The stark beauty of the tundra.
Some time ago I had a chance to take in some paintings by the Group of Seven. I was struck by a couple of Tommy Thomson’s views of winter forests in Algonquin Park. The shadows of the trees on the snow he did in shades of blue – very striking. Today I was off hiking along the coast between Apex (the original town site) and Iqaluit, looking for Snow Buntings. It was cloudy (mostly) with sleet squalls. But off across the Bay the snow-clad hills were blue ands this memory of the paintings came flooding back. (Now if I was any kind of a photographer I’d have a picture to show you but….alas…I just couldn’t capture it.)
Just part of several large very well done murals you can find around town.
More of the same mural.
This mural (part of the above) is on a retaining wall next to the hospital.
But it set me to musing on colour – it’s general absence in the far north for much of the year and the soothing effect it has when you come upon it. As the lead-in picture shows, it’s a pretty bleak landscape generally – although soon it will be brightened, albeit briefly, with the bloom of wildflowers. But the townspeople have recognized its beneficial effects and it’s displayed in the colourful houses, the large murals that decorate several of the walls and the sprigs of plastic flowers in the cemetery.
The characteristic red and white buildings of the Hudson Bay Company – built in 1949 in Apex, the original town site.
Plastic flowers enliven the final resting site of the local people.
All along the way I watched Common Ravens picking through the low vegetation on the hillsides. Every now and again one would fly up with others in hot pursuit, all wanting a piece of the lemming that had just been found.
The bane of Canadian civilization – discarded coffee cups. Sadly, litter plagues this small community.
For me the major complaint here is litter. Sadly it is everywhere and consists of just about anything you can imagine – snowmobile parts, boat pieces, plastic bags (ubiquitous), pop cans, coffee cups, construction materials, clothing, even a tent today (which seemed perfectly serviceable, only lacking poles). It’s frightening to think of how much of this stuff ends up eventually in the ocean.
Rick
Sadly, the litter problem is one that seems to plague every northern community….at least all the ones I’ve visited. There’s generally a spring clean-up, the result of which is the litter being transferred to the northern version of the land-fill….that is, the open dump.
Yeah, and in my experience the wind empties the dump/landfill of much of its contents and we’re back at square one. It’s at a level here that is very concerning.