A Walk Around Town

We've had a request to show Bob's house, so see below! Not particularly inspiring, perhaps, but it is a pretty stark landscape. Most of the houses are brightly coloured, so at least that gives some vibrancy. It is likely a bit prettier when there is a skiff of snow. I keep joking about this being a gravel pit, but it really is a rocky, dry landscape. There are small rocks of all types on the ground (clearly I'm no geologist), but the main "soil" is glacial silt so you can just image the goo that is formed after a rainfall. There is also a light dust in the air when it's windy; most things in the Northern Store that had been there for awhile were covered in a skiff of dust. 

Bob lives at one of town so he actually has a view out his back door and doesn't have to look onto another row of houses. Many of his neighbours are other government employees, teachers or other "ex pats." 

The view from Bob's back door. The sky is pretty incredible at night. (Yes, we are getting some "night" now, although it's short.) 

Bob's "street."

Front of Bob's house. 

Back of Bob's house. (See the girls on the porch?)

Here is the government office that Bob works in. (Note the parking lot of ATVs. Almost everyone gets around by ATV in the summer, snow machine in the winter. Bob has the latter, but we can't afford the former unless we sell our car at home. In summer, Bob walks or uses his bike.) And you'll see from his office marker how to spell Bob in Inuktitut as well as in syllabic writing, which is everywhere. The language is very strong here and we hear it much more often than English. (I met a teacher the other day and she said that the children are taught solely in Inuktitut from K to 3. It isn't until grade 4 that instruction is in English.) 

Although most of the buildings are colourful, there are a few stand-outs. Apparently this is the home/office (?) of Isuma Productions, the company behind the multi-award winning Atanarguat (The Fast Runner). This film was filmed out of Igloolik and their website is worth a visit to learn more about Igloolik and its history. (And, of course, watch the film if you haven't already seen it.) 

And here is the beautiful radio station, also painted by the same artist. 

As contrast, here is the hamlet's inn. A series of trailers = inn in the north and this is the pretty standard accommodation and similar to what Bob stays in in most of the communities he has to visit. (Not sure of the cost of this one, but others have been about $250/night.) It was warm and comfortable inside - we popped in the restaurant for a hot chocolate after a long hike the other day. 

So, all for now. We've been out at a cabin for a few days and it is raining today, so Patrice and I will probably get more posts up soon.