Beth and I were thinking at the exact same time tonight that we needed to update our blog.  WOW!!  My mother frequently reminds me that an update would be nice and quite recently Beth's mother also queried about a new post. So, without further ado...

We are definitely in the throes of winter.  While we have seen as low as -29 degrees so far, today hit a sultry 35 degrees above zero! Unfortunately, the wind has been blowing quite hard, and with the snow, we have been under white-out conditions much of the day.  Fortunately, our home is across the parking lot from the store so cold or wind or snow really should not affect us so much.

The bigger problem, is that with winter weather, we become quite the arid climate.  Now, do not be fooled.  We are not a frozen tundra here in Aniak.  We are on an island, for Pete's sake, surrounded comfortably by the Kuskokwim and Aniak Rivers.  But we are definitely dry and with cold, dry temperatures...ITCHY!!  We moisturize (as one friend phrases it) but there are times it seems to be little help.  Pant pockets rub against thighs.  Socks rub against shins.  Long sleeves rub against forearms.  Do not even get me started on my back!  After living in coastal North Carolina for four years I never thought I would long for humidity, but...must...stop...scratching!

Weather is a big factor up here but it impacts differently than what we have been used to in the lower forty-eight.  Our store sells four-wheeler's and snow machines (not called snow mobiles here).  When we have one delivered by plane I must pick it up at the airport.  Since I did not ride either of these every where I went in the lower forty-eight, my skills are, well, less than up to par.  The locals find it quite humorous when they see my riding one.

Fur is quite acceptable up here.  If you are seen about town sporting anything with fur you are considered practical and comfortable.  No one is apt to throw paint all over you.  Beth is currently the proud owner of a beaver hat, seal mittens and some wolf/beaver/rabbit boots (though she did pass those on to our daughter Miranda...more on her later).  A local is currently making beaver mittens for Beth for when she goes snow machining.  The winter hat I sport I bought while still in North Carolina and looks like it came out of the movie "Grumpy Old Men".

Alaska is unique in its heritage.  Part Eskimo(yu'pik here) and part Russian.  The names associated with this area are...fun.  How about these first names?
Seraphine
Olinka
Goosma
Agrafenia
Darcilla
Crim.
Just to name a few.  Last names range from simple American sounding names to fun sounding Russian names.

We are just having a blast up here.  More later.  Thanks for following.

Mark

What Does It Mean In Aniak?

Our daughter, Miranda, has announced her impressive quest to learn additional languages (in addition to Spanish and Latin).  But I think that Beth and I have her beat.  We are still trying to master native Alaskan!  Of course, I do not mean Yu'pik.  That is a language spoken by a few of the locals and sounds a lot like a cross between German and...something else.  Many people worldwide have the impression that all Alaskans probably sound like Sarah Palin, but in reality, that sounds more Minnesotan.  The locals here in Aniak and surrounding ares speak with an accent that sounds a little northern plains and a little Asian.

Now, we all have our way to say certain things.  But let me educate ya'll (did you like that one?) on some of the interesting ways that folks in the YK delta (Yukon-Kuskokwim) say it...

The Kuskokwim River with snow on the Russian Mtns in summer

We had an employee that did not show up for work one day, and while that is not real strange in and of itself, his brother showed up at the store the next day and told us our employee was on vacation!  WHAT?!?  
Now, I had heard that one before...Oh yeah, there was the business owner who had just returned from "vacation" just before we had arrived here in Aniak.  Now I remember..."vacation" means you are in jail!  So now I need to be careful when I ask Beth where she might like to go for vacation next year.  I do not want her to get the wrong impression.

I had never heard this next one before but it kind of makes sense:  "Can I get a half-rack?"  I always thought that was in reference to baby back pork ribs but here it refers to a twelve pack.  Or how about "I will trade you a jug for...".  Of course that one unfortunately refers to a bottle of R & R whiskey.

But the best ones I have been exposed to a lot recently have taken me a while to figure out.  These two really go together and sometimes you might even hear them uttered back-to-back.  "Where you are going?"  and "What you are doing?"  Try saying those two with that slight northern plains mixed with Asian.  Short tangent here...

I had the misfortune of taking second semester sophomore English in high school due to bringing home a D from the first attempt.  I think my parents were a little surprised by my lack of understanding the only language that was spoken in our home. But, I, even I, understand that something is amiss in the way these questions are phrased.

No, I am not moose hunting...I do not need the meat.

Now, just so you understand, lately those two questions are followed by "moose hunting" and "up the Aniak".  So at least everyone understands the question even though they re phrased a little strangely.

Lastly, the village favorite is still what follows after you have teased someone..."I joke, I lie".

No joke...that is snow on the Russian Mtns!!!

We are becoming multilingual in Aniak, Alaska!

What's going on in your town?

I think one of the best ways to get to know your town, city, or village is to pay attention to the community bulletin boards that are available in entry ways and common areas.  You can really see what is going on for the community, what is for sale, what is lost, what is found, and what matters to the general population.

At our store we have such a board.  Anyone can come in and post whatever they deem important.  It is common to see one, two, even four people standing there reading all the notices.  I find it interesting and I thought I would share some of the notices with you......

Remember to just bring CASH to Bingo!

We do not have 911 service in our village, we have these long phone numbers instead

Iditarod or Bust!   Don't hear that one too often!  I hope he makes it there!

Recycling is important....even way out here!



Next time you come across a community board, take time to look, you may be surprised at how much it tells about the community in which you live!

Beth

4 months in.....

Our village 4th of July celebration

Sometimes it seems as if we have been here for years, other times it is as if we just arrived.  When we first stepped foot in this village, winter was still upon us.  We have experienced break up, spring, the very short summer season (people still wear hats, coats, and occasionally gloves) and now we are noticing the midnight sun is not so bright anymore.

Through sad circumstances we have been offered the opportunity to stay in this Village and manage the store.  I am thrilled to have been promoted, thrilled for the chance to make an impact, sad for how it came about.  One of our training managers passed away unexpectedly.  It is hard to feel joy when the opportunity is linked with sorrow.

Miranda and the Atlantic

I have noticed that I do not feel so homesick. I do miss the ocean and the salty breezes.  I also feel the tug of missing my daughter and wanting to still be the constant parent.  I know she is grown up, on her own, and happy.  I miss being a mom with that daily presence in her life.

One of the things that has made staying more permanent is Mark and I are batting around the idea of getting a puppy.  A village mutt that will help us set down some roots and feel more at home.  It is easy to forget that the rest of the world still exists outside of the village.  Everything here is so contained and so small.  The road only goes so far, you are going to see the same people everyday no matter what, and these are the people that will stand by anyone in the village when the chips fall.

New hat for winter

 Most of the chatter these days is about fishing, berry picking, weddings, upcoming births, and memorial feeds. It has been interesting to see the folks work towards getting ready for winter: smoking fish, canning fish and berries. The focus of life here is different than where we are from. It is about food for winter, warmth for the season, and family ties.  It is easy to be unconcerned about what is happening in the lower 48 and to forget to read the news.  I keep thinking that I should get to town (Anchorage) for a couple of days, but the idea falls by the wayside with life here.  I do not miss the traffic, police sirens, and large amounts of people.  Go figure, the only things I really miss from town are good cheeseburgers and iced coffee.

I like the village life. I like the quietness of the evening.  I like the sound of the howling sled dogs down the way as night sets on.  I like seeing the same folks everyday.  I have come out of my shell and have become someone I used to know, talkative, friendly, caring, and happy.  So, welcome home and welcome back Beth!

 

Yakutat and Beyond

Yakutat is NOTHING at all like Aniak.  Where Aniak is 2/3 native (and that is Yup'ik/Athabascan), Yakutat is only 1/3 native (Tlingit).  Here in the town of Yakutat the roads are paved.  And in the borough of Yakutat we could actually drive up to 30 miles away on a pretty decent gravel road.  There is some subsistence living here but not to the same extent as in Aniak.

Beth checking the view on the 30 mile gravel road

Yakutat seems to be a little bit more of a tourist attraction.  We have met folks from Washington, Idaho and California who are up here for the fishing.  Halibut are a big draw out on Yakutat Bay and into the Gulf of Alaska.  Trolling in the bay will net plenty of sockeye, some reds and very, very few kings.  The king population seems to be rather scarce due to either over fishing or just late arrival (perhaps they are on a different schedule this year).

The work for Beth and I has been going fine.  It is definitely different here in the big "city" as compared to out "in the bush" but we are adapting here after our first week and have a little less than two weeks left in Yakutat.

It is the exploring of this area that really has us excited.  We have been over to the Gulf of Alaska to watch some of the best surfing waves on the Pacific Ocean.

Also out by the beach, we have been in awe as we watched a small group of eagles soaring from the tall pine trees out over the water.  

Mark on the bridge over the Anuak Salt-chucks
Salt-chucks have been a fascinating sight and have captured our attention much the same we were enthralled with the salt marshes of coastal North Carolina.  

Best view ever...Harlequin Lake

Glacial ice is everything we heard it would be: majestic, blue and BIG.  The waters fed by these monstrosities have the most peculiar blue/green color.  The rivers are cold, clear and tasty and while not teeming with salmon, we are hopeful that we will see some before we depart this area.

Moose track

Wildlife is the only thing really missing from our short visit to SE Alaska...so far.  

Eagle talon track

We see traces of many animals but to date the only ground creature we have seen was a rabbit hopping across the road in front of us.  We will keep you posted when we finally see a bear.


Mark 

Things To Do In Aniak

Happy Arrival

Our daughter, Miranda, came to visit this last weekend out here in the bush.  She discovered the joys of a one way 5,000 mile trip.  And lest she had the notion that there was nothing to do "way out here",  Beth and I showed her ALL the sights.

It all started with her arrival at the airport, ANI.  Those are the call letters for our one runway strong extravagance of an airport in Aniak.  Though actually the real eye opener took place at the ultra modern baggage claim when the fork lift pulled up outside with everyone's luggage piled into a big bucket.  How quaint.

Baggage Claim

With that excitement out of the way we proceeded to show Miranda most of the sights...on foot.  We pretty much walk wherever we go.  We had a truck at our disposal but once you have ridden our pot-holed dirt roads, and have your internal organs jumbled enough, you will agree with us that God gave us feet for a very good reason.  So, walk, we did.

Miranda and Beth above the Kuskokwim  River

Miranda in charge of fish cleaning

Yes!  $7.14/gallon!

We walked along the river a lot.  It is prettier than walking "in town".  We saw...some of the ice that still has NOT melted from the break-up one month ago;  a fish cleaning platform that is till being built (the kings should start running any day now);  a float plane on the river;  the high price of gasoline in the village;  a cow moose track along with two of her calves and finally, said mamma moose wandering through town!

Moose on the loose

The last day she was here we braved the roads and drove the truck all around.  I started our trek with 1/8th of a tank of gas and pretty much finished with the same amount (though we actually did cover quite a bit of ground).  We saw such sites as...Roger towing a boat with a four-wheeler;  the quarry (we saw a bull moose in the woods but could not get a picture);  Aniak High School (the Half Breeds);  the dump ( I am not posting any of those pictures) 

Proud papa!

 and made one final stop at the shooting range where Miranda fired off some rounds of 30-06 on my Winchester 700!

Aniak By The Numbers

I, Mark, exceeded the speed limit the other day.  And I must confess...I tried to go fast.  The store had ordered (2)  4-wheelers and when they arrived at the airport, well, someone had to volunteer to bring them over to the store.  The first trek I was a little tentative.  But by the 2nd journey I was primed and ready.  Zooming around the perimeter of the airport I actually hit 28 miles an hour!  Incredible, right?!? 

As if we need speed limit signs

So far I have only noticed 2 speed limit signs.  There is 1 right around from the store on a side residential road with access to the river.  The posted sign states a 15 mph limit.  Out on the road that circles the airport on the west end (where there is one of the 3 stop signs in Aniak...we also have 1 yield sign) the posted speed limit is 25 mph.  I drove to the dump yesterday, and because my load in the back of the truck was a little unstable, I never exceeded 15 mph.  And this is the "norm".  Due to the fact that there are not any paved roads in Aniak, the place is quite dusty.  So people try to keep their speed down in order to keep dirt in its place...on the road.

Heading home across the slough

2 days ago I drove 2 family groups down to the river to deliver them and their groceries to their boats.  I was hauling 7 large boxes of goods, 2 women and 2 children in the cab of the truck and 1 man, 1 woman and two children in the bed with the goods.  I had to drive down a steep river bank where there is a "road" that runs along the river when the level is low.  It was full of bumps and holes and in some places was quite muddy...deep mud.  But I did not lose a single package or person.

Just wait...I'll capture a pic with multiple riders

Often times customers arrive at the store by vehicle.  Some arrive by truck and if the family group is large it is not uncommon to see some of them sitting or even standing in the bed of the truck (remember..no one drives very fast...no seat belts are used and in fact, most do not even possess a drivers license...they do not issue them in the bush).  But a large majority arrive at the store on a 4-wheeler.  Sometimes it will be just 1 person but more often the case it is numerous people.  I have seen up to 6 on a 4-wheeler at one time.  This usually involves at least 1 child sitting in front of the handle bars and 2 or 3 more hanging onto the back in some sort and direction.

I took my new rifle out to the range to get comfortable with it and decided that no grizzly bear stands a chance with me.  I only fired 4 times.  I did not hit anything in particular but the back end of that range is quite fearful of me at this time.


Now that is what I am talking about!

Well, that is all I have at this time with Aniak by the Numbers.  See you soon.



Mark

It Is Spring...Again!!!

Spring has finally sprung out here in the "bush".  Fortunately for Beth and I, it is our third spring this year.  You see, before we left North Carolina for Alaska, spring had arrived.  We had the grass turning green, the trees bursting forth with leaves and all sorts of things popping up out of the ground. 



Cherry tree blossoms in North Carolina

Oh yeah, and the bugs.  And in North Carolina those bugs get real excited about spring! 

When we were in Anchorage during the middle of this month, we got to see spring arrive again.  On the day that we drove up to Denali the trees were just beginning to show some signs of life.

Since our little day trip up Parks Highway toward Fairbanks went longer than we had planned (ask me about our "day" trip to Canada from Menahga, MN sometime), we arrived back in Anchorage at about 8 pm to trees that had popped out all their leaves!




Birch with leaves outside Wasilla

Now, finally, the same thing is happening out here in Aniak.  The pine trees stay mostly green all the time but the birch trees are in full array with all their beautiful green leaves just coming out.  I am sure it will look even more beautiful later in the summer when everything gets real green but for now we are simply enjoying our third spring of this year.  Thank you very much.



Sunset, taken at midnight.

Along with spring comes the realization of one of the Alaska nicknames for the state being "Land of the Midnight Sun".  We really do not have much darkness here right now.  Sunrise is around 5 am and sunset is around midnight.  But the sun roughly rises in the extreme northeast, makes a sweeping arc to the south and then sets in the extreme northwest.  It might get a little dark between two and three in the morning but I am not up too often in order to verify that myth.  In Anchorage they actually have a Midnight Sun Softball League where games do not start until 10:30 at night.  No ball park lighting necessary.



Another sign of spring here in Aniak is our grocery delivery system.  In the winter, many customers phone the store with their grocery order.  We box it all up and then drive it over to the airport where bush pilots then fly these groceries out to the these "more remote" villages.  NOW, however, since the river is open, people simply hop in their boats and come up or down river to Aniak to shop at our store.  Some customers who make frequent trips to the bustling metropolis of Aniak leave a four-wheeler near the river for when they come to town.  But for others, they must walk to the store (the store is only the equivalent of one city block from the river).  So, when they are finished shopping we drive them back to their boat on the river.  Incredible.  But that is life out here...in THIS spring.

Beth ready for spring!

Mark

Breaking Up...In NOT So Hard To Do

"It was so slow...it was like watching grass grow".  "It was so boring...it was like watching paint dry".  I am sure you all have heard these sayings but believe it or not when I tell you that watching and waiting for the ice to break up on the Kuskokwim river has been more fascinating and exciting than I thought possible.  Well, maybe not REAL exciting but definitely fascinating.

The average date for break up is May 7th, so prior to that date people start driving trucks, 4-wheelers, snow machines and bicycles to the banks of the river to observe its progress.

Just watching the river

 It starts with a little bit of open water between all the ice...


little bit of open water

progresses to big chunks moving down river...




big chunks and "pans" the size of houses!

to just one big o' ice jam...

Ice chunks on the road

which is what ever fears the most.  You see when the river jams with ice and the water stops flowing, then it flows over the banks and floods the town. 

Fortunately that did not happen this year and the ice is now all gone off the river and there is only a few feet wide of ice chunks remaining on the river banks.  So, I guess we could say that we had a good break up.  Not everyone can say that...right?

Russian Mtns. with new snow in front of a mostly clear Kuskokwim River

On another note I must confess my utter fascination with children driving four-wheelers. 
It is quite common and sometimes you might see a 10-year old driving and two younger ones riding along.  Just cracks me up.  I keep trying to capture them on camera but the little buggers are just too fast sometimes.










Finally, Beth and I are taking a mini/urgent vacation/medical trip to Anchorage tomorrow through Sunday for me to have semi-emergency surgery for a hernia.  Thank you for praying for us.

Mark

Time in the Village

The other day one of our staff asked about the pace of her work day, "Can this day go any slower?".  Well, that was an easy one for me so I stepped in with some smart alecky comments about the precise rotation of the earth...blah, blah, blah.  But to be perfectly honest, time up here in Alaska in a remote village does seem to be a little off kilter.  Let me explain.

First, there is native time.  If it is said that church starts at 10:30 in the morning...that just means that coffee is started at that time and the actual service may get started somewhere close to 11:00.  If one of our employees is slated to begin work at noon, perhaps they just thought of that as a suggestion and 12:30 might be a better time.  Less predictable would be the arrival and departures at the local airport.  "The plane should leave in about 15 minutes or so"  is a common comment.  I mean, all the passengers are there, so we may as well leave sooner rather than later...right?  The only predictable time schedule is flight arrival since we all know that it is only a 22 minute flight from Kalskag to Aniak and the plane just left two minutes ago so I suppose the plane should be here in about twenty minutes.  You got all that?



Airstrip on the other side of the fence

Speaking of flying...that brings me (Mark) to the next time element.  Supplies for the store arrival time.  Sometimes we order things (GM, grocery, etc) and they arrive in a week,,,sometimes three weeks!  or longer!  And we do not know that the freight is arriving until we get a phone call from the airport telling us that they are "on the way with five pallets:  two freeze, one chill and two dry".  Of course we did have some inkling that freight might be arriving since we are ALL right next to the airport and you can definitely tell the difference between a small passenger puddle jumper plane and a quite large cargo plane that causes the whole village to rumble to the point that you wondered if we were having an earthquake!  On a brief side note...many customers phone in what is referred to as a "bush order" for groceries that we box up and take to the airport for transport to their village.  Neat, huh?  A little expensive too but that is how it works out here.

10:30 pm view over the Kuskokwim River

Finally, as you all are aware, daylight, or lack of it, is often an issue up here at 61 degrees north latitude.  I have lived as far south as

Whittier, ALASKA

 Whittier, CA (34 degrees north) and as far north as Menahga, MN (46 degrees north) and until now have not fully appreciated "time".  Here in Aniak I am learning about daylight.  For starters, we ALL understand Actual Time: Today, May 4th 2012, our sun rise was at 6:16 AM and sunset is scheduled for 10:54 PM.  16 hours and 38 minutes of "actual' daylight.  Then there is Civil Twilight.  You know, when the sun is no more than 6 degrees below the horizon at either sunrise or sunset.  For that, we have "civil" daylight from 5:15 AM to 11:56 PM.  That is right, 18 hours and 41 minutes of light in the sky where one should be able to carry on normal outside activities.  Finally, there is Nautical Twilight.  This is when the sun is 6 to 12 degrees below the horizon.  Today, we will have "nautical" daylight for 23 hours and 20 minutes...from 3:08 AM to 2:28 AM.  I happened to wake up at 4:30 this morning...and you guessed it, I was curious and sure enough it was a little light outside.  Needless to say, we DO have room darkening shades on the windows.

Thank you for hanging in there with me today.  I actually have more to write but this has been lengthy already so I will tune in again another day...soon.  Seeing how today is a Star Wars Day, I have some information about Chewey that you might find interesting.



Mark

Life in the "Bush"

I (Mark) need to share a little of what is on my mind/heart:

Life here in the village of Aniak, Alaska (also referred to as being "out in the bush") is different from most other places that we have lived. 


On the Kuskokwim River

If you have a limited imagination, then you would be hard pressed to find much to do during your spare time.  Do not get me wrong, this is such a beautiful place full of opportunities for activities such as boating, fishing, four-wheeling, hiking, hunting and snow machining.


Hiking along with "big white dog"

Unfortunately, many people are not so creative.  Out here in the bush, drinking and drug abuse are wide spread.  Abuse and violence are common against both humans and critters.  Often times there seems to be very little that is valued. 


Common site

Vehicles, dwellings and even personal hygiene/care/appearance are neglected.  Much to our dismay, these things have hit close to home (work) this week with abuse and even a suicide.  It breaks our hearts.  It saddens us to see so little value placed on the richness that God provides.


Small mountains in Alaska

 We are thankful that God has brought us to so rich a place and we pray that we would be found faithful in being good stewards of His goodness.