Ten and Ten equals Twenty

When I got up in Nordegg on the morning on Thursday October 14th it was very cold.  The skies had cleared overnight and the stars were phenomenal before the sun came up.  As day broke I noticed that there was much of the snow that fell last night, still on the ground.  We got about half an inch or so.  The temperature was -10C, so nothing was melting.  By lunch time the sun had really warmed things up, and into the early afternoon the temperature rose to +10C.  A difference of 20 degrees in about six hours.  Conditions sure are extreme here in the mountains at this time of year.

Once it had warmed up a bit I worked for a few hours in the guest cottage.  I got the electrical rough in done just about as far as I can go.  I did apply for my electrical permit this morning, and hope to get the rough in work inspected in the next week or two.  Once that happens I will be able to start insulating.

The next night it didn't get nearly as cold... only down to about +2C.  During the day the temperature again rose to +10C.  It was a very nice day but without the extremes of the day before.  I got an earlier start due to the milder temperatures and spent the day working on the guest cottage.  I have almost all of the electrical rough in done now.  I realized I used the wrong type of wire in the circuit of the smoke detectors, and will have to change that.  But I did get more than half of the home runs routed back to the panel, and most of the wire and boxes are on for the remaining circuits.  It won't take long to finish up now...!

I decided to stay in Nordegg for one extra day, and put in a few more hours on the electrical rough in.  I got one more home run routed back to the panel.  And I got the wire for the smoke detectors changed over to the proper one.  I ran a cable to the second exterior yard light, and tied in some of the boxes in the bathroom and the living room.  There really is not much left to go.  

Installed

The "Coal in Alberta" show is now open at the Crowsnest Pass Public Gallery.  The gallery is located in Frank, just a short distance away from the Frank Slide Interpretive Center.  Unfortunately I was not able to stay in Crowsnest Pass long enough to see the show installed.  But my friend and collaborator, Fred, was able to stay in the area for a couple of extra days.  He saw the show once it had been installed and advised that it looked really good.  He took a bunch of snapshots of the installation and sent them to me.  I have attached them below.

The Artist Statement for the show goes like this...

C O A L   I N   A L B E R T A

A journey to obsolescence

 

Over the span of the last 140 years, carbon, in all its forms and for good or evil, has irremediably been linked to the economic and social fibre of Alberta. Indigenous peoples knew of it for 12,000 years, but it was not until the 1700s that references to coal appeared in European journals.  Those Europeans who came and stayed, knew the significance of coal.  Coal is fairly ubiquitous as a mineral in this province.  It was mined in many places and until the early 1950s it commanded the energy landscape.  It heated our homes, powered our railroads, and provided power to an expanding electrical grid.  Thereafter, it was replaced by oil and gas for transportation and heating, but it had retained its importance for power generation and industrial processes.

Oil and gas have been the principal energy industry, largely taking the place of coal in Alberta for much of the past sixty years.   The carbon-based economy and livelihood, as we knew it, is now subject to continuous debate on economic and environmental terms.  A low carbon future for the western world is what many see as "The Future," and they believe Alberta is out of step. Rightly or wrongly, this view is widely held.

Concerning coal, on the one hand Alberta has tried to adapt.  The former government mandated a transition away from thermal coal to other inputs for power generation: natural gas, wind and solar.  Alberta's power generating companies are already well ahead of the mandated schedule for this transition.   Surprisingly, existing mines in the eastern slopes are exporting thermal coal.  So, despite the government mandate, thermal coal is not entirely on the way out. 

Then, there is the other hand.  In 1976, policy was adopted that prevented or very severely limited any coal mining in the foothills and on the eastern slopes of the Rockies.  The area was considered to be too ecologically important to allow it to be spoiled by mining.  Some mining continued, but essentially at existing operating sites.  More than four decades later, without public consultation or notice, the 1976 policy was rescinded.  In the Spring of 2020, it was announced that new permits for mining in the foothills and on the eastern slopes would be considered by the provincial government.  As soon as the change in policy was announced, the provincial outcry was loud, sustained, and widely based.  The government has heard and recently reversed the 2020 decision.  Public consultation is to occur but at the time of this writing there are no details yet.  The outcome is uncertain.

Public interest in the future of energy in the province is at an unprecedented level.  In the case of coal, there is both general support for the transition away from thermal use for power generation and demonstrable progress toward meeting this goal. For metallurgical coal, a strong level of opposition to expansion into the foothills and the eastern slopes persists.  All parties await the consultation process that the government has promised. 

Enter the Monochrome Guild.  The Guild is a group of film-based photographers founded in Edmonton twenty years ago.  The processes we use to create our art predate Albertans' use of these carbon resources by some thirty years.  A small collective within our group have been working since 2015, to document both what remains of the coal industry of the past and contrast it with that of today, and possibly tomorrow.  

For us, what started as an ideal subject to demonstrate our art form has taken on a much broader emphasis - current affairs.  Art may have a wider emphasis in society than its creators first anticipated.  This may well apply here; the viewers will decide.

Our exhibition attempts to illustrate the past history of the coal industry in Alberta.  We have also chosen to include some pieces that present the impact and scope of the modern industry.  The monochrome print perfectly showcases the look and feel of what one imagines the coal industry to be like.  The grit and coarseness and the dark and black mood of some of the work is intended to reflect the artist's interpretation of the industry.  Historically it was a very difficult existence for the men and women that dedicated their lives and well-being to an industry and a resource that was both demanding and sometimes deadly.  A walk through a cemetery in any of the old mining towns paints a grim picture.  Many lives were shortened by hardship, health issues and accidents and this is demonstrated in our interpretation of these memorials. Yet the dream of prosperity proved irresistible, and the industry forged ahead undeterred. 

Our exhibit also touches on the present, and hints at what the future might bring.  It is our goal to present some realistic visual direction as to where we have come from, and where we may be going.  Our artists demonstrate the hardship and the costs of the industry in both human and environmental terms.  Certainly, coal provided a huge benefit to society, but our work reveals the true toll it has taken.

Our belief is that a return to coal mining in Alberta is destined to repeat the past and create the same issues and impacts, for what many deem to be, diminishing returns. It is our intention to sway the viewer to recognize the importance of the upcoming decisions and make the right choices for the future of our province.  One thing is certain: The future of coal in Alberta has placed our society at a crossroads. It is our hope that this exhibition will stimulate some meaningful reflection and consideration on this important matter.  

Only traditional black and white film methods are used to create the pieces to be displayed.  The use of old techniques and chemistry stand in perfect harmony with the history of coal. Since the evolution of digital photography, many people may have forgotten or may not even know what is required to produce a traditional black and white silver gelatin print.  The photographer visualizes the image he wishes to create.  The photograph is taken, and the film developed by the artist, resulting in a negative.  The process continues in the darkroom where the the negative is used to create an image on light sensitive paper. Success is defined as a print which both conveys the artist's initial visualization and is also technically perfect.  Prints that meet both these criteria are the basis of this photographic exhibit. 

The Monochrome Guild

FB, NG, AP, RP, CS.

Day Two in Crowsnest

On the morning of Wednesday October 13th I checked out of my hotel room in Coleman.  I didn't get up all that early, as it is too dark and too cold to do much photography in the morning at this late point in the season.  All of the construction workers booked out of the hotel earlier than I did, so I was able to pull my truck up close to load up all my gear.

I headed over the to the Tim Hortons in Blairmore and met Fred there for a morning coffee.  It was a lot warmer than the -13C that had been experienced the morning before.  It was actually a couple of degrees above freezing, but it was heavily overcast with no sun, and there was still a rather brisk breeze.  

We decided to head back over to Lime City, where we had left off the evening before.  The skies were not as clear, but there was a soft diffuse light.  We spent a couple of hours photographing here.  Once again I shot with both my 4x5 and 8x10.  I also visually explored some aspen trees that were still clinging to the last of the fall color.  I'm hopeful that the soft subdued light might yield a good negative.

After we finished up here, we headed over to the old tipple at Bellevue.  I believe this tipple belonged to the Monarch Mine, and I'm told that it suffered a fire at one point.  It is now heavily vandalized and almost every accessible surface is covered with graffiti.  It is quite a bit worse in  recent years and the change is obvious from when I first photographed here about nine years ago.

The light was not great, and the breeze rather unpleasant.  So I decided to head for home.  Fred and I said our goodbyes and I hit the highway for the drive back to Nordegg.  Fred was planning on staying in the valley for at least another day or two and continuing with some photography.  The forecast was calling for improved conditions, so hopefully he is able to accomplish something.

It was shortly after 12:00 noon when I hit the road, and I made it to Rocky Mountain House by about 4:30.  I passed through showers and drizzle almost all the way back, and never really saw the sun.  I made a quick stop at the Co-op Building Center in Rocky and picked up a few electrical supplies.  It was right around 6:00PM when I rolled back in to the cottage.  I passed through more rain and drizzle on the drive out on the David Thompson Highway, but no new snow.  Moments after I arrived back at the cottage it started to snow, and for a while was coming down quite heavily.

I plan on continuing with some electrical rough in for a day or two, so hopefully the weather improves overnight.

Down to Crowsnest

On Tuesday morning, right after Thanksgiving, I got up early and got ready to blast down to Crowsnest Pass.  The girls had all headed back to the city on Thanksgiving Monday.

I was up at 5:30AM.  I made a lunch for myself, packed up my cameras, gathered an overnight bag and hit the road.  The prints for the Coal show were still in the truck.  It was about 7:30AM when I locked up the cottage and hit the road.

I took Highway 22 all the way down.  This is a beautiful scenic drive that goes from Rocky Mountain House, to Caroline, Sundre, Cochrane, Bragg Creek, Turner Valley, Black Diamond and down to Lundbreck.  It was -10C when I left Nordegg and Fred tells me that down in Crowsnest it was even colder, at -13C.  There was snow in places along the way, and other areas had a heavy hoar frost.  There was fresh snow on the peaks to the west, that I followed all the way south.  The tamaracks were in full golden color in many places along the way.  

I arrived at the Crowsnest Pass Public Art Gallery at about twenty minutes after noon.  Fred showed up and met me there a few minutes later.  He had traveled down from Edmonton the day before.  We met up with the curator of the gallery and unloaded all of our prints for the show.  She is going to take the next few days and install everything.  Fred was planning to stay in the area for a few days so it was hoped that he would get to see all the prints after they get installed.

With that off of our plate we decided to spend the afternoon doing some shooting.  We went down into the town of Coleman to start.  The whole valley is now referred to as the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass, but back in the days of coal mining, it consisted of a string of little towns along the river, each with its own mine.  There was Burmis, Lundbreck. Bellevue, Hillcrest, Frank, Blarimore, Coleman, and probably a few other small ones.  There are quite a few historic buildings still left in Coleman, so this was where we started.  I think there is more remaining in this town because the mine here was one of the last to close.  

Some of our images that were taken in full sun look very warm and pleasant.  But in fact conditions were rather challenging.  There was a clear mountain light, but the temperature only got up to about 5 or 6 degrees above freezing, and there was a brisk wind out of the west.  It reminded me that winter shooting conditions will soon be upon us.

We photographed the old Roxy Theatre, the Morrison Block, the Italian Hall and the Cameron School.  I shot with both my 4x5 and my 8x10 cameras.  Some of the old buildings, like one of the mine offices, and the old firehall, have been converted to private residences.  Later we scouted around for a while.  We took a drive on a side road through all the rubble of the Frank Slide.  This was the largest rockslide in Canadian History, and the face of Turtle Mountain came down and buried the river, the railroad, and the town of Frank.  It is rather ironic that just a couple of miles to the east the Hillcrest Mine Explosion was the largest Mining Disaster in Canadian History.  Both occured over a century ago in the early 1900's.

Fred and I took a few photographs among the rubble and then moved on to Lime City.

This historic site just beyond the landslide consists of three large kilns.  Limestone from the rock slide was pulverized and baked in the kilns to make cement, and dust suppression for the coal mines.  By the time we got here the light was fading and we didn't do much in the way of photography.

We headed over to a small pub in Coleman and had something to eat.  Fortunately the place was not crowded, and the staff were checking for ID and vaccination status.  We felt fairly safe there.  After dinner Fred headed back to his hotel in Blairmore.  I headed over and checked in to the hotel that I had reserved in Coleman.  It was very busy and almost all the rooms were full.  So much so that I had to park my truck almost a block away.  Seems a bunch of construction workers were staying there but they were all asleep early and gone first thing in the morning.

Infrared

In early October I processed two batches of Infrared film.  This was all Kodak High Speed Infrared, in 4" x 5" sheet format.  Kodak stopped making this film in the late 1990's, and the last batches had expiry dates in 2000 and 2001.  I still have quite a bit of this film in my freezer, but I'm not sure how much longer I can keep using it.  Most of the images were fairly badly fogged.  I suppose this is to be expected, given that the film expired 20 years ago.

I think part of the issue is that I leave this film lying around too long.  I load film holders and then sometimes don't get around to shooting the film for a year or two.  If it is stored in my basement until I get around to shooting it, that's probably not too bad.  But some of it ends up riding around in my camera bag for weeks or months at a time, sometimes during very hot weather.  Then the exposed film sits in my fridge, sometimes for extended periods of time, before I get around to processing it.

In an effort to make something of the sheets that I have left, I'm going to change my ways.  I won't load the film into holders until just a day or so before I intend to shoot it.  It will be loaded right from the freezer, and the holders will be stored there until I venture out on a shoot.  And, I'll make a point of shooting a little more of it, and processing it promptly when I get ten or more exposed sheets.  This time around some of the exposed film dates back to 2017.

The ten scans below are the ones, out of those batches of 40 sheets, that turned out with the least amount of fogging.  Hopefully I can do a little better with the sheets that I have left.

Rough In

Over the Thanksgiving weekend I spent a few hours every day, working in the guest cottage.  The weather was not great, and it was rather cold at times, but I'm hoping to be able to get things to the point that I can insulate the building, and work inside a little over the winter months.

The first step is to get all the electrical roughed in and inspected.  Once that is done, then I can insulate.  With insulation is place I should be able to set up some temporary heat and work inside on milder days.

I managed to get almost all of the electrical boxes installed.  There are few on the exterior, that I can not cut in until the siding is on.

I struggle to understand electrical wiring, even though I helped my friend Rob when he wired our main cottage for us.  I understand just enough to be dangerous... I think.

I will need to get someone that understands electrical better than I do, to help me with the rough in.  But, I want to do as much as I can in the meantime.  The more that I can get roughed in, the less I will need help with later.  As it is late in the season and I am up against winter weather, I can't wait forever.  So, I strung as much of the wire as I could.  I ran standard cable from receptacle to receptacle within the same circuit.  I also ran cable from switches to light fixtures.  I did not attempt any of the "home run" supply lines as I'm not sure of the best location to tie in to a circuit.  I also left alone any circuits with two way switches, or higher load supply.  By Thanksgiving Monday I had done just about all that I can.  There are a couple more runs of wire that I can put in, and then I need to look to getting some help.  In the meantime I will apply for my electrical permit.  That way, as soon as things get finished up, I can get an inspection done and start on insulation.