Mussels and Clams

So….I’ve been realizing this blogging thing is a little more difficult than I first anticipated.  Not because it’s hard to write about what I’ve been up to, mostly because I’m having a hard time actually sitting down and typing it out.  So here is finally installment 2 of Adventures in teaching (and babysitting). 

I went mussel picking, clam digging and berry picking.  Now I totally realize the irony here. I left PEI, home of what are probably the most famous mussels around, and a place where clams can be dug (albeit illegally) while your spending the day at the beach as long as the tide is out.).  So I went with a teacher friend of Tyler’s.  She is Inuit and her and her family were taking a canoe to an island where they are building a summer cabin and then on to her late mothers favourite berry picking spot and their favourite clam digging shore.

It was pretty great! I have pictures to speak for me so I don’t actually have to write a huge long blog like the last one.  But I will say, it was cold.  At one point I was wearing, cotton socks, wool socks, and wool booties in rubber boots, I had jeans and snowpants on along with a t-shirt a fleece sweater, a down filled winter jacket, a rain coat over that and a huge rain proof pancho on the way home (to help keep the wind from freezing me), a hat and mittens. On the way home my teeth were still chattering, but it was fun and I’m glad I got to go.  Without further ado here are the photos.

Here we are heading out to sea, or at least out of the bay.

 This is the beginning of the cabin (in the backround) and the tent where they stay while working on the cabin.  There were really high winds earlier in the week so we were there to clean up a bit and take some camping gear back to town since it will soon be too cold to camp out there.

This is where we docked the boat for berry picking.

This is what I climbed up to get to the berry picking spot.

And this is what I climbed down.  At this point I feel I should explain that Reed was safely back in town being babysat by the teachers sister.  I also should mention after climbing all the way up there, the geese had eaten all the berries and we left pretty much empty handed.

That in the distance is rain coming towards us, by the time it got to us it was snow but we were heading back anyway so we didn't get snowed on much.

This is where we were clam digging and you can't see them but there are mussels everywhere just lying in the shallow water.

Same place different angle.

This is the teacher's niece and the fish she caught.  These fish do get eaten but when I asked the teacher if her niece was going keep it an eat it she said "no, it's just a toy now." When she was done playing with she let him go.

Same fish.

And here are the clams, I really didn't dig that many, mostly because I don't like clams, so I was really just digging them for Tyler and they are hard work to dig so enough for a taste was plenty.

 Here is Tyler pulling them apart, they are different from the clams in PEI and you can't just boil them you have to pull off this skin like stuff first.

They also don't have 'tongues' as we call them in PEI they have a different protrusion, the Inuit call them penises.  (in inutittut of course but I can't remember what that word it right now.)

And here they are just before we boiled them.  I should mention that here in Northern Quebec, they don't cook them, they just eat 'em raw.  Since I don't like clams in the first place I couldn't muster the stomach to try them raw.  Maybe next time :(

It was a fun filled day, and I didn't even get motion sick.  

I love Air Inuit!

It’s true I love Air Inuit.  Let me start at the beginning.  

Wednesday September 11^th, Reed (10 months) and I (29 years) left PEI for Montreal.  We would overnight there and catch an Air Inuit flight to Salluit on the 12^th.  I’ve flown with Reed before, by myself even, so I was pretty sure I could handle it.  At the times of his last flights however, he couldn’t crawl or move around much, so I was a little worried about containing him to our seat since he and I were sharing one.  We ended up sitting beside a lovely man who has 3 children of his own.  He was super understanding and even let Reed climb all over him for a half and hour or so to give me a break.  I love Islanders!  Anyway this was an Air Canada flight.  As far as Air Canada flights go it was fine.  The flight attendant however was on a power trip.  I witnessed a couple of instances where I thought if it were me, I wouldn’t have bothered with that one, or at the very least I would have asked politely first and snarky second.  He opted for snarky right off the bat. 

So he asked me if I needed a briefing for Reed, I said no.  I’ve flown with him before.  Plus I can still recite said briefing from my own flight attendant days (although I didn’t bother to tell him that).  Now the problem with holding Reed in the proper position for take off and landing is that he is big (as in tall) and he is strong.  If he doesn’t want to sit like that, his height gives him leverage and he can basically push away and sit however he likes.  Plus I have a limited space to work with, whereas he is not concerned with hitting/pulling on the people around us for support. 

We took off, to my utter delight Reed didn’t start crying (I was worried his ears would bother him).  Right after take off, the flight attendant got out of his seat to come and tell me that I was not holding the baby properly.  My reply “I know”.  His reply “you are suppose to hold him like this” shows with his arms using air as a baby.  My reply “I know, thanks”.  His reply - starring at me.  Now I was about to say, “You know you’re not suppose to be up yet.”  But I still had a 1 ½ hour flight with this man and I know from experience it is unwise to piss off the flight attendant.  He did eventually stop staring, and returned to his seat and buckled himself in because he was in fact up too early!!  My seat partner just laughed.  After the seat belt sign went off and the flight attendants were finished serving drinks he got up to go to the bathroom.  On the way back he stopped to speak to his friend where he stayed standing and chatting to give me and Reed room.  That is, he stayed there until the flight attendant made an announcement that even though the seat belt sign is OFF anyone standing should be in their seats.   My eyes are rolling involuntarily as I recall the event and write it here. 

So we land in Montreal, and I manage to find the hotel, (thankfully attached to the airport).  I’m sure people looked at me and thought ‘that poor woman’  I had Reed attached to me with his sling and I was pushing a cart with 2 suitcases and his stroller.  I got a lot of stare.  But to be honest I was a little impressed with myself. 

Finally, why I love Air Inuit

We made it to check in no problem.  The lady at the counter was out of connection tags for the stroller, which isn’t a big deal, but does make it more likely to end up at the wrong airport.  But she said “I’ll see you at the gate and bring one with me”  and she did, crisis averted.   She also blocked off the seat beside me so we could have 2.  I could have hugged this woman.  We were late boarding, which I’ve come to understand is typical (I was prepared for this and so was not expecting to be on time and therefore was not stressed)  Plus you can’t miss a connection flying north because there is usually only one plane coming into and going out of each town.  As long as you make it to Montreal on time, you’re good. 

Air Inuit has to be one of the last airlines that feed you!  From Montreal to Le Grande we got breakfast.  The egg wasn’t half bad.  I didn’t eat the potatoes (they were pretty soggy) and I didn’t eat the mystery meat because  it was, well…unidentifiable.  It might have been fried bologna so I left that.  But they had a yogurt, a piece of banana bread, a piece of cheese and a juice plus a drink service.  It was plenty of breakfast.  And not only did I have my seat and the blocked off seat, but the man on the aisle said “I’ll just sit over here on the aisle because it’s empty and you guys can have all 3 seats.”  These reasons alone are still not why I love this airline.  So we make it to P.O.V, the town is actually called Puvirnituq I have no idea why it’s called P.O.V for short.  And we wait for our connection, and then we wait some more, it felt really long (hours and hours) but it ended up being 1 ½ hours late so basically we waited in the airport including connections time 3 hours.  We got on board, and since we were late the Pilot came out (no P.A. system for this guy!) introduces himself and explains since we are so late they are going to serve us supper.  Club sandwich (with REAL mayonnaise), not made on the airplane either, made inside with real chicken, not deli meat! a bag of party mix and a can of pop …who does that!  It was actually quite tasty.  And we were off.

There are 2 stops between P.O.V. and Salluit at the second stop we were told we have to deplane so the pilots can check the weather and see if we are continuing on or not.  Panic set in.  Remember I am travelling alone, we are in Ivujuvik (I don’t know a soul here)  this is the most northern town in Quebec.  I have the phone numbers for the school but since it’s now close to 6, no one will be at the school so that phone number does me no good.  Not to mention with this many people stuck, chances are not good that there will be room at this tiny hotel.  So here are our options.   1:  We can stay in Ivujuvik for the night and all the next day and basically catch this same flight a day later on to Salluit (weather permitting)  or 2: we can get back on the plane and try for Salluit, if we can’t land (and there is a 90% chance that we won’t be able to due to fog) we are going back to P.O.V.  and again we will do this leg all over again tomorrow including stopping back in Ivujuvik to pick up those people stranded there.  Well 10% chance of landing is better than staying in a town where I don’t know a soul and have no idea how to get a hold of anyone. 

From what I hear not all Pilots would have bothered to try to land in Salluit, apparently lots would have said, “we can’t land in Salluit, stay here or come with us back to P.O.V.”  I am so glad I was not with ‘lots’ of pilots on this day, because we landed!!  There were only about 10 of us (maybe less) on the flight but I have never heard such thunderous applause when the landing gear hit the ground. 

And so begins the adventures in teaching (and babysitting [rearing, since he is, after all, my kid]) in Salluit!