toe jam

jole is an official member of the Sourtoe Cocktail Club. you likely have no idea that that means do you? neither did jole until last week when tom suggested that consuming the "sourtoe cocktail" MUST be done if we went to Dawson City. It was done.

last weekend we took a 5 day trip to Kluane National Park, Alaska, and Dawson City. We camped at beautiful Kathleen Lake in Kluane, in the middle of a forest fire near Tok Alaska, and on the banks of the Yukon River in Dawson. We visited Chicken Alaska. We saw burls and burl bowls and burl ashtrays and burl candle holders and more burls in burwash landing and every other town in the middle of nowhere. We concluded that burls are a Yukon/Alaska...northern traditional art and craft (apparently elsewhere too). burls are large growths that look like giant warts on the sides of spruce trees. We could have bought our very own peeled, varnished and polished burl the size of a basketball for about $90. we know what we're getting all our friends and family for christmas.

and what is the sourtoe cocktail club you ask?? yes indeed...the sourtoe cocktail club is an exclusive club of now 17100 individuals who have visited Dawson since 1973 and consumed a beverage with a severed, preserved toe in it. yes, a real live (well, dead) toe. The toes have been donated by people far and wide. Rumor has it that one of the toes belongs (belonged) to a guy who works at the hardware store in town. At the Downtown Hotel bar in Dawson the "captain" gets to choose between 5 severed, shriveled toes to place in your drink. There is one mega-huge big toe, and four smaller little piggies. To get officially inducted into the "club" you must consume the drink and have the toe or toes actually touch your lips. jole went a step farther to ensure his induction but clenching one of his "toes" between his teeth for a couple seconds. sarah has the photo documentation. tom and jole now have lovely frameable certificates to validate their manhood.

jole's still not sure of exactly the significance of the sourtoe cocktail club, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. It could have been worse, much worse......much, much worse. There is now the dogball hi-ball beverage. Yes, it involves canine testicles. yes, testicles. And yes, it is based out of Dawson City. What is it with that place?! Check out the background and hilarious discussion amongst the pet-people.

Another job interview this week for jole at the Yukon Council on Disability. Sarah is now on the sub list in the Whitehorse school district. A place has been tough to find but we're still looking. Donations to the jole and sarah downpayment fund can be made directly to us.

that's all for now. we hope everyone is well.

j&s

p.s. when you comment, who are you?