Time flies, it has been in dark, cloudy and chilly winter for some time, on yesterday TV program, Cambridge Bay was displayed unexpectedly on the national forecast map due to its highest rank: the lowest temperature -24C in Canada. Actually the temperature here has hung around -25 some time, plus chilling factor, feeling temperature was usually around -40C, and along with dropping mercury,  daytime hours is vanishing at a rate which southerner hardly imagine. Daytime is 5 hrs today, but it will disappear in exactly one month. Having been stranded in this kind of weather for a while, I started missing sunny Prairie, its colors, no matter natural or artificial, at least they can light up my space.

A Sunset scene in  Calgary 

A bar at the Airport where i alway kill my time when i connecting my flights in Calgary

就在全球华人还未从涂博士自杀的消息中恢复过来之际，又被随之而来的浙大补告大大的娱乐了一把。震惊，酸楚，愤怒。。。今天又有消息：湖南大学一海归博士跳湘江自杀！

国内博士自杀的消息络绎不绝，似乎与海外关系不大。但涂博士的死无疑对那些蠢蠢欲动，如我辈者当头一棒，归还是不归？于是有人便用慎密的逻辑学绘制了一幅自我评估图，不禁令人拍案。本人对前半部分颇以为然，风险评估，自然来不得半点马虎。但按图索骥到“肾虚”之际，又为该图绘制者的过于乐观而哑然失笑。

The ptarmigan is a  bird found year round in arctic along the ravens.  It is about the size of a small chicken with short legs and small wings. there are two sub species in arctic - the rock ptarmigan and the willow ptarmigan. here in Cambridge lives the rock rock ptarmigan. It is the official bird of Nunavut. like most of the birds in arcitc, the ptarmigan is adapted to the arctic climate and change their colors a few times in a year to match the colors of surrounding tundra. During winter, it becomes pure white, the camouflage completely protected the birds from its predator. Ptarmigan is the only bird i have ever seen that even the feet are covered by feathers.

As the ptarmigan protect itself mainly by camouflage, so it is not a fast reactor, some time you can walk to a pretty close distance before they fly away, because this reason, Inuit kids can kill ptarmigan by fling or even throwing  rocks.

Winter coat 

A row of birds were check me out

Flurrying snow in last week has reminded me this summer has gone in arctic. However there have been no many exciting wildlife encounters this year. one weekend, a boom purple in a samll valley catch my interest while the other part of tundra had turned into deadly brown with few cluster red leaves highlighted the full swings fall season. 

brillieant purple color in a small valley

Red leaves on arctic tundra

the true clor of tundra in August

In last month I missed a arctic wolf this year again on mainland during a duty visit, when a white arctic wolf appeared at Roberts Bay area just after I left roughly an hour, only a cute arctic squirrel welcomed me to step on mainland tundra, however, the cost area of arctic ocean was still scenic in the late of August. 

an arctic squirrel

Coast area in arctic 

Canada geese are ready to head down south for winter

the only exiting moment was sighting this white arctic owl. i have been search this magnificent for long time, unfortunately she was  so alert that i could not get a close up shot, this one is cropped. However it is still better than nothing. 

an arctic owl

After being in arctic for 2 years, I savored sweltering summer again in Beijing and Tianjin in past month, as the western Canadians are suffering right now at pacific coast. Beijing is well known by its long history and most recent Olympic Games, while Tianjin is rare known by outside world in the shade of its glorious brother Beijing, even though it is the fourth largest municipality in China, and the largest container seaport in north China, approximately 120 km east of Beijing where I lived for 10 years.

Unlike Beijing, which plays a dominant role in political regimes through numerous dynasties, Tianjin built its fame as a business and art centre in north China. Due to its proximity to Beijing and easy access from ocean, Tianjin was also established as military garrison to invade Beijing by Eight Nation United Army in 1900. Under deep influence from the West and long history of foreign concessions, Tianjin preserved much of its diversified western style architecture from semi colony era in early 19th, and thus earned its nick name as “museum of universal architecture”

The fast development in past a few years has almost altered Tianjin's appearance, and I was almost shocked by her beauty during my home visit. Here I would like to share with my spaces friend some of the photos I taken in my home trip.

the old town

The business district core

A renovated old bridge

A new bridge 

A review of Haihe River

 

 

A Iuiksuk in Resolute  

A steep hill in Grise Fiord

Numerous cliffs in proximaty of Grise Fiord

the Grand Worriors Temple

The stone columns

Dear my space friends, Happy New Year!

In the past year 2008, we were knitted by windows space and got know each other from every corner of world. Also in space world, we share our feelings, enjoy variety of natural beauties, and regret various misfortunes around us. All in one word, here we share happiness and sadness beyond temporal boundary.

Here I sincerely wish every one have a prosperous year, a healthy life and a successful career!

wolf

Caribou is essential for Inuit and integral parts of Inuit culture.  For Inuit live in subarctic regions, caribous are available year round, as the same hunting areas can be occupied by different caribou herds in different time of year. But for those live on islands, caribou harvesting is limited to 2 hunting seasons each year, these two hunting seasons closely related to caribou annual migrations.

In spring, caribou comes to high altitude calving ground on island from mainland during late April to early May. This is a relatively short hunting season, as hunting is prohibited from May 15 to July 15; in addition, caribou herds pass through the vicinity of communities very swiftly.   Relatively the hunting season in fall is longer.  When caribou herd back to mainland from high arctic of islands, they usually have to wait at coastal areas until the ocean icy frozen up, which gives hunter a good opportunity to get caribou easier. As this fall migration starts since September, for some of hunter, their hunting can start when caribou herds get closer to communities, due to insufficient  the snow on land, they have to use ATVs and drive more around 5-6 hours on single way to reach caribou herd.  

In past, Inuit used sleds with  dog team to travel and hunting caribou over the land during early winter. It might take as long as 2-3 months to get caribous.  But no anybody use dog team hunting anymore.  On the contrary, most families have snowmobiles (ski-doo). The snowmobile is faster than the dog team and more powerful.

This fall hunting season is over now , it turned out a poor harvesting year, as there was no big herd fond at seashore, and lots people had to go far away to find caribou in small herd. My first hunting in September ended with abandonment of my caribou due to mechanical failure of the ATV, I spent whole chilling snow blowing night with a teenager under a shelter made by tap, with riffle loaded and held in hand just in case grizzly bears atracted by the carcase, when friends went to tow back my ATV and pick up the prey in third day, the whole caribou was already feasted by wolves and foxes (they knew this by tracks).  Luckily the second time was not hard by a ski-doo with another Inuit friend even in middle of November.  

                                    this  is a big caribou herd  i shot last year

                                 a few bulls in herd