WHAT DOES COVID-19 MEAN FOR MUSEUMS?

Muse News | Michelle Wright

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Museums often ask themselves “who are my visitors, what are their needs, and how can we meet them?” These questions evolve, and with the challenges the world is facing today with COVID-19 museums are re-evaluating them all over again. Thousands of museums around the world are closed, and while they are struggling with the same challenges as other businesses and people, museums are rising to the challenge to remain a source of education, entertainment, and cultural importance.

Bradley Museum in Mississauga closed due to COVID-19. Photo courtesy of Michelle Wright.

Arguably, the average visitor today has two basic needs; visitors are looking to entertain and educate their children now home from school for an extended period of time, and visitors are looking for an escape from both what is happening and ultimately, boredom. In many ways the average visitor’s needs have not changed drastically, visitors still want verbs.

Verbs means they want something active and participatory, they want to learn, explore, make, etc. Museums are working hard to continue to meet those needs through digital platforms. Even though people are self-isolating, they are more connected than ever. We are relying on the digital world for news, connection, and entertainment. Many museums already have digital avenues put in place and are increasing these. Museums are producing new digital content multiple times a week, including new features to their websites like games and virtual tours, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and more.

It is important to remember that this is a marathon, not a sprint. This is not the time to create something completely new. Many places are reduced in staff, working from home, or are unable to access various things that would be readily available to them in the museum. Ultimately people are now faced with new stressors. Museums have a wealth of resources and knowledge, past programs, and staff full of ideas. They need to start with what they have available to produce content quickly.

Many museums are working on new scheduling of releasing content. Seema Rao, Deputy Director & Chief Experience Off at the Akron Art Museum in Akron, Ohio says that they are trying to follow a daily schedule based on visitors’ needs. They are releasing what she calls “deep content” which is thought-provoking in the mornings for people that are trying to get into the work mindset at home, “make-it” content in the afternoon for people that have been with their kids all day and need something for them, and lastly, Sunday is a games day.

Producing this much content means museums are doing a lot of sharing among themselves. The museum industry is more than an industry, it is a community. Over the past weeks many museums have been adopting a new hashtag for sharing content; #MuseumFromHome. One of the first to adopt this was the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC which launched a daily series of gallery-by-gallery tours on various social media platforms. Many museums have followed suit and are sharing internally and externally.

Are you ready? Starting today, we’ll take you on a tour, one gallery at a time. #MuseumFromHome

Our tour begins on the Ground Floor of the West Building in gallery 39. Here’s a quick look at gallery 39 in under 15 seconds. pic.twitter.com/zX8bCyNnxo

— National Gallery of Art (@ngadc) March 15, 2020

We are living in unprecedented times and many people and companies are thinking heavily about the future and what might change. Many people and companies will struggle to make it through these times for many reasons, and of course one of the biggest things on peoples’ minds is the financial impact. Many museums rely on donations, ticket sales, and/or grants. Without people physically in them, museums will take a hit financially. However, with these struggles come new opportunities. Museums will always have a huge concern with people that do not come to visit, and this is now a chance to reach them. The longer self-isolation continues the more people will be online, sharing content, and looking for new things to do. Museums could be reaching more audiences than they ever thought, and this pandemic may change many things about the industry. Only time will tell exactly what.

Just remember everyone is struggling and we can help each other by being kind, careful, and staying connected. 

TEACHER STRIKES: HOW MUSEUMS ARE RESPONDING

Muse News | Michelle Wright

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Ontario teachers have been without a contract since August 31, 2019, and even after months of negotiations there are few signs of progress. Between the work-to-rule campaigns and the rotating strikes everyone is feeling the impact. Today’s article will take a specific look into the impact this has had in the museum world, and how museums have responded.

Teachers on strike, February 21, 2020, St. Catharines, Ontario. Photo courtesy of Hillary Kerr.

Ontario’s French-language school boards (AEFO) also announced a work-to-rule campaign starting January 23, 2020 followed by The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) on February 3, 2020. This means that teachers will only undertake their scheduled teaching and supervision duties and not participate in any extracurricular actives, including field trips. The lack of school trips to museums has severely impacted several museums that rely on that income for the year. Institutions have reached out to boards not under this campaign, for example the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa reached out to other boards and have been fortunate enough to not suffer substantial losses. Other museums, like Ottawa’s National Arts Centre, are forced to wait it out due to the nature of their programming. Museums are trying to provide extra services, both to help out the community with thousands of children needing care and to generate revenue.

The Ministry of Education agreed to provide parents with a credit of up to $60 when strike actions close schools or school-based childcare centres, however there is a need for parents to provide care for their children during these days. The City of Toronto says that it will not be able to provide alternate childcare options, but some museums across the city are stepping to the plate, some of the museums on the list include, the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), the Ontario Science Centre, the McMichael Gallery, the Toronto Zoo, and more. Many of these one-day camps, as they are being called, are also offering early drop-off and/or late pick-up options, making museums even more of a help to parents.

HAPPENING NOW:

Thousands of teachers surround Queen's Park Circle protesting the Ford government during a provincewide strike.

More details here: https://t.co/SX4dJawDqP pic.twitter.com/OQ5pMKcJje

— CTV Toronto (@CTVToronto) February 21, 2020

The Science Centre admits that the program was a bit of a scramble to put together, but they were determined to provide students with a fun-filled science education. Lorrie Ann Smith, the director of education said, “It will be a full day of science adventure and excitement, so we will be doing interactive science experiments, maybe see an IMAX movie and we will go to the planetarium.” It was most-likely a scramble for other museums too, but through their hard work many are going above and beyond to provide an alternative fun and safe learning environment. Afterall, there is a reason these cultural institutions are one of the highest field-trip destinations for schools; museums provide an alternative learning method and have been proven successful tools of education for many students across all boards.

The Ontario Science Centre. Source.

Many other cultural institutions have been able to set up similar programs, but with no end in sight to the teacher strikes, it is hard to say exactly what will happen next.

AUSTRALIAN MUSEUMS UNDER FIRE

Muse News | Michelle Wright

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In 2018 Brazil’s National Museum went up in flames, in 2019 Notre Dome in Paris suffered damages due to fire, and in 2020 Australia is burning.

Australia is experiencing the worst wildfires seen in decades. It has been reported that 28 people have lost their lives, 3000 homes being lost to the flames, and some say up to one billion animal lives have been lost, with their homes also destroyed. Help and support is being sent from around the world.

Many museum specialists have been involved with the monitoring of the wildlife populations. Dr. Mark Eldridge, the Principal Research Scientist at the Australian Museum in Sydney, has been working with other scientists at the museum to give detailed estimates of animal death tolls. Other specialists like Mike Lee, a biologist at the South Australian Museum in Adelaide, states that the estimate of animal deaths tolls does not include bats, frogs or invertebrates, and the invertebrate losses alone could number in the trillions. These scientists and specialists will be instrumental moving forward to understand the full impact of the loss of wildlife and hopefully be able to help in the aftermath of this disaster.

Smoke due to fire along the highway in New South Wales, Australia. Photo courtesy of Maddy Lewis.

While museums in Australia are not the first thing to come to mind when people are thinking about the wildfires, they are important and at risk. To date, no museums have been in danger from the fires, however many museums to be on high alert and alter their programming and operations accordingly. Within the first week of January of this year the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra closed its doors due to the smoke-filled air which could cause harm to the works inside. The National Gallery’s director, Nick Mitzevich, confirms that the artworks are not under any threat, and precautions are being taken. The biggest concern at the moment is the smoke, as Mitzevuch explains: “Those airborne particles can have any number of carcinogenics in them. If they settle on a painting or a textile or a photograph, they could have a corrosive effect on the surface. Anything in the air that is a foreign body has the potential to deteriorate artworks over time.” Currently the Gallery is home to a special exhibition featuring works by Matisse and Picasso on loan from the Tate in London and the Musée national-Picasso in Paris. All parties are mindful of the situation and being kept informed of the Galleries precautions and decisions.

National Gallery of Australia Canberra. Source.

Other Australian museums have been affected including the Murray Art Museum Albury, though the smoke is worse than Canberra, the museum remains open as a relief from the heat and smoke, especially for those who have been displaced. Other museums such as the Show and Tell Gallery in Corryong became a temporary shelter for 30 people on New Year’s Day, including a staff member who lost their home that day. Museums all over the country are taking steps to protect not only their works but also their people.

FANG-TASTIC BLOODSUCKERS: INSIDE THE MEDIA PREVIEW

Muse News | Michelle Wright

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On Wednesday, November 13th Musings was invited to the Royal Ontario Museum's (ROM) media preview of the blockbuster exhibition Bloodsucker: Legends to Leeches and it did not disappoint!

Dr. Sebastian Kvist. Photo courtesy of Alexandra Forand.

The morning started with perfectly themed refreshments, such as blood-orange cake, deviled-eggs, and little peanut butter and jelly sandwiches cut into bat shapes! We took our seats as CEO Josh Basseches gave his introduction speech and handed it off to curator Dr. Sebastian Kvist, who, with his fellow curator Dr. Doug Currie and their team, have worked on the exhibition for the past 11 months. He showed pictures of their field research where they often used themselves as live bait to collect samples of leeches and mosquitos and other fun bloodsuckers. Talk about dedication! Kvist also spoke about what he thinks this exhibition truly is; “Natural history has inspired culture, story telling, and artistic inspiration, that in turn has affected how we think of the natural kingdom. What this show would like to do, is to be able to empower you with the knowledge to be able to live side by side with bloodsuckers. Empowered by the knowledge that we can hopefully provide at this show.” We were then taken to the exhibition (located in Garfield Weston Exhibition Hall, Level B2) and given a tour by Kvist himself.

Introduction section on blood. Photo Courtesy of Alexandra Forand.

The bright red colour running through the exhibition works perfectly to remind the visitor of blood that is the source of sustenance for these creatures. The exhibition is broken up into nine sections and utilizes a variety of sounds, interactives, and visuals to immerse the visitor in the experience.  The introduction section set the stage for feeling like the visitor was inside a vein itself. The round shape of the room, the heart-beat sound, and the display gave the impression of a vein and allows the visitor to learn about the thing that is so important to these animals: blood. We toured through other sections on evolution, how animals suck blood, the diversity wall, folk lore on vampiric creatures, pop culture’s expression of vampires, the history of bloodletting, and the how to live with these creatures today. The exhibition was also filled with live specimen, such as leeches, mosquitoes, sea lamprey, and more.

Sea Lamprey. Photo Courtesy of Alexandra Forand.

Two things that Kvist highlighted about the exhibition was that it is trans-disciplinary, as well as a unique story to the ROM. Let’s sink our teeth into these for a moment. Including the sections on folk lore and pop culture makes this exhibition trans-disciplinary, meaning that there is both natural history and cultural history. But was adding these elements actually necessary for the exhibition? In many ways they feel like a way to draw people into the exhibition in the first place.

How do you get people to come into an exhibition about mosquitoes and leeches when most people actively avoid such creatures? 

By connecting them with things people do want to see; vampires. But if I’m honest you can just skip this part of the exhibition. It was well done, but the exhibition is so rich with other information to explore. We have seen vampires so often that it doesn’t feel like anything new. I will admit that I did like the first edition books Dracula that are on display.

Three books of original vampire tales; Vikram and The Vampire, first addition Dracula, and Carmella. Photo Courtesy of Alexandra Forand. 

Lastly the uniquely ROM story. One of my favourite sections was the barber shop from the 1700’s that spoke about the history of bloodletting. Bloodletting was originally performed by monks, but in the 12-14 century the church told them to focus on theology. Barbers had been coming to the monasteries for a long time to shave the monks’ heads. They had a presence and they had sharp objects to use in bloodletting. To this day, barber polls are indications of bloodletting, the red strip shows this barber let blood, and the white strips indicated the bandages they would use to patch up the wound, while the top ball indicates that leaches were used. Kvist explained that almost all of the objects here come from the European department of the ROM. He says that this is the reason why they are so proud that this is a ROM original show, because the ROM is filled with experts in so many fields.

Using an interactive element on mosquitoes. Photo Courtesy of Alexandra Forand.

There were a few missed opportunities, for example I would have loved to see something on blood donations, or even a partnership with blood drives. But of course you can’t hit everything.

Overall, the exhibition was a success and worth checking out, you could even say it is fang-tastic!

LEST WE FORGET: HOW WE WILL REMEMBER

Muse News | Michelle Wright

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In honour of our past, present and future soldiers, today’s article will take pause to look at Remembrance Day and how you can pay your respects to their sacrifice. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Remembrance Day.

 

War Memorial by Wiborg. Source. 

Last year marked the 100th anniversary of the signing of the armistice between the Allies and Germany in Compiègne, France, marking the end of hostilities of the First World War. This armistice took effect “at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month” and on November 11, 1919 the first annual Armistice Day Ceremony was observed at Buckingham Palace. During World War II many countries changed the name to Remembrance Day. Ceremonies happen today all over the world in honour of the brave men and women who gave their lives and those who continue to serve in areas of conflict.

But where do these ceremonies take place? They happen at cenotaphs, in schools, community centers and parks, but they also take place in museums. Museums that first come to mind are military or war museums, for example the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, which has events all day today. There is a growing concern that once the generation who can remember the war firsthand pass on, how will their stories be told and how do we preserve them? Museums call upon those who remember and their descendants to help tell stories. Two examples of this are right here in Toronto at the Mackenzie House Museum and the Spadina House Museum, with another coming to Museums of Mississauga in September 2020.

From now until January 31, 2020 the Mackenzie House will host the exhibition Eaton’s Goes to War: Family, Memory & Meaning. The exhibition shows the lives of some of the 3327 employees of the T. Eaton Company from Toronto and Winnipeg who enlisted in World War I. John Craig Eaton, the president of the company, offered to pay his employees wages to enlist. Each time one of these employees did so, their photo was taken and displayed in the Toronto store. About 2000 photographs of these men survive and are preserved in an online gallery created by the Archives of Ontario. Last year, a call was put out to the public to visit the collection and share personal stories of these soldiers and their families. The response was overwhelming and the museum could not display all of them, however the Archives of Ontario are working to publicize them through their stories online.

Eaton's Goes to War, Mackenzie House Museum. Source.

Today from 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm the Spadina House Museum is hosting a pop-up museum-style event, inviting the public to bring mementos and stories about conflict to share them with others. This type of event is an invitation to the public to become a part of the museum. All are welcome, even if they do not have a keepsake or story. Following the event, there will be a special tour of the Spadina House’s involvement in World War I, particularly Percy Austin's experiences as a solider and Margaret Constance Austin's experiences as a nurse.

Coming back to the GTA September 15 to December 15, 2020 the Museums of Mississauga will be host to the traveling exhibition called WAR Flowers. This exhibition made its way to Toronto  January 24 to March 16, 2018 at the Campbell House and was written about by Serena Yplaar & Amy Intrator as a Weekend Edition called INTERPRETATION IN BLOOM: WAR FLOWERS AT CAMPBELL HOUSE MUSEUM. The exhibition is a collection of letters and pressed flowers from Lieutenant-Colonel George Stephen Cantlie sent to his infant daughter Celia during World War I. Cantlie would pick a flower, no matter where he was on the front, whether it was a dandelion, rose, or a poppy, and press the flower to send to his daughter. The letters that accompanied them were often short with a small description of where the flower was from and he would sign it to his “Wee Celia”. The collection was passed to the Stewart Museum by Celia’s niece and has become the center of a multi-sensory experiences, telling this story along with that of ten other Canadians who were involved in the War. These stories show the ability to find beauty and hope, even in the darkest of times.

One of the original flowers featured in the WAR Flowers exhibit. Photo courtesy of Amy Intrator.

These three exhibitions are just the tip of the iceberg for what is going on today. For other ceremonies and events you can visit the Cit of Toronto, Ontario.ca, or google events near you.

I will leave you with some well known words;

In Flanders fields the poppies blow 

Between the crosses, row on row, 

That mark our place; and in the sky 

The larks, still bravely singing, fly 

Scarce heard amid the guns below. 

We are the Dead. Short days ago 

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, 

Loved and were loved, and now we lie, 

In Flanders fields. 

Take up our quarrel with the foe: 

To you from failing hands we throw 

The torch; be yours to hold it high. 

If ye break faith with us who die 

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow 

In Flanders fields. 

                                                       -In Flanders Fields, John McCrae 

NEW BEGINNING: THEY SHOOT, THEY SCORE!

Muse News | Michelle Wright

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Sometimes one ending is someone else’s beginning; that is what is happening here. Muse News has been piloted by Amy Intrator for the past year and the mantle has now been passed to me. So lets start with some fun and someone else’s new beginning too!

Many museums have noted the lack of 20-30somethings in the museum world which has effected numerous aspects. One of the biggest being finances--both on a visitor level and a donor level. Museums have been faced with this challenge of appealing to this generation that has a different set of behaviours and values and that are often looking for more of an "experience". Over the last decade there has been a rise of after-hour events for adults in museums, one of the most well known in Toronto being the Royal Ontario Museums (ROM) Friday Night Live.  Museums all over the world have been throwing open their doors after the “normal” museum hours and have become enticing places for a new type of entertainment and escape within the museum. We could fill many articles with all of the after-hour events out there but let us focus on one specifically, and as promised, lets look at one that is just starting out; The Hockey Hall of Fame’s new OVERTIME event!

The Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF) has moved a few times in its life, but is now settled at the current location in the lower concourse level of Brookfield Place, 30 Yonge St. Toronto, Ontario in 1993. The museum itself dates back to 1943 when James Sutherland was elected president to the newly-established Hockey Hall of Fame (Although, the Hockey Hall of Fame Museum didn't move to Toronto until over a decade later!) The HHOF has become the home of the Stanley Cup and showcases the best of hockey, from the best shooters and goalies to the largest collection of hockey memorabilia in the world.

The Hockey Hall of Fame, Source.

For the first time ever the HHOF is opening for a series of 19+ after-hour events known as Thursday Night OVERTIME starting on September 26, 2019. The night was filled with drinks, music and, you guessed it, hockey! The DJ for the night was Lissa Monet a 6x Stylus Award winning DJ and the host or Media Personality was Jesse Pollock who is a Producer for TSN. Tickets were $20 at the door or $18 online and a food or drink ticket cost $6. 

Photo with the Stanley Cup. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

I’m not going to lie, this was my first time at the Hockey Hall of Fame, and while I enjoy watching a game of hockey I’m not a super fan. But I have to say I had a good time! Besides the music, food, drinks and of course the friends I went with, the HHOF was filled with some interesting things. Obviously everyone was lining up to get their picture taken with the Stanley cup (above), but I didn’t know that there are actually three cups and the original one from 1892 was located in the same room! Well sort of in the same room. The original Stanley Cup now resides in a refurbished bank vault that used to be a Bank of Montreal, making it feel super precious. Another fun part of the night was the interactive games the museum has to offer. There are trivia and news rooms, but my favourite was the shootout where you could select a goalie and take your shot! On the other side you could also play as the goalie. 

Shooting game. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

If the aim of the event was to create an “experience” then I would say that it was a success! It remains to be seen if I will be going back for the next OVERTIME event, but I will go back to the Hockey Hall of Fame Museum to learn more!

The next OVERTIME will take place on November 28, 2019 and this time the theme is Kickin’ Country, so for those of you looking to ride a mechanical bull it looks like there is your chance! 

NWT OR BUST: A CROSS COUNTRY ROADTRIP

Weekend Edition | Michelle Wright and Caroline Kaszar

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Heading out on a road trip is no small decision. Luckily I was not alone, but with my good friend Caroline Kaszar! Caroline and I meet first day of classes and have been friends ever since, we were even roommates on the Montreal trip. Eight days on the road with someone who you are not sure if you are going to love or hate by the end is kind of a nerve-racking thing. We are not doing this trip for nothing. Both of us have been accepted to an internship at the Northern Life Museum and Cultural Centre (NLMCC) in the Northwest Territories, in a small town of 2500 people called Fort Smith. Being so small the flights are very expensive, so we decided to do the 4,661 km drive together. Our stops? Ashland, WI, USA, Winnipeg, MB, Saskatoon, SK, Calgary, AB, High Level, AB, Fort Smith, NWT. Roughly 48 hours over 8 days. Here we go!

Heading out on the Road, ON. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

TORONTO to ASHLAND to WINNIPEG

We decided that the longest days should be at the start when we are freshest. Our goal was 10 and a half hours to Ashland, WI, USA. Apparently, it was a little faster to go through the States but lets also face it - gas is cheaper there. Honestly didn’t see much, other then the bald eagle literally 5 minutes after the boarder. Ashland was basically the middle point, but it was very pretty on Lake Superior. We had a night in a hotel and then drove to Winnipeg the next day to meet up with Sam Kilpatrick, who after recently graduating has gotten an awesome job at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR).

WINNIPEG

Let’s just say Winnipeg was not our city. Picture this: The night we get there, Caroline and I getting ready for bed, me on the phone with my parents, a knock on the door, enter Sam in a towel, asking if we have a first aid kit. She was changing her razor and sliced off the tip of her finger!! We bandaged her up and went to bed… So we started the next day by trying to redress Sam’s wound but let’s just say the blood had clotted to the bandage so time to go to the doctor. They said we did a good job bandaging but just needed some Polysporin. Caroline and I had an awesome breakfast at Stella’s, and googled which museums were open and we settled upon the exhibit on Winnie the Pooh (who was from Winnipeg), so we drove out and guess what… it was under construction. We went and had lunch at the Forks Market, but we couldn’t walk along the river because it was flooded! We then decided to drive out to the middle of Canada. The middle of Canada is just a big sign in the middle of no where, but it is technically the longitudinal middle point of the country. After this we decided to go to the zoo as it was such a nice day, we looked for the Winnie the Pooh Statue but found out it had moved to the park and went to get our photos. For those of you that don’t know about the origins of Winnie check out the link here.

Centre of Canada, MB. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

Winnie the Pooh Statue, MB. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

Sam Kilpatrick.Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

WINNIPEG to SASKATOON


Lastly, we decided to go to the Canadian Museum of Human Rights in the morning before heading to Saskatoon. Because we had limited time we decided to do a tour and it was well worth it! I feel like we saw everything. There are seven floors, each with their own themes, so if anyone is going give yourself lots of time! I was very impressed by the architecture and the various stones used representing different things, for example the alabaster-clad ramps or the basalts in the reflection area. Both of these stones I recognized from my time in Europe and I was interested to learn that the basalts are found on every continent, making them a good representation of something that connects us all. We left around noon and drove on to Saskatoon where we met up with another friend from the program… Ally Forand!

Canadian Museum of Human Rights, MB. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

Alabaster ramp inside the Canadian Museum of Human Rights, MB. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

SASKATOON to CALGARY

Since it was a short drive to Calgary we stayed in the morning to visit where Ally at her internship, the Western Development Museum (WDM). The WDM is similar to an indoor Black Creek Pioneer Village. I found out Caroline has a fear of mannequins, but I like when museums do this type of representation, although at times they can be creepy. After a lovely lunch in the museum’s restaurant we said goodbye to Ally and drove on. We made it to Natalie Heaton’s house! That is something I am very thankfully to our program for giving me all these amazing friends.

The Western Development Museum, Saskatoon, SK. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

CALGARY

We took the day off and wonderful Nat did the driving for us. She took us to Banff and up to see Lake Louise, which Caroline had never been too. On the way, Nat suggested we get a canoe... It never occurred to us that the lake could still be frozen! So no canoe for us. It was still a fun day and maybe if we have time on the way back we will make another stop. It would be worth it to visit the hot springs again too!

Lake Louise, in Banff National Park, AB. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

CALGARY to HIGH LEVEL to FORT SMITH

We officially crossed the 60th Parallel line and made it into the Northwest Territories! We did stop at the Twin Falls, stopped for some sun tanning on the beach in Hay River, and we saw seven bears along the way and one bison! (To clarify it is a Wood Bison up here, not a Plains Bison) He was just chilling on the side of the road, perfect for photos but we said if he gets up, drive!

Once we arrived we found out that if we had left one day later we would not have made it. A massive fire blocked the roads and High Level was evacuated. Although the fire was put out, we have learned what to do in case of an evacuation. Wish us luck that we are not!

Latitudinal line crossing into the North, NWT. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

Alexandra Falls, NWT. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

Wood Bison, NWT. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

That’s it for now! At least until we have to drive home…

Along Highway 5, somewhere in NWT. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

Along Highway 5, somewhere in NWT. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.