Bethel winter, 2nd time around and apartment hunting

A lot of people told us that the 2nd winter here is worse than the first. They say that the novelty of being in such a different and dramatic place wears off and it is just cold and dark for a long time. I am glad to report that after a month into our second winter we are doing just fine. They are right that the novelty has worn off, but it is also not that bad. We are busy, so busy, with work and school and the day to day chores that we don't notice the cold and darkness so much. Also, a big, big, difference is that we did not have a car last winter. It makes things so much easier. In fact, I think we were nuts to go through a whole winter without one. How thankful I am for our Bethel Beater.

However, one thing that is causing frustration is our search for a new apartment or house. We really want a house that has a wood stove. There are lots of houses in Bethel that have wood stoves, but they are not rentals. Or maybe some of them are, we wouldn't know. As most of you probably remember it was extremely hard for us to find a place to rent when we moved here. You would think it would be easier to find a place once you are here, but we have not had much luck. Perhaps we haven't tried hard enough, but I did not realize that in order to find a new place we would have to devote ourselves to that sole purpose full time. We don't have access to FirstClass which is a network that most rentals are posted on (the only place rentals and classifieds are posted on-that is except the 2 or 3 rentals that are posted in the paper and are generally rented before the paper goes to press ). Our friend Kari is in a similar predicament, so if any renters are reading: We are very hard working and quiet, we will take excellent care of your property. And if you have a woodstove, please rent to us!

Halloween Fun

James was Annakin Skywalker for Halloween. He tells me that he was the Annakin Skywalker from The Clone Wars, not little Annakin from Episode 1, or Darth Vader, which is who Annakin becomes when he turns to the dark side. Now that I have lost everyone's attention except those in the ten and under category, I would like to report that we had a very nice Halloween. We went to a carnival at Jamie's school last weekend. He played games, won a fish (which unfortunately has gone the way of most carnival fish), and got his face painted like a clone trooper. Then we had Just Desserts which is a fundraiser for the Bethel Council on the Arts. It is a variety show of local talent and lots of wonderful desserts donated by members of the community. I think James ate three, possibly four of them. Terrence and I were both working and James settled in with a table full of teachers and I am told he was very well behaved (good thing too, since they were all elementary teachers and know how to handle a kid full of sugar). Then on Friday he had a class party and I think every family sent in a treat considering the amount of baked goods he brought home in his school bag ( here is a tip for all you teachers out there, pudding does not travel well in a backpack). Then he went to the Teen Center and judging from the mess they had one heck of a party. Then we went to the High School's Halloween Carnival which is a lot like the M.E. Carnival only with bigger kids and pop music. Then on Halloween we went Trick or Treating in 17 degree weather. You have to work pretty hard for your candy in Bethel. We persevered though, and Jamie got some candy. After that we warmed up at our friend Dave's house and had some fancy macaroni and cheese at his dinner party. Jamie was thoroughly zinged on sugar by this point so we packed it up early and headed home, and did absolutely nothing, which felt great.

Conservation Center and Glacier

 

 

 

While Terrence was attending his conference James and I drove a little bit south and visisted the Alaska Conservation Center. As you can see we were able to get very close to some of the animals. We also went and visited Portage Glacier which is the closest glacier to Anchorage. It was a beautiful spot.

James at Portage Glacier

 

Public Cabin in Denali State Park

Public Use

First night in town

 

This was the view out of our hotel window. We were lucky enough to be on the 17th floor. Jamie really liked the view.

Having a great time on vacation

We are currently in Anchorage. We went to see The Lion King yesterday and it was really fun. Jamie loved it. The boy who played young Simba was only 9, so I think it was really captivating for him to see someone near his age in a play. The dancing was spectacular, we all enjoyed it, but the best part was watching Jamie enjoy it. Today we are heading north to Denali State Park. We are staying in a public use log cabin with a sod roof in Trapper Creek. As much as we have enjoyed Anchorage, and the food and the beer (I forgot how good beer on tap is!)I am about citied out. It takes a lot of energy to deal with all these buildings and stores and stuff. We are looking forward to having a fire and enjoying the woods. We will also be exploring Talkeetna, which looks to be a charming town. We hope to do some good hiking. After that it is off to Alyeska for Terrence's conference.

South Western Alaska's Villages

I have been traveling to some of the villages for work. By winter I will have gone to seven different villages. There are 56 villages in our area, most of them have about 500 people in them. I feel really fortunate to be able to visit these places and I have been lugging my camera along with me when I go. There is very little information or pictures of these places on the Internet so I am hoping to capture at least a few images and a little information to share with everyone. You may notice that my pictures generally lack people and that is intentional. Everyone in the villages have been extremely welcoming and friendly when I visit. Here are some pictures from Tununak. The place is gorgeous and is on Nelson Island, same as Toksook. I only saw this village from the inside of an airplane, but if I ever get the chance I would like to explore it more.

Toksook Bay

I was fortunate enough to get to go to Tooksok Bay for work. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The village is on Nelson Island on the Western coast of Alaska. The population is about 700. They have piped water and sewer which is uncommon around here. Even in Bethel most people have to have water delivered and sewer, umm well, trucked out. I was told by the Village Police Officers that Toksook is one of the youngest villages. It was established in the 60's, although there were older villages nearby. There are ruins, however, I was told that the local people do not visit them much. It was an amazing treat to get to eat my lunch next to the Bering Sea. It felt very comfortable, it kind of reminded me of places I have been, or places I have dreamt of visiting. It looked like pictures I have seen of Ireland. However, Tununak, which was across the island, looked even more like Ireland, and for those pictures you will have to wait until my next entry.

Preview to my trip to Tooksok Bay

One More Birthday Picture

See how Alaskan we have become...

Here is our boat and our truck.

Here is a fish Terrence caught (King Salmon).

Here is our good friend Erik grilling on June 20th with a winter hat on (it was very chilly).

James' Birthday Party

 

 

 

 

Random Pictures from Spring in Bethel

Down River

Tonight we took the boat down river. Normally, we go up the river, because if there are any problems you can just float back to Bethel. That is a pretty good insurance policy. Tonight we went down river a few miles, towards the Bering Sea (which is almost 30-40 miles away) because we were trying to visit a friend at fish camp. We did not get to see our friends fish camp since she was away but we did get to see a beautiful part of the river. It really opens up and you can tell the ocean isn't that far away. Next time I will take pictures. We went about as far as Napakiak, which is a village down the river.

The Big Picture

 

So much of our days are filled with terrible stories. Families and and a culture that are at their breaking point. Normally, we take a deep breath, and realize how lucky we are. And sometimes we get to go out on the river and see something that reminds us of all the beauty that is here. If you click on the pictures they will get bigger.

As Promised, Pictures From the River

James at Break-up

Spring Update

It has been a long time since our last entry. We have all been very busy, I have settled into my new job which is challenging, and heart wrenching. I am even more aware that we are living in another culture as I work with families from the villages. In fact I am going to get to travel to a few villages this summer, which I am really looking forward to. We have adjusted to the slow pace of life in Bethel, in fact we kind of like it. The pace of life in the villages is supposed to be even slower.

The snow is gone. It was here for eight months and then it just disappeared in a few days. The river has broken up, unfortunately causing bad flooding in some of the villages. Everyone is excited about summer, getting out on the river, preparing for fish camp.

Our own little man is done with first grade. He has adjusted well to my work schedule, although he doesn't understand why all grown ups don't have summer vacation. We are trying to start either a little league or youth soccer. Several of our friends are willing to coach, and now that summer is here we better get organized. We are about to take off to spend some time on the river, stay tuned for pictures to follow.

Easter Eggs

 

 

James's First Dance

 

 

 

Here are some pictures of James dancing at Cama-i. Because it was his first dance he passed out gifts to the elders afterward. He has really enjoyed the dance festival.