Monday, September 10, 2007

Toksook, Part 2

The second half of the video is now posted at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GquDWVYGxY
Enjoy, and let us know what you think of his rugged land!

Saturday, September 8, 2007

Friday, September 7, 2007

Local Kids...

A neighbor kid at the playground next door....

Fishing on the Kwethluk River

Here's a pic from my fishing trip a couple of weeks ago. Grizzly tracks everywhere, and lots of eagles in the sky. We caught silver salmon to bring back and beautiful rainbow trout, which we released. Took us 3 hours by jet boat up river, about 80 miles in. A glorious day!

First Alaskan Video, Part 2

... is now up as well on YouTube at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbWPrljRqa8

Enjoy!

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Our New Blog!

Here is the rough draft of our new Blog page! Use the titles at the right to navigate, and if you have already read the big email, skip it! Please check out our video on YouTube, and Part 2 will be posted shortly. Love to hear from you...
Joe and Amy

Mass email #1

Hi everyone!I know joe sent this email out as an attachment to some folks already. i'm sending it again...inthe body of this email AND with the addition of our snail mail addy and our phone number:
PO Box 1347 #347Bethel, AK 99559(907) 543-1548
Also...a little of Bethel from my perspective that Joey Baby didn't include.
WORK: the kids that we are working with are all from the same family. Genetic deafness...they are lovely. and a handful as only 2nd graderscan be. i have found the work to be challenging and exhausting. Joe and I are
in agreement that this ‘working full time’ is for the birds. I haven’t worked an 8-4, M-F week in about 12 years. The work is fine the schedule is terrible. I HATE it! There is no time for anything…Get up, get ourselves ready, get the boys ready, get them in the stroller, walk them to daycare, walk ourselves to work…work…walk back to daycare, stop at the playground on the way home, get home, cook dinner, clean up, get lunches ready for the next day, get the boys to bed, read a little and go to bed, get up the next am and do it all over again. Blah, Blah, Blah…how do you do it? Joe has found that Running, Gin and Air Guitar are helping him cope. I haven’t found what will do it for me. Any suggestions?
GETTING AROUND: We are walking everywhere. loading the boys into oursuper double jogger and carrying a big backpack on our back full ofgroceries/their food and diapers for daycare, etc. Walking has forced me to slowdown...I appreciate the pace and have enjoyed the sights on our walks.
DAYCARE: Guada is dream! We found her by accident. I had 2 leads on daycare before getting here and had lined up to visit one woman the day after we arrived. Joe, the boys and I walked over to the duplex at the address I had to meet Sheila...the Phillipino mama who I had talked to several times from Vermont. We arrived and knocked on the door and weregreeted by a man, a few little kids, and a little yappy dog. We went onin and i walked over to the Phillipino lady there and introduced myself. Isaid, "you must be Sheila". She said "no, Sheila next door". I turnedto look at Joe and he was busy talking to this lady's husband...Ben wasbusy playing with the yappy dog...and O was sitting on a bicycle there andwas plying with one of the little kids. So, I just sat on the floor andchatted. I told her that we were meeting with Sheila because we were looking for childcare, we had just arrived, yadda yadda....She said "OH, I keepkids, too". come to find out she used to be the aid in the preschool here anddecided to stay home after her son (now 1 1/2 ) was born. she only justa few weeks ago starting putting the word out that she was interested in taking in other kids. Interesting side note…she and her husband met via phillipino women friends dot com. Or some such website. She has her own son, Ben, O, another 1 year old girl and occasionally a 2 year old girl. O & B LOVE it there...so much so that O puts up a little fuss when it is time to go home. Guada spoils them...ice cream after nap, i sent a cabbage casserole for lunch and O didn't wantit so he got a hot dog instead (imagine not wanting cabbage?? smile), rarelytold no, O naps on the couch...they are well loved and well taken careof. If they are a bit spoiled when they aren't with us, that isn't the worsething in the world, right?
BOYS' TRANSITION: O has learned the power of the word WHY? We aren'tannoyed by it, yet. He has also started his testing...looking straight at mewhen i've asked him not to do something and doing it. Ben spends most of his awake time hanging on my leg and crying. Unless he is outside. I'm worried about winter with that one... when he isn't crying, he and O wrestle mercilessly. Possibly teething?So, the above are a few additions to the story of getting to and beingin Bethel you will read below. We are leaving the boys with Guada tomorrow (Saturday) and are flying over to Tooksok Bay, which is on the Bering Sea. They are having a Blackberry Festival this weekend. We’re going for the day and are VERY excited to get out and see, see, see. Joe went on a great fishing trip last Sunday. Saw loads of wildlife and came home with some fish for our freezer.
We'll get pictures and video out soon...peace, Amy8/19/07
Greetings from Bethel Alaska!!

Today is Ben-o’s first birthday, and seemed a fitting time to take a few moments to jot down a short note.
All is well here, except the boys both have colds and runny noses. We are feeling cozy (very!) in our tiny little house…. and just finishing our breakfast of oatmeal, toast and coffee. Luckily our groceries arrived yesterday… 6 big boxes we shipped from Anchorage on our way to the airport Tuesday, so we have something to eat for breakfast, and a cake mix for Ben for later today.

Where to start?? We’ve only been gone from Vermont for a week, but it feels like a month or more; everything has been so hectic and crazy. Short synopsis:
Last Friday Amy and I were in a packing frenzy at the house in Montpelier… all that last minute stuff to take care of. With the help of Stephanie, Jen, and Lianne, we were able to get the house in order and all the bags packed. Packing had been a tremendous challenge, trying to anticipate our needs for living for a year in the Arctic with two boys in diapers and an empty house, while at the same time attempting to stick to our airline limit of only 2 checked bags for each ticket-holder (3) and carry-ons. We knew that once here in Bethel we wouldn’t have a car, that meant we would need a stroller to shuttle the boys around town, plus one for the airports and our 3 transfers (Burlington to Cleveland, to Seattle, to Anchorage, for a 17-hour day of travel!). Anyways, we finally narrowed it down to 6 huge bags and a bike-box, plus we mailed 9 boxes from home (to arrive parcel-post in about a month).

Thank God for Lianne!! She not only was with us all day Friday, but she spent the night and took care of the boys Saturday morning while we finished things up. Don’t know what we would’ve done without Auntie Lianne! Lara Merchant (Otis’ day-care mamma) showed up at noon with a borrowed minivan sans one seat, and we stuffed the 5 of us and all our luggage inside, and off to the airport we went. We arrived plenty early, which made for a mellow transaction at the counter… they either didn’t notice or care that we were 1 bag over limit and that most bags were over-size and weight. They also gave Lara a pass to help us get through security, a huge help with the boys (thanks Lara!). We were quite the sight that whole flying-day, with our stroller and backpack and 2 car seats and 3 carry-ons and laptop and and and….. Phew! So we settled into one very long evening/night of flying. Both boys were amazing, Ben didn’t really cry much, and we made all of our connections and were able to sit together the entire time. Our last leg, into Anchorage, we had all 6 seats on both sides of the aisle to ourselves, which gave us a chance to stretch out and nap a bit.

My buddy Tim met us at midnight at the airport in Anchorage to give us and all of our stuff a lift… all except the 3 bags that didn’t make it. Tim and his wife Catherine live in Wasilla, just over an hour away, and were generous in giving us the whole downstairs of their bluff-side home for the next few days. We finally fell into one big family-bed at around 6:30 a.m. Vermont time…. one very long day. Sunday we slept, and ate salmon for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and enjoyed the gorgeous views of the Knik inlet out the back deck. Monday our late bags arrived, and we had coffee with my cousin Jodi and her two kids, and scored not only a porta-crib for Ben, but also a baby-sitter for the afternoon, so that Amy and I could go shopping! We hit the big-box store for food staples and such: oatmeal, rice, condiments, and much to Tim’s chagrin, 10 pounds of pinto beans (beans are cooking on the stove as I type). You can get most things you might need here at the 2 stores in Bethel, but things are crazy expensive, as everything comes via boat or plane. So we spent our $500 on groceries (a first for me) and paid another $80 to mail the 6 boxes the next day. The rest of Monday was spent taping up boxes, packing our additional 2 checked bags (extra bag allowance within Alaska), and reaffirming for Tim and Catherine that their choice to not have children was a wise one. The boys saved all their crying and crankiness for our arrival, and have been a week in getting settled in. Tuesday morning we packed up yet once again, this time with even MORE stuff (12 checked bags) all carted in Tim’s pull-behind trailer. We hit town once more for last minute perishables to take on the plane with us, and headed back to Anchorage. A stop at the P.O. to mail boxes and then a very helpful curbside Skycap, lunch in the airport with Tim, and then we were once again on our way.


Bethel
Our first views of Bethel from the plane’s windows showed a huge expanse of green…. tundra, tundra, and more tundra…. tundra and water everywhere. And then town, a ramshackle hodge-podge of industrial buildings and houses scattered over a couple of square miles. The airport was a crazy scene,
us arriving and folks waiting to get on the same plane and head back to Anchorage, all mixed together.
We waited for our bags (are you getting the impression that our luggage is a central character in this adventure?) and we were met by our new landlords, Bob and Judy, who were kind enough to pick us
(and our stuff) up from the airport. Amy and the boys rode with Judy, and I rode shotgun with Bob (and the silver salmon he gave us) in his truck with all our stuff, and we got our first tour of town en-route to our new digs.

How to describe town and our house? If you’ve ever been through some of the Indian reservations out west, you might have an idea. Everything is dirt and mud, trash everywhere, and a junkyard collection of old snowmobiles and sleds in front of every rundown shack-looking house. We pulled into the drive at our new place… filled with construction material and old lumber, etc. The septic tank is right out front, coated in a heavy layer of spray-on insulation. The place itself is 20 by 30 feet, sided in metal and up on stilts, with steel steps leading up to the double-door Arctic-Entry. We weren’t sure what to expect, judging by the outside and everything we had seen so far. But inside we were pleasantly surprised! Although tiny (600 sq. ft) the place is well laid out and brand spanking new. The kitchen has all new appliances, including washer and dryer. Two small bedrooms mean the boys are sleeping together, which seems to be working ok so far. The window from our bedroom looks out on the playground next-door, and we are getting a crash course in Yupik youth late-night summer activities… some not so nice. But the boys love the playground, and I am making it a daily habit to pick up the previous night’s soda cans and cigarette butts each day. The bathroom has a shower and the water tank, which holds about 300 gallons and will only be filled twice a month. That seems to be enough, as long as we don’t flush each time and take short showers. All in all we are pretty pleased with the place, and have been told that by Bethel standards it is pretty deluxe. Now we are waiting for phone and internet service to get connected some time next week.

The best thing about the place is location, as we are within short walking distance of just about everything. The shopping complex is just up the road, with the food store, mailbox, and video store.
Both the schools we will be working at are only a few minutes further, across the wooden boardwalk over the marshy spots. And the boy’s daycare isn’t far either (more on that later). So that means we are pretty much able to get to wherever we need to go by loading the boys up in the double stroller and walking, as long as we don’t mind the wind and the dust. Yesterday we finally made it to the river and met some local Yupik fellas, very friendly and interested in our camcorder. And we went to the weekly market at the Cultural Center and saw many of the people we already know and met some new folks, including a couple who invited us to come and glean veggies out of their garden today and offered to take the boys out on the dogsled when winter arrives.

Folks have been really helpful and friendly, and have gone out of their way to make us feel welcome.
Despite the dust and grime, the place really is beautiful. Huge open skies from horizon to horizon, lots of birdlife, and the quality of light is gorgeous. We hope to get some pictures out soon, and keep your eyes open for our first video. We look forward to getting out of town a bit on the tundra, and especially out on the river for berry picking or fishing. They say frost comes in October, so we want to capitalize on as much summer as we can. The boys seem to be adjusting well, and we are feeling like we can make a home here for the next 9 months or so. Wish us luck. ###

### Now a few days since I finished the notes above, will hurry and get this done and out. Finally Saturday and have finished our first week of work!! This whole working for a living is for the birds!
Has been an awfully long time for either of us since we had a regular job, so it is taking some getting used to. I am primarily at the high school, and Amy mostly at the elementary, although next week we will be shuffling around a bit.
The kids are great, and the support in the schools is at least better that what we experienced in Saipan. More on work the next time.

We hit the yard sales today (both of them), as we are still trying to get squared away in our tiny house. Picked up a used rocking chair for the boys room, for night nursing, and I found a bunch of great Alaskan art and bric-brac…. (Amy not so thrilled…). Found a great fur-capped hat for me for this winter, an Eskimo drum, and a bread machine (are you happy now, Tim??) Then we were off to the Cultural Center/Library for the weekly social event, and it felt nice to know a few folks this time. The boys were a big hit, playing on the floor and chasing each other… and Otis charmed the native woman when he walked up with his money to buy some fry bread.

The landlord has offered to take me along fishing tomorrow, which should be quite the adventure. Will take his jet boat up the Kuskokwim about 3 hours and fish all day, won’t be home till 9:00 at night. The freezer is already full of silvers, but some nice Dolly Vardens or Rainbows would be great too.

All in all we are feeling pretty good. Ben has been extraordinarily fussy lately, lots of crying and waking in the night… not sure what that is all about. Tough to be in a small house when both boys are screaming. 5 more of our boxes from home arrived today, so now we have toothpaste and towels!

That’s enough for now, there will be more later. Waiting for a patch cord so that I can upload some video footage, so will just send a couple of pics for now.

Keep us in your thoughts and keep in touch! Our phone rang this morning, and we were so excited!!

Big Alaskan Love,
Joe, Amy, oTis and Ben

O&B playing next door



This picture was taken at O & B's favorite play spot...the playground next door. Our house is the blue trimmed one in the background.

Toksook



This is us on Labor Day weekend in the village of Toksook, on the west coast, overlooking the Bering Sea. We flew out on a little puddle jumper, just for the day..... a nice break from Bethel!

Video finally uploaded!!

Part 1 (of 2) of our first Alaska Video finally uploaded at YouTube at:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBmUca2w1JE

Part 2 to follow soon! Will also post some pics and some news/updates. Please bookmark
this new blog-site, and visit often.... and drop us a line up here in lonely Bethel!

Hugs, Amy, Joe, oTis and Benny