Shenanigans

After the last rather verbose post, I figure a photo-exposé of our out-of-school fun is in order.

We begin with Movember, which this town has embraced with open handlebars. We cheered on our students, and some friends as well, at the Movember hockey tournament, skipped out on the Movember prime rib dinner (cheap students gotta draw the line somewhere), and tore up the rug (er, concrete rec centre floor) at the Movember social. If I had a baby, I would’ve entered him (or, more humorously, her) in the Moustached Baby Competition, but alas, that will be another visit.

They take their hockey pretty seriously here.

Cold War vestige or Olympic hockey grudge?

You don’t go to Movember without a mo’!

The familiar ham and cheese of Southern socials will just never compete with the Northern tradition of having camp-sized roasters full of bacon. We were fairly liberal with out take-out plates.

The next day was Saturday, so we took the opportunity to catch a bit of the town in daylight. Here’s the highlights:

Let’s go to THE MALL!

…or the grocery store…

…or, for basically anything else, the Trappers’ Shack!

Where I spend the majority of each day.

Where I spend the remainder of each day.

On Monday, then, we received a generous offer from Reid’s high school buddy who is here working for Hydro: an after-hours tour of Kettle Dam, the second largest generating station in western Canada. He kindly accommodated our desire to ride in the supply bikes, and put up with our repeated statements that this would make a great set for a shoot-out in a Bond film.

Karl, whose referred to his position at Hydro simply as ‘nerd’. He’d make a good tour guide too, though!

The generating station floor, aka the set for our fantastical James Bond action sequences.

The turbine pit: That steel pillar next to me is spinning at a zillion miles an hour, powering the computer you are reading this on.

Bicycle carts are used to carry heavy equipment long distances, or stupid tourists short unnecessary distances.

Kettle Dam by night.

Manitoba Hydro is a complicated subject here, responsible for devastating changes to the natural environment, but also for the huge employment level that keeps Gillam out of the poverty that many northern communities experience. Regardless, this was a great opportunity to see where many of my students’ parents go everyday. Thanks, Karl, for befriending us Southerners and showing us around!

Finally, the Christmas fairy left a fully decorated tree on my balcony when I arrived, so Reid, Sitara, and I snuck it into the Grade 1 classroom, where it will be far more appreciated. Oh to be in Grade 1 again!