Meanderings of a Mermaid

So I'm back from A vacation trip and girlfriend V stopped by with news and laden with gifts. Just in time for Valentines Day she presented me with "Grow a ... Boyfriend". Simply immerse the wee dude into some water and just watch him grow into a boyfriend over the span of three days! She cleverly included a bouquet of roses (that may last longer than the boyfriend). So here is the BEFORE picture, after about 12 hours in water... I wonder what he'll be like. Tall, handsome, witty, smart???? Hopefully a little more than just slimey. Always listens..Is never late..Smells good..doesn't watch too much TV..Is always there for you.. Isn't this the sum total of what we gals are after? And at only $1.99 - a steal. Cross your fingers for me. Happy Valentines Day

Seems to be a pattern of me and dogs...

So here's a shot of the gold mill at the Williams Operating Mine. My workplace. I have forty days or work to go before I walk away and retire. The conveyors carry broken chunks of ore (the good rock containing gold) from the underground to the tops of those towers, from which point the crushing of the rock starts. This monstrosity is the headframe, mechanics shops, warehouse and main administration building. I try to avoid this place as much as possible... The headframe is the tall bit, with the shaft conveyance that gets us in and out of the underground portion of the mine. This little darling is the Core Shack where I hide out. Outside you can see pallets loaded up with wooden boxes. Those have been delivered to the Core Shack from the Headframe. The drilling happens underground in the mine, and the core samples (rock we investigate) comes in those wooden core boxes. In a typical year we handle about 50 kilometres of drill core here. Two geoscientists and a pile of technicians...

Here are a few snaps of today's ride. These are off the Blackberry. A little hard to aim into the sun and see what you are doing. You get what you get. 42 More work days and then RETIREMENT!!

You might have to back up to the other side of the room to tell what these photos are of. Don't worry, they're not rude! So there have been a few weeks since I posted a personal ad and created a profile looking for new friends in my life. With the possibility of dating and maybe a long term relationship. How's it all going? Is it just me, or is this a difficult way to meet people for everyone? It could be a lot more effective if you live in a large urban centre, which I don't. Number One big issue is finding time and a way to meet up with the people you are getting good vibes from. Distance is a big barrier, and especially when driving on icy and snowy and often closed highways is the only option. Talk about frustrating. A few guys melted away long ago as the possibility of meeting in the near future faded way. No amount of road salt could thaw that big chill quick enough. One thing that side tracked me quite a bit was something I already wrote about here; how I spent a...

When it's so cold the van won't start, the snowmachine never fails. For me it is the sunny days that call out to me to go for a ride. And yes, those are the colder days. But having lived and worked in the Arctic over so many years, I am well prepared to survive the deep cold. Boots are rated to -100 deg Celsius. Imagine that it is - 52 degrees. Then let's add some wind chill factor. We could get to -64, for example. Okay, now climb aboard a snowmobile and go fast into the wind - you then increase the wind chill factor by a fair bit. I won't even venture a guess. But you see where I'm going with this. Be prepared and know what you are getting into. heated visor, heated hand grips..... Riding in the winter is just so much fun. You can get to places that in the summer are so wet or bug infested that you can't get close. Large hills become much more approachable and long distances can be covered in a short period of time. Be careful to not go in further than what ...

The New Year came and found me at camp. Pardon some of the clutter in the interior shots, but not everything has been straightened out after the garage and studio were finished off. Like the antique boudoir table that is blocking off part of the bookcase. Where does one put a fancy Queen Anne boudoir at her camp anyways???? oh, and don't count the empty booze bottles piling up by the back door. Those are , uh, from a few visits ago. Yes. Get a load of the snow outside though. No wonder no one wanted to come in with me. All that digging. The road hadn't been plowed for a week and a half and so there was an old rut and about 20 cm of snow overtop . On the second last day I shovelled off the 30-45 cm on the main cabin, and the moment I finished (2 hours later) it began snowing again. No, the booze bottles are not from this time. Really. So on the final night it snowed about 20 cm of new snow. I was pushing snow for much of the 8 km out to the logging road. Three attempts to get...