Nature's AWE!

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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.