I worry about the ptarmigan

Why did the ptarmigan cross the road?

To get away from Cathy, of course.

About this time of year we see a lot of ptarmigan in Yellowknife. They're cute little gaffers. Well, large gaffers as far as birds go, seeing as how they're part of the grouse family and chubby, to boot. In winter their feathers are white, so they look like good-sized snowballs as they wander around.

And it's the wandering around part that's the problem.

You see, ptarmigan can fly, if they choose to. They just don't seem inclined to most of the time. Couple that with a tendency towards mental laziness, and you have disaster in the making. I walk to work every day, and there's a stretch of willow along Franklin Avenue portion of the route. For the past week, there have been a bunch of ptarmies in these bushes, munching on buds. Alarmed at my approach, they leap out of the willows (where they're fairly safe) and plop down onto the path in front of me. They then scurry along in a panic, trying to out-run me. Given that I have long legs and am in pretty good shape, I'll let you guess how well that works.

Some of the smarter ones eventually head back into the bushes. But there's always one or two who run into the road, unaware that a vehicle making its way along Franklin in the semi-dark poses a far greater danger than I ever would. So far, the terrified birds take to the wing before they're run over. But I really don't need this stress first thing in the morning -- witnessing ptarmigan carnage is not a good start to the day.

A couple of times, as I wander home in the evening, I've seen evidence that not all ptarmigan make it across the road safely. Poor little bird-brains. I worry about them.

Calling all writers! Contest open for entries

The fifth annual Great Northern Canada Writing Contest opened January 1, 2011. To enter you need to write a 1,000 word story (fiction or non-fiction) about life in the Northwest Territories, Yukon, Nunavut, Nunavik or Labrador. Winners receive cash prizes and publication in above&beyond, Canada’s Arctic Journal. Please see the contest page on the NorthWords Writers Festival website for details.

Old Yellowknife Christmas tradition

I was going through some old photos and came across this one. I took it in 1986, the first year I lived in Yellowknife.

To get everyone into the holiday spirit, the City used to set up a Christmas tree smack dab in the middle of 50th Avenue and 50th Street - the main intersection in downtown Yellowknife. They hadn't covered this contingency when I took driver training in Saskatchewan, so I was never sure if one makes a left turn by cutting in front of the tree, or swinging wide around it. If you look closely at the photo, you'll see that there are no traffic lights, so whatever we did, we had to use the honour system that goes with an unmarked (and usually treeless) intersection.

I forget when they stopped putting up the tree. That tradition probably ended by the close of the '80s, about the same time they put up traffic lights in the downtown. I sometimes pine for the old tree, but given that Yellowknife is almost twice as big as it was in 1986, and drivers aren't nearly as patient as they used to be, it's unlikely to be resurrected.

Watching the solstice eclipse from the Dettah ice road

Even though it was minus 20, plus wind chill, there was an impressive turnout on the Dettah ice road on December 20 for the super special solstice eclipse. Cars, trucks, snowmobiles, parasailors – even a lone cyclist pedalling past in the dark. The ice road between Yellowknife and Dettah – a First Nations community across Yellowknife Bay – is the ideal observation spot because it is close to town, but there’s little light pollution.

We watched from the relative comfort of our little SUV – sun roof (moon roof?) cranked open so we could see the Earth’s shadow slowly move across the face of the moon. The visibility was excellent, and the moon seemed to pop right out of the sky when we looked through the binoculars. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a red moon before, so was pretty impressed when the eclipse reached totality.

We had Christmas choirs playing on the satellite radio, which added to the sense of grandeur. When we felt chilled, we turned on the vehicle for a bit. Between fumbling with cameras and binoculars in the cold, and our heated car seats, we had a unique northern experience of getting frostbite on our fingers at the same time we got first degree burns on our butts!

Great workshop!

Thanks to everyone who participated in my Creating Northern Characters workshop this past Sunday. A bit of brainstorming and some small group work, and there they were: an army wife looking for some fun; a crack addict who sold his friend's booster cables for some quick cash; a man who likes boats and snowmobiles more than the company of women; a Somali cab driver making a go of it on the streets of Yellowknife. Good work, everyone!

I'm leading a workshop this Sunday

Northern writing often focuses on landscape and weather, but what of the people who roam those wild locales? How does a story’s setting affect the development of its characters? How do we create characters that truly reflect the northern experience? Join me for an interactive workshop of writing exercises, discussion and ideas.

Sunday, December 5, 2010
1:30 to 4 p.m.
Aurora College, Room 127, Yellowknife, NWT
Fee: $30, Register in advance at the Yellowknife Book Cellar

Many thanks to the NorthWords Writers Festival for sponsoring the workshop!

Great time at the book signing

Last weekend's book signing, organized by the NorthWords Writers Festival and the Yellowknife Book Cellar was a great opportunity to sell some books, do some Christmas shopping, and connect with my Yellowknife writer friends. I shared a table with Bren Kolson, author of Myth of the Barrens.