Hawaii Time!

Well, Fort Mac is good and all, but it’s no Hawaii! Tomorrow morning mom & I are headed to Kona for Kent & Lisa’s wedding...Alooooha! See you in 10 days!

Here a Newfie, There a Newfie

I read somewhere that 20% of the population here is from Newfoundland; but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s even higher because everywhere you go you hear that distinct Newfie accent. I happen to like the sound of it, but sometimes I have no clue what they’re saying. I purposely avoid one of the other volunteers because I honestly can’t make out a word he says.

Here are a few phrases I’ve picked up so far:

Lard tunderin jesus! (translation: Well, I’ll be damned!)
Whar ya too by? (translation: where are you going?)
‘Ow ya getting’ on by? (translation: how are you doing?)

So far I haven’t met a Newfie I didn’t like; not that I really know that many, but they seem like a pretty friendly bunch. Now, if I can just learn their language, maybe I can befriend some and they’ll have me over for a lobster boil!

Speaking of exercise, did you know Ft.Mac has the largest recreation centre in western Canada? Yes, that’s right, in Fort McMurray. (Hey, oil money can be a good thing you know!) MacDonald Island Park is on an island in downtown Ft.Mac which has a golf course, tennis courts, ball diamonds, hiking trails and now a huge new recreation centre too. Inside are 2 hockey rinks, 8 sheets of curling ice, a running track, 2 multi-purpose gyms, squash and racquetball courts, fitness centre, a public library, lounge, golf simulator, ballroom and daycare…all under one roof. And, opening in the same building this fall is the new aquatic centre, featuring an Olympic size pool, waterslides and a lazy river. A lazy river! I don’t really even know what that is, but it sounds like a little piece of Mexico to me. Anyway, now you have another reason to come visit!

Workin it, outdoors

Check out these cool outdoor workout stations. There’s a whole shwack of them (52 to be exact) set up along one section of the Birchwood trail. All the equipment is outdoors and each piece uses your own body weight for resistance. It’s a pretty neat idea, and there are always people using them. It’s free, easy to use, safe and anyone can do it – some are even wheel chair accessible. I’ve only been there a couple times, but think it’s such a cool idea. No need for a gym membership here! (In the summer anyway!)

Dam, those are busy beavers!

The biggest beaver dam in the world has been discovered just 190 km north of Ft.Mac. The dam is more than eight football fields long and is the only animal-built structure that can be seen from space. Apparently they’ve been working on their dream home since the 1970’s and it’s still not quite complete. New additions are still being added and old wings continuously under renovation. If the beavers keep gnawing away at this pace, in 10 years their pad could be a whole kilometer long!
Click here for the full story.

Nature Lovers Paradise

Ahhh, the first camping trip of the year! The destination was the Whitesands Campground, near Plamondon, which is about 2 hours south of Fort Mac, on Lac La Biche. It’s a nice spot with campsites backing right onto the lake. The weather turned out to be really nice, and the company was even better - although they did kick our asses at ladder ball. This picture was taken about 5 steps from the campsite. Now, all I need to do is talk Special K into getting a boat!

Reason to like Ft.Mac #2

There wasn’t a snow storm on April 28 or May 4! Ft.Mac has a reputation for having nastier weather than the rest of Alberta, but not this time friends! Check out this picture from the motherland (Crossfield), taken by Angie.
Meanwhile, it remains snow-free here in the Mac!

Randy!

On Sunday night we had the pleasure of seeing Randy Travis in concert, here in Ft.Mac. And he was really good! Our seats weren’t that great but the tunes were good and he sang all the old classics like “Diggin up Bones”,“Forever and Ever Amen”, “Better Class of Losers” and “Deeper than the Holler”.
Seeing him in 2010 was probably exactly like seeing him in 1985 – same songs, same hairstyle and same bedazzled western jacket!