Inked

Another thing I did this summer was I finally got the Tattoo I've wanted for so long.

I first wanted to get this tattoo in 2003, while I was on Easter Island during my trip to Chile. I wanted the Arctic Tern because it is an amazing, small bird that flys from the Arctic to the Antarctic every year. (kind of like when I went to Antarctica in 2001) The only problem was that I couldn't find the Tattoo artist on the island for the week that I was there. I tried getting it again in Hawaii during the Christmas of 2004, but the Tattoo artist I found there didn't have time in his schedule for me. I even tried again in Beijing during my trip to Mongolia in the summer of 2005, but it didn't work out. So earlier this summer, I finally got it done here in Ottawa at a place called New Moon Tattoo. I'm very happy with the end result.

(For those that may be wondering; it says Immiqutailaq, which is Arctic Tern in Inuktitut.)

Beautiful British Columbia

Well I'm back from the West Coast. Sorry for not blogging, I've been a bit of a hermit. But I'm still around, I've been in Ottawa for a while now, and I made my way to Cortes Island, BC for a bit. I adore that place. The weather was perfect, it was extremely relaxing. I went boating, swimming and sun bathing at the lake. I did get sunburnt, but I was able to get a tan out of the process. It was Meredith's first time to BC. (besides the Vancouver Airport) She enjoyed it too. My uncle owns a pretty nice ranch on Cortes Island, I helped him clear half of the 10 acre lot when I was going to high school in Campbell River. The first 5 acres of the place is a big meadow, a row of apple trees, a garden, the house, a few sheds, the VW Westfalia Van where I slept, sheep pens, a chicken coop with 30 chickens, and a barn. The 5 acres in the back was kept as old growth rain forest with a system of trails and a stream. It's really a beautiful place, and it's incredibly natural.

Here are some pictures of the place and of Cortes Island: