1. Head Start Building
2. Playground
3. Yupik Kindergarten
4. School- back
5. School - front

Walking Tour of Quinhagak, AK - Part 4

Sorry, I'm back. Had to go fishing.

1. Second Street.
2. Water Plant
3. Village Police
4. Road to the Airport
5. First Street

The store continued - it's that big

Walking Tour of Quinhagak, AK - Part 3

The store which is really well stocked.

Walking Tour of Quinhagak, AK - Part 2

Hardware store - located right next to the store.

Walking Tour of Quinhagak, AK - Part 1

These pictures in order:

1. Bingo Hall
2. Church
3. Post office
4. NVK building - villages offices
5.Washateria sp?? - wash you clothes, take a shower, take care of business in the many offices upstairs.

Saturday Morning 12/13/08

Couple of shots from this morning.

New Music

Took a week off. Got busy, but back with some tunes for you all. In fact, let's just make this Jack Johnson and Friends Hour.

In honor of us coming home.
Heading Home - Donovan Frankenreiter and Jack Johnson


In honor of Marley our beloved Husky. Got to love the Weisenborn guitar and Ben hitting the high notes.
High Tide or Low Tide - Ben Harper and Jack Johnson - (Bob Marley Cover Song)


A little Matt Costa for good measure. Sunshine just feels good. Especially when we only see it for 4 hours.
Fall Line/Sunshine - Matt Costa and Jack Johnson


Rainbow- This song has special meaning to us. See the first time we drove up here and drove back the 7,000 miles round trip, we had an issue with the registration and insurance card for the car. We couldn't find it. All the guide books said to be sure to have it traveling through Canada, especially at border crossings where they ask to see them. Being travel worn and 9 months in the Bush, we don't look necessarily look like clean Americans. More like dirty hippies. Anyway, as we worried and worried and got closer and closer, we didn't know what they would do if we couldn't produce the info. Not let us by?? Well, as we got closer to the the boarder, there is this typical mountain road with twists and turns and as you come out of it there is a vast plain with Canada straight ahead and the last look at Alaska Range. Breathtaking view from this spot and as we come out of the trees and get this look, we see this rainbow arcing in the sky. On my ipod which we listen to the entire trip on comes this song. The ipod had about 5,000 songs on it and it was on shuffle. Randomly playing songs. This song comes on. Talk about comfort, as the song said "That was God telling me, every thing's gonna be alright" and it was. They let us by with little more than a couple questions.
Rainbow - Jack Johnson and G-Love

Finally,
Breaking away from Jack, we have the Ben Harper and the Blind Boys of Alabama. I have to put this on here. Gave me chills. If you don't smile at the end of this song something is wrong. Please don't stop listening until the end. Look at how the band reacts. Even if to you this music is terrible, that ending is inspirational.
Take My Hand Ben Harper and The Blind Boys of Alabama

Take Care,

Jim

This was just a pig Dolly Varden. Milt and Michael took me out, so big thanks to them. 23 inches long and 12 around. Biggest trout I have caught. Look forward to more.

Hot water pipe froze??? This was last week. Lucky for us, there was a panel that gave access to the pipes. I think this has happened before :-)

This is the name of the school if you were wondering. Don't ask me how to say it. We are the Seahawks and this is our territory. I try to get a picture of the school up this weekend, maybe a tour if your nice.

Sundog Update

Per Grace:

In Yup'ik, akerta-gguq aliimatengqertuq (the sun has gloves on).

nengllipiaqatarluni (both hands).

Per Emma:

Interpretation: Get your parka out, it's going to be cold.


Two days later we had the exact same scene. So maybe they are not that rare. Fog mixed with sun low on the horizon: Sundog weather

Also, it was cold.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Even though the economy is in the crapper be thankful it's not this one :-)
Let's hope this economy doesn't kick the bucket, that would smell. I'm sorry I'll stop.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone...wish we could be there. Nobody makes apple pie for me Grandma.

This is our thermometer. That much frost is about -20 below. Took this picture on the door of our arctic entry way. Notice the snow that has not melted all week. You can hang meat in there. Not joking. Our water distiller was out there, (was) it froze.

Gas

I don't think I have mentioned this yet. Gas is $6.22/gal. Toys are expensive and then worrisome in the cold. $1.90 looks beyond belief at this point. They set the price each fall right before freeze up. So that price is not going anywhere until the spring. By that time it will probably be back up to 4-5 bucks a gallon down south. Hope not, but lets be realistic. Quinhagak does have 15 miles of dirt roads to travel and when the ground freezes there are many miles of trails. Plus, I come home at lunch everyday and let the dogs out. So the machine is needed (I keep telling myself).

Been quietly looking at boats and jet prop motors too. haha. Digging into the frozen tundra -Don't tell Steph.

Weather

Always a theme. The weather has turned cold and I have a new appreciation this year of its effects. Starting a 4-wheeler in -15 weather is not fun. We give it 15 minutes in the morning and 5-6 minutes at lunch to warm up. The Big Bear has been running really good the last 2 weeks though and good thing too. I don't think the weather is going to warm up anytime soon. We have a new cover, a oil pan heater, and battery wrap heater on the way. So things will hopefully be toasty warm under the ole Yamaha soon. I feel bad for her.

New Music Friday

-Bela' Fleck - Bach
- Virtuoso playing and our dog's namesake to boot.
-Hear

Ryan Adams - Carolina Rain
-Much different than last weeks song. This classic is Steph's favorite song. Great storytelling.
-Hear

Jack White - Wayfaring Stranger
-Different side of White here, nice version of a classic. Some say this guy will be who we talk about 50 years from now from this generation. We'll see.
-Hear

One from the Vault:

Hank Williams - Lovesick Blues
Very nice song here. I have another version from Ryan Adams, but no video. So with the original we will go. I also like in Shawshank Redemption when the guy sings this in the library.
-Hear

Sundog

A sun dog or sundog (scientific name parhelion, plural parhelia, for "beside the sun") is a common bright circular spot on a solar halo. It is an atmospheric optical phenomenon primarily associated with the reflection or refraction of sunlight by small ice crystals making up cirrus or cirrostratus clouds. Often, two sun dogs can be seen (one on each side of the sun) simultaneously. - Found that on the internet, sounds about right

Bela does this every time we eat. Just fixates

- New Music Friday -

Because music is a huge part of my life and a huge part of my sanity and this blog is about how we live, I have decided to start a "New Music Friday" post. Just stuff I want to recognize as good to me... maybe not necessarily good to you...so in that case disregard Fridays. Music however is how I spend a lot of Fridays...so I share...enjoy

By the way, all this music is not going to be playing on your top 40 or late night mtv, when they sometimes play videos. "That" music, is not music...I feel very strongly about this and will stop now...because this is a positivie post, for positive thoughts. Do a little digging and find the good stuff - luckily it is still out there.


The Avett Brothers - Emotionalism
-Nice little bluegrassy, old timey, acoustical trio - discovered them last night - video looks like fun.
-Hear - Will you return


Ryan Adams and the Cardinals - Cardinalolgy
-Latest album from my numero uno at the moment. Pretty decent record- no Cold Roses though.
-Hear - Fix It


Ray Lamontagne - Gossip in the Grain
-Latest album from the man, the myth - I need a few more listens to pass judgment. Sidenote: I would trade a lot for a beard like that - good looking beard - in the most hetro possible way
-Hear - You Are the Best Thing



One from the vault -

Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
-Not all that old, 98', but she is the one of very few women in my collection - probably because she sounds kind of manish. Beyond good guitar by Doug Pettibone there - lyrics are dark, but don't get hung up on that.
-Hear - Joy

My mom sent us a box of leaves last week . Just leaves. Fourth year in a row too! I took them around today and let everyone have a smell. Many good memories were brought back - Thank you mom

Tomorrow morning John Teddy Roberts is taking me upriver a couple of miles to Ice Fish/Fly fish depending on how the ice is. Dolly Varden and Rainbows are the prize. Should be interesting if we get a chance to fly fish in the snow. I will take the video camera and try to get some video.

John took me out the other night ice fishing right here next to town. Fish were not there, but learning the techniques was good. The first step is to find a big rock. Next, put that rock in a sock and put some salmon eggs from the summer in the sock on top of the rock. Tie the sock at the top and attach a length of string. After chopping some holes drop the sock into a hole and tie it off at the top. Albert our secretary and professional fishing guide during the summer calls it "cheating" not chumming.

That's all for now. Later

Room with a view...

This is the view from my classroom window. I love clear days.

Nov. 4

Man the lines were long here. I think I waited in line for 10 seconds or something. lol

"Yep, I make my own meats, I make my meats. I mix different stuff...chicken n' burgers n' sausages n'. You guys like sausages n' burgers and everything?

1 pound cayenne pepper my nemesis you expire in 1 week. Yet, you are only 1/3 gone. I will battle through the tears and finish you...these are things I think about in Quinhagak...seriously

Caribou

Milt and I heard about a herd of 30 caribou about 7-8 miles from the village last night from some students. So we got up early this morning and headed out with the 4-wheelers. We drove to the end of the road and then took the trail for about 4 miles up the river. The trail and ponds we crossed were frozen really well. Now, Milt is self-diagnosed as blind and as we were moving up the trail there was a caribou just standing off the trail about 150 yards to the south. Milt was in lead and didn't see it, so I threw the 4-wheeler into 5th gear and raced to catch up with him. As I got closer I yelled and he slowed down, looked back at me pointing and realized there was a caribou right there. We got off and and watched as the caribou just trot right up to within about 75 yards. Milt took one shot, dropped it and we were done. Probably about as easy as it gets. I likened it to going to the grocery store easy. Shoot, we were home by noon. It was a young caribou and should be really tasty too.

Gonna try this again next weekend.

4wheelering

Chalk up another first for me today...changing oil on something. To make it a little more enjoyable, I waited for 15 degree weather. Thank you Yamaha for putting the oil filter in a near impossible location. Oil filter... I look forward to getting you out again next spring. On a happy note, nothing broke...nothing is leaking...things seem to be working fine...am I now a mechanic?

On another note. I read this story on msn http://www.newsweek.com/id/165478?GT1=43001

Speaking from experience (last spring we flew in to Ketchikan) that landing on an island was extremely confusing. As of now, you have take a ferry across...which they don't tell you...and you have to pay for it. The article is also correct about Ketchikan being built on mountains. The town just goes straight up.

So I agree with the mayor...build a bridge...or tell people to take the ferrry. (We tried to call a cab, first. Would have been over a hundred dollars to come get us, I guess.)

Weekend Plans -

Volleyball - 3 teams flying in - no fog please
Halloween Dance - Should be funny to watch no one dance
Husker Football
World Series
Gold Fever episode catch-up
- Looks like it is shaping up nicely. Maybe a trip to Target and Arby's for kicks!

"Wash your hair" - Bela

Snow!!

Well, last Friday it snowed. Didn't stick, but lots of white stuff was coming and going. Big flakes, small flakes, the whole nine. Ground was not quite cold enough for accumulation. In the mountains it was a different story as they look pretty nice right now. First time in my life I have lived close enough to a range to see the changes. very nice. enjoy...