A week in Iqaluit

It isn't difficult to fill a week in Iqaluit. Ours has included good food (caribou burgers were so good at the Frobisher Inn I ordered them again three days later, and Sat. brunch at the legion worth a mention too), hiking, sightseeing, taking in live entertainment to celebrate Aboriginal Day, and relaxing in our very comfortable room at the Arctic Hotel as well as doing a lot of walking around town. And we did enjoy being able to have a cold beer with lunch or dinner, not a possibility in Kimmirut.

The Twin Otter flight is quite exciting. Here we are just leaving Kimmirut.

Approaching Iqaluit about 45 min. later.

We arrived in Iqaluit, capital of Nunavut, pop. around 7,000 last Thursday. We had been planning on making the trip Friday but the plane was pretty well booked with teachers heading south for their summer vacations. It turned out the Friday flight didn't happen due to weather issues and, apparently some of the teachers didn't get out till Monday. Weather cancellations are common which is great for safety but makes it difficult to connect with flights out of Iqaluit.

A highlight of this trip was an afternoon-long hike along the coastal path to Apex, a small residential community just two or three kms by road but much longer and more beautiful and interesting if you take the path. We saw a team of dogs quite far out on the ice pulling three hunters on their sled coming back from the floe edge. Too far away for good photos but we could hear the dogs, it looked like 10 or so, barking excitedly. Coming back along the road we noticed, sadly, the ubiquitous Tim Horton's cups in abundance in the ditch.

Below is the elementary school where the Aboriginal Day concert took place (more in next para.). I don't know why it doesn't have windows. Here the bell has just rung and students are returning for afternoon classes. Just to the right you can see the frozen harbour in the distance.

Aboriginal Day was also the first day of summer and Father's Day. Lots to celebrate which we did by attending a free evening concert of local music in an elementary school. I couldn't get any photos which really was too bad. The school gymnasium was packed with families having a great time. It was really festive with beautiful children clapping their hands and dancing to the music. Twice I saw pairs of little girls happily rubbing noses. And the throat singing was a thrill to hear and see. When we left around 9:30 p.m. there were lots more kids playing outside on the school playground and a group of a dozen or more big boys playing basketball.

The a legislative building is quite beautiful and we visited twice. The current art exhibit in the lobby has prints from Baker Lake, Cape Dorset, Pagnirtung, etc., all so lovely in different ways.

Even the sign for washrooms is tasteful and attractive.

In glass case below you can see carved narwhal tusk decorated with fabulous local semiprecious stones and being held up by soapstone carvings. Cushions on this bench are covered in seal skins.

Enormous and very beautiful woven wall hanging.

 

One of our best meals: Delicious lunch at Yummy Shawarma and Donair Restaurant.

In case you can't read it, the sign on building below really does say

Iqaluit Thrift Store. What a treat, just like home. I found a hat, 2 nice

Mountain Equipment Co-op T-shirts and 3 cookie sheets, a pie plate

and rolling pin. A good scoop!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Weather, walks and willows

Probably not a good idea to dwell on the weather but some details are worth mentioning. Today, June 17, started with wet snow. I don't think this is typical but not a huge surprise either. Generally, in the past week we've had some sun and some cloud, no high winds, daytime temperatures around 10 above, nighttime often falling below zero, a bit of spitting rain, and this morning a bit of wet snow that is now subsiding. I always need a jacket. Roads are drying out and I've been able to wear my hiking shoes instead of rubber boots some days. (But today will be a rubber boot day as folks are gathering in town to be equipped with rubber gloves and garbage bags for collecting litter around the community.)

Snow continues to be melting in the hills which causes water to rush and gurgle down into the gutters and culverts in town. However this seems to have reached its peak and some temporary culverts have been removed.

Last Sunday morning's walk into the hills was amazing. The sky was clear. Can't remember the temperature exactly but it was a light-jacket day. And we saw a few more tiny flowers and mosses coming to life.

The peak we reached this time had looked a long distance off during our hike a couple of weeks ago. But it was just a good distance for us and the 360 degree view was wonderful. Hope these pictures do it justice.

On a technical note, I am still not able to receive comments to my blog though I've spent lots of time trying to figure out why and what to do about it. I think Google+ might be at the root of it and hope I've deleted it. Other problems exist as well so I hope it isn't too frustrating for readers. I'd love to hear from anyone at mackay_jane@hotmail.com.

 

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Kids and dogs

In town runoff water from melting snow in the hills becomes a river rushing to the harbour

Friends playing beside their house near harbour

With great trepidation I am back to attempt the third post to my blog.
The other day I took a walk into town around 4:30 p.m. It's about a 20 minute walk mostly downhill on the dirt road. For the first 15 min. or so I saw just three other people out walking (everybody always says hi) and two vehicles, both pick-up trucks. The main vehicles here this time of year are pick-up trucks and ATV's. The trucks are mostly covered in mud as the dirt roads are quite wet from melting snow that sometimes accumulates into rivulets running down the sides of and across roadways. Atv's are often driven by women with several children aboard. It's a great way to get around this tiny hamlet built on the hilly shore of a beautiful harbour.
Rocky and a friend

Children and dogs are really friendly

Along the way I met several of the cute little dogs that always seem to be running around here. Built low to the ground they have shaggy beige, black, or beige and black coats. They're full of personality and must be tough as they are out even when it's cold. Rocky, two-toned and one of the smallest, was trotting around on his short legs, greeting everyone and everything, full of confidence. Once I got down nearer the water and into the centre of town there were groups of kids playing everywhere. The bike riders had mud stripes running up the backs of their jackets. Two little kids were playing way up high on a huge rock face. Some of the older kids were hanging out at the Northern store. And two young boys, maybe 10 or 12 years old, walking up the hill with their friends, were carrying rifles on their backs.
A notice posted on the grocery store bulletin board last week invited the public to attend the end-of-year school concert, which I did Friday morning. It was wonderful. Qaqqalik School in Kimmirut, for all grades, is in the centre of town. Robert, the music teacher who is from South Africa applied for the marimbas through a grant. Playing bongos, Robert led each piece and the rhythm was so infectious it was hard to sit still.

Many of us in the audience took pictures.

The younger school children, musicians of the future

It was a wonderful concert and was repeated in the afternoon before judges who I hear gave the band a good score. Hooray for the musicians and for Robert!

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A good weekend

Bill and Haley at top of the tallest peak in our 'back yard.'

Bill and Haley on top of tallest nearby peak

Bill did a wonderful job of cleaning the goose

Found recipe on u tube

A lovely meal

By mid-afternoon Saturday it was clearly time to get outdoors for some fresh air and exercise. Not too cold (temp. Around 0), thin cloud cover and only a gentle wind blowing. Perfect. So, wearing sunglasses, our trusty Baffin rubber boots and wind-breaking jackets and carrying cameras, binoculars, and bear spray we set off, dog in toe. To an experienced northerner the bear spray would
probably seem odd and unnecessary. To me it seems easier than a rifle, which I don't have. I'm much too new in the north to be anything but cautious. my imagination has me expecting to see a polar bear cresting each hill or wolf peaking around from behind each rocky slope. I'm told neither will happen. But apparently I need time to come to this conclusion on my own. (More on wildlife in and around Kimmirut in a future post.)
Sat. night Bill got a call from Sammy, from whom we get wonderful clean spring water, who had just shot 4 geese and would we like one. The last three photos here are the answer.
It must be quite clear that I am learning as I go along here and am doing this the hard way. Hence photos appearing before test, and other problems that might not be quite so evident but are taking up
lots of my time and patience. Apparently I need an ap to do this. Fools rush in...
At any rate I'm going to try to dispatch this now (apologies if it's a bit odd-looking) and resume my blog via my new ap. wish me luck.