogsy

Bluebird sled afternoon

Justin, Sage, Johnny and I took my sled to Prairie Chicken Hill this afternoon. It was so very beautiful. We saw a moose cow and took turns driving. Justin is a much more confident driver than me. Hopefully the RMK 600 will be ready in a couple of days and we can take both machines. It was an awesome day :-)

Happy Birthday Sage

Today is Sage's birthday. She is five years old. To celebrate her birthday and the lovely blanket of fresh snow we got all dressed up for a skidoo ride. That is to say Johnny and I got dressed up, Sage stayed naked because she has waterproof fur and long legs so doesn't need booties and a jacket at -8. Naked Johnny accumulates so much snow that he can't walk. I am not a dog so I wear clothes.

Anyhow my skidoo wouldn't start so instead we ploughed the driveway which was less exciting all round. This evening I mentioned to Blaine that my skidoo battery was dead, to which he responded, "I know but the pull start works". Huh. We will try again tomorrow then.

Posted with Blogsy

Sledding

Today I rode my skidoo for the first time this winter. It was fun. Blaine was getting the Rhino side by side ready for our family trip to Indian Hill (aka Prairie Chicken Hill), his skidoo is broken so we figured we might as well take the Rhino. While he was removing the snow plow I went for a spin up the drive, then I kept going over the cattle guard and all the way to the 90degree corner, then back again. Johnny rode in front of me, Sage ran alongside - and ahead. Maybe tomorrow I will go out for a skidoo ride with the puppies while Blaine is at work.

Posted with Blogsy

Christmas Tree Hunting

Today we went out hunting for our Christmas tree. Blaine did a recon of the trail by skidoo and returned covered in snow. Because the trails are heavily used by ATVs in the summer they are pretty rutted which is not ideal for the sleds. His expedition had sufficiently packed down the foot or so of fresh powder that had fallen during the past 24 hours, that we were able to get to the tree on our side by side.

I had short listed two trees that were close to each other. Blaine shook the snow off to get a better look before we settled on one. The battery on my iPhone didn't much like the cold (a mere -4) so I only got this picture. We loaded the tree in the back of the Rhino and dropped it off in the car port to shake off the excess snow before bringing it inside.

I started decorating this evening and will finish tomorrow then photograph the festive beauty of it all.

Lists

I was just flipping through Flipboard on my iPad and noted a proliferation of end of year lists. I am a real sucker for lists, top photos and such. Are you?

Because food is my second love (Blaine being my first) here is a list of my top 5 flavours of 2012

1. Chipotle. There I said it. I love chipotle, Blaine says I am addicted and accuses me of infusing it into everything. He insists on one chipotle free meal per week.
2. Salted caramel. Enough said.
3. Red Velvet cake.
4. Habanero. Yep I like chillies.
5. My homemade honey oat bread. Can't get enough!

Posted with Blogsy

Lots of snow

Today it snowed all day and is still snowing well into the evening. Sage has lots of fun in the deep fresh powder, Johnny watched from the car port. It took me almost 2 hours to plough the drive. 2 hours later and Blaine is out there going over it again. If this keeps up I may have to get out of bed and clear the drive for him to get to work in the morning. As soon as he comes back inside we are going to hot the hot tub, hard to beat soaking in a hot steamy tub watching the snow falling all around.

Christmas Shopping

If you are in Iqaluit this weekend I implore you to go along to house 122 to buy some beautiful gifts - for yourself or for others!

Satay

Today I made satay. I marinated turkey breast in a blend of coriander, cumin, turmeric, garlic, sambal olek, and peanut oil. After threading the pieces of meat onto skewers, Blaine cooked them on the BBQ.

The satay dipping sauce includes toasted peanuts, lemongrass, chilli, palm sugar, fish sauce, coriander and some other stuff. I sliced up some white cabbage and a little fresh cilantro then tossed it in lime juice, sesame oil and fish sauce. Served on white rice. It was good, really good. Once I have perfected the recipes I will share.

Christmas Dinner Comparison

I have been watching lots of Christmas cooking shows on Food Network which brought me to thinking about Christmas dinner traditions in England and Canada. Obviously this could be entirely inaccurate as it is based solely on my observations and experiences. I suspect that Canadian fare varies from West to East and probably a lot from English and French. My Christmas meals have mainly been in BC.

Turkey is the centrepiece for both countries, with baked ham as a backup just in case there isn't enough food.

Stuffing in England tends to be made mostly of pork sausagemeat, Canadian stuffing is focused on bread and cranberries.

Vegetables: Canada is mashed potato & steamed carrots, England roasts the potatoes and the carrots.

Mince pies and clotted cream are the English treat, while Canada tucks into butter tarts. I need Carol's recipe, her butter tarts are freakin awesome.

What are you cooking for Christmas this year?

Posted with Blogsy

This makes me sad

The dogs and I just returned from a lovely hour long walk in the forest behind our house. The last km of our walk was along the road, which is a no-through road 17km from the highway. Around and in the cattle guard was a whole load of cigarette butts and ash. Presumably someone was driving along and thought "hey this is a great place to empty out my car ash tray".

It makes me sad to think that a person could be out here and so ignorant of the beauty of this place that they chose to do this. Gross. Gross and sad.

Hopefully they aren't dumb enough to do the same thing in the summer and cause a wildfire.

Stinky bum

About 3 weeks ago I changed Johnny's food. Since we got them both dogs have been fed Orijen Regional Red. However, I was recently advised that there is too much protein for Johnny so I switched him to Acana Ranchlands, which is made by the same company and uses the same ingredients but is 60/40 meat/vegetables instead of 75/25.

Of course it may be entirely coincidence, but I have noticed some bad bad smells of recent. I haven't got up close to check who farted but Blaine said that Johnny had gross breath the other day. So maybe another change is in order. They also offer fish, chicken and duck based feed so maybe one of those will make him less stinky.

Maybe it is something they are eating during their adventures... Maybe the smelly one is Sage... Stay posted to find out what happens in the stinky pet saga.

Posted with Blogsy

Northern Lights

Even though I now live in the south it is still possible to see the Northern Lights. Indeed there was a spectacular display on October 8th. I didn't see it but plenty of people told me all about it and posted photos during the following days.

Determined not to miss out again, I now follow the activity forecast for Edmonton, AB. Tyee Lake sits at 52.3 degrees, Edmonton at 53.5 so it is a reasonable guide.

My dream is to relax in the hot tub with my baby and a glass of champagne watching the aurora display. Our house faces North so it is entirely probable, just not tonight. The sky is clear and the Milky Way looked amazing when I went out to the car, but the geomagnetic activity is low.

Posted with Blogsy

What a jerk!

I certainly hope that is what Blaine will exclaim in delight as he tucks into tonight's feast.

I exhibited uncommon restraint and only used one habanero pepper in my jerk marinade (leaving the seeds in though) so I think it should be enjoyable. To take the edge off the heat of the jerk pork shoulder kebabs I made a pineapple coconut salsa. I also made a pineapple, mango, coconut and mint salsa. Blaine has to judge which goes better with the dish. Our carb component, and another palate cooler, is beans & rice.

Once Blaine gets home I will fire up the BBQ so that it is smoking hot when he throws the kebabs on. I am looking for a light charring on the outside while retaining moisture inside. Say NO to dried out pork!

If Blaine likes it all I will share the recipe.

24 hours in Prince George

This morning I enjoyed the luxury of laziness. Blaine needed a ride back from Prince George so I went up last night and we spent the night. He had to go to the office at 8am but I didn't have to check out until 11. The dogs were with Judith at Wildwood Pet Resort. I did a short yoga routine then watched the Food Network while lying in the middle of the king sized bed.

After an hour of Jamie Oliver cooking Christmas related stuff I slowly got ready then drove into town to find some stuff to photograph. The absence of photographs in this post can be taken as evidence that I found nothing worth stopping the truck for. In Prince George's defence it was an unseasonably mild day so the city was awash with dirty slushy snow which is a hard look for anyone to pull off.

We ate sushi for lunch then attended a work awards ceremony. I got my Starbucks fix (venti, non-fat, half-sweet, 200 degree, creme brûlée latte) then we hit the road home. Judith had fed the dogs but sure enough as soon as we got them home they put on their "feed me I'm starving" act. Blaine played along but fed them only 2 pieces of kibble each. They were not impressed.

 

Posted with Blogsy

iPad WiFi

I am in a hotel using the wifi but my iPad is getting a pathetic signal. This is annoying because Blaine is studying so I want to watch Netflix. I have entered the search parameters "iPad WiFi antenna" into google in the hopes of finding the optimum angle at which to hold my device... 5 minutes later and I am still awaiting my search results. Perhaps Google is running slowly in protest at being called a corporate tax cheat?

Posted with Blogsy

Clearing the Driveway

This morning it snowed a few inches.

Our driveway is pretty long and kinda steep, then there is another stretch of shared road that is not maintained.

In total we probably have about 450 metres / 1,400 feet from our door to the catleguard. This is the view from the top of our drive down towards the house.

Before he went away last week Blaine hooked up the plow on the Rhino and gave me a quick plowing lesson.

It can be a bit tricky getting the angle of the plow right, especially since the road surface is uneven, but it really is quite fun. Certainly a lot easier that doing it the hard way with a shovel!

An alternative advent

Inspired by a YouTube video shared on Facebook by a friend I am setting out to practice yoga for at least 5 minutes every day for the whole of December.  

And since I have been such an inadequate blogger, I am also committing to publishing a blog post each day.

It is 7:30am which is not too early for yoga, but I am snugly tucked up in bed watching Food Network so I will tackle that part of my pledge later today.

Posted with Blogsy

Free Firewood

We are surrounded by crown land from which we are permitted to harvest firewood for our personal use. The BC Ministry of Forest, Lands and Natural Resource Operations oversees this through it's free permit scheme which restricts us amongst other things to only harvesting deadfall and taking no more than 10 regular pick-up loads.

This weekend we exercised our rights and went to the forest at the top of our driveway to collect some fuel for the winter. 

Blaine and his trusty Husqvarna chopped up the wood

I followed behind to pick up the 1-foot lengths

Then I loaded up the Rhino and drove it back home

 

I dumped 10 loads (but only itty bitty Rhino ones not pick up) beside the wood shed

Me suited up in my Surplus Herbies redneck work wear

Blaine split the wood

I stacked it in the back of the shed to dry

We still have more to split and stack but are both just exhausted and can't handle any more this weekend. A good soak in the hot tub should help us recover and be ready to finish the job off next weekend.

Proper Winter Storage of a Class A Motorcoach

It snowed on Saturday October 20 and the weather has been cold and sometimes snowing since. Fortunately we had already moved the coach over to our house the week before and had drained the water system and filled it with RV plumbing antifreeze. However, there is more to winterizing your coach than just the plumbing. As with all things, the Internet offers varied and often conflicting advice so I telephoned Matt at Chemo RV.

Slides should be retracted. (first clear off the snow on the awnings)

Tires vs Jacks You have 3 options. If parking on the tires, put wood under them rather than parking right on the dirt. Or Jack it up to take pressure off the tires. The best option is to jack it up, put it on blocks and then retract the jacks thus alleviating the pressure on the hydraulic jacks and the tires.

Batteries should be removed and stored inside (somewhere heated) and put on trickle charge periodically.

Propane should be turned off.

Cover the coach only if you have a proper RV cover. A tarp will trap moisture and damage the coach. If you do not cover the coach, be sure to remove snow accumulation from the roof.

Starting the engine will only cause it harm. Avoid starting the coach until you plan to use it.

The Mega

The St Jean Garrison in Quebec is known as "the Mega". Amongst other things it houses the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School where Justin has been resident since April.

We arrived at the garrison at 2030 on Wednesday so scooped Justin up and he took us for a quick tour of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu before heading to the local Legion for a celebratory beer. At CFLRS Cinderella turns into a pumpkin at 2200. We returned him and then checked into our hotel where we dined on Burger King since that was the only thing open.

Thursday morning I tried to sleep in but my attempts were thwarted by housekeeping loudly cleaning the adjacent rooms. Blaine and I breakfasted at Mikes, because we wanted to see if it was anything like Mr Mikes. It is not, this Mikes is an Italian restaurant. I have never thought the name Mike to be particularly evocative of Italy but they do things different in La Belle Province. My breakfast was a surprisingly delicious apple and cheese pizza, Blaine had crepes with Nutella and bananas.

The ceremony starts at 1400 but since seating is first come first serve we got there around 1230 and got spots in the second row of the Zengel platoon grandstand. Perusing the program we were surprised and delighted to read that Pte JD Wiggins was to receive the commandant's trophy as top student in his platoon.

Commandant Michelaine Lahaie presents Pte JD Wiggins (Platoon Zengel) and OS WM Howling (Platoon Topham) with the commandant's trophy for top student

They don't get to keep the trophy, just to touch it once!

 

After the ceremony we all gathered in the Omega Mess for a reception with the recruits and their instructors. Justin's instructors all spoke very highly of him and he was constantly being congratulated by his many friends. After the reception all the parents went out for supper with the guest of honour and his friends Chris and Kristyn.

Left to right: Blaine, Emma, Justin, Donna, Phillip

Before dawn on Friday morning the recruits were up and on a bus bound for the airport. Justin shipped out to CFB Wainwright for the next phase of his training: Basic Infantry Qualification. To the best of my understanding this involves learning to crawl through mud and to love your gun.

We got home late and collected the dogs from puppy camp. At home we lit the fire, poured a drink and scrolled through the 300+ photos I snapped!

Crock of Ages of Shite

I am writing this somewhere over Manitoba I suppose, half way on a flight from Vancouver to Montreal. For my first on board movie I watched J Edgar, an informative, moving and eye opening movie directed by the awesome Clint Eastwood. Blaine watched Rock of Ages and was giggling away throughout, my sister in law is even more obsessed with RoA as she was with Twilight. So I figured I would give it a go. Guys, you are both wrong. Less than 15 minutes in and I was compelled to pull out my iPad to write a blog post about how dreadful it is. Maybe it will get better soon... maybe if I have a Johnny Walker Black Label it will help?

Let me share my opinion on "dining" aboard Air F You. Domestic beer (aka piss) is $6.50, Heineken is $7, wine is $6.50, sparkling wine $7, spirits $6.50. It's a no brainer, give me the scotch.

The best snacks are the cheese and crackers $4, and the carrots, celery and ranch dip for $5.

For $9 you can get a drink and snack combo.

For $13 you can get a meal, snack and drink. If they have pizza do the meal deal. The other food isn't worth wasting the calories on.

Generally you are best advised to buy your "meal" at the airport before your flight. Advice in the regard requires a whole other blog post depending on which airport and which terminal.

30 minutes - I have my scotch. It isn't better yet. Blaine says it is because I am too young.

51 minutes - I am wondering if my brother's next inking will be Stacee Jaxx pistols.

1hr 3 minutes- grateful that the plane will land before the film finishes.

1hr 25minutes - seriously?

I didn't finish watching. The meagre offering of witty one liners was not enough to make up for the dross.

Posted with Blogsy

Yard Work on a Grand Scale

before

This weekend was spent tidying the yard. The fenced area is only about 1/4 of our property which is just under an acre, extending up the drive to the road. Our sea can was delivered to the right of the gate because it was easier at the time to put it there, however we needed it the other side to make room for the coach.

To reposition the sea can we utilized the resources on hand: the Tahoe, the Suzuki with winch, and trees. First we drove up to the forest on the other side of the road and harvested a bunch of 4 foot lengths of dead fall pine. Blaine then jacked up the (empty but still 2,250kg) sea can while I placed the logs under the sides. With a chain hooked through the front bumper tow points the Tahoe did a great job of moving the load on the flat, but as we tried to turn up hill I couldn't get it to budge. In the end we hooked the winch on the front of the suzuki to the sea can, then chained the tahoe to the suzuki tow ball to act as an anchor. After turning the sea can, Blaine put the suzuki behind a big tree and winched it into place.

Next Blaine turned lumberjack and cut down a dozen trees. Some were blocking our satellite TV and Internet reception, others endangering our coach and our house if a big wind came through. fortunately for me Blaine used to fall trees when he worked with the forest service so He knew exactly what he was doing and dropped every tree cleanly. My job during this phase was to stay way out of the way.

Finally we drove the coach back over from the Fleming's place and with a few hiccups got it parked where the sea can was.

My dad was concerned about the extent of our tree chopping but as you can see there are still plenty of trees left. Plus now we have a huge pile of firewood curing for next year.



after



pet parenting

The dogs have a vet appointment this afternoon, to get their inoculations up to date so that they can stay at Wildwood Pet Resort next week when we go to St Jean-sur-Richelieu for Justin's graduation from Canadian Forces and Leadership School (CFLRS) basic training. It has been raining most of the night and is still raining now. This means I need to walk the dogs early so that I can restore Johnny to an approximate state of cleanliness to avoid the vet judging me for my poor pet parenting skills. Being black Sage always looks clean, even though she isn't.

Home

After leaving Iqaluit on July 7 we spent 83 days living in friends' places, hotels, vacation rentals, a tent and our coach. On Friday September 28 we took possession of our forever home on beautiful Tyee Lake in the Cariboo region of British Columbia. A huge massive thank you to everyone who helped us move out, move in and gave us food, shelter, emotional support and counseling on this journey.

The first thing out of the sea can was the box of cleaning supplies that Linda had left me when she and Craig left town in May. It cleaned their apartment and both our houses in Iqaluit, then travelled across the continent to clean yet another home! Friday afternoon I cleaned while the Internet and TV guys did their thing. Our neighbour Dale cut down a tree so that our Internet dish could see it's satellite clearly but Bell TV couldn't get a thing. I guess one out of two isn't bad but we sure wish we had known that we would be buying in a Bell free zone before we left Iqaluit, could have sold our receivers there easier than here. Blaine arrived home from work in the evening and hitched the small trailer to the Rhino side by side then we proceeded to unload the sea can until it was pitch dark and we were fit to drop. We dined on frozen pizza and slept on our mattress on the floor.

Saturday morning we were running loads before the coffee had brewed and by mid day we were unpacking things and arranging furniture. Downsizing before we left Iqaluit was necessary ( the sea can was stuffed full) but now that we have a 2,000 sq ft home it looks kinda bare! The downstairs walk out basement is mostly unfinished so we are pretty much just living upstairs now but even that looks sparse. With my kitchen mostly organized I made us roast chicken for supper which we ate at the kitchen breakfast bar since the dining table was not yet built.

Sunday was much of the same, unpacking boxes, finding places to out things and starting to unpack the coach. In the afternoon Val and Dale came over to visit and brought their friends Sharon and Ray to meet us. They came bearing housewarming gifts of wine and sunflowers and we visited a while but I must confess that Blaine and I were still shell shocked at actually having made it that we were poor hosts. 

On Monday Blaine had to leave for work and wouldn't be back for a few days so Johnny, Sage and I continued with the unpacking and making home. We also made time to explore our new neighbourhood and followed a quad trail from near the top of our drive that makes a 3/4 mile loop through the woods - ideal for a short walk. The week was also spent preparing for our first house guests, the Guertins were arriving on the weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. My main focus in this regard was preparing the hot tub. I had no idea how complicated hot tub ownership is, thankfully the very sweet patient girl at New Waves hot tub store walked me through everything, gave me detailed (written thank goodness) instructions and sold me all the chemicals I needed to brew up our people soup. A different TV guy came out and hooked us up with Shaw Direct, we need to fall a couple more trees to get HD but at least Blaine can watch NASCAR and I have the Food Network.

Thanksgiving weekend was awesome and our house certainly now feels like a home. Shalla and I totally rocked the kitchen with little e as our assistant and we ate like kings for three days straight. The boys went out exploring the trails, clearing paths with the chainsaw and bringing back rocks to build a fire pit on the lawn. Sage and Johnny showed Oscar and Trixie around the area, Trixie is more of an inside girl but Oscar loved the forest... even after he fell/jumped out of the back of the Rhino at 40kph!

Everyone has gone again so the dogs and I are snuggled up in front of the fire in the living room with a bottle of wine. I have to keep pinching myself to check if this is really real.

Posted with Blogsy

Navigating the icebergs

These photos were taken at around 11pm on July 6, 2012. The small boat carefully navigated its way out through the ice using oars to push away from the hazards. Although it doesn't look like much there is a lot of ice under the surface and each time there was an impact it yielded an impressive thud.

Independence Day in Iqaluit

On July 4 I walked the dogs along the beach and marveled at the mini icebergs stranded by the tide.

They are here

On Thursday June 21 I made my first kill of the season. The dogs and I were riding the quad out along Road to Nowhere when I spotted a big black mosquito on Johnny's neck. Later in the evening I was grooming Johnny outside and got bitten twice. They are not yet at critical mass, just a few here and there, but soon the swarms will descend upon us...

A visit to the doctor

Doctor: How can I help you today?

Patient: I came to see you about this problem 7 months ago and it is still an issue.

D: what did I do last time?

P: nothing. I saw another doctor last month and he sent me to the specialist.

D: what did the specialist do?

P: nothing.

D: that is unfortunate. This isn't my area of expertise, I will refer you back to the specialist.

P: OK, when is the specialist back?

D: (consults list on wall) umm December.

P: that is 7 months away. Can you prescribe something?

D: what did I prescribe you last time?

P: nothing.

D: well I will prescribe you some ointment because that is all I know.

P: thank you.

This is a true story.

(sort of) the floe edge

On Sunday Blaine and I walked the dogs down to the Sylvia Grinnell river near the main pavilion. The river itself is flowing pretty fast and is mostly unfrozen, then it reaches the backed up sea ice to create this stunning scene. The ice is breaking up but is still in big chunks, some of which were left stranded on the river bank by the morning's high tide.