Back in Katinniq

I find myself here back in Katinniq, a Nickel mine in the far north of Quebec.  This is my 4th year here now, and every year there are new changes things that present new challenges.  Not sure what the new issues will be yet this year, still too early in the game, but I'm sure the next few days will reveal the little things that we'll have to adapt to and find ways around.  This is my second work rotation away from home since my baby girl Grace was born in September so for me, the biggest challenge will be the distance between me and my family, it's not easy and I miss Heidi and Grace.

Raglan Again...

Here are some highlights....Gracie is 6 months old, Heidi as beautiful as always- a wonderful mother, we recently bought a new-used car (2006 Nissan X-trail), I'm on my way back to Raglan, we are planning a trip to Vancouver in the near future, I'm hoping to post here on a regular basis.  I'm hoping for more consistency in this.  Congrats to all Canada's athlete's I was duly impressed.    Cheers to all readers, talk again soon.

Posting from Word 2007

I mentioned in my previous post that I am currently using a dialup internet service (I'm sure I'll post a rant about that soon) so it means that the more I can do before I connect to the internet, the better. With that in mind, I am going to try and do some of my posts within Word. I am new to it so I will let you know how much of a headache (or pleasure) it turns out to be. I tried to include a token picture, as a test of that functionality; alas this seems more complicated....

Resurrection via Dialup

I've a lot of things on my plate, reports to write for work, a 3 month old baby that requires attention, a wife that requires attention and of course Christmas virtually upon us. Not to mention all the little household things that I should be tending to...so what do I do? Decide to start blogging again! Maybe if I only keep it short and sweet I can actually keep it up, we'll see. To get the ball re-rolling I'll try posting a slideshow of our little girl, Grace, in her fourth month. You may find it interesting to note that High-speed internet is not available in Winterland, so I will attempt to blog using my dialup connection, that's right DIALUP! See you in the next post. N

the spout hike 2009

Most who visit this blog will know my good buddy Tom Loader, and they will likely have visited his blog (tomsimageblog.blogspot.com) to enjoy some of his fantastic photos. His most recent post included photos of our recent snowshoe trek to the famous Spout on the East Coast Trail via an overland route.

I thought that perhaps some friends and family might like to see Tom at work capturing some of his famous photos, therefore I've included a small video taken during that trip.

Amazing "Read"

I want to tell you about 2 things, they are related, but different. For the last 2 years I have been a major fan and customer of the site Audible.com.  The site is an audiobookstore, providing a subscription service allowing downloads of narrated audiobooks.  Since I first discovered it in 2004 I have purchased and downloaded about a hundred titles.   Now we come to an interesting question...when I want to tell somebody that I am listening to a certain title, is it incorrect to say "I am reading a book such-and-such" or is that being dishonest?  Should I say "I am listening to a book"?  That just sounds weird.  If you have an opinion, leave a comment.  In the mean time, check out Audible.com.  You might be able to download pirated auiobooks, but I am going to avoid that.  I find that price I've paid for the hours and hours of entertainment and education to have been money very well spent.

Now, the second thing I'd like to mention briefly is the book I just finished listening to (by the way, I do still read real books!  Audiobooks are so convenient to listen to while working...).  I just finished Adrift, by Steven Callahan.  It is the account of his 76 days adrift on the Atlantic after his sailboat sank just off the Canary Islands.  He drifted, alone, all the way across the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the West Indies, despite seeing 9 ships that did not see him, having to fend off sharks, damage to his raft and problems with obtaining fresh water and more.  I was forced to examine myself and to wonder how I might have fared in the same circumstance.  While it was a horrific time for him, the author describes his own transformation and appreciation he develpoed for life and the ocean and family, and how he has no regrets about the journey.  So I wonder, do I need to go through the same experience in order to develop the same epiphany?  Perhaps not, it requires only that I am willing to accepttruths as described and experienced by others.  Is this a legitimate approach?  I think it is, we use this approach in many arenas of our lives and I think when coupled with critical thinking and empathy, we can use the experience of others to our ownadvantage and education.

missing maggie

It has been 32 days since we said goodbye to our Mags. Like many who grieve, I find it challenging to adjust to the new reality. Maggie began a steady decline in health last June and we said a very tough farewell to her after Christmas. She was a not-so-little sparkplug of joy and energy. She's missed by many, Buster most of all.

Maggie, our boxer.
She loved with licks and kisses.
Side-saddle princess.