August 2010
23 posts
4 tags
oprah's journey
Posted July 28, 2008 Oprah turned 10 last month. She’s a greyhound, and born into the dog race world. Oprah has had quite a journey. She used to race, until she broke a leg. (A very common injury in these dogs, just as in race horses.) She had a pin put in her leg and then became a breeder. She had several litters. And then, a couple of years ago, she was deemed no longer useful...
3 tags
moose decor
Originally posted December 29, 2007 It is mandatory for a log cabin to have at least one set of moose antlers as exterior decor. If there are many sets of antlers, they may be distributed whimsically, but if there is only the one moose available for mounting it must be set at the peak of the roof over the front entrance. I’ve been taking more night-time shots because the window of...
3 tags
ice road
Originally posted December 24, 2007
The trail today through the woods to this look off was coated in fresh white fluffy snow, marked only by the passage of fox and rabbit. This point overlooks the Yukon River crossing to West Dawson and the Top of the World Highway to Alaska. In the summer there is a car ferry; now there is an ice road. I was wishing for some cars to cross to indicate...
3 tags
the edge of night
Originally posted December 21, 2007 Here is a shot of Berton House in Dawson City where I have lived for three months. The days are short now but nowhere near as dark as I had anticipated for this time of year (the shortest day). The house looks isolated here but actually there are other houses all around. Above the roof of the house you can see the edge of winter sun hitting the Midnight...
3 tags
winding down
Originally posted December 18, 2007 Everything is winding down here, or winding up. Soon I’ll be leaving the subarctic and return to the temperate rainforest. This repurposed car, built into a retaining wall, is parked in front of the car in the photo “the use of refuse” but it was impossible to get them both in the same picture. In fact there are at least three cars...
5 tags
not arrogant enough
Originally posted November 30, 2007 Three years ago today Pierre Berton, a Canadian icon, died at the age of 84. Being a Canadian icon means not being very well known outside of Canada. Pierre Berton resisted the status of icon, claiming that there were others more deserving. He also stated that “Canadians aren’t arrogant enough.” Pierre Berton’s childhood home in...
4 tags
the use of refuse
Originally posted November 29, 2007 The dump here in Dawson is famous for its free store. People go to all the trouble of bringing all their stuff up into the area, but do not want to take it away again. It is easier just to sell it or throw it away. This practice started during the gold rush; when people were going back “outside” they left most of their belongings behind...
4 tags
WatchBruce Lee and Pierre Berton
Originally posted November 26, 2007 Here’s a convergence. I’m currently in Pierre Berton’s childhood home and just discovered a 1971 interview with Bruce Lee on the Pierre Berton Show. The interview is described as “unedited” but really I believe that was just the standard of the time for this type of Canadian television program. My...
4 tags
northern lights
Originally posted November 25, 2007 Have been keen to see the northern lights while here in the Yukon, so have been checking the aurora forecast sites on the internet, and looking at the night sky. So last night I saw the landscape was illuminated and went outside to check it out. The light turned out to be the full moon, but was so bright you could see the mountains across the river as...
5 tags
western front front
The Western Front is an artist-run centre here in Broma. During the 2010 Olympics the western front of the building was greatly enhanced, as shown here, as the Western Front Front. One gathers that the Olympic funders did not see the mocking implied by the big fake facade, by a building (or event) pretending to be grander than it actually is. Is perception reality? Meant to be a temporary...
3 tags
flight plan
Originally posted November 22, 2007
In the cemetery in Dawson, an airplane propellor is used as a grave marker. Plastic flowers on graves are popular here, as are tupperware containers whose contents must remain mysterious.
3 tags
theme parks for the dead
Originally posted November 21, 2007 For many reasons I tend to view cemeteries as destinations. They are parks for strolling, or when travelling, are tourist attractions. This is a view of the Yukon River from the cemetery overlooking Dawson, taken when I first arrived in October. This cemetery has a number of features, including crib-like picket fences and old illegible wooden grave...
3 tags
broma recycling
As seen in Broma: an old TV is used to keep the rain off a fire hydrant.
3 tags
tin tombstone
Originally posted November 17, 2007 This shot is from a month ago of a tin tombstone in the cemetery overlooking Dawson. Looks normal from a distance, but up close reveals itself as a facade, evocative of the western fronts adorning the heritage buildings in town. The worst part of this tin tombstone is that it is riddled with bullet holes, with the bullets exiting towards the town. Ouch.
4 tags
rush hour in dawson
Originally posted November 12, 2007 There is a subway station in Dawson City, part of what was to be a global network designed by the conceptual artist Martin Kippenberger (see Subway to Nowhere Part of Kippenberger’s Legacy). This picture is a recent installation by Claudia Borgna called Rush Hour in Dawson. Claudia has been an artist in residence in Dawson City for the past few weeks,...
2 tags
the universe →
One of the coolest things ever seen on the web. From the smallest to the largest, in one continuous graphic.
2 tags
broma debate
The inhabitants of Broma are engaged in a fierce debate. Do they refer to themselves as “Bromites” or “Bromistas”?
We are all entitled to our opinions. I personally prefer Bromite, although perhaps if I lived in Broma and I worked in a coffee shop, I might prefer Bromista.
3 tags
midnight dome
Originally posted November 11, 2007 Finally made it all the way up to the Midnight Dome. On the summer solstice, people in Dawson hike up here to celebrate the longest day of the year, when the sun sets at 11:30 p.m. The view is spectacular in all directions. This is the view looking down the Yukon River, towards Alaska. The last photo posted, the sunset, was taken from part-way up the Dome...
2 tags
sunset and beauty
Originally posted November 7, 2007 Taking shots of the sunset today at first I was trying to avoid the communication towers so they wouldn’t “ruin” the view. Then I decided to embrace the towers. Without these towers and satellite dishes I wouldn’t have an internet connection and wouldn’t be able to access the outside world. These towers make it possible to take...
2 tags
yukon river bottom
Orignally posted November 6, 2007 This time of year, the river is at its lowest. This flat section where I’m walking would all be under several feet of water during spring and summer. The river is not yet frozen over. The rougher strip of white from the left is chucks of ice flowing in the stream. This stream of ice makes a hissing noise. Because of climate change, freeze-up is...
3 tags
decor for hoardings
glad i took this photo when I did, because then the tree was pruned and this paper graffiti became torn, shredded, defaced.
3 tags
gray jay day
Originally posted November 5, 2007 Today was gray jay day. At a rest stop overlooking the scenic but foggy Tintina Trench, the gray jays were very bold. Used to charming the tourists, no doubt. The Tintina Trench is an avian flyway and rich in wildlife. A linear valley, it marks the line between two tectonic plates. And the meeting of those tectonic plates explains the gold found in the...
3 tags
bone cross
Originally posted November 3, 2007 I keep seeing new things in places as I walk around. This is a bone tied to a stick with a ribbon. Other than that, I don’t know what it is. The hillside above Dawson is marked by the passage of many people. The town now ends at 8th Avenue, but during the gold rush there used to be 9th and 10th Avenues. You can still see little platforms dug into the...
