Treena's Travels

2009-05-03T21:03:00.008-05:00

Well, the fishing derby was a huge success! A lot of people came out and braved the snow and wind and took part. A huge thanks to Chris, Todd, Tom, Chad, Bill and everyone who helped drill all the holes. We were out there for two hours and only one fish was caught but it was a gooder. Congrats to Jenesta for pulling in the big one! I, as per my reputation, did not even get a nibble. Granted, I spent the majority of my time snapping photos and that could have something to do with it. :o)

Good times.....

Komatiq loaded up with gear for the trip.

That there ice be deep! Over 6 feet still...

The big winner!

2009-05-03T11:02:00.010-05:00

Temp: -12
Windchill: -17
Sunrise: 4:48 a.m.
Sunset: 9:54 p.m.
cloudy and snowing

Well, as I type this I have a cold and am watching Coronation Street. I love Sunday mornings. Sitting with a cup of tea and watching some 'Corno' does a girl good. Especially since I didn't sleep last night due to a running nose. There's a silly cold going around the community and I'd thought since I'd put in my time with illnesses the first year I moved here that I was done with all that. Wishful thinking on my part. Ahh well. Now to see if the fishing derby we have planned to celebrate the 40th birthday of a friend will pan out today. It was supposed to be yesterday but it was windy and not nice so we postponed it to today. Now we have light flurries and it's overcast. But, we still have a few hours and it could turn around so we shall see. I don't mind flurries and overcast but we want it warm enough for everyone to enjoy themselves as there is no windbreak once we get out there.

Lets see.... since I last wrote I had a very interesting interpreting experience. I interpreted for Twink-Elle the clown and it was definitely a challenge and definitely fun! She was up here visiting her sister Erica and the kids loved having her here. Good times!

And for Easter I conned the gang into making Easter cookies with me to take to Todd and Jenesta's Easter party. It's a bit of a tradition with my family to decorate cookies so I decided to force the fun on my friends too! :o) Heh heh, they were very good sports about it and it turns out it was a very interesting form of creative expression. Too funny.

Friday night Tania/Chad and I had our house sales to prepare for the big move back down south and it was a huge success! We all got rid of almost everything which is great. Only a few tidbits left to get rid of so there will be a lot less to pack. It seems a bit early to get rid of things as we still have 7 weeks left but it's better to do the sale early while the weather still isn't that great because once it warms up everyone heads out on the land hunting and fishing every chance they get. It's a big relief to have it over with; it was very full and busy in my tiny apartment but it was a lot of fun and great to have so many people come out.

And as for spring coming, the temperatures are definitely milder now but we still have a lot of snow and have yet to hit plus digits for temperatures. The wind still kicks up and makes it not very pleasant which is tiring and a bit draining. But, in another couple of weeks spring should be here in full swing. This week is Hamlet Days and I remember last year at this time we had some blustery weather and the year before it was down-right blizzarding so I expect that we will get at least one more blizzard before Mother Nature calls it good for the season.

So today is the fishing derby and tomorrow we have off for Hamlet Days so that is a treat. I love Hamlet week because it's great watching the kids participating in the traditional sports. Talk about athletes! Friday was our Jump Rope for Heart event in the gym and I was pooped doing the Caribou Skipping for only a couple of minutes!

Well, off I go to the derby. Here's hoping I catch my first fish in the north!

2009-04-04T15:48:00.014-05:00

Temp: -17
Windchill: -25
Sunrise: 6:09 a.m.
Sunset: 8:41 p.m.
Sunny!!

Well, here we are on the Easter long weekend and I do mean loooong weekend! The way our school calendar fell this year we ended up with 6 whole days off. Sweet!! So yesterday was spent watching home renovation shows and lazing about and it was awesome! Today Oli and I got up reasonably early, went to Tania and Chad's for waffles (something I am REALLY going to miss doing in a few months) and then headed out for a walk with the posse of pooches onto the ice.

This week saw the end of soccer with the little ones that my friend Erica and I coached. We had a blast doing it but the best part was for sure the parent/kids game last Saturday. It definitely does a heart good to see parents playing with their kids. One of the girls came up to me at one point and pointed out that they were winning. I'd have been embarrassed had they not since there were 10 kids on a team and 4-6 parents on the other! Too funny.

Lets see.. what else is new? Oh! I got the most BEAUTIFUL homemade quilt from Chad's mom a couple weeks ago. Big shout out to Jean!!! I absolutely love it and look forward to many years of curling up with it and staying cozy. I'm a lucky girl for sure.

And as if that wasn't enough, my dear friend Tania knit me this beautiful sweater! It is my first ever homemade sweater and also super cozy. Yup, I am totally spoiled and absolutely blessed.

And for Nunavut's 10th birthday our class went down on the ice to play some Inuit games and just have fun. We had a great time and had some elders in to make caribou stew and bannock, which we enjoyed once we headed back inside. As well, some kids from the high school volunteered to come in and play games with us and help out. It was great to see several generations in one room, celebrating the culture. What a great morning!

And last weekend we took a trip out to the ice shack and let the dogs romp for a bit. It was such a beautiful day and delightful to get out as we really haven't taken the opportunity this winter to do so. Here is Chad bringing Oli out for me; he ran nearly the whole three kms. Needless to say he slept like a baby that night.

This is Kent, getting in some rays and fishing in his terribly snazzy chair. Blends in very nicely with the surroundings....

Oliver catching a ride back to town. Fitting for the little fella I'd have to say. :o)

An ice fishing jigger.

And this week Chris went out of town and Tania/Chad and I took turns babysitting Diesel. Lunchtime the day Chris left I arrived at his apartment to find this waiting for me. Check out the title on the book. Yup! Dog Training for Dummies! Too funny...

And Kara, I haven't forgotten. You wanted the pink popcorn recipe that I had used for our party at school. I used the first one, and it turned out quite well. I'd be very interested to try the second one though as it may taste a wee bit more like the original.

PINK ELEPHANT POPCORN

1 cup white sugar
4 Tbsp water
3/4 tsp red food coloring
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
12 cups popcorn
Boil the first 4 ingredients to the thread stage (about 230F on the candy thermometer). Add vanilla. Mix well. Pour over popcorn and mix together well until it dries. (A big roaster works good for this). It is much better to use a candy thermometer but if you don't have one try the old fashioned method to determine the right stage is reached.

Thread Stage: At this relatively low temperature, there is still a lot of water left in the syrup. The liquid sugar may be pulled into brittle threads between the fingers. Or, take a small amount of the syrup onto a spoon, and drop it from about 2-inches above the pot. Let it drip into the pan. If it spins a long thread, like a spider web, it's done.

Pink Elephant Popcorn

3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
4 tablespoons dry strawberry flavored gelatin
2 quarts popped popcorn

Melt butter over low heat. Stir in marshmallows until they are soft but not melted. Add flavored gelatin mix. Stir until everything is a nice pink color throughout. (The gelatin may not dissolve completely, but that's all right.) Pour evenly over popcorn and stir until all flakes are evenly coated.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I don't have a picture of it but a few weeks ago Brad, our gym teacher, had Olympic Badminton athlete Andrew Dabeka come to the school and run a clinic for the kids, as well as give a demonstration. He was great and the kids loved him. And much to my embarrassment I got pulled up as one of the staff to try and return one of his smashes. Yikes! I was able to connect (albeit poorly) with two of them but he was so skilled he practically aimed it at my racquet so I couldn't miss. 330 km/hr is how fast those hits have been clocked at and I can believe it!

And so, we find the year winding down quite quickly. The days are getting noticeably longer and soon we will not see darkness again for some time. That's always an interesting time of year. And with that, I am going to come right out and say it - Spring is here! We still have a windchill off and on which means the spring gear can't come out to stay just yet, but it's such a nice reprieve from the cold weather. It has been a very long, bitter, winter and this is the first year that I've experienced joint pain from the extreme dryness. Thirty-five and I have joint pain. Yeesh!

So, with that, all good things must come to an end. I've decided to make this my last year in the North and have mixed feelings about it. I am happy to be going back to Alberta and have four seasons again (I haven't seen a southern fall in four years!), be near conveniences, and be less isolated. But, having said that, I am going to miss Baker Lake terribly. I have made amazing friends here and have LOVED my job. The culture is so interesting and I feel privileged to have lived here and shared in it for all this time. Still, it is time to head back home and be near my family and friends that I haven't seen in wayyy too long. I hope to head back to college in the fall; that is one of the many things I have come to realize while living up here. That I want to become a teacher. So, off I go to head in that direction. But, I still have two months to the day left and I plan to enjoy the time I have left. Amidst the packing and mailing out of parcels (which began a month or so ago), a house sale to be held the first week of May, working on an English correspondence course to qualify for college, trying to relish the remainder of time spent with friends, and finishing up with work, it is going to be a very busy and fast two months.

2009-02-27T07:57:00.006-06:00

Temp: -36
Calm and sunny

Well, the week went by pretty fast but it was still a lot of fun. Tania and I flew down to Winnipeg Sunday night and spent a few days shopping before coming back yesterday. On Monday when we got to Polo Park Mall we both just stopped and looked at each other; we were both a bit overwhelmed by all the stores and selection available. Ah it was good though. We got haircuts which was important, though I have to say I have never had visit to a salon last as long. I was in the chair just shy of three hours for a cut (into a long bob I wanted) and color (nice natural highlights that will grow out well). What I got was dark brown hair, BLONDE BLONDE highlights and a short to med length shag haircut. Hmm... It's not bad, but definitely not what I wanted. Ahh well. Lesson learned. :o) Tania on the other hand looked fabulous so that's good.

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent starting off the day with a swim in the pool and dip in the hot tub at the hotel. It was awesome! Then breakfast and off we went shopping again. We didn't get to do as much as we'd hoped (movies, fancy dinner out..) but it was nice because we took our time. Driving around Winnipeg was fun too as it's very similar to Edmonton and felt very familiar. Except for all the one way streets! Man, they do have a lot of them. But, it was great to get out and the weather really cooperated with us. It was between -5 to -20 the whole time we were there and Tuesday we got this beautifully warm snowfall. It was so pretty and refreshing.

Tuesday night we met up with a friend who used to be an interpreter in Baker Lake (Dianna) and it was great to catch up. She's pregnant too so her and Tania had lots to chat about. Then Wednesday we picked up Diesel at the airport (a puppy from Doyle's place in AB that Christopher wanted) and I have to say he is the best puppy. He's a charmer, doing well with the potty training, and cute as a button!

And what would a trip be if you didn't have some Calm Air excitement to go along with it? As we were taxiing up the runway to take off in Winnipeg the plane did a quick stop and Tania turned to me and said 'Hey, there's Diesel. They forgot the dog!' Sure enough the luggage cart was racing towards the plane with one lonely little kennel on it. Thank goodness the flight attendant had thought to ask the pilot to turn the heat on in the cargo compartment for the puppy because that's when the realized that there was in fact no puppy on board. Too funny. And then our semi-direct flight turned into the milk run because another plane went mechanical. Of course it did. And once we got in the air out of Chesterfield Inlet we had to turn around and go back because not all the latches were closed on the cargo door; all I could picture was poor Diesel having the ride of his life so it may have felt a bit inconvenient, but I'm glad we turned around. Yeesh... Anyway, here are some pics.

Diesel has arrived!

Helping Tania with her packing

Wiped out after a long day of travel

Not a great picture from the dirty window of our plane :o)

2009-02-19T20:51:00.002-06:00

Temp:-24
Sunrise: 8:07 a.m.
Sunset: 5:09 p.m.
Just beautiful

Well, the week that started out hectic and bizarre has pretty much held course. Hopefully, tomorrow will be easy to get through and, voila! The weekend is here and the trip to Winnipeg on Sunday. Barring any unexpected blizzards of course. I say 'unexpected' but at this point it wouldn't surprise me if one popped up.

We've had a bit of excitement here in town this week. Both schools were broken into over the week, which is pretty unfortunate. At least no damage was done; it seems only money was taken. Only. The money that was taken from our school was money that the grade fives had fundraised for their commencement into grade six at the end of the year (when they switch over to the high school). How unfair is that? Essentially stealing money from kids. Nice.

But, on an absolutely more positive note, Tania and Chad have announced that they are going to have a baby!! They are due Sept long weekendish which is pretty cool. Chad's class surprised him with a shouted 'Congratulations Dad' yesterday morning when they found out and one of the little girls came up to me afterwards and told me 'Treena, Chad's gonna have a baby! I'm so proud of him!' Heh heh, I told her I was proud of him too. :o) Man I laughed. How cute is that?!

Other than that, I'm off to read more for my course. Got my first paper back and got 84% so not too shabby. Three more papers and the final exam to go. Will be nice to have it out of the way.

2009-02-16T19:54:00.007-06:00

Temp: -21
Sunrise: 8:17 a.m.
Sunset: 4:59 p.m.
Sunny and amazing

Well, I'm not sure what was in the air today but the kids were pretty much off the wall. Between kids terrorizing each other with that blasted AXE underarm deodorant spray and others Crazy Gluing their friends hands together, it was a down-right insane day. I'm exhausted I have to say; it was a day for putting out fires, calming nerves and it was trying because to be honest by the end of the day I was done. Then, upon arriving home I found that poor Oli had been sick repeatedly in my apt. Excellent.... And to top off my day I've just discovered a pretty good sized lump on my right middle finger on the knuckle. I've been having a lot of problems with my hands the past couple of months and I'd just chalked it up to the cold weather and signing all the time just taking it's temporary toll. It's not lookin' good though. A sign language interpreter with possible arthritis in her hands... not an ideal situation to be sure. But, thank goodness we only have four more days until PI week and we're off. The rest will do me good. I'm thinking some hydro therapy in a hot tub somewhere may give me the reprieve I'm looking for. Sore fingers crossed....

And other than that, I just have a few pics of the prep for our Valentines Day festivities at school. I convinced Edna and Tania to help me turn regular popcorn into 'Pink Elephant Popcorn' the day before our party. We got together at my place and 'pinked' up more than 600 cups of popcorn. 1 lrg bag of popcorn: $15, Sugar etc: $40, the memory of doing something so ludicrous: priceless. Hee hee. Well, it was a bit of a gong show and left my house smelling putridly sweet and the kitchen filthy but it was worth it. The kids loved it and everyone had a great time at the dance. We even had a limbo competition at the end for the teachers. I had a bit of an edge because I'm the shortest teacher but I gotta tell ya, those 6 foot something boys that I work with surely did hold their own! In the end, the teacher I work with won the event. Too funny.

Boiling the sugar ~ sticky!

Careful not to cook it past the soft ball stage

That's a LOT of popcorn

And yes, that tub was bleached out and cleaned before the popcorn went in :o)

The kids loved the teachers limbo exhibition

2009-02-15T13:59:00.016-06:00

Temp: -24
Windchill: -35
Sunrise: 8:20 a.m.
Sunset: 4:56 p.m.
Sunny and beautiful!

Well, today was the first day in a VERY long time that I got out. The weather here has been cold and the wind not so friendly. We haven't gotten out much this year which is pretty unfortunate. But, today I did so I'm thrilled.

Todd and Chris had built a nice ice shack up at Todd and Jenesta's and today was finally moving day! I love the shack because it looks like a barn. So, it was mounted to runners and pulled by one truck while anchored to another. The move went off without a hitch and as I type this the boys have gone back out to the shack to fish. Very cool.

Just a pretty ring around the sun

Getting it hooked up

And onto the ice safe and sound

Almost home

And settled in place, town off in the distance just over the hood of the blue truck

Inside the shack checking out the beautiful ice

Cool shard of ice we saw on our way out to the point

And other than this wee bit of excitement, things have been chuggin' along up here. Feb has been busy so far planning for Valentines Day at school and now PI week is coming up at the end of the month. Tania and I are heading down to Winnipeg for a few days to partake in some shopping, get haircuts, go swimming, take in a movie and just enjoy the change of scenery. It's been so great having this to look forward to. I haven't spent a lot of time in Winnipeg before, mostly just waiting at the airport for connecting flights or tromping around Polo Park Mall if the layover is a bit longer. So, it will be neat to be a tourist in the city next week. Should be a lot of fun!

2009-01-22T13:00:00.005-06:00

Temp: -28
Windchill: -46
Winds: 68 km/hr
Blizzard
Sunrise: 9:36 a.m.
Sunset: 3:36 p.m.

Well, today we are off due to a blizzard. It's not the worst blizzard I've seen up here but it surely is a nasty one. There's been a blizzard warning for the Baker area all week but until today we'd only been off Tuesday morning. It's funny how we all look so forward to having blizzard days up here; you'd think we didn't like our jobs or something but it's the exact opposite really. I love my job but living in the north you look forward to these days where mother nature unleashes her fury and you can stay home and just gaze at it from the comfort of your couch.

And I have to say it was a real treat to have Tuesday morning off as it afforded us the opportunity to watch President Obama's inauguration. How exciting was that?! It just leaves you with so much hope for the States and for Canada. Although, frankly, it also hits home how much charisma Canada's current leader does NOT have in comparison. Gee, is it any wonder he called his own election before the States?! Think perhaps he was worried about the ripple effect Obama's win would have on Canadians tired of our politicians and the lackluster leadership we have had for way too long?! Too funny.

But, other than that I have been spending my time working on an English Prose course I'm taking through Athabasca University. Well, I should say I've been procrastinating working on my course. Funny how things like scrubbing the tub, straightening closets, and organizing magazines seem like tasks that need immediate attention when one is supposed to focusing on something that actually has a timeline. Ahh well. As soon as I complete this post I will get right to it. :o) Thankfully there isn't too much quality television on during the day (or, honestly, in the evening for that matter) and after watching a bad movie called Bats: The Human Harvest, well lets just say it would be good to stimulate the ole noggin a bit.

Well, I'm hoping to get out this weekend and take some pictures of the drifts around town; I'm sure there will be some really good ones. Hopefully I'll have some cool ones to post in the next few days.

2009-01-11T18:57:00.005-06:00

Temp: -33
Windchill: -53
Wind gusts 50 - 67 km/hr
Blizzard
Sunrise: 10:03 a.m.
Sunset: 3:02 p.m.

Well, here we are on Sunday and Baker Lake is in a full on blizzard. I've seen worse definitely, but this one is predicted to last possibly until Thursday. It's cold outside but I truly love blizzards. They leave me feeling very cozy and like I'm holed up in a cocoon. Now the only thing that could make it better would be a blizzard day tomorrow with no school. I've started working on an English course through the University of Athabasca and I'm afraid I've ben a bit tardy this weekend in getting it done so having a day to play catch up would be nice. And, frankly after coming back to work for a full five days with little ones finding it just as hard to get up and pay attention in the morning as I did, it would be nice to have an unexpected long weekend.

Things have been going really well in Baker this year (and we are so very far in to 2009 don't you know); the days are slowly getting longer and the sun is staying up in the sky just a wee bit longer. Funny how just a few minutes a day makes such a big difference. As does being a bit more active this year. I've been going out more to badminton and there is a really great turn out. Lots of laughs and wonderful exercise. Between that and using my new paraffin wax hand treatment I'm feelin' pretty spry I have to say.

This last picture is just a random shot from my holidays; Doyle's dog had pups and I was hanging out with them. So cute!

Anyway, 10 more hours and I'll know if I have work tomorrow....
:o)

2009-01-04T11:13:00.005-06:00

Temp: -27
Calm
Sunrise: 10:15 a.m.
Sunset: 2:44 p.m.

Well, here we are on Sunday and getting ready to head back to work tomorrow morning. Where did the time go?

My holiday was wonderful; I flew into Edmonton on Thursday night, the 19th and Friday was spent frantically shopping and getting appointments taken care of. And, it would appear I got taken while I was out. I was sitting in my the car waiting for my parents to meet me when this young man rapped on my window. I rolled it down to find him standing there with big crocodile tears in his eyes and him looking all flustered. He gave me a story about how he'd been in a restaurant up the road waiting to catch the bus and someone had stolen his bags and jacket. He showed me his wallet, which had $100 in it, and said he didn't have enough money to catch the bus now to get home to BC. That a stranger had given him the sweater he had on for a coat and that he was a welder and made good money and would get it back to me after he got home. Now, had I not been so surprised by it all I would have asked him why his cards had gotten stolen and not his cash but I was flustered, he was big, and I was in a hurry. So, I gave him $50 to get him home and my business card and haven't heard from him since. Apparently, I got took but I kept thinking that if it had been one of my cousins in a pinch I would want someone to help them out so that's that. Ahh well. At least somewhere some probable con artist had a bit more of a Merry Christmas than he would have had otherwise. :o)

And so the next day my folks and I drove to Calgary to see my sister and brother-in-law and have an early Christmas with them. We had such a great time! I have to say it was perfect; we laughed, we ate, and we opened gifts. I was so happy to get a Kitchenaide mixer - I love to bake and have wanted one for years and now I have one! It's in storage until the summer which sort of sucks but it's nice to have it to look forward to when I head out for the summer.

Then on the 23rd we drove to Stettler to spend actual Christmas with my Aunt and her family and again, it was so nice. On the way there we stopped at the Red Deer greenhouse and they had the coolest ice sculptures there so I got a few pictures. The greenhouse was decorated to the nines with Christmas stuff including upside down Christmas trees and trees decorated with antlers if you can imagine! Heh heh I should start marketing the caribou antlers we find when we're out and about on the land. I could make a mint! :o)

Anyway, once we got to my aunts, we had a great time. We laughed, played cards, played games, ate and just relaxed. It was really cool to be in Stettler on the 23rd because they shut down mainstreet to vehicle traffic from 4-9 p.m. and set up 5 or 6 bonfires along the street to wander up to so you can warm yourself as you're shopping. And there was a horse drawn wagon that sauntered up and down the streets hauling tired shoppers from one end to the other. It was awesome! And Stettler is great as it has a lot of charming stores with really neat things for sale. I loved being there. And spending time with my mom's sister was so much fun. On Christmas Eve we had a homemade stocking competition where we broke off into teams and had to decorate a stocking from anything natural we could find outside. Good times!

Then on the 26th I headed back to Peace River with my folks and relaxed for the next day before Doyle came and got me and we headed to Grande Prairie to spend New Years there. It was nice to be settled for a few days and nice to hanging out in the country. It's a very peaceful place complete with horses, chickens, turkeys, and puppies! Doyle's dog had pups a few weeks earlier and I had a blast playing with them. So, I took it easy while there, baked (his oven has two temperatures - off and nuclear so I burned three batches of cookies!) and hung out in the hot tub. Loved it! And New Year's Eve was brought in with our friends Michelle and Irvine playing games and hanging out. Again, very good times.

And so January 1st I found myself on a plane back to Winnipeg from GP. There were delays due to the weather out East but everything went pretty smoothly. Except we were an hour late leaving GP which meant that West Jet had to hold the plane for me in Edm to catch my connection to Winnipeg. Nothing like walking onto a plane full of grim looking, possibly hung-over people who all know their flight has been delayed because of YOU. Heh heh, needless to say I was feeling a bit sheepish. And catching such a quick connection I just knew my luggage wouldn't find me at the other end and I was right. But, luckily it arrived sometime in the night and was there by the time I was back at the airport at 5:30 a.m. to catch my flight to Baker so all was good. And it was nice to have familiar faces on the plane ride up to Baker as Todd, Jenesta, and a couple other teachers were there and we all got caught up on what happened over everyone's holidays.

So yesterday I took down my Christmas decorations and just caught up on some rest. Today I have to do the grocery shopping and get going on my course that I've ordered from Athabasca University. It's an English course and has tonnes of reading involved in it so I need to get cracking. All in all I had a great trip but it's nice to get back and see Oliver and the gang. Thankfully everyone up here had a peaceful, relaxing Christmas despite the extremely cold weather they had up here. New Year's Eve it was -46 with a -59 windchill and while AB wasn't all that much warmer, I'm glad I missed out on the frosty weather up here.

Now, back to work and reality! Hi ho, hi ho.....

:o)

2008-12-16T18:21:00.002-06:00

Temp: -35
Windchill: -48
Sunrise: 10:17 a.m.
Sunset: 2:23 p.m.

Well, a day and a half to go and it is darn chilly here in Baker Lake. The teacher I work with has been out for two days due to that horrible flu and two more teachers got it today - I have to admit I'm getting nervous about it. Normally I'm not nervous about illnesses as I'm a bit naive and just assume my flu shot will protect me but then normally I'm not anxious to catch a flight either. But, positive thoughts!!

Other than that, tomorrow should be a fun day with the kids - ice skating in the morning and class party after that with an early release at 2 p.m. for them. And the past few days have been craft central in our class and I am officially the glitter queen. In fact I am heading to the shower right now and try to become less sparkly. Fun, fun, fun!

2008-12-15T20:38:00.006-06:00

Temp: -33
Windchill: -39
Sunrise: 10:16 a.m.
Sunset: 2:23 p.m.

Well, I've been incredibly tardy in keeping up my blog; I hope to rectify this from this point on. It's been pretty busy here in Baker Lake the last while and, well, truth be known I've just been darn lazy. And here we find ourselves already in the middle of December! The Christmas concert has come and gone and was a huge success. The kids danced and signed to 'Christmas Island' by Jimmy Buffet. It went over really well and the teacher I work with has an amazing knack for art and so the backdrop we made was that of a tropical island complete with 2 - 5 foot tall 3D palm trees. It was so cool. Once the internet picks up on the speed I'll try and post some pics of it.

Lets see... what else is a-buzz in Baker Lake? Oh!! As of tonight we have cell service in the North! Too funny. My cell phone actually works up in Baker Lake. How bizarre. I was just talking to Tania tonight about how things are changing so much up here, even since I came up in 2005. There are a whack load more trucks on the road (and I even saw an actual CAR driving around Baker in the fall - now that threw me for a loop and left me confused for a moment as to where I actually was) and fewer snow machines. Some prices have gone down at the grocery store, but not many. Milk is a few dollars cheaper than when I moved here but a small bag of dehydrated blueberries is $11. There's getting to be more of a selection here too; the Igloo Hotel gift shop has lots of knick knacks (including some really nice Christmas decorations at VERY reasonable prices and some, er, not very authentic looking Inukshuks made of resin and from China) and the cafe has been renovated and looks really great. It's still only open for lunch on select days and once in a blue moon it opens for a supper but still, the changes are nice.

And as for the recession hitting Canada and forcing fuel prices to drop, not so much here. While gas is teetering around the .75 cent mark down south it is still 1.49 a liter here because the price gets established at the rate it was purchased at when the barge ships it up here in the summer.

Oli and I out on the land with the gang ice fishing

Bike (obviously) snowblasted by one of our blizzards

And other than that, I am getting ready to fly out on Thursday morning. Now weather permitting and barring any illnesses things should go smoothly. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that I don't succumb to the violent stomach flu that has been going around the community for the past month. I was feeling iffy one day about two weeks ago but wasn't bad so I'm hoping that brush with it will suffice for this year and my flu shot will keep me feeling wonderful and ready to rock for the holidays. I'm really excited for this trip although I'll be traveling a lot and be incredibly busy. But, it will be worth it. I can't wait to be in stores, smelling the festive smells, hearing the music, and seeing all the decorations. I am SO in the Christmas spirit. My tree has been up since the third week in November but the festive feeling has really taken hold this past week. We had a Christmas brunch with the gang up at Todd and Jenesta's place on the weekend and the odd evening some of us have gotten together at Tania and Chad's and sat around watching the fireplace channel and visiting. I'd never given that channel any credit before but when you're up here with no actual fireplaces to be had, it's the next best thing. Heh heh, and you know Ivan swears he can feel the heat coming off of it. Too funny.

And, because we've only had two half blizzard days (last Tuesday and Friday afternoons) I'm trying to be confident that the bad weather will hold off until January so everyone's travel plans don't get messed up.

So, tomorrow night will be laundry and packing, Wednesday we finish school at 2:30 so I'll finish packing and then from 8 - 10 I'll be supervising wrapping gifts at the Northern as a fundraiser for the high school (should be fun but you can bet I'll be using hand sanitizer like a maniac to prevent catching any wayward germs). And come Thursday morning I will be southern-bound baby! Very good times.....

2008-11-17T17:40:00.006-06:00

Temp: -17
Windchill: -23
Sunrise: 9:02 a.m.
Sunset: 3:17 p.m.
flurries

Well here we are half way through November; I can't believe that in four weeks to the day I will be done school and fly out on December 18th to AB. I know I've said it before but man, this year is really flying by. And in just over three weeks we will be doing the Christmas concert! I am seriously tired just thinking about how busy this next bit is going to be. And tis the season to online Christmas shop - so the Visa is a bit exhausted too at this point in the game. Ahh well.

Last week I finally went out on the ice. It was only about 6 or 8 inches thick but people had been going out on it for a couple weeks already so figured it was my turn. We took the dogs out on Remembrance Day and partook in some ice fishing. I didn't catch anything which is par for the course with me but it was a beautiful warm day. In the last week or so we've had some pretty cold days; one day was -25 with a -38 windchill so it was nice to be out and be comfortable.

And other than that, I'm excited because the hockey arena is finally open to public skating. We don't have artificial ice here so the bay doors get left open to freeze the water as it is flooded and it takes as long as it takes. But apparently it is open and ready to rock so I'm going to check the schedule and get out this week. I love skating after school; the kids are there and it's a blast racing them down the ice and just goofing off, listening to the music over the speakers. Very good times!

2008-10-29T19:20:00.006-05:00

Temp: -20
Windchill: -26
Sunrise: 8:59 a.m.
Sunset: 5:16 p.m.

Well, here we are at Wednesday, October 29th and even I'm surprised at how cold we got today. -20 right now with a -26 windchill and it feels like it! This morning walking to work there were big beautiful fluffy snowflakes and it was very mild out. By lunch it was still really nice but by 4:00 it was down right crisp outside!

Winter in the background - she are here!

So tonight we went off to play badminton at the school but not before deciding 10 mins before to play fetch with Oliver. Big mistake! I bent down to grab the ball from the floor and he jumped up and cracked me in the face with his very big, very hard head. And shazam! I saw stars, tears rolled down my face and blood started flowin'. But, it only took a few minutes to get stopped and off I went. Now fingers crossed I don't end up having to explain black eyes tomorrow at work! So, in response, I have something in store for the little guy.

Payback's a .........

The gentle lil ladybug from next door and the butterfly who stings like a bee!

Sable after she got into Tania's pastels - with a little help from Chad :-)

And other than that we're crazy busy at school helping kids make Halloween costumes and get ready for the big parade in the gym on Friday. Should be a great time. And Friday night there's a sppoooooky party at one of the teachers house. I'm really pumped about it because they apparently deck their house out to the max for Halloween. Can't wait!!

2008-10-24T21:55:00.006-05:00

Temp: -3
Sunrise: 8:43 a.m.
Sunset: 5:33 p.m.

The last couple of days have been pretty blustery and snowy and it's left me feeling very festive and inclined to get ready for Christmas. Although I can't wait to get my decorations up, I am going to force myself to not put anything up until November 15th. And not a minute later! :-)

With the wind and the snow came the most amazing waves on the lake, which is normally pretty placid and tame. We took the dogs down to check it out and get a few pictures. If blogger actually lets me I will try and load them.

Other than that, our class was busy baking and getting ready for the flea market and bake sale this week. We had a great time and hopefully the sale tomorrow will go well and we can raise some money for the school and for the elders centre.

2008-10-22T18:44:00.003-05:00

Temp: -3
Sunrise: 8:37 a.m.
Sunset: 5:40 p.m.
Big fluffy snowflakes falling and Winter Storm Watch issued

Well, the past week has been an interesting one. We've had a few days at school where the kids have been pretty chaotic. Not sure if it's the change in weather or what but it's been a wee bit tiring I have to say. But, amongst all the chaos, I celebrated my birthday on Sunday. Todd and Jenesta had a brunch for me and the whole gang was there which was really nice. And on Monday I got a card from the class which made me chuckle. One of the kids wrote that I was a 'great ASL teacher - good job!' and another girl wrote 'Happy birthday. You have the best hair.' Well, ya know, what more could a gal ask for? :-) Too funny.

And, sadly, we had a tragedy in the community late Friday night. A wonderful lady named Alice, who was a friend of mine, was killed in an ATV accident. She took a corner too fast and was thrown from her honda and killed. It's devastating and has shaken a lot of people. The funeral was this morning; the church was packed and it was a nice service. Afterwards, I caught a ride up to the cemetery for the burial. I've been to several funerals before but not to the cemetery for a burial. It was very cold up there as it is on the top of a hill and completely exposed. And although I was terribly cold, having not dressed properly, I have to say it was a very unique and peaceful experience. The casket was set on the ground and everyone gathered around. The minister said a prayer and then called for the men to form a line to a pile of large rocks about 20 feet away. One by one they passed the rocks up the line and gently laid them around the casket until they were piled to the top. Then several pails of gravel were also handed up and carefully spread over the top until it could no longer be seen. Then another prayer was offered and family and friends laid flowers and wreaths on top. It was so touching; I was very moved by how many people were there and the amount of love that everyone has for Alice. I think the thing that moved me the most though was to see her teenage son holding up the cross at the head of the casket while everyone worked around him to place the rocks so carefully. He stood there, his forehead resting against the cross, just standing there so still. I will never forget that image. My heart absolutely broke for him. So, needless to say, the last few days have been sobering.

On to a different topic now; the school is organizing a fundraising flea market this weekend to be held at the community hall. The kids in our class will be baking goodies tomorrow in preparation for it. I think it will be a lot of fun and such a good experience for the kids. That is if we have school tomorrow afternoon. I see on the weather website that it's calling for a lot of snow and we have a winter storm watch. It would be pretty wicked to have a blizzard now as we've had a wonderful fall and still have hardly any snow to speak of. Would be very cool for Mother Nature to wow us with a gooder to start the season off right!

2008-10-16T20:45:00.005-05:00

Temp: 0
Sunrise: 8:18 a.m.
Sunset: 6:01 p.m.

Well here we are once again with the weekend upon us. It was a nice short week thanks to Monday off and Tuesday no kids due to PD. The weather is cooling off now; it's supposed to bottom out at -10 tomorrow with a high of -1. I can't get over the fact that we don't have snow yet. My first year here we were already ice fishing by this time! Well, some people were. Not me because I was too chicken. Heck, the lake froze overnight (as it always does) and people were walking on it the next day. This little girl can't swim so not gonna happen for me but good on those brave enough to do it.

And speaking of ice fishing... Todd took it upon himself to build an awesome new ice shack to drag out on the ice for fishing. Let me tell ya, this thing rocks! Hee hee, and it leaves me feeling a bit homesick as it's painted red and looks like a barn. All it would take is the scent of cow poop and it would totally feel like back home! :-) Anyway, it's blinged out with a window, benches, shelf and sturdy door. Oh there are gonna be some good times in this ole fella for sure. Can't wait!

2008-10-12T11:59:00.011-05:00

Temp: -1
Sunrise: 8:09 a.m.
Sunset: 6:11 p.m.

Well, the Thanksgiving weekend is nearly over and I have to say it's been very relaxing. I haven't gotten much accomplished but sometimes ya just need that kinda weekend. Batteries are fully recharged and I'm ready to rock for the coming week. And, tomorrow we have no kids at school because of teachers inservice so it's a nice way to ease into the week.

As for the weather, it's been a bit windy and chilly the last few days but still no snow to speak of. Frost yes, snow no. It feels odd actually not having snow yet. A while back someone was telling me that the elders were calling for an early and cold winter but she ain't here yet. It's nice actually. Although I wouldn't mind getting out of town and on the land before it hits. But I certainly notice that it's getting dark quite quickly. The days are getting shorter and I find myself yawning and feeling ready for bed by 7:30 because it's so dark out. Sure nice for sleeping though.

Last night we all went over to Todd and Jenesta's place for Thanksgiving and it was so nice. Everybody has been so busy lately that we haven't all gotten together in a long time. We had a fantastic spread of turkey and all the fixin's and then watched a movie. Kind of cliche I know but I found myself thinking that I'm sure thankful for my friends; both in the north and wherever else they may be.

Anyway, here are some pics that I've taken recently. Not great ones but just some sights around town.

This is the barge that got stuck here last fall and froze in. They got it out when the ice broke, anchored it out in the bay and she broke loose, floating around until wedging herself onto the far shore where she'd been stuck for a few weeks.

And this is the tug that thought it could! She tried and tried and finally got the barge out and hauled her off but it took a few days of trying. This shot was taken near the RCMP - love the little inukshuk they have set up there.

This is a barge that was docked and piled high. I'd been waiting for my barge order to get in as it was quite late. This barge was stuck at the dock for a couple days while the crane was having repairs done to it. The barge with my groceries is way off in the distance to the left.

Baker Lake is definitely a boating town!

And there she be! Finally got this delivered on Wednesday night while I was at badminton. Exciting stuff!!

Oli checking out the goods. While he didn't get into anything, he was certainly interested in the box of dog biscuits under my pickles!

2008-09-29T22:30:00.002-05:00

Temp: +3
Showers
Sunrise: 7:28 a.m.
Sunset: 7:01 p.m.

I'm not sure what was in the air today but the energy at school today was pretty high; I left feeling pretty exhausted and worn out from rambunctious kids and noise. And it's not even a full moon! :-) Man, it sure felt like a Monday today...

Tonight was pretty quiet but at one point I went outside with the pooch and someone was shooting off fireworks. It was a very cool surprise actually. Other than that, spent the evening having tea with Tania, dyeing my hair, watching NCIS and getting ready for my ASL classes tomorrow. Good times. Oh that and I tried to get Oliver to walk on the treadmill today. It started out not too bad but as soon as he got off he went a bit haywire. Sigh... I am certainly no Dog Whisperer but, if you're out there Cesar Millan, I am sure givin' this training thing the ole college try!

As for community news, there were a couple break-ins this weekend; one at the Co-op where several rifles were stolen and one at the NPS (a convenience store) where a whack load of cash was lifted. It's too bad. Seems like it's happening more often lately.

Other than that, tomorrow off to ASL and then home to finish editing a good friends course paper that I didn't quite get done on the weekend (sorry Cher!!!).

2008-09-28T14:07:00.003-05:00

Temp: +1
Sunrise: 7:25 a.m.
Sunset: 7:04 p.m.

Well things have been pretty busy here the last couple of weeks; I just don't know where the time is going!

Last weekend we had a surprise birthday party for one of the teachers and had a scavenger hunt to start it off. It was a lot of fun to plan and think up the clues but I have to say I made one rather significant flub when placing the clues. I hid the clues in black garbage bags with a big pink duct tape 'X' on each one (I know, who has pink duct tape?!). This might have been a good idea if not for the fact that it was pushing dusk when we got started. So, finding a black garbage bag at dusk when you don't really know where you're going is a wee bit of a challenge. Also, when hiding the black garbage bag at the dump (sigh... yes, I know, a garbage bag at the dump?!) we placed it on a patch of snow with rocks on it and the 'x' up. However, the rocks slid off and it ended up just being another bag at the dump which, apparently, was difficult to find. Who knew?? But, all in all a good time was had by everyone and it was something different to do on a Friday night which was good. It's nice to shake things up once in a while.

Then the week came and went pretty quickly and last night we had a gathering at the 12 plex between a couple of apartments. It was rather 'dorm style' with cards being played in one and dominos and music in the other. It was great actually. Lots of people came out for it and there were a lot of laughs. It was such a success I think we'll maybe try it again for Christmas.

And so this coming week not too much is going on. It's getting chillier outside now and I ended up breaking out my parka on Wednesday so winter she is a comin'. I'm a bit disappointed though because I'd been hoping to go to Winnipeg or AB for Thanksgiving but with Aeroplan not being accepted by Calm Air now it's not going to happen. The good news is that Canadian North accepts Airmiles and they fly from Rankin to Edm a few days a week so for Christmas that may be what I end up doing. At least on the way back up.

And today I'm ordering an English course from Athabasca University to work on while I'm up here. Should be interesting. Will be nice to keep me busy over the winter at any rate.

And, again a post with no pictures. I'm having a real problem loading photos onto the blog since I got back in August. Not sure what the problem is but once it's sorted I'll start posting some.

2008-09-16T19:16:00.005-05:00

Temp: -1
Wind chill: -9
Winds: 42 km/hr
Snowin' and a blowin!
Sunrise: 6:50 a.m.
Sunset: 7:47 p.m.

Well, all I can say is BRRRRRRRRRR!!

Last week I was so excited to see the first snow and yesterday we had our first real dump of the white stuff. It was still pretty and festive but a bit daunting coming so early. It is some kinda cold outside today. The wind is really strong and blows right through my fall jacket. Hard to believe I'll be pulling out my parka tomorrow to go to work. Man, I sure hope this doesn't mean an early freeze for the lake because I have yet to receive my barge order and am not expecting it for a couple of weeks. Fingers crossed!

Other than that, things have been going really well. Tonight I had my ASL class and still had a great turn out so that's good. Off to do a workout tonight and then tomorrow badminton at the gym. And then we are darn near at the weekend again. Time is just flying by this year; I can't believe it's already the middle of September. Wonder if I'll still be saying time goes fast in a couple of months once winter is full on here?!
:-)

2008-09-14T01:37:00.004-05:00

Temp: -1
Sunrise: 6:44 a.m.
Sunset: 7:54 p.m.

Well, I've finally bitten the bullet and turned up my thermostat. Actually, as I sit here tonight writing this I can barely feel my toes! Mostly my fault though as I tend to keep a window open to get fresh air in the apartment. Well that and the window crank in my bedroom is broken and so the window doesn't quite shut (new parts for it are on order and on their way, hopefully before snow comes to stay). It would seem that fall is on its way out and winter is eagerly peeking around the corner.

But, it's been a pretty good week here in Baker. I started teaching an after school ASL class for those interested and had a huge turnout of 18 people! It's pretty cool to see so many people actively interested in learning the language.

And this week our schools took part in the Terry Fox run which was a lot of fun and as per my past three years here it snowed the day of. Big fluffy snowflakes billowing about on Friday morning for about a half hour. It looked like someone put Baker in a snowglobe and shook it! I'm not sure but I may very well have been the only one truly excited to see the snow. We've had flurries off and on for the past week or two but this one was full-on and beautiful. It even had me humming Christmas carols for a while. :-) But, it was over before we went out in the afternoon so it made for a great walk in the crisp fall air.

And this weekend I attended the wedding of a couple here from town. I helped out with the decorations and then took in the festivities at the hall. Of course the bride looked stunning, as did the bridesmaids, and the groom and groomsmen were very handsome in their suits. We played games after the supper and then the square dance began. I never win at the games but they are so much fun to play. That is unless you get boo'd! The gist of the game is that everyone makes a huge circle and several dice are passed out. A number is chosen and that is the number you need to roll to join in. We had to get a 5 and when we did, we had to race to the centre of the circle where a lady stood with a grocery bag filled with scads of other bags, knotted twice. The goal is to untie the knots before someone else gets a 5 and you keep the bag; the person with the most bags wins obviously. Well it was my turn to go up and I couldn't get the knot so I went to yank at it with my teeth and the crowd boo'd me! Apparently this is against the rules... It was too funny! Hee hee, let me tell ya, I won't be making THAT mistake again. :-)

After that the square dance began and the first song lasted almost 40 minutes! I was exhausted just watching everyone. I wanted to join in but there were already enough people so didn't, and frankly I don't know if I would have been able to! I watched the dancers up there (who have incredible rhythm I have to say) and just when I thought I had it figured out a whole new move would get added. Heh heh, besides the fact that I would have quite possibly needed CPR had I joined in, I also may have hurt myself or someone else by flailing about in what would very likely have been the wrong direction. Next time though I definitely plan to give it a shot.

2008-09-06T08:45:00.004-05:00

Temp: +1
Sunrise: 6:21 a.m.
Sunset: 8:23 p.m.
Flurries!

Ladies and gentlemen, we have snow! :-) Not scads and scads of it but I woke up this morning and took Oliver out to do his business and lo and behold we have flurries today. It's not going to stick around but it's nice to see. Funny how living in a place where winter lasts for so long that I still get excited to see the first snow fly. I'm sitting here enjoying a cup of tea and just gazing out the window at the flakes. It makes me think of the Christmas season and all it brings with it. Love it!

Last night Tania and I went to Pam's and hung out there with a few friends and ended up sitting in the hot tub for a while. I have to say it's been a real treat having a friend that has a hot tub up here. It's in a covered shelter to protect it from the elements but the atmosphere is relaxing and fun all the same. Slept like a baby last night - very good times.

2008-09-05T17:13:00.005-05:00

Temp: +7
Sunrise: 6:18 a.m.
Sunset: 8:27 p.m.
Showers

Time has really flown by and it's been a pretty good week. School was fun with lots of sewing, crafts and a couple excursions, including berry picking today. The two grade four classes took the bus out to Blueberry Hill and picked berries, ate caribou stew, hot dogs and drank hot chocolate. It was kind of rainy but everybody's spirits were high and it was just a lot of fun. Nice to get out of the classroom for a while.

The high school science fair happened to be camped out in the same area. We had two tents and they had the rest for sleeping, eating and doing their thing in.

Fall colors in the Arctic

And other than that, it looks to be a pretty relaxing weekend. I'm heading over to my friend Pam's this evening to say good-bye as her husband has been transferred in the RCMP to the Whitehorse area. That's definitely one of the hardest things about living up here; meeting such great people and then everyone going their separate ways eventually. But, I suppose we just need to be thankful for the time we all have and enjoy it while we can!

2008-08-31T14:54:00.008-05:00

Temp: +11
Sunrise: 6:04 a.m.
Sunset: 8:45 p.m.
Sunny and beautiful

Well, today was a wonderful day I have to say. Actually, it's been a great long weekend so far. It started out with a pretty relaxing day on Friday at school as we had Olympics day in the morning and all of the students took part in games. It was so much fun! Then there were no kids in the afternoon so it was a pretty laid back day. Then Tania and I went down to the all to partake in festivities to honor an RCMP member and his wife who are transferring to the Whitehorse area. It was great and I have to say I haven't laughed that hard in a long time; I love joining in for the games and hanging out with the kids outside of school hours.

Yesterday I worked on a scrapbook all day and was absolutely lazy... It was fantastic! Then last night Todd and Jenesta had a gathering at their place which was really nice. Lots of people and lots of good food. Todd has the most amazing recipe for KFC style wings and drums. Oh man, they sure do put on a good spread. And it was fun to play pool and darts again. We are all so fortunate up here to have the close-knit social network we do. Very good times!

And today the gang went out to the point and we took the dogs which was perfect. I've been feeling badly as I haven't had Oliver out much because it's been raining so much lately. The poor lad was so excited to be out and in the water that I couldn't get him to come out of the lake even though he was half frozen and shivering uncontrollably. Too funny...

Anyway, I'm still having problems loading pictures on the ole blog but here are several from a couple weeks ago when we were out at the Prince River. I looked a bit like a marshmallow with a big noggin because I had on a sweater, two jackets plus a bug jacket, a cap, helmet and hood up over everything. Very pretty. :-)

Here's one of Tania flying their kite. This turned out to be a pretty cool shot.

And this one is of Christopher gassing up his honda (obviously!) at the Baker gas station. And we were off and running!

And this last one is of Todd, Jenesta, and Chris trying their hands at fishing from the boat. Unfortunately the only things biting were the black flies!

2008-08-17T01:03:00.011-05:00

Temp: +6
Sunrise: 5:30 a.m.
Sunset: 9:24 p.m.

Well, I am back in Baker after a wonderful summer down south and it's good to be back. The summer was pretty busy as I try to get in a year of visiting in, in just two months with friends and family. It means a lot of miles on the odometer in a car that thankfully is pretty good on gas, and a lot of miles on airplanes, which are not so good on gas. :-)

I was pretty lucky in that I got to travel to Newfoundland for my friends Todd and Jenesta's wedding in July; the whole gang from Baker was there and we had a great time. Newfoundland is a pretty beautiful place and everything you hear about friendly people from 'the rock' is quite true. So many things to see and such a short time but we really packed it in spending a lot of time traveling along the west coast.

I tried NL lobster and learned that the trick to cooking it is boil it in salt water. And it put into perspective for me 'fresh lobster' in AB vs fresh from NL. Hands down NL wins that one.

We went to the Tablelands which was pretty cool. Bare rock all along the one side of the valley and right across the road on the other side it was lush and green. Such a beautiful contrast.

And of course we saw lighthouses. All different sizes and full of character. The principal at our school took us to the one that was manned by his grandfather way back when. I was surprised by how tiny it was actually. I've tried loading a picture of it but have been having problems loading photos on the ole blog so will when I can.

After Newfoundland I flew to Ontario for my other friend's wedding, Tania and Chad. We did more touring around and a lot of visiting. I saw the statue of Ian Miller and Big Ben in Perth (woohoo for him by the way on that Silver medal - Go Ian!!), enjoyed the character of the tiny towns and communities in the area, took my second ever boat ride and had a dip in the lake. I learned that nearly stepping on a two foot long green and yellow snake does not mean I've come within an inch of my life but just that a garter snake is more afraid of me than I am of him! I went for a ride on Chad's Triumph motorbike and, in a non-related topic, I learned the ins and outs of using a composting toilet. Excellent! :-) And, of course, I attended another beautiful wedding in a breathtaking setting. If anyone is around the Perth area in the summer I highly recommend staying at the Clyde Hall Bed and Breakfast. It's like staying in a palace. And the evening of the wedding there was a full moon, stars above and we all hung out in the outdoor pool and hot tub. The day couldn't have been more perfect!

So, after all the gallivanting around the country I ended up back in Edmonton visiting friends and family and then off to Peace River for the final leg of my trip to spend time at the farm. I have to say I loved my summer and it couldn't have gone better. I even tried tubing behind a boat for the first time in my life and I don't know if the sore gut muscles were from hanging on for dear life or from laughter until I was exhausted but it was worth it! Very good times....

And since getting back home to Baker I've spent my time just hanging out with the gang. We went for a ride out the Prince River this past weekend, and it was some beautiful. When you get there it's hard to imagine you're in Nunavut and not on some beach down south. It's so beautiful out there. And other than that, I've spent time just getting geared up again for school. We've been back in class for a few days now and it's been really good. The kids have all grown so much over the summer and I missed them so much. It's great to be back!

2008-05-30T21:15:00.002-05:00

Temp: 0
Windchill: -8
Cloudy, windy and calling for snow
Sunrise: 3:18 a.m.
Sunset: 11:26 p.m.

Well, as I write this tonight it's chilly outside and has been pretty windy for the past several days. But, the snow is melting quickly and the canada geese are flocking here as are the seagulls and cranes. Last night I couldn't sleep and was outside at 1:30 a.m. with Oli when I heard a lone crane calling as it flew overhead. It was so beautiful and peaceful. I'm always struck by the sound of the cranes; it's so prehistoric.

Today was a really lazy day as the weather is so crappy. Pretty much it consisted of a nap, a couple of movies, some reading, and a bit of visiting over tea. Not too much going on here at all with only 12 days left to go. This kind of day reminds me of rainy days down south spent curled up with tea and a good book. Relaxing and peaceful. Good times.

This week will fly by with school coming to a close so soon which always leaves me melancholy but I'm really looking forward to Wednesday evening as Susan Aglukark is rumored to be in town for a performance at the community hall. I've seen her once before and she's great so it will be a treat to see her performing in the north near her home turf.

And, other than that, I'm off to continue reading my book and just take it easy.

2008-05-25T19:54:00.005-05:00

Temp: 0
Windchill: -4
Sunrise: 3:35 a.m.
Sunset: 11:08 p.m.

Well, only 17 more days left until the end of the 2007/2008 school year. Time is sure winding down. The weekend weather wasn't that great, not awful but just a bit dreary and chilly. Yesterday it snowed off and on pretty much all day. The boys spent the day trying to haul back Chris's snow machine as the motor blew out on it while out on the land; the slush is really deep now - up to their knees so as you can imagine everyone came back chilled and soaked from the knees down. But, the machine is back and will be doctored up and stored for the summer soon I'm sure.

Last night we all headed up to Shannon's place for an end of the year party. A lot of people will be leaving Baker this year and so it was nice to hang out for a bit and just shoot the breeze. Although it was odd heading to and from a party in the daylight I have to say. It doesn't get dark now, just dusky, and there are people out roaming around all night. Especially teens and it was a bit frustrating last night as my bedroom window won't close and the kids hang out at the Co-op across the parking lot, hollering and banging on the shed. They were out until 3:00 this morning and then I was woken up quite a bit earlier than I would have liked by my neighbour revving his honda outside my window to charge up the battery. So I'm a wee bit tired today but it's all good. And other than that, the day was spent working on a scrapbook for Todd and Jenesta's wedding which I think looks pretty neat. Here's hoping they agree! :-)

Anywho, here are several pics from our land trip with the kids a couple weeks ago. The weather was perfect and we all had a blast!

View of Baker Lake from The Point (Nuvu'tuaq)

Looking down at the fishing site

Caribou being prepared for our stew

Kristen and I soaking up the sun

2008-05-19T18:16:00.008-05:00

Temp: -1
Windchill: -7
Sunrise: 3:50 a.m.
Sunset: 10:51 p.m.
Cloudy and chilly

This weekend we finally had sunshine and amazing weather! We all went out on the lake ice fishing and to have a bit of a picnic of bannock, hot dogs, tea and cookies. It was fantastic! Exactly what I needed. It's been pretty gloomy here weather-wise for a very long time so it was really great to get out. In fact, I found myself nursing a sunburn afterwards and couldn't be have been happier about it! :-)

Oli making the most of being out of the apartment finally!

Todd drilling the first hole

Tania and I chowing down on some bannock

Chad cooking up more of the secret recipe

Ivan catching some rays on his Honda

So now I find myself counting down until I'm AB-bound once again. Only 22 days left and I can hardly contain myself. The dose of sunshine this weekend gave me a bit of a lift and has me longing for greenery and sunshine. Now it's been pretty toasty down south so I've heard, so I may regret asking for warm weather but at this point, bring it on! And with only 13.5 school days left we are in wind-down mode. Good thing too as attendance is quite noticeably dropping and the staff are all anxious for the break. Tis the season after all.

I'm looking out at the ice that is the lake right now and the edge is wet with runoff; slowly the ice is creeping back from the shore although it's still 7 feet thick and won't fully melt until July. Soon snowmobilers will be skipping across the open water to get to the ice to head out hunting and fishing. Everyone is walking around with 'snow tans' and burns from being out on the land and, with that comes snow blindness. It's amazing how bright it is up here even when it's cloudy and gloomy, and unprotected eyes suffer the consequences. Bloodshot eyes become a frequent sight as even the shortest time without sunglasses can damage the eyes. And it's painful.

Other than that, the kids are very excited to be out on their bikes and to be wearing lighter clothes. Off come parkas for the most part and out come the spring jackets and running shoes or rubber boots. Still a bit chilly for me to break out the spring coat though as I tried it today and found my teeth chattering when I got to school, but the rubber boots have been out for a while. And, after rescuing a small child's bike from a VERY deep puddle, I realized I have a 1 inch gash in one of my boots and they fill quite quickly. Chilly! But, pink duct tape on my army green boots has temporarily rectified the problem and new ones will have to be purchased the first chance I get to head to a Peavy Mart down south. Sigh.. I have nothing if not an acute sense of fashion. :-)

2008-05-12T19:25:00.005-05:00

Temp: 0
Windchill: -4
cloudy
Sunrise: 4:16 a.m.
Sunset: 10:25 p.m.

It's been another busy week here in Baker; my mom and auntie have been up visiting. They've taken in the sights and we've spent the time visiting and playing cards which was great. And as I write this, they are sitting at the table listening to the local radio and playing bingo. Too funny... But, all good things come to an end and they are homeward bound tomorrow afternoon.

Anyway, here are a few pics from their trip.

The gals on the first leg of their trip up

My aunt Chrissie standing beside a snowdrift

More snow...

My mom trying her hand at some Inuit games

Mom and I at the Nunamiut lodge having lunch

Trying my hand at string games - the kids taught me how to do this cup and saucer.

And with all the excitement I hadn't even noticed until today how much time is left in the school year. There is less than a month before school is out and I am again Alberta-bound! I'm really looking forward to that (especially the haircut!). I'm really hoping to spend some time in Edmonton and I'll be heading out east for a couple of weddings which will be really nice. A trip to Newfoundland and one to the Ottawa area; I've never been either place and I'm pretty pumped about it. I've always wanted to check out NFLD and this is the perfect opportunity! And Ottawa, well what can I say? I've heard so many good things about it that I can't wait to go and check it out with the gang. Good times...

2008-05-07T19:31:00.011-05:00

Temp: -9
Windchill: -19
Snowing and blustery
Sunrise: 4:30 a.m.
Sunset: 10:11 p.m.

Well, it's been very busy up in the north lately. This past week my friend Pam was up from Edmonton taking in the northern experience and we had a great time. We took in the Hamlet week activities and she spent time with us in the class at school which the kids loved. The weather during her stay was off and on blustery and sunny so she got a true experience of what it's like to be up here. And, she finished it off by having the plane she was to fly out on go mechanical and have to wait at the Baker Lake airport from 7:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. until she was finally able to leave. That was after of course having to 4x4 through many a snowdrift just to get to the airport! Good times.... And now, just enough time to tidy up, wash the bedding and have my mom and auntie fly in tonight for a visit. Time flies!!

45 gallon barrel pull race

Ice chiseling with a twist - listening to the old IPod to keep motivated!

Caribou skin pull

Hee hee, our meal of caribou, rice and rolls at one of the Hamlet day feasts. Check out that plate!

Pam and I trying our hands at Arm Pull

Kids traditional dress contest for Hamlet days

Caribou skins drying

Pam and I out on Ivan's machine

Christopher checking out the Inukshuk

Pam's version of pole dancing in the Arctic! :-)

Sun over the lake, obviously. Still 7 feet of ice baby!!

2008-04-27T10:00:00.002-05:00

Temp: -20
Windchill: -30
Clear and sunny
Sunrise: 5:08 a.m.
Sunset: 9:35 p.m.

Well it's been a nice weekend after what felt like a really long week. The kids are having a hard time paying attention now what with spring here and daylight lasting so much longer. I don't blame them though; I'm having a hard time paying attention to anything too! It's hard to believe there is only 43 days left until summer holidays. It sounds like I've been counting down but this is actually the first time I've done the numbers. I find myself really looking forward to being down south for the summer as it's been such a long cold winter. Everyone is feeling it and anxious to have the break.

But, before that happens, I have company coming for the next couple of weeks! I'm very excited about it. My friend Pam, who is also an interpreter from Edmonton, is coming this Wednesday for a week. I'll be honest though, I'm pretty stressed about how I'm going to get her from the airport because both the taxi companies have shut down and I don't know anyone with a vehicle that won't be needing it at the time I pick her up. It may mean I have to borrow a machine to get her. Heh heh, could be interesting!

And the day after Pam leaves my mom and aunt come up for 5 days. I'm really looking forward to that too. I've had friends come up every year but never family so it will be pretty special to have them here and share my experience with them. Actually, I'm really pumped about them coming.

And other than that, I've been busy working on a couple of scrapbooks for friends weddings. Oh, and I did a 7 day herbal cleanse last week which was difficult but I feel really good for having done it. It really rejuvenated my body/spirits. It feels good to wake up with energy again. Will feel that much better though when I'm sitting on a deck chair in 5 weeks on a patio somewhere nibbling on watermelon and sipping ice tea! :-)

2008-04-15T19:47:00.005-05:00

Temp: -7
Windchill: -14
Sunrise: 5:50 a.m.
Sunset: 8:58 p.m.
Sunny with clouds
Another beautiful day!

Here are some pics from the last couple of months.

Chad and Brian chipping a hole out on the lake - the chipper is about 8 feet long

And the chipper disappears into the hole and it's not through yet... that ice is some deep!

Pressure ridge on the lake out at White Hills

Brian in front of the pressure ridge - it's over 6 feet tall - crazy!!

Catching some rays on the caribou skins

The gang celebrating with the lucky ladies at their stagette.

Checking out the action in the hood

2008-04-13T17:23:00.002-05:00

Temp: -5
Sunny and melting!!!
Sunrise: 5:58 a.m.
Sunset: 8:51 p.m.
Snowfall warning

Well, it's been a while since the last update - things have been busy here in Baker Lake. The weather only recently turned beautiful and Snow Buntings have been spotted so spring is officially here!! Thank goodness. It is so amazing to have the sun out and see the snow melting away before our eyes. Good times...

So, since the last posts not too too much has been going on. We had stag/stagettes for the three couples we all hang out with who are getting married this summer (must be something in the water up here!), there were a couple trips out on the land, and just hanging out. I'm trying to load some photos but the site doesn't seem to be working. I'll keep trying though.

Anyway, we've only got a couple months left to the end of the year and it's going to be pretty busy. I've got company coming at the end of the month and I'm really looking forward to it. A friend from Edm is coming and my mom and aunt are coming up the week after for Hamlet days. Should be great!

2008-03-09T19:36:00.007-05:00

Temp: -25
Windchill: -44
Wind gusts: to 71 km/hr
Sunrise: 8:03 a.m.
Sunset: 6:06 p.m.
Blizzard

I have to say that this past weekend has been a great weekend even though we were in the midst of yet another blizzard. Friday night was spent playing a couple games and watching movies with friends and Saturday night we all decided to go visit the igloos after dark for tea. It was amazing. The ride out was pretty chilly but once we got inside it was nice and toasty. But, before we got to go inside the boys had to dig out the entryway because of the last blizzard that snowed it all in. Once we were settled inside we had tea and hot chocolate, visited and played some inuit games. But the most amazing part of the night was when Tania and I rode back in the box of the komatiq, flat on our backs just gazing up at the stars and the northern lights. I felt like a little kid again. It was the most peaceful and amazing feeling to have all that darkness surrounding us, set off only by the stars, and highlighted with dancing streaks of pale green across the sky. I hope I never forget that feeling; what a fantastic experience.

And Sunday the crew went down to the hotel for a delightful brunch. The walk there was very mild (woohoo! no snowpants required!!) with just a slight gusting wind. Slowly snowflakes began to fall, the wind picked up and BAM! By 2:30 we were in blizzard mode! It tapered off by morning though so that's good.

Anyway, here are a few pics of our little 'ole tea party

And Tuesday night (which was last night but this posting was started on the weekend, hence the date) was the annual Science Fair at the high school. It was so great to see so many families come out and check out all the projects. The kids were some excited to show off what they put together for their parents and 4 groups got picked to go to Arviat to present there in the finals this weekend. It will be interesting to see if any of our kids makes the cut to go to the Nationals.

2008-03-04T23:11:00.002-06:00

Temp: -39
Windchill: -60
Winds; 50 km/hr
Sunrise: 7:21 a.m.
Sunset: 5:51 p.m.
Blizzard

No more apt words were ever spoken as the words from Scent of a Woman to describe our weather today. 'Hoo-ahh!' She be cold today. Down right chilly. Heh heh and the cable is still out, planes haven't gotten in since Saturday and don't look to be getting in until at least Wed night but likely Thursday. Unfortunate for the teachers who are still stuck down in Winnipeg and over in Yellowknife from having gone out for PI week. Also unfortunate for the cable repair people waiting on an itsy bitsy part to be flown in to rectify the cable dilemma. :-) Ahh well, it could always be worse. Heh heh, touch wood we still have heat and water.

So, tonight was spent having tea with the neighbours and then watching a movie with a friend. We watched the Robin Williams Live DVD that he made for HBO and it's saucy but absolutely hilarious! Good times. Now off to bed to see if we get a call in the morning...

Oh, but first, if anyone is looking for the blow by blow on how to build an igloo, go to the website www.wildernessrhythms.com where my friend Chad has a website and has developed a really cool section on how an igloo is built and why. Very informative and nicely laid out.

2008-03-02T17:27:00.007-06:00

Temp: -34
Windchill: -52
Sunrise: 7:28 a.m.
Sunset: 5:44 p.m.

Well, I'm back in Baker after having had a week off for PI week (professional improvement) and although it's good to be back, it was sure nice being in Alberta with some warmer weather. Temperatures there were between +4 and -15 so it was down right balmy! It was great being near the family again too and catching up with everyone. I got back on Friday, which as it turns out was a good plan, because we've got a mild blizzard happening right now and the planes have been cancelled for today (catching a few teachers who went out by surprise and stuck in a hotel in Winnipeg). It's not too bad though and visibility is fairly decent. And, I think just having had the break made a real difference for me. I feel refreshed and ready to get back at it!

Yesterday we got out of town with the gang and went out to see the igloos that some of the teachers learned how to build on their PI week. We made a small addition to one of them and tossed around the idea of sleeping in them sometime in the not too distant future which would be a lot of fun. I really hope we get to do it. I didn't realize until recently that I hadn't actually been out on the land in months before this so it's no wonder I'd been having a bit of cabin fever lately. The cold weather just made it no fun to go anywhere so it was great to have a reasonable day to get out. Very cool.

Me, Ivan, Jenesta and Edna

Chad laying down the first row of the addition

Cutting my first block

There she be!

My neighbour Chris and I while I'm sawing a block

Trying to get a picture with Oliver, ever the distracted one. :-)

Tania lookin' frosty

Todd takin' a breather from cutting blocks

And for the past couple of weeks the town has been having cable difficulties and for a few days now everyone is doing without TV completely. Man, you sure don't realize how much TV you watch until you don't have it. I've been scrubbing walls, cleaning radiators and just basically doing spring cleaning. Been a down right productive weekend I have to say!

All in all it's been a great week and my batteries are recharged and ready to go. Good times....

2008-01-31T23:23:00.000-06:00

Temp: -36
Windchill: -56
Sunrise: 9:11 a.m.
Sunset: 4:04 p.m.

Still cold. I'm sitting here, 11:30 p.m. watching a very large, very old delivery truck try and make it up the small hill near our apt building. The roads are slick and vehicles are lucky to start let alone drive around with ease.

But, the good news is tomorrow is Friday and come 4:00 I won't have to be out and about in this weather except for a very quick trip to the Northern. Thank goodness.

2008-01-30T19:51:00.000-06:00

Temp: -39
Windchill: -57
supposed to dip to -63 overnight :-(
Sunrise: 9:14 a.m.
Sunset: 4:00 p.m.

Brrrrr. That pretty much sums it up. Well, damn cold is another way to say it. Skin freezes almost instantly it seems is another. Busses don't run properly but kids still walk to school in this, is another. The dog does his business on three legs, yet another. Sigh... I know it's the north but COME ON! Enough already!!!

Well, we've been pretty much in a deep freeze since getting back at the beginning of January and I have to say it's getting a bit old. Everyone is feeling exhausted and worn out and experiencing cabin fever. Well, probably not everyone but I am for sure. And for about a week there were no planes coming in or out which leaves one feeling isolated and absolutely CRAVING fresh produce! And bread. And milk. And mail! It was so nice to get mail again. I got a wonderful surprise care-package from a friend in Calgary and let me tell ya, I sure did appreciate it! So many fun goodies - care-packages are definitely a treasured luxury when living in the north!

But, with all the cold weather I have to say it is honestly pretty inspiring to see these little ones trudging to school, so determined to come every day regardless of frostbitten faces, necks and hands. Man, I've always thought that kids are our greatest teachers and this is yet another example of that! No complaining, smiles on their faces and just bundles of giggles. Definitely humbling.

Anyway, there was a brief reprieve on Sunday so Tania, Chad, me and the dogs went out for a romp on the ice. Here are a couple pics from that.

With the cold weather comes frost... indoors! Ice on the stovetop vent at the neighbours.

Pancake lunch with some of the gang on one of the surprise blizzard days we got off school. Good thing our dogs don't beg... Sheesh.

2008-01-20T10:09:00.000-06:00

Temp: -32
Windchill: -49
Blizzard
Sunrise: 9:53 a.m.
Sunset: 3:27 p.m.

Well, Baker Lake has been in blizzard mode since last Wednesday and it's been really nice. Thursday and Friday we were off school with 90 km/hr winds but it's letting up today. And we actually did really good with the water situation; we only ran out of water yesterday afternoon and once they got all the water/sewage trucks thawed we had water delivered in the evening so we were good to go! And for tomorrow it's calling for -57 windchill which is a bit chilly I have to admit. It makes me laugh really because school stays in session up here, as long as visibility is good, until - 62 I think. But when I was a kid taking the school bus from the country in to town, if the temperature was colder than -32 we didn't have to go to school in case the bus broke down. -32! Here, we have outdoor recess until -44. Heh heh, it sure makes the point of how different environments foster strength or softness in us though hey? Too funny.

Anyway, here are some more pictures from the Vegas trip, back home and the blizzard.

Grand Canyon view from the helicopter

Dad and Chris hammin' it up

The Belagio fountains - absolutely amazing to see!

Some trees back at farm (I love the view out the lane at my parent's place)

Gearing up to take Oli outside to do his business

My neighbour outside checkin' the weather

2007-12-26T22:52:00.000-06:00

Baker Lake
Temp: -29
Wind chill: -42
Sunrise: 10:23 a.m.
Sunset: 2:26 p.m.

Las Vegas
Temp: +6
Sunrise/sunset: much longer!

Well, we made it safe and sound to Las Vegas baby! The temperatures have been really great compared to the north but today was surprisingly chilly. We headed out today on a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon, went to a dude ranch (too funny!), and saw the Hoover dam. It was a fun trip and we got some neat pics but on the way back we got stuck in a line-up to cross back over the dam with literally hundreds of cars ahead of us. For two and a half hours we sat in the line-up just inching along so, needless to say, I'm getting a bit travelled out. Tomorrow we'll head out for some shopping and then Friday night do a late Christmas with the fam. Should be fun

After we finish up here I have to get back to Winnipeg and pick up Oliver who, as it turns out, had a serious liver fungus and had to be treated on IV antibiotics for 4 days. Good times....

Anyhow, here are some pics...

Happy holidays!

My sister Ashlyn, my brother-in-law Chris and I drinking something called The Borg Sphere at the Star Trek restaurant in the Hilton. We all also took in the Borg show and it was a hoot!

Off we go on a trail ride at the 'ranch' on a horse named Peddle that was on auto-pilot and refused to do anything I wanted her to do. Nice... And, to top it off we had to wear helmets which left us feeling a bit like someone there for therapy and not pleasure ;-)

Our wagon and driver (who had about as much energy as Peddle did) :-)

The Hoover Dam

My folks wandering around the Joshua Tree forest (but they aren't actually trees I found out - just plants)

The view at night (obviously) from the Mirage where we stayed - holy lights!!

The volcano/water show featured nightly at the Mirage - corny but cool to see

When in Vegas baby!!!

Freemont Street and the popular overhead show put on every hour - pretty cool

Some quiet time just enjoying the tree we bought and decorated

2007-12-15T14:07:00.000-06:00

Temp: -21
Sunrise: 10:15 a.m.
Sunset: 2:24 p.m.

Well, it's Saturday today and it's felt like a very long two weeks. We've been sooo busy at school preparing for the Christmas concert, which was on this past Thursday night, and was a HUGE success! Our class decided to do a version of Stomp for our part of the concert; for a while it seemed like it might not work out because our attendance was pretty low due to illnesses going around, but in the end it worked out great.

Stomping our way through the Christmas concert - the kids did everyone proud!

Kristen, our teacher, and Pam the Dental Therapist working on crafts for our class

This past week has been fairly stressful as Oliver came down quite sick and I had to fly him out to a vet early this morning; hopefully, everything works out there. And as well, a member of my family is waiting for results from some tests that could be quite serious. This is when it is very difficult to be living in such a remote community, so far away from one's family. But, the holidays are coming and it will be good to get home for a while. I fly out of Baker on Tuesday afternoon and then on Saturday my family is flying out to Vegas for Christmas so that should be a good refresher. Viva Las Vegas Baby!!

Prepping the kennel for air travel in the North

Here are a couple pics of the kids playing Inuit games. The goal of the first one is to balance the stick (with a pin on the end of it) on each finger and spin it off to jab it into the mat upright. Looks easy, but not so easy as I found out. I had the band-aid to prove it!

Muscox wrestling

Cool frost on the classroom window

2007-12-08T15:25:00.000-06:00

Temp: -21
Wind chill: -36
Blowing snow
Sunrise: 10:01 a.m.
Sunset: 2:31 p.m.

Well, this week felt like a really long one but in fact, school-wise, it was quite short. We ended up having blizzard days on Tuesday and Wednesday so we were off and it gave me time to get caught up with writing Christmas cards, doing some baking and getting parcels done up to send down south for Christmas. It was great to have the time off but when we went back to school on Thursday the kids and staff were all dragging like we needed a break from the break we'd just had!

And so with the holidays coming, I thought it would be nice to have a half decent Christmas photo of me and Oliver so I took it upon myself to try and take it myself. Well, seemed like a good idea at the time...

Friday night the gang got together to for a bit of Christmas cheer at Ivan and Edna's which was really nice. We played Rumolie, had a great supper and ate some cookies. And, if that wasn't enough, Santa payed us an early visit! Very good times....

And yesterday I ventured down to the hockey arena and volunteered to take some pictures for the hockey association. It was Hockey Night in Baker Lake and it was such a fantastic turnout! It was wonderful to see all the kids out, playing hockey in front of the whole town, and them having their family and friends cheering them on. They were so proud; what a great night! And, Santa and Blizzy (the Baker lake mascot) made a surprise visit, which made the kids night for sure.

2007-11-29T19:44:00.000-06:00

Temp: -30
Sunrise: 9:37 a.m.
Sunset: 2:48 p.m.

Well, the week has been a pretty interesting one. I ended up puppy-sitting for a friend Sunday to Wednesday and what a pup he was. I'd conveniently forgotten what it was like to have a non-potty-trained dog around. Sheesh! Heading outside in cold weather every hour on the hour... good times! ;-) Anyhow, Oliver was pretty much a pouting grump for the whole three days but what can ya do?

Awwww...

Oliver couldn't get far enough away from the little guy

Frisky and maybe a wee bit big for his britches!

Other than that, my neighbour Chad and some co-workers have nets set up out on the ice for fish and it's been good feeding ever since they set them up. Yum!!

Here's a picture of one of the first ones he brought home. Hee hee, it's almost as big as Tania!

And here's a picture of a fish that I gutted and is currently wrapped up in my freezer waiting to be eaten. It's kind of a gross pic though so be warned. The neat thing of it all is that there were two fish in it's belly when I cleaned it. So cool to see these fairly sizable fish in my fish! This was only my second fish to gut but let me tell ya, it's a walk in the park compared to butchering chickens. Now THAT's a disgusting job! :-)

Well, it's hard to believe that Saturday is already December. We're gearing up at school for the Christmas concert which the kids are really excited about, and it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas! I'm getting into the holiday mood which is nice and I'm really looking forward to Christmas and my family's trip to Vegas. Should be a good time; different for a Christmas break, but still a really good time. But, until Christmas gets here I am going to pass the time with skating. Got myself a pair of really comfy skates and once I get them sharpened this weekend look out! No seriously, look out. I'm a lousy skater (especially with figure skates and that blasted toe pick!) but it'll be good to get out and have some fun. Hee hee... now to find some hockey pads so I don't end up breaking something!

2007-11-25T21:00:00.000-06:00

Temp: -24
Windchill: -37
Sunrise: 9:25 a.m.
Sunset: 2:57 p.m.

Well, this week was pretty good; Thursday afternoon and Friday we had parent teacher interviews so it was slow at school, which was kind of nice. Friday night was pretty miserable outside so I just hung out at home and watched 'Disturbia'. What a good movie! It wasn't predictable which was refreshing. Good times.

Saturday was pretty low key and then Sat night it was off to some friends for supper. This morning I had everyone over for brunch for Edna's birthday which was nice. And tonight, I am puppy-sitting. Actually, I'm puppy-sitting for three days; he's a real cutie but it has definitely curbed the impulse to get a playmate for Oliver. Nope, I'm a one dog kinda gal that's for sure.

Other than that, not too much new here in Baker Lake. Oh, well there was an awful accident this weekend. A couple walking along the road were struck by a drunk driver and the man had to be medi-vacced out and I understand that it's a bit touch and go. Here's hoping he pulls through ok.

Well, no pictures to post tonight as I'm off to bed and hopefully it won't be a long night with the wee one up and down over and over. We'll see what tomorrow brings!

2007-11-16T21:20:00.000-06:00

Temp: -25
Windchill: -35
Sunrise: 8:56 a.m.
Sunset: 3:22 p.m.
Moonrise: 2:46 p.m.

Pretty chilly

Well, this has been a great week I have to say. It started out with a Deaf consultant (from Manitoba) coming to the school for a visit and it was sure a great experience. It felt good to be signing with an adult again and to get feedback on my work. It was great, and I am exhausted; my arms feel like they're going to fall off and I've slept like a log because of it every night. It put some spice back in the career which is definitely a good thing.

Tonight I spent some time at the school volunteering at the Math Camp that was arranged by several of the staff. It offered the grade five students an opportunity to stay the night at the school with staff and do math activities, play games, and watch a movie late into the night. I only stayed a few hours but it was a fantastic time. The kids were great and so well behaved. It was obvious that they really appreciated the night and couldn't have been more excited. I don't know what the decibel level was but it was right up there! :-) Heh heh, gotta wonder if anyone is going to get any sleep in that gym tonight. But, a big kudos to the organizers who did a fantastic job!! Very nice. And to top off the night, I had a chance to see the comet (Holmes is the name I think) that is out and about. It was a beautiful orange and way off on the horizon but pretty cool just the same.

Other than that, I'm sleeping in tomorrow and heaven help the person that wakes me up! And, I may actually decorate for Christmas this weekend depending on how festive I feel. Only six weeks to go until Christmas! Can't believe it...

2007-11-11T08:54:00.000-06:00

Temp: -25
Windchill: -36
Sunrise: 8:40 a.m.
Sunset: 3:37 p.m.
Sunny

The guys went hunting about a month ago and got a caribou. It was a beautiful pelt and here it is being cleaned.

The last little while it has been birthday central here at the 12 plex. I decorated Chad's door on his big day.

In September we had a few good snowstorms; here's a pic of our school after the fact.

Oliver in his new favorite position: people watching and protecting the digs in comfort. What a life....

2007-11-10T22:51:00.000-06:00

Temp: -20
Windchill: -31
Sunrise: 8:36 a.m.
Sunset: 3:40 p.m.
Was a sunny and beautiful day it was!

3:30 p.m. Sunset over the playground at school. Gettin' dark early now.

Well, it's been a long time since writing. Unfortunately, I had to send my computer out for repairs yet again! Ahh well. With any luck it's fixed and good.

I'm trying to think what's been going on in the last few weeks. They've really flown by that's for sure! In the middle of October two boys went out hunting on a Monday after school and didn't return home. The weather was really cooling off by then and the nights getting quite chilly so everyone was, of course, really concerned. The Rangers were called in the next day for search and rescue but it was difficult for them as there was also a mother and son who'd gone out hunting on the Sunday night in Arviat and hadn't returned so the Rangers were doing double duty between the two communities. But, thankfully, all were found on Wednesday and everyone is safe and sound.

The lake froze over finally about two weeks ago and true to form people were out on it fishing within a couple days. Yikes! I am wayyy too chicken for that! The guys went ice fishing this afternoon and said it's about 14 inches thick now so tomorrow I will venture out to check it out. The weather was pretty cold this week (I was out on recess duty on Tuesday and the windchill was -40) but today was beautiful and tomorrow looks to be the same.

Here are a few pics of the whole barge process. Blogger wasn't allowing uploading of pics for awhile so I'm putting up a bunch of random shots from the last little while.

The barge that brought in the groceries

Some of the pallets that needed to be delivered

Woohoo! There she be!

Here it comes

Gettin' stocked up

Here's a picture of the one barge that's still in the bay, frozen in. Apparently an ice breaker is going to come and get it out at some point.

And as far as Halloween went, it was a lot of fun with the kids. I was a scarecrow; not so original and I had to borrow pretty much everything to pull it together but it was fun and the kids liked it.

For the treats to hand out, Tania and I had the brainy idea to make popcorn for the kids this year. First, we decorated 200 brown bags.

Then, we made popcorn to stuff those 200 brown bags. Sheesh! What a process THAT was!! :-) But, it was fun and gave us some laughs while doing it. And, my floor stayed squeaky clean because it turns out that Oliver LOVES popcorn. Good times..

Working two popcorn poppers at once... pretty talented! ;-)

And this is what 200 bags of popcorn and two very tired girls look like!

Thankfully the weather cooperated with the little ones for Halloween because on the 29th we had our first blizzard day!! It was a really nice surprise because we didn't have much loose snow to speak of and when I went to bed it was clear as could be. Love surprises like that (when I'm not trying to catch a flight out)!

Other than that, it's hard to believe how fast time is going this year. We're already nearly half way through November! Crazy... Although Monday didn't feel like time was passing quickly because I had the flu. So, like a good girl I went for my flu shot yesterday and, other than a pretty good headache from it, I should be good to go for the year. Fingers crossed because the flu and colds have been pretty rampant already.

2007-10-20T14:19:00.000-05:00

Temp: 2
Cloudy, calling for flurries, and VERY muddy

Well, since I last wrote I finally received the ever-elusive barge order I'd been waiting on. I got it last Saturday and I have to say it was pretty exciting to get my first barge order! It was fun packing it all away and knowing there were some things I wouldn't have to worry about buying at the Northern or shipping in on Foodmail. I've been trying for a few days to upload some pictures but our internet up here has been terribly slow lately.

We had a nice Thanksgiving over at Tania and Chad's last weekend. Mmmmm turkey!! The whole gang was there and then after dinner we played a bit of Cranium which was fun.

The weather has been very mild these last couple of weeks; we had a couple good snow storms at the end of September but since then we've had a lot of rain and the snow has mostly melted away. It's crazy. By now the lake should be frozen, people out on it ice fishing and there should be a fair bit of snow on the ground. It's funny and I know most people would think I'm crazy but I don't like this mild weather. Red mud gets all over everything and we haven't had a plane get into town since Wednesday because of the thick fog we've had. FOG! In October! Bizzarre..... Actually, a flight finally got in today and it had freight on it which is a good thing because the Northern was out of milk, eggs, bread, fruits and vegs since Monday and a whole lot of other stuff. Pretty frustrating I have to say. Between the planes being unable to make it in and the mining companies buying up a lot of the groceries at the store for their camps it's been slim pickings for a while now.

Other than that, I'm just really looking forward to Halloween. Haven't figured out a costume yet but I'll have to get on that this weekend. Can't have the kids upstaging me now can I?! :-)

2007-10-04T19:54:00.000-05:00

Temp: -4
Sunny again today!

Today was a pretty cool day. At school we had a nice laid back day before an extra long weekend for the kids. In the afternoon a scavenger hunt was planned for the whole school and it was so nice to be outside wandering around in the sun instead of inside a classroom. Good times... Tomorrow the kids have no school as we have an inservice so it will feel like an extra long weekend for us to!

Other than that, not too much else is new in Baker. A barge is in the bay but unfortunately it's a fuel barge and not the food one. Ours should be here on Tuesday, fingers crossed. At least the lake hasn't taken a notion to freeze yet. We've had a couple good snow storms this week and so snow is on the ground again and it looks like it's here to stay. Skidoos are out, snowmen are popping up all over the place, and the Northern store has it's Christmas decorations out! Can you imagine? I mean I'm a pretty festive gal but seriously.... before Halloween??? Crazy.

Last night my neighbours came by to help me unclog my bathroom sink and, although it drains like a beaut now, it made one heck of a mess! When it was being plunged the grungy fluid shot out the drain on the side of the sink and splashed all over the place. Now that is serious pressure. Too funny.

Well, Thanksgiving is upon us and this weekend should be kind of nice; we're doing a supper on Saturday night. Mmmmmmm turkey. Can't wait!! And with any luck we'll get out for a bit of a trip this weekend. It's calling for flurries pretty much all weekend so time will tell. I've got a hankering to go sliding and just play while the weather is still mild.

And of course, as is par for the course, a bad flu has been going around the community. Lots of kids and several teachers have fallen victim to it and Chris, who also lives in our building, got it too the poor bugger. So, to limit the spread of the virus to the rest of the building a couple of pranksters (who shall remain nameless) posted this sign on his door. But, it seems to have done the trick! Touch wood, I'm still healthy!

And here's a picture of our principal, Ivan, delivering pancakes to the classes. Very creative apron Ivan!

2007-09-30T12:26:00.000-05:00

Temp: 0
Windchill: -7
Winds: 33-46 km/hr
SUNNY!!!!! Finally, after two weeks of dreariness

Well, as I said, the sun is finally out and it feels pretty darn good! We have had flurries off and on for the past few weeks but yesterday we had our first snow storm to speak of. The wind was pretty strong, and still is today, but yesterday the wind was so strong that we actually had some pretty significant waves out on the lake. It was kind of hypnotic to sit and watch from my window.

And as I write this, I'm so happy to have my computer back. It crashed about 10 days ago and had to be sent to Winnipeg for repairs. Seems silly I guess but it sure felt isolating not having internet access and communication via email (although I did get a lot of errands done around the house). Between that and weather I thought I was going to go batty! It wasn't a great week but the sunshine today has just made it all better! Well, that and the fact that the repairs were covered under warranty (replacement of the soundboard).

So what have I been up to lately..... Well, school has been good. We went berry picking a couple weeks ago. It was chilly and snowed the morning we went so it was more about hanging out with the kids than picking berries but it was so much fun. The kids are great at rolling with the punches. Snow angels were made, we warmed ourselves by the fire, some VERY ripe berries were picked (and ate), soccer was played, and bannock was eaten. Good times. Here are some pics:

Last night my neighbour Chris had us all over for a feed and was it ever good! He did himself proud for sure. The boys played music and sang and it was lovely (lovely ~ how can you tell I'm watching Coronation Street as I type this?). :-) And today I'm just going to head to the Northern and pick up some stuff to make Sushi for supper and then edit the school newsletter. Just a laid back weekend.

As for what else is going on, I did a barge order this year but it's been delayed. It was supposed to be here Sept 22nd and now isn't slated to arrive until October 9th. I am hoping against hope that we don't get a couple good freezes before then. Nothing like exploded pop to damage all your food! Fingers crossed....

Well, another night I'll attach some more cute photos from berry picking. The internet is wayyy too slow tonight.

2007-09-14T21:52:00.000-05:00

Temp: -1
Snowing
Pretty chilly

Ladies and gentleman, we have snow! The first snowflakes were spotted on September 6th. Our first real flurries were on the 9th (woohoo I nailed the date) and last night it was cold enough that the snow has actually stuck around. It is truly beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!!

And what with the snow on the ground and the chill in the air, our berry picking trip was postponed until next week although I don't hold out much hope for the weather or the berries. Ahh well. The next event to look forward to... the freezing of the lake. My guess is October 10th so we shall see how that pans out.

And with the chillier weather of course people are dressing warmer. Toques and mittens, parkas, and Crocs??? Here's a picture of Helen the teacher I worked with my first year in Baker in her parka and Crocs. Heh heh, who says it's just the kids more concerned with staying fashionable than with being warm! :-)

Other than that, things are good up here. Time is flying by and it's hard to believe we're already half way through September. Only three more months and we'll be gettin' ready for Christmas. Crazy..

Here's a picture of an art project I got to puddle around with in class while the student was doing the same. Man, elementary school is so much fun. It's great feeling and playing like a kid again! Does a person good for sure.

2007-09-05T18:10:00.000-05:00

Temp: 6
Calling for flurries on Sunday!!

So as I write this, kleenex box nestled close by, I'm amazed at the amount of fluid that can flow from one's nose. Sheesh... My comfort at this time is the tea I am drinking from my new tea mug. Ever since I bought the movie 'Under the Tuscan Sun' this summer I have been obsessed with Tuscany and one day getting there. So, when I came across a set of four mugs on the Coldwater Creek website called Tuscan Mugs, of course I had to get hem (yet again, I have WAY too much time on my hands)! So, between my nose running and my neck being put out and, well a pain in the neck, it was a kind of long day. But, it is now a beautiful night in Baker Lake; the sun is out, the air is crisp and the lake is a deep amazing blue. Life is pretty good.

And while the view out the front of my apartment is of the lake in all her glory, the view out the back has something to be said for it too. Down south in AB about this time is when the corn fields have matured and some have been turned into mazes for the amusement of the public. While I have never gone through one, I have always wanted to. Funny how we put things off until 'later'. But, as luck would have it, Baker Lake has it's own version of a maze. Out back of our building there are hundreds of barrels that, I think are empty, and have been brought here for storage. Day after day for several weeks I would see one poor fella hauling barrels, 6 or 8 at a time, in his pickup truck and drop them off. I have to give the guy credit; it was not an easy job. But in laying them out, trails were left between some of the barrels in order to maneuver around and the kids have since shifted them in order to walk through them (though the odd child leaps on top and glides across the tops). So there we have it. The maze in Baker Lake. And the in the morning and early afternoon the barrels come to life after having been heated by the sun and sound off in a chorus of bongs and bangs. Too funny. Between that and the seagulls it's a downright musical place where I live! :-)

As for work, school has been coming along swimmingly. The kids are happy to be back as are the teachers. Sport programs are full steam ahead and our school will be heading out on its annual berry picking trips within the next couple of weeks. Looking forward to that; it should be a lot of fun.

2007-09-04T20:29:00.000-05:00

Temp: 4

Well, first week back after the long weekend and man was it ever hard to get up this morning. Doesn't help that I'm suffering from a cold I suppose. Ahh well.

The long weekend was nice and lazy; Friday night just hung out and watched a movie at my place and Saturday night it was off to Todd and Jenesta's for a gathering and to celebrate their birthdays. Really nice. Sunday was a really lazy day for me but a lot of people from the community were out on the land and saw Muscox! I'm so jealous. Dang my honda for being broke down now. Sigh... ahh well. And yesterday Tania and I took the dogs for a walk out behind the town up by the cemetary. It was really nice and peaceful out there. Oliver found every body of water he could and rolled in it and a couple of cranes followed our every move for a good part of the walk. There's nothing like the sound of cranes; it sounds very prehistoric to me. We actually got quite close to them but of course I didn't have my camera with me.

Anyway, that was the weekend in a nutshell. Except that a friend, mentor and fellow interpreter lost her battle to cancer on Sunday and I'm left feeling very sad and very far from my Alberta family and friends once again.

But on a different note, we are taking dibs on when the first snowflakes will fly. In 2006 it was Sept 7th. Last year, the 8th. Hmm... it's pretty chilly in the air now and geese are just a flying down south now so I'm guessing it will be the 9th this year. Gotta allow for that global warming up here I suppose.

2007-08-28T20:04:00.000-05:00

Temp: 7
chilly

Well, it was a whirlwind of a weekend last weekend what with all the travel and the wedding but it was sure a lot of fun. We set out on Wed afternoon and had about a 5 hr wait in Churchill and the staff there were amazing! They took pity on Oliver and me and the staff let Oli hang out with them while one employee drove me into town to get some food. Nice! Then it was off to Grande Prairie after a stopover in Winnipeg where I ran into a friend from Baker which was nice.

We got to GP and my dad picked me and Oli up and dad whisked Oliver off to the vet to check out his problems. I just got a call from the vet and thank goodness everything is good with him. Turns out he's merely neurotic and suffers from severe separation anxiety! Good times. An expensive trip just to find that out but my vet's office was so good to us ~ thanks guys!!

So, with that, I'm back in Baker and we're heading into a long weekend which is going to feel soooo nice. Can't wait to catch up on my sleep on Saturday. Heaven help the person who wakes me up before a good sleep in let me tell ya! ;-)

Anyway, here's a few of pics from the weekend.

Michelle and I at the reception

A quick stop at a little pub after the ceremony with the wedding party. The best man Jim and I looked rather comical as he's 6'4 and I'm 5'2. Too funny...

Flying out on the way home. It was pretty cool to see the farmland from the air.

And this is the landscape of Nunavut from the air. So pretty.

2007-08-17T23:55:00.000-05:00

Temp: 9
A chill in the air.... could fall be around the corner???

Well, the weather has been a bit chilly lately and cloudy but I suppose that's what we should expect with August fast coming to a close. Actually, I'm looking forward to fall and the first fall of big fluffy snowflakes. After having spent a sweltering July in AB I have come to the conclusion that I am very much a winter girl!

Anyway, the town is a buzz right now with the many barges coming in; both for personal orders and for supplies for the mines that have gone in here. I am breaking down this year and placing a barge order and it should be here in mid to late September if everything goes as planned. I only wish that one could get fresh produce on the barge as I have not had much luck getting any through Foodmail. Here are a couple pics of the produce and Tofu that I recieved yesterday (note the expiry date of June 13th!) Nice....

Mmmmmmmmmm..... strawberries or some kind of science project?

And on the opposite end of the spectrum we have very green, very hard bananas. Excellent!

Sigh... this trying to eat healthier isn't going so well.

A couple weeks ago Jenesta, Todd, Tania and I took the dogs out to the edge of the lake for a bit of a romp. It was an amazing day and the sky was so blue that the water looks phenomenal! The dogs loved playing in it and Oliver LIVES to fetch the ball. That is, apparently until he decides he's had enough and he plunks his butt down in the water while the ball floats 20 feet behind him. The look he gives me is 'you get the blasted ball, I've had enough!' :-)

Jenesta in the back of the truck with the rest of us heading out to the edge of the lake

All in all, it's been good being back. We started work this past Wednesday but the kids don't come back until Monday. However, I've run into a lot of the students around town and it's been so great to see them. Man, in two months they've grown and changed so much! Some of them are catching up to me in height, it's crazy. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed the kids until I saw them again and I think it's going to be a really fun year. We're with a teacher named Kristen who is new to Baker but was in Whale Cove for a few years before coming here. She's got a great sense of humour and will be a lot of fun to work with. And, she's 10 feet tall so we'll make an interesting pair in the classroom. Ok, she's probably only 6 foot something but with me being 5'2 it's going to look a bit like Mutt and Jeff I'm afraid. :-) Too funny.

And this Wednesday I head back to Alberta for my good friend Michelle's wedding. I think it will be a good time. The trip just got a bit more complicated though in that I have to take Oliver out to the vet to get some tests done. Sigh.... I'm pretty worried about the little stinker, so I'm really hoping that it ends up being a bug of some sort and not diabetes or a bladder thing. Living in the north will make it very difficult and expensive to treat something serious. I'm hoping against hope that it's tapeworm or something like that. It's amazing how dogs can become such an important part of the family. Fingers crossed he is A-OK.

2007-08-07T11:45:00.000-05:00

Here are just a couple more cool pictures I took while riding from Peace River back to Edm to come back up North. The one of the flag on the shed didn't turn out quite as well as I'd hoped but I love this picture because it reminds me of going home. It gets repainted nearly every year. Pretty cool.

2007-08-06T22:38:00.000-05:00

Temp: 12
Chance of showers
Nice and cool...

Well, not too much new in Baker. I'm working on a scrapbook for a friends wedding in August which I hope turns out nice. And, other than that, I'm just taking it easy until school starts next week.

Here are some more pics from the summer.

The fam playin' checkers at Sandy Beach

Sittin' at the cabin by the 'smudge' that we had to keep the bugs away (actually, I just kind of suck at fire building) :-)

Mom's rock garden full of lilies - just beautiful!

2007-08-03T23:00:00.000-05:00

Back in Baker
Temp: outside: 9
inside my apt: about 30 I'm guessing

Well, after 7 weeks down south I am back home and it feels good. It's nice to be back where life is calmer and there are so many familiar faces. I got in today at about 4:00 after our plane went mechanical in Thompson. I know this happens pretty regularly but it's the first time I'd been on a plane when it happened. I don't know what it was that happend to it but they had it fixed in about 45 minutes and we were off and running so that was good.

Anyway, it was really good to get back and see my boy. He looks so different; he's lost weight too which is good because he was a bit chunky when I left but there's a bit of concern of how much water he's drinking and relieving himself of. I need to have him checked out for diabetes so we'll see how that turns out.

And here are some pictures from my summer.

Me and my girls hanging out at the Pembina River; they are such beautiful girls. It was great to see you Stacey and Kelsey. I miss you so much when I'm in Baker. Thanks for everything!!

2007-07-18T14:26:00.000-05:00

Well, the summer has been toasty for the past few weeks. Let me tell ya, driving around in a car with no air conditioning in +32 weather isn't much fun! I have a grand scheme to sell my car and buy something new next year. Something with air conditioning for sure! :-)

Last week we had a supper for dad for his 65th birthday; it had to be scaled down due to a death in the family but it was still a nice time.

Dad with his cake

Some of the fam sitting down to a WONDERFUL spread care of Aunt Jean

My cousin Tyler hamming it up

My cousin Dustin

Aunt Suzanne and Uncle Jack

Mom and my cousin Kiersten laughing it up over her 'creative' card playing

The next pic is of the cabin I was supposed to stay at this summer. I arrived after doing some power shopping for next two weeks only to find a note about bats on the ridgepole. I misunderstood and thought they were outside the house. Hmmm... Well, upon doing some house keeping I boiled some water and poured it and some bleach into a dishpan. Then, I transferred it to the other dishpan only to hear a blood curtling screach! Apparently I boiled a bat. So, I got the little critter covered up and took him outside to try and get him to fly away. Sigh... well it was not meant to be. He was too injured so I had to end the poor dears life. Now, between me being afraid all the other bats would attack me for killing their 'bat kin', and the young guys across the road firing fireworks at each other ('Ow, my face', 'Ow, my back') I decided to pack up and head to a hotel.

Here's a couple pics from the cabin

The outhouse

So, for now I'm staying at my cousin's place in Edm until I figure out what to do for the next couple of weeks. It's pretty disappointing though because friends were going to come stay with me at the cabin and my aunt, cousin, sister and brother-in-law were all coming down at the end of the month for a bday party for my dad. Today I'm trying to figure out what to do about that but it's not looking good. Ahhh well. Thems the breaks I guess.

Batgirl signing off for today....
:-)

2007-07-11T19:27:00.000-05:00

Baker Lake
Temp: 21

Edmonton
Temp: 27
Feels a LOT hotter (or, perhaps my blood still has some snow in it from being up north and I'm just a wimp)!

Well, after spending the last month at the farm with my folks I find myself in Edmonton yet again. Seems like I've been doing a lot of driving this trip home! Peace River to Edmonton or Peace River to Grande Prairie and back again. I'm catchin' up for the last 6 months of not being able to get behind a wheel! It's good though because I sure do miss driving when I don't get to do it every day. But, come Monday I will be firmly planted at the cabin for the next couple of weeks. I'm lookin' forward to the quiet and, hopefully, more sunshine and some canoeing.

Here are just some random pics.

A trip to GP garage saling with my mom and aunt in June. Apparently there was a garage at this place. :-)
While on this trip it absolutely POURED rain and lightning struck a few houses away. Loud and VERY scary!

My Aunt Janet, ever the camera shy gal

My mum

These are from Sexsmith, which is just outside of Grande Praire. It's charming and very tiny.

A beautiful old barn in the middle of town

The doctor's office I'm a guessing

I took in the fireworks on Canada day in Peace River. Tried to get some pics but they didn't turn out that great.

The Peace River flowing through the valley near the Shaftsberry Ferry. THIS is the Alberta I love!

Our tiny little ferry

My mom's dog, Spot, who was in the bad books after he killed a newborn deer but later redeemed himself when he chased a black bear from the yard with mom and me sitting only about 50 feet away. Atta boy!

2007-06-22T00:37:00.000-05:00

The longest day of the year is upon us!

Baker Lake:
Temp: +1
Sunrise: 2:47 a.m.
Sunset: 12:05 a.m.

Edmonton:
Temp: +17
Sunrise: 5:05 a.m.
Sunset: 22:07 p.m.

Well, I'm at the hotel for one last night. Tomorrow I will finish off a bit of shopping and visit some more friends. All in all, it's been a nice trip. Today I did some shopping, had some appts and then tonight met the crew I used to work with in Edmonton for a barbeque slash baby shower. My friend Lori had a beautiful baby girl named Amber a couple weeks ago. What a little heartbreaker she's gonna be.... Beautiful!

Dana, me, Jacquie and Heather hanging out at Hawreluk Park

Horsin' around

SUCH a beautiful park!

2007-06-20T21:42:00.000-05:00

Temp: 20 (in Edmonton)
Sunny!!!

Well, I landed in AB on June 13th after a bit of an adventure. First, we left Baker at 8:00 a.m. and, as luck and the weather would have it, we ended up not having to do the 'milk run' of stops we normally make. The fog was too bad so we ended up going from Baker straight to Thompson (missing Chester, Rankin, Arviat and Churchill). Good for us! Bad for those who were supposed to make connections in Rankin. And the turbulance was really bad! I hadn't realized how uptight I was about it until the next day I could hardly open my jaw, the muscles were that sore! Sheesh. And, with having missed all those stops, I would have expected to land in Winnipeg early. And we were: 5 mins early. I have no idea how that worked out.

Anyway, a hop skip and a jump and I was in Grande Prairie, AB meeting my folks off the plane. Green grass/trees and family... it doesn't get better than that! So, we ended up staying an extra night in GP because my cargo didn't arrive. Apparently it got bumped in Edmonton due to a large shipment of live bees and fish that had priority. Go figure... :-) Friday we headed home to PR and.... a haircut! Woohoo!! I no longer look like a cave woman!!

Which brings me to today, as I write this I'm in a hotel in Edmonton. I'm here for a friend's baby shower and to catch up with people that I haven't seen in wayyy too long. Sunday I head back to PR for a couple weeks and then the last two weeks of July will be spent in a lovely cabin of my friends on Lac St Anne. I'm sooo excited for that. Relaxing on the lake.... good times. But, being here today it's crazy how much Edmonton has changed in just two years. There is so much more traffic and construction. There are new buildings everywhere you look! It's one busy city and it's way past busting at the seams. Housing is brutally expensive and in short supply. The more I see of it, the less I think I'll be able to afford to move back when I finally leave the north. It's too bad.

Anyway, here's a picutre of one piece of my cargo that got way-layed on the trip up. Gotta love that duct tape! It's a beautiful old rocker that was at our school in the library and the base broke off of it. It was to be thrown in the garbage but I couldn't let that happen so I brought it home to repair. One of my friends said 'How old are you that you're collecting rocking chairs?!' but I don't care. It's so special to me to think how many kids rocked in it while reading books in the library. Love it!!

And Oliver likes it too!

The view from my hotel room... downtown Edmonton.

Just another beautiful tree!!

2007-06-09T13:36:00.000-05:00

Temp: 1
Wind warning ~ gusting to 80 km/hr
But, it's relatively warm outside
Sunrise: 2:59
Sunset: 23:48

Well, school is finished for this year and it feels good. Friday the staff went for lunch at the Nunamiut Lodge and it was really nice. We are losing some really great teachers to other opportunities; Jen and Taras have bought a lovely acerage in Bancroft, ON; Marie and Phil are heading back to NFLD, Nancy and Gary have accepted jobs in Inuvik (where they have a fantastic indoor pool - I'm so jealous!), and Kelly is heading back to BC.

Last night after work we all got together at Chad's for a wind down. It was nice to see everybody, some for the last time in Baker, and just hang out. A bit of music was played but mostly just shootin' the breeze and reminiscing about the year. Good times. Tonight Todd and Jenesta are hosting a bbq at their place. Mmmmmm I miss barbeques! Should be fun.

Here's most of our staff

Phil enjoying the view

It's been a long, long year :-)

And, big surprise, it's snowing again today

2007-06-07T20:11:00.000-05:00

Temp: -2
Wind chill: -7
Winter Storm Watch
Sunrise: 3:03
Sunset: 23:43

Well, today was the last day at school with the kids. It was a good day; pretty much just hanging out with them and then the awards ceremony in the afternoon. Good times.

Only one more day of school and only 5 days until I get to go home. Providing the Winter Storm Watch warning that's posted on Environment Canada's webpage doesn't turn into the last 5 day blizzard of the season that some of the elders still think we are in for. Hard to believe there's only 13 more days until the official first day of summer....

:-(

2007-06-04T17:46:00.000-05:00

Temp: -5
Wind chill: -14
winds gusting to 46
Sunrise: 3:09
Sunset: 23:39

Well, I complain about the weather way too much so I'm not even going there today. I will, however, show a few humorous pictures from today. Up here, with the temps as they are (NOT a complaint!!) we don't get bugs really until July and August. So, with that, you don't keep the screens on the windows until the bugs arrive because they really restrict the circulation.

Having said that, with wide open windows come critters. Until now I had no problems with this, after all, I have a ferocious guard dog. Hmmm... yeah right. So I came home after work today, toodling around getting supper ready when I heard a funny noise from the bathroom and out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw something flit by. Sure enough, there was a very confused little bird flying around my apt. And, an even more oblivious dog following me around wondering what it was that I was doing. Yeah, Labs are good bird dogs my butt! Anyway, I called in the cavalry, the bird was shoo'd into the hall, out the doors, and all was right again with the world. Too funny...

Lost and confused in the 12 plex

Bonding with the other birds that exist in my apt

Apparently I scared more than the heck out of this little fella! Nice....

2007-06-03T11:33:00.000-05:00

Temp: -3
Wind chill: -12
Winds gusting 50-70 km/hr
Snowing

Well, it's Sunday morning and the wind is just a blowin'! So much for going for a walk out to the airport like I had been hoping to do. The weather hasn't been great lately, cloudy and chilly but the snow has finally been melting! The ditches are running with water and we have red mud everywhere! I took Oliver for a walk last week and he took it upon himself to roll around in a massive puddle with some kids. He truly is a filthy dirty dog... :-)

Anyway, here's a couple pictures that aren't particularly interesting but it's all I've got for now. The first two are the view from my apt today. The last one is of Oli saying goodbye to his hunney for the summer. Tania and Sable left last weekend for the summer so it's much quieter around here. :-) Evenings have been spent hanging out and having tea at Chad or Ivan's. Friday night I had everybody over for ribs, Sat morning we all headed over to Ivan's for a great breakfast and the rest of the day was just super lazy.

School is winding down now and this week will be mostly just tidying up loose ends; a class party, cleaning up, sports day, awards day, and then the final day with no students. It's funny. I'm really looking forward to going down south to summer (or going down to be a Qaplunaaq for awhile as Bertha, the teacher I work with, says), but I'm sad to not see the kids and my friends for a couple months. Not so sad to not see the snow however. :-)

2007-05-21T19:01:00.000-05:00

Temp: 0
SUNNY AND BEAUTIFUL!!!

Well, this long weekend was pretty darn nice up in Baker Lake. We've had fantastic weather! Feels like spring is finally here.

Friday night was fun; a music night with everybody and then Saturday night we went to one of the teachers who had a last party for everyone before people head out for the summer or relocate down south. It was fun. Unfortunately I've had a flu bug this week so I took it pretty easy. Man, I'm sure glad I got my flu shot in the fall. I never was a believer in them until this year. Helps so much when working in the schools.

Only 14 school days left now. I'm looking forward to spending some time down south. I even dreamt about Subway last night ~ how crazy is that?! I'm a good baker, but I'm sure sick of my own cooking. Chicken this, chicken that..... I am going to go restaurant happy when I get home! :-) It's funny because the same thing is happening this year for me as last and that's I'm craving salads like you wouldn't believe. Lookin' forward to the variety again!

And with the warm weather, comes extended daylight. It is getting harder and harder to convince the old brain when bedtime is because it's not getting dark now. We just have dusk now and so I've been forced to tin foil my window. If there was any doubt which apt the Albertan lived in before, there isn't now! :-) But hey, whatever works...

2007-05-16T18:30:00.000-05:00

Temp: -10
Wind chill: -18
Sunrise: 4:05
Sunset: 10:36
Snowing..... again!

Well, we're coming closer to the end of the school year here; 16 school days left, 23 days including weekends, and 28 days until I fly home for the summer and see green grass ~ woohoo!! As of today we still have A LOT of snow, but it turns out this time last year we were spoiled with all the melting starting in March as it was not the norm. This is the norm.

Here's the view from my apt today

A Ptarmigan hanging out in front of the high school

A couple pictures of the cemetary. It's quite a beautiful, peaceful place. Because of the permafrost, caskets are not buried but rest on the ground and are covered with rocks. When Karen was here, we borrowed Chad's machine to tour around and take some pictures. Unfortunatley, it broke down at the cemetary and Chad had to rescue us. Afterwards he hauled us out to the Inukshuk for some pictures.

Tania's parents and Chad's mom were all in town the same time that Karen was here so the 12 plex was bustling with social activity. A lot of dominos and cards were played and we had a couple music nights; it was really nice. Here's a picture of them dressed up to brave the elements during Hamlet Days.

Here's a picture of people dressed up in the traditional caribou clothing. Toasty warm!

Here's a picture at the 45 gallon barrel pull race. It's a lot harder than it looks trying to keep an empty barrel on a Komatiq over rough terrain!

2007-05-11T18:45:00.000-05:00

Here are some more pics from the last week.

Now to dispel the myth of what girls do when they hang out, here's a picture of what we did when Karen got here. No pillow fights, no playful romps. No, no... we candled our ears! :-) Hee hee. Oliver was quite concerned by the flame apparently jutting out from my head.

You know dogs get along when they prefer to share the same bone

Karen in my parka

The two of us dressed up and ready to face the elements

Karen and Oli in his favorite position ~ the little weirdo took to doing this as a pup.

This is called the Swing Kick. A belt is looped around the neck and legs and then you must lift yourself up and swing your feet to hit the target. The trick is when you come down to land feet first and not on your bum or it doesn't count. You get three tries.

2007-05-11T16:12:00.000-05:00

Temp: -11
No wind chill and it's SUNNY!!!! Woohoo!!

Well, since I last wrote, my friend Karen made it safe and sound into Baker Lake (after a wee bit of a delay in Churchill as the plane had to drop them off, fly to Arviat, pick up people that had been stranded there the last couple of days due to weather, fly back to Churchill so those people could transfer onto another flight, pick up Karen and the rest of the passengers and then get into Baker 2 hrs late). Not too bad for her first experience flying into the North I must admit. I had visions of her being holed up the whole time in Arviat or Rankin in a tiny hotel room because of the iffy weather we'd been having and not even get into Baker, so 2 hrs late was not a big deal! And it was a good thing she got in when she did because planes didn't get in on Sunday because of a mild blizzard and Monday wasn't any better. Whew!

Sunday and Monday were spent hanging out with everyone, playing Dominos, the Stick Game, enjoying a bit of a music gathering and just relaxing on the long weekend (Monday we were off for Hamlet Days here in Baker). Tuesday after work we took in some of the Inuit games at the RA school and down on the ice. There was an Igloo building contest and an ice chipping contest so we took those in and can I just say Holy Crap!! I've never felt lazier than I did when I watched the competitors do their thing with such ease and skill. Unbelievable...

Now, I may be the only person out there who did not know how an Igloo (also spelled Iglu) was made, but in case I'm not here's a brief description of the process. First, a circle is cut in the snow with a Puna (snow knife). Then, slowly the blocks are cut from this circle in the 'floor' and laid around the edge, the tops being shaved down with the Puna to give the Igloo a spiral effect. Blocks are laid in a full circle and then on top of each other, slanting inwards slightly so that at the end there is just a small hole to fit one last block in and the entrance to cut out. And Igloos are much deeper than they appear because the 'floor' has been cut out to make it. It's so amazing to witness the elders building them and know that it is such a recent part of their history.

So the sun is finally out but some of these pics are from when it was blustery and grey outside. Too funny though because kids are the same anywhere; as soon as the weather warms up, out come the bikes! Here's some pics of the festivities on the lake.

The bikes are out in full force now

And they're off!

Starting to resemble an Igloo

Round and round

Putting in the last blocks

Last but not least, the entrance

Karen in the finished product

Then we headed on over to the ice chipping contest. The ice is still really thick, about 6 or 7 feet, but it didn't take very long for the pros to knock out their holes. Times ranged anywhere from 15 mins and up and there were both male and female competitions.

Feels a bit like you're standing on a perforation when you're this close to the action

Ta-daaaa!!

2007-04-29T17:43:00.000-05:00

Temp: -7
Wind chill: -14
Gawwd I'm getting tired of snow!!

Well, the weather has warmed up outside and with that comes snow! We have scads and scads and scads of snow. Good times. Oliver loves it but me, not so much. I'm in the middle of making plans to go home for the summer and I'm really looking forward to warm weather and greenery. I love it up here but I can't wait to not have to wear boots, mitts, parka... But it's kind of a bummer to plan going out for the summer because that's the nicest time up here weather-wise. June is the nicest month in NU and it's such a shame to miss it!

This weekend was a quiet weekend. I'm happy because I bought a small deep freeze for my apt from friends moving down south and they dropped it off today. Woohoo! Geeze, I feel like I should bake something just so I can freeze it!

I went for a short walk with Oli today and it was hilarious because in a matter of minutes I had my own little posse of 7 kids following me, I should say Oli, around. One little guy decided that his name shouldn't be 'Oliver' but should be 'Snowlover' because he rolls in the snow so much. I thought that was cute. He said he was going to try and find out what that was in Inuktitut and give him his own Inuktitut name. What sweet kids.

And with this weekend over, that means that my friend Karen will be here in 5 days!!! Snow Gods, please don't dump on us again until after her plane gets in safely!! We can't have blizzard-bound company now can we?!

These are the only new pics I have as of late. Sad news: my camera just bit the bullet! Grrrr!!! Anyway, here's some pics of Oli in the snow. Now I know it seems like all my pictures focus mainly on him but there's a reason for that (no I'm not completely and weirdly obsessed!) I use the pics on my blog as a teaching tool with the student I work with, describing how things are laid out, what's happening etc., in ASL. Very motivational since he's obsessed with dogs! :-)

Oli digging, digging, digging...

Nope. Nothing there.

Maybe over here?

Digging is hard work.

Oli and Sable tethered outside keepin' watch over the 12 plex. Oh I feel safer now... :-)

2007-04-21T13:09:00.000-05:00

Temp: -8
Wind chill: -18
Weather Warning

Well, it's Saturday morning and we woke up to probably 6 to 8 inches of fresh new powdery snow on the ground, and big ole fluffy snowflakes just a comin' down! It felt very peacful and quiet. It's funny to say that I suppose, up here in the land of ice and snow, that more snow would be welcome but it was. I don't care where I am or what time of year it is, snow like that is so calming and hypnotic. Love it!!

So, it was soccer practise with the kids for three hours this morning and this afternoon will be spent just catching up on things around the house. Last night I watched 'The Prestige'. An interesting movie but a bit long. I actually liked 'The Illusionist' better. And last week I watched 'Come Early Morning' with Ashely Judd which I really liked. This is one thing I do a lot of up here, watch movies.

Anyway, at school this week we started writing letters to pen pals in Toronto. We took the class around to different sites in town and took pictures to send down to our new 'friends'. It was fun and everyone was really excited about it. Good times...

Anyway, here are a few more pics.

Part of the town's snowfence

A husky tied outside a house (check out those eyes - absolutely beautiful!)

This next picture is too funny. I was at the Co-op one day and someone directed me to the bulletin board covered with various flyers and notices....... and this partial denture that apparently someone lost.

Sweet......

2007-04-16T20:07:00.000-05:00

Temp: -14
Wind chill: -27
Blizzard

We have a LOT of snow coming down way up here in the North and let me tell ya, trudging through it ain't no walk in the park! It's been just a blowin' all day and there are drifts everywhere. And under that drifting snow is glare ice. Fun, fun, fun!!

Other than that, things are good up here. The year is winding down so quickly, it's hard to believe it's almost over. But, my good friend Karen is coming to visit for Hamlet Days at the beginning of May and I am super excited! Three weeks and counting.... :-) It's so nice to have company up here because it's a chance to share this tiny hidden-away community and it's culture with people who've not yet experienced the Arctic.

Here's a picture out of my window this evening.

And here's what happens when you leave your window open in the middle of a blizzard...

Here's a pic from Easter weekend when we were out fishing. I was feeling a bit 'under the weather' and needed a nap.

2007-04-12T21:00:00.000-05:00

Temp: -11
Absolutely beautiful day!!

Woohoo!!! I am throwing caution to the wind and am coming right out to say that Spring is here!!!! It got to -3 today and it was sunny and absolutley amazing! Boy, the days are getting longer (it's 9:15 and bright as anything outside), the snow is just a melting, and it's so sunny it hurts not to wear sunglasses. Such a welcome change from even a week ago!

Here are some cool pics from our walk yesterday.

My ever talented pooch looks like he can walk on water but, alas, it's just funky ice

Very cool ice bubbles (?) (click on the pic to enlarge it - it's pretty cool)

Tania heading off into the sunset

Oliver, looking like a tripped out speed skater, trying to catch his footing

2007-04-09T10:53:00.000-05:00

Temp: -19
Beautiful weekend!!

Ahhh... it finally feels like spring could be here! The weather this long weekend has been absolutely wonderful! The sun is out, we're in the -teens for temperature and it's just been a real nice weekend.

And with such great temps, it was time to get out and take the dogs for a run and do some ice fishing. Good times. Some of us caught a few fish but I never do so I decided to stay home today while everyone else goes out, do some work, and keep my bad luck away from them (because they never catch anything when I'm around either)! And, to be honest, I'm happy to just hole up for my last day off before getting back to school.

Oli and Sable catchin a ride from Chad

Jenesta's parents coming out for some fishing (Thanks again Jean for the home made bread... AWESOME!!)

Tania and Chad chippin' away (the ice was still about 6 feet deep I think they said)

Todd's auger gettin' the job done too

Other than that, things have been going well up here. The days are getting noticeably longer. Today I'm going to try and rig up some cardboard covered with tinfoil for my bedroom window to keep the light out. Although, I should have done that this weekend so that sleep-ins could have been a bit more productive but I guess hindsight and all that jazz.... :-)

2007-04-01T09:26:00.000-05:00

Temp: -31
Wind chill: -48
Mother Nature's cruel idea of an April Fool's day prank

Well, today it sure is cold but we snuck in a couple of nice days before this hit. Yesterday we took a ride out on the machines and kammatiq (sp??) to let the dogs have a good run. It was great to finally have some fresh air.

On Friday our class took a short field trip out to an igloo that the school hired some elders to build for us. It was chilly out but so much fun. I even tried my hand at caribou skin skipping. I haven't skipped a rope in many many years so it only took one try for me to decide that I'm better at turning the rope than I am at jumping it!

Pam, the school's dental hygenist, and I at the igloo

2007-03-26T20:47:00.000-05:00

Temp: -24
Wind chill: -35
Beautiful day!!

Well, once the winds stopped blowing this afternoon we ended up with a beautiful evening! Nothing really new to report here but here are some pics for your amusement.

One day I went to work after we'd had a three day blizzard and arrived to find that we'd left the window to the classroom open. As a result, the room was freezing, a plant I'd been trying to nurse croaked, and our tap was frozen with the water forming a 2-3 inch icicle coming down from it. And, I didn't have my camera. Fortunately, lightening strikes twice sometimes here in Baker and one day Tania arrived to work to find pipes frozen and the same thing had happened to her taps! Crazy... Here's her picture.

This picture is a rock in a bunch that we came across. They were all coated in about an inch of ice which seems bizarre to me as we haven't had any melting weather yet. Anyway, it's actually quite pretty but the camera doesn't do it justice.

Here are some pics from our walk out onto the lake tonight.

Oliver bulldozes Tania (a good friend would have put down the camera to see if she was ok but, c'mon, a picture is worth a thousand giggles) ;-)

2007-03-25T22:12:00.001-05:00

I was asked what Baker Lake was like by someone out there applying for a position here in town. I'm by no means an authority on Baker Lake but here's what I think/know of it and I hope it helps.

We're very isolated. There is no road out, fly in commute only (which is a drag sometimes when mail or groceries, or worse, people get delayed coming into town).

There are two stores in town: The Northern (which has some clothes, one isle of hardware stuff, and of course food). It also houses the only fast food we have in town; a Pizza Hut/KFC. I can't comment on the food as I've never tried it. It also has a small DVD rental wall which is nice. The other store is the Co-op which is small and houses the post office and the cable tv outlet. We have access to broadband internet here or the satellite variety but that's pretty expensive. The broadband is often slow but better than dial up.

There are, I think, 2 other convenience stores. They are small and, well, just have convenience stuff.

There is one small hockey arena/community hall. This is where the teen dances, meetings, elections, square dances, feasts and games nights are held. There is a small swimming pool in a building which I have never been in. It's only open for June to August or early September though and is mostly swarming with excited kids.

The population is around 1600-1700 people.

There is no hospital with permanent staff but there is a Health Centre with Nurse Practitioners and fly in rotational doctors and eye teams. I think a doc comes in every couple of weeks. The same goes for dentists; we have no permanent dentist but they come up on rotation, once a month or two I think.

Baker Lake is a restricted community, which means alcohol must be ordered with a permit through the RCMP station and approved through a liquor control board.

For weather, we have a loooong winter season and it can be pretty harsh. There are no trees here so no protection from the wind. Last year was milder but this year has been pretty cold. We don't get 24 hrs darkness; on the shortest days the sun rises about 10:15 and sets about 4:30 so we still get a fair amount of light. In the summer though, we do have 24 hrs daylight. It never gets darker than a bright dusk. I'll tell you though, it's amazing when you are able to get out on the land, go ice fishing or just for a ride on the snow machine or ATV. The sun on the snow is breathtaking. And the sunsets and sunrises here are absolutely stunning.

People wise, the people here are very friendly and genuine. You feel welcome right away and it really helps if you work in the school because the kids are so warm and amazing. The community is very proud of it's culture and often hosts feasts and square dances. The art in the community is beautiful and it is common to have artists bring whatever they've made around for sale.

There is a growing 'southern' population in the community which affords a diverse social setting. People are here from all over for all kinds of jobs: RCMP, Power Corp, teachers, nurses, government staff, etc. I know it can be nerve wracking moving to a new town, especially one in the Arctic and so remote but I would recommend for anyone to come here. You have to be able to make do though and be very flexible. Because water is delivered by truck It is common to run out of water up here, especially during blizzards. You really need to be able to roll with the punches.

All in all, Baker is a very unique and wonderful place!

2007-03-25T20:37:00.000-05:00

Temp: -20
Windchill: -36
Blizzard

Since my last entry we've built volcanos at school, celebrated St. Patrick's Day at the 12 plex, moved Todd and Jenesta to their new home, I went to the wedding of a couple of teachers from our school, and just generally tried to stay warm.

Cake for the class for St Paddy's day

Volcano fun for the Science Fair

St Paddy's fun

Well, this weekend was a beautiful weekend until later on in the day. The weather had finally broke and the sun was just a shinin'! Absolutely lovely!! But, now we've got a mild blizzard in the works and we've been issued a warning that it will get worse. So, maybe no school tomorrow but we won't know until 7:30 a.m.

As for what else is new here, I got my parka and it's so beautiful!!!

Here's what I look like in it.

Heh heh, kidding. But in reality, here it is (not so far off mind you). :-)

Hey, I match the furniture!

But note to self: next time I have a parka made, ensure exactly what will be visible. I didn't do this and, as a result, I have a fancy rainbow colored liner for all to see. :-) Ahh well, live and learn.

On a more sombre note, last weekend we had a very unfortunate accident in the community involving a teenage boy. As with so many teenagers in every community everywhere, the young boy decided to partake in a bit of partying and got into someone's home brew. The boy wandered off in the middle of the night and was found in a snowbank the next morning, alive, but severely frostbitten on his hands and feet. The last report I heard, it looked like the young man was going to have to have his hands amputated and at least some of his toes. So sad to happen to anyone, let alone a seventeen year old boy with nothing but life ahead of him.

Anyway, things have been status quo up here. Thursday and Friday night we moved Jenesta and Todd into their new house which is really nice. Saturday morning I woke up with a minor cold and off to soccer I went with 60 some kids for three hours. Nice! It was a lot of fun but I've been fighting a bug for a couple weeks now and it finally got to me because I was laid out for the rest of the day. And today was just tidying up around the house and then Oli and I went for a walk out on the lake with Tania and Sable. It was really cool outside because it was warm but with blowing snow. It was really pretty actually. Although, I have to say being out on the lake still makes me nervous. Once in a while you hear loud cracks and it sends shivers up my spine. I HATE that noise! But, it was great to get some fresh air finally and let the dogs have a romp.

2007-03-11T11:54:00.000-05:00

Temp: -35
Sunny

Well, the sun is out today and it looks so beautiful. I find my head a bit cloudy today, what with the time change last night and me not wanting to be awake just yet. But, it's going to be so nice to have the extra hour of sunlight in the evening up here. That means we'll have daylight until about 8 pm. Won't be long now before cardboard goes up on the bedroom window so sleeping is possible.

So this week is behind us and I'm glad. I'm feeling very tired this week. I think it's a combination of fighting a cold/flu and feeling weary from how unsettled the community is over the articles written about it a couple weeks ago. It's exhausting and I really hope this blows over sooner than later.

But, onto something else. Someone sent me this link and it's so beautiful. It's a group of young Deaf Asian children in an amazing and beautiful performance of color and movement. Check it out...

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/238114/thousand_hand_bodhisattva_masterpiece/

Now, me being such a tree buff I LOVE these pictures that my sister sent me from her trip to Hawaii. You can just smell the salty air and feel the heat. Very cool. I have been watching episodes of Magnum PI more often lately to try and break this cabin fever; man, I am sooo going to Hawaii next year for spring break!

Well this week I was a lucky girl because once planes were finally able to get into Baker, I got mail! I got two wonderful care packages from my Auntie in BC. It had all kinds of goodies: chocolates, coffees, hot chocolate, trail mix, a beautiful scarf, etc. So lucky! Last night we had dinner at Tania and Chad's (congrats on the engagement guys!!) and I took the snacks over there and we devoured them while playing UNO and listening to the guys play music. Nice!

I also got a package from my friend Cherie in Calgary. Cher, you're a saint! Thanks so much for everything!!

And this last picture is just of flowers from my sister's garden last year. So pretty. I heard that it was +5 in Edm yesterday and +15 in Calgary.... You lucky dogs! :-)

2007-03-05T08:36:00.000-06:00

Temp: -32
Windchill: -51
Blizzard

We are off school this morning and possibly this afternoon if the wind doesn't die down. The windchill is pretty nasty today but visibility is not too bad because we haven't had fresh snow in a while. A lot of teachers who went out for PD week are stranded in Winnipeg waiting for a flight to come in to Baker as they were cancelled for yesterday, and it's not really looking good for today either. Actually, I just called the airport to check and see if I have any freight there and they are saying the morning flight has been cancelled but no word on the afternoon flight. Apparently most of the communities on our route are having the same weather.

So, not only will we have no mail coming in or going out today, but the phone lines are acting a little weird (as they often do when we have this kind of weather). But thankfully the internet is still up so that's good.

Well, I guess I should go and be all productive-like and do something like tidy up or work on taxes. Now there's a relaxing thought!
:-)

2007-03-04T16:28:00.000-06:00

Temp: -38
Windchill: -58
Mild Blizzard

Well, this week was PD week and it was nice to have a bit of a break. It ended up I only had to work Tuesday and Wednesday and the rest of the week I had off. That was nice because I was feeling a bit burnt out. The weather during the week couldn't have been nicer either. On Thursday we woke up to -15 and sunshine so Oliver and I went for a walk out towards the airport. It was so peaceful. The hills had dozens of caribou roaming around. What a sight.

Another interesting sight was when I looked out onto the lake and saw this fellow Kite-skiing. It was pretty facinating to watch. What a rush it must have been to be gliding across the lake, powered by the haphazard winds up here.

Last night I had the girls over for dinner and the only requirement was we had to gussie up. I made beer-can chicken and it was sooo tasty. We listened to bad 90's music, played UNO and watched The Departed. It was fun and it felt good to dress up a bit and look more feminine than weather worn! :-)

Something you come to appreciate living up here in the North is that you don't experience door to door solicitors of the spiritual kind. No, they don't come to your door up here, you get those little gems in the mail! I got a good giggle a while back when I received a mysterious looking letter from an unknown address. Now, it was close to Valentines day so thought 'Hey, a secret admirer.. Cool!' Yeah, no. I opened it up to discover an AWAKE magazine along with a letter detailing how my life could be much fuller if.... So, while I appreciate the gesture, if whoever sent this to me is reading this, I'm full up for now. But thanks anyways! :-)

And on a more serious note, there's been an upset in the community this week. One of the 'Southern' teachers wrote several articles about Nunavut/Baker Lake that got published on a website down south and the community is angry about what was written (NU and BL were depicted in an unfavorable light). I won't get into the details but the issue has drawn an uneasy wedge between the local community and the 'southerners'. It's left me feeling cautious and very aware of my skin color, which I've never really experienced before. Something like this happening upsets the delicate balance of trust and loyalty that has been forged but never really solidified because of betrayals in the past. Issues like this take generations to resolve and while time may heal all wounds, it passes awfully slow when you see it happening first hand.

2007-02-16T07:46:00.002-06:00

Temp: -28
Windchill: -49
Blizzard

Ladies and gentleman, we are home from school again! Right now I'm feeling for some of my fellow 'bloggers' in other communities because they aren't having the same fortune we are with our storms (fortune... misfortune??). Sorry guys! If I could send this one your way I would, believe me! But, if it helps, I am sending blustery vibes out to you as I write this!! :-) (I'm also trying to add some more links to my blog with your sites but am experiencing a bit of frustration with it. Hopefully this weekend I can get this figured out.)

Yesterday, I was watching the weather report for Edm and it was +3 so I'm feeling a bit tired of winter right now. February, I find, is the hardest month for me up here. I really should have booked out for PD week in two weeks. I think a week in Hawaii would have cured me of these winter blues rather nicely. Or, even a trip back home to see all my girls and hang out would have been super. Ahh well...

But, I suppose I can't complain. As I've said before, being in a grade two class makes any and all holidays just down right fun. And Valentines Day was no exception! I made everyone the same kind of cookies that my mom always made me and my sister for Vday when we were young and the kids loved them! And I now have 17 little Valentine cards for my scrapbook. One can never have too many Valentines Day cards! Or laughs for that matter. A few of the kids in the older grades, trying to maintain the coolness factor, took it upon themselves to wish me a happy VD. I thought it best to leave that one alone. :-)

And, I am a lucky girl because not only do I have a lot of love at the school, but the guys at the 12 plex came through for me too (Thanks Tania and Jenesta for letting your guys make me feel the love!). Todd and Chad, you two rock!!

2007-02-07T12:22:00.000-06:00

Temp: -28
Windchill: ?? The Weather Office isn't recognizing it (which may mean someone isn't manning the post as it's so bad at the airport I think), but the wind is gusting to upwards of 100 km/hr right now.

So how do you amuse yourself on the third day of a storm?

Well, you have to take your dog out even though it's not fit for man nor beast...

You strain to see out of windows that you can't easily see out of...

You have tea at the neighbours...

You clean up after puppy accidents...

You grumble at having your picture taken....

You goof around with friends...

You rough house with friends...

You chill out...

You check the internet, yet again, to see if the blizzard is going to keep you home from work tomorrow too...

You look out the window again and wonder at Mother Nature and all her glory.

2007-02-06T17:36:00.000-06:00

Temp: -25
Windchill: -43
Gusting: 58-67 km/hr (expecting up to 110 tonight or tomorrow)

Home again today. Watched a couple of good movies: The Guardian with Ashton Kutcher and Kevin Costner and Open Season (an animation). A nice way to spend a blustery day. Looks like we may be home tomorrow too. Blizzard days are most definitely a perk to living in the North!

2007-02-05T13:28:00.000-06:00

Temp: -29
Windchill: -45
The Weather Office still says Blizzard but...

Well, school was cancelled this afternoon as it was predicted to get worse here but unless this big cloud is hiding something, I think someone may have goofed on that call. Oh well, I won't complain. I'm going to head to the Northern and see if there are any movies to rent. And I'm having a parka made for myself so I may drop off the material to the lady who is making it for me. We'll see how ambitious I feel cause I'm pretty sleepy today. Boy this working out in the morning thing sure knocks the wind out of your sails until you get used to it! Sheesh...

2007-02-05T08:14:00.000-06:00

Temp: -33
Windchill: -53
Blizzard

Well, it's 8:15 a.m. and school has been cancelled today. It is REALLY cold outside. Here's a picture of out my window this morning. Visibility is not bad but it's the windchill that's so deadly. It's insanely cold. The Weather Office is actually calling for this blizzard to last until Wednesday. It's funny because they have a big red banner on their site announcing 'BLIZZARD WARNING CONTINUED. WINDCHILL WARNING ENDED'. It's -53 outside. But thank heavens the 'warning' has been lifted!

And go figure that I got up at 6:15 this morning to work out before work. Oh well, it's nice to have it out of the way. Hey, what's that noise? Oh, that would be my bed calling me....

;-)

2007-02-03T15:22:00.000-06:00

Well, tonight I'm having a few people over for homemade Chinese food and my house is a mess! I'm frantically cleaning but needed a break. And what better way to take a break than to watch an episode of Magnum on the big screen! My sister got me hooked on the series when I was home at Christmas and now that I have a projector, it's like I'm right there in Hawaii!

Tom Sellek is soo dreamy....... (I NEVER thought I'd use that word but he is one good looking man!)

:-)

2007-02-03T09:44:00.000-06:00

Temp: -37
Windchill: -53
Sigh.. still cold

Well, here are a couple of pics from this moring. It was really beautiful but the picture, of course, doesn't do it justice. The moon was amazing as it set and the sun rising at the same time was really cool.

And here are a few more pics that my sister sent me from one of her trips. They are so beautiful and in this weather let me tell ya, I am really wishing I was there on the beach!

Here are some pics from this the Sat morning ritual of hanging out next door at Tania and Chad's.

Sable (aka Chewy because she sounds like Chubaka from Star Wars) and Oli playing.

Oli in a sleeper hold. How he loves his guys and wrestling!

My new Crocs. Homely, but comfortable. And, according to This Hour Has 22 Minutes, I've given the finger to fashion and they are indeed 'Dorks' not Crocs. :-)

My guard dog.

My lapdog.

Tug of War with Chad.

Tania trying to encourage Sable to play and not sleep as she tends to do about 23 horus of the day! :-)

Oli hangin' with Tania, relaxin' and watchin' TV.

2007-01-29T20:36:00.000-06:00

Temperature: -26
Windchill: -36

Big news for the 12 plex! Tania and Chad got a new puppy named 'Sable'. She's a Collie and she's a really unique color. Her body is pretty much all white and only her head and a patch by her tail are brown. She's beautiful. And dozy. The dog really likes her naps. Oliver isn't really sure what to make of her as she isn't very rambunctious and is quite dainty. The polar opposite of Tila (who spends most of her time herding Sable from anything that could be perceived as hers - including all people, toys, Oliver, and air). :-)

Here's just a couple funny pictures of Marie, one of the teachers at our school, taking a parcel to the mail. First off, if you don't own either a red or black sled in Baker, or know someone you can borrow one from, you are just not prepared. Secondly, never expect to receive stamps at the post office in bigger denominations than 52 cents. Even if your parcel comes to $49.00. :-)

This last one is a picture my sister sent me from her trip to Mexico in November. And I thought I was having a bad day...

And to end things off, I got these two links sent to me and they are absolutely hilarious! Check them out.

Crocodile Hunter clip
http://www.youtube.com/v/pa_7P5AbUww

Flying
http://www.youtube.com/v/J3UDCoQnXjA

Well, off I go to bed soon. Hoping against hope that the predicted blizzard by the Weather Office actually comes to be by tomorrow morning. It's not looking good but glass half full!!

2007-01-22T07:23:00.000-06:00

Temp: -40
Windchill:-57
Ouch!!

Well, I awoke this morning to -57 temperatures. We are in one heck of a cold snap up here. The Weather Office had issued a 'Windchill Warning' last night, which puzzled me because it's been this cold before or just under it, say -54, but I haven't seen a warning issued before now. Interesting. Anyway, I went out with Oliver and it was darn cold. Skin freezes in under 2 mins and I can so see how it happens. The wind was so cold it went through my parka! It's 7:28 right now and I'm just waiting the last couple of minutes before I dry my hair in case we get the call that says to stay home (they have to let us know by 7:30 for cancellations). It's likely not going to happen though because the last time we had a blizzard day it was -52 with farily good visibility and wow, you should have heard the older people in the community complaining that 'When they were young, this wouldn't have stopped them...' Hmm... maybe so but when my mom was young she had to walk to school in 5 feet of snow uphill both ways and that's just not something I have a desire to do either (being from the lazier, softer generation and all). =o) Ahh well. It's 7:35 now so the call isn't coming and off I go soon to get ready.

This weekend was pretty tame. Friday night we all went over for a potluck at Shane and Erica's which was nice. Good food, good music. But I wish I knew the words to more of the old songs that they know how to play. I'll have to do some searching on the internet I guess. Oh, something that is new is that I'm learning the guitar again. I say again because I made a futile attempt in the fall but Tania and I are doing it together so it's going better this time. Well, I need to practise a lot more because I don't have calluses yet. Never thought I'd be looking forward to the day I'd have calluses.

Then Saturday night a friend named Andrea had a house party for everyone. That was nice. There were a lot of people there so it was good to catch up with people you don't normally have time to go see (or don't really feel like getting bundled up in -57 weather to go see even though you'd really enjoy their company). Anyway, it was nice.

Then Sunday was Coronation Street, of course, and cleaning up around the house. Tania flew off to Ottawa for meetings for the week and when she returns she's bringing with her a Collie puppy!! How exciting! We found them surfing breeder websites a couple weeks ago and they are SO CUTE!! I toyed with the idea of getting one myself because I've always loved them but two big dogs is a bit more than I relish having to travel with. However, were I down south... :-)

Well, I better get ready for work. Doh!

Oh man, 'Doh' reminds me of a hilarious commercial that is running on TV right now. It's about quitting smoking and it shows a flight attendant, very irritable, quitting smoking and just how she reacts to the passengers. Holy cow it is some kind of funny!! At one point she stomps down the isle to a man standing up, reaching into the overhead compartment and yells at him 'THE SEATBELT SIGN IS STILL ON!! GOD!!!!'. Man, if you have ever tried to quit smoking you can so relate to it. It is too funny. And I bet that all flight attendants get such a kick out of it because it's what they wish they could say to the not so swift.

Well, hi ho hi ho it's off to work I go.......

2007-01-17T16:53:00.000-06:00

It's -47 outside and I just paid $28.99 for a 10 kg bag of Robin Hood flour. :-{

This week has been flying by and I can't believe that tomorrow is Thursday already! Soon we'll be putting another week to bed and Spring will jump up and smack us in the face before we know it. Crazy....

Well, I'm off to try and figure out something for supper. Oh Swiss Chalet, do I miss you! Heck, at this point I'd even take McDonalds!

Oh, but before I forget, I watched 'The Illusionist' this week and if you haven't seen it, you should! It seems a bit slow in the beginning but the end is really worth it.

2007-01-15T20:52:00.000-06:00

Temp: -37
Windchill: Not tonight, thank goodness!

Well, it's been a cold seven days here in Baker Lake. The coldest was -54 and let me tell ya that is just plain bloody cold!! We had -52 for a few days and they actually shut down the school for one day because of windchill and not just lack of visibility (which is normally the only reason we close due to weather). Man, I can remember in Peace River when we didn't have to go if the weather was -32 or colder because the bus might break down. Sheesh! How spoiled were we?! It's funny because I was telling a friend how cold it was up here and he said, 'But how cold is it without the windchill'? -38 technically but when there are no trees to shelter you from the wind, -52 IS the actual temperature!

Anyway, what else is new up here? I attempted to do the FoodMail thing through Sobey's in Thompson again but was disappointed. Again. Frozen potatoes, cucumber and smashed/frozen eggs. Good times. I guess I'll just have to limit my orders with them to non-perishables. Ahh well.

Not too much else is new so I'm just going to put on some random pics.

Here's a picture from out on the lake. Just a cool little snowdrift that looks big but is only about 6 inches high.

Oliver with 'Earl'. I LOVE the tattoo on his arm (MOM) and the hair on his chest. Too funny! I'm tempted to bring him to AB and take pics of Earl travelling the world and post them. :-)

Getting bundled up to brave the weather.

Oliver and Tila playing. Poor Tila couldn't get out to be fixed before going into her first heat, hence the diaper. Todd and Jenesta don't have kids yet but they'll be pretty skilled with diapers when they do! :-)

2007-01-07T19:21:00.000-06:00

Just some more pics. We went ice fishing Saturday. It was chilly and we didn't catch a blessed thing but it was pretty cool to see the ice. Not so cool to hear it cracking mind you. Can't say I like that sound at all but it was good to get out of the house. If you click on the ice pics I think they should enlarge. They're more impressive bigger.

Chad and Todd testing out Todd's new ice auger.

Ivan chipping his hole.

2007-01-04T20:30:00.000-06:00

Temp: -17
Windchill: -25
Colder than AB but still not actually that cold

Well, it's January the 7th and I am back safe and sound in Baker after the holdays. I flew out on Sat, Dec 16th and as soon as I left Baker it was go, go, go.

I spent 4 days in Edmonton seeing friends and shopping like a mad woman. I had great visits, got good deals, and had my first ever car accident. I rear-ended a young lad on Whyte Ave while reaching for my falling purse. After a while in the North, I realized two things: 1. One should pay attention that much better when one hasn't driven in a while, and 2. A falling purse is not worth saving if it will prevent a car accident to not do it. Lessons learned. :-) So anyway, we pulled over, I prayed he wasn't big and wanted to beat me up, and it turned out the little fella (There is a God!!) actually thought he'd hit the person in front of him, not me hitting him. Too funny! Then, after we established that no, in fact it was me that hit him, and no there was no damage to the cars, we parted ways calling it just one of those things. Until we realized that the little darlin' had locked his keys in his car. Great. So we used my AMA, waited in a store for them to get there and he helped me pick out a new purse! Not only should it sit better on my car seat, but it was on sale! Sweet...

After my short stint in Edm, I got back to the farm to hurry up and relax with the fam for a bit. It was so nice to see eveyone. And, when I woke up one morning this is what I saw out the bedroom window. Growing up in AB I never ever thought that I would be one to miss seeing Moose but apparently I do because I was in awe of it. What a beauty.

All in all my holiday was a really good one. I got to spend time with some friends, see a lot of family, learn how to play dice poker then try to teach it to my mom, and just enjoy driving again. It was really really busy but worth it. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see near as many people as I had hoped. In the summer I promise I will get to see more friends and reconnect with people that I haven't in way too long (you and me on a patio with a Corona in June Natalie!). And yet as much as I enjoyed it, it's good to be back in Baker. I really missed everyone here and, oddly, work. I guess it's a good sign when you enjoy your job.

Here's a few pics from before I left. This one is of the two barges that were frozen into the lake by the company that is building the Gold mine 100 kms out of town. It's full of barrels of gas. Nice...

Here are some pics from us going Caribou hunting the week before we left for holidays. There are hundreds of Caribou surrounding the town. They're beautiful and peaceful animals.

This is from the VERY long flight back from Winnipeg to Thompson, to Churchill, to Arviat, to Rankin, to Baker Lake. I was in the Calgary airport at 6:45 a.m. and landed in Baker at 10:30 p.m. I was some tired!

2006-12-08T20:21:00.000-06:00

Temp: -23
Windchill: -38

Well, it's Friday night and in 8 days I fly down south, and in 13 days I get a haircut!! Holy cow, I am so looking forward to it. Baker Lake has no hairdresser so literally you don't get a haircut until you fly down south.

Anyway, the Christmas concert at school is coming up and we've been busy getting ready for that. The teacher I work with has been out on medical with her Granny in Winnipeg since Nov 25th and so I've had to take on getting the kids ready by myself for the concert (we have a wonderful sub in for Bertha but she's a mom of a student so we want to keep it a surprise from her). We're doing 'Joy to the World' with hand bells and signing 'Little Toy Train' in ASL. Seven year-old kids with bells and absolutely zilch for self-restraint. Sigh... I should have clued in when Bertha looked at me like I was crazy back when I suggested it. 'How hard can it be?' I said. Now I know. Oh, it's hard all right. I've always thought I had patience but let me tell ya, I'm exhausted after our practises. And, I have a much stronger appreciation for teachers than I ever had before. You all just don't get paid enough.

This weekend, I'm volunteering to take pictures for 'Hockey Night in Baker Lake'. Actually, I kind of was volunteered to do it but it should be fun. Although, four hours at a hockey rink on a Sat night wouldn't likely be my first choice of things to do, I think it'll be hilarious to see all the little ones looking like Bambi on ice as they struggle to remain upright while trying to maneuver a puck around. Too funny.

As for the weather, it's been chilly here and the weather office has teased us a couple times predicting blizzards but they didn't pan out. But, being that it's calling for temperatures of -3 and the like for Mon - Wed, I'm feeling nervous that we are going to have a whopper of a storm just when everyone is trying to get out next weekend. Fingers crossed that I'm wrong.

Oh, something that's new to me and to Baker Lake is Food Mail. It's a program set up in conjunction with Canada Post and the Sobey's in Thompson. They supply groceries to remote communities through priority mail at really reduced rates on both food and freight charges. A 4 L of milk costs only $4.27 vs $14.99 here at the local stores. Even though you pay freight on it, it's still way cheaper than shopping locally. You submit your order by Fri morning and it gets shipped out of Thompson on Monday, with arrival by Wednesday in Baker Lake. Supposedly. My order arrived two days late via Calm Air on a freighter that showed up at 12:30 in the morning. Unfortunately I wasn't able to pick it up that night so had to wait until the next morning (after Calm Air had conveniently stored it outside in a pickup truck in -40 weather) and all of my groceries were frozen. Eggs, milk, lettuce, lemons, etc... Anyway, after some confusion it seems to have been sorted out and with any luck in Jan I'll try it again and it will go off without a hitch. Again, fingers crossed.

Here are just a few pictures.

Me at the craft sale.

An albino Muskox that was sighted a few years ago.
(B.Mainse)

Pretty amazing Sundog although the picture doesn't do it justice.

A picture from this summer that I love and helps me get through until I get home (and until the summer when I see green grass again).

2006-12-02T18:10:00.000-06:00

Temp: -28
Windchill: -42

Well, today was the craft sale and it went really well. I sold a fair amount of my jewellery so I left pretty happy. And, I got a couple of nice Christmas gifts from the local artists so the holiday shopping is coming along nicely.

Nothing else new here really but I'm takin' it easy tonight after a very busy week of work and making crafts. Oh, something worth mentioning I guess is I watched 'An Inconvenient Truth' by Al Gore. Definitely a must see!! It made me all that much more aware of the fact that Nunavut has no recycling program in place whatsoever (which is ironic since we are pretty close to that big ole hole in the ozone).

Here are a couple of pics of the sunrise at 10:00, the sun not so high in the sky at 1:00, and sunset about 2:20.

2006-11-30T20:36:00.000-06:00

Temp: -31
Windchill: -41
Coooooooollllldddd!!!!!

'Hey, I heard you got a new hat. Nice!' That's how you know it's a small town; when you run into someone and that's how they open the conversation. Little things get noticed in a little town. Too funny. But I do have a very nice new hat thanks to Bertha, the teacher I work with. It even has my name on it in syllabics.

Well, it's been a cold week. We woke up to -48 winchill this morning and, at 7:30 this morning, I was standing outside waiting for Oliver to do his business when I looked up and saw the most beautiful Northern Lights. At 7:30 IN THE MORNING! That was pretty crazy. It is always dark in the morning now before work, but I have never in my life seen Northern Lights in the morning.

As for what else is new up here, this weekend will bring the annual Christmas Craft Sale. Everyone in town really looks forward to it and a lot of the local artists come out with prints, wall hangings, and various other wares. This year, I'm tossing my hat into the ring with some necklaces that I made. I'm hoping they appeal to the young girls in the community because there isn't really anything for them fashion-wise to buy here. We'll see. If they don't go, then I've got a whole lot of new necklaces to add to my collection! A girl just can't lose.

Speaking of Christmas, the countdown begins what with tomorrow being December 1st. The countdown to Christmas holidays that is. We finish school on December 15th and I am AB bound on the 16th. It's going to be nice. Really nice. Everyone seems to be getting the itch for the break. The isolation factor is setting in so it will be refreshing to have a change of scenery, do some shopping, get a haircut (woohoo!!), hopefully go skiing, see some friends, and kick back. Really looking forward to it.

Here are a few pictures:

The view of the lake at sunset.

And here are some other interesting pictures that have nothing to do with anything except they are cool.
(photos courtesy of Brad Mainse)

Seal peaking through an ice hole.

Arctic Fox

Caribou