I thought I better put up some pictures...the last few posts have been especially boring for people who aren't as hooked on the micro/macro politics of indigeneity in North America. So....
Here is a shot of the sun setting on the mountains across the bay. The sun is actually behind me as I took the picture...we are in shadow, but the mountains are high enough to still be catching the last of the light.
Josh arrived this week, and I put him to work right away....not a moment to catch his breath. But he has been getting up and skiing in the pre-dawn hours, much more dedicated than I. This weekend it is supposed to get mild, though, so we may go off into the hills for a long ski on Sunday.
The harbor feezes over solid, but the coming and going of the tide lifts the ice on and off of the rocks, creating a field of ruptures and holes.
The rest of the harbor, beyond the reach of shore rocks, is smooth, and provides access to the outer islands. Many people have cabins out there, and come spring, people visit to hunt and fish in the channels that form between the "land fast ice" and the "sea ice".
Along the water here are some older buildings...I think they are old Hudson Bay Company buildings, as they look exactly like the HBC trading posts in other towns. The HBC took over trading here from the Moravians in the early 20th Century, but quit trading after the war when the price of furs was low...leaving Nain without a regular source of Winter supply.
Here I am (so my children remember what I look like!). Behind me on the right is the government store that opened in the 50s (people here still call it "Labrador investments") to take the place of the HBC store. It sells groceries and hardware and just about everything else. It is now privately owned, I think (correction Brian?), and has to compete with the Northern which is down by the old HBC store.
Lastly, here is Siutik, the dog at the house where we are staying, who was my pal until Josh arrived...then she dropped me like an old shirt. I put her up here so Elly could see a beautiful Inuit husky.
One more day of interviewing and then we are taking Sunday off to catch our breath. More later this weekend.