Sister's Wedding

(Sorry- I forgot to post this on time, but here is one from the 16th of April!)

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending the wedding of my oldest sister. It was such a beautiful affair and I enjoyed every minute of the wonderful company. The venue was lovely, the food plentiful and the weather perfect. My entire family was in attendance and I was able to spend an entire weekend with the bride and groom!

My trip started well, if early, and I had no trouble getting to Anchorage from Mountain. This time of year can sometimes be plagued by fronts, fog, and wind storms. Once in Seattle, then on to Houston it began to sink in that I was in store for an amazing adventure. I purchased the tickets to Puerto Rico & Houston a few weeks prior, but I had not yet accepted the fact that I would be 50-70 degrees warmer and eventually on a beach! Rushing to get to the wedding I grabbed the keys to a Chrysler 300 and hit the road. By the time I got to Lake Charles the rehearsal was over and it was bachelor party time ~ and if you want to know more about this evening (morning?) you’ll have to ask me personally!

The next morning was earlier than I would like, but well worth the headache; besides, it was nothing a Rockstar and an oatmeal creampie couldn’t fix.  Helping the groom get ready was quick and then we were off the ceremony.  I was lucky to be the MC at the event and even got the first dance after mom & dad!

After food and pictures we all made our way to the newlywed’s house for a swim and BBQ in the back yard. Far from the “warm” 30 degrees in Alaska, I enjoyed the party in swimsuit and sandals. I didn’t realize how much I missed my family (as I often do living so far away) until midnight snuck up on us and better judgment demanded we sleep.

Keeping true to my roots, I suggested the following morning that we boil crawfish and met little resistance. Taking every opportunity to show my appreciation and love for the new couple I picked up a few fixings and a few dozen pounds of live crawfish. Potatoes, corn, mushrooms, garlic, and crawfish rounded out the menu. In order to document the process for those not fortunate enough to have joined a feast such as this I took the liberty of walking you through it step-by-step. I hope you enjoy:

Separate tail from head.

Suck inside of head while squeezing shell.

Remove first section of tail shell (closest to head).

Remove a second section if needed.

Bite and hold tail meat between teeth.

Pinch the lowest section of the tail with thumb while pulling meat away with mouth. 

Repeat 100-500 times!! :)

Good Friday

Rarely are Fridays as relaxing as this one, fresh, crisp, and clear too! It is a majestic day today, and I hope for a magnificent weekend to match it. With Spring teasing us all in Western Alaska the village is truly on edge. Testing (most of it, anyway) will be over soon, and the downhill rush toward May will be on us before we know it.

I have been out hunting and enjoying the scenery lately and I could certainly tolerate a bit warmer temperatures. The warmer it is the sooner the bears wake up, too, and I cannot wait to bag a black bear. It would be my first and I am anxious to try the meat. I've been studying the bet skinning techniques for both black and brown bear mounting as well. I think I would like a rug of each. I've never been one for trophies, but heck it's not like I'm not eating them, too.

I ordered a new scope for my .22 LR when I realized I stink at ptarmigan hunting with the 12 gauge. I used to be pretty good, but I suppose it's time to hang it up. I think I should go ahead and get a new bear gun (.464 handgun, perhaps) as well. Ah Spring, so many possibilities, so many toys to play with.

I have been daydreaming a lot lately, Spring Fever I suppose. I want to ride my bike around Anchorage, through the Coastal Trail and Kincaid Park, through Campbell Creek, and maybe even out in the valley. I want to fish in Soldotna with Dan, hike McHugh and Flattop with friends, and drive to Whittier for the heck of it! Chena has been calling my name, too! So much to do and see, so many adventures to be had. I haven't rafted in Hope in a few years or taken a cruise in a while, either... Okay, okay, time to stop.
The point is: Spring in Alaska is nothing short of amazing. What will you be doing? Let me know and maybe we can do it together...

Palm Sunday

It’s another beautiful, pleasant Sunday in Mountain Village and another weekend without water. It seems as though the universe, in it’s complex system of checks and balances, punishments and rewards, or karma has seen fit to “balance” my existence once again. This week I was gone from Monday through Friday with water at my home Tuesday through Saturday.

With my next trip scheduled to leave tomorrow I am thrilled that I at least had the foresight to do laundry. I wish I had been as industrious when it came to my kitchen. A trip down to the spring is always nice, I admit it, but I would really love, yes love, to wash my dishes like a normal person… But I should focus on the positive.

The past week’s travels took me to Nunam Iqua and the Sheldon Point School. The home of the foxes (or kaviaq), Nunam is a blustery and cold village on the coast west of Mountain Village and one of the smaller sites in the Lower Yukon School District.  I enjoy visiting this site for several reasons, but the biggest is the great team they have there. There are some truly interesting and wonderful people in Bush Alaska and several live in Nunam.

Wednesday afternoon I hopped a ride on a 207 to Alakanuk where I was greeted warmly (as always) and treated to a delish moose taco dinner. I simply cannot stress enough how wonderful the Lower Yukon team is! Meeting up with a few other friends for a chat and a snack I turned in for the night on a warm and comfortable bed. This was three nights in a row; mind you and something extremely out of the ordinary for a traveler such as myself. Indeed with home cooked meals and running water, it would appear that travelling is more comfortable than the home I leave in Mountain every Monday.

Thursday was spent working with students and teachers on various topics and technology tools and a generally enjoyable day. 

The night was fantastic, though. Riding over by snowgo, a convoy of teachers took the river down to Emmonak for some volleyball fun in a open mixed six tournament. We visited with teachers, mentors, family, friends and community and enjoyed some impressively competitive volleyball. Friday was much like Thursday, and then I made my way home.

Never a dull moment, I couldn’t simply fly to Mountain. Instead I buzzed over to Scammon and Hooper before arriving at my final destination. Mountain Village, Nunam Iqua, Alakanuk, Scammon Bay, Hooper Bay, Mountain Village: not bad for a weeks work. Happy Sunday.

Last Day of The Season, First Day of My Spring

When planning the move back to the Bush I thought long and hard about the sacrifices I would make and the struggles I could be facing. Little did I know how many struggles and how many sacrifices I would make. More importantly, though, I had no idea of the blessing I would find in the Lower Yukon.

My Sunday, the 4th day of Spring, started off pretty well: I slept in, had a big breakfast, headed to church, and returned home for chores, Facebook, and homework. I got a call, just when I was getting in the groove, from a new friend and local of Mountain Village interrupting my lazy sunny day.

A group of friends wanted to go manaqing (ice fishing for pike) and wanted me to join. I wanted to, but had a ton of chores and little projects to do though, so I said "no thanks." I went back to my tinkering around the house and soon enough, my heart got the best of me. I forgot the number one rule of living in the Bush: never say no when invited out with a local. 

I was a little tired, you see, because Saturday was spent moose hunting and I felt a bit deflated. This day was the final day of moose season and I hadn't yet caught anything... Against my responsible, better judgment, I grabbed a gun, gear, and bottle of water and raced out the door to go play in the wilderness I call my back yard. Filling up the snogo and punching it for the edge of town I caught up to the group and joined them on what would be an 80 mile journey through God's Country to Mt. Kuselvak. 

Somewhere along the way I must have lost my inhibitions about the cost of gas, dropped the thoughts of homework out of an open pocket, and thrown my cares off to the side of that trail because I had a blast! The ride was amazing and the company was fantastic. 

Arriving at the fishing hole, I didn't even get a hook wet before being asked to join a wolf hunt. As if there was a choice, I quickly asked around for gas, if needed, and set out with a new friend and his brother. We rode several miles East and around the mountain spotting wolf, fox, hare, and lynx tracks, but saw no game. Finally I spotted a fox and my companions a hare or two. Focusing on wolves we rode on and on to no avail... We did spot a moose though...

After shooting it, I made quick work of it's tender young body (less than 30 minutes) with my new friend's help, and sent for a sled to pull it home with. Leaving our cleaned meat in the snow on this perfect Spring day we set out to play. 

We climbed the lower peaks of the mountain and cruised through the shadowed valleys below. It was breathtaking, adrenaline pumping, and humbling all at once. What a beautiful way to start my spring, what a beautiful way to end my first winter in Mountain Village.

When coworkers are friends...

I love to visit the other sites in the Lower Yukon for various reasons, and each has its own special significance. I understand now how many wonderful people LYSD has been fortunate enough to hire over the years now. 

I am currently staying on the couch of a Russian Mission staff member and reflecting on the wonderful day I have had. After arriving last night I was treated to Mongolian BBQ and great conversation, not to mention the company of a certain wily second grader. Today was a fantastic day of teaching and learning as I joined an elementary class and two high school classes for all sorts of fun. To see a school function so smoothly and a staff to be so supportive and friendly with one another is so very refreshing. 

As the day wound down I ran a distance delivered class for teachers around the district and then joined in teacher conferences upstairs. I forget how great it feels to talk to parents and share struggles and victories with team members and the community. Feeling invigorated by the day I brainstormed new ways to get back in the classroom and work more closely with young people... 

Working up quite the appetite I was treated to three homemade pizzas by the Master of the Russian Pie. Jealous? You should be! This guy knows his stuff. Whether you are talking about hunting, fishing, camping, or pizza, you found the expert right here. 


I can honestly say that the people I work with are friends. They are wonderful individuals with so many great qualities and rich personalities. I love them all and proudly brag about how fortunate I am to call them friends.  Life is good when coworkers are friends. 

Back in the Saddle

I heard the funniest story the other day... A friend told me about a southern gentlemen's toast that he would never share among ladies. It involved his two favorite things, women and horses, and something about reincarnating as a...

In any case, I am back in the saddle. Meaning I am back to work and traveling around the district again. Tonight I am in Marshall. Tomorrow Pilot Station. I love what I do so very much, and I treasure every moment with new friends and colleagues around the Lower Yukon School District. As relationships are built and trust grows I can really begin to be of assistance to these wonderful educators. 

My gifts are with technology, creativity, and problem solving. I thrive on the conditions that make the Bush the Bush. The crumby internet connections, the finicky hardware, and the ever-annoying weather patterns that wreak havoc on well deserved breaks to name a few. Don't get me wrong, I snap every now and again. Just this last weekend we lost water on Friday for about 4 hours. I nearly lost my cool. A few ill chosen vulgarities later, I was sane and relatively content with my surroundings.

The truth of the matter is I am addicted to challenge. I am addicted to the changes I find myself facing more often than I would like sometimes. I am who I am because of those events, though. The man, the myth, the legend. ;-)  Thanks for reading and I hope you know I love to kid around... I think it's time for this cowboy to ride his bedroll off into the sunset. 

ASTE 2012

Well,
I have been struggling to find something interesting to talk about for the last two weeks... and I am sorry to say that I really don't have any news. I did attend ASTE recently. The Alaska Society for Technology in Education is the preeminent education conference for the state of Alaska. It is a time when Bush, urban, road system and coastal communities send their best and brightest to learn from each other.

This year is the first in 6 years, I think, that I have not presented. I cut my teeth in front of peers in the Captain Cook Hotel... I learned that I had something special. I learned that I had insights others would appreciate hearing. I learned that I was valuable.

This year at ASTE I was back in the public world. For two years I was the suit-and-tie-ace-consultant-Sam.  Now that I am back in public education I can work shoulder to shoulder with friends and colleagues to accomplish larger goals and achieve greater gains across this great state. I love my job. I love the men and women who do what I do in other districts.

It takes a special type of person to do what we do. We are personal computer experts, network infrastructure gurus, and wizards from the magical kingdom of "InternetLand." I manipulate video teleconferences, edit permissions, and reset passwords with ease. And I do all this without running water for a few days a month. I am in a strange universe where I have thousands of dollars worth of high-end gizmos and gadgets transported across frozen tundra as I sometimes drive a snow machine to work. I have more computers and better access to educational software than 90% of the world's population while the villages I serve lack stable power for weeks on end at times.

ASTE is where men and women like me meld minds and find creative solutions to the unique situations Alaska faces. I enjoy the time spent in workshops refining my craft and collaborating with peers, but my favorite part is still ASTE after 4pm...

Those stories don't go on my blog, though.... See you on Facebook.