I am slowly making my way back to St. John's. I've been stopped off at my parents house in Clarenville for the past few days but will be heading into town tonight. I feel a bit like the astronauts must feel when they get back from space - overwhelmed but happy.
I had a great summer. There were absolutely no problems, and I am healthy and ready to get back to work. I will have lots of pictures and videos to post on here, and stories to tell eventually, but I don't have my computer back yet and there are many other important things I must do before I can get that done (like find a place to live, etc., etc.).
Anyways, stay tuned to the blog for lots of fun stuff!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
A few pics of the kiln
Haven't had a chance to go through all of them yet, but I pulled these out for you to have a look at.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
Finally :)
I am ready to go. After a series of frustrating delays everything has finally come together. My bricks are in the back of Paul Bromley's boat. We're leaving at 4am tomorrow morning. This will be my last post until I get back later in the summer. Wish me luck and tune into my Spot page to keep track of me.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Bricks II - The Saga Continues...
Yes, they have arrived. But it was not an uneventful arrival. It was, in fact, a bit of a mess.
First thing Monday morning I got on the phone with Bill at Ornamental Concrete. I needed to find out where exactly my bricks were and when they were going to get here. He made a few calls and then got back to me saying they would arrive on Thursday. Then, a few hours later, he called again to say they would be here on Tuesday. At that point it became clear to me that he didn't really know anything. So I got on the phone with Day and Ross myself. It took a couple hours, and many subsequent calls, but I finally found someone who was able to tell me where my bricks were. Corey at customer service insisted that they had arrived in Conche at 5:33pm last Friday. Well, I had been to the fish plant and they definitely weren't there, but Corey came back to me and said someone named T. Reid even signed for them.
I'll admit, sometimes I overlook the obvious, so in acknowledgement of that I went back to the fish plant to have a look. I scoured the place, and they absolutely were not there. Then, rather luckily, I ran into Scott Patey, the plant manager. He told me to call a few businesses in Roddickton and just to ask around about whether they had seen the bricks. Sure enough, first call I made I found them sitting in the loading dock at Roddickton Home Hardware. They had in fact been there since Friday evening, and Tyson Reid, the stock boy, had signed for them despite the fact they were addressed for someone in a different town. Apparently Day and Ross will deliver to Conche, but what they mean by that is they'll drop your gear off at some random place in Roddickton without telling anyone. Nobody contacted me, not Day and Ross, not Ornamental Concrete, not even Home Hardware. And - now this is the unbelievable part - my package was not the only one there! There was also a palette of boxes destined for the Conche summer garden party that had been missing for weeks! Apparently Day and Ross make a habit of serving their customers this way!
Having no other options I hired a local fellow with a pickup to bring my bricks the rest of the way into Conche. It took three trips and $200 to make this happen. And I could've easily gone to the islands on Monday had anyone known where the bricks were, so I lost three days of working in beautiful perfect weather. And I had to stay in Conche for an extra three nights, which cost me another $200.
I've called Day and Ross to try to recoup some of these losses. At the very least they should cover the $200 I spent completing their delivery for them. That was yesterday. Unfortunately today is Canada Day (everyone's on holiday) and tomorrow I'm leaving so I think there is very little possibility that any of this will ever be resolved to my satisfaction. I'll tell you one thing - I'll never trust Day and Ross with a shipment ever again. All in all their incompetence has cost me more than five hundred dollars.
On the upside, the fellows at the fishplant are having a good laugh - they've convinced one of the younger guys he has to carry all five hundred bricks by hand to the other side of the plant:
First thing Monday morning I got on the phone with Bill at Ornamental Concrete. I needed to find out where exactly my bricks were and when they were going to get here. He made a few calls and then got back to me saying they would arrive on Thursday. Then, a few hours later, he called again to say they would be here on Tuesday. At that point it became clear to me that he didn't really know anything. So I got on the phone with Day and Ross myself. It took a couple hours, and many subsequent calls, but I finally found someone who was able to tell me where my bricks were. Corey at customer service insisted that they had arrived in Conche at 5:33pm last Friday. Well, I had been to the fish plant and they definitely weren't there, but Corey came back to me and said someone named T. Reid even signed for them.
I'll admit, sometimes I overlook the obvious, so in acknowledgement of that I went back to the fish plant to have a look. I scoured the place, and they absolutely were not there. Then, rather luckily, I ran into Scott Patey, the plant manager. He told me to call a few businesses in Roddickton and just to ask around about whether they had seen the bricks. Sure enough, first call I made I found them sitting in the loading dock at Roddickton Home Hardware. They had in fact been there since Friday evening, and Tyson Reid, the stock boy, had signed for them despite the fact they were addressed for someone in a different town. Apparently Day and Ross will deliver to Conche, but what they mean by that is they'll drop your gear off at some random place in Roddickton without telling anyone. Nobody contacted me, not Day and Ross, not Ornamental Concrete, not even Home Hardware. And - now this is the unbelievable part - my package was not the only one there! There was also a palette of boxes destined for the Conche summer garden party that had been missing for weeks! Apparently Day and Ross make a habit of serving their customers this way!
Having no other options I hired a local fellow with a pickup to bring my bricks the rest of the way into Conche. It took three trips and $200 to make this happen. And I could've easily gone to the islands on Monday had anyone known where the bricks were, so I lost three days of working in beautiful perfect weather. And I had to stay in Conche for an extra three nights, which cost me another $200.
I've called Day and Ross to try to recoup some of these losses. At the very least they should cover the $200 I spent completing their delivery for them. That was yesterday. Unfortunately today is Canada Day (everyone's on holiday) and tomorrow I'm leaving so I think there is very little possibility that any of this will ever be resolved to my satisfaction. I'll tell you one thing - I'll never trust Day and Ross with a shipment ever again. All in all their incompetence has cost me more than five hundred dollars.
On the upside, the fellows at the fishplant are having a good laugh - they've convinced one of the younger guys he has to carry all five hundred bricks by hand to the other side of the plant:
Capelin
The cove is swimming in fish right now - the capelin are in, there are tomcods hiding under every boat, and I even just saw three salmon passing along by the end of the wharf.
Kilns and ovens
It's not unusual to find fire bricks along the beaches of the French Shore. I picked up these two today in Conche. They are the remnants of bread ovens made and used by migrant fishermen in times gone by. Just outside of Conche, in Crouse, there is an archeological dig happening. They are unearthing a French fishing site that was used from the 17th to 19th centuries. On Monday I had a tour of the site with Peter Pope, professor of archeology at MUN. The highlight of the tour for me were the bricks and stones that Peter says made up an oven that was probably used as long ago as the early 19th century. They are still in place where they stood against a wall of rock that functioned as the rear wall for the oven, although the arch and side walls have long since collapsed.
The French started making bread ovens in Newfoundland not long after the revolution in their homeland. One theory has it that the process of democratization instigated a desire for a few basic human rights - access to fresh food, for instance. Peter tells me there were no English bread ovens in Newfoundland contemporaneously to these early French ones, which I think is no surprise since the descendents of English settlers in Newfoundland still have no appreciation for fresh local foods.
I was lucky to discover that I am not the first to build an oven in this area, and that there is a tradition - albeit a lost tradition since the French were banished from their fishing grounds - of oven construction here. I'm going to take these two bricks to the Grey Islands with me and incorporate them into my kiln. They are beautiful and ancient, perhaps 200 years old, perhaps brought across the Atlantic from France, rounded and smoothed by the ocean, and still bearing a smoky colouring from countless uses. I realize it may be an archeological transgression to take these from the place where I found them, but it would equally be an artistic transgression to not acknowledge the precedents of local history and culture in my project.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
The island floating ahead of me like a moon, tugging me forward. Whatever it has in store.
Leonard Quniton saying, 'the voices in those old homes.' And there it was, pulling and me already going its way. An island of voices and ghosts. But ghosts and voices are everywhere. Even along the road. Flashing by. Stop and let them speak.
A way to corner myself is what I want. Some blunt place I can't go beyond. Where excuses stop.
John Steffler - The Grey Islands
Leonard Quniton saying, 'the voices in those old homes.' And there it was, pulling and me already going its way. An island of voices and ghosts. But ghosts and voices are everywhere. Even along the road. Flashing by. Stop and let them speak.
A way to corner myself is what I want. Some blunt place I can't go beyond. Where excuses stop.
John Steffler - The Grey Islands
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Scotch
If they have ice washing up on the beaches like this on the Grey Islands I'll have to bring along a bottle of scotch.
Some images from Conche
Iceberg:
Sea arch:
Whale:
Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera out when I almost stepped on the giant owl.
Sea arch:
Whale:
Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera out when I almost stepped on the giant owl.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Waiting for bricks
After a 14 hour drive (saw nine moose) I have arrived in Conche. I have to thank Dave and Tracy for getting me here in one piece. The last twenty kilometres over foggy, moose infested dirt road were particularly stressful. But here I am and everything is OK.
Well, almost everything. You see, my bricks still have not arrived here. This is the beginning of a long story, but I might as well get into it since I really don't have a lot else to do. I bought these bricks (500 low grade fire brick) from Ornamental Concrete on Kenmount Road. The price was good and they were exactly what I was looking for - in fact I was amazed that the purchasing process went so smoothly. For the record, I was concerned about the shipping right from the beginning, but Bill at Ornamental Concrete called Day and Ross himself where they quoted the price of $440 for shipping them right to Paul Bromley's door.
So when the bricks arrived in St. John's from Halifax (the fact they'd have to go back 600km in the same direction to get as far as Deer Lake before heading up the Northern Peninsula was an irony not lost on me) I asked Bill to hold onto them for a couple weeks so they wouldn't be taking up space at Paul's house until I got there. They agreed to ship them around the 15th so they'd be here waiting for me when I arrived on the 26th.
Flash forward a few weeks and I, having moved on to more pressing matters, assumed everything had went as smoothly as promised. I called Paul to tell him to expect the bricks two Fridays ago, but as he was out fishing I had trouble getting through to him. Eventually I talked to his sister-in-law who told me the bricks never arrived. Apparently Day and Ross decided they didn't want to ship to Conche. This was after they decided to take my money and tell me they would ship them, and before they decided they would not contact me about changing their shipping plans. Now that is some poor business practice.
So the bricks went back to Kenmount Road where they waited for me to call and make a big stink. I think Bill went to bat for me on this one - he called Day and Ross and got back to me saying they would be shipped on Wednesday past. It's now Saturday, and I expected them to arrive yesterday, but they are not here. So I'm sitting here in Conche, practicing my existentialism and waiting for bricks.
Well, almost everything. You see, my bricks still have not arrived here. This is the beginning of a long story, but I might as well get into it since I really don't have a lot else to do. I bought these bricks (500 low grade fire brick) from Ornamental Concrete on Kenmount Road. The price was good and they were exactly what I was looking for - in fact I was amazed that the purchasing process went so smoothly. For the record, I was concerned about the shipping right from the beginning, but Bill at Ornamental Concrete called Day and Ross himself where they quoted the price of $440 for shipping them right to Paul Bromley's door.
So when the bricks arrived in St. John's from Halifax (the fact they'd have to go back 600km in the same direction to get as far as Deer Lake before heading up the Northern Peninsula was an irony not lost on me) I asked Bill to hold onto them for a couple weeks so they wouldn't be taking up space at Paul's house until I got there. They agreed to ship them around the 15th so they'd be here waiting for me when I arrived on the 26th.
Flash forward a few weeks and I, having moved on to more pressing matters, assumed everything had went as smoothly as promised. I called Paul to tell him to expect the bricks two Fridays ago, but as he was out fishing I had trouble getting through to him. Eventually I talked to his sister-in-law who told me the bricks never arrived. Apparently Day and Ross decided they didn't want to ship to Conche. This was after they decided to take my money and tell me they would ship them, and before they decided they would not contact me about changing their shipping plans. Now that is some poor business practice.
So the bricks went back to Kenmount Road where they waited for me to call and make a big stink. I think Bill went to bat for me on this one - he called Day and Ross and got back to me saying they would be shipped on Wednesday past. It's now Saturday, and I expected them to arrive yesterday, but they are not here. So I'm sitting here in Conche, practicing my existentialism and waiting for bricks.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Weather
It is pouring right now in St. John's - one of those days where you can be thankful you are not in a tent. When it started this morning I was out in Logy Bay on my bike. I got absolutely drenched on the way back in. I've been out in some bad rainstorms and this ranked right up there with them.
I just realized that Environment Canada's radar network extends as far north as the Grey Islands. While this will be totally useless to me, since I won't have the internet, you will be able to check on the weather I'm getting by visting this link:
http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/radar/index_e.html?id=XME
I just realized that Environment Canada's radar network extends as far north as the Grey Islands. While this will be totally useless to me, since I won't have the internet, you will be able to check on the weather I'm getting by visting this link:
http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/radar/index_e.html?id=XME
Friday, June 19, 2009
Address
If you leave me your physical address (either in an email or via a comment) I will do my best to send you a letter/postcard from the Grey Islands.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Still Life With Thanatotic Animals
Opening this week at A1C Gallery is Still Life With Thanatotic Animals by Lee Henderson. Lee's exhibition is an installation of photographs taken of stuffed animal heads. The heads have been photographed through the viewfinder of a second camera, so that visible in the prints are the details of exposure, aperture, focus and other camera settings.
The opening reception for this show is Wednesday at 8pm. The artist will be in attendance and there will be an artist talk at 8:30.
The opening reception for this show is Wednesday at 8pm. The artist will be in attendance and there will be an artist talk at 8:30.
Ice update
Ice conditions continue to improve off the east coast of Newfoundland. The latest satellite data shows the furthest south extent of pack ice to be near the southern Labrador coast:
This is good for multiple reasons: it signals that summer is indeed on its way, and as the pack ice heads north, hopefully warmer water from the south will move in to replace it. (This in no way means there won't be icebergs in the area. In fact right now the Northern Peninsula is celebrating the Iceberg Festival)
Second, I believe there will be minimal likelihood of polar bear encounter. I was talking with a conservation officer in Roddickton last week, who assured me it's been a month since anyone's seen a polar bear anywhere near the area. The last one near there was relocated to Belle Isle, not to be confused with Bell Island where I was camping last week, or with Bell Island on which I'm going to be living this summer. The original French inhabitants of Newfoundland should've really tried to be a little more creative with their place names.
This is good for multiple reasons: it signals that summer is indeed on its way, and as the pack ice heads north, hopefully warmer water from the south will move in to replace it. (This in no way means there won't be icebergs in the area. In fact right now the Northern Peninsula is celebrating the Iceberg Festival)
Second, I believe there will be minimal likelihood of polar bear encounter. I was talking with a conservation officer in Roddickton last week, who assured me it's been a month since anyone's seen a polar bear anywhere near the area. The last one near there was relocated to Belle Isle, not to be confused with Bell Island where I was camping last week, or with Bell Island on which I'm going to be living this summer. The original French inhabitants of Newfoundland should've really tried to be a little more creative with their place names.
Woohoo!
I've got my ride. Dave Gooseney, who I play ultimate with, is driving me all the way to Conche. He and his girlfriend seem happy to just take the weekend and go for a ride. Dave, like me, has never been up that far before. It should be a fun road trip.
I'm almost packed as well. There are a few final things I need to pick up, mostly some pots, pans and kitchen stuff, but also some tarps and art supplies. Now that I've started to put things into boxes it seems I will have less gear than I thought. That's a relief - minimalist that I am the less stuff the better. And the more stuff I have the more likely something is to go wrong anyways.
And food - well, I'm still working on that. I have a lot of grocery shopping left to do. And dehydrating. And calorie counting. But these are all things I feel are best accomplished during the week before I leave.
Two weeks from today will be my third on the island.
I'm almost packed as well. There are a few final things I need to pick up, mostly some pots, pans and kitchen stuff, but also some tarps and art supplies. Now that I've started to put things into boxes it seems I will have less gear than I thought. That's a relief - minimalist that I am the less stuff the better. And the more stuff I have the more likely something is to go wrong anyways.
And food - well, I'm still working on that. I have a lot of grocery shopping left to do. And dehydrating. And calorie counting. But these are all things I feel are best accomplished during the week before I leave.
Two weeks from today will be my third on the island.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Still looking for a ride
I'm still looking for a ride to Conche at the end of the month. I really, really don't want to have to coordinate a bus/shuttle/whatever trip with all my gear. I'd much rather just hire someone from St. John's to drive me up there.
So I am making you (yes, you!) an offer. In exchange for driving me to Conche I will pay for your gas there and back, and for a night of accommodations in Conche. You can also come with me for a day trip (or longer) to the Grey Islands. This would be a great way to start your summer vacation, and a great way to explore the Northern Peninsula and Gros Morne, not to mention a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit the Grey Islands.
I am planning on leaving around the end of June. The drive to Conche is a full day trip each way. I will have a fair amount of gear with me, but I think it could all fit into a small car, especially if there are only two or three of us.
If you're interested please let me know quickly as I need to get this sorted out asap. And if you can think of someone who might be able to take a few days off and would enjoy the adventure please send along this message to them.
So I am making you (yes, you!) an offer. In exchange for driving me to Conche I will pay for your gas there and back, and for a night of accommodations in Conche. You can also come with me for a day trip (or longer) to the Grey Islands. This would be a great way to start your summer vacation, and a great way to explore the Northern Peninsula and Gros Morne, not to mention a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit the Grey Islands.
I am planning on leaving around the end of June. The drive to Conche is a full day trip each way. I will have a fair amount of gear with me, but I think it could all fit into a small car, especially if there are only two or three of us.
If you're interested please let me know quickly as I need to get this sorted out asap. And if you can think of someone who might be able to take a few days off and would enjoy the adventure please send along this message to them.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Camping
I went camping last night on Bell Island, partly as a test for some of the new gear I've gotten in the past few weeks, and partly as a follow-up to a bicycle touring workshop I conducted last Saturday. I brought along my Spot satellite tracker to see how effectively it could trace my path. You can look at this page to see where we went on Google Maps.
I am so impressed with this "Spotcasting" feature. All you have to do is press the button and make sure Spot has a clear view of the sky. I had it strapped to the top of the stack on the back of my bike while I was riding.
I think I will try to make extensive use of this feature while I am on the Grey Islands. That way I can create a record of everywhere I go, and also ensure that people at home know where I am and that I'm doing well.
And now a few pictures from Bell Island:
A sea stack at sunset:
The new tent:
Wild strawberries:
Bird colony on a sea stack:
I am so impressed with this "Spotcasting" feature. All you have to do is press the button and make sure Spot has a clear view of the sky. I had it strapped to the top of the stack on the back of my bike while I was riding.
I think I will try to make extensive use of this feature while I am on the Grey Islands. That way I can create a record of everywhere I go, and also ensure that people at home know where I am and that I'm doing well.
And now a few pictures from Bell Island:
A sea stack at sunset:
The new tent:
Wild strawberries:
Bird colony on a sea stack:
WAM!
I was on WAM (Weekend Arts Magazine) this morning. If you would like to hear the interview you can download a podcast from the CBC website here. I was lucky to hear the interview myself - I was camping last night on Bell Island (not the Bell Island of the Grey Islands where I will be living later this summer, but the Bell Island in Conception Bay) and woke up just in time to turn on my wind-up radio and listen to myself.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Images from the islands
These are a few images I took from a Land and Sea episode about an eider duck project out on the islands. The location in these photographs is very near where I will be dropped off.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Farmer Mike?
Figuring as how I'm going to be on the islands for 60-90 days I've picked up some seeds on the miniscule chance the Grey Islands have anywhere near the appropriate combination of sunlight, water and soil to permit agriculture. This is what I've got and how many days it will supposedly take to mature:
Cress: 35
Cabbage: 55
Arugula: 35
Mesclun: 40
Spinach: 50
Mustard: 40
As I know next to nothing (perhaps less than nothing) about gardening this is all a ridiculous experiment. Anyone have any thoughts?
Cress: 35
Cabbage: 55
Arugula: 35
Mesclun: 40
Spinach: 50
Mustard: 40
As I know next to nothing (perhaps less than nothing) about gardening this is all a ridiculous experiment. Anyone have any thoughts?
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Ride?
Anyone wanna give me a ride to Conche? I still haven't decided how I'm getting there, but I'd be really happy to pay someone with a car to bring me there. All expenses paid road trip anyone?
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Bike Workshops
Just a little self-promotion - BikeShare, which is where I spend a good portion of my time, is hosting some bike workshops over the next few months. I will be teaching some of these, including the touring workshop and the one-day maintenance course. Have a look at this:
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Sprained Ankle
During a game of ultimate on Saturday I rolled my ankle badly and ended up with a classic lateral sprain. It was very painful and I ended up very much immobilized. But four days and half a dozen ibuprofen later the swelling is mostly gone and I have recovered a lot of the movement. Fortunately I made a glorious catch in the endzone on the play, so at least it wasn't for nothing.
This is a bit of a bummer though. I've got an incredible history of health - I've never broken, fractured, sprained or strained anything ever before. In fact, this is probably the worst sports related injury I've ever had in my life, which, when you consider how much ultimate, sepak takraw, street hockey, tennis and bicycling I've done in my life, is pretty remarkable. I like to tell people that I'm neither heavy enough nor strong enough to injure myself. But I suppose I will have to take it easy in the weeks leading up to my departure in order not to aggravate my ankle. I might miss the beginning of the ultimate season, and I probably shouldn't do too much hiking/biking in the next little while. I'll take the optimistic approach with this one though, and claim it as an important and timely lesson - I'm not invincible, just lucky.
This is a bit of a bummer though. I've got an incredible history of health - I've never broken, fractured, sprained or strained anything ever before. In fact, this is probably the worst sports related injury I've ever had in my life, which, when you consider how much ultimate, sepak takraw, street hockey, tennis and bicycling I've done in my life, is pretty remarkable. I like to tell people that I'm neither heavy enough nor strong enough to injure myself. But I suppose I will have to take it easy in the weeks leading up to my departure in order not to aggravate my ankle. I might miss the beginning of the ultimate season, and I probably shouldn't do too much hiking/biking in the next little while. I'll take the optimistic approach with this one though, and claim it as an important and timely lesson - I'm not invincible, just lucky.
Success!
One major hurdle has been hurdled - my bricks are sitting on a palette on Kenmount Road waiting to be shipped to Conche. It will take 3 to 4 business days for them to get there and will cost less than $500. That's a pretty sweet deal.
Ice Update
It's the end of May and I thought I should post an update on the current ice conditions. We've made some great improvements compared to six weeks ago but there is still significant ice off Newfoundland's northeast coast:
When I called Paul Bromley about 10 days ago I just happened to catch him returning from his first trip of the year over to the islands. Apparently his cabin and wharf made it through the winter without any damage, there is still snow on the islands, and there was no sign of polar bears although he did see several caribou.
When I called Paul Bromley about 10 days ago I just happened to catch him returning from his first trip of the year over to the islands. Apparently his cabin and wharf made it through the winter without any damage, there is still snow on the islands, and there was no sign of polar bears although he did see several caribou.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
There's nothing quite as romantic as the first snowfall of the summer...
An unusually warm and pleasant spring left me itching to get into the outdoors and reconsidering my decision to wait until the end of June before I head to the Grey Islands. Right on cue an end-of-May snowfall has blown in to remind me that this is Newfoundland, and that I won't be going anywhere any time soon:
Even Kennyloggins, my roommates cat, is in a state of irritated disbelief:
On the upside, I had a great day of receiving packages yesterday. My firearms Possession and Acquisition License finally arrived, along with a few boxes of books I sent myself from Regina. More importantly though, my package from MEC arrived. This included a Thermos, a new tent and groundsheet, a wind-up radio, flashlights, a sleeping bag liner, and my solar panel battery charger. Which brings me to a point: maybe I shouldn't complain about the weather too much - the snow arrived just in time to test my solar panel (which is currently trickle charging a pair of AA batteries despite the lack of any actual solar activity today) in potential Grey Islands-like conditions.
Even Kennyloggins, my roommates cat, is in a state of irritated disbelief:
On the upside, I had a great day of receiving packages yesterday. My firearms Possession and Acquisition License finally arrived, along with a few boxes of books I sent myself from Regina. More importantly though, my package from MEC arrived. This included a Thermos, a new tent and groundsheet, a wind-up radio, flashlights, a sleeping bag liner, and my solar panel battery charger. Which brings me to a point: maybe I shouldn't complain about the weather too much - the snow arrived just in time to test my solar panel (which is currently trickle charging a pair of AA batteries despite the lack of any actual solar activity today) in potential Grey Islands-like conditions.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Addresses
Remember this post? Well it turns out this probably wouldn't be such a bad idea. I am trying to figure out exactly how to ship my bricks from St. John's to Conche and it is proving to be a little tougher than I anticipated. Paul Bromley, the fisherman who is bringing me to the islands, said he'd receive the bricks for me, but when I asked him what his address was he said "Address? Just tell them to ship it Paul Bromley in Conche. Everyone here knows me anyways." I'm highly doubtful Day and Ross Shipping will be able to give me a price for Paul Bromley, Conche.
Eventually I got his mailing address out of him (a P.O. Box), but the concept of a street address seemed beyond him. I thought for a moment that Conche might not even have streets or addresses to go along with them, but then I looked it up on Google Earth and there is, apparently, more than one road in the town.
So next I called the French Shore Historical Society (where I had introduced myself a few months ago) and asked them what the deal was with shipping in the area. On the other end of the phone Joan told me that no one really knows their street address in Conche. She was, however, able to tell me that Paul lives on Stage Cove Road, and in her head she counted off seven other houses that lined the road before his. "So he must be 8 Stage Cove Road" she said. Whether this information is accurate remains to be seen, but whoever lives at 8 Stage Cove Road is about to receive 3000 pounds of firebrick.
Eventually I got his mailing address out of him (a P.O. Box), but the concept of a street address seemed beyond him. I thought for a moment that Conche might not even have streets or addresses to go along with them, but then I looked it up on Google Earth and there is, apparently, more than one road in the town.
So next I called the French Shore Historical Society (where I had introduced myself a few months ago) and asked them what the deal was with shipping in the area. On the other end of the phone Joan told me that no one really knows their street address in Conche. She was, however, able to tell me that Paul lives on Stage Cove Road, and in her head she counted off seven other houses that lined the road before his. "So he must be 8 Stage Cove Road" she said. Whether this information is accurate remains to be seen, but whoever lives at 8 Stage Cove Road is about to receive 3000 pounds of firebrick.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Update
It's been a while since my last post, but I'm not that sure I have anything exciting to report. Preparations continue at a reasonable pace: this week I'm learning to use my new GPS unit and making great headway with my food planning. New tent is on order from MEC and I just picked up a book about foraging for seaweed. My firearm Possession and Acquisition License should be coming in the mail someday soon. And I got (but haven't yet set up) my Spot device.
There are still a few logistical things that are worrisome to me. I still haven't finalized the details of shipping my bricks to Conche, although Paul Bromley says he will have no problem receiving them for me and getting them out to the islands. and I haven't yet figured out how I'm getting myself to Conche, but my roommate's friend Jordan tells me he might have to drive to Roddickton in June for work. That'd be more than ideal, but I haven't actually talked to him about it yet cause he doesn't seem to answer his phone.
There are still a few logistical things that are worrisome to me. I still haven't finalized the details of shipping my bricks to Conche, although Paul Bromley says he will have no problem receiving them for me and getting them out to the islands. and I haven't yet figured out how I'm getting myself to Conche, but my roommate's friend Jordan tells me he might have to drive to Roddickton in June for work. That'd be more than ideal, but I haven't actually talked to him about it yet cause he doesn't seem to answer his phone.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Urban Wildlife
Fort Amherst is one of my favourite places in St. John's. I try to go over there at least once a week while the weather is nice. It's a decrepit crumbling mess, but I love it. Every now and then something amazing happens while I'm there. Last summer I saw a seal playing in the water. And last fall I saw a weasel there - it came right next to me, literally centimetres from my feet, and glared up at me.
I'm not sure why I decided to go to Signal Hill tonight instead of Fort Amherst as I had planned. I wanted to test my bear bangers and when I left the house I just went east instead of west. But I had a nice walk out along the cliffs and found a quiet spot to make a racket. I shot off one banger. It did what it was supposed to do - it shot straight up in the air and made a big noise. It was a calm night so the echo of the shot rumbled along the cliffs like thunder. The banger actually put off quite the show, so I thought better of setting off a flare so close to the city, and I packed up my gear and turned to walk home. Then, out of nowhere, a fox lunged out of the bushes and ran towards me!
Coming at me through the darkness it scared the daylights out of me first, but when I yelled it stopped in its tracks. It was just curious, and so was I. We played a sort of game of hide and seek for the next 20 minutes, and it came within 3 metres several times. It followed me most of the way back towards my bike, and probably would've kept following me if I hadn't deliberately scared it away before I got back to The Battery.
This is an interesting situation. Not only did the banger fail to scare away this (harmless) predator, but I think the noise actually attracted it. How's it going to work on a polar bear?
I'm not sure why I decided to go to Signal Hill tonight instead of Fort Amherst as I had planned. I wanted to test my bear bangers and when I left the house I just went east instead of west. But I had a nice walk out along the cliffs and found a quiet spot to make a racket. I shot off one banger. It did what it was supposed to do - it shot straight up in the air and made a big noise. It was a calm night so the echo of the shot rumbled along the cliffs like thunder. The banger actually put off quite the show, so I thought better of setting off a flare so close to the city, and I packed up my gear and turned to walk home. Then, out of nowhere, a fox lunged out of the bushes and ran towards me!
Coming at me through the darkness it scared the daylights out of me first, but when I yelled it stopped in its tracks. It was just curious, and so was I. We played a sort of game of hide and seek for the next 20 minutes, and it came within 3 metres several times. It followed me most of the way back towards my bike, and probably would've kept following me if I hadn't deliberately scared it away before I got back to The Battery.
This is an interesting situation. Not only did the banger fail to scare away this (harmless) predator, but I think the noise actually attracted it. How's it going to work on a polar bear?
Progress
A few things of note this week:
I went and had another visit with Renee and Duncan Finlayson, my sailor friends. I borrowed their food dehydrator and have my first load of apples, onions and garlic drying right now. I guess the apples will end up tasting like garlic, but this is just a test batch to see how the whole system works.
Also, I picked up my bear bangers and flares from The Outfitters today. Later this evening I'm going to run over to Fort Amherst to shoot a few off. I need to know how to use these things before I need to use them. Funny story - the guy who sold them to me said "You should buy as many of these as you can afford, because you're going to be bored out of your fucking mind out there alone for three months."
There are a few things that I've been avoiding getting into that I'm going to have to deal with this week. My transportation to and from Conche, and shipping my bricks and other gear to the islands. These necessary logistics are not the fun part.
I went and had another visit with Renee and Duncan Finlayson, my sailor friends. I borrowed their food dehydrator and have my first load of apples, onions and garlic drying right now. I guess the apples will end up tasting like garlic, but this is just a test batch to see how the whole system works.
Also, I picked up my bear bangers and flares from The Outfitters today. Later this evening I'm going to run over to Fort Amherst to shoot a few off. I need to know how to use these things before I need to use them. Funny story - the guy who sold them to me said "You should buy as many of these as you can afford, because you're going to be bored out of your fucking mind out there alone for three months."
There are a few things that I've been avoiding getting into that I'm going to have to deal with this week. My transportation to and from Conche, and shipping my bricks and other gear to the islands. These necessary logistics are not the fun part.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Blogs
Here are some fun blogs (art and otherwise) I try to keep on top of:
General St. John's going's on's:
http://signalblog.ca/
Extreme Craft:
http://extremecraft.typepad.com/
Not really a blog, but an online journal thingy:
http://www.shotgun-review.ca/
News from the world of ceramics:
http://musingaboutmud.blogspot.com/
What the fuck is Dude Craft?
http://www.dudecraft.com/
Bicycle art project:
http://cowride2009.blogspot.com/
Fellow adventurers:
http://tierraymarnl.com/
General St. John's going's on's:
http://signalblog.ca/
Extreme Craft:
http://extremecraft.typepad.com/
Not really a blog, but an online journal thingy:
http://www.shotgun-review.ca/
News from the world of ceramics:
http://musingaboutmud.blogspot.com/
What the fuck is Dude Craft?
http://www.dudecraft.com/
Bicycle art project:
http://cowride2009.blogspot.com/
Fellow adventurers:
http://tierraymarnl.com/
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
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