Selawik is Frigid!

I'm on my 5th village school visit -- Selawik, AK.  I knew just by looking around at temperatures that although Selawik isn't too far from Kotz, the temperature is always lower by a good 10 degrees.  So, I figured I'd be in for a bit of nippy weather this week.  It is just plain frigid.  I usually like to get out and walk around the village a bit, and I had every intention of doing that here as well.  I came prepared with my (too big) insulated overalls for work and my bunny boots.  I also really wanted to try to find this lady that I bunked with at Camp Sivu last summer.  I don't usually come into town knowing someone, so it was a refreshing thought that I could have a local contact, and I just wanted to check up on her and see how she was doing.  However, I heard that she may be out of town in Anchorage dealing with knee surgery.  Between that and being beat from a late night and busy day, I've decided to just stay in tonight.  Besides, I have to heat up some medicinal plant oils for one of the classes.

However...I just now was talking to a teacher who loves to cross-country ski, and she asked if I wanted to go tomorrow evening.  I said, "Sure!"  Sounds great.  So, maybe there will be more to the story tomorrow. With that said, I'd better finish my work and get some rest tonight.

It is kinda funny though, that just when I'll be heading to my Becoming an Outdoorswoman workshop this coming weekend, I'm getting a chance to experience activities for two of the topics I'm taking -- snowmobiling and cross country skiing.  This last Saturday I went out on the ice for just a few hours with a couple of co-workers and a dog.  The intention was to find someone's hole and try our hand at ice fishing.  The other two had their own snow machines, both single-seaters, and I don't have one.  My neighbor was already going to haul her dog in a sled behind the machine, so she wanted me to drive while she sat in the sled with her dog.  All well and good except that I'd only ever ridden one once before and had never driven.  And, the sled was attached with a rope.  So, when I slowed, guess what the sled would do.  The icing on the cake was that my goggles fogged up and then froze leaving me unable to see with the goggles and unable to open my eyes and drive without them.  I eventually had her change places with me.  I cradled the dog in the sled & she drove.  Much better.  However, after all this, the fog socked in around us, and we decided to not look for a hole.  We just played frisbee with the dog and hung out and talked on the ice for a while.  Anyway, it was a good heads-up about wardrobe malfunctions and equipment issues related to snowmobiling.  Maybe this little cross-country ski experience (if it happens) will give me a little more insight before my class this weekend.

Alright, signing off for tonight.  I'll try to get some pictures tomorrow.

Back in the Saddle

Just a quick note to let you know I'm still here. I know it's been a while. First there were computer problems, then I was on travel for a month. Now I'm back in Kotz where it's still cold!

I heard it warmed up quite a bit while I was gone, into the 20s, but I would never have guessed it based on the bone chilling minus 33 degrees that greeted me as I got off the plane. In fact, everywhere I went was experiencing an enhanced winter with more than average snow.

First it was several feet of snow at the Grand Canyon.


Then, it was just a few inches in Central TX, but the most I had seen since I was a kid.



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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.