Spring in Iqaluit, and the summer solstice

So, just in time for summer, spring weather is finally here. At least, the arctic version of spring weather. The sun is out, the birds are chirping... The temperature is averaging a balmy 3-5 degrees each day. When the sun is shining, and the wind dies down, 4 degrees actually feels quite hot. One theory someone offered to me was that the sun feels hotter because we are so much closer to it. I don't know if this is true or not. In direct sunlight, it does feel warm. Then the sun goes behind the clouds, the wind picks up, and I find myself wishing I'd put mittens on.  (It never gets truly hot here-- if it did, all the houses would collapse.  They are built on piles (stilts) and rely on permafrost for structural integrity.)

Snowbuntings are abundant in town right now.
Their song is beautiful.
(Facebook)

The patio at Yummy Shawarma isn't quite ready
for dining yet.

Time for bikes!

The lake behind the house has been made "off-limits" to the kids as the ice has started to melt. The snow is very slowly disappearing around town. This melting snow has created a fair amount of mud. Buffy, who simply adores rolling around in her back on the snow, has learned that if she does the same thing in the mud she will be required to have a dreaded bath.

Spring bath.
(There is nothing worse than a bath. These result in Buffy shaking
in fear for a long time afterward.)

Captain Jack--fully acclimatized. Yes, the bay is still frozen behind him. "But its so warm!"
The snow is dirty, because the wind blows the dust around town (there is no grass to hold it down).

So, what do kids do when the sun is out, winter sports are over, but there is mud and snow on the rocky ground? They play on the turf at the Arctic Winter Games Complex.  During the winter, the complex houses an ice surface for skating/hockey. In spring the ice is replaced with turf. The turf (artificial grass) is the only place in town where you can play spring sports that are normally played outside. Captain Jack is signed up for dodgeball and "multi-sports" (the sports include soccer and football). It is a little bit funny to be heading indoors in June to play soccer, but there are no other flat surfaces here to do it (other than a dirt parking lot, I suppose).

Captain Jack (in blue) playing dodgeball on the turf.

The Captain is also signed up for ball hockey.  Not surprisingly given the climate and expense, many roads and parking lots are not paved here. Ball hockey is played indoors at the curling rink (with the ice surface removed). An upside to all these indoor spring activities?  They are never cancelled due to rain.

Captain Jack and friends.

The city provides equipment for kids who don't have it.

 Captain Jack decided to give playing goalie a try.

One day Captain Jack decided to set up a lemonade stand. He got everything ready (he was quite excited) and then it snowed.  Undaunted, he asked me to find the next "nice" day forecast online. He added to his "lemonade for sale" sign, and waited.  Finally, on a balmy, beautiful afternoon (3 degrees and overcast) he set up shop.  He roped a couple of friends into helping, and sold cookies, lemonade, and homemade bracelets.  He did quite well, raking in close to $20 (at 50 cents a cup, this is impressive). The kids flocked to him like seagulls to that guy on the park bench throwing bread. 

What do you mean? Three degrees is plenty warm enough to sell lemonade!

A time honoured spring/summer tradition. In parkas.

This first part of this post may seem a little Captain Jack-heavy. Coraline has been doing spring things too, in fact her whole grade spent a "day on the land" just last week. She forgot her camera, however, so unfortunately we have no photos. A "day on the land" means spending time on the tundra playing traditional games, eating traditional food, etc.

Spring also means spring cleaning. For us, this means sorting through all the stuff that won't be coming back with us. In a typical move, this would be a huge job. However, we knew we were only coming here for a year, so we packed accordingly. The only things we are really getting rid of are clothes the kids have outgrown, books they no longer read, etc.  

Selling stuff on Facebook. CJS got to keep the money we 
made from selling his now too-small parka. He spent
$6 of his earnings on a pack of gum 
(Iqaluit gum is expensive).

Coraline sold things too, but she didn't want
her face on the Facebook post. We knew
everyone who bought everything as all the
middle schoolers go to the same school!

The summer solstice--which is also the longest day of the year in terms of sunlight-- was on June 21st. That day it rained and snowed. (The snow melted as it hit the ground.) It was a wet, miserable "summer" day. JJ and I happened to be up at midnight, so I took a couple of pics.

The backyard at midnight, June 21st.

View of the city from the deck. Midnight. It's still overcast from the rain/snow earlier in the day.

Rain and snow aside, everyone in town seems determined to enjoy "summer".  (I'm wondering at what point all the snow and ice will be gone. It's almost July!) The Bistro Burger truck is a popular spot.  It is currently parked outside the post office warehouse location, and sells ice cream, french fries and burgers.  One day after Captain Jack's turf time he was complaining about how hot he was (it was only 5 degrees, but he HAD just been running around and jumping on bouncy castles for an hour). It was chilly, but also summer, and when in Rome.....I decided to take the kids for ice cream. We ordered, then got out of the wind and ate our ice cream in the car. While we sat there we watched 5 other people come up for ice cream. 

He was out of chocolate coating, so their options were vanilla, or vanilla.

Vanilla is awesome, dude!

The prices, like everywhere else up here, are crazy.
(I wonder what Northern Poutine is?)

Anyway, that's what has been happening around here!  I hope you are all enjoying whatever summer looks like wherever you live.

Enjoying Arctic Char from Arctic Bay.

Icy frost on the car. In June.

Up next: JJ's post! 

Arctic Bay 2 continued

Hi everyone! Its hard to believe we only have another month before we head back to Thunder Bay! In this somewhat longer-than-usual post: shopping in Arctic Bay, finding gas, arts and crafts, our snowmobile trip, and road trip to Victor Bay. Let's get started!

There are two stores in Arctic Bay--Northern and the Co-op. Northern is like a pint-sized version of Walmart. The Co-op mostly sells food. Both are expensive. Between them you can find everything you absolutely need to live in the north, although they likely won't have everything you want. Shelves may be empty, especially in winter, if flights are delayed or cancelled. Produce takes even longer to get here than it does to Iqaluit, so anything "fresh" is difficult to find. 

This is the co-op. It isn't an abandoned building. It just looks that way.

Northern. Where you buy stuff.

JJ bought a fan to help us sleep better.

Yes, this is a lot to pay for cheap quality ice cream. However, it is JUNE,
and I am on vacation away from my children. Chocolate ice cream is a must.

Bikes are very popular here, which surprised me as the roads are
snow-covered most of the year.

The electronics department is toys.

Family fashion: camping gear.

****

So, how do people get around in Arctic Bay? There are cars here, but not many. The sealift comes here a couple of times a year, and is the only way to actually bring a car to the island. Most cars are older, and there are several mechanics in town who do their best to keep all the vehicles running. There are no taxis or buses. Town isn't that big, but even a 20 minute walk is challenging if you are carrying groceries for a family (drinks are heavy! And diapers are big and awkward!). A lot of people use all-terrain-vehicles (4-wheelers) or snowmobiles in lieu of cars. These are cheaper to purchase and ship than cars. And of course, there are many working sled-dog teams in town.

The health centre seems to have two vehicles available for use--the nice van and the "other car". We were able to borrow the nice van for an afternoon and drove all around town checking things out, plus we bought some supplies. 

Many people drive these four-wheel vehicles instead of cars. I saw a family
of four on one of these, with one child draped across the front on his belly. Helmets are not worn.

Arctic Bay gas storage. Each year four silos are filled with gas for vehicles. That's the entire
annual supply. Gas is shipped via sealift (boat), then pumped in from off-shore (the bay isn't deep enough for ships
 to actually dock).

The only gas station in town.

Need some mo'gas?

Sled dogs are a viable alternative to vehicles that burn gas.

*****

I wasn't sure what I would find as far as "shopping" in Arctic Bay. Would they have just essentials, like toilet paper and light bulbs? Turns out, no! There actually is nice stuff to buy and take home with you! One afternoon I purchased a polar bear carving (carved from white marble--locally mined) from an artist walking around town. He had the carving and his 7 year-old daughter with him. I got a great price, and I love that every cent went directly to the artist. Unfortunately, the artist only had one carving with him, and I wanted to look for more. If you don't just want to hang around on the street waiting for an artist to walk by (which could take days), you can check out the Heritage Centre. The Heritage Centre is the main store (only store?) in town to pick up locally made carvings and crafts.  They sell knitted items, local music CD's, paintings, furs, ulus, etc.

Traditional Inuit exhibit at the heritage centre.

Marble quiliq (traditional seal oil lamp).

Most of the art is gorgeous, and I have a lot of respect for skilled artisans.
However, I did notice that one polar bear looks an awful lot like "Sid", from
the movie Ice Age.

The carved walruses with caribou tusk horns were my favorite.
The "elder doll" made of skins is pretty neat, too.

Baleen, bone, antler, and sealskin jewelry.

Carvings in Arctic Bay were far less expensive than those in the stores in Iqaluit. The downside to buying carvings at the Heritage Centre (as opposed to buying them from an artist in front of the house) was that I had to lug them all the way back across town on foot.  Marble is heavy! (Now I know why that artist on the road only had one carving with him.) However, I'm not about to let anything get in the way of a bargain, so I hauled my heavy duffel bag back to the townhouse focusing on how much money I'd saved (and how cool the carvings are).

*****

One day Gail suggested to JJ that we might enjoy snowmobiling on the sea ice. The terrain around arctic bay is beautiful. One of the more striking features are the 183 meter (600 foot) red rock cliffs (called the St. George Society Cliffs) just outside town.(source)We saw them from the plane on the flight in, but apparently the best way to see them is from the sea ice just outside the bay.

Snowmobile and qamutik parking lot on the bay.

 Two people who have never been on a skidoo before, in the arctic, alone, on the sea ice, in spring.  What could go wrong?

I borrowed some super warm gear from Gail to wear as I had only packed my regular coat from Iqaluit, not full winter gear. (My gear was fine for around town, but not in the cold wind out on a snowmobile.) She loaned me Canadian military arctic boots, snow pants, and a big comfy Inuit parka. She also scrounged up some gear for JJ.

You can see that the ice off-shore is just starting to melt. Its also quite rough.

Before heading out we were given a crash course in using a snowmobile by Kenny, an Inuk who works at the health centre. We followed him a short walk down to the water. The sea ice was melting close to shore, but the cracks were small enough that we could just step over onto solid ice again. Kenny showed JJ how to start the snowmobile. Or, at least he tried to. He tugged on the cord (the way you do with a lawnmower) repeatedly, but nothing happened. "Is it because you need this?" asked JJ, holding up a key. Kenny laughed and stuck the key in the snowmobile. He tugged again, and the engine started. He showed us how to rev the engine. JJ asked about gas. How much was in the tank? Kenny seemed confused. He tried looking in the gas tank.

"I can't see anything in there."
"You can't see any gas? Does that mean there is no gas in this thing?"
(Shrug) "There's probably enough."
"Um.....probably?" JJ was incredulous.
"Probably."

Like many Inuit, Kenny was very, very laid back. Super relaxed. I have to admit though, at this point I was feeling a bit nervous.  I mean, yes, we were about head out on what some people would consider a slightly risky endeavour. People who have never ridden a snowmobile before probably have no business heading out onto the arctic sea ice, alone, just before the spring thaw. However, we had asked around and the consensus from local experts was that we would be just fine. (In fact, everyone seemed pretty blasé about the whole thing.) Gail's partner suggested "If you come to any large cracks in the ice, just make sure you hit them head on, don't ride across them parallel." But, to head out onto the sea ice, as newbs, without working cell phones, not knowing if we had gas to get back?


Now that's just silly.

Luckily, common sense saved the day. JJ just looked more closely at the snowmobile. "Hey wait--isn't that a gas indicator?" It was on F. "Oh yeah. Looks like you're fine." Kenny grinned.

Having completed our 2 minute snowmobile safety course, we were fully prepared for anything that might lay in store for us. Kenny maneuvered the snowmobile out of the bay, as it was very choppy. Once the snowmobile was on firm, smooth ice, that was it. We were on our own. "Wait", called JJ as Kenny walked away. "How do we actually make it go?" "Just keep revving the engine until it moves."

Kenny maneuvering the snowmobile onto "easier" ice for us. I'm on the back,
JJ is walking behind us taking pics.

Crack.

Totally safe. Totally.

JJ is so happy. At this point I'm still
skeptical.

And, we're off!

A few times JJ hopped off to grab photos. It didn't take long for the iPhone to die,
so we didn't get very many.

Once we were away from the shore and the ice was smooth (and solid) I have to admit, snowmobiling is a lot of fun. We took turns driving. It was awesome.

The cliffs were as spectacular as advertised. Arctic birds circled the ledge.

Where we left the snowmobile after we couldn't figure out how to back up.
Kenny thought this was hilarious.

We got back safely, of course, or I wouldn't be blogging about it. Despite my misgivings it was a highlight of our trip. Also, we were just in time to borrow a vehicle to head over to Victor Bay (a five minute drive away) before it got dark. Ha! Tricked you! It NEVER gets dark! I've added some pics, but there really wasn't all that much to see. It's another bay, but without houses. Actually, there are a few homes at the end of the road. People in town refer to them as cottages. I don't really see a difference between the handful of "cottages" and the regular houses back in town.

Road to Victor Bay.

The "other" car.

GN-mobile. The front bumper is held together with duct tape.

A friendly puppy we met in Victor Bay.

The other bay.

After five days it was time to head back to the large metropolis of Iqaluit.

Goodbye Arctic Bay!

Up next: Spring has (finally) sprung in Iqaluit! Plus, JJ has agreed to do another post about his time as Territorial Chief of Staff, practicing in Arctic Bay, etc. Look for that post in about two weeks!