Alaska Daze

Aloha from Kauai!
Sharon and I are on day 5 of our two week vacation in Kauai. The trip started with several auspicious omens of good times to come when we were able to get a ride to the airport instead of having to use the Airporter, and when inquiring of an Alaska Air employee which line to join in order to change seat assignments, he personally took us to a closed counter and checked us in! The flight was great and we mananged to find our condo, the Mokihana, in the dark. All units in this older complex face the water so we are lulled to sleep each night with the sound of crashing waves and palm trees blowing in the wind. While the rooms are worn and tacky all the essentials are here, the beds are fine and we are close enough to several shopping areas to walk. I would stay here again.

Tuesday we got our bearings and explored Lihue. Wednesday we spent the day exploring the north shore and it's beaches. We drove to the end of the road, Ke'e Beach and I ran into a family from Bethel. Truly a small world. Thursday began well as we went searching for some off-the-beaten-path roads and sights. Our rental car was broken into while parked along side the road at the trailhead to Kipu Falls. Luckily the thieves must have been scared off before they figured out how to get into the trunk, and didn't have time to look in the glovebox, because I had stupidly left my wallet in there! So the good news is nothing was taken, the bad news is Sharon's insurance has a $250 deductible and it has been a major hassle dealing with Alamo car rental company. We're still not sure if there will be more uncompensated expenses. Word to the wise - buy the stupid rental company insurance if you are visiting a heavily tourist area.

Today life was better. We rented snorkeling equipment and tried it out at Lydgate park. Very fun - although no one warned me I could get seasick while doing it - which I did. Hopefully just rough swells and future attempts will be in calmer water. It really is a blast. Now for some pictures:
Kileuea Lighthouse calm surf

Nawiliwili Bay...and the lifeguards at Nawiliwili Bay!!

Dry Cave on the north shore           Just up the road, Wet Cave

Kipu Falls, of the car prowling fame.  Sharon hassles with Alamo Rental company.

Our front yard!~                                Sharon having fun


More pictures to come!
Love
Vikki

Hello everyone,
I apologize to those of you who have faithfully followed my Alaska adventure -it's been too long since I posted! I have no excuse other than mental lassitude. Since spring break I've been looking forward to returning home and counting down - finally it is my last week and I fly home on the 22nd. It's been a long winter. Spring slowly arrived in Bethel but arrive it did. The Kuskokwim River broke up on May 13th. Within 24 hours it was clear enough for boats to begin travelling but then an ice jam from upriver broke loose and filled the river in front of Bethel. It was amazing and definitely the event of the day. Here are some photos:

The tripod is erected in anticipation of break up. The person to guess the closest day and time wins thousands of dollars. It's a major fundraiser for the community.










Day after breakup

The ice jam from upriver arrives in front of Bethel:

I plan on returning for another year of northern exposure. I miss Washington and my family and friends terribly, but there are good reasons to come back. For now I'm focusing on a relaxing summer spending time with my loved ones.

Here are a few more photos taken the last few months:



senior prom                                     kids don't mind the cold!                                                               

fondue party                                      sunset on the water


For the last time until Ausgust, signing off from Bethel.
Love
Vikki

Hurrah! My baby brother is home from Iraq!! Here he is reuniting with his family...Welcome home, Bill!














Today it's raining with temperatures in the high 30's so everything is dripping and sloshing. However, yesterday we had fresh snow and there was a sprint club dog sled race. Here is a picture of Amy and her kids, Otis and Ben (in my lap) and John and I.

Here are some very excited dogs.



The musher sets the hand "brake" to hold the team until it's time to start.


Celebrating Johns' 9th birthday. A million dollar smile.

Love to all - Vikki

schizophrenic Bethel:
March 24th...... below zero
March 26th....... 32 degrees and sunny and muddy
March 27th........39 degrees and sunny and muddy
April 2nd.........28 degrees and snowing with a blizzard watch
Never a dull moment!

This weekend was Camai Dance festival.

This is Mary, the oldest dancer at the festival. She is 89 years young.

Yupik dance group.............a very special dancer, Allison

More coming soon!
love
Vikki

Easter in Bethel
Neither 20 below zero wind chill nor snow on the ground prevented Bethelites from turning out in mass to scramble for easter eggs in hopes of scoring the ultimate prize - a new bike.

Easter traffic jam - worse than after bingo!  Dressed to keep warm.

Warm and bright..........................like the eggs!

It was over in mere minutes.

Faces in the crowd...

Hoping all of you had a happy Easter - celebrating however you do, with family and friends.
Love,
Vikki

I just got back from the monthly "Saturday Market" where anyone can rent a table for $5 and sell, well, anything. I sold photo cards and actually did well. I had many requests to sell at the annual dance festival March 28th which makes me feel good. Camai is the largest sale of the year with many people coming in from the villages to both buy and sell.

I recently received pictures taken last year by Rebekka Halseth, my former co-interpreter. They are so great that I wanted to post some.


These are from our visit to Tuntutuliak last May. Rebekka, her husband Tom and I took advantage of some free tickets to visit the home village of one of our students. In the first picture I'm chatting with a couple of youngsters. In the second, we were looking for a store and the girl had pointed it out to me several times, and when I just couldn't see it, she grabbed my hand and led me there. It was a small building make out of plywood without any markings or signage. I kept looking right past it because it didn't look like a store. A perfect example of cultural bias (or preconceived expectations?). I couldn't see it because it didn't match my schema. The next two pictures show the outside and inside of that store. Mini mart?

These next two pictures are of a <slightly> larger store in Tunt.

People in the villages have steam houses. It's the traditional way to bathe. The women and girls steam together and the men and boys steam together. Husbands and wives steam together. Unmarried adults do not bathe with the opposite sex.


Love to all
Vikki

Happy Spring - in the lower 48 at least. I'm back from spring vacation and it's back to snow and freezing temperatures. There is hope, however. Today I drove along the river and saw that scaffolding has been set up on the Kuskokwim River - it's used to measure when the river breaks up. Now that's wishful thinking! Break up won't happen until May, unless we get really warm temperatures. Everyone is feeling tired from the spring time change coming on the heels of a week off. The next event to look forward to is Camai, the annual dance festival that will be held March 28th to the 30th.
Before spring break we were having clear sunny days. I chanced upon this eye catching sunset and the snow machine blazing across the tundra. I barely had time to focus my camera.

Hello Family and Friends,
Not much has been happening. Digging out from the snow, trying to keep warm, counting the days to spring break. Saying "so long" to a new friend - Jean has been laid off due to enrollement changes and will be relocating to Seattle. Getting together for dinners and visiting. In short - making the best of winter.


snow bunnies


Joe, Otis, Ben and Amy + puppy............. Jean P. with puppy



Dog yard. It takes several people to get the dogs harnassed up and ready.



Off they go....................................the ones left behind howl until the team is out of earshot.