Our trip out

So we headed out of the community for our first holiday in a year. We left June 16th and returned July 19th. We spent most of that time on Vancouver Island and then a bit in Edmonton as well as a quick weekend in Dawson Creek. Our time on the island was a hoot! First off, we both got laser eye surgery and can now see without glasses! Life is grand! Then we did a week of camping with my folks at China Creek and went out salmon fishing everyday. We also went to my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary and it ended up being quite the family gathering. We also went on a nice 2 day boat trip up the north end of the island. We enjoyed going to restaurants after not seeing one for a year, as well as shopping! After almost 5 weeks though, I was quite happy to return home to my house, kitties, and remaining summer vacation! I cannot seem to find my other disk with pictures on it, but I will keep looking! But here are a few that I did track down.


Here is just one of the many rubbermaids of fish we hauled in!

This is the marina at China Creek. I am pretty sure there were more people in this campground than there are up here in Kugluktuk!

Here is my grandpa holding up a couple of nice Spring Salmon.

And here is my wonderful husband holding up just one of the salmon he caught!

My missing roll of film....

Well I had misplaced a roll of film in my house and found it just before we went on vacation! So here are some pictures from there. You will all be happy to know that I have just received my first digital camera! I got a canon rebel. It sure does look spiffy, but I am not so good with gadgets unless it is my meat grinder! Anyone out there who is a pro, please send some tips my way!


A great storm blew into town in late April or early May- I cannot remember already! It was wonderful. It snowed and the wind blew all weekend. Before this we could already walk on gravel on the roads! Here the RCMP are stuck on a main road. The snow at least 3 feet deep and hard. A front end loader ended up pulling the boys out.

This is from the same storm. Matt is trying to walk out of our driveway, but the picture just doesn't do the scene justice! The drift is over 4 feet and was so hard! So we spent the day driving over it and over it with the skidoos to break it down. Gee, life is so rough!!

Here it is folks- my pride and joy! The shiny gadget is my 1 horsepower meat grinder straight from eBay. Can you believe I got a 66lb crate shipped here for only $87 from California! One day the Americans will catch on, but for now I will keeping taking advantage! The stuff on the tables is muskox and caribou hamburger jerky. I was smoking and dehydrating it. Super tasty!

Here is Matt with our table full of goodies! There is my caribou and a quarter of muskox that was given to us. We made lots of meat treats and I still have some ground Boo in the freezer that I will be making homemade sausage from very soon!

Here I am- head butcher! My mom taught me well on the farm in northern BC on moose and deer. The caribou is a wee bit smaller than the moose I am used to though! Oh! See those cupboards in the back? Well we have new ones coming up on the barge! A whole new kitchen is coming and flooring! Oh the excitement! I can hardly wait the next month until it all arrives!

Here is my amazing assistant! He is holding up the foot of a muskox!

This is a great picture I took from the side window of my house after the same storm from the pictures above.

So my mother is a seamstress. I always said I would never, ever, no way in hell take up sewing. Well mom gave me a sewing machine for my birthday a couple of years ago and what do you know.... its not that bad! Here I am with my first creation! It is a packing shirt that I made for a friend who will soon deliver her third child. Up in the north, babies are laid on an adults back and tied in with a packing shirt. The babe sits there quite warm and comfortable leaving the adults arms free to drive the skidoo or do shopping. I have an orange pillow on my back- yep, no kids yet- just the cats.