two mothers

Riddle me this - What's brown, smells swampy and tastes like it smells?

I'm not sure just how dedicated I am to my convictions but I do know that I didn't drink any water on the weekend. On Sunday night I broke down and opened a can of peaches just so I could drink the syrupy juice. It was a great idea until it made me even thirstier.

Spring isn't kind to Inuvik. All the snow that covered the ground for so long is rapidly disappearing (Dear Snow, please come back). This has caused the town water supply to turn kind of brown (it's close in colour to the picture I've added). I've been told that the tap water is okay to drink, and maybe it is, but I'm not drinking it on principal.

In other news - I recently received an e-mail from a fellow member of the Canada World Youth 95-96 New Brunswick/ Egypt exchange. We spent a great deal of time together during the program but then Time and Space, those cruel mistresses, dampened our contact. (Kudos to you Jay, for taking the initiative to get back in touch). It turns out my friend has his own blog, with an interesting and often funny slant, about bumper stickers in Jacksonville, Florida. If anyone is interested in his blog you can check it out here. It's definitely worth the visit.

P.S. - I was talking to my English class about conventional families and said ' you know 2 mothers, 2 kids..." It was a strange slip (maybe future me was talking) and I think it made all of my students wonder about my upbringing.

apple of my eye

It's been awhile since there's a been a summer camp memory posted here and the sight of boots in a forest and the word 'nitch' (thanks Sara) brought back a string of consonants and vowels: EC-DC-IC-A.

The months of May and June were reserved for a science camp at one end of Camp Chief Hector (the other end did a social studies camp). Sunship Earth, developed by Steve Van Matre, is an educational program designed to get students familiar with the following terms: energy, cycle, diversity, community, interdependency, change and adaptation. I don't know how many times I repeated that chain of words during the three years I did the program but I can imagine that even if I'm old and senile I'll still be able to pull that one out.

Every term had a corresponding outdoor activity that was supposed to help students learn the concept. I think my favourite one had to do with cycle. Students gathered a bunch of duff and stuffed it into canvas bags; after which I read a story about how duff turns into soil. The kids all had big wooden mallets and pounded the bags while I read. As my voice became louder they had to pound the bags harder. When all was said and done, and my voice was really hoarse, the kids were pleasantly surprised at the transformation of the dead leaves and twigs into something almost resembling dirt.

My least favourite activity had to do with community. I don't really remember the premise anymore; I just know that I found it boring. It had something to do with a guy name Echin (niche backwards). For some reason someone thought it was a good idea to have Echin's rubber boots in the forest. This led me to develop a complicated backstory for Echin. Here's a very abbreviated version:

Echin used to be a lawyer (or some other white collar profession, it changed weekly) and didn't care much for the environment. One day he was struck by lightening (or hit by a car, this too changed often) and had a complete personality change. He became an extreme environmentalist - PETA, ALF they weren't hardcore enough for him. Eventually Echin left the big city and chose to live in the area that the kids and I were now walking through. Some weeks Echin was crazy and others he was not.

My hope was the students would lose all interest in whatever we were supposed to be doing and instead focus on Echin. Unfortunately for me this never happened.

It's kind of funny, and mysterious, that there's a pair of winter boots on the trail near my apartment. Maybe Echin's coming for me.

Water water everywhere

Though the angle is different this should give a good indication of just how fast (and how much) the snow is melting. I used to think that stilts were used because of the permafrost but now I believe they're also used to stop houses and buildings from flooding during the spring. No joke - I'm swear the spin cycle of the washer is more noticeable now; in an unsettling kind of way.

One final thing. Someone on this floor is either smoking the foulest weed this side of the Mississippi or has a very sick skunk. It really could be either one.

The Katoni Kid

Here's something I found while digging around the net - some ad footage that was going to be used for the old Katoni system. I guess the company rep wasn't happy that the system didn't actually appear in this clip. The director of the commercial thought the voice actor lacked the appropriate enthusiasm to sell the product, or any product for that matter. I'm not sure how someone sliding down a hill is supposed to sell anything - much less a video game system.

Long live Katoni.

Friends forever

In the week since Capital M left there has been a dramatic change in the weather. I've hung up my winter jacket (will I ever wear it again?) and keep forgetting to bring my hat, mitts and scarf home from school.

When I arrived in September all the leaves had already turned colours and a short time after that the trees were bare. I guess I shouldn't be so surprised at the sudden burst of life considering that the growing season is so short. To be honest I had become used to the idea of a perpetual winter.

While not the nicest picture this is representative of what I can only refer to as 'Spring Fever.' Last night I could clearly hear the sounds of a bush party and this may be evidence of the event (there were other party sites that I discovered along my walk). The party sounded like a metaphor for the human condition - I could hear passion, joy, anger (then rage), despair, laughter, jealousy, fear and just about any other adjective one could use. It is unfortunate they burned part of the Trans Canada Trail and I'm at a loss to explain why there are a bunch of 'first place' ribbons scattered about.

The ice road will be closing early next week. I felt unsafe just walking out to get this picture. The significance of the closure means that two towns are about to become accessible only be air. A fellow employee of Aurora College, who lives in Aklavik, called me and asked if I'd like to use her truck for the next two months. She had to bring it to Inuvik before the ice road closed or else her vehicle would be stuck there until late Oct. This would be especially problematic if she moves away from Aklavik this summer

I'm pretty sure all the water won't lessen the structural integrity of my building's stilts. Though I think it may be best if people stop using the washer and dryer for the time being.

nothing's going to stop me now

It's Tuktoyaktuk or bust. I had some ice road trucking practice yesterday in what maybe the largest 4x4 truck available for the everyday working man. Despite my caution at taking the hairpin turns we did fishtail once. Today's experience should be a great one and I hope that I can at least touch the Arctic ocean.

all waiting to get out

When questioned by authorities this ski-doo claimed it couldn't read. Word on the street is that this means of conveyance is the 'Jim Stark' of town.

There's nothing special about this - I just like the picture

To date the only wildlife I've seen around here has been crows and ravens (and maybe a few semi-wild dogs). This nest is the first indication that there is at least one more type of bird.

The GSI Mariner. If you google the name you'll find the ship is meant for seismic research and that its area of service is 'northern waters.' This actually gives me an idea for a new take on an old tv classic - 'Snow Boat.' The show could be about a group of scientists who get a grant to do a seismic study up North. Only when they get to their research vessel they find it beached and derelict. However, because they're good at science the crew turns the boat into swinging snow glider. They travel from town to town delivering fruit, seismic reports and help single people find love along the way.

back to the sea

A day at the jamboree. The above dog musher won the race. Unlike the competition (top picture), these dogs did not feel the need to sniff the spectators.

The plank walk is a lot tougher than it sounds. These kids taught me a valuable lesson - no one should take part in this contest if they have osteogenisis imperfecta (that's you Mr. glass) or hemophilia.

The Old Lady table. This is a tough clique to break into.

Log sawing contest. The guy in the red and black jacket was supposed to be keeping time. I can only guess that he must have a supernatural sense of time, not unlike DC comic's Temple Fugate, because I never saw him consult his watch. This didn't stop him from coming up with some very specific numbers.

Saber Rider

It's Jamboree time in Inuvik. A chance for people to show their skills at skinning muskrats, tea boiling (includes starting a fire in the snow), harpoon throwing and dog sledding to name a few events. Most of the contests are open the public. Do I have the innate ability to skin and debone a muskrat? Magic 8 ball says - it's unlikely.

Here it is - Muktuk. If you missed the previous post where I mentioned this Northern delicacy I'll bring you up to speed - muktuk is raw beluga blubber. Whenever I mention this stuff to people the first question I get is "did you try it?" Up until tonight the answer was no. What does it taste like you ask? Let's start with what it smells and feels like. Muktuk does not smell like fish; it smells worse (if such a thing is possible). Sadly, beyond making a rather coarse comparison I can think of no way to describe the smell. The texture is equally unpleasant. No matter how hard I tried I could not puncture my little piece of muktuk with my plastic fork. This was a bad sign. Daunted, but determined, I pushed the blubber on my fork and, after a moment's hesitation, put it in my mouth. It tasted exactly like it smelled. My entire body felt like it was rebelling against what I had just done but I tried to keep my cool. The taste was so unpleasant that I thought it prudent to hold off on chewing until I had a chance to adapt (or at least not throw up). Chewing however, proved to be my undoing. Muktuk's texture is rather like an erasure - squishy yet surprisingly resilient. This tactile sensation sent my gag response into full gear and the muktuk found its way back on my plate, looking just as it had before I chewed it. My supervisor laughed at my reaction for 5 minutes.

I took this photo on my way home from the community feast at around 9:20pm. We'll have twenty-four hours of sunlight by Victoria Day weekend.

looking in

Another Thursday done. Not too much has been happening at the Learning Centre. Fortunately I still have a few photos from the trip to Jasper. But before those here's a recent inexcusable excuse for missing school:

• Staying home to do laundry

I really like the simplicity of that one.

This is Maligne Canyon, taken from the 2nd bridge.

There's nothing special about this photo - I just like the way it looks.

I planted this tree when I was in grade 8 (that's 19 years ago). People say it has my chin.

This is the Jasper Visitor Information Centre. People from town call the surrounding green space the 'cabbage patch.' Many people like to stand around there and play hacky sack; I'm not one of them.

This is the 6th bridge of Maligne Canyon. If you start at the top of the Canyon (the first picture) you can follow the Maligne River down and end up here. The nice thing about this area is that falling off the bridge or the nearby rocks won't result in certain death.

Danced in morning

I'm now back in Inuvik after spending a week in Jasper, AB. Though the occasion was a sombre one it was nice to see both my family and the mountains again.

Icanhascheezburger?

I took this from the kitchen window one morning; it's a fairly common sight. Many years ago my grandfather somehow conditioned a deer to come every day at 5:00pm for something to eat. There's a large fine for feeding wildlife but that didn't stop my grandfather from raiding the fridge for scraps for the deer. My grandmother soon found that bread, fruit and vegetables were disappearing at an alarming rate. Fortunately for my grandfather the deer stopped coming after a week or two.

Whistlers Mountain. You can see the top of skytram just above the clouds. This is probably the easiest way to get to the top of a mountain without actually climbing one.

Old Man Mountain. If you look at it right you can see the nose, chin and headdress of a man laying down.

During the summer the Athabasca River is a raging torrent and it would be impossible to get a reflection of Pyramid Mountain. Even a few hours later the river was flowing faster and the image wasn't as clear.

A real break down

This is perhaps one of the world's best cookies and it's only available in Jasper, AB. I brought a few back with me - maybe I can reverse engineer the recipe. The only change I'd make would be the addition of cinnamon.

I do this for a living

It’s been some time since my last post and quite a lot has happened. At the beginning of March I took a trip down to the capital city for an English curriculum conference. What’s a good anagram for ‘boring’? There isn’t one. Fortunately the latter part of the trip was saved by a visit from Capital M. If I was forced to choose one highlight of the brief time we spent together it would be the Snow King’s castle. We were walking to old town Yellowknife and happened upon a mysterious castle made of snow. A woman squirreled into a small snowy room demanded $5.00 to enter the Snow King’s domain. I couldn’t determine if the money was a tribute or a tithe; either way it was worth it.

The castle from afar.

Capital M was conscripted almost immediately after we arrived. Fortunately there were no threats from rival snow castle builders.

Ahh the barracks. There's nothing better than sitting around an icy table on an old stump.

Though not part of the Ice King's admission package, maple syrup on a stick was available for those who wanted to buy some.

Hail to the the king, baby.

thanks

This is my favourite picture from my high school yearbook. The careful observer will note the age difference between the four people in the front and the smiling, older gentleman in the back (It was quite some time before I noticed this). One may naturally assume that the man in the back is a relative of someone in the foreground but this is not the case. My grandfather loved having his picture taken and I can only assume that he saw a camera out, stopped, smiled and the result is forever immortalized in my yearbook. I can say that he would not have known any of the people standing in front of him.

I saw a young girl and her grandfather at the grocery store today and I was surprised at the loss I felt for my own. He died a little over 5 years ago and seeing those two in store took me back to when I was young. I grew up without a father but I spent a lot of time with my grandparents during the summer. Consequently, my grandfather was the only real male role model I had (I also thought Jack Tripper from 'Three's Company' was a good guy to emulate).

Even in my earliest memory my grandfather had a slow, measured gait. I can't say for certain but I feel that his driving speed would have been proportional to his walking speed. He was a man who loved his family, his home, fruit and cookies. I'm being a little glib because it's actually very hard to write about him and I feel as though I couldn't possibly do him justice. So instead maybe I'll just end this by saying- thanks Grandpa.

eternal beating

A few things have happened since my last post:

• I reached the halfway mark of my contract.
• I ordered and received a new camera. Capital M's sister, who will be referred to as Miss Poppy, recommended the FujiFilm FinePix F200 EXR. The following pictures were taken with it.
• As of today, Inuvik tied Toronto for the time of sunset (sunrise is another story). In the past month and 5 days we have gone from no sunlight to just about 6 hours.

There's a campsite not far from the learning centre. I mention this because the weather has been a balmy -20 degrees (and sometimes even a little warmer). It feels like I could be wearing shorts, or setting up a tent. I've become acclimatized to colder temperatures and this recent warm streak feels like Spring.

Many years ago I played a game for the Playstation called 'Silent Hill.' It was probably one of the scariest gaming/movie experiences I've ever had. The story revolves around a guy searching for his daughter in a town called Silent Hill. The town is a scary and sinister place but it pales when compared to evil Silent Hill. Yes, just when it seemed like things were at their scariest, they could actually get even more scary. Evil Silent Hill was filled with rusted metal and walkways like the one pictured above. Several of the business in town (and my apartment) have something similar leading to the entrance; I'm kind of glad it's not so dark out anymore.

This is my new classroom. I'm teaching the two streams of grade 12 English this semester. So far it's been a rough week and a half. There are almost 6 times more students than I had previously and none of them like to do anything. That's not an exaggeration. One woman looks at me with pure hate and another questions everything I do. 95 classes to go.
Yep, that's my chicken scratch. So far one woman has dropped my class because she said the words I use are too big. Some of the above words come from the readings we've done in class and some are things I've said; students are supposed to give me a list of words they didn't understand. I'm still trying to figure out if 'pothole' is meant as a joke. I hope it's a joke.
There's no specific reason or assoiciation with this picture, though there can be.

Dear stubborn seed:
Rime lined trees. If I was at all poetic I could do something with that.

Ice Road Trucker

Please forgive the poor quality of the accompanying picture. The Nikon Coolpix 4600 takes fine outdoor photos when there is lots of natural light but it has a really tough time with low light conditions. Sadly, this is also the last photo that will be taken with the old Nikon. I don't know if it was the cold or age but whenever I try and turn the camera on I get a message that says "system error 1 0." Let's all take a moment and remember the little camera that only worked well in bright outdoor light.

This past Friday I had the opportunity (thanks to a kind and considerate supervisor) to travel to the nearby town of Aklavik. A coworker had been there for a week and her husband was driving to pick her up. I was told to bring extra food, clothes, and water in case the car broke down and we ended up stranded on the ice road (I brought none of those things). I think 'ice road' is an apt description but 'river' would be better still. The entire distance between the two towns is travelled (during the winter) by driving Southwest on the McKenzie river and then making a turn onto the Peel river. It's kind of like canoeing - only in a car. Riverbanks bookend the road and the waves have frozen into fun little bumps. Fun, of course, is a relative term - I feel fairly certain that Capital M would have been car sick. To my surprise there were even road signs (like the signpost picture) but no speed limits.

Though the weather was fine I could definitely foresee some issues with driving on a river. Surprisingly the snow on the ice is plowed, and in some parts the ice is even groomed, but if there was a strong wind it would turn the road invisible with blowing snow. For the most part this would be fine but we passed several tributaries that could easily be mistaken for part of the designated ice road if an unwary driver were caught in a storm.

I'll stop for now and write about Aklavik, the town with no ketchup, later.

take me back

These are for all the people who are currently in snowless conditions.

The town hospital. I've been there once; accompanying a student who had a strange lapse during math. Though it was a nice enough place I have no desire to go back.

Unsurprisingly, people like to Skidoo around here. In fact, someone's doing it right now - in total darkness at 9:30pm.

I took this while standing on the mighty McKenzie river around 1:00pm. Unfortunately, I was unable to fully capture the blowing snow (on film). While taking this I was thinking "there's no such as thing as cold - just an absence heat." That didn't make my fingers feel any warmer.