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“Go North, Young Man (and Lady)” by N&J.
Whistler, BC (Jul 25/2016) – N&J have been residing in their downtown Vancouver condo for just under 2 years, major renovations have been completed (kitchen & bathrooms, interior painted, outdoor deck garden rejuvenated), all mainly done by themselves (with some assistance from their most competent friend D)… when they decided time for a new challenge. click on pic to enlarge – right/left arrow to scroll thru the gallery Thinking a house with a backyard, something that was NOT strata. Living in Vancouver on the westside was definitely not within the budget. Maybe Victoria or Oak Bay, a place to moor the sailboat, close to family… but alas not a lot…
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“We Got the Cookie Monster Blues !!!” by N&J.
Badlands National Park in Wyoming (Oct 20/13) – N&J certainly didn’t waste anytime getting themselves back into the ‘on the road’ routine after the Habitat gig. Since leaving Fort Thompson they have already clocked quite a few kilometres on Gizmo. The first stop was Badlands National Park located in the south-west corner of South Dakota…. in fact just outside the eastern park gate where they stopped for the evening after driving across the state. A great place to sleep, very quiet except for the nearby dairy farm and the faint ‘mooing’ heard all night (HEY!!! Who is milking the cows tonight???). click on pic to enlarge – right/left arrow to…
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“Eyes Wide Open” by N&J.
Crow Creek Indian Reserve, Fort Thompson, South Dakota (Oct 19/13) – What are N&J feeling?… Sad to leave??… Ecstatic ??? … A bit of both. Certainly bittersweet. One thing is for sure, they have met some amazing & interesting people in the month and a half stay… some who were surprisingly different from the expectations. click on pic to enlarge – right/left arrow to scroll thru the gallery N&J’s neighbours, the ‘park’ residents have definitely taught a few things about ‘Life on the Res’. Not always what it appears on the surface; it can be very disturbing, but also very heartening. Thomas (a native elder in his 70’s who prefers to…
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“Last Day at Habitat!!!” by N&J.
Fort Thompson, SD (Oct 18/13) – It has been 6 weeks that ‘Team NJ’ has been at Habitat for Humanity on the Crow Creek Indian Reserve. This is N&J’s last full day working as volunteers on the project. A lot has transpired since their arrival. They have managed to complete the work on the inner workings (framing, plumbing, electrical, etc) to the point that installing the drywall has begun and there is about 20% left to go. It was their initial wish that they would have had all the drywall board installed before leaving… much has been accomplished. With lots of cheekiness, having dress up days, and hiding stuff in…
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“Under Construction” by N&J.
Fort Thompson, SD (Oct 03/13) – The Habitat for Humanity (H4H) visitor centre here on the Crow Creek Indian Reserve is moving forward rather quickly. All the electrical, plumbing, framing, and HVAC is almost complete. A few more soffits to be built, and the entire area will be ready for drywall. N&J have been using some new construction skills along the way. Jim Huntley (H4H Executive Director & construction guru) has been sharing some of his tricks, giving additional insight into building technique… N&J have each done considerable renovations in the past, but have benefited from this experience, improving the efficiency by ‘measuring twice, cutting once’. click on pic to…
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“Day Off” by N&J
Crow Creek Indian Reservation, SD (Sep 21/13) – Saturday morning, have been here a week and it’s N&J’s first day to explore! Excited about heading into the ‘big city’ of Chamberlain SD, similar in scale to Hope BC. The first stop was the annual St. Joseph’s Indian School Pow Wow; traditional dress, native drummers and chanters festooned the school field with a pageantry of colour and music. The kids practice their dancing all year long at the chance of winning recognition and prizes. Parents sitting on the sidelines watching intently along with school supporters and spectators, enjoyed the performance under sunny skies. click on pic to enlarge – right/left arrow…
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“It Tickles !!!” by N&J
Fort Thompson, SD (Sep 20-21/13) – After 6 days of working on the Habitat project and being on their feet all day; aching muscles, a pair of torn shorts, a few cuts, inflamed plantar fasciitis, and paint left on the skin… N&J look back on the past week pleased at what has been accomplished. Approximately 100-120 collective hours has been put into the project. Some of that time was spent getting the lay of the land, figuring out the systems in place, and going over the master plan. Looking back… they ran telecom/data cable, pulled old wires off the building exterior, completed refurbishing the upstairs bathrooms, completed and confirmed the…
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“Vacation Suspended” by N&J
Fort Thompson, SD (Sep 13-16/13) – Lucky for N&J, avoided any tragedy brought on by the terrible flood conditions in Colorado. After crossing into Wyoming at Cheyenne, traveled east on I-90 into Nebraska, dipping back into Julesburg CO to stay at a rest area for the evening. Playing a bit of frisbee in the evening as the sun set, they had a great sleep and were excited knowing would soon be at their defined destination. click on pic to enlarge – right/left arrow to scroll thru the gallery Next day made our way north to South Dakota. The expansive landscape afforded sweeping views in all directions. It was early in…