To begin, a photo of the sun returning to Taloyoak. I was pretty pleased to see it and the last time I saw a sunrise was in Yellowknife on the way in Jan 3rd so I can only imagine how pleased folks were who have been waiting for a couple of months. This is taken about 11 a.m. yesterday looking out the dining room window and is the brightest sun we've seen yet. I do have my light therapy lamp which wakes me every day so haven't been minding the lack of light, although the darkness isn't usually a problem for me in the winter months anyway. I told my coworker and roommate it makes me higher energy and they both suggested that I don't need it but you don't want to take chances.
This Sunday has been good to me even though I've been second on call. I got to sleep all night even though I was first on call and it was a Saturday night and a pretty busy one from the sounds of the 'machines' zipping by here. And I even slept in this morning. After a breakfast sandwich, load of laundry and catching up on some emails, I had a call from the shore captain. As he says "I've got 7349 minutes on my truck phone" this being because he'd rather use the hand held cell phone and risk a fine if the RCMP see him with it to his ear. He's been busy wrestling with bureaucracy and attempting to move the lobsters he has staying with him in the tank house. So his world was continuing on in the same manner. I had a Skype chat with the electrician daughter and her fur family as well so a full day.
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| Catholic church |
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| Graffiti northern style |
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| Harvesting ice to make tea |
My roommate and I went on a tour of the hamlet today as she is the Homecare nurse and has been here (off and on) for about a year so is knowledgeable about all things Taloyoak. We started out about noon time when the sun was up. Too bad I didn't have video of the sled dogs yowling there to the right of the church so you could really experience it. You know how kids love to write in the dust on vehicles or buildings in the south? Here on the right is the northern version in the frost and snow. We found some folks getting some ice for tea - if you don't care for the trucked in version of water, this is the alternative.
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| Large iglu for many people |
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| Inside the largest room |
We were on the hunt for the iglu built by the elders and had to make two attempts to find it as it was white on white. Kind of reminded me of a sandcastle in it's shape. I'm only 5' 4" and I could only stand up in the middle of the largest room which speaks to the height of its usual inhabitants. It's not finished yet with the sleeping platforms, caribou robes and oil lamps but I think the construction will continue on for some time. The school kids come out to see how their ancestors lived out on the land. I felt like I was in a snow fort I'd built about 50 years ago as I sat in it. I was amazed to think that in my lifetime I was actually able to sit in an igloo - imagine - something you read about in books as a child or saw on a NFB documentary.
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| Gas station and cashier office |
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| Downtown Taloyoak |
We continued on with our tour about town as I have only seen sections of it and mostly in the dark. The 900 or so inhabitants live in a fairly spread out pattern. It would likely take about half an hour to walk briskly from one side to the other. The gas station is an interesting place where you pump your fuel and then go to the office to pay. The office being a walk in freezer which is where the attendant sits to stay warm. There's room for a cash register and chair here.
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| Canadian Tire - Skidoo Shop |
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| Walmart |
We headed outside the hamlet to the road which goes almost to the airport and to the dump - locally known as Walmart. Here you see it on the left, complete with ravens as there is food from the grocery stores discarded here. Further up the road is the Canadian Tire. One section is the machine / Honda shop the other is general tools and equipment. It would be a tad bit cold for 'pick a part' work but.....
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| The lagoon |
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| Sewage truck pumping station |
We drove on to the lagoon and no this isn't a place where you'd go to swim. Can imagine it's rather 'ripe' and attracts flies in the summer. Apparently the locals are extremely afraid of flies - as in house flies - to the point of jumping from a moving vehicle if one is in it. I'm told that last summer there was an alert on the local radio station that there was a bumblebee in Taloyoak - much like the polar bear alert. Hmmm. These last four pics are part of the reason there's an environmental assessment being done this summer here. These situations aren't uncommon in the north unfortunately.
I rewarded my tour guide by baking cranberry scones and cinnamon loaf when we returned so it was a fair exchange. Time to get ready for the Monday. Very difficult to believe that I'm into the third week here already as the time just flies.
