Heeeere fishy, fishy fishy.....

Sunday Morning. It's a hazy day and we are off for a 7 hour drive to Kitimat.  How can one province be so huge? BC is almost one million square kilometers....944,000, and that's almost a million. That's like 4 Montana's, or 3.5 Colorado's, or even 25 Rhode Islands. Or a France and half. How can there be such long distances between places? Why can't I have my own helicopter so that I can zip here and there in no time? Seven hours? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

We stopped at Tim Hortons in Vanderhoof for a caffeine fix...regular with cream for me, iced Capp with a vanilla shot for he. Are we there yet?

Then we stopped in Houston (no, not that Houston) for gas. Are we there yet?

Then we stopped at Morricetown to watch some traditional native fishing. They stand on a plank over the river, or perch somewhat precariously on the bank, with a spear and a net, and catch salmon. Then they try to sell it to you.  I wasn't impressed, nor was I not impressed, it was just guys fishing as far as I was concerned, but it's apparently quite an attraction. Are we there yet?

I finally spot the road signs for Terrace...we must be almost there! Are we almost there yet? Whaaat? Another hour? Where exactly are we anyhow?

Eventually we reach the little town of Kitimat, home of the giant Alcan smelter. It was sort of disturbing to see such a hideous looking place right by the water. Makes you wonder why kind of effluent runs into the ocean, but that's a rant for another time.  I noticed a cruise ship parked (uh, docked I mean) in the shadow of the smelter, and I thought it seemed strange, and then I learned this:

"Construction workers in northern B.C. will make themselves at home on a cruise ship as they complete $3.3 billion in upgrades to an aluminum smelter.

The Silja Festival, which was built by Estonian company Tallink, is a 171-metre ship that once carried passengers across the Baltic Sea from Stockholm, Sweden to Riga, Latvia.

The ship will be re-branded as the Delta Spirit Lodge while it houses Rio Tinto Alcanworkers for nine months, the Kitimat Northern Sentinel reported."

Which I thought was even stranger.  Although, when you think about it, a good idea. It has 500 bedrooms, a casino, restaurants and so on. There is an incredible housing shortage in Kitimat, and this is a pretty good solution when  you think about it. But, we're not here to worry about smelters and housing... We're here to fish...and, finally, we're here!

We drove to the marina and were greeted by Charles the deckhand, Darren the chef and a few hundred mosquitos. They gathered our luggage and off we went, to the boat.  The fellows gathered our luggage that is, not the mosquitos, although they were large enough to make a good attempt.

Let me tell you who else was there. Tony, our friend from the little cabin was our host and boat owner. His longtime friend, Stan, who I called The Gorton Fisherman was also a guest, as well as a taxidermist, and a retired businessman, an ex-mayor, a brother-in-law,  plus Steven and I, Charles and Darrin, and Pierre The Captain. A total off 11. Just a few more than the SS Minnow. And a few less than The Orient Express. And the same amount as A Ship of Fools. Hmmm...this could go many different ways....

We walked to the end of the dock, and I must say, I was...ummm....more than surprised to see my home for the next Six Days/Five Nights. Meals Included.

We were asked to remove our shoes, just sox and slippers inside, and we were provided with footwear for on the deck. Our own shoes were quickly spirited away until the following Friday morning when they magically reappeared as we left. 

This was my first sight of the little fishing boat: I'm at the deck doors, looking towards the kitchen.

And this picture is from the kitchen, looking towards the deck door.

If you look at this picture above, there are stairs going downstairs to the left, which lead to two bedrooms, each with a full bathroom, and also to the right are stairs going down to three bedrooms, with a shared full bathroom in the hallway. 

The stairs you see going up lead to the wheelhouse, another bed and bathroom, as well as a sun deck and BBQ.

Ok. I think I can do this.

We had a tray of meat and cheese, and wine for a little welcome snack.

And then we checked out our bedroom:

And bathroom (with a regular size shower in there too)

We slept on the boat, at the marina that night. The waves slapped up against both the dock and the boat, making for quite a bit of noise and it was almost  too "rocky-ish". I didn't sleep really well, but I never sleep well the first night in a new place...unusual noises, and pillows that  aren't quite right. The sound of the water was really close and I kept waking up thinking there was a bad leak. I didn't want to drown on my very first night. 

Monday am. Woke up to the sound of the Diesel engines starting up...hooray! We're finally on our way. My first decision was about showering.   We had been told earlier, by a prior guest, that the one concern on the boat is water conservation, and even though this boat has a desalinization, uh, thing, we still need to conserve water. Pierre, tne captain, will "make" more fresh water if needed, but I guess  its sort of a pain, and makes him cranky. I dont want to be the Gilligan to his Skipper. Now, there are five bathrooms on board, three with showers, as well as a dishwasher, so they must accept the fact that a fair amount of water is used, so I wasn't sure exactly how much to conserve. Does that mean a shower every few days? Or super-short showers? Or preferably no showers? Is a short shower just a 2 minute wet-down? Or is a 5 minute warm shower acceptable? Considering I was the only woman onboard, I didn't really want to query the others about their bathing habits. I  decided to stick my head under the tap and call it a day and go have breakfast.

Breakfast this morning was pancakes, eggs and ham steak. Hearty, but far more than I ever eat. I sheepishly asked for a scrambled egg and coffee, as did Steven.We just aren't breakfast folk. Coffee and a slice of toast will suffice, but there didn't seem to be any bread.

This is how the fishing works: This morning we head out to Douglas channel. The captain knows the good spots to fish (he's been with Tony and doing this for 22 years....this is boat #3) There are 3 kinds of fishing; fishing for salmon off off the back of the slowly moving boat, with down riggers and cannon balls ( not that kind) and then there is bottom fishing, off the sides of the stopped boat, with a different set up and that is for snapper and halibut and whatever else lurks down there.  Then there is  "Tony fishing" in which you go with Tony at 7am in the "little" 21 foot boat that they haul behind the big boat, and you sail off, not to be seen again until dinner. The man is a fishing guru. You will return with your limit of snapper, halibut, salmon and cod. He laments the days when he was a younger man and would also dive for abalone. (He's 77 now.) He does set out crab traps though.

So the rods were set up...and we waited....

And waited....

And waited....

 

And waited....

It seemed liked forever, but pretty soon there was salmon:

And snapper:

And halibut:

A day didn't go by without a cooler being filled with all sorts of fish.

And if that's not being spoiled enough by Mother Nature, there were also these:

Not only did we catch fish, we also ate fish. I'll write about the cleaning and cooking tomorrow.

Proceed to Party....

We woke up to a sunny day, perfect weather for pigs to be roasted on a spit. I'm not so sure the pigs would agree, and even though I've been to many, many pig roasts, it never fails to make me feel a bit sad and somewhat heathen-ish to spear an animal and cook it on a open flame.  Not sad and heathen-ish enough to not eat it, I mean, I'm no vegetarian.  There were also two turkeys, but one never feels quite as sad for them. 

Before:

The tables were laden with salads and side dishes and many desserts, both North American and traditional Slovenian. It was quite glorious, but I felt a bit too self conscience to take pictures. I didn't want them to think I had never seen tables of food before. The inner anxiety in me.  I went back more than once, however, feeling a bit like Oliver Twist.

I tried a new food item, a type of hand rolled sausage, I can't remember what it was called but it was a mixture of pork, beef and spices, almost like a meatball, but oval shaped. It was dipped in a hot sauce that was pronounced like it was called "iver" and I've since discovered (via google) that its called "Ajvar", a traditional Serb/Croatian/Slovenian sauce, made from roasted red peppers. Too hot for me, but everyone else loved it, even tiny little tots who could hardly walk were dipping and slurping and running around with red stained mouths and fingers.  This is a very traditional appetizer. I loved it, sans sauce.

Then the pig. First out were trays of cracklings. All the years of pig roasts in Wasa were the same...the cracklings are the part most looked forward to, and jostling and elbowing to get the best part is common. Myself, I don't like it, but there was no lack of takers. 

And then we ate. And ate. And ate some more.

And, as any one who has a European family will know, it didn't take long for the music to start.

Dancing was rampant, and I skittered away so as to not have to publicly dance. As a matter of fact, I went for a kayak tour of the bay, in a plastic sort of kayak that involved a bit of dance to keep it balanced. I didn't fall out or tip over  though, so I considered it a success even if half of the time was spent going in circles. 

The kids ran and swam and played until they dropped exhausted in their mamas arms, sticky from all the stolen sweets and stained red from all the ajver. The adults laughed and danced and sang, and told storied and jokes. The wine flowed freely.

And before we knew it, the sun was down and bed was calling. I think the younger folks partied until dawn and it made me remember all the Wasa pig roasts where we were the young ones who partied until dawn, and I know exactly how these days will be remembered in these young folks futures, and the stories they will tell. 

And that was the Slovenian Picnic.

The Little cabin by the Lake.

We had originally planned on bringing our motor home with us, since we knew we'd arrive Wednesday night. We planned on staying at a campground that night, and then parking by the little cabin at the lake for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Our friend, who I'll just call Tony from now on, insisted we stay in the cabin, he had "lots of room" he insisted and plus, they were having a Slovenian picnic on Saturday and he wanted us to be there for that. Not massive, this year just 100 or so people. Of which 96 were going to be strangers to me. I would know Tony, his two brothers (who I haven't seen for 30 years...literally) and Steven. Big nervous sigh.

My dilemma is that I don't like crowds of people and I don't like staying in other people's houses. I'm not antisocial (yes, I am) and I want to pay my own way. I have a fear, a somewhat irrational fear, of inconveniencing people. I'd rather walk than ask for a ride, I'd rather do it myself than ask for help. Stupid? Yeah, probably, but that's who I am.  I was reassured by Tonys son that it was really no inconvenience at all, there is plenty of room in the cabin, just no hot water. 

 So, Suck it up, buttercup. We're staying in the cabin. Know what I mean, jellybean?

. We get to Ten Mile Lake, which is a beautiful provincial park, and beside the park gates I see what appears to be the park lodge and I'm wondering how I can manage to convince both Steven and Tony that will would be so much more convenient for us to just stay there, and to my happiness, we actually pull up to the lodge.

Except for just one thing. It's not the lodge. It's their little cabin. With plenty of space:

And a kitchen to die for:

Jeez Louise. What can I say? I think I can manage to sleep here without getting in anyone's way.

Four big bedroom suites upstairs, each with a loft (a loft!) and this view in the morning:

And this view at night:

And ummm yeah, plenty of hot water.

To say I was overwhelmed is an understatement. It was gorgeous. There were a few other family members there, and they made us feel as if we totally belonged.  The one brother and his wife insisted on our going to their house for dinner and while I was mortified at intruding,and I tried really hard to politely refuse, it just didn't happen....my refusal that is, and we stayed and of course a wonderful time was had by all. I don't know why I have such concerns about being a bother.

The next morning more people arrived, some trailers and campers as well as some who were just in for the day. We didn't want to intrude on their annual get together so we decided to head up the road to historical Barkerville, 

It was only about an hours drive, and what a fun day it was. The weather was gorgeous and there were very few people there, so it felt reasonably authentic. Well, it is authentic, but it felt almost like being there. Well, we were there, but you know what I mean. And for those of you who have never heard of Barkerville, it's a preserved historic town from the days of the Gold rush, and it's the largest in North America. The "staff" who of course are all actors, roam the town going about their day and interacting with each other as if we were not there. It was like being plunked down into the past, much more realistic than our local Fort Steele, which I had always been impressed by. This was beyond impressive. It was like being a voyeur into their lives....the drunk in the bar, the blacksmith, the store owners. When any of the staff have to interact with the tourists, they do it as if we are literal visitors from the future. They ask us to put away our "picture taking devices" during the show, and to "silence those infernal talk machines" during meals. They point and whisper about the women's clothing (or lack thereof) and laugh at the men's hair. It sounds corny, but it played out really well.

There was the old Chinatown still there as well:

I got my knuckles rapped with a ruler in Chinese school for asking to leave early.

There were some tiny bakeries and restaurants, which of course we had to try:

And lots of sights that were just pretty:

And of course I insisted that we walk to the graveyard. I have an affinity for graveyards and I try to visit one wherever we go.

We went to the afternoon show while we were there, a sort of variety/comedy show in the old theatre. It's the same kind of thing that you find in every historical town,  but they're always so fun and the talent is always so astounding. No pictures allowed, but these are the old stage lights, and they still use candles in them. 

By now it was getting close to supper, so we headed back to the cabin where we met up with the three brothers who took us to town for dinner. Greek. I had moussaka and baklava, and as usual, over indulged. It was soooo good. Steven and I walked for a few miles through the provincial park and then headed back for a great nights sleep in the little cabin.

Tomorrow...a pig roast with 100 or so strangers. Eeeek!

What we did on our summer holidays.

What's that you say? Do I want to drive for 10 hours....sleep, drive for 7 more hours, sleep and then stay on a fishing boat for 5 days and then do the same thing on the way home? Thanks, but no thanks. Doesn't sound fun at all. And besides that, I've seen The Deadliest Catch. Not my forte. 

Come again? How big is the boat? What's that? There's a chef? Excuse me? I don't have to clean my own fish?  Well..maybe....

Second thoughts came quickly as the weather got grayer and grayer as we left Cranbrook. And it got rainier and rainier. For three hours we drove in a downpour that had me getting crankier and crankier. As I was seriously beginning to contemplate a demand to return home, the sun started to appear...it wasn't much, but there was hope. The clouds wound themselves around the hills like they were trying to anchor themselves and not leave, but they were forced to vanish as the sun persevered in shining.

I was feeling better now, and not worrying about hydro-planing right off of the highway and landing in a swamp, and the roads quickly dried up. By the time we got to Golden, the sky was blue and before we knew it we were in Revelstoke, where I spotted the elusive Tunnel-roof vehicle, apparently grazing for fresh food in the sunlight. I felt quite lucky to see such a rare creature.

Shortly after that we reached Kamloops and as soon as we turned North I was excited as I had never been this way before, and nothing is more fun than uncharted waters and new territory. Plus, before the trip we purchased our new best friend, Silicon Suzie, a Garmin GPS. The. Best. Invention. Ever. We flew down the highways and byways, typing in gas stations and Tim Hortons like we'd been doing it all our lives. We has also borrowed a cell phone from a friend, you know, "just in case", and it rang a few times but I couldn't figure out how to answer it. One new device at a time....baby steps, baby steps.

We drove to Williams Lake and decided to spend the night there, and I had previously Googled and found a sweet motel, reminiscent of the 50's...and you all know how I love the 50's! Why on earth would anyone ever stay at a Sandman or any chain hotel when there are still these cozy and fantastic little independent motels. When I win my lottery, I'm gonna buy one of these:

And travel across North America and stay in roadside motels.

But I digress.

For tonight we stayed here:

We had our own little sun deck:

And a lovely little yard:

And we went for Chinese food:

And I was happy. New adventures, full belly, and a Tim Hortons on the corner.

The next morning was warm, and I think there were no clouds, but the smoke from the forest fires made it hard to tell. The sun was blood red and it seemed like twilight. It was odd because the night before was clear and bright. The smoke was gone in a few hours, but it was a rather creepy sight.

We drove to Quesnel where we managed to figure out the portable speaking device and called our friend, who owns the little boat we were going (gulp) fishing on for 5 days. He also has a nice little cabin at Ten Mile Lake that he generously offered us a bedroom in.  Prior to this though, he wanted us to come and see his lumber mill. 

I didn't have the address of the mill, but he told us how to get there, saying that we couldn't possibly miss it, but it wouldn't be a road trip for us if we didn't get lost or miss a turn, and needless to say, we did, but it wasn't a bad "miles out of the way" error, just a 15 minute delay. In no time at all, I was hugging my friend and touring his mill. If I ever have to work again, I want to work for him....at that mill.

Clean? Happy employees? Modernized? One of, if not the, safest mill in Canada....100% in all categories. I found the tour fascinating, and I know nothing about mills. Steven was so impressed.

Fish pond.

With fish.

I'd eat my lunch here every day.

Unless I decided to get in a bit of exercise...treadmills, cycles, a racquetball court....really?

Even the gas pumps were enjoyable.

And you'll notice that the entire yard is paved, which apparently is unheard of. And not a piece of lumber out of place.

Inside, I forget what this was called, but I liked it because it reminded me of liquorice all-sorts.

Then, so that we could get a proper view of it all, he took us up in the helicopter  for a birds eye view, we saw the mill and also watched some black bears cruising along the river bank. 

And if that wasn't enough, it was a catered BBQ day for the employees. A two day event so that every worker on every shift got to have a meal...steaks, chicken, salads, desserts, the full meal deal. Steven even ran into, and sat with an old hunting buddy who he hadn't seen in years. Seriously? Does he know everyone?

What an amazing day. New sights, new adventures. Now off to the little cabin for a restful nights sleep. More tales tomorrow....g'nite.

Phone Woes.

So I had to phone Telus. We came home from holidays and before we got home we had to stop at a grocery store and get cream for coffee the next day. Safeway was closed because there was a power outage. That was stressful enough.....not knowing if I was gonna be able to get cream for coffee. When I wake up all I can focus on is coffee...coffee..... I have tunnel vision and this is what I see:

But I digress. We came home, did a bit of unpacking and I decided to download my pictures, only to see that there was no Internet. Hmmm, I figured the power outage must have blown a transformer or something. I don't know if today's technology even has transformers, or what they are, but no big deal. A few hours later I thought that perhaps I'd just give Telus a call....just to make sure it wasn't a computer problem that was solely mine because I have been known to screw up a computer now and then. I felt hopefull for a quick result. I felt like this:

Imagine my dismay when I picked up the cordless phone only to find it dead. Imagine my further delay when I picked up the landline to find it dead too. And imagine the sinking feeling I had when I went to the three neighbors who also have Telus only to find out that they were all away. Away on a long weekend...what nerve. I asked a Shaw neighbor, and a Bell neighbor if they had service, and they all did. One neighbor said "Oh, Telus was doing something in that underground box on the corner of your lot...laying Telus fiber optic cables." I coud feel my facial expression do this:

So. Our phone showed no calls since August 22. Now it's Aug 31. Tomorrow is a stat holiday, I may not have phone or Internet for a few days yet. I know that people have been trying to call us, and might be worried. I'm starting to feel like this:

We decide to go for a walk and one block up the street what do we see? A Telus truck! With a Telus man! Maybe we will get some help. I walk over and ask him if I can run my Telus problem by him, and he reluctantly agrees. I tell the story and he quickly interrupts me to announce that it wasn't them, couldn't be them, they have nothing to do with house lines. I mention that it just seems odd that Telus guys were laying Telus lines in the Telus box on my corner and we now we have no Telus service. Am I right?? Apparently not. He vehemently disagreed. 

"Well", I sighed, "do you have a work phone I can use so that I can at least call and get a repairman?"

I was a bit stunned at his reply. "No" he says "I wouldn't even know who to call anyhow"  "Oh." I said, and added somewhat sarcastically: "Its just that you're in a truck that says Telus Service Provider on the side, so I sort of assumed you might provide some Telus service. Whatever."  And off we go. 

However...hoorah! I see the neighbors pull in...the telus neighbors. They quickly check their phone and wifi and...and....and....they have service. So it's only us. They let me use their phone to call the repair line. In a nutshell, this is how it went:

 I dialed all the numbers and hit all the appropriated numbers and listened to all the menu choices and eventually a man answers and introduces himself as "Lord. L-O-R-D"  "Holy shit" I thought to myself, "Talk about outsourcing."

Alas, once I heard the accent I realized I was merely outsourced to India.

I explained what was wrong. 

Lord said "Yes, I think we can help you with that. Let me run some diagnostics" He returned to say that there were no outages and that everything seemed fine."

Me:" Well, I don't know what to tell you except it isn't fine.".

Lord: "Oooohh...but I hear it ring."

Me: "I know. I phoned my house with a cell phone. I hear a ring too,  but I don't know where the ring is because it isn't ringing here."

Lord: "Let me run some diagnostics. Can I call you back should we be disconnected?"

Me: "Uhhhh....no. I have no phone service. You know, thus this phone call?"

Lord: "OK. What is your cell phone number?"

Me: "I don't actually have one."

Lord: "OK, but what is the number?"

Me: "You don't understand. I don't have one."

Lord: "OK, but you just give me the number please?"

Me: "We've  borrowed one, but it's all out of minutes, so you can't call me on it."

Lord: "Ok, good. Give me the number please?"

Me: "Oh. My. God. 250-489-1235

Lord: "Oh thank you. I will be right back."

~~a few minutes go by as I stand under a tree mumbling under my breath~~

Lord returns. He says the diagnostics still show no problem, so he wants "us" to do the following. I'm to unplug all the portables, the landline and then the computer and then replug it all in again one by one and he will watch the diagnostics and it will hopefully show where the problem lies.

So now I'm getting really cranky. 

Me: "Listen Lord. That won't work. I'm at the neighbors. Their phone won't work in my house. I'm sure not about to run over, unplug a phone, run back here, wait for you, run back and unplug the next one again and again and again. I need a repairman to come here."

Lord: "You can use the cell phone."

Me: "I. Don't. Have. One."

Lord: "Isnt anyone at the house?"

Me: "My husband. But wait...I'm not going to play a relay game where he runs up and down stairs and shouts out instructions to me and then me to you and so on. I need a repairman"

Lord: "Well. I can get you one for Friday."

Me: (in a bit of a hysterical shriek) "This is SUNDAY. I can't wait until FRIDAY. I was actually thinking tonight. Friday is totally unacceptable!" 

Now I'm feeling like this:

Lord does some secret Lord work as I seeth, and he returns with the news that someone will arrive tomorrow, between 8 and 5. They will phone 15 minutes before they show. I laugh in a bit of a crazed manner.

Me: "They can't phone...the phones are not working. They don't work!!!"

Silence from Lord. Then  I hear him in a firm voice:

"They must phone 15 minutes before they arrive"

I'm short of breath now, and it's possible that blood vessels are bursting in my head, and I say one more time, teeth gritted, jaws clenched: 

"The phones don't work. They can't phone me. I will be home. I will wait here all day. Someone will be here all day. I will not be able to hear the phone ring. It doesn't work. You make sure that they know that.  We will be home."

Lord: "They will call on the cell phone."

And Lord adds: "If your phones miraculously start to work and you don't call us and the service technician shows up, you will be charged for a service call."

I was actually stunned into silence at this comment.  

Lord, in a happy, chipper voice:"Is there anything else we can help you with today?"

Me: "I guess not,"

Lord: "Thank you for dealing with Telus then.  Have a nice day."

Me:

And as a follow up, the next morning the Telus Man showed up (and he did mention he phoned first, but then he read the note to appear anyhow. Thank you Lord. And I mean the Indian Lord.)

And I was smugly happy to find out that the earlier Telus Man had indeed disconnected our house line and failed to reconnect. Almost two weeks ago. So today's chore is to phone Telus and get some sort of restitution. It will be a miracle if they make me happy. I wonder if I should ask for Lord?