Merit Suites Fort McMurray

We made it home safely. The -21 C temperature coming off the plane last night was a little bit of a shock to the system. We were delayed by the snow in Toronto but luckily the held our flight from Edmonton to Fort Mac for us. We look forward to seeing everyone again and sharing a few pictures with you. André & Gina

Alright, so after spending most of the night watching the Broncos get blown out, I am pretty much done packing. Follow along with our trip as Gina and I head out to the long lost continent of Madagascar. I'll try to keep the blog up to date as best as I can based on internet availability. The cab comes at 4:30am...time for bed. André

Still at work in Fort McMurray, just counting down the days. The days are already getting noticeably shorter. The days of 24 daylight are over. The mornings are getting crisper. Fall is definitely on it's way. I think Chase has lost his mind up at Diavik. We're ready for a vacation!!

As we pack our bags, check our lists and get things in order it is only a week before we leave. This entry is to serve only as a test that this blog and the address book is working. We hope to be able to do some entries once we leave on our journey. Downloading pictures may be a bit hopeful but we will try!! The countdown is on L

... that's a very big question! For me, there's no contest when it comes to excitement factor it will definitely be our short trip to Antarctica! From South America, you can go on tours that take you into Antarctica - one thing I though it would be forever before I actually got to do!!! Well, I'm also pretty excited to go back to Cuba again, but I suspect it will have changed a lot by the time we get there... And at last, back home! We plan to travel all through the US ...

... said, once I began reading about the countries I was to visit, I began to realize that I would be hard pressed to visit all of them, in the detail I desired, in the amount of time I had allotted. Thus, Poland and Croatia (with the exception of Dubrovnik) were striken from the intinerary and stashed away for future trips. December is not the time to visit Croatia's Agean coast anyway. I still am sceptical about my ability to make it to all ...

When I was three, my parents took me to Montreal to go Christmas shopping. We went to La Baie and got lost in the city's underground maze of stores. I don't know if it was my first time outside the country of my birth. If you asked my parents, they probably don't remember, either. Canadian customs is always asking when I first came to their country, and I never know quite what to tell them. At six, my parents took me to Germany and spent the next five years dragging me around Europe ...

Thursday was fun.<br><br>Last day of the shift. We hopped into the van and headed out to where we were working. Immediately we spotted the blue lights flashing. This means an H2S alert. This is deadly stuff, not to be messed with. We turned around and headed back to the lunchroom.<br><br>Background time. It used to be, that on the last Thursday of a shift we would leave early at 3:00 to get a head start on the highway. Some of the trades ...

... keep moving down the highway. Eventually I was saved again. I won't lie. There were a few moments I was starting to feel, and I'll just say it here, Desperate. Some angel of a man who was headed back to Albian took me all the way to Mildred Lake Village. Right to the door, didn't just dump me on the highway. He may never know how happy that made me. It took so long to get home, that last little bit made such a big difference. I tried going to the front ...

... and to use the phone to see were we could stay. We first went to the Mad Trapper Inn. Let me tell you, all the class you'd expect. We ended up having some pilsners at the bar there. Animal skins and antlers on the walls. A moose head and photos of the last fire that blazed through too. the decor also included a selection of T-shirts with various controversial messages and/or pictures along with the Mad Trapper name. The gals that worked there ...