I was sitting in Denver airport waiting for our connecting flight to Edmonton
This was our plane and we were busy watching to see if we could see our luggage being loaded. My fear was our luggage might get lost in transit as we had 3 different flights to Yellowknife. Luckily, everything arrived safe and sound including us!
Catherine the night we arrived, all excited as I had brought here lemons from our lemon tree. We had also brought her a bag of oranges just picked from our orange tree
This was the next day when we were standing on her apartment balcony waiting for Doug to warm the car up so we could go and do some grocery shopping. She had a list of baking and cooking she wanted me to do as she had invited friends to join us for Christmas dinner and then also had invited people over for Boxing day lunch. It was good fun cooking for her and her friends but quite a challenge as every time I wanted to do something she didn't have the kitchen equipment I needed. She requested homemade buns for Christmas dinner but didn't have a bowl big enough for me to mix buns in! She wanted 2 different pies for Christmas dinner but didn't have 2 pie plates! Fun....... good thing she has friends we could borrow from.
Doug and I out in the freezing winter wonderland. It truly is beautiful there if you are looking out the window!! I did get good use of her long goose down coat and the beaver fur headband and mittens she had bought me f or Christmas a few years ago. My head and hands were toasty warm!
Part of our Christmas present from Catherine was attending a glass making class and we did that the Saturday after we arrived. A small company called the Glass Works uses recycles glass bottles and makes everything under the sun with them from small to large drinking glasses, candles, beer steins, tea light holders and covers etc. They then sand blast northern designs on their glass works and it makes them very unique. We had a set of glasses made from some glass bottles Doug had collected during the summer that we had left with Catherine to be made into glasses and she had the Glass Works leave 2 bare so we could create our own designs.
It was very interesting to learn the process they go through to create their one of a kind glassware
This was the young woman who taught us how to apply the appliques to our glasses before we would sand blast the design on
This was the sand blaster we used to create our designs
This was my finished product, I had a moose, polar bear, trees, northern lights and snowflakes on my glass
Myself, Doug and Catherine with our finished glasses. This really was the best present, lots of fun and I love being creative!
I loved looking out at the horizon in the morning prior to the sun rising. This was about 0930 hrs and it was just starting to get light. The colours were always beautiful. Catherine's apartment looks out over a bay of Great Slave Lake
Catherine had to have me make butterscotch cut out cookies. I always made them for the kids when they were little and then we decorated for Christmas. Well Catherine and her friend Lydia wanted to decorate so I guess it doesn't matter what your age.....you are always a kid at Christmas. Those two could sure make a mess though! Catherine's apartment is just a one bedroom so you can see her blow up queen size mattress in her dining room behind her. She was a good daughter and gave us her bedroom and she slept in the dining room.
I wasn't watching the two of them that closely and they got a bit raunchy with their decorating. Of course there was lots of laughing and goofing around going on!
The two of them definitely had fun as they made their mess!
This is another sunrise where Doug got in Catherine's car and drove out onto the ice highway on the lake to get a good picture
It really was beautiful to see. We saw the northern lights twice but my little camera just couldn't get a picture of them. They were magical
This was out on the ice highway looking back at Yellowknife. Catherine's apartment is the high rise you see in the distance
Doug had to take this picture of inside Catherine's car showing the temperature as this was a very "warm" day. Actually, with the windchill factor it was about -36 that day but it still felt warm as most other days were in the -50's!
We are driving on the ice highway to the First Nation town of Dettah on the other side of the bay. Normally when the lake isn't frozen it is a 45 minute trip around to get to Dettah, in the winter when you can drive across the lake, it only takes about 10 minutes.
You can see the community as we get closer to land again
The welcome sign as we drive onto solid earth again. Can you tell I was relieved? I don't really care how much ice is beneath me, it is not natural to be driving on ice!! Period!!
This is an ice sculpture of a polar bear at the YK Community centre. Very well done.
A close up of it, it was totally cool. Of course I am saying to Doug: "Hurry up and get this picture taken so I get get back in the warm car!" I was sure my smile was going to freeze in place!
Telus had a huge real Christmas tree decorated close by the ice polar bear. It was beautiful and of course the lights look great all day as it really doesn't get bright out. This was about 1 pm in the afternoon!
Christmas morning opening presents. It was about 0930 hrs and if you look towards the window you will see it is still pitch black out
Catherine opening her present from our friends Trent and Ann from Minnesota. They know how much she likes belt buckles so they sent her two. She was thrilled!
Catherine looking at the case of hotsauce we brought her. That girl loves the stuff - the hotter the better!
Catherine spoiled us this year! She knows how much I like FN art so she bought me a painting done by a local Dene artist John Rombough. She remembered how all our wild bunnies in our community were always all through our yard so picked a painting with rabbits in it so I could hang in my Arizona house. I loved it!
A close up of the painting
Looking out Catherine's dining room window about 1000 hrs as it begins to get light. It never failed to impress me how beautiful it was!
This was looking out her other window. The colours on the horizon never failed to impress. I could just stand and watch as the colours changed.
We went for another drive on the ice road looking for ptarmigans. I just love those birds and wanted some pictures. Of course it is the usual story, Catherine says she sees them all the time but when I want pictures, not a one can be found!
It is kind of weird driving by house boats out on the lake!
As we are coming off the ice road, you can see Catherine's apartment on the hill.
Christmas day, I made a new pie recipe called peppermint pie. It turned out great and was very good! Very light and not too sweet!
Getting ready to sit down for Christmas dinner. We had to collapse Catherine's air bed and put away and put up a collapsible table so there was enough room for everyone. Of course Catherine doesn't have any table clothe or place mats so she laughed at me when I made her cover the tables with left over Christmas wrap but they looked nice and festive once we were done. From left: Catherine's friend Lydia, Catherine, Catherine's boyfriend Mike and Sherwin, Lydia's partner. I am in the kitchen so I guess Doug was taking the picture!
We had to also use paper plates as she didn't have enough dishes but made for easy clean up afterwards and helped to make the table even more festive looking!
We have opened our Christmas crackers and are now wearing our golden crowns. Thanks Sherwin for giving me your jewelry, hope Lydia didn't mind. I didn't really want my egg timer I got as my prize! We had Christmas dinner at 1:30 pm as Lydia had an afternoon shift at the care home where she works as an RN. It was great as we could then relax and enjoy the rest of the day and nibble on left overs!
This was dessert: fresh Arizona Dixon lemon pie and peppermint pie. Sorry you weren't there is share with us Pete. Everyone thought of you as they ate their lemon pie!
One piece of lemon pie Christmas day wasn't enough for Doug and Catherine so I had to make her another one the next day. She made her Dad take this picture so she could tease her friend Pete with it!
Catherine giving Mike his Christmas present. He loves to play guitar so she bought him a new acoustic guitar that can also be converted to electric if he chooses. He was definitely happy with it. He had given Catherine a Blueray DVD player, some movies and an automatic car starter. She has been wanting the starter for a long time but couldn't afford it so was very excited to get this gift. It is being installed today as I write. No more having to run out in her PJ's at 0645 hrs in -50+ temps to start her car before she gets ready for work!
We are out for another drive to see if we can see any wild life or ptarmigans and she is definitely her father's daughter as she gets out to pick up a beer can off the ice road!
A bit closer look at the floating houses. Catherine was saying the people that live in them hope like heck their houses freeze level or else they have to live the whole winter in a sloping house. Something to think about if you are going to buy a house boat in that part of the country!
This is about as high as the sun gets on the horizon at this time of the day. It is about 1 pm and it will start going down soon.
Of course Doug has to get out and take pictures of the cracks in the ice on the road. I am glad I didn't see this picture till later when we were off the road!
We finally get to see our ptarmigan. They are just so gall darn cute - pretty brain dead though. They just stand there looking at you as you walk up and take a picture of them. I guess they think you can't see them in the snow!
Other than their black eyes and beak they really do blend in
Ptarmigans are like quail, they really don't fly and this particular bird was trying to get up on the tree branch. He kept jumping but couldn't get high enough. I figure he ate too much Christmas dinner and was just too heavy. Notice I called it a "he?"
This was the two of them as they tried to scurry away from us.
Catherine and I in front of her car. We needed scarves this day to keep our faces from freezing!
We could only laugh at these smart ravens. They were sitting under the laundry room dryer vent trying to keep warm.
I knitted myself a head band to wear when we are ATVing in Arizona during the cooler winter months when the mornings are cool and Catherine wanted one so I made her and Lydia one each. They loved them
We are finally heading home to the warm climate and sitting at YK airport waiting for our West Jet flight and Doug couldn't help himself - he had to take a picture of Canadian North waiting on the tarmac. We flew into YK on Canadian North. We had a good trip home and it was so lovely to get back to shorts and t-shirts and sitting out in the sun enjoying our morning coffee.
I hung my new painting in the hall just off the kitchen and it looks great! Many, many thanks Catherine! Love it!
This is Doug January 02, clean shaven (finally!) He shaved that Santa beard off New Year's Eve. He figured he didn't need it anymore now that he was back from the arctic!! He was very thankful to have it when he was there though. I am not sure what the long sleeved shirt is about - I am in shorts and a t-shirt and still getting over the flu bug I caught n the plane coming home and I was plenty warm!
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