Tuesday, June 19, 2007

First Stop, Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada








Iqaluit can best be described as adolescent. It is energetic but without a plan and cocky and desperate all at once. The guests of the B and B include a Parisian businesswoman, an English architect and a financial consultant from Ireland, who is providing a “strategic growth plan” for a wealthy Inuit family. The Pub is patrolled by a task force of bouncers dressed in black shirts with “Security” printed on the chest. The town is growing quickly and the suburban model of living has reached the Arctic. Dirt “avenues” extend from the airport to homes arranged on dead-end “courts” and “lanes” spread out over bare rock and tundra. Since much of the shallow top soil has been blown away by construction, there is no yard culture in Arctic suburbia. Commercial shipping containers serve as practical replacements for garages and garden sheds. Litter is everywhere. The constant wind picks up everything that is not anchored and spreads plastic wrappers and aluminum siding across the town and tundra.

When I ignore the garbage, the land is remarkable. It's in the high 30's, the sea ice is still in Frobisher Bay, but much of the land is exposed. Pools of spring rain have collected on top of the sea ice and reflect aqua light which is weirdly like the blue of a shallow Caribbean sea. The plant life hugs the rugged topography, forming an extravagantly plush carpet underfoot. Bleak and brown at a distance, the vegetation is richly textured and subtly colored; sea green lichens, flowering purple saxifrage, tiny blue berries, white heath, red ground cover and asphalt-black patches of organic matter drowned and burned by water and wind are spread across thousands of miles. The familiar fuzzy catkins of the pussy willow are blooming , but unlike the southern version which reaches up and out, the Arctic Willow submits to the wind and shapes itself to the curves of rock. Sometimes deference is a good choice!

Photo credit for "First Stop, Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada" : Lili Holzer-Glier

22 comments:

juditht said...

Hi Mike,
Great to get your first report. Photos are terrific. Do you have any of the B & B?
Looking forward to traveling along with you and to seeing how the paintings develop.
What a way to spend summer vacation!
Wondering if you'll see any gardens up there.
All good wishes,
Juditht

Anonymous said...

Hi Mike -
I very much love the work you are doing.
I keep thinking of short stories, departing from ideas of what you may or may not be doing.
Spoke with A.C. Fuentes about all this. I'm sure she'll send her love.

M

Roberto said...

Hello Mike, it is so good to be able to check in and see what you are up to up there, all the photos have added alot to my understanding of what a journey you are on. I also get a "kick" from the work in progress pics, studio covered in plastic and painting in the landscape it is being painted in. Also your wirting is just lovely, and I mean that , intimate and precise and can't wait for each new entry.......tu amigo in paint Roberto

daniel said...

when The popular comment layout is common, so it is easily recognized scanning to post a comment. If the comment section is in a different format, then I am going to spend more time trying to decipher what everything means.

online informal

Viagra Cilias Levitra said...

this place look like a ghost town, really inclusive the typical dog in the streets, and the landscape look like a dessert, the perfect place to make a horror movie.

Anonymous said...

[url=http://cplex60pills.com/]cplex 60[/url] Thank you very much for the information great post, found it on Yahoo.

levaquin vs zithromax said...

Hi, thank you for sharing this great info. Was just browsing through the net in my office and happened upon your blog. It is really very well written and quit comprehensive in explaining with a very simple language.

Anonymous said...

Nice replies in return of this query with real arguments and explaining the whole
thing regarding that.
Here is my homepage :: free porn pictures

Anonymous said...

Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you penning this article plus the rest of the website is really
good.
Also visit my homepage ... teenpornpost.com

Anonymous said...

I'm really loving the theme/design of your blog. Do you ever run into any browser compatibility issues? A number of my blog audience have complained about my site not operating correctly in Explorer but looks great in Safari. Do you have any advice to help fix this problem?
My web site :: Tara Lynn Can’t Get Enough Of This Big Fat Dick In Her Little Mouth

Anonymous said...

Does your blog have a contact page? I'm having problems locating it but, I'd like to send you an e-mail.
I've got some creative ideas for your blog you might be interested in hearing. Either way, great site and I look forward to seeing it develop over time.
Review my web page : Anal creampie after sex in fresh air

Anonymous said...

I've been browsing online more than three hours these days, yet I never discovered any fascinating article like yours. It's pretty worth enough for me.
Personally, if all web owners and bloggers made excellent
content material as you probably did, the internet can
be much more helpful than ever before.
My weblog ; www.crazyteenpics.com

Anonymous said...

Good response in return of this question with real arguments and explaining the whole thing concerning that.
Also see my webpage: teenpornsexpussy.com

Anonymous said...

Yes! Finally something about porn.
Feel free to surf my homepage ... http://amazingteenbabes.com

Anonymous said...

Ridiculous quest there. What happened after? Take care!
Here is my homepage : The Tao of Badass Review

Anonymous said...

Amazing blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere?
A design like yours with a few simple tweeks would really make my blog stand
out. Please let me know where you got your design. With thanks
My web site ; click through the up coming article

Anonymous said...

That is a good tip especially to those new to the blogosphere.
Brief but very precise info… Many thanks for sharing this one.
A must read post!
Look at my webpage ... seo services india

Anonymous said...

We are a gaggle of volunteers and opening a new scheme in our community.

Your site offered us with valuable information to work on.

You have performed a formidable job and our whole community shall be thankful to you.


Look at my site: electrician katy tx.

Anonymous said...

Hey very interesting blog!

Here is my weblog; kitchen cabinet

Anonymous said...

I do not even know how I ended up here, but
I thought this post was good. I do not know who you are but certainly you're going to a famous blogger if you are not already ;) Cheers!

Look into my web-site printable rifle targets

Anonymous said...

I really like your blog.. very nice colors & theme.
Did you design this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you?
Plz respond as I'm looking to create my own blog and would like to know where u got this from. many thanks

My page :: XXX Videos

Anonymous said...

Simply wish to say your article is as amazing. The clearness for your put up
is simply spectacular and that i can suppose you are knowledgeable in this subject.
Fine along with your permission let me to clutch your RSS feed to stay updated with coming near near post.
Thank you one million and please continue the rewarding work.


Feel free to visit my web-site: http://www.xxxmoviegalls.com