Last summer, I fell in love with tundra plants. Right now, I'm loving the brightness of a snowy Arctic. I'm just very glad I brought my sunglasses! I don't remember the last time I saw sun three days in a row!
The unseasonable warmth continues, though there is plenty of evidence of the many blizzards that hit South Baffin over the last several months. It would not be fun to be a car here, and not just because the roads have turned to sheer ice (though sanded in some places).
Of course, it is a good place to be a sled dog. At this time of year, the dog teams are tethered out on the ice (by break-up, they're by a creek on shore).
I can't exactly go far during a lunch break, but the ice has an irresistible pull. Maybe someday I will get to go to the floe edge. I also like the beached boats, patiently waiting for break-up (and maybe someday, I will get to kayak in Nunavut).
Of course, it's not just dogs, tundra and ice - this is a city (Iqaluit has city status). Not only that, it's a territorial capital, with a legislature - and lots of flags outside it.
One more exciting thing (two, actually). I have the best souveniers. Last night, I bought a carving of a polar bear (local craftspeople come around the restaurants, so as you dine you get a crafts display. I also eyed beaver mitts - too big for my hands - jewellery, prints, dolls...). Today, I splurged on a caribou hide (harvested here, tanned in the south).
