Wednesday, October 06, 2010

5 Years in the Arctic

  Hello Everyone,
    Melissa, Christopher and I have now been in the Arctic for over five years and over the last few months I've been ruminating on what that has meant to us as a family and as individuals.  Its lead to some interesting insights but those are fodder for personal rumination rather than fuel for the blog.  One thing I recently realized is that it takes a long time to know the Arctic, its not like a city where you can get a feel for the community by showing up to a few scheduled events because life in the Arctic does not have a schedule.  Many people ask about or visit the Arctic but they can never really know it because the people and life of the north does not follow a schedule, it follows seasons, it follows years but doesn't follow hours or days.
  You can fly to Repluse Bay in the summer and maybe you'll meet a carver and watch him work or maybe he'll be on the land for a month hunting, maybe you'll see a narwhal harvested, most likely though you'll wander around town as a outsider as amazing things happen around you without realizing what is occurring.  The people of the north are timeless and do not adhere to any timetable.
  Anyways, enough rambling.  Hope you like the photo's of our vacation this year where we drove to Dawson City, then to Whitehorse and return.
   Take Care.










    CG
  P.S. Apparently I take too may photo's.  This is just the first leg of the journey, Tsiigehtchic To Dawson, more tomorrow.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Vacation



 Hello Everyone,
   Just a few of our photo's from vacation.  Tsiigehtchic to dawson to Whitehorse and back.  Lots more to come.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Its Hot... Damn Hot

Hello everyone,

I had a couple questions on FB examining the veracity of my claim yesterday that it was 42.9 C here in the frozen North. Seems Enviroment Canada believes it to be 24. And this thermometer is in the shade for crying out loud (this ia one of three thermometers giving the same reading including a digital calibrated infrared thermometer). Someone please kill me. Welcome to the Arctic.
Since my wife was inquiring after reading this post, when you add the current 44% humidity that works out to 57.7 C or 136 F.
Take Care
CG
P.S. We are currently cooking a egg on the balcony, literally.
P.P.S. The cooking failed, it evaporated faster than it cooked. And I think a raven or two might have had some dinner.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Track and Field VS. Circumpolar games

  Hello Everyone,
    I was just looking at the line-up for the Circumpolar games and realized we live in a very different world.
   The events are:
Kneel jump
Alaskan high kick
bench reach
head pull
1 foot high kick
one hand reach
2 foot high kick
swing kick
arm pull
musk ox push
airplane
knuckle hop
seal skinning
goose plucking
tea boiling
bannock making
muskrat skinning
sewing
fiddling
jigging
canoe races

  Just thought someone might find this interesting,  I have to get some photo's of some of these events to better explain.
   Take Care
   CG