Be resourceful

One thing you have to learn when you are working remotely in the north is to be resourceful.  I have been given the task of setting up a geotechnical lab here just out side of Tuk as it is affectionately known. I have an ability to use things for my purpose that were not originally intended for that purpose and it comes in very handy.  They are a little embarrassing to see sometime but it is all about getting things done.  I will share a few of those as we go along.  To the contractors credit they have done a very commendable job by providing a large trailer with heat lights, running water and all the desks, refrigerator, counters and useful items I will need.  A few  things are lacking but that is just the way things are when you work up North.  For instance potions of a shipment of lab equipment keeps showing up in random places.  Took 2 weeks to get water installed which is a real necessity when trying to run sieves.  When they finally took 3 days of fiddling and fooling around to get my water I didn't want to tell them that the pump will not shut off.  God knows how long it would take, probably without water, to get it fixed.  I just flip the breaker now to shut it down when I do not need it.  Interesting cast of characters here.  As you might well imagine. There are those who would come and enjoy this solitude kind of life style.  There are a lot of people who are here just to make a bit of money and don't really like it but endure it.  The other faction I speak of are fun to watch. As they say it takes all kinds to make the world go around.  Actually, to quote my late grandfather "it takes all kinds and I am glad I am not one of them". When in fact we are one of them.

Here is a crowd of the leaders on the contractor's side that are making this huge project happen.  This project which I already mentioned is going ahead by virtue of Stephen Harper's generous donation.  The total of the project is plus or minus 300 million dollars for 140 km of road.

I was asked several months ago if I would go there to work by my supervisor and because I have had so much idle time over the last few winters I agreed that I would go. Well, here I am in Tuktoyaktuk, NWT "Tuk".  The trip started out at the airport in Halifax, NS at 7 am. I had a 1 hour lay over in Toronto and overnight in Edmonton.  The next day I left early 7 am for Yellow Knife, Norman Wells and the airplane ride finshed in Inuvik at 3:00 pm. Next stop Tuktoyaktuk over the ice road(more onthat later) and the camp called "Artic Star"(more on that later) at 6 pm.  Unlike my other forays into the North this camp has great internet and even cell service.  The food is even bearable.  So, as far as remote locations go this one is ok.

Looking out the window on my third floor room it looks like this.

 

Good night all.

A little job up north

Well, here I sit miles above the Arctic circle on a cold winter day.  I have just recently been assigned a new project that has gotten the attention of almost all the people I know.  Stephen Harper has allocated a sum of money to the North West Territories for an all season road from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk.  We will be building this road in the winter mostly and using frozen soil.  All very interesting stuff and rumour has it that the discovery channel would like to do a program devoted to it.

It took me 2 days to get here from Halifax.  Leaving at 7:00 am in the morning on 13 Feb (the day before Valentines day, believe me the irony was not lost on that little fact) I had to drop off my little dog at the vet for surgery on his bladder.  He has a propensity to developing this little items which cause him great discomfort, can be very dangerous and are  costly to remedy.  So leaving was a terrible case of bad timing.  I am 2 days away from returning on shift change so hopefully all will be forgiven.  Here is what greeted me the first morning on the way to the site.  Sunrise on a Pingo. Alittle more on those later.

 

And then on the way back to camp that night it was that same Pingo in a different light.  That is just one of the things that is very noticable here and that is the light. It is different and beautiful.

 

Good Night from the Arctic.

My Cubans

This is my latest foray into the world of culinary delights.  These were the very tasty morsels but like the recipe says the bread should be eaten the same day.  I tried using it two days later and it was a disaster.  The lack of oil in the recipe really makes it downgrade fast.


Cuban Bread



Although it is made with the same basic ingredients as French bread, the baking procedure for Cuban bread is different. The dough is put in a cold oven, set above a pan of boiling water, and left to rest for a few minutes before the oven is turned on. Because the bread continues to rise as the oven heats, its crust is very thin and crisp. It is made without fat, so it is best if eaten on the day it is baked, as it will go stale quickly. You can try this method with any yeast bread.
1 scant tablespoon or 1 (1/2-ounce) package active dry yeast
2 cups warm water (105 degrees to 115 degrees)
1 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
In a large bowl, soften the yeast in the water.
Add the salt and 3 cups of the flour. Beat vigorously with a dough whisk or a heavy-handled spoon for 2 minutes. (We used the dough hook on our mixer.)
Gradually add more of the remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough forms a mass and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface.
Knead, adding more flour, a little at a time as necessary, about 8 to 10 minutes, or until you have a smooth, elastic dough and blisters begin to develop on the surface.
Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl. Turn to coat the entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with a tightly woven kitchen towel and let rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface and knead it into a ball. Put the dough on a well-greased baking sheet and flatten it slightly so that is about 3 inches high. Make 3 slits in the top of the loaf, about 1/4 inch deep and 2 inches apart.
Pour 1 cup of boiling water into a shallow pan and put the pan on the lower shelf of an unheated oven. put the dough on the shelf above, wait 10 minutes, turn the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the bead for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 200 degrees. (Ours took an additional 15 minutes to come to temperature.)
Immediately remove from the baking sheet and cool on a rack.

"The Bread Book"
by Betsy Oppenneer (Harper-Collins

Dough all kneaded and ready for the raising process.  Much easier to raise than a children.

Placed in a lightly oiled bowl.

Covered with a tightly woven kitchen towel.

Raised for 1 hour. See I told you it was easier than raising children.

Pop it the oven with 1 cup of boiling water for 10 minutes then turn the oven to 400.

The finished product in the sun.

Slice it up and.......

Voila!

I varied the following recipe by adding a few things like turkey, tomatoes, and lettuce.

A Cuban Sandwich, sometimes called a cubano, is a Latin variation on a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. This undeniably delicious sandwich is grilled and made with ham, pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, mustard and Cuban bread. The essential ingredient is the roasted pork.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutesIngredients:
•1 Loaf of Cuban Bread (Substitutes: French or Italian Bread)
•1 pound cooked ham (sliced)
•1 pound roasted pork (sliced)
•1/2 pound Swiss cheese (sliced)
•dill pickles (sliced)
•Yellow mustard or Mayonnaise
Preparation:
1. Preheat a griddle or frying pan on medium heat.
2. Cut the loaf of bread into quarters and slice each quarter in half lengthwise for the sandwiches.

3. Spread the mustard or mayonnaise on the bread. Then make each sandwich by layering the pickles, roasted pork, ham, and cheese.

4. Lightly coat the cooking surface of the griddle or frying pan with cooking spray or butter. Place one sandwich onto the hot surface.

5. Put a clean, heavy skillet on top of the sandwich to flatten it. Press the bread down to about 1/3 of its original size.

6. Leave the skillet on top of the sandwich and grill for one or two minutes. Lift the heavy skillet, turn the sandwich over and repeat this step for the other side of the sandwich.

7. The cheese should be melted and the bread golden brown. Slice each sandwich in half diagonally and serve.



On Vacation

Well, we finally made it to our well deserved vacation in St Augustine, Fl.  This day 4 and the weather has been fabulous.  We spent the first couple of days getting settled in  going to the beach, playing golf , and fishing.  This little guy inhabits the backyard of the house we are renting and was quite proud of himself as you can see.  Just now getting used to the fact that I don't have to go to work every day for 11 to 12 hours like the past 5 or 6 months.  It takes a little getting used to.  I am settling in nicely a motorcyle ride once or twice a day, a trip to the beach and then off to the St. John's county golf course for 9 holes.  Boy is my game rusty but it will improve I am sure. The wife's golf game is improving as well and we are having a great time.  We did not see the usual crowd of aligators yet which worries me I feel better when I can see them.  Time to hit the beach.  See you later.

The Road to Hell is paved with good intentions

As with a lot of my projects this blog was started as a well intentioned project and when life got so busy it fell by the wayside.  Not forgotten but filed away for future consideration.

Since I started this blog I have returned to Tennessee for another 4 months working on an environmental cleanup and remediation job near Knoxville.  It has been an interesting project that has worn me out but provided me with a substantial amount of work during the months of the year when work hours are abbreviated in Nova Scotia.

Now, as I see my way back to Nova Scotia on the horizon I am committed to reviving the blog and will use some of my adventure here in the US as topics to delve into as blog material.

Middle of March here in Tennessee and the early spring is really evident with the Eastern Redbud trees that are blooming in abundance now.  We had a great walk in Old Town Knoxville which is really small now that all the roads and like have more or less taken over but it was very nice to see what it might have looked like decades ago.

The whole area we saw was more or less an eating and drinking locale with a very relaxed looking crowd of patrons.

The next installment of my well intentioned blog is now in the books.  Here's to many more. 

Kick Off

This is my first real post on the blog I have been thinking about creating for quite some time.  I started today with a cup of West Coast Dark roast coffee and an half hour of news consumption. Hurricane Irene is the only thing out there today for news.  I wish they would catch up with Wacky Gahdafi and make some real news.

I spent most of my day as the site inspector down on the waterfront here in Halifax NS my home town.  We are in the process of re-aligning the roadway and upgrading services in the area of Halifax that was closest to the Famous Halifax Explosion.  I am always on the lookout for artifacts but nothing to date.

 Today was a fairly nice day and I was able to do a little cruising around  on the great Motorcycle I picked up while working in East Tennessee this past year(more on that later). 

 I decide around noon today,  after listening to Sonny Fox on Raw Dog Comedy recommend The Rise of the Planet of the Apes,  to take my lovely wife to see a movie since the trip to "The Help" was such a success last week.  The movie was OK and kind of fun but the best part was getting to take my wife out for leisurely late afternoon outing. When we got back from the movie I managed to get out of walking the dogs by fixing the back deck that had become disconnected from the house after the latest Hurricane. 

This deck thing all started a couple of years ago when I decided to increase our "greenness" by adding a second clothes line. Well the added pull on the deck from 2 cloths lines has slowly been pulling the deck away.  I managed to get it almost back in position tonight with a jack and a come along and tomorrow I will reattach it and hopefully get a few more years out of it. Pictures to follow.