Bruce Rosenke--Turtle Lake

Turtle Lake

Chapter 5 from a work in progress

(To start reading from Chapter 1 - Click here)

Bruce Rosenke

© Copyright 2026 by Bruce Rosenke

Photographs by Laura Wolf at Wikimedia Commons.

Monday, May 4, heavy rain, light wind. A dreary way to start the day?

Not at Turtle Lake Land Supporting Life!

The previous two days have been exciting beyond measure in the receiving of supplies, and so today every human-being at Turtle Lake, regardless of size, has good rain-gear! And them there ain’t all the same colours, and them’s not the same styles, and them kids think this is the most exciting thing that ever happened! Maybe it will get them actually talking so everybody can understand!

In order for everyone to receive something close to fitting, many more were sent, so now we have a warehouse. Rather, we have need for a warehouse, well, no, a warehouse is for storing, we need a place for accessibility, let’s call it a ‘store’. Right now our ‘common area’ smells strongly of rubber and vinyl!

So, it was one plane load on each of Saturday and Sunday. No, the snow is not all gone, no the ground is not dry, no not just any flunky fly-guy could do what K.C. did, but K.C.’s training wheels were taken off a-long time ago!

Both trips the plane went back empty, no one left us! No one is staying under duress! And everyone has their eyes and hands full, for a long time to come!

Whatever it is head-office has in mind, they must think we can get-er-done. That large envelope of papers is rather intimidating!

We still have 4 water-halls, 4 sea-cans, and 4 skid bunk-shacks to be placed, energized, and the water-halls need to be hooked to the water wells, and sewer systems to be built. If I remember right a snowbank got in the way of us doing that early in this new-year!

The flip-side of that wee shortcoming is, we did build and outfit 5 pump houses, set up and have been using 6 40’ sea-cans, 1 water-hall, 2 40’ skid bunk-shacks, installed 1 septic system, and 4 water hydrants. Now that the snow is low enough we can begin to see our yard, this is rather impressive!

When William and Jacelyn arrived in that major snowstorm, last Christmas Day, all that was on this 1440 acres was 5 exceptional water wells, one with a hand pump on it; 3 12’ x 55’ skid shacks, 3 2-hole long-drop out-houses, and a big diesel generator.

This had been a work-site camp, what we are to do with it is not yet known.
According to the envelope there are going to be big trucks and big helicopters here all summer!

Kristy Dunstan, with being an enthusiastic new wife, with two places to ‘live’, neither any more than shelter from the rain, whispers to her husband, “Grant, I’m going to sit in the sky-crane for a couple of hours.”

“Can I get you anything?”

“No thanks, maybe walk me to lunch?”

They have a plan sealed by a kiss. Lunch is a long time off, they just finished breakfast! It’s a beautiful scene in this big yard, all the colourful rainwear moving between mountains of old snow, slipping on ice, splashing through water puddles, Pink romping around the children and not at all concerned with splashing them! One would think spring is sprung!

Grant decides to take a look-see at the bandsaw mill, if it can be dug out enough to start sawing, he’s all over that! Kristy has been talking about getting back to milling, he wants to see what kind of a wife she is when she’s excited!

Well, that’s going to have to wait for several days yet, still to much snow. It’s preferable to do something outside, he’s logged a lot of ‘house’ hours this winter! It is a beautiful rain, although cold, when those drops touch bare skin you feel them. Grant stands looking, then he sees it.

He doesn’t know what it is, garbage of some kind out by the road. That’s not the place for it. The walk begins, by his calculations, no, by his guessing, 140 paces one way. But that’s in a straight line, he won’t be able to walk a straight line, unless he wants to wade through water and climb over snow banks. He smiles at himself, for as long as he can remember he has always had to calculate the movements. Everything is a calculation. Fortunately his brothers have never found out about his little mind game. That’s what they would call it, a ‘little-mind’ game!”

“Doing? Come!” Looks like Samuel is coming, and where Sam goes Pink goes.

Grant is fine with the company, and glad for the quiet. Some of those other kids think talk is ‘supposed’ to happen on a walk!

Bruce had waved at them, so Grant knows he’s not abducting a little black kid! Grant is paying Sam no attention, Pink isn’t either. It looks like being lost in your own mind is the order of the day.

So here’s the thing, this property we refer to as Turtle Lake, is 1 1/2 miles square, 1440 acres, somewhat east/south-east sloping. It was solid bush, mixed age, mixed species, and mixed density, until someone in the past cleared a 100’ wide cut line all the way around. On the east side an additional clearing was made in the middle 1/2 mile x 330’ wide, that is 20 acres, and is our current ‘yard’. To the east of the property a road passes by north/south, not a government road, but a shared use road between resource companies. We have used this east side 100’x1 1/2 mile cutline as an airstrip. We hope to ‘take the kinks out’ of it so pilots who are used to something better might give it a try. We do have a grave yard here! A wing-span of more than 100’ could be dicey, especially with traffic on the road!

The afternoon sun has a ‘direct shot’ at this area, so along the edge of the road, onto the road, and down into the ditch, there is no snow and lot’s of mud. Grant has to take a couple of steps into the mud to retrieve the garbage, which isn’t ours, how did it get here?

Grant isn’t happy about getting mud on his new boots! He steps into some wet snow and kicks around, can’t really call them clean.

We call it a ditch, actually it’s only the bottom of the road edge, and it occurs to Grant this would be a perfect time to take a walk and see what there is for culverts. This is a heavy-haul road so it’s build to stay solid. “Well Sambo, you wanna walk your legs off?” Two big white eyes stare back through the rain. “If it turns out you walk easier than me, I won’t be happy with you.” Now a b i g smile of white teeth. ‘That face may be the most beautiful feature of Turtle Lake!’ Grant thinks. “Ok little buddy, let’s do it!”

That’s the last conversation until this 3-some is collecting Kristy to walk her too lunch. She says, “Well Pink, were the boys able to keep up?” She just gets one of Samuel’s smiles.

Kristy and Grant are reaching for each other when they both hear helicopter blades, they grab hands and run, totally forgetting child and dog! They run toward the helipad. What they see flying into the yard stops them in their tracks. A chopper they don’t recognize has a smaller helicopter dangling under it, and the way it’s being gently set on a bare piece of ground indicates it’s to be ‘unhitched’ there.

When they get to it they see through the wind driven rain a heavy clear plastic bag tied to the runner brace of the tiny helicopter, inside is a battery and head set. Kristy takes it out and hands it to Grant, he puts it on, makes some adjustments, and begins yelling relay messages to Kristy. Only when she needs help does he get his hands in there.

This is a remarkably easy procedure - once you know how. The crane lifts off, flies over to our sea-can rooftop helipad, slowly descends the straps into a pile and releases them, then moves to the side and settles. When shut down is complete 2 pilots get out, the woman grins and calls, “We were told this place serves a good lunch!” That began it all.

The pilots aren’t young, he’s tall and lean and he walks his flight-suit down our steps ahead of the lady. She’s looking everywhere except at Dunstan’s junior; he is only looking at them. He speaks to them, loud enough for everyone to hear. That is quite the voice! “Are you Kristy Carmichael?”

“No, I’m Kristy Dunstan, this is my husband Grant.”

“Well, you 2 are our mission!” He grins, “I’m Billy Jack, my wife Billie Jamison, we are the Williamson’s.” He notices the group flinch but continues, “We married 42 years ago, only so we could have fun with our names.” He pauses briefly, “They say ‘it’s all in the name’, that may be true, marriage just keeps getting better!”

Ok, now there are sobs, he doesn’t seem to notice. “We are sometimes-flyers for Wind Wrinkles,” he grins again, “You can refer to us as WWII !”

Jacelyn calls, “Lunch is ready, why are you standing in the rain?”

Almost as one the group turns and begins the voyage. With all this rain-gear it’s going to take awhile to ‘get down to the basics’ and seated.

Grant holds Bill and Billie back, this 4 walk slower, Grant begins “The widow and orphans of one Mr. William Hiram are the population of Turtle Lake. We’re still pretty raw, please be patient.”

Billie has a soft voice, “We are going to remain us. We have ‘been around the block’, maybe we can be some benefit.”

Kristy’s hand squeezes hard, Grant gives a little wiggle; both are feeling it. This just might be the beginning of an open-ended, far-reaching, ‘something’

‘Tall B’ pays attention to business, “We were hired to deliver the Gnat to you, and get some flyers trained in ‘gnat’acal miles!” Kristy gets it, Grant doesn’t, until he does. He reaches over and knuckle-taps T B on the shoulder, “You’ll fit in just fine.”

Kristy points at the water-hall, “There’s only that set of bathrooms on the entire property, don’t wait till you can’t wait any more!”

Sweet B grins, “You don’t have to tell me twice!” She’s gone!

Table-time goes rather normally, just with a couple extra voices. However, the afternoon hours are more than a little different! The short story is, Billy is giving, Grant, Jacob, Ivor, and Colin an intense short-course on all things Gnat-mechanical. It came ready to fly, so the men step back and Kristy, Frankie, Gwen, and Jacelyn, get ‘ground school’ from Billie.

Tall Bill takes the men for a talk/walk to the helipad. He reaches in the cargo door of the helicopter, and in his ‘outdoor voice’ says, “It is our job to work ourselves out of a job. You are welcome to hang around for general knowledge, but if you don’t have a personal interest stay out on the fringes.” He pulls a couple of heavy cardboard boxes to the edge of the floor, they are full of ‘all things radio’. He says it only once, “None of this is ‘all things modern’. It will do the job you need doing, but your not going to go ‘Sunday flying’!

Grant and Jacob take the boxes to ‘the basement’ and everything gets spread out. TB does a quick sort and leaves with a few pieces, when he’s back he says, BJ is going to talk to each of the students from the ground. Once they are doing well enough to leave the yard she will take the big one up and escort them around. Each student will fly 1/2 tank of fuel in the yard and 1/2 tank farther afield. We were told you had car gas on hand. Right?”

Let’s just say; nerves, some bad, many good, are the order of the day!
Tomorrow rolls will be reversed, guys flying, girls ‘understanding the thing’.

What a day! Remember ‘opportunity’ and ‘potential’? This is that!

The WW2 pilots tell us what other pilots have told us, “Dying in a flying machine is as good a way as any!”

Learning to fly is only part, learning to do the job at hand is the other part. It looks like Queen and Pink have a search and rescue tool available! If Gwen gains more than 30 lbs. with her pregnancy, and if Pink get’s much above 160 lbs. Gnat will be off limits!! But that’s not today’s problem.

The snow-float helipad is fine and dandy, but Grant and Kristy can’t ride Gnat at the same time, somebody still has to walk back and forth to the yard. Now Kristy ‘goes public’ with her pillow talk, “A couple of horses would be real handy!”

Everybody involved with Gnat does all the chores and responsibilities that requires. The goal is to have 8 individuals completely ‘vibrant’ and instantly available.

By May 15, Turtle Lake is a hyper-happening place! It’s a pretty basic
‘philosophy’, “Do not look for the big picture, do only what’s in your eyes and hands.” Either God has a warped sense of humour or He likes to see people sweat! Or, maybe He thrills to be thanked that we get to do what we do!

The 2 Bill’s are experienced with Sikorsky as well as other ‘air-slappers’ and fixed wing. Truly God is perfect at positioning people!

The aero-mechanics left yesterday after Kristy flew her first captaincy of the Sikorsky sky crane. She hasn’t quit in daylight since then, one or the other of the Bill’s fly second seat. Tomorrow they do their first lift.

Every able-bodied adult has spent at least some hours per day on one or the other of the 4 corners where the water-wells are. We aren’t building 4 communities, but you start where the water is, right?

The heavy equipment we have is; 1 each of track-dozer, rubber-tired loader, excavator, grader, picker/flat-bed winch truck , and small gravel truck. Everything is old but well maintained, and well operated.

People and ‘big iron’ have been working more than daylight hours, and it’s a happy time at supper to announce, “All 4 corners are ready to receive their lifts!”

Perhaps those who haven’t been through this winter process can’t imagine the thrill we have! The Provincial and private roads still are not open to traffic, but what we have needed has come by air, and never from a request. Once again scriptures are being proved true! Jesus is recorded as saying, “‘Your Heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.”’

We have enough in stock to set each corner with the same; 1 sea-can, 1 water-hall, 2 open-floor skid shacks. These will be finished inside according to the needs of place and time. Each corner is laid out differently according to the creativity of the developer. Opportunity was given for 4, 4 accepted, and now we’re going to get-er-done!

Along the way and during the time, Jacob has the winter garbage buried in it’s ‘fill hill’ (that has been weighing on him for weeks!) it’s one more interruption to normality that extreme weather offers.

Also, the animal exercise yard is free of snow and being friskily enjoyed! Not without the concern of humans. Birds of prey can ‘clean us out’ quicker than fast! We have no way yet to fence a roof.

There are discussions on how best to build ‘a village’ in our yard, some ‘elbow room’ would be great, so far we have no idea what infrastructure might end up on our ‘front step’. We’ve been told mountains are coming, we just don’t know mountains of what? What we do with what we get is not being dictated by any human, Jesus Christ is Lord and we trust Him. We are convinced He leads directly, we don’t know His system, there’s no ‘playing the system’ on Land Supporting Life!

May 28 dawns with high cloud, the kind that will burn off under a couple of hours of sun. There is a slight breeze from the west, bathing us in the body odour of the forest. Mornings just don’t come better than this! We start out with jackets on and at the end of the day wander around looking ‘cause we can’t remember where we put them in the rush!

This is a big day! Most of us will just watch from some out of the way place. Turtle Lakes very own 15 year old wife and pilot is going to be moving skid shacks from origin to destination, with a Sikorsky sky crane! Not by herself of course, but think of it! Who is Turtle Lake that we should experience all this?!

There are some tears today at Turtle Lake, all of joy and gratitude. Remove blessings from the equation and nothings left, the trials are not worthy to make a ‘balance sheet’.

The one question? ‘What is that garbage that Grant picked up?’ When the 2 Bill’s looked at it and touched it, they looked at each other, but offered no comment to us. It’s sitting in a sea-can, and that little fact annoys Grant, “It just don’t feel right!”

Our namesake, Turtle Lake, is an area we have done zero snooping.

According to the drawings we had been given it was an un-named lake (officially), fed by 1 lake bottom spring and a small creek that originates in high country. The size of the creek matches the dryness of the year, the last 2 summers it has been dry except for spring thaw. Around the circumference of the lake is an extensive bog, again influenced by the year, definition varying from ‘dry muskeg’ to ‘wet-lands.’ A small creek leaves the lake in a south-easterly direction, again sized by the year. The survey ascribes 181 acres ‘original high-water line’ to the lake and wetland. And we know there’s a population of Painted Turtle!

The excited prodding coming from our air traffic is, “Let’s take a daylong picnic and explore our waterways!”

Ya, let’s!

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