Sailed overnight on no not this huge cruise ship   but a smaller one a converted ferry, the Bahamas Celebration..... a minicruise with a variety of passengers and great food ) to Lucaya Grand Bahama for 3 sunny days of good weather, flowers in bloom and eventually back on ship  to end our 8 day vacation.

It is hard to believe that exactly two weeks ago today I  was working late finishing up in the social work office in Hall Beach in the middle of a blizzard and actually had contemplated my safety in walking home. This afternoon after arriving in Lucaya Grand Bahama from  a mini-cruise from West Palm Beach, my daughter and I spent several hours on the beach and I am now a CRISPY CRITTER.

Taking a weeks vacation during her Spring Break from McGill I have become most gratefully Bonniedownsouth!

Loading up last Sunday we had a pit stop of about 4 hours sleep in TO at my brothers place  and then off to Orlando. Car rental, survived the mandatory time share presentation and decided to stay at the Ramada 1000 shown here. My daughter was quite determined that not only sight seeing but Universal and Disney were mandatory stops. for Amelia it was mostly about the scary rides such as the roller coasters and learned to open my eyes after the first one, but did NOT go on this drop of doom one... I must admit that staff at both sites were very friendly and line ups although abit long were always very informative...Harry Potter's castle had holograph students peering down and portraits that talked.  these are just a few highlights of our two days. Musical such as Finding Nemo and Lion King at Animal kingdom were very well done. The Safari trip was just like one was one was in the Serengetti Plains in Africa with cheetas and followed by a nature walk where we could get some close ups of many of the animals and birds ...including this male gorilla and the hippo under the water fall... this is a hippo skull and Amelia demonstrates the relative proportions. Ended on Thursday night with a visit with Mickey and Goofy.

So February is well on its way and Alberta is in a deep freeze like the north.

But yesterday took a lovely Saturday mid February  walk sunny but about minus 20oC and birds chattering. The creek has open water in places and prelude to spring. The dogs have been glued to me since my return were all alert as to scurrying animals…never caught any but had fun trying. Dysis hears the chatter of a squirrel Here are her paw prints... and those of the squirrel! She also hears scurrying under the snow and listens carefully for the right spot. Nanuq is interested and the digging begins! There were several spots on our walk they dug in, sometimes individually and sometimes together. Love this shot of Nanuq sending the snow flying!

For those of you following the debate on high food prices in the north...Old Crow. Yukon and Arctic Bay. Nunavut seeking exemptions.

Changes to the List of Products Eligible for Shipment Under the Food Mail Program Effective October.

www.ainc-inac.gc.ca

Nutrition North Canada, which will benefit people living in eligible communities in the Yukon , the Northwest Territories , Nunavut , Alberta , Saskatchewan , Manitoba , Ontario , Quebec , and Newfoundland and Labrador , will be implemented in phases.

Here is the current debate on the new changes and original article...

Grocery bills spike after Ottawa scraps food mail subsidies to North

However high you think your grocery bills are, they’re bound to be worse in Arctic Bay – a standard jug of cranberry cocktail sells there for $38.99, eight times more than it would in Southern Canada.

The remote Nunavut hamlet has seen food prices spike in recent months after the federal government’s scrapping of its old Food Mail program that subsidized shipments of most foods and some hygiene products to remote northern communities.

For those of you remember the DEW line stations and found an interesting history and old photos back to 1960 of the one near Hall Beach..now NWS.. Fox Main Radar Station...had some great brunches, got a Tshirt, and chatted with some military types at airport on my way out....

FOX-Main

www.lswilson.ca

Ancient Inuit Dwelling Approximately 5000 years old, the remains of this underground dwelling are located a short distance south of Hall Beach. (courtesy Robert Lewsen)

Yesterday noon I must admit I was feeling pretty grim and not very hopeful on my chances of getting out of the arctic. I could not see across the street for howling snow and Friday night working late at the office, even contemplated what it would be like if I had to spend the night, and finally walking 3 block home was appreciative of my goggles. 

As per forecast: Blizzard warning in effect.

Blizzard ending late this afternoon then periods of light snow. Snowfall amount 2-to 4 cm. Wind northwest 60 km/h gusting to 80 diminishing to 30 late this afternoon. High minus 23. Wind chill minus 42.

So my reflections on a Sunday morning where the sky is clear but cold and I counted 8 ravens out my window on the sea ice playing tag and bobbling in the wind…

First of all hopefully my blogging and photos gives one a touch of the different world up here and maybe why I keep coming back. If there weren’t the work opportunities, the arctic is a part of Canada I would never see. Just so blessed to be able to do so over the last almost 10 years.

So what has this stint been like…highs, lows and regrets but I WILL COME BACK just give me a little time to warm up in between.

Highs

• The stunning beauty of the arctic in winter, being out on my skis or walking and the way the snow is sculpted after a blizzard or wind storm.
• Being able to use my camera to capture some of it
• The people I have met:
•  Both clients who said thank you even when I could not help them, and those who said thank you when I did.
• The preschooler who returned my office toys,
• An office mate who every morning greeted me with “ Coffee, Bonnie”
• Carvers at the door who are always polite even if I didn’t purchase and sharing stories when I did
• Colleagues and my nurse manager in other communities who would listen to my vent or provide email docs when I could not find them
• Invites out by teachers and RCMP to potlucks
• Driving in the health center van to scrumptious Sunday brunch at the DEW line with the nurses and families including two very talkative Australian pre-schoolers
• The variety of roommates and dogs that shared my living space in the transient northern house
• Being able to have solitary time at the house without roommates
• Buying a large frozen arctic char and have to figure out how I will bring it home!
• Having my qiniq modem to stay connected with facebook and other friends
• Having my sister call from Edmonton
• Thankful that my “ on call” was generally quiet
• Having my radio and getting CBC-1.
• Seeing some of my favorite medical TV shows like Greys on TV not on line.

Lows

• Running out of energy when I wanted to do more whether …well just more.
• Still needing my cane when walking outside.
• Power outages at the office
  
• That mental check every time to think where my keys are and fear of losing them or being locked out in the cold
• Standing out side doors in minus 30oC trying to find the right key to open the door.

• Days of feeling grumpy & knowing my calling is not to detective or clerical work. After going at the request of my bosses through every single file on the office computer and every paper in a closed disorganized file discovering that the needed docs are probably in another community!  The next morning they had been found and emailed to me…Well at least hoped pointed in the right direction!

• Worrying about my dogs in Edmonton when they escaped and feeling helpless other than making Internet ads and checking all the phone messages.

Regrets

• Due to cold weather not getting out on my skis as much as I would have liked.

• Not finding an evening sewing class or getting as much done on the sewing projects I brought with me.

• Not watching a local hockey game.

• Not getting as much reading done as I had hoped.

• Not getting to the local church as on call on weekends.

I have been asked when I would next be available but just give me some time….sort of like when the obstetrician said after the birth of one of my children…so Bonnie see you next year same time!

 
The above photo is from a good article that explains more about the development of the internet in the North

Internet or Internot?

By Brent Reaney

http://www.upherebusiness.ca/node/352

What are sun transits?

Sun transits occur when the sun crosses the earth's equatorial plane during the spring and fall equinoxes (late February or early March; September or October). At these times, the sun aligns directly behind the satellites for a few minutes each day. When the sun moves directly behind the satellite, the satellite signal can be overwhelmed by the enormous amount of thermally generated radio frequency (RF) noise radiated by the sun. This can cause reception interference for a few minutes every day during this occurrence.

What does the really mean?

Between Feb 21 and Mar 7 there will be increasing degradation and interruptions of Qiniq internet service reaching a maximum duration of approximately 15 minutes.  Each community will be affected twice a day, in the early afternoon.  Once as the sun transits the community, and once as the sun transits our hub site in Ottawa.  If you require specific details for your community, you can calculate that here:

https://support.telesat.ca/SunTransit/

Select "Anik F2" as the satellite.
When you select your community from the list, it will fill in the latitude and longitude for you.
"2011" and "Spring" should be selected as defaults for the year and season, respectively.
The frequency band is "C"
The Antenna Diameter is "4.5"
And the default system temperature of "100" should suffice.
Finally, clicking on the calculate button will deliver a popup with the details with all times listed in GMT.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your local customer service representative who will be happy to assist you.

For more information on the QINIQ Network, please visit:
http://www.qiniq.com

For some readers who asked what I do....

So my day started, not the usual routine of going to morning rounds at the Health Center but walking to office at 830 AM and taking off the call forward on the phone... From there this morning has been just non-stop!!

 Needing to drive out to the airport to drop off copies of some documents to a family leaving on the 1005 AM flight, hiked up to the Health Center to use the Social Service vehicle. Well it is relatively brand new but for some reason would not turn over. The NIC had to go out to the flight anyways and drop off some lab specimens so I hitched a ride and left the keys for the mechanic to take a look. No flights out yesterday as “ mechanical failure”, so my family had been delayed a day and the NIC was certain some of the blood samples and urine specimens would be outdated. Back into town to drop off NIC and out again to DEW line to talk to  someone on another case. Got some coffee and ice cream yum!!

Drive back long route and make sure in process not to go over any packed snow that are not roads in the construction areas….learned in the past the difference between roads and snowmobile trails and how easily to get stuck in latter!

Dropped off truck. Walked back to office.

Check email and faxes…An email requesting completion of a statistical report for last month...new policy since November and you know how I love stats. Another fax that stated I missed one signature on an agreement that I had faxed yesterday to another community and needed to call this parent again.

At 1130 AM hit with a phone call from health center re: family in need of some supplies for a newborn infant. Spoke with parent, with nurse and other social worker. Normally very cautious in such situations as often it is a matter of family budgeting, finding other resources with relatives or unemployment insurance or income support. For example, if on income support but the social worker will suggest to the couple that they split their checks, to every two weeks instead of monthly.

Left two voice mails for my supervisor who is in another community and ended up my calling nurse manager to authority to use purchase order book in special circumstance.

Home for lunch from 12-1 PM. On email and chat with roommate who is visiting a occupational therapist.

Back to office. Gave out the brightly colored toys to a waiting pre-schooler only later to discover he had taken all my office toys home with him. In lobby, ran into one set of parents who will be traveling to the south soon for a family visit with to their children receiving medical treatments Informed them of travel itinerary dates.

1:30 PM call from parent to arrange 2:30 PM meeting in my office. Thinking I would get everything done in 45 minutes, was I wrong!   Set off walking to health center to pick up purchase order book. Social Services usually has its own, but all chits used up. Waved at teachers through school windows as walking by from office. Remembered needed cloth bags, short detour to my house for some and my debit card. Picked up book at health center. Back to COOP to pick up supplies for client, completing forms, talking to store manager on process, and getting some of my own groceries…. My debit card inserted at the cash till was rejected, so here it was 2:30 pm and $48 worth of groceries. Fortunately could go to store office and card worked to get some cash for a $2 service fee.

Headed back 3 blocks to office all walking with my cane and two cloth bags of groceries!

Met with the parent who was graciously waiting outside. Inside client meeting in my office, getting family details, discovered wrong brand of item purchased! It was not available at COOP, had to be returned there and go to the Northern Store! Toted my own bag in process, dropped off at home, parted ways with parent. Great conversations on our walk about carving, sewing and family relatives in different Nunavut communities. Stopped in street to talk to OT in Health Care van…” No I am not able to go to visit elders sewing class as planned”.

On way back to at office at 4 PM, outside ran into one of my foster parents, and got updates on about 5 family situations I am dealing with. In lobby again, encouraged clients waiting for appointment with other social worker, to take any clothes needed from those in 3 donated bags; conversation and introductions to elder lady who spoke only Inuktitut and asked if I was the new social worker and how long would I be in town; call from a community member wondering if I could help with plane fare to another community to attend funeral; drop-in interview with a young man who wanted to go out for a drug and alcohol treatment program, whom I advised and took details for when MH nurse is next in town;

….and just before 5 PM, a young family toting two young children asking, “So you are the Social Worker?...:” Yes” I replied somewhat reluctantly. “ I heard they were advertising on the radio for foster parents and we would like to apply . How lovely!!!  Getting details of parents and children in household, I advised they needed 3 references, Criminal Record Check and medicals done.

Sent emails explaining the use of the purchase orders and exchanges and why we had to use the one from the health center and not social services as we were out.

So ended my official work day…

BUT alt least I was not today, as yesterday afternoon, dealing with a power outage or crawling under my desk to connect and reconnect fax and phone machines, or talking to NW TEL on why the cordless phone in my office would not work and being told it would cost $100 if a technician had to come out. The only way I could call the local telephone company, was sitting in the lobby using the “plug in” phone from the income support workers office, whose cord was brought out from under his door. Final solution asked operator to dial my number and it WORKED but had not before!

THE BEST THING ABOUT TODAY WAS THAT THE WEATHER HAS BEAUTIFULLY WARMED UP..possibly a prelude to a blizzard but lovely walking around and I had some great conversations!!!

So after all this, walked out of the office at about 6 PM.

 ....and I really wonder where the time has gone. At least I am truly getting to experience winter with all the traditional aspects of really chilly weather, snow and wind and longer nights than days. It makes one appreciate the other end of the spectrum.

Late this morning we got a notice that the power in our section of town where the office is located was going to be out for an hour or so after 1:15 PM so decided to take a late lunch. Last time this happened I sat in the dark of a minimal emergency light doing my time sheets, as was the only thing I could see.

Thought might share some of my recent shots with the recent blowing snow, x-c ski Saturday afternoon and a few on what prices are like at the Northern Store. Do like to experiment with my photos sometimes in black and white   and others with enhancements from iphoto, although must admit often this application turns my snow shots into a funny shade of blue-purple.

My doorknob during the blowing snow and the discovery of a popcan frozen to the porch railing.

The wind sculpts the snow in many beautiful shapes and this outline of setting sun is about 2:30 PM.

Trip to the small Northern Store and NO I am not buying ice cream or a case of pop but did get the fresh melons.