George K. Ilsley's Blog, page 8

fuckyeahbc:Skagit Valley Provincial Park, from the Ross Lake...

fuckyeahbc:

Skagit Valley Provincial Park, from the Ross Lake campground.

(submitted by thatwriter)

pretty old grumpy pants

Poor old scruffy.  She used to be pretty.  Now she's pretty old.

She used to be bossy.  Now she's just slightly grumpy.

"Baby girl" is now an old girl.  Bless her grumpy old soul.

funny, but slightly sad

The sun is low here in central Broma, on 8th Avenue, looking towards the community centre.  The community centre gym is just out of sight, the other side of the trees.

The other evening in the weight room, this guy was leaning on a piece of equipment I wanted to use, playing with his "smart" phone.   I use three other machines, he's still fiddling with his phone.  Finally I go over, point at the machine, and ask "You using this?"

"Yes," he says, "I'm just waiting for my spreadsheet to load."

I c...

comicallyvintage:Hold still, Bruce…Oh Batman and Robin. ...

comicallyvintage:

Hold still, Bruce…

Oh Batman and Robin.  Other than a bit of garroting now and then, they were innocent times.

moose god

Originally posted December 31, 2007 

The townsite was a moose swamp, not much more than one hundred years ago, and when not frozen over is still pretty swampy.  Moose are still a big presence here, both in terms of symbolism and in traditional practices that go back thousands of years.  I am not a hunter, and could not kill a moose any more than I could kill any other animal, yet I do not judge those who hunt for food and survival.  The Tr'ondek Hwech'in First Nation helps manage the fish...

northern lights (encore)

Originally posted December 31, 2007  

It is somehow very satisfying to bundle up to go out into the cold, even though once you get one mitt on and tucked in, you can't get the other one on properly.  The mitts have to come off anyway to operate the camera, which has a metal casing, and let me tell you that is not pleasant to handle at 30 below (minus 20 Fahrenheit, in case you aren't bilingual).  I don't dawdle, and try to only leave one hand exposed, and use a wrist strap so I don't drop...

trapping controversy

Here is more background to the lynx claws.

When first posted, I received hate mail, was defriended and basically accused of being a cruel heartless animal abuser.

The main critic, as it turns out, was some kind of internet fraud.  While questioning my ethics, this person was taking material from around the web and posting it as their own.

I also received many private messages of support from people who were scared to openly comment on the blog.  The following is a sampling of some of the...

gruesome bits of lynx

Originally posted December 30, 2007.  This posted attracted much controversy at the time.  For more background, see next post, Trapping Controversy.

A previous post, "Moose Decor," unexpectedly hit the hot list.  Moose antlers are very versatile.  They can be used to decorate your log cabin or to illustrate your blog.

Today I heard some memorable sentences:  "What are you going to do with the bear's head?"; and "Tastes like moose"; and (my favorite) "What's facebook?"

Also, "This trapper guy...

bailey's big dream

Here we see Bailey working on his audition to replace the MGM lion.  He sure has high hopes … or maybe he's just dreaming.

skagit valley

Was camping a few days in Skagit Valley Provincial Park.  This view is from our campsite, next to Ross Lake (actually a reservoir which helps power Seattle).