Good Morning Anchorage.
On the flight home I saw the sunrise between two layers of clouds.
There is gold in them thar hills!!
Susan and Sharkie are having fun on the dog trail, I think Sharkie spies some dogs down the trail

Sun rise? Sun set? I think it was sun rise on the dog trail. We had lots of fun and relaxation in Anchorage during the break. Our dog sure like the place we found where people went to walk their dogs. We saw all breeds of dogs, I think. We are back in Emmonak. Some of the teachers could not get back today because of fog.

Pictures of mountains I took with Susan's camera when I got Sharkey to stand still while on a dog walk near the hotel. The temperature is averaging around 30 degrees so far, summer for us!

Sharkey giving us the "Hurry up" look as we walk on the trail in Earthquake Park.
This is the bay by Earthquake Park.
The bay is only partially clogged with ice. Early explorers liked this so they could have longer trading seasons.

Here is Susan in Anchorage at Earthquake Park on one of the many trails.
I was with Susan at the park and she took my picture. Sharkey is running around somewhere.
Here we are seeing a plane take off over a bay at Earthquake park, not sure which bay. I did not notice the wavy clouds until I got ready to post pictures. Susan's camera has the date function turned on while my camera does not.
A man and his reindeer in down town Anchorage. We got a shot from the rental car.
Some scenery from the plane as we felt Emmonak shows the crazy flow of water in the area.

One school week till Christmas break.

Here are some students who attended the Native Youth Organization academic and sport contest at Scammon Bay. I hadn't been out of the village of Emmonak for months, so I when I was asked to go as a chaperone, I jumped at it. I had a good time with the kids as I always do when out of the classroom. In the classroom is work time for students and myself, so we don't always have time to visit and get to know each other better. These are good kids with good hearts.

Here is the frozen Bering Sea. On the upper left is open water. Scammon Bay is much more interesting geographically than Emmonak. Scammon is on the sea with low mountains behind it. Some of Scammon is on the side of a high hill or low mountain. To someone from Emmonak it is a mountain! I heard they have the same type of discipline problems that we have in Emmonak.

People down on the Yukon River messing around with the sun setting. Yes, I think it was 4:44 p.m. I looked at my watch. Notice the trees are flocked again. Remember for a bigger picture double click on the picture and when finished hit the back button. There isn't as much snow as last year's fifty year record snow fall, course it is only December.
This should be a painting. The tiny fluorescent colored cloud in the bottom left was much more noticeable to us.
Susan with flocked bushes (almost pink again). We got word that our church is sending Christmas gives to our middle school students. Christian love is incredible to me. People caring when they don't have to. We have received over 60 hand netted caps for the children. Hope I spelled netting right, if not Susan will advise, which is why I am still alive. We are thinking they should wear them when they sing in the school Christmas program. The caps are only one of the gifts the people doing good works for God are sending. I didn't have my hat on this walk and my ears were about to fall off from the cold especially when there was nothing blocking the wind. I am homesick for my daughters.

THIS IS ONE OF THE NICE GIRLS WE HAVE HAD FOR TWO YEARS.
SUN UP? SUN DOWN? SOMETIMES, I WONDER MYSELF.
SUSAN WITH A BUNCH OF OUR KIDS AT A PIZZA FAMILY NIGHT, COURSE ALL THE KIDS WANTED ON THE COMPUTERS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. WE HAVE TWO DIFFERENT EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARES THAT THE STUDENTS USE WHEN WE HAVE AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM. I AM SURE THE TIME SPENT ON THESE PROGRAMS HELPED SUSAN AND MY GRADES MAKE AYP THIS LAST YEAR IN MATH AND READING.
TODAY, IT IS A SNOWY DAY, JUST RIGHT TO READ A GOOD BOOK, STAY IN BED, OR MESS WITH PICTURES. I AM GOING TO HAVE TO GO SOMEWHERE TO GET SOME MORE PICTURES! WE ARE GOING TO ANCHORAGE DURING PART OF CHRISTMAS BREAK, SO WE WILL BE ABLE TO GET SOME THEN. THERE IS NOT MUCH TO TAKE PICTURES OF HERE THAT IS NEW.
PINK FLOCKED TREES? WELL YES, IN SOME REALITY, I GUESS. I TOOK THIS AT NIGHT WITH A WIERD OUTSIDE LIGHT SHINNING ON THE SNOW COVERED BUSHES. I NEVER SAW PINK TILL I LOOKED AT THE PICTURE ON THE COMPUTER. AT LEAST IT IS NOT ANOTHER WHITE PICTURE.

I GOT TIRED OF SEEING NOTHING BUT WHITE LAST YEAR, SO I GOT SOME PLANTS STARTED AT MY HOUSE THEN BROUGHT THEM OVER HERE TO MY CLASSROOM. I WAS SURPRISED HOW THE KIDS LEAN UP AGAINST THE COUNTER AND LOOK CLOSELY AT THE PLANTS. THE GROW LIGHT WAS IN MY SCHOOL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT NOT BEING USED SO I ASKED TO USE IT IN MY ROOM.

I think I missed putting this on because our Internet was so slow it would never load. We'll see what it does today.

I tried to get Sharkie messing around on the snow, but he must be used to it by now. I have not seen any foxes hanging around this year, or bears, which is a great deal for both Sharkie and myself because he would come running to me for help, and that leaves no one to help me if Susan isn't handy! Oh, if you click on the flocked tree at the top it will enlarge the picture and they you can see the diamonds! Press the back button on your browser to go back to the blog. BYE

Another year of flocked trees

It has been in the teen's and with no wind so the snow has just froze where it fell making for beautifully flocked trees.
I have been trying to get a shot that shows how the snow sparkles in the light, but to no avail.
We are staying in Emmonak for the Thanksgiving for the second year.
Tomorrow, at five in the afternoon Susan, another teacher, and myself are going to have family night for the after school program participants and their families. Last year we cooked the frozen kind of pizzas, but this year we are having them made locally at $25 per pizza. We ordered 2o pizzas. With cookies and Tang for all, the total will be close to our budget of $700.
I was going to stay up till 10 p.m. to watch the OSU- Colorado game, but a fellow teacher told me the score with 3 minutes left which turned out to be the final score. That was at 7 p.m. and it was advertised to be on at 10. It is a wacky life up here sometimes. Not even ESPN can figure out how to list game times for Alaska. Writing class has been slow for the teacher and hard for the students, but I will have a lot of them writing well by state tests. I ordered pencil pads for the pencils and the students did not get the hint that they would will be writing, writing, writing just like last year with their reading, reading, reading. I am glad I never had a teacher like me!!

Halloween

Yesterday, Halloween Day, I walked to the store and took a detour along the river to see how the ice was doing and found a frozen river. I guess I've been too busy to notice the temperature which is -16 degrees today.
We have transitioned form motor boats to fire wood. Plenty of wood floated into the village on the river during the flood. Villagers have plenty of wood close-by. The town is white and clean looking now.
Susan and the Mendenhall Glacier. She took a video of a mama bear and a cub who was climbing a tree, but our Internet will not work long enough for the action clip to load.
I kept trying to get the sun light to show you the thin layers of ice that are pushed up over other layers, but this is the best visual I could get. There are drifts like snow drifts completely across the river.
They painted the church, even its roof. Looks good, today. All our trick-0r-treaters were really nice and polite last night, if not scary. Maybe, the teachings of the church are helping more of the students show kindness and respect. The teachers are going to play volleyball today, Sunday. I can't believe it is November. My list of things missed at home is getting extremely long; it seems. I would be too lonesome up here without Susan. The students are nice and fun to work with. My days go fast, but I show the wear and tear by the time we get home. I am doing two 30-minute PE classes in addition to the same amount of academic classes I had last year. It is fun, but takes double the supervision that the classroom does. At nine thirty this morning it was still completely dark.

Snow is here!

Students measuring in Susan's class these students are 12 to 14 years old.
Looks like winter is here. We had about 6 inches over the weekend. The teachers got together and played volleyball Saturday night. It was really fun. Down side is our principal tore his Achilles tendon at about the calf. He had to go to Anchorage on Sunday for an operation.
Shot out of Susan's classroom window a few minutes ago. This is Monday night, Oct 26.

Susan's Juneau In-service

This is a glacier near Juneau called the Mendenhall Glacier.
You can see where the glacier pours into the sea.
Nice pond for a beaver.
Oh, here is one now.
Baby and Momma bear. Momma gotta itch.

Just a regular day.

Raven hunting, Sharkey was trying to catch a raven or share whatever they were eating.
Daily sight on the Yukon River. We saw this walking to the post office.
Kids playing in front of their house. I bet they will be glad when it gets really cold so their play ground will not be so wet.
This play ground is full of snow machines.
They are rebuilding a road that goes to the airport, but it will not be finished until next year.

The dog was on his leash pulling to go. This raven was on the ground eating something no doubt delicious, at least for a dog. It flew to the top of the building and I thought why not record the sound it makes. I had the leash around my wrist and the dog was ready to go. This takes a long time to load up here. The school put security all over the school and the video is sent via our Internet hook-up to Anchorage where they keep the files. Our Internet is much slower now and this may be one of the reasons. I am trying to get Susan to let me get the Internet at our house because we have to do so much for the school on the Internet and it would be much nicer to do the work at home.

My daughter, Abby, is the survey design person working on this project at New Orleans. This is going to be a dike door and a big pump that pumps water out if the dike fails next time.
This is my Abby's latest horse, Dezi, who traveled to Abby's new job in New Orleans. Dezi is stabled an hour north of where Abby lives in the River Ridge addition. We are so proud of both of our daughters. Both are hard workers who rarely miss work, just like their mom and dad.

Dog Fight

B

Getting ready for group picture

Look below to see how this happened.

Bering Sea Pics

Listen to this for some Bering wave sound!

Here are some more. The sea looked very dirty as the sand there is black.

Leaving Bering Sea (Hooper Bay)

I took this on the way to Emmonak from Hooper Bay. Last year we got grounded at Hooper Bay for about 24 hours because of bad weather. I am using the Internet at my house in Emmonak and it takes so long to load one picture that I gave up and will do more tomorrow.

We made a trip to the beach at Hooper Bay again this year. Susan did not have to go bare footed since she wore her knee-high boots.

This is the gate to some bright place beneath the sea. The sun was burning through some of the sleety clouds. Kinda neat. It was about a mile from the plane as we landed or was it plopped? These pictures went on the blog in the opposite order I placed them. Go to the last and progress to the first. Then you should be able to follow my comments better.
Looks like the sea shore of the Bering Sea. I can't wait to walk there tomorrow. I had to ride in the back of the truck from the airport and got sleeted part of the way. It is much colder than Emmonak.
Is this the other gate? Looks like an infected spear wound on a seal that is smoking a little.
Is this the Gate to Heaven? If this rattle trap plane goes down, I sure hope so!! We flew through clouds most of the way and I kept thinking will I survive the 5,000 fall after we hit a goose or bigger? Will it hurt? How can I get Susan out before the plane sinks? Will my broken leg flop around and embarrass me at the in-service?
On the way to a teacher in-service at Hooper Bay on the Bering Sea one hour by air south of

Emmonak. I am glad to get out of the village. I am bored this year. Oh no, that is what the kids are always saying!!

OUR HOUSE IN ARKANSAS

SEA TOUR

YUKON RIVER
MISS THE MOST

HERE IS OUR FIRST SNOW FALL

WE HAVE BOTH OF THESE STUDENTS IN OUR CLASSES, BOTH FUN LEARNERS
FROM OUR RIVER TRIP.

WE ARE GOING TO HOOPER BAY NEXT WEEK FOR A TEACHER IN-SERVICE. IT IS RIGHT ON THE BERING SEA. I WONDER IF SUSAN WILL GO IN AGAIN.
SUSAN AND I WENT TO AFTER-SCHOOL TRAINING IN ANCHORAGE LAST WEEKEND. I WONDER WHAT MAKES THE COLOR OF THE FLOWERS IN ANCHORAGE SO VIVID
SOME OF THESE FLAKES WERE HALF-DOLLAR SIZE. BELOW IS A VIDEO OF THE EVENT

We were cozy in the boat cabin, while the world burned in the background. That is our principal and guide in the foreground. I think up here instead of the world being burned the word is "frozen'". It was cold enough to drive all of us into the cabin. Seems like the boat would go sixty miles an hour. With the flat bottom the boat just skims along driven by a powerful outboard motor not unlike a swamp boat.
Looking for a moose for the principal to shoot with the moon leading the way. I think it was around 10 pm.
Seal hunting. People in another boat looking intently for the seal to surface. Most in our boat were praying for the seal's good luck. If caught, nothing would go to waste, but can't just one get away? This is on the Yukon River.
Here our guiding moon ray from another perspective. The water is as muddy as the Mississippi. Last year it was much clearer. The ray might lead us to food and survival for the winter, if we were in times of old.
Closing in on the seal. The hunters use a spear which is thrown by hand-held piece of carved wood. It was easy to imagine the hunters using the same technique centuries ago.

We are enjoying 4 days off from school. We did, however, have to work on Friday at a teacher in-service. Some of the teachers have a virus and are spending the time trying to get over that

unfortunate virus, like Susan and I. Oh, the seal's stars were in the right position on this day, but if he stays in this part of the Yukon I have little hope for him. The Yupiks are very skilled hunters and have the determination driven by stomachs hungry for a meal. My students say seal is their favorite.

We are back teaching in Emmonak, Alaska. We took these on a cruise at Homer, Alaska

I am teaching writing this year. I am glad for the change. Susan is still teaching middle school math. We both are going to do the after school tutoring program this year.