I've been thinking about this. The mud and muck was pretty icky when we arrived last August. We wore our rain boots and got around okay. Most of where we want to go has boardwalks.
Then it snowed. And it got icy. We learned that snow is good. Ice is not. Snow lets you get a little traction going. We ordered ice cleats for that other stuff. When the snow melted off, we were all a little sad.
Last week it snowed and snowed. Three foot drifts. Walking in it was hazardous. Better than ice but still rather treacherous. And while I thought the more snow the better ---- NOT!!! Almost all the snow up here so far has been D-R-Y. Thank goodness. If it was sticky we'd all be cold today! Frozen! Instead, it just blows and blows. You can't tell if it's snowing or blowing. Well, today you can because it's absolutely beautiful. The skies are clear.
I've decided that 2 or 3 inches at a time is okay. But when it snows and drifts --- I'm in trouble. I put my foot down but it just keeps going. Then the twisting and turning that comes from the slipping and sliding puts me on my rear. Deep snow is not a good thing. Give me a good packed path any day.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
What's for lunch today?
For those who may wonder? Our school lunches are JUST LIKE the school lunches in Oklahoma and every other state, I suppose. Yesterday we had egg rolls with sweet and sour sauce, peaches, rice and steamed carrots. Today, it's meatloaf. I guess two things are a little different --- we have white steamed rice in place of mashed potatoes. Potatoes are a luxury up here. Good ones are hard to find. When we do have them at home --- we eat the wholes thing. Skin and all. And if someone doesn't eat it all --- we save it for potato skins in the microwave later.
Also, fruit is hard to come by. Apples are pretty easy. Oranges, a little harder. Bananas are a treat and grapes ----- WOW! We get excited about grapes! I've seen watermelon in Bethel but was scared to price it. I'd hate to pay very much and load it on our plane just to have it turn out bad. We are all excited to get home this summer and buy some peaches from Porter.
We also have to ship in all our meat. We've learned what not to order from Span Alaska. Their hamburger is not so good. Our next meat order will probably come from Mr. Prime Beef in Anchorage.
We have decided that this is definitely the way to live. We make very few trips to the store and it's usually only for eggs and ice cream. Yes, we can get ice cream--- something about it being easy to ship --- don't have to worry about it freezing this time of year! Anyway, having groceries delivered to your front step will spoil you. You can get anything you want up here --- as long as you're willing to pay the price.
Also, fruit is hard to come by. Apples are pretty easy. Oranges, a little harder. Bananas are a treat and grapes ----- WOW! We get excited about grapes! I've seen watermelon in Bethel but was scared to price it. I'd hate to pay very much and load it on our plane just to have it turn out bad. We are all excited to get home this summer and buy some peaches from Porter.
We also have to ship in all our meat. We've learned what not to order from Span Alaska. Their hamburger is not so good. Our next meat order will probably come from Mr. Prime Beef in Anchorage.
We have decided that this is definitely the way to live. We make very few trips to the store and it's usually only for eggs and ice cream. Yes, we can get ice cream--- something about it being easy to ship --- don't have to worry about it freezing this time of year! Anyway, having groceries delivered to your front step will spoil you. You can get anything you want up here --- as long as you're willing to pay the price.
Monday, February 4, 2008
It is cold now
This morning the mister and I left the house at 7:15 or so. Dark. Cold. Windchill was -30. I now measure cold by whether my nose freezes up. If my nose feels like the sides have shrunken in ---- then, it's cold. It only does it if the temp. goes below zero. Anything over zero now feels very pretty good! I'm ordering a parka from Cabela's today or tomorrow. We have one more sno-go trip with the basketball team. My old coat has been okay but I really don't want to take my chances for that last run.
Speaking of sno-goes --- we've done our taxes and whooopeee! we just might buy our first sno-go this spring. We'll see. We'll have to watch for sales. We've been researching and are beginning to narrow it down. That will be a lot of fun. It would really open up the villages to us. We could even sno-go to Bethel. That's 28 miles southeast of here.
We finally got eggs in on Friday. There haven't been any eggs at the store since before we left for Christmas. Do you have any idea how many things require an egg?! We had scrambled eggs this morning. Yum. Yum.
We cut Hannah's hair on Saturday night. It's just below her chin. Really cute. We did make-up on Sunday afternoon. Too grown up.
Hannah is taking the 7th grade test tomorrow. If she passes, she'll be an 8th grader next year. YIKES!
The cold and the dry are taking a toll on my eyes. Apparently, my eyeballs are L-O-W on moisture and I can't see well at all. Thank goodness for Bausch and Lomb.
We have a team of dentists and students from NY at our school this week. They evaluated all the students today and will do cleanings and fillings for the rest of the week. There are about 16 of them.
If anyone is counting --- we have less than 15 and 1/2 weeks left. May 21 will be here soon.
Speaking of sno-goes --- we've done our taxes and whooopeee! we just might buy our first sno-go this spring. We'll see. We'll have to watch for sales. We've been researching and are beginning to narrow it down. That will be a lot of fun. It would really open up the villages to us. We could even sno-go to Bethel. That's 28 miles southeast of here.
We finally got eggs in on Friday. There haven't been any eggs at the store since before we left for Christmas. Do you have any idea how many things require an egg?! We had scrambled eggs this morning. Yum. Yum.
We cut Hannah's hair on Saturday night. It's just below her chin. Really cute. We did make-up on Sunday afternoon. Too grown up.
Hannah is taking the 7th grade test tomorrow. If she passes, she'll be an 8th grader next year. YIKES!
The cold and the dry are taking a toll on my eyes. Apparently, my eyeballs are L-O-W on moisture and I can't see well at all. Thank goodness for Bausch and Lomb.
We have a team of dentists and students from NY at our school this week. They evaluated all the students today and will do cleanings and fillings for the rest of the week. There are about 16 of them.
If anyone is counting --- we have less than 15 and 1/2 weeks left. May 21 will be here soon.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Pride and Joy
They are so thrilled when I ask them to pose! That's H's new kuspuk --- traditional clothing for the Yup'ik people. I apologize that it's sideways but I'm tired of messing with these pics today.
Basketball
Akula Schools is hosting the basketball games for our neck of the tundra this weekend. Three villages came in yesterday and played ball until 10:30 last night. Then we all played again this morning. Now we're all tired and want to go home -- more on that down below.
Akula won both games yesterday and even went into overtime. It was exciting and I didn't get any technicals! Then this morning we got romped..... so sad.
Now, everyone has had lunch, the bags are packed,the rooms are cleaned and no airplanes are flying. Sooo.... two of the teams are stuck in Akula. Which also means that our high school team is stuck somewhere. One team used snowgoes to get here so they are gone and of course, my team just walked home. Now we're trying to figure out what to serve for supper. And find someone to cook it.
District rules require travelers to bring bedding and clothing even if you don't plan to spend the night. And that's the same if you fly or snowgo. You must go prepared to stay overnight because the weather can change so quickly. During winter everyone must wear heavy insulated boot and snowpants. You cannot fly without them. You must be prepared for a crash. If you snowgo you are supposed to carry weapons. If it is below -35F you cannot travel.
So.... we wait.
It is 36F and raining now. We need snow and cold! Who would have believed I'd be begging for that!!
Akula won both games yesterday and even went into overtime. It was exciting and I didn't get any technicals! Then this morning we got romped..... so sad.
Now, everyone has had lunch, the bags are packed,the rooms are cleaned and no airplanes are flying. Sooo.... two of the teams are stuck in Akula. Which also means that our high school team is stuck somewhere. One team used snowgoes to get here so they are gone and of course, my team just walked home. Now we're trying to figure out what to serve for supper. And find someone to cook it.
District rules require travelers to bring bedding and clothing even if you don't plan to spend the night. And that's the same if you fly or snowgo. You must go prepared to stay overnight because the weather can change so quickly. During winter everyone must wear heavy insulated boot and snowpants. You cannot fly without them. You must be prepared for a crash. If you snowgo you are supposed to carry weapons. If it is below -35F you cannot travel.
So.... we wait.
It is 36F and raining now. We need snow and cold! Who would have believed I'd be begging for that!!
Monday, January 7, 2008
The Christmas Saga
School was out on December 21. That was Friday and by Sunday morning all the staff were out of the village. Except the Ward Family. We opted to stay in Akula over the holidays. Since we were getting three weeks, we decided to take the middle week and fly to Anchorage. We're back in Akula and this is our story.
The first weekend we all just slept. Something about being tired from school! Then Christmas Eve we borrowed the school's snow-go and went over to Akiuk -- that's the other half of Kasigluk (across the river and about 1 1/2 miles down the Johnson River.) The Mister and I rode on the snow-go and the two kids got the sled behind. We went down through "town" and out on to the river. Trucks passed us by. Kids on snow-goes passed us by. It was like a super highway -- right on the river! We were having a ball! We got to the Moravian Church and watched the Christmas program. Then they did the gift exchange. We came home and had dinner about 9:00 that night. It was -12 for that trip.
On the 27th it snowed and the wind did blow. No planes were out at all. On the 28th Yute Air picked us up and off to Anchorage we went. Ooops.... not yet.... We missed the morning flight on Alaska Air so we sat at the airport for half a day. Yay! Finally arrived in Anchorage.
We were renting a car but when the Mister checked in they offered him a Ford 150 --- guess what he picked! By lifting one leg and hopping as close as possible to the truck and having the Mister grab my hand from the other side --- I, too, could ride up high with the rest of the family!
Fifteen minutes later we're on our way downtown. Oh, a car is stopped. Oh, look there are 2 cross-country skiers crossing the street. Oh, what was that? Yep. We'd been rear-ended. Not a mark on the truck but the poor guy's car is a mess. And guess what? When you rent, you HAVE to have a police report. Two hours later we were checking into the hotel. Later that night we actually had to change rooms because the tv didn't work.
Saturday we shopped and drove south to Whittier. We went to Portage Glacier --- which wasn't there. And then, we drove through a tunnel (2 1/2 miles!) to see Whittier. This is a port that a lot of cruise ships sail into and then they bus passengers into Achorage. The tunnel was extremely interesting and the mountains were ----- spectacular.
On Sunday we drove to about 80 south of Denali -- the BIG mountain. We got a late start and darkness caught us too soon. We did get to see our first and second moose.
We spent our week mainly shopping and learning our way around Anchorage. On Thursday we drove down to Seward. It was a beautiful drive and we went to the Marine Aquarium / Research Center. Had it almost to ourselves.
We got back to Kasigluk on Saturday night. No running water. No sewer drainage. It's been as low as -19 since then and today the windchill is -30. The school maintenance man has been working to get heat to the pipes. We have water and sewer at the school but it sure is a pain to get dressed for the arctic just to go pee. Oh, and last night the sewer backed up and it's all over bathroom. And the phone hasn't worked since Thanksgiving.
Well, Happy New Year to all. We really do like it here. We are happy and safe and usually warm. We are making friends slowly but surely. We are on our way to surviving our first Eskimo winter! Come see us!
The first weekend we all just slept. Something about being tired from school! Then Christmas Eve we borrowed the school's snow-go and went over to Akiuk -- that's the other half of Kasigluk (across the river and about 1 1/2 miles down the Johnson River.) The Mister and I rode on the snow-go and the two kids got the sled behind. We went down through "town" and out on to the river. Trucks passed us by. Kids on snow-goes passed us by. It was like a super highway -- right on the river! We were having a ball! We got to the Moravian Church and watched the Christmas program. Then they did the gift exchange. We came home and had dinner about 9:00 that night. It was -12 for that trip.
On the 27th it snowed and the wind did blow. No planes were out at all. On the 28th Yute Air picked us up and off to Anchorage we went. Ooops.... not yet.... We missed the morning flight on Alaska Air so we sat at the airport for half a day. Yay! Finally arrived in Anchorage.
We were renting a car but when the Mister checked in they offered him a Ford 150 --- guess what he picked! By lifting one leg and hopping as close as possible to the truck and having the Mister grab my hand from the other side --- I, too, could ride up high with the rest of the family!
Fifteen minutes later we're on our way downtown. Oh, a car is stopped. Oh, look there are 2 cross-country skiers crossing the street. Oh, what was that? Yep. We'd been rear-ended. Not a mark on the truck but the poor guy's car is a mess. And guess what? When you rent, you HAVE to have a police report. Two hours later we were checking into the hotel. Later that night we actually had to change rooms because the tv didn't work.
Saturday we shopped and drove south to Whittier. We went to Portage Glacier --- which wasn't there. And then, we drove through a tunnel (2 1/2 miles!) to see Whittier. This is a port that a lot of cruise ships sail into and then they bus passengers into Achorage. The tunnel was extremely interesting and the mountains were ----- spectacular.
On Sunday we drove to about 80 south of Denali -- the BIG mountain. We got a late start and darkness caught us too soon. We did get to see our first and second moose.
We spent our week mainly shopping and learning our way around Anchorage. On Thursday we drove down to Seward. It was a beautiful drive and we went to the Marine Aquarium / Research Center. Had it almost to ourselves.
We got back to Kasigluk on Saturday night. No running water. No sewer drainage. It's been as low as -19 since then and today the windchill is -30. The school maintenance man has been working to get heat to the pipes. We have water and sewer at the school but it sure is a pain to get dressed for the arctic just to go pee. Oh, and last night the sewer backed up and it's all over bathroom. And the phone hasn't worked since Thanksgiving.
Well, Happy New Year to all. We really do like it here. We are happy and safe and usually warm. We are making friends slowly but surely. We are on our way to surviving our first Eskimo winter! Come see us!
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Where did October go?
At the end of this week we will have completed 1/3 of the school year. We are into the third week of the second quarter. How can we be looking at Thanksgiving!?!
We are all doing well. We've adjusted to the schedule and we're figuring out the phase grading system.
We had a Native Youth Olympics meet (NYO) here in Akula last weekend. About 150 kids came and competed. There are almost 10 different skills and they are ALL very impressive.
I spent Friday night watching the two-toed kick. The competitor may walk or run a few steps but then must kick with both feet together a ball that is hanging at a specified height. Then they must land feet together. The winner kicked 90 - something inches. That's way over their heads!
Well, Joe's here to walk me over to the grocery store. They have been out of eggs and now we're almost out. I hope some came in today.
We are all doing well. We've adjusted to the schedule and we're figuring out the phase grading system.
We had a Native Youth Olympics meet (NYO) here in Akula last weekend. About 150 kids came and competed. There are almost 10 different skills and they are ALL very impressive.
I spent Friday night watching the two-toed kick. The competitor may walk or run a few steps but then must kick with both feet together a ball that is hanging at a specified height. Then they must land feet together. The winner kicked 90 - something inches. That's way over their heads!
Well, Joe's here to walk me over to the grocery store. They have been out of eggs and now we're almost out. I hope some came in today.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Alaska Tundra
The Tundra