I love this place - the cottage that is - it feels like inside and out there is a story about ever tree and artifact and plant around this place.
But tomorrow at 0605 it is time to climb onto an airplane again - destination Whitehorse YT
And again I will leave this place
Until August

Spa

An hour soaking in the mineral rich water at Watrous - sure does a body good - a nice drive over and fun to be with Don and Laura - we all need more days and hours like this

Quiet Sunday morning

One of these days I will wke up and know it is time to do the writing for the Nunavut Surface Rights Tribunal - and that is going to be a job and ahlaf

But it will not be today because today I am driving into the city to have breakfast with Glen and Donna and then on to Watrous for a swim with my brother and sister in law

That will pick up the pace for today

I have been picking up threads this week - and with a 750 km drive yesterday I have had lots of time to think about travel and bikes and work and and and

Although it is more fun when Joanne is here the space to have a quiet time alone is also important.

It is funny not to want to go shopping - I will try to get to Costco this week I guess - lol but if I do not - it does not matter

Heading out

Joanne climbed onto an airplane yesterday and flew to Ottawa - then today she will fly home to Iqaluit
I have another 8 clear days here - but the weather cooled off 20 degrees overnight so the beautiful weather is done for a bit
Very enjoyable really

Saskatoon

It takes just over three hours to fly from Iqaluit to Ottawa and another three hours from Ottawa to Saskatoon - add an hour before the flight and a couple of hours between flights and an hour to drive to the cottage making it a 10 hour day - no wonder I am tired when I arrive here

Joanne was at the cottage this year before I was - last time that happened was 1979

Cottage weathered the winter in fine order - as always. Joanne's sisters will visit tomorrow which is always a happy time and then my brother and sister in law are coming on Wednesday for an overnight.

Joanne leaves on Wednesday though - that will pause me quite a bit

Family that becomes spread across the globe

I know that Tina left North America more than 6 months ago and is currectly living in Tashkent.
I know that Tania and the boys left Nunavut to visit in Ontario more than 2 months ago
I know that Tony left Nunavut for BC and the Vancouver Olympics three weeks ago
I know that Joanne left Iqaluit for Manitoba and Saskatchewan last Saturday
I know that I left Iqaluit on Monday for Cape Dorset
I know that Joanne will fly to Saskatoon tomorrow
I know that I will fly to Saskatoon on Friday
I know that I will fly to Whitehorse two weeks from Saturday
I know that I may fly to Nicaragua on the 28th of April
I know that Joanne and I will meet up in Ottawa on the 14th of May
I know that Tina will be headed for Canada in late May or early June
I know that Joanne and I will be flying to Copenhagen and then on to Reykjavik and Nuuk in July
These represent most of the news my suitcases need to know

Why is there so much paper in my world?

I was away from home for a week.
When I got home there were more than a dozen peices of paper laying in wait to capture my attention and time and detailing
Why?
I use internet excessively - so why do I need all of this paper everywhere? And, what I am supposed to do with it? I have on the desk in front of me - a list of painting prices from Gabe Gely, an empty cracker tube, a receipt for my Pangnirtung hotel bill, a list of things to consider as I do the budget for NSRT, a Saskpower bill a file folder full of paper related to the airplane, unopenned banking envelopes, 150 bucks in cash and a stack of unknown unwanted useless advertising flyers.
My office is a disaster of piles of paper - all equally important it seems.
This is not to0 mention the pile of papers on the chair to my side.
Yesterday I generated more than 500 pages of paper getting ready for a teaching module in Cape Dorset.
Paper - I could learn to hate it

the luxury of it all

So a flash trip to Cambridge Bay complete with two days waiting in Yellowknife and now an overnighter to Pangnirtung completed - and the luxury is my own bed tonight
There was a lady with a 30 lb pug in the hotel in Pangnirtung - made me think about another lady on the other side of the world.
Home for 4 days then off to Cape Dorset for a teaching module - gotta get the printing organized tomorrow morning
My partner leaves Saturday for Winnipeg and Saskatoon - I will join her there in about 10 days
whooppeee more luxury

In keeping with the Theme

An early flight to Pangnirtung this morning - have to be at the airport in 90 minutes. But headed to a part of the world I love - close to a place I cherish as home -
Only an overnight trip but this will give me opportunity to settle my head in the land of giant mountains and fiords again so it is worth the effort.
Amazing things these airplanes - close your eyes , drift off to sleep and poof - you are in a new place ready to start a new adventure

Invitation to dinner

I was invited out to dinner last night. By a woman. She threatened to pay the cheque. I was uncomfortable with that. An odd feeling
An evening of story telling ensued. That felt great

Putting the hammer down

After struggling to get to Cambrdige Bay the Board members put the hammer down and worked until just after 10 last night to get the meeting underway and completed - wow were we moving fast.

NS is sending the first year students to Nicaragua this year - sounds hot to me - but it will be early in May so it will not be to bad - I do not think I can go this year - but I need to look at a calendar to make that final decision

Today we climb onto an airplane and fly back to Yellowknife - the first leg of going home - found Mom's birthday pressie yesterday - will have to hand carry it home but that is easy

Our plane leaves at 1330 - going home is always the best part of the trip

After a day of climbing onto an airplane taxing and climbing off the airplane we are still in Yellowknife - sheesh - what a long day at the airport = a long day of waiting hopefully patiently but in the end we had an airplane but no air crew so we did not fly
This morning Cambay is -37 with the wind at 14 so a nice crisp -52 for wind chill - and I believe the airplane problem is straightened out so we should get in today and out tomorrow
I got invited out for dinner tomorrow night - lol - a very rare occassion for me - I bet I can win the tussle for the check = Juanita Taylor - lol and I out weigh her by 3 to one
Explorer hotel was lovely last evening - the Super 8 works but this is much nicer
Paper work for the sale of the airplane and hangar came through yesterday I should try and read each peice today to see what they are saying - there were lots of typos of our names when I popped one document open yesterday.
Time for breakfast

End of an adventure

The paper work arrived today to sell our airplane and the hangar. We have owned the airplane for 16 years and the hangar for 15 years. That is a long time for a hobby but a wonderful hobby it has been. I have learned a lot about myself from flying - being in the sky alone sometimes was the mental therapy I needed.
I will miss owning an airplane.
I am working on summer travels and summer plans. We are sailing from Iceland to Greenland in July - a two week cruise - which by the way still has to be paid for so erase thoughts of new motorcycles or cars post haste please.

I did not get to Cambridge Bay today - blizzarding there - but tomorrow is another day and the weather forecasts are much better.

I think the amount of travel I do is ridiculous - but I have been enjoying it for years and see little sign of wanting or needing to stop.

And away we go

It is blizzarding in Cambridge Bay and there is a 50/50 chance that the airplane will land but they want us at the airport for 10 p so off we go.
I would rather get there today so I will close up the suitcases and get ready to zoom through the skies once again

A sleepless night

A nasty letter distressed my sleep last night . I got up at 0445 this moring to craft the reply. The letter was written 25 years ago and now folks want to see it and write about it and discuss it. After a month of consideration I asked that the letter not be released. All that can come from any more distribution is revisionist history and lordy knows we have enough of that now.
Three hours until I get on the airplane - suitcase is not packed yet but it is such a normal routine that it only takes 20 minutes to do that now.
Yellowknife tonight and Cambay tomorrow - I have not been there for 4 or 5 years so it will be nice to see the community once again/
NSRT is starting to come back to life - next meeting is proposed for Yellowknife in mid April.
Car engine was not damaged when the hydralic pressure on the tension mechanism seems to have been stuck. A flush and an oil change did the trick.
Well suitcase time

How is this possible?
Today I quite by accident discovered that I had the timing of tomorrow's flight scrambled up and had I not discovered this I would have a) missed the flight b) missed the flight to Cambridge Bay and c) missed dinner with the CAMBAY CASARA team and d) missed the NS meeting -
Totally bizarre error on my part
So what else did I miss?

February and March travels

Leaving on Wednesday for Yellowknife and Cambridge Bay for a fast trip - will be home on Monday.
Then leaving on Tuesday for Pangnirtung and home the following Friday
Then Monday off to Cape Dorset for an FM module
and finally
Friday off to Saskatoon for a two week stay and the onto Whitehorse for a Northern Aviation Transport meeting on back home on the 1st of April

Suitcases will be full for the month