Temp: +6
Sunrise: 5:30 a.m.
Sunset: 9:24 p.m.

Well, I am back in Baker after a wonderful summer down south and it's good to be back. The summer was pretty busy as I try to get in a year of visiting in, in just two months with friends and family. It means a lot of miles on the odometer in a car that thankfully is pretty good on gas, and a lot of miles on airplanes, which are not so good on gas. :-)

I was pretty lucky in that I got to travel to Newfoundland for my friends Todd and Jenesta's wedding in July; the whole gang from Baker was there and we had a great time. Newfoundland is a pretty beautiful place and everything you hear about friendly people from 'the rock' is quite true. So many things to see and such a short time but we really packed it in spending a lot of time traveling along the west coast.



I tried NL lobster and learned that the trick to cooking it is boil it in salt water. And it put into perspective for me 'fresh lobster' in AB vs fresh from NL. Hands down NL wins that one.



We went to the Tablelands which was pretty cool. Bare rock all along the one side of the valley and right across the road on the other side it was lush and green. Such a beautiful contrast.

And of course we saw lighthouses. All different sizes and full of character. The principal at our school took us to the one that was manned by his grandfather way back when. I was surprised by how tiny it was actually. I've tried loading a picture of it but have been having problems loading photos on the ole blog so will when I can.

After Newfoundland I flew to Ontario for my other friend's wedding, Tania and Chad. We did more touring around and a lot of visiting. I saw the statue of Ian Miller and Big Ben in Perth (woohoo for him by the way on that Silver medal - Go Ian!!), enjoyed the character of the tiny towns and communities in the area, took my second ever boat ride and had a dip in the lake. I learned that nearly stepping on a two foot long green and yellow snake does not mean I've come within an inch of my life but just that a garter snake is more afraid of me than I am of him! I went for a ride on Chad's Triumph motorbike and, in a non-related topic, I learned the ins and outs of using a composting toilet. Excellent! :-) And, of course, I attended another beautiful wedding in a breathtaking setting. If anyone is around the Perth area in the summer I highly recommend staying at the Clyde Hall Bed and Breakfast. It's like staying in a palace. And the evening of the wedding there was a full moon, stars above and we all hung out in the outdoor pool and hot tub. The day couldn't have been more perfect!

So, after all the gallivanting around the country I ended up back in Edmonton visiting friends and family and then off to Peace River for the final leg of my trip to spend time at the farm. I have to say I loved my summer and it couldn't have gone better. I even tried tubing behind a boat for the first time in my life and I don't know if the sore gut muscles were from hanging on for dear life or from laughter until I was exhausted but it was worth it! Very good times....

And since getting back home to Baker I've spent my time just hanging out with the gang. We went for a ride out the Prince River this past weekend, and it was some beautiful. When you get there it's hard to imagine you're in Nunavut and not on some beach down south. It's so beautiful out there. And other than that, I've spent time just getting geared up again for school. We've been back in class for a few days now and it's been really good. The kids have all grown so much over the summer and I missed them so much. It's great to be back!