ᐸᑎᐅᔭᖅ - patiujaq - candle

 Josh's birthday found him flying all over Baffin, but we made a delicious chocolate cake anyways. He enjoyed when he finally got his head out of the clouds. 

Our team of cake bakers......Justus, Katie, me and Davin

ᐊᒻᒨᒪᔪᖅ - ammuumajuq - clam

The first three days of August were the lowest tides of the month. Every one was excited to go clam digging. And most people did go stock their freezers with this free souce of food. But thanks to shift work, we were only able to get out on the tail end of that low tide.

August 3 saw Claire, Charolette and I digging through cutlery drawers trying to find any utensil that we could use as a shovel. I chose a large serving spoon - I wanted big clams. Charolette chose a cake spreader - she wanted to dig deep. Claire kept her fingers warm and wondered what foolishness us Canadians were dragging her into.

After consulting Emma's Clam Digging 101 - A guide for qallunaat, we were inspired and figured we would come home with buckets of large juicy clams. Not that we were overly inspired to eat them, it was the thrill of the hunt that intrigued us.

Our location of choice was Tar Inlet, near Apex. We were a tiny bit late, as the tide was just starting to come back in. Although sunny, the wind was almost icy as it blew off the open water. 

Our trek along the seashore allowed us to see a few tiny sea creatures; barnacles, snails and tiny sea anenomes. We didn't see any crabs nor starfish in the bay. I guess it's too cold for the 'stereotypical' sea animal life I was expecting.

Aha! An usuk! This is a long muscle that peaks out of the sand. The red usuk's are female clams (and apparently they taste better than males). When the clam feels threatened, it squirts water out of its usuk and quickly burrows deep into the sand. Pretty impressive for a mollusc without hands (or a shovel).

To catch the usuk, you grab it with your fingers (scream when a suprising amount of water squirts in your face) and then use your serving spoon to dig the rest out. Please note my qallunaat form of squatting while clamming. The Inuit ladies next to us just bent over at the waist and walked from usuk to usuk. I blame my poor form on my height. 

The very first clam I ever caught in my life was smaller than a nickel. The nine other clams I caught weren't much bigger! I took a couple home to show Josh, but left the rest in the bay so they could grow for next summer. 

We had so much fun exploring the low tide waters and digging up all sorts of innocent creatures that we decided to bring Darlene, Katie and Ryan and their boys out with us the next day. We knew that the "prime" clamming days were done, but how much different could the tide be one day from the next. Boy, were we wrong.

August 4 (the day after lowest tide) was cool and blustery. We all came underdressed and determined to tough it out. We were amazed at how much water there was in the bay. Our attempts to walk were hindered by huge deep puddles. We walked and waited a long time for low tide to get lower! But to no avail, August 4 was not a good clamming day!
 

In the mean time, we did find a couple of cool sea creatures, more sea anemones, huge pieces of kelp and this little shrimp like creature. 

 

Just when we were beginning to think this trip would be a complete bust, we saw an Inuit family gathering fish from their nets. We learned how they lay their nets and wait until low tide to collect their catch. With an ulu (a woman's cutting tool), they gut the fish, rinse it in a nearby puddle and then gather up the char to take home. This particular catch was going in the freezer to be used for dog food.

Charolette introduced Davin and Justus to the smooth slippery feel of the fish, while Katie and Ryan took a fish home for supper. It doesn't get much more fresh than this folks!

So, although our clam digging efforts didn't go quite as planned, we still had a blast exploring and learning a little about ocean life.

ᓴᓇᙳᐊᒐᖅ - sanannguagaq - carving

Nunavut has the highest number of artists per capita in the world. Carving, sewing, painting and drawing are full time careers that the Inuit cherish and pursue. The Arctic College has courses in carving, fur making and other traditional art practices to train the younger generations. 

Inuit art is internationally renowned. We consider it a privilege to be able to meet the artists and see a wide variety of art on a daily basis. Eating out at any of the resturants in town is also a way to meet artists and view their work. The artists come around to each table, humbly presenting their work in hopes of a sale. Buying direct from the artist is much more affordable than buying from a gallery. Meeting the artist gives us an insight as to how much work went into the art and where the stone/antler/bone/baleen is from. One of my favorite things to buy is little boots and mitts. They can be used as wall hangings, zipper pulls, Christmas tree ornaments ect. Josh just laughs whenever I come home with another one, but they're so cute and unique. The following pictures are samples of the art we've bought as well as other types of art around Iqaluit.

Caribou antler - Walrus

Watercolor by Jolly (from Pang)

Polar bear and seal - soapstone

Broken glass, found on the beach, that has been smoothed by the ocean - can still read "Pepsi-Cola"

Inukshuk

Print given to RNs during nursing week - "Nightingale's Qulliq"

Sealskin mitts

Little booties made by an elderly patient (who had one eye)

Love these little boots

Stencil print made by Gyta and sold to us by salesman "Smiley"

Beautiful mural by Johnny (an ex-gangster who turned his life around)

Two narwhals - soapstone

A real inukshuk out on the tundra

Outdoor carving of two beluga whales

Mom showing off beaver (left) and seal (right) mitts

Large polar bear

ᓂᒃᓯᒃ - niksik - fishing hook

We were advised that the next two weeks is prime fishing due to some kind of change with the tide. In fact, we were practically guaranteed that we'd catch a fish. Since our last two attempts at fishing left us hookless and emptyhanded, we were eager to try again. 

We went near the causeway, where the tide was rising quite quickly. The dry rocks that we initially stood on soon became submerged under the icy, crystal clear water. A stiff cool breeze made us wish we'd worn toques and gloves, but who really wants to put those on in August?! A beautiful sunset accompanied our efforts and we were soon rewarded with two small char.

Charolette showing us good fishing fashion and form!

She caught the first fish - an itty bitty Arctic char

Josh and Char trying to pull out that barbed hook ... ouch

The sunset begins around 9 pm these days

Beautiful nature

Josh and his catch - which he insists is bigger than Charolette's fish

ᐅᖅᑰᕖᑦ? - uqquuviit? - Are you hot?

Hot sunny day = head to the beach! Our definition of hot has changed. It's a good thing we're not coming back to Edmonton until late fall because we may melt if we have sit under the sun at 20 degrees Celsius! Pretty amazing how quickly the body adapts to a new climate. We have enjoyed several warm, clear, sunny days. When I look back to our pictures from March, I find it hard to believe what a difference I see from the frozen ice to crystal blue water.

High tide at the "parking lot"

Dwarf fireweed abounds here

Air travel is an essential part of life in Nunavut

Raven

Little girl fishing

Love it here!

The disc from a sea animal's spinal column...we found the vertebrae farther down the beach

Sculpin: the ugliest fish we've ever seen...found it lying on some rocks

Josh enjoying some fishing...still have yet to catch a fish though

Sled dog puppies fighting over a caribou skull

The friendliest and dirtiest dogs you've ever met