I am really proud to say I am Canadian. And I know many Canadians will say they are proud to be Canadian but I don't know how many would actually die to protect this country. More and more of our citizens are not born and bred Canadians and while I respect that they appreciate the customs and history of this country--they weren't raised with it; it's not in their blood. Sometimes it's hard to express all feelings of such a nature in words. Those who know me well know that I have fond affection for musical artistry and story-telling and therefore prefer to describe my feelings and what I feel Canada is through its music. In the above music player you'll hear classic Canadian artists from Gordon Lightfoot to Sarah Slean. Below, you will see photos that show visually what Canada is to me. When I leave the country, this is what I miss. Please enjoy the music while perusing these few pictures. And, HAPPY BIRTHDAY CANADA, You're not dead yet!
Just a few of the reasons Rob and I will be visiting Big Sky Country again in August this year! Absolutely one of the most beautiful and peaceful places on earth.
I've been in love with Newfoundland ever since I first heard/saw Great Big Sea on CMT when I was in grade 8. I believe the first song I ever heard was "When I'm Up (I can't get down)" off their album Play which was released in 1996. Click the song title to have a wee listen. Subsequent material almost always paid homage to the motherland (Newfoundland) by showing off the many beautiful, fairy-tale-Olde English-Fishing village-laundry-blowin'-in-the-wind landscapes. Since then, and through my love affair with lead singer Alan Doyle, I have been utterly and irrevocably in love with Newfoundland.
Sidenote: I actually saw Alan Doyle in person for the first time at the Vancouver International Airport when my mum and I were waiting for a friend to come off the plane. My mum and I love to people watch and she elbowed me to check out the dreamy man with the nice arse and long hair. I glanced and quickly did a little hormonal teenage freak attack letting her know between my gasps that he was the lead singer of my most favourite group next to Hanson and Backstreet Boys. Eeeeek! No I can't go talk to him he just got off a long flight! Hey! I may be stalker-like but at least I'm respectful! Anyway...this post isn't supposed to be about Alan Doyle but Newfoundland so let's move on shall we?
So in 2006 when I found that I had 2 years left of studies to complete my undergraduate degree in Geography, I decided on a whim to move to the place I've lusted after for 10 years. I am a spontaneous brat and so when I told my parents I was doing so, they believed me and my mum in particular was quite excited knowing how lustful I was. For Alan. Er, I mean for the Rock. For adventure. Dec 30th 2006 I was off on a flight spanning 6000km from one end of Canada to the other. I knew no one there and had rented a place in good faith over the telephone with a good gal named Susan. It took about 12 hours of travel to get to St. John's as we criss-crossed the country stopped at various points of uninterest such as Calgary, Toronto, and Halifax. The flight I boarded in Halifax was quite different from the flight I boarded in Abbotsford. For one, I literally couldn't understand half of what people were saying. Everyone seemed to know the other person and were all chit-chatting away while I sunk my exhausted body down in the window seat to try and get shut-eye. Not. A. Chance. If there is one thing I learned about Newfoundlanders--they love to talk(re: shout!). It's endearing.
I arrived at St. John's International Airport (ahem, yes St. John's airport is international if you can believe it!) though small. One terminal if you can call it such. It's quaint but I like it. You don't get lost as I once did in Chicago's O'Hare airport. That's for another story, though. I got my luggage...eventually. For some reason when I fly I always get my luggage last. It's just the way it is. I got my two heavy pieces of luggage and tried to orient myself to get a taxi. I knew where I was headed: 1 Kildare and my roommate's name was Susan. I didn't have a clue how far it was from the airport, but I was sure the cab driver would and would take full advantage. I was used to BC taxi drivers--I was prepared! Oh, but I wasn't! The cabby spoke english, and sang some irish tunes while I relaxed in the back. He took my luggage and placed it nicely in the back trunk. Hmm..I was home.
The third thing I learned about Newfoundland after the talking and the english cab drivers...the wind is bloody freezing and strong! It comes right off the Atlantic like a banshee and skirt-wearers be-ware! DON'T wear!
Here are some photos of my Newfoundland adventures. This tale isn't over, but just the beginning. I highly highly recommend visiting. And if you're anything like me, you'll never want to leave and will probably move back permanently. It's best kind b'y!
St. John's Harbour taken from the North Head Trail at Signal Hill. I don't recall exactly what street this is..possibly Gower St. As you can see...colourful houses. I still say it's so you can find your home in a snow storm or through the fog. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. The other end of St. John's harbour from downtown. This is through the large paned windows at The Rooms which is St. John's huge museum. It's great, and I think anyone who visits should see it. You can be there for 2 or more hours and still not view everything. Oh, they have a wicked Art Gallery there too!
This is at the Battery which is where some of St. John's oldest homes are. They go for a mint these days but used to be super cheap to purchase. Damn you rich professors! Damn you Russell Crowe! You can see they have character. Oh and if you're wondering what is meant by "The Battery"--it relates to WWII when the base was built at St. John's.
If you're interested in becoming an honourary Newfoundlander, and you plan to visit St. John's, I recommend going to Christian's down on George Street. They do a pretty awesome Screech In. You should also get to know some of the local music. Local's don't like it, tourists do. That's not completely true, actually, Townies don't like it, Baymen do. If you want to understand the difference, I'd recommend going and asking. It's more fun that way. I'm half tourist and I love the music. Here are some to listen to that I love. If you go to almost any bar on George Street on the weekend you'll find someone playing live. It's great! To flip to the next song, just click on the >> mark in the middle of the tape. There is a back and foward button on each side.
Okay, so those are Rankin Family lyrics. And I suppose when they said "North Country" they really meant northern Nova Scotia/Cape Breton Island. Well this is the true north anyway, and really this afternoon I headed further west and not so much north. Ahem. Technicalities.
So I'm spending this weekend in Kluane Country (not 'north country) which nuzzles up to the St. Elias Mountain range to the southwest of the Yukon. It is home to Kluane National Park , Champagne and Aishihik First Nation and Haines Junction. It also has a number of beautiful lakes (like almost any other part of the Yukon) such as Kluane and Kathleen Lakes. In addition, Aishihik (pronounced Eh-jii-ack with a soft j sound as in jolie) Lake, Dezadeash (pronounced Dez-dee-esh) Lake, and Pine Lake. It's a pretty amazing spot here. I can't really put into words the beauty of this area of the world. When you first drive into the outskirts of Haines Junction it looks like you're going to drive into the St. Elias mountains. They are HUGE and look like they will swallow you whole. And when the sun is in the west it reflects and sparkles off the mountains and the water creating a million shades of greens and blues and yellows. It's really quite magical. This is all interspersed with the bright blue of the sky and the purples of the fireweed and other flora.
I drove to Dezadeash and Kathleen River and Lake this evening in an attempt to find anglers to survey. No such luck. I don't blame them--there were sporadic showers occurring along Haines Road (This road leads from Haines Junction to Haines, Alaska). It's really neat when there are rain or snow clouds hanging around the mountains. It can be bright blue skies above you and before you but up to the right above the mountain range you can see just sheets of grey or white--looks like sheer silk. This is normal and are just showers that eventually will move over you. Tonight we're expecting showers that are heading in from Beaver Creek.
I attempted to fish tonight on Kathleen River which is on the outside (east side) of Haines Road which borders Kluane National Park. It flows out of Kathleen Lake which is inside the park. I went fishing and all I caught were these damn mosquitoes. What joy! :-) I tried spraying repellant on me and I swear the skeeters up here have adapted to Deep Woods scent. There seemed more of them after the fact! So after 10 minutes and five casts I simply gave up. I will either wait for mid day, catch a breeze, or wait until I'm back in the BC lower mainland where the pollution seems to keep skeeters and all nice forms of wildlife (sad fact) away.
If you check out my flickr account you will see a couple photos I took of some fly fishermen on Kathleen River. I will post one below so you can see an example. More to come when I'm back in Whitehorse where it will actually upload more than 2 in 2 hours.
Well a long day ahead of me tomorrow if'n I can find a dry spot to heckle people (aka Anglers). There is a fishin' derby going on about 80 clicks northwest of here at Destruction Bay. I don't know if I'll make it there as it's quite the mileage. You'll here if I did though! So on that note I shall leave you for another day--kill these two mosquitoes buzzing in my ear with a swift kick to their knees and off to bed am I! Thank the heavens for blinds...so bright still!
Fly Fishing on Kathleen River just outside Kluane National Park. If you click on the photo it will take you to my Flickr account page where you can access the full-meal-deal-in-all-its-pixely-glory-make-it-into-a-desktop-background size!
We'd like to interrupt this viewing with a word from our sponsors:
Miss Teiya Kasahara a Lyric Coloratura Soprano from Ottawa, Ontario, then Abbotsford, BC , now resides in Toronto, Ontario working for the Canadian Opera Company and traveling the world (She just arrived in the Czech Republic yesterday). She is a dear friend I haven't seen in ages--we went to high school and sang in choir together. She has certainly made a name and a future for herself! Check out some of her art/work below, as well as her website! She's amaaaazing!
Despina in Così fan tutte by Mozart with Erin Fisher- C.O.S.I. 2008
One of my favourites of her! Die Königin der Nacht in Die Zauberflöte by Mozart - UBC Opera Ensemble, Czech Republic 2007
One of the great things about this city is how active it is. There are numerous large events that people can attend in all seasons, from the Yukon Quest dog team race that goes from Yukon to Alaska, and today's Yukon River Quest where participants boat from Whitehorse to Dawson City via the Yukon River--the longest canoe & kayak race in the World! or what I saw on one t-shirt: Where only the mosquitoes have more fun!
Here are a few photos of the start of the race, and here is some info on it! I will post a couple photos below.
A view of the boats lined up along the shore.
It was a beautiful day out!
In the lead! Participants had to run to their boats from a start line.
In the word of the great Sawyer Brown: The race is on...
In total it will take about 2.5 days of paddling. Let's wish them luck!
Last year I lived in student housing in Waterloo which was only a few minutes walk from Wilfrid Laurier. It was convenient; however, it was a horrible set-up. It was shared with 9 other people. Granted, there were two livingrooms and two kitchens with five bathrooms. However, the people were messy and loud. I paid $425.oo/month with utilities included.
Now Rob is moving to Ontario with me for September for a year. I am looking to get out of the K-W area as it is busy and loud and very run-down with students. Drunken rowdy 1st year's traveling up and down King Street is cool when you're in first year but when you're a grad student it's not desirable. I went to Guelph for the first time with my BFF Stefanie and I loved it. It was beautiful and agricultur-y (yes, that's my word, ha!) and reminds me a lot of Abbotsford, population-wise (it's actually a bit smaller at 90,000 but nowhere near the 400,000 combined total of Kitchener-Waterloo region). The downtown has a lot of charm. Kitchener's downtown charm matches east-end Vancouver, but we won't go there. There's a reason it's called Downtown Kitchener and Uptown Waterloo. Guelph is affectionately known as The Royal City. It has one of Canada's only two nationally recognized School of Veterinary Medicine and a lot of agricultural research goes on here. It has quite the 'hippie' feel--very eco-friendly residents for the most part, especially the students. There is a nice music scene as well. Check out JJ Ipsen as an example.
I found a place a week ago online for rent in Guelph's south end in a newer subdivision known as Westminster Woods. I'm not typically a suburban girl, but I like the greenery, the fact that it has people with money and therefore will be quiet--quiet enough that I won't be distracted when trying to pump out my thesis like a mad academic ape. It's close enough to the grocery store and other little stores that are needed such as a Shoppers Drug Mart. Rob and I both have cars so we can get to where we need to be quick enough. In particular I will be able to drive to Waterloo when needed in about 20-25 minutes depending on traffic.
So the place we found is a little 1brm basement suite in a 4-year old home that is quite large itself. It has spots for 2 cars (perfect for us!) off to the side. It is $725/month inclusive of utilities. Now, I know that many of my west coast friends have mentioned that it seems pricey for what we're getting. However, BC residents of the lower mainland do not use half as much energy as we do in cold-snowy-wet central Canada. Typically if one were to pay $600 on average in southern Ontario it would not be inclusive of utilities unless it's pretty run down. If not included you're looking at 1/3 the energy bills and in winter those could run as high as $100+/month. So if you take the $725 and subtract $100 even, it's really only $625. In addition, it's a clean suite, with only three student residents above. We get our own laundry as well! I find this to be a plus. And in the end, we really are only there for a year. We can deal! Here are a few photos for your perusal.
The Outside with our parking stall to the right.
Across the street a children's playground.
Self-explanitory!
Basic three-piece bathroom. It's a full bathroom though.
Livingroom--looks a little dark but it's just the camera. The white walls reflect all the sunlight and the landlord swears it's pretty light for a basement suite. Bryce told me it's good because it has 8ft ceilings for the bedroom and bathroom and the kitchen and livingroom have 9ft ceilings. No bumping your head Rob!!!
My precious and generous friend Bryce who took the time to view the suite for us while we are not in person to view it ourselves. Nice shorts, Bryce man! He's a fellow Guelph-ian.
The bedroom--if you can call it that--is the downside of this place. However, with a glass half-full I will say that we can live with this. It will be turned into an office and we can sleep in the living room. I can deal with sleeping in a living room. I cannot deal with not having a quiet space to study and write while Rob tempts me with Hell's Kitchen and How I Met Your Mother in HD!
Well that's it for now. What do you think of the potential new digs? I think I approve! Grade A!
Once again, this summer Rob and I are heading across the US on a trip to Ontario for one more year of my schooling (keep fingers crossed!), and we're pretty excited. There is something about the US that intrigues me and keeps me coming back. Each state has its own charm, its own beauty and mystery that captivates you even if you're simply 'driving through'.
In last years episode, we drove from Vancouver to Edmonton and then Edmonton down into Montana. The furthest south we hit was Jackson, Wyoming simply because I wanted to say I've been to Jackson Hole! The highlight of this trip was certainly Yellowstone National Park See image below.
Yellowstone Lake
En route Ontario we pretty much stuck to the northern states, that bordered Canada such as North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. We even took the high road and went north from Wisconsin and took the northern peninsula of Michigan and crossed into Canada at Port Huron.
This year, however, will be different. The first part of our journey will remain the same. We will head north up to Edmonton (where my BFF and her husband and kiddies live) for a few days. After this we'll head straight south through southern Alberta and into Montana. Our first stop will be Butte, Montana. Instead of heading southeast then and onto Yellowstone, we will continue our journey south into Idaho, and Utah. We will then head east from there into Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and then up into Michigan and cross into Canada via Detroit.
I for one am looking forward to our trip to Colorado. It has been a dream of mine to visit. Everytime I dream of Colorado I can hear John Denver singing Rocky Mountain High. Well you don't need to dream folks, just click below to hear! BONUS: Listen to a live version of Steve Earle's Colorado Girl as performed on David Letterman only a few weeks ago!
