Beachcombers...

"Bluegrass has brought more people together and made more friends
than any music in the world."
~Bill Monroe

We started out our Friday under a severe weather warning continued through it with the lights going out at the school in the middle of the wrestling team's spaghetti feed fundraiser taking place in our cafeteria/gymnasium. As far as I could see (which wasn't very) nobody even batted an eye, they just flipped open cell phones, turned on the flashlights and proceeded to eat. Later was the musical at the church where anyone can sign up to sing anything from traditional hymns to contemporary christian. Some songs are in English, others in Yupik. It is like an open mic night for God at church."Will the Circle be Unbroken" bluegrass style was our choice of song! Our little singing group consisted of Mary, Mary, Kathy, Dora, Renae, Larry, Me, Mac on the guitar and John on Banjo! What fun there must have been at least 20 some songs belted out by all kinds of people from the community for a few hours. There is always someone who preaches a message, someone who announces songs/singers and a band made up of a several guitarists and an organ player. This is what we do on a Friday night in Quin and you can't help but smile. We are having a big Youth Singspiration next weekend in Quinhagak too. As I understand, it is a pretty big deal. Youth groups from neighboring villages come to Quin to take part in it. These kind of sing a longs/fellowships are very popular up here. Caught up with Fannie, David, Emma and company after, stopped over for a visit. Of course when you go to Fannie's you always, ALWAYS leave with a full stomach whether you arrived with one or not;) She sent me out the door with a loaf of fresh bread that she made. (Quyana Fannie!) It tastes just like my favorite buns that Gram makes. Did I mention that Pauline, a colleague of mine made the yummiest cranberry jam and graciously gave me a jar (Quyana Pauline). Coincidence? I think not. Feasting on bread and jelly was part of my evening;) No worries, Sherry and I started the P90X workout program last week. Ouch! It lives up to every bit of the infomercial's proclamations. There's your next Dare Rope #5 - Try P90X. Thankfully our weather warning panned out as mere 45 mile an hour winds last night, thus far no major flooding. Today, Saturday, Jim, Steph and I had a try at beach combing despite the wind/rain/sleet. Aside: does anyone else remember that old sitcom called "Beachcombers". It aired on our one Canadian channel back when my bros and I used to fight over what 30 minute TV program we would watch. I vaguely remember it. So on our way down the beach while poor Jim was driving the 4 wheeler and being pelted by driving rain, Steph and I sat backwards enjoying the view of this double rainbow. Again, remember we just had a flood warning....coincidence? I think not:) Reminder from God. Anyway, we were in search of prehistoric treasures like mammoth teeth, tusks or I don't know... I was hoping for a toe nail maybe.... Unfortunately the discoveries were limited to several "ancient" 12 gauge casings and a shot up thermos. Although skunked in the mammoth department I managed collect a bagful of rocks. They're pretty. Really, promise. It was kinda like shopping but different...

P.S. Thanks Mum for the 'trees' in the mail this week.

"MAKE A joyful noise to the Lord, all you lands!"
~Psalm 100:1

Blowing in From the North

The trouble with weather forecasting is that it's right too often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on it. ~Patrick Young

KUSKOKWIM DELTA-

507 AM AKDT FRI OCT 9 2009

...COASTAL FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH

SATURDAY AFTERNOON FROM GOODNEWS BAY TO TOKSOOK BAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ANCHORAGE HAS ISSUED A COASTAL

FLOOD WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH

SATURDAY AFTERNOON.(Winds are already howling in.)

A STRONG AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE INTO THE EASTERN BERING

OVERNIGHT FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY. STRONG SOUTH WINDS WITH THIS

SYSTEM MAY PRODUCE A 2 TO 4 FT SURGE ABOVE MAXIMUM ASTRONOMICAL

TIDE ON SATURDAY BETWEEN GOODNEWS BAY AND TOKSOOK BAY.
(We are located between Goodnews and Toksook)
MINOR FLOODING IS POSSIBLE DURING THIS EVENT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A COASTAL FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS FAVORABLE FOR

FLOODING ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP. COASTAL RESIDENTS SHOULD BE

ALERT FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS...AND TAKE ACTION TO

PROTECT PROPERTY. (Stay tuned and we'd appreciate prayers, so much for our camping trip upriver this weekend.)

"I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth." ~Genesis 9:11

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

"So what we've decided to do is set you up in Cicely, situated in an area that we Alaskans refer to as The Alaskan Riviera." ~Pete Gilliam on where they were sending Dr. Joel Fleishman
(Northern Exposure)

A friend asked a few questions about Quin so I thought I'd answer them for everybody. Thanks for the prompts Kris:)

A great, recently published article that I highly recommend reading if you are interested in the local issues in this area is called: Rural Alaska: Problems and Solutions. If I were you I would download the PFD so you can also see the pictures. It's quite profound and informative.

What is it like living in the tundra?

It's an adventure of course! Bring your mudboots.

Tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra means "uplands, treeless mountain tract."In tundra, the vegetation is composed of dwarf shrubs, sedges and grasses, mosses, and lichens. Scattered trees grow in some tundra.

The word "tundra" usually refers only to the areas where the subsoil is permafrost, or permanently frozen soil. The Arctic tundra is a vast area of stark landscape and is frozen for much of the year. The soil there is frozen from 9.8–35.4 inches down, and it is impossible for trees to grow. Instead, bare and sometimes rocky land can only support low growing plants such as moss, heath, and lichen. There are two main seasons, winter and summer, in the polar tundra areas. During the winter it is very cold and dark, with the average temperature around -18.4-40°F, sometimes dipping as low as -58 - 70°F. During the summer, temperatures rise somewhat, and the top layer of the permafrost melts, leaving the ground very soggy. The tundra is covered in marshes, lakes, bogs and streams during the warm months. Generally daytime temperatures during the summer rise to about 54-80°F but can often drop to 37-60°F or even below freezing.

The tundra is a very windy area, with winds often blowing upwards of 30–60 miles an hour. However, in terms of precipitation, it is desert-like, with only about 6–10 inches falling per year (the summer is typically the season of maximum precipitation). During the summer, the permafrost thaws just enough to let plants grow and reproduce, but because the ground below this is frozen, the water cannot sink any lower, and so the water forms the lakes and marshes found during the summer months. Although precipitation is light, evaporation is also relatively minimal.

Would you share about the homes in Quinagak?

HOMES
Because of the permafrost (snow melting only a small layer of earth) houses cannot be built on the ground. The heat from the buildings would melt the frozen ground and the buildings would start to sink. Buildings must be on stilts, about a meter off the ground. Building houses is expensive because the materials have to be brought from the south. Homes must be well built to keep out the cold winds. It costs more to heat a home here. Sometimes during a winter storm, houses become covered with snow.

What do they do to keep the roads in shape?

Just today I while I was walking home from school they were grading the gravel road with some pretty serious heavy equipment. I know in the spring they have heavy flooding which causes many roads to wash out and be in need of repair during the summer when the flooding subsides. In Quinhagak we are fortunate to have gravel beds from the Kanektok River only a mile out of town so we can haul gravel to repair road damage. No need to worry about pavement cracking, that's a point for the gravel roads.

How far are the mountains from the village?

The mountains while beautiful when the clouds allow visibility are basically inaccessible unless one has a jet boat, a four wheeler, a 'snow go' or plane and a free weekend. They are 15 miles as the crow flies and only increase mileage, if you go by the streams and waterways winding across tundra. Translation: I can't get to them with out the assistance of someone who has a more evolved form of transportation other than the human feet;)

Shout out to all my friends and family with new baby girls! Lily Anna, Rachel Emily and Lydia Christine:) Congratulations and Sufficient Sleeping Wishes to you all!

Have a great weekend everyone!

"You can't find firm footing in a swamp (tundra;),
but life rooted in God stands firm."

~Proverbs 12:3

Walking in the Dark

"When it's dark enough, you can see the stars."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

When I lived on main street Hayward I left for school at 7:40 am. Daily I would run out my front door, down the flight of 20 steps, fling open the door of my yellow (yes, you read it right I had a yellow) car, fumble with the keys, turn, start and sprint back up to the warmth of my apartment where I would wrap myself in a blanket for 15 minutes to regain the recent 30 seconds of heat loss, while my car warmed up, then I'd head to work. When I lived in my house in Hayward I would again leave for school at 7:40 am. Daily I would walk into my heated garage, climb in to the warm car, hit the door opener, drive to Gram and Grampa's, leave my car running while I visited for 10 minutes then hop back in my toasty car and comfortably zoom off to school never really having to face the frigid temps. Now I live in my house in Quinhagak, Alaska. Daily I pull on my layers, boots, hat, pashmina, you name it, grit my teeth, open the door, hold my breath and step out into the clutches of the morning freeze. At 7:40 am I commence walking. Its dark when I leave my house. As I walk into the cold darkness it feels more like I'm headed out to a deer stand than to work. I walk that mile trip to school along the gravel main street as four wheelers pass by me, carrying students and teachers alike to school.We don't have buses in Quin. Either the kids walk or they are dropped off by their parents on four wheelers aka 'hondas'. As I near the school I notice the fine art of the 'Honda Dismount' technique. Done correctly one need not ever stop the moving ATV. The expert driver simply passes by the front steps of the school and slows just enough for all riders to comfortably and seemingly safely 'dismount'. The riders don't even miss a step, flawlessly executing a fluid leap off the 'honda', up the steps and through the school doors. This morning's performance was no exception I was in awe, the whole scene was like a dance. Of course my brain is always trying to make things connect in weird ways and it took me back to my horse showing days. I'll try to explain my thinking, I should just stop there, but you don't have to keep reading so I'm just going to keep explaining anyway. This was an event which happened to be my personal favorite called Rescue Race. In this race a person on horseback runs into the arena and picks up (rescues) a person standing on the ground at the opposite end of the arena. The object is to do this as fast as possible and not cause the horse to ever have to slow down. Super fun anyway, Rescue Race was a 'pick up' event and the 'Honda Dismount' is a drop off event but both attempt to keep the vehicle in constant motion. So that's the lastest from the tundra. Deep thoughts, by Rachel eh?

"...May God, our very own God,
continue to be with us just as he was with our ancestors—
may he never give up and walk out on us.
May he keep us centered and devoted to him,
following the life path he has cleared, watching the signposts,
walking at the pace and rhythms he laid down for our ancestors."
~1 Kings 8:56

Runway Closed Down

"What a time we had; splashed through bogs, ate like hogs, slept like logs."
~Northern Exposure

Well, Mike left Quinhagak on Saturday instead of Sunday when we found out that the 'runway' in Quin would be closed down today (Sunday). It was probably good it didn't give me time to get sad about him leaving. It has been nice to have a friend around. No one really ever figured out why the runway was closed, at least from what I have heard.... hope it wasn't a terroristic threat anything... When flying into Quin it appears that you are landing in the middle of the tundra, well I guess you are but because our runway is so far out of town it seems like it truly is in the middle of the tundra, which it is but....okay never mind I'm not going to be able to pull that one together. Our runway here is gravel and about a 1/2 mile long. A small house sits near it that no one ever goes into that I've seen yet, so I'm not sure what it's purpose is, maybe an airport? Or maybe it's a sort of warming shack in winter?? Back home we had warming shacks at the outdoor ice skating rinks. We'd lace up our skates with the help of Dad who inevitably tightened them enough to cut off all circulation, that in combination with the frigid temps outside made a few quick laps around the rink all our tiny feet could handle before making a bee line back to the warming shack, howling all the way for Dad to "Loosen My Skates!!! My Feet are Froze!!!" Aside: Dad, why did you only take us skating when it was -30? Sorry, I digress... back to the present, our runway is set about 3 miles from town (remember we don't have a lot of roads so this is a looooong journey by road for us) which makes finding a ride out sometimes interesting but we have great couple here (Kevin and Lily) who work for the airlines (which we have 3 of that fly in and out from Bethel only). It then becomes Kevin and Lily's job to run all around the village picking up departing travelers and mail in their Ford Ranger, then transport them out to the plane. From there, they pick up people and mail arriving and transport them back to town. God bless them. Being the truck is a Ranger you often get to ride in the box, that is always a treat no matter how old you get. Here we go again this takes me back to childhood summers at Gram and Grampa's farm, all of us cousins riding in the back of Uncle Jeff's old white pick-up out to Hayes Lake to go swimming and cool off on hot summer days. As kids we always thought that Uncle Jeff and Auntie Peggy were finally taking us to "Hayes" because of our relentless begging which we managed to keep up all day long "Can we go to Hayes Lake? Can we go to Hayes Lake? etc." However, older now and well... I like to think at least a little bit wiser, I appreciate it wasn't so much due to our wearing them down as it was strategy on their part, a sort of streamlining the bedtime routine. As evening neared they would, at last, load the whole lot of us- sweaty and filthy from running all over tarnation- through horse pastures, hay fields and gravel pits the whole day long in to the box of the pick-up and cart us off to our desired destination. What a treat to ride along, wind in our matted dusty hair and dirt streaked faces, giggling about the day's adventures. With this evening trip to our beloved Hayes Lake voila' we were, in a few short hours bathed and thoroughly worn out, sleep came easy. Smart move on the grown up end. Don't think I don't have that trick tucked away for future use. Again back to the here and now...hum, on second thought, come winter I might revoke that whole fun-ness idea about riding in the box of the truck.... Anyway, once at the 'runway' appropriate etiquette ensures that you help unload the plane and load up the truck before boarding. Generally you call Kevin and Lily at their home to ask when your flight will be in. There are exact times posted but those are really just estimations dependent on weather and now I guess, if the runway is actually open that day?? We had to call them and get him switched to a flight out Saturday. Thankfully they are really good about getting you on a plane at some point that works. He had time to pack up his gear, say good byes to the neighborhood, and take one last hike to the beach where he left this message to be washed away in the tide:

I'll miss Mike it was fun to have him here. Thanks for joining us in Quinhagak, Alaska, Mike. Please give my best and hugs to everyone back home. And to the rest of you...

"Try hard to get here before winter;)...and all your friends here send greetings. God be with you. Grace be with you." 2 Timothy 4:21-22

Quinhagak's True Beauty (Posting Written By Mike)

"The simplest things are often the truest." ~Richard Bach Words such as tundra, Bering Sea, remote village, distant mountains, grizzly bear, caribou, salmon, bush planes, Yup'ik evoke such vivid images of adventure and grandeur in faraway, remote places that to actually see and experience this way of life in person is beyond my ability to absorb in the brief 3 week time that I am here in Alaska. So many times I have stood in awe of the beauty in front of me...whether it be the rich golds and reds of the autumn tundra, the panoramic views unimpeded by trees across the landscape, the vast expanse of the sea and its tidal shores, the surrounding mountains suddenly one morning shrouded in snow, the bright crimson of the salmon on their spawning run up river, the massive footprint of the brown bear, the ribbons of snakelike rivers and multitude of lakes as viewed from the air in a six-seater, the sunsets on the horizon of the Bering Sea...and I want to just continue standing there until I can somehow take it all in and make it a part of me, for I know I will be leaving this special place before long. As stunning and memorable as the sights are, it is the spirit of the people here that is the true beauty of the tundra...a gift that will continue to touch and teach me about what is the real meaning in life--that connection we have to each other...the opportunity to reach out to one another in gentle, supportive, loving ways and and realize that it is in giving that we receive and are blessed. Seeing this subsistence way of life in a village isolated on the Bering sea where river, ocean, and tundra are its lifeblood, and has been for generations, exhorts me to simplify my own life and appreciate my connection to the natural world and especially to the people closest to me--my family and friends. The children of this village are such a joy...they elicit my playful spirit as we walk down the road or share stories and healthy snacks at Rachel's when they come knocking at her door. And they are why Rachel is here in Quinhagak....I honor her for the leap of faith she has taken in coming here and am glad to see and feel the community of support she has found in her colleagues and the families who live here. She is making a difference in the lives of those she touches through her own skills as a teacher and as a caring individual. I have her to thank for the opportunity to experience living in this community, as well as the members of Quinhagak and the school for allowing me to share in their daily lives. Hiking with Rachel and her dog, Ani, to the sea, watching Northern Exposure together, eating bear and caribou for dinner, emptying the honey bucket, traveling up river with Jim and Steph, running in the Salmon Run and with Eric, spending time in Bethel with Anya and Rachel's cross country team, flying to Dillingham are just a few of the many special memories I will carry with me. It is the people of Quinhagak who will truly remain in my thoughts and prayers. I look forward to coming back someday and reconnecting with the true beauty of this tundra.

"A devout life does bring wealth, but it's the rich simplicity of being yourself before God. Since we entered the world penniless and will leave it penniless, if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that's enough." ~1 Timothy 6:6

A Record Number Turn Out for the Salmon Run

"We were born to unite with our fellow men, and to join in community with the human race." ~Cicero

Ready, set, GO!!! And they were off sprinting, jogging and power walking from the start in front of the school toward the old airport! Men, women and children of all ages making the trek, some for the fun of it, some for the race time but all to encourage healthy lifestyles for our community! Off they raced, 1/2 an hour earlier than scheduled to give them a head start on the ominous clouds that were marching on to us from the Bering Sea. Meteorologists had been threatening to put a kibosh to our 1st Annual Salmon Run all week then confirmed in last night's forecast that which we'd all been dreading...the front was moving in like it or not and would be arriving for our race! In a last minute decision to outwit Grandfather Winter Sheri made an announcement over the VHF to the whole village (it's like a scanner but everyone has a CB and can talk over it to everyone else at the same time) many people have them in their homes, "We are starting early, We are going to beat this storm!" And we did! Over 120 finishers braved the beginnings of this winter's first major storm complete with winds, rains and cold temps. As one of my runners so eloquently put it during a particularly nasty training run in the rain earlier this cross country season, "We don't care about rain, we don't care about cold, we can run in anything, WE'RE YU'PIK!" I thought it was a point well said. So today we had courageous finishers of all ages and sizes. The Top 3 Male Finishers were all from our Cross Country Team (they got medals, I was proud) and 2 of the 3 Top Female Finishers where affiliated to our CC Team- 1st place being my lone girl runner's mom (obviously the apple didn't fall far from the tree;) and 2nd was assistant Coach Steph who trained with us all season! Mike finished the 5k strong in a notable 24:40 good enough for 9th place out of 50 some runners! Meanwhile I was running my own race: getting pictures, handing out bibs, stuffing goodie bags, and hauling crying toddlers into the gym to wait for their parents to finish:) Sheri even more sprinting her own race: handing out goodie bags, orchestrating start/finish/awards, administering 1st aid to skinned knees of crying children (is there a theme here, I promise most participants were not crying, at least that I'm aware of) corralling children, making announcements, and doing it all with her 5 month old in a Baby Bjorn swaddled to her chest! She is an inspiration to us all. She organized this entire event! Kudos Sheri!!!! You Rock Girl! Something to aspire too. Meanwhile outside the school the starting line dream team of Principal/Dog Musher/Jack of all Trades Eric, Bear Hunter by Weekend/High School Teacher by Week Tim, Potential Ansel Adams Competitor Photographer/5th Grade Teacher Jim, and Local Video Store Owner and Operator Sammie was hard at work starting the race, recording times, and getting everything on film. Our wild west Georgian Speech Path, Kevin was flying around on some one's four wheeler directing participants on the route which was well posted by two of our cc runners I had recruited earlier in the afternoon and sent out to mark the course. Unfortunately I forgot I had assigned them this task and they got back about 5 minutes after the start since it had be moved up! Apologizing profusely we sent them off running before they even figured out what had just happened. In the end a good time was had by all! Operation Salmon Run is declared a success! We celebrated by playing the first of weekly Friday staff vs. students volleyball scrimmages (students won). We've already had inquires of when the race will be next year...start planning your trip now I'm certain slots will fill up quickly;)

Only in Bush Alaska....
...Can you be at school and over hear a student comment, "Do you have room on your four wheeler?... Just let me grab my lap top." Then later that evening look out your living room window and watch speech pathologist pack his gun into into his backpack secured to a four wheeler.
...Does standard professional attire mean a clean pair of carharts, the newest school pride sports hooded sweatshirt, and mud boots.
...Is a camping size back pack substituted for a briefcase.
...Can you talk on a cell phone while emptying your honey bucket.
...Can you watch satellite TV after you make a trip up river in your boat to collect dry wood so you can fire up your steam outside to bathe.
...Do you have to stay to the far side of the road from the tundra or be blinded by tundra dust sweeping in from the mountains no matter which way ATV traffic is headed.
...Is there truly a four wheeler rush hour
...Does everyone have a boat instead of a car
...Are there no roads coming into to town thus no roads going out of town unless you are in an airplane.
...Can you send a package from the lower 48 to any address and as long as the receiver's and village's name are on it, it will get where its supposed to go...example: I recently told the customer service rep. we ordered sweatshirts from (who was in Indiana or somewhere) that my address was "123 Honey Bucket Lane". The shirts arrived last week. Principal Eric prefers "1234 Salmon Rowe". People get bored and clever therefore addresses get more and more creative (there may very well be an ongoing unspoken competition happening) to the amusement of the postmaster;)
...Does the barge make its last trip into port for the season carrying all the village's fuel for winter and get stuck for several weeks when they try a "new channel" forgetting that the tide goes out (coast guard eventually rescued them so they wouldn't have to wait it out til spring)!
...Can you can travel all year round by snow machine aka"snow go". Apparently tundra is as navigable as snow (we watched several zoom by the other day leaving tundra flying every which way behind them).
...Does everyone notify each other when the store gets a new shipment of fresh produce in or anything else that's really cool.

Friday Night Fish Fry
It's Pine Ridge, It's Wayside, It's Angler's...Nope, it's my house!!!! Mike fried up the fish. I added tater tots and veggies. We had regular ole' fish fry, not just for Wisconsin anymore. We hiked out to the beach several evenings this week trying to seize the day and the light (remember it's fading fast) since Mike is scheduled to depart Sunday evening. Here are some candids of the latest tundra excursions.
Ani in Action Tearing Around the Tundra (his favorite thing to do)
Seriously this is so hilarious to watch. I let him off the leash (he's become very obedient at returning when I call so I trust him now to run free) and ZING! He's gone, faster than a speeding bullet, looking more like a dash hound than a husky:) Leaping over tundra mounds, flying in circles around me then whizzing by and general running all around like a mad dog! I laugh just watching him.

"So don't sit around on your hands! No more dragging your feet! Clear the path for long-distance runners so no one will trip and fall, so no one will step in a hole and sprain an ankle. Help each other out. And run for it!" Hebrews 12:12