Bannock on a Stick

T and P are great at making bannock and inviting people to join around the camp fire to have it as bannock-on-a-stick.It always turns into nice evenings. In fact the very last social thing Edna did was coming for bannock-on-a-stick at T & P's.

The Surroundings

The Salt River flowing into the Slave River.

The Slave River looking quite flat but incredibly powerful

the Salt River

...Here as it flows into the Slave River

And Iw as talking about the fireweed flowers having reached the top of the stalk...this is what I meant.

Getting Worse Before it Hopefully Gets Better

I am working, working, working, getting sore using muscles I haven't used in years, but somehow it just seems to be getting worse. And hopefully it is the "worse" before it gets better.
Right now the big stumbling block is finding a way to take plywood, insulation, a stove, stove pipe etc to the cabin.
First I stacked everything into the corner where the wood stove is, and cleaned the freed area.

I meant to paint the floor in that corner first, but then I thought it was really not that important a job and my time would be better spent dealing with the stove, the chimney, the insulation etc

 All the same, I did spent a little extra money on things not needed. I bought the two birch bark baskets at the Saturday market.

 I think they are quite cute

 The floor painting plan was also best delayed since I couldn1't decide what colour I wanted

So everything went back into the kitchen corner and work started (as you can see from the wood piled up inside so it stays dry)

I need to change the insulation under the floor because it was exposed to the elements. You can see how it looks sort of disheveled. Once the new insulation is in I need to cover it properly with plywood. But of course it means holding sheets of plywood (4' x 8') above my head all while nailing them or screwing them in place. So I built four support brackets so I can put the plywood on them and lie under it without having to support it.

 .... Unfortunately another problem I have is this little guy who has decided to live in my roof.
Everybody to whom I say I have chipmunk in my roof answers: "There are no chipmunk in the Northwest Territories". Well, apparently this guy is not aware of that fact.

First Frost of Winter 2014 -2015

Wow, August 20th and last night was the first frost!!
All signs are pointing to an early fall: the geese are flying, the sandyhill cranes are also flying, the fireweed flower has reached the top of the stalk and the bison are getting frisky.

However trumping all this was the wonderful display of northern lights last night. They were AMAZING. The colours weren't great (mostly white to light green with just a little pink) but the patterns, speed at which it moved and the abundance were excellent.
I have to learn how to take photos of the northern lights and then I can post some photos.

and We Do not Say "Eskimo"

Remember the rant and rave about the "white mind" in the title of a book. Where I carefully stayed away from the term "native" (which was also in the title) and its usage because I am white and it is one of those things one has to be careful about.

However right now I am "up north" and reading: “The Last Imaginary Place – a Human History of the Arctic World” by Robert McGhee.

Here is an extract regarding the term “Eskimo”:

“… The name Eskimo has been said to derive from an Algonkian Indian term meaning”people who eat raw meat.” This is an excellent characterization of the people of the Arctic coasts, but the name is currently thought by some to be derogatory and in Canada is usually replaced by the name “Inuit,” which simply means “humans” in their own language. Greenlandic Inuit commonly refer to themselves as Kaladlit or Greenlanders as well as Inuit, while the name Eskimo is in general use by the people of Alaska and Siberia. Linguistits tell us that, in fact, the original Algonkian Indian term probably meant only “people who live up the coast.” “Inuit: is used here (in his book) to refer to those Eskimos who live in northern Alaska and Greenland, all of whom speak a single language known as Inuktituut….”

The book was first published in 2004, which can be relevant in conversation about current use of various terms.

I does tickle my sense of humor that while carefully explaining that indeed in Canada we do not use the term "Eskimo" anymore, he actually uses “Indian”. 

So it’s been said in Canada we do not say “Indian” anymore. I think it really is on its way out in the States too. The appropriate term these days is Aboriginal….. so I was told by Aboriginal friends....and they do NOT like "native" anymore than I do. I actually like the term "aboriginal".

Edna

My Friend Edna passed away 2 days ago.
Hard to tell if she died of cancer or chemo....... but she died at home surrounded by all the people she loved and I am happy for this.

Edna taught me how to bead last summer.

I do feel emotionally exhausted. If my friends could just stay healthy for a while it would be great.

Wishing everybody to stay well, for your sake and mine.

Plan for This Winter

Ok, so this winter I am planning to spend a few months here in Fort Smith and then once I have had enough of the very short days and the cold of winter and roughing it in a cabin I will jump in the truck with the camper and go south to ????

Anyway, here are the photos of the cabin I am going to rent for the winter months I will spend around Fort Smith:
It is not far from a road which is maintained even in winter, but even tough you can see an electric line there is no electricity. And yes in white is the outhouse.

this is the view this time of year from the front door.

You can see that it is not far from the road, a VERY quiet dirt road which as I was saying earlier is maintained in winter and this is key because it means that the snow will be plowed regularly.

The inside is obviously a complete mess right now just like any empty house but I think it has potential.

It is 5km (3 miles) from cell phone reception, 11 km (7 miles) to the main paved road, and 30km (17 miles) to the grocery store, swimming pool and town in general.

It has no running water, which for me means that when I want to go I can just lock it and go without worrying about pipe freezing and bursting. I really was set on only renting a cabin with NO running water. and no electricity, so I will get a generator for light on the short days of winter and mostly to run the block heater on the truck so I can start it at -40C (also -40 in Fahrenheit) which is the kind of temperatures to expect.

From Google Maps here is the location of Fort Smith.

Slave River Paddle Fest 2014

The Slave River Paddle Fest takes place in Fort Smith and in the river rapids around Ft Smith. Truly a beautiful setting.
I spent a lot of time in the water so I do not have many pictures.
First day started with a gentle paddling across the river to have a picnic.

some people paddled their canoes on m ore technical waters.

The first Voyageur race coming back to shore.

Next time is a day full of events including beach ball race...... here preparing for it by blowing up the beach ball is a young woman who came all the way from Canmore, southern Alberta.

Pelicans in the morning before everybody arrives.

 The rapids, called "the Playground" where most of the various activities take place.

Some people are just gifted!

And here is photo somebody took of me in the double kayak as we are surfing a very big wave. I don't like this photo of me. I think I look like an idiot but at least I look like a happy waving-her-arms-in-the-air-idiot. Surfing does not look like much on photos but it is really a very crazy fun thing to do. Leif, who is the guy at the back and really the guy doing it all (obviously since I am madly waving my hands in the air) is a world class kayaker who take people on double ride so they get the chance to experience something which would take years to perfect if you were trying to do it on your own.

I had a wonderful week end: went on several white water rafting trips, got thrown out of the rafts twice - each time to be rescued immediately by kayakers, tried the paddle board, canoeing of course and some sort of open-faced kayaks which do not require any particular skills to get out of when you flip over.... Generally a good time. I am tired and covered in bruises.
I am looking forward to next year.