It’s so easy to get caught inside during the dark season in the north. Then, once you’re used to all the tv shows and junk food that makes you fat, the sun comes out. You may try to go outside, but the shock of the cold is so intense that you just rush from place to place hoping to avoid the inevitable frostbite.

BUT…

…every now and then something will happen to get you outside.

This week I actually got out to take some pictures of the beautiful community in which I live. Sure, the temperature was about -40C to -50C the whole time, but it was still nice (just avoid the metal-rimmed sunglasses).

Just beautiful. And some more…

Now, one might ask, “Tara, why did you decide to risk your face and fingers to gets some shots?” Well, I think the answer is as simple as sharing my beautiful view with the people who have questioned why I am here in the first place.

Last night, around midnight, my friend Sarah and I got our camera bags and tripods, then headed out behind my place. Taking pictures of the Northern Lights is so amazing, but I could never do it before; I needed someone to help me with my camera settings. After everything is clicked to the right setting, you point, shoot, and wait – quite awhile – for the shutter to close. What follows is my first foray into night photography…

And, ta-da! I’m hoping to get back into blogging a bit more, but these pics will have to sate your hunger for entries right about now.

Final Thought: Go out and enjoy your day…it’s taken me awhile to learn that.

Usually I classify my blog in only one category; if you check through the archives, you will notice that this generally means the blog about the community in which I live (currently ‘Kugluktuk’) or stories about the general state of being of dogs in the north (‘Snow Dogs’). It’s also no secret that my two dogs, Scarlett and Gryphon, feature regularly in both. What do you do, then, when you go out with your dogs and take pics that could easily blend into a new category called ‘Kug Dogs’? That’s a page I refuse to put together.

For the past two years I have lived on Baffin Island in the eastern Arctic – a land that didn’t quite fit in with the view we were presented with in grade school. On Baffin, there were mountains everywhere and the fjords and islands I encountered were breathtaking. This year, however, I’m living in the community that pushes to the furthest-most location along the western boundary of Nunavut.

I know that’s not the clearest map, but you can still make out the names. Pangnirtung and Qikiqtarjuaq are about as far east as you can go whereas Kugluktuk hangs out there in the west (just north of Yellowknife – and the Arctic Circle).

…and you know what? It’s just as beautiful. Check these pictures out…

From the hilltop behind my house looking back over the hamlet.

OK, one more before I start impressing you with the dogs.

Pretty amazing right?

Or what about this…

These next pics could be filed under ‘Kug Dogs’ but, of course, that’s just a tab that’s not going to happen…

NB: For some reason the pictures of Gryphon have him looking like some weird stretched out dog. He’s actually quite well-proportioned in real life!

Another one of the cuties together…

Facing the wind...I love how Scarlett's ears act like sails!

Scarlett (or ‘carlett as my nephew says)…

Gryphon…

When the ravens caught sight of the dogs and started circling, I knew that was the end of the outing. We had a great time, though, hopping from rock to rock in 12 degree weather. Can you believe that? 12 – 15 degrees all day yesterday, and right now it’s around 10; what a beautiful place.

The closest window is actually my unit...when I'm washing my dishes, I see what's in the following pics...

I did it…I’ve figured it out! I was having problems with my pictures before because I never really turned my computer off. No, generally I just shut it which sends it into ‘hibernate’ mode. Apparently it needs to be reset. Well, I’m sure there’s an easier way, but my way has been to turn the darn thing off.

So here is Kugluktuk – well, a few pics that the hounds have been howling for.

So that’s the view right outside my kitchen window these days. Certainly a change from last year. I wish I could get a picture where the colour actually reflected the was it is here; I’m not that talented yet.

In case the green is confusing, check out this picture…I really am in the north!

And that bottom pic is just fun…where snowmobiles go to die.

I know that’s not much, but it’s a start. My journey here in Kug has just started, and I’m sure I’ll have better photos in the future.

“Enough lazin’ around now!” was what I said to my Mac last night. It is a sentiment that I repeat today.  I’m sure “it’s not you, it’s me,” would be the appropriate quote, but I don’t want to break up just yet. Can’t we try again?

It’s the iPhoto…curses (imagine a type of evil mutter and exhale of breath here)! I’ve been trying to load pictures into a post for the past 2 days with no luck. If I just want to view then I can, but if I try to load them it won’t read most most recent transfer from my camera.

…the pictures of the golden grass and mini-bushes, the big rock behind my place, the madness of sealift preparation…and I can’t access them. Why, oh why Mr. Mac, are you holding out on me? Oh, and when I say ‘mini-bushes’ it’s only because I spent the last two years on Baffin Island where it’s already snowing.

I suppose I can post some summer memories – all photo montage-like.

Above: Huge tree, right? Completely out of the realm of northern imagination. My older brother lives in Haida Gwaii, and how could I resist checking this out? Sometimes the sound of the damp surroundings under the canopy reminds me of the inside of an igloo – completely different worlds, but somehow similar in their solitude.

Above: This is Yakoun Lake at the bottom of a beautiful hike through the trees (the previous picture of the big tree was taken on the walk down).

Above: No, my nephew is not a crazy miniature boy…this is just Scarlett – the chihuahua mix – on a very large stump. This was taken, in fact, just before she found a pile of some sort of nastiness to rub herself in; she loved the back-twists, but she sure hated the bath!

Above: Of course, safety first if you’re out on a boat with dogs who don’t really like to swim!

Above: At my younger brother’s wedding in August, this was one of the only pictures taken of me – I was snapping for most of the weekend. Painting nails and drinking coffee. What? You thought the sunglasses were the only note-worthy things in this snapshot?

Here I am, logging in again…from Kugluktuk. Yes, it’s true, I’ve moved again. Pretty soon my menu bar isn’t going to have room for all these changes!

Kugluktuk – ‘the place of moving water’ – is located at the mouth of the Coppermine River. Unfortunately, I haven’t really gotten to take many pictures yet; I’ve been out to work every day, but I haven’t been lugging around my camera. I already stand out enough at this point. I’m the new instructor in town that no one can quite place…since classes at the elementary and high schools have already started, they know I don’t work there, but I guess I just don’t carry myself well as a potential nurse.

Anyway, I promise to get pictures soon; there is a hilarious street sign just outside my front window that deserves its very own entry on another day. I do, however, have a snapshot taken from a websearch…just wanted to let you know it wasn’t my shutter which recorded the view – thank goodness for wikipedia!

Northern Christmas celebrations will begin soon in Kug. This would be, of course, this year’s sealift. Unfortunately, I didn’t quite plan things out this year. I prepped my order in Ottawa and had it put it on a ship in Montreal…and had it shipped to the most westerly hamlet in all of Nunavut. Hmm, that wasn’t quite thought out. Most people have theirs prepped in Edmonton and shipped from Hay River. Oh well, you live you learn. This was just a very expensive one.

Next on the list to mention? The weather here, so far, has been gorgeous! I shake my head every morning as CBC North talks about how foggy and nasty it is here and wonder how that mistake can be made daily. It’s all very strange. I’ll just enjoy the sun while it’s here; I know it will officially disappear soon.

Ahh, that reminds me…the Northern Lights made there first appearance (to me) last night. They weren’t as striking as I’ve ever seen but they were there, cutting the sky, on September 2nd.

Regular housing problem to deal with? The heat of the units. It’s absolutely ridiculous how stifling it can be; because of the heat, you end up opening the windows. And what did your mother tell you about sleeping with open windows? You get sick. Right now I have a cough that regularly rattles my lungs and my voice has disappeared – just 3 days before classes are due to start.

And now I have to head to the nurse to deal with a case of canine stitch removal. Check for an update in the ‘Snow Dogs’ category later today or tomorrow.