Jerry's Dream Come True

Nature's AWE!

2009-10-07T22:56:00.002-08:00

Right up front, I have to apologize. I did not get any eye candy for you to look at. I am sorry.

I sat on the middle seat of Rafe's Duck Boat as we motored across a huge, shallow lake. It was shortly after dawn and the water was glass flat. The fat, grey clouds acted as an impenetrable ceiling, but the waterfowl didn't care. As we motored across the lake, the birds lifted by the thousands. The surface of the lake shifted colors from brown to grey/blue. I noticed that I had a kid like grin on my face and no words to describe what I was looking at. I was in awe and then it got better. One whole corner of that lake was covered in Tundra Swans and they all took flight at the same time. For those of you that don't know, swans don't just leap into the air. They run on the surface of the water until they generate enough lift to take flight. Watching them sprint to take off was, again, awe inspiring, because there was, probably, 500 swans working in unison to paint an indescribable portrait of birds taking flight.

I am thankful to have seen this site. What's more is I have seen this sight several times. After I was set in my blind and I was hoping for a chance to kill one of those big, beautiful swans. If you don't understand why I want to kill a swan, Imagine this: Swans are called the turkey of the north because one bird will feed an entire family; to buy a swan to eat, from a swan farmer, will cost you about $1,000.00. ( I have 3 in my freezer); swans are very exciting to see and even more exciting to call and shoot.

The reason I have 3 swans in my freezer is because of freezer space. After a weekend of hunting, I contacted some elders I usually give game to and a single parent family I share meat with, and they have had the blessings of moose. Their freezers are full, so I will hang on to them until they are ready to eat one. I like to share as much natural protein as I can, because the spirits of the animals favor hunters who share. Then by default, my future hunts will be more productive.

CRAP! It's late! Remind me to share my near-death-by-ptarmigan story with you next time.

This is "Jerry The Magnificent"... OUT!

Of Moose Hunting

2009-09-18T23:01:00.002-08:00

Here's the news... I went moose hunting on opening day, 1 September, with my running buddy Rafe. We were putting down a back slough in the Whiskey Charlie (Rafe's boat), snacking and yacking and mostly just enjoying being out of the house. Rain was falling lightly and the temperature was a little cool; perfect for being outside. Through the rain speckled windshield I noticed something odd about the water about a quarter mile ahead. Almost simultaneously, Rafe pulled his binoculars up and said "That's a f-----g moose!" Just then, the moose lifted it's head and we noticed that it had trophy quality antlers and, more importantly, its tail was facing us. Then we noticed that the wind was in every one's face so the moose had no idea we were looking at him. That moose's head plunged back into the water to eat and he still had no clue that we were watching him. We putted to about 200 yards before he noticed us. By then, we had cut the engine and we stationary, so that we were not going to go to jail for violating the law, and we both had a round in the chamber and our scopes were full of moose. Rafe said "Go ahead and shoot when you're ready." I was ready so I squeezed the trigger. Guys, that moose was huge. His antlers looked like sheets of plywood screwed to his head. HUGE!
So, I was squeezing and squeezing and nothing was happening. I whispered, "SHIT! My safety!" Rafe said "I'm shooting next to you." and then my right ear drum exploded as his .300 Ultramag sounded off. After I came too, I moved my safety lever to fire, refilled my scope and fired. Sadly, the moose was less impressed with our fancy guns than we were, because he broke for the brush. Rafe was able to get off another shot, in vane, but the moose kept moving.
It was time to start tracking. We found a little blood and plenty of tracks, so we tracked until dusk, but no moose. The next day, we went back with two more guys for help and we used all of the tracking methods that I know of, plus a few more, but still no moose. From what we can figure, one of us might have hit that bull shallow in the brisket and all we did was give him a reason to jog for a couple of hours. Pretty poor!
Questioning the reasons why we didn't get that moose, we went to the range to recheck our guns. On the bright side, our guns were right on. That leaves us each with all of the blame for missing him. I am not ashamed to admit that I was excited. That bull was huge and he had my attention. Bull Fever? Absolutely! I guess you are never too cool or too old to be trilled by the things that mama nature puts in front of you. So, plain and simple, I missed. That's why I love my life. I had a chance at a huge Alaskan Moose. I have been rubbed, teased, and taunted by everybody and their brother, but it's worth it. I got to see a magnificent bull moose and I had the opportunity to shoot him. I'm lucky.

That was my only chance for a moose during the fall season so now I'm duck hunting. I'll hunt waterfowl until they leave and then it's caribou. I am hoping to tag along with some guys on Yukon River moose hunt in December. I just have to plan it so it doesn't interfere with putting in the wilderness trap line. The wilderness line is going to be more than 150 miles long and have better than 100 sets. I CAN'T WAIT!!!
I wish you could see this operation, you would be impressed.
I don't think I told you, but my nephew (14 year old) is going to live with us for the winter semester. He is going to run the local trap line and the long line with me. More to follow on Scott.

Little Kids, Dogs, and Drunks

2009-09-06T22:23:00.002-08:00

Pam and I were walking through one of the two local stores the other day. The day was sunny, warm, and beautiful. It was a good day to be out and about. While at the store a small child strayed away from her mother and toddled over to visit me. I chatted at her for a few seconds before her mom realized that she was gone and zipped over to get her. I thought about how common an occurrence that was for me. Kids seem to find me and hang around me everywhere I go, for as long as I remember. Pam and I left that store and went to the other store, so we could save 20 cents on something we didn't need.

When we got out of the car at the second store a loose dog came over to me to say hi. I rubbed the dog on the head and patted its should while told it what a good dog it was. The dog wagged its tail and trotted off. It dawned on me that I am often visited by dogs, cats, and other critters and they seem to like me. It has always been that way.

As we walked into the store we noticed a couple of men on the deck, near the store's entrance, who appeared to be quite drunk. The drunks that hang out around the stores are normally peaceful and waiting for someone to pick them up. However, I seem to be a magnet for drunks too. They usually salute me and then become my best friend. Why they salute is a mystery and why they feel the need to give me advice is also a mystery. The fellow I met on this day insisted I should kiss my wife every day and I should always love her. Good advice. It so happens that this guy hit the nail on the head because I do kiss my wife as often as I can and love her no matter what. He was so insistant on his advice that he kept sharing his message until I drove out of the parking lot. A drunk guy who adopted me last week, at 10:00 a.m., advised me to get everything the Army owes me, because they are bastards and they will rip me off. I'm certain that he didn't know who I was or that I spent time in the Army, but blurted out the right words despite his ignorance. Weird huh?

So, what is it about little kids, dogs, and drunks that they are all attracted to me? Could it be that they think I have a surplus of love or wisdom and they could use some of it? Perhaps they have extra of love or wisdom and they think I need it. Whatever the case is, I seem to be getting my fair share of it. I think that makes me a lucky man.

A New Year

2009-08-07T21:17:00.002-08:00

August 10th starts the new year for us; the new school year, that is. My wife and I have been working in my new classroom to get it all ready for the kids and it is starting to shape up pretty well. I'm excited about this school year. It means I get to meet new people and it marks the start of the seasonal movement toward my favorite season, winter. I bought my hunting license and permits today. I'm legal to hunt everything that I want to include Brown Bear. I can't wait.

I just got back from Colonial Williamsburg's Teacher Institute. The folks at CWTI really know how to put on a show. We were going fourteen hours a day for seven days. It was hot and muggy the whole time, but the heat could slow my enthusiasm. You know, I thought I knew some stuff about the period between 1607 and 1783, but I was mistaken. I learned more about the day to day life of the people than I thought was possible. For everything I was taught there was a primary source to support the information. The whole CWTI program is run by primary sources, which gives us the feeling that what these folks are telling as close to the truth as possible. The only problem with that system is that the people who had no written language and were not important enough to make the news papers, have been written out of history all together. Such is the way of civilization. One of our speakers was the guy who plays Thomas Jefferson. He gave a speech the was wonderfully eloquent. As he talked about all of the reasons that the colonies had to revolt against the British Crown, it sounded eerily like our modern day arguments about what is going on in our government today. SCARY!!!
The experience made me want to get more involved in government. I don't think I want to run for any office, but being in contact with my elected officials might be a good idea. I don't feel that they have my best interest in mind and they don't know what's on my mind. They need to do my bidding just as the system was designed. "Of the people, by the people, and for the people."

Lucky Me

2009-04-20T20:02:00.004-08:00

Man, let me tell you how much my wife loves me. Not only did she go along with me buying a new snow machine last fall, but she let me buy a bigger one this spring. How lucky am I?! Thank you Pam.

Nice huh?... the snow go, I mean.

Now, I can drag a heavy sled full of moose or caribou with total confidence. I had it up on the long trap line last month. I was pulling my friend's sled and it was full of gear. I don't know what the sled weighed, but it was HEAVY! My baby pulled it right along without a struggle. This isn't a good picture to show it, but the passenger seat comes off and gives me about three-feet of cargo area behind the seat. That's very nice for all kinds of stuff. It's like having a 3/4 ton pickup truck. I love it.

Aside from all of the trapping, hunting, and exploring that I have been doing, I'm also doing a little teaching. Yes, it's true. I do actually work... sometimes. We just finished doing statewide testing. What a waste of time. Let me officially say that I HATE No Child Left Behind. I can't believe that the American people are going along with such a stupid program. My students were really good about dealing with all of the stupid rules and the boredom. I hated subjecting them to such a counterproductive activity. I hope the "man of change" changes our education policy.

We also had parent teacher conferences. It went well and most of my parents came. I only had one parent who was scolded for having a whiny, spoiled truant crybaby of a child. She wasn't happy with me, but TOUGH.

I guess I wasn't too rough on her, because I was offered a new contract by my boss. Looks like I'll be in Bethel for at least one more year. That suits me just fine.

The thing I like about Bethel is that most everyone who is willing to work is thriving. The silliness of the economy has had an impact here, but is doesn't seem to be as terrible as it is in the lower 48. Maybe because of all of the native subsidies.

We moved in to a new home. We are renting a very nice, spacious two bedroom apartment from some really nice people. We love our new place. There's plenty of room for our outdoor toys. It's pretty quiet here, with the exception of some very friendly neighborhood kids. They are our own students so we know them well and we like them. The place also comes with unlimited access to "The Man Shed." Having a place to skin critters, other than the kitchen, is a huge benefit. Having that place right at home is even better and having a resident expert to keep me from screwing up is perfect. I spent all of last winter using Rafe's "Man Shed" and his tools. I am forever grateful to have had access to his facility; but now I don't have to travel to use a heated space to do the work. PERFECT!

I know it sounds like life here is perfect, but there are some drawbacks too. There's no McDonald's or Burger King. {Bummer} Adult beverages have to be shipped in because sales here are forbidden. We can drink it here, but we can't buy it here. Another, more serious, limitation is the access to specialized medicine. Every time Pam needs to see a specialist, she has to go to Anchorage. That's about a $500, three-day trip. So far our insurance has been lousy about helping us pay for such visits. The worst part about being so remote is missing our family, our children and our grandchildren. Being with the babies hurts.

All in all, we are enjoying our life here. It was especially nice last month when Sabrina and Jon came to visit. Unfortunately, their vacation time and ours were at different times, but at least they had plenty of time to rest. Unfortunately also, was the fact that a week of pretty damn cold weather hit when they arrived and stayed longer than they did. We got to so a little sight seeing, but the cold put a serious damper on the party. They did, however, get to see a very rare "Triple Catch." Rafe caught 3 lynx in one set and Sabrina, Jon, and Pam got to see it. I took them out on my little trap line and I took Sabrina to a couple of villages for a look at real "country-life." If you think you live in the country, think again. Sabrina can tell you about country.

Unfortunately, we have to go back down-states this summer. We will move the rest of our stuff home so we will never have to leave paradise again. After having so much freedom to roam I can't see me living any place else. I guess we'll see what next year and the year after brings. Maybe I can get my son and his family to visit next. Having my brothers visit to do a little fishing would be really cool too. Hey, maybe my folks would be interested in a visit... maybe when it gets warm... maybe.

So Much to Say

2009-03-09T22:26:00.002-08:00

First, let explain why there are no photos in this post. In January I was in Anchorage for training. While there, I stayed at the Hotel Captain Cook, a very nice place. My only complaint is that my camera was stolen from my room. I told the hotel detective about the camera and he refused to believe that anyone would take it. He was nice enough to look in the lost and found for it. Jerk.

The training was on how to make underwater Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV). I made a fully operational ROV that swims and does whatever I ask it to do. We started with a huge parts list of hardware store stuff and a box of Radio Shack parts. By the time we were finished, we were driving our little submarines in the UAF swimming pool. It was very cool. I hope to be able to teach this next year. My biggest obstacle is the lack of water in which to swim the ROVs. I'm working on solving that problem by next school year.

My daughter is coming here next week for her spring break. She could have gone to Florida and gotten skin cancer, but she chose to come to Alaska. I guess she wants to see some beautiful snow and breathe the cool, pure air; or maybe she wants to see her mom. Either way, I'm glad she's coming. What's more, she's bringing her significant other, Jon, with her. That is very cool.

Pam has had an interesting year in her new job. One of the duties of a teacher's aid is to be a substitute teacher as needed. Well, Pam has been a sub in the same classroom since before Thanksgiving. The teacher she covered for had a horrible string of bad luck and, hopefully, it's finally over, because Pam needs a break. The experience showed everyone around her that Pam is a natural in the classroom. Over and over she has heard "You should get your degree and be a teacher." Pam just smiles and shakes her head.

I hope to get another camera soon so you can see the stuff that we are seeing. Until then, you'll just have to use your imagination. If you choose to use your imagination, imagine about 40 pounds off of me, please.

My Kids (Well, not really mine)

2009-01-11T14:36:00.003-09:00

I was asked to write a little something about the students I am teaching this year. To tell you the truth, the difference between this year's bunch and last year's bunch is tremendous. How I go about teaching this bunch is different too.

In regards to language, this year's class of 6th. Graders is hugely diverse. Some of the kids have language just like kids in the lower 48. They speak conventional English without much of any trace of an accent. Some kids speak regular English with a hint of the Alaskan accent that evolved from the Canadian, Russian, Scandinavian, and Alaska Native influences on speech. Then we have the kids who came in from the village. Their speech patterns are very much the same as the kids I had from last year. They use a language that is almost like a pigeon language. It uses the mechanics of language used by the Yupiit (Yup'ik people), with it's succinctness of words and it's lack of gender assignment, and an almost village-specific dialect that has been passed down from the time of the Russian colonization of Alaska. Surprisingly, these village kids adapt very quickly with their new environment. Most of my village kids are already using Town-Speak as their primary language. We still have a Yup'ik class too. All of the students here get 40 minutes a week of Yup'ik language education.

The cultural make up of my classroom is pretty diverse too. I have a student who is a Muslim that was born in Jordan; a Mexican from Texas; four white kids that represent the lower 48 states; and a whole bunch of mixed race and full-blooded Yup'ik Eskimos. In the village, most of the parents did not have jobs. They lived on various welfare systems and from subsistence hunting and fishing. This year, most of my parents are working people. Their occupations range from doctors, nurses, lawyers, and teachers to mechanics, telecommunications technicians, and store clerks. We also have a few that use the welfare system. Even though we have a wide socio-economic spread, there doesn't seem to be much class-generated conflict among the kids.

One of the things that my town students have in common with my village students is dysfunctional families. This is the most heartbreaking part of my job, dealing with deadbeat parents. I have kids coming to school in sweatshirts in -35 degree temperatures and howling wind conditions. The kids will say I have a coat, but I don't want to wear it. When I call the parents, they say that they will be sure to make their kids wear their coat to school. The problem is that they aren't out of bed when the kid is getting ready for school. The kid wakes him or herself, gets dressed and on the bus while the parents are in bed. This is not a wide-spread problem, but I really feel for the couple of kids who have to suffer this.

For the most part these kids are like kids everywhere. They want to enjoy life and be accepted by others. I really enjoy teaching these kids. I don't really like the teaching model that I'm forced to use, but oh well. The optimism and enthusiasm of youth makes up for the less pleasant parts of the job.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T13:29:00.005-09:00

On a cold and windy day, sometimes the sun isn't able to shine through all of the blowing snow. Christmas day 2008 was like that. The swirling winds blew the snow all around. Big snow drifts were made and then unmade within hours. Even the hardiest traveler is wise to stay holed-up in his cabin on a day like this one. Regardless of the weather, Christmas in Alaska is best.

The other day Rafe and I went out to check traps and it was a good day. The day was windy, but warm and the sun shone like summer. Fresh snow was everywhere and new critter tracks littered the ground. After the big blow that we had all of god's creatures were out enjoying the sunshine. For trappers, this is a bountiful time because our target animals behave predictably and we end up catching some. On this day we were very fortunate to have caught one of the more elusive fur bearers in the north, the lynx. These pictures let you see some of the lynx's beauty, but they don't let you see the size of the animal. These awesome creatures have really long legs and huge feet. Their pointed beards and tufted ears are cool to see, but their teeth and claws are the features that remind you of the beast in this beauty.

Just another cat? Not even close! If this tom had his way he'd run far from here, but since he can't he'd like to rip Rafe's lungs out. You should see the video I shot of this guy's speed and ferocity.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. I further hope you that each of you can appreciate what a gift life is and just how good our lives are. Some times folks start feeling bad because they miss loved ones at holiday time or they can't have life the way it used to be, but this is the perfect season to look forward. Enjoy life. If you don't enjoy the life you are living then change it. Be bold and be happy. Make good decisions so you don't end up like this lynx.

First Fox

2008-12-17T22:36:00.005-09:00

As you may know, I have plied may hand at fur harvesting, which is also known as trapping and/or snaring. This is something I have wanted to do all of my life, but have never made it work for me. I am finally connected with the right people to learn this craft and the right conditions exist in my life for this activity to be possible, so I'm going for it.

Rafe taught me the basics of fur bearer behavior and how to make snares. Then he gave me a grubstake to help me get started and helped me choose and construct my first set. His efforts paid off for me, because I snared my first fox yesterday.

Here is a picture:

She is not the most spectacular specimen, but she is my first. With luck and a little skill, there will be many more.

I have also been learning about moose. The Fish and Game guys hosted a public meeting that described the how successful the ban on hunting has been in strengthening the moose population. I believe what they said because I have been seeing a whole lot of moose tracks. However, as my daddy says, "You can't eat tracks." Well, it finally happened. I bumped into moose. Man, those things are huge. This cow and calf had me so excited that I was shaking and had that wiggly feeling in my stomach. It was cool. If an out-of-season cow and calf make me feel that way, I wonder how I'll react to a bull in my sights?

I promised to write more about my new job and especially my students, but that will come in a few days. Sorry.

Reason for Thanks

2008-11-29T19:43:00.009-09:00

For five weeks I've been giving my students reasons to think about and express their thoughts about the Thanksgiving Holiday. I have offered the Plymouth Rock/Pilgrim's and Wompanoag's story to them in the form of an alien invasion, an opportunity for charity and in its traditional form. I even gave them the story in a homeland security threat scenario, but what I didn't do was ask them what makes them feel thankful. At the time, I hadn't thought much about feeling thankful.

Well, the feeling of thankfulness came over me this morning as I ate breakfast and reflected on the holiday weekend. What came to me first was how wonderful my wife is. While I've been off, bombing around the tundra with my buddy Rafe, she has been patient and supportive. In fact, I got blood all over the bathtub and she never made a fuss. But, she doesn't have many opportunities to get out and visit people so I know she must be getting bored. I hope we can change this last part soon. Thanks Pam.

The second reason for my feeling of thanks was the ingredients of my breakfast. It was mostly the usual stuff, coffee, eggs, toast, and caribou back-strap. Did I say CARIBOU BACK-STRAP!? Oh yeah, I did. How did I get caribou back-strap, you ask?

Yesterday, I got a phone call from Rafe. He said "How itchy are you to go caribou hunting?" As a man who has been itching to go caribou hunting since I was 10 years old, I told him that I was ready to go whenever the opportunity came. It seems that he got a phone call from a friend of his about the whereabouts of a nearby caribou herd. So within the hour the two of us and another fella, Dave, were on the trail.

After about an hour of very cold, windy riding we found the herd with no problem. I didn't know it then, but the easy part was over. Caribou hunting is nothing like deer hunting. Everything happens very fast on a caribou hunt. The caribou herd heard us coming long before we saw them so they were ready for us by the time we got there. We pursued the herd over some rough terrain for a little while and we took our best shots. I have often boasted, in the past, about never making a less than perfect shot on deer and never using more than one bullet to kill a whitetail. I will be not be bragging like that about this hunt, because I used three shots to get the job done. My first shot was ugly, but fatal with time. Because I could get close and finish my bull, that's what I did. I rode my snow machine close and shot twice more; no point in letting it suffer.

Yep, it's a bull. The bulls already shed their antlers. One of the things I never understood about caribou was its body size and I guess I still don't. When you see them they look to be small. When you grab hold of one and try to move it, it is big and heavy. It is a hard thing to describe.

Anyhow, Rafe, Dave and I all ended up with bulls. After this compulsory photograph to commemorate my first caribou, we loaded them into sleds and headed for a wind break. The temperature was about 5 degrees with a windchill cold enough to freeze hell over so getting out of the wind was important.

I learned many things on this hunt. Rafe taught me how to quarter a caribou without gutting it and how to cape a bull so the hide has some value. I also learned just how good the knife my brother Craig made for me way back when still is.

With my old knife, I butchered that whole caribou without ever having to touch up the blade. And after I got home I ran the knife over a whetstone a couple of times and finished processing the whole animal. I've carried that knife for about 30 years and the reason is obvious. It works. That is the third thing I feel grateful for.

Old and beat up, but still does the job.

Lastly, none of this would be possible if not for good people. I have to thank Rafe for taking me under his wing and teaching me about trapping, snaring, and hunting Alaska style. Thank you. I look forward to as many more lessons as I can get.

Oh wait, wait, wait, did I mention that Rafe got me pulled over by the cops? That's right, we were putting in his lynx line today when a State Trooper in a Piper Cub (bush plane) on skis landed on the snow near us. The trooper checked our licenses, chit-chatted with us for a little while, and then flew off to keep Alaska safe for all humanity. I never would have imagined that a State Trooper in an airplane would come out of the sky and pull me over while I was riding a snowmobile. How crazy is that? I wish I had brought my camera... maybe next time.

Well, that's all for now kids. Until next time, may you have many things in your life for which you feel thanks.

Tough Fish

2008-11-17T20:56:00.003-09:00

So, do you remember in my last letter I mentioned catching pike in a minnow trap that was set to catch mink? Well here we go again PLUS. In another tiny stream that doesn't really freeze, regardless of the temperature, he set another minnow trap, but this time my buddy caught some pike that were almost as long as the trap itself. Two pike, both were probably a little over two feet long. Not only did he catch more pike, but he caught a muskrat in the same trap, as well. Not one to turn down a free meal, my buddy decided to keep these pike, because of their good size.

In the sled they go and about two hours later we returned to the house. We spend about another hour unloading traps and such, when we finally get to the fish. I carried the fish inside the fur shed and I noticed that the fish were only almost frozen, not completely frozen. I put them on the table and noticed, or at least I thought I noticed, something strange. I thought I saw one of the fish move its tail. I mentioned what I thought I saw to my buddy and my he said he saw it too. Then the other one moved. Then they both moved. Those fish, though having been out of the water for two or three hours in near zero temperatures, were still alive!
Even the fish are tougher in Alaska!

Something New

2008-11-15T21:32:00.003-09:00

For some people the words snow and cold are synonymous with the words misery and agony. For me and people like me snow and cold mean opportunity, freedom, and joy. For example, if it weren’t for snow and cold I wouldn’t be able to ride my snow machine, I wouldn’t be able to travel the tundra and the river, and I wouldn’t be learning about trapping and snaring.

In fact, I wouldn't have this little story to share if not for the cold. The tiny stream in the photograph is several miles from the river and doesn't seem to go anywhere special. I was with my friend as he checked his mink trap, the submerged minnow trap also shown. When he pulled it from the stream, we both got a shock. Instead of having a mink inside, it had pike. This was shocking because this stream is so tiny and pike are such big fish. Yet, there they were. If you are not familiar with what a pike looks like, then look it up.

I am finally starting to do the things that brought me to Alaska. Today I went out with the same friend as he put in his fox line. We only saw one live animal on the outing, an ermine, but saw some animal tracks that got us pretty excited. We saw moose tracks and wolf tracks and they were real close to the village. Pretty cool, huh?

Unless catastrophe strike again, there will be more to follow. Until then, pray for snow.

Life Before Bethel

2008-10-18T20:13:00.013-08:00

I can't believe that I'm capable of such a huge oversight. I spent nearly a week in paradise and I didn't tell anyone about it. All I can do is apologize for not sharing Seward and Homer with you. Uh well, and show some of our photographs with you too, I suppose.

After our cross country trip from Indianapolis to Seattle, Pam and I set out to see some of what we missed last winter. Before we could enjoy ourselves, however, we had to pay our dues. The first challenge on our quest was buying airline tickets at a good price and then to rent an affordable car. We failed at both. Not only did we pay more than both of those services are worth, but we had to jump through 500 flaming hoops before we were ready to start our vacation. I hate traveling.

Once we were on the road, life was pretty good; expensive, but good. Our plan was to go to Seward and Homer, the two places that we didn't get to last winter. Our first stop was in Seward.

Like Valdez, Seward is another perfect place in the world. It's right on a major water way, Resurrection Bay, which is surrounded by huge mountains.

The one thing Pam wanted to do while we in Seward was do some whale-watching. The only problem with her request was that whale-watching season was over. You see, May and June are the best whale-watching months and we were there in mid August. Sorry, Pam. We did take a nature cruise, though. It was a half day tour of Resurrection Bay to look at the natural beauty of that place. Take a look for yourself:

If my memory serves me correctly, these are Stellar Sea Lions. If that's not right please don't bother correcting me. It will only destroy me self-esteem. Look kids! Puffins! We were on a really good boat for taking pictures, the bay was pretty clam for a breezy day, and we got really close to a lot of our subjects, but it is really tough getting high quality shots with a cheap camera.

These are some of the Harbor Seals we saw. It's tough getting their picture, because they are very shy.

And with being the home of some really cool animals, Resurrection Bay is also the home of some cool rocks that jump way up out of the water.

Back in Seward we saw some charter fishermen showing off their catch. Pretty cool, huh?

Oh yeah, I also found out how I'm going to spend my retirement years. Look at this retirement rig.

Is there a more beautiful sight on the Earth than a boat harbor that's surrounded by snow capped mountain?

We visited Exit Glacier and saw some other glaciers, but I'm getting tired of uploading photos so you don't get to see them. We also saw sea otters and eagles, but none for you this time. If you want to see more, tell me and I'll post them.

After we left Seward, we went directly to Homer. The four hour drive was long but beautiful. We saw a moose and some awe inspiring views of the Pacific Ocean. When we finally made it to Homer, we went directly out to the spit. The Homer Spit is a very cool, very touristy, but very cool place. I saw this little shop that I fell in love with. Not for the products they sold, but for the building. It is all logs with splayed walls and a pointy roof. I'd love to have a home like this.

All to soon the party was over and we made our way west to Bethel. Talk about contrast. Bethel is different in every way imaginable from the Kenai Peninsula. I like it in Bethel and I'll like it more when it snows.

Autumn is Here!

2008-10-11T21:33:00.006-08:00

Some things happen very slowly in Alaska and some things happen very quickly. To be specific, winter happens slowly and the other seasons rush by. It was summer a couple of weeks ago and then, on October first, it snowed for the first time this year. Today's high temperature was 27 degrees and there's about two or three inches of crunchy snow on the ground and I saw someone driving a snowmobile today. This time last year I was in the hospital in Anchorage so I didn't get to see the tundra put on its winter coat. I didn't realize how quickly it happens.

Pam and I were out doing a little sight seeing today when we came upon some poor lady who had slipped and fallen on the icy road. While I got out to help this poor lady, Pam took this picture of a boat.

Obviously, heroic attempt to rescue this fallen citizen didn't impress my wife. Why do I try? In my frustration to find a way to wow my wife, I drove down to the Small Boat Harbor to see what was shaking and I spotted some things that don't always go together.

For example, I can't remember when I've seen a bulldozer parked at a boat harbor with the boats.

I've seen picnic tables and bait stores, food joints and taverns, but never a bulldozer. Something else you don't see is free life jackets, or Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs). Well, not exactly free, but free to use. In an attempt to improve boater safety up here, we have a "Kids Don't Float" program. This one of the stations set up to provide loaner PFDs. It's odd for people in the lower 48 see anything set up on the honor system especially a PFD loaner station. What's more, there's ice sickles on these vests.

While we were snapping this picture there were people breaking ice so they could get to the river and others were trying to get their boats out of the ice. These are some hardcore boaters.

This weekend was also our first Junior Native Youth Olympics meet and our first meet of the wrestling season. On Friday, I had my class in the computer lab when I got a big surprise. The whole Atmautluak JNYO team came waltzing in to say hello. They were all happy to see me and I was pretty excited too. Pam and I went to the JNYO meet. Pam got to see the kids do some native dancing as well as the sports events that are unique to NYO. Since some of my students were competing against some of my former students, I had plenty of people to cheer for.

It seems that as time goes on I see more and more friendly faces. This weekend I was warmly greeted by at least a dozen people that I met last year. Their hugs and handshakes genuine and heartwarming. Unfortunately, I had to answer the same question over and over. "Why didn't you come back to Atmautluak?" In my mind the answer is easy to understand, but when I try to explain it, it doesn't seem to make as much sense. Maybe I'll get to visit them in the village this winter.

I can't wait to see what happens next. Everything will freeze up soon enough and the tundra will become accessible to Pam and me. The real adventure will begin then.

Oh yeah, some kids in our school were asked which season most tourists visit Alaska and it took them a bunch of guesses to stumble onto the correct answer; summer. It took them so long because, to them, it is not logical to come here in the summer if you want to see the best of Alaska. They said winter is the best time to go places because that's when the tundra gets hard enough to go anywhere you want. So for your next Alaska vacation, visit during the winter and you'll get to see more of this great state because snowmobiles can go just about anywhere.

Stay warm.

To be an Alaskan Driver

2008-10-08T22:02:00.001-08:00

It’s official, I’m an Alaskan. Well, at least that’s what my driver’s license says. The ink was barely dry when I used it to buy my RESIDENT hunting and trapping license and my grizzly/brown bear tag. All that’s left is to do is to go hunting.

My wife, Pam, and I took the written test for our driver’s license at the same time. Pam is really competitive when we do things together. She has that passive aggressive thing or maybe it’s a quiet hatred thing, whatever it is, she always tries to beat me; this test was no different. She studied all week when I was at work she even talked to the locals to try to get the inside scoop on the test and the testing conditions. She was much better prepared than I was and she knew it. So much so that she would taunt me with Alaska driving regulation trivia and little factoids from the statistical history archives. I have to confess that she was better prepared than I was on test day.

We arrived early at the license bureau and we waited. Using proven test preparation strategies, we successfully avoided any talk about the test or about our expectations. We were ready. Unfortunately, the test administrator was not. There is only one employee to service all of the drivers in Bethel and the 55 surrounding villages and she forgot her keys at home. Al glitch like that might rattle most test takers, but not Pam and not Jerry. We were still rock steady. We took the test and the agent graded mine first. I missed two questions, which is no big deal to me because I figured that is what I get for not studying enough. When it was time for Pam’s test to be graded she watched the agent grade the thing like her life depended on it. The agent drew one X and then another X. She paused and looked back at her computer screen. Pretending like I was reading one of those riveting information posters, I could see Pam out of the corner of my eye. A grin appeared on her face and she turned away. Knowing Pam I knew that she missed more questions than me. If she had beaten my score she would have said HAH! I beat you!, but there was none of that. As you know, I’m not one to stir up any controversy so I just quietly let the subject who scored higher die. NOT! Of course I arrogantly rubbed in the fact that I missed one fewer question than Pam. The next day I reminded her of the 4 second following rule and how the state of Alaska wants you to back your car. Now, I’ve gone to extremes by posting it on my blog. I know… I’m terrible.

2008-10-08T22:00:00.000-08:00

I'm Back!!!

2008-08-24T21:21:00.003-08:00

Finally! A little time to write. Since my last post, I have traveled widely, visited people I haven't seen in decades, and worked hard. Now I'm back in Alaska and back in the classroom.
Going back to Indiana was the last thing I wanted to do. However, it was necessary if I was to see my family again. After the long, painful year I had just lived, I was ready to see my loved ones and enjoy some rest.
Rest, however, was not on the agenda that Pam had planned. But first, I had to wrap up family business. The business had to do with my deceased brother's estate. As always, I try to find the positive part of every crummy thing that happens in life. This time, it was easy to find the good parts. My Brother Ronnie made the trip north from Arkansas to help Craig and I finish up Gug's business. I had not seen Ronnie since the day Pam and I were married in 1982. I had forgotten what he looked like. It was like meeting a new person and that's a good thing, because as kids we fought constantly. We spent several days at my brother Craig's house. We fished and swapped lies and, of course, imbibed generously. When it was time to hit the road, Ronnie and I drove to his home in Arkansas. It felt good to see some new territory and to see where my brother lived. I would like to go again some day.
No sooner did I get home and it was time to travel again. This time it was with my family, my wife and kids. We had a great time in Tennessee and Kentucky and I deeply enjoyed spending time with my kids.
After the gallivanting and whooping it up, it was time for me to find a job. Remember, I resigned from a perfectly good job in the bush so I was unemployed and the clock was ticking. I spent a month and a half looking, enquiring, and being rejected before I finally got a job. After searching widely throughout Alaska's school district, I decided to look at the district I just left. I couldn't believe my eyes. There was an opening in Bethel, Alaska for a Sixth Grade teacher. I discussed it with Pam, who was definitely coming with me this time, and we decided to go for it. The district welcomed me back and restored my sense of worth as a teacher.
I am entering my second week of school and things are coming together beautifully. I am impressed with my students and I am finding Bethel to be a bit of an oasis. My Bosses and co-workers are fine folks and I have a lot of support. There will be more on this later. For now, I bid you peace and happiness.

One Crazy Year

2008-05-23T20:30:00.004-08:00

It's about 8:30 on Friday night. I'm looking out the window of the Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage, Alaska. The mountains are, as always, an incredible view. I wish I could be deep inside them with a tent and a fishing rod.
The contracted school year is over. I've elected to not renew my contract and their was a great outcry of disapproval by the parents of the children in my class. I have heard people say that they want to beat me up because of my decision to leave. I agree. I feel like a failure. I want to stay and teach school to the students of Atmautluak, Alaska forever, but I don't feel that I can do that and serve my family too. I am torn.
I have had some wonderful experiences with the folks of the delta and I've been invited to have many more. I've hunted and fish with some of the friendliest people I've ever met and I liked it.
On a totally different note. This is the end of my first year in Alaska, but not the end of my Alaska adventure. I'm going back soon to do all of the things I missed out on in my rookie year. Hopefully, I won't suffer any more deaths in my family or any more life-threatening illnesses so I can get on with the business of living in the bush. I hope to get back early enough to do some subsistence salmon fishing and to have a successful moose hunt. Only fate will tell if I make it or not.
Until later, Jerry

Winter Carnival

2008-03-13T21:41:00.009-08:00

Winter is rapidly winding down and spring is on the wind. Winter, however, has left us a gift that will not be going away soon. Snow drifts! This makes coming and going a little more challenging than normal. The snow removal chores are endless because we are at the apex of the windy canyon of buildings. Even going to work is a little more difficult when the snow drifts are like quick sand.

My house is the one on the left with the bridge. The handrail is about eight feet off the ground. That gives you an idea of how much snow has blown in front of my door.

With spring right around the corner, it's a perfect time to celebrate winter one last time. What better way than with a dogsled race. In this photo, a bunch of elder women gather to watch the grand kids race their dogs down the river.

One dog is all it take to get these 65 pound kids zipping along. Notice how low we are compared to the boats that are up on shore. When the ice breaks up in April and water returns, this river will be 10 feet deep again and barges will come again.

The carnival seems to have uncorked the positive energy well in everyone. People are out walking more and there is more happy chatter and laughter than during the darker months.

This good energy is very evident in the classroom. The kids are more cooperative and more mischievous. The rule infractions in the classroom have skyrocketed. More of my kids have been in detention this week than any week previous to this. But it's okay, because spirits are lighter and everyone seems a little happier.

It is on this happier note that I will leave you. Until next time, enjoy winter while it lasts.

One post script note: The pictures are dark because I'm a lousy photographer and not because it's always dark here.

To write or not to write

2008-03-05T07:17:00.002-09:00

I have been putting off this entry for some time. I recently suffered a loss in my family that had a tremendous impact on me. I think it will take several months before the idea of what happened sinks in and I am able to deal with it in a positive way.

On the bright side, I learned some things about my remaining family that I really like. There is a generosity in my family that I had forgotten about. It is like the Yup'ik value of sharing. The people here have always had to share whatever they had to insure survival for all. Like the Native Americans of the eastern U. S. these people share bounty and famine equally. My family showed me that we too share in this way, though I have been too distant for too long to see it.

A Fond Farewell to 2007

2008-01-10T18:21:00.000-09:00

I haven't seen my kids for five months and I miss my family terribly. In spite of that, Pam and I chose to spend the holidays here in Alaska so we could enjoy each other's company and see what winter looks like in the north. We were not disappointed.

Our plan was to get the proper clothes and equipment for the climate then head out onto Alaska's road system to see what we could find. We like to make as few reservations as possible. This way, our sense of adventure is heightened by the uncertainty of our future. We did reserve a room and a car initially and we were invited to stay with some friends in Fairbanks, but beyond that we planned to wing it. Two full weeks of doing what we want to do and nobody to tell us we can't.

I arrived a full day before Pam so I had some freedom to do what I wanted. Having been without fast food and adult beverages for five long months, you can guess where I went as soon as possible. If you said McDonald's then you know me pretty well. I enjoyed a Big Mac and fries like I was at the last supper. If there had been a Burger King nearby, I would walked over and eaten a Whopper too because that is comfort food to me. With supper complete, I moved to phase II of returning to normal. Luckily, there was an adult beverage store within walking distance of McDonald's and my hotel, so I strolled inside and grabbed six cool hoppes beverages and returned to my hotel. I retired to my room to enjoy some cable TV and beer. After a while my tummy began to growl. It (my tummy) remembered seeing a pizza shop on the way to the hotel so off I went. We had pizza and beer and cable TV at midnight. Ahhh, paradise!

I was refreshed and ready to receive my sweetie from the airport. The first few days were spent figuring out Anchorage and the surrounding areas. We went to the movies and to a hockey game along with some local sight seeing. We visited, or tried to visit, Portage Glacier, but we couldn't get to it so we decided to visit Whittier instead. This is the strangest little town I ever seen. Whittier is a little community, literally, tuck into the northeast corner of the Kenai Peninsula. To get to it by road you have to go through a tunnel. As we drove around Whittier, I noticed that there were no houses. There was no place to build houses either. There was the port and its buildings, a school, a hotel, an apartment building, and mountains. I later learned that all of the residents live in the apartment building. I haven't decided if that is cozy or weird or smart. It has an interesting history and I recommend doing a Google search on it some day when you are bored.

This is the tunnel to Whittier.

The time for us to go north was getting near so we went shopping. I normally hate shopping, but this time was different. We were buying cold weather clothes! I would finally get to see Pam wear a hat and boots and snow pants. This was great, as Pam is notorious for under-dressing for the weather conditions. Finally, I get choose what Pam would wear and she agreed that she would wear whatever I chose. Sweet, sweet revenge! As it turned out, Pam liked all of the stuff that I chose and she looks good in it too. So much for revenge.

We headed for Fairbanks. After driving for an hour or two (or maybe 3) we saw the sign for Talkeetna. This seemed like the perfect time to have lunch and I have heard that the scenery in Talkeetna is incredible. The rumors are correct! What the rumors didn't tell us was that the best hamburger in the world also lived in Talkeetna. We ate at the understaffed, but very pleasant, West Rib Pub and Grill. This place is quaint and loaded with photos and memorabilia from expeditions on Mt. McKinley.

We continued north forever! We saw a few moose and countless gorgeous mountains and rivers. We also saw countless snowmobiles. It was Saturday and the Alaskans were out enjoying their weekend. However, it was soon dark and we no longer saw anything. The last two or three hours of our trip to Fairbanks was on dark, icy, and mountainous roads. I'll never to that again.

We found the home of our friends with no trouble and we were safe and cozy in Fairbanks. We had a laundry list of things to do and see in Fairbanks, most of which we did. Pam had two places that she had to visit and this was not negotiable. We were going to visit North Pole, Alaska. This is a tourist must see. I have never seen so many things made in China that scream American commercialism in one place. The things they sold were beautiful and Christmas-ee and priced right, but I was more interested in the kid's books for some reason. That was a fun store, but right next door was an outdoor exhibit of ice carvings. We paid our money, put on our brand new cold gear, and had a look. The mercury was at about -10 degrees, which is good for ice carvings, and our fancy clothes did exactly what they were supposed to do; keep us warm. We were in awe of some these fantastic works of art. Here are a couple:

There were many more, but you'll have to go there and see them for yourself.

The second place on Pam's list was Chena Hot Springs. The resort and pools are about an hour and fifteen minutes out of Fairbanks at the end of the road. We were visiting at a peak time for the hot springs as this is the time when many Japanese and Korean couples visit the hot springs with the hopes of conceiving a son under the Aurora Borealis. There were a lot of people there but it wasn't crowded like I'd feared it would be. We had plenty of privacy and the water was HOT!

Yes, that's snow and mountains in the background. The pool is outside and the temperature was about -5 degrees. The water temperature varied, but it was well over 100 degrees in the cool spots and probably 110 in the hot spots. Chena Hot Springs,too, has a fun history... look it up.

When we returned to the house, our friends invited us to the fireworks on New Years Eve. Since it is almost 24 hours of daylight on July 4th, they have the fireworks show on New Years Eve when it's dark by 4:30 P.M. We dressed in our finest cold weather clothes, filled thermoses with hot cocoa, and carried lawn chairs to the University of Alaska at Fairbanks campus. Once there, we talked, sipped hot cocoa, and watched a beautiful fireworks show. I had never seen fireworks against a snowy backdrop before. I highly recommend it.

After about four days in Fairbanks we headed south again. This time we were going the long way; to the east through Delta Junction and Glennallen. Our plan was to break the longer drive up into two parts and every mile would be in the daylight. On the way to Glennallen, we saw mountains and mountains and moose. This mom and kids groups was a pleasure to watch.

While we were in Glennallen we got a wild hair stuck and decided to take off for Valdez. This was another fine idea born at the spur of the moment and without any regard for planning. We took off in the morning and had a fantastic drive through the Chugach Mountains. It's tough to drive safely when you're gawking at all of the pretty scenery, but we made it without mishap. After we spent a little time in Valdez we realized that we had screwed up. Because we hate to plan and develop an itinerary, we didn't have enough time to see everything and do everything that we wanted to do in Valdez. There are four hiking trails and seven glaciers that we missed because we didn't have the time. I guess that means we'll have to go back again. While we were in Valdez, however, we saw otters and eagles and lots of boats. Valdez is a beautiful place in the world and I will return again and again. In fact, I'm going to send my re'sume' there even though teachers never leave the Valdez school system. Have a look:

All good things must come to an end and it was time for us to head west toward Anchorage. We drove through more mountains and valleys and saw many, many more spectacular sights. We stopped and got gas at a cute little place in the middle of nowhere and then this happened.

It seems that the car we rented couldn't burn all of the bad gas that we bought and it quit running. We were broke down more than 100 miles from Anchorage and the nearest town was about 30 miles from us. To make matters worse, we were in a mountain pass, next to a cliff in a rock slide zone, on a curve, and it was, of course, below zero. HOLY CRAP!!! We rented a brand new car to avoid breakdowns. So how did this happen to us? What luck? Pam and I know luck, because the luck of the Irish was smiling on us. We had a cell phone signal! Within minutes we were talking with a real human being at Budget Rent a Car. The folks at Budget promised to get to us as soon as they could, so we waited. It got real cold real fast so put on our fancy cold weather gear and waited some more. As we waited I remembered that TV commercial, so I talked to Pam about not smoking, not taking drugs, and not having sex until she was married. It was time well spent. As we waited and talked, car after car and truck after truck stopped to offer help. We were cold and we were way out in the boonies, but we were not scared that anything bad would happen because there was plenty of help if we needed it. After three and a half hours our rescuers arrived. They gave us a new car and sent us on our way. As mishaps go, this one could have been much worse.

Safely back in Anchorage, we got ready for the final leg of our trip; the departure leg. Once again I found myself waiving goodbye to my favorite person in the whole world, my wife Pam. I hope that was the last time I have to say goodbye.

Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T18:04:00.000-09:00

This year, as I have done many times before, I celebrated Thanksgiving with friends instead of family. The food was great, the company was wonderful, and the discussion was lively and fun. The people who did the most to make this meal happen are always the life of the party and have a special way of bringing folks together. I am thankful for having them in my life.

When I was a boy, it was our family's tradition for the women to prepare the feast and the men to go into the deer woods. Most years, the hunters came home empty-handed and we didn't really care that the venison was still in the woods because it's the opportunity to hunt that counts, not the kill. I was reminded of this today when I talked to my uncle on the telephone. Last summer, he had open heart surgery and is still recovering, but he was able to hunt in his favorite deer woods, in his favorite stand. He didn't bring home any venison, but he was thankful for the opportunity to hunt.

As a man, our Thanksgiving hunts with my son and nephews have given me a special appreciation for this family tradition. My son took his first deer on such a hunt and I have taken some too. I really felt it today as I thought back to those days. The camaraderie that hunters share cannot be replaced by any other event. Only hunters share the woods with their prey and with each other. Only hunters know the smells and sounds of the woods, and only hunters feel the cold air and feel the weight of steel in their hands. I am thankful to have had those opportunities to pass on my family's tradition and I hope to do it many more times in the future.

Today I feasted with friends, but it's not the same as hunting with family. I miss my family, but mostly, I am thankful to have them in my life.

Salmon incubator in my classroom.

2007-11-18T19:48:00.001-09:00

Getting ready for the Camai Festival.

2007-11-18T19:46:00.001-09:00

What's on your sidewalk?

2007-11-18T19:44:00.001-09:00

Making akutaq (ah-goo-duk)

2007-11-18T19:41:00.001-09:00

The boys are getting an Ice Safety Lesson

2007-11-18T19:39:00.001-09:00

Eskimo P.E.

2007-11-18T19:37:00.001-09:00

2007-11-18T19:22:00.000-09:00

SNOW!!!

2007-11-14T21:37:00.000-09:00

When I returned from Anchorage, I was welcomed by a fresh blanket of snow on the tundra. I have always liked the snow and cold so the sight of snow is comforting to me. I am going to try to do a little Cross Country Skiing this weekend. I am still weak so I don't think I will last very long. I have been getting a little exercise in the school gym a few nights a week in an attempt to increase my stamina.
The river is frozen and that means that I can ski, walk, or snowmobile out of the village. I can't wait until I'm strong enough to escape for a little while.
I got to do a little fishing through the ice last week. I went for a walk around the village and saw some folks fishing so I went to say hi and be nosey. One of the fishermen was one of our Yup'ik teachers and she was cold. She said "Hi Jerry. Here, catch some Pike. I'm cold." and she walked home. She had given me her fishing gear as she passed. I wasn't really dressed for ice fishing but I found a hole and started fishing. One of the other fellows on the ice was my colleague's brother. He chatted me up and shared some advice about how Eskimos do it.
As with everything else in the Yup'ik world, the fishing gear is basic and simple. No Tip-Ups, no miniature rods with tiny reels, and no depth finders. The gear is a stick about a foot and a half long with heavy cloth fishing line, a steel leader with a big jig on the end, and some fish gut on the hook. I love it! No sportsman toys to feed the ego are needed here because their fish aren't impressed.
I got to participate in another significant cultural event recently; a funeral. On of the men passed away from cancer. He was only 60 years old and well liked by the people. As you can imagine, there are no funeral homes here. Most often, the body of the deceased is returned to the home for viewing and grieving. I didn't know the man in life, but as a part of the community, I was expected to pay my respects to the family. I always get a little weirded out about seeing dead bodies. To me, it is not beneficial to the process of creating happy memories so I hate to do it. Luckily, one of my fellow teachers suggested that we go together so we did. It was an uneasy event but I survived it. The funeral was the next day and school was let out early and everyone was expected to attend that too. The deceased was a Moravian Christian. The service was all in Yup'ik and lasted two full hours. It was torture. I don't know what the minister said to send this fellow off, but it sure seemed proper to me. I didn't go to the grave side service because I was way under dressed for the weather (but I looked great!) and I had had enough Yup'ik praying and singing for one day. I hope my next cultural experience is a happy one.

Sorry... I was too sick to write!

2007-11-14T21:26:00.000-09:00

Here are the past journals that I failed to send.
September 25th 2007
Some Time to Coast?
The 15th of September was our last Cross Country Race for the regular season. As expected, some of the larger schools put on a clinic and showed us how to run a race. These are also the schools that have tryouts and people make or do not make the team. I prefer to have the team where the athletes compete because they enjoy doing it. Well, most of them enjoy it.

One of my junior high girls got a wild hair you know where and decided that she was not going to run. Just flat refused to run. Sheesh, I would ever dream that an athlete would have the gall to quit the team and her friends half an hour before race time. Her reason was that she wanted to run in the high school race so her former friends from a different village wouldn’t see her running with the junior high. She said that running in her age group was humiliating, so she quit. UNBELIEVABLE!!! I was steamed and at the same time, very disappointed in her lack of humility. What an arrogant little terd.

The rest of the team made me proud. We weren’t the fastest, but no one tried harder than we did. The Atmautluak team ran until they could breath and then they ran without air. Aside from the quitter, only one person was not able to finish and that was for medical reasons. Maybe that’s why I have such a low opinion of that girl.

I enjoyed the evenings without practices and having Saturday to myself. I had time to grade papers and do teacher stuff. Then I was asked to coach Volleyball. I refused. Then it was wrestling and again, I refused. Then some of the kids who really wanted to wrestle laid on the sob story and the guild real thick and I caved in. I agreed to coach wrestling. I don’t know anything about coaching wrestling. Just like I didn’t know anything about cross country. Everyone has assured me that they will not hold my ignorance against me as long as we have a team and we get to compete. Yeah, right. Through further investigation, I learned that we have NO EQUIPMENT. No wrestling mats, only tumbling mats. No head gear or facemasks and none of those cute little “George of the Jungle” suits that real wrestlers wear. I think we are in for trouble and I’m in for a bunch of work.

Part of that work came in the form of moving the weightlifting equipment out of storage and into an old building. I decided to tackle this task on a Saturday so I lined up some help on Friday. Well, the kids that agreed to help me never showed up and the only other able bodied staffer went moose hunting. I am used to working alone so I started moving the stuff. One of my students, a 9 year old girl, asked to help. She proved to be a fantastic worker so she and I moved most of the equipment and toward the end some other little kids helped out too. Of course the kids wanted to “USE” the equipment. I let them play around with it and I only interfered when I saw something unsafe happening. One of the pieces is an Ab-Roller, this little wheel with handles for your stomach muscles. It’s the simplest thing to use but it packs a punch. When I was demonstrating it, I felt this burning sensation in my lower back. It felt very much like the burning sensation that I felt the last time I pulled my hamstring, back on the first day of cross country practice. Yep, you guessed it. I monkeyed around and hurt my back.

Sometimes when I strain my back, I can jog and work out the soreness. So on Sunday morning I set out on a jog. It was a cool, crisp morning about 8:00 a.m. I felt ready for a run. My back hurt just as I thought it would and I knew the medicine I needed was to run. When I left the porch and got on the boardwalk I started out at a slow jog to get warmed up and then I really did it. There was some of that invisible frost on the boards and my feet slipped. When I tried to regain my balance I felt more of that burning sensation in my back. I had officially goofed up my back. It hurt so bad that I couldn’t breathe. Instead of running, I walked for about a mile and returned home. Hoping that I wouldn’t get too sore but it was no use.

Since then, life has been no fun. It hurts when I move and it hurts when I sit still. It has me walking funny and tying my shoes is long term project. I have to stop every few seconds for the pain so it takes twice as long. I am slowly getting better but I hate not being able to do P.E. with my kids. I am hoping to be 80% right by the time wrestling starts and 100% by the first match. I have my fingers crossed for luck.
3 October 2007
Pneumonia!
Have you ever been under a lot of pressure at work or at home and just when you think you have the problem figured out and maybe even whipped, the unthinkable happens? That is happened to me last week. My learning curve for teaching and managing the "phased education model" has been very steep. Likewise, the coaching for wrestling and Native Youth Olympics (asst. coach) has demanded very much of my energy. Along with this I have been trying to exercise so I may regain some of my health and lose some weight. Two weeks ago I fought off a chest cold. Last Wednesday I felt achy and went to bed with a fever. On Thursday, I decided to go to the health clinic. I arranged for a substitute teacher (my very first ever) and meandered across the village.
It took me longer to walk across the village, this morning, than it normally takes for me to run the entire perimeter of the village. When I arrived I was told that I must make an appointment prior to coming because of their volume of patience. Luckily, there was a vacancy for me. We have no doctors or nurses here so we have health techs screen each patient and fax the initial findings to the hospital in Bethel. The hospital either asks for more information or decides on an appropriate course of action. It's not perfect system but it works.
In my case, everyone (including me) thought that strep throat was my bug and we took that course of action. I was given a prescription and some good advice sent on my merry way. I was also told that I could return to work on Friday.
Fridays morning came and I felt pretty good so I went to do me job. As the day ebbed, I could feel my life being drained away. It was almost like having one of those video game life meters that tell you when you are at half life and going down. My whole body hurt and my head was ready to explode. Breathing and pain were only things on my mind.
At the first opportunity, I went to the phone to schedule a follow up appointment with the clinic. I had my visit and as soon as I got home my phone was ringing. The hospital sent orders for me to get on the next available flight to Bethel. I had to go the emergency room.
What a might mare! Calling airlines for next available seats, packing for an overnight night stay (or more?), cash for the cab, where will I stay, where is the hospital, and on and on. Thanks to Tatiana, our secretary, and others I was able to make it to the hospital safely and in a timely manner.
The license bureau and the emergency room are two places that always take it on the chin as dens of wasted time. The ER at Bethel has set the standard for inefficiency. The first 2-HOURS I spent there were filled with the normal errands to here and to there for EKG, Chest X-Rays, and blood work; pretty typical stuff. The next 3-HOURS were spent trying to chat up the natives (only one taker), people watching, and a little long-range TV watching. The women here are giving up smoking. Instead, they are taking up dipping snuff. Yeah, like our country boys do. You can tell it in their smile. It is also appropriate to have take-out delivered to the EM so you don't starve while you wait. That too, was a 1st for me.
Finally! My name is called. I only had to wait 5 hours and 15 minutes for the moment. I met with a doctor Smith who had my best health in mind (that was sarcasm). He said "Jerry, I have reviewed your labs and x-rays and there is not a lot to see." "I don't think you have pneumonia, I think what you have is strep throat with some other viral crud that is going around." I was taken aback by this. All of the pain and vomiting and coughing of blood was just CRUD? What exactly is crud? Then he started asking me questions off of his checklist. These were the same questions that the 4 people prior to him asked and wrote answers to, in my chart. In fact, I could see those very forms on his clipboard. Instead of answering his questions I suggested that he look at the papers in his hand for the answer. Sure enough, the answers were in my chart that he had claimed to have read. By now I knew that something wasn't right and I was getting angry. Dr. Smith said "I think what we will do is give you a breathing treatment and send you on your way." I interrupted him. I said "What about the spot on the x-ray that is about here on my chest, pointing to my left ribcage, that is giving so much pain and what about my temperature?' He paused for a long moment, like kid who has just been caught. "Uh, well, of course I'll take a listen." He listened and said "I'll be right back." then he left for about 15 minutes. When he returned, he said "Jerry, I sort of lied to you a little." "Before when I told you that I looked at your x-rays and stuff, I hadn't." "You are right; there are signs of pneumonia in your labs and x-rays."
I can't believe that this guy was about to send me away because I didn't look sick enough to him. I wanted to punch him smack in his face. This could have been one of those weird cases of someone dying from something that is very controllable. And not just someone, ME!
On the bright side, I now know how painful pneumonia and strep throat are. I also know that if it doesn't sound or feel right, then it's not. Be ready to take care of yourself because, you may be your only source of care. I will get another blog entry written while I'm sick so hang in there my friends.
October 23rd.
Finally!
Since my last entry, my life got real serious. The pneumonia got worse and I had to have emergency surgery. When I went for my follow-up at the village clinic, the med. Tech. was alarmed that she couldn’t hear any air move in or out of my left lung. Once again, I had to take a trip to Bethel. This time I was to report to one of the clinics inside the hospital. I was a little more optimistic about this visit to the hospital than I was about the emergency room. I was foolish. I got more of the same run around and I heard those same words again; “you don’t LOOK like you’re that sick.” Once again, the doctor was going to send me home. I knew that she was making a mistake that I couldn’t live with. I also knew that if I was going to get well I would have to take matters into my own hands. First, I demanded to be admitted and transferred to Anchorage. They refused to admit me because I didn’t LOOK sick enough. They sent me out to get some lunch and when I came back I finally looked sick. One of the nurses noticed that I was in some respiratory distress and took me back to the exam room. I hammed it up a little bit to sell it because I needed to look sick enough to great proper treatment. Finally, the doctor said that I was going to be admitted, but not sent to Anchorage as I requested.
As usual, I had to have an IV so I could get fluids, and etcetera. At final count, I was poked thirteen times before I was properly needled. I still have bruises from it. I was in the hospital at Bethel for roughly three days and then transferred. Before I was transferred, though, the doctors tried to relieve some of the pressure in my chest by attempting to sick a small tube through my back into my chest cavity in order to draw off some fluid. They did this three times and each one failed. It was then that they had the big idea to evacuate me to Anchorage.
Things started to look up. I was put on a Cessna Citation business jet and flown quite comfortably to Anchorage. Once on the ground, I was sent to the very nice, very professional Providence Hospital in Anchorage. I was stabilized and made comfortable until I could get my turn in the Operating Room. To top things off, my wife and son flew to Alaska to be with me.
I was so very happy to see my family and I felt very much at ease. They stayed with me through my surgery and recovery and gave me all of the support I could possibly need. After that, I only saw them occasionally because they went sight seeing at every possible moment. They had a wonderful time and they filmed their adventures so I could share in their good time with me.
November 14th 2007
I'm much better now. Since I was out of the classroom for about a month, I have had a lot to do to get back on track. I think that the time for my excuses has passed so I'll be writing regularly again.

Another Fine Day to be Alive!

2007-09-14T22:39:00.000-08:00

Since I can remember, I have been a subscriber of The Magazine for Practical Outdoorsmen: Fur – Fish – Game. In that magazine there is a section called “I Knew That!” In the September 2007 edition of Fur – Fish – Game (page 2) a reader named Randy Zink offered a suggestion that you can use the bottom of a ceramic cup – you know, a coffee cup—as a knife sharpening stone. Since I foolishly did not bring any of my own stones to Alaska with me, I tried it. Guess what, Randy was right, it works. It will take a little getting used to but I sharpened my favorite kitchen knife (the knife that gets abused) on it and I am pleased with the resulting edge. Thanks Randy and thanks Fur – Fish – Game magazine!

14 September 2007
Staying Busy
It has been quite a while since I last wrote anything. Between planning lessons and coaching cross country, I have not had time to do much of anything.

My recent trip to Goodnews Bay was very nice. They don’t have trees either, but the mountains and the Bering Sea were wonderful. I would love to live and teach there but the people who go there, stay there. Across the bay is the small village of Platinum. We have a school there but it’s closed. There was once a Platinum Mine there but it has been closed for quite a while. When the mine closed all but the heartiest of the citizens left too. Someone is building a fish processing plant there that will operate in the summer. If that brings in enough full time residents to warrant the reopening of the school, I’ll be first in line with my resume’ in hand.

Our mode of transportation to and from Goodnews Bay was in Cessna 207s. The weather was extremely rough. So rough that there was talk about us being “weathered – in” and staying until the storm passed. After seeing the first plane I was a little nervous anyhow. The ceiling panel was being help up by duct tape. I thought to myself “There’s no duct tape on the outside so we are going to be fine.” The thirty year old planes performed flawlessly and I decided that I want one of my own.

Our next trip is to Bethel for the Regional Cross Country Meet. The scenery will not be as pretty but at least it’ll be new.

I have been practicing with my team so that I can get into better physical condition and maybe even lose some weight. At yesterday’s practice we were in the gym because of the weather and part of the workout involved balls. Somehow, I twisted wrong and pulled a muscle in my lower back so today I’m gimping around like an old man. On the bright side, I hurt my back in Alaska and I’ll heal in Alaska and that’s all I need. If I had a few trees to look at, I would be in sore-back heaven.

This is interesting… There was a community feast last night. It was to celebrate someone’s birthday. They invite the whole community without exception. One of my runners invited me personally so I would be sure to show up. She remembered that I did not go to one last month because I am shy and I didn’t want to impose on folks that I did not know. (Yes, I am shy!)

When I arrived the house was packed full of people from two other villages and every kid in town. I was welcomed warmly by the family, many of whom I had met before at school functions. And a couple of my neighbors were there too. On the offering was swan (the turkey of the north), duck, and moose ribs; akutaq and other stuff that I had never seen before. I, somehow, ended up with a kid’s plate of Rice-A-Roni, jello, and cake. The lady who served me likes to kid around with me so I think she played on my ignorance of their etiquette so she could have a chuckle. I’m fine with that, because I got to spend some time with nice people outside of the school and I didn’t have to cook or wash dishes. Besides, the food she gave me tasted very good.

I couldn’t help but to notice how many religious icons and family photographs were on display. It seemed like certain walls were devoted to one subject or the other. It is well known that I don’t know much about the Yup’ik people so it shouldn’t be a shock that was amazed at some of the pictures. There were kids and grandkids and grandmas and so on. That’s not the shocking part. I saw pictures of people that I thought were from other families on the walls. Then it hit me. Grandparents, aunts and uncle, and distant relatives will adopt kids for various reasons and raise them as their own. In these small communities of a few hundred, most people are related somehow anyway, so why not take in kids if needed? However, it has changed the way I see my students.

The Atmautluak High School X-C Team

2007-09-14T21:15:00.000-08:00

Faster than Blue Chain Lightning!

Bear Tracks!

2007-09-14T21:10:00.001-08:00

Yes, those are real bear tracks on the race course. Seem to be pretty fresh too.

Cliffs at Goodnews Bay

2007-09-14T21:04:00.000-08:00

2007-09-03T19:28:00.001-08:00

The hull of this barge is filled with the fuel and will be pumped into the white tanks.

2007-09-03T19:23:00.001-08:00

Some of my favorite girls.

A few of my favorite boys.

2007-09-03T19:18:00.001-08:00

These tanks are where all of the heating oil, diesel fuel, and gasoline for the entire village is held. This fuel will last until Spring when the barge can return to refill them.

2007-09-03T17:53:00.001-08:00

The beautiful view while berry picking.

You never know when an airplane is going to land in your berry patch.

2007-09-03T17:22:00.001-08:00

This humble building is the source of my joy and, sometimes, my frustration.

Berry Picking

2007-09-01T15:53:00.000-08:00

So now I’m confused. I have a couple of kids that are down right bad in the classroom but, when we are out of the classroom they are my best buddies. What gives? It is like a Jekyll and Hyde thing. When I spoke to their parents, no one mentioned multiple personalities. As I reflect on the week over all, I think this week was slightly better than last. If the weeks continue to get better, they might become tolerable, and I may even begin to like being a teacher. It will never be as good as working for Jackie at Ball State, but I can always hope.

One of the high points of the week was going berry picking on Thursday afternoon during Yup’ik time. Since we live on the tundra, we only had to go a little way to find berries. We picked Blueberries, Low-bush Cranberries, and Blackberries. I think the English name for the Blackberries is Crowberries, but I can’t swear to it. None of these berries grow on much of a bush. They sprawl out through the Lichens and seldom get more than a few inches above the ground, so you have to good at squatting or kneeling. I also picked some herbs that they use in tea. The herbs, I carried in my shirt pocket instead of my pail.

Anytime you get kids, big and small, outdoors picking berries, berries will get thrown. As usual, I was the target. Not me as much as the pocket of my white shirt in which I stored the herbs for my tea. I didn’t notice any going in my pocket when we picking or when we go back. Upon returning from berry picking we went directly to the gym for P.E. We played a feisty game of Dodge ball and worked up quite a sweat. One of the kids alerted me to a suspicious color change in my shirt pocket. It was a Blueberry!

I washed the white shirt that had the berry stain on the pocket and the stain didn’t come out. I have decided to go out and pick more berries and make the whole shirt one color; Blueberry. I know this is extreme, but the shirt is ruined anyhow so what the heck… I might as well go for broke. Wish me luck.

On the way back to school, Olinka showed me a root that they used to eat. It is some kind of grass that looks like dwarf cattails but with no fuzzy end. I had a heck of a time getting them out of the ground at first. You have to root your fingers around in the peat kind of deep and grab it tight so you can wrestle the whole thing out without breaking the good part off. The flavor was kind of like potato, which is another reason I thought of cattails. Olinka said there is another plant that looks like this one but isn’t good to eat. The mention of that plant made me think of Iris; because they look like cattails but are not edible.

Last night, Olinka made berry muffins and berry jam from the berries that the kids picked and gave it to them for their morning snack. [Yes, just like Kindergarten in your schools, our 3rd, 4th, and 5th Graders get a morning snack.] I don’t know if all three varieties of berry were in the muffins, but they were good and the same goes for the jam. Inspired by Olinka’s selfless and tasty act, I separated my berries and put the Blueberries in pancake mix and made pancakes for supper. It was simple, yet just a little naughty. Not quite a masterpiece but, darn good.

I volunteered to be the Cross Country coach. I have 11 athletes which range from 6th Grade through 10th Grade. The girls greatly outnumber the boy 8 to 3, but the boys are way faster than the girls. My three boys are solid runners. They are long, lean, live right, and they love to run. I have three girls who like to run and they are fast. The rest of the team needed something to do so they joined Cross Country. I’m okay with joining because you are bored. They are getting some good exercise, learning about themselves, and they get to travel a little. If we win something, great! If we try our best and don’t quit; best! We do not get to travel this weekend but, we will be going to Goodnews Bay, on the coast, next weekend. The kids and I are really looking forward to the trip. I am told that Goodnews Bay is mountainous and beautiful. This will be especially nice because all I have seen for a solid month is tundra.

As you all know, I am fat and out of shape. So, I have been running with the team during practice. It feels good to get some exercise and burn some calories. When I look in the mirror now, my gut is in the same picture as the rest of my body. On the first day I hurt myself though. I was determined to beat this little girl during sprints and I felt my leg muscle tear. I babied it for a couple of days and I’m running on it again. I know, I know, stretch more because you’re getting older. I heard it all from the kids and the teachers and the villagers. That’s the trouble with being in a small town; everybody knows when you do something dumb.

We were without water again yesterday. It was only 24 hours this time but, it was the 4th time this month. I am really curious to see the machines that process our water to learn what the weak link is in the system. I signed my lease yesterday and for the price that I am paying for my apartment, I can’t complain. My rent is very cheap and since it is forced housing I can deduct it from my taxes. SWEET!!!

It is now September 1st and we are supposed to enjoy the long weekend. For me it means it to work on getting my reading program working properly and getting my writing program working period. So, that’s what I’m going to do. Good bye for now.

Thank God for Weekends

2007-08-28T22:11:00.000-08:00

The week of August 20th was like some kind of crazy “hell week” with 9, 10, and 11 year olds doing the hazing. By Wednesday night I was sick of being a teacher and the thought of buying a plane ticket buzzed through my head. Bright and early Thursday morning I changed their world. They usually like to start trickling into the classroom about 8:00 a.m. after breakfast. Not today boys and girls! I kept the door closed and turned on only the lights that I needed to do my preparation work. When they opened the door, I said “stay out until I invite you in” and they knew that something was different. Class begins at 8:45 so at 8:35 I invited into the classroom. Instead of unstructured play time, (which they have none of during the day) I had desk work for them to do. They entered the classroom quietly and went to their desks. I introduced the busy work to them and they began. We have no bells so at 8:45 I told them to hand in their work and you should have seen their faces. The ones who chose to goof off during their work time began to plead for just a few more minutes. I refused and collected the work. We stood and did the pledge of allegiance, then I handed the work back to them and we discussed each item. The kids that were goofing off before were no longer goofing. They got busy and copied everything that was said. I remained emotionless for the rest of the day and through Friday.

By Friday night I was ready to kick back and party. I decided to whoop-it-up by going to the store and buying something I didn’t need. I bought some Olive Oil and Pringles. My party lasted fifteen minutes and I was at home again. I sure wanted a beer or something stronger to help me unwind. Keep in mind that we are in a dry community and any form of alcohol is strictly forbidden. I was wound tighter than a three-day clock and I had no idea what I was going to do.

Just then someone knocked at the door. My neighbor Virginia wanted to know if I would like to buy some of her excess perishable produce. One of the things she mentioned on her list of fresh goodies was garlic. It just so happens that I had been without any garlic since I left home and I sure wanted some. I ransacked her pantry to the tune of $6.00, including the appropriate shipping fees and stayed for tea. She had another treat for me… toast. Since her husband, Moses is a man who loves his toast and I have been without toast since I left home, we enjoyed honeyed toast with our tea. While we visited we kept hearing this horrible racket outside, but we couldn’t see the source.

When I left the neighbor’s house, I walked outside to investigate the noise. It was our principal, Larry cutting the tops out of 55 gallon drums with a Sawz-All. He was working on a solution to our cable TV problem. Curious and bored, I volunteered to help him. His plan was to put the post that would hold the 6 foot satellite dish in a barrel and set it with gravel. Then put more barrels around that one to keep it from tipping in the wind. It sounded good to me so we made some more cuts and took the four-wheeler and trailer with the barrels to fill them. After we filled the first barrel with gravel, we noticed that the high flotation tires on the trailer were quite squat and that we should curb our enthusiasm to fill the other barrels until later. We came home with one barrel and a lazy-man’s solution for getting it to the proper location for good reception. We decided to drive the rig over the surface laid fuel pipes and across the tundra muck and end up in the right place. That seemed a much better idea than emptying the dirt and carrying it over a bunch of stuff and more muck. After a quick prayer, Larry gave ‘er hell and aimed it true. IT WORKED! He only almost got stuck. We wrestled the barrel off of the trailer and got it into position. By then it was already 10:30 p.m. and we were just getting started. It didn’t take long for both of us to agree that we would quit for the night. Bruce, a fellow teacher, and I filled two more barrels over the weekend but we are still a long way from watching TV.

At our Friday staff meeting, Larry introduced an idea to save the school money and provide the students with some lunches more in keeping with their traditional food. He suggested catching salmon and using them for lunches. Everyone thought it was a great idea. It falls within the subsistence fishing laws and the Silver Salmon were still running. Besides, the school owns nets for the native education program and they were dry. The Yup’ik teachers knew just the man for the job; Joe. Joe is one of our janitors. He is a hard working quiet man with an unassuming demeanor.

I volunteered to help Joe and to help clean whatever was caught. The other new teachers volunteered to help as well. I waited until midnight on Friday to hear if I could go fishing with Joe. I woke early anticipating a knock on the door; but, just like Christmas, Santa never came; maybe next time.

Joe caught 16 silvers at the place where the Johnson River flows into the Kuskokwim River. He went alone and didn’t get home until 10:30 Saturday night. Sunday afternoon I rounded up the teachers and we went to the school’s kitchen for a fish cleaning party. One of the Yup’ik teachers, Olinka had some time so she came over to help. Help heck, Olinka is a one woman fish cleaning crew. Of the new teachers, I was the only one who had ever filleted a fish before. I hadn’t done it in better than twenty years, but at least I have done it. Our knife selection was pretty poor. We had some dull boning knives and a dull Ulu which Olinka snatched immediately. We hit the knives with the steel a few times, but it did little in the way of sharpening. I filleted a couple fish then I watched Olinka work her magic. I noticed that she left a lot more meat on the carcass than I do. As I am not one to pass up a learning opportunity, I asked “why do you leave so much meat on the bones? She simply said “You gotta leave somthin’ for da soup.” DING, DING, DING, Jerry, fish soup… hello. I have eaten fish soup and the fish came from somewhere… off the bones. I also learned that Larry saved the guts and head when he field dressed them on Saturday night. I talked about the cooked fish heads before; remember? I think we will be having more of them in the future.

The salmon skeletons were divvied up between those who wanted them so I took a few. I wasn’t really sure what I was going to do with them, but I had them none the less. I also had a few nice salmon steaks that were from the pectoral fin region of the fish. I cut the skeletons and fins down to soup pot size and put them on low heat. Then, I fried the pure meat that I was hoarding for myself. I ended up with a plate FULL of perfectly golden crisp salmon. I feasted! The bones simmered and I ate. Salmon is a rich meat so I may have eaten a third of that plate full. Stuffed to the gills, (< ha, ha, that was a pun) I put the rest in the soup pot.

I put the cooked salmon in the refrigerator to cool over night. Later Monday night, I picked all of the skin and bones and fins out of the meat and stock and then I thought about making some soup. When I was a little boy at my Grandpa’s Deer Camp in Dublin, Michigan, I took an ass whipping because I wouldn’t eat the Salmon Soup that my Grandmother, Dorothy White lovingly prepared for us. I’m sure it was a fine soup but this six year old boy thought that it smelled bad and therefore, it must be bad. This memory popped into my head as I started to make my fish soup. The thing that killed me about Grandma’s soup was the milk or cream; like you would use in chowder. I quickly decided against chowder. I decided on boring simple ingredients like potatoes, carrots, and, of course, garlic. Using my Food Network culinary skills, I dumped the ingredient in the pot. Put it over low heat and went for a walk around the village. When I returned home it was ready to eat. Now, you can ask my wife and kids and they’ll tell you that I CAN COOK. Sometimes I even stumble over a masterpiece. This soup was one of those times. In fact, it turned out so well that I had it for two meals and froze four quarts for later. Sadly, the only people to enjoy it was King Jerry the Magnificent (me) and me. I can't promise that there will be any when Pam comes up in December but, if she's lucky she'll get some.

I’m sorry that I have blabbed for so long about so little. Thanks for sticking with me. To my friends at Ball State, I miss you and I wish you were here. To my family, I miss you and I wish you were here. To anyone reading this that I don’t know; you should spend your time better, get a job or a hobby.

The Day before D – Day

2007-08-20T06:57:00.000-08:00

Much has happened since my last entry. I returned to Atmautluak the evening of the 10th of August; to late to see if my boxes from home had arrived. First thing Saturday morning I was at the Post Office waiting for the Postmaster to open the door. I felt like a little kid waiting for mom and dad to get out of bed on Christmas morning.
I followed her inside and she said “I can’t remember; what’s your name?” I thought, is she pulling my leg or does she really not remember? There are only three new people in the village. How hard can it be to remember the only white guy in town? Anyhow, I told her and she began looking.
She started handing out box after box after box and one large envelope. There were so many boxes that I had to go to the school and get a hand cart to move them all; even then it too three trips. It was like Christmas morning. I never thought that getting boxes of your own stuff that you packed could be so much fun.
As I opened each box and put each item away, I wondered what I was thinking when I packed this stuff. For example, the box of blankets and books held no joy for me after it was emptied.
I was surprised by the envelope that I received, however. My daughter in law, Brooke, wrote me a nice letter and made some cards with photographs for me to hang in my home. I would like to go now public record, here and now, and proclaim to the world and everyone in it that I love Brooke. I failed to make that clear before I left home and if I should die in a fiery plane crash tomorrow Brooke can now rest assured that she is loved by me. Thank you Brooke, for the nice letter and the pictures; I have hanging on my refrigerator like a good grandpa should.
I left home a week early so I could move all of my books and furniture into my new classroom before I went off for training. My plan was to be settled in so I could focus on writing lesson plans and then be ready to teach on the 20th. That plan was flawed from the start. When I arrived, no one on site knew which classrooms were assigned to whom. I couldn’t move anything. My boss arrived the evening of the 14th and we had district level training all day on the 15th. You guessed it, nothing got moved. Finally on Thursday, the 16th, we started moving everything for all four classrooms all at once. What a nightmare that was! At the same time, two ladies from the district office arrived to provide the new teacher with some help on the education system that we use. What they did mostly was help me unpack and start setting up my classroom. We worked until 10:30 that night. I was back at it at around 8:15 a.m. unpacking boxes and trying to figure out what I had.
This was also the first day of our two day carnival. It was nice to see all of the people from the village and some from other villages coming for the party. There were games for the kids, food vendors, junk vendors, and they raffled off a four wheeler. They had been planning a basketball tournament but not enough teams entered so they had a dance instead.
The two stores in the village both got shipments of supplies on that Friday. I did a little shopping and was surprised at how varied the prices are. Eggs were just under $3.00 per dozen but milk was over $3.00 per quart (yes, I said quart). Bread was 2 loaves for just under $6.00. So prices were not as bad as I thought they would be over all.
Since then I have been eating hamburgers and hotdogs and Chili Cheese Fritos. Before this shopping trip, then fresh food I had in the house was a bag of onions. I learned that when I like the food I’m eating, I tend to want to over eat. I guess I’ll go back to sardines and wheat crackers.
I woke up Sunday morning to no water in the house. Luckily, I keep water in the refrigerator so I was able to brush my teeth. My boss told me that it would be at least two more days before we get water. They have to fly the part in from Anchorage, install the part, fill the holding tank and administer the chemical dose. Then the chemicals have to settle before they can allow the people to consume the water. Great! No shower for the first day of class. At least I’m not alone.
By the way, I know what you’re thinking; “quit bitchin’ Jerry, you’re the one how wanted to go there.” You’re right, and a crummy day in Alaska is better than any day in Indiana. On that note, I will say good night.

Yup'ik Culture Days

2007-08-12T01:06:00.000-08:00

I have been waiting for today’s events ever since I decided to come here. Today we learn about the history and foundations of the Yup’ik. The agenda says that tonight we will enjoy a Yup’ik potluck and tomorrow we learn from an elder. But first, we have to suffer through classes.
The classes on the development and implementation of the Yup’ik curriculum were interesting but not so much fun. The best part about the whole program is that it was and is a Yup’ik product. It meets all of the requirements of the state bureaucracy while serving the cultural needs of the people. Most of the career staff at the district level has stayed because of the Yup’ik program. I heard it said that this school district does more to preserve and promote the indigenous culture than any other in Alaska. Does that mean that the Yup’ik people have won the war against cultural genocide? Not yet, but I’ll talk about that another day.
In the afternoon we watched a historical documentary called We of the River. It too is a native product that was co-sponsored by the Lower Kuskokwim School District and is a good video history of the Yup’iks from before the time of the Moravians, in 1884, until about the 1960s or 70s. I will buy a copy of this documentary for myself because it shows the people being themselves, as much as a movie can. The movie also gave purpose to the traditional dishes that we were going to sample at the potluck.
The moment we have all been waiting for, the potluck, was finally here. This was a spread fit for a king. There was Moose Soup and Moose Stew, Dried Salmon and Smoked Salmon, Salmon Fillets and Salmon Strips, Salted Salmon Eggs and Boiled Salmon Heads, and yes there was maktaq (whale skin and blubber). We ate Whitefish and Blackfish and Dried Pike and two kinds of Akutaq (AH-koo-TOK). We were served homemade jellies that were made from this season’s Salmon Berries and last season’s Blue Berries, Fry Bread and some things that I don’t have a description for. I loved something about each dish, even the fish eggs. I couldn’t help going back for seconds on some of the items because they were so good. I will be living well if I can keep eating like an Eskimo.
On Thursday, we had more culture lessons in the big room in the Cultural Center, but this time we moved the tables out of the way and put our chairs in a semi-circle so we could all be close to our honored guest speaker. His name is Peter Jacobs and he is a Yup’ik Elder. I would guess his height to be four feet six inches and his weight to be 90 pounds but, he spoke like a giant. His vigor and enthusiasm, at times, had me wondering if he really was 83 years old as he said during his introduction. Peter doesn’t speak much English so he used an interpreter to get his message to us. The stories that he told us about the old days were very similar to those that Katie told us a couple of days earlier. Like Katie, Peter is happy that we are here but at the same time wanted us to know that their journey to become Cussuk-like has been a painful one. The teachers during those early days, as we know, were abusive and didn’t want the scholars speaking in their savage language. The penalty for doing so was stiff and carried out without mercy. Peter’s message was honest and therefore, complicated, but we all got the point; be a good person first and a teacher second. He spent the best part of the day with us and it was time well spent. Peter told us that every elder has a specialty; one thing in which they are experts. In order to learn everything Yup’ik, you must visit many, many elders to learn their expertise. He then brought out a tote bag and from it he pulled some tools that his father had willed to him. He had three knives, all had a small blade that curved to the left and a handler made of Caribou antler. Each knife was a different size for different jobs. Peter demonstrated how the knives were used to carve serving spoons, bowls, and the sticks for holding fish open in the smoker. The sticks were split from straight grained wood by using the antler handle first like wedge and then like a froe (froe? look it up). He also had a couple of hand adzes that he used for roughing in the work. I hope to be able to learn more from Peter very soon.
The Yup’ik instructors taught us the story of the Floating Drum and the dance that was developed from that story. Did we have to do the dance? Yes, we did. We did the dance six or eight times for Peter and he laughed his head off the whole time. He also praised us for our efforts and encouraged us to dance with our village when we get home.
I first saw Yup’ik dancing on the website of the Yup’ik Cultural Center. They put the dance competitions on the site from each CAMA’I (chama-I) festival. Many of the villages have teams in the festival but, sadly, some of the villages do not have dance teams. Atmautluak does have a dance team and they are quite popular, as I hear it, for their contemporary flair on traditional dance.
I learned something totally new. I was always led to believe that the Eskimo people were generally not a warlike people. This is not true. At some point in history, they fought bloody battles to drive the Athabascans away from the coastal areas. In doing so, they earned the name Eskimo or “Raw Meat Eater” from their Athabascan enemies. They are quite proud to be known as Eskimos so referring to them as such is not an insult, but an affirmation of who they are. I will research these battles and tell you more when I have good information on the subject. You could also research this and tell me; I would like that.
I should mention the manner in which the Yup’ik instructors and Peter opened and closed the day’s lesson. The instructors consisted of Nita, Fanny, and Rachael; all three are Yup’ik Eskimos and highly educated educators that have taught in the villages. Peter Jacobs, as I mentioned earlier is the venerated elder and guest speaker. Peter, the eldest, led the group into the room and we all rose to our feet as they entered. The ladies followed him in an order that appeared to be by age, though I don’t want to presume too much. One of the ladies beat a rhythm on the traditional drum as the group entered. Peter carried a metal dish with some kind of herbs in it. Once they were in front of the class they lit the herbs on fire and crushed the flames so the herbs would smolder and smoke. Peter used a bird wing to move the smoke over himself like a ceremonial smoke bath. He then carried the dish of smoking herbs in front of the students and fanned the smoke over us and then he did the same for the instructors. The smoke is to drive bad spirits away from the gathering of people. Then Peter led us in a Christian prayer spoken in Yup’ik. I know it was Christian of some type because it ended with “Jesus Christo, Amen.” When we finished our day Peter led us in a similar prayer so that we part ways as blessed people. I appreciate the way some of these folks have kept their traditional belief structures intact while adopting the new religion. It is a shame that the new religion is not as tolerant as their own religion seems to be.
Since then, not much happened that is too exciting so I’ll say farewell for now. Thank you for your comments and please keep them coming. If you have a specific question, I’ll try to answer it directly to you so be sure I have your email address. One last thing; I am sick of apologizing for my lack of pictures but I promise to get some photos on this blog next week if it kills me. Until then, best wishes.

Tea with Katie Albright

2007-08-12T00:43:00.000-08:00

“Around” is a word I will have to apply to all aspects of travel in “Bush Alaska.”
The airplane was supposed to arrive around 9:30 a.m., when in fact it arrived at 10:00. It was supposed to have enough seats to accommodate around five passengers from Atmautluak when in fact there were only enough seats for three. The boxes that Pam sent UPS were supposed to be delivered around August 2nd when in fact they are still in the hanger at Arctic Circle Air and will now be delivered around Friday the 10th. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. This is the way it is here and I have to get used to it.
As soon as I arrived in Bethel and found the Dorm where I would be staying, I set out to see the town. Bethel is spread out all over the place. All of the roads that I have seen are dirt and only a few have boardwalks that follow them. Most of the time people walk along the side of the roads. There is a massive project underway to pave the main drag through Bethel which will do much to reduce the mud problem.
After dinner tonight, I mentioned going for a walk and a couple of my fellow teachers thought it was a good idea so we did. Before I continue with this story I should introduce my companions. My next door neighbor in Atmautluak and fellow teacher, Virginia and her husband Moses; Darren, a new teacher from Oregon and I all decided to find the Kuskokwim River to see if there were any big ships at the docks. It is important to note that Moses is a Yup’ik Eskimo from this part of Alaska. As we walked, people would stop to say CAMA’I (chama-I or hello) to Moses. It seemed like Moses had a cousin every quarter mile. Hanging around with this guy is a good way to meet people.
We found the river and the port and though there were no big ships in port, there was plenty to look at. We saw guys loading big barrels of gasoline into their boats to take back to their villages because the price of gas in the village is around $11.00 per gallon. We noticed too that the Kuskokwim River is greatly affected by the tides of the Bearing Sea, which is some 70 miles down stream.
On our way back to the dorm, Virginia spotted a small sign on the side of a house. The sign said “Albright, K.” and nothing else. She said to Moses “Hey Moe, I wonder if that’s your Aunt’s house.” Moses got very excited and they went to the door to ask if this was the home his Great Aunt Katie Albright. It was! The two went inside and immediately Virginia came back out to invite Darren and me inside. Game for anything he and I gladly accepted the invitation and went inside to meet Moses’ family.
Aunt Katie shook our hand and welcomed us warmly. Moses’ cousin David, the man of the house, greeted us and made us feel welcome as well. Darren and I kind of stood around as Moses and Katie chatted in Yup’ik. When it seemed like we were about to leave Katie invited us to stay and have tea. It was obvious that Moses really wanted to stay so he could visit with his aunt and we felt very welcome so we said yes to tea. Katie is 83 years of age and she likes to share her culture with the cussuks (Cossacks or white people) that she meets. After the tea was poured she scurried over the refrigerator and got out a bowl to bring to the table. She said that it is important for us cussuks to learn to eat like Eskimos so we don’t starve in the winter. The bowl contained Eskimo Ice Cream called Akutaq (AH-koo-TOK). This is the stuff of legends. The travel channel guy from that bizarre foods show had it. If I remember correctly, the ingredients are: Salmon Berries, Black Berries, Sugar, Crisco, and a smidgen of fish oil. I may be wrong on these so don’t sue me. Anyhow, it was very, very good. Since it is mostly berries, the Crisco and fish oil were barely noticeable. It tasted great and left your palate clean with only a little tartness from the Black Berries.
Katie told us about the conditions of life during her youth and how school was when she was a kid. Moses and Virginia later told us that she did that so that we might have some insight to the negative attitudes that some elders have towards school. After Katie described her life in the sod house of the old days she made it quite clear that she greatly preferred to live in her modern house with its electric lights and stove that requires no wood. She is quite happy to live like a cussuk and she is enjoying her life tremendously.
I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to share tea, dessert, and conversation with this Yup’ik Elder, Katie Albright. If I am lucky, I will have this opportunity again and again. My only regret is that I forgot to bring my camera on this walk. Oh well, maybe next time.

Crap!

2007-08-08T22:14:00.001-08:00

Still no pictures guys, sorry. I'll have to work on it when I get back to Atmautluak.
When I get some time I have some pretty cool stories to tell you about the food and the people, so hang in there.

Finally! Some Pictures

2007-08-08T22:02:00.001-08:00

I still don't know if I got it right.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2007-08-06T20:05:00.000-08:00

August 6th 2007
Happy Birthday to me! Also the 62nd anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, I think.
What a good birthday! I got to talk to my sweetheart and two of my boxes came in the mail. I also got messages on face book from a bunch of my friends but I can’t access face book through the school’s server. I’ll have to work on that.
I though I had the picture posting thing figured out but no such luck. Sorry, I'll keep trying.
I go to Bethel for training tomorrow so there may not be any new entries for a few days. Maybe by then I'll have this picture posting thing figured out.
Goodbye for now.

The Challenges of Relocating

2007-08-04T10:45:00.000-08:00

August 3rd 2007
It dawned on me how large a mistake I made by not following my plan. By not getting my boxes mailed out earlier, I had nothing to unpack and set up nor did I have any food standing by. I still have four days before anything happens so I guess I’ll just hang out and watch the locals.
I went for a walk around the village last night at around 8:00. Since there was still four hours of daylight left in the day I figured that I might as well make use of them. There is one main gravel road here that goes to the airstrip and the rest are boardwalks. If I had to guess, I would guess that there is somewhere around two miles of boardwalk in the Village of Atmautluak. These are more than walkways though; they serve as racetrack for four wheelers and bicycles and as playground and jogging track. The boardwalks connect to each house in town and there is a wider part, like a drive way or parking pad for the resident’s four wheeler.
The houses are on stilts of various sorts but all are about three or more feet off of the ground. I guess this is so the heat from the house will not thaw the permafrost. The “yard” between the houses is probably three times that of the typical suburban neighborhood. Most homes had a fish drying shelter and a walk-in smoke house. There seemed to be a boat or two, a snowmobile or two, and a four wheeler or two per household. A few homes had those six wheeled amphibious vehicles in the yard as well. I also saw cars and trucks. They looked mostly like junk vehicles but it is possible that they are used after the ground freezes.
I slept pretty well last night. I decided to sleep on the couch because I like them better than beds. Since Pam is not here to make me come to bed I didn’t. Besides, the couch is much cozier than the bed. I discovered that I need a night light in the bathroom.
I have failed to describe my new home for you. Hot pink, is all I can say. The majority of the living room and adjacent kitchen is a very fun pink color. My guess is that the previous resident, Susan Haas (she left a bunch of stuff behind is how I know her name), wanted to end the boredom of plain white walls and her apartment her way. I’m good with that. I’m good because I don’t get excited about painting and have no desire to give the place a new color.
The layout of the place is like two single wide mobile homes side-by-side with a common roof. My side is long and narrow with the kitchen toward the entry and the bedroom at the opposite end. These are simple, functional accommodations with no frills. I am happy to report that I have running water, a flush toilet, a shower, and a washer / dryer set. The heat is fuel oil and the stove is electric. I don’t have and air conditioner for obvious reasons.
Since I have been here, the temperature has been in the mid sixties during the day and the high fifties at night. It has rained off and on since Bethel and I don’t think it will quit until it freezes.
The kids here play wherever they want for as long as they want. I was pouring down rain and these three little boys were outside playing in t-shirts like nothing was happening. There must be hardy people.
I talked to my wife today! Boy, do I ever feel better! I also learned that my first shipment was delivered, but not to me. Someone named Raymond T. signed for it so I went looking for Raymond T. I spoke with the construction workers, the proprietors at the local stores, the Post Master, and anyone else who would listen but no Raymond T. So I called the UPS Store in Bethel and spoke with a lady who knew absolutely nothing. I’ll try again tomorrow with a fellow named John at the UPS Store; he is supposed to know something according to the ladies who did not. On the bright side, I got to meet a lot of people today.

The Trip

2007-08-04T10:39:00.000-08:00

August 2nd 2007: The trip to Atmautluak, Alaska.
Let me first confess that I already miss my wife, Pam. I want to call home but, as suspected, no cell phone service and no land line in my apartment. I have not felt this feeling for a long time; lonely.
My trip started yesterday, August 1st late in the afternoon. We said our goodbyes and parted ways. It seemed weird though, because it was unceremonious. We exchanged hugs, Pam and I kissed a few times, and I wandered off. It seems like it should have been different somehow, but I don’t know how.
The flight to Chicago was typical, crowded and short. Still, it was better than driving to O’Hare airport. My flight from Chicago to Anchorage was long but better. The airplane was filled to capacity because Alaska Air stranded a bunch of people and had to put them on our plane. Families and groups were scattered all over the aircraft. Kids of all ages were without the direct supervision of their parents.
The passengers in my row were two such children. Mary looked nervously out of place when I sat down. There was a seat between us so I didn’t press getting acquainted. The plane was almost full and I was beginning to think that the seat between us would remain comfortably empty. Just then, a very large family of small boys boarded and away went our spacious accommodations. The center seat was taken up by Mitchell, a nine year old boy from the Seattle area. He, like Mary, looked very unsure of these travel arrangements.
Shortly after getting airborne, Mary started to break the ice with Mitchell. We soon learned that Mary is the oldest of four children and she is due to start the Seventh Grade in a Christian School in Anchorage. It didn’t take long to find out that Mary is also hopelessly horse crazy and plans to become a Large Animal Veterinarian.
Mitchell is not horse crazy. He is a typical nine year old boy from the suburbs. He plays baseball and is a WEBLOS Scout. Like Mary, he is the oldest child in his large family. I lost track of all of his siblings but, there must be a bunch of them.
We landed at about 11:00 p.m. Alaska Standard Time (AST) which is 3:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). The sun had not yet set when we exited the aircraft. I was torn between finding a quiet corner in the airport and curling up for the night or getting a hotel. I called around to several hotels and few rooms were to be had and each one was pretty expensive. I decided to stay in the airport because the cheapest room was $150. Then, I looked at my flight itinerary for my trip to Bethel. My flight didn’t leave until 11:53 a.m. That is twelve hours from now, I thought to myself. So I ended up getting a room.
The room was a small old Best Western room; nothing special and definitely not worth $150! The shower and the bed did feel good, but still not for that kind of money. When I walked out of my room the next morning, I saw Lake Hood and it was packed full of float planes. I was in awe at the sight. I walked about half way around the lake checking out all of the different float planes and then I saw the mountains in the background. The dark overcast sky with low slung clouds and snow capped peaks made the money I spent the night before worth every penny.
I found my way back to the airport in Anchorage to start the next leg of my journey, to Bethel and then Atmautluak. I got to the airport about two hours early, so I got some breakfast and looked at the Native Art Exhibits and dead animals on display. When I finally found gate C-9 I also found about twenty five Eskimo kids and their escorts. They were returning from something called ANSWER Camp. I will have to find out more on this camp but, it has to do with getting Alaska’s native children to meet and interact with Natives from all over the state. These were twelve and thirteen year old kids and boy, did they act like it. They were just like kids of that age anywhere on the planet.
I noticed something important about those Eskimos in the airport that made me worry a little. They were wearing a lot more clothing than I was. I knew that I was under dressed but my t-shirt and long sleeved shirt nothing compared to their winter coats. I brought a winter coat with me but it was checked in with my suitcase. I thought to myself, it’s too late now, I guess this will be a painful lesson.
All of those people who warned me about the culture shock that would come with a visit to this part of the world were and are right. Bethel is like a third world country right here in the USA. I am not going to say more about it because I don’t want to form a premature opinion Bethel. I met a fellow Atmautluak teacher Virginia and her husband Moses in the airport; that was nice.
As we made our final approach to Atmautluak, I recognized it instantly from all of the computer reconnaissance and research that I did earlier. By now it was raining and had cooled off some. I half expected to walk to the village from the airstrip, dragging my bags behind me, but it was not to be. Owen and Buster were waiting for us. They had four-wheelers with trailers so we were able to ride right to our door step.
My apartment was waiting for me as promised. It was a welcome sight. What were not waiting for me were the totes that Pam shipped earlier. No tote means no food or rain gear or toilet paper. Since I brought no food with me and since there are no restaurants in the village, I would have to buy some food at one of the two local stores. The following is a list of what I bought:
• Charmin Ultra – 4 rolls $5.95
• Distilled Water – 1 g. $6.74
• Chili Cheese Fritos $5.29
• Sardines – 2 cans $1.69 each
• Kipper Snacks $2.49
• Roast Beef Hash $3.93
• Tax $0.83
o Total $28.61
The item that killed me most was the distilled water. The last I knew, distilled water costs about 75 cents at the grocery store. I will not last long with these prices.
I ate some the hash and some Fritos as I was writing this. That hash is the worst thing I have ever eaten! I am going to put on some boots and a jacket and explore this town. I am kind of tired and I would like to rest but, I didn’t bring any movies or music with me and this apartment is very quiet, too quiet. More later.

About Friends

2007-07-27T07:41:00.000-08:00

I recently got a phone call that I never expected. The call was from a friend that I have not seen in months and expected to never see again. My friend Sam Cho called from Korea and we talked for about twenty minutes. His phone call made me feel happy inside and I like that feeling. I look forward to seeing Sam and his family again in the future.

I also got reacquainted with some friends that I had not seen in a couple of years. That reunion, likewise made me happy. I see a pattern developing here. I think that staying in touch with old and new friends just might be a way to bring joy into your life at regular intervals. I'll work in it and let you know.

I'm still stuck in Indiana but my departure day is getting closer. It just dawned on me that my shipped goods will be arriving in Alaska after I do. This is bad because my initial stock of groceries are in these shipments. As a fat guy, this troubles me, but not too much because it will do me good to eat less. I don't think there is any real threat of starvation until I go for a month or so without food.

Back to the subject. The message here is, thanks for staying in touch, friend (this means you).

Until next time, good bye.

Still waiting to go.

2007-07-26T07:32:00.000-08:00

I fly to Anchorage in one week and emotionally I am ready. I still have a lot more stuff to ship. I had no idea that I would need so many boxes to move so little material.

Pam and I are going to Michigan this weekend so I can say my farewells. Seems crazy that I'm the one leaving, again, and I have the farthest to travel, yet I have to go to them to say goodbye. Doesn't that seem backwards?

The list of people who want to stay in touch with me on this journey is growing, almost, daily. This makes me happy because, the more people I can get excited about this part of Alaska the better off the schools will be. They still need teachers so I am doing my part to recruit some help.

More to follow later. Thanks for visiting and post your comments as you wish.

Jerry

My First Day with My New Blog!

2007-07-23T09:32:00.000-08:00

Thanks for visiting my blog site. It is pretty skimpy right now and it is likely to stay that way for a couple of months. Don't get frustrated though, because real soon it will contain photographs of my new home, my classroom, and my travels in Alaska.
Please feel free to leave comments or questions as you wish.
Please visit again.
Jerry