Again the dogs diggng and area 6 in the distance, the newer area of homes
Equipment from old nickel mine in Rankin 
Kevin F. forwarded me some additional shots he took on July 1. 
On Canada Day there were boat races on Williamson Lake 
which is in the center of Rankin. 
Both Canadian and Nunavut flags and "Wild Wolf " cafe where some of us went for Sunday brunch after church.
It has almost been two months since I have come north and my work stint will be soon ending. I really don’t know where the time goes but it hit me this evening as I was out on the bike and stopped at the little lake where I had last been with the dogs and the swans. That first trip I walked with little sense of direction, not following roads but through marshy brown tundra hills with the odd patch of snow. Well over 80 swans and my dismay as Dysis charged into their middle…then a few days later they were all gone except for three and a few pairs of ducks.
Tonight I went on my own, on trails and dry paths I knew and there were no migrating birds, the grass was tall and green, and a lovely calm but the moment the wind died down, yes, you guessed it… hordes of mosquitoes! One of the summer cabins close to town
..quite a collection of items No one here but felt strange as I walked down to the shore. 
Trying to put my finger on it and I think if this had been one of the lakeshores and cabins in the south I probably would have been looking for a “public walkway” and not wanting to trespass on” private “ property.”
Windy evening sitting on rock near shore and lone gull above
,.. kept circling around me flying into the wind and gliding back. 
The summer weather has produced high howling winds and often cold rainy down pours.
The rain often leaves surface puddles and muddy tracts but 
clearing very quickly afterwards to stunning skies. 
Arctic sunsets continue to amaze me!
About 10 PM a stormy sky and sun reflecting on Rankin all much greener. 
Closee to town..
very still on water but rich in mosquitoes
Walking dogs about 10 PM
As I wind down in my last weeks here and have a few annoying situations ( such as not being paid again for the third pay period ) to deal with, came across this quote which I find very applicable:
Spirituality is not a formula; it is not a test. It is a relationship.
Spirituality is not about competency; it is about intimacy.
Spirituality is not about perfection; it is about connection. The way
of the spiritual life begins where we are now in the mess of our lives.
Accepting the reality of our broken, flawed lives is the beginning of
spirituality not because the spiritual life will remove our flaws but
because we let go of seeking perfection and, instead, seek God, the one
who is present in the tangledness of our lives. Spirituality is not
about being fixed; it is about God’s being present in the mess of our
unfixedness.
- Mike Yaconelli
include the to and fros from the office on the mtn. bike
and dogs waiting for me.
Dysis likes to sit on the steps and Nanuq has the other dog house and ocassionally goes inside. 
Both start barking and that husky whine as I get closer. 
I was venting the other day wondering if the full moon was near as one crises after another occurred at work starting last Thursday....so then checked the calendar an sure enough the 18th was a full moon.
OKAY so being in the Arctic but still below the Circle, I wondered if I would see it with the limited darkness...we are getting about 3 hrs but not totally dark as always a glow of red on one horizon. Then about midnight Friday glanced out my front window and there it was 
golden and rising.!!
These shots are a pale attempt to capture some of what I saw. I jumped in the van and went to a few spots just outside of town 
and the reflection on the 
water supply lake is shown here 
and in the opposite direction.
Haven't blogged much this last week....
Work is good but busy... just two of us when should be an office of four, going into my 3rd week of on call and so by Friday, just spent both physically and emotionally. At one point thought might be doing an escort overnight to Ottawa and had arranged for dog sitters, but plans changed. Not being paid again didn't help, but dog walks and some good sleep brings back perspective.
Outside of work activities
....have had rain here..we actually have had a few days but it gets windy, cold and doesn't last for long. Most people like when there is rain, as it keeps the dust down on the roads...otherwise the trucks go around and water down the main roads.... a very fine grey gumbo type of dust from crushed gravel roads. I only object to the process if I have to ride my bike on it shortly afterwards, as my pants get spotty. Two nights ago went walking just after a rain storm and saw a beautiful double rainbow.
The rain and warmer days have brought everything into green and blooming in whites, yellows and purples
...in fact some of the flowers already have gone to seed including the arctic willows and arctic ctton grass. This is because there is such a short season here and the plants must adapt, many of them start under pockets of the snow, others have flowers that follow the sun, and some are built like pincushions so exposure to all angles.
A few new carving purchases... the dancing walrus is 
made from green speckled soap stone from Kugluktuk, a community I have worked in previously.
Closer shot of sik sik on walk..dogs did not see this one!
Family checking nets...pulled in 4 large arctic char.... Same family cleaning 
and at tent site for the day..walking distance from town..note the drying char covered by netting....despite an attempt casting 
in this same area unsuccessful...but bought 2 char from a neighbour which are now in my freezer.
Taima...that's it for now!
Today is the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Nunavut Lands Claims Agreement on July 9,1993.With negotiations beginning over 5 years previous, the NLCA led directly to the establishment of the Canada's newest arctic territory: Nunavut.
Nunavut Day activities, 
dogs and I wandered down..
and many dressed up as this pair in outfits of the territorial flag. 
Rather warm with our weather 
this outfit was her mothers, sewn with a wolverine ruff around the face and hanging tails in front, wolf on the shoulders and beaver on the cuffs, originally a parka made for traditional Inuit dancing and singing.
Children's tug of war, hot dogs, face painting, tea boiling and some traditional games were among the many activities today in Rankin Inlet.
Here are some additional shots
from Canada Day, July 1, our 141st birthday that was complete with a red and white birthday cake.
Also included was a hamlet parade of fire and RCMP trucks, flag raising by the cadets and O Canada in 2 languages.
Nothing like those men in red!
On the walk home, 
beneath the rocks of Arctic College again after siksiks.
" I hear it but where did that thing go?" wonders Dysis with a tilted head.
Ice was out Saturday morning and today 
this is first large ship in the bay in Rankin....
some sort of very large freighter & the nameof the ship is in Russian, but the side said "the Woodward Group".
there are reasons ATVs are All Terrain vehicles and I experienced that Friday night with a spontaneous invite from a colleague Friday evening to go out to the Diand River about a 15 km ride. As a passenger, was told to bring an old pillow and soon discovered the reasons. 
The first part of our ride was dusty crushed gravel roads and other, than getting lost once ending up in the new landfill site instead of taking the turn off near the golf course we did all right. Now if you are imagining a golf course of grass and neatly clipped greens, forget it, in the arctic the green are most likely carpeted and in sand pits. Shortly after this and passing the gravel pit the “ road “ ended and became a myriad of tundra trails over rocks, hills and muddy wet bogs. Decisions had to be made as to which path to take and amazingly we didn’t get stuck in the bottom of any.... trusty ATV made it through.
The weather was just perfect clear blue skies and no wind and yes, a dose of mosquitoes. 
When reaching the mouth of the river evidence of campers in white canvas tents, small cabins often painted bright colors with smaller sheds for drying fish and one even had a hoodie on a pole, which I presume was to scare away birds, thus scare crow Nunavut style. Got as close as we could to a rocky out cropping and much to my surprise I was given a fishing rod for casting complete with a red an white lure. Trying not to show my surprise and inexperience I try casting and after a few attempts was told the release is “just in the timing. We got back on the ATV and moved on to another spot, again not catching anything( except in yours truly’s case the bottom of the sand) but it was very peaceful.
It was colder as we left to come back about 10 PM and the sun setting after 11 PM but gold and blues of sunset reflected in many calm lakes,
and chunks of ice in the tidal flat.
I may not have another opportunity to “ get out on the land” this trip, but thankful for this one memorable experience.
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