Made in Yellowknife

This year for my friend Tawna's birthday I wanted to put together a very thoughtful gift. The idea of "Made in Yellowknife" came to me as a theme for a gift basket because Tawna was born and raised here in Yellowknife, where she still lives today.

I had a few ideas, but turned to Twitter for a few additional suggestions. This earned a total of 34 tweets from my followers, all with great ideas.

So here is what I ended up with after a wild scavenger hunt all over town with my fiancé, Alex:

1. Fresh Produce (carrots, beets, lettuce) - Arctic Farmer
2. Birch Bark Syrup - Down to Earth Gallery
3. Naked North Soap Company bar of soap - Down to Earth Gallery
4. Button/Magnet with Alison McCreesh art - Down to Earth Gallery
5. I am Betty CD (local artists, supporting transitional housing for women in YK) - Shopper's Drug Mart
6. Edge YK Magazine - Free at Down to Earth Gallery and other locations around town
7. Yellowknifer - With Tawna on the front and inside pages (August 15 and September 7)
8. Compost - Yellowknife Dump
9. Strawberry Peach Jam - @kylewith's mom, thank you!
10. Multigrain bread - Le Stock Pot
11. Custom made box made out of trimmings from our yard - Samantha

Other great suggestions from Twitter included Stuffed Ptarmigans, Erasmus Apparel, Yellowknife Mars t-shirts from Inkit, Yellowknife Glass Recyclers, a rock, pottery, TJ's Nut Hut (they were closed, I wanted a silk scarf)...

I am thankful for the suggestions, it was a lot of fun and hopefully I inspire other people to shop local as well.

Summer Savings in Yellowknife

It's been awhile since I've last posted, so I thought I'd get back to it with some helpful suggestions on summer activities in/around Yellowknife you can do for cheap, or free!

I'm about to become a mother, so the next year will be a bit of a financial strain for our family as we rely solely on EI and my fiancés income. This doesn't mean that there aren't still a lot of great things to do close by though, so I asked my friends "Name something free or under $10 to do in Yellowknife". 

Here are my favourite responses:

1. Hit a bucket of balls at the Yellowknife Golf Course

Located just outside of town, the Yellowknife Golf Course is home of the Midnight Sun Golf Tournament (June 22-23, 2012). You can hit a medium bucket of balls for $7.15 incl. GST. 

2. Hike the Frame Lake Trail, Prelude or Cameron Falls

View many different species of birds along these trails, and maybe even some wildlife (fox, coyotes, lynx, bears etc.). The Frame Lake Trail is paved half of the way, so it'll be a nice stroller walk. 

3. Swim at a local watering hole

Inside in the Ruth Inch Memorial Pool or outside on the beach at Fred Henne, there are a few ways to take the plunge in Yellowknife. (I'd stay out of Niven and Frame Lake though). 

4. Theatre on the Lake at Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre

The admission is by donation and the displays are always changing. One of the most popular events in the summer here is the "Theatre on the Lake" productions during lunch and on weekends in July. Check out their Facebook page. 

5. Unique tour of the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly 

Free daily tours are available all summer long. This is a nice, cool building to escape the summer heat and learn a little history about the consensus government in the NWT, and the building of the Legislative Assembly. For more information. 

6. Geocaching

This was suggested by a friend of mine and I have tried it before, but I bet there are all kinds of hidden treasures in Yellowknife you can discover with a GPS or your iPhone in hand. Check out the list of 90 caches I found at www.geocaching.com 

7. Yellowknife City Garden Parties

Every Tuesday night in June from 6-8 pm at City Hall. Features live music, displays and vendors.  

https://www.facebook.com/yellowknifeinfo 

8. Heritage Walk in Yellowknife's Old Town

There sure is a lot of character in the "Old Town" of Yellowknife. Tackle the stairs at Pilot's monument for a stunning 360 degree view of Old Town, Downtown, Yellowknife Bay houseboats, Back Bay and Giant Mine. Create your own souvenir at Old Town Glassworks (around $40) and grab a bite to eat at the Dancing Moose Cafe or the famous Bullocks Bistro. Ramble and Ride is an annual event when Old Town really comes alive with live entertainment, artisans, workshops and chances to win great prizes.

9. Camping / Day Use Areas

The Yellowknife River and various other day use areas on the Ingraham Trail offer great places to have a picnic, fish, launch a boat etc.  

10. Summer Celebrations

This year's Canada Day parade is the Diamond Jubilee celebration, so that should attract some creative floats on July 1st on Franklin Ave. Aboriginal Day is June 21, which is a civic holiday for most and usually there's a celebration or fish fry in town.  

The International Air Show visits Yellowknife every two years (July 14, 2012) and features the Snowbirds which can be viewed from anywhere in the city. 

Finally, summer wouldn't be complete without the annual Folk on the Rocks celebration where we can celebrate music from near and far (more than $10, but worth the mention). 

For a complete listing of Yellowknife events, please visit: www.northernfrontier.com

A New Addition

After 9+ months of being pregnant, Tara, her husband Pat and her daughter Morgan (4 yrs old) welcomed baby Max to the world on March 4, 2012.

What better way to spend my Saturday afternoon than taking photos of this little guy with his new family? This is something I'd never done before, and to be honest, I felt a little nervous. This is a momentous occasion after all, one that should be captured perfectly. Even though I have now seen hundreds of various baby photos, I had no idea how this shoot was going to go.

It was better than I could have imagined. I had images in my mind, ideas about what I wanted to do, but going with the flow created something more magical than I thought was possible.

Snowking Castle Open in Yellowknife

Picture from Facebook: www.facebook.com/myspectacularnwt

When the days get longer in Yellowknife, NWT you know that March is here and that the Snowking has completed his castle and opened the doors to the public.

I haven't been yet, but noticed there were a few pictures on a new facebook page encouraging locals and visitors, past and present, to share their experiences.

Having lived in Yellowknife for seven years now, this festival is one of my favorites and I am happy to see that it is now in it's seventeenth year, quite the accomplishment for any local event. "Support the Monarchy" and pay this local icon a visit, open 12-5 daily with scheduled evening events on the weekends. It's worth freezing your butt off for!

I'm going to check it out tomorrow to see what the Snowcastle Craft Sale has in store this year! 

For further information on events: snowking.ca.

A Winter Engagement

In the early hours of December 25, 2011, Christmas Day, Alex proposed to me and I said YES!

I knew the engagement was coming, we picked out the ring together a few months earlier, but I had no idea when he was going to ask. The moment I tried on the ring at Sasha's Jewelry, I knew it was a perfect fit. The ring features three (.27-.33 Carat) Canadian Diamonds, mined in the Northwest Territories, and is set in a beautiful band of 14k white gold with specs of yellow gold, it's perfect. A ring meant to be worn a lifetime and that's what I plan on doing.

Last week, Alex and I hosted one of our frequent house guests from Vancouver, photographer Sean Norman. Sean is obsessed and passionate to view and capture the northern lights any chance he can get. He's also blessed with flight benefits with West Jet, making him a frequent flyer. It is always our pleasure to have him visit and this time he offered to take a few casual pictures of Alex and I to celebrate our recent engagement. I couldn't be happier with the way the day turned out. We found "secret" ice caves to do the majority of the pictures after we did a small session on the ice road over Great Slave Lake.

Please take a look at his blog, and our engagement photos and let me know what you think!

Engagement Photos: http://seannorman.com/samantha-and-alex-at-the-ice-caves/
Uninsured Adventures the night before: http://seannorman.com/stuck-on-a-lake-under-the-aurora/