Wedding in Waterton

I am taking a short break from the north to bask in the Alberta sunshine. I spent the last three days in the stunning surroundings of Waterton Lakes National Park to join in the wedding celebrations of Jenn and Matt. It was beautiful from start to finish and tonnes of fun - made possible, in part, because they may be the most easy-going, yet organized couple I know!!

I'm also taking advantage of the opportunity to wear my only pair of shorts that aren't in storage! It's wonderful to feel grass under my toes and sit in the shade of a tree. I know it hasn't been THAT long since I've done that (mid-February in Christchurch, to be exact), but I still missed it. I have to say though, that I'm really looking forward to seeing the arctic tundra in bloom in the summer. From what I've been told I just have to wait for the snow to melt, then get through the season of massive mosquito swarms!

8th Wonder?

I was pretty lazy, overall, this past week but did manage to get out yesterday and build this inuksuk with a friend. The original plan for it was much more impressive, but it turns out that rocks are HEAVY!!! Despite it's small stature, it's sitting at the top of a hill and you can see it clearly from the town below.

I also went to take in some live music at a few places this weekend. Iqaluit seems to have quite a few musicians with a range of styles. I've really enjoyed everyone I've heard so far, and it is a welcome relief from the Top 40 music that's played everywhere else!

Ahoy!

It seems like a lot of people here have boats, which is amazing since the water is frozen for 3/4 of the year. Fish are a huge part of the local diet though, so I guess it's not too surprising. There are dozens of boats like this one lining the bay, and sitting in people's yards. Arctic char is one of the more common fish here - it's similar to salmon. So far I've had it baked, smoked, and in raw frozen chunks. I've enjoyed them all, but definitely prefer it cooked -especially since ovens, stoves and barbecues are readily available and I don't have to scrounge for tinder on the tundra. At least I know that I could survive if I was lost and only had frozen char to eat!!

Have you ever wondered how the Inuit avoided scurvy during the long winters with no fruits or vegetables? No? Well, I did...and apparently raw meat is a good source of vitamin C. The animal with the highest vitamin C content is narwhal - just as good as orange juice! And even if you never pondered scurvy in the arctic before....now you know.