Plan today 0701T0830

• Canada Day
• Visitor's Ctr
• Co-op/Northern Shop (Turned out that there weren't really a Co-op in Iqaluit, and I was mistaking Arctic Ventures (a shop's name) as the Co-op, until the lady at the Visitor's Center corrected me later in the trip.)

We woke up at c. 0730. Took showers. The toilet was overflooded.

We went to the Road to Nowhere -- the only street that has a name around here, other than the Ring Road. T1114 Took some great pictures. It's the road leading north.

Had coffee at Grind & Brew. Came back to the room to rest. T1127

T1504 UVAGUT played.

The Mounties
T1553 We went out to catch the Canada Day parade, which started in front of Joamie Ilinniarvik School, goes around the Nakasuk School, and ends at the Curling Ring. I felt patriotic.

At the Rink, they had a ceremony and a BBQ.

Ceremony: prayer, letter reading (from Chrétien and folks), Iqaluit orchestra (O Canada, Beauty & the Beast, &c.) and this band called Uvagut playing, among other things, Battle Hymn of the Republic, Lowell Mason's Bethany, and some Black Sabbath song (Paranoia).

Then the accordion guy joined in & there was some stepdance competition. (Note that none of the white people participated in this activity.) According to Mike, a couple won and got a cooler & a pot. T1612

Plan for the rest of the day:

• Northern Shop (turned not to be open on Canada Day)
• Visitor's Ctr (not open)
• postcard (post office also not open)

By the way, before the parade we went to the Canada Day swap meet. I asked the apparently Anglican lady where to get an Inuktitut Bible:

"I sold my last one, but you can ask Roger . . . he might have a secret stash . . .'' T1617

I noticed that there were no white people that participated the dance thing . . . T1925

T1925 Bought some foodstuff -- bread (2 loaves), ham (non-fat, 6 pieces, spiced), peanut butter, and jam. (Co-op) (No, it's the Arctic Venture store.)

(photo copyright © 1999 Michael Drew Benedetti)
Went to the beach. Saw a dead seal & a dead caribou, among other things. Great scenery. Came back to the room & ate dinner (sandwich). Talked with Mike. T1928

If one comes here in August, one can enjoy eating raw seal meat at the beach, but would then have to tolerate the mosquitoes. T1929

In the winter, the water freezes to provide transportation convenience, but there is always dark. T1930

Plan:

• postcards, stamps (post office closed today, opens T1000 tomorrow)
• Northern Shop (closed today)
• Visitors Center (map)/museums T1937
• laundry T2240

T2356 Almost midnight, according to the daylight savings time. It was darker, the sun actually sets here -- but there was still light out -- in a city without street lights (see below for correction -- they do have street lights, otherwise one would not be able to drive in the winter). I saw this cat outside while trying to walk around for a bit of a midnight walk (Mike was sleeping and did not want to go out). Took pictures of it. It was cold, but me in my Dabney sweatshirt & boots without socks was able to bear a few minutes out. 19990702T0000