Road to Somewhere

There's a new road in Iqaluit. It starts around the old military base and ends at the new gravel pit. If you drive up that road, the view is truly one of the best in town. That's one.

Iqaluit is proud to have the Road to Nowhere. I'm quite enamoured with that road and with its name, of course. That's two.

It would be a pity, for a town with the Road to Nowhere, not to have a Road to Somewhere. That's three.

Last night I printed out some posters and today my husband pinned them up at a few places in town. He said people read them and smiled.

Novel as a scarf?

I’ve had a busy week—being new in town, even in a town I’ve lived before for two years, takes up different energy and creates different energy as well. I look at things already with nostalgia—we’ll be leaving just in a few short months. There are new buildings, new people, the same snow covered hills.

The kids have settled into a routine of watching old Russian cartoons before bed, and this leaves me with a good couple of hours of writing time. Or doing nothing time. Doing nothing is still doing something—so I sit and think and try to weave my novel, my characters’ stories in my head, while my baby sleeps on my lap. I sometimes wish I could write novels in 3-D, with things happening simultaneously on different facets. Does this make sense? I don’t know.

Last night I saw my novel as an unraveling scarf, and it totally made sense, but this morning, when I tried to imagine it again, and to bring back the thoughts that came with this image, nothing happened.

I just finished a short chapter, only about 800 words, to be expanded. I noticed that my writing style is different, but I’m not worried yet. Anything goes in the first draft.

last day of january -28C wind: calm

we go out for a walk


she is determined

inside the amautik, he is curious

we look at the snow barrier


kids are going back to school after lunch break
we think we will follow the snowmobile tracks



we are ambitious, we want to go up that hill

then we remember a little note we read in the local newspaper: wolves have been seen in Iqaluit and Apex. schoolchildren are being warned. the wolves are hungry and desperate. ouch. we return home. hot chocolate for everybody.

* * *

just before we came in, i took quite a number of photos, holding my camera in my bare hands. then i took my key out, ready to open the door. all of a sudden i could not move my fingers. my hands got so stiff i could not insert the key into the lock. i put my mitts on again, and tried to warm my hands up. in a couple of minutes i was able to open the door. and lock it behind us. wow. and it wasn't even that cold.

* * *


some photos of our first blizzard, a week or so ago:

we wake up to this

our front door

a raven hides from the wind on our deck

windows covered with snow, and crayon art on the glass

* * *
and on a completely separate and unrelated note: i made this, with no pattern, in 2 h. the last time i crocheted was in kindergarden. i'm pretty impressed with myself. i need to buy more yarn.

it's been unusually warm. it rained for two days. today was +1C, no wind, and it felt very warm. it smelled of spring, and made me feel nostalgic. do i really want 7 months of winter? not like i have a choice. and i *am* excited about the snow.

i'm ordering a winter amautik, a hooded parka, so that i can carry my 2 year old on my back, and i'm eager for the weather to get colder so i could start wearing him in it.

we went to the pond at the bottom of our street and waded in the slush; the town was hidden in the fog.

scroll down to view the photos. i'm not able to publish it with a later date.

i can't believe i haven't updated for so long. the truth is...i really want to vent about some things... and i'm acutely aware that this is not something one can do in a town of 8000 people, with ... eh ... only one ... ... ... yeah...

can't say. nope.


but...i've been uploading photos into a draft post, so that i could post my entire route to the airport -- a pic of each house. yeah. so stay tuned. blogger wasn't cooperating, so that's why.

you are in Iqaluit. walk to the airport with us. look to your right. this is what you see. captures under the photos. some photos won't have any captions...the photos start after our we turn right, into the street that will take us to the airport...so you are missing about 8 houses on the road to nowhere, and some empty space...

water pumping station...

residential housing

residential housing



i think there are some offices inside


private house
private house





hospital; new hospital wing being built

another water pumping station

this road leads to...hm... i think to the subdivision called 'plato'


nunavut arctic college

not sure what is this

fire hall

??

there is a cafe in this building and royal bank.
major intersection downtown. canada building just above the white pick up truck


same intersection. busy traffic
we keep on walking straight.

it says on the building what it is


cadets again

you can see a daycare at the distance
navigator inn

this is the final stretch towards the airport. if i were to turn left here, i'd be on my way to the sylvia grinnel territorial park

baffin flowers. my husband says that it is AMAZING inside

pretty big taxi company


there is a spa, a fancy kids' clothing store, and my favorite caffe in this yellow building

yes, fantasy palace. unfortunately, despite the signs, they do not server breyers...

it is nice inside. we stop for a treat...



empty spaces...
okay, here we actually look to the left. first air cargo...

another glance to the left. this is where we are going...



the airport from up close, also to the left


an art gallery. we went in. but didn't take any photos there.

leaving the art gallery. nice truck.

inside the cargo building




our groceries for a week

joe, our taxi driver. we ride with him, not with the other guys. the guys who think the need to drive 100 km/h. did i mention there are no sit belts?