.....remember that ditty from your childhood....well some sunflower seeds got spilt and hordes of sparrows in my yard feeding.

and along the back fence...11!
 

Just a few scenes from the Fringe and Blues festivals in the city in which the artists interact with the audience. Friday afternoon at the fringe ( NB the colorful poster in the background ) encountered this accapella group Hoyt of three enthusiastic young guys from Saskatchewan. As all street performers  they earn their fees through donations. There was a banter to see who was the best performer by different donations, including the pink cowboy hat. A rendition of " Pretty Woman " was sung to one of the women in the audience and the teen next to me declared " that's not my mom" and she probably was.

The opening act for the Labatts Blues Festival in Hawrelak Park was Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials. Although short in stature, Ed's flying leaps, his back-bending,
his toe-walking through the audience and his sliding across the stage on his knees, kept the crowd going....ended up sitting on a woman's lap just a few seats from me.

The weather promises to continue warm.

Located in Hawrelak Park the theatre has covered seats and stage,great if there is rain and grassy areas and a beer consession. The flavour of the festival is very much southern Louisiana from the cajun, gumbo offerings at the food concessions to the deep throaty accented singing of the performers.

One of the mainliners is Janiva Magness, very lively, including some slower songs.

Audience on their feet dancing and clapping for all acts.


If interested in the line up check out. http://www.bluesinternationaltd.com/fest_2008           

Being rather technically challenged, I finally figured out how to download some of the videos I have done on my digital camera....now I don't know how to edit so you may get odd angles but added three of Rankin and Pang from recent trips.

If you are checking out the public site just go to this link http://video.xanga.com/bonnieupnorth

Edmonton's weather hit a record high of about 35oC and being followed in the evenings by thunder and lightening storms.

Sunday.. Sunny. High 32.
Monday.. Sunny. Low 18. High 29.
Tuesday.. A mix of sun and cloud. Low 10. High 22.
Normals for the period.. Low 8. High 22.

I sat on my front porch the other night and was just amazed at the downpour and sheet flashes of light followed by the rolling booms..."1 and 2 and 3 one thousand” some were pretty close. Is this something you did when younger counting the time differences and 5 is about a mile away?

Needless to say as our Edmonton summers are very short and with the weather good, I have been distracted from doing some of my 'ought tos' such as work in my home office or really wanting to go in to the hospital for my "on call" this weekend...I did though.

Blueberry pancakes with peaches on front porch a perfect summer meal and my attempts at jam making yesterday were some of the distractions.

A tree full of ripening Evans cherries and the three green donated apples from the neighbour’s trees formed the prime ingredients. Boiled, strained, added a modicum of sugar topped off with some pitted cherries produced a few jars.  These attempts at cherry/apple jam most likely to be syrup...didn't set as well as expected. Need some Certo as not enough pectin in the apples. Dishes after jam process

The dogs although not escaping from the yard, do occasionally chew something when I am away that they shouldn't, like the ripped up magazine on dog discipline. Walks continue in the ravine and yesterday somewhere Nanuq lost all her tags.

The yard continues to have its lure as weeding never done, as reflected in the growth in the driveway and the backyard after weeding. My theory is the more perennials the better such as this lovely lily.Powdery mildew also has attacked a number of other plants, such as delphiniums and pansies and basically they are DONE. Pull them, dead head some of the flowering plants, trim the bushes and add a few other plants for a touch of color! E.g. these potted fall mums or lavender planted in center of this photo and/or hanging basket of pink impatiens plants.

It has certainly been a change in temperature for the dogs arriving back in Alberta from about 10oC to over 30oC.... just imagine running around in a fur coat on a hot summer day...that is what it must be like!

 In our walks any water is always headed forCooling off on hot August dayTug of war over stick on ravine pool

Lots of dogs enjoying the water

Outside the front gate not only secure for the dogs but added some fall mums The new escape proof fence
      

I think was where I was at last weekend.

As I transition from my work in the north a little fatiguedand sleep deprived, to city life again with it's pace and responsibilities, my plan was to just sit in the sun, enjoy some good music, dance abit and maybe the odd beer or two. I bought tickets for this plan in June and by August everything was totally sold out....you got it ....the Edmonton Folkfest with about 20,000 others from Thursday 6 PM to Sunday 11 PM on Connors Hill with downtown Edmonton as a backdrop and in 30oC heat! ( sunburnt shoulders testify to this ) Packed up a tarp, folding chair, backpack with snacks on the bike and headed down. Mainstage included such as Hawksley Workman, Amadou and Miriam ( from Mali ), Buckwheat Zydeco, Micheal  Franti and Spearhead, Broken Social Scene, Chris Isaac, but my preference was the smaller side stages and workshops.

Anonymity in the crowd...well the straw hat and sunglasses worked well, but encounters included friends from the old neighbourhood, a girlfriend and her toddler who stood over me and startled me while sleeping, a nursing classmate from 30 years ago sitting on the next blanket and a friend's son in the same crowd dancing to the Peatbog Faeries.

For those of you who know me from facebook, I posted some photos and comments http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=51550&1=e7bd7&id=631178932.

Another blog I like is Tale Spin http://timchesterton.blogspot.com Tim has some some indepth accounts of the music on the weekend.

CBC Radio-1 program Q by Jian Ghomeshi  also had some good behind the scenes interviews of artists.

Dogs....so how have they survived the trip home? Yellowknife airport produced some confusion as noticed the kennels being unloaded from the cargo and had a panicky feeling of them being left in the wrong place. In that 30 minute stop, I ended up going through security 3 times as it turned out the kennels needed to be swabbed and checked. All I can say is dogs do not go pee on command when let out for 3 minutes to sniff!

The  new chain link fence in my yard is now up and hopefully escape proof. First evening I went out was uncertain of this so tied up Dysis as she is my escape artist. Coming home discovered she had torn up all the NEW wooden lattice mesh under the back porch to find a cool spot! Since I have let them roam the yard which is quite secure; we all adjust to new spaces; they dig their favorite spots behind trees; I do daily poop pickup and am content with patchy lawn.

The yard is a jungle as there was much rain, heat and hail in Alberta while I was away. Everyday I am getting out in the yard for a few hours and I understand my house sitter's comment on confusion on what is weed and what flowers..so much green....I knew where everything was but with all the rain everything grew madly. Timing of my return this year is good to still have some berries not done and overripe...my usual return is often late August and feel that putting yard to bed and not enjoyed, after all my effort in May.

Here are a few of the bits of color in the green...

Some of my routines have included early morning walks about 7 AM with the dogs
and neighbour Chris,

Alot would depend on both weather and my own energy level but the walk usually revived all. Dogs  then settled for the day or at least until lunch when I turned up on bike again and much excitement. Nanuq barks loudly and Dysis lets out this husky howl or warble.

 Cindy and Matt have returned from Ontario as school starts on Monday the 11th. My dogs stayed while I moved back to transient housing of " the Barn"...this meant 4 dogs in a one bedroom unit! Meeka and Nanook their two watch attentively at any other dogs or outside sounds.     

Kennel outside Nanuq Lodge owned by John Hickes and Page Burt. These puppies are suffering from parvo which attacks the digestive system. Arecent outbreak inRankin in which many dogs died. Some had been immunnized but not most. At Nanuq Lodge. Page Burt and Cindy Lottes. Cindy will take over management while Page is gone in August. Also at nanuq Lodge where stopped in to pay $60 for Inukshuk dog food I had bought earlier..again with Cindy and mama dog. A chance for Saturday afternoon ATV trip Amanda, Fabien and Justine by map of territorial park. Dysis and I went as passengers.
This Honda orginally from Arviat and owned by Winnie Tan who I worked with. Ice in August on Melodine River Originally a Thule site with tent rings, fox traps and sod houses. Tried a few casting of this lure...had to be shown as was "open faced" rod. Dysis wanted to chase it in the water.          

at 5:30 PM the First Air flight was a GO by 6 PM when I walked the dogs to the airport the ceiling has dropped due to the fog and not departing until Wednesday. Flexibility when working in the north is the key!

Rankin Inlet

Current Conditions

 

10
^°C

Observed at:

Rankin Inlet Airport

Date:

7:43 PM CDT Monday 4 August 2008

• Condition:

  Fog

   

  Pressure:

  100.5 kPa

   

  Tendency:

  steady

  Visibility:

  10 km

   

• Temperature:

  10.3°C

   

  Dewpoint:

  10.1°C

   

  Humidity:

  99 %

   

  Wind:

  E 9 km/h