Well world, as you might have guessed the posting here has dropped off. life has not allowed for us to continue to post a tid bit about our lives every other day or so. But.... don't fret! if you still are interested in what my little family gets up to living in the Arctic, or just want to see pictures. There are a few place where i regularly put my photos and videos....
first off stop by my Photography website www.michaelhdavies.com Usually there are one or two images a week that go there.
Secondly you can check my flickr page Flickr it will often have more new images then my website. There are tons and tons to look at there.
Lastly you can check ,my Youtube channel YouTube I have in the last few years started to make short video clips. I post them here for the publics viewing pleasure. I usually will add a few videos a month.
SO as i said these are the places to go if you want to keep current with Abby Nicole and Myself. Have a look. I will still keep this account active and maybe even post on it from time to time but i think the days of my daily blog posts are long gone.
Thanks for reading and hopefully you will continue to on the other sites
So... i know it has be forever since i have wrote on here. In fact im pretty sure there is no one left who really reads this. But. i figured i'd put up a few photos of the excitement i had today. After 7 odd years or living here in Pang i finally have been able to photograph polar bears in the wild. I have had the chance before but usually i'm just a few minutes late and the bears leave. This time i was able to see them and shoot them just a few minutes before they made there way up into the mountains.
So here are the shots, granted they aren't the highest quality. But a great memory none the less.
I was able to get out this weekend for a little camping and berry picking.... It was great weather ( all things considered). I sent the tent up on a finger of land that was surrounded by the ocean , when the tide was up of course. Anyway i'll let the pictures do the talking.
Looking one way
And the other way
The sun set was amazing.
this is the little bay that was just behind the tent
I took the time to put together a timelapse of the tide. Hope ya like it
As the title reads, I got a Kayak from the dump... but not in the way you light think. I didn't stroll down to the dump and find a used boat bring it home and, Tadda! done.
I went down, scavenged some materials and after a few days had myself a very seaworthy vessel.
Before i get into this huge post i want to get something straight. A kayak, is the southern word for my vessel. Up here, where the boat originated it can be referred to as a qayaq or qajaq... all the terms are, pronounced similarly and are correct. Also my qayaqs are built using traditional Inuit methods... all joins are made with mortise and tenon joints, pegs and tied off with rope. No nails!!!
So here we go, a traditional skin on frame Qajaq.
I have built two before down south over a summer a few years back. There i had the luxury of perfect/brand new supplies, all the tools someone would need and a ideal workspace. Most of those statements did not apply here.
As i already said most of the wood i found at the dump, certainly not the right length. The skin/canvas was the cheapest fabric that would do the job at Fabricland. The tools i used were mainly hand tools that i purchased in the summer and sent up on our sea lift. Lastly the work space was on top of a box behind our house that was constantly wet and boggy.
So... before the first photograph i took two 2x5x10 boards and scarfed/joined them together. Also i have already chiseled all the slots on the bottom for the ribs to fit into. The spreaders in the centre are the same ones i used for my other two boats.... this was great because i didn't have to use very much math this time..
Here i have the profile of the qajaq set and ready for the deck beams to be added.
The deck beams pegged into place, now on to the installation of the ribs
The ribs i measure and pre cut, then i boiled each rib for a bit to soften the wood and then bent them into the shape i needed.
The next few steps i didn't take the time for photos... You missed the installation of the keel the stem and stern boards and the chines/side keels
Here is the result of those steps
Notice the two curved deck beans they are to help accommodate me when i slide in. There is still one curved beam left which you'll see later.
here is a closer look at one of the chines and some of the knot work
Another look at some of the knots
frame complete!
This is look from the from to the back. Also you can see the final curved deck piece, Called a masik and two angle deck stringers leading from it. It might be different from what you are used to be seeing. Here instead of an oval opening. Pangnirtung has traditionally had a more keyhole shape.
A look inside
After i finished the frame i slapped a coat of black Tremclad on it to help avoid rot.
sewing the whole thing up
Sewn and painted with more Tremclad with the combing/cockpit installed
I used qamotiq runner ( sled runner ) for the combing and a chunk of wood that i found laying around for the back
more runner for a skid plates on the bottom
Just the deck lines left
Finished and ready for the ocean
a close look at the lines, the positions and amount i took from some old images from here.
I should mention that of course the boat was named... A good inuk friend of mine up here named it " The Helloraluk" which loosely translates to the big hello. I think its a perfect name!
In the water and ready to go
I was very pleased at the stability of it
off i go
Way in the distance, just past the tidal drop off
a few huge chunks of ice i paddled by
Picking my way back through the ice as it was closing in
One happy paddler
Looking towards Cumberland Sound
looking towards Auyuittuq National Park choked with ice
A short video i made while i was out, of the tide falling
So thats that, I leave with Abby for the south in a few days...weather permitting... and Nic will follow in a few days...
Have a good summer everyone, Maybe we'll see some of you soon
So the trail to the lake now is all but gone so i thought i wold post a few shots of the last trip out. I talked Nicole into going out and she begrudgingly came along ( she's not a fan of the hour long ride), but this time, as we were going the group decided to go to the lake that is farther away...2 and a half hours later we arrived. I'm also very happy to report that after 6 years of trying Nicole not only caught her first fish but two fish for the day.. Yeah !
This place stays open all year and if you wait you can actually see the Char as they swim around
Donald setting up his underwater fish cam, and Meeka doing her thing
Annie and Tommy, Two of our new friends.
yours truly having a rest
Nicole and her fish hoping by pushing it forwards would make it look bigger
the actual size
And her other fish in front, after catching a couple all of a sudden she started to fish much harder...haha
and thats that, oh i should mention that Abigail spent the day with Marcus and Delia in Pang
I know what you're thinking, Abigail is only two how is it possible that she is on her fourth birthday. Well its actually quite simple... Before she turned one we had a pre-one year birthday so we could celebrate with family down south. Then we had another one for her up her when she turned 1 on her birthday day. Then this year we had one on her actually 2nd birthday and another when all of her friends up her were available. Soooo now that she is 2 she has had four birthdays, cool eh?
Anyways here are a pile of pictures from the last week and her two birthday parotids that she had.
On her first birthday party of the week we had Markus and Delia over for a small get together. Also we are quite fortunate to have the technology of Skype, so we could share the night with the grand parents and great parents down south.
We only thought to take one picture of the Skype convo's but rest assured that all the grandparents had a chance to see Abigail
on to her first cake eating of the week
and party number two
Playing games
Reading one of her favourite books from Christmas with a friend that came
cake two
un wrapping all the presents
Hanging out with Meeka
One of Abigail's games this week was to fill up her mug from her bottle and sip like she is having tea
her response when I have the camera and say "Smile!"
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