Labrador is a bust.
Well this weekend's been a whole lot of nothin', especially considering how much we went through to get here.
Friday morning i got up bright and early after our last night in beautiful P.E.I. Marlon, Jack, Meryl and Soundman had been rejoicing into the wee small hours the night before, but as we knew we'd have to clean out Moby Truck before dropping it off at the Charlottetown airport, i had stayed in with the intention of getting a good night's sleep so's to ensure a smooth morning departure.
The trouble started about a half-hour before departure time, when Director called to advise me that Soundman (who you might recall is also Driver Man) had sustained an injury the night before, and was still feeling pretty severely under the weather when we boarded the plane in Charlottetown. By the time we got to Halifax (our connecting point), he was sure he was in no shape to get onto another plane. After some brow-furrowing in the departure lounge, it was decided that Marlon and Soundman would stay in Halifax and head out in a day or two when Soundman was up to it. (This should have presented no problem, since our first show in Goose Bay wasn't until Monday).
So as Marlon and Soundman made their way to a hotel in Halifax, we boarded a flight for Goose Bay. About two and a half hours later, we were touching down...in Halifax. Seems about two-thirds of the way to Labrador, a mechanical problem necessitated returning to our place of departure. By the time Director, Meryl, Jack and i finally got into Goose Bay, it was nearly six o'clock.
Labrador's, uh...nice. To be honest, i really didn't see very much of it that weekend. There was very little within walking distance of the Inn in Goose Bay, and i wasn't much in the mood to do a lot of exploring. Jack went for a long trek on Saturday and came back with tales of breathtaking views of forests growing out of great fields of sand (there's fine beach sand everywhere in Labrador - does anyone know what that's about?), and i was going to check it out on Sunday. However, in keeping with the weekend's theme of everything going horribly wrong, Sunday in Goose Bay looked like this:
So, no fields of sand, and no wandering for hours, admiring Labrador's natural beauty. Mind you, it's not like the snow lasted all day, just a few hours. Just long enough to cancel the flight Marlon and Soundman were taking from Halifax to join us in Goose Bay. So, they were stuck in Nova Scotia for a couple days longer, and we were without a lead actor or sound technician. Sadly, that meant we had to cancel the two shows we had booked in Labrador for Monday. Yes, after all we had gone through to get there, Labrador ended up being an expensive (for the Money People), frustrating (for us and for the schools we had to cancel on), and ultimately fruitless (for everyone) detour.
The four of us flew out of Goose Bay last night, arriving in Deer Lake at 9:30pm local time. I'm living a half-hour ahead of most of you reading this right now (don't worry, i won't tell you what happens). We had today off, so we spent the day in Corner Brook, a nearby town which is not much bigger than Deer Lake but seems to have a bit more to see. The neat thing about Corner Brook is it's basically a big bowl, with hills and mountains on all sides, closing all around this sweet, quiet (and today, rainy) little place. Scenic as it is, though, the real treat was the drive from Deer Lake to Corner Brook. I simply didn't know there were sights like this in this part of the country. Jack, a native of the Rock (and one of its most fanatical admirers), assures us the views only get better from here.
Tomorrow, we do a morning show here in Deer Lake, then drive to Rocky Harbour. Tomorrow night we stay in a place called Plum Point (i can't get enough of these Newfoundland place names!).
We haven't seen Marlon or Soundman in four days, and we haven't done the show for an audience in five. Here's hoping we actually still remember it.
Friday morning i got up bright and early after our last night in beautiful P.E.I. Marlon, Jack, Meryl and Soundman had been rejoicing into the wee small hours the night before, but as we knew we'd have to clean out Moby Truck before dropping it off at the Charlottetown airport, i had stayed in with the intention of getting a good night's sleep so's to ensure a smooth morning departure.
The trouble started about a half-hour before departure time, when Director called to advise me that Soundman (who you might recall is also Driver Man) had sustained an injury the night before, and was still feeling pretty severely under the weather when we boarded the plane in Charlottetown. By the time we got to Halifax (our connecting point), he was sure he was in no shape to get onto another plane. After some brow-furrowing in the departure lounge, it was decided that Marlon and Soundman would stay in Halifax and head out in a day or two when Soundman was up to it. (This should have presented no problem, since our first show in Goose Bay wasn't until Monday).
So as Marlon and Soundman made their way to a hotel in Halifax, we boarded a flight for Goose Bay. About two and a half hours later, we were touching down...in Halifax. Seems about two-thirds of the way to Labrador, a mechanical problem necessitated returning to our place of departure. By the time Director, Meryl, Jack and i finally got into Goose Bay, it was nearly six o'clock.
Labrador's, uh...nice. To be honest, i really didn't see very much of it that weekend. There was very little within walking distance of the Inn in Goose Bay, and i wasn't much in the mood to do a lot of exploring. Jack went for a long trek on Saturday and came back with tales of breathtaking views of forests growing out of great fields of sand (there's fine beach sand everywhere in Labrador - does anyone know what that's about?), and i was going to check it out on Sunday. However, in keeping with the weekend's theme of everything going horribly wrong, Sunday in Goose Bay looked like this:
So, no fields of sand, and no wandering for hours, admiring Labrador's natural beauty. Mind you, it's not like the snow lasted all day, just a few hours. Just long enough to cancel the flight Marlon and Soundman were taking from Halifax to join us in Goose Bay. So, they were stuck in Nova Scotia for a couple days longer, and we were without a lead actor or sound technician. Sadly, that meant we had to cancel the two shows we had booked in Labrador for Monday. Yes, after all we had gone through to get there, Labrador ended up being an expensive (for the Money People), frustrating (for us and for the schools we had to cancel on), and ultimately fruitless (for everyone) detour.
The four of us flew out of Goose Bay last night, arriving in Deer Lake at 9:30pm local time. I'm living a half-hour ahead of most of you reading this right now (don't worry, i won't tell you what happens). We had today off, so we spent the day in Corner Brook, a nearby town which is not much bigger than Deer Lake but seems to have a bit more to see. The neat thing about Corner Brook is it's basically a big bowl, with hills and mountains on all sides, closing all around this sweet, quiet (and today, rainy) little place. Scenic as it is, though, the real treat was the drive from Deer Lake to Corner Brook. I simply didn't know there were sights like this in this part of the country. Jack, a native of the Rock (and one of its most fanatical admirers), assures us the views only get better from here.
Tomorrow, we do a morning show here in Deer Lake, then drive to Rocky Harbour. Tomorrow night we stay in a place called Plum Point (i can't get enough of these Newfoundland place names!).
We haven't seen Marlon or Soundman in four days, and we haven't done the show for an audience in five. Here's hoping we actually still remember it.
posted by alex at 10:30 PM
7 Comments:
Since you're living half an hour ahead of us, could you give me the 649 numbers and I'll split it with you.
i work with a woman from deer lake. she says it's awesome, but not to take her word for it, we all have to go there and see.
i really want to go to newfoundland next summer as a result.
It's been years since I last visited the rock. It really is gorgeous, although you don't want to be there over the winter months!
At least you can now say that you've been to Labrador - and you have a great new story that you can tell at parties now! :-)
Hey Alex, I'm from Corner Brook. Lived there all my life, and moved here to Saint John 3 years go. That valley's a pretty place, huh?
Chad
Oh yeah -- the reason I logged in here... from my hometown paper today ... thewesternstar.com
Thursday, November 2, 2006
Gambling problems tackled in play aimed at high school students
By Michael Rigler
Theatre to Go actors Mike Turner and Maria Campbell perform a short play at Elwood High Wednesday dealing with the real-life pitfalls of problem gambling as part of an awareness program for youth. — Star photo by Michael Rigler
DEER LAKE A group of young performers were at Elwood High Wednesday trying to raise awareness for youth gambling problems.
They staged a short play which dealt with real-life problems caused by gambling addictions.
The troupe is touring the region as part of a joint awareness program created by the Responsible Gaming Council and the Atlantic Lottery Corporation.
Western Health and Community Services addictions counsellor Agnes Locke gave a short presentation following the performance. She outlined some of the services available to teenagers who feel their gambling is a problem.
Locke said health officials know there are a lot of teens gambling in the region. However, they’re either too embarrassed to reach out for help or don’t realize there area programs designed specifically to help young people who find themselves loosing control over their gambling habits.
“Historically and statistically we know there’s a problem out there,” Locke told The Western Star.
“In this area, we know there are a lot of kids who play Texas Hold’em poker with their buddies or online.
“That's a real craze right now. But we really can’t say how many problem cases there are in this area because we’ve had no referrals. So it’s hard to say just how big the issue is, but we’re hoping events like this one will get kids to look at the other side of gambling.
“We want them to start asking themselves some questions regarding how much money they’re spending on their gambling or whether their lives are suffering because of it.”
Atlantic Lotto spokesperson Paula Dyke said the touring show and information session is part of the corporation’s way of raising public awareness about the problem and offering avenues of help.
She said current figures show that over 65 per cent of all teenagers have tried some form of gambling. Dyke pointed out there have been direct connections made between early gaming patterns and the later onset of gambling problems.
“This is the second year we’ve run this tour,” Dyke said. “We've got eight more performances lined up for the province and we're trying to get to as many schools as possible. We feel this is a great way to open people's eyes to the problem.”
Currently, this is the only lotto-sponsored program aimed at curbing gambling among teenagers. Western Health and Community Services offers a couple of counselling services and the Newfoundland and Labrador Problem Gambling Helpline (1-888-899-4357).
mrigler@thewesternstar.com
:) Chad
Nice article. I guess the secret is out, though: the names i've been using for the castmates are clever aliases.
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