The Big Beaver General Store is Back!
With proud new owner, Sheri Anderson, the Big Beaver General Store is back, and the community is thrilled.
Category: Big Beaver Diaries
Battling Venezuelan Pirates
…Captain Hook has been glorified, but I can tell you from first hand experience that Venezuelan pirates are not cool, they are not fun, you do not want to run into them, and no one has a wooden leg or a hook for a hand…
George: The Shipping Container Stowaway
This is George’s fascinating story about being a Romanian stowaway on a boat to Canada, and how difficult and near to death the entire experience was in illegal immigration.
Canoe Conundrum in Canada
At 09:08 Not Larry and I unloaded a 16’ canoe into the Clearwater River at Waterways. I was the paddle in the front and Not Larry was the paddle/rudder in the back. We rode the Clearwater to the Athabasca River and headed north. We would tackle a 50 km journey on the day. A storm would come and find us…
Not Larry’s Super Sexy 1970 Oldsmobile 98
This is Not Larry’s Super Sexy 1970 Oldsmobile 98, that she just bought. This car is a beautlful car driven by a beautiful woman. Babes!
The Peruvian Ayahuasca Retreat – 12 Days of Healing and Hallucination
May 1, 2019 LIM Airport Lima, Peru, South America. At about 03:00, Not Larry and I went through security at the airport in Lima, Peru. If security asks if you have any liquids of over 100 ml in your bag, you can tell them no and then you can always get a 237 ml bottle of sunscreen and a 140 ml bottle of moisturizer through the scanner with no questions asked. I got the moisturizer through Edmonton, Calgary, San Jose,...
Training Cats to Hold their Breath Underwater
Training Cats to Hold their Breath Underwater [su_dropcap]I[/su_dropcap]t is hard to know for sure at this point in my life, but it is possible that I was seven years old though more than likely I was probably eight. But what is for certain, is that it was in the later part of that year’s spring after I had been taking swimming lessons during the previous summer. I fell quite short of becoming a prolific swimmer but I did learn a...
The Indian Rat on My Naked Leg
The Indian Rat on My Naked Leg. 15 February, 2013 (Cont’d).Arambol, Goa, India. …Something confused me a couple of days ago… On the edge of my bed, I had a tissue for some old-fashioned-sleeping-pill spillage, and somehow the tissue completely disappeared. That really puzzled me because it was really gone. I searched everywhere just to try to alleviate my confusion, but I truly could not find the tissue and had no understanding of where could have possibly went… Tonight right...
Visiting Cape Spear and St John’s, Newfoundland
Cape Spear in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, is the first place in North America to make contact with the sun every morning. And the provincial capital of St John’s boasts the legendary George Street which will never let you down for entertainment. St. John’s has the most bars on one street in all of Canada. It is not hard to have fun here!
Traveling St Pierre and Miquelon, New France. Atlantic North America.
St Pierre and Miquelon are amazing Islands that belong to France, right next to Canada. But no one knows they exist. The islands are amazing! It is a visit to Europe without even having to get on an airplane.
Central Newfoundland and Fogo Island
Central Newfoundland and Fogo Island. Newfoundland and Labrador. Canada. 22 August 2019. Not Larry and I woke up at 09:00 and had some old-high-school-bedroom lovin’ to start the day. F U N! We packed Beatrice and cleaned the house… Now wait a minute, that is not really accurate… Actually, I burned everything that resembled garbage in the backyard while Not Larry cleaned the house. I tried to help her out but I only seemed to be in the way, so...
Cod Fishing in Newfoundland: Pollards Point
We were catching the fish and we were jigging them as well, meaning that sometimes we would catch the fish with hooks in their mouth when they went for the lures, but also we would just catch them in the side or the fin when we would jig and that would bring them up as well. The ocean is extremely bountiful!
L’Anse aux Meadows Viking Settlement Newfoundland
The L’Anse aux Meadows Viking Settlement in Newfoundland, Canada is a place to brush with history. History was re-written here. Eat your heart out Columbus!
Visit Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland.
Visit Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland August 13, 2019. Pollards Point, Newfoundland and Labrador. Not Larry and I got moving and out of Pollards Point at 13:00. It is tough to get going when there is so much going on all of the time and so many tasks to tackle! We left Beatrice the Bendix behind for a couple of days while we get a new rad-hose to replace the one our lady now has pin-hole through. I guess...
Top Things to do at PEI: Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island, PEI, is a really beautiful province to visit. The red dirt is a contrast-party to the blue ocean and lush green grass! Check out the video an
A Fun-Day at the Bay of Fundy: Hopewell Rocks!
The Hopewell Rocks at the Bay of Fundy are home to some of the largest ocean tides in the world! It is pretty freaking awesome to see the change!
Driving to New Brunswick and Sappyfest Festival
New Brunswick is a great place to spend some time. The people are happy, there are beautiful beaches in seaside towns, and it is Canada’s only fully bilingual province.
Touring Around Quebec City
Quebec City is an amazing place to spend some time. It is gorgeous, it is fun, the people are great, and you will be grateful that you took the time. If you are looking for Europe meets North America, this is it!
Traveling Through Northern Quebec
Traveling Through Northern Quebec is beautiful. The people are amazing, the gas is cheaper, and the beer is priced to 1998. Go and get it!
Traveling Northern Ontario
Traveling Northern Ontario July 30, 2019. (Cont’d) Western Ontario, Canada. Heading east traveling Northern Ontario, we cruised on into Dryden, Ontario, a city I have really wanted to pass through since I first looked at a Canadian map as a boy. When you look at a map of Canada and see the cities in the provinces, far-western Ontario shows only Dryden. Only Dryden exists! That city name made the place feel somewhat familiar from seeing it so many times....
Album Review – Red Headed Stranger (1975) – Willie Nelson
A fun and entertaining overview of one fantastic Willie Nelson album. Get ready for a badass Red Headed Stranger!
Sturgis Biker Rally 2018 – Journal
Sturgis Biker Rally 2018 – Journal. 7 August 2018 ..Not Larry and I took Vern the Van to the car doctor. There has been a situation with Vern dripping oil from the cover on the rear-differential. The problem was that we needed someone to get the rounded-off fill-plug out of the rear-end (…that sounds like a perversion). It took four different places to find someone who would work on it, but someone finally took on the job. That cost $45...
Mud Bog: St. Laurent, Manitoba – Metis Days
Mud Bog. St. Laurent, Manitoba, Canada. 5 August 2018 Last night before Not Larry and I went into the dance at the Metis Festival in St. Laurent, Manitoba, Canada, we met an indigenous man named Hammi. It turns out that Hammi is short for Hamilton. Interesting. Hammi was telling us about the mud-bog that would be taking place today and how good it has been in the previous years. Not Larry and I decided to go to it. [su_quote]Not Larry...
The Lead-Up to the Birth of Errol Andersen
Happy birthday Errol! I have had this story for a couple of years and I have wanted to send this to you. Today is a good day for it! I remembered hearing dad tell the story years ago and figured it would be a pretty cool birthday present. The Lead-Up to the Birth of Errol Andersen -Transcript by my father, Milson Harris We put on this…I don’t know if it was the barn dance at our place or not…but we...
Mom – A Tribute to a Fascinating Lady
Mom Roxene Clementine Beler Harris Swayn 7 March 1946 – 16 June 2018 The Tributes: Larry-Vivian Kabrud She was an amazing lady for sure! Dawn Fister She was a truly gifted woman that could do anything!! Randi Mc I remember her from the Big Beaver Rodeo. She had a booth with beaded bandannas…best craft ever for a busy little girl. Trina Korbo It was a honour to know her HUGS Carmel Thurlow I remember her love for gardening and her flowers!! Kurt Thurlow I have one...
Canada Driving from the Northwest Territories to Alberta.
Canada Driving from the Northwest Territories to Alberta. Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada. 14 January 2018. I had an alarm set for 10:00. Alarms are terrible on vacation. It took some time, but Julie and I eventually got out of bed. Showers. Pack the car. Dead battery. Great… It was Arctic cold again, -34° Celsius, so it was hard to blame the car for not wanting to fire-up. Had it not been for our morning fire-up in the room, I may...
Entering the Northwest Territories of Canada: Fort Chipewyan to Fort Smith.
Entering the Northwest Territories: Fort Chipewyan to Fort Smith. 13 January 2018 (continued. Click here for dog sledding first part). Fort Chipewyan, Alberta, Canada. At 13:00, after some convincing from everyone in the community, Julie and I left Barbara and Robert Grandjambe’s house, gassed up the car up in Fort Chipewayn for $1.60/liter, and drove north. It would be a 3.5 hour trip from Fort Chipewyan, Alberta to Fort Smith, Northwest Territories. Neither Julie nor I had been to any...
Dog Sledding in Canada: Fort Chipewyan, Alberta
Dog Sledding in Fort Chipewyan. Fort Chipewyan, Alberta, Canada. 13 January 2018. I had an alarm set for 08:05. Neither Julie nor I wanted to get up but time was of the essence in Fort Chipewyan. Of course, there is time to be used wisely when you are on holidays. And even when you have a massive day, it is important to take partake in vacation horizontal bed dancing. The world can wait! Julie and I packed up, showered up, and headed...
Traveling Canadian Ice Roads: Fort McMurray to Fort Chipewyan
Traveling Canadian Ice Roads: Fort McMurray to Fort Chipewyan. 12 January 2018. I was nearly pacing the floor waiting for Julie to finish her course in the morning to come and collect me. It is hard to know what a person is going to need in northern Canada. I was already far north in Fort McMurray, Alberta, but we were going to be heading much further north than that on an ice-road…further north than most Canadian minds think of, to...
Bank Error in my Favor, Collect $720!
Bank Error in my Favor, Collect $720. May 15 – 2012 Big Beaver, Saskatchewan, Canada. I was up at 8:00 and I called my bank in London, England. My financial institution forgot to mail my pre-ordered bank statements to the farm while I was in transit to Canada. I needed the statements to be at the farm as soon as I got home. They never arrived. When I called the bank, I was very polite, though I told them that...
