Ice and settling into the Labrador lifestyle!

While in Labrador, we are staying in Port Hope Simpson, and this is a photo looking down to the frozen bay here. This is also a great example of an inukshuk. These Inuit stone figures are traditionally used for many things including communication, survival, as a place of respect, and as a marker to say that you are on the right path. We have seen many of these of all sizes as we have driven along this coastline and they really do stand out of the white landscape and look a really familiar sight. Also, how the stones are arranged can also tell you what it is for.

In between getting to know and talking with the fishers about the Hawke channel closed area, we were invited to the local school for lunch. They were having a lunchtime fundraiser towards their trip to Europe in April. We were keen to see this school as it is brand new and only opened this year. We went and had lunch, bought some raffle tickets and then managed to meet with and chat to a few of the teachers and the principal. At the school, they have a brand new fancy science lab and we got a tour of this. We also now are starting to bump into people we have seen are seem to be getting well known in the area. It is really nice to feel so very welcome everywhere we go!
Meanwhile, the weather has turned this part of the world into a giant ice rink and as some people may know, me and ice do not mix! I am a complete ice wimp as Kiley now knows very well! After trying to hold onto the car and inch myself along the path, Kiley had to literally drive the car into the hotel to get me back there!

Yesterday evening, we left Mary's Harbour quite late after we finished talking to the fishers we know there and by the time we pulled up at the hotel, an hour later, the staff here were concerned that we were ok, and the communities had been calling between each other to make sure we had got back safely, this was so nice and we feel like we have a family up here now, looking out for us!

Also, for me it is so new to see all the different methods of transport, there are so many people out on skidoos and coming in by helicopter, especially with the road iced out this morning. Tomorrow morning we have been invited go out with someones dog sled team and we are very excited about this.