Once nice thing about staying for weeks in the research station is you get a chance to meet the community.
We have excellent neighbours. On the beach side of our house is a full dog sled team. They are tied up in position and waiting for snow. Its fun to watch them get fed seal and play around. They do howl at 2AM, but its worth it! There are also a full team of husky puppies. We get chased by them every time we collect saltwater because they think something tasty could be in our buckets!
The road side of the station is also a happening place. We have a steady stream of curious kids coming to check out what the dive team has brought back. Our version of a touch tank. We fill it with sea urchins, anemones, sea stars, soft corals, and all manner of creatures we see in kelp forests. Ladd is a hit, explaining sea star suction tubes and how the bright pink coralline is not a rock at all, but a living crust of algae. The highlight is watching him mimic how a sea cucumber feeds. Our aquarium gets about 20-30 visitors a day. Quite the destination!
Across the street is a candy store that only opens at 10PM. It is run by a hungarian gentlemen that has been there for decades. It is an experience. You enter a windowless plywood building (you can see it in the picture behind Ladd) and push through two sheets of plastic. Then up to a counter with a plastic sash that you poke your head through. Behind is a bright room of wall to wall candy bars and chips and treats. Whattt?? Selection is massive, just have to watch the expiry dates! Pond Inlet has a Willy Wonka!
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