Fall crept up on the Klondike while I was in Inuvik. We’ve had beautiful, hot, afternoons, but the nights are cold and the mornings cool. It feels like mid-October in western Quebec.

I started work early this morning, so it was a real pleasure to be done for the day at 2. I went to town for lunch, then came back and tackled some housework. Just when I needed a break, there was a knock at my door. It was a friend/colleague heading out for a walk with her dog. She’d been wanting to show me her ‘secret spot’ for two summers now, but the timing was never right until today. I was glad to have an excuse to go out.

She took me down a road I’d always assumed was a private driveway and down a path that led to a solidly constructed bridge. I’m trying to figure out who spent the money for such a nice bridge there! It spans Bonanza Creek shortly before the creek spills over into the Klondike River.

When I came back, I collected my next handful of ripe tomatoes. I’m probably going to lose what’s left because we’re starting to get frost at night and there’s no place in the rig where I can bring them in and have them safe from the cats. I’m just glad that I’ve been able to enjoy the dozen or so that ripened on time. This bunch wasn’t quite as flavourful, so I decided to cook them:

I didn’t have enough to make a pot of sauce, so I mixed them with a can of condensed tomato soup and water, then added basil, garlic, salt, pepper, and vegetarian ground. The vegetarian ground makes the sauce into almost a stew that is especially nice over spaghetti (I like the multigrain variety).

Speaking of vegetarian ground:

I love this ‘substitute for ground beef’ that has so much flavour and texture. I put it in spaghetti sauce, stews, tacos… But the price has crept up over the years. I remember buying it for $2.99 a package, regular price. Now, regular price is anywhere from $4.99 to $5.99 a package down south. In Dawson, it’s $8.99 a package, which makes it a frivolous luxury. I do eat chicken now, but was a vegetarian for so long that I still have cravings for favourite foods and meals from that time in my life. In Dawson, I can eat all my favourite bean dishes, but anything like ‘mock meat’ or tofu is off limits because beans and chicken are so much cheaper. One of the first things I plan to make when I get to Whitehorse next month is a big pan of scrambled tofu!!!

Back to the vegetarian ground, I was treasure hunting at the General Store yesterday and found seven briefly outdated packages on sale for $1.99 each. I bought them all! They’ll keep up to three months in the freezer, but I doubt they’ll last that long!

Somehow, the day as crept up to 10PM already. It’s quite dark out and will be fully dark by the end of the hour. I’m going to go do the supper dishes (yes, I eat late!) and then rummage around for dessert. Yoghurt sounds good. 🙂

Hard to believe we’re already at the end of August. Departure from Dawson is schedule for the 14th of September. I’m reeling with shock at how quickly this summer passed and how little I feel I got accomplished!