The House & other Arctic musings

Requiem

On Monday we were no longer at the House. In truth, it was midnight Tuesday before we cleared the last of our stuff out and finished cleaning, the people following us giving us the time we needed. We actually started staying at the apartment Saturday night, and are adjusting to (much) smaller quarters.

Monday evening I found myself alone in the House, Leah and the others had gone down to her parents for her little sisters birthday celebration. I was taking a bit of a break, sitting in the darkened client's Dining Room, when I started looking around, admiring the details of the House's finish, and thinking about the good memories.

I got up, and wandered throughout the House, starting at the attic, touching walls, trim, window sills and what not. I was trying to soak up the essence of it all, the tactile memory of the place. I went to every room, every nook, of the near empty building. And it was good.

At the end of my tour I returned to the stairs and sat on them in the dark, remembering the times that I'd come back to the House after supper to find Gary sitting on the stairs, silently, in the dark House, watching the moon through the windows of the Great Room. I couldn't see the moon now, it was low on the southern horizon out of view from the East facing room. But I had already been outside admiring it, a thin crescent, orange in the sky just above the hills, and it was easy to sit back in the silence and contemplate all that happened there.

The loss of the House, emotionally, has been surprisingly easy for the most part. Probably that has much to do with how long the process has taken, how long this has hung over our head. Not that it has been without its stresses and dangers, there are many times they've bubbled to the surface of our family, our patience shorter and tempers quicker than they should be.

For me, the most emotional moment happened last week. Travis has taken to playing with our MacBook, having discovered the remote for it, listening to music mostly. I came in and laid down beside him as he was on our bed with the laptop. He had started a slide show from one of the photo folders, one of pictures taken during construction. As I sat there, watching the transformation from empty lot, to piling, to a floor and on and on, I cried, memories washing over me.

That done, I dried my eyes, hugged my son and went back to the boxes. There was still plenty of work to be done.

There still is.

House Construction med from Clare Kines on Vimeo.

And so it goes

There's a scene in the movie Master and Commander where two of the ship's officers are talking about the HMS Surprise. One of them says something along the lines of "The Captain says that there is so much of his blood in her decks that he considers her a relative".

I feel much the same way about our House. Not that I spilled blood in here, mostly just coffee, but this place has consumed much of my energy, and attention for the past six years or more. Planning, then building, and running the business. It has been very much a home, the only home that Hilary has really known, and you could almost say the same for Travis. It has been a labour of love.

Sadly it is love labour's lost, for we have lost our home to our mortgagor, and along with it our life's savings. They are turning us out next month, and if they had their way it would be today.

This has been some time coming, those of you who are regular followers now know the reason for my (brief) hiatus last year. It has been a constant worry for some time, and in some ways it will be nice to have that weight lifted.

In some ways.

At the end of the day, we just couldn't generate enough business to survive. The building took a year longer than we anticipated, and cost hundred's of thousands more than we had budgeted. We essentially had to be constantly 2/3s full just to break even, and when December and January would roll around with practically no clients, it dug holes that were impossible to climb out of.

No one sets out to be a failure, certainly not me, but it isn't so much of being a failure at business that bothers me, but being a failure to my family. I let the people I love the most, the ones it is my responsibility to see that life turns out well for, down. That is the hardest part of all this. I can live with being a poor businessman. It is the being a poor parent and husband that is the heaviest weight.

But at the end of the day, we will get along. There are far worse things that could happen to us. We will not go without some sort of roof over our head, and we'll always have full bellies. And more importantly each other.

I've got another post in me, but after that I'm taking a short break. Not forever, and probably not even that lengthy. But my heart and mind are elsewhere right now. And you'll note that I've closed the comments on this post, I've done that purposely and I hope that you'll understand and respect that.

This kindness will I show.
Go with me to a notary, seal me there
Your single bond; and, in a merry sport,
If you repay me not on such a day,
In such a place, such sum or sums as are
Express'd in the condition, let the forfeit
Be nominated for an equal pound
Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken
In what part of your body pleaseth me. - Shylock.

Say you were one of our clients...

... and you were standing in our great room, sipping on a delightful sustainable coffee. This is what you'd see...

A Rather interesting visitor

The past couple of days we had Dan Rather stay at the Bed and Breakfast. Mr. Rather and his crew was up doing a story on the Northwest Passage/Arctic Warming for his show Dan Rather Reports. He and his crew were a joy to have here, he is very much a gentleman and most interesting to talk to.  Keep an eye on his show in the upcoming weeks and you may see Arctic Bay.

Baking up a storm

I know. I know.  Its been a long time between posts.  I've been trying to get through the latest installment of "The Great Northland's Fire Extinguisher Incident" and it's been a struggle.  The words just don't seem to be flowing.  I think partly because I think some people may misinterpret the violence on our part. I don't know it will come.

In the mean time I've been busy at the House with clients and with Leah at work now there doesn't seem to be a lot of down time with the computer.  I've also been busy trying to organize my travel etc for the Vimy trip and, well, I've ignored my paperwork for far too long and its coming home to roost in a big way.  Yeah yeah, whine whine whine I know.

So my week is shaping up like this.  I've got coffee and snacks for thirty people twice a day for the next 7 days.  There are four apple pies in the oven right now, and white chocolate and cranberry scones waiting their turn.  That takes care of tomorrow.  Sigh, is it Monday yet?

Headaches

The other day we got word that Travis needed to go down to Iqaluit the beginning of December for some dental work. This of course entails me having to fly down with him (Leah doesn't fly well). Now it's not that I'm so adverse to a small change in scenery (although Iqaluit is really, really far down on my list for a change in venues), but it is a major pain in the butt in terms of life in general and the House in particular.  Now I'm madly trying to find someone to cook for clients for five days, while I try and fill my time down south (maybe Leah will let me take her laptop, although I kind of doubt it), and keep Travis both entertained and soothed.  Currently I don't have anyone booked, and could just block off the time, but, quite frankly, we could use the revenue. And there is always the possibility that you lose out on a longer term reservation.

The other headache came this morning in the form of having too many clients.  One of our clients was due out on today's plane but it was cancelled due to weather.  Normally that shouldn't present a problem, 'cause if no one can get out, no one can get in. But I have a client who arrived yesterday, booked into the hotel for a day and booked in here for the rest of their stay.  Four clients - three rooms.

Fortunately two of the clients, who are travelling together, are going to share a room, so that problem is resolved.  Now I just have get baking for the meeting here tonight.

Baking up a storm

I enjoy baking, I just don't do a lot of it. By the time the rest of the kitchen stuff is done, there is usually something else calling me. Occassionaly Leah will get the hankering for something and I'll bake. We used to make cakes for sale but we've dropped that, the return just wasn't worth the effort.

This past few days saw a First Aid Instructors course being held at the House and I supplied coffee and desserts for them.  The baking list... Apple Pie, White Chocolate/Cranberry Scones, Blueberry Pie, Chocolate Velvet Cake with white chocolate sauce and field berry sauce, Blueberry cheese cake (I can't believe I forgot an ingredient. Luckily it was still delicious), Chocolate Rasberry Lava Cake (this was cheating it's a mix, but I have an excuse), Chocolate cake with rasberry filling and Mint icing, and Upside Down Pineapple cake.  In the midst of it all we also made a three tiered wedding cake, starting Friday night by making about 350 drop flowers (although we only used a small fraction of them), and finishing just before the wedding Sunday at 3:00pm.

So I think I'm baked out for awhile, besides there is plenty left over. Luckily I take all the calories out of my baking.

Update for Nuthatch

Here's a photo, sorry it's all I took.

More Buzz

Okay, because I really can't think of anything to write these days, here are more comments from our guests at Kiggavik Bed and Breakfast.

Thanks for the wonderful room and food. After a week camping out the shower was most appreciated. I am sure the passenger sitting next to me on my flight out will also be thankful.

Thank you for the brilliant service which was above & beyond the expected. Not only was the accommodation excellent, but so was the computer backup support.

Far beyond what I expected. Wonderful food, charming hospitality supplied by Hilary + Travis. It was a wonderful stay - would love to return.

The best vegan food and view in the Arctic! Thank-you for your food, hospitality, conversation and stunning B&B. I hope to be back one day!

What a beautiful place to visit & enjoy Arctic hospitality. It was a joy to look back to my exciting experiences with the RCMP in Queen Charlotte Island. Hilary and Travis were the "icing" on the cake.

Great place to stay! Beautiful building, wonderful views, great meals. Thanks for working around my sometimes weird + usually unpredictable call schedule. I'll miss chatting with Travis & being stalked by Hilary in her walker. Now I have to go home & cook for myself again... that will take getting used to, now that I'm used to being waited on. Thanks again!

Nice place - Hospitality excellent. Thanks.

An Arctic refuge -never thought I'd see a chef's jacket & expresso machine north of Iqaluit, let alone wireless surfing with the world's best view outside. You're an oasis of luxury up here and it's truly appreciated.

An Arctic paradise - The spectacular view, the beautiful accommodations were surpassed by the warm and friendly hospitality. Staying in this little piece of paradise (with the world's best bacon) was truly an amazing experience. We look forward to coming back again, and again, and again.

Okay, enough puffing out my chest. Back to Pete's Pond.

Our Buzz

We finally got our guest book, and feeling rather self-important today I thought I'd share some of our client's comments with you.

What follows are extracts but I promise I'm not editing anything negative out of them. 

"No Ivory Gulls! The comfort & food almost made up for that. All of us truly enjoyed the beauty of the B&B. You helped us recuperate after long days in the field. Arctic Bay is VERY special!"

"For me this is one of the top 5 places to stay in North America. I hope to come back soon."

"Excellent hosts providing a unique gateway to the Arctic and connections to the Inuit community. My only mistake was to come for too short a period. Planning to come back soon, for our 10 days barely scratched the surface of this countries wonders."

"Nothing was ever too much trouble (and boy were we demanding!); a haven, a mine of information, a true hub. A stunning place and a wonderful gateway to it. A thousand thanks."

"As usual the best kind of hospitality! I will be back"

"You have a wonderful B&B and a Great family. Thank you for everything."

"Wonderful location! Best hospitality! Looking forward to coming back."

'Thanks so much for making this trip so memorable. It would not have been possible with out your help, advice and thoughtfulness."

'You have a beautiful place. Thanks for sharing it."

"Where are the slot machines and the hookers? What kind of a Vegas trip is this anyway?"

Okay, I made that last one up, but the rest are genuine. I left out the one in German and the one in Inuktitut. They cover the period from July 28th until today.

Voices from above

I heard voices last night, or rather a voice.  We'd been taking advantage of the nice evening to do some work outside.  I was painting our fuel tank stand, to match the siding on the house, and Leah and her sister Eunice had just come out with the kids to do a general clean up.  While I had been painting I noticed that our fuel was very low so when they came out I suggested we go to the Co-op and pay for the truck to bring us fuel oil in the morning.

When we got back I swear I could hear voices, someone calling my name.  As the realization hit that someone was indeed calling my name I also realized that the person was yelling "Help!" also. About that time I noticed a couple of young men running towards the hills behind the House, and I now realized that it was one of our clients, the cinematographer, who was calling for Help.  So I jumped on the ATV and headed up the Hill where I found Tim, near the top, limping badly. 

About an hour prior to this he had headed out to film some nesting Northern Wheatear, and had almost reached the top when his ATV stalled, then rolled over top of him. His HD camera was on his back and had put his centre of too high on the steep climb.  He was able to move and righted his ATV and made sure his equipment was okay but while he was doing that he missed us leaving for the store and had to wait until we returned.

When I reached him it was easy to determine that, while he was in a lot of pain, he was able to move and was basically okay.  I drove him down on the back of the ATV (during which he very inconsiderately screamed in pain at every little bump) and while Leah and Eunice helped him into the truck and called the nursing station, returned to hill and helped the two youths bring down his equipment and ATV. We then took him to the nursing station and found that he was badly bruised, but there was nothing broken.

So he's now convalescing here at the House, his shoot for all intents and purposes over.  But it could have been much worse.  Had he not been able to call out, or was more seriously hurt, I would not have gone looking for him until sometime the next day. He had frequently been out to the wee hours, taking advantage of the light and I would not have suspected something was wrong until later.