Oh Sugar!

For my birthday Nathan and I took out some left over sugar from last year's sealift that had solidified into bricks. We had a bet how many bricks we could shoot through with a single bullet. Nathan won. No surprise.



You can see how solid the sugar actually was. It's too bad the now powdered sugar was unusable. Damn lead.

We then walked about 100 metres and shot at a target.
I hit all my shots on the board. Maybe not in the "important scoring section", but who's counting...it looks like I got an ear or nostril at least. That's worth a pat on the back.It was a good birthday.

Out to sea

I have to say this is the longest I've seen the ice in the bay stick around. It's almost the end of June and there is still a fair amount left to break up. People are taking advantage of it, using it to cross over to the mainland for fishing, or using it as a jumping off point to take their boats out beluga hunting. The other week a few hunters drove their snow machines down to the edge of the ice, parked them and jumped into their boat to go out hunting. Meanwhile I'm hanging out in my pajama pants on the couch when I notice that the 5 unattended snow machines have broken off and started floating out into open sea. Can you see from this photo below?
How about now?
I was shocked to see that everyone was taking a totally laid back approach. I had watched a few people prepare a boat and go out towards the drifting machines, to only see them head in a totally different direction and disappear. I expect they were going out hunting as well. Morena, Meaghan, Kim and I headed down to the park to catch a better look at the machines floating out to sea. Kim took this photo of the three of us, totally unplanned, wearing our babies, bjorn style.
I was prepared to say goodbye as I could noticeably see the ice moving towards open water.
I guess everyone was so laid back because they knew they would get their machines back and there was no point wasting time worrying or loosing out on hunting. Later that evening the ice came partially back in with the tide and EVERY SINGLE machine was saved (by loading one machine sideways on a fishing boat, driving each one back one by one). It was truley a happy ending.

INTRODUCING a new Nunavummiut blogger. I've mentioned Meaghan a few times on my blog, she writes about raising her beautiful daughter Mercedes and family life in the north.

Celebrations - June 21st

Two days ago it was Aboriginal day as well as father's day and it was a busy day making sure to celebrate both. The RCMP across the country celebrate Aboriginal day, in Nunavut each detachment throws a community BBQ. Who could pass up hotdogs, hamburgers, games and face painting even if it was cold and snowing. Yes it was also the first day of summer, let me repeat that it was cold and snowing. We all still had a great time. Especially Morena and myself, because we were cozy inside the garage doing the face painting.
Kids and elders alike were playing games, this one where you toss a rock and try to knock off another rock 15 feet in front of you. The prize was a basketball (if only we could have used that to knock over the stone it would have been a little easier). I had scoffed that this would be an easy game until I tried it myself and failed miserably. Over and over.Nathan catching a warm moment inside holding Ezri and giving my back a rest. That baby is getting heavy indeed. I guess their supposed to grow.
Later on in the evening we switched gear and had a "small" campfire out back. My gift to Nathan for Father's Day, letting him burn stuff. Here we are burning last years sealift create. It was in such a blaze that one of the rangers came over in a hurry worried that the Ranger's shed was burning down.
He was pretty pleased with his efforts. I had a few flashes from that movie Backdraft.

The Scoop

Usually when I disappear for an extended period of blogdom time, there is something going down in the land of Jen. My last large posting absence was related to keeping secrets, secrets about being pregnant. This time (not pregnant) it's news about Nathan getting transferred with his job. The big news is that we are leaving Nunavut, after 3 years. It's seems like this is a common trend with a few of my other favourite Nunavummiut bloggers as well. It's a bummer. It turns out we are heading back to Canada's deep south, back to starbucks and shopping. Maybe it's not all a bummer. I can tell you a piece of me is breaking off and won't be taken back with us south. The good news is that we get to spend the rest of the summer up here before we make our transition back into the hustle. That's right the south, where your hustling or getting hustled. It's one big pimp show down there. We are happy, however that we will be closer with family.This is Nathan and I, June 2006, when we first moved up to Nunavut. Don't say it, we've obviously gained a few pounds these few years. We all know that if your looking to loose weight, you shouldn't fool yourself into thinking the answer is up north where there are no fast food joints. There is plenty of yumminess, and you'll buy it no matter what it costs. Since there is no fast food, I have found myself a better cook, experimenting with many new recipes. I've been eating well these last 3 years.

Coming north and leaving again is a sob story I've seen and heard too many times now. I'm bummed it's my turn, and so soon. Unfortunately and fortunately Nathan's career takes us to many new and exciting places. It's hard to move, no matter where you have been living. As the story goes, when Nathan was starting his career, I told him that I would follow him anywhere, except I jokingly said "Not Toronto or Nunavut!". Turns out I really didn't know what I was talking about (big surprise!), Nunavut was a blast. I just hope that I don't have to learn my lesson about Toronto, too many people.

A lot of other bloggers have started other blogs to document their non-Nunauvt adventures. You can bet I will as well. I am worried however that when I move back down south I will have lost my identity. I will no longer be "Jen of Nunavut", but "Jen of Massive City where Jens are a dime a dozen". I have the entire summer to think about it. So don't think about dropping this blog yet because I still have a whack of adventures left in me.