The Bear Facts

The fact of the matter is when we know there is a bear roaming about in close proximity we are a bit more cautious. Walking about throughout the day I'll stamp my feet or sing a song, the latter is sure to send anyone or anything within hearing distance running. The fact that Mike goes out to the genny shed late every night is more worrisome and times like these I'll lend an extra voice to distill the quiet and make our presence known.

I look out the windows a hundred times a day and imagine my surprise when instead of seeing Al, Sam or One Horn, I saw a bear sleeping by the lone flower bed.

Just one  more......

We always enjoy seeing the wildlife up close and sometimes encourage their boldness but not with the bears. Earlier that day I had tossed out some rotten apples and carrots for the deer but before they came around this beast wandered by and gobbled everything up.

Till next time,
Heather & Mike

What's Been Happening at the Outpost?

The advantage of not writing for such a long time is that I now have something to tell.... starting with I am a couple of pounds lighter. No it's not due to my reduced intake of all things sweet but the removal of that darn cast. My anticipation of that moment was right up there with Christmas morning as a child.

I'm assuming we all know what a 'dremel' is and when the nurse produced a super-sized one and assured me that it would only slice through the fiberglass cast leaving my tender skin beneath totally unscathed I had only her experience to assure me.

“How does it do that?” was on the tip of my tongue as soon as she finished grinding through one side. She admitted to being as amazed as I that the whirring blade sounding like a giant dentist's drill cut the cast like butter but did harm my flesh as it pushed through.

I was also a bit leery when a stainless device with handles about a foot long called a ' cast spreader' was produced. After several tries of trying to wedge the reversed tong-like apparatus into the tiny grove and a fair amount of pressure the two sides separated and my arm was freed. The sensation of blood returning to my swollen fingers left me all a tingle. I still smile when I think of that moment and how good it felt.

We're not done yet. A short wait and Dr. Smith arrived to remove the pins but first we had a nice chat about his hunting trip, which was successful. Got himself a nice moose. I don't consider myself a baby about getting needles but I will not watch the procedure. Two relatively painless injections to freeze the wrist took no time at all. A swift glance at the tray beside me, holding an array of scalpels and what looked like a regular pair of pliers had me swiftly turning my head to concentrate on the scene outside while all the time holding a conversation with the doc. He really had a good time hunting. It was only when he said announced that it was all done and everything looked good that I felt I could now face him. Trying to avert my eyes from the blood running down my wrist from the 2 small cuts I saw the pins sitting on the tray and was surprised to see that they looked more like welding rods than the thin wire that I had pictured in my mind.

Never having a broken bone before or being able to talk to anyone about such an experience I was so unprepared for how useless my arm would be. Here I was planning to do all the chores that are still undone back at the OP as soon as I got back, ha.

Just lifting my arm was a feat and as for moving my fingers let alone my wrist was impossible. An extensive session in rehab taking me through all the exercises I must do to regain full mobility of my wrist was the last step.

Well it's been almost a month now since the cast came off and I think I'm doing OK.

Fingers are still stiff and the wrist is still painful as I am constantly tying to move it in positions it just doesn't want to go. Using my left hand has become a habit and sometimes I have to remind myself to try and use my right. I can turn a door handle (slowly) hold a pen and write (slowly) type (pretty fast) and hold a fork ......but I cannot manoeuvre it to my mouth. Yet. Enough about me.

Even though we are only 2 ½ months into our stay the weather has been different. September delivered rains that were more associated with January and October graced us with days that we normally only see in May.

What a welcome sight this was.

Thursday November 7^th 8am the appearance of the barge had us breathing a sigh of relief. This if really late in the season to be making the trip down the coast.

Fuel, propane, water, an assortment of groceries, a bottle or 2 of rum and the TV!

This year for the unloading and loading of the barge, Robert and Terry from Masset flew in to lend a hand. They arrived on Tuesday giving them a chance to carry down a lot of the heavy equipment that was going out. The addition of man power had the job accomplished within several hours.

The crew apparently had a rough ride down the coast and took advantage of our calm bay to enjoy lunch before heading back out to the open sea.

Why are they sitting at such a strange angle? The work boat wouldn't stay running so instead of taking a line to shore they dropped their anchor to hold them and while they were eating the barge drifted a little.

As usual each year I spend a few minutes catching up with the crew and signing, as best I could, all the paperwork before they head off. At most I was gone for less than half an hour and upon my return this is what I found. Appears I'm not the only one looking forward to watching some movies on the new big screen.

With an extra day to put in before the scheduled plane will arrive to fly our company back home, there is always wood to chop.

It wasn't all work. Late Friday afternoon playing a game of backgammon at the table right beside the patio doors proved to be rather exciting.

 

There was evidence in the past week that a bear was among us, just never expected him to show up at the front door. Even as we watched his every move and Terry made what I can only assume were bear calls, he never altered his slow ambling pace nor paid much attention to us at all.

Saturday dawned with the promise of a beautiful clear sky. Great flying weather.

The quiet isolated life that we lead at the OP isn't for everyone. After 4 days Terry and Robert were already looking forward to re-connecting with family, friends and cell service.

The day ended on a rosy note as Mike and I once again settled in on our own.

Till next time,
Heather & Mike

Not Yet on Two Counts

This post is long overdue and was originally written Oct. 7th.

Only 1 more day till the cast comes off.....Hurray!....or so I thought.

When an email pops up with a heading of “appointment change” you know you really don't want to read it - due to the doctor being away please note and confirm new date of

Oct.16th 8am. This seems an eternity from the original date of Oct 8^th. I want my arm back. I want to cut my own food, have a shower without being “bagged ”, roll up my own sleeve, type for more than 5 minutes before it pains me and open the cooler door without having to put whatever I have in my good hand down on the floor first. It's just the little things that drive you crazy.

So what's going on at the OP besides me whining, a couple of things actually.

Birds for one. What's with all the seagulls? These scavengers are always here in abundance when we first arrive. I chalk it up to the fact that there is always lots of fish scraps around for them to make it worth their while to hang out here. Once this stops they leave but not so this year. Quite a social bird if the volume of their constant squawking is any indication and the continuous reforming of groups fight to take over the prime spots on the rocks or docks by the 'dive bombing' method. I've never been a fan of the gull but I'll admit they had been rather entertaining last week.

Don't know if it was a change in the weather or the alpha gull got bored with the location but one day they just flew off and we haven't seen then since.

Rain...to be more precise the rains we have had in September. The skies opened up on September 17^th, just happened to be Mike's birthday, and for a week we were inundated with torrential rains which were more reminiscent of January and February.

Along with the overabundant amount of rain, we also had our first storm which would have past with no more than a notation on my calendar except for the fact that it happened at the exact time that the barge was scheduled to make the trip down the coast to the Outpost.

Our anticipation for the appearance of the barge was fueled not only by the diesel it would pump into the tanks but also by what was stored in the container onboard.

Several days of shopping in Vancouver we managed to amass the bulk of all the canned goods and non-perishables that we use throughout the season. Several boxes of wine and a case of spirits plus maybe a bottle or 2 of a favorite liqueur were also carefully stowed. There is one box in particular I was looking forward to getting my hands on. Just by chance I had walked into a 'Dollar Store' looking for cheesecloth when my eyes lit up, my heart rate quickened and all thoughts of what I had entered the store for were replaced by an array of skulls, bats and warty nose witches with flowing black capes suspended from the ceiling. Shelves and baskets piled high with cobwebs, dismembered body parts, mice, spiders and cockroaches, I was in heaven!

Back to the contents of the container......the Halloween mother-lode has me excited but the icing on this year's cake is the new 50'' TV!!! What a treat that will be.

Remember I just mentioned that we had our first storm, at the same time the barge was scheduled......well fate did not shine on us that day. No barge. OK well these things happen but to twist the knife just a little bit more the next attempt will be around the first week of November. So much for my treasure trove of ghoulish delights.

We do have some canned goods and as always freezers full of meats, veggies and fruit so we certainly will not go without and we do have a TV ( but it's not 50'', whine whine)

and we do have several bottles of wine and enough rum for the occasional parched throat. What we don't have in very much quantity is fuel. Diesel runs our generators.... which run our lights, fridges, freezers, water, heat, internet and TV.

From the moment we realized that the trip was a bust we went into ration mode. Here I can truly say “been there done that” ...... deja vu season #2.

There's not much to the ration plan....use less fuel. This means we turn off our genny for a few hours through the day, it always goes down for the night, that is a must. The furnace only gets fired up twice a week not for the heating of the lodge, for we are doing OK right now with a couple of electric heaters but for the purpose of bathing. Being the only 2 here we figure we can get by with only two showers a week, really saves on fuel.

Hot water for dishes gets heated on the propane stove.

Now we wait and hope that the weather will co-operate and grace us with clear skies and calm seas the first week of November. (good luck with that)

It hasn't been all doom and gloom here. We have had some spectacular days, the week right after the barge couldn't make it.

Till next time,
Heather & Mike

"What's All The Buzz?"

I'm into my 3^rd week of being a 'lefty'. It's tiring. No matter what job it is......doing the dishes or putting them away, folding clothes or making the bed, having a shower or brushing my teeth.....everything takes twice as long. I am managing pretty good though even if I do say so myself.

While at the hospital several forms had to be signed and I have to tell you that even I couldn't decipher the name that I penned but now only several weeks later I can read the scribble that passes for my handwriting. It's amazing how quickly one can adapt.

The long list of jobs that need to be done within the first month we are here are for the most part being crossed off the list due to a combined effort. Since I cannot slice, dice, chop, julienne, cut or chunk Mike has become my sous chef. Making hugh pots of spaghetti sauce and chili, several cauldrons of soup, along with a tray of stuffed green peppers is a must-do job so we can use up all the produce before it is only fit for Sammy, Norm and Al.

The vacuum packers are also scheduled to go out on the barge to be serviced this year so the push is on to re-portion all the cheeses into smaller quantities and vacuum seal along with several boxes of extremely over ripe bananas ( all the better for breads and cakes) plus cases of pork chops, chicken breasts, whole chickens and steaks to prevent any freezer burn.

There are numerous jobs like rearranging freezers, reorganizing the kitchen to suit my needs, washing windows, sweeping the boardwalk ( I just cannot hold a broom to save my soul) and scrubbing floors that will have to sit on the back burner for now till I'm restored to my former capable self.

We knew a chopper was coming in to pick up some parts but I had no sooner heard the buzz than there he was landing on the upper heli pad. I love these pint size helicopters and what I wouldn't give to be able to skim along the beach and set down whenever we saw something that looked intriguing. It would be the perfect beach combing vehicle.

The pilot must have heard me telling the co-pilot who had jumped out first that the parcel they were here for was down at the crew shack because before I knew it the bird was in the air again, actually the pilot must have seen me gesturing towards the docks. No need to carry the box up here, we'll just go down there to get it.

I know it's only been 29 days since we arrived but the weather has been beautiful. Sunshine everyday – well almost everyday, warm (for here) with only a light breeze turning the glassy bay into a pattern of swirls and ripples. It's the kind of weather that begs you to venture out and explore. Nothing would be nicer than to get the double-man kayak wet but what would be horrendous would be getting my stupid cast wet! Chances are I would be perfectly OK but accidents happen, that's how I got here in the first place so land bound we stay.

Take out the workboat you say.....well the “work” in workboat these days implies the work to be done on the boat. She hasn't been in the best of shape these past couple of years and our viewpoint concerning her condition is you only take her out as far as you are willing to paddle back. Once again my 'condition' has thrown a wrench into these plans since Mike would be the sole paddler, which would be no easy feat so we are once again land bound.

We wander along the beach, stomp along the easier going paths of the forest and spend time sitting on the heli pad gazing at the nearby islands to be explored, so tempting yet just out of reach. We will have to wait till spring this year to venture out on the water for the time being we are land bound.

If you've got a craving for that special sweet dish than your best bet these days is to make it yourself. Getting by right now with doing minimal cooking and trying to make meals that don't require me do use a knife or better yet a fork....think about it there is of course soup, we all love chicken wings, there's french fries, chili, hamburgers (although messy) sandwiches and pizza...this has been my culinary level for now. Not very healthy for sure but these are special circumstances and require certain sacrifices to be made.

Mike was concerned I may not be getting enough fruit in my diet and was sweet enough to make an apple crisp, I will not mention that this just happens to be one of his all time favorite deserts. He searched the internet for a recipe since this was to be his apple crisp. The results..........

I meant to take pictures of it as it came steaming out of the oven and than maybe in a nice dish topped with a scoop of ice cream but before I got around to it this is all that was left. It was really good. What is even better is that from now on I can say “Hey hon, why don't you make your apple crisp tonight?”

.....hummm maybe I'll suggest he try his hand at pies.

“You hear that buzz? It's a helicopter.”

What do I do when I hear a plane or see a boat – grab the camera.

We have choppers buzz over us each year, we assume we're just on their flight path but this particular one was really checking us out. So there I am standing on the front deck, head on to the whirling blades getting some great shots when I thought maybe I should get to the radio and say Hi.

“Outpost here, good morning”

“Hi”

“Nice day for a flight”

“Yep”

“ Just out doing a fly by”

“Your on camera”

“I'm in my pyjamas!”

“Brian would like you go upstairs and open the curtains?”

“ OK?”

So off I go upstairs to open the curtains and than rush back to the kitchen to see if there are any other requests. The helicopter hovers right in front of the windows for a few seconds, getting some pictures I guess and than without another word is gone.

What the heck was that all about?

Enjoying the last few moments of the afternoon sun.

Till next time,
Heather & Mike

We've Only Just Begun

It was a late start for us this season, arriving back at the Outpost on August 22^nd. Each year it feels more like we are returning home after a long vacation.

There were only a couple of new faces in the group that made up the summer crew so with hugs and “how was your summer?” out of the way we loaded the wagons and began our process of settling in.

A bit of work and a lot of letting loose happens in those first few days as the end of another season has successfully been pulled off. By Sunday the anticipation of only a few days left before they would all return to the world of cell phones, fast food, friends, school and TV reception had them all deep into inventory lists, bagging bedding, bagging fish, stowing away or tossing out. Mike and I have developed our own list of things that we like to check and take care of trying to keep out of everyone’s way for the time being.

Around 2 pm this particular day I disrupted the routine.

Funny how my first thought was of my glasses, which were no longer on my face.

Likely because I had just gotten them this summer and they had cost me $$$$!

Lying on my right side, legs tucked up and my head cushioned by a mossy patch, I realized I had slipped on the stairs and went flying. No immediate pain but I did see blood and felt a wetness trickling down the side of my nose.

It only seemed like seconds before there was a crowd of people gathered around, all wondering what had happened. Paul later told me when he first saw me he thought perhaps I was looking for mushrooms. He and Stephanie are great hunters of fungi and have been educating Mike on what can be found in the area. It was only when I turned my head to look up at him he saw the blood and knew not all was right.

When it came time to uncurl myself and try and stand it became apparent that my right wrist didn’t look so good. Not wanting to bore you with a minute by minute description Justine along with Hannah and Gwen had the 'flap' of skin (nose) repositioned and bandaged plus a splint to hold my wrist in place. Mark had already called Air Ambulance so now it was just a waiting game. Weather from our point of view looked good for a flight but at the other end it was blowing a good 40knts. As the hours ticked by I was actually beginning to feel pretty good. To tell you the truth I'm not sure what time the helicopter landed but my bag was packed and thank goodness the pilots said that it was OK for Mike to come along. I felt rather foolish being strapped onto the stretcher and tucked in with blankets but according to Mary Loo and Mike ( the paramedics) this is how a patience must fly. Reclining back and enjoying the view from my comfy bed I thought this is likely the closest I'll ever get to flying 1^st class! Just over an hour later we arrived in Prince Rupert where the ER doc had me x-rayed, re-splintered, added 5 lovely stitches to my nose, gave me a handful of painkillers and told me to show up at 8 am sharp to meet Dr. Smith, the orthopedic surgeon.

By 9 am Mike and I had met with Dr. Smith, been explained the procedure that was to take place, had an arrow drawn on my arm to assure that all the players knew which wrist to work on and told to sit back, relax and wait. The staff at PR hospital were all very nice and kept apologizing for having to ask me the same questions over and over as each new nurse came in to hand me a gown, insert an IV, give me some painkillers, wheel me into the holding area and than one more time before I felt that cold sensation run up my arm and than I'm out like a light.

When I awoke from the best sleep I've had in a long time I am sporting a nice new blue cast. What you can't see are the 2 stainless steel pins that have a tendency to jab me every time I move the wrong way. Must learn not to move that way.

In 6 weeks time I'll have to make the trip back to Rupert to have the cast and pins removed, which will be a whole new experience to add to my memories.

When the doctor said I had to come back in a week to have the stitches removed Mike and I just looked at him and said “Well that's not going to happen.” Than Mike pipes up “ I can take them out.” Dr. Smith seemed to think that this was OK so supplied us with the necessary tools.....scissors, tweezers, gauze and a scalpel. I supplied the 'shot'.

A week later and we are preparing for the removal of my stitches. Am I nervous?....well maybe a little. I did feel better after Mike found some glasses he could actually see the minuscule bits of thread with and brought in the engine room work light for me to hold.

 

Capped, masked and sterile. Ready to operate.

Well that's enough about me.

We're becoming reacquainted with our 4 legged friends.

Nothing remarkable about this picture but it was our first night that the Outpost is once again our own.

Till next time,

Heather & Mike