Fort McMurray Adventures

Paul Watson's Revenge?

2012-01-28T14:15:00.005-07:00

If you're familiar at all with my previous blog from Nunavut, you probably know eco-terrorist Paul Watson isn't exactly on the top of my Christmas wish list. I've been pretty harsh on him and deservedly so, here being but one example. I mention this because it seems that rather than fading off quietly into the dust bin of history, he has perhaps exacted some revenge.

Turns out, my son Gabriel is turning into a vegetarian. Both Lisa and I had decided before he was born to pursue a vegan diet for him. I'm not vegan myself, but unlike Watson, I prefer to keep an open mind on things. We figured once he was enough to feed himself (Gabriel, that is, not Watson) he could decide for himself. Now, Gabriel is very independent for a 10-month-old and has reached the stage where he only wants to feed himself. Lisa sent me some messages on my cell this morning to say that he was busy chowing down on some berries and bananas and while she did put some tuna in front of him last night, he refused to have anything to do with it. It will be interesting to see if this is just a phase he's going through or if the dormant carnivore I'm sure lies within will finally rouse itself. In the meantime I find the irony of it all rather....delicious.

Breathe

2012-01-26T10:12:00.005-07:00

Just to allay the fears of people following along on my Facebook I will soon be gainfully employed again. For those who many have missed it, we learned back in December (shortly before Christmas as it turned out) that my employer's contract with Suncor was not being renewed and that another company would be taking it over shortly into the new year. There was however, going to be a transition period so it wasn't as if I was going to find myself unemployed the following day.

To make a very long story short, there followed a pile of contradictory information from many different sides about out options. Unions and companies can definitely act like little children sometimes. Anyhow, I received my lay off notice this past Monday. I since I wasn't about to wait idly around waiting to hear back from either the company or the union while they dickered I sent out a flurry of resumes. I was told I could apply with the new company through the union which was great news. But when I checked the union board it was to discover that my name is 3647 on the list in terms of seniority which of course wasn't such great news. The new company also had my resume which I had submitted for consideration for office positions but I didn't want to wait around forever hence my little flurry of resume-sending over the past 48 hours.

Fast forward to last night an I got word that the new company was calling around to people that had already been with the new company. (There are 3 scaffold yards there so obviously they wouldn't just want a whole bunch of new people in there not knowing what they are doing.) I had planned to give a quick call to the new company this morning just to follow up on my resume but as it turns out they forestalled me and called me first. So next week I will be heading back to Suncor and my old job site, but wearing a different hard hat. And I can breathe a little easier this morning.

Ironically, this was the last of a bunch of photos I had on my laptop that I planned to randomly attach to future blog posts. The old Hill Drug Store, now sitting in the Heritage Park. Originally, it sat on Franklin Ave. where Campbell's Music is today....and now that I have a job to go to I can relax and no longer entertain thoughts of needing to break in looking for anxiety meds. :)

Hardly Reality

2012-01-19T21:37:00.003-07:00

I caught wind a few days ago on Fort McMurray Musings about a certain reality show that is being pitched. You can visit her post if you want to read more. Essentially, the producers of this show want to profile the lives of Fort McMurray woman who live affluent, pampered, drama-filled lives off the backs of their hard-working husbands/boyfriends on site. Believe me, I am doing my best to word this in order to avoid excessive amounts of profanity. But honestly, what a stupid, moronic idea for a show. What makes my blood boil even more is finding an ad for the show on Kijiji. Due to the ever-changing nature of the 'net, I re-post the body of the ad below rather than link to it so you can see for yourself in case the stupid thing disappears. (And yes, I couldn't let this trash do unchallenged without firing back my own profanity-laden response via Kijiji.)

Date Listed 19-Jan-12
Address 409 King St W, Toronto, ON M5V 1K1, Canada
View map
Job Type Full-Time
We're looking for women whose lives have been transformed by the oil industry. Does your husband/boyfriend work for the oil industry? Are your friends also oil-wives? Do you have a big personality that goes along with your big life$tyle!? Should you have your own television show?!

Proper Television is now casting 4-6 rig wives, ages 22-45 to star in this new docu-series. We're looking for a lively bunch, with HUGE personalities, living affluent, drama-filled lives.

Does this sound like you? If so, please click on this link to fill out our online questionnaire:

http://www.propertelevision.com/casting/index.php/form/apply/70

Please include a short 2-4 minute video of yourself. Tell us about you, your friends, what you do for fun! Tell us about your husband/boyfriend, his job, your life together and what you do when he's away working long hours. Show us your personality; give us a tour of your home/property. Have fun with it!!!

Upload your video to a private page on Youtube and include the link with your online questionnaire (above).

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: FEBRUARY 1st 2012

NOTE FROM PRODUCERS:
Once all video submissions are viewed the finalists will be chosen and calls/emails will go out to our 5 lucky ladies on their way to becoming Canada's new reality stars, good luck ladies.

On second thought......I wish this mindless crap would disappear.

Dear Producers of "Proper Television" [sic],

What an ironic name you give yourselves. This show idea is anything but proper. The 1950's are LONG over. The myth of the woman staying at home doing nothing (like it even existed to begin with) is gone. This is not a bedroom community of suburbs where the man goes to work while the woman stays home. Actually, if you knew anything at all about Fort McMurray beyond what a quick Google search would show you, you would know full well that a vast VAST majority of woman work in this town. And they work damn hard. Fort McMurray can be an expensive place to live. The real reality is that both husband and wife (or boyfriend and girlfriend) have to work to make ends meet. I'm while I'm at it, there is more here than just the husband/wife, boyfriend/girlfriend dynamic you focus on. I personally know many immigrants and minorities who work hard to support family back in their home countries. From my own work experience I know of many woman in the trades. They are supervisors, forewomen, and drive heavy machinery. One of the best forklift drivers I know at work happens to be female. But no, you wouldn't realize this as you focus so myopically on some dreamy fantasy perception of life here that simply doesn't exist. Feel free to dig out a thesaurus if you have difficulty deciphering any of my verbiage.........I'll wait.

Even the header on your own website demonstrates you don't have a clue! In your own word's...."Proper's focus is on all things factual, from reality through fact-ent [sic] to specialist factual." HUH? Setting aside that reality television is far from factual, it seems you can't even form proper sentences. For God's sake, my 10-month-old son has produced better things in his diaper than that gem.

In short, grow a brain and get lost. Would you go to Vancouver and portray all people there as hard-core drug-users or tree-huggers? Would you go to Nova Scotia and portray everyone there are fishermen or everyone in PEI as a bunch of Anne of Green Gables-hugging potatoe farmers? How about a reality show about reality show producers instead.....just a bunch brain-dead nobodies in search of exploiting the good people of our town for a quick buck. Now THAT's closer to reality.

Apparently I Haven't Lived Here Quite As Long As I Thought aka Conversation With A Creepy Bald Guy.

2012-01-17T07:00:00.001-07:00

Its been almost two-and-a-half years since I moved out here and almost two years since I bought there house here. Perhaps I don't trumpet that fact enough (or perhaps just not to the right people) as I was reminded of over the past couple days. Sunday I received a letter in my mailbox addressed to the wrong person. It's been a number of months since I recall happening. So Joan B., if you're reading this, I have an envelope for you. Errant mail is understandable here given the migratory nature of a certain percentage of our population.

Mail is one thing. When people come to the door looking for someone else, though, that's just a little bizarre, and somewhat comical too. Late yesterday evening, I was doing what I do best on the Monday afternoons I have off, which is to say vegging and being lazy. I was brought back to reality by the door bell ringing. I was pretty sure it wasn't a tenant since one was home and it was a little early for the other one to be home from work. I figured it was someone looking for a room and was quickly rehearsing my "Sorry, but all my rooms are rented out now," shtick as I opened the door.

You know when I weird-looking bald guy with a hat is on your doorstep, it has the potential to be an odd conversation. I paraphrase our conversation here to the best of my ability....

Creepy bald guy - Hi are you Lorraine?

Me - No.

Creepy Bald Guy- Oh. Is there a Lorraine that lives here?

Me - No. Sorry.

Creepy Bald Guy- Really? How long have you lived here?

Me- I've lived in this house a couple years.

Creepy Bald Guy- Oh. Sorry. I've always done her steaks. Maybe I have the wrong house here.

Me (to myself) - Gee...ya think?

Creepy Bald Guy- I've been doing her meat for awhile. [I kid you not.....those were his exact words.] Well, you wouldn't be interested in some steaks?

Me- Nope.

Creepy Bald Guy- How about some ribs then? Pork chops?

Me- Nope, I'm good.

Creepy Bald Guy- Okay then, sorry to bother you. Have a nice night.

Now, I know I can go to the post office to deal with the mail man....never thought I'd have to deal with a meat man.

Definitely Not A Blue Monday

2012-01-16T15:15:00.003-07:00

Apparently, today is Blue Monday. Pure pseudo-science of course. Today as rather productive as it turned out. With a little trepidation, I finished painting the living room this morning and while I was very conscious of the fact that I wouldn't be able to pull out an eraser if I screwed up, I have to say I'm pretty impressed with how things turned out. There are a few touch-ups I will have to do but its amazing how much a little paint can completely change the character of a room.

I had a productive conversation on the employment front and sent off a resume which potentially could keep me out at Suncor albeit with a different company. Funny that after a very unproductive conversation with my union office I can go strike out on my own and make much greater progress. So much for the whole "solidarity...we look out for our members" mantra.

And finally, on a completely different note, I've had a number of visitors to the yard over the past couple days. There are a number of birds I can count on as fairly regular visitors, and other than juncos, I've pretty much seen them all the past past two or three days. I even caught a few glimpses of a Blue Jay this morning which seem to hang out in everyone else's trees other than mine. Not too bad for a "Blue Monday".

View of the Athabasca River from the "Bridge to Nowhere."

Moments of Angst

2012-01-13T21:33:00.005-07:00

Although there is a lot going on around here I'm not sure what to write about but seeing as this blog has been rather quiet as of late I will do my best here. i decided to book off a couple of extra days for the end of my last shift so rather than my usual four days, today starts a nice stretch of six. I've rarely taken extra days over the past year and half so I figured now was as good a time as any. As a further upshot I'll avoid working outside when the weather takes the huge dip predicted to arrive in the next few days.

I'm hoping to put the time to good use with a few things I need to do around the house but also so deal issues on the job front. With my employer losing its contract with Suncor, our time there is quickly winding down. Without going into detail simply switching hard hats and getting on with the new contractor has hit a few road blocks beyond our control. Without going in to detail there are a few of us at work that aren't exactly thrilled with out union at the moment. Anyhow, I have options so I suppose I shouldn't worry too much. Turns out that long before finding out our contract would not be renewed had done myself a huge favour by handing my resume in to my general foreman who in turn passed it on to his supervisor. So here goes. I know I shouldn't worry but it just in my nature.

On a brighter note, I have 6 days off and I've now succeeded on renting out each of the three rooms I had advertised. Everyone works long hours and I keep a quiet house which all three told me was a high point on their list. One tenant won't actually be moving in until February but he really wanted the room and nicely enough, was willing to pay the full rent up front in order to secure the room. So there you have it.

I have a few new books I'd like to tuck in to and I'm hoping my grosbeaks show up. I saw one early this morning as I headed out to run some errands but I don't get a chance to enjoy them (or the red polls that have been frequenting my backyard feeder) when my work hours see to it that I go long stretches when its always dark out when I find myself at home. I look forward to remedying this tomorrow.

George The Cat

2012-01-06T22:03:00.002-07:00

For the past little while I had been hearing occasional snippets about a missing cat at the Edmonton airport. I didn't realize it until tonight that George the Cat was a local. Now even though I have a cat at the moment I remain more of a dog person than a cat person. All the same, welcome home George.

When The Unclear Becomes Clearer and The Simple Becomes Difficult

2012-01-05T19:33:00.004-07:00

I have to admit to a little angst and indecision as of late as our work contract with Suncor winds down. Fortunately, I have choices. It's just a matter of making the best choice, of course. I could stay with my employer or try to get picked up by the company taking over the contract. I could also go "into the field". A few courses and I could qualify as a second year apprentice. I could look for an office position with the company or send out resumes and seek employment in an entirely different direction. The first few years of my teaching career involved a number of moves so I'd rather just stay with the company. I wouldn't mind going into the field as I'm still at an age where it is feasible. In a worse case scenario, I could get laid off and not taken on by the new company. Each scenario has played through my mind lately and yes, there have been moments of angst. Knowing that your employment situation is going to change isn't exactly a great way to start of the new year.

As it turns out, things got a little interesting today. Without jinxing myself and going into great detail (because a lot of things are still up in the air) it turns out my general foreman has mentioned me to his supervisor and a position may open up in town where I would be working in a warm office with the supervisor as a planner for the company or something along those lines. Apparently, my foreman wants to set up a meeting next week involving himself, the supervisor and me to discuss.......me. Hearing this little gem was definitely a nice way to end the day.

When I began the day I quipped that I must really lack a life because the highlight of my day was going to be when I got home and hooked up the new shower head for a hot shower. (The old one is woefully inadequate and I didn't yet have a proper wrench to get the new one connected.) With wrench in hand, I found myself standing in the shower in my birthday suit (sorry for the horrid visual) eager to get the new shower head attached. Sounds simple enough, screwing on a new shower head. Only, for some reason, the rubber washers didn't want to cooperate so I ended up just spraying water all over the place before putting the old shower heard back on. I'm sure there is a simple solution but after a 12-hour day it seems I am fairly inept at performing simple tasks.

Finally, so you are not left with nightmarish thoughts of me installing a shower head au naturel, I give you this 2009 photo of Fort McMurray's first bank, now a fixture in the local heritage park. (Yes, I had some bills to pay today.)

My Dirty Secret

2012-01-03T20:39:00.004-07:00

One of my many little quirks is that I have a tendency to collect things and never seem able to throw anything out. I guess I am a collector by nature. I wouldn't say that I'm a hoarder or anything. Sure I have lots of books and CDs but nothing too crazy. Occasionally though, things tend to accumulate unintentionally as I realized this afternoon while going through some of my clothes.

Due to the outdoor nature of work, we are supplied with balaclavas and glove liners. Normally, I'll wear a couple balaclavas under my hard hat to keep my head warm. At the end of the day, rather than throw them out, I stuff them in my bag along with my glove liners but the following work day I'm not always good at digging them out of my bag so I'll grab fresh ones. Slowly these balaclavas and glove liners began a slow migration from work to my work bag to my closet at home. (I find them convenient on my days off if I'm out and about. If I come across one in a coat pocket or my work bag, I tend to wash them up and re-use them.)

Not all the guys at work are as good at re-using stuff so there is the odd day where items like balaclavas and glove liners are in short supply at work. I once joked that at the rate I was going, no one on my shift would have to worry about work running out of these winter items since I was sure a day would come when I would have saved up enough of them to supply everyone for the day.

I think that day may have arrived. And I may have outdone myself. This morning I counted 13 pairs of glove liners and 14 balaclavas in my closet. That's actually enough to supply pretty much both shifts together on most days.

Fort McKay River, winter 2010.

Of Books and B&B's

2012-01-01T18:10:00.004-07:00

With the new year comes a chance for reflection and to set some new goals. Two long-term goals that have been increasingly on my mind lately are ones I've had for a few years now and I'm slowly starting to plan out for them. First, my goal of operating my own Bed and Breakfast one day. I'd start tomorrow if I could but of course I will take the time to do my homework on it. There are a few areas of the country I've been considering and its been a lot of fun so far imagining the final product. I'm a tad young compared to most people who get into the Bed and Breakfast field so I know I still have plenty of time. In the mean time I have a couple tenants in place so I see this as a practice run for running a B&B in the future. That and some much needed bathroom renovations should keep me busy enough.

I know that it will be a lot of work but I hope to take some of my time while operating my future B&B to pursue goal number 2, writing a book. Friends and family that have been following both this blog and my Nunavut blog have often told me I really should sit down and write a book about all my experiences. At first, this was just a fantasy of sorts, but lately I've been giving it more serious thought. In addition to my blogs I have a number of journals going back to about 2001 I hope to draw material from as well. I figure if I rely solely on my blogs for material, people will just read those rather than buying my book. I've always been an avid reader, so writing a book seems the next logical step. Anyhow, I'll see how things shape up in the new year. It's always good to start off the new year with lofty goals.

Northern Alberta morning, 2009

Solo

2011-12-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

If you're privy to my Facebook you probably know that things are different here now. Without going into a plethora of detail, Lisa and the kids are now back in Ontario shortly and I continue to stay here in Fort McMurray. Sometimes life just doesn't head in the direction you hope and this is one of those situations. At the end of it all, I love my son dearly and take comfort in knowing that he will be well provided for.

Na Shledanou Mr. Havel

2011-12-19T07:00:00.002-07:00

Growing up as a bit of political junkie as well as one of those "artsy types" the name of Vaclav Havel was one I was familiar with. It wasn't really until I visited Prague a few years ago that I think I appreciated his significance. It was hard to imagine walking down Wenceslas Square, as sunny and peaceful as I remember it on that July afternoon and realize that it wasn't that long ago that it was full of tanks and police. How times have changed and Havel can take a sizable chunk of the credit for it.

One of the places I visited in Wenceslas Square was a former police headquarters where Havel was held on I'm sure more than a few occasions. It is now a museum. Coming from our Canadian democracy and seeing this was quite the eye opener. It made me realize the depth of the love and conviction this man held for his people that he would challenge authority and wind up in a cell like the one I saw that day. And this was just the mocked up version for tourists so I can only imagine what it would have been like in its original state. Things sure have changed in the meantime. Today, this former police station is flanked by a McDonald's and a small casino (or at least it was when I was there.) Difficult to imagine.

Sadly I didn't pick up any of his plays when I was there. (I did pick up a very interesting satire on the Austro-Hungarian Empire by the anarchist writer Jarolsav Hasek.) I now really wish I had but with luck I will be able to remedy this lapse.

Wouldn't it be nice if we had politicians in this country who didn't just run their mouths but backed up their words with action?

The National Gallery in Wenceslas Square with a statue of King Charles in front.

Wenceslas Square (summer 2007)

Chiquita Goes Bananas

2011-12-16T19:19:00.003-07:00

According to media reports, banana producer Chiquita is looking to ban fuel sources derived from the Oil Sands. This comes from a company responsible for human rights abuses in Central America, crushing unions and the infamous Banana Massacre. Backed by the United States, Chiquita was complicit in the deaths of perhaps 2000 people. (This is actually where the term "Banana Republic" originated.) And yet, this fruit company is trying to take the high road by jumping on the environmental bandwagon. Apparently, it is more ethical for Chiquita to fulfill its oil needs by purchasing from such democratic bastions as Venezuela or Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia, they don't have unionized workers, they just shoot you. This is also where they flog women like animals and back international terrorism among other such progressive and ethical practices. And God help you if you happen to be homosexual.

I get tired of the Oil Sands here becoming the global scape goat for all the evils of the world. The economic benefits span well beyond the borders of this province and indeed the country. I work with a few guys that came here to work because of the freedoms and choices we have, freedoms and choices that don't exist in other countries but where Chiquita apparently feels it is ok to take their business. Our GHG emissions are minimal compared to countries like the US and China and even the EU. I see that the PM and a few Alberta politicians have added their voices to this silly myopic decision. (NDP feel free to chime in any time. This is a union town after all and union jobs are on the line.)

Don't point fingers Chiquita. Don't demonize us. You have no right to the moral high road here. You fund designated terrorist organizations. Please. Don't lecture us. This action is nothing other than blatant hypocrisy.

Contact Chiquita here and tell them what you think.

Ah, The Life Of A Contractor

2011-12-14T19:12:00.002-07:00

I tried sitting down once and thinking about all the different contractors that work out at site. I know, I know.....but it was a long ride home that particular day. Anyhow, the number of companies I came up with off the top of my head grew until I couldn't keep track of them all in my head. My employer is but one of at least a handful other companies that deals with scaffolding out at site. I heard something like 1000 companies bid on all the contracts that are available at all the different projects.

As pertains to my work, our current contract was due to expire at year's end and unfortunately the men in suits in ivory towers down in Calgary have spoken. A competing bid was successful which means we will be relinquishing our yard in the new year. Such is the life of a contractor. Don't worry though, I won't be finished up tomorrow as there is a transition period of 120 days so I have plenty of time to get my resume out there. Likely, many of the guys will go "into the field" as apprentice scaffolders, something I've given some thought to over the past year. Some will likely get taken in by the new contractor or stay with the company and head to other projects. So there are plenty of options. This IS Fort McMurray after all.

"Body Parts"

2011-12-10T21:13:00.004-07:00

I'll chalk this one up to not partaking in my morning coffee ritual before catching my bus to work.

More and more often at work I find myself with a radio attached to me. Initially I wasn't too fond of it namely because it drives me crazy to hear how my voice sounds over the radio if I'm standing close to say one of the other foreman or one of our truck drivers and hear my voice coming from their radio. Over time though, I've learned to grin and bear it and I take my being given a radio as a sign that I'm an important cog in determining how the yard gets run and that my input may be somewhat useful. Now, I don't mind the radio chatter and find it breaks up the monotony of a slow day and the nosey old lady part of my (yes, I know that is a scary thought) often finds myself tuning in to radio conversations I hear between other contractors as I go about the course of my day.

The easiest way to catch radio chatter is on the bus on my ride in. I usually sit fairly close to the front so I can catch what's being said on the radio. I find this helpful to find out what's going on if traffic is hectic or the weather is being temperamental. Anyhow, this morning I caught something on the radio that at first I thought was my imagination running amok. It was 5:30am after all. But hearing a few gasps from other passengers around me made me realize that this wasn't a dream.

Now, I didn't clearly hear all of what the dispatcher said. But I recall hearing something about slow traffic on the highway, a few garbled words about a particular location and then the phrase "body parts along the side of the road." The lady was quick to add "no, not human body parts" much to our collective relief. I perked up though for a few minutes and scanned the ditches through the morning darkness. Seeing nothing, I quickly dozed off. When I woke and got off at my stop I imagined the whole episode had been part of some strange psychotic dream (such things will happen more often as I get older some people jokingly tell me.) But no I heard mention of it from a couple passengers as they disembarked as well. So I'm sure it wasn't some sort of weird collective experience.

Now, I've had some strange things happen to me on the bus. I've missed my stop, got off at the wrong stop and once ended up getting on the wrong bus entirely and ending up at Albian Sands which is about as far north as you can travel before hitting the winter road to Fort Chipewyan. THIS little gem though had me chuckling to myself all day and will be difficult to top.

(view from Super Test Hill, southbound Highway 63, roughly 25km north of Fort McMurray, Feb. 2010)

Challenging Conventional Wisdom

2011-12-07T19:26:00.005-07:00

There has a been many a time the past year where I've sat down to try to do an overview of what Fort McMurray has to offer its residents and visitors. Like Icarus, ascending toward the sun, I come crashing down every time. In the two years I've been here I've seen a great deal but yet I know I've only scratched the surface. I am always hearing and discovering new things.

Enter local writer and fellow blogger, Theresa Wells of Fort McMurray Musings. In response to some recent bad press out of Edmonton about our city, she wrote this fantastic article for a popular Edmonton website to help set the record straight.

Not only does it combat some rather myopic views about Fort McMurray it is also a great read and nicely showcases all the wonderful things about our home here. Perhaps the one thing I can add is that we are home to an amazing Junior A hockey team. The Fort McMurray Oil Barons seem to put an entertaining and competitive team together year after year. In their 30 years history they've racked up some impressive stats with very few sub .500 seasons. In 2000 they won the RBC Cup right here on home ice. At the moment they sit second in the league with a record of 26-3-0-3 and the lowest "goals against average" in the league. Many times last year I remarked how I'd much rather stay here and catch an Oil Barons game then venture 5 hours down the highway to waste money on an Edmonton Oilers game. Ah, the love of the game...

But I digress.

I first came through Fort McMurray back in 2002. Back then this was just a jumping off point for getting to the small town I was working in at the time in Northern Saskatchewan. I never guessed I would buy my first home here and set down roots. Looking back, this place has changed so much. MacDonald Island then was a mere shadow of what it has since become in the intervening decade. This was the most obvious change I noticed when I think back to then but I've discovered plenty of other hidden gems as well. To be honest, I think that I moved here at a very exciting time. There is just so much going on as Theresa's article mentions and the city is evolving in so many exciting ways.

Attawapiskat...Too Familiar, Too Close To Home

2011-11-30T20:44:00.005-07:00

Unless you've been living under a rock recently you've no doubt become aware of the plight of the northern Ontario community of Attawapiskat. Aside from the fact that Ontario is my home province, this hits home with me in many ways. Not only because I can't imagine my 8-month-old son living in this type of situation but also because I witnessed living conditions similar to those of Attawapiskat in some of the places I worked over the past decade. I count myself lucky though because in the end, I have the choice to leave for somewhere else. I get a choice. There are kids there that do not. I had a choice to leave a community after being under a "boil water" advisory for close to a year. The kids there do not. I had the luxury of a 3-bedroom school board-owned house where I could squirrel away and listen to Bach and Mozart to my heart's content. Very few, if any kids there, had that option.

I found it interesting initially to see kids' reactions when they would stop by for a visit. I recall one boy remarking about what a big, clean house I had. At the time I found it puzzling. The house I was staying in wasn't anything special. It hardly seemed a palace. Clearly, they hadn't noticed the small mountain of laundry on the floor in one the two other empty bedrooms or the dust on the counter tops in the kitchen. I'm reasonably tidy but I can get lazy at times. (Later that fall I started getting annoyed because the tap in the bathroom sink wouldn't stop leaking and the sound kept me up at night. Now, I think about how fortunate I was to have running water.) I wondered for quite some time what would prompt someone to think I lived in a palace. And then during report card time I visited a few of the students' homes....and got the shock of my life. I won't go into all the details of what I saw but I will say, I said many times in later years, that I felt as if I had been transported to a third-world country. But I had a choice, kids didn't.

When I was a kid, I always thought it was neat when my grandparents or other elderly people talked about "the old days" and how they would boil snow to make tea or coffee. I never thought I'd have to do this....until I arrived in one community which was under a "boil water" advisory for pretty much the entire time I was there. Boiling water in a pot on my stove worked up to a point. After a few days I began noticing a rather disgusting yellow ring of crust at the top of the big pot I used. That was the day I made coffee for the first time using snow behind my house for water. At the time, it was more of an experiment to see if I could do it and filter out all the seeds, bark and dirt that might be in that snow (I did a pretty good job) and I also figured it would be a great story to tell the kids one day. Turns out that it takes a lot of snow to get a single pot of water and I quickly soured to this chore as it was rather more labour intensive than I figured. But in the end I was only making coffee. I didn't have to rely on my backyard snow for more important things like, say, basic hygiene needs. In the end, I had a choice. I didn't HAVE to live those conditions if I chose not to. Kids there didn't have that choice.

I'm sure you can see where I'm going with all this, or at least that is my hope. Before people start bashing government, or Aboriginal people or start seeing this issue as solely one of dollar signs and poor fiscal management (and I"m not saying this isn't), could we remember that there are vulnerable CANADIANS here that don't have any other choice but to live under conditions such as what I've described. (I'm sure what I did see was only a very small snap shot of the bigger picture.) If you think that the average Aboriginal person is laughing at you while they spend tax money to fund a lavish lifestyle I can disavow you of this notion. Clearly they are not living in the lap of luxury. From my own experience, communities like Attawapiskat are, sadly, not a place you want to be.

I'm sure I could write a small tome here based solely on my own experiences. Perhaps there might be a blog post for that sometime in the future. For now, I truly wish all the nay sayers, bigots, racists, red necks and other such ilk would get off their high horse. There are a lot of kids in this community who don't have a a choice. Can we not put aside our myopic thinking for a few minutes and realize that these vulnerable citizens are CANADIANS and that they deserve compassion and assistance? And while I'm at it, will politicians off all political stripes close their mouths, work together on this issue and stop using this situation to score cheap photo ops and political points?

Then, we might begin to start to accomplish something. A lot of kids in one small northern community are counting on us.

Apparently There's A Sign For That

2011-11-28T21:52:00.003-07:00

In our industry there are a number of different hand signs used by scaffolders for all the different materials. I'm not sure off the top of my head how many different scaffolding parts we have but it is a pretty big list. I got chatting with one of the other foreman this morning and he went through all the signals with me. We don't really have much use for them in the yard but its something you need to know if you're out "in the field" obviously. Anyhow, I've always been fascinated with different languages and always saw these signals and just another form of communication. I've come to know a few of them but was interested to know more.

So the foreman ran through them quickly and I was pretty pleased with how quickly I picked them up if I do say so myself. (I DO have a pretty good memory for certain things, though I know that perhaps Lisa might dispute this.) The hand signals were all good practical information, including one that I think might be VERY practical should you find yourself atop a scaffold in a certain situation. Yes, there is even a hand signal to show that you have to go pee! Seriously. Who knew?

Presumably the same signal you would use for a "number 1" can also be used for a "number 2".

Random photo of the day. Historical church in Fort McMurray's heritage park, one of my favorite buildings down there.

There's More Than Bitumen In Them Thar Hills!

2011-11-25T07:00:00.002-07:00

Back during the last ice age the land on which the city of Fort McMurray sits lay under a vast inland sea penned up by ice. As the ice sheet melted and receded the lake drained away, helping to form the Athabasca River valley we see today. (It was this glacial action that was responsible for the creation of the oil sands.) The retreating ice scoured the land north of the city and its action helps explain why north of the city the oil sands are located much closer to the surface than they are to the south of us. Anyhow, as retreating ice left not just bitumen-soaked sand lying around but also the remains of creatures that once roamed the planet so many millions of years ago. Occasionally, some fossil remains turn up as happened recently out at Syncrude...a plesiosaur in this case. (We can't give Drumheller all the credit for Alberta's dino discoveries.)

This is the second major discovery I've heard of this year, the first being back in the Spring at Suncor. Fortunately for the archaeologists called in to examine finds such as these, we have plenty of big shovels and trucks to pitch in and lend a hand. Maybe its just me, but I think it would be really interesting to have our very own dinosaur museum here to showcase all the unique and interesting finds that have been dug up here in recent years.

Not A One Horse Town!

2011-11-24T07:00:00.002-07:00

Its pretty rare I step into the realm of advocacy as I'm not one who likes to rock the boat. I'm a poor swimmer anyhow. But reading a recent post from a fellow blogger at Fort McMurray Musings hit my frustration button. Theresa does a fantastic job at highlighting all the great things going on in our community and is a wonderful writer to boot. I've done my fair share of traveling around this great country, from Prince Edward Island to Vancouver Island, from Point Pelee way up to Resolute Bay, Nunavut. While I may have grown up in southern Ontario, I now find myself in Fort McMurray and proudly call it home.

I wish Ms. Murphy, writer of the SUN News article in question, would get out of her bubble and see the bigger world. Many of things you think you know about a place very often turn out to be wrong. (Of course, this is SUN News we're talking about here so I may just be engaging in wishful thinking and wasting my breath.) I've lost track of how many ill-informed and just plain ignorant comments I heard about Nunavut when I lived there. Nunavut isn't some barren wasteland. PEI isn't about potatoes and Anne of Green Gables, Saskatchewan isn't endless fields, Vancouver isn't the sole refuge of long-haired hippie protesters. Heck, even Toronto grew on me after awhile. Fort McMurray isn't all about "hookers and blow" and the flavour of her article suggests. We are definitely NOT a one horse town.

Now I did some searching a managed to locate an online version of the news item which can be foundhere. I realize the article has to do with financial matter but to simply thrown in statements about life here with no one to rebut them, she simply adds to old preconceptions. Perhaps Ms. Murphy is unaware, uninformed or simply has never paid our fair town a visit. Regardless of the reason, I found it necessary to fire off an email giving her my two cents. You can find my response to her article below.

Dear Ms. Murphy,

As a resident of Fort McMurray I am writing to express my disappointment and disgust with the focus of your recent article on Fort McMurray. While any growing urban centre has its issues I feel that focusing solely on problems and not counter-balancing this with the many positive things about our community only serves to reinforce prevailing negative stereotypes.

Contrary to what Mr. McGuire [a man interviewed in Murphy's article] states, the vast majority of Fort McMurrayites are not wandering around Franklin Avenue with "a ton of disposable income" and "little else to do." I myself bought a house and moved here with my family of 4 kids. I suspect there are many other families here as well. I can assure you there is PLENTY to do here. Those who complain there isn't simply aren't looking hard enough. We have the largest rec. facility in Western Canada, if not the country. We have an outstanding Junior Hockey Team in the midst of a stellar season. We have nature trails in spades, nearby Gregoire Lake Provincial Park, and many outdoor pursuits I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of. We have theatre events, concerts, a fantastic public college, a brand new middle school and high school that are a tech-lovers dream, tons of free events during the summer, community groups and clubs to suit all tastes and passions (apparently, there is even a scuba diving cub in town.)

And did I mention last summers KISS concert, and last season's first ever outdoor AJHL game which set an attendance record? I could go on. Writing an article, the simple gist of which being that people here have only "hookers and blow" to occupy their time is simply not accurate. On behalf of the many Fort McMurrayites who make this community our home, we invite you to come visit us to get a fuller picture of all this community has to offer. The idea that Fort McMurray is a one horse town is a ridiculous and facile stereotype. We who live here know best.

Regards,

Darcy Steele,

A Proud McMurrayite and Albertan.

Scaffold Tree

2011-11-22T19:28:00.003-07:00

Why buy a tree when you can build one? This Christmasy creation greeted me as I left work today. I was put together by one of my foreman using materials from our yard. With the exception of the lights, it's made of nothing more than a standard, and a bunch of ledgers and collars. The photo isn't mine. A co-worker beat me to it.

My Apologies To Harry Potter Fans

2011-11-17T22:00:00.006-07:00

No, I haven't read any of the books in the Harry Potter series though my nephew has. The series has been around almost as long as he has. I know he read quite a few of the books though he didn't develop the obsession with them I remember seeing on the part of some young fans. I've always enjoyed a good read myself and through pure luck stumbled onto a few good books over this past summer by a certain Welsh author. I think I can relate somewhat to the excitement of a Harry Potter fan back in the day because while I used to think they were half nuts I have to admit I can't wait for the sequels for the books I have been reading to come out over the next few years.

I started out this past summer reading Ken Follett's novel "Fall of Giants", the first of a planned trilogy. As I said, it was a complete fluke I discovered this book. One afternoon back in the summer at the end of a work day, a summer student was reading a book as we waited to sign out from work and I happened to notice the date "1918" at the top of a page. I said something along the lines of "You must be reading something about the Great War." Anyhow, as a history buff, I found her subsequent synopsis of the novel, "Fall of Giants" piqued my interest so on my days off I headed down to the mall and picked up a copy.

Ken Follett was an author I had never heard of until then. But since I mostly stick with real history rather than historical fiction, I wasn't all that surprised. Glancing around on the shelf, my eye fell on two more titles "Pillars of the Earth" and "World Without End." Reading the back cover, I saw that they involved Medieval history, something I didn't spend much time studying at university but which I've grown more interested in in recent years, especially aspects such as architecture, church history and the guild system. I think I appreciate the history of guilds a little more since I am now currently eligible to go into the field as a second year apprentice scaffolder. The journeyman-apprentice relationship is touched upon and both "Pillars" and "World Without End" describe scaffolding in early construction. Talk about art imitating life. Anyhow, I picked up a copy of "Fall of Giants" first, read it, and then returned a short while later to purchase "Pillars of the Earth" and "World Without End".

I won't pretend to be a literary critic here. Follett has a very straight forward writing style. There isn't a lot a grand description or long, flowing sentences. More like an epic narrative along the lines of The Lord of The Ring trilogy. There isn't much character development. Good characters are good and bad characters stay bad and get their just reward at the end. On the surface, this doesn't sound all that interesting yet I find it a good read. My guess is that since I've read so much history from the eras the books portray that my brain just fills in the details and and compare what I read in the book to others I've read. My mind is engaged in imagining life in an everyday English town in the 14th century (I just recently started "World Without End") rather than focusing on the actual writing style itself. Anyhow, the book is proving to be a wonderful companion on my commutes to and from work. I know my some of my history professors might shoot me for saying this but I think Follett, while he has several strong female characters, gives them more power than they probably would have had at the time. For a self-professed atheist, though I find he does an admirable and fair job at portraying the everyday workings of a medieval priory and the thought processes of the people involved.

So having said all this I am now trying to finish off "World Without End" so that I will be ready to tackle Book 2 of Follett's Century trilogy when it comes out next year. Apparently, once this trilogy is completed, a follow up to "World Without End" is due out sometime in 2014 I believe. So while I'm not about to dress up like a wizard or wear a funny set of glasses and line up at the wee hours of the morning in front of Cole's Books down at Peter Pond Mall (what a scary sight that would be), I do find myself fidgeting with anticipation for these next books to come hot off the presses.

Occupy Fort McMurray!

2011-11-13T21:14:00.009-07:00

Normally I wouldn't do this but a few on-line discussions had me thinking this morning about the "Occupy" movement and its distinct lack of presence here in Fort McMurray. I have no idea why this is so. After all, this community is seen by viewed by some elements as the "dirty oil" capital of Canada, an environmentalist's version of Satan incarnate if you will. What better way to voice your objections to the oil industry than by venturing up Highway 63 on a "holier-than-thou-because-I-am-a-university-educated-urbanite" pilgrimage into the belly of the beast?

Ah, but where to hold said protest? Fort McMurray isn't a huge place by American, or even Canadian, standards but it is fairly spread out geographically. After a great deal of pontification and some consultations with the great tree goddess, it suddenly came to me. Forget downtown (see reason 4 below) or even uppity Timberlea. What better place to pitch a tent and hold a protest than in my little corner of Thickwood?! Need some reasons? Awesome! Thanks for asking. I have plenty.

1. Thickwood overpass - The recently completed Thickwood overpass will get you to your tent right quick. No more stopping at the set of lights at the bottom of the hill. Did I mention it opened ahead of schedule? See! It's like we've been expecting you.

2. Tim Horton's - We only have 2 Timmies and one of them is right here in Thickwood! Better yet, the drive-thru was recently expanded into 2 lanes. No more long lines stretching out of the parking lot and down Thickwood Boulevard. For those who prefer Starbucks instead, look no further than the Safeway on Signal Road right around the corner.

3. Birchwood Trail - For those needing a daily nature fix, the Birchwood Trail system is within easy walking distance and highly recommended. Tree-hugging fetishists could spend a lifetime there.

4. Less traffic congestion - Franklin Avenue downtown can be a traffic nightmare at times, particularly during shift change.

5. Casman Centre - Thickwood is home to the Casman Centre where our AJHL hockey team plays. The Oil Barons are having a fantastic season and tickets are quite reasonable so if you need a break head here. You can even network among visiting fans and spread your message across Alberta. Calgary (home base for many oil companies) has 2 AJHL teams. You can double your audience right there. Incidentally, the Fort McMurray Oil Barons are locally known as the MOB. Think about it - your mob meets the MOB!

6. Easy access to MacDonald Island, Fort McMurray's Island Playground! - Take the 1A from Thickwood to city hall and hop the #9 bus from there.

7. Lots of Parks and Green spaces - Hellen Pacholko Park is just down the road from The Dollar Store for your shopping convenience.

And finally...sick of hearing all those one-percenters berate you to "get a job"......we have plenty of employment opportunities here!

Mr Johnston

2011-11-11T11:00:00.002-07:00

Back when I was taking my history degree at the University of Windsor I took a course covering the Second World War. A large part of the mark for the course involved writing an essay based on the experiences of a local veteran. Now I've heard it said you learn and appreciate history more when you see it through the eyes of someone who was there and lived it. I still have no reason to question this maxim. As a result of this assignment I met a most remarkable man - Mr. Johnston.

One pleasant fall afternoon I found myself on the doorstep of his home in the east end of Windsor. He invited me in and I learned and grasped more about the experience of war than I could have from reading any textbook...and I've read countless texts on all sorts of topics and sub-topics surrounding WWII over the years. At the time I was serving in a local reserve regiment. Obviously my experience were a complete joke compared with what he went through. But I found that he treated me like a fellow soldier and I greatly respected him for that. While he had slowed down somewhat with age (he was well into his 80's at the time) you could sense from his manner that back in his prime he was a real man's man. I'm sure he would have given some of my old training sergeants a run for their money.

Mr. Johnston spoke of the need for service, for standing up for what you believed in, for doing the right thing even if it may not seem popular today. He participated in the ill-fated Battle of Dunkirk (where he was wounded), fought in Italy (where he was again wounded) and the latter part of the war found him in Europe. All told, the man was wounded 4 TIMES and yet he wasn't about to let "a few scratches" as he called them stop him from what he felt needed to be done.

Sure I did well on the assignment but I haven't a clue what I wrote. I can't recite a single sentence I committed to paper. But I totally remember Mr. Johnston. My biggest regret is that I didn't keep in contact with him. But I carry fond memories of a feisty, determined and well-spoken man (to say nothing of his sacrifice and bravery) with me to this day. He embodied many qualities I feel are sadly lacking within my own generation but which were commonplace then. Thank you for your life lessons, Mr. Johnston. I will carry them with me always.

Super Fail

2011-11-10T18:51:00.002-07:00

So the snow I blogged about in my previous post materialized over night....with some pretty crazy consequences. It wasn't very much snow, hardly anything to get excited over, though it did cause a traffic nightmare this morning on the way to work for a lot of people. I'm sure there are many people tonight thinking, "How the heck could the city have been so unprepared?!"

My first hint of what was to come came as my bus pulled up this morning and I saw the back tires skid a little on the road. Rather than heading down the hill from Thickwood, my bus headed over to Timberlea as it had done the day before. There is a bus-only lane there which allows us to hit the highway much quicker. Everything seemed fine and dandy and I dozed off. When I awoke awhile later we were parked in solid traffic somewhere on 63 and my phone told me it was 7:30am. Initially I thought I had perhaps caught the wrong bus. It's happened before. But no, that wasn't the case.

Road and weather conditions conspired to turn the highway into an icy mess. Super Test was down to a single lane and then closed off. It was simply too dangerous for the bus company to send its buses down this big hill. There must have been a good dozen vehicles in the ditch at the bottom. Both north- and south-bound traffic was stopped until the situation improved. I had doubts about whether we'd make it up the 8% grade but thankfully we made managed. We ended up being pretty lucky as I caught word that another bus had been rear-ended by a pick-up at Suncor's base plant. Passengers were transferred to another bus which then later side-swiped or grazed a concrete divider. I only know of this because a couple guys I work with happened to be on that bus. In any event, no one was hurt but I'm sure it was quite the little experience. My foreman drove in this morning in a company truck. Leaving Timberlea at 5:10am, he got into work at 10am.

As for my bus, I got on around 5:40am this morning and clocked in at 9:23am. There were only three others that made it in ahead of me and work didn't commence until almost 11am, after we finished clearing the snow from the yard. Hopefully tomorrow's commute will much less of an ordeal. At any rate, I'm glad I decided to pack a really big book.

We Know It's Coming

2011-11-07T18:18:00.005-07:00

I don't recall the date of our first measurable snow fall last year but it seems to me we are a little late this year. I'm fairly certain we had at least something on the ground, if only temporarily, by Hallowe'en last year. So far it looks like we have lucked out (or lucked in) at its looks like every other place I've lived in over the past few years has had at least some snowfall by now. Weather here can be as unpredictable as in any other place as I was reminded when looking through some photos from shortly after we bought our place here....

March 2010...The snow had completely melted.

In early April, we got a rather unexpected deluge of snow. If you look carefully you should be able to make out our neighbor's pine tree. The poor thing got clobbered beyond recovery.

Our poor backyard tree went from this.....

...to this....

I honestly thought the thing was done for. It obviously had 9 lives though. Following a little minor surgery on a few branches it bounced back just fine.

This was our street in the aftermath.

Snow is predicted in the next few days. Time to wait and watch....and perhaps dust off the shovel.

Imperial Woodpecker

2011-10-29T06:00:00.003-06:00

Here in Alberta we have 9 species of woodpecker (excluding the Red-Headed Woodpecker which is a vagrant) and of these I've seen all seven of the species one can normally expect to see in our part of the province. So the woodpecker is the first species that I can say I've seen all the ones that can be found in our location. I'm not sure how many song birds there are off the top of my head but I know I haven't even come close to seeing them all, which is just fine with me because every time I head out doors it is with an expectation that I stand a chance of seeing something I haven't seen before which is of course one of the reasons I find birding so enticing. Initially, I figured I would have more birds of prey or water fowl checked off my list (because there is no shortage of places to see them). I didn't imagine woodpeckers would be the first species I'd have all checked off first.

They actually aren't my favorite type but I do see them almost every time I go birding. Other than the Common Raven and the Black-billed magpie I'd say they are the most ubiquitous of bird species here. (For the record, my favorite bird is easily the Bohemian Waxwing.) Why exactly this is, I don't know. I find them hard to photograph (unless I can sneak up to a window while they are preoccupied with feeding in our front yard trees and I find them difficult to photograph). We do have them back where I grew up in Ontario but I don't recall seeing them all that much. I think its just their unique look and colouration that attracts me. They are handsome little devils at any rate.

So back to woodpeckers. I've grown increasingly fascinated with all the different types of woodpeckers we have here over the past few months. Goodness know my photography skills aren't the greatest. I actually think the woodpeckers realize this because, while it can be difficult to get a decent shot of their dark shape hidden in dense forest, they are pretty mellow creatures (quite unlike the Waxwing) so more often than not I can approach them fairly easily for a good viewing. Now, whether I walk away with a half-decent photo is another matter entirely.

Anyhow, all this is to say that I came across a little video of the Imperial Woodpecker, now thought to be extinct, that piqued my interest the other day. Its an old video as the accompanying article explains and is brought to you courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which is responsible for the annual Great Backyard Bird Count, which by the way I also highly recommend.

...And For His Next Trick...Factoring Quadratic Equations

2011-10-27T21:14:00.003-06:00

I find myself really missing our camera tonight. It went MIA awhile ago and I really wish I had it on me tonight. I really need a photo for the blog to back up my unbelieving eyes. Gabriel is going bipedal now. Yes, he's actually walking. I thought Elijah was early. We progressed from "commando crawling" to standing up within a very short span of time. Gabriel turns 7 months old this Sunday and he's already up and on the move. (Is this normal?) We are still trying to wrap our heads around it. If you're privy to our Facebook pages you can go and take a look for yourself. If not, you'll just have to take our good word for it.

Fortis In Arduis

2011-10-25T08:00:00.007-06:00

Today is a day we would love to tear off the calendar and pass over in many ways, skip over, have over or change events. Unfortunately such powers do not exist. The day casts a long shadow. I've been thinking about this post for quite some time now, trying to stay on top of my feelings and trying to figure out what to say. This morning I will get up and head off to work and Lisa will tend to the children. But it won't be a normal day. Today marks the day that Lisa lost her little Wyatt, a sad day that I've talked about before. It's just plain difficult. Lisa miscarried before we met and became engaged. Finding the right words isn't easy. I can only imagine what goes through her head. Lisa really truly is the rock of our family. Goodness knows, she's supported me through some very difficult times.

If Wyatt had survived he would have turned 4 today. I really don't know how she does it. I honestly and truly don't. Elijah will be 3 next month. The boys would have been so close in age. So much so that, really, if Wyatt had lived there would very likely be no Elijah. It's not something I like to spend a great deal of time ruminating about understandably.

Life is a funny thing. It is fragile, painful. Sometimes it just doesn't seem fair. It is full of challenges, obstacles....hope. I wouldn't really count myself as an overly religious man. Spiritual might be the better word for it. But I do believe he is in a better place. A place without pain, without hurt, without disappointment. I believe we will all be united some day. I know Lisa and I, the kids and everyone else he touched is his all-too-brief life are united with him in spirit always.

Fort McMurray: A Google Earth Tour

2011-10-22T21:23:00.011-06:00

Since I've posted about all the changes underway here over the past several months I thought I'd play around with Google Earth and put up a few images of the layout of our town. I don't have every area of town here though though I have enjoyed the few times I've been up to Abasand. I've included the areas I'm most familiar with but this includes the bulk of our fair town. Join me on a short tour of Fort McMurray then, if you will.

A wide shot of Fort McMurray or about as much of it as I could manage to fit onto a screen shot. The city is divided into several subdivisions as it spreads away from the downtown core.

West of the Athabasca we have the Timberlea and Thickwood subdivisions. That would be Timberlea to the north and Thickwood south of it. The green area in between them is the Birchwood Trail system which I've mentioned on this blog a few times in the past. Roughly 50 000 people live up here..more people than in the entire territory of Yukon or the Northwest Territories.

And here we have Thickwood, older of the two subdivisions and the area we call home. Back in the day this part of town was known as Area 5A if I'm not mistaken. I only know this because I recall reading it somewhere. Thickwood was created back in the 1970's which ushered in quite the boom here following the opening of Syncrude in 1979. Suncor, where I work, led the way, coming on-line in 1967. Around the time I was born, Fort McMurray had around 6000 residents. By 1979, that had climbed to 27 000. And as I believe I've noted before, we are now pushing 100 000.

Here is a closer shot of our little corner of Thickwood......actually its a lot of corners. There are a lot of crescents in our immediate vicinity. We can do most of our shopping and running (groceries, gas etc.) around up here rather than fighting through traffic to get downtown.

Here have the Lower Town Site, east of the river. But everybody just refers to it as Downtown. Our main drag is Franklin Avenue. Franklin was one of the first streets created, stretching south-easterly from the Athabasca. Due to geography (hills to the west and the Clearwater River to the east), everything grew up around Franklin Avenue. It is our commercial core, our busiest street and a source of headaches to anyone stuck in traffic during the busier times of the day. Both Lisa and I have a love/hate relationship with the street although I have to say it takes real guts for a community to have its main drag named after a failed northern explorer. Fort McMurray sure has succeeded in becoming an economic engine and there's just a certain gritty, stubborn determination to it all that I love.

Here is MacDonald Island at the forks of the Athabasca and Clearwater rivers. (It's not the most updated picture but it will do for now.) It is home to our amazing recreation facility I've mentioned a few times in the past on this blog and I referred to it as the largest facility of its kind in Western Canada. The most recent information I have though from a very reliable source is that the MacDonald Island Recreation Centre is the biggest IN CANADA. And their are plans to expand. Swimming, curling, indoor golf, hockey, indoor track, weight rooms, hot tubs, library, all sorts of community events, the list goes on.....you can find it here. Last year the facility played host to the first ever outdoor Alberta Junior Hockey League game...our OIl Barons beat Drayton Valley 5-2 if I recall correctly. This urban gem has hosted many great concerts including Kiss and the Barenaked Ladies. Future plans include the construction of baseball field and I've heard talk that we may be getting a minor league baseball team in the future. The place also sports a golf course and some pleasant river side and nature views (I'm pretty sure that when I make my first sighting of a Belted Kingfisher, this will be the place it will happen). So no matter what, chances are good you'll find something worth your while at this fantastic facility.

Here we have our airport, ski hill and the rural acreage of Saprae Creek. We rarely get out this way but we do know that if you miss the turn to the airport while driving in the dark you eventually reach some sort of old rail yard at the end of the highway. Yes, we know this because we've done it a couple of times!

And finally, Waterways. At one time Waterways was a completely separate community from Fort McMurray. It's where the rail link ended and was the jumping off point for all areas North. When we decided to move into town in the spring of 2009, one of the houses we looked at was down in this area. Its quiet and homey and has the most small town feel in my opinion. In the end though, Thickwood one out. We do enjoy coming down here for the water park and for drives along the river.

And so ends our little tour. We've seen pretty much every part of town at this point but we know there is still a lot here to see. I've been playing around with the idea of a future post about some of the oil sands projects north of town. I only hesitate because I'm not interested in having my blog invaded by all kinds of rude, slobbering enviro-nut Leftists but we will see.

One thing I did want to mention before I forget, and some may have picked it up if they've followed this blog for any length of time, but I keep referring to Fort McMurray as a city and as a town. Technically, we are actually a hamlet I suppose. At one point, from 1980 until 1995, Fort McMurray WAS a city. It was then amalgamated with Improvement District no.143 to form what later became known as the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. So even though the city sign (see? there I go again) in my header photo says "city", we are really an urban service area. Being small town Ontarians, Lisa and I usually just refer to here as a town. But really, in the end, it is just home.

Bridges and Interchanges

2011-10-20T21:15:00.003-06:00

As mentioned a couple posts ago, the city continues to grow and is currently undergoing some major infrastructure upgrades. Chief among these for the past several months has been the construction of a third bridge over the Athabasca and two new interchanges at the foot of Thickwood Boulevard and Confederation Way.

The new bridge, which will handle all northbound traffic over the river, has been under construction ever since we moved here. Back then, I recall seeing only the concrete supports in the water. I wasn't 100% sure when the new bridge would be ready and had caught wind that it would be ready by the end of the month. It turns out they were slightly ahead of schedule as Lisa told was able to drive on it for the first time yesterday. The new 5-lane Athabasca River Bridge boasts the largest road deck in the province measuring 472m long and 30m wide. The new bridge is also quite significant for the oil sands projects north of town and is designed to carry some pretty hefty loads. While a typical bridge in Alberta is designed to support a load of 800 tons, this new bridge will be able to handle a 28-axle 1.1 million kilogram overload vehicle. That's some heavy hauling!

The remaining two bridges will also be getting some TLC which is due to be completed in 2013 and 2014 depending on the bridge. The Ralph Steinhauer Bridge (the middle bridge) will be widened to I believe 5 lanes and will reverse direction when completed to become a south-bound bridge. The Grant MacEwan Bridge will be rebuilt, lowered, and have its trestles removed and will provide easier access to MacDonald Island. It will be sad to see the changes to this piece of local history but at the same time it will do wonders as it will help ease the flow of traffic flowing onto Franklin Avenue, our main drag.

Here you can see a photo taken last fall I believe of the construction. It's hard to believe how different it looks already. I actually had to look at this picture for several seconds to get my bearings.

In addition to all the bridge work, there are also 2 interchanges being constructed north of the river to improve traffic flow and provide better access to the Thickwood and Timberlea subdivisions. Thickwood, like me, is a child of the '70's and Timberlea has more than doubled in size since I first passed through Fort McMurray in the early 2000's. Collectively, they are home to close to 50,000 people. With the addition of Wood Buffalo, Eagle Ridge and Stone Creek areas, the two access roads leading to this part of town see a pretty phenomenal amount of traffic. Commuting times can be a headache at times. (Case in point, while it usually takes my bus about 40 minutes to travel the 30-0r-so kilometres from Suncor to Thickwood, the ride home this evening took a just over 2 hours. Yes, there are many here that will be happy when all this new infrastructure is in place.)

Like the bridge work, work on these interchanges has been going on even before we moved to the area. Over the course of the past year I've had the opportunity to see the progress being made on my travels to and from site. Last fall, the Thickwood overpass was put in place and the Timberlea one followed suit this past summer.

Below you can see a conceptual drawings of both interchanges.

If I recall correctly, they will both be up and running toward the end of summer 2012 if all goes according to plan. The kids look forward to driving on them for the first time. And so do I!

Suddenly Work Got A Little More Interesting

2011-10-16T20:22:00.007-06:00

(photo by Greg Hume)

There were 3 species of birds I had hope to see over the course of the summer...the Northern Flicker, the Black-and-White Warbler and the American Kestrel. The Northern Flicker, I sighted a couple of times, the first near a storm pond a short walk from the house back on June 19. I blogged about it here. The second sighting occurred a little later in July I believe in during a hike along the Athabasca River valley. As for the Black-and-White Warbler, I was able to check that off my list on Canada Day.

So only the Kestrel remained. I've been told on good authority that the river valley, which has yielded up some of my most memorable sightings, was a good place to catch a glimpse. Unfortunately, my visits there were few and far between this summer and as August rolled into September and I put in a few longer shifts, I realized my chances were fast disappearing. Which brings me to yesterday. As I was leaving work, I skimmed through a Suncor publication and was pleasantly surprised to find another possible location for a viewing....some of the reclaimed areas right there on site as it turned out.

A breeding pair had been photographed after taking up residence in a nesting box on site (the photograph being taken by a researcher from my old alma mater as it turns out). Because the birds often return to the same nesting sight in consecutive years has me hopeful of a sighting. Odds might be slim this year as they tend to have all left by October. But I eagerly await a Spring return. I pass Wapisiw Lookout, a reclaimed area formerly known as Pond One, on my bus ride to and from work every morning and I'm always scanning the distance in what little light we have at this time of year just in case something catches my eye. Can't wait to see this diminutive little falcon. Suddenly work got a little more interesting.

Here We Grow Again

2011-10-12T16:44:00.007-06:00

It's no secret that Fort McMurray is the fastest growing urban centre in Alberta and, quite likely, in all of Canada. While things cooled downed a little in the early 2000's, the pace of change has quickened again. Currently we sit at about 80 000 residents or so (there is some disagreement between the municipality and the province over the inclusion of our "shadow" population) but this is more or less where we stand at the moment. I've heard talk of the city hitting the 250 000 threshold within the next few years and even projections of a future population of 500 000 if you can believe it. So our city must expand as the economic growth projections I've seen look quite rosy between 2012 and 2019. It must be an infrastructure nightmare for urban planners and I surely don't envy their task. Last summer Lisa and I took a drive over to Timberlea, our newest subdivision and were amazed at the construction going on in Eagle Ridge and Stone Creek, the last two pieces of Timberlea to be filled in. This fall has seen a new high school and a new middle school open over there to try and keep up with the growth. Our subdivision of Thickwood is pretty much as big as it's going to get with about 18 000 residents or so.

Anyhow, I bring this all up because over the long weekend I was doing a little web surfing to see what I could find out in terms of how the city expands from here. Lisa and I were actually discussing it in the van when the topic came up on a local radio station and apparently, the topic is being discussed by local city council as is mentioned by a local blogger over at Fort McMurray Musings. I debated blogging about it since Theresa has been here much longer than we have and her blog has a feel of the pulse of the community. In the end though, Lisa encouraged me say (type) a few words saying she thought it would be a good way to show just how much our city is growing and me blogging about it would make more interesting reading to the casual visitor of this blog than reading the entire development assessment report (which can be found here should you have the time.)

Currently development is underway for Parsons Creek, an area north of Timberlea and Saline Creek on the south side of the Athabasca. I had heard snippets about these new subdivisions every once in awhile and knew that were next in line for development. What really woke me up to just how fast things are moving along was news of another planned subdivision to be called Riverbend across the river near Abasand. This is a forested area I wandered through back in the summer by the Horse River. I blogged about it here and here. If I recall correctly, work on this new development will commence as early as next year. Between Rock Bend, Saline Creek and Parsons Creek subdivision we're looking at space for an additional 50 000 residents and there are still 3 more areas fit for expansion as outlined in the report cited above. So much growth that there are recommendations for a number of new interchanges and, yes, even ring road, through an area west of the city that is currently nothing but boreal forest. It really boggles the mind to think about it. When I first passed through here in 2002, large parts of what is now Timberlea didn't even exist. There is now something close to 40 000 there. Eventually, Fort McMurray will grow across the Clearwater River north of the downtown core. This idea has been around since the '60's as far as I know but the costs involved were prohibitive as it would require yet another bridge, a 4-lane access road and I'm sure an overpass or two. Even now, the cost of this infrastructure would be something in the neighborhood of $200 000 000, a seemingly ridiculous sum. Understandably, this area, known as Forest Heights, will be the last area to be developed. I never thought I'd see this proposed subdivision happen in my lifetime but the fact it is on the drawing board for consideration shows just how much growth potential some are expecting.

For someone who (the university years excluded) grew up and worked in small towns, all this just boggles the mind. And one more shocker for you...the average price for a detached family residence here in 2006 was just over $441 000. Last year it was around $645 000....and the latest figure I've seen.....$727 000 and change.

Mr. Slate

2011-10-11T08:00:00.003-06:00

Growing up my only real notions of a foreman came from the Flintstones. The show was an old stalwart and Mr. Slate was one of my favorite characters. I know that Mr. Slate was Fred's boss and not a foreman exactly but for some reason I always equated what a foreman was with this character. Which is why when I originally left the public service for the oil patch I wasn't really sure what to expect when it came to foremen. I still remember walking into my foreman's office with a great deal of trepidation the first time he asked to speak to me. In the end it was just to ask how I was making out so far on the job and give me a couple pointers.

I know I brought a lot of old stereotypes with me. They are hard taskmasters, symbols of capitalism (oh, the horrors) and of course they yelled a lot. But of course I didn't find that at all. Actually, an old foreman of mine (ok, not OLD since he was actually younger than me) was one of the best guys I ever worked with. Now that I'm a foreman (at least part-time) I know that I am non of these things. I'm a stickler for promptness but I don't think of myself as a tyrant. I'm not about to defend capitalism (or at least the American flavour of it) and I don't yell and raise my voice...very often.

Perhaps the only resemblance between Mr. Slate and I is our profound lack of fashion sense.

Great Blue Heron

2011-10-09T07:56:00.000-06:00

The Great Blue Heron is the one non-passerine I remember most from growing up in Ontario. You could take a drive out in the county and see their nests atop telephone poles or catch glimpses of a solitary specimen in a small pond or wet land. In flight, they are simply magnificent to watch. I was amazed at (and still am) at how a bird of its size manages to get off the ground. From what (little) I know we're a bit to the north of the heron's range here in our little corner of Alberta. (But you never know, I didn't expect to see robins and blue jays here and we do, so I hold out hope.) In the meantime, I enjoy this fine specimen. The photo was taken in the summer of 2009, near the Wood Islands light house on the south east coast of Prince Edward Island.

Why I Know I May Be Getting Some Angry Phone Calls A Few Years From Now

2011-10-07T10:00:00.000-06:00

One of the things Lisa decided early on with all the kids was to breast feed and Gabriel is no exception. Not only do we support it for health reasons but it's also a little easier on the pocketbook as well. Recently though we've noticed a interesting situation beginning to unfold. Breast feeding for Gabriel has become a comfort to him and helps him sleep. So much of a comfort that he will cry and fuss for boob and then......well he doesn't do anything. He doesn't nurse. He just wants to fall asleep with a nipple in his mouth. It's a comfort thing for him.

Initially, I got quite a kick out of this, though for some reason, Lisa didn't quite seem to share my sense of humour. I made a few jokes about "like father like son." But after a few days I did start to sympathize with the poor woman. Bottle feeding has helped to give Lisa a bit of a break and Gabriel has taken to this easily enough although some days he freaks out when we try to give him a bottle, preferring the "real deal". I'm sure he can tell the difference between a bottle and the real deal but for the most part he's a content child and doesn't fuss all that much.

Hopefully, this is all just a passing trend and he grows out of it. I have visions a few years from now, (hopefully many years from now) of getting an angry phone call from fathers of potential suitors about any, um, bad habits.

Darn My Political Sensitivities

2011-10-04T20:52:00.004-06:00

Sorry for the sporadic nature of my blog posting. I don't really have any excuses except perhaps that the days are getting noticeably shorter and I'm nearing the end of my current shift so I find my energy levels flagging a little. The past couple days I shamelessly admit to being distracted by all the provincial and territorial elections. I never studied political science in university although I once did give some consideration to running in Nunavut's last territorial election (seriously). Excluding Ontario where I grew up I've lived in 3 provinces and 2 territories and I've visited every province and territory in Canada at least once except Newfoundland and Yukon so I've always kept tabs on places I've lived even after I moved.

So I've spent part of the last couple evenings at least following the results of the Northwest Territories and Manitoba elections on-line and plan to do the same with the Ontario, Yukon and Newfoundland elections in the coming days. (I did miss the PEI contest but I suppose I can't watch every little snippet of political news though I sometimes like to think I can). Oddly enough I've encountered 3 individuals involved in three of these elections, spanning from the Northwest territories to Yukon to my home province of Ontario.

The NWT (along with Nunavut) doesn't have party politics (each candidate runs as an Independent) so I found it a little hard to follow. I'm probably about as disenchanted with party politics as the average Canadian but the system does at least allow you to follow what the major issues are a little more easily. I'm not knocking consensus style government but as an outsider it can be a bit of a challenge to figure out what the issues are. Having said that though I was familiar with some of the names of the candidates and wasn't surprised to hear that Michael Miltenberger, former mayor in Fort Smith was victorious in the Thebacha riding. I moved to Fort Smith 11 years ago to start my teaching career. Odds are Miltenberger will have a strong chance of becoming the NWT's next Premier.

I also discovered a familiar name in the Yukon election in the person of Cully Robinson, running for the Liberal Party in the riding of Whitehorse West. Cully is a University of Windsor grad like myself and we were both interviewed for the U of W's Faulty of Education alumni magazine back in 2007. You can read my blog post about it here. And while I'm no fan of the Liberal Party I do wish Cully the best of luck. He struck me as a very genuine and well-spoken man during the course of our interview and I'm sure he would serve his Whitehorse constituents well if elected a couple days from now.

Finally of course there is the much anticipated Ontario election. Rob Milligan is running under the Progressive Conservative banner in Northumberland-Quinte West, which includes the small town of Campbellford where I grew up. Rob and I attended the same high school (where he now teaches in fact) and we were both cadets in the same army cadet corps as teenagers. Of course I'm extremely biased here since I know Rob and his party's views overlap with my own but I do wish him the very best of luck on Thursday. I know the people of Northumberland-Quinte West will be very well served with Rob as their MLA.

Utterly Brainless

2011-10-01T21:07:00.006-06:00

When I came home yesterday to hear from numerous media sources about Thursday night's violent confrontation in La Loche, Saskatchewan I was completely stunned I must admit. Fort McMurray notwithstanding, I've spent my entire working career in small, remote communities that rarely get press coverage. Sadly, there is media attention here for all the wrong reasons. I have to say right off the bat there are some great people in La Loche and I still keep in touch with them when I can. Unfortunately there is a violent rabble that has stolen all the attention.

Keep in mind that in small, remote communities where everyone knows everyone (and frequently everyone else's business) speaking out and taking action can be a very difficult thing. Its not easy when you have to interact on a daily basis with an undesirable element. I know for a fact that there are drug dealers within a 10 minute walk of my house but Fort McMurray has a population pushing 100 000 so unless they come right to my doorstep its not like I have to put up with them. If they want to partake of an illegal substance and mess up there own lives, well, I suppose that is their prerogative. Its much different in a town of 2300. The jerks are much more visible. The comments I've read from the hapless mayor certainly do nothing to help. The presence of gang activity and alcoholism were obvious and have only gotten worse.

What would possess a group of "people" (and I use the term loosely here) to wreak havoc on a hospital defies logic. I can understand people not being on the best of terms with the RCMP (up to a point), but to try to mob a building to attack attack two officers and then destroying a police vehicle, good grief.

Obviously there are no quick solutions to this sad chain of events and it pains me. Working there wasn't always easy, true, but I have fond memories of the best ice fishing I've ever done in my life, along with stunning sunsets and views along the lake, like in the two following photos taken in December of 2002 and August 2002 respectively.

The hospital there is (or at least was) a wonderful facility given the "northerness" of its location. It opened there year that I moved there. Here is a shot of the hospital in better days.

Someone much wiser than myself once told me that its not the location of a place, the beauty or the socio-economic circumstances of a place that make a place "home", rather it is the people themselves. I always try to keep this in mind but sadly, fond memories have been destroyed by a group of brainless thugs. Whatever positive actions are taken by residents will long be over-shadowed by Thursday evenings' events. This is just the unfortunate reality.

The photo below is the last picture I have of La Loche as I flew out in a small Cessna to begin a new journey in Nunavut. I still remember looking down and wondering....if I were to return 20 years from now, how would it be different? Would it be better....or worse? Clearly a great deal of work needs to be done. People can blame whatever of whoever they want but to paraphrase a famous quote from Gandhi...Be the change you wish to see in the world.

Life Will Never Be The Same

2011-09-29T21:07:00.002-06:00

As of this past Tuesday (my sister's birthday no less), we no longer have a stationary baby. Gabriel is now on the move! Not only can he now do a control roll over, he has now started to "commando crawl". He makes out pretty good for himself on the laminate floor in the living room. ( I only wish I knew where our dear camera wandered off to.) I've known Elijah since he was 6 months old and recall him starting his commando crawl when he was around 7 months, shortly after we moved out here to Alberta. Gabriel officially turns 6 months old tomorrow so he has surprised us all with his early start. If he is anything like his older brother he will be up on his feet pretty soon. I remember Elijah progressing from "commando crawling" to pulling himself up onto his feet within a very short span of time.

So now Gabriel is on the move. I'm pretty sure we've nailed down everything thing that needs to be nailed down already but I'm sure we'll be double-checking just to be sure. Welcome to a new mobility, Gabe. The world is on the move.

Dear Keystone Pipeline Protester

2011-09-26T15:41:00.011-06:00

Hey good job at getting arrested! I guess you didn't think about how your big hub bub protest would be eaten up by the media and become a story it itself, shifting focus off your message. Oops. It must be frustrating for you. How, much gas did you burn just getting yourself and and your goofy little sign to this supposedly "historic" protest? Since you seem so adamant about climate change can we expect to see you next protesting big oil in, say, the Niger Delta? If you truly believe in your convictions, why don't you go there and protest? After all, Nigeria's environmental record is much more worthy of attention don't you think? What goes on in the Niger Delta makes the Deepwater Horizon disaster pale in comparison. The US buys something like 40% of its oil from that country. Don't you think its more ethical from an environmental and humanitarian standpoint for the Americans to import oil from Canada? I mean really, they need to buy it from somewhere. So where? Russia, with its freedom of the press? Venezuela, where they oppress and brutalize their indigenous peoples? Saudi Arabia, where they chop people's heads off and have such a stellar record of women's rights? Iran, perhaps? Where? Just easier to stay in Canada and protest in safety and security I suppose. Hey, Fort McMurray is in Canada? Why don't you come and protest here? It's a city of around 100 000 give or take so its not like you wouldn't get major media coverage here.

No takers? Yeah, I didn't think so. Ever heard of Wapisiw Lookout? Its the first reclaimed tailings pond out here at Suncor. Even former founder and ex-Greenpeace leader, Patrick Moore, was supportive. Ouch, that has to sting. I drive by it everyday. So all these propaganda pictures I see you carting around on your little signs are a little foreign to me. I see deer, coyote, bear, foxes and all different types of birds there. Really, you should get away from Parliament Hill and come take a look for yourself. (The politicians there don't really care about you anyway.)

So, please, don't deny me and many other hard-working Canadians a living. We have families to support, bills and mortgages to pay...(Want to take over my mortgage? Yeah, didn't think so.) If you really want to go out and yell and scream about oil's environmental impact, feel free to yell and scream at the top of your lungs in downtown Abuja...that would be the capital of Nigeria, but seeing as most of your ilk come across as little more than pompous, arrogant know-it-alls, I'm sure you were already aware of that.) Kindly move along. Tomorrow I along with many others, will head off to work to support our families. Please don't take bread off my table...thanks.

I will agree with you on one thing though, that oily odour you come across in our little neck of the Athabasca really does occur. But it has nothing to do with oil sands development or pipelines like the one you protest. Oil has been seeping naturally out of the ground for time immemorial...If you go back to the early explorers, like Alexander Mackenzie, David Thompson or Peter Pond, they all mention this in their writings. Its kind of how they figured out there were oil sands here in the first place.

Forest Fire Season Continues

2011-09-25T19:17:00.002-06:00

We've had quite the forest fire season here this year, beginning back in May with a number of smaller fires north of the city which eventually joined forces into a single "super fire". This fire, which began on or about May 14, scorched something in the neighborhood of 700 000 square hectares before being brought under control. By comparison to the fire which ravaged Slave Lake this past summer, this one was a monster, the big difference of course being that here we have huge areas of boreal forest and little in the way of private property in the way.

Throughout the summer I blogged several times about the fire situation. (See here, here, here, here and here. ) After a few weeks of excitement during which I heard occasional talk of evacuation notices for outlying communities, things settled down.

Now it seems, Mother Nature is taking one more kick at the cat as I heard news this afternoon of a new fire this afternoon which has closed a section of HIghway 63. I can't lay claim to a lot of first-hand knowledge other than what was already been reported by the Edmonton Journal and Vancouver Sun.

Normally I might be freaked out that the highway has been closed (Highway 63 is the primary link between the city and the rest of the province) but I know its not the first time an event like this has occurred, the fire is much smaller than the big one earlier this summer and winter is really just around the corner. So I take this latest development with interest and amusement.

BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag)...One Year On

2011-09-25T07:00:00.000-06:00

In September 2010, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo brought in a by-law banning the use of single-use plastic bags at most retail stores here. I believe there are a few exceptions involved but since I don't do a whole lot of shopping, I'm not sure on the exemptions. Anyhow, I originally intended to comment on all this last year but I thought I'd give it time. September 1 marked the one-year anniversary of this by-law so before too much time goes by and I find myself commenting at the two-year-anniversary mark, I better give it a go here.

Initially, I wasn't too sure how the by-law would be received. We've become such a "throw away" society. Plastic bag usage sure is convenient, though I found they have a nasty habit of accumulating (usually in the cupboard under the sink or some other such cupboard I rarely opened back in the day) and creating headaches. I recall my aunt taking reusable bags with her while grocery shopping in Zurich when I went to visit her back in 2007. Clearly, they were light-years ahead of us there, and when I raised the subject with her she told me that it was just a part of everyday routine there.

(I temporarily interrupt this post to add that this by-law was the brainchild of a local high school student and I had the pleasure of meeting this intelligent and well-spoken young man last year while I was doing a little substitute teaching at his school.)

So initially, yes, when the bag ban came into effect, it took an effort to make it part of my routine. I know for myself there were many times I'd run into a store to pick up a few items and leave with two very full armfuls of items. I know I wasn't the only Fort McMurrayite who did this. It needs to be said that you can purchase reusable bags at major retailers like Safeway, Sobeys and Walmart, but not so easily at smaller places. Anyhow, it didn't take many days of aching arms before I began to make a habit of taking bag along in case I needed to grab something. Of course Lisa has more foresight than I normally do and we typically we keep our bags on a convenient shelf in the closet within arms reach, or more usually, just keep them in the back of the van, before shopping trip.

I'm not sure how popular the ban is here in the city generally as I have to admit I haven't been doing a good job with keeping up with the local media. I have heard some grumbling in some quarters that people eventually wind up with 20-30 bags in their house when they forget to take shopping bags with the them on a regular basis and have to re-purchase new ones. Last month, the municipality hired a firm to do a review of the ban. I just haven't heard anything back on that yet.

Fellow blogger, Theresa, next to whom my writing skills pale and is more tuned in to local events than I have been the past few weeks, has commented on this issue a few times here and here and I suspect the subject will be re-visited there as perhaps it will be on other local blogs. At present, the ban doesn't bother me and I do find some of the objections rather silly. Fort McMurray often gets such negative press that what gets lost in all the noise is the fact that our city was one of the first jurisdictions in Canada to enact a by-law like this. And I think it's a positive step.

Red Letter Day (Times 3!)

2011-09-21T19:33:00.003-06:00

While I may have jumped the gun a little with Lisa's weight loss post earlier this month, we can now happily report that she officially hit her weight loss goal of 100lbs this morning. You can check out her amazing "before and after" shots here.

In other exciting news, we continue to be amazed at Elijah's language progression. You can tell very clearly when he's talking to you that he's thinking very carefully in his mind what he's trying to say. And today he surprised us by saying his first 5 word sentence. For the record it was "Daddy, Mommy cut my hair." Now I know I'm quite biased here but I think that's pretty darned good for an almost three-year-old.

And finally, now that Gabriel has solved the mystery of rolling over onto his tummy, he is showing signs he'll be an early crawler, furiously moving his legs and trying to get going. Elijah was much the same way. One day he was doing the old commando crawl and the next day it seemed he was up on his feet. We'll try to get some more pictures up shortly. Our camera (as is bound to happen in a house with 4 kids) has been MIA for the past little while.

Oh how quickly time goes by. It seems our young family is growing up so quickly. And Tamara turns 8 this coming Friday as well.

Summer Waterfowl

2011-09-18T07:00:00.000-06:00

With amazing speed the weather is starting to turn. I should be well used to it by now but it still comes as a shock. Last weekend the mercury was in the low 30C range and now I start work with temps hovering around zero. We've even had our first fall experiences with frost. Seeing numerous geese and other waterfowl beginning the fall migration, I found myself longing for my next opportunity to get out and see some non-passerines. Quite likely it will be some time now.

In the meantime I'll just have to satisfy myself with a few photos I came across from a couple summer ago during our move here from Ontario. They're a bit dark as the sun was quickly setting and I won't pretend to be a great birding photographer but they do bring back good summer memories as what is left of our mild weather quickly fades. These photos were all taken during the summer of 2009 during an overnight stop in Longlac, Ontario.

Some Things You Just Can't Explain

2011-09-16T07:00:00.003-06:00

So earlier in the week Nicholas and a neighborhood friend get their hands on a pair of handcuffs and...you guessed it. Having lost the one and only key earlier in the day, they managed to handcuff themselves together. The friend's parents had an appointment to view a house so not wanting to miss their appointment, they simply took both boys, cuffs and all, along with them. (I tried picturing in my head how the realtor might react seeing a couple show up to a house with two handcuffed six-year-olds in tow.) Eventually, the boys were separated with a good old saw...or rather the handcuffs attaching them together were. Nicholas was pretty tired by the end of it all, having to go through a couple strange houses and make 3 bathroom trips due to his friend's full bladder. And Lisa and I are left with a good laugh over the whole silly sequence of events.

Tamara's take on it all went something like this -- "Why did they do that?! Boys are stupid. They don't know anything....except you daddy."

Glad for the clarification. I'll try not to mess up too much.

Gabriel: A Love Story

2011-09-14T21:00:00.000-06:00

I loved you from the first moment I laid eyes on you. In that moment you were so perfect, so fragile, so innocent, so wondrous, so beautiful. When you look at me and smile it makes my heart glad. When you sleep I feel your peace. Everyday I see you growing up...and it makes me both happy and sad at the same time. More than anything, it makes me feel proud. I love you son.

You have a mommy and daddy a sister and two brothers that love you more than anything. You have made our family complete. Know that you can accomplish anything in life you set your mind to.

May you share in my successes.....and learn from my mistakes. May you have the strength of an angel.

Scaffolding

2011-09-09T18:57:00.015-06:00

Whoa! Now that looks scary!

A couple days ago I made a quip on my Facebook page about how it seems my work follows me around. I never really paid much attention to scaffolding though I recall walking under many a scaffolding structure as a kid on a busy street and gazing upward in curiosity. Now that I'm in the industry I tend to notice a lot more, which I suppose is quite understandable -- there's scaffolding EVERYWHERE out at site, as well as in town here. I saw it last time I was in the local mall (which was having the top floor renovated) and the book I'm reading at the moment makes references to it. (The book centres around the construction of a 12th century English cathedral...yes I KNOW that might sound like a mundane read but it actually is quite a good story.) Even during my regular reading of favorite blogs on my sidebar, I came across references to scaffolding in Kara's most recent post.

So I notice scaffolding alot. Which is why I find it odd that there are people that have no inkling about what scaffolding is. Like a lady I spoke to on the phone a couple months ago regarding my credit card. ("Scaf.....fold? Scaf....fold?? I don't even know what that is.") Can you believe it? I know, I was shocked too. So there you have the genesis of this post.

So what is scaffolding?

Scaffolding is a temporary structure used to access unsafe work areas, such as the construction/repair of buildings and other large structures. Construction workers, electricians, pipe fitters, welders, painters, insulators, siding installers....all these trade people make use of scaffolding to perform their jobs. Michelangelo made use of scaffolding while he worked on the Sistine Chapel. While there are many types of systems out there, scaffolding consists of the same basic parts - standards (the uprights that hold the structure up), ledgers (which attach to standards and run parallel to the ground, providing a stable base to attach your planks to) and braces of various size to provide lateral support. There are also many different lengths of tube, several smaller parts (which in a nut shell help hold all the larger components together and tie the structure into the building) and a few specialty pieces (which I won't pretend to know all of).

What is scaffolding made out of?

Much of what I see on a daily basis and am familiar with is made of either aluminum or some sort of composite material. Apparently in some parts of Asia, they use scaffolding made out of bamboo, as in the picture below.

Where is scaffolding most commonly used?

That depends. In major cities such as Vancouver or Toronto....housing construction. In a place like Sarnia, Ontario or here in Fort McMurray, its apt to be used for more industrial-related purposes.

How long does it take to become a journeyman?

I can only speak for Alberta but here you apprentice for 4 years before becoming a journeyman (upon successful completion of your final tests of course.) I can also add here that it can be difficult to go between provinces and have your qualifications recognized. I don't know all the ins-and-outs but I know our trade isn't the only one affected by petty inter-provincial bureaucracy and politics.

Does scaffolding pay well?

Well, it helps pay my bills and without going into too much detail I find it comparable to some of the salaries I used to earn in my past career in education. A 1st year apprentice starts out at around $23/hour. A journeyman rate I believe is in the neighborhood of $40/hr and the general foreman rate through the company I work for is in the $50/hour range. It will never make me a millionaire but like any other trade, if you're determined and hard-working you can do well for yourself. Due to all the oil sands activity, Fort McMurray is most certainly the best place in Canada to be involved in the scaffolding trade.

And a question I seem to be getting a lot lately..Are you planning to go out into the field?

That I haven't decided yet, although eventually probably yes. My decision will be based on how I can best provide for my family. I started out last fall working in the main scaffolding yard at Suncor. Recently I was promoted to part-time foreman and next month my basic yard worker rate will see a rather nice raise. Going out into the field will mean giving up my foreman position and drawing a smaller salary although in the long run, going out into the field will pay off if I were to become a journeyman. (Plus, because I have some familiarity with all the different materials, I would be able to go out into the field as a second-year apprentice rather than starting out at the bottom.) I can also add here (and this will come across as strange I know) that I am a little afraid of heights. Yes, I know. Perhaps I didn't completely think things through here. Although I should say that it has gotten better in recent years. (And this won't be a factor in any final decision I make.) Last week I was down in one of the plants helping with a massive tear down and spent part of the morning a good 40-50 feet off the ground without any great trouble.

So anyhow, there you have it. I won't pretend to know more than I know. I do know that I approached the trade with some apprehension a year ago as it lay well outside the line of work I was used to. With familiarity things become a lot less scary. I certainly don't mind the physical aspects of it. As it says on my hard hat, "Labor Vincit Omnia" -- Hard Work Conquers All.

Weird Fact #387 About Me

2011-09-08T07:00:00.001-06:00

While I have 5 nephews between my side of the family and Lisa's I have but two nieces. They are both named Madison and both were born to the next-oldest sibling on either side of the family. (Both Lisa and I are the oldest child in our respective families.)

Before and After

2011-09-05T07:00:00.000-06:00

A stunning contrast of pictures highlighting Lisa's transformation.

July 2009

August 2011

Photogenic

2011-09-04T07:00:00.002-06:00

A few family photos taken at a bridge down along the Birchwood Trails, part of the same shoot I mentioned in last Thursday's post.

An Experience With Alberta Health Services

2011-09-03T07:00:00.001-06:00

Last evening on my way home from work I received a frantic call from Lisa saying she needed to take Elijah to the hospital right away since he had managed to cut his finger while playing with a tape measure he had gotten hold of. Once I met up with her I inspected the poor kids hand. There had been lots of blood initially Lisa had told me and it seemed to have slowed sufficiently but it looked a little too deep for comfort....not quite deep enough for stitches but we felt it best to err on the side of caution so downtown to the hospital we headed.

What struck me was how calm the kid was during the ride and the wait after seeing the triage nurse. I know my heart beat was racing and I'm sure Lisa could say the same. It looked like a pretty calm evening and Lisa said something to this effect so it looked like we'd be in and out without much difficulty.

Unfortunately, it was not to be. Our little wait turned in to a 5+ hour wait in the emergency waiting room. I was reassured after a couple hours that we would be seen "very shortly" but this turned into another 2-and-a-half hour wait. Meanwhile, we had our tenant minding the other kids but I know Lisa was uncomfortable with leaving the baby for any great length of time. Then, shortly before 1am we finally got into a room to see a doctor. Poor Elijah, who had been holding up so well all this time, was finally starting to get cranky from lack of sleep and Lisa and I weren't fairing that much better ourselves. After another 10 or 15 minutes we were evicted from our little room with a bed and made to wait in a tiny little cubicle off the main hall with no bed and two chairs. We assumed the room we had been in was needed for someone with higher priority. This higher priority person however, turned out to be a custodian, who we watched through the open door mop the floor.

This pretty much put us over the edge and we decided that since, his cut didn't appear to be causing Elijah any serious discomfort, we were out of there. I bit my lip hard and fought the urge to give the "health care workers" there a piece of my mind as we left. How pathetic to make a 2 year old little boy wait over 5 hours to be seen. Honestly. To the emergency ward here in Fort McMurray....Thank your for your lack of compassion and common sense you clowns!

We're confident he'll pull through just fine. Some good bandages and a good anti-bacterial ointment I'm sure will work wonders. We'll keep an eye on things and see how things go. As we were leaving the "hospital" I couldn't help but recall the story of former Alberta Health Services CEO Dr. Duckworth who, last November, brushed off reporters' questions and focused on eating a cookie during a press scrum. Interestingly, he was being questioned about long emergency room wait times in the province. Shortly, after this incident, which went viral on various social media sites, Duckworth was fired.

Evidently, the bureaucrat who replaced Duckworth is equally incompetent. If and when we decide to leave Alberta, the sad sad state of health care here will most certainly be a factor.

4 Month Photo Shoot

2011-09-01T23:41:00.005-06:00

We've been eagerly awaiting the latest installment of family photos. Lisa picked them up today and we are very pleased with the results...well worth the wait. Here are a few of my favorites. Okay, they are all my favorites but I'm sure a proud father can be forgiven for thinking that.

Birds Across The Pond

2011-08-28T10:08:00.009-06:00

I was looking through some old photos this morning from a couple of European trips when I realized I had a few decent bird photos hidden away in the collection. I wasn't really into birding at the time so I'm not sure why I took the photos although now I'm glad I did.

I won't pretend to be an expert in the identifications here but for the most part I'm assuming these are just variants of their North American counterparts. Feel free to correct me if you wish.

Brussels, Belgium, June 2007. This was my very first bird photo I took Europe, in a local park near my uncle's home.

This photo, of a Eurasian Coot, was taken in Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic in July of 2007.

These ducks (some sort of Mallard?) were photographed at the same location as the picture above.

Storks in their nest atop the chimney of an old brewery in the always fun to pronounce town of Jindrichuv Hradec, Czech Republic.

I came across these little guys, along with the adults in the shot below it, in a small pond in the UNESCO-designated town of Telc, once again during my 2007 Czech Republic trip. Looking back, I really wish I had had a pair of binoculars handy that day.

Inspite of all the strudel I ate, I was able set my fork down long enough to capture this brave fellow in the resort town of Karlovy Vary. It reminds me very much of the rock doves I've seen here in northern Alberta.

More storks....this time along a road side in Hungary in 2008 not far from the border with Austria.

Swans along the western shoreline of Hungary's Lake Balaton.

Yet more storks, this time taken in Gyula, close to the Hungarian/Romanian border.

Jack Layton

2011-08-22T20:57:00.004-06:00

I was both shocked and saddened when Lisa called me this morning to tell me that Jack Layton had lost his battle with cancer. While we never agreed with his policies, we have the utmost respect for the man's energy, courage and strength of conviction. He inspired a whole new generation of young people to run in the recent federal election and regardless of your political stripe, our country is the richer for it.

Jack possessed a quality lacking among many a politician this day....true leadership. The man was a visionary. The respect he received from colleagues across the political spectrum was indeed well-deserved. Jack, you were truly a great Canadian and the greatest Prime Minister we never had. Thank you for inspiring us through both your politics and your own personal battles. Canada finds itself a little poorer today with your passing.

Turning My Thoughts Toward The Far North

2011-08-20T19:19:00.004-06:00

Prior to moving to Alberta I spent a few years living in Nunavut, often flying great distances in many types of aircraft, mainly the Boeing 737. So it was with great shock and sadness that I returned home from work this evening to hear about the First Air crash near Resolute Bay. I wait with a great deal of worry as events unfold, wondering if I knew any of those directly affected.

I landed many times in this remote community and spent more than a few nights there as a result of being "weathered in". Resolute Bay formed part of the route I often took when traveling from Iqaluit to where I was living in Arctic Bay. In a land of no roads connecting any of the communities, flying is the only real way of getting from place to place.

While Nunavut is a large place geographically-speaking, in human terms it is actually quite small. You spend enough time there and the population begins to feel like an extended family of sorts. Which is why it pains me tonight to think of all the people who are connected with this tragic event...people I lived with, exchanged a friendly word with, went out on the land with or even just passed by on the street or in an airport waiting room. This sad event extends well beyond a small northern hamlet, that not many people have had the privilege of visiting and spending time.

My thoughts are very much turned toward our arctic landscape and its people this evening.

Foreman

2011-08-18T20:50:00.003-06:00

Normally I avoid blogging about work but today work has become a little extra interesting for me as of late so I thought I'd make an exception to the rule. Earlier this week I left the confines of the scaffold yard to work down in the plant down around Upgrading. Turn Around ended back in May so all the scaffolding that was sent down is now being taken out and sent back. (A "turn around" is essentially a large-scale shut-down event during which planned maintenance, inspection and other construction takes place.) Since the start of my shift on Tuesday I've been helping with the tear down, counting and bundling of all the materials that need to be removed and returned to our main yard.

It's been busy work and a nice change to work with a lot of different scaffolders...a good learning experience should I decide to go out in the field some day. Giant cranes, ropes, forklifts, and the noise (and smell) of the plant..it all makes for an interesting day. (No worries Mom, I'm not actually up on the scaffolding since I don't have my fall protection training yet.) Plus, I'll get few extra days in since it would mean a 12-on/2-off schedule rather than my usual 10-and-4.

The other reason work suddenly became a little more interesting was revealed to me late this afternoon, and it still comes as both a shock and a surprise to me. I bumped into a couple of my regular foremen and they asked me if I was interested in taking on foreman responsibilities in one of our yards starting this Saturday. Initially I thought they were joking around as they both have a good sense of humour. I'm pretty comfortable with the paperwork aspect of it (I worked in public service for 10 years afterall), I haven't missed that many days since I started last fall and I confident I have the respect of the other guys on my shift I regularly work with (they certainly have my respect.) But still... Surely, they could find someone a little more experienced than me for the task. But it turns out they were serious. I never thought I'd get this far, really. It's my first out-door, private sector, physical job and 10 months ago I wouldn't have know the difference between a standard and a double ledger if I had been knocked over the head with one. It's not a full-time position as it only involves a set number of days during the shift but work is work and it's nice to have your efforts recognized. In the end, there was only one way I could respond to the offer.

I accepted.

Waking From The Malaise

2011-08-14T07:55:00.002-06:00

Its hard to believe how quiet this blog has become over the summer. Quite simply, a bit of a malaise set in.....plus I've been a combination of busy and lazy as well. Three things that I did want to mention though...

Lisa and I made a quick trip down to Edmonton yesterday to pick up some clothes for back to school for the kids. Since we did much of out shopping at West Edmonton Mall and could only get down for a day and a bit, we took Gabriel with us and were surprised to find what a good traveling baby he is.....5 hours returning last night up Highway 63 to Fort McMurray and the little guy slept for pretty much the entire trip with absolutely no fuss...who knew? It was his first trip to Edmonton (not that he's old enough to take notice of it) but it was also the longest road trip he's taken to date and the furthest south he had been in his young life.

Lisa and I left late Friday with a plan to overnight and head back yesterday rather than push ourselves and do it all in one day. We tried this back when Lisa had her 3-D ultrasound in the fall and we decided that in future a round trip in a single day was a little too much to do all in one shot. It was our first night away together pretty much since we've been together. And we celebrated by staying in a dumpy little hotel in Boyle, Alberta since at the time we stopped there Friday evening it was getting late and the room we got was the last one in town....the toilet leaked, Lisa found the bed quite uncomfortable and the shower left a little to be desired but all in all it was still nice to have a night alone for a change.

On completely unrelated note, we've been experiencing an upswing in bear sightings around town, no doubt due to them being displaced from all the forest fires over the summer. We've had sightings up where I work and Lisa sent me a text earlier this past week that a bear had been spotted one street over from our house. As a result, much as I'd like to, I haven't taken any hikes or done much in the way of birding in the surrounding green areas. I had an encounter with a black bear a number of years ago in the Northwest Territories and while no harm came to me, he did end up getting with a 30-odd feet of me so for now, I'll obey the bear signs I've seen posted up around town and not push my luck.

Finally, without giving away too much I will conclude by mentioning that very shortly, hopefully before the end of the month, I will be embarking on a secret mission of sorts and I'll leave it at that for now.

Trend Setter

2011-07-29T00:03:00.004-06:00

With Gabriel's 4-month photos around the corner, Lisa has been busy coming up with new ideas for outfits and props and we can't wait to see how the shots from his next session turn out. The lady in Timberlea that does our photography has a Facebook page on which she posts some of her work and Lisa and I love that for a good little stint there, she had a photo of Gabriel as her profile picture. We note with pride his pictures generated a lot of positive commentary too.

Lisa had also mentioned to me that the little tyke has also become something of a trend setter. Her idea of using one of my old ties for some of the photos was something unique that the photographer admitted she had never incorporated into any of her baby shots before. Lisa soon noted that after all the positive commentary a number of tie-clad infants started popping up on the photographer's Facebook page. Everyone seemed keen to tap into Gabriel's new look and get some similar photos.

Only 2-months old at the time and already a trend setter. Thank goodness the kid has much more fashion sense than I do.

Most Definitely NOT Treehouse

2011-07-18T23:10:00.000-06:00

A couple of nights ago while enjoying some quiet time in front of the tv, an promo for a new summer movie came out which got me thinking. For quite some time now, I've been seeing a lot of promos for re-makes of comic book characters, cartoons and all sorts of toys I remember from when I was growing up. It's becoming monotonous.......Transformers, X-Men, The Green Lantern, Captain America, The Smurfs (yawn). I guess movie makers are trying to recapture some sort of nostalgia from when I was growing up. But for me, if I didn't like them then, making a movie out of say, Transformers (which I never played with growing up) isn't going to catch my attention now.

I think what bothers us most about many of these types of movies is that while they may have a "cartoony" feel to them, many of them aren't really meant for kids. I'm not saying I'm an old prude here but I do find a lot of the humour quite crass and definitely not acceptable for kids. Of course kids will want to see some of these movies and be exposed to a lot of bad language and sexual innuendo. Sure, they may not get some of the jokes but they will certainly start to ask questions. We notice Tamara starting to clue into thinks but fortunately she knows a lot of the so-called jokes are pretty "gross".

I'm not saying re-makes are bad, although I'm sure I probably wouldn't run out to see the majority of them. But really, if you're going to do a movie of the Smurfs, could we make it more kid-friendly without having to "sex up" Smurfette and add other sexual charged humour. As Lisa remarked to me the other night, at the rate things are going, pretty soon the only channels the kids will be able to watch will be Disney or Treehouse.

The Miracle Of Tinfoil

2011-07-11T07:00:00.000-06:00

One of the things I love about summer here, or indeed anywhere I've been around Northern Canada, is the long summer nights. While Fort McMurray is about the furthest south I've lived in the past 10 years, we are still far enough north to enjoy many hours of daylight through the summer. On the summer solstice, the sun rises at about 4:20am and doesn't set until just shy of 10:30pm. Throw in a good hour of twilight on either side of sunrise and sunset and, we get some long days. (When I lived in Nunavut, there were stretches of several weeks when the sun didn't even set.)

I love that there is so much light on a work day. I can leave in the light and there is light at the end of the work day which usually leaves me feeling much more energized than during the summer months. The one unfortunate thing for us here is that, with school now out for the summer, the long summer night are making the kids more energized as well. Getting them off to bed (and keeping them there) when there is still blue sky outside the window can be a bit of a fool's errand at times. If they are asleep by 11pm, we count it as a miracle.

When I was in Nunavut, one of the tricks I learned was to use tinfoil or cardboard on my bedroom window to darken the room enough so that I could sleep. I think tomorrow we will start employing this little northern solution to the kids' bedroom windows as well.

Afternoon At The Lake

2011-07-10T23:00:00.001-06:00

After a couple of rain-filled days heading into this past weekend, the weather improved markedly so Lisa had the kids down to the beach in Anzac for a Sunday afternoon dip to cool off.

Fairly overcast but the good weather managed to hold.

This was Gabriel's first trip to the beach. Here he is with Mom....

and with family friend, Kayla....

He Hurt His What?!

2011-07-09T07:00:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure how the poor kid will ever live this one down when he gets older and I'm not 100% how it happened since I was at work at the time, but earlier this week, poor Elijah had an unfortunate encounter with one of his riding toys. Somehow the handlebars, which fit into a whole on the toy, became detached and when he pushed them back down into place he somehow managed to sustain a small cut on the tip of his penis. He's OK and will heal up nicely though, obviously he was in a bit of discomfort at first. It's just one of those weird incidents where you feel for the kid but try to explain the circumstances to someone with out chuckling at least a tiny bit.

Poor little guy.

It Takes A Village To Raise A Child

2011-07-08T07:00:00.001-06:00

I takes a village to raise a child.....a very cliched statement and definitely one that was often drilled into our heads during teacher's college. It seemed the politically-correct thing back then and I never paid much mind to it. I started re-thinking this not that long ago when a former colleague of mine reiterated this aphorism adding, "but that village may also contain drug addicts, child molesters and all sorts of other unsavory folk."

Why am I bringing this up, you may wonder? I think somehow, the other people in the village, while perhaps well-intended, sometimes overstep themselves. Maybe I'm just being over-sensitive here, but it increasingly feels that there is no shortage of people out there with no shortage of advice on how you should be raising your child, or what you should or should not be doing. Case in point, Lisa recently took the kids down to a local park. While there, Nicholas climbed onto the branch of a low-hanging tree. Really, what 6-year-old boy wouldn't? Lisa felt this would make a good opportunity for some photos (some of which you can find here.) Unfortunately, some stuffy old lady working in a nearby kiosk had different ideas of what constituted childhood fun and didn't hesitate in telling Lisa.

Children weren't allowed to climb trees and moreover...this was a rule in every park in all of Canada! Seriously, that's what she told her. Wow! I must have been living under a rock somewhere the past several years. I've crossed quite a great swath of Canada and this rule is new to me. Granted, 6 of my 36 years were spent in Nunavut where children climbing trees are distinctly notable for their absence. Apparently, according to this busy-body, some invisible MUNICIPAL BY-LAW (there was no signage anywhere) extended ACROSS ALL OF CANADA. Huh? Had I had been there I may have gone into a quick lesson on how how laws are made and passed. Lisa simply carried on with her business without saying much, which to her credit is better than what I likely would have done had I been in her place. No, I'm not suggesting this lady is a dealer or something else untoward but why not just let kids be kids? Let them explore the natural world around them. It's much better than sitting in front of a television screen for hours on end during a nice summer day.

As I said, perhaps I'm being over-sensitive here. Is is just me or does it seem that more and more people are butting in with advice or more often than not, telling you what you should be doing or that what you are doing is wrong when it comes to your kids? (Government bureaucrats seem particularly good at this though it's an activity, nay annoyance, not restricted to simple bean counters.) And the kicker is that these people never seem to have kids with them themselves. Don't get me wrong here. Of course if a child is in immediate danger I certainly don't take issue with that. But it wasn't like the boy was 20 feet up in the air dangling by one arm. He was a mere 3-4 feet off the ground on a big branch would easily support his weight. When I'm out and about I'm content to let parents handle their own children, unless of course, its an emergency, which the situation above very clearly wasn't. Can't we just let kids be kids for a change, instead of over-regulating every activity?

I suppose you have to take the good with the bad here. If you welcome the intervention of a stranger in a dangerous situation you also run the risk of getting plenty of unwanted and annoying input as well. But next time I'm out and about, honestly, if I want unsolicited advice on what I should be doing because we've somehow interfered with someone's personal fiefdom, I'll just head to a library or book store and pick up an advice book instead. The shelves are full of those. Thanks.

Pine Grosbeaks

2011-07-06T07:00:00.002-06:00

Looking back through some older photos, I came across a couple I think were taken by Lisa of a pair of Pine Grosbeaks in our front yard trees. They're slightly out of season (the photos I mean) but I thought I'd share them since I don't expect to see any until fall when the flowers turn into berries.

Throwing Rocks

2011-07-05T07:00:00.000-06:00

It always seems that when you have an abundance of rocks near a stream, there is never a shortage of kids (and adults as well on occasion) ready to toss in a few. Here the kids chuck a few rocks a local river named, appropriately enough, the Hangingstone River.

At The Park

2011-07-04T07:00:00.002-06:00

A few pictures of the kids from this weekend at a park down in Waterways. It's hard to believe how quickly time flies. They seem bigger by the day.

Kiss

2011-07-03T23:03:00.002-06:00

Lisa and I weren't lucky enough to score tickets to last night's Kiss concert down at Mac Island. Hard rock was never my cup of tea but I do know of a number of people from work who attended and by all accounts, it was a very successful evening. The only real connection I have to it all is that my company helped construct the stage and seating for the event. For more photos and detail of the event, check out the account of a fellow Fort McMurray blogger here.

Pileated Woodpecker...Now In Silhouette

2011-07-03T19:00:00.001-06:00

If there's one thing I love about the river valley here its that it seems there is always one more new trail to discover. Initially, I didn't see much in the way of bird life since I had to concentrate on keeping my footing on the wet ground....and also try to figure out exactly where I was going. A couple twists and turns and it seemed the trail completely petered out on me and I was left crashing and banging through the brush trying to fight my way back to the main trail.

In the end though, it was all worth it. There were a couple of new birds (new to me anyway) that I couldn't make out in the dim light but I did spot my first Black and White Warbler, which landed on a branch quite close to me. I also saw what I think may have been a Swainson's Thrush, though I didn't get a long look at it since it flew off after a few seconds. Having finally found the trail again, and walking quickly so as not to get rained on more than necessary, I startled a Northern Flicker out of the undergrowth, which quickly took to the air and disappeared.

Mother Nature provided one last treat as I came across not one, but two Pileated Woodpeckers atop a couple of tall tree stumps. Unfortunately, light conditions weren't the greatest and my photos left a little to be desired, although I did get a pretty interesting silhouette shot.

Big Man and Little Man

2011-07-01T00:22:00.001-06:00

Common Grackle

2011-06-27T07:00:00.001-06:00

True, the Grackle, is gregarious and a poor but spirited singer (I've been fooled more than once by the Grackle's ability to mimic other birds). While they likely don't garner a big fan club, I still find them fascinating. Part of the reason I suspect is their hardiness and resourcefulness. I was treated to quite an aerial display on a recent outing as pairs of Red-winged Blackbirds aggressively defended they territory among the cat tails against these slightly larger icterids. Here, one stops for a rest on a roadside fence.

Fire Update

2011-06-26T00:05:00.004-06:00

For the first time in...while I'm not sure actually, the wildfire hazard level for the region is listed as "moderate" rather than "extreme", aided in part due to the rather heavy rain we've (thankfully) received the past couple of days. This is all welcome news for anyone hoping to get out and enjoy a campfire or backyard fire as I believe the fire ban has now been lifted.

As of last night the status of the Richardson Fire had been changed from "out of control" to "being held". Being held at 613 360 hectares. That's 9 times the size of the City of Edmonton or as I've also been told, it's comparable in size to the entire province of Prince Edward Island.

Even as I type this at this late hour, the rain has started falling again. Not so much fun to work outside in but still greatly needed by our boreal forest.

The Horse's Mouth

2011-06-25T23:14:00.003-06:00

As I don't have anything particularly noteworthy to blog about today, here is a shot of the mouth of the Horse River from the west bank of the Athabasca where I hiked down to earlier this month.

Marine Park Museum

2011-06-23T07:00:00.000-06:00

While Fort McMurray will always be known as the home of the oil sands, for those who live here, it is much more than that. Even without the oil sands, Canada still owes a great deal of its development to Fort McMurray. At one time, Waterways (then a separate community and now a quiet suburb of modern Fort McMurray) was the "end of steel". All goods heading north were sent here via rail and then transferred to ships for transit further north. (Even before this, the Athabasca-Clearwater juncture formed a critical link in the continental fur trade, but I will leave this for another post.)

While a trip in a steamer up the BC coast was the most common way of reaching the Klondike, a trip north from Edmonton through Waterways was another (if less-travelled) way of getting there. Much of the men and materiel sent to construct the Alaska highway in the 1940's passed through here. The area also played an important link in the supply chain for the construction of the Distant Early Warning (DEW Line) Sites and for years barges (until the arrival of regular air service) leaving here supplied the north with everything from mail to meat to building supplies.

Which is why the history buff in me is quite pleased to see that this contribution will be recognized with a future Marine Park Museum. For the past little while (ever since moving here actually) I had caught glimpses of ships along the shore of the Clearwater behind where the Canadian Tire and a condo sit today. I was never really sure what it was until just recently when I had a chance to talk a wander back there for a closer look.

These rail cars will also be part of the exhibit. Back in the day, rail service was available between here and Edmonton, though it was cancelled back in the '80's.

This area was where the docks once stood and if I recall correctly, it is the only remaining shipyard in Alberta. It's so quiet there now it is difficult to imagine the hustle and bustle this little stretch of river once experienced during the formative years of our country.

Red-Winged Black Bird

2011-06-22T07:00:00.000-06:00

There's a small green area with a storm pond in it a short walk from the house that seems to be quite the hot spot for red-winged black birds. At least, this is the one area where I have seen them in the greatest numbers. I spent a good hour this past weekend checking out some fierce aerobatic displays as both males and females aggressively defended their territory among the cat tails from invading grackles.

They are intensely loyal to each other with paired off male and female never venturing very far from each other and calling for each other as they darted from cat tail to grassy ground to tree top and back. Generally the zoom feature on my camera isn't the greatest but a little digi-scoping helped.....

...and the brilliant crimson shoulder patches meant that even when I wasn't very quick on the draw, they still turned out quite distinctly against the green background.

Hair

2011-06-21T07:00:00.000-06:00

Last night during a rare night out for dinner, Lisa mentioned she had been thinking about growing her hair out more. At the moment, its about the longest I've seen it on her since we've been together and I thought she had a good idea. She then mentioned she had been thinking about growing it and then getting it cut so that she could donate her locks for cancer survivors and I thought it was a fantastic idea.

Earlier this afternoon, both her and Tamara have come with a deal. They both plan to grow out their hair over the course of the following year (the date Lisa has decided on is July 1, 2012) and donate it for wigs for cancer victims.

I'm very proud of both of them.

Flicker

2011-06-20T07:00:00.001-06:00

A weekend outing in search of a pair of blue-winged teals which I knew frequented a nearby storm pond instead turned out a species I had yet to see....and one that was on my list of birds I was hoping to be able to cross off my list by summer's end. I barely noticed it up an old dead tree and I'm not even sure how I managed to spot it in the first place other than through pure dumb luck but sometimes dumb luck is all it takes. At any rate, I could tell what it was as soon as I saw it by the shape of its beak - a Northern Flicker.

Not the best of photos but the best I could do with my limited abilities.

And with the addition of the Northern Flicker to my life list I've pretty much seen all known species of woodpecker that frequent our portion of the province.

Black-Billed Magpie

2011-06-18T07:00:00.000-06:00

They are pretty common birds here and many might see them as a nuisance, but the Black-Billed Magpie was the first bird to grab my attention after I arrived here and they are still one of my favorites. Their white wing markings are quite striking in flight and their long tails give them something of a pre-historic, exotic feel. They are also the only bird I've seen out here so far that don't back down from ravens when it comes to grabbing anything that might be considered food. Definitely adaptable too, as I've seen them in many different environments from out at work, to downtown, to neighborhood lawns, to thick forest, to water's edge.

Your Daily Dose Of Cuteness

2011-06-16T07:00:00.000-06:00

Here are a few photos from Gabriel's two month photo shoot. I have to say I'm quite impressed with the photographer's work. And we were pleased to see she had made a picture from the shoot her profile picture for her photography page on Facebook.

Enjoy!

Unfriendly Skies

2011-06-15T07:00:00.000-06:00

While this story is getting a little old, I still wanted to throw in my two cents. Seems in recent days an airline stewardess on a West Jet flight inbound from Vancouver created a bit of a stir by asking who wanted to land in Fort McMurray...and who didn't. Normally, this would have died a quick death and not garnered the attention it has except for the fact that a municipal councillor and the Mayor were aboard that flight.

An editorial in a local paper suggested a 24-hour boycott of West Jet on Canada Day to protest the stupidity of the remark. I haven't flown very much the past couple years so I'm not sure what sort of effect that would have but I do find it an interesting idea. I'm sure there will be people who will say the Mayor and others on the flight who were upset should just get over a bad joke but I can understand their frustration with the airliner. I'm sure similar jokes have been made about any number of other places. This community (quite unjustly) gets a lot of bad press by the anti-oilsands crowd and other environmentalists, the bulk of whom have never even been here. Name the last time you saw a positive media story about Fort McMurray on the national level. Pretty tough.

As Lisa had mentioned to be the other day, for the people here just to make a quick buck, perhaps this place will never amount to much in their eyes. We try not to let these naysayers get to us because, with luck, they will be on a plane or a car heading down 63 soon enough. There are though plenty of families (and individuals) who care about this community and are intent on making a home for themselves. I just wish that THESE people's voices would be heard more often.

Bitumont Complex

2011-06-14T07:00:00.003-06:00

Bitumont Complex - that is the new name being given to the monster forest fire that has been blazing away the past month to the north of us. A few other smaller fires have now joined in to what was originally being called the McClelland Lake Fire and then the Richardson Backcountry Fire to create a 570,000+ hectare inferno. I was helping load a flatbed yesterday at work and I'm sure I could see it glowing along the horizon because if that odd orangey glow wasn't the fire I have great difficulty imagining what else it would be. Rain is forecast for later this week which hopefully will aide firefighting efforts a little bit. This will be the first substantial rainfall we've had this summer and it is greatly welcomed of course, particularly as the fire had been creating so much heat due to its sheer size that rain clouds have had trouble even forming in the sky above.

Fire fighting efforts include not only the giant Martin Mars but have also gone international with the addition of 40 firefighter from Mexico to support the over 700Canadian firefighters from as far away as Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Fortunately for us here, there has been very little fire growth to the south toward Fort McMurray. Drifting smoke continues to be an issue depending on wind direction. All safe and sound here for the time being and we'll see what kind of relief this coming rain provides us.

American Widgeon

2011-06-13T07:00:00.002-06:00

Normally, I hate going downtown, but in this case I'll make an exception as I caught a good view of what I believe is an American Widgeon a couple weekends ago in a man-made pond down in Borealis Park.

Duck Out Of Water

2011-06-11T07:00:00.000-06:00

Last weekend's outing to Borealis Park offered me the chance to get a decent photo of a water fowl on land. The ducks here seem to be fairly accustomed to humans but I was still impressed by just how close this guy allowed me to approach.

Two Mallards with a Rock Dove bonus.

Ladies (and Gentlemen), Lock Up Your Daughters!

2011-06-10T07:00:00.000-06:00

Okay, perhaps not for a few more years. But don't say I didn't give you plenty of advance warning!

Redhead

2011-06-09T07:00:00.003-06:00

Once upon a time the Snye was a short tributary of the Athabasca, feeding water into it from the Clearwater. It also separated MacDonald Island from the downtown. During the 1960's a causeway was built connecting the island to the mainland and turning the Snye into an urban marsh. Though the causeway construction was controversial at the time, it has created a nice birding habitat, not to mention a popular place for hockey during the winter months. It also provided me with a chance encounter with a redhead.

I got some fantastic views through the binoculars but unfortunately this sad photo is the best I can do. Its constant diving and my "hit and miss" luck with digi-scoping meant I was shut out on this particular day. This redhead was just playing hard to get.

The Summer of Burning

2011-06-09T00:10:00.003-06:00

It seems this burning inferno north of town has grown into quite the monster at over 400 000 hectares. Currently the fire is about 60 km to the north this map here will give you an idea of the extent of the area we're talking about. According to one news report I heard, the blaze is 6 times the size of Edmonton the biggest Alberta fire since back near the end of WWI.

Needless to say we can and do get quite a bit of smoke from the fire drift down the valley and into town here, though some days are better than others. For the most part it hasn't been too bad up here in Thickwood though downtown can be another story entirely. Most days the only hint I get of any problem is a whiff of "eau de BBQ" in the morning along with an orangey-red (and on occasion reddish-pink) sun later on in the day. I tend to notice the smoke a lot more at work although we had a good southerly wind at times this afternoon so things weren't too bad. We haven't had a really bad morning out at site in about a week. I think the worse its been so far was last week when near-by Syncrude was on some sort of evacuation notice from what I was told.

Anyhow, I only mention the fire to reassure anyone who may be wondering. I've noticed the situation getting a lot of media attention the last couple weeks especially. I'm not worried about us here. There's no sense of panic or imminent danger. Unless nearby Fort McKay goes into a full scale evacuation a la Slave Lake I won't get too worried about it. As someone who has never experienced the prospect of forest fires before (trees being in rather short supply in Nunavut) I can only take my cue from those who have experience this sort of thing before and play it by ear.

The Little Artiste

2011-06-07T22:52:00.005-06:00

Nicholas is becoming quite the little artist. A lot of art work was on display for the spring concert and Nicholas's batik was very prominently among the many pieces. As Lisa mentioned it was one of the first pieces to be seen upon entering the school. Art was never my strongest subject in school so I'm no art critic but I was quite impressed by how well proportioned his flower was and how well-shaped he had his leaves. The school principal will be entering Nick's art into a school-wide contest and we think he will do quite well.

Six years old and already a budding Picasso.

Sunday in Abasand

2011-06-07T07:00:00.008-06:00

I took advantage of some sunny weekend weather to get out to some trails in Abasand. This is a small subdivision on a hill across from the downtown. I had been hoping to get out there to explore for sometime now for many reasons. Firstly, at one point back in the 1930's I believe Abasand was home to a salt mining operation and essentially a separate community from Fort McMurray. Secondly, I was also keen to check out the Horse River, whose terminus with the Athabasca we had seen many times from the west side of the river. Looking across, we could always see people fishing at the juncture of the two rivers and it looked like an interesting spot to visit....if only we could figure out how exactly to get to it. I was also curious to see what kind of bird life might be on offer.

A few reminders of Abasand's past....

I came across this large gravel clearing early in my hike (where I also spotted a couple of white-tail too). Perhaps this is where the old plant once stood. I'd be curious to know.

Juncture of the Horse and Athabasca Rivers. Not the best of pictures granted but I was struck at the difference in water colour between the two...the chocolaty brown of the Athabasca and the tea-coloured Horse River. Finding this spot turned out to be quite the challenge and at one point I was tip-toeing along a very narrow trail along the top of the cliffs mere inches from a 100 foot drop into the Athabasca. But find it I did and the views were pretty spectacular.

Fantastic views from the valley above the river.

I walked along the river for a good couple of kilometers until I couldn't make it any further along the mucky banks.

Sandy cliff faces along the river bank provided some great views.

View of the bridge (3 of them actually) across the Athabasca.

Franklin

2011-06-06T06:33:00.002-06:00

It's that time of year again I suppose......construction season. A big section of Franklin Ave. is dug up for water main replacement I think. I'm not really sure but then I don't get downtown all that often. Thankfully.

Faces

2011-06-04T07:25:00.002-06:00

Over the course of the past week, Gabriel has started cooing, laughing and yes, smiling. Its a lot of fun for all of us to be able to interact with him on a new level. The kid definitely has a rubber face. I've never seen a baby with so many different expressions for a 2-month-old. He's a regular Jim Carey for sure.

Forest Fires and Rolling Black Clouds of Death

2011-06-03T23:48:00.006-06:00

The above photo was taken about a week ago from around our Thickwood neighborhood and gives you an idea of the smoke from local forest fires can blot out the sun. The photo doesn't quite do it justice though and the sun was actually been a weird pinkish colour from time to time. Though it may look like an evening photo, it was actually taken mid-afternoonish. The latest information I've seen is that the fire (referred to now as the Richardson backcountry fire) is about 65 km north of town and still raging out of control, having now consumed something in the neighbourhood of 360 000 hectares.

The past few days haven't been quite as bad, though I heard it mentioned that ash was seen falling in across the river in Abasand and we had a little bit of fine ash falling here in Thickwood here late this afternoon. (Initially it looked like snow to me as the temperature was quite a bit cooler than yesterday...a good 20 degrees colder with a wind chill of -2 this morning.) Last week, we had a few pretty nasty days with lots of smoke out at site and I had quite the sore throat last weekend though thankfully I'm all mended now.

Yesterday, while we didn't have to deal with smoke or ash out at site, we did experience rolling black clouds which again blotted out the sun. It was just like out of a sci-fi thriller. Late in the afternoon, the wind really kicked up a notch and shortly before quiting time I noticed a black haze in the distance. Now, this by itself is no big deal. A short walk from where I work is the "coke road" which leads up over a hill to the coke pits on the other side. This area is separated from the rest of the plant by a giant earthen dike to prevent excess coke dust from blowing in our direction. (Coke dust isn't something you really want to mess around with.) Anyhow, there are times, particularly in the summer when the wind will pick up, sending clouds of coke dust, regular dust and any other light particulate the wind may catch over the dike. This is what happened.

I noticed a puff of black as I mentioned earlier along with dust from a nearby dirt road heading in our general direction. The wind really kicked up as clouds were moving in and I decided to duck inside our warm up shack. Within seconds the entire scaffolding yard was obliterated from sight. The horizon, buildings, trucks, forklifts, gear out in the yard....it all disappeared from view. Without sounding overly dramatic, you really couldn't see ten feet in front of you. I held the door open for a few fellow workers as they came rushing in out of the tempest. While I had seen something the day before while down in another yard. This was pretty crazy stuff and it lasted several minutes before the winds died down and it started to clear up. By then it was pretty close to the end of the work shift so we called it a day and changed for the bus ride home.

Fires, smoke, black choking dust, hot days followed immediately after by late fall-like weather with frost advisories.....it's turning into what could be a very interesting summer here.

Welcome!

2011-06-02T07:00:00.000-06:00

Since I haven't posted any photos of the house here in quite some time, here is a springtime view of our little chateau.

Both front....

(love the newly added fence and gate I must say.)

....and back...

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow!

2011-06-01T07:00:00.000-06:00

It's really amazing how much hair Elijah has managed to grow on his head during his two-and-a-half years, especially considering he was pretty much bald as a baby. Until recently he had sported some rather fine golden locks.

Quite the difference now!

And as a comparison, here is a photo of a much younger Elijah. Okay, he seems to have grown a little bit of a chocolate beard but pretty sparse in the hair department up top.

A Long, Long Shift

2011-05-31T07:00:00.002-06:00

I know my posts have been a little short the past few days, but I plan to have more substance soon. The primary reason for such short posts has been because of my busy work schedule. I put in to work over the long weekend when my shift was supposed to be off and then in order to stay on my regular shift I had to keep working through last week and then back onto my shift. So I've pretty much been going full tilt with what amounts to 12-13 hour work days (when you factor in the bus ride to and from site) ever since May 9th. Long days for sure but at least the weather has been cooperative.

I'll definitely be happy to have a few days off coming up toward the end of the week. For the most part, I enjoy the work. I have to admit the scaffolding trade was never something I though I'd ever get into much less survive but so far I can't complain. As luck would have it, we've had 3 college students from the U.S. join our yard for the summer and one of them just happens to be the son of the president of our company. I've spent a couple days helping him get his bearings and joked with him that when he goes back to Louisiana State for the fall I'll send him back with a pile of resumes stapled to him for his father's perusal. Not that I'm at all unhappy with my current position, but really, how often does the big bosses son end up working right beside you. Aluma is headquartered in the states and is a major player in our line of work here in Alberta but I digress.

On a different note, for those who may be wondering, the smoke from nearby forest fires hasn't been too bad, although there were a couple days where it was quite bad with ash falling from the sky and I came home feeling quite headachey and irritable. It seems the forest fire smoke has fallen into a pattern where it clears up as the day progresses and the wind picks up and then settles down into the valley overnight and during the morning commute. Lisa and I were downtown briefly last evening and the smell was rather nasty. It generally isn't that bad for us up in Thickwood but we feel pretty bad for the folks living downtown or in Waterways. Generally, all this smoke has been more of a nuisance than anything else, but still enough to play havoc at some oil sands sites.

Anyhow, I do have a few other items I plan to post about, including a much anticipated outing to a historical part of the city (assuming I can finally get out there this weekend) and an exciting new opportunity for Lisa, but these will have to wait a little for the time being.

Middle Age Bulge

2011-05-29T07:00:00.000-06:00

No, the title doesn't refer to me, but another Fort McMurray blog I've happened across in recent days. Check it out here. It's nice to discover a little Fort McMurray blogging community out there. If you happen to know of any other blogging McMurrayites out there, drop me a line. I'd be very interested to know.

Not Again!

2011-05-28T07:00:00.001-06:00

Not another intrusive camera moment! I'm trying to bathe here!

Clearwater

2011-05-27T07:30:00.000-06:00

Tamara, Nicholas and Elijah enjoying a lazy afternoon along the bank of the Clearwater.

Sleepy Time

2011-05-26T07:00:00.000-06:00

Not the best of light to work with but of course I didn't want to turn up the lights and risk waking the young prince from his slumber.

Smile

2011-05-25T07:00:00.000-06:00

Over the course of the past few days, Gabriel has started to show us the beginnings of his smile.

Ashes Ashes!

2011-05-24T22:45:00.003-06:00

The skies were pretty clear of smoke over the long weekend but now it's back. And not only that, but we had falling ash, definitely a new experience for me. My first impression was "Oh look! Snow!" (I almost wished it was given the hot temperatures we had had last week.) A fellow Fort McMurrayite dropped me a comment to say that ash was also falling in Gregoire, an area of town to the south of Fort Mac. It was definitely the worst I've seen it so far out on site and it was quite difficult at times to make out the cranes and the coker towers from where I work. We were given the option to head home early but since by that time there was only about an hour left in my shift, I elected to stay. Things weren't all that better in town either. Hopefully we get a little rain soon to wash the pungent odour out of the air.

To my knowledge, we have only one fire currently listed as out of control....at a whopping 184,000 hectares. I've had the sense that although the smoke is a concern, there generally isn't any real alarm that what happened down in Slave Lake will happen here. One of my foremen is from BC so smokey summer skies are old hat to him. I did joke with him the other day though that if I ever see him running I will do my best to keep up.

We Are Not Alone

2011-05-24T07:00:00.000-06:00

For some time now, Lisa and I had been discussing whether we might find any other blogs out there from Fort McMurray. We had found a few informational type blogs but nothing comparable to a personal blog like this one. Wood Buffalo is a huge area (comparable in size to Switzerland) and it was neat to have such a large blogging territory staked out for ourselves. Alas, we are no longer a lone voice crying out in the boreal wilderness. In recent days, we've come across McMurray Musings. While it is quite a new blog, its author, has been a resident here for a decade, which by Fort McMurray standards, is quite a long time. Check out another window into our little corner of northern Alberta.