Into The Wild

Day 4


Nothing beats starting the day with an art project!

Our second day of work included more painting, more siding, laying the forms for the driveway, and cutting and nailing baseboards. I can say with certainty that I learned so many new things -- how to use a chop saw, an air nail gun, and  the difference between inner and outer facing angles.... #measuretwicecutonce.

Joy, one of the family members living next door baked us cookies, and Cathy, who also lives in a Habitat home, prepared us a great casserole lunch. I'm not sure any of us can spell Macadamia. We seemed to confuse it with academia... the confusion continues!

 

After lunch, Stu kindly took us out for a little walk to see the eagles, catching the warm thermals. We caught sight of a few playing together. Like so much of the views here in Whitehorse, it was stunning and beautiful.

 (if you look closely you can see there are two eagles flying about)

Stu, giving us impeccable directions, as always

We ended our work day a bit early so we could visit the Yukon Wildlife Preserve, and then visit the Tahkini hot springs.

When one of the guides, Kaitlyn, heard that Barry Ferguson was among us, she excitedly told us that he was the reason she attended Waterloo!! It was no surprise to us that she'd been inspired by Barry. It was a really sweet moment.

 We saw some pretty impressive wildlife, including mule deer, elk, muskox, ground squirrels (that run about everywhere!), bison, caribou, and arctic foxes.

 

 

How many mule deer do you see??

 

Ah and the elusive moose... did you know there are two moose for every person in the Yukon? 

 Then there was this weird animal... really not sure what species it is....

 

 The hot springs were, well, hot. But just what our muscles needed! We'll be rested for tomorrow :)

 

Each day just gets better and better (and more wild!).

debika

Day 3 #finallyworking

So we're at Day 3 in Whitehorse and already confusion has set in for some people...just kidding Ralon :)

In all seriousness, everyone is doing swimmingly. It was our first day on the job site and we wasted no time getting to work! Stu, Ayla, and Stefan kindly led us around the job site - assigning us tasks and ensuring we were all staying safe and hydrated.

Here's Deb, Ann, Jen, and Olivia with one of our lovely leaders - Stefan.

 We worked on different jobs throughout the day, but here is a snapshot (literally - haha!) of what some of us worked on...

Mike and Barry hauling siding

Bev and Ralon wheelbarrowing stones

 

Quite a bit of painting action going on!










No matter the task, we always have a smile on our face!

 We are all looking forward to tomorrow and another great day at work. Top of the lists for tomorrow's tasks include more painting, installing baseboards, and putting up siding. Should be fun!




Olivia

P.S. We went to Antoinette's for dinner tonight - a Caribbean restaurant that was featured on You Gotta Eat Here! All you Food Network fans should be jealous...it was amazing!

Glorious Sunday

Day 2!

This glorious Sunday has been action packed. It was a day of spoils, in the best sense of the word. We started the day with legendary breakfasts, and a meeting where we got to know each other a bit better. So what did we learn? Erin and Ann are the only two with tattoos, several of us ladies packed 5 pairs of shoes, and, if we're ever stranded on an island together, we're convinced that Angela can build us the internet, and Mike has promised us some Beef Wellington.

Another warm and sunny day, and a the whole afternoon was ours for the taking! Here's a peek at some of the things we did.

Ridin' a trolley:

 

Getting educated at the museum

 At first we thought both Ann and Michelle were wearing Mountie gear, but then we had a closer look...

Stu, who is easily the kindest and most generous Yukon-er we know, took some of us on a beautiful hike in Fish Lake.

 

Stu made sure we were prepared for anything and everything, including bugs, sunburns, and bears! We didn't see any on the hike (though we saw one later while driving), but we certainly thought we were about to meet a big animal of some kind. It started with quiet, rhythmic panting, then louder... then even louder, startling barking... and then we saw that it was just a tired little pug!

We ended the day with a beautiful, delicious meal, hosted by Stu. I'm telling you, we were spoiled. Rockfish curry, elk + blueberry and bison + cranberry sausages, and killer brownies. Stu, his wife Cindy, and his son Sandy went all out.

Stu had one more special gift for each of us... which Jen kindly modeled for us!






















Tomorrow is our first day on the build site. Cool gear and hard hats aside, I think we're all excited for the work ahead. It's still bright and sunny out, and its 10pm. What a day!

debika

Reunited and it Feels so Good!

Day 1 in Whitehorse...

Our first day has come and gone in beautiful Whitehorse, Yukon. We were all greeted with gorgeous 24 degree weather, sunny skies, and breathtaking views as we got off the plane and got reunited with one another. 

Once everyone arrived and checked into the Yukon Inn (our "home away from home"), we met up with our lovely tour guide for the day - Stu - who showed us a little bit of what Whitehorse is all about. 

We took a short tour around downtown - checked out the Yukon River, Baked Cafe and Bakery, and caught a glimpse of the Whitehorse trolley. 

We toured the Whitehorse Rapids Fishladder where we saw neat salmon art and real salmon fish jumping out of the river! 

There were dozens of salmon swimming around down there!

We then went up to Miles Canyon which offered extraordinary views of the river, mountains, treeline, and some canoeing friends :) 

We visited the first Habitat build site where a beautiful tri-plex was built. It was here where Stew reminded us what Habitat is really about - "Habitat is not about building houses - it's about building community." Stew told us about the impact this tri-plex had in the formation of a neighbourhood where families could feel welcome, safe, and at home.

We made a quick visit to the site where we will be working for the next week - a duplex that looks well underway, but still lots of work left to keep us busy! 

We finished off the day with a great dinner at Gold Pan Saloon. Good food, live music (The Ukes of Hazard - check 'em out!), and great company - a fantastic start to our Yukon adventure. 

Olivia