Mysterious Flames

I've just returned from the Teacher Conference in the tropics of Arviat - where the temperature was a balmy -60 with the windchill most of the time we were there. As a result, I didn't get to go caribou hunting, but on the up side, there aren't any blood stains on my light blue parka. Its not like its a fancy Canada Goose Parka - is a Sears Parka, which has the distinction of being about the same age as I am - once owned by my Aunt when she resided in Thunder Bay. Still - its quite functional, even if the fur on the hood is looking a touch mangy. But, I don't think that it would have benefitted from the addition of blood stains - and I know that there is no way that I could be within 20 m of a skinning and butchering operation without getting blood on me... and parka aside - I would have come closer because I would want to help and learn how it was done. Instead of learning land skills, I learned some excellent science demonstrations and a bit of inuktitut and a bit about drum dancing. All in all it was a great week of being on the "other side of the desk" and taking on the role of student, rather than teacher.

I also got to spend some time with an old friend from UNB and his wife, both of whom were a very big part of me applying to teach in the north last May. I got to play president, canasta, euchere and 45's. I haven't played anything except poker in a while, and even though I'm an avid card game person, I have never been able to get into Poker. I still have to say that my all time favourite game is Canasta, but Euchere is a close second and Cribbage is a clear third. While I didn't get a chance to play cribbage, I did get a chance to buy a beautiful cribbage board, and so hopefully, there is some cribbage in my future.

Today I've been battling the effects of packing on my room. Slowly, I'm making order of chaos. I have to do something about my knitting supplies, which have slowly been taking over since I've arrived. I either have to do an insane amount of knitting or I have to pack some stuff up and stow it somewhere where it won't spill over. I have an unassembled bookcase, and there is a possibility I could fit it into my room and give myself some additional storage space, but it might leave it way too crowded. The temperatures will continue to be fairly chilly for the next few weeks, but come April we should start to see much more comfortable temperatures for spending time outdoors.

In the meantime, I'd better finish tackling the list of things to get done this weekend. I apologize in advance for very sporadic blogging in the next month, I've got a lot of stuff on my plate and I don't know that I'll have a lot of chances to either write or take new pictures that I can put up here. Come April though... hopefully there will be lots.

Standing Watch

While I believe this Inukshuk's role is to identify the location of some decent fishing... It does rather look like it is standing watch over the town.

Baker Lake Airport Close Up

Aside from the unfortunately flaking yellow paint, our airport building is actually pretty neat looking. I'm curious why the roof was designed that way.

Baker Lake Airport

I'm just in a random photo mood the this weekend, mostly because I'm not in the mood to go outside - although perhaps I should there are a few pictures that I need to get. This was taken back in the fall, but it captures the runway and the airport building. A plane has just taken off - thus the dust in the air.

Mush without Rooms

This didn't look like a good place for Smurfs to live.

Its bright and beautiful out, I should probably take advantage of it and go out.. but it is also windy and cold and I have soup to make.....

So perhaps another week

Early Morn at Martin

Fundy Squirrel

I should actually do something other than look at old pictures - or maybe that is exactly what I should be doing

Reflecting

This was taken in Kilarny many years ago on a camping trip over the Canada Day weekend. It looks so warm.

We had the Blueprint for Life group work with a number of our students this week. Last night the students put on an amazing show. Kudos to all of them.

Blueberry Deligh

I'm flipping through old pictures right now. G. should thank me for not putting up any old ones of him.. at least until I cave.

Tuktu Take Two

There is something incredibly magestic about this creature - they are beautiful to watch.

Down Goes the Sun

Puppy Dog Watching the Sun Set

This is for my dad who I'm sure is wondering why I don't post more pictures of dogs...

Tuktuit

I went "Caribou Hunting" for the first time today armed with only my camera, parka and a thermos of probably now frozen black coffee. I'd never actually seen one before so it was pretty cool. They were lighter than I expected and I only got pictures of the females - we did see some males but that was after my battery died.

Winter on the Barrens

My grandfather spent a number of years working up north around Yellowknife and I grew up enjoying stories about his trips on the Barrens. I really just pressed the button on the camera - the barrens can take credit for the rest of this picture. I was pretty impressed with my camera. I spent over 4 and a half hours outside (I'm also impressed that I held up as well as I did) and the battery didn't die until I was nearly back to town. Sadly that was when I found about 9 caribou all together. I did manage to get it to warm up while I was at the short, however I only got a few shots of the sunset before it died again.

City of Jewels

I love all the bright colours against the snow. The sun was bright today - which really brought them out. This is actually part of a panaramic shot that I took (thus why the picture doesn't seem to be of anything). I'd like the point out the windowy building in the front right corner. This is the Nunamiut Lodge - a place we sometimes go for lunch and one of at least 3 hotels in town. The restaurant is actually in the Solarium - so you can sit and enjoy the view.

A Fine Winter's Day

Here is a shot of Jonah Amitnaaq Secondary School taken from the ice on the lake. The Brown and Tan striped building is the local RCMP detachment and no, for my southern friends, Benton Fraser is not currently stationed here. The red building I believe is part of the Arena - although I think in real life its more of a maroon colour. You can see the snow fence in the distance. For reference purposes it is actually 30 ft tall.

Moonlight over Baker Lake

Something about the sky made the moon look kind of nifty.

Just another mosaic Monday

Okay.. more silhouette sunrises - the sun is rising earlier every morning... by May 19th... twillight will be the darkest we get.

Perspective

Its strange how two people can look at the same picture and see entirely different things and even stranger how you yourself can see a picture entirely differently simply by changing the lighting, walking nearer or farther away, squinting your eyes - its just proof that every image we see is as much how we interpret as it is what is actually in front of our eyes and what colour filters we are wearing at the time. The wind today warrented wearing my rose-tinted down hill ski goggles which left our snowy world strangely pink and the blizzard kept it soft edged enough that I was surprised when I got home that I was actually still wearing my glasses, unfogged under my goggles. We have actually been at 0 km visibility all afternoon - it isn't so much the wind (coming from the SE) but the 5 cm of snow that is coming with it...... 5 cm is a lot of snow for here for this time of the year... we are slowly getting closer to the normal amount of snow on the ground for this time of the year, but still below the average.

Still, my observations regarding typical weather of course has its own bias... the length of time that the average has been calculated for is 30 years... not forever.... and weather is notably unpredictable - Still the temperature has risen from -37 to -21 C and once we took steps to keep the draft from the front door in the mudway - the house is cosy and the houses accross the street faint outlines.

Beaufort Calm

It was cold... so cold that the batteries on my outdoor temperature gage ceased relaying the outdoor temperature to me inside.... but it was also so calm that the smoke (well, we are all on oil furnaces - so I"m not sure percisely what the grey plumes rising from our chimney's are - not wood smoke obviously, but anyways....) was rising straight up into the morning sky.... mmmmm

U2 is thrumming on my computer... some days are better than others... and some mornings are simply breath-taking.

I missed getting a beautiful sunset the other day, but today the sky was too fun of 5 cm of snow to really make it possible to see the sun.

This.. I will have to drag my paints out for....

Sunrise, so early in the morn

Although we've never experienced 24 hours of darkness as many of the communities north of us do - we did get down to about 4-5 hours of daylight; meaning that the sun rose about the beginning of second period and set at the beginning of 6th period. Now the sun is up by the beginning of the day and sets just after the final bell. This will hopefully increase the chances for me to take pictures.

The weekend was a busy one. We had a small bridal shower for one of my coworkers. I think the best part was playing games. Its been a long time since I've been to a party with "party-games". However, the food was a close second. B made some of her amazing muffins and there were dips and veggies and several too yummy desserts. I tried my hand at deviled eggs... For my first attempt they worked out not bad, although - really... for the record, honey mustard is more than half mustard - so my substitute left my deviled eggs a touch on the sweet side despite my efforts to temper the sweetness with lemon juice, more mustard, pepper and garlic.

Today, a small army of volunteers tackled a storage area in need of love and organization with most impressive results. Many heartfelt thanks to all of you - should you happen to read this blog. Finally, I've got my second sock started - I'm having trouble keeping the striping the same and I've had a few folks jokingly suggest that they might steal them - I guess thats a pretty high compliment. I'm hoping that my knitting will eventually lead to more people learning to knit, although so far I haven't actually taught anyone how. I'm going to - at some point in the future - start a knitting club for after-school. I'm slowly working on building up the necessary supplies. As for the sock, I hope to spend a bit of time each day on on it... leading to completion sometime next weekend and I'm going to try to come up with a way to keep track of my stripes - unknitting is painful.