I'm Going to Alberta

So I've made a big decision to leave my home and move to Fort Mac to make some money and pay off my student loans...

It seems like the oil sands are like a giant magnet for young people looking to make a few bucks in these economic hard times.

But, I'm not actually going. I was just thinking about how many people must have thought about, or actually moved to Alberta, in search of those oil dollars. How many of us have imagined leaving behind our rented houses and moving into something half as big for twice as much in picturesque Fort Macmurray?

I have actually considered doing so many times since finishing university, but something always convinces me otherwise. I will do the math and convince myself that it isn't really that much money, or I will imagine 40 below mornings before a twelve hour shift. It is usually enough to keep me here in southern British Columbia.

However, I can't ignore that earning between 90,000 and 250,000 dollars a year wouldn't be a decent pay raise. Then I just have to convince myself that fancy cars and hats aren't really necessary. But I do like a nice hat.

These are some thoughts I had on the prospect of moving to Alberta. Lots of people seem to be going there, and also leaving there.
Any thoughts?

QOTD

“If people let government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny.” Thomas Jefferson

A little bit of 'reason' from Professor Grinspoon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ih7TTPAO61k&feature=related


Professor Grinspoon's website: marijuana-uses.com

Oh my Cod!

37.5 inch ling cod. Kayak caught.

Landfill Guardian.

A mannequin head on a hockey stick body at the dump. Cool!

Summer...

Playing on a log at Montague Park

No need to explain

Pie, Landscapes and my Dad!

Large apple pie and my two sous-chefs

Sunset from the ferry deck

View from Mt. Galiano

Super Mario calling an owl

Hunting Ducks in New Brunswick

Kellar with a few ducks in the hand

Matt in the camo kayak

Happy Hunter

It has been quite a few years since i have had the opportunity to get some hunting done. This year was different. I was back in New Brunswick for the funeral of a very close friend, Matt Sloan, and took some time to reconnect with old friends and mourn my loss. I did much of this reconnecting and grieving while out in the wild, up to my knees in mud and soaked in rain, trying to knock ducks out of the sky.

I did lots of go-karting and a little fishing too, just going through all the old motions of having care free fun. Fireworks and night fishing with spaghetti, beer, and garlic toast on the side. Good times for sure, but missing a friend and the true care free spirit of youth.

We got lots of ducks, and I even got a Canada goose on opening day. It looked a bit like the exploded turkey from Christmas Vacation when it came out of the oven on Thanksgiving, but it tasted delicious. As my aunt said, it just needed a bit of cranberry sauce. Or as my uncle said, cook it with a brick on top, and then eat the brick.  

I spent three days hunting with my friend Adam. During which time we missed around 20 ducks in a row, and feared that all hope was lost. We would surely starve and look like fools to all our friends.

However, redemption came on the last day as we stalked into the marsh and came upon 3 big Black ducks. We rushed towards the ducks in the pond.  Our guns were raised, ready to fire. The ducks flew upwards and the shotguns roared. Three shots were fired, but all the ducks were still flying away. Until Adam fired one last shot and knocked the farthest duck out of the sky. It was a monster North Shore Black duck. I had told him to be patient and aim before firing, which he did successfully. Too bad I couldn't take my own advice. 

That one duck was big enough for his mom to make a stew, but she asked for two ducks. So, as we were walking back along the shore I dropped a nice wood duck over another pond. That was the two ducks for his stew pot, so we called it a trip and drove back to Fredericton. We smelled like gunpowder, vachon cakes, and dead duck, but it was worth it in the end.
There was a few other trips, but I'll save those stories for later. I hope to make lots more visits in the future as well. It was amazing.

Happy Hunting

James in canoe: very happy

Moon-rise on Grand Lake

Grand Lakes Most Wanted old timers

Proper Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance. So clean your guns. 

Harvest Photos from 2011, Galiano Island, BC.

It was a slow start to the growing season this year, but things eventually warmed up and the garden finally produced some excellent food.

Potatoes were the first things harvested in late August. I had a mix of white and red potatoes that were excellent along with fresh cod and beer. I made some potato patties with grated potato and onion mixed together and fried in butter for 6 minutes per side. Very good snack food.


The tomatoes suffered a deer attack early in June, so they did some recovering before finally producing some tasty fruit. The plants from the Saltspring Island market were fast growing and very hardy.

My melons didn't do so well. Those vigorous tomato plants shaded out my watermelons and my passport melons were overtaken by the MONSTER pumpkin plant. Oh well, next year I will give them more space.

As always, I suggest mulching early and mulching often. That means getting out there and tossing on layers of seaweed (kelp), and straw, and whatever else you can scavenge to toss onto your beds. This will protect your soil over the winter and allow nutrients to seep into the ground from your mulch, instead of leaching out and leaving you with barren ground.

Enjoy the Photos.

Hot peppers in oil from the greenhouse, with a pumpkin on my driftwood bench.

First apples from my yard tree and a pie.

Sunrise on my garden.

From the garden into the pot. From the pot into the pie!

Caught this cod from the kayak. The heads get buried deep in the garden. Yum!

special sideways apples

My friend and his daughter with a jack-o-lantern that we carved

chanterelle mushrooms, apples, cucumber, pumpkin, and squash

pumpkins, squash, onions, and sunflowers

shaggy manes and a fairy ring of mushrooms

Chop Wood, Carry Water

"Before Enlightenment all I did was chop wood and carry water, after enlightenment all I do is chop wood and carry water."