On the Road to Nowhere: October 2011

Here is a continuation of the previous post. I felt these pictures required their own post since they were taken in a completely different season (beautiful Fall!), and since they are all from when my father came up to visit! They also deserve their own little bit of mise-en-contexte considering the significance of my Dad taking time out of his ridiculously busy schedule to come to Iqaluit for a few days. My dad has a very demanding job as chief of staff for the City of Ottawa and essentially works 18 hour days and barely sees the light of day, other than on his drive to and from work.. and even then, he gets up so early and comes home so late that he doesn't see much sunshine then either! Ok, maybe I'm slightly exaggerating since he does take in a few hours of daylight here and there on the weekend (when he's not busy renovating something in his home.. a serious workaholic I tell you!). Anyhow, the point is that when my Dad left Iqaluit, he had walked, hiked, and slept more than he had in the last 6 months (see 6 years). Not only that, but I can proudly say that his face had regained a bit of colour! I was overjoyed that he got to experience what the fresh Iqaluit air can do for you, and infinitely thankful for his visit.

Berry-pickin'.

Beautiful Autumn on the tundra.

Sittin'. (I pretty much took him on a treck to Apex as soon as he came off the plane, so I don't blame him for wanting to take a little breather.)

Another side-effect of fresh air?

Sylvia Grinnell Park.

Sylvia Grinnell in all its Fall colours!

Hello all! When I wrote my last blog entry the snowy banks of Koojesse Inlet were just beginning to melt away, and as I started writing this much overdue update it dawned on me that not only have both Spring and Summer come and gone, but Fall has also made way for an early Winter. That's right, it's Winter here right now. In fact, at this very moment, all I can hear are blistering gushes of wind blowing powdery snow onto my window screen, thus completely blocking my view of what would be a very cold but extremely beautiful Winter scene... and all this merely a few days before Halloween! I remember the disappointment I would feel on Halloween nights when our parents would make us wear our snowsuits under our Halloween costumes because they deemed it too cold outside. I am curious to see how kids fare up here in that regard! Anyhow, I have so much to update that I don't know where to begin. So much time has passed and so many things have happened. I suppose it's becoming increasingly harder to update this blog because with every day that goes by I feel significantly less like I'm "visiting" and more like I am at home here. This shift actually took place back in the Summer and was triggered by my visit to Ottawa; that was when I realized that I was beginning to feel more at home in my house on Road to Nowhere and with my friends from small northern communities like Rankin Inlet and Resolute (communities of which I admittedly knew nothing to little about before moving here). Speaking of the people I have met up here: the people I have come to call friends over these past 9 months (can you believe it has been NINE months?) have had such a meaningful impact on my life. Every day I am thankful for the connections I have made and the amazing individuals I have the privilege of calling my friends. But to get back to my original point about finding it difficult to update this blog frequently: it has become increasingly difficult to do so because I no longer feel the need to report to the world "back home" about my life "up North" because "up North" has become my home (for how long, even I'm not sure) and my life "up here" is simply my life. That being said, I know there are lots of things I would love to share with the people who look forward to these updates, especially the greatest woman I've ever met, my grand-maman Isabelle! So I will put up some pictures with a small bit of information and let your imagination figure out the rest!

My first time gutting a fish. This Arctic Char was caught in Pangnirtung and given to me by a friend. It became sweet potato and char burgers.

There is something infinitely satisfying about knowing where your food comes from and preparing it yourself. (More satisfying than any processed packaged tofu hot dog can ever be.)