Yule Greetings - the start of the earth's renewal . . .

Best wishes for a wonderful Yule from Tom and I. As I write we are certainly blanketed well with snow. Tom is out with Geeko trying to snowblow the 6 inches which arrived last night - thick heavy wet snow not at all like the fluffy inches the previous storm brought - It will soon  turn to rain according to the weather man. Hopefully not for a long period as it makes the roof snow (almost 20 inches worth) way too heavy - imagine just the start of winter & we have shoveled it once already.

Yesterday we braved last minute holiday shoppers with a trip to Peterborough - left early morning and left just as the forecasted snow began - very busy in town with too much snow and raod salt mixed with milder temps making the world slippery - on the way home however few cars on the roads - so travel was easy -  just took a bit more time. Had a wonderful lunch at Swiss Chalet - always a treat.

Stopped in at Costco for some seafood - some monster  scallops and shrimp and even crab claws - a yearly treat we both have enjoyed immensely these past few years as we watch sit and watch movies and goof off - it is always much easier when our children  spend Christmas with their children around their own trees and forge their own traditions. 

With my Chemical Sensitivities I find all the new stuff - new clothes - new toys even the wrapping paper inks not friendly things to be around setting me back days on end after even short visits. It was hard learning to say no and not do all I used to do.

That does not even take consideration the residue from shampoos - and laundry detergents - perfumes etc. which makes even normal visits hard to endure. Adding in this new intense "no energy" and multiple alternate health problems from Lyme Disease added last spring - this year it makes even more sense just to stay home. 

Tom and I spent most of the summer reading to learn about this incidious disease - such a long learning curve - we have now formulated a set of plant with which to start dealing with it as soon as my adrenal glands come back to life. The process of dealing with Lyme will take a few years according to my Ottawa Docotor. 

I always feel like such a Scrooge at this time of year  but taking everything into consideration - it is just easier to stay home - then we do not even have to think weather or traveling.

The prettiest card I've seen in ages ; flipped and joined made the neatest fractual - reminded me of the interesting patterns one saw through a kaleidescope when young.

Tom spent another year waring with the beaver as the water level was so high with all the rain it was an extended relationship this year with neither winning - Geeko and he have become inseparable - even with snow blowing Tom gets followed for hours - the dog always about 10 paces behind. . He has become a worthy replacement for Brian with interesting quirks of his own and a huge need for love and attention like us all. He does such a great deal I am continuously amazed - especially when I see people no where near his age who do so much less.

I just had my last customer for this year -  a number of people  pop in to shop these days if they are passing by - we have become good friends with so many of them - opening my studio to the public has become a good thing in many ways - not just sales. 

I have almost finished redoing my website and hope to start an online shop at Etsy right after Christmas worth a try since oomph is low - yet computering in small doses is still possible. 

Had a fantastic studio tour this year making records sales. Was so enjoying having money in the bank for the first time in ages and then my computer decided to leave the world - back to being broke after purchasing a wonderful 20" iMac which I love to death just begrudge the $$'s it cost. 

Oh well next year if all goes well perhaps I get to enjoy a similar thunk for a longer period.

Having one's joy of making not only pay for itself but make a profit while sitting at home in a wee cabin in the woods has to be high on anyone's list methinks.

Tom and I have had a good year even with the bits of health negatives. I find this year our enjoyment of each other has intensified another notch - I didn't think it was possible to get any closer - we are so fortunate our relationship continues to grow.

- we have also become more hermitized this past year as the effort it takes to go and do is better spent staying home and doing what we fancy. Tom's hands have become a bit arthritic and a shoulder isn't moving well but it is amazing what we do get done - lol and what we don't. 

Soon we'll have to be posting a job list hoping a few visitors notice and help out. Most times they are too busy relaxing and enjoying we never mention unless asked. Nice when some do ;-)

Even with the wet summer the garden grew well - the growing room helped - in fact we still have tomatoes and red peppers ripening in it plus other plants brought in for the winter do well - almost time for a thorough tidying and starting of lettuces and greens both for salads and stir fries - and of course lots of sprouts - plan to try some wheat grass growing this winter as I now have a wonderful Green Star juicer to do this and more.. something decadent about picking a salad several times a week in January in Apsley with snow all about - organic ones to boot!

We are hoping to see Tim and his family in from Montreal  for the New Year if weather permits - picked up a hunking big ham just incase they and or a few others show up - I buy ham these days and immediately see a thick pot of ham and pea soup with the left overs. I purchased a new crock pot so hope to make a pot of beand with the dredges of maple syrup harvested a few years back. Perhaps Peggy and her crew will also make it.

As life moves on chores like fire wood - shoveling roof tops - even house work - seem to gain a complexity not seen when younger and more agile. On the other hand we are looking forward to learning how to fly out several new remote control helicopters - a wonderful gift from a friend who works for a toy company - this will help our brains and small motor skills - they have infared light which disables the opponent if hit accurately - a running bet as to who can land on the dog first is in place - we are at the watching the DVD stage of the learning curve - it is supposed to show us the "how" to do part.

All in all the year has been interesting - we are so fortunate that we have such a wonderful place to live with everything we fancy nearby and easily accessed. 

I sit here with a vase filled with red roses and pine boughs and wish you were all closer to come and enjoy them with me and have a cup of tea. Perhaps a piece of tortiere - home made gluten free pie crust imagine.

We hope this year has also treated you our dear family and friends  gently - as winter descends a deep quiet reins supreme through out the forest - with this silence - renewal begins and a gathering of fresh energy takes place. We sit and contemplate what we have done and plan what we hope to do. Thus with warm hearts and wishes Tom and I  send to you all our best - hoping the upcoming year brings all that you hope and dream to pass.

Swiped these wonderful photos off an email which came through earlier in the season - gorgeous.. got to enjoy this thing called internet - how it has changed our lives.

Love

Luck 

& Laughter

Sharon & Tom

Black Pearls - Classical ~ Timeless ~ Elegant

Classical ~ Timeless ~ Elegant

Exquisite 8 mm oval Black Pearls
Spaced with Faceted Black Agate Rondelles
designed & created by Sharon
ApsleyAcers.com

Miteh's visit -Aug.23-2008

Garden Photos

Wandered the yard in between rain storms today and took a few shots of the garden.
Some of the first taken for this year.
Everything is green - lush and of course "buggy" with the continuous rain since early spring. Mowing the lawn has become a constant chore.

Solstique ~ 2008

Labrador Memories - 9

Saturday July 2nd - Cloudy - Nain Bay – July 3rd. - Sunny - Nain

Late Saturday afternoon after all our supplies were on board, Tom and I and Geoff and the Captain and the crew of one were off to Nain. This photo was taken as we entered Nain harbor.
Joey maeuvered the boat up to one of the large docks, and we started to settled in as best we could. The Captain and mate sleep in a room off the wheel house – there is thankfully a small washroom off the wheelhouse also – I wasn’t sure what my creature comforts were going to be.

The large square 4’ x 4’ x 4’ gray container is the freezer it is packed with ice. This is not a luxury cruiser but certainly adequate for our needs. There is a large space in the hull where all the gear is stored – I think it would originally have stored fish – but it has no smell and is dry - so has been a non-fishy cargo area for a long time. When the hatch is open it can be entered via a ladder. Down into the front half of the boat is a galley – with a oil stove for cooking and heat – an eating area built in and 4 bunks with a small hatch to let in fresh air. Not made for huge folks – I took the smallest lower one to the right and Tom was above me – the two on the right – separated by about 2’ of space - the bunks narrow slightly upwards to the bow. Quite a feat to hoist one’s self up and in. Not much head space once you're there but a book can be read – I am better below – or at least thought I was – till I discovered my bunk was below the water line and not even both Tom and my arctic down sleeping bags improved it much (Tom on the other hand was too warm as the oil stove is on constantly and heat rises) – After I lined my bunk first with our space blankets it became very comfortable ;-) knew I'd packed them for some reason. Bonus being short in this instance.

Mike is held up by weather in Goose Bay so we hope he’ll arrive tomorrow. I waited till high tide to get off the boat – others managed it sooner by jumping on the wheel house then scrambled up to the dock – being descended from Hobbits and not as spry as I should be - I had to wait till finally was a much lesser discrepancy then I too was finally free - Tom and I and Geoff walked around the small village – home to about 1200 Inuit and 3000 dogs or so it felt. They said they had culled the wild strays recently after incidents of children being attacked. The town is very busy with all the exploration. There is a nurse and they have a TV hook - up to Goose Bay to doctors. The hotel is booked solid. Not much to purchase as the first supply boat of the year has yet to arrive. The pack ice has only gone out recently.
With the nice weather people, young and old are fishing constantly it is noisy with talking and laughing sounds like a holiday mood as they sit along docks catching numerous small arctic char. They stayed to dark after 10 pm and even the children seem to come and go with no one paying too much care.

Took me ages to get to sleep as I was so cold – heard a noise on deck about 3 am but by the time I got there I saw nothing. There are just the 3 of us as Joey and Jacko are spending their last night home. Tom and Geoff sleep like the dead.

Can you see the seal on the wharf?

Later on it was butchered.

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I was up again early about 5 am. The world was calm and quiet. I watched a seal in the clear water come in and out from beneath the dock to catch rock cod from an enormous school. Must have watched for over an hour as it was quite interesting. My first wild seal. Later on the town slowly woke up and some one came down and got excited about the seal and it was soon shot and you can see it on the dock – Joey tells me they have a community freezer and all the hunters keep it stocked and any town person has access.

Geoff discovered a mess in the cargo area. The noise I heard last night was someone in there – it seems several boats were broken into last night mainly food was taken – we are missing just a food cooler and a few other canned bits – perhaps they heard me coming and I scared them off?? – so much for pre-cooking – later the RCMP returned the cooler – empty and some of the bits – they have caught the young culprits – not to many places to hide I guess.. I remember being bored and living in a remote town about this same size with not much to do - fortunately was never caught not that I did anything too adventurous either.

Later in the day the first supply ferry of the season arrived – everyone is quite happy and looking forward to some fresh products as so many things are short in town – we are just so spoilt in the south.

Terry came in by helicopter with Mike Regular and to see if we were missing anything vital from the robbery. We can now leave on our next adventure. Actually helicopters of all sizes have been busy today - the exploration season has obviously begun.

When Terry said things were going to be tight in the boat accommodations he was being generous - no wonder he had such a grin on his face - he'd have trouble getting into one of the bunks. Mike is a fairly stocky tall fellow also and he finds the bunks rather narrow. Oh well things will sort themselves out eventually.
We finally got moving about 4 pm.
Should arrive at our first destination Paul Island or Block Island D about 8 pm. Another new experience has begun.

I notice at the end of the page of blogs there is a link where you can be notified when a new post is put up – hadn’t noticed that perk before – this is certainly an easy BLOG to use – accolades to the makers.

Labrador Memories - 8 - Nain Bay

Saturday July 2nd - Cloudy - Nain Bay

Nain’s website gives more specific details than I ever could. Nain is now the most northern permanent community on this Atlantic Labrador side.
http://www.ourlabrador.ca/member.php?id=6

If you look at the camp photo in its full size it looks like the helicopter might be sinking into qucksand - there is a depression between where I am standing and the camp where a small stream runs towards the ocean. Being so flat it looks like it isn't even there.

The company has permission from the elders at Nain to camp here for this season. Nain Bay is sort of over the hill from Nain and has been a traditional camping area for hunters for a long time in Nain’s history – very old rock circles from holding down the edges of tents are scattered here and there, even bones from various animals and fish.

Such a personal pleasure to be on a salty/tidal waterfront again – something we haven’t done since our trips to Newfoundland quite a few years ago. As the tide goes out my eyes wander to the outer rocks to see if there are any signs of wild mussels.

What a spectacular setting; a long curved bay with its shoreline nestled below towering cliffs. There are several waterfalls thundering down – the largest one is from where we will get our water. Later in the summer when we are back here once again I see from the helicopter that the waterfall is birthed by a huge lake at the top. The height of the cliffs are visually deceiving until you stand near the base and look up – this is the “hill” which separates us from Nain about 400 feet in height. Across the bay is an island with more islands layered between fingers of ocean – all still have snow in the distance. The islands we are to prospect are east of Nain and towards the south a tiddle.

The 5th and last crew has arrived John O’Sullivan’s son Aiden and Edwin MacDonald.

I wandered around in awe taking photos for awhile – the beach is littered with pieces of Labradorite, large boulders with huge lenses of colour are winking at me – this is the start of a lifelong love affair between myself and Labradorite.

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As we wait for the community supper to be cooked I sit and watch the sky – with the wind the clouds are continuously changing – such a water colour sky – I felt an inner pang of sadness that I no longer can enjoy this medium –it used to be my artist venue of choice.
We bunk in with others for the night. It feels odd – but I am so tired sleep comes easily.

July 2nd - Nain Bay - Nain - Cloudy
The next day the groceries arrive as we are checking things out I discover all the meat has thawed due to the long wait prior to getting to Nain. Tom set me up a cooking area so I could cook all our meat. My reasoning is that if I cook it all now and re-chill it – we will get a better chance for enjoying some before it goes off. I am assuming that we can always refreeze the cooked things once we are on board.

We set to work checking out supplies as we are to move later this same day out to the long liner called “The Setting Sun”. We’ll live on her for the next seven to ten days as we jump about several islands to prospect claim blocks.

At 11 am the long liner had arrived. It is about 52’ long but looks very tiny out on the bay. The next few hours are spent getting all our gear loaded. Still no sign of one crew member Mike. Our tent and base equipment will stay here at Nain Bay till we are done this next segment - we’ll be eating and sleeping on the long liner.
We packed up our personal gear and are ferried by dingy out to the long liner about 5 pm. The water looks very deep and cold. The Captain “Joey” is just the cutest wee thing I have ever did see. A smiling dark curly haired blue eyed Inuit ( he later tells us his grandmother is Irish and lives in Kuujuack. He is only 19 and has been a captain for two years – my personal level of security dropped a wee bit BUT each day throughout our time on the boat we all become quite enamored with this talented outgoing young man. His crew – cousin Jacko is also from Nain but looks totally opposite quite dark and is quite shy. We will motor over to Nain Harbor for the night – hoping that Mike will show up in the morning.

I will continue that tale in my next installment – right now I hope you’ll take a moment and enjoy a few photos of this fabulous camp site.

Labrador Memories - 7 - Goose Bay to Nain Bay

Saturday July 1st - Sun/Cloud - Goose Bay to Nain Bay – Cloud/Showers

We were ready first thing in the morning with all our gear, supplies and food at the airport. The weather had closed in between here and Nain. We are told this is a constant happening especially in the spring. Waiting on standby to see if the weather lifts in time to make a flight today. I'm not good at waiting.

Finally at 3 pm we were able to leave. The plane is a Caravan (turbo 145 ht?) I have not been in one of these before – it does both water and land. I knew the land would be rugged north of Nain. Nothing had prepared me for how rugged it actually was between Nain and Goose Bay. I certainly understand why communities in this land called Labrador are coastal. My mind can only imagine what will be; as we move even further north where it is supposed to be rugged. There are still a few icebergs and growlers in the straight below. It sure looks cold.


Looking out of the Caravan's window the first thing to catch my eye was all the patches of the snow left on the hills.




I keep telling myself it's July 1st. and wonder IF I have enough warm clothes. We flew just below the clouds, passing through numerous rain squalls but at least the ceiling hasn't dropped lower. You can see it is clearing way off to the west.

The hills are much higher than what we had just finished working on, quite bare on top, numerous lakes and rivers - the river shown has numerous sand bars. Such a spectacular mosaic - I am having such a wonderful journey; yet at the same time am wondering if I will do good.

We had just made contact with the last remote beacon between us and Nain when I took this shot - in a few moments the tower at Nain will be in touch. Part two of our long summer's adventure in Labrador is about to begin. Hope you'll stick around and come back to read more.

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We landed on the gravel airport in Nain 1 hour and 30 minutes after leaving Goose Bay. Didn’t get to see much of this northern Innu community at this time. The tower called for the helicopter to come for us from Nain Bay and shortly there after we were ferried over to Nain Bay camp about a 10 min jump.

Tom will head the Long Liner/Islands program. Mike Regular and Geoff Petite are to be the other crew with us on the Longliner.

All the crews are here except Mike Regular. I’ll go into our short base camp set up excitement tomorrow.
For today I’ll stop here; sharing this wonderful scenery with you all; the country from the plane on the way up - a spectacular 230 plus miles. So exciting.
Next Installment Nain Bay.

Labrador Memories - 6 - Back to Goose Bay

I was so impressed at how well all our stuff traveled in a cargo net

slung underneath a helicopter traveling just above the tree tops..
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Gulf – 1 ~ Goat Head Lake Part 4 – Moving Day
Thursday June 29th - Sun/Cloud - Goat Head Lake to Goose Bay

The day dawned crisp and cool but bright and sunny with no wind, a good moving day; the helicopter arrived at 6:30 am. So exciting as this is going to be my first ever ride in one. It took two trips to move just us and all our gear – there can be no passengers in the helicopter when the sling is being used. All four crews and their “stuff” are going to be ferried by helicopter to a common gathering spot by the bridge over the Wilson River. Here there was a large enough clearing for the chopper and all our gear. Also near the “highway” there.

Dwight our expediter had a wonderful tailgate breakfast ready for us to enjoy.

Imagine early on a crisp cool morning: a real Newfie/Labradorian breakfast: Newfie Steak – a thick slab of bologna, and baked beans, eggs, toast to go with delicious hot coffee. Tasted really great on an empty stomach, even when you’re not a fan of fried bologna.

An air of excitement as everyone slowly arrived and were finally introduced. The four crews were a motley looking group as I am sure so were we also ; looked much better after de-bushing and washing up – all very friendly and personable. Geof Petite & Mike Regular; Chris Wade & Colin Lilly; Charlie Hartley & Andrew Dudka and ATA & SMB lol Tom and I.
I understand there is one more crew coming in a few days to make five in total for the rest of the summer. We are the "mature" crew.

Watching our goods arriving in a sling was a bit hairy but the pilot landed it so softly I was amazed. While we were waiting for some of the crews to arrive; a baby weasel climbed up Colin’s pant leg. Such a cute young fella from Wabush – he got teased that the weasel picked his leg to climb cause he smelt so ripe. The mother was very upset when he picked one baby up to show us. So cute.

Tom wandered over to see the new bridge they were installing on the Wilson River.

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Spring is here – the Larch/Tamarack/Hackmatack finally are out with their new soft green needles. The Bog Rosemary was in bloom ~ isn’t it gorgeous. The light toned Caribou Moss (in the back ground) is full and lush as the spring rains are so constant it doesn’t have a chance to dry out till late summer.
I started learning wild plants years ago on trips to the far north to visit Tom. Using Porsild’s Book of the Plants from the Sub-Arctic Archipelago and slowly moved south learning plants as I came across them – now I am down as far as the northern states and then some – it is a true delight to wander anywhere and know all the plants I see so intimately. Very fortunate that this learning comes so easily for me. It is so exciting when I find a new to me plant. I am hoping that on this trip it will happen a few times, perhaps when we get to the coast. Tom is already telling me to look at the rocks we are not here for the plants – BUT one has to see the plants to find the rocks - so it all works out well.

After everyone was out of the bush, all the gear was packed in a large panel truck – most of the crews got to ride in a large van along the rough dirt highway for several hours to get to Goose Bay.
We on the other hand got to go in the helicopter and I sat in the front – the bubble dome was clear, even below your feet so you could see the tree tops as you flew along. So exciting.
We were into Goose Bay by 2 pm. Time to shop, do a bit of laundry and have a SHOWER!.

Friday June 30th - Sun/Cloud - Goose Bay

Spent the day sorting gear, purchasing the food items we needed, looked at maps. The pack ice had moved so the first ferry of the season with much needed supplies had arrived will we were in the bush. Other than that - generally just lazing about. Tomorrow we are off to Nain Bay to the camp Terry set up just around the point from the town of Nain. I understand we will be on the water.
We were all taken out for a fancy dinner compliments of Castle Rock. Nice to be served at a table.

Labrador Memories - 5 - Goat Head Lake 3

Labrador Memories 5

Gulf – 1 ~ Goat Head Lake Part 3

Friday June 23st – 5km – Sunny, warm – Today we paddled to the NE corner of Goat Head Lake and traversed the area to the east. The amphibolite (mentioned earlier) appears to be a plug intrusive into the gneiss and must be mostly under the lake. Terry came by to catch up at 6:30 am by helicopter. Stayed for a coffee. I think he worries when he has had not radio contact, this has been the case for the past few days. It seems to be determined not just by location but also by weather. We are ALL ( 4 camps including us) to be moved back to Goose Bay next Thursday then up to Nain Bay on Saturday. Terry's local info has determined that this is the best time to start working further north. We saw our first black flies today with the warming so it is good to be going further north and back to cold.

Saturday June 24th - Over cast – Showers - some Sun – HOT - Time to almost leave and we finally have radio contact. BUGS today – BLACK FLIES - the smallest amount of warmth seems to entice them into hatching - they are swarming and pesty but not biting yet. We paddled to the SE corner of the lake and went to the East side of the block from there. Bugs were thick as we crawled through some tangled Tag Adler growth on the way up to the ridges. Tom's long legs easily step over while me being a hobbit statured soul find crawling under works better - sometimes.




Late morning I found a mineral showing on the ridge I was traversing so exciting - as we have located so few occurrences - several large boulders with pyrite – (calco - pyrite and garnets).

Fortunately it was just before we met up for lunch so I could backtrack with Tom on my ridge for him to take a professional look – so exciting.





These boulders are glacial erratics like the rest scattered everywhere – but mine were very rusty looking. Gotta love the sideways cap movement for using a hand lens.The day felt more tiring than normal - I think because it was HOT and buggy – no grocery plane today.

Tom checking out my first rusty boulders.
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Sunday June 25th - Over cast cool – Sunny & cloud – Tom was off to the SE part of the claim block today. I stayed in camp to catch up on chores and to meet the grocery plane which came in about noon. News is that Terry has gone up to Nain to set up a base camp for us all.
Nain is approximately a flight of 230 miles north of Goose Bay(see map below). Tom and I will spend the next two weeks on a “long liner” with another team. No idea what this entails but it sounds exciting. We will be prospecting claims on islands just off of Nain. Tom feels he’ll need a few warmer clothes – we’ll take a look in town when we get back to Goose Bay.

Monday June 26th - Cool – 8 km - Flurries – No bugs ;-) – Today we went to the Eastern part of the claim block. Nothing exciting to be located. Back to camp after 5 pm – a long day. It was quite rugged walking and my knees are sore. Talked to two of other camps today for the first time.

Tuesday June 27th - Sun – Cloud – Tom checked the lake shore to the west of camp to define limits of the amphibolite plug. I stayed home ;-) amazing that it already feels like we belong - started packing. We will be moved by helicopter which means most our worldly goods will be in a sling – need to pack well. Tom was able to talk to the other crews again. It will be interesting to meet them all. So aware that I am the only female - lol Mother image - most are so young compared to us.

Wednesday June 28th - Tom wrote up reports and finished maps – we continued to pack. Tom talked to Terry in Nain Bay by radio –lol troubles getting through to Goose Bay by radio but he can talk to Nain Bay which is so much further north. Tomorrow we will move…

Labrador Memories - 4 - Goat Head Lake 2

Labrador Memories 4 Gulf – 1 ~ Goat Head Lake Part 2

Wednesday June 21st – 5km – Strong,gusty NW wind. What a difference a day makes. We were out on the west side of the lake today and up into the NW corner of the block. Choppy ride over in the canoe. Occassional showers, the higher up we wandered the more frequent the snow and hail squalls. Going up one steep slope we sat in a 5 foot tall bushy cluster of spruce for ten minutes during a sleety squall. Actually quite protected; we were fortunate to find such an opportune clump; as the trees really thin out the higher you climb. Found some rusty boulders, but nothing too exciting. Another small showing on one ridge had a bit of Pyrite and Calco-pyrite with garnets. The valleys are quite sparse in vegetation except where the tag alders and ground birch have enough moisture to make going through rough; while in other with small lakes the spruce are able to make a stand. The higher you climb the less trees then suddenly none at all along the wind swept tops. Sure glad I brought chap sticks for my constantly dry lips.

Tom checking out a rusty spot.
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Thursday June 22. Over cast cool – with a few sunny periods later on. We took a long walk to the south end of the claim block – 12 km on the map as the crow flies - felt more like 20. Took us over 10 hours. We were both beat. Found one small rust zone. All the rest was barren gneiss. In the distance you can see Tom off on the ridge he is traversing – we walk on separate yet often parallel ridges to cover more ground; sometimes these are close together – other times the valley between will widen and a small lake will separate us and we often won’t see each other for hours. We choose a place on the topographical map before we set out – a place where with not too much effort we can easily join up and share lunch make a cup of tea with a sheltered quick fire; ( always windy up top) and a small billy can; before we set off to finish the days work. Meeting back at the place on the lake where we left the canoe. Lots of large boulders dropped by the glaciers scattered along these barren ridges.. One secluded valley gave us an unexpected good feed of wild fiddleheads (new fern fronds b-4 they unroll) for supper – a nice treat something fresh and green.
Quite picturesque much more than I had expected this far south. The camera never does the expanse justice. Similar terrain to and area we were in a few years back at Soucey Lake ~ just south of Ungava Bay in Northern Quebec only there the trees were much sparser even in the valleys.

Labrador Memories - 3 - Goat Head Lake 1

Labrador Memories 3 ~ Gulf – 1 ~ Goat Head Lake Part 1

June 17th – Cloud then Sun – Our 7 am plane arrived at 8:15 - John O’Sullivan plus maps for the new block, groceries and a new tent. We had gotten up at 5 am to finish packing. Two trips to our new camp in the north part of Gulf 1 a block of 100 claims. Spent the rest of the day setting up another new to us tent. By the end of the day we had the bare basics done and were both beat. Still a great deal to put in place in the morning.

June 18th – Sun/Cloud – Finished the balance of camp set up by noon. Things like burying our ice chest to keep things colder – rebuilding the table – work surfaces – latrine ( a smooth log between two trees with a hole dug behind works well usually tucked behind the tent in a bush area) and fire wood. The thin metal air tight eats wood quickly but give off a wonderful heat.
We were off into the field that afternoon. Just north of camp located an ultra basic exposure. tom thought it could be the source of a pre-recorded of high Ni (nickel) anomaly in the lake sediments. I goofed as the grocery order was missing milk and eggs – Tom is going to have to check them in the future to make sure this doesn’t happen too often. Finally we are able to talk to Goose Bay by radio.

June 19th – Rain/Sun – strong gusty NW wind – 5 km - Off we went at 10 am for a traverse up the west side of the lake to the NW corner of the block. Didn’t locate anything exciting. Very cool with intermittent showers. No radio contact tonight.

June 20th –1/2 inch of snow – gusty NW wind – Woke up to snow - Left camp after it melted about 11 am. Worked the south side of the lake. Tough bush with lots of alders and ground birch. Found nothing of interest.

Our new tent is quite nice – very roomy with a fancy new style reversible tarp – the black side attracts the sun shine and heats the tent and the reverse sort of a metallic gray is supposed to reflect the sun so the tent doesn’t get too hot – so far I do not see that the reflecting heat side will be used much.

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Wheee! The stove pipe hole is at the back so is closer to the sleeping area. These large roomy 12’ x 14’’ tents are much like living in a small one room cabin –with a little ingenuity and inventiveness - add in many years experience – you quickly find a pattern that works well that can be repeated time and again. As we will be constantly moving this summer a set pattern that works well will save time and energy. The aluminum frame posed a few problems but even they were soon overcome.

Tom had pre-cut pieces of plywood and lumber for the table/counter/bed etc. before leaving Goose Bay. He kept the sizes uniform as possible so that they bundle easily for transportation. Have to love duct tape in the bush it is a priceless commodity. The bed frame is made with logs on which a couple of pieces of plywood get nailed to – then the 2 foamies fit well side by side and our sleeping bags and bedding make it just like home. There is a piece of plywood which makes a counter for the Coleman stove, dishes, water bucket etc. – there are nails and hooks in the plywood edge where I hang pots and utensils . New to us is a fancy metal pipe piece on which the Coleman lantern is hung; as with aluminum framed tents, one cannot hang things easily.

Tom makes me a shelf under this counter out of thin wood poles to hold the food cartons off the ground. A similar shelf is made to lay duffle bags etc which keeps them also off the floor. The chairs are fold – up lawn chairs which work well and the table just another piece of plywood. Sometimes we have to dig a hole for one or two of the legs to achieve "level" but it works well as a counter – a place to eat – to wash dishes to work on maps – draw – read etc.

It doesn’t take long for the dirt floor to become quite dry and we clear any interfering ground growth were needed. After a few days daily living is working smooth as clock work and quite enjoyable.
Though I do remember one trip to Mistimisk Lake in the middle part of Quebec. The plane dropped us off on the shore in a rain storm - we were drenched by the time we'd set up camp and got settled in and the fire going. The next day when the rain stopped we found we had set up on top of a seepage area and the more we walked about the muddier the floor became. As we were only going to be a few days we chose not to move the tent - thus when one woke up in the morning the first items on were socks and rubber boots. An interesting experience.

The snow this morning surprised me. The country here is quite rugged – our traverse distance is calculated via the map and doesn’t count in the many in between steps require to go from point A to point B.
This block will have a great deal more climbing involved. The hills in some areas are quite steep. But once up on a ridge one can walk quite a distance.
All in all life is good - Sharon

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Like Many Northern places the Labradorians have a very familiar saying:
"IF you don't like the weather wait 10 minutes - it will change."

Labrador Memories - 2 - Whitby - Bravo Block

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Labrador Memories - 2

June 7th saw us off to Montreal with future stops in Quebec City and Wabush.
Ran into Fenton Scott there, small world as usual. Then onto Happy Valley Goose Bay where Terry met us at the airport. The company had over 4000 claims that needed to be looked at – much time was spent looking over maps and in discussion. Tom after a few months of retirement was certainly happy to be back in the saddle so to speak.

June 8th saw a crisp clear 3 deg. morning. Being the first crew on the ground - we spent most of the day putting together our camp outfit, groceries and map. Happy Valley /Goose Bay is an interesting experience – not much space between the two towns and speaking the double name becomes the norm. The main supply ferry had not yet arrived that spring from Newfoundland as the pack ice had not gone out - so many shelves in the stores were still bare and the prices exorbitant. I smiled when I saw one can of coke sitting in a whole long aisle of empty shelves. All in all we were able to find what we needed including a pressure cooker. There is a rugged dirt road as access but trucks need double fuel tanks for the long trek. Shipping by air is terribly pricey – if I remember correctly it was over $2000.00 for my return ticket back to Toronto – imagine where one could go with those dollars in less remote areas.
About 2 pm. The 2nd crew arrived Chris Wagg and his helper

June 9th- cloudy and cool Terry decided to start by setting up camps on some blocks West of town. At 11 am we left for Bravo Block in a Beaver Float Plane. Filled with two loads, us and the small canoe we journeyed west just over an hour and landed at a small E-W lake 2 miles long. Somewhere between Happy Valley/Goose Bay and Churchill Falls. I love traveling by float plane as they can dip down to view things and the view is close enough to be spectacular and you can converse with the pilot. Chose to set up camp on an island since we had the canoe as the lake shore line was quite rocky. Tent up quickly and we were quite organized before the sun set at 10:30 - not too bad for a first go round. Getting to know a new to you tent is always interesting - the tents for the summer had not yet arrived and like the canoe the one we were in was borrowed. We had not used an aluminum-framed tent before – this one was a bit different as the stovepipe hole was near the door and the door was an actual door – screen and all. Thus temporarily we had to change our normal tent layout and make it work best we could.

June 10th - Sun and Showers – thunder cells. The next morning we finished setting up camp. Brinco had previously sampled the area we were to traverse and we were to re-check and resample the showings noted and look for others. The “on loan” canoe turned out to be one of the tippy leaky boats from hell, in which one constantly held their breath. The water was far too cold to want to go in. I was happy that the shoreline we were off to that day was the closest. We definitely had to watch for weather and wind, as it was the touchiest unstable piece of equipment I had ever ventured in. Future destinations were going to be further away and weather readily changeable but I'll save those thoughts for later.. Snow patches are still about and even more important no flies ;-))

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June 11th – Sun, showers in pm This day we covered the south shore of the lake; found and re-sampled 2 more known mineral occurrences – Tom was not too impressed and I was slowly learning that rusty red spots in a rock were good things. Disseminated sulphides in a meta sediment base. My education had begun. After 3 km of up and down wandering we were both beat – it takes time to revamp one’s winter muscles. Tom got a tad too much sun.

June 12th – Constant showers made this a rain day. Already I was ready for one. Tried out the wee Coleman oven and made bread; then roasted a chicken so it worked well – life is rough. Worked on maps. Did a bit of laundry – always many ways to fill a rain day.

June 13th – sun & cloud with late showers. Today we traversed 5 km checking out the east side of Bravo Block; got down as far as the SE corner and traversed back further west. Found two rusty patches – took two samples but nothing too exciting. We were back in camp by mid afternoon with our asses dragging – this country is up and down not a great deal of flat.
Terry and John O’Sullivan arrived by helicopter at 5:30 pm to see how we were doing since we did not have any means of communication as yet. They landed on the shore of the lake since our island was too small and Tom took Tippy the canoe to see them – not much exciting news to exchange. The radios are not in yet but the new tents have arrived. The latter was good news for me ;-) as they are larger. I hadn’t missed not having communication but in an emergency it would be handy.
Terry’s third crew headed by Charlie Hartley was put in the bush today. Charlie had worked for Tom many years ago.

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June 14th – cloud and scattered showers. Getting more limber we covered 6 kms. today with not as much agony. Muscles are awakening. We covered the SW part of the claim block. Nothing of interest – though did see some bear sign. After my bear phobia at Sturgeon Lake in NW Ontario a couple of summers previous I an happy it gas gone.
At 8:30 the Beaver visited with our expeditor Dwight Vokey. He also brought in some small pots I wanted and a SBX 11 radio. We will change claim blocks on the 17th. As always any visitor is a break from the absolute quiet of the wilderness. Tom does have a small pocket book size radio I gave him years ago, which has shortwave bands which works extremely well – so we do hear the CBC news in the morning and all sorts of interesting stations at night. Mostly short listenings as we generally are in bed early.

June 15th – frost over night – sunny with a west wind – Journeyed 5 km today walking over the NE corner of the claim block but no joy finding mineral out crops. The longest trip in Tippy so far – fortunately the wind was quiet and we managed just fine. A really interesting corner as the terrain was decidedly different – at one point we came to a cliff edge where miles below a river snaked through a deep valley. Very invigorating visually – I have to start taking my camera with me as we traverse. Our radio doesn’t seem to send through to Goose Bay - we hear the other camps alsotrying but are unable to raise them either.

June 16th – Light frost Sun then rain – Tom spent the day writing his report on Bravo Block – we both began prep for a move to Gulf 1 Block. Still no radio communication. Rain began at 1 pm. The plane is due at just after 7 am tomorrow for the move. The idea of a wet move is not appealing., but a new dry larger tent is on its way. Off to Gulf 1 – on Goat Lake next.

Life is good.

Sharon

Labrador Memories - 1995

Ah Labrador !

This project has bee on my mind for a long time. I have finally decided to start and hope to finally do it justice.
This is a compilation from the summer of 1995 when I had the remarkable opportunity to spend the summer in Northern Labrador. All of Labrador is pretty remote - but where we were most of the time that summer was pristine wilderness - a chance of a lifetime.

This is a compilation of bits my diary and memory, Tom’s diary plus my photos from one of the most exciting and pleasurable summers I have ever spent anywhere. These next blog entries will take you off to Happy Valley/Goose Bay; then off to some gorgeous hilly country between there and Church Hill Falls - whisk you North to Nain - all the way up to Okak Bay; with stops on one of the Kiglapait Mountains, camping on the pristine shores of Lake Igluuataliksuak and more. Most of the time was spent with just Tom and I in a tent always a bonus to be just us two - there were also times spent as the only female within a group of male bosses, prospectors and helpers in a few group scenarios, where things were definitely enlightening/interesting; plus even on a long liner prospecting islands just off of Nain – the whole three month experience was so memorial that even today 13 years later it still tops my list as a top experience. I wanted to share the experience with others who have never had the chance to experience Northern Labrador in all its glory in person and to have finally a written story in place.

In the year of 1994 a major copper nickel discovery in the Voissey’s Bay area around Nain, Labrador had made headlines. The spin off was that numerous numbers of smaller companies had staked ground for miles in hopes of locating a similar “Mother Lode”.
Early in the spring of 1995 Terry Ryan a previous co-worker of Tom’s called to see if Tom was interested in taking on a prospecting job and head a crew for him. Terry was putting together several crews to work under his leadership for a company called Castle Rock a small exploration company from BC. It was left to Tom to choose his “helper” and the result was that I also was hired to be part of the group. So exciting.
On the 14th of May; Terry Ryan called Tom and our working adventure to Labrador was a definite go. We would fly to Happy Valley/Goose Bay on Wed. 7th of June. Tom and Terry were good friends from many years of working together in Northern Quebec – on some my holidays north to visit Tom when he was working in that part of the world, I had also met Terry on a number of different occasions, so even I felt comfortable with the idea.
So do join me often - bookmark my blog; as I will be adding more and hopefully often. I do hope you enjoy my adventure. If you like me to send you a heads up for posting leave me a comment. Life is good - Sharon

Stephanotis' Story

I keep my ancient (at least 25 years) Stephanotis Vine in my studio in the winter as the growing room is just a tiddle too chilly for this warm blooded plant. Not that my studio is that much warmer BUT it does do okay there. As the wheel of the year turns and the days lengthen - the stronger sunshine prompts clusters of white waxy buds to appear all over the vine - must be at least 6 or so already but only a couple are fully open. These clusters of thick waxy flowers have a deep heavy perfume - the fragrance is rich, heavy and intoxicating reminding one of a hot summer's night when the humid air is laden with illicit scents from a hidden garden. An air of exoticism abounds. The fact that it is also known as Madagascar Jasmine says it all. Such vivid pictures can enter one's head with eyes closed with this scent in the air. “Out of the 10,000 plants native to Madagascar, 90% of them are found nowhere else in the world.”
I am fortunate that natural scents do not bother me. This flower is often used in bridal bouquets. It is known as the flower of sensual "lust". Though it also stands for "Happiness in marriage plus a desire to travel and has a come to me attitude."

Night Flowers of The Tropics
By Don Blanding
http://www.angelfire.com/nc2/musings/Blanding.html

Sometimes the strident reds and burning blues,
The raw vermillions and magenta hues
Are all too harsh…they persecute our eyes.
So then, like pallid ghosts of butterflies,
White Ginger blossoms float above a pool.
Divinely fragrant, silken-soft and cool,
Or Stephanotis, mimicking the tropic skies,
Flaunts gleaming waxen stars before our eyes;
Sheer webs of lace the Spider-Lilies weave,
So frailly delicate, we must believe
that pixies, skilled in magick, spent the night
With nimble fingers spinning "Queen’s Delight";
Magnolias tilt their carven ivory cups
To catch the moon-wine that Titania sups.
I cannot name them all…I have not room
To praise each flower that with sweet perfume
Beguiles my lazy fancy with it’s fragrant white
And floats a web of glamour on the magic night

A long aggressive vine which loves to twine around anything it comes across. Can grow over 15 feet - but I keep twining mine around and around. Must be frustrating for it as I know it would just rather do its own thing amd ramble as it wishes - just like me.
So here we sit - me with my wild thoughts on flowers vines even on scent with snow several feet deep just outside the window. T'is no surprise I find myself reading about warmer climes. For those in the same boat here is a good read:
http://www.janesoceania.com/cookislands_rarotonga_visit/index.htm

Enjoy!
Life is good Sharon

Icicles

Woke up this morning to this humungous icicle looking in the bathroom window.
Dropping many feet from the roof of our 1.5 story addition on the east side - a definite lethal weapon for any up and coming yeti that might be wandering through.

In the inside - nicely framed by the Philodendron on the inside it doesn't look so intimidating. Hate to have something like this land on my head.


We have had a roller coaster winter - first of all it started very early and with a bang - we didn't even get the winter enclosure onto the front porch which stops the winter cold with an air space on the cabin door. Then a constant batch of storms - at least one a week - delivered varying inches of snow - add in some lake effect snow - - by mid January we had well over 2 feet . . Then our January thaw arrived and everything melted - one might have thought spring was coming as even the grass looked green .. The wind shifted and now we are back in the original storm or two a week mode and again have re- accumulated over 2 more feet - with out the thaw we'd have been tunneling - bad enough as it is...
This gorgeous icicle is the largest of many palisading our abode. For more snowy/icy wintery photos please go to my flicker album I put a few in there today:
http://www.flickr.com/gp/23462805@N03/JKAg98
I am enjoying the fact that this new blog allows me to insert more than one photo..
Life is good
Sharon

INTRO - About our world

Tom and I are certainly enjoying living at Apsley Acers.
Amazes me that we are headed towards our twelfth year - talk about "tempus fugit". Tom continues to enjoy retirement as do I.
As a retired geologist and though our forest here fills the need to get out and wander, I'm sure he misses exploring new ground for mineral prospects. Once in awhile we go and look at an old mine but the last field work he did was in Northern Labrador and Apsley just doesn't cut it as the "wilds" of anywhere. Mind you the last few years I think he has become content and finds being here just fine.

In the past years Tom has built me a fabulous studio - you saw a wee bit of in the previous post, added a wonderful screened porch in which we can eat - entertain and sleep in on hot nights - a must in the bug infested springs - plus a super insulated growing room is just near completion.
Being an 1875 log cabin needless to say there is always something to be fixed, the fellow who built our 1965 "newer" addition was a fabulous carver but a rotten builder so things have been slowly gotten redone.

During the long winter months the bringing in the logs for our heat in the winter is a continuous chore, ( a couple of years ago he stopped splitting all those cords of wood by hand and now at 80 years young Tom enjoys having just to stack them after they arrive all cut and split.) - still to do especially on snowy winters as this is - the constant blowing of snow with the ever reliable Honda snow blower.

Working in the garden is an incorrect term as we both enjoy - we found a fabulous 2nd hand troy-built rototiller which made spring so much easier - now we have a mini greenhouse and the new growing room so getting early crops is so much easier. Seems that nothing ever tastes as delicious as fresh picked organic everything. We are truly spoilt.

There always seems to be something that needs Tom's expertise as he does so many things well. Since I acquired all my lapidary equipment to cut - slice - polish rocks for my jewelry he has also enjoyed participating in that venue. I'd still be lost without his expertise in identification and purchasing; but I am learning quickly. All the Tom accolades aside; I actually think I now have the larger rock collection and mind are so much prettier than the so called economic mine making rocks ;-)
Last year I finally was able to get him interested in using a computer and now he has his own iMac to check out what ever stock he is wondering about. Someday we hope to get a dish so we can get hi-speed from the nearby tower. Still waiting for a lottery win for some of our dreams - lol like a new roof.
We've added a new mini satellite TV dish, this time we're trying Bell's Express view - I honestly see no difference - not much of interest on either for the exhorbitent cost. A new wood stove in the cabin this year plus a back-up propane wall furnace and cookstove a year back changes the look and feel of the cabin area.

As for me "Sharon"; well I'm not too sure where I'm to at the moment. I am still enjoying the freedom of choice in my days. Gardening and working on outside projects in the summer. Making jewelry has turned into quite a concern. Seems my ideas and designs are not only unique but quite sought after - who'd have thunk it. Certainly has been an exciting and enjoyable journey so far.
There are still numerous changes that are and will take place as time passes. Here at the time of writing, mid February, I am about to send out our seed orders.
Next in line is to start seedlings for spring. I seem to always have a painting half finished on my easel, plus several new projects in various stages of "doing". My jewelry bench is a constant turmoil, as many pieces are moving towards completion at a different rate.
After all these years I do not miss the long hours that were involved with owning and running a garden centre as I had done for the fifteen years prior to coming here. It is terrific gardening for myself again and trying out crazy experiments each year. Finding things to do has never been a problem for me. Opening up my studio weekends to the public has been a success and my participation in the local studio tour a wonderful journey as so many stop in yearly I am overwhelmed. We are truly blessed.

My joy at wildforaging both medicinal and edible plants is rewarding and I have identified almost 200 medicinal herbs on our woods alone. Just learning my ediblemushrooms and fungii but it has to be the most difficult of plant areas to learn that I have met ..

My health continues to be a trial but since I have started seeing an Environmental Doctor in Ottawa - I have finally found good reliable help for all the crazies which evolve from being chemically sensitive. - she is so fantastic - should everyone only have a doctor as caring as she. We have met many new friends who take time to be unscented when they visit and some have also adopted an unscented less chemical based lifestyle so we can go and visit them. What a bonus!

Tom and I still so enjoy each others company; something to be said about being fortunate enough to be married to your best friend and soul mate. We have worked together in the wilds of Labrador; living in a small tent from June to September and still came home "talking" and "enjoying" each other. From watching thunder/lightning storms on the porch in the summer - to having lunch on a sunny winter's day in the 80 deg. growing room we continue to enjoy each other and our mutually shared world.

We have cut back on our large family/friend get togethers.. finding smaller gatherings and getting to talk to grandchildren and parents in smaller groups easier and much more enjoyable - it is time for the younger ones to take on the big gatherings if the wish to have them. Even with the fewer samller gatherings we are finding we get whacked out and are equally as happy to wave good-bye and settle into our quiet routine as we were to have them arrive.. All of our six children manage to stay in touch - (some more often then others) as a few are scattered hither and yon.. (one just back from living in Moscow now in Montreal; another still in Berlin; another in the US - Michigan and the balance in Ontario); they are all coming along well with their worlds and seem to be carving out happy lives for themselves.
At the moment we have eight beautiful grandchildren; and our youngest son just became engaged last spring so the numbers may change. Tom and I really enjoy this grandchild mode.
Well that's more than enough - I do hope you have enjoyed your visit to Musings from Apsley Acers. Once I get us introduced I'll head off on tangents - come back to visit. Thanks for visiting! Life is good - Sharon
I think we may be worth a bookmark.