The House & other Arctic musings

You Can Get Here From There.

The new RCMP member, Adam, arrived last night and came over for a visit. We of course spent time looking for connections, members that we would both know.  It was a bit of a struggle, after all I've been retired longer than he's been a member, but we managed to find a couple of tenuous links.

Kip leaves for Pond Inlet today on a charter and I'm sorry to see him go, after all he was my last partner in the RCMP (albeit for one day). But as I told him, the good thing about moving all the time is that you end up with friends everywhere.  Good luck in Pond Kip.

I've long been fascinated by the twists and turns that life takes, and how everything follows decisions that we made along the way. Some people call it the Butterfly Effect, but I've never really enjoyed that analogy. But what causes, say in an accident, two vehicles to occupy the same space at the same time. If one driver lingered over his last coffee say, the two vehicles wouldn't have ended up at the same place at the exact same time.

So how did I end up here? The easy answer is I asked, but the long answer would be RCMP members used to stop by our house for coffee. Like all young kids I wanted to be a policeman, I just never grew up. Hanging around members in my home town, listening to their stories with starry eyed wonderment cemented that desire in my head, until I was unable to free myself from it. All the forks in the road I took from then on led me to here. And these forks I'm taking now will lead me somewhere else.

When I moved to Arctic Bay the promotion process was that after seven years service (as a regular member, ten years of my service was as a civilian member in a comcentre) you wrote an exam. The exam results combined with the rating on a self assessment to rank you on a list. Basically, when a promotional opportunity arose Staffing would call the number one person on the list and ask them if they wanted it, if they didn't they called number two on the list, and so on. Once I was here, I stayed because I fell in love with Leah, and love is as good of a reason to stay somewhere as any.

I was happy at Fort Providence, and so was quite picky about the spot I wanted. As I was alone, I thought it was a good opportunity to get to the High Arctic. Several members I knew throughout my service had been in the High Arctic (one of them, an NCO I had when I was in Winnipeg Comcentre, had made the last dog sled patrol in the Eastern Arctic) and I wanted to experience what they had. So I turned down fifteen or so opportunities in the NWT and Nunavut and then I heard that Nanisivik was going to open up, so I put all my transfer eggs in that basket. At the time I was number two on the list and when the person ahead of me turned it down I was promoted and transferred here.

Getting to Fort Providence followed other choices and circumstances including Janice's death. To go into all of the details that took me here from growing up in Roblin would be of course impossible. Suffice it to say I am where I am because of where I've been. Because my parents raised me as they did. Because of everything that has gone before. Because of all the forks and the roads less travelled (and some that were fairly well trodden). I guess it's my sister's fault.

Gulls

I don't know why but it drives me nuts when someone points out one of the gull species here (or anywhere) and says "Look. A seagull". I really should not be so uptight about it, but there are so many different species of gulls that I just kind of bristle when someone lumps them all together under the ubiquitous term "seagull". It happened again yesterday when a friend popped in for a surprise visit.

Arctic Bay and the environs hold several species of gulls. The most common of these is the Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus) a colony of which nests on the St George Society Cliffs. They are everywhere here. Complicating it's identification though, is the Iceland Gull (Larus glaucoides) which are common enough up here. I pretty much can't tell the two apart unless I see them together or have Seabirds, An Identification Guide by Peter Harrison with me. Alas, it is sitting in a box in storage in our seacan, I miss my books. Basically the two similarly patterned birds can be told apart by size (the Iceland Gull is smaller) and the proportion of the bill. The other very common gull around town is Thayer's Gull (Larus thayeri) very similar to the Herring Gull.

For the other gulls one must go a little further afield and get out of town. The Ivory Gull (Pagophila eburnea), a gull of ice and floe edges is my favorite, pretty and delicate looking.  It is frequently described as being tern like, and it certainly is.  Its voice sounds like a terns and its flight is reminiscent of terns also.  They are a curious bird and will hang around and check you out when you travel on the ice. Unfortunately it is becoming rare, people talked about seeing them in town all the time, something I've never seen in my six years here.  I've heard of a couple of reasons for their decline, including less multi-year ice and being killed incidentally by Greenlanders when they hunt Kittiwakes. I've also heard recently that the outlook isn't as dire as once thought, that breeding birds surveys haven't told all of the story, that breeding birds just aren't being found, but that the birds are out there. The anecdotal evidence however from here, is that there are less birds around.

Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) are another delicate looking gull of the floe edge, and very common in the area.  There is a huge colony on Prince Leopold Island. Prince Leopold is an incredible place, 1000 foot cliffs ring the island, with such numbers of birds, Thick-billed Murres, Kittiwakes, Guillemots, and Glaucous Gulls amongst others, that it looked like clouds of mosquitos as the ship drew closer.

Sabine's Gull (Xema sabini). Ah Sabine's Gull, I've yet to see one. Bylot Island, over by Pond Inlet, has colonies of them, and you would think that at least one would find its way over here, or near me somewhere. I missed my best opportunity when leading Quest Nature Tours Northwest Passage Trip in 2000. We were cruising in Milne Inlet and I left the bridge and headed down below. That of course was when several Sabine's Gulls flew by. Ah well, one of these days.

Ross's Gull (Rhodostethia rosea) is a theoretical possibility up here, but pretty unlikely.  I was lucky enough to see Ross's Gull in Churchill Manitoba.  It is a truly beautiful bird.

A couple of years ago, on a spring camping trip, we saw a Great Black-backed Gull (Larus Marinus) about 100 kms south of Arctic Bay.  It was an unusual sighting as they wouldn't normally be found in the area.  There was only one, and I haven't seen another in the area since.

I enjoy gulls, and look forward to their arrival each spring.  And to the challenges that some present in identifying them.  Maybe this year a Sabine's Gull will come visit on its way south.

aira

When Leah and I were first "courting" we were out walking near First Bridge.  We hiked up to the top of the hill and built a small inuksuk.  We were sitting back enjoying the view and Leah reached down and pulled up an Oxytrope (Oxytropis sp.), aira in inuktitut by the root.  It has a tap root and she brushed the dirt of and told me to try it. It had a familiar taste, one from my youth and for the life of me I couldn't figure out what it was.  We pulled up several more and munched away on the tasty roots. Living off the land you know.

After a bit it finally came to me, that the taste was similar to Caragana (Caragana arborescens) flowers.  Now, I think that this may be a prairie thing but Caragana is a hedge that every second house seemed to have when I was growing up.  It has yellow flowers that we used to eat as kids. Personally I preferred the unopened ones, that resembled small bananas but the open ones were just as tasty. 

It isn't unusual that they would have similar tastes as they are both legumes, even though I was eating completely different parts of the two plants, I'll have to try Caragana roots sometime when I'm back in Roblin. I was amazed at how the taste immediately took me to my youth, and just how powerful the feeling was. Even though I didn't know the what the taste was, I knew it was from my childhood, and I felt transported back in time.  I wish I knew the mechanics that connects senses such as taste and smell to memory, but I know that they are closely tied.

And the reason for this trip down memory lane to my first taste of aira was a large feed of aira last night, sauteed in butter.  Leah brought home a big bag of it from Victor Bay last night and we immediately fried it up and finished it off.  Now if only I had tried frying Caragana flowers in butter...

Travis' Third Birthday

WARNING:  THIS POST CONTAINS GRAPHIC GUSHY PROUD FATHER MATERIAL

My little man turned three yesterday.  I can't believe that it has been three years since I first held Travis in my amazed and clumsy fingers.  It is with a continued sense of wonder that I watch him grow and watch his hold on my world further entwine itself inextricably.  He has grown into such a fun, smart, occasionally aggravating, bundle of energy.  His language skills astound me daily, I worried that growing up with two languages would slow his development of both, but the opposite seems to be the case. And now he is three, well... Do the tantrums stop now?

He was up relatively early for him, and saw me off to work.  Here he is in his first moments awake as a three year old,
I don't think the significance of the day has quite sunk in yet.  While dad went off to work, he and Leah prepared for his party in the evening, hoping for better weather so we could hold it out a Victor Bay.  It was cold, rainy and windy here in Arctic Bay and the day didn't promise to improve.

We baked the cakes (three) two days earlier (actually we baked four as we had another birthday cake to do for someone else), and finished decorating them last night. 
The fondant covered Sports Ball cake took a lot longer than we anticipated, each ball had to be notched out to fit around the others.

At Supper Leah announced that the party would be at Victor Bay, as apparently there was little wind over there. It would start at 7:00 pm.  After supper Leah and Travis headed over there while I finished putting together his birthday present, which had only arrived on a cargo plane in the morning.  We've had very spotty planes lately, no mail and only a little groceries.  We finally got two planes in, one yesterday morning and the other the evening before.

Around here birthdays are celebrated by the parents hosting games for anyone who wishes to come. Leah always organizes our games, buying the prizes etc. and she does a great job.  Last year I'm sure there were more people at Travis Birthday then the Canada Day celebration.  It went until almost one o'clock.  This year it was (expletive deleted) cold, wet and windy at Victor Bay despite the news that it was calm there, so there weren't as many people, but there was still lots.  The adults played outside (note the vehicles being used as a windbreak), while the kids played inside Leah's mom's tent. Most people up here are great games players.  The games usually involve some process of elimination and last person standing takes the prize.  Quite often this involves some sort of task in the centre of the circle, such as untying knots from a length of rope. Two or more dice circulate amongst everyone, and when you roll the right number, its your turn at the task, until someone else rolls the right number. Last one to finish the task wins.  Quite often with the kids it is roll a certain number and get eliminated until there is only one left.

I was left alone in the tent to get the cakes ready, and once they were out I had wished I was anywhere but in a tent with a bunch of children trying to keep them from the cakes. After Travis blew out his candles, he opened his presents. Included among them was his brand new, just off the plane, bicycle. After some cake, he was one tired cranky boy.

So it was home for Travis and Dad, while the games continued.  And after some jello he had his third bath of the day. He sure loves water, wish we had a pool here for him. Then after two books (What A Bad Dream by Mercer Mayer and Arthur's Christmas) my tired, gentle three year old gave his dad a kiss goodnight and fell fast asleep.  Three.

In Floor Heating Update

Okay, we've got the heating figured out. Now when I say we I generally mean Gary, he's the one who it most often falls on to solve any sort of problem at the House.  (Here's your picture Sandi). Gary has been a godsend when it comes to this project.  The House (both the project and the structure) would have literally fallen apart by now if it were not for his expertise and patience.  I think I need a whole post about him sometime.

We've managed (there's that we again) to hold the unwieldy pipe in place with a series of small blocks and metal strips, not to mention string here and there.  Tomorrow we'll start nailing on the plywood, and laying the pipe out in the other floors in our section of the building.

I and the Bird #2

You've all been invited to a party over at Charlies Bird Blog, where he presides over the launch of I and the Bird #2.  Its a great gathering and everyone has a story.  Get your feet off the coffee table and head over, you won't regret it.

Fledglings

The Snow Buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis) have fledged, and there are young birds everywhere. The Snow Buntings are the earliest birds at everything up here.  They are the first migrants to arrive, well before you could really say it is spring, the first to raise their young (at least amongst the migrants), and the earliest to fledge. 

The young and their parents flit here and there, sometimes just steps away.  They certainly are tame, and unfortunately that often proves their undoing.  Young kids love to hunt snowbuntings up here, and stalk them everywhere with rocks.  I'm not sure why so many do, but I do believe it is a cultural thing. I read a story at some point here how it was important that a boy kill his first bird and then his mother would cook it for him.

Hunting is important to Inuit. Being a skilled hunter meant the difference between survival and starvation.  So hunting skills were developed and encouraged at an early age. Learning to stalk snow buntings and accurately throw a rock as a youth, could serve to develop the skills needed to provide for a family as an adult.

I'm a hunter, and a naturalist, and I've never seen a conflict between the two. I know there are many who do not, and indeed can not understand this dicotomy and that is unfortunate. Hunting has given me many hours of pleasure in the natural world, and has given me skills that make me a better naturalist.  As I get older, I hunt less, and appreciate the hunt, rather than the end result, more. It has literally been years since I pulled a trigger and ended a hunt, although I look forward to the spring seal hunt, hunting the old fashion way, in family groups and without firearms.  I fear my family would face starvation if this were the old days though.

But I must confess that when it comes to Snow Buntings it is the naturalist in me that wins out over the hunter. I always find myself cheering for the birds.

Capitate My Capitate

The flowers are starting to wane now, although some (like the milkvetches, the oxitropes and River Beauty) are just starting to come into their own.  This year there seems to be an abundance of Capitate Lousewort (Pedicularis capitata) .

My guide to things Arctic, A Naturalist's Guide To The Arctic by E.C. Pielou has them as being rare on Baffin Island.  I've found them to be quite common in this neck of the woods, and this year they are extremely common, and seem to be everywhere.  Perhaps its just the year of the Lousewort as the Wooly Lousewort (Pedicularis lanata) were also everywhere this year.

The flowers of the Capitate Lousewort remind me of Court Jester's hats, with their three banana shaped flowers.  Their colour is a slightly different shade of yellow, not evident in my photo, that stands out from the other yellow flowers here. They are conspicuous even from the truck as you drive by.

And speaking of colour, the Arctic Poppy (Papaver radicatum) is usually yellow, however can be white. I noticed a small clump of white Arctic Poppy yesterday as I drove to Victor Bay.  White Arctic Poppy are apparently more common in areas with less sun.  Perhaps after the last three summers we've had we'll be seeing more and more white ones.

Badge

Okay, I've created a badge in case someone wants one for their site.  It is 80X15 resolution.  Copy the file to your computer and add it if you so desire.  Want a larger one? Email me and I'll see what I can do.  BTW the badge is in jpg format.  Need a different format? You know what to do.

Download Arcticbadge.jpg

Picked a bad day to stop sniffing glue

It seems as though I've been remiss in posting the last few days.  I usually compose my posts in the morning, while I'm getting ready for work at the house.  These days that bit of spare time seems to have evaporated for various reasons. I'm also finding two opposing phenomenum when it comes to posting lately.  Either I can't think of anything to write, or I have several topics I want to write on, and can't choose.  Such is the case now.. 

We've started on the heating of the main floor.  I think we're on plan G H or I now.  But what we've decided on for the time being anyway is a system of strapping with plywood and we'll figure out how to keep the pipe in place when the subfloor goes on when we get to that point.

I've started on Travis' room and essentially I started out by drawing out the two loops of pipes with different coloured crayons on the floor so I could figure out the lay out.  Plywood was ripped to strips an inch and three quarter wide (for above the floor joists) and two inches (for the perimeter walls).

The next step is to nail these strips over the joists to make channels for the pipe to lay in, and to attach the heat transfer plates on. The strip is first glued along its length and then nailed and/or screwed to the floor above the joists. I've done that and next I'll be nailing and gluing another strip of 3/4 inch plywood on top of that. That will make a space an inch and a half between the floors. Heat transfer plates will be stapled to the plywood strips and more plywood blocks will be used to support the other sides of the heat transfer plates. 

The heating pipes will then run along the groove in these heat transfer plates and be secured in place some how (this is the part of the plan that worries me).  The next step is to nail and glue sheets of plywood on top of the strips and the pipe (this is the part of the plan that really worries me, one errant nail and we've ruined the pipe).  There is a lot of glue involved but we should end up with a floor that doesn't squeak.

And a very thick floor.  Starting from the bottow there is 3/8's plywood, 11 7/8 inch joists, 3/4 inch plywood, two strips of 3/4 inch plywood, 5/8's plywood, 5/8's plywood subfloor and then depending on the room, underlay and carpet (bedrooms), composite tiles (baths), or a commercial flooring made of plastic but looking like hardwood called icor (everywhere else).  That makes a floor at least 16 1/4 inches thick.  The joist space is insulated with two layers of R20 fiberglass, and in some spots with an additional inch and a half of styrofoam insulation (R7.5).  There is tyvek between the underside of the joists and the 3/8's plywood and strapping will go over the seams of the plywood.   It's incredible just how much wood goes into a house, and how much detail there is. 

And glue. Lots of glue.  By the time I'm done with the 40 or so tubes of glue left for the floor I should look like Lloyd Bridges in Airplane.