Looking Out My Window!

It's Saturday, May 19....last working day for the 2011-12 school year.  So many thoughts swirling through my head.

I am sitting here quietly in the ECE building....my last time to do this.....looking out the back windows.  I see the two dogs curled up on bare ground now....where there had been piles of snow just even last week. I've enjoyed watching those dogs....one is more playful than the other.

Also right outside my window are several snow machines in various states of repair.  It's my understanding that the folks living in that house also take "outsiders" on hunting excursions during the year so the machines serve as means of transportation.  There must have been some hunting going on recently because I can see a bear hide sprawled out on a blue tarp.  Yesterday in the warmer afternoon, flies were swarming over the hide.  I can see the skull on top on the shed.

I've watched many birds throughout the year.  Seagulls, ducks, geese, and cranes are now returning after spending winter somewhere else.  I've posted a picture of a snow bunting on my Facebook page.  You might also want to check out "Birds of Shishmaref" on Facebook....posted by Ken Stenek.  

Probably the thing I will miss the most from this view of Shishmaref is watching the airplanes come and go daily (unless there's a snowy white-out or fog).  It was my "connection to the outside world" in a way.  Of course, when an incoming plane would fly over, I laughingly would call out, "Da plane, boss....da plane!"  I'm not sure who amongst this young group of people I work with actually knew why I was saying that!  Then when the planes would fly off, I'd reach out my hand and pleadingly say, "You forgot me....come back, come back!"  I was always only joking.  I'm happy here!

Looking out at that airport brings up other memories....the most recent being the loss of our District pilot, Doug.  I had never had the opportunity to meet him but I sure heard the stories.  He was a quiet man but an incredibly skilled pilot from what I understand.  If you flew with him, you were in safe hands.  He could get you through anything.  He flew District staff, village teachers and students all around to various meetings and school events.  It is my understanding that he flew for 45 years in western Alaska and logged in over 47,000 miles.  It has been said many times that if the weather was iffy and someone was coming or going, people would ask, "Who's flying today?"  If the answer was ERA...you weren't going anywhere.  If the answer was Bering Air, it was possible but don't count on it.  If it was Doug flying the District plane, it was, "Oh, ok, you'll get where you have to go."  Doug passed away suddenly on Monday, May 14 here in Shishmaref.  He had just flown in five folks out of the Unalakleet (District Office) to attend our graduation ceremony.  He was walking out to the airport to check on the plane as the group would be turning around and going back home that very evening after the program was done.  He didn't even make it to the airport.  He dropped, face first, into the snow and was gone from a massive heart attack.  Needless to say, everyone was shocked.  He was supposedly in good health and was to have retired this coming week with lots of plans for an enjoyable future of sailing, working on his antique motorcycles, and spending time with his wife.  Sad to have lost such a good person but also thankful that this didn't happen while he was in the air.  One of the folks that he brought in said something that brought tears to my eyes, "I'm honored to have been on his last Earthly flight and am positive he was in good hands on his final flight home."  I trust that he was.

I also remember looking out this window many times at the rolling waves coming in from the Chukchi Sea and listening to Wilsa describe what it has been like to have the island erode into the water....losing land and buildings.  Back in November, we were all preparing for what was being described as a hurricane-force storm and I watched the sea gained strength as if to say, "I'm coming to get you this time."  The storm, fortunately, did not arrive with as much vengeance as was predicted.  Nome got it worse.  But we did lose more frontage off the seaside of the island.

I also watched on several occasions when the fog rolled in blanketing the airport and buildings.  Flights were delayed or canceled altogether.  It looks fairly clear right now but that can quickly change.  I know there are several teachers planning to fly out today starting the mass exodus for the summer.  They are anxiously watching the weather!

I remember being in this spot when one evening I could hear from the airport a very loud and different noise.  I happened to be on Facebook at the time and the word quickly went out....upon landing of the District plane, a wheel collapsed and the plane did some swirlies on the runway with the girls' basketball team on board.  Everyone was fine...although the plane did sustain some damage.  There was a boys' basketball team from Gambell waiting out at the runway to leave on that plane.  Needless to say, they didn't leave that night.

Looking out at that runway reminds me of the day I flew in on August 3, 2011.  I was on a plane with Esther, Annie and Luke.  They were the folks left at the Nome terminal when my new friends, other teachers from the BSSD, left on their flights into another village.  I remember being a bit nervous because this was my "first time" of a lot of "firsts" connected with this new adventure.  I hoped I was doing everything I was supposed to be doing according to everything I had researched online and with communications with people here in Shishmaref via email.  As I sat there, one of the ladies asked me if I was going to Shishmaref.  When I said yes, she said I must be one of the new teachers.  I think being Caucasian up here and maybe looking a bit out of place and nervous might be clues to
the locals!!  When I said, "Yes, I am.  My name is Donna Bennett and I'll be teaching in the ECE classroom."  She smiled and said, "Donna, I'm Esther!"  The biggest smile came across my face and I jumped up and hugged her.  You see, Esther and I had made a random connection on Facebook while I was back in Michigan.  It was good to meet up with someone who could "lead me into the village."  But what happened next was really fun, too. 
There was a little boy resting on the chairs....with a cast on his leg.  His mother was across the room and overheard the conversation between Esther and me.  She spoke up and introduced herself (Annie) and pointed out that her son, Luke, had recently broken his leg.  He would be one of my four year old students in the ECE class this coming year.  He wouldn't say a word to me!!!  However, when class was over for the year this past week,
it was Luke who came up to give me a hug!

Anyway, as we were approaching Shishmaref (folks up here refer to the villages by their airport code so I might use SHH), Esther tapped me on the shoulder and pointed out the window to the village appearing now down below.  You can't really talk on the little bush planes....it's just too loud.  But as I looked out the window, my excitement mounted.  I was about to begin my adventure....one that took root back in 1993 with a trip to China with People to People Citizen Ambassadors.  Such a long time ago....and here I was.

The plane landed and we disembarked....into a rainy day.  Oh, happy me!  I much prefer a rainy, cloudy day and that's what greeted me here in SHH.  Also greeting me was John Bruce, the assistant principal.  He gathered up
my suitcases and my wheeled cooler of perishables purchased in Nome, put them in the back of the beat-up green pick-up and drove me into the village.  Before leaving, I met Don who told me he was Helen's husband (she teaches High School special ed).  They would later take me under their "southern hospitality wings" and I'd eat many a dinner with them and their family.

As John drove me into the village, my eyes were wide opened to all I was seeing....kids playing outside at what I would later find out to be the "new playground" and basketball court...."black things" hanging from poles around the village (found out later that it was seal meat or fish being dried to later eat with seal oil), antlers of caribou and moose perched on top of roofs, tall deep green grasses clinging to huge mounds of dirt and deep
ruts in barely passable "roadways", houses that looked to be the same shape but different faded colors...and mud, mud, mud....which would dry out to be sand, sand, sand....EVERYWHERE...in EVERYTHING!  I would find
that it would drift just like snow does....and later, of course, came the snow....and it came...and it came...and it came!

I am sitting alone in this very quiet room...hearing the ticking of a battery-operated clock.  I love that sound.  It reminds me of so many things....my Grandmother Peterson's house....the night my son was rushed to the ER in Petoskey and as I quietly rested my head on the railing of his bed, I could hear the clock ticking....my livingroom back at home where I would rock in my chair to the rhythm of the clock and I even now think of my cat, Dusty, who had to be put down back in November.  He'd be curled up somewhere in the livingroom.  Let me tell a little bit about
that story.

When I left East Jordan back in July of last year, my sister, Shirley, was driving me downstate where I would meet up with my daughter, Jessica, and they would eventually take me to the airport in Detroit.  Hey, you know what?  Now that I think back, we traveled to Detroit in the rain, too.  Left Michigan in the rain and arrived in Shishmaref in the rain.  Anyway, I told Shirley to go to the car and let me have a few minutes alone in the house.  I scooped up my cat and hugged and petted him...and cried.  I knew it was the last time I'd touch him and be able to smell his fur and talk to him. He wasn't well and I knew he'd never make it until I returned.  Gosh, I have had so many pets and have had to watch them go.  Dusty was 19 years old.  My kids Skyped with me the night before he died....so I could see him one last time.  Skype has been a godsend for me up here...over 3000 miles away from my family.


Oh, here's a funny one....!  Just before I left Michigan to begin my school year up here, I received a jury duty notice in the mail....you know....the questionnaire you have to fill out and return under penalty of law and all that?  Well, I filled it out with glee....and pointed out that I was moving to Alaska and I doubted they would want to call me for jury duty.  I filled out the mileage part where they ask how many miles is it from your home to the courthouse....and I put something like 3,100 miles.  I was never called for jury duty!
Back to the ECE building....we don't know if it will be here or not next year or if there will be a new building.  It's an old building...1975....and it was built on marshy ground.  I don't see how that could be avoided here on the island!  Oh, I just heard last night that even the "big school" that is up on stilts settled some and the front doors were left ajar.  Anyway, our building has a history of being many things...a bed and breakfast, a restaurant, part of the "big" school, the ECE building.  Earlier this year, we noticed a crack in the ceiling and as the year rolled on, the crack widened and additional cracks began to appear in the walls and along the support beams.  We finally shut down our program at the end of March and began looking for a place to hold class to finish out the year.  We moved to the church basement thanks to the gracious approval of the church board and Pastor Mark.  Our schedule had to change....three year olds going in the morning and four year olds going in the afternoon....but it worked.  We didn't have running water out there...nor flushing toilets....but since most kids live with that anyway in their homes, it wasn't that big of a deal during school.

I suppose the other "big" story would be the "break-in" while I was here in the building.  I had a guy jimmy his way into the building!  The door was locked but he got in.  He was surprised to see me and apologized several times if he scared me.  He said he was just wanting to see what was happening to the building because he'd heard about it.  Silly me....I didn't think much of it at the time.  At first, I thought that it was one of my co-workers trying to get it and wiggling their key.  Our door has been goofy...like a lot of things up here!  But when I got to the entryway, it was this guy already coming in.

So...like I said, silly me.  He started saying right away that he wanted to see the condition of the building so I showed him through the classrooms and chit-chatted.  As we were walking back to the entryway, he pointed to one of the rooms and said he had had school in there (the building has been used for lots of things) and then he spied the vacuum and said he'd used that vacuum to clean in there before.  Again, I'm still not thinking much about it because I've heard so many stories about the different people who have passed through that building at one time or
another.  As he got to the door, he again apologized if he scared me and said he knew I was in the building because he saw my tracks leading in.  Then he said he has seen several kids standing out by the door before and
that the door wasn't locked very securely.  Then he left.

Now, I sat and pondered the "event" and thought it was strange that he jimmied the door knob until he got in.....even though he "saw my tracks and knew I was in there"....why didn't he knock?  The more I thought about
it, the weirder it became.  I was on Facebook and saw one of the custodians at the big school on there and mentioned it to him.  He thought I should call the VPSO (cop) and tell him about it....and I did.  I was finally able to reach staff from our building and they all showed up.  We messed around with the door some more and realized that it doesn't take much at all to open it even when we think it's locked.  This guy had probably been in the building before.  The thing is....we don't think anything has been taken.  It really could just be someone looking for some food.  It's hard to say.

What's crazy about it is that I just chit-chatted with the guy and although it seemed a little strange that he jimmied the door to get in initially....I didn't "get it" until thinking about it more once I was alone.  This guy was so self-assured when he walked in and seemed to know what he was talking about with the condition of the building and with saying he'd been a student there and such.  Truth of the matter, he broke in....with me in there!!  Thank goodness....nothing happened.

By the way, when I say things are "goofy" up here....I say that kindly.  Let's just say things are "different."  But it's important to point out that being "funny" doesn't mean being hilarious or silly.  Nope...it means being "mean" to someone.  I learned that early in the year when a child came to me to say that so-and-so was being "funny."  I started laughing and saying, "Well, what is so-and-so doing to be funny?"  That's when I found out that "funny" is actually "being mean" and now here I was laughing at the child trying to tell me the situation.  Oh, well....sorry!

Oh, ERA just flew out on their morning flight.  I didn't even hear them arrive this time...just saw them leave.  The next flight out will carry several of our teachers.  Others are going throughout the coming days.  I leave on Tuesday, May 22.  Another teacher will leave on June 18...she has reason to stay longer in the village!!!  She has a "honey" here!  Then the three new teachers will begin arriving.  Our new assistant principal's parents and a couple of her siblings live here in SHH.  She's married with children.  Another one comes with a husband and son.  The other two new teachers...I don't know a whole lot about them except that one is bringing up 100 lbs. of fish with him from his summer job as a fishing boat captain!  One will be taking over this position in the ECE building.  I wonder what she will observe out this back window in the months ahead.  New adventures for new folks.

So many stories, so many thoughts and feelings.  What a strange and exciting year this has been.  I am looking forward to going back down to the Lower 48 for awhile.  Some people up here will say I'm going "back to the United States" and I think they mean it!  Shishmaref is so far removed from the continental United States and what that conjures up.  But there are folks who proudly and fiercely hold onto what it means to be an Inupiat Eskimo and it is NOT the same as being a Caucasian in a town or city in the Lower 48.  That is neither good nor bad....it just IS. 
Consequently, I have strong feelings about what is expected up here in the school system when we are dealing with such a different culture and environment and such...and yet we have to "grade" these children against the expectations of the Lower 48....not fair, I tell you!

Nevertheless, countdown to "liftoff" has begun and I will leave on May 22. I will arrive in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on May 23 (it does take awhile to get flights and connections back to the continental US...we really are way out here).  Oh, wait....that reminds me of something else I have found a bit humorous up here.  People will often say, "Oh, I would love to come to Alaska.  It's such a beautiful state.  Can I come visit you?"  Well, yes and no!  Alaska IS a beautiful state...and vast.  I was in awe of what I saw last July when I flew up to spend a few days in Anchorage.  I look forward to being able to spend a few more days again touring the Anchorage and Kenai areas....and in the future, other spectacular locations throughout the State.  BUT....where I live is NOT easily accessible.  Anyone living in the "Bush" knows that it's not like anywhere else!  You have to fly out of Anchorage to a "hub" which is where you will catch your smaller "bush" plane into your village.  Speaking of which, on my last flight out of Nome, our pilot was one of the guys featured on "Flying Wild Alaska"!  Anyway, the flight out is not cheap, folks.  Well, just figure that a gallon of regular gasoline here in the village is over $7.00 so take it from there.  Anyway, once you reach the hub, you then board your flight to your village.  Once you reach your destination, it's not like you hail a taxi into the center of the village and find a motel or a restaurant.  True, we do have Snack Shack up here but that's not always opened either.  There are no motels...there are no taxis.  You have to have made your plans to be picked up before you get here or in any other rural Alaskan village.  You MUST have pick-up plans because the smaller villages do NOT have a terminal to go inside to get out of the frigid cold.  Our staff was once dropped off at a airstrip to await our plane taking us back to SHH after an in-service. The vehicles dropping us off had to leave to drive the seven miles back to the school to pick up some other folks for a different plane.  The problem is....our plane never arrived and after 45 minutes or so in -40 degree weather....it wasn't pleasant.

So, the answer is more like, "No, you probably won't come to visit unless you have saved up some money for the high plane fares AND you know someone up here to be able to stay with and will pick you up out at the airstrip."

On the other hand, IF you come up to visit, you are in for a wonderful experience.  I do miss the trees up here in the tundra...the smell of pine and freshly-cut grass and the sound of a thunderstorm....but, I have seen some of the most incredible sunsets and Northern Lights and tundra ground cover and vast snowy views...and different animals and birds....and the people.  I love just looking at the people.  Their faces hold so many stories of what their ancestors have endured and learned and passed on.  And their hands....so strong....and to know they have used them for gathering berries and eggs...for fishing and hunting....and for carving and sewing some of the most beautiful pieces of artwork I have ever seen.

Goodness, I can't forget the dogs....everywhere...curled up in the snow and wanting it no other way!  I have been immensely thrilled at watching the dog mushing that goes on up here....from what I saw right here in the village and the stories I've heard from Bessie (raising and racing her own dogs) and Elizabeth (wife of the legendary Herbie Nayokpuk...the "Shishmaref Cannonball") to actually seeing and being right amongst the Iditarod mushers and dog teams this past year in Unalakleet.  I couldn't have asked for a memorable experience.

Stay tuned....I'll be adding more once I get back to Michigan....or maybe I'll add some "tourist shots" of my long-awaited trip to Mt. Rushmore and the Badlands.  Whew....talk about going from one temperature extreme to
another!

By the way, I WILL be returning to Shishmaref in August to teach another year.  I will be in third grade next fall and in the "big" school.  I'm sure I'll have lots more to share then.

Take care...I'll be back...soon....because I have some interesting pictures to share of springtime in Shishmaref!

Flying to Nome

Here's what the trip from Shishmaref to Nome looks like from the air...

Ice Formations

These aren't the ice pictures I was originally hoping for in Nome, but I still enjoyed taking these!

The Bird!

Check this out....I finally found that gosh darn bird again here in Nome.  I could hear him but he wouldn't come out of hiding...but I was determined!  I swear he knew I wanted his picture because yesterday when I didn't have my camera, he and his buddy were flying all over the place.  Today....I found ONLY this guy....but what a fine pose he struck.

Aw, Shucks!

Today's blog is about carrying my camera more often....even though it's sometimes a pain to do so....especially in the extreme negative temperatures where the batteries die within seconds!  But I'm currently in Nome where it's in the 30s and I'm even able to walk about in sneakers...no boots down here.  Actually, back in Shishmaref, I've been able to walk around without my heavy snowpants or even long underwear for a couple of weeks.  Spring is definitely making itself known up here in the tundra.

But alas!  Back to my blog entry.  Yesterday while venturing out on Front Street here in Nome, I came upon a puddle along the side of a building made from water freezing, melting, and refreezing in the most intricate patterns.  I stepped off the sidewalk to intensely look at it.  I didn't have my camera.  I thought, "Well, with any luck, it'll be there tomorrow and I'll get it then."  It wasn't to be, however, because I went back today and it wasn't the same.  I did walk around the town a bit to find other interesting photo opportunities...but not what I saw yesterday.

So, as I sat in the Polar Cafe enjoying an omelet, orange juice and coffee and pondering the lost photo, my mind began to "justify" my experience.

You see, I am a firm believer in everything happening for a reason...whether it be an experience of some sort....a person you meet....some material thing you receive....there's a reason for it.  I'm not saying we always understand what that reason is immediately...and maybe never.  But I also believe that we sometimes don't allow ourselves the chance to learn that reason.  A person needs to be quiet....something I don't think some people can do comfortably...and to listen....something I KNOW some people do not practice.....and especially to be open to subtle messages that may come your way.

I love being alone....I love the quiet.  But I can also enjoy being alone with music playing....or even with the television on.  I think the key is being alone.  Now don't get me wrong...I enjoy people, too, and I have some very special family and friends "back home" with whom I'm eagerly anticipating spending time together.  Nevertheless, those folks know me well enough to know there are times when "Donna needs her time alone!"

So what does all this have to do with the ice formation?

I sat quietly in the restaurant back at a corner table looking out on the frozen Bering Sea and watching a dark spot out on the ice that I believe was an ice fisherman.  He (assuming it was a man) was there yesterday, too.  I thought about his endurance.  I wondered how many fish he was catching and what it's like to know that up here, what you catch is what determines a full belly or not.  I wondered how thick the ice was and how deep the sea was way out there.  I thought about being in Nome last August when the sea was not frozen and I sat in awe of where I was and watching the waves crash onto shore.  I remembered the news about the Russian fuel barge coming in this past winter under extraordinary conditions.  I thought about what it must have been like back in the days of the gold miners....and even before that with the indigenous tribes and their survival in this harsh habitat.  I smiled at my memories of seeing part of the Iditarod this year before the mushers and dogs arrived in Nome.  Yup....I thought about all that while waiting for my omelet (which was really good, by the way).  I can't put those thoughts into pictures.  Oh, sure, I've been taking and sharing lots of pictures and I am able to tell the stories about them.  But there are things I won't always be able to capture...my internal feelings of accomplishment, excitement and appreciation.

Nevertheless, not capturing the ice formation is not a lost experience.  I will remember what that ice looked like in my mind.  Someday when I am REALLY old...I know I'm "old"....but not REALLY old yet....although....I must tell this story before I finish that thought....

Back home in Michigan as the years went by, my students would slip now and then and call me "Mom".  Eventually, as time passed, they would slip and call me "Grandma" and I knew I was getting older...even in the eyes of my students.  But the ultimate happened up here with one of my little ECE kids.  It warmed my heart and will be forever with me.  One of my students called me "Ahna"....which is Eskimo for Grandma.  There was no picture taken of that....it'll be forever in my mind's camera!!!

Back to someday when I'm REALLY old....and unable to express myself to my kids and friends (except that they will be really old, too, so they won't care) and my eyes won't be able to see those photos I took throughout the years (you should see the tubs of photos I have back home....have fun, Dan and Jess, sorting through those when I'm gone)....when I'm THAT old....I will quietly see those hundreds of pictures I wasn't able to capture on film.  They will be there in my mind....for me to enjoy.

Anyway....not catching that ice formation on film made me think of how often we miss things along the path of life...because we aren't quiet...we aren't listening...we aren't watching....or we just aren't willing to "step off the sidewalk" and search out something different.

I'm glad (in a way) that I didn't get a picture of that ice formation because it made me think of how fortunate I have been these past few months to have had the experiences I've had up here.  I "stepped off the sidewalk" and took a chance in achieving one of my dreams....teaching and living in rural Alaska.  Everything happens for a reason....and I needed a little jolt to think about my experiences.

I've been in a bit of a funk lately.  A friend back in Shishmaref, an experienced teacher who has insights worth hearing...if you are willing to listen, told me that April is a common time of year for those of us from the Lower 48 to get a little "buggy".  It could be that and it may be that I'm anxious to get home for a little while....to see my family and to shower freely and flush a toilet and eat a green salad and...and...!  That's part of the reason I'm here in Nome this weekend.  I knew I needed to "get out" for a little while.  I had tried to get out earlier in April but couldn't get a hotel room in Nome the weekend I wanted to go out....so I waited until this weekend...even though in just a little over three weeks, I'll be leaving Shishmaref for the summer...to return in August for another school year.  But, I have so enjoyed this weekend....being QUIET.....and alone....with my thoughts about how this year has gone in Shishmaref and regrouping for my final weeks on the job.  It's a busy time at school with lots going on in the next 14 days.....Kindergarten Round-Up, "prom" (yes, even for ECE students), two more program evaluations from outside entities, and graduation (ECE students included)....as well as packing up the classroom (we still don't know what will happen next fall as we finish the year in the church basement) and preparing for my move into the "big" building and the third grade classroom....hey, wait...isn't that where I left off this time last year back in East Jordan?  I also need to box up some things in my house so it won't be in the way of any District workers who will be making repairs during the summer.  I'll have a new housemate....so she'll be moving her belongings in before she leaves for the summer.  Lots happening.....!

Now....with that....I am going to watch the remaining minutes of one of my favorite shows, "Wheel of Fortune", which I haven't seen in quite awhile.  Oh, speaking of that, today I was able to watch the PBR (Professional Bull Riding)....yeehaw!  I haven't seen that since last November when I, by chance, tuned into the Finals when I had cable.  Now don't get any ideas like, "You can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl!"  I am NOT a country girl....I do NOT enjoy country music.  But I sure do like my PBR!  Let's see if I have the nerve next Halloween to wear "my costume" up in Shishmaref.  I do have it up there!!!

Anyway....I'm going to watch the rest of the show and then I'm going to venture out with my camera because there is one more picture waiting to be captured....the ravens here are HUGE....even bigger than the ones in Shishmaref.  I wish you could hear them talk.....and I wish I knew what they were saying!  I suspect it's something humorous.

TTFN  

Hey, It's Still April, Right?

First things first....I don't want to press my luck any further with this posting!  Maybe it's playing a late April Fool's joke on me.  I have played and played with trying to get captions in the right place and have deleted things I didn't mean to delete, yada, yada, yada.  I am going to post this while my luck is still with me....but I don't think everything will line up just as I had hoped.  Oh, well.....enjoy!

Ok, ok....so it's April 15th....but it's still April!  

Here's this month's report....a picture (or more) will say it all....

Flat Stanley had come to visit from Bolingbrook, Illinois.   He helped us make a decision about our classroom!

Before Flat Stanley left to go back home, he wanted to say good-bye to his new friends here in Shishmaref.  

He was very pleased with his new fur-lined parka, mittens, mukluks, and Eskimo sunglasses, too!

ECE/Head Start Moving Day!

The crew brought in their sno-go's and sleds and started hauling furniture and supplies to the church basement where classes resumed on Monday, April 16th.  We lost only two weeks of classes but I still managed to get the majority of my April testing done off site.  I sure appreciated the parents bringing their kids to Kate's kindergarten room after school and to Denise's room during the afternoon to accomplish this task.   We have five weeks to go until we are done for the year.  We haven't heard yet what will happen to the building!

               Let's see...what else has happened so far in April?  Well, more pictures to tell the story....

Here's an incoming C-130 about to land on our small runway!    It was bringing in the military folks from "Arctic Care" who provided vet services to the animals and dental, medical and vision care to the villagers.  

This C-130 was totally awesome to watch and hear (roaring)....coming and going!

The second time one of these big birds came in, we were pretty much fogged in and knew the plane was grounded in Nome.

Alas, enough fog lifted for the plane to come in and we could hear it long before it magically emerged out of the fog.  Incredible sight to see!

                                                           

         Thor came back to spend some time with me while his "family" spent the day at the "hot springs" 

                                up on the mainland (a favorite spot for winter relaxation indoors 

                                       in the natural hot springs pool and sledding fun outside). 

                                                               Also in April....more snow....

             Would you like to have to dig out this doorway?  Or how about digging this out.....

                                              It's a "honey bin", folks!!!

Or maybe you'd like to tackle this mound of ice that slid off a roof one day.....!  No one was hurt!

Shishmaref is definitely located in a harsh climate....but beauty is all around.....

From the fog rolling in from the frozen Chukchi Sea....

...to the frost accumulating on an animal hide.....