Work

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Summer Status Update

This summer has thus far not been what I signed up for, but it’s been okay, and much better now that I have two and a half days off next week! I’ll not only be able to knock a couple more places off my bucket list, but also get some paint to start the decorating portion of the makeover!

Speaking of painting, I’ve been doing our bathroom floors as a special, after hours project. Which explains why it’s 10PM and I’m off to change into my paint-soaked gear, something that tends to confuse those used to seeing me look presentable in a skirt and tee-shirt. 🙂

My biggest accomplishment in the past six weeks has been the learning of one little phrase: ein dollar für drei minuten. As in our showers take $1 for 3 minutes and we have a lot of German tourists who have a hard time understanding that. It took only two tries for me to get the phrase down pat, according to my very nice German teachers RVing here in their German-plated dump-truck style RV. 🙂

It’s been a pretty mundane and ho-hum super crazy busy summer so far, with the weather not being nearly as good as it was last year, but I am in good spirits. I’m in the Klondike, my business is booming, and there is so much going on behind the scenes that I sometimes find myself smiling at the most inappropriate moments. As my friend Croft says, life is good!

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Misconceptions about Dawson City

I spoke with two people today who really made me shake my head at just how little research some people do before making a journey. I like to get a feel for where I’m going and an idea of what there might be to see and do, but wait until I arrive to get the full lowdown on attractions. Some people apparently get in their car and say “I think I’ll go to Dawson City today!” and here they are. That tends to work out quite well in more populated areas, but if you’re heading to a remote place, a modicum of research is necessary, methinks.

The first person asked me where the Canadian Tire is and how late it’s open. When I replied that Dawson’s only chain store is a Home Hardware and that shops close early, he was appalled. “It’s only 7 and I don’t have a cable for my tv! What am I going to do tonight?!” I suggested going to Gerties in as neutral a tone as I could. He took my suggestion, but made sure to add “I don’t know how you can live like this.”

Then there was the person who called to get information on Dawson, specifically to confirm that we have more than a half dozen motels, hotels, and inns. “I thought Dawson was just this little blip on the map that you zip through en route to Alaska” she said (and I’m quoting her word for word). I replied that Dawson is the town with the most to see and do on the Yukon-Alaska circuit (a fact that I’ve read in  several locations) and that people rarely plan long enough for it. “Do y’all have restaurants?!” Yes, there are an inordinate number of restaurants in Dawson. “Museums?!” Yes. There’s the Dawson City museum as well as a score of other sites to visit (I’ll be starting my grand tour on Friday!).

There is easily enough to do in Dawson to spend a week and be busy every day with a couple of activities. A week isn’t long enough to try every restaurant or do every attraction if you only do one a day. Dawson even has stores, and the ones that cater to tourists also carry things locals would want to pay for.

I’m not sure what I expected from Dawson other than it be itself. I knew that its location at the end of the Klondike Highway would mean limited services, but I suspected that there would be a good amount of entertainment.  I got here with an open mind and an eagerness to try life in a semi-remote community. Some things have amazed me, but generally I take things in stride. I’m learning to live on Dawson time, which includes going out for ice cream and a walk along the dike at 9PM with a friend instead of hitting the mall and keeping my meal plans flexible to accommodate the treasure hunt that is grocery shopping here. How do I live here? Quite happily.

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Scenes from Dawson City

Just some random photographs taken during my aimless wanderings the other night:

this sign always amuses me

this sign always amuses me

the Eldorado Hotel, home of the Sluicebox Lounge bar

the Eldorado Hotel, home of the Sluicebox Lounge bar

My 'Dawson truth' lies somewhere between the gaudy carnival and the harsh, sobering reality. Of course, I only know SummerDawson.

My ‘Dawson truth’ lies somewhere between the gaudy carnival and the harsh, sobering reality. Of course, I only know SummerDawson.

the above text comes from this exhibit; it's free and open super late

the above text comes from this exhibit; it’s free and open super late

this building is just a façade; far as I know there is nothing going on inside

this building is just a façade; far as I know there is nothing going on inside

Bombay Peggy's pub & inn

Bombay Peggy’s pub & inn

This pizza place is accessible only through an alley (hence the name Back Alley Pizza). I've found the building after much searching and am now trying to figure out where the entrance is!

This pizza place is accessible only through an alley (hence the name Back Alley Pizza). I’ve found the building after much searching and am now trying to figure out where the entrance is!

Nothing much has been going on over the past few days; it’s just been insanely busy! The movie crew has checked out so life should be a bit less zany for the next couple of days. I am also going to be starting a new schedule on Monday which will give me several days a week to go out and explore the things I meant to explore last year.

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The Running Together of Days

Thank goodness for the oh-so-long Dawson summer days!

The days have started to run together with a sameness that makes me feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day! 😀

It’s good to be working so much and 100% for myself. I really feel like I am a legitimate business now, especially since I’m in negotiations for a short-term project that will do some good things for my bottom line if it goes through.

Yesterday, we hit 32 in the shade, so I’d hate to know what the temps were in full sun! There was a lot of wind, too, which brought up impressive clouds of dust that chased people indoors. At least, it gets quite cool in the evening, making for comfortable nights. With windows and roof hatches open, I haven’t yet had to turn on the air conditioner.

I’m waiting on my toast and upon breakfasting, I will mosey on over to the office to start my day. We have a Hollywood film crew moving in! Well, the Canadian folks they hired. 🙂 Whenever I go into town, I’ll be keeping an eye out for Jack Black, Owen Wilson, and Steve Martin who are filming their movie ‘The Big Year‘ a short way up the Dempster Highway. You never know, I could get lucky. 🙂

No such thing as a dull day in Dawson!

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Food, Food, Food, Food, and More Food

Today started off slooooooowly. I needed to go in at noon, rather than my usual eleven, so, of course, I woke up quite early by my standards: quarter past nine. I then made up for that by spending more than an hour in bed with the cats reading, checking my email and getting work done on my iPod Touch (I wish I was kidding. Or maybe not!).

Our fishmonger left today and I thanked him once again for a gift he gave me yesterday: a big bag of frozen shrimp!!!  I’m going to have them on the grill soon as I take the time  to get it set up.

The morning was pretty sedate, but active, since I needed to do some work on the property, including sweeping which really feels like a futile endeavour. The best way I can describe what the property looks like is to imagine the set of the show M*A*S*H, only with RVs instead of tents. There are a lot of similarities in the layout (including mountains in the background) and that ever present coating of dust that turns to mud soon as it’s wet out. Whenever I’m put to beautification detail, I think of the episode where the colonel had the camped spruced up for a general’s visit, which culminated in a fountain being made with bed pans. I suggested we make a fountain with gold pans, but that didn’t go over so well. Hmph! 😀

Just before I went on my afternoon break, I was treated to a slice of watermelon. It was a tad pasty, but by Dawson standards it was excellent and I savoured every morsel. I’m almost at the time of year when my junk food cravings are going to give way to an insatiable appetite for fruit and salad and the watermelon was a nice way to inaugurate the season.

Unfortunately, we’re also at that time of year when the sun is really bad during my time off (3 to 5), so running to the post office and back was quite a chore. I was glad to return to Miranda’s cool interior and get some work done on my contract. As a side note, I received an email a couple of days ago that the contract had been canceled. I was understandably devastated! But some inconsistencies in the correspondence I got made me ask a few questions and I was able to learn that only part of the contract has been terminated. So, I can still count on some hours a week, just not as many. This served to show me that I really can’t rely on that contract for any sort of income this winter which led me down another alley for the winter. It’s much too soon to start on that subject, however.

When I came back to work, late afternoon, I snagged an apple (Golden Delicious!) from the manager and then attempted to show her how to transfer ebooks to her iPod. I believe I may have added ‘ebook transferer’ to my job description. 😀 We were interrupted when a caravan rolled in and I had fun watching the RV ballet. Once everyone was squared away, the organizer came in with treats for everyone–a huge container of cashews and a cinnamon bun the size of my head! It came from the Braeburn Lodge… known for their huge cinnamon buns. A couple of us tore into the bun right away, but we left more than half for the morning folks (ain’t we nice?). I had thought of making shrimp for dinner, but between the cashews and cinnamon bun slice, I think I’m done for the night. 😀

So, needless to say I was thinking breakfast, not dessert, when one of my colleagues (who was a neighbour in Oliver!) handed me two beautiful carrot cake muffins with cream cheese icing when I handed her the night phone. They are going to be soooo yummy with my coffee in the morning!

Been a good day; slightly crazy, which is what passes for normal around here. 🙂