Ugly Truck and Dog Contest at the Olympics

Just to clarify - that's The Ugly Truck and Dog Contest (the book) that will be at the Vancouver Olympics, not the Ugly Truck and Dog Contest (the real thing).

I'm pleased to advise that my book will be available through the store at Canada's Northern House until the end of April 2010. Canada's Northern House, located at 100-602 West Hastings, is a visitors' centre that showcases Canada's three northern territories. It officially opened on January 14.

If you're in Vancouver for the Olympic or Paralympic Games, please stop by. Films will be shown at the centre, and there will be investment and tourism events. The northern territories will also be offering special entertainment during the weekend of February 19 to 21.

The only thing left to consider is whether the Ugly Truck and Dog Contest (the real thing) should become an Olympic event. I've certainly seen some world-class creations in the 20-plus years that I've been following the contest. In any case, spring is coming and we can all look forward to this year's ugly trucks and dogs at Caribou Carnival.

CanWrite! here I come

Just received confirmation that my registration for the Canadian Authors Association CanWrite! 2010 Conference has been processed, and all is in order. The conference will take place in Victoria, B.C., June 24 to 27. I can't believe I actually committed something so far ahead of time. I went to the CanWrite 2008 conference in Edmonton, though, and was extremely impressed. Well-organized, great sessions, wonderful networking opportunities, and the food was fabulous. Spent many hours at the gym afterwards to work off the excess calories. Looking forward to another great one.

Frosty Friday

We've hit the deep freeze, a couple of weeks early. This was the temperature when I walked to work this morning.

When I headed back down the Franklin Avenue hill after work, it was -49 with the wind chill. Kind of a drag right now, but the cold weather means the ice will be forming on the lakes - good news for smowmobilers, skiers, snowshoers (like me).

Morning mist

This morning's mist enshrouds the houseboats on Yellowknife Bay.

Ready for winter . . . I guess

All over Yellowknife, there are signs that winter is imminent: the sky is that dull slate blue we get every fall, the leaves are off the trees, woodpiles are sprouting in front of houses.

The last two weekends have been a round of pre-winter preparation chez nous. I’ve ripped up the garden and the bedding plants, washed and oiled my bike, tucked away my kayak in the garage.

And now we wait. Ice is forming along the shore of Back Bay and there’s a skiff of snow on the ground, but it will be a couple of months before there’s enough of either ice or snow for winter activities to start.

In the meantime, it’s the season for spicy chili, hot beverages and a good book.

UTDC reviewed by the Ultimate Bookhound

The Ultimate Bookhound has posted a review of The Ugly Truck and Dog Contest. Bit of an acid test, since the Bookhound grew up in Yellowknife. It passed muster, however, receiving a 4 out of 5 (= Good. I really enjoyed this, and I recommend it.)

Check it out!

Warm welcome in Whitehorse

Hats off to Whitehorse!

A good-sized group came out to my reading at the public library this evening. They listened politely, laughed at the right times, and answered my questions about the Yukon writing scene. They stayed afterwards and talked about life in Whitehorse and Yellowknife. It was a great time.

Many thanks to Mairi Macrae of the Whitehorse Public Library for organizing the event - everything from securing the room to finding a projector for my Yellowknife slide show to doing the publicity to providing snacks.

And thanks to Roslyn for taking photos!