Spring

Just thought I'd say a few words as I haven't made my appearance for quite some time.
It's Spring - finally. The snow is melting, although slower than I really wanted. I am trying to rake my lawn before I drive to Edmonton so am shovelling snow off my lawn and onto the road. Gets the neighbours talking - "can't wait for the melt??" "sick of seeing snow??" So most of my lawn has now been raked. Not many vole tracks this year - only in small sections and found one dead one, the ugly short-tailed pointed nosed fat little thing. Now having said all that, the flakes are drifting down right now as I look out the window. It should be 8 degrees today, so those flakes should liquify as the morning warms.
Lots going on. My truck is going in for it's tune-up in about an hour and so am I. Have to see a doctor to get a prescription which is a waste of time as I know exactly what I want but apparently those are the rules. Perhaps that is why our doctors are so overworked and getting an appointment so difficult - they are unnecessarily seeing people. I should mention my poor toe to the doctor as well athough there is nothing they can do for it. Think I broke it running up the stairs 2-1/2 weeks ago - turned purple, then red and still hurts to walk on. It too shall heal.
Authors are once again coming to my city for their book readings. The last one I went to included Yann Martel reading from his book Life of Pi. That's tomorrow night and am looking forward to it even though I don't know who is coming for the readings. Then there are two nights of pints with my friends, and Friday night and Saturday I am once again the official photographer for the International Old Timers Soccer Tournament in Whitehorse. In between all of that I have to watch Manchester United v Barcelona in a final game for one of them (I hope not Man U's!!!) in the UEFA Champion's league, clean the house, pull out my summer clothes, pack the truck, meet my housesitters ... then take that wonderful drive down the Alaska Highway. Should be a good time of year to travel - the bugs should be rather thin so by the time I get to Edmonton I will still be able to see parts of my truck rather than looking at picking off millions of squished bugs. I am hoping that last week's snow storm in YEG actually was their last one and I will have sunny weather for about a month there. My dear son is attempting to get me tickets to a friendly in Edmonton featuring the LA Galaxy (David Beckham) v Vancouver Whitecaps, so here's hoping he's successful.
I think my truck is calling me so I must go and keep my appointments.
Will write when I can.

Foxy Movie

Have been busy lately getting things together for the sale of the Edmonton condo. As well am organizing years and years of photos. Came across this movie and thought you may enjoy watching it (in fact I didn't even know I had it!). This is from the mine SR works at south of Dawson City. Last year I showed you pictures of the two foxes that visit their camp and eat right out of their hands. Well, here they are.

On my way to visit "gramma", I took the back road to Porter Creek (the road to the golf course) and snapped this picture. That small strip of white is the Yukon River. If you take time to look at the scenery while golfing, this is the type of views you'll see. As well, the ravens catch the up-draughts off the banks and it's fun to watch them playing.

My friend sent me this shot of the Llewellen Glacier. This is her job! She was scouting out film locations for future movies that may be filmed here. This glacier flows into the southwestern tip of Atlin Lake from the Juneau Icefields, one of the larges icefields on the continent, spreading from the Atlin, B.C. region almost to the salt water at Juneau Alaska.

Easter's a time for visiting and luckily I had my camera during a couple of visits. Had the traditional ham dinner with all the fixin's. It was very good. Now I'm ready for spring to come full force. I'm tired of winter - snow, below freezing temperatures, ice - yuk. My birder neighbour must have all the birds in the Yukon in his yard. Their chirping is music to my ears, although it does bring back memories of being in Lesvos, Greece (Skala Kaloni, I think it was) during the bird migration and their lovely little songs were driving us mad - thousands upon thousands of birds chirping from 4AM to 10PM non-stop...chirp,chirp,chirp,chirp,chirp,chirp,chirp,chirp,chirp,chirp,chirp,chirp ... we thought we were going to go crazy. Now I just have to see my first robin, then I know we're home free.

Hey Will, look what I found while I was walking. I thought of you right away and wondered if you had packing snow yet to make a snow man and either send me a picture of it or a drawing of it. I would love to have either.

Even walking through suburbia here, one can follow a wee path and end up overlooking an expanse of land that can take your breath away. I picked up a small pocket camera (in cobalt blue, my latest favourite colour) so am testing it's abilities during my walks.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to everyone. It couldn't come much earlier in the year than this. Easter always reminds me of sunny days with birds singing and flowers blooming -- new spring dresses and Easter bonnets (too bad they are out of style, they were so much fun). Not this year. Although hovering around the "0" mark, the wind, snow, and ice make the outdoors unpleasant (especially that wind). This morning it is snowing nice big fluffy flakes under a grey/white sky. Nice weather for the beginning of winter. On the brighter side, it won't be -40 again for a while. And I am having a wee Easter dinner, so I am looking forward to that. And I have a lot to be thankful for, so slowing down, enjoying the holiday, sharing it with good friends and having time to reflect are appreciated. Hope the Easter Bunny found you!

In case you've forgotten what I look like, here is a portrait painted for me by my son (when he was 3 years old). Notice my long flowing hair - it is now short.

Cruising around doing chores, I stopped to take this picture of a totem pole which is downtown in Rotary Park . I took this especially for Will (age 7) who fell in love with totem poles when he visited the west this past summer. Sorry Will, I forgot to show you this one.

Saw "I'm Not There" on Monday. It is the Bob Dylan movie that has 5 actors portraying different periods in Dylan's life - starring Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, Christian Bale, Heath Ledger and many more. A very long, but very interesting film. I enjoyed it.
Also saw "Juno". The adults liked that film as much as all the teenagers in the theatre. Wow, the good movies just keep on coming. It's like a monsoon after a drought.

Ontario

We're pretty luck here way up north. Our temperatures have been hovering around the "0" mark, sometimes sunny when the snow melts like crazy and sometimes overcast (which is a bit dull, but warm). My sister email this picture to me on Sunday after their snow storm in Ontario. That's quite a bit of snow to shovel!

Just a quick blog to let you know I'm still kicking. My flu only lasted the weekend, so am back to normal now. Trying to do income taxes and as you can see am not doing very well -- I'd rather be blogging!
It's been a movie month for me. The Yukon Film Festival is currently on - that is an excellent movie every Monday. And there are also excellent movies currently playing in town (we have only two theatres with 2 movies each). Sometimes there is nothing of interest to watch and now there is a lot. So, see 'em while you can. The weather has warmed up, thank heavens. Not like Toronto and the east coast. My good friend has gone off to Hawaii (can you hear the jealousy?) and my sister invited me to vacation with them in Dominican Republic, but I think I will just hold off for now and enjoy WINTER some more.

Received a picture from my old friend Linda - here she is with her son and husband. Thought I'd share it with those of you who know her.
Well, it's Rendezvous weekend and here I am ill with the flu. Two days ago I just said I have missed the flu so far this year - famous last words - just spent the last day flat in bed while everyone else I know is partying. I am able to check my emails and write this short blog, but now I must return to bed.

My sister told me to go onto You Tube to see Paolo Nutini. I did, then You Tubed a bit more and found this - and I promise it is the last one I put on for a while! If you remember, SR & I went to see James Blunt in Edmonton (see the slide show in the side bar) a while back. I made him take his small camera and take pictures (although the tickets said no cameras). He did as I asked and did it all without a flash so we wouldn't be caught. I have currently been listening to Blunt's new album which I like a lot, but had to smile when I came across this, which aired on August 31st, 2007 on Sesame Street. Enjoy!

Up-date

Cousin Frank has scratched from the Yukon Quest. Keep in mind he is probably the oldest person running the race (61 this year). Here is the reason, according to the Muktuk website:

This Quest is probably the toughest race we’ve done in twenty years. There were difficulties with supplies, clothing shipments arrived too late to use, and there were a dozen other logistical challenges. But with the help of our crew, we managed to get through it all … not to mention the three-week cold snap with temperatures dipping below -45 Celsius on a regular basis (leading to a frozen septic system, amongst other things).

On the personal side, Frank struggled with a very painful shoulder, but some Chinese medicine patches seemed to help that a bit. Then, the vehicle gremlins went to work on the truck engine (it’s still in the garage). Norcan saved the day, but we had to send my car up to Fairbanks, because the loaner truck had only two seats. And you guessed it, my car has had problems up in Alaska – we are really hoping it makes it home.

On the trail, it has been equally tough, with very cold temperatures and very strong winds. Tonight, in Mile 101, the winds were again picking up on Eagle Summit, and Frank has just made the really tough decision to pull out. He struggled for hours with this decision, but in the end felt he did not want to put the puppies through it any longer. They do not have the experience or mental toughness that comes from experience; and Frank’s injured shoulder makes it extremely difficult to compensate for that.

We need to get him home and get his shoulder fixed (he cannot lift his arm higher than mid-chest). And he has a couple of other injuries to tend to as well. That is one of the hardest things about getting a bit older – you just cannot ignore the injuries the way you can when you are younger.

We are all feeling stunned and disappointed, but know that Frank always makes his decisions based on what is best for the dogs – and with so many young dogs in the team, the decisions are more difficult.

News from the brighter side - our cold snap has broken!!!! It is currently -4. I just went outside to shovel and was hot! It was getting too sad listening to people's frozen and burst water pipes, furnace problems, vehicle breakdowns. It is apparently suppose to rise to the plus side this week. Amazing to go through a change of over 40 degrees celcius in two days. Even with the windchill factor, it should bring the temp down to -7 - heaven!

Cousin Frank

Just a quick blog - here is a photo of cousin Frank leaving from the start line (in Fairbanks Alaska) of the Yukon Quest yesterday in -40 temperatures.

The Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race takes off tomorrow from Fairbanks Alaska heading towards Whitehorse. Right now it's -39 Celcius in Fairbanks. Here's a short from last year's Quest start from 1st Street (by the Railroad station) in Whitehorse:

Jackson Lake

Here is a commercial for Tostitos. It was filmed at Jackson Lake, where I lived for 10 years - and no, that was not my cabin.

Minus 40 and lower

While I sit warmly working on my family tree (great weather to sit in front of a computer!), my friends Michele & Terry have posted some pictures on their blog of our current weather conditions. For a fun look at Whitehorse @ minus 40 and colder, click here .

What I do at -40 C

Cousin Frank's wife just emailed me a link to Sled Dog Podcast. Of course, Episode 13 features Frank talking about his dogs and running the Yukon Quest. It is an interesting listen, but I warn you, put some time aside, pour yourself a cup of coffee, put your feet up and listen to his stories. He is a talker. Here is the link:

http://vbs20.com/sleddogpodcast/2008/01/11/episode-13-everyones-got-an-eagle-summit-hear-an-interview-frank-turner/

As well, a friend of mine sent me the following quotes of "When Insults Had Class" ... fun to read through and makes me wish I could come up with lines such as these in the spur of the moment, rather than three days later. Here they are:

“He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.” –
Winston Churchill

“A modest little person, with much to be modest about.” –
Winston Churchill

“I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure.” –
Clarence Darrow

“He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary.” –
William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)

“Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I’ll waste no time in reading it.” –
Moses Hadas

“He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know.” –
Abraham Lincoln

“I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn’t it.” –
Groucho Marx

“I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.” –
Mark Twain

“He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.” –
Oscar Wilde

“I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play. Bring a friend… if you have one.”
George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill

“Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second… if there is one.” –
Winston Churchill, in response

“I’ve just learned about his illness. Let’s hope it’s nothing trivial.” –
Irvin S. Cobb

“He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others.” –
Samuel Johnson

“He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up.” –
Paul Keating

“He had delusions of adequacy.” –
Walter Kerr

“There’s nothing wrong with you that reincarnation won’t cure.” –
Jack E. Leonard

“Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?” –
Mark Twain

“His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork.” –
Mae West

“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever…” –
Oscar Wilde

“He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lampposts… for support rather than illumination. ” –
Andrew Lang

“He has Van Gogh’s ear for music.” –
Billy Wilder

What the heck...

What the heck is this? Came back to my home town to find this ice thing in Shipyards Park by the Yukon River. Drove by it quite a few times before someone told me that you can pay money and climb it. (I don't think so). So, here I am back in the thick of things. The weather is turning colder - only about -24 C today but that wind...feels like about -40 C. And it is suppose to stay like this or colder all week - something to look forward to.

The Yukon Quest is starting soon - the start this year is in Fairbanks on February 9. Of course, cousin Frank is running in it once again. Here is his Quest website if you are interested - http://www.muktuk.com/quest2008_QuestDogs20081.php
or if you wish to follow the race, the official website of the Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race is:
http://www.yukonquest.com/servlet/viewnewslist

Talk again soon,

J.A.S. Milne

It is with deep regret that I write of the passing of Mr. J.A.S. (Archie) Milne on January 14, 2008. Here he is pictured with his great grand daughter Indie (thanks for the picture Heather). He was 90 years old. I was fortunate to have visited him in December during my trip to Ontario. It was prior to Christmas and he was in fine spirits at the time. I've known Mr Milne since I was about 15 years old. He retired from Ontario Hydro and was very proud of the fact that he was the oldest pensioner they have ever had! Every Christmas he sent out his (in)famous 20 Questions to a select few, with $$ prizes for the most correct answers. I always looked forward to them (and learned quite a bit while searching for the correct answers). He was the only person I know that wrote letters to the Prime Minister when a government policy did not seem correct. He was never afraid to voice his opinion. And he was very proud of his heritage (as seen below - a photo taken at Andrea's wedding, July 16, 1978). I will miss his letters which he addressed to me as Lady G - his own little joke - a take on White Horse, making bets with him when the World Cup is on, and his lively spirit. Yes, he will be missed but never forgotten.

Another High Park Update

Here is the picture I thought I included in a previous blog. We did have a rest on this bench which is not far from the Grenadier Restaurant.