Sandy's Global Eyes

January 26th, 2019

We had a recent warm snap which melted some snow, exposed lots of sand/dirt/salt which is constantly applied to our snowy roads (yuck), and exposed a lot of ice! I actually prefer the powdery snow, to the extremely dangerous ice. It’s definitely ice cleats and snowshoe time around here. I was very thrilled to be invited out for a snowshoe adventure, followed by my first venison ribs dinner with my friend Sarah and her parents.

Who would have predicted that in addition to eating my first venison (deer) ribs, I would also discover moose tracks and learn about this evasive species. (At least evasive to me since I’ve been up north!).

After meeting at Sarah’s place we drove to her parents property. Man did we need ice cleats in order to walk anywhere! Sara, her mom (Lynne) and I headed off to go snowshoeing in the back woods up towards the paint ball area before dinner. There were lots of moose tracks in the snow.

The male’s were large, fairly narrow, hoofed footprints.  The female prints were smaller with a more pointy shape. There was also lots of moose hair in areas of the trail. Lynn thought it was possibly from some sort of battle–possibly the mother trying to get her 2 year old calf to depart and become independent. We discovered moose poop–also named “scat” depending on the season!!! Moose need to eat at least 50–60 lbs. of food per day to survive. In the winter and early spring, the scat consists of round deposits that look rather like pellets or chocolate almonds! Some artisans here use moose poop to create decorative paper and others collect the pellets and coat them in polyurethane to create jewelry. ????  According to Lynne, the female (cows) poop is a more elongated shape.

While out on our adventure, we explored the Burns Lake Paintball location. I’ve never tried paintball before, but all the structures and hiding locations looked like it would be a fun area for those who enjoy this sport. As we returned to the house, we were aglow from the fresh air and exercise.

Inside the house Lynn showed me her newest craft. She is creating mats from recycled torn sheets! Finally, it was time to try venison ribs!

There were lots and they had been cooking for hours in the slow cookers. I was warned they are rather greasy. I thought the deer was really tasty, and was surprised by the amount of meat on the ribs. Thanks so much Merv and Lynn. It was a fun and wonderful evening!

January 22nd, 2019

One of the delightful teachers I have been collaborating with is Stacey and her grade 1/2 class. We are studying about winter birds in the Burns Lake area then creating bird houses/feeders for them. Today was the day we donned the school snow shoes and went for an adventure through the woods near our school. We saw a few birds from our identification booklets; but also got fresh air, exercise and had fun.

The children were really good at buckling up their snow shoes and releasing the straps when we returned. I’m still a novice! lol  What a wonderful day!

January 21st, 2019

There is an enthusiastic and diverse group of individuals in the Lakes District area who are passionate supporters of the Arts. People travel from all around Burns Lake to attend these high caliber musical performances and every concert also showcases at least one local artist. A local person or organization supply the very tasty intermission coffee/drinks and sweets. In spite of snow and low visibility, many of us made the Monday evening jaunt to the Burns Lake Community Church to attend a delightful evening of Cello and Piano Classical music from the brother/sister duo Cheng2. They are both from Ontario but presently Lily is studying piano in New York and Bryan is studying cello in Germany.

I sat with my usual Arts performance friends and was incredibly lucky to be sitting behind a short white haired lady named Ruth. There are many white and grey haired people who follow the Arts in this locale, but Ruth turned out to be a most prestigious member of the audience, as during the show Lily and Bryan left the stage to present Ruth with flowers in conjunction with the emcee announcing that it was Ruth’s 102nd birthday!!!

Pretty impressive!

January 20th 2019

What an action packed Sunday in Burns Lake, B.C! I opened my eyes to a beautiful sunny morning once again. It was Rookie Day at Omineca Cross Country Ski Club. The ski club is about 6.5 km, about 10 minutes out of Burns Lake towards Francois Lake. Once you leave highway 35 S it’s only 800 m up a well groomed road to the Lodge and wax/rental shop area. The club is run like a coop by many volunteers and is very friendly and easy to access. There are multiple trails to explore and even lit until 10 p.m.  groomed trails for evening skiing.

The group of 8 new Rookies started the day up in the lodge where 3 experienced instructors guided us in learning about different skis, boots, bindings, etc. I discovered my rentals are: classic waxless fishscale skis; classic boots, and SNS bindings. We got a bonus is we knew what NNN stood for… I suggested “Not ‘Nuf Newbies” but apparently it wasn’t the answer they were looking for lol! We also learned about the many trails available and how snowshoeing was not allowed on the x Country ski trails. Also, when you see a Red Flag in a certain area, that means they are practicing shooting target for the biathlon group. Could be interesting to observe one day?

Then we were off to the stadium to don our equipment, stretch, and learn skills (without poles). The long skinny skis still seem awkward to me, but my balance is very slowly improving. We divided into 2 groups and heading off on different tails to practice skills which matched our ability levels with very patient and encouraging instructors. It was a great day and I highly recommend anybody new to Cross Country skiing, try a Rookie day! I even bought a new Omineca ski club beanie.

Next, it was off to experiment making crafts with my friend, Sara. She taught me how to make the wax/resin reusable cloths that are so popular right now. It was fun creating together and I ended up with 7 new reusable cloths of very cool patterns. I’m finding they keep food much fresher than saran and ziplock bags and are a huge improvement on my environmental footprint! I have 3 in use in the fridge atm.

As I left the moon was starting its eclipse.   My camera did not do justice to the amazing slight that I witnessed for over an hour. I included a photo of the Super Wolf Blood Moon taken by my friend Jackie Hildering. I was thrilled to discover that many of the students I teach had also been witnessing this phenomenal event! What a stimulating and exciting day!

January 19th, 2019

Winter in Burns Lake! After the snow falls, the sun often peeks out and the world becomes a sparkling inviting wonderland. Like the Premack principle…First shovel the driveway, then a snowshoeing adventure around Kager lake with one of my young colleages:-) So bring on the snowshovel! It’s not too deep this time!

After Deirdre picked me up at my Home Base, we headed off to one of the favorite recreational areas for locals, Kager lake. It’s less than 10 minutes out of town and in addition to the lovely trail around the lake there are endless mountain biking and “fat tire” trails through the trees. For those of you who don’t know what “fat tire” riding is…I just learned too. Basically, it’s mountain bike trail riding using really “fat” or wide tires so you can ride in snow. Not on my bucket list…. Today We’re trying snowshoeing. The schools  have sets of snowshoes and cross country skis for students and staff to use. So, we borrowed a couple of pairs and decided to get familiar with this mode of snow transport. After we figured out how to attach the snowshoes (similar to snowboarding) and I admired the saw shaped metal ‘claws’ at the bottom, we were off.

The metal snowshoes felt large but were pretty easy to maneuver. The lake has been frozen solid for several months now. I had heard that people were skating, playing hockey, and riding “fat bikes” on it. But it was a quiet day and we only saw 5 other people during our hike. As you walk the snow squeaks somewhat and we both noticed that snow tended to build up under the snowshoe making them quiet heavy at times. Perhaps the snow conditions?

I felt great for the first hour….but I could really feel the top front of my thighs near the end and I really had to push myself to finish the last section of the trail. This is good exercise! It was beautiful walking through the forest and a fun sensation walking on the frozen lake too. Thanks Deirdre!

January 2019

January is a time to promote and extend questions and curiosity at both schools! January is a busy time of the year

as older (grade 3 and up) prepare for the upcoming Science Fairs

while the younger students study snow/ice/snowflakes/changes of matter/penguins/and Arctic animals and accompanying biomes. Our hydroponic Garden Tower is flourishing and students and staff are enjoying the fresh veggies and herbs it provides. Meanwhile, I continue evolving the 2 libraries into Learning Commons and enjoy the camaraderie of both staffs in this friendly location. 🙂

While at Home Base, Brat (the cat) experiments with new locations and just plain looking darn cute!

January 12 & 13, 2019

With temperatures between -10 and -15 most days, I really missed Mark’s kindling supply. However, I was too scared to use the ax and hatchet to create my own pile. This was a skill I had never needed to learn in the past. I asked at both schools if there was somewhere I could go to purchase kindling, but nobody had any suggestions. When I arrived back at home base on Friday after school, I noticed 2 cardboard boxes by the carport door. A Burns Lake fairy godmother/godfather had left me a much appreciated gift of potential heat!

I was exuberant making the first fire of 2019 in the woodstove that night! I felt quite successful and independent when the fire caught and warmed up the house:-) I asked many people if they were the secret santa, but I did not discover the answer for nearly a week. It was a gift from our friendly retired teacher and TTOC Paula, who is also the talented force behind the Burns Lake pottery at the Artisan center.  Thank you Paula! You are an angel in my eyes!

On Saturday I had my first Cross Country ski lesson at Omineca ski club. Doug was my instructor and was so patient and encouraging!

I had incredibly skinny classic no wax fish scale 190 cm skis, and really long classic 135cm poles. I was wobbly and probably looked pretty funny…but I only fell twice. Both times were going down hill!  I’ll tell you though, I won’t be winning any ski races for a long, long time–if ever!  It was a great start, but I have a long way to go 🙁

On Sunday, my friend Sara invited me to learn how to make kindling at her place. It was so icy, we needed to wear ice cleats.

Turns out I really am pathetic at making the thin kindling, but I got the hang of using her log splitter! Thanks Sara for your patience, encouragement, and spare wood. 🙂 “I’m a Lumber Jill and I’m okay!” It was a weekend filled with new experiences. Brat adores the heat from the wood stove!

January 7th–11th

The first week back at school after the Christmas break was intense with full on teaching and returning to life in snowy winter conditions. Although the snow and ice covered the grounds and required shoveling (again!), the days were often sunny and winter recreational sports were calling my name! It was exciting to see the days lengthening after the winter solstice . I was so excited to arrive and depart from my schools in some light (instead of dawn/dusk or darkness). Students were all getting measured for the correct sizes in both snowshoes and x country skis! School newsletters home included information about the evolution of my 2 libraries into Learning Commons and my photo was sent home to parents 🙂

Students enjoyed creating snow forts and sliding down the slopes at both schools. Decker has 4 snow shovels that children enjoy using in the mornings to clear the stairs and sidewalks. One morning while working in the Learning Commons I heard this strange scraping sound outside my windows. Of course, I had to find the answer to this mystery.

A miniature tracker like vehicle with a front scoop was zooming around scrapping snow and then expelling the snow (like a snow blower) over the edge of the garden area.  It was fascinating and I was entranced! With low temperatures, new powder, and a weekend by myself…It was time to step out and explore more adventures in this area. Check out the next blog post!

January 6th and 7th, 2019

The plan was to drive back up north together in our truck (with studded tires), and explore winter recreation during my final 2 months and 9 days of this District Teacher-Librarian/Learning Commons Specialist position in Burns Lake. However, due to all the storm damage on our home and property, plans changed.

The flight from Nanaimo to Vancouver was uneventful. While waiting in the Vancouver airport, though, I was fascinated by the FN sculptures covered in plastic. I had to investigate. Believe it or not….there is a crow in the terminal which is roosting and leaving excrement on artwork! The airport has accepted and embraced the crow, but covered artwork with plastic!

As we all sat waiting for the next flight the crow’s incessant cawing was incredibly irritating. Personally, I hope he finds the exit door before my next trip!

A fellow teacher working in Burns Lake also was returning north from the Nanaimo area. Thankfully, My brother was there to meet us when we arrived in Prince George. We had returned back north to the snow, dig out your car, engine heaters, pre-heat your vehicles, shovel driveways, wear ice cleats, gloves, toques, type of winter!

It was an exceptionally slow drive back to Burns Lake as there was fog in addition to ice and snow. When we returned, Brat (the cat I am house sitting) was anxiously waiting for my arrival. Once I had emptied my bags, Brat jumped in and wouldn’t get out for hours! lol

 

December 30th and Jan 3rd, 2019

December 30th, 2018. The sun is shining. There is NO snow. There is a brisk wind by the ocean. We must be on Vancouver Island! Let’s go explore the trails beside our glorious ocean! We drove to one of our favorite spots in Nanaimo–Piper’s lagoon!

Apparently, quite a few people had the same idea. There were even 2 guys in wetsuits who were kite-boarding in the brisk wind. I vicariously felt chilled each time they dipped into the chilly waters! Brrr! But it was certainly entertaining. I must admit, the snow piles of Burns Lake were melting away in my mind as I explored the rocks with my husband on Dec. 30th in Nanaimo.

On January 3rd we set out to visit friends in Lake Cowichan, normally about 50 minutes south of Nanaimo. However, due to high winds and torrential rains, the detour and reduced speeds, resulted in a slow trip and memories of Vancouver Island winter weather came “flooding” back!

However, when we eventually arrived we had a lovely visit. Their property is on a riparian zone and is about double the size when the waters subside. It is a fascinating river area supporting much plant and bird habitat.

On the return trip we stopped in to explore Ladysmith park by the water.

It’s lovely! As we approached Nanaimo the sun returned and we were blessed with some brilliant rainbows!