#mac notes

- Caroline and Calvin bought a ranch in the foothills sometime in the 60s I think, I’m not sure exactly where it is but I think they rent it out when one of them isn’t using it for a retreat or for holiday parties. (They’re co-owners so it’s slightly more balanced in decor than Calvin’s penthouse although Caro puts up with some of the western kitsch because it looks good on air bnb.)

- When Mac isn’t unemployed (which is a bit more often than he’d like to admit), he works for one of the big o&g companies or another and this usually means being bused (sometimes flown) out to a man camp. The camps have gotten more amenities over the years and some of them are leaning more towards luxury these days than previously, but they are still very isolating experiences. One can be called into work at very short notice and shifts are often two or three weeks at a time with one week off or so.

- FIFO (pronounced fee-foe, “Fly In Fly Out”) is the term used for anyone who flies in to work from elsewhere, whether that’s elsewhere in the province or from “back east” (which here means Newfoundland, and that’s almost a ten hour flight between Fort Mac and St. John’s let alone the additional travel time from work or to one’s hometown from there just to spend a short time off.)

- I’d never go so far as to personify all the other “municipalities” of RMWB but I imagine they exist and since Fort Mac is a service/administrative centre, one or two of them might be passing through to check up on things.