April 2013

up in Anchorage with Chad (Paul's brother) and Tami and the kids.  What a wonderful time!!  We shopped ( our first time in the city in 3 months, stock up on supplies).  We did a lot of outdoor activities during the day and watched movies, played pool, and sat in the hot tub at night.  The temperatures were in the high 30's and low 40's, perfect temperatures!  Remember, we just came from negative temperatures.  Poor Kentucky Secor's, they came from 70's.  

We when to the Wildlife Conservation (one of our favorite places) and Bouncing Bears, land of inflatables (there was an episode of Sarah Palin's Alaska where Bristol took Tripp there).  We sledded, a ton.  Skiing was awesome!  We all took lessons and then took to the slopes!  Simon and Daniel snow boarded and the rest of us skied.  We also celebrated Resurrection Sunday with each other.  What a busy week.  Great times!

This is so typical of this time of year, April.  Break-up.  When the rivers and lakes start to "break-up" and there is overflow.  No more driving on the ice roads!

These are just some random pictures.  To the left, a water filling station.  People are limited on their water supply.  There is a truck that fills up and delivers it to your home and puts it in your water tank.  We are blessed to not have to bother with this living on the compound.  Below:  Pictures of housing and above ground plumping.  Lots of MUD!  

Left: on a lot of the buildings, there are these boards hanging.  The wind is so strong, they help block the wind.  Another different thing here.  In some offices, you are required to take off your shoes in the Arctic entry (a small room before opening the front door, to keep the arctic air from going inside).  There is so much dirt and mud, see in the next picture.  Our dog, Grizzly, gets a bath, at least once a day.  As far as I can tell, the only pavement is on the main road and is a few parking lots.  Mostly dirt and gravel, mostly dirt, roads and very fine dirt at that.  Think about that... in the summer... wind blowing... windows open... I don't know about that.  People have told us that you will get a thin layer of dirt on EVERYTHING.  Hummm.  These below, the slough, by our compound.

Happy Easter!!!

This is a view from the plane (of course) on the way home to Bethel from Anchorage.  Isn't this amazing???

March 2013 - 2

I am having so much fun making these kuspuks (pronounced: chz-pick) (native attire) for the Camai (pronounced: cha-my) dance festival.  Abby is wearing her kuspuk while her class dances and sings in the festival.  She will be singing in Yupik (native dialect) (pronounced: u-pick).  In children's sizes, these generally sell for $40-50.00.  Simon and Olivia have already picked out fabric for theirs.  Olivia picked out Dora and Simon picked out Bears (not Chicago Bears).

Yes, Rick Rack is in style here (only on kuspuks)!

 

 

March 2013

Getting ready to go snow machining!

Sledding at 20 MPH is awesome!!

Our first fresh produce order from Full Circle (out of Washington).  It was was delicious!

Abby's snow mellow!

    Fun playing under the house!

        Snow machining on the tundra.  Clear day, BEAUTIFUL and COLD!  You could see the mountains in the distance.

February 2013

    OOverlooking the slough.  This is all water in the summer, so I am told.

This is Grizzly, our Bethel Special.  There are a lot of stray dogs around here.  We were headed into the bank and he was sitting by the door.  We are not sure what type of dog he is.  There is no regular vet here.  There is a clinic one week a month, that a vet comes in to take care of animals.  There isn't even a shelter here, there is a rescue that flies the dogs out to Anchorage for a good chance to be adopted.  Grizzly was about 2 months old when the kids found him shivering and starving.

Simon enjoying time outside. Building forts and sledding is enjoyed, even in -40 temps.  Below:  an abandoned boat in the slough.

Above:  Hunter and Simon enjoying a snow machine ride from a neighbor.

 Left:  A family having fun with a dog sled out on the river.

Below:  Driving on the rive

River view of the Bentley B & B.