I celebrated my first year in Cambridge Bay on the 16th of September and two days later I celebrated my birthday. I can't believe everything that I have done this past year especially when my plan was to take a year off work and do some photography. Well I managed to get a job about 6 months into this adventure and I am pleased that I had time to get some photography in. Who would of guessed a year ago that I would be so involved in Kitikmeot Foods Ltd., a large fish and meat plant where we ship not only in Canada but also in the United States. I love my job; it's exciting at times, it's challenging at times but at the end of the day I come home satisfied.
Some people may see the land as the same old thing every time they go out but not me. I can travel down the same road and see something new to photograph every time. I still have a lot of things on my bucket list that I need to shoot; muskox, caribou, hawks and my list goes on. In the end I am happy with what I have photographed and this coming year will be bigger and better...I hope.
My birthday was the perfect day for me. Spent the whole day with Craig, took the dogs out, watched the Winnipeg Blue Bombers kick some Montreal ass. Well maybe not kick ass but they managed to win and that what matters. After the game we headed out onto the land and spent a few hours photographing it.
Our first stop was at the Old Stone Church across the bay. Fathers Lemer, Steinman and Menez began the construction of Cambridge Bay's first permanent Catholic church in 1953 using seal oil and sand for mortar. The church opened on September 12, 1954 with nine parishioners and was used until the 1960's. Sadly, in 2006 a large portion of the church was destroyed by a deliberate fire.
We then headed over to take pictures of Father Steinman's old ship. "In 1954, Father Steinman, one of the builders of the stone church, purchased The Eagle. It was towed from Tuktoyaktuk to Cambridge Bay and reportedly leaked all the way. Father Steinman was the only priest in the region with a working knowledge of boats but no record remains of what his intentions for The Eagle may have been. Unfortunately, he was stationed elsewhere the same year that the ship arrived and The Eagle has remained on the beach ever since."
Our next stop on this photo shoot was this old rusty Jeep that has been sitting on the land for who knows how many years. It still has a steering wheel, a stick shift and a passenger seat which is missing all the comforts of foam and material. Don't know what happened, was it in an accident, was it burnt, or was it just abandoned and the Arctic elements took it over. All I know is that it has some history and it is this cool piece of rusted out metal.
I attended my first funeral in Cambridge Bay today, it was held at the high school gymnasium as there is no church in town that could hold an entire community. A 15 year old boy tragically lost his life last week in an accident. Funerals affect everyone in this small community and this one hit hard to many people. His hockey teammates lined the isle, were dressed in their jerseys and carrying hockey sticks. At the end of the service when he was carried out they were all hitting their sticks on the floor of the gymnasium shouting his name. It was a heart wrenching tribute to this young teenager. Craig was honoured to play the organ at the service and with our friend Marg's help they managed to make it through. A tough gig but Marg and Craig did a wonderful job and I am proud of them both.
I know I have dedicated a couple of posting in the past and I would like to dedicate this one to the people of Cambridge Bay for their strength, spirit and ability to help others in their time of need.
Talk soon!
Some people may see the land as the same old thing every time they go out but not me. I can travel down the same road and see something new to photograph every time. I still have a lot of things on my bucket list that I need to shoot; muskox, caribou, hawks and my list goes on. In the end I am happy with what I have photographed and this coming year will be bigger and better...I hope.
My birthday was the perfect day for me. Spent the whole day with Craig, took the dogs out, watched the Winnipeg Blue Bombers kick some Montreal ass. Well maybe not kick ass but they managed to win and that what matters. After the game we headed out onto the land and spent a few hours photographing it.
Our first stop was at the Old Stone Church across the bay. Fathers Lemer, Steinman and Menez began the construction of Cambridge Bay's first permanent Catholic church in 1953 using seal oil and sand for mortar. The church opened on September 12, 1954 with nine parishioners and was used until the 1960's. Sadly, in 2006 a large portion of the church was destroyed by a deliberate fire.
We then headed over to take pictures of Father Steinman's old ship. "In 1954, Father Steinman, one of the builders of the stone church, purchased The Eagle. It was towed from Tuktoyaktuk to Cambridge Bay and reportedly leaked all the way. Father Steinman was the only priest in the region with a working knowledge of boats but no record remains of what his intentions for The Eagle may have been. Unfortunately, he was stationed elsewhere the same year that the ship arrived and The Eagle has remained on the beach ever since."
Our next stop on this photo shoot was this old rusty Jeep that has been sitting on the land for who knows how many years. It still has a steering wheel, a stick shift and a passenger seat which is missing all the comforts of foam and material. Don't know what happened, was it in an accident, was it burnt, or was it just abandoned and the Arctic elements took it over. All I know is that it has some history and it is this cool piece of rusted out metal.
I attended my first funeral in Cambridge Bay today, it was held at the high school gymnasium as there is no church in town that could hold an entire community. A 15 year old boy tragically lost his life last week in an accident. Funerals affect everyone in this small community and this one hit hard to many people. His hockey teammates lined the isle, were dressed in their jerseys and carrying hockey sticks. At the end of the service when he was carried out they were all hitting their sticks on the floor of the gymnasium shouting his name. It was a heart wrenching tribute to this young teenager. Craig was honoured to play the organ at the service and with our friend Marg's help they managed to make it through. A tough gig but Marg and Craig did a wonderful job and I am proud of them both.
I know I have dedicated a couple of posting in the past and I would like to dedicate this one to the people of Cambridge Bay for their strength, spirit and ability to help others in their time of need.
Talk soon!
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