my space

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