Sunday, January 15th. 2006

Brrr, this morning looking out the window at the temperature gauge we installed on the deck to check how cold it was, we were both surprised to read -30 celcius. No wonder the furnace kept kicking in! I can hardly imagine life up here without the modern conveniences of a good heating system, satellite tv and internet, and a store to run to when we are out of any supplies....The lakes around us are all frozen, and not only are there roads in town but also ski-doo roads (top image) that run over the lakes.

What I love about the snow here is the purity, no yucky salty roads like in the cities and on a sunny day like today, the snow actually glistens like diamonds. Our afternoon walk was beautiful, crisp clean air (which you breathe through your scarf, lest your nose hairs freeze), crunchy sparkling snow, and peace and quiet abounding....
Of course, as long as you are in your winter pants and parka, with hats and gloves and a good pair of boots, it all looks beautiful!

Yesterday, Ricardo went for a walk on his snowshoes with Nanook as his faithful companion. I think it also helps that he gets a can of dog food when they get back home.... The ski poles, which got brought over from our holiday break make it a lot easier for keeping balance while gliding on the snow. In the background you can see the frozen lake, both of them are actually on the ice in this picture. The snow collects on the top of the ice, and makes it hard to distinguish land from ice. A good rule of thumb for us beginners, is to keep to the skidoo tracks to make sure the ice is thick enough.
Around the end of this month, the winter road opens which essentially is a road built over the ice and used to drive in supplies in big tractor trailers. You can imagine the thickness of the ice to hold the weight!
At school, things are getting quite organized. Next week some good workshops for the students: Dealing with suicide and healthy eating habits. Slowly but surely we are noting smiles and happy faces on the students... even the chronic latecomers are arriving on time!