Second Circuit in Sanikiluaq

From April 26th until May 2nd I was in Sanikiluaq again for court. This time I got to stay in the new(ish) hotel instead of the old one with all of it's problems.  The new(ish) hotel had heat in all of the rooms, working internet and a greatly reduced risk of dying in one's sleep due to carbon monoxide poisoning. Luxury!

Here is a picture of the dining room in the luxurious new(ish) hotel.

The day that I flew in to Sanikiluaq was the same day that the new cook at the hotel flew in. We were chatting, and I learned that this was her first time in Nunavut. I was telling her about how it is such a small world up here. This is true even for southerners with respect to other southerners. I said, "Take us, for example. I'm meeting you for the very first time ever, and if we talked for even a few minutes, I'm sure that we'll pretty quickly figure out that we are connected in some way."

It took less than a few minutes. Maybe one minute or less. I mentioned that I had visited my mom on the way here.  My mom lives in eastern Ontario, about a mile up a dirt road near the tiny (population 120) Hamlet of Easton's Corners and the tiny (population 209) Hamlet of Jasper.

"Easton's Corners?" she said, "Really?" It turned out that the new cook lives on the highway between Easton's Corners and Jasper. There are some farmer's fields between the dirt road and the highway. If my mom and the new hotel cook in live more than couple of kilometres apart, I'd be surprised. 

The Sanikiluaq docket was not a particularly heavy one so I was able to get out and take a few more pictures than I managed the last time I was there. Also, it wasn’t as bitterly cold as it was in mid-January, so I was more inclined to head out for a bit of sight-seeing.

Nunavut Court of Justice a.k.a. the community hall

We ended up staying in the community for an extra day once court was done because of the weather. On the Tuesday, a massive fog rolled in and wouldn’t leave. It lasted well into the next day. 

One hundred km/h winds arrived on Wednesday afternoon. This took care of the little fog problem, but with winds like that, there was no way that the court charter home was going to be able to land.  I went for a walk and the wind was strong enough to pick up tiny pieces of gravel which hit me in the face.  It was also strong enough to push me around so that I was staggering like a drunk person on my way to and from the Northern.  

It was hard to hold the camera steady, but I managed to get a few shots.

Boat across from the Northern

Igloo church

Looking toward the old hotel where we stayed last time

So beautiful

We flew back to Iqaluit on Thursday afternoon and I arrived only a few hours after my daughter Gwenna who came to Iqaluit from Toronto for a two-week visit before heading off to Edmonton.

Next stop: Hall Beach and Igloolik.

Songs:
Your Ex-Lover is Dead (Final Fantasy Mix) - Stars
Farewell - Apocalyptica