Have a magical weekend!

It feels like there is magic is in the air these days. We've had some unexpectedly (and much appreciated) warmer weather, we got to see the northern lights twice this week, and most importantly my sister-in-law gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl.

And now the weekend is here! 

Life is good.

I wish you a wonderful weekend, wherever you are.

oxo

Vanessa.

Yesterday's Solar Storm, from our backyard

A huge solar storm hit the earth's atmosphere yesterday, and we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse  of it. Unfortunately the sky was clouded over but you could still see the auroras dancing between the cloud breaks.

The clouds add a certain je-ne-sais-quoi to these images...  a spooky, pre-halloween eeriness that I actually really like.

According to Space Weather, it was the most intense geomagnetic storm of the year! Wish I could have seen more of it, but shortly after I took these pictures the sky completely clouded over and that was the end of that. Still, witnessing the northern lights is always spectacular, no matter how fleeting.

Have a magical winter weekend

Whenever I see the northern lights, I am reminded of why we chose to live and work so far away from from urban society. 

I took this photo last night in our backyard. I had decided to brave the cold, and trudged through the 5 foot-deep snow behind our house with my camera and tripod. At first there was nothing, but the sky was clear and starry, so I just lay in the snow and gazed up at the sky… and then, just like that, a few green streaks appeared over the northern horizon. Adrien came out to join me, with the baby monitor in his pocket, and we watched in silence and in awe. They only lasted a few minutes, and the sky returned to normal. But it felt like a gift…. like they had come out just for us. Magic!

I wish you a wonderful weekend!

oxo

Vanessa

ps: for any of you Montrealers out there, this photo is going to be shown on the 6 o'clock news tonight on Radio Canada, during the meteorology report with my friend Pascal Yiacouvakis (at 6:57pm to be exact). 

Lately up north... Pow-Wows & Campfires under the Northern Lights

We had a lovely weekend in the north. Actually it was a perfect northern weekend.

The annual pow-wow was taking place, and aboriginal groups from all over North America were in town.

Unfortunately it rained on Saturday and the festivities had to be moved indoors, but it was fun just the same ;)

Zac loved watching all the dancing and listening to the loud drums and (rather intense) singing.

Then on Sunday night, we had friends and neighbours over for a campfire and s'mores in our backyard. 

 It was a beautiful starry night, with a light breeze and surprisingly no bugs. 

And just when I thought the night had reached campfire perfection, the northern lights made an appearance and gave us all a beautiful light show.

It's a lot harder to see the aurora borealis up here in summer, since the sky doesn't get dark until very late. But even though the auroras looked paler against the still bright sky, they were still incredibly beautiful!

I am back in Montreal now for the next 3 weeks, and planning to soak up as much of the remains of summer as I possibly can!

Hope you're having a great week.

oxo

Vanessa.

Lately up north, we're watching solar storms...

I have to say, the biggest highlight of living in the far north is being graced with spectacular solar storms every now and then.

And autumn tends to be a particularly good time of year for aurora watching.

Here's a few photos from this weekend's solar storm...

(auroras above our apartment building)

Weekend Moments: Autumn in the North

We're at the peak of fall colours up here in the north. It's nothing like what we get in Montreal, but it's still incredibly beautiful.

Handmade fall/winter booties for the little one, made from caribou hide and smell like teepee smoke (a very generous gift from a friend up north).

: )

We celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving a week early this weekend, and I managed to pull off cooking a 19 pound turkey without too much stress. We had 13 people crowded around our tiny kitchen table... it was warm and snug and felt like home.

And on Sunday night, we were graced with a magnificent solar storm (I'll share more photos from that later this week).

I hope you had a lovely weekend.

oxo

Lately Up North... April Auroras

The northern skies were celebrating the arrival of April this evening.

And I feel like celebrating too. April means spring is in full swing (even up here in the far north). We still have snow, as you can see in the photos, but it's melting away day by day.

Happy April, everyone!

Weekend Moments: Taking it easy...

 Despite the fact that I'm starting a cold, I loved this weekend. 

It was relaxing and stress-free, and filled with good food & wine. 

Just the way I like it!

After a long, luxurious sleep-in, we kick-started the weekend by making delicious breakfast burritos with scrambled eggs & arugula.

And then we went for a snowshoe in the woods with a few friends.

And on Saturday afternoon we drove down to the bay and watched winter kite surfers glide across the frozen ocean. 

We have new neighbours up here in the north (this is very exciting for us). 

And on Saturday night they invited us over for a lovely neighbourhood pot-luck dinner.

There are no restaurants up here, so a well-cooked gourmet meal like this is a real treat!

 To my delight, the northern lights were out again, and gave us some truly beautiful auroras.

 The hubby and I stood outside in the cold and watched them until I couldn't feel my fingers anymore.... but it was worth it! It always is.

I hope you had a lovely weekend too.

oxo

Northern Exposure

I took these pictures Sunday night outside my apartment. 

The auroras danced through the sky for hours and hours.

Just wanted to share a bit of that magic with you.

oxo

Aurora Lullaby...

Last night we fell asleep watching the northern lights from our bedroom window.

There are many challenges about living in the far north, but this makes it all worth it.

Pure magic.

The auroras lasted for hours last night, and I couldn't resist getting all bundled up and going outside with my tripod for some proper photos (I'll share them later).

I hope you had a lovely weekend.

oxo

ps: Here's a lovely song about the northern lights to fit the mood...