merry christmas!

hope everyone had a great christmas, we had an awesome day, and an even better supper mmmmturkey. The pics are all self explanatory. We didn't have harley or beckers here with us this year and so it was a little strange, but a lot quieter. we were worried about coleman claiming all the toys but he was pretty good about letting his sister have her toys and even let her play with his too.

Steven of the burnt legs is home from the army, but i haven't had a chance to see him much yet. Miranda went to Yk for some shopping, and decided to get the truck serviced while she was there. the service guy found three dead mice in the air filter. The guy was a wuss and Miranda had to shame him and tipped him 20 bucks for getting them out, i guess they all had a good laugh too. anyhoo merry christmas everyone, one more trip to the fridge and then off to bed.

Hi from lutsel'ke via iPod touch little keyboard big pain

well I am hitting the road...hitting the sky rather, I'm flying out in the morning to Lutsle'ke NWT an apparently scenic little community on the shore of Great Slave lake. I've never been there, and once again my boss is in a pinch, so fort simpson saves the day, once again off I go.
the guy josh had originally planned to go in there, had an engine failure on his Buffalo airways flight to yellowknife and got scared and then wouldn't get on the next plane(Air Tindi) to Lutsle'ke. I know! what a chicken! He ended up getting some one to drive from hay river to YK to pick him up. I mean doesn't Buffalo Joe lose an engine on every flight? especially after ice pilots, people feel ripped off if they have a good flight. anyhoo gotta pack- I hope my plane doesn't lose an engine...it only has the one.

if anyone asks if there are polar bears in my neck of the woods you can tell them , yes, there is one. this one at the yellowknife airport(it's a bit of a joke with the locals) although the best taxidermy display I think I've ever seen.

the bear spots his prey!, and makes his move!

the lucky seal lives for another day.

recieving an award from my boss

another award

It was a good trip. really good to see some folks that I only get to see every few years. Shout out to my boss josh and Lisa from ottawa you guys put on a great trip. everyone had a good time.

and to Cam Mason, ouch! I wouldn't want to see the bill for this shindig, but money well spent.

and frank, yeah I am indeed a very lucky dude!

well I'm off to yellowknife tomorrow and fort smith the day after that. Over the last couple of mornings at work I've been adding up all the hours I've worked in the ten years I've been with ATS. I have all the pay sheets since it switched over to ATS from the feds-so I counted them up...twenty two thousand three hundred eighty-eight hours as of today. I have more clocked hours than ANYONE else in the company...including the founder and owner, Cam Mason.
when he hired me he asked me how long i figured I'd stay with the company and I asked him how long you gonna be in business? he's still in business, an' im still there.

Coleman was scared of charlie brown in her mask

miranda won $130 for most imaginative costume at the bar,
hard to believe that she was the only facebook page there.

happy all hallows eve

I know it's a bit early but miranda and charlene made a jacko'lantern and I took this pic, they thot it looked cool so..here it is.

The appropriately named table mountain

View of the Mackenzie under a low stratus cieling

The Wrigley airport has a small office; but a nice view.

Image uploads are apparently disabled until later today, so, sorry frank I can't show you our winter wonderland. Work is busy. I have been tasked with opening one of our stations at Wrigley, it's been closed for several months. So I have to take Carl and Duane over to train and certify them to work there. Carl and I tried to go over on the 14th-in a blizzard. we didn't make it. It took us almost 6 hours to travel 78km and back. there was 12 to 16 inches of snow on the road. Duane and I went over on the 18th, we made it to Wrigley with only a bit of white knuckle driving. We got the airport open. There was no heat in the hotel. we had no choice but spend the night as the ferry stops running at 8pm. yesterday, still no heat in the hotel. I am too old for too much of that shit, so we came back home last night. Of course Duane put the company truck in the ditch just as we were ready to leave Wrigley, luckily I had my truck there and it was ez to yank him out. We got Duane trained and cert. so not a total loss. tomorrow Carl and I will go back(if they got the heat fixed) I'm sick right now too, so not having a lot of fun.
My boss told me the other day that my station(fort simpson) has won station of the year! Woo Hoo! we beat around 20 other airports for this honor. Ahh hell I'm gonna toot my own horn, I'm very good at what I do and it's not the first time the industry has taken notice. So they are flying me to fort smith next month to accept the award there, as ATS(the company I work for) will be having a to-do there celebrating mine and ATS's ten year anniversary. ten years, time, and airplanes, fly when yer having fun!

Oh my god! Has it really been that long? yup I'm the big three-oh! got my beard and have just started an Allman brothers tribute band!
we haven't been up to much the last little while, so no blog. i was gonna put one up for coleman's b-day but after Frank's joke me and miranda thot this was appropriate.

x marks the spot, a neat contrail over fort simpson

Coleman lets fly with a wicked right cross!

he hauls back.....

and BAM! he knocks the S#$% out of that heavy bag!

boom, short right uppercut, there mister punching bag,

I already put my big sister in a wheelchair, don't mess with me

or I'll knock yer hook right out of the ceiling. (he did)

Miranda's auntie Bella bought this for our house at willow

Wave cloud crashing over the mountain, it's just like a cloud waterfall

The infamous HAIREATER I believe I may have mentioned these before. It's a pine bark beetle and nasty bcuz they actually do eat hair.

This is a small one. I know. GROSS! and of course there millions of them. they fly up behind you and velcro themselves in your hair and chow down.

get any better than this?

Weekends at willow, of course. way up top it's miranda to the rescue, as she had to pull charlie brown from a ditch, she got her quad down in there and couldn't get out. Coleman uses his granma's binoculars. charlene used to call them binoscopes. our cucumbers are doing good. charlene practicing with her bow.

Last weekend miranda and I invited Carl and Derek from work down for some fishing, that's Carl and the ol' lady in the boat. And a whitefish that I caught.

I'm tired as hell so that's all for now!

Steven of the burnt legs came home for holidays from the army. Harley and Charlene were duly impressed with a real live army man. Steven camo'd their faces and put them thru some PT it was pretty good. Steven also proved that the army can teach anyone to shoot- come on now steve-o you know you couldn't hit the broad side of a barn before! god the excuses! something wrong with the gun, I never used one like this before...i heard em all. NOW on the other hand he picks up a gun that he's never used before and scores on every shot. I was impressed(not easily done) All photo credits go to harley this time cuz my camera battery was dead.

miranda caught some nice pickerel down at willow on the weekend, about six or seven pounds.

charlie brown and harley built a lean-to, and almost had us convinced to let them sleep in there...almost. instead miranda decided to move one of the log warehouses and fix it up into a little cabin for the kids. we'll probably wait and do that in the fall when it's cooler and no bugs.

I'm taking duane from work and one of the local pilots fishing down there tomorrow.

and sis i detest asparagus but miranda either likes it or just likes to grow it. anyways most of it bit the dust(literally). I snuck up on the kids when charlene was reading to her little brudder.