Can't Keep Up!

Ugh!  I just can't seem to keep up with anything.  I start a million things and am lucky to finish one.  I don't think I've always been this way, but it seems to be getting worse.  So, here I am after a long enough time to make everyone lose interest.

New Year's Eve was interesting here.  A few of us in the office ended up taking a last-minute day trip to Noatak for a few work errands.  I took along a teddy bear mailed to me from a 1st grader in Georgia.  Their class was learning about national parks, and they all colored these bears and sent them to a park asking that they be taken on an adventure.  See the bear in the window?

I also got to go into several houses and meet some residents there.  (I had already been to Noatak on a school visit, but when I go to the school, I stay there and don't always meet people outside the school.)  We had some DVDs to pass out to folks who contributed stories to some listening stations in the exhibit.  One guy was pretty funny.  He spent part of his childhood in Texas, and he calls himself a Texkimo. 

I tried to capture a bit of how beautiful it is from the air this time of year, but a photo doesn't do it justice. This was on the trip home as the sun was sinking below the horizon. The colors are fabulous pastels. The dark areas you see are trees; otherwise the land's covered in snow and ice.

That night, after we got back, there were snowmachine races out on the ice of Kotzebue Sound around 9:00 PM, followed by fireworks at midnight.  The fireworks were nice.  The city of Kotzebue and a couple of businesses and/or organizations in town go all out with big, simultaneous shows this time of year since it's too light to enjoy them on the 4th of July.

The past few weeks have been busier than I was imagining.  As soon as school started (even before), I had teachers contacting me right and left for school programs.  Also, we now have an exhibit area where they can bring their classes, and I'm the one who is in charge of scheduling those groups and coming up with programs to do with them within the exhibit.  Add to that the web page work I was behind on, helping to staff a book store that's open all day every business day (used to be just during the summer), etc.  We do have a permanent Interpretive Ranger hired, but he won't be here until JULY! 

Last week was a challenge on the job...all of the office staff except for myself and a few others were out of town for a meeting.  Even with my school programs and THREE staff medical emergencies (hearts & gall bladders), we kept everything going.  Then, at the end of each day, with the coldest weather I've experienced so far, I had about an hour long routine to take care of dogs for some out-of-towners.  I had the sled dogs again and Gabby who got to come spend the night with me and Smoky (the cat was thrilled).  I still haven't donned the parka (have to save something for a cold snowmachine ride), but I was wearing quilted bib overalls the whole week.  My hands could tell a huge difference in gloves.  I liked the ones I borrowed while cleaning up and feeding the sled dogs; they kept my hands toasty.  They just looked like ordinary work gloves (lined with some fuzzy stuff and leather palms), Kinco brand I think.  There were two pairs, one fit a little loose, the other snugly.  Same kind of glove.  The loose-fitting ones kept me warm, but my hands got so cold in the snug ones that they ached.  So, it's all about air pockets!

Last week, the weekend, and even yesterday, we were measuring some low temps, around -30 F without wind chill at times.  Today it warmed up a little, and sure enough, there was a dusting of fresh snow on the ground.  No blizzards for a while.  I have a week and a half, then I'll be away from the weather for a month!  It'll be a nice break.

Christmas

Other than family being scattered in four directions, Christmas was good this year.  I had put up the tree for the first time in quite a few years (a few different reasons for that), and being closer than ever to the North Pole, I couldn't help but catch a festive spirit.  Here's a picture of what the place is looking like.

The weather was perfect for the day, not too cold, clear, little wind.  Having passed the winter solstice on 12/21, everyone was in good spirits knowing that more light is available every day.  Of course, we were never completely in the dark.  I haven't yet taken the time to figure out why during the summer there's about a month where the sun never goes down while in the winter, at least in this location, we're not completely in the dark.  I think the shortest day was just over 2 hours long.

The Hogans invited me over with some other folks for Christmas dinner.  They had lots of food already prepared, but when another lady and I were asking what we could bring, they mentioned a couple of items.  Would you believe that of all places, ice cream is on the menu for Christmas dinner here?  I've been told that Alaska is the state with the highest per capita ice cream consumption.  I believe it, too.  I decided to make homemade ice cream again, and every bit of it was eaten.  Everyone there said it was great...thanks for the recipe, Mom!

We had a good group of folks there, and we spent close to 12 hours eating, talking, playing games, eating again, and talking some more!  As I headed home arount 1:00 AM, I got my first glimpse of the northern lights.  They were very faint, and if someone hadn't pointed them out, I probably would have missed them altogether, but it was exciting to know that's what I was looking at.  They're usually visible in the wee hours of the morning, and since it was kind of a struggle to normalize my schedule here, I haven't been staying up to watch for them.  We're also in a low spot on the 11-year sun spot cycle which means less auroral activity.  I think we'll be set for more displays in about 3 or 4 years.

I don't have plans for New Year's Eve yet, but I've heard great things about fireworks in past years here.  Apparently they take the show out on the ice of Kotzebue Sound.  I've been told that because of the cold temperature the colors are very vibrant.  I haven't heard any announcements of fireworks for this year, but I'm hoping the tradition continues.  I have my mittens and scarf (thank you Mom & Dad) ready to go and have been looking for an excuse to walk out on the ice.

Hartford

I had every intention to keep posting while I was on the road, but when I got to the fancy-schmancy Marriott we stayed in for our conference, I found out they were charging almost $10/day to connect to the internet.  Yeah right!  There was one public computer which, of course, was always occupied.  In general, I was NOT impressed with the Marriott in downtown Hartford, and I definitely wouldn't pay to stay there on my own.  So, being removed from my routine and networking, I've fallen off the blogging wagon again.  I'll try to get back on!

The conference was for National Association for Interpretation.  It was pretty good.  I learned much more about what people in my position across the country actually do.  I met several NPS colleagues from the Alaska region.  Some of these people I had emailed and spoken with on the phone, so it was nice to put a face to them.  Very nice people over-all.  I stayed busy with the conference and didn't get a chance to check out anything about Hartford, but it was nice being in a place that feels connected to the rest of the world!

One day that week we got to go on a field trip.  We had to sign up for the one we wanted to take before the conference, and I selected mine one day way back while my boss read the descriptions over the phone to me so she could submit us for early registration.  I wasn't really sure what I'd be in for.  The theme was related to programs that accomplished their goals with a small budget and/or small staff.  We first went to a place owned by the CT Audubon Society at Milford Point.  It was nice to get outside, nice place, a few good ideas.  Then we went to the Yale campus to the Peabody Museum of Natural History.

Front exterior of Peabody Museum of Natural History

Mixed feeling about this part of the field trip.  The presentation about what they were doing with their interpretive program was good and gave me some good ideas.  The museum also had some cool exhibits.  It is, however, a private museum that is interpreted through the lens of evolution.  There was, in fact, a whole exhibit that was practically a shrine to evolutionists.  Unfortunate that such nice collections are used to indoctrinate scores of kids that visit. 

I did find a couple of things for you, Mom.  The first picture is a mummified cat (there was a small Egyptian exhibit).  The second is a bonnet.  It reminded me of yours, but I dare say this one took even more work!  Unfortunately, I didn't write down where it was from, and I already forgot.

First Storm

The first storm of the season blew in last night, and it is, indeed, all about the wind.  Perhaps being on the second floor causes me to be able to hear and feel it more, but it was pretty impressive waking up in the middle of the night to realize building vibrations from the wind were shaking the bed.  It felt like someone else was there just gently shaking on it.  In fact, I had a bit of a start when the electricity went out and came back on.  All at once the printer/scanner started rebooting, and with the bed moving at the same time I thought, just for a second, that someone was there!

Of course, being a holiday today, I was looking forward to getting out more than what I have, but it's given me a chance to see just what a storm is all about.  The winds today have been sustained anywhere from 30 to 40 mph with gusts to more than 50.  I know that with winds like this in Miami we would have been advised to stay inside.  I didn't know if people would stay inside here; there was much less movement since it was a holiday anyway.  This morning was more blustery than the afternoon, and all I saw were a couple of cars on the road.  I had wanted to go to the grocery store to get just a couple of things that I needed in order to use up some perishables I already had before leaving town next week, so I was glad when my neighbor said she would be up for walking there with me (it's time to stop using the ATV). 

It took about 15 minutes to get all my clothes on:  the t-shirt I had on, long sleeve t-shirt, fleece jacket, coat, glove liner, glove/mitten combo, balaclava, scarf, knit cap, snow goggles, long johns, flannel-lined jeans, poly sock liner, thick socks, boots.  I was, however, toasty-warm on the way there.  It wasn't as cold as it looked from the window.  It's gotten down to about -5 so far.  Today, with the snow, it was warmer -- up to 10.  But I thought the wind would make it icy.  (It must have been much colder in Noorvik the other day when I got off the plane because with the wind there it felt super cold.)  It was actually a very nice walk to the store.  It's the little things that make a difference.  The coat (I'm speaking in terms of "so far," I know I have much more to experience), doesn't make all that much of a difference.  You can layer up underneath it to stay warm.  Mittens, though, are much warmer than gloves.  The scarf is essential for covering mouth and nose that can feel the cold quickly.  I have to work on getting more scarves.  I'm using one Mom gave me when I went to work in Boise a couple of times one winter.  It works well, but it's a little short.  Long scarves are great because you have to pull on the ends occasionally to keep it snug around your face or neck.  Today, with blowing snow, goggles were the jackpot.  Without goggles, the cold and wind make you tear up and squint, and you just can't see anything. 

I did have on a few too many layers, though, or at least I should have taken more off at the store.  I was sweating by the time I checked out (maybe 15 minutes), and that's not a good thing.  It's a bit of a hassle keeping up with all the pieces.  I need an extra bag just to carry them all when not in use.

I did carry the camera today, and my neighbor got one photo.  Some didn't turn out well because the snow made big spots on the lens.  But here you have it -- the Michelin Man in blue!  This was about 4:30 p.m.

Light

I tried something new last night, and I like it.  Thanks for the idea, Mom.  We're now down to about 6.5 hours of daylight.  The sun isn't coming up until about 10:30 a.m.  I'm fine with that with the exception that it's a little more difficult to wake up.  With the right amount of sleep, I'm good at waking up more-or-less on my own without the jolt of an alarm clock.  However, I started to notice a while back that I was sleeping much later on the weekends than I would normally.  Part of it, I think, was still the odd hours of life here.  I got caught up during the summer of staying up with everyone else until the wee hours, and it just started this cycle of unusual sleep patterns.  Then throw on a bit of a busy schedule recently, and....  I think, though, the other part of it is that the light wakes me up naturally and gets me going.  Without the light, I would just fall asleep again if I happened to wake up.

Mom suggested plugging a lamp into a timer and setting it to turn on in the morning.  Yesterday the hardware store was having a 20% off of everything you could fit in a paper bag sale, so I got a timer and set it all up last night.  It will be a little tricky figuring out the precision of it.  The light came on a little later than I was hoping for this morning, but I think it made a big difference to open my eyes and see light.  I immediately felt like hopping up and getting my day started!  I think Smoky liked it too.  I found her curled up right next to me in the light.

I also took advantage of the sale to spring for a plant light.  I have a couple of plants that were given to me when I moved in, and I've been turning the pots round and round in the window for a while now.  They're leaning almost sideways, and the lack of light will soon take its toll on them.  I have a great spot for a plant light, so I got one.  Now, I will hopefully keep my plants, my cat, and myself happy and healthy all winter.

Last Day Until March

Yeah!!!  I'm not writing into empty space!  Thanks, Paul, for responding.  You may be the only person reading, but it's worth it anyway.  I actually had a dream about visiting you guys last night; I guess I'm just really looking forward to it.  I've been eagerly anticipating a picture of Nate!  Don't bother yourselves with trying to get a frame.  I can work on that when I leave town in a couple of weeks.  Mail it in something sturdy, though, and make "Don't bend" or something like that obvious; otherwise, they'll try to stuff it in my box.

Once again I had a packed day at the school -- 6 programs!  No time for lunch or the restroom!  Tomorrow will be my last day in a village school, I think, until March.  November is booked with office work, a conference in Connecticut, and a quick trip to Florida.  December includes a few programs in town in Kotzebue, then school's out for Christmas.  No one has signed up for January yet, so unless that changes...  February is full.  I'll have alsmost two weeks at the Grand Canyon for training, and I think I can swing a full two weeks for a trip to TX!!!!  March and April will be busy with four village school visits.  School is out the first week of May, but there will be a birding contest and summer season to get ready for.  Then, we start over again.  Whew, the whole year's mapped out -- I feel tired already. 

I got just about an hour to walk around today after school before it got dark.  I got a few pictures, and if they're any good, I'll try to post them when I get back to Kotz.  This is really a nice little town.  I walked across my first frozen pond today, about 200 meters across.  I have to admit that even though I saw people on the frozen river (which likely had less ice than this) and saw tracks across the pond, it was still a daunting feat for me.  I just always wonder just how thick the ice is and if it's really going to hold me up!  At first I could see the ground under the ice.  Then I saw lots of white blotches which, at first, I thought were plants or soil or something right underneath the ice.  However, I realized that they were just frosty bubbles on the bottom of the ice and that I was staring down into blackness, the depths of which I had no idea!  I felt like running at that point but talked myself into continuing along slowly.  I know this is something that even little kids feel comfortable with and take for granted here, but I had never walked on ice with liquid water below.  And this was just a pond.  I wonder how much I'll freak out when I walk or ride a snowmobile across part of the ocean in Kotzebue Sound!

On another note, I was dismayed today when I logged on and saw the news of the incident at Ft. Hood.  I read somewhere that Ft. Hood is the base with the most casualties in the war, and now this...  My heart aches for the families of the victims; another senseless act of violence.

Noorvik, Take 2

Yeah! I finally made it to Noorvik. The weather was fine today, just pretty windy, so no problems with the flight to the village. I just hope I can make it back on Friday. I'm hearing things about snowstorms moving in, and I read a Facebook update about one of the education rangers from Nome getting stuck in Wales on a visit due to a blizzard. The temperature actually came back up to the teens today, but with the wind when I got off the plane here, it felt mighty cold. It has been hovering around 0 for the past few days in Kotzebue.

So, I'm finally able to get online here at this school. Even though I have some preparation to do for tomorrow, it's nice to have a little distraction. This school is nice. I had actually been to Noorvik briefly back in July when I went to Camp Sivu for a week. We flew in here and then took a boat about an hour down the Noatak River. I didn't get to check out much then. I didn't see a whole lot this evening because I had to get back here and start heating up the medicinal oils the kids make today. The plants have to steep in oil for a few hours. Tomorrow they strain them and bottle the oil.

I did walk around for a little while, though. I also went to see some of the kids practicing Eskimo dance. It's kinda neat. The drums have a nice sound, and the dances are stories, usually about hunting, told with the motions of their hands. Apparently there had been no Eskimo dancing here for over 100 years, and the school just got it started up again. I don't know what the story is, probably something to do with the particular missionaries who came to work this area.

I also went down to the river which looks pretty well frozen over. I saw some people either checking or setting up a net. I'll try to get a picture of that tomorrow evening. It's interesting. I can't remember how they get the net in there in the first place, but there are two holes made in the ice, and the net is held on a stick in each hole, so the net is under the ice, across the river. It's just set up and left there for about a day. then they pull it in from one side, dump out the fish, and pull it back through the hole to set it for the next day.

Alright, have to go check the status of the medicinal oils. I'll catch you all later. By the way, if anyone is reading this, make a comment from time to time -- even if it's to say, "this is really boring, stop writing!" I know I haven't been great at keeping this going, but it's worse if it's one-sided! Let me know what you think!