TUGs

My Last Elective in Halifax, NS

This July I will complete my last elective.  I will travel to Halifax and complete a 1 week (7-day) intensive course.  Last week I preregistered for the course, which is a booking record for me, I think.  I'm excited for this trip: revisiting my old stomping grounds, and getting a course over with in a week instead of four + months. 

fence!

Today my good friend and neighbour came over and we worked on the fence!

Getting the vertical boards purchased, stained, and attached before winter wasn’t looking achievable. Instead we screwed on the horizontal boards connecting the fence posts and used the chicken wire I had used previously for a different project.

I am so impressed with the look I may not even get the vertical boards... spring will tell.

art

I am taking 6-week art class focusing on encaustic and collage, which began this week. The first class was so great – I feel like I made my cake and ate it too - all of it - chocolate.

I have some time between work and class start, so I browsed the local bookstore, showed up early, and then thoroughly indulged in the next 2.5 hours.

Using oils & encaustic, I sketched 'Viper' my single speed bicycle that sports a rear basket, a light, and pedal breaks. She is beautiful.

We also began a 4-series collage. The vision for mine includes my four dogs, a tree, and a squirrel. The start I show here doesn't include any of the above, but I think it will come together.
The class is being led by Marlene Collins who is a local artist at Arts Underground.

the trail less traveled

Today’s dog walk took the trail less traveled. I have lived out here for close to 8 years and had never explored this path past the beginning. Time has always felt pressing – too many things to do so I wouldn’t continue the walk. Today I realized that I have nothing but time. Relax. Peace.

Understanding how to work smarter instead of harder

Since coming back to work after a substantial & novel 5-week break, I realize some things that have changed and how they are effecting my day.

Being true to a schedule and limited amount of items/projects is essential.

For the next year I have signed up for a new, temporary .25 position in addition to my other .75 work., I have had to be very clear and true about scheduling time for each job. In 3 days I have realized what a positive difference this time boundary has on my day and overall outlook.

Today the words ‘working smarter instead of harder’ came to mind. In order to be effective and happy in my work, it must be manageable. Over the last decade I have taken on more and more and more… to the point where I think I have become somewhat ineffective and foil my own best intentions.

Dropping balls does nothing for my personal sense of worth nor does it help my feeling of professionalism.

SOOOoooo?

I have been posting goals on a site called 43things. It is a personal and anonymous way of thinking about what I want to do and what I am doing to get there. These posts, which I do most days, can apparently be posted to my blog at the same time. Since one of my goals is to post more regularly to my blog, perhaps this double-posting will be helpful? ...I’ll have to see how I like it…

 

Oh My

I've done it again! It is quite... embarassing (?) that my last post was in DeCEMBer!  Once again, life has been busy, and my priorities have not been the blog. Obviously.

I have had much on the go in my own life and in the life of my folks.

Once again, I have arranged my world, and given my self some time. Having had a little bit of that, I now am willing and able to put some of that time into this. 

The disk in my camera is FUBU. These pictures were taken a few weeks ago but they're the last I have until things are fully operational again. The snow is gone, the forest dry... except that today and this evening it POURED rain.

 
 
 

TD Canada Trust Literacy Centre

The Yukon Literacy Coalition has been working hard to open a Family Literacy Centre at our local Canada Winter Games Centre.  The CGC has donated YLC a room and much work has gone towards making what was a storage space into a literacy home. 

I was up there for a partnership meeting and snapped some shots of the beautiful artwork that is adorning the concrete walls.  This is a work in progress and I'll give an update with new pictures in the coming month. There are several different languages in script on this mural that give life and borders within the scene. The medicine wheel here depicts the importance of considering the whole child:
And this one simply gives imagination some size...
 

 

CPY - Canadian Pacific DC-3 - Weather Vane

This past Monday, July 6th, CPY was taken down from her stand in front of the Whitehorse Airport, which is now officially called Eric Nielsen International Airport.  The parking lot for passengers is being expanded and so CPY is on the move. 

Our CPY was the last DC-3 to be flying through Yukon skies.  It is now a gigantic weather vane that adjusts her position with the slightest breath of air.

A comrade on the board of our Yukon Transportation Museum told me that it was originally posted to this home on the same time that a wanna-be assassin tried to take the life of then U.S. President Ronald Regan in 1981.  "Hm" I thought to myself after being given this little bit of trivia. Remembering that attempt on Ronald Regan's life wasn't so interesting to me but the year was.  I have a hard time believing that the plane has been gracing us with her assistance on this pedestal since 1981?!

Two cranes, a welder, and a hot torch amongst a few folk all worked to bring her and the two swallow's nests with babes, gently down to earth.  It was very exciting to watch.  Even in her after-life she is as graceful as ever.

Members of the YTM Board are taking this opportunity to give CPY a wash and small structural tune-up.  During her weather vane exististence she has somehow managed to acquire a few little holes in the rear wing flaps.  Although these apparatus look to be made of silver metal, they actually are constructed of very light but durable fabric.  It is our thought that perhaps a raven or two were doing a wing inspection of their own at some point.

Our CPY is scheduled to be back up in her new location in front of the Yukon Transportation Museum within the coming week. 

Yukon Quest

The night of February 14th I had the pleasure of volunteering for the Yukon Quest.  I drove out to Braeburn, an hour or so north of Whitehorse, at around 9:30 p.m.  After making a quick stop at my cabin along the way, I arrived at the check-point just before 11:00. 

The sky was crystal clear with the stars twinkling bright.  It was minus 31 celcius with not a breath of wind. 

When I arrived the first few teams had already arrived.  Actually the first team was in at around 9:00 p.m. when I had figured they would begin arriving about two hours later.  The trip from Whitehorse was fast since the trails was packed and cold. 

Although I volunteered for the Quest two years ago in Dawson City, this was a different experience. This time I was kept very active outside.  I helped check teams in as they crossed the check point finish line, helped guide the dogs to their resting spot, gathering the prearranged food into a sled and taking it promptly to the respective musher, and best of all, updating the standings board in the Lodge and calling the same results to Fairbanks for the web update.  I was kept busy and warm and involved.  It was a great experience.

The pictures here were all taken near the end of my shift at 10:30 a.m. just as the sun was coming up. Anything that my camera would have taken throughout the night would have been disruptive to the teams with a blinding flash, and I wouldn't have captured anything.