Northern Life
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Sunrise, Sunset
Some time, in the last two or three days, the sun began setting. We will now have three months or so of rapidly diminishing sun, before it sets for three months. On average we lose 20 minutes of sun every day until November 5th when the sun sets. It is still light here for 24
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Cruising
On Saturday Arctic Bay was visited by the first cruise ship of the year. The Hanseatic pulled in around noon and soon there were a couple hundred orange clad tourists walking around. The Hamlet put on a bit of a cultural show for them down around the qarmaq and a craft/art sale for them later
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No Ice Ice Baby
Driving back from the airport the day before yesterday I could not see any ice in Admiralty Inlet, Adams Sound or Strathcona Sound. Three days ago there was still some pack in Victor Bay but that seems to have moved off also. After nine months with some ice to be seen it is nice to
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Total Gridlock
Leah’s family got back today from a long weekend out on the land. We drove over to Victor Bay to pick them up. We could see them coming down the bay, and as they neared it was clear they were going to go to the other side of a small point that juts out there.
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Elder’s Supper
On Friday last, we had our first Elder’s dinner at the House. Leah and I had the idea that it would be nice to invite Arctic Bay’s elder’s over from time to time, before they are lost to us for ever. The last year or so has been very hard on the community as we
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Summer Solstice
Today is the Summer Solstice, and I suppose it is somehow appropriate that an hour after I went to bed Hilary awoke and refuses all of my entreaties that she sleep. I’ve given up now of course, and she sits in her swing and I count down the moments until it is time to get
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Some Odds and sods
One of my favourite birds has made it to Nunavut!! Granted they are still a long way from here, however the first (I believe) record of Magpies (Pica hudsonia) in Nunavut has occurred this spring in Baker Lake. Here is a CBC news story on them (via Circumpolar Musings). It was a gorgeous evening last
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Gone Fishin’
The long weekend in May always finds Arctic Bay wrapped up in the annual Fishing Derby, which is sort of the kick off to the Spring camping season. (Much like the long weekend in May kicks off "summer" down south. As I watched komotiq after komotiq returning to town last night into the early morning
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Land of the Midnight Sun
Sometime in the last couple of days or so we had our first day of 24 hour sun. I’m not sure what the exact day it is, as we have had 24 hour light for some time now, and the hills encircling town make it impossible to see the event to the north. For the
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Just when were skinny leather ties “in” anyway?
Okay, as much as I hate (sorry make that really hate) to admit it, my sister may be right. I think it is time to start weeding out my possessions. I’ve often joked that I still have Chinese food containers from University but it is really not that far off. I’ve never lived in as