Beauty and the Beast

BEAUTY: My dear friend Bill sent me this photo of Butchard Gardens in autumn. Well worth the visit if ever you are in Victoria B.C.

The BEAST: The Economic Situation
Sometimes from across the pond you hear the news a bit differently than we do here in North America. The following was again courtesy of Bill:

Following the problems with Lehmann Bros and in the sub-prime lending market in America and the run on Northern Rock, HBOS and Bradford & Bingley in the UK, uncertainty has now hit Japan.
In the last 7 days Origami Bank has folded, Sumo Bank has gone belly up and Bonsai Bank announced plans to cut some of its branches. Yesterday, it was announced that Karaoke Bank is up for sale and will likely go for a song, while today shares in Kamikaze Bank were suspended after they nose-dived. While Samurai Bank is soldiering on following sharp cutbacks, Ninja Bank is reported to have taken a hit, but they remain in the black. Furthermore, 500 staff at Karate Bank got the chop and analysts report that there is something fishy going on at Sushi Bank where it is feared that staff may get a raw deal.

Dinna

It was a lovely long weekend with birthdays, dinners, time to read, time to relax, time to rake those leaves . . . We had a number of power outages beginning Friday, two on Sunday and one on Monday. Consequently, I believe my router is fried which means I have to plug into a wall to use my computer. Did I say to be thankful for the little things??? I'm trying, I'm trying. Back to the positive. Had a great meal with friends (and animals - 3 dogs & a cat). That's what Thanksgiving is all about.
Election day today. Truthfully I don't think our government will change much from what we have now, but time will tell. The polls are open for another hour and a half, then we'll find out who will lead our country.

Happy Thanksgiving

Not much to report from the northern front. Now that I am a paid worker once again (until the end of December anyway) I am having to squish what I did throughout the day into the night time hours or a weekend. But, alas, being a paid daytime worker, I now know when a long weekend comes upon us and the first one is Thanksgiving. (Of course, I would have known that weekend in any case as 26 years ago Thanksgiving Day I had a baby - something one cannot forget). So, we have already celebrated the birthday (Happy Birthday son!!!!) and today I will have a Thanksgiving Dinner and am looking forward to the turkey and all the fixin's that someone else is preparing (appreciate the invite Nancy!).

This Thanksgiving comes at an appropriate time considering the economic plunge we are currently experiencing. This weekend, we should think of the things we still have and give thanks, not what we have lost and despair. It is often the little things that make life a joy and I have many of them in my life - a wonderful son, many good supportive friends, strong and binding family relations, good health, opportunities that comes my way whether I take advantage of them or not, a roof over my head (so far anyway), and food in my belly to name a few. We often take for granted things we have that people in other parts of the world suffer without regardless of the economic conditions. I enjoy laughter every day, freedom of thought and actions and the pride of being Canadian. I am not rich money-wise, but I am rich in the things that make life fulfilling, and for that I give thanks.

To all of you Happy Thanksgiving!!

As you can see, autumn is not quite finished and we have had our first snowfall. This is the second morning with a new skiff of snow. Makes me think of Christmas and snow tires (which I am in the process of purchasing). Usually the first snowfall is October 11, so we are a bit early this year.

Tired of receiving those unwanted telemarketing calls??? Now we have a Do Not Call List you can register with. "If you are a consumer you can choose to reduce the number of telemarketing calls you receive by registering your residential, wireless, fax or VoIP telephone number on the National DNCL. " This is made possible by the CRTC, an agency of the Canadian Government. The link to register is : https://www.lnnte-dncl.gc.ca/index-eng .

And, with the elections on the horizon, I was just sent an email which is definitely anti-Harper, as you can see from this excerpt: " Fortunately, voting strategically has just gotten a whole lot easier. There is now an amazing website, www.voteforenvironment.com, that is tracking every riding in the country and making up-to-the-minute suggestions on how best to fight Harper. It is the coolest example of Canadian grassroots democracy since the Free Trade comic book." I clicked the link and found the site interesting. You may too.

Finally, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. If you want Ellen DeGeneres to send your friend/mom/sister, whomever, a wake-up call, just click here, fill in the blanks and send the call. It's fun and it's a good reminder.

Pouring Gold

For those of you that know him, Shaun made the front page of the Whitehorse Daily Star newspaper today. There is also a full page story called Proving Gold Mining Meets Ethical Standards. Above is the front page photo and caption.

Skagway Road

Just a few photos of the drive to the coast. Whatever the season, it is always worth driving the two hours to Skagway just for the scenery, something we never tire of and we always look at it with eyes you would think have never seen it before. This is what makes living in the Yukon worthwhile!

Ahhhh, guess where we drove this weekend. Yet another trip to Skagway, Alaska. Nancy just purchased a new car and wanted to try it out, and considering the last cruise ship will soon depart Skagway's waters, the shops will soon close and consequently large sales were calling. We were lucky, it wasn't raining. The drive in the autumn is beautiful and although the bears are filling up on berries for their long winter nap, we saw none. The only wildlife we saw on the road was a squirrel. Arriving at the lunch hour, we stopped at Poppies for a bite to eat. Their gardens, while still beautiful, are seeing the last of summer. The food once again was excellent! We then proceeded to shop till we dropped but alas, even with the sales on, nothing caught our eye. My favourite shop was closed and there are so many diamond stores, they all start to look the same after a while. The wind in the wee city was brutal. We almost bought hats and winter coats! And on the way home, my favourite ice cream cone store in Carcross was also closed. Guess summer is over and I'll have to wait another two seasons for an ice cream treat.

Autumn

I wish I had my camera with my on my drive to Lake Laberge yesterday afternoon. The sun was shining and the hills and mountains were a myriad of colour. Iris told me that she was in Dawson City last weekend and the trees are now bare there, but down here it is breath-taking.

One of my favourite flowers, the ice flower, is now in full bloom in my garden. The colours are so bright and cheerful. Thanks to Gramma who grows these beauties from seed each year and graciously shares them with me.

Caleb

I have already told you about Caleb whistling the tune "Whistle While You Work" anytime anyone walks past him (or if the wind blows) and about the neighbours querying me about where that whistling tune is coming from. Well, Caleb has been silent for the last little while and I have discovered why. His battery (yes he lives on battery power, he's not a real gnome) was found hidden well under a rock in my rock garden. How did that happen???

Had a birthday lunch for Ev today along with my ol' neighbour Helen. Ev just had a knee replacement and still has trouble getting around so we took lunch into her house and enjoyed an afternoon eating and chatting with her. She also still has problems with her rotator cuff which she tore last October when she fell - I can sympathize there as I am currently having physio done on my rotator cuff - a painful affair. And, with all of her medical problems, she is still smiling. Happy Birthday Ev!
By the way, as both Ev and Helen know their birds, the bird below is a Wilson Warbler, in case you were wondering.

Maybe it's from living next door to an ornithologist, or maybe it's from having lived next door to Gramma for 18 years, but I do notice birds. I had a flock of these little yellow birds in my trees and bushes this past week - don't know what they are but they sure are pretty - and fast. I was lucky to get a picture of one of them as they take off as soon as they land. By the way, notice the rain drops on the branches??? Just heard that the Yukon has had the coldest and wettest summer in 35 years, a fact my friend vouched for as she came north 35 years ago and remembers that summer. Now there is snow atop the mountains so even when it is sunny (yes, it was sunny ALL day yesterday!!!!!) you can feel fall in the air. Below the snow caps, the mountains are a palett of crimson and gold and at ground level, the trees are beginning to turn bright yellow. I love this time of year. No more deciding whether to wear shorts or jeans, a sleeveless shirt or t-shirt nor hoping the day will bring the sun AND heat. The summer clothes are now packed away and each day has the crisp smell of autumn in the air.

For MJT

Here is my favourite version of Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley:



Just shut your eyes and listen.

If you want to see him performing it, go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AratTMGrHaQ

I just can't embed that version.

City Workers

Here in the north we have heat tape wrapped around our pipes that bring the water from the main line in the street to our houses. I just discovered that my heat tape had no electricity travelling through it - a major problem. To find where the fault was, the city had to dig up the street and part of the front lawn. This is what I woke up to at 8:00 AM.
By lunch, the hole was dug, but they found a pool of water at the bottom of it. So, they had to call in a pump truck to pump out the water so they could reach the main and check the heat tape connection along (NOW) with where the water was leaking from.

I looked over at the backhoe operator and thought he was sleeping until I focussed the camera on him and he flashed me a peace sign. We all laughed. It turned out to be a happy story for me as the break in the current was found, the leak was just ground water, and the city is currently busy putting everything back together - at no charge to me (except in my taxes of course).

Loose Change

I watched a movie called Loose Change yesterday - the 9/11 conspiracy theory. Here's a trailer:



Funny because I have never questioned what I saw, just continued to be horrified by it. Now, after watching the movie, which is done Michael Moore style, I don't know what to think. If you get a chance, watch it, as you have lived through this terrible time, and I'll bet you'll want some answers to what this movie proposes.

You can watch more footage as well as the whole movie on-line. If you want to see more check out Youtube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdoJASdLg_A

Lake Laberge

Drove out to spend a night at the cabin at Lake Laberge with my good friend Deb. It's always great to get out of the city and just relax at the lake. The weather, as can be expected, was on again, off again, with some rain in the late evening but the sun did shine through at times.

Two minutes after taking this picture, the sun came out and the coats came off. Layering is very important this year as the weather changes from overcast to blue sky and sunny in minutes.

A shot of the cabin nestled in the trees. It overlooks Lake Laberge.

And I can hardly believe they accepted this as a personalized licence plate but seeing is believing. This is the old Yukon licence plate which is hung above the sauna.

And thanks MJT for your email complimenting the photos on this site. It's always good to get positive feedback!

Bean Here??

Dropped into Bean North's lovely coffee house located near the Takhini Hot Springs on the Hot Springs Road just north of the city. It's a peaceful setting to sip their fair trade java and enjoy the company of a friend.

There is a variety of indoor and outdoor seating areas. They roast their coffee on site and you can taste the freshness.

And considering our lousy summer their flower garden is beautiful.

Home Again, home again ...

We picked up the catamaran and started home. Although still foggy and now raining again, we stopped the ship by this fisherman to watch whales. Below is the spout of water from the whale, what you look for when trying to spot them. There were three at this spot and we watched for a while before heading home again.


We stopped first at Haines Alaska to drop off passengers. The skies began to clear and a rainbow appeared. It was very pretty and hopeful that the weather was changing.

This is Haines, a sleepy little town nestled on the coast of Alaska. We made our way back to Skagway (a 35 minute journey from Haines) and it was still socked in and pouring with rain. It was now 8:30 at night and we began our 170 km drive home from there. The White Pass was totally shrouded with fog which made driving slow but by the time we reached Carcross, the rain had stopped and you could actually see some blue sky.

Mendenhall Glacier

You can't visit Juneau without a visit to the Mendenhall Glacier. Here is a link to a web cam of the glacier: click here to see the glacier real time . The face of the glacier, seen above, in Mendenhall Lake is 100 feet tall (about the height of a 10 story building) and 1.5 miles wide, it's length is over 6 miles. Large as it is, the Mendenhall is just a tiny part of the Juneau Icefield, an expanse of interconnected glaciers that sits just behind the mountains next to Juneau, covers over 1,800 square miles and runs from the Taku River east of town to Berners Bay at the extreme western end of town.

Juneau

We arrived in Juneau and the rain stopped (except for occasional sprinkle) although the clouds still hung very low. We had three hours to wander around the city (not enough time in my opinion). I have been to Juneau a number of times in the past but have never arrived so far out of the city as where this ship docked which was something like 40 miles outside of the city.

We took a bus ride in with a very talkative bus driver who gave a running commentary of living in the north in Alaska. He was sooo American (even the other Americans on the tour weren't enamoured with him). He told us that the salmon were now running and this was the first day of fishing. They had tagged one of the salmon and whoever catches it wins $100,000.00. The fishermen were on the water in droves, catching salmon and trying for the tagged one. Then he told us the Canadians are mad that they [Alaskans] are fishing salmon as the Canadians think they are Canadian salmon and don't want Alaskans catching them, then laughed aloud at this fact. The fact is that due to the dwindling Chinook Salmon population (less than 1/2 the amount from last year), the Yukon Salmon Committee, whose mandated to look after the salmon's welfare, proposed a total moratorium on Chinook salmon fishing on the Yukon River including a first nation voluntary moratorium to help save the salmon population (the salmon travel up the rivers in the Yukon to spawn). The Alaskans seem to have missed the point. That was sad to see. The Yukon news report here read:

While Yukon First Nations know that dramatic conservation measures are needed, fisheries managers upstream in Alaska don't seem to be ready to do what it takes to protect the fish, Sidney said.

"We are at the end of the line, and we're the ones that see this fish is in trouble … and they will not listen," he said. "They wouldn't listen, and they kept [their] commercial fishing and their subsistence fishery over there. That's totally out of hand."

Earlier this week, Alaskan officials cut the subsistence fishery in half. Nevertheless, Sidney said, people there are still fishing salmon, even though there are currently not enough fish to meet the minimum number required under a U.S.-Canadian treaty.

He gave us a lot of misinformation, like everyone in Whitehorse speaks French only and Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska gave birth to a Down Syndrome baby, a condition caused by drinking alcohol while pregnant. With all the misinformation he was spouting, I didn't put any weight behind anything he said. (You can see he was a thorn in my side during the trip). Now, that's all I am going to say about him.


Juneau is a government town built at the base of the steepest mountain I have ever seen. It is very picturesque and friendly.


The wharf holds a small mall with three excellent restaurants. Again, it is a stop for cruise ships, one having pulled in shortly after we arrived.

Lynn Canal

We boarded the Alaska Fjordland catamaran at 7:45 AM in the pouring rain with the whole valley socked in with fog (photo of the ship NOT taken the day we travelled). The ship was designed for Alaskan waters and built in San Francisco. The Captain Leslie kept her eyes opened for water life and would slow or stop the ship when she spotted them.

This is what it looked like pulling out of Skagway. The ship in the mist is a docked Princess Cruise Line. Made me wonder what we would see or more truthfully not see on this trip.

The first siting was some harbour seals resting on a rock in the canal.

She then pointed out the Eldred Rock Lighthouse. It was built in 1906 and other than paint sits in its original form.

Just past the lighthouse were the Steller Sea Lion pups warming themselves on the rock. This is the area that seal lions come to mate and in the early spring the rocks are swarming with these mammals. Now the pups are here. Leslie cut the engines so we could hear their barks which sounded more like burps. Also swimming around the ship were black and white Dall's porpoises, the fastest of all small cetaceans - they can swim at up to 55 km/h. We also spotted humpback whales and of course lots of eagles. Also pointed out to us were all the glaciers that were barely visible through the fog. The journey was very interesting and I could just imagine how spectacular it would have been had it been a sunny clear day.

Skagway

It was off to Skagway again this time to take the day trip to Juneau that so many Yukoners do. We chose our date then decided to overnight in Skwy as the trip to Juneau leaves at 8:00 AM. That was difficult. We found only one hotel with a room for us - the rest were full. We drove the Skagway road but didn't see any animals this time (perhaps we weren't looking too hard) but arrived into the town that had three cruise ships in port and thousands and thousands of cruise ship tourists. After a quick walk around town, we dropped into the Red Onion Saloon for a cool Alaskan Amber beer, then freshened up for dinner. The weather was overcast with light sprinkles of rain. Apparently there are three places to eat in Skagway that are good (last year we found the Bonanza Restaurant which wasn't good at all!). The two fish houses on the wharf and the one we selected which is called Poppies just on the edge of town when you drive in. We both had the halibut which was excellent. You sit in a large "greenhouse" restaurant and look out onto their beautifully manicured flower garden. They grow their own vegetables although they serve mostly various lettuces (where were their carrots, beans, tomatoes, ... ??? I don't know) but all in all it was very good - the cost about $25 for a salad, main meal, glass of wine and coffee. I recommend it. It poured while we were eating and that set the stage for the weather for the next day.

Carcross

Last year, when walking down to the beach, there was evidence of some construction that was going to happen. This year, it is almost finished, a lovely deck with stairs down to the beach. And this year, with the water levels down, there is an actual beach.

The main street to the beach is quaint, with lots of little cabins lining the street. Here is one of my favourite.

And while we were on the deck, in came the train. Yes folks from Ontario, it was the same train that you rode, only smaller - one engine and three passenger cars.

It pulled into the station just as we were leaving. The passengers all headed right over to the ice cream cone store.

Golfing at the Annie Lake Course

Although it looked like rain when we left, it turned out to be a beautiful day on the links - if you could call it that. We headed out to Annie Lake Golf Course to play nine holes. The cost is only $2, but there is a reason for that. On the 2nd hold, both of us lost a ball down gofer holes. And walking the fairway, which is just weeds, you have to watch every step as gofer holes abound.

The "greens" are sand oft times with many a weed growing in it. And the tee box is literally a box topped with rubber to stick your tee.

But, considering all of that, it is fun to play once a year. Luckily we didn't see any bears while golfing, something we both thought about but didn't want to say aloud until we left.
After a round of golf, it was off t0 Carcross for an ice cream cone.

The Weather - again!

I know I've been ragging on about the weather this summer, but with reason. On the drive home yesterday, I heard on the NEWS (see, it even makes the news reports here) that we are experiencing below normal temperatures due to a cold front that continues to push down from the north. And - the prediction is NO CHANGE for the rest of the summer! Considering I purchased some summer clothes while in Edmonton, and have worn them ONE DAY so far this summer, that news doesn't make me too happy. I'll soon be packing away my summer clothes without wearing most of them once again. Currently, at noon today it is 10 degrees celcius. I discovered today that I am "weather grumpy" due to the fact that my house is cold and I refuse to turn on the heat in June and July (and August, although the end of August sees the end of summer, so I will then feel justified in turning on the heat). I have been cranking up my fireplace though, just to take the chill off and I do have a small heater by my feet in my office, but that's as far as I'll go. Dawson City, our Hawaii of the north, is experiencing this as well, so there is no place you can visit in the Yukon to stay warm unless you are wearing your winter clothing. The news also predicted a VERY COLD WINTER, so I'll just have to get used to the cold, or move south.

Appropriately, I received an email yesterday that included some very true Canadianna thanks for someone named Jeff Foxworthy. Here are some of my favourite:

*If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you
may live in Canada
*If you measure distance in hours you may live in Canada (it is a 22 hour drive from Whitehorse to Edmonton!)
*If you have switched from 'heat' to 'air conditioning' in the same
day and back again, you may live in Canada
*If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a
snowsuit, you may live in Canada
*If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still
winter and road construction, you may live in Canada
*If you find 2 degrees 'a little chilly', you may live in
Canada
Guess I live in Canada!

Guess what I do on Tuesday nights. Above are two of my golf partners. It is amazing really, with the weather being cold, overcast and raining for days on end, Tuesday nights see this weather blow away, the sun come out and a gentle breeze blow and out we go onto the links...we are fair weather golfers after all.
The fairways are in excellent shape and some of the greens are spectacular this year.
This is a view from the 5th hole. The Yukon River winds its way north past the city, past the golf course and on it's way to Dawson City and beyond. Waiting for the golfers ahead of us to move on is rewarded by a view such as this.
On my drive downtown to whet my whistle, I realized I still had on my sunglasses (my regular glasses still packed in my golf bag in the back of the truck) even though it was 9:00 at night, not that that was a problem at the time, but after my pit stop I should probably be wearing my regular glasses for the drive home. Wrong - the sun was shining so brightly at 10:00 I needed my sunglasses for the drive home!

Caleb

Thanks to my good friend MJT, Caleb now stands guard in my rock garden by my front door. Whenever anyone passes by, Caleb whistles "Whistle While You Work", thus alerting me to friend or foe that nears my door. I have found that Caleb also whistles his song when the wind blows, which is a frequent occurrence these days. My neighbours have already asked me, "what is that sound???" So Caleb is making himself known around the neighbourhood. In fact, he has become so vocal, I'm hoping that he doesn't disappear in the middle of the night. In the meantime, he reminds me to whistle while I work and puts a smile on my face. Thanks Caleb.

Happy Canada Day

Had a Canada Day brunch with a bunch of friends. Was talking about going to the Capital City next Canada Day as it looked so inviting when I watched the celebration on TV this morning. Was advised that the crowds, although they look like they're having fun on TV are oppressive! You literally cannot move while standing there. You cannot see anything other that the large screen they have set up and if you're small, you see people's legs. And when you leave, you leave en masse, going without direction in the wave of the crowds. You have to lock your arms together to stay together. Sounds like fun?? Guess if you accustomed to large city crowds it's OK, but small town me probably would find it too much to handle. So I guess I'll visit the capital city at another time of year.



The rest of the brunch went well with lots of laughter and good food. And if it doesn't rain, will be on the golf course to round out the day.
Happy Canada Day to all!!!!!

Hotel hazards

Thinking of travelling these days, a tv show brought this to my attention:


Following up on this theme see this:


So next time you enter a hotel room, I'm sure you'll be looking for some if not all of these hazards. I'm sure I will!