So I'm thinking you haven't experienced cold until you have lived in Nunavut for a winter. Being from Manitoba it can get pretty cold there with -40'c temperatures but here with the wind we seen temperatures -64'c this past week. And this is normal for this time of year! The Hamlet actually shuts down with this cold, so no sewer or water that day. I don't know how the ravens, hares, dogs etc survive these temperatures living outside. The cold hits you like a ton of bricks when we go outside and do not touch anything, especially metal without a good pair of mitts on as you can have instant frost bite. We have frost on the baseboards in the back entrance and also the chimney from our pellet stove. It is very hard to explain how the cold feels, you just have to live through it.
The dogs are doing ok in this weather, they haven't really been out for any length of time. A quick pee and poo and back in they come. Many times we have to pick up one or both pointers and carry them back into the house...not great northern dogs. They must think to themselves "why did you bring me here?"
With the cold comes the sun and I think after a month and a half without seeing the sun I will take the cold. This week Craig and I went out to shoot some pictures, well I took the pictures and Craig was my driver. Craig spotted an Arctic hare coming back from West Arm so he pulled to the side of the road, turned off the truck and I took out my camera and got a couple of shots before the bunny disappeared somewhere under the truck. He tried to start the truck again and it was dead. It was only off for about 5 minutes! A local Inuit man, David, stopped and gave us a ride to find Jim and Sheila for a boost. I guess that is one way to meet people.
It is very dry here so we are running a humidifier all of the time but it is a small one and doesn't do the full house so we also boil water. This week both Craig and I were in the office with the door closed but not fully shut. Blitz came into the room abruptly with this concerned look on his face and in seconds we smelt something burning. Yikes! The kettle was boiled dry and burning and if it wasn't for Blitz warning us who knows what could of happened. What a good boy, needless to say he got lots of lovin' and treats that night.
We are heading to Edmonton on February 1st to visit with my brothers & family, then to Manitoba on the 6th. We decided to keep on heading south so on February 9th we are on a plane again to Florida to visit with Craig's brother Ken, his wife Andrea and our niece Jade. It will be a LeBleu family reunion in Florida as his Mom & Dad, sister Laura and her family will also be there. Craig and I do not have anything major planned but sitting our butts on the beach and getting some sun. We are only there for a week then back to Manitoba for a week to visit with my mom and friends before heading back home to Nunavut.
The sun in Cambridge Bay is here to stay! Tomorrow it will rise at 10:13am and will set at 2:12pm with a altitude of 2° at noon. When we return home at the end of February the sun will be up for over 9 hours. I thought I would have more of a problem not seeing the sun during the winter but it wasn't that bad. Don't get me wrong I love the sun and I am glad it is back. Cambridge Bay has also seen some heavy ice fog this past week and it made for some nice pictures against the sun.
Today's pictures are a mash of the ice fog, animals and sun.
Talk soon!
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