Day 84: Joining the circus

This is CNSC.

With the birdfish logo up and the cranes cleared from the front
of the building, I think it is finally, just about, open!

The Grand Opening is tomorrow. The preparation for it can be described in one word: Circus

The science staff finished putting up the two tents  where
the speech for the opening ceremony will occur and where
people can stand for the ribbon cutting at the front doors
(see picture above! ^). But let me describe the wind here,
on the tundra, in Churchill. It is very windy. The tents came
with these tiny little pegs, like what is used for normal camping
tents, to hold down these massive things that take 6 people
to lift, and could probably have two cars parked underneath.
The winds here can gust up to 70 km/hr! And the way the poles
were whistling (remember the whistling tower down goose creek?)
it was definitely windy. LeeAnn and Cliff, the all around
maintenance guy, fixed up a ratcheting system to thick metal
rods to keep the tent down. The ratcheting webbing vibrates in
the wind like a truck is driving by. I feel like we should have
a camera fixed on these tents at all times to capture the
moment that they flip! 

Secondary proof of circus, the balloons! Lots of balloons!
All in the CNSC blue and white. Caleigh got so light headed
that she almost passed out after blowing up 50 balloons.
There were a few other incidents as well as the balloon prep
team got more and more light headed, but we have yet to pop
any, so I call it a success! Now... what to do with all these
balloons...?

 The third reason it will be a circus:

This is the Polar Bear Sighting board. The bear activity has
definitely increased in the last couple of days as fall approaches
and bear season comes closer. With so many people out here
in the next couple of days, I really, really hope that we won't
have any bears close to the centre! That would be a circus
nightmare as the animals are released.

Past bear records starting at the beginning of June, when
I first got up here. I have only seen a very small fraction of
all the bears out there!

More bears!

More bears!

 I also wanted to show the results of our intense cleaning for the past few days before the hundreds of feet dirty the place up!

This is the atrium! With the Weston Family Welcome Centre
near the windows in the back with the comfy chairs. The
Weston family really got this whole project, of getting a new
building started. They donated a bunch of money, I don't
really know how much but think at least 6 zeros before the
decimal point, but said that the money would only be given
if the centre could match it through other donations. It
really got the centre motivated to begin the process of finding
money to build a brand new amazing building.

Gift shop! Lots of Tees! The plant on the counter is named
Bogart. It is Caleigh's plant from Thompson (I think, it
arrived after she came back from York Factory through
Thompson).

I've spent a good bit of time here after a summer with only
three pairs of pants. It took me a while to remember to add
soap. Thank you Christina for the reminders! (And the
friendly mocking!)

The Aurora Dome, at least the bottom of it. The stairs lead
to the actual dome where you can watch the stairs and the
aurora borealis and polar bears from a warm, bug free safety.
Yes, that is a polar bear pelt, a mother bear that had to be
put down after being aggressive at the old open landfill.

The Seminar Room: I've spent a lot of mornings in this room
during the Walmart 5, the morning staff meeting.

The A/V lounge: Many evenings spent watching Ghost Busters,
Harry Potter, Sound of Music, Star Wars, Wedding Crashers,
etc., etc. If you look behind the poster above the TV, there is
a bit of a surprise!

The Cafeteria! Three times a day, I spend in this room. This is
the place responsible for the bit of extra weight I've managed to
put on this summer! You would think that field work would negate
the food, but the buffet is just too overpowering!

And the ones responsible for the food I eat! Rob and Sara (Rosalind
wasn't in the kitchen at the time, but she is also a culprit!).
Thank  you for the delicious dinners and especially the deserts!
And for putting up with my vegetarianism!

Ahaa, the classic mugs that bring character
to the new kitchen. Where the choice of
beverage is complimented with the character
choice of a mug that matches your mood for
the day. Personally, I like the big, multi-coloured
striped one. But I have dabbled with many a mug!

I thought it was only fair to follow up yesterday's post with a photo, so here it is, my dear mop!

I will miss you greatly! Even if you do
get around with the other staff and
volunteers!

Day 83: Dear Mop

Dear mop,

We got to know each other really well today, and it was a great time. I enjoyed every sweep. We first bonded in the janitor's room, when my hand and your handle met. Love at first sight. There literally was music, from my ipod. It happened to be a nerdy science song introducing This Week in Science, but it was a song never the less. We really got to know each other in the exercise room and had our first slow dance in the AV room. The floors shone by the time we were finished. And for those moments, I thank you greatly, my dear mop. 

And then I thought of you while I inventoried the delivery of food, moving boxes of juice and coffee, lettuce and mustard, yogurt and lentils. I thought of you while I interviewed Paige for the podcast, while I ate lunch, while Krista and I picked science posters to hang in the lab, while I packed my samples into coolers.

Do you remember the time when there was two loud bangs and I had to run to the window, knowing that the bangs were cracker shells to scare a bear away? Do you remember when I dragged you to the window so you could see as the bear strode across the tundra and into the forest, so we could work and watch at the same time? It was a wonderful moment.

Polar bear behind the building, there were two, but I only saw
one of them. Four cracker shells had to be fired before it left
the area.

I want to be honest with you, my dear mop, because you may have seen me with others throughout the day. There was the red broom and black dustpan before you, and there was the rag with window spray after you. But don't be jealous, you are my favorite cleaner. The others don't mean anything to me. It's just that you can't do everything, and I don't expect you to, so I have to work with others as well. And don't be jealous of the tent poles, it was really a group effort, not a one on one moment together. The tent poles weren't that interested in me anyways, they just wanted to stick to each other, none of the humans really developed a good relationship with any of them. But they are event tent poles, meant to hold up a huge plastic tarp to protect a couple dozen from the rain during the ribbon cutting ceremony, and being event tent poles, they are pretty stuck up and self-centered, thinking they are the most important. So don't be jealous. None of these other tasks  diminish the moments that we have had with each other, my dear mop. 

I do have to warn you that what we have can't last. You knew that our time was short together, a few rooms, a few hallways. I will see you again tomorrow, my dear, and we will glide across the floor once more before the stampede of people arrive for the grand opening. After that, I don't know where our future lies. You will be ok, though. You have the regulars, the daily cleaning staff, to play with you, clean you, comfort you. 

Just remember the moments we had together, as I will always remember them.

Yours,

Kaleigh

Day 69: Once in a lifetime

Last night, the Aurora Borealis:

Over a setting sun at 23:45

Tonight's adventure, walking out to the Ithaca at lowtide.

Our fantastic bear guard, Krista, taking it very seriously! Thanks!

The Ithaca

This is Caleigh and Krista: "I wonder what would happen if I
squeezed it..."

It squirts out!

Matt karate chopping the giant kelp (we were walking on what
is normally under water so there was kelp and seaweed and algae
everywhere.)

Ribbon cutting ceremony: attempt number 2

We mad it!

There is a hole in the hull. Hi Celia!

Let's all jump at the same time on a rusting out ship with
holes in the floor. Great idea!

Not what we wanted to see: A polar bear came up on the bluffs
between us, out at the Ithaca, and the trucks. Luckily, it decided
that it wasn't interested in us and wandered away down the beach.
Thanks to Krista, who took charge, we all made it safely back to
the trucks without firing a shot. 

Bright sunsets

And neon pink skies.

Also interviewed the other plover lover, Anne. Thanks for the great interview today!

And found three really cool articles for my research on pigments and their use on the benthic and phytoplankton communities + (unexpectedly but awesomely) a nutrient study combining the pigment analysis! How perfect is that?

Day 64: Simply keeping busy

The actual work of today consisted of plucking white dryas puffs in 40km/hr winds, measuring the earth's magnetic field, analyzing CO2 flux, and preparing buoys.

The outside of work for today was mainly yoga and reading. I don't have much to share today.

Dryas puff: Imagine carefully pulling the white
stuff off and stuffing it into a plastic bag without
losing it to the wind... I lost a lot to the wind.

Radish seeds have been planted in the bedroom. Two sprouts,
after one day, have already poked out!

After the rain and sun combination all day, we got a
rainbow!

Day 63: Day of Sound

I had the rare luxury of being able to drive by myself through the boreal forests after dropping off the Waterloo/Laurier crew at the airport. Today was the day of sound.

I listened to the radio, to the CBC broadcasts. I listened to music, and sang loudly with it. Then swhistled loudly over the weather forecast that the radio voice kept repeating. I stood in the wind and listened to the waves on the river, the waves on the beach. I baked in the sun while I read a novel. I ate an orange in the sand and cheese in the forest.

First stop on Goose Creek Rd was a kennel of sled dogs who
perked up at the approach of my car

Second stop: I found a new dump of twisted metal scraps

A taxidermied fox with the fur removed, found at the dump...

A plaque in memory and honour of the Sayisi Dene People.
They were relocated by the government to these concrete houses
where disease killed over 1/3 of the population from 1956 to 1973
at which point they freed themselves from the "grips of genocide."

What's left of the foundation of a house in "Dene Village"

Third stop: marshes

"One of these mornings
You're going to rise up singing
Then you'll spread your wings
And you'll take to the sky"

- "Summertime" by jazz artist George Gershwin

Adrift

The singing tower at the weir. With the wind blowing at 40km/hr
the metal sang like blowing air over a bottle top. It was beautiful.

The end of Goose Creek Road: the Churchill River