Reflections on the Summer

The leaves have changed (absolutely beautiful, will get some pics up soon), the air is crisp, I almost died this morning when the front steps to the office where covered with unexpected frost and the NFL is back on TV. That only means one thing. Well two actually. One, I need to watch my step and two the time is approaching to head south. On Tuesday I will be leaving Inuvik for Ottawa and the school year.

That means this is the perfect time to reminisce about the summer that was and all the things I love about being here. To sum it up nicely I figured a list would help. These are being spewed onto the page in no order of importance.

1. Living in a small town. Foibles and all, I am definitely living in a small town later on in my life.
2. The solitude and silence. Creepy and strange at first becomes a welcome presence in your life.
3. The pace of life. Nothing needs to be done in the here and now. No rush, take your time and hurry up and wait. My life motto expressed.
4. Waking up and going to bed to float planes on the lake.
5. Flying in helicopters and planes galore.
6. The food! Wild meat is the food of the gods. Muskox, caribou, moose, whale, did I mention caribou? Not needing to pack a lunch to go to field work because you can just eat berries all day.
7. Having time to sit and think. Just chilling on the dock and looking at the stars.
8. The people. Just amazing for both the better and the worse.
9. The accessibility of open spaces. The opportunity to disappear at a moment's notice.
10. The Dempster.
11. The opportunities to gain experience that wouldn't happen down south.
12. The water. It's everywhere. Boating is a joy.
13. The requirement to pay exact attention to what you are doing in the field because something could go wrong at any point.
14. The smell of charcoal from a forest fire. Maybe a bonfire would get the same effect, but I think it is different.
15. Calling a 6 bedroom three bathroom bunkhouse my home.
16. Having a single channel on TV.
17. What is considered news in the Drum and the Territory News. (i.e. Paulutuk running out of soda).
18. Rediscovering myself and what's important to me.
19. Everything costing more because it comes oh so close to breaking me out of my frugal habits.
20. No fast food joints, movie theatres, shopping malls or bowling alleys.
21. Obviously the Trapper. How can't you miss that place.
22. True dark nights.

Obviously I am going to miss a lot and it is going to take some amount of time to transition back into the life I lead down south. However I love living in Ottawa and doing what I do. I am looking forward to coming back for various reasons (none of which is Pat Rogers...).

See everyone soon.