Dawson City

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Pre-Season Fun at Gerties

Last night was the first set of can-can shows at Gerties, kicking off the summer season. I went with a gang from work, including a gal who grew up in Dawson but is now from Nova Scotia, and whose mother used to have the contract to make all the dresses for Gerties shows.

This year, there are two new dancers, but ‘Gertie’ herself is the same. I was thrilled to see this because the singer/actress was born for the part and is an excellent host.

The shows and costumes were comparable to last year, but the songs were different. The song I remember best from last year was ‘Anything Goes’ (from Indiana Jones) and this year’s most memorable is ‘Moon River’ (from Breakfast at Tiffany’s).

There is something about that ‘Gold Rush’ music that sends a shiver down my spine. Combine that with the colourful swirling skirts and the mile-long legs kicking sky high and I’m pretty sure I won’t be getting bored with Gerties any time soon!

I tried to take some pics and video, as I did last year, but I don’t have the equipment to take pictures in the dark. There are some good ones on the Diamond Tooth Gerties site.

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Spinning Fruit

Tonight, one of my friends invited me to go to Gertie’s. I’m going tomorrow for the pre-season opening show and had some work to do, so I said I would ‘think about it, but to save me a spot.’

I finished what I was working on an headed over an hour later. Another friend was there as well as an RV park guest (my neighbour, in fact), and we spent some time gabbing over drinks and pizza. Finally, I decided to go try $5 worth of luck in the penny slot machine that paid me back last time I was at Gertie’s.

I fed the machine my bill and selected ‘maximum bet’, which was 45 cents. The machine spun. And spun again. And again. I was a bit bewildered, assuming that it was broken. The guy next to me laughed and explained that I kept on winning free spins! Someone said that I had ‘won big for that machine’ and that didn’t register; I was just too amused by the spinning bars, fruits, and diamonds. That was enough fun for the night and as the machines spun I hit the ‘cash out’ button so that I could get back $4 and play the other 55 cents.

Next thing I knew, there was a casino employee by my side handing me one of those big cups that hold coins and tokens for the slot machines. Seconds later, the machine starting spitting out tokens at me. *clang, clang, clang, clang, clang* I’d had this happen to me at the penny slots in Vegas, but there I was being paid in quarters. This machine was paying me in tokens worth $1 each. It finally stopped with my container about half-full.

I hurried over to the cash out booth and while the machine there calculated my gains, I applied for my free season pass.

Care to guess how much I ended up making on my 45 cent bet?

I walked away from the teller with $67, meaning that I came out of Gertie’s tonight with $62 more than I’d walked in with! Not bad for penny slots!

It’s rare for me to gamble, even on penny slots, so I’m pretty sure I’ve exhausted my luck for life! 😀

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First Ice Cream of the Season

This afternoon turned out to be ‘proper’ Dawson weather: sunny and HOT! It was time to go get my first ice cream of the season!

I parked at my favourite spot at the corner of 3rd and Queen because it’s a conveniently central location:

I then walked the half block to the post office:

I doubled back to Queen, crossed, turned right towards the water, and turned left on Second to go to the bank:

After taking out some money, I cut across Second and a vacant lot, crossed an alley, and came up beside the row of buildings that holds the ice cream shop:

Turns out they’re only opening at 3 for the next little while and I was a few minutes early, so I decided to take a quick stroll around town.

I headed back to Third and Queen and took Queen all the way to King:

I turned left at King to head back towards Front Street and the water, and took this shot of the Dawson Visitor’s Centre (log cabin) across from which is the NWT and Dempster Highway information centre (blue roof):

I took a left at Front Street and ambled down the two blocks that would take me back to the ice cream parlour. There, I went all out, since prices have not changed from last year, and had two scoops in a waffle cone. Summer has officially begun! 😀

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Thinking Within the Box

Today was cold, wet, and miserable. I worked my normal split shifts and went into town between them to see if I had any mail. *rereads that* Somehow, my day was a lot better than that sentence makes it sound. Maybe it’s because camaraderie doesn’t translate well to written form? 🙂

When I came home, I spent some time on Google, researching volunteer opportunities in the US for foreigners, finding the National Parks Service International Volunteers in Parks Program. If I am eligible for the visa, I would then be allowed to apply for any volunteer position in the National Parks Service and it would be okay for them to pay me with a full hookup site. This seems like the perfect solution for me. It would enable me to enter the US in a much less suspicious way than doing so ‘for holidays’ would, it would cut down on my expenses, and it would give me something to do as well as more experience on my resumé. I’ve completed my application and will sleep on it before sending it off. I already know where I want to apply first should I be approved!

Now, I’m watching what passes for a sunset around here. My bed is calling….

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False Advertisement of the Weather Variety

I have to keep reminding myself that I am in Dawson a month ahead of last year!

Today was cold and blustery, completely unpleasant. I had thought to go into town during my split shift, but instead hunkered down at home and got some work done at my contract.

Since I work every day in Dawson and won’t have major projects like I had last winter, I’ve decided to set myself a daily monetary goal to reach at which point I can say that I am ‘off’ for the rest of the day. Otherwise, it would be very easy to work during every spare second. Of course, town will be opening up soon and I will have plenty of opportunities to go out for dinner or shows, but with the days being as long as they are it’s good to have a definable moment when I can tell myself it’s okay to go out and have some fun.

I was asked today where in Dawson one can go to buy dishes and other kitchen implements:

1) the Free Store (dump);

2) the Thrift Store (attached to the church);

3) Home Hardware (new stuff, $$$)