This was my first trip to Igloolik where there was no snow on the ground and no ice covering the bay.  It was so nice to actually see the shoreline, and be able to distinguish the contours of the island.  With some cool and gusty weather, it made for beautiful skies, and a few colourful hues on the ground too. 

The main purpose of the trip was to work with Theo Ikummaq on final verifications of terminology for the Igloolik sea ice (siku) dictionary we’re been developing for the past several years.  The elders and hunters we had also hoped to work with were either unavailable or not feeling well, so we had an intensive week of verifying definitions (English and Inuktitut), linking terminology to photos, and developing a seasonal chronology of sea ice freeze/thaw processes (updated from earlier versions) on our own.  We are grateful to the NRI for helping to provide access to meeting space in the government building.

It was also great to have some time to catch up with my friend Julie who has been living in Igloolik since the fall of 2004, as well as her husband Chris and son Jakob.  I had a chance to visit with John and Carolyn MacDonald as well, for the last time in Igloolik as they were about to move to Ottawa for their retirement.  After so many years in Igloolik, they will surely be missed, but it will also be nice to have them so close by in Ottawa.