I was on a break!

I took some time off to take a break from work, and remind some of my family and friends 'down South' what I look like. I had a fun and busy time, and managed to stop over in 3 provinces along the way. While I definitely reveled in a few of the luxuries of Southern life - microbrewed beer, Italian markets, a vehicle with shocks - I found myself less enamoured, and less panicky about doing/seeing/buying/going to all of the the things available. I suppose that's a sign that I've gotten comfortable with the simplicity of Northern life. Or I'm just more apathetic. I'd like to think that it's the first option....

Sunset over Spring Lake

Teeny, tiny shells in Tofino

Sap! (in Jasper)

22 kids and counting...

For the last couple weeks I've been looking after some sled dogs....17 adults and 5 puppies!! It has quickly become my favorite part of the day, going out to feed them, check on them, and pet them. They recognize me when I arrive and are always very vocal in letting me know they're excited to see me. (That may have something to do with the fact that they know that I'm the one that feeds them!!) They all have their own personalities, and it's fun to get to know each one of them and figure out how best to handle them.

This is Udlu as she is patiently waiting to eat while four of the puppies are exploring her food bowl. They are still too small to eat the kibble, but they sure find it interesting to push around with their noses! A few minutes later she finally nudged them out of the way.

This little guy is my favorite of the puppies so far. He's very adventurous and was the first one to approach me on his own and climb into my lap.

You can see quite a few of them in this photo, with Woody at the front.

Goofy

Big Wheel

Fun in Frobisher Bay

Last weekend a couple friends and I decided that it was time to go swimming in the bay. It wasn't a particularly warm day, but we didn't think it would make that much of a difference since the water is so cold - only a few degrees above freezing. While the term "swimming" is a bit generous, we did get completely submerged. The bay is very shallow so we had to walk pretty far to get deep enough to actually get under the surface - the walk into the water was way colder than the walk back to the beach, probably because the numbness sets in quickly! We got out of the water and were immediately given hot chocolate and then sat in front of a wood fire which was quite rewarding. I cannot imagine though, what it would be like to fall out of a boat or somewhere that you couldn't get warm and dry quickly. Deadly cold, is the most appropriate term I can think of.

Nunavut turns 11!

July 9th was the 11th anniversary of Nunavut becoming an official Canadian territory. It is a territorial holiday - Nunavut Day - and a large number of the community of Iqaluit was out to celebrate the occasion. Much like Canada Day in other places, this holiday is a day for outdoor music, children's games, contests, barbecues, and general frivolity. Unlike Canada Day the contests were to see who could skin a seal the fastest, and there were muskox burgers on the barbecue!! For the record - it is truly incredible how fast a seal can be skinned, and muskox cheeseburgers are delicious.

If you remember my blog entries from last July you will remember how enamoured I was with all of the tiny tundra flowers. I'm just as taken with them this year, but I will restrain myself and only post one photo.

We're a month past the solstice already, and so we are starting to get proper sunsets again. This was a particularly beautiful one, just the other night.

Nuuk, Greenland - The Other Arctic

I recently had the opportunity to take a short holiday to Greenland. I had never really thought about traveling there before, but when given the choice I thought it would be an interesting place to visit. More than just interesting, it was also beautiful and delicious(I ate a stunning amount of pastries and cheese!!). There was many similarities to Iqaluit with the tundra and the culture, but there was also a very strong European influence which made it seem worlds apart. It is geographically very close to Iqaluit - just a two hour flight in a small 10-seater airplane.

This was the sign for a playschool, or at least, that's what I think it was - it wasn't immediately obvious, as you can see!!

We saw some trees!! Three, to be exact!! I had heard rumors that there might be some, but was excited to see them with my own eyes! Arctic trees...who would have thought?

I was able to take a few boat trips into the fjord system. There are countless icebergs that are continually calving off of the glaciers that extend from the icecap that covers most of Greenland. The shapes, textures and shades of blue of the different icebergs was stunning.

The ice is thousands of years old, and will eventually melt away in the sunshine as it floats its way down the fjord. I took an icecube off of this one, but I didn't bring a drink to put it in, so I just ate it!!

Don't blink

I find it incredible how quickly the tundra changes from the deep blankets of snow to a carpet of moss, plants and flowers. Sometimes literally overnight flowers will appear where there was none before, as is the case on my short walk to and from work. There is also a large number of seabirds and other small birds that we don't see here in the winter - even geese were flying overhead a few weeks ago, although I can't imagine how it's worth it for them to spend all of that energy to fly to the top of Baffin Island!


The bay is beginning to break up, although you can still see the ice pan not too far away. Every day there is more and more open water visible at high tide. People are anticipating that the ships will arrive sooner than expected because everything has melted so fast this year. "Sealift" is more exciting than Christmas here, because this is the time when most of the city's supplies are brought in - everything from vehicles to toilet paper. Businesses do it, but individuals and families can also arrange for a shipment - furniture, canned goods, and beer are popular sealift items!!

THIS is what I do

Whenever I chat with someone from 'down south' about living in Iqaluit, I almost always get some version of:

"Yeah, but what do you DO, you know, besides work?"

You need to be creative, flexible, outgoing, and a little bit silly sometimes, but there are lots of things to do if you're willing to put yourself out there. After starting out this past weekend with no set plans, I ended up with an amusing and exhausting couple of days. Planting veggies at the greenhouse, volunteering for the food bank, hanging out in the sunshine, a firefighter carwash, impromptu meals, a bonfire, ATVing on the tundra, a picnic, dinner with the girls, and a little bit of work thrown in the middle!

Life up here is what you make of it, and the people you meet and the friends you make are ultimately what it's all about. I have met and become friends with some fantastic, interesting, and fun people - and feel very lucky for the experiences I have been able to share with them. Good times, indeed.