Life Up Here: 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.