Catching some sunshine

Merry Christmas from Steven and Paula in Whitehouse, Jamaica!

This is the incredible view from our balcony. We want to stay here forever! :)

Oh the weather outside is frightful! Or maybe not just outside ...

On Thursday we had a hard time getting out of our house. The door was frozen to the door-frame. After a few good tugs we got it open only to find that the key would not go in the lock! No problem, I quickly got my blow-dryer out and after a few minutes of warming the lock up the key went in. Off we went to work. Little did we know that Steven would be locked out when he came back home for lunch. Good thing the Coppermine Inn is across the street from us. They serve a good cheeseburger and fries! Luckily the Housing Association got it fixed by the time I got home.

Our three-sided porch: when you go outside, snow falls on your head from the ceiling. :)

Someone is in the Christmas spirit! Four more days to work until Christmas break! Our holiday countdown has begun.

It turns out that not only is the outside cold, the inside is too. On Friday it was -54 C (with windchill). When it's -55 C K-3 school is canceled. So very very close... Our windows have all developed a thick layer of ice ... on the inside! Now I understand why the windows are so hard to open in the summer. Lots of water and ice can't be good for that mechanism.

Today from Environment Canada

Kugluktuk

Current Conditions

Observed at: Kugluktuk Airport 9:00 AM MST Thursday 10 December 2009

Condition:

Ice Crystals

Temperature:

-32.6°C

Pressure / Tendency:

102.2 kPa / rising

Visibility:

19 km

Humidity:

73%

Wind Chill:

-46

Dew Point:

-35.8°C

Wind Speed:

N 18 km/h

Forecast

Issued: 9.00 AM MST Thursday 10 December 2009

Today:

Clear. Wind north 20 km/h. High minus 30. Wind chill minus 47.

Tonight:

Clear. Wind north 20 km/h becoming southwest 20 late this evening. Low minus 33. Wind chill minus 47.

Friday:

Clear. Wind southwest 20 km/h becoming light late in the day. Wind becoming northeast 30 late in the evening. High minus 28. Wind chill minus 47.

Saturday:

Cloudy periods with 30 percent chance of flurries. Low minus 27. High minus 23.

Sunday:

Clear. Low minus 29. High minus 23.

Monday:

Clear. Low minus 28. High minus 22.

Tuesday:

Clear. Low minus 29. High minus 23.

Wednesday:

Clear. Low minus 28. High minus 21.

Check out picture #21

Kugluktuk in the spotlight!

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/12/olympic_torch_relay_heads_to_v.html

Photo #21 shows the torch relay here. I was in Iqaluit that day, and Paula was sick otherwise we might have been in the photo!