Beach Day

The weather has been so lovely this weekend. Nice and warm. Definitely shorts and tee-shirt weather. So today Amanda and I decided it would be nice to take the dogs to the beach for a little play time. Greg was going to come but the time we choose to go was when the Bills were playing! Go Bills!!! Apparently it was a big win too... so I am sure he was glad he stayed home to watch it.

When we woke up this morning, there was BIG news all over the Facebook world. There was a fire in town last night. The old Mennonite church which has been abandoned for years burned down last night. This church had basically become a play place for the kids in Deer Lake and was causing a lot of problems for the Northern. So today Amanda and I wandered over to see the remains and I took a few pictures to share. The fire was extremely close to the Northern's propane tanks so we are very lucky that the fire didn't get to close to them. I have posted a few pictures below so that you can check out the fire and our adventure to the beach.

Check out how close the propane tanks are to the fire.
All that was left standing of the church is the stone chimney

Edgar and I enjoying the warmth of the day and the beauty of the lake
Amanda and Dexter enjoying the view also.
Edgar taking a break in the sand. He was so tired after chasing Dexter up and down the beach.
Edgar!!
Amanda getting "the boys" to chase sticks into the water. That is about as deep as Edgar would go. One day he will like the water.
Dexter playing and running back to Amanda. He is basically in the air in this picture.
Edgar chasing Dexter on the beach. Dexter is really fast and Edgar is slow so it was really funny watching Edgar try and keep up. Dexter would stop and wait for Edgar to catch up and when he was just about there Dex would take off again.
Playing in the water with sticks!

Fun with the Dogs

So today was an early dismal day (2:30) because of hunting week next week. We were all invited to go fishing after school however Amanda and I decided to stay home (Amanda's been feeling really crappy lately. Unfortunately she got my cold). Greg and Jon went out fishing for about three hours, they caught a few fish and Jon actually brought one home to clean. Greg told me that they just went to the Dam and took a bought off the shore to use. Steve had brought his own motor to use but apparently it is quite normal to come and use other peoples boats. I guess when they got back to the shore the owners of the boat were waiting to use it.

While the guys were fishing Amanda and I headed to the store and got a few things. Then we each went our separate ways and tried to take a nap. Once that was unsuccessful on both ends we got together again and played with the dogs. I discovered today that Edgar is losing his baby teeth. He had one missing and two really lose ones when I looked earlier this evening. I just looked a few minutes ago again and their are two more gone. My baby is getting so big already!

We also played dress up with Dexter and Edgar. Amanda had ordered Dexter two halloween costumes (a dragon and a basketball player). The dragon fit Dexter perfect however the basketball player was to big for him so of course I had to try it on Edgar. Check out our evening without Greg and how we dressed up the dogs!

Dexter the Dragon and Edgar the basketball player!

How cute! Although I think he would make a better football player.

In one side and out the other

Another week has finished and our routines are quickly forming. This week brought some excitement, as it snowed on Tuesday, September 13th. We woke up to quite the snow falling, but the ground is still soft so away it quickly went. The middle of the week brought temperatures hovering at 0, but with the weekend came a little bit of warmth. This week will go fast as the week after is Hunting Week. Chances are that Friday will be a shortened to start the holiday. Claire and I have decided to go to Winnipeg for four days (Monday-Thursday) to get away.

Last weekend, Blaine took us out to shoot some of the NAPS guns. We all had fun destroying an old T.V. he had. As well, they collect the liquor that is confiscated at the airport and shoot them. There are pictures of our adventure below. Blaine was promoted to a detective and to be part a new ERT (Emergency Response Team) group, located out of Thunder Bay. After 4 or 5 years of working in Deer Lake he is now permanently moving home and can start settling down. He is extremely excited and we are glad to have met him.

On Friday, Claire's grade 9s began their cultural program. The tradition continued of Claire staying at school and not venturing outside like the rest of the classes. They made small pillows from felt which featured a cut-out animal of their choice. They looked pretty neat.

A funny story from yesterday. Edgar's last booster shot was delivered yesterday by the two of us. Since there is a time limit between shots, Claire and I brought up a needle and the solutions (thanks Grandma for sending them) to deliver his last one. We prepared it all and set Edgar down with a treat. I stuck the needle into a fold of skin in his back and pushed through most of the shot. Near the end, the needle stopped pushing, so I drove the needle a little further in and pushed the rest of the contents out. Unfortunately I pushed a little too far and the remaining contents shot straight at Claire. I had pushed the needle right through Edgar's fold of skin. Oh well, lesson learned. He has been great up here and didn't seem to mind the episode. We have noticed that he has become more mellow. He really enjoys cuddling with Claire and sleeping beside her. HE is definitely growing and will be huge by christmas.

Me shooting Blaine's handgun.

Claire setting the T.V. in her scope.

Proof that we all survived and unscathed.

Deadliest Catch

Hello Everyone,

Sorry about the long wait for a post. Our internet at home wasn't working until just a few days ago.

This week we finished our first official week of school. It was a good week. Our new grade 8's seem really awesome and of course we know our grade 9's already (although they are absolutely wild). I hate yelling and I will admit I did that a few times this week. It was the only thing that made two grade 9's stop chasing each other around the classroom like kindergarteners.

This year a few things have changed at the school. We have a new principal who seems nice but is a lot different from the one we had last year. We also have two new teachers Jon and Jill. They seem really nice and we have really enjoyed the times we have hung out with them. Jon teaches grade 4 and Jill teaches grade 6. We also have another new neighbour Anna. She is the new KiHS teacher (internet high school). It is kinda fun having all these people that are in a similar circumstance living all around you.

On another note, I will take this time to discuss my baby, Edgar! He has been amazing. Greg and I haven't noticed him growing taller or longer lately but he is definitely stocky. Edgar has been doing really well with the potty training and letting us know that he needs to go to the bathroom. His nipping is still an issue that bugs me but that will change in time. We have started spraying him with water if he is doing something he is not supposed to and it has worked really well. All we have to do is show him the spray bottle and he stops his bad behaviour. We are really enjoying having him here with us.

I thought I would share a few pictures of a recent fishing trip. Greg and Jon went fishing with Steve last a few weeks ago, so the girls asked him for a turn. He took Jill, Amanda and I out for 41/2 hours. Enjoy the pictures from our excursion.

Amanda with her fish. She was very reluctant to hold any fish but gave in once she caught her own.

Jill and her fish.

Myself and my fish. I caught the first fish on the fishing trip. It was totally exciting. I never catch anything when I am fishing at the cottage.

Amanda and I being good fisherwomen.

The girls. Jill, Amanda and Claire.

Down and Out

We had promised more updates this year and have seemingly got off to a rough start. We arrived in Deer Lake with all of our bins (quite an accomplishment because Amanda had quite a few too). When we arrived at the teacherage, the internet was down. Our luck. We figured it was done all over. Several days went by before I asked our computer technician at school about the internet. He was told that the reason it was out was because the bill hadn't been paid. Our luck. I then waited a day before I found our finance person and asked her about the unpaid bills. She replied that they had been paid, but will look into it. Our luck. And now it is the long weekend, so nothing will be updated until the middle of next week.

All in all we have been fortunate, because the internet works at the school. We have just been walking to the school to check every once and awhile.

Our first day was supposed to be on Wednesday, August 31, but a community wide fishing derby was being held from Sept. 1-4. So school has been postponed until Sept. 6. The Board has designated the three missed days as Traditional Days, so as to not lose any time. At least something worked out for us.

Our classrooms were quickly prepped and we are now just waiting for school to begin. It appears as though there will be 15 grade 8s and 20 grade 9s to start. That means the year end trip will only be for 20 people (including chaperones). A lot different than last year.

Desperate and Durty

Our conference is at the midway point. We had several speakers today and learned of some practical uses. John Mighton was the keynote speaker this morning. He is the founder and creator of JUMP Math, a charity that is hopeful of drastically changing our society with a focus on establishing a simpler math program. He is a writer, who has a play currently showcasing in Stratford. He was also an actor in Good Will Hunting.

Last night we took our rental car and toured Sioux Lookout. Took about 10 minutes to drive almost every stretch of road.

Today's lunch, which was at the restaurant with the sketchy sign, was actually pretty good. Rumour has it, it was pretty decent yesterday. Found out that the full name of the restaurant is Desperate Dick and Durty Nellies. Apparently, as the story goes, Dick was a pilot looking for Nellie when he crashed (hopefully pictures to follow).

Tomorrow is our last full day in Sioux Lookout. We are on the first flight to Deer Lake on Friday morning at roughly 9:00 am (no sleeping in this time). After our last session we will be heading to Johnny's Market to pick up several hundred dollars worth food, mostly meat, fruit, and veggies.

Back to reality

Well here we are, back at the grind. Consider this season two in our reality show. Our goal this year is to be more consistent in our posts and add more pictures of our life. On that note, there are no pictures from today.

Our day got off on the wrong foot. We were supposed to be at Claire’s parents for 6 am, but the phone rang and woke us up 6:15. We sprung from our bed and in 18 minutes were able to pack/feed Edgar/load the vehicle/ and shower. Pretty good considering I had nicknamed Claire ‘Sloth’ for her actions in the morning. She did a great job. We left Vineland a few minutes before 7:00 am for our 8:55 am flight out of Toronto. A quick prayer for open roads and we were off. Luckily the roads were clear and we made it to Pearson for 8:00 am. As we were walking to our gate, they had just started to board. Perfect timing if you ask me, Thanks Dad Hotson.

We arrived in Thunder Bay at 10:40 and quickly headed over to our next airline to check in for our 11:30 flight. After doing so, I went upstairs to the Tim Hortons for something to eat. While in line the intercom came on with the following message, “Last boarding call for passenger Gregory Martin.” My immediate reaction was to jump the railing and land on the first floor, but figured this happened on a consistent basis.

We arrived in Sioux Lookout at 11:45. The girls grabbed the bags off the conveyor belt as I went to the car rental booth. I found out that this booth was strictly a pick-up/drop-off location. So off I went to the pay phone and made my reservation with the parent company. I was told it would be ready in 15 minutes. Good. 20 minutes I went back to the booth to find that no contract had been faxed over. Great. So I phoned the Dryden office and was met with the answering machine. Another 20 minutes went by before I returned and found that no contract was sent. Perfect. So I phoned the Dryden office and was met with the answering machine. Another 20 minutes went by before I returned and again found no contract had been sent. Excellent. This time when I phoned I finally got through to someone. I guess he had been out for lunch since 11:30. Super. A contract for a 2012 white Ford Fusion was faxed within 5 minutes. The problem was that there weren’t any white Fusions. Ideal. 20 minutes later, and another phone call to the Dryden office (lucky he wasn’t on break) and a 2012 silver Ford Fusion was mine. The best part was that while going over the final contract, he highlighted that I was to be the only driver and there was to be no smoking or pets. Frustrated, hungry, and dying to get out of the airport, I remarked with an ‘of course’ and ran off with the key.

We quickly dropped off the dogs and luggage and headed to the closest restaurant. Well not exactly, as the nearest eatery had a sign in the window that read, “The original home of warm beer and poor food.” We quickly peeled out of the parking lot and headed down the street. Later in the night we went to the hotel our conference is mainly being held and found out that the same establishment would be catering our lunches for the week. Wow.

During the day we ran into two teachers from Deer Lake and found out that they have hired a principal for the upcoming year. He is a native from the next reserve over. His reputation is not outstanding, but we are looking forward to working with him this year.

As for Edgar, he had a great day. He was great in the airports and was even better on the airplanes. He has performed exceeding well in the hotel room as he has routinely gone to his crate on his own to sleep or rest.