One thing you learn living in the Arctic is how to be resourceful.  Not only with your things, but also with your entertainment options.

I was excited to learn that a group of girls get together twice a year (spring and fall) to do a "clothing swap".  The participants go through their closets, bring all the items of clothing that they don't want any more and the clothes are sorted into piles.  Then each item is held up for a few seconds and whoever thinks they may be interested in trying it on will claim it. 

Once all the items are distributed, the blinds are closed (got to stay modest!) and everyone starts trying their items on.  If they decide they don't want an item after all, it goes back in the pile for someone else to try.

Sounds chaotic?  It is!  Sounds fun?  It is!  Sounds like something every guy wishes he were invited to?  Dream on!

I went to the fall swap a few weeks ago and came away with some really great finds. It's a great way to get your "shopping fix" with girlfriends in a place where there aren't a lot of shopping opportunities.  Online shopping just isn't the same!  It was like going on a shopping spree with a dozen friends.

Whatever is not claimed by the end of the night is donated to the second-hand store at Ingamo Hall called "Next to New".

Another one of the joys of living in the North...  How many offices have you visited with moose hide laid out for sale on the floor of the reception area?  Gotta love it!

I will be honest, though, the smell of the smoked hide was pretty pungent, so we weren't too sad to see them wrapped up again... after getting pictures of course.

It's been a while since I posted, for a number of reasons.  Life and work have been really busy, and last week I traveled to Yellowknife for a few days - partly work, partly fun.   It was my first trip to the capital of the Northwest Territories, and I was really impressed.  It could be because I was looking at it through "Inuvik goggles", where everything seems exciting and interesting in comparison.  Or perhaps it was because I had been told Yellowknife was ugly and boring (a government and industrial town), which I know now is an unfair description.  My expectations were so low, that I couldn't help but be impressed!

Either way, I really enjoyed it, and look forward to going back again.

I didn't take a lot of pictures of the downtown area, as I was busy with meetings and shopping and eating, but I did get some nice scenery shots of the sunset and a misty morning, so here you go! 

(Full disclosure - I wasn't actually up at dawn...the pictures were taken at 10 am - it was still really foggy!)

A couple of weeks ago I went berry-picking with some friends in the hills just outside of Inuvik.  Although the blueberry season had passed, we were in perfect time for cranberries.  It was a warm clear Saturday in September, and there was no place we'd rather be!

I got a little nervous when we saw fresh bear prints, but the other girls had bear spray and bear banger, so we didn't let a wild animal deter us!  He didn't seem that big anyway...  :)

I got the berries home and washed them, and ended up with about 7 cups of berries, which I threw in the freezer for future use.

Jump forward to Thanksgiving (Canadian Thanksgiving weekend - Oct 6-8!), and I pulled a few cups of berries out of the freezer and made my very first home-made cranberry sauce by boiling the berries in orange juice and sugar.

Round it off with a turkey dinner with good friends, and overall it was a great first Thanksgiving in the North.