Visitors and a second look...

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Yesterday my Christmas guest arrived...yay!! No flight delays (well, about 30 minutes but for northern travel that's good), no turbulance, no measurable problems at all; I hope this is a good sign of things to come. Not only did my friend arrive, but the Xmas gifts and extra southern goodies she was 'muling' up arrived in a nice zippy rubbermaid container. Granted, by the time it got to me it was covered in blood, but it still arrived. Ah, the blood...when the handlers unloaded the plane a big slab of caribou - wrapped only once - was plopped on top.

Ok, any December/January birthdays out there? Mine hits on January 4th and, let me tell you, it's such a pain in the butt to have a 'combined' celebration. Parents out there with a winter baby, you have to know: separate the events!!! Since Siovone's birthday was just a few weeks ago, I thought it would be best to do a bit of birthday decorating for when she arrived. Banners, balloons, and hats...although there were only two of us, it was essential. The print that I bought from Smiley in Iqaluit (mentioned in a previous post) made the perfect gift. Good times.

Today started in the 6 am darkness...I had volunteered to help out with the Elders' breakfast being held at the QuickStop here in Pang. Fortunately, Siovone wanted to come, so I didn't feel like such a horrible host. We scrambled eggs, drank bad coffee, and ended up really enjoying ourselves. By the time we finished serving and buying Christmas groceries it was 11 am and, when we finally emerged, full noon twilight was near. It was then that I realized Siovone hadn't yet seen Pang...her flight arrived at night and it was just black in the morning. She stopped and, at first, I didn't realize she wasn't with me anymore. When I heard her shocked reaction behind me and realized why she was no longer with me, I felt so ashamed...how could I forget how beautiful it is here? It's gorgeous, and I had forgotten how lucky I am to live in such a place. Everytime I take a picture I wish that I had a better camera, all the while knowing that no man-made device could capture the feeling. The beauty. Wow...I think we should all, periodically, try to look at our lives through someone else's eyes; it really makes you appreciate everything that you have the fortune to encounter.

Anyway, after dropping off the groceries at my place it was a great time to head out 'sight-seeing'. After all, we don't get a whole lot of light. Being with a friend gave me the excuse to roam around and take more pictures.

These pics are of me on the ice. Well, the crushed ice on the shore of the fjord. Like I've mentioned in previous posts, the tides are crazy. Huge! What happens with the ice formation is that, as it starts to develop, the top crust stays close to the shore while the underbelly continues to move with the swell of the regular lunar schedule. As the tide moves in, the force of the water pushes the previously formed ice chunks upwards...constant movement. If you stand still and stay quiet, you can hear it crack, yet it's supposed to be safe. I don't know about that last part, but I'm ok with hanging around the shore...it makes for great pics...

After this, I decided to try taking my snowmobile up the side of the mountain behind the hamlet. Well, it's the first time I attempted that, and I don't think I'll be trying it again without someone showing me the way...we got stuck halfway up when, all of a sudden, the path turned into a jumbled pile of boulders - where the other machines went is a mystery...the tracks just stopped. Basically this meant that I was trying to do a three-point turn on the side of quite a steep mountain in the midst of chunks of rock and more weight than I'm used to. At least I got a pic with a different view of the town! This one shows the back end of my housing unit...

So, that's been my day so far...the sun has disappeared and won't say hello again for another 18 hours. I'm sure, though, that the rest of the holidays will be filled with some awesome memories...I'm already clearing out some mind-space. Oh, who am I kidding? There's always extra space there!

Home!!

Certs List:

1. toast and peanut butter

2. reverse on a snowmobile

3. digital cameras

4. the tide

5. asparagus with cheese