The Fashionable Hunter

Here was the plan. We would borrow a friends boat, pack up camp, take the puppy, and go kill a moose. Two, maybe three days, was all it would take. Weather being unpredictable we dressed for rain and had layered our clothes to deal with sun. I was wearing my new camo pants which make my butt look awesome (a necessity for being in the wilderness). A second-grader by the name of Kara donated a sweater from one of her teddy bears for the puppy to wear to stay warm on the boat. Once up river I had packed CoCo’s camoflauge shirt to wear (it doesn’t improve the loveliness of her butt) for her to change into.

I dressed CoCo in her new sweater and we set off in the old boat with a new name, the Erin Anne. We motored out of the harbor and made it around to the city dock when our motor went up in smoke. We floated ashore at Snag Point, spent two and half days working on it and set off again for a repeat performance. In the end, we did not get upriver to get the moose. But CoCo got to show off her cool sweater for the rest of you.

CoConut Chanel

I am back to work, and have a computer again! So I should be able to keep up with this blog, right? Unfortunately, my life isn’t very exciting, so I will probably have to make things up. Do you mind?

First, I would like to introduce the newest edition to the family. This is Coconut Chanel, a Yorkshire terrier puppy. Since most of my readers are family, and animal lovers, I will post pictures as requested. Those of you not interested, don’t visit my blog.

I picked up CoCo in Alabama this summer and she was dubbed the Coconut by my cousin Trey (aka Thor, and Capt. T) because we were on our way to the beach. She almost didn’t survive the first 24 hours with us because upon arrival at the beach house we encountered an air conditioning disaster. By one in the afternoon we were all a puddle of sweat, and CoCo was near collapse. We took turns driving around in the car with her, the air conditioner blowing full force to try to cool off. Thank God for the repairman! However, within two days CoCo knew her name and I had failed to come up with a better one. That’s okay, she seems like a CoCo. Still, the return to cool, clear air of Alaska was a relief for both CoCo and myself.

CoCo has taken on a few other nicknames since we have returned home. My favorite being the CoComotive, because she will go from zero to fifty without warning and barrel towards whatever her intended goal is.

Romance? It's for the mosquitos...

Phillip and I decided we needed a date night since we have seen so little of each other these past two months. Finding a way to date around here takes a bit of creativity. We did go out to eat, a real treat for us. Luckily, there weren't many people there we knew well so we didn't end up talking to other people. The best date we had was traveling one evening to Snake Lake. It was a trip in four wheel drive and on foot, only to be chased back to the truck at a dead run by a thousand ravenous mosquitos. Did you ever wonder why the caribou herds stampede? I know why. I tried to take a picture of Phillip running for his life with a swarm clouding around him but it didn't turn out well. I am not sure if the cloud of mosquitos blurred the picture or my running behind him. So I placed these couple pictures we took on the side of the mountain. As you can see I was dressed up for my night of romance, if I had only used DEET instead of perfume...

Anyhoo, not much going on up here. I have smoked some salmon and done a little canning. My lettuce is finally growing big enough to eat. I can't believe how long it has taken to grow. If I had more to tell I would put it on here, but anything else I would have to say would be a tall tale. And I would never embellish or exaggerate just to entertain my readers. Check back again next month.

Department of Homeland Insecurity

Gypsy Corner has become occupied again with the usual rabble and a few new faces. After hearing about the numerous cameras in town the guys erected their own DHI (Department of Homeland Insecurity) camera in their corner. It has been moved to the main street in front of the Muddy Rudder and is now watching the information box. In the box are slips of paper tipping the authorities off to suspicious looking characters. I hear the next DHI camera will be interactive and will ask people to state their business when they come near it. People get a bit creative hanging out here waiting for the fish to arrive.

As you can see, I am back on the Internet, from my home. Summer is passing by quickly and I have very little to show for it. This also means I have very little to share lately. Phillip is working 12 hour days, seven days a week and will go to 18 hour days soon when they start processing fish. Helps our bank account but makes it hard on the relationship. I have cleaned out every nook, cranny, cabinet, and hiding spot in the house and we still have too much crap. It is time to move to a bigger place. Soon, very soon.

Some of our readers may have heard an ugly rumor that I am spending my summer writing. I would like to address this gross bit of information to let our readers know that writing has not been a top priority and I am not being productive - at all. My days pass by in a blur qand I cannot say what I do. I am sure I do something, but I have very little to show for it. Maybe the television needs to be cut off...

What a big cow

On the way to work last week Phillip and I encountered a very large cow moose on the road. Phillip was able to drop me at my work, go to the cookhouse at Peter Pan, pick up a guy there, and drive back out of town to get pictures of the moose. Of course, Phillip wasn't sure how to use the camera so the pictures didn't turn out as well as they do for me. Or it could have been because the moose was a little ways a way.

Yesterday I spent the day stripping nets and painting the stern of the Sunriser. Pictures will follow.

My plants are all starting to grow at the house. Flowers, lettuce, and herbs (I have to replant the cilantro and chives- I killed them before they began). I am excited about my little garden I am starting. Only five days left to this school year. I can't wait to be done!

Update- I am having trouble keeping up!

Where does the time go? As I near the end of the school year and start looking forward to the summer I get busier and time flies. Time’s fun when you’re having flies.

I survived the Sock Hop that the Dillingham Education Association hosted on April 29th. As president of the association I had a lot of leg work to do to get it to all come together. Luckily, I had some great help and it went off without too many hitches. We made some money and are offering four $500 scholarships to our graduating seniors.

The next weekend I spent holding my sofa down as it was my first Saturday free in over a month. Phillip was also busy working at the cannery so I had the house to myself. I thought I would be a lot more productive, but in fact the time flew by. I must have had fun. Phillip is working six days a week now, ten hour days, getting the cannery ready to process fish. Eventually he will be up there catching sleep between processing runs and he won’t come home. Poor me! I am hoping my kid sister will come visit me then to keep me company. We shall see.

Phillip’s mom came to town last week to start getting ready for fishing. We met her new beau for the first time and so far he seems like a nice guy. We are so ready for summer. I wish it would stop snowing.

Playing with Snow

After the pile of snow that came down we couldn't resist doing a little playing in the snow. Phillip built a giant snowman, our neighbor built her own Nessie in her yard, and then came the fish. I am so proud. OK, I was just bored. And I should admit that Phillip helped with it.

It gets warmer out every day. It won't be long before the river goes out and the mud, mud, mud will be here.

A Quiet Easter

Easter seemed to come and go quietly. I boiled a ton of eggs in the hopes of coloring them. Alas, I had to work on curriculum at the school. Thank goodness Desiree and Phillip took over and colored the eggs for me.

It snowed all day Easter Sunday so other than church Phillip and I didn't go anywhere. It continued to snow into the night and the next morning. School had a delayed start and the car was so buried you could hardly see it. So much for April showers. Here we have May meltdown and June flowers.

Yes, I am 9-Ball Champ Again!

Things have been busy around here as we head into spring. I traveled to Anchorage last weekend with some colleagues for the NEA-Alaska Leadership conference. We were able to get our association calendar together and generate some ideas for the coming year. I was also able to do some massive grocery shopping and restock our cupboards and freezer at home with all kinds of goodies.

Our driveway is a mess after months of snow being packed down on it. Now that it has started to thaw we have a lake where we usually park. The biggest problem is knowing where the ground is still solid and where it isn’t. It is no fun falling through the ice and into ankle deep water. Last night when Phillip and I came home from playing pool (where I slaughtered him in 9ball) he tried to park the truck off to the side so we could get out on solid ground. I had no problems getting around the car but he ended up trying to stand on an ice spit at the edge of our pond, desperately holding onto the truck to keep from slipping, while trying to get the truck door closed and get around it. I came around and offered to help but after realizing his predicament I thought it would be better to get the camera. Laughing, I ran to the house for it. Unfortunately I was laughing too hard to move quickly and I missed the photo opportunity.

Phillip’s love of oatmeal cookies has finally gone too far. Yesterday he made a batch and brought me some at lunch. He then made a side comment that he had put coffee beans in some of them and he wasn’t sure which ones had them. Knowing my extreme aversion to coffee in any form he then offered to try the cookie to see if it was acceptable for me to consume. After eating half of the cookies I was on to his scheme. He can’t trick me! I finally got a couple of them from the batch after I called him on his little trick. We both laughed until tears were running it was so funny!

Back to the pool game. Last night I won all but the last game of 9-Ball against Phillip. He believes that whoever wins the last game gets "bragging rights" so we always quit after he finally wins a game. He can brag about winning that last game, but we all know who is the champ.

Big Muscles + Broken Hammer + Chihuahua = Manly

He is a manly man alright. Here is Phillip with the broken hammer, and Pickles, our neighbor. There is nothing more sexy than a man with tools and a Chihuahua! (He is truly patient with my camera and this blog, I love him for it!)

I am guessing you are wondering how this picture came to be. This is my proof that I was correct in stating, two years ago, that Phillip can break anything. The other day he walked in the house, with MY hammer, and said to me, “This is why you should buy Craftsmen tools.” My nose was buried in my laptop, probably writing some nonsense (or looking at ebay), and it took me a moment to make sense of what he said. Now I have seen a broken hammer before, usually where the head of the hammer splits from the handle. However, this hammer, my hammer, had a broken head. Thus proving that Phillip can break anything.

If this isn’t enough proof for you, I can also testify that Phillip has spent most of his time over the past two weeks alternately breaking and repairing his snow machine. I won’t even go into the state of the skiff trailer or the truck…

Beaver Round-Up Fireworks

We took Jasmine to see the fireworks last night, and they didn't start until after ten! We are all so tired today. Jasmine enjoyed freezing outside attempting to take pictures of the show. The boat harbor was full of cars watching it all. It was fun. We also tried taking a picture of us in the car. Yep, we are getting pretty good at this.

Sled Dog Racing

During our Beaver Round-Up we had our sled dog races which start and end at the Lily Pond. I was playing with features on my camera and wanted to share a movie here. Anyhoo, the second team to leave the chute on Saturday proved how well the teams listen to the musher. At the start they had a dog come undone. The team stopped, and when the comman was given the lead dog started them again. In my video footage you can see the lead dogs looking back at the musher, while the other dogs are waiting for a command from the lead dog. Pretty neat. The still picture, which I will share here, is of an old-timer named Blunka who has been racing since before Phillip and I were around. He is really fun to watch.

Dilly Capers

The other night I was pleased to accompany Des to Dilly Capers, the talent show and "Little Miss" Beaver Round-Up contest. We went late since we were serving a spaghetti dinner at the firehall to raise money for the Youth Center. Phillip went to a pinochle tournament, or something, so I was left to entertain the little one. Thanks to smokers we were able to get seats during the break. Des wanted to take pictures of the contestants so I let her use my camera. I would show her photos here, but I think one will represent the whole. Thus, the back of a head... The other picture I took pointing the camera at us as she sat on my lap, she didn't know what I was doing. I love her face! She cracks me up.

Playing Catch-Up

I just need to quickly play catch-up on here. Here is a picture of Phillip working on his ancient Arctic Cat that sat collecting leaves for the last six years. By compiling parts from another one he was able to make one that runs and has a track! After about five days of work on it he can take it out and it only quits every once in a while. It also is still lacking brakes. Guess what else? I have yet to ride on it! I am not sure I am missing out though.

Aside: Since this picture was taken last week, we have a path cut to the deck that has three foot sides of snow. So he fixed it in time for the biggest snow fall of the year.

I am a Lumberjack (and its OK)

Sometimes your days are so busy you forget to change your shoes. And since I haven’t been keeping up with my blog, you can imagine the state of my feet. However, I don’t feel too guilty since I haven’t received much feedback on the site so I suspect I am only doing it for myself. That is fine by me! (Shoot, shortly after writing that Rebs came in and said “You need to update your blog! I check it every day, you know!”

Beaver Round-Up has started and I am very excited about it. Phillip and I will have a busy schedule, but it will be great. We are volunteering to help raise money for the new Christian Youth Center through a spaghetti feed, a cribbage tournament, and who knows what else. Tomorrow I am in inservice until 1PM – then I get to play for the entire weekend!

The only amusing story I have to tell for the week so far was going to help Phillip with getting wood. He has been gathering and cutting wood to sell to make money. Jobs are kind of tough right now and no one wants to hire a fisherman right before fishing season starts. Anyhoo, he keeps popping the tire on his trailer. (Duh, don't overload it!) He had help getting all the giant logs out of the forest. The last load of ten trees was on it so I went and helped him. First we had to unload some of them, which was quite easy. Then we had to fix the tire, a task that required going to three businesses just before closing time to find a tube and then to his Grandpa’s to fix it. Getting the tire back on the trailer was a chore as well, and one I gladly let him do on his own while I huddled in the car trying to stay warm. Finally we were ready to pull the first load home. No problem. Phillip suggested I stay home while he went for the last load, but I put on my snowpants and insisted I could help him. We all know that I am unnaturally strong for a girl. We arrived back at the logs that evening and I tried to help him reload them. Let me just say that as strong as I think I am, I discovered that night that I am a wimp. I was a better anchor on the tree than lifter. If he could swing one end up, then I held it in place, he could run around to the other side to lift it. You can imagine that he was huffing and puffing in no time. Unfortunately, I actually made one giant log fall off the trailer right after he loaded it! I was determined to help him get at least one log on there. Thank goodness he was patient with me. I thought he would lose his temper, I was waiting for it, but he was fine about it. He even made a joke! I think he was happy to have me along even if I didn't help as much as a man could. I guess I am better than nothing - haha.

No news must be good news

I have Internet at home! Well, for the moment. I have used it a good portion of the weekend to work on a new server program I am going to train the teachers in the school district how to use next month. The problem is that I have to figure out how to use it first. Phillip has been busy selling fire wood and helping his cousin work on his house this weekend. Not much else has been going on. The excitement of the last few days has been going out to eat! I know, that seems pretty every day to you readers, but for us it is a real treat. I has an early release day on Friday and Phillip picked me and surprised me by taking me lunch. The next day we went to lunch again while the girls were seeing a movie at the elementary school. It was great. We have more leftovers than we know what to do with in our fridge right now. Good thing too. Neither one of us wants to cook.

As you can see from the photo above, Wildfire sent me another picture of Casie. She is lying on the blanket I made for her. Isn’t she just precious?

Welcome Casie Marie!

I would like to congratulate my friend, Wildfire, and her husband, on the arrival of their baby girl, Casie Marie. She was born on Feb. 7th and she weighed 7lbs and 2.3 oz and was 19 inches long. Way to go!

Obviously I have been away from the blog recently. Last week I was kept busy filling in as Dean of Students, which is like a vice principal position. I have also been working to create some new lesson plans for my tenth graders, as well as planning a Sock Hop in April. Before that, Phillip and I are organizing a cribbage tournament for the Dillingham Beaver Round-Up festivities in March. The proceeds will be donated to help build the new Christian youth center. This is a project we are very excited about.

Anyway, things keep trucking along. I am working a few Saturdays at the school writing curriculum for social studies and language arts for 6-12 grade. Phillip has been chopping wood and is still looking for work. Employment is rather bleak this time of year. Keep us in your prayers.

A Scarf and a Tickle

The weekend was nice. We had the girls come visit us Friday night where they were entertained by watching cartoons, and looking at images on my computer. It was a simple night since they were both suffering from colds. Desiree is showing off her new scarf that I made for her in the above picture. She then played with the camera taking pictures of us. I felt that only one was worth showing. Desiree and I had to team up to get a picture of Phillip. We can take pictures of him, but he will never smile. He seems to look more like a deer caught in headlights than a person getting their picture taken. So I saddled up to him in the chair and asked Desiree to take our picture. Just as she focused the camera I grabbed his knee to tickle him. It worked perfect! Desiree was surprised at how happy I was, but she was quick to high-five me for the teamwork.

Back to the grind at work. So much fun! I am busy trying to develop a Middle East project in my World History class. I also have to prepare to have a substitute in my room at the end of the week because I have to fill in as Dean of Students in the office. Not a job I am looking forward to, but it will be good experience. I just hate being out of my classroom.

I Love Fridays (even at -30)

Phillip grows impatient with my dawdling this morning. He has just said to me, for the sixty-leventh time, “Hurry up. You’re going to be late to school!” So to further bug him I whip out the camera for a candid shot in the kitchen. It is blurry, but you can’t miss the exasperated look. Well, the weather stuck it to me for complaining about the cold earlier this week. Try -31F upon waking this morning! “How do you like them apples?” Old Man Weather hissed at me. Who cares if your water is running at that temperature! There is no way I am touching water in this cold. I leave for work, again, without a shower. And I am not a bit embarrassed.

Repairs, Creaky Joints, and Another Clock

Phillip, the greatest guy around, worked hard yesterday to make the cabin more livable. He placed another layer of insulation in the attic and put heat tape on the pipes to keep them from freezing. Thank God his friend, Lawrence (another Talking Clock), was available to help him with the task. I have already noticed that the monitor heater comes on less frequently and it seems warmer in the house. I also was able to take a hot shower this morning before school. I took such a long one that I was almost late for work. Bless the heated indoor plumbing, a luxury we too often take for granted. Thankfully I do not get too caught up in my showers with Phillip yelling the time through the door. As long as he doesn’t do it on my days off I can tolerate it.

Speaking of Phillip, the poor guy has been hobbling around on his bad foot this week. It seems to bother him even more in this extreme cold. Actually, we both notice creakiness in our joints in this deep freeze. I cannot imagine the horror of being elderly in this cold. Ah, something for us to look forward to. Anyhoo, Phillip has an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon soon and we are praying that this doctor has some answers for his pain. Drugs are not the answer for him, Phillip is voting for amputation!

Monday Morning in Alaska

Sometimes I forget why I like to live here. For example, this morning I awoke to a world where the temperature outside was -20F, and the temperature of the floor in the bedroom was 40F. I think I could actually leave the contents of my refrigerator on the floor and it would not spoil. My oil stove is running non-stop and my water keeps freezing up. As a matter of fact, my new cabin is not the paradise I had hoped it would be. Not only have I lived with total colliform bacteria in my water since I moved in, the foundation continues to settle, I can’t keep the place heated, and now I am going days on end without bathing. This weekend the wall in the bathroom shifted, thus creating a gap in the wall where the boards pulled apart and it actually busted the nails when it gave. I don’t even want to get started on the floors and how those boards are pulling apart. Yesterday when Phillip crawled under the house to fix our frozen water, the heat tape that was supposedly placed there on a thermostat was discovered to be invisible. Or, more likely, nonexistent. So it may be time to actively look for a new place to live. On a positive note, at least the cold weather provides clear, sunny days.

As some of our readers may know, our friend Wildfire is pregnant and ready to pop. It is my hope that she will send me an updated picture of her beautiful self and her giant belly so that I may post it online for everyone to enjoy. (hint, hint) Anyhoo, I finally finished the blanket for the baby. I will attempt to get a picture to post before I mail it to her.

Russian Christmas or Bored With A Kiln

In other towns people took down their holiday decorations and Christmas trees more than a week ago, and the stores are all decorated for a Valentine’s Day that is more than a month away. In Dillingham, our Christmas season is just ending. Today, Jan. 7, is Russian Orthodox Christmas and somebody ordered up a white Christmas. The snow looks beautiful today even if the skies are an iron gray.

Instead of enjoying myself in some outdoor winter activities, or curling up in front of the oil monitor with a cup of cocoa, I am standing around a kiln in the art room at the local school attempting to fire my first load of ceramics. Since I was assigned to teach high school art I now have the pleasure of spending twelve hours on a weekend to run a kiln for the students. And I thought I would enjoy teaching art! I think I am just anti-clay. It is too messy, too time consuming, and let’s face it – I cannot make anything with it!

Phillip is keeping himself occupied today by volunteering at the Christian Teen Center that is being built in the old Head Start building. He is there doing demolition work by himself. It is colder inside the building than it is outside! I know he is happy to be volunteering, but wishes there were others there to work with.

My big plans for the evening are a movie rental and some visiting people for Christmas. Phillip and I have been going by his grandparents house every day to check on them and visit. It gives us something to do. We have found that our phone never rings and many of our old “friends” have disappeared since we are unwilling to drink with them. Oh, well. Their loss.

Where in the world is Cricket?

Some of you are still unsure of where I live so I thought I would provide some information about Dillingham. Dillingham, Alaska is located in the southwest area of the state deep in the Nushagak Bay, which is fed by two rivers - the Wood and the Nushagak. Dillingham is a small town of around 2,200 people (depending on your source) that provides a hub of services for several villages in the region.

There is no street light, no movie theater, no shopping mall, and no fast food establishments. We do have two grocery stores, a bank, and a regional hospital. The school district provides a K-5 elementary school, a 6-12 secondary school, and an alternative high school.

There are two to three dog teams in the area, no one lives in igloos, and we use US currency for all monetary transactions. We see ourselves as a commercial fishing community with sockeye salmon being our "bread and butter". There is nothing quite so impressive as seeing the entire fishing fleet choking into the harbor during a closed period. We are working on educating people about wild vs. farmed salmon and we can humbly say that we provide the best wild salmon in the world!

Dillingham is, I believe, one of the most beautiful places in the region. Of course, the downtown area has a lot to be desired, but the surrounding countryside is breathtaking. In the summer the sky is an amazing blue and the tundra is a blanket of greens and golds. In the fall, the tundra is a canvas of color. Rusts, oranges, golds, reds, purples cover the world. It looks like a sea flowing away into the distance on an alien planet. The best part of Dillingham is that unlike other areas in Alaska, we have trees!

2006: Looking Good

This year is looking good so far. We have had mild weather in Dillingham and it looks like it will continue to snow little by little, hopefully giving us better snow-go weather.
Phillip and I are busy and happy with our lives, and supporting each other in some serious new year resolutions. Last night we played the longest game of Skip-Bo in history, thus ruining our enjoyment of the game. The neighbor has acquired a new electric guitar and amp and gives us a taste of his practice session every night through the wall. Phillip has accepted the noise challenge and plans to move his 1400 watt sound system in tonight. If you call me on the phone in the near future and I cannot hear you - you will know why.