A True North View: Quonset Hut in the Snow

I believe that this is the house that the stork delivered my mother too in Yellowknife, NWT. She was born in the summer - so there was a little less snow, but you get the idea. I found a website with a number of current and historic Quonset Hut photo's. My most recent experience in a Quonset hut (acutally that should probably read only) was actually in Fredericton, NB at Master Dave Murrey's Tai Kwon Do Club. It worked well for a martial arts studio - I could see it working for a home. Last year, I was all excited by geodesic dome houses and their many excellent qualities - that said - furniture is easier to fit into a square house and a square house is easier to sell if one plans on moving over their lifetime.

I'm sure that I can obtain some excellent stories from my Grandparents about this house. For now, I'll dispell the myth that my mother's first bed was a drawer. While I personally think that this is a practical solution in the north where it takes months to order furniture at times and costs a small fortune in shipping, the truth in this myth is that once in a hotel a drawer bed was improvised for my mother when she was an infant - she did indeed have her own crib in Yellowknife and the drawer was a temporary solution while travelling.

Thats all for now.

Jennith

Paddling in Calm Waters - and movie recomendations

After the last few stressful weeks, Gabe and I decided that we needed to go on a date (to celebrate increased sleep rations and all that). We went to Failte - an Irish Pub near Square One with a fairly standardly priced menu including a tempting selection of pub favorites, pizza and then some nicer stuff. The food was good (the fries unusally so) although I would not have called the servings overly generous, there was more than enough to fill us up. I had a stuffed chicken breast and Gabe has Salmon - I got fries, he got salad - which we each ate half of. The only down side is because we went there later in the evening - they had the hockey game up fairly loud. However, it probably would have been cool, if we hadn't been aiming at a romantic dinner. Then we went to see the Pursuit of Happyness [sic]. Will Smith and his son were fantastic. The movie was really well done, and while maybe the take home message equates happiness with money - I think thats an oversimplication. It was weird seeing Will Smith look so old and ungoofy, but I was impressed. I think I might just buy this one when it comes out on DVD (high praise from me). I think among its best points is that it made the concept of poverty for normal, well intentioned people, far more real to me. How it impacts your ability have choices, the stress of fearing bills and no support system to fall back on. An interesting and related Toronto Star article "War on Poverty" compliments this topic well. Actually, the Star has been running a series on Poverty lately, many of which are superb.

Not much other news. Watch for an upcoming series of old photograph taken by my gradparents. My grandfather has offered to work with me to tell the stories behind some of the pictures- like the one above. Sometimes - the sorries may appear as comments and sometimes they may appear as edits to the original post - which I'll put back links to in new posts so you'll know to check them again. This picture - I think will require some explaining, however, you'll have to wait for it later - not the elk?? Caribou?? swimming in the water.

I'll leave you in suspense for now...

Cheers,

Jennith

Little House on the Barrens

Gabe recently spent a day scanning old photos my grandfather too while working up north. (I do come by it honestly.) I love old pictures - and this would be my perfect first house complete with scraggley spruce, and a location undoubtedly proximate to a bog. They really don't make homes like they used to.

Truthfully, the urge to go north is still strong in me - unless you've lived in a remote community you probably can't understand the sense of isolation, which although occasionally is frustrating, more often it left me feeling a sort of peace impossible to capture in the city or even in Sussex, NB. The cold too. The bone wrenching, unrelenting cold of the north - unafraid to dip below -40 C - there is a quiet in that cold (and it not just being muffle in a fir trimmed parka and a few dozen layers of clothes) thatRobert Service captured in Sam McGee. I like it. I like having snow all winter and I like being able to guess the degree of coldness from tone of the squeaking-to-crunching snow under your feet. I like the hiss of grainy snow blowing over sculpted snow and the smell of woodsmoke.

So, I'm crazy. This being my first winter in Southern Ontario in 12 years (I spent 5 in TB, 1 in Kash and another 5 in the maritimes), I must admit to missing the more wintery weather I'd become accostumed to. But such is. Here is to winters of the future (immediate gradification preferred).

Funny - I wonder if this lack of winter (yes, I know everywhere else the country is having some real winter weather) will undermine our Canadianess?

Cheers,

Jennith of the North

AGO bound

We are off to see Ansel Adams and company at the AGO today. I don't know much except that there is an exhibit of classic photography - naturally Gabe is much more excited since he knows the history of the photographers. I'm looking forward to a long standing tradition with my Grandmother of visiting art galleries.

I'm posting from my brothers computer and I marvel at the difference in appearance of the colours on my blog compared to my own or the ones at school. Actually, I like it better on his. Hopefully, the contrast is good enough for people to read and stuff. I can't post picture from here.

Wait I found a historic picture of my grandma canoeing. :D

Jenn