Back to Work

Margarit decided to head back to the city on the afternoon of December 31st.  I spent New Year's Eve by myself at the cottage.  I headed into town in the afternoon, with all my gear, to play outside hockey.  The local volunteers made a big deal of it, and played the national anthem, and set off some fireworks in advance of all the players hitting the ice.  I arrived shortly after the festivities to find that the rink was overrun.  There were at least two dozen little kids on the ice, plus a handful of old guys standing around on the sidelines.  It seemed that a serious hockey game was not to be, so myself and the other adults conceded the ice to the kids.  I took off my skates and headed back to the cottage.  There I watched the Work Junior Hockey Championships on TV and had some leftovers for dinner.  My friend Eric came over for a brief visit and we watched the Oilers game on TV for a while and toasted the occasion with a beer.  He headed back to his place around 10:00, and I stayed up until midnight and saw the calendar turn the page.

On New Year's Day I got up and had a shower, breakfast and my morning coffee.  Then I headed over to the guest cottage and went to work.  I started by setting up my router to cut rabbets and dadoes into the plywood cabinet panels that I had previously cut up.  Of course I fucked up the first one I cut, and of course that was the bottom panel, that had plastic laminate on it.  So I carried on with the rest of the panels including the sides, the back, and the intermediate shelves.  Then I cut a new piece of plywood for the floor and contact cemented a new piece of laminate to it.  After that I proceeded to paint all of the panels with the pastel blue paint that I am finishing with.  I'm not sure if I'll get a chance to start assembling all the pieces this time around, but it will be on my agenda next time.

1979 Yamaha Enticer 300

It was a bit like musical chairs, but I finally got the snowmobiles going.  I had to put a new battery into one of our ATV's.  Once I did that I was able to start it and move it out of the garage... along with the other more regularly used one.  Then I was able to eventually get both snowmobiles started and moved them out.  The ATV's went back in first, and then the snowmobiles behind them.  This will allow us to access the snowmobiles through the winter months.  Right now we have some snow, but conditions are not ideal.  We got about 5mm on rain on Boxing Day, which in combination with the +8 temperatures, put a heavy crust on the snow.  Despite that, the girls and I got both of the snow machines out for a spin.  This includes the old 1979 Yamaha that I restored a few years ago.

The engine and the carb were rebuilt, the seat was reupholstered, and the skis and the windshield replaced.  It was a little hard starting as the fuel remaining in it was old, and it had only been started once over the summer.  But eventually she fired and Hailey and her little sister took her out for a spin....!

Abraham Lake

On December 29th Margarit and Hank and I took a spin up to Abraham Lake.  It was sunny and mild at the cottage, but as is usually the case, the winds were much stronger by the time we got up to the lake.  They were gale force at Windy Point, and it calmed down just a little as we got further west.  There were a lot of tourists out exploring the lake and looking for ice bubbles.  I've become rather crotchety in my old age and have less than zero tolerance for having other people around.  I look forward to January when the holidays are over, and it will be quieter out here in the front ranges.

We took Hank for a walk down to the lake.  While we were in the shelter of the shoreline trees it was fairly pleasant, but as soon as we got out in the open, the wind was pretty intense.  It was bearable given the fact that the temperature was near the freezing point, but large format photography was impossible to consider.  The water level in the reservoir had dropped a bit from where it was the last time I was here.  And the winds had swept away most of the snow that was previously covering the ice.

On the way back to the cottage we made a side trip over to the Bighorn Dam.  Margarit had never been here before so it was an opportunity for her to check it out.  The wind here was about the same.  We soon made our way back to the cottage and as soon as we got away from the lake, the winds subsided and it was a lot more pleasant.

Happy New Year

2022 was a pretty good year... all things considered.   The Covid pandemic seems to be largely behind us, at least for now.  People are still getting sick, but for the most part the infections are mild.  Hopefully we do not see a new variant in 2023, and life can continue to return to normal... whatever that is.

My girls are doing well in school and are beginning to think about post secondary education, at least in the case of the two older girls.  Many of the struggles with anxiety and attendance seem to be behind them.

Margarit and I are beginning to be able to spend more couples time together.  We made two trips in 2022... to Saskatchewan in the summer and to Crowsnest Pass in the fall.  In between that we managed to get out to the cottage on our own a couple of times.

Hank became part of our family this year and we are all really enjoying having the little trouble maker around.

Personally I have been able to get seriously involved in a couple of photography projects... Apparitions and the Beer Parlor Project.  My friends and I also managed a couple of shows for the Coal in Alberta Project, and I was involved in a couple of exhibitions with the Society of Canadian Artists.

Although I didn't find much time for watercolor painting, or fly-fishing, I did get a lot of work accomplished in the guest cottage, and took up golf.

Despite the political issues in our province and our country... not to mention all the local political issues at the municipal level... and the concerns about high inflation... I think that 2022 was a pretty good year.  I look forward to even better in 2023.

Life with Hank

Hank was born on a farm near Bluffton on June 15th.  We got him when he was eight weeks old... in mid August.  Since then he has become part of the family.   I really didn't want another pet, but the girls badgered me until I finally gave in.  I agreed to let them get the dog on four conditions...  I got to choose him from the litter... I got to name him... I did not have to clean up after him... and I did not have to walk him.  So far it has mostly worked out.

Hank was part of a litter of eight.  When we went into the pen where all the puppies were contained on that hot August afternoon, he came right up to me and sat in my lap.  Rather strange, considering that to this day he will not come when he is called...!  I named him Hank Yarbo, after the town doofus in the television series Corner Gas.

He is now about 6-1/2 months old, and has been showing a lot of personality.  He is a very intelligent dog, and is beginning to become trained.  He is mostly house trained, but still has an occasional accident.  He was about 8 pounds when we got him, and was 13-1/2 pounds a few weeks ago.  We haven't weighed him recently but I'll be he's close to 15 now.  He still has a little growing left to go, but is almost as big as he is going to get.  He is quite short and stocky, but very muscular.  An added bonus is that he does not shed... at all...!  He is part Jack Russell Terrier and part Cairn Terrier.

He loves to play and still chews every toy to bits... in no time flat.  The squeaker out of any dog toy is extricated with surgical precision within minutes.  He has way more energy than any of us, and it is a challenge to keep him occupied.  He responds to his name, but does not come when called.  So, we can not let him loose off of his leash yet.  This is one of the things we will really need to work on in the coming months.  It would be nice if he could be trusted to just wander around the property at Nordegg on his own.  At this point in time he can not.  He recently demonstrated this in the city as he got away from Margarit and ran into busy traffic... nearly getting hit by a car.

He also gave us a scare early on when he consumed half of an ibuprofen tablet that had fallen on the floor.  This resulted in an expensive trip to the emergency vet and a whole bunch of meds to protect his intestinal tract until the tablet passed.

He has a very unique personality, and does not like a lot of affection... at least not for long.  He will tolerate and enjoy a little, but then he will get up and walk away.  I'm not quite sure if he hates my guitar playing, or is just trying to sing along with me.  Either way it's pretty funny....

The little jerk chewed his harness off when he was at my Mom's place on Christmas Eve.  And then yesterday, out at the cottage, we had him tied up so that he wouldn't bother the rabbits, and he chewed his leash off.  It is obvious that the next six months are going to be challenging.... hopefully after that he settles down a little...

Wild Horses

The three girls went back to the city on December 27th.  We were a little concerned about the road conditions, as it had been raining on Boxing Day.  But, at the time of their drive the temperature remained warm enough that the road was just wet.  They made it back home to the city without issue.  Margarit and I stayed out at the cottage.

On Wednesday the 28th I played outside hockey on the rink in town.  It was a beautiful evening with the temperature around -2.  We had a good turnout, with two goaltenders and about a dozen skaters, and I ended up playing for almost three hours.

On the 29th, Margarit and I took a drive down the David Thompson Highway to Abraham Lake.  On the way we came upon the group of wild horses.  There are several herds in our area and we come across them from time to time....

Hank

We got Hank in August.  I wanted to get a few pictures of him while he was very young... only about 8 weeks old at this point.  It is very challenging to shoot an energetic puppy with a large format view camera.  But I gave it shot.  I tried a couple of sheets of color film, including this one.  This was Kodak Ektar 100 4" x 5" film, which I accidentally underexposed at 160 iso.  This was because I was also taking another shot with some Portra 160 film and forgot to make the switch.  I shot this with my Ebony SV45TE view camera and a 400mm lens.  The exposure was F16.0 and 1/8 second.  I lucked out and caught Hank in a brief moment when he held moderately still....to this day not a very common occurrence. 

Flooded Aspens

The water level in Abraham Lake was as high as I have ever seen it this year.  I was out there shooting with my 4x5 view camera in the fall, and found that the reservoir had engulfed groves of aspen trees all along the shoreline.  Mostly I was shooting black and white film but decided to try one color negative of this scene.  There was some nice color in the water, and a little fall color in the leaves.  This one was taken on Kodak Portra 160VC color negative film with my Ebony SV45TE view camera and a Fujinon 250mm lens.  I used a Cokin Blue/Orange color polarizer to enhance the colors a little.

Christmas on Boxing Day

We spent Christmas Eve at my Mom's house in Edmonton.  I went there early in the day and stuffed the turkey, put it in the oven to roast, and later started the potatoes.  Everyone else showed up later, when the turkey was almost ready.  They brought a bunch of other stuff and made it like a pot luck, so that Mom didn't have to cook.  My brother Greg and his family were able to make it, and keep our Christmas Eve tradition alive.  My brother Wes from Calgary was unable to make it, but will get together with Mom on Boxing Day.

The girls and I packed up and hit the road for the cottage on Christmas Day.  It was quite the ordeal as all the pets, all the gifts and a whole bunch of groceries had to come along.  We took three separate vehicles as we have to head home at different times.  Hailey was originally scheduled to work Boxing Day but that got cancelled and she is off work until December 28th.

After we arrived at the cottage we unpacked everything and got the pets settled in.  We had Anna's three rabbits... Simba, Goggles and Willow... and Hailey's rabbit... Joey... and Helena's Two Skinny Pigs... Bert and Miss P... and of course we now have Hank the dog as well.  It is quite the menagerie.

I brought in the Christmas Tree that Margarit and I cut a week prior, and the girls decorated it.  We visited and had some snacks through the evening and put all the gifts out under the tree.

On Boxing Day, the girls got up early and we had our gift opening.  It was pretty low key since the girls got some larger gifts in advance of Christmas.  Anna got an electronic drum kit, and Hailey and Helena got an AirBnB rental in Vancouver, for a trip they will make in the spring.  Helena's gift from Hailey was concert tickets to see some guy named Louis Tomlinson... in Vancouver...

During the day on Boxing Day our friends Court and Sandra dropped by for a short visit.  They were on their way to Lake Louise for a family Christmas of their own and stopped in for a coffee.  About that time it got really warm, and started to rain.  The temperature peaked at +8C... a far cry from the -40 without the wind chill, that was recorded out here on December 21st...!!

In the evening we had Christmas dinner.  The girls didn't want turkey a second time, so we had Prime Rib with Yorkshire Pudding, mashed potatoes, and creamed Brussels Sprouts.  After dinner we watched an old movie together, and then settled down for the night.  A very enjoyable family Christmas spent with the girls...!!

Pasque Flowers

I was wandering around in the badlands of the Red Deer River Valley in early May of 2022.  Mostly I was trying to shoot some of the badland formations in Black and White.  When I found these flowers blooming I decided they were worthy of a color shot.  These are Prairie Crocus', also known as Pasque Flowers.  I believe they are the provincial flower of Manitoba.  They are very early bloomers and sometimes can be found pushing up through a late spring snow.  I shot this on Kodak Ektar 100 color negative film with my Ebony SV45TE 4" x 5" view camera.  I used a 125mm lens with no filter.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to everyone, and all the best in 2023.  Thanks to those that continue to visit my blog and put up with some of the nonsense that I post.  I look forward to spending some time with my family in the coming days, and hope that everyone has an opportunity to do the same.  Christmas Eve was spent with part of my family... the first time we have physically been together since before Covid.  It was nice to return to the old traditions.  

Dead Cottonwood

I've shot this dead Cottonwood a number of times.  I like the way the silver wood stands out against the living background.  I also shot this one in Black and White, but thought that the colorful fall foliage deserved s color shot.  So I exposed a sheet of Kodak Ektar 100 color negative film.  This was taken in September of 2021.  I used my Ebony SV45TU view camera and a long 240mm lens.  A Cokin Blue/Orange color polarizer was used to enhance the fall colors a little.

Green Doors

This is a scan of a 4x5 Color negative.  I processed this one myself using my Jobo Processor.  I took this shot in September of 2021, and used my Ebony SV45TU view camera and a 90mm lens.  I had to crawl into this old house through an open window... but we had the permission of the landowner to photograph at the property.

Hillcrest Aspen Trunks

Here's one of the recently processed 4x5 color transparencies.  I shot this in October of 2021, when my friend Fred and I were traveling to Crowsnest Pass.  We dropped off our prints for the "Coal in Alberta" show at the Crowsnest Pass Art Gallery.  Afterwards we spent a couple of days shooting in the area.  It was cool, and there was not much fall color left, but we managed a few photographs.

This one was taken on Fuji Velvia 100 4" x 5" with my Ebony view camera and a 300mm lens.  These trunks were just in behind the big cement kilns at Lime City... not far from Hillcrest Mines.

Oh Christmas Tree...!

It was cold in Nordegg on Sunday December 18th.  Margarit and I decided that we would head back to the city, with plans to return with the girls over the holidays.  Before leaving we took a drive and cut a ditch spruce for a Christmas Tree.  We left it outside by the cottage and will bring it in and decorate it when we return over the holidays.  This one passed inspection unlike the Charlie Brown tree that I cut last year.  We hit the road at about 2:00 in the afternoon and made it back to the city by around 6:00.

The forecast for the next three or four days is calling for bitter cold temperatures.  At Nordegg the night time lows are forecast to be near -40C.  This is one of the reasons why we decided to head home earlier than originally planned.  Back in Edmonton it will be slightly warmer... but not much.  We will spend the week catching up some chores around home and preparing for Christmas.

On Monday I returned the rental truck that I had been using and picked up mine from the body shop.  The hail damage is all repaired now.  I really missed not having heated seats, a heated steering wheel, and a remote starter.