Rick Ranson has collected stories from all over North America, from the DEW Line and the drill ships of Working North to the raging waters of the Mississippi in Paddling South. Now, join this engaging raconteur as he ventures to one of Canada's most talked-about locations: Fort McMurray, home of the oilsands. In this book Rick Ranson recounts a twenty-four day shift at an oilsands operation undergoing a shutdown, giving us a glimpse at a world most of us only know from the evening news. Along the way, he encounters a group of engaging roughnecks, including a husband and wife welding crew, a petty fascist safety inspector, and the tough-as-nails secretary that keeps them all in line.
Natural-born storyteller Rick Ranson grew up in military bases across Canada. Today he spends his time living between Winnipeg and Key West, Florida. Ranson has worked variously as a longshoreman, drill ship's welder, boilermaker, farm equipment salesman, editor for McGraw Hill, and forklift operator. Bittersweet Sands is his third book.
