Yesterday I went for a walk on the Arctic Ocean.  It's not everyday you can do that!

It only seems fitting that it was stinking COLD.  To be exact it was -28 with the windchill.  I know some people say "ahhh, windchill doesn't count"  I'd like those people to come for a walk with me when the wind is coming straight at your face.  It counts.

A friend and I were trudging through the snow and I was talking about going on vacation one time while we were living in Ft. MacPherson (another small Northern town).  Ryan and I had walked into a large Southern grocery store and literally spent an hour just walking around the produce section.  She was telling me about how last year she had gone on a much overdue vacation and her first stop was a hotel that had a fruit platter for guests to pick at.  She said she spotted the most perfect banana.  She described and I could envision it.  To you it looks like a regular banana.  To her it was more than that.  It was a bright yellow, unbruised, never frozen banana.  She said she started crying.  I knew exactly where she was coming from.

Our community has been feeling pretty fortunate the last month or so.  We have a new grocery store manager who is simply wonderful.  You have to remember this is the only grocery store, the only store actually.  He has been bringing in lots of "fresh" fruit and vegetables and believe me, it is not going unnoticed.  Just the other night another lady was giddy telling me about how she picked up spinach at the store.  She also told me that she told the manager to call her if it wasn't selling and she'd buy it all.  There were even mango's there last week.  This is a seriously big deal.  Previous to this manager, I can tell you exactly what fruit and vegetables were available in town.  Iceberg lettuce, cucumber, 4 tomatoes for $9.00, abag of three peppers, potatoes and onions.  That's it.  There was no squash, turnip or sweet potato in town for Thanksgiving nor were there were pumpkins at Halloween.  So spinach and mango are a big deal.  We even have whole pineapple............for $18.00. 

I don't think I've ever talked about our phone numbers up here.  It's another one for the "the truly Northern list".  Essentially all you ever have to remember is 3 numbers.  With 38 house phone numbers in town I'm sure most people know everyone's number.  That is except for whoever has been calling our house in the middle of the night asking for Frank.   Anyhow, everyone has 580-3_ _ _  Super easy for remembering.  Just another example of our peaceful, cell phoneless, quiet life.

All that is about to change later this week though, because vacation is upon us.

Back to the crazy, hectic, world full of traffic, cell phones and texting..................hmmmmm that doesn't exactly sound like vacation does it.

I've never written anything in the past about vacation on facebook or anything like that until it has already happened and I'm back safe and sound at home, totally for safety reasons.  Why tell everybody your NOT home.  No thanks.  But this time it's different.  Everybody in town will already know we are gone, they'll also know somebody else is staying at the house with our two big dogs and I really don't suspect anybody from out of town to come rob us............what are they going to take???? and where are they going to take it????  Nope, not a concern. 

Vacation starts Friday and it will involve travelling through 7 different airports one way, to eventually get to Halifax.   On Friday we travel on a very small plane to Inuvik, NT where we spend the night.  Saturday we go to Yellowknife,  Edmonton and then Calgary.  We'll be spending a few days there with family and friends and taking in some of the local attractions the the Zoo, Banff and a hair dresser.  Yes, I'm excited for the Zoo, and Banff is always breathtaking, but I'm really looking forward to getting my hair done. 

From Calgary we go to Toronto and then onto Halifax where we'll be for about 2 weeks before we head South for some fun in the sun.  Hola, Mexico.  It's crazy to think there could easily be a 60 degree temperature difference between Mexico and Paulatuk.  It'll be nice to be on the warm side for once!  From Mexico we go back to NS for another week and then head North all over again.

As strange as it is, I'm not quite ready for vacation.  Of course I'm looking forward to seeing N with his grandparents again.  The thought of it brings tears to my eyes actually.  But I'm not itching for vacation like I had been in the past.  I haven't had a big countdown going or anything, I don't have our suitcases packed, but I do have about 4 lists going about what to pack, what to do before we go, what our vacation "schedule" is, and another list of cloths that my Mom has waiting for N in NS.  From looking at the list I don't think I need to pack anything for him.  Other than "puppy", if we left Paulatuk without puppy we might have to turn the plane around.

Don't laugh at my lists.  Not only do I love lists but it's a bit of a packing juggling act trying to figure out how much we are actually allowed to pack.  Three different airlines, and all three have different weight restrictions....of course.  The airline leaving Paulatuk has flyers posted around town stating that all passengers need to be dressed in full winter gear or they will not be allowed to board the plane.  Fair enough, it's a small plane and heating is not at the top of the priority list. It can get get cold if your not up front with the pilot with the heat vent blowing right at you.  Thankfully we are able to drop our goose down parkas with friends in Yellowknife.  I LOVE my parka, but I don't want to be hauling that and -50 degree boots across the country. 

As you can see I am still unable to upload pictures but hopefully I'll get a chance while we are in Calgary because I have some great ones.

Beluga teeth



Our very own mini iceburgs

Me standing on the edge of the world...kidding, kind of

This is how I found him one morning

When I busted him he stuffed a bunch up his nose

Sunrise one morning

Remembrance Day

I built a sand castle on the Arctic Ocean

It was -30, everything in our world was frozen

but the sand was still nice and soft

Baking is one of N's favorite activities



That's all for now - everyone please cross your fingers for clear skies on Friday, if we can't make it out on that plane we are hopped.

BACK (hopefully)

So I'm back on line. 

A friend loaned us a computer to use until we can get ours fixed.  We are going to bring it to Calgary with us while we are there to get it running again.  We figure it'll take about the same amount of time to send it out, get it fixed and send it back up.  So that's our plan.  I'm a tad technically challenged but when I heard a jingle coming from inside the computer and realized the there was no prong to plug the battery into anymore....I knew we had a problem.

Anyhow - I am thankful for friends who are willing to loan out a computers. 

R didn't think it was going to such a big deal because we could just use his Ipod.  I know you would get a BIG chuckle out of the story, but R would be much too embarrassed for me to tell it.  Why we now have a new Ipod on order and why the the broken one ended up in the oven.  Let me just say that even if you bake a wet Ipod - it will NOT work.

So it has been much too long.  I have a few great Northern stories and some wonderful pictures but unfortunately I can't add them.  I'll do it once I have our computer back.

So first funny story.

Playschool has quickly become part of our schedule and I'm not sure who is enjoying it more.  N or me.  He is loving seeing the other kids, even if it is just to say "hi" as he scoots past on route to whatever has caught his attention.  He loves dumping the tubs of various building supplies.  He likes to build torches out of some plastic building supplies and carry them as high as he can.  Some of the older kids were doing it one day but had used up all the supplies, but you can be sure it was the first thing he spotted the next time we went.  He built it and marched around just like a little Olympian.  He likes to color, on the paper and especially on the table.  But I am fairly certain his favorite time is "snack" time.   Snack time is actually a full lunch.  We are talking, goose soup, cheese, homemade bread, chicken nuggets, caribou stew.... He like the whole process, washing hands, eating, drinking from a big boy cup (which I'm glad to report has only produced one soaked shirt that was promptly put in the dryer and he was dressed like a carpenter for the rest of the day), and brushing his teeth.  I'm sure the teachers think I don't give him lunch at home.  I do, but on Tuesday and Thursday he gets two lunches.  On every occasion except for one, he has eaten two lunches.  He recently passed on Char chowder, but I happily ate it for him while he chowed down on homemade rolls.

Playschool has turned into a social event for both of us.  At first I was the true version of a helicopter mom.  I totally hovered.  After the first day of him being poked in the eye, he wasn't getting too far out of my sight.  I've relaxed a bit.  I'm more comfortable there and so is he.  Some days I try to sit back and just let him interact with the kids and teachers on his own while I sit at the kids table and color.  I forgot how fun coloring could be.  I'm also a bit embarrassed to say that my first pictures needed some improvement.  It takes a bit of practice to get back into the swing of things.

One day N was doing great so I ventured into the kitchen and started doing the dishes.  The phone started ringing and since I was the closest I answered it.  I felt all professional again.  So in my professional voice I answered "Good Afternoon, Paulatuk Preschool", I was a little startled when the man on the other end said, "Ya, does the preschool have any rabbit fur?"

Good question - being new own the job I handed that call off to one of the real professionals and continued washing my dishes.

Halloween was a big deal here.

The night before the gym was set up as a big haunted house.  We didn't make it but I heard it was pretty impressive.  Halloween day the school held a community event where all the kids and adults could dress up and come to the gym for a big assembly.  All the kids and teachers were dressed up as well as all the younger kids who had not yet started school.  The costumes were impressive.  There were butterfly's, bumblebees, lions, mummies, a soldier, drum dancers, ragedy Ann, shrek, gypsies and our little one eyed monster.

To be honest N was not a fan of his costume.  That is until we got to the school and he saw all the other kids dressed up.  Then he thought it was great fun.  It was a perfect day for trick or treating - it was cold but not impossibly cold - once bundled up it was good.  We went trick or treating where we quickly learnt that knocking is not part of the tradition.  You just walk right in.  I continued knocking partly because I think that was N's favorite part and partly because unlike the rest of the trick or treaters, I didn't know who was behind the door and I'm not sure if they would know me.  We went to about 30 houses and got mostly the regular goods.  Some of the different things we got were a chocolate cupcake, a rice crispy square, popcorn and a tangerine.  I know normally I would have automatically thrown these out.  But since I knew exactly where each item came from.....I chowed down.

On our way to school for the big party! 

We actually just carved our pumpkin this morning.  A bit late, but we did it.  R was out of town for a few days before Halloween and somebody gave him a pumpkin, for FREE.  There were no pumpkins in town and since one of N's favorite books is Duck & Goose Find A Pumpkin - R couldn't pass it up.  Not even when Aklak Air charged him $30.00 to fly the pumpkin back with him.  So much for the free pumpkin.  N was pretty excited to see a real pumpkin and immediately ran to get him book to compare the picture to the real thing. 

Here's another funny story - I'm not sure why I'm actually to write this here.  I suppose so I can look back on it in a few years and laugh a little more.

N is now into robbing drawers and cupboards.  Yesterday he was in the drawer that has a mis mash of things.  Potatoe masher, pizza cutter, turkey baster, measuring spoons.  I'm sure you all have that drawer, and thats the one he was in.  He was playing with the turkey baster for a little bit, he was having fun with it.  When he was smaller and had baths in the sink we use to squirt water on him with it.  Good fun.  So yesterday as he was playing with it, he made another grab and came out with the pizza cutter.  Uh No.  So I told him to put it back, which he did surprisingly quickly but then stomped over to me and hit me on the leg with the turkey baster.  Yup - I got hit with the turkey baster.  It still makes me laugh.  I had a tough time making it through his 2 minute time out with out busting into laughter.  I did make it, but he didn't help matters by mimiking my postion by siting there with his arms crossed just like I had mine.  My word that kid is cute.

Winter is definitely upon us.  The bay is frozen.  There are skidoo's, quads and dogs out there at any given time.  It is beautiful.  Obviously I enjoy the open ocean more because that means it's warmer out, but really, the frozen snow covered ocean isn't a bad sight either.  It hasn't been extremely cold.  One day it was -29 with the wind.  I was wishing I wore snow pants that day for our walk, but I haven't made that mistake again.  Other than that one day it has been very bearable.  There is no question it's winter, but from I'm hearing this is nothing compared to what January and February are going to dish out.

Anyhow - that's all for now.  I'll try to figure out how to add some pictures and hopefully get them up.  Wish me luck...

Our computer is on the fritz.  I won't have it again for 3 weeks.

Everything is good up here.  The bay is frozen.  People are snowmobiling on it.

We leave on vacation mid-month, so I'll try to update when I can.