All I ever knew, I learned while Ski-dooing.

Hello Everyone,
Well, the big day brought Mommy and Daddy a Ski-doo. Actually it arrived last night and I was eager to start to get to know the new machine. Now, I'll always be the first to tell anyone who'll listen the dangers of being outside up here and the precautions outsiders must take to protect themselves, All of it profoundly important and should be adhered to, apparently by everyone else but I'm allowed to ignore it, to my own detriment. You see, I went out for about a hour to get the battery recharged and figure things out, always being careful to remain in town and on others tracks. I gave myself a timeline and told others what I was doing and when I'd be back, and I came back on time and checked myself for frostbite, and all was good. At this point I started to think on my own... Unfortunately.
See, Christopher and Melissa were in bed and I was bored so I decided to go out and do it again. Since no one was around, I didn't tell anyone, Since I was overconfident, I didn't follow my rules, but as long as I stayed by my other rules I should be OK... but I didn't. The first thing I did was head out of town on the ice road towards MacPherson, now when I got halfway up the hill I decided that this was as far as I was willing to go, So I thought I'd found a wide enough spot to turn around. However, where I turned around wasn't wide enough (missed it by that much, chief), so I found myself on the wrong side of a 6 foot snowbank separating myself from the road. Simple enough, I'll follow the snowbank till I see a point where someone crossed it already or its lower and I'll get back on the road there. Now, here is where I made some poor assumptions, everyone else was smart enough not to be in the place where I was so no crossings appeared and the tree's started growing closer and closer to the snowbank leaving me riding on the verge of the snowbank at a very difficult angle. Now, something I didn't know was that driving a ski-doo in this position for prolonged periods of time will cause the engine to die for lack of gas. Next lesson I learned was that a Ski-doo sinks a lot further than you'd assume when it stops moving. I also learned that a ski-doo that has sunk under about three feet of snow is very, very, very hard to extricate. I also learned that when your buried in 4 feet of snow alone in the dark triing like a son of a gun to pull a ski-doo out of a snowbank, do not get frustrated, and never get angry. I'm normally not a man who has much of a temper, but being upset with my own stupidity and the futility of the situation I did get angry, Followed by another very stupid mistake, I ripped off my face mask and gloves and threw them. Very stupid, face masks get soaked in vapor from your breathing in a very short time while triing to pull a 600 lb machine from under 3 feet of snow, removing it from your face assures it will freeze almost instantly and when you have to put it back on your going to greatly regret ever taking it off. The other act of stupidity, for this particular moment was the throwing of the gloves, which when retrieved had kindly filled themselves with snow in a attempt to cool my temper. Leaving to another very uncomfortable and possibly very dangerous situation (I normally carry a thin pair of gloves in my pocket in case such a event happens, which I found out I had removed from my pocket( enough about stupidity already)). Anyways, I fought with this situation for about a hour until some kind young man travelling from MacPherson to Inuvik for the evening stopped and with his assistance we had the ski-doo out in about 30 seconds and I drove, very carefully home.
The moral of the story, its a quote that I am unable to place at this moment, "respect Mother Nature, cause your guaranteed she has no repect for you".
Take Care and enjoy your Holidays.
Humbly yours,
CG

Merry Christmas

Hello Everyone,
Well the day is before us and It seems I went a little hog wild with the geotrax train set, that or we need a larger place to live, I only got to use half the track and parts we bought for our little guy this year. At least now when he loses something I can replace it.
we wish Everyone a marvelous Christmas and a very Happy New year.
Take Care
CG, MG & CG

High Noon Dec 21

Hello everyone,
I've read many blogs but still don't feel the winter in the far north has been accurately portrayed, by myself either for that matter. We have entered the time of year when the sun never rises, but that doesn't mean its pitch black out 24/7, It means we spend some time each day in dawn and dusk state but fail to have all the stuff in the middle. This photo was taken as the sun reached its apex around 2:00 pm. As you can see it never breaches the horizon line. Around 12:00 each day we reach a state of dawn where you can see fairly well to almost a kilometer, you can open your curtains and get some residual light through the windows etc. Around 3:00 pm dusk begins in earnest and light fades fast, we remain in true blackness for maybe 18 hours a day. The moon only sets for about 5 minutes each day so it is essentially always present.
Obviously though these numbers decrease the further north you go. We are currently at 67°27'N, 133°44'W approx 500 km north of the arctic circle, but in places further north such as Arctic Bay these number are even further reduced to mere minutes a day where indirect light can be achieved.
As a family we are suffering though this worse than we have in our three winters in the north so far. As for myself, when I can get a lunch I spend it in the apartment asleep whenever possible, Christopher is now no longer attending school in the afternoon as he can no longer concentrate after lunchtime and will remain away from school in the afternoons until February when full light (to some degree) should return (at the recommendation of the school), and Melissa is suffering more than any of us as she already suffered from a SAD before coming up here and there are days when she cannot stay awake more than 4 hours a day even with her sun lamp.
Take Care,
And Above all (just to annoy the PC's) Have a Very Merry Christmas.
CG

Here's Christopher giving horsey rides to his favorite animal Tigger.

Hello Everyone,
Finally a picture, Ok so its exciting to me. Right now outside its dark, in a hour it will be dark, in three hours it will be dark... Ok I hope you get the idea. I really hampers my photographic attempts when all I can get picture's of is the lights of some vehicle going somewhere else. The weather has been very mild since we got here with only a couple of cold days, most days we sit around -30 with no wind, making for very comfortable walking, but its hard to dress for as its not quite cold enough for our parka's but too cold for the rest of our clothing, so the theme of most days is parka open when outside.
Our store is finally starting to recover from freeze up as we received our first shipments this week and we should have one more before the big day.
Christopher letter to Santa contained all the usual items, trains, sleds, cars etc with one exception that I guess the grandparents are going to have take care of. The kids letters were read on the radio and we soon discovered what was the surprise on Christopher's wish list. My son would like a helicopter, not a toy one, one like the one that brings the mail. Whoever takes care of this for us, could you please let us know the date of delivery so we can plan ahead and prepare a landing area, Thanks.
Hope everyone is enjoying the southern insanity of Christmas shopping, I'm done, thanks Ebay.
Take Care
CG

Memories, like a window to my Mind.

Quiet Riot Singer's Death Ruled Overdose
Death From Cocaine Intoxication
UPDATED: 3:55 pm PST December 10, 2007
Riot Singer's Death Ruled Overdose"
bandmates may have thought he had kicked the habit, but according to the Clark County coroner, Quiet Riot lead singer Kevin DuBrow died of a cocaine overdose.Samantha Charles, spokeswoman for the coroner's office, said after toxicology results were received Monday, "The cause is cocaine intoxication."Investigators called to DuBrow's home the night he died said there was no forced entry and no suspicious circumstances.Quiet Riot was perhaps best known for its 1983 cover of "Cum on Feel the DuBrow's powerful, gravelly voice, appeared on the band's album "Metal Health" -- which was the first by a metal band to reach No. 1 on the Billboard chart. He also recorded a solo album in 2004, "In for the Kill," and the band's last studio CD, "Rehab," came out in October 2006.He was 52.
Courtesy of the AP Press services
OK, now my personal news has really hit a low but I found it interesting that this story was buried in a local Las Vegas News feed, guess no one is interested in a old rocker who found the habit a bit too intoxicating to give up.
Seems like a very 80's day as I also found a review of the recent Van Halen tour (with D L Roth), which was reviewed as simply astounding to anyone between 30 and 50. That is something I would have literally killed to see, however I doubt my dreams of the band ever doing "Big Bad Bill is Sweet William Now" live will never be achieved, somehow I doubt Eddie will ever give up his heavily shredded axe to pick up the clarinet again. If this tour and reunion continues though I can see arranging a vacation around the opportunity to see these guys again. Did I ever mention that the first concert I ever saw was one that was one of Ozzy's last stands with Black Sabbath, Man, I wish I could run back almost 30 years to do that one again, but then again coming out of a Black Sabbath concert and seeing the horrified look on your Mom's face as she watched the rest of the crowd filter out of the exhibition place might leave a lot of metal heads thinking I might have just been a little too young for such a introduction. I tell you my mom actually looked at horrified at what I pulled off that night, sure Mom and Dad were waiting outside the show... but they didn't see what happened inside the show. BTW for Way Way Up the opening band was Pat Travers, who does a electric guitar rendition of Beethoven's 5th that should not be missed by the open mind.
Take Care,
CG
"Cum On feel the noize,
Girls rock your boyz"
Godspeed Mr. Dubrow

Random Tidbits

Hello Everyone,
Well, the lack of photo's continues, Its really hard to get photo's for me, when all the sunlight occurs in a brief window during which I can't leave the store. I've started to order product again as of this week. The roads into town are currently rated at 20,000kg, we need double that but if I wait any longer we won't be able to get any product for Christmas, so we barrel ahead at full speed and hope for the best (actually I do have a backup plan to get the stuff here).
The weather is still mild, except for a couple of cold days early in the week. We sit daily around -30 and still no real sign of snow, we've been here 2 months and we still haven't had a single good snowstorm.
I just got off the phone with my parents who complained I'm not saying anything? Its hard to come up with new info when you've been living in complete isolation for the last seven weeks. That's why the Blog has been so inactive, its very difficult to come up with new things when we've been this way for awhile. I've actually noticed it affects the communities whole mood, people seem a lot more subdued, they are still out doing things but no one talks about the days events or interesting things around town.
So that's my lack of news for this week.
Hopefully something will happen in the outside world that I feel compelled to comment on.
Take Care
CG

-48 with windchill

Brrrrrr
Brrrrrrrrr
Brrrrrrrrrr
CG

The Legend lives On

Hello Everyone,
This post has nothing to do with life in the north or our experiences of the last few years, It does involve my and many others childhoods. You see I had a hero once upon a time, his inspirations caused me many injuries, the loss of teeth, a broken arm or two and too many smaller injuries to mention. I will clarify by telling you I grew up in the seventies under the expert tutelage and inspiration of the real life super hero Evel Knievel. I remember around 1977 getting the Evel Knievel action figure and stunt bike with bonus ramps, Man, that was one hell of a Christmas. That bike and I jumped over things that would have made lesser men squeamish, we achieved goals undreamt of by the adult mind, and we always landed and went on to the next goal. I used to sit glued to the TV whenever they would show one of his death defying stunts, I'm not sure he was very good at his job as I never remember him actually landing any of his jumps but he always tried faster, further and harder than last time. Then the waiting would begin for the next extreme adventure (after a suitable recovery time in the hospital I'm sure). Evel Knievel was extreme before it was popular, his image made me sit through brutally terrible movies that still make me smile.
Realistically, from what I understand of the man, he was a bit of a lech, a hard drinker, and probably not the brightest LED in a thunder storm(I also don't know what that means, but you get the gist). He was a god to a young child of the seventies. Make believe people like the Six Million Dollar man would flinch before attempting a day in the life of this real man. I'm sure Kiss should attribute many of their costume idea's to this mans working uniform. Extreme sports would never have developed they way they did if Tony Hawkes secret desire wasn't to be Evel Knievel. GI Joe's job during my generation was not to save the world from Nazi's it was to lay under Evel's ramp and be jumped like all good action figures.
Right now, in heaven I'm sure Evel is trying to find a good run up ramp where he can jump over all the minions of hell and the angels of heaven in one foul swoop, while at the same time triing to find a leather jumpsuit that looks good with his new wings.
GodSpeed and safe landings.
CG
PS. Maybe I can figure out one last use of those old boards under the store and Christopher's new bike, just for old times sake.

" So your considering a career in death defying? Well, good for you son, Its good to see a young man taking interest in his future-remember : Bones heal, Chicks dig scars and America has the best ratio of daredevils to doctors in the free world." Lance Murdoch

Don't let the sun go down on me.

The crawling race at family fun night, Christopher needed to be handicapped after a couple of false starts. Here Martina assists Christopher with his restraint.
Two more strides and Christopher will win this race.
This was Jamie showing the kids how to complete the race, and here is Christopher showing Jamie how to do it right, the extra speed is achieved by clenching the fingers tightly in your left hand.
Christopher designing a better mousetrap, or at least a scooter board with a little leg room.
Ok I hate this picture, but some artsy types in my photography book said to do this to give a impression of speed, Well, there is it, I won't be doing it again :)
And the Super sized Scooter board is now taking passengers.
Christopher and Jessica at the Feast on Saturday night.
Christopher displaying his patented eating a cupcake with your mouth and nostrils technique, We were all really impressed.
Melissa and a local Medicine woman Alestine Andre, who recently taught Melissa a yummy recipe for making spruce tea.
A Elder anticipating tonight's feast.
The closest thing I could get to a picture of Christopher standing still at tonight's feast. Now this may be artsy but I like this one.

Hello Everyone,
Well the last couple of weeks have been marred by Internet, satellite and the ever increasing laziness of the disappearing sun. We've passed the 4 hours of daylight point and are losing a minimum of 8 minutes of light a day until is disappears completely. This year has been harder on us than the others, probably because we went to the south during the transition time, when we got here we've had trouble getting our circadian rhythm back.
With it being National addiction Week there have been several local events we've been able to be apart of the first was Family fun night on Tuesday. Which as these events usually are, was set up and arranged by someone who didn't actually have children. He discovered a very important fact, offer to host a event that will draw a whole lot of children to a area where they can yell and scream and run and jump, and you'll get allot of kids to show up... and no adults as you just became that evenings babysitter. Other than our hosts Melissa and I were the only two adult attendees who came in to witness the evenings festivities. Regardless though, we had a great time and Christopher really seemed to enjoy his victorious evening and prizes.

Oops, actually the first event was a pancake Breakfast on Sunday, I forgot as I accidentally slept through several reminders that this event was about to occur and in fact I slept right through it... Unintentionally, I assure you, however if it was to be repeated tomorrow I have a feeling the same result might be achieved. I am told the pancakes were delicious, and I can attest to the extra couple hours sleep certainly were great.

Tonight's event was " a snow sculpture contest followed by a Bonfire followed by a Feast", which we also were privileged to attend. Apparently the focus of this event was more focused towards the feast than it was the snow sculpting and bonfire, as I never did see anyone actually go outside, touch any snow or light anything on fire. But there was allot of eating, and I guess the focus of addiction week is geared more towards drug and alcohol addiction than it is towards food addiction. Christopher took this opportunity to participate in the countdown to sobriety to testify to his 5 years without a drink, even in his enthusiasm he was accurate.
We hope everyone is doing great and enjoying themselves as we are.
Take Care
CG

Freeze up

Hello Everyone,
We have entered week 4 of freeze up. every week a helicopter lands outside the store and delivers mail, other than that we are on our own. We are about to run out of pop, the last milk we saw expired 2 weeks ago, no eggs, no fresh produce (nothing left in the produce area except potatoes, cabbage and yams), we still have some bread that we froze a month ago but thats running low too. we are out of pork and some chicken products, but still strong on beef.
Looks like freeze-up will last another three weeks at least so things are getting limited. I hope to buy a Ski-doo next week, or whenever Canada Post delivers the parts we're waiting on. If that happens I'll be able to ski-doo up the river to fort McPherson and get some supplies for the family, I can't restock the store till my sled for the Ski-doo arrives, but that will be after the road re-opens and trucks can get in. This week I hired a Bootlegger to go to Inuvik and get me some UHT milk, no profit to be made from this transaction but hopefully it will stop me from being lynched by the town for a few more days... Actually the town has been very supportive of us with a few exceptions... How some people can complain we have no fresh products when they've lived here their whole lives and done this many time before I'll never understand. I actually had one person complain we didn't charter a helicopter to get the new movies here on time for their Tuesday release. It seems the Elders are much more understanding, its the twenties that figure if they can still get their Pot and Booze I should be able to get them Pizza Pops.
We are enjoying the community and Christopher is enjoying the school.
Take Care
CG

"Oh Holy Crap"

Hello Everyone,
This is the Grinch speaking, tonight I kissed two hours of my life goodbye as I watched the Christmas release of "Deck the Halls". Now I realize I'm not a child anymore but am I insane in thinking that the joy of Christmas is now officially gone from the world, Its been replaced by version 2.0, and that means although things are now in Dolby THX 5.1 it doesn't mean they are holding any actual value to society whatsoever. I mean, movies like the "Santa Clause" and "Polar Express" may contain interesting moments, they just don't seem to retain any of the goodness of the classics's. I can't think of a single movie (of the last 20 years) designed for this season that could make you walk out of a theater or your home and smile at a stranger the way "Miracle on 34th street" or "a Christmas Story" could achieve. I believe these movies may have some redeeming value in some way I am unable to comprehend, but are they capable of inspiring the type of joyful anticipation in a child the way I was inspired as a youngster, I can't comprehend their capacity to do this? Am I just the insane Grinch?
Are all the good stories told? Am I missing something? Please help, I'm trying to raise a child here and all I can think of is that he'll believe the spirit of Christmas is in Black and White. What inspired you, to our readers of both the "Old" and "New" generations. And if anyone says its the song "Do they know its Christmas" I will officially puke.

Happy November 5th

Its a long way down, so look out below!!!
Just hang in there kid, schools almost over.
Slowly waking up for school today, we are quickly approaching 24 hours of darkness. Its making waking up on time harder and harder as each day passes.
Our newly spawned gas station behind our house and the chief filling up his ski-doo from the siphon hose.

Hello everyone,

Happy Guy Fawkes day and Bonfire night. It was a scant 402 years ago that a group of well meaning roman catholics (aren't they all) attempted to blow up king James the I and his family as well as most of the English Aristocracy to destroy the Protestant rule in England at the time. 1800 lbs of gunpowder were secreted below the English parliament to be ignited on Nov 6th during the opening of parliament. Now we celebrate this event in some area's of the world by shooting off a bunch of fireworks and starting allot of fire's. Our dedication to the cause of democracy must still be commended. It also leads to a wonderful memory from my childhood which is why I remember it. The following verse is a traditional English verse from the time commemorating the events of that time ( I apologize in advance should anyone find this verse offensive to their religious belief's)

"Remember, remember the Fifth of November,

The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,

I know of no reason

Why Gunpowder Treason

Should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, t'was his intent

To blow up King and Parli'ment.

Three-score barrels of powder below

To prove old England's overthrow;

By God's providence he was catch'd

With a dark lantern and burning match.

Holloa boys, holloa boys, let the bells ring.

Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!

A penny loaf to feed the Pope

A farthing o' cheese to choke him.

A pint of beer to rinse it down.

A faggot of sticks to burn him.

Burn him in a tub of tar.

Burn him like a blazing star.

Burn his body from his head.

Then we'll say ol' Pope is dead.

Hip hip hoorah!

Hip hip hoorah hoorah!"

Take Care

CG

Halloween

Here our Ferry sit upon the desolate Inuvik shore waiting for next June.
The river has stopped flowing meaning for the first time all you can see is ice across its breadth.
You can really work up a sweat in -16 weather.
Mommy dressed as the Camo witch.
Returning from battle

Hello Everyone,
Today didn't go as well as Christopher would have hoped. The school had a Halloween party that the kids had to earn, over the last 2 weeks the kids had to earn 90 stars to go to it. Christopher was doing well but has been struggling with bad behavior this week and missed his last chance at going today, so he didn't get to go to the party, and trick or treating was in grave jeopardy. However, he was able to maintain a reasonable standard this afternoon and was able to at least go out this evening.
On another note, today the river finally stopped flowing so the freeze up can continue unabated by current, so soon you'll be able to cross the river to Inuvik by ski-doo safely. This week several people went through the ice as the river rose due to the ice buildup down river. Everyone remained safe however, which is fantastic news.
Take Care
CG

Happy Halloween

Hello Everyone,
Christopher would like to wish everyone a happy and safe Halloween
Take Care
CG

Unpacking and Priceless artifacts.

Hello everyone,
We have started the long process of actually unpacking, both the items we brought with us as well as the treasures we acquired while in the south on vacation. Which lead me to todays startling discovery. My incredibly astute wife seems to have acquired a couple items of note while on our recent foray into the commercial world of the south. Yesterday she put a new clock on the wall of the bedroom and in my ignorance I asked her to move it, as the timepiece seemed to make a deafening tick tock that would have forbade my sleep while that timepiece was in the same room as me. My darling wife happily complied and now this clock sits above our kitchen sink. This is where I made todays startling discoveries. Now, I am not a antiquarian of any sort however this clock captured my attention the previous evening and now I had a chance to investigate its presence. This timepiece as its faceplate conveys to me was made in 1863, in a shop in London England by a builder known (presumably worldwide) as W.O. Woldman. The rear of the timepiece assures me that it is genuine authentic (their words, although they spelt "genuine" incorrectly I'm sure it was a oversight). Now, I'm not sure who our broker was for acquiring this treasure, although I am confident that somewhere within their name the phrase Rama appeared, I was also unaware that the craftsmen of 19th century Europe were so adept at utilizing the yet to be invented AAA. Regardless let me get to the point, I apparently own 2 of these wonderful (and very rare items) and I would happily auction at least one of them to the highest bidder, Good luck and commence bidding.
Take Care
CG

And so it Begins

Last night, we had some pretty good lights but unfortunately I shot them all out of focus. These one's turned out ok, I like the clouds which had the lights doing thier thing above them.

This was last nights sunset.

Hello everyone,
It looks like we're hours away from isolation for the next 4 to 6 weeks. The last ferry trip is scheduled for 5:00 today. then we'll be isolated until December. No Police, no hospitals, no doctors (we have a nurse who will be staying in the community for the whole period so hopefully nothing big will come up). Mail will be helicoptered in once a week and thats it, no produce, no dairy, nothing more coming into my store for the next month. When talking to my district manager about the process his only comment was "have you seen the Shining?". We were tired of the bustle of the city but this may be a bit much. Guess we'll have more time to blog though.
Here's wishing everyone a good November, see you on the other side.
Take Care
CG

Siku News service

This image did not appear in the following article from the Siku news service... Nice rack EH?

Ancient beast uncovered in the NWT

Paleontologists say it could be the carcass of a steppe bison that roamed before the last Ice Age.

Publisert: 13.09.07 12:40

A man in a small Northwest Territories community has found what paleontologists say could be the carcass of a steppe bison that roamed before the last Ice Age, reports CBC news.

The remains of the beast were uncovered in the permafrost near an eroding cliff, said Shane Van Loon, who first came across the pre-historic find last week while walking along the riverbank in Tsiigehtchic, about 230 kilometres south of Tuktoyaktuk.

Van Loon told CBC something strange was jutting out of the permafrost from an eroding cliff, so he climbed up for a closer inspection and noticed the frozen animal hide and bone, as well as a large-horned skull that measures one metre wide from horn to horn.

Some of the animal's hair and innards were kept intact by the perennially frozen subsoil, he said.

Van Loon said he kept quiet about the discovery for several days until some surrounding ice melted and the animal's remains fell to the ground. Then he collected what he could and notified officials.

"I got all four hooves � one missing toes," he told CBC. "I got a back leg and two shoulder blades and half the spine, and the head."

A piece of the animal's intestine was dried out and still felt rubbery, Van Loon said.

Grant Zazula, a paleontologist with the Yukon government, said the animal could predate the last Ice Age, which ended about 10,000 years ago, since the Mackenzie Delta area would have been covered in glaciers during that period.

That would likely mean the specimen is more than 20,000 years old, he said.

"Finding an Ice-Age animal [is] something we typically find in the Yukon, but rarely find in the Northwest Territories," Zazula said. "But if it is � as we suspect � an ice-age bison, it might be one of the first found in the Northwest Territories."

The water temp has reached ZERO

Hello Everyone,
Why, your asking yourself, do I care what the water temperature is in Tsiigehtchic NWT? The answer is you probably don't but I do. You see all my previous store's have been Sealift store's (where a big boat delivers lots of goods once or twice a year), but this is a road store meaning that almost everything is delivered by truck year round. However due to the fact the community is on the wrong side of the river from the Dempster Highway we need a ferry in the summer and a ice road in the winter to get product to the store. So, your probably asking yourself, and what does that have to do with the temperature of the water, slick. Well, there are 2 very difficult times every year for a store like this, they are freeze-up (the time from when the ferry can't run due to ice, and the ice is not yet thick enough to support a road) and break up (the reverse circumstance in the spring). The fact that the water reached zero degree's this morning means that Freeze up is days away from stopping our ferry service and we will be unable to receive goods for the next month to 6 weeks. Mail will be delivered infrequently by hand by either walking or ski-dooing across the ice when possible. So no more milk, produce, well anything. The other problem is that the huge order to cover this time wasn't placed until I got here meaning I don't have enough product in my store right now to survive freeze-up, so I placed a big order last week. Now, we are days away from the supply chain being shut down, and no sign of our cargo... except for a email this morning explaining that in the bad weather our truck driver left the road while delivering our supplies and this will cause a delay in our recieving the goods.... So, we wait, and watch the ice, and hope that the warehouse in winnipeg sent us what we asked for, we hope that the truck managed to get to Inuvik with our product, we hope that its sorted quickly in Inuvik and shipped down here very promptly, and we hope that it arrives within the next 72 hours, which is how long we have to get this all sorted out before the river is impassable.
Wish us luck
CG

Ok this is just cool

Hello everyone,
I just found this site and its really cool, (at least I think so). You can upload your photo and simpsonize yourself. How cool is that. Anyways, this is me.
Take Care
CG

Sunday Fun

H
Hello Everyone,
Just a lazy Sunday hanging around the house but it appears everyone else in town has pulled the ski-doo's out of storage and are ripping around town having fun. we've been getting small quanities of snow all week and it seems we have finnally reached the level where people can get thier machine's out for all the fun that entails.
Take Care
CG

Couple more Vacation Pic`s

This is where I`d love to live someday, This is the flowerpot Island, unfortunately its spoken for by the government. I`ll just have to find my own island to make my own.
I don`t know at what distance a skunk makes you uncomfortable when walking across a open field towards you... maybe 20 feet? I do know reading a book alone beside a fire and looking up and see them at 2 feet is a uncomfortable distance, I assure you.

A walk around town

A view of my store, the store is on the bottom level. We share the upstairs where our apartment is as well as the local radio station as well as a couple of band offices.
This is a working tepee and a fridge that doesn't. I'm sure they aren't called tepee's up here but I'm not sure what the real name is yet, but when I know, so will you.
This is the local parish.
Just a couple of Ravens, but I know I missed them when I was down south, they make the crows down south look like hummingbirds by size comparision.

Its beginning to look allot like Christmas

This morning we woke up to a very thick frost covering everything in sight. In places the frost had crystallized a inch thick. It made for a very beautiful neighborhood.
The view at 10:30 this morning. Sunlight is quickly disappearing, soon it will be night... for a month or so.
This is our Neighbor bringing in his fish catch, we've been here less than a week and this is the second such haul I've seen unloaded. He races sled dogs and this is his dog food until about march when he runs out. Last year he used 1000lbs, he hopes to get 3000lbs this year and make it all the way to May or hopefully the thaw in June.