Winter Is On The Way!

Wow, the last few weeks have been so busy! In the past 6 weeks I have been to Teller 2x, Wales 2x, Anchorage, and Unalakleet. So very ready for things to start slowing down! We've been getting some snow over the last couple weeks, just a few inches though so far. The sea is beginning to get slushy and the high temps have been in the low 20s. Winter is definitely on the way and I am ready. Hoping to soon be able to get my snowmachine out and start riding! My house is really coming along, enjoying the life of owning my own home, or the banks home for now I guess. Right now at work we have 25 students, they are here studying Art, Aviation, and Driver's Ed. They keep me hopping! Well, it is almost 2am here, so I guess it is time for bed.

Alaska On TV

CNN made a trip to Little Diomede, Alaska. Here is the link to view the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg0l-PinkZE Also, Discovery Channel is running a series on the Iditarod. View details at: http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/iditarod/iditarod.html Particularly read about Rick Holt, I used to work with him when he worked for Bering Strait School District. http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/iditarod/bios/holt.html

Days Are Getting Shorter

Wow, is it really that time of year again, shorter days, frost, cold... Right now, 2:30pm Thursday, it is 35 degrees. Daylight today of 11 hours 8 minutes, loss of 6 minutes 32 seconds from yesterday. Possibility of snow tonight, tomorrow, next few days. Where did the summer go? What little of a summer we had this year. But, the sun is shining and the Northern Lights were out last night when I was driving home from work. Here's to the start of another winter, snow, parka's, snowmachines, blustery wind...

Lots of Traveling

Our first session ended last Friday, had 21 students. I, along with three chaperones, will be taking 19 of those students to Anchorage October 5-8. We will attend the college fair there, where over 200 schools from around the world will be represented, as well as visit the local university and a couple vocational schools. It is always a fun trip. This past Monday evening I flew up to Wales, where I am school counselor at this year. Was there until yesterday morning. I was suppose to go to Little Diomede yesterday afternoon, but the chopper was still out being worked on. I could see Little Diomede, which belongs to the USA, from Wales. Even better, it was clear enough I could also see Big Diomede, which belongs to Russia. There are about 3 miles between Little and Big Diomede. Today, I am taking off work. Then tomorrow and Saturday I plan to go to Teller. I will work at the school on Friday and then Saturday attend their Cultural Festival, watch the dancing, it is always fun. Well, time to start getting ready, going to meet a friend for lunch.

A New School Year!

We started back to work at NACTEC last week with in-service all week. This week, back to traveling. Monday and Tuesday I went to Teller. It was a good trip, I really enjoy going out there. Today and tomorrow I am going to Gambell, which is out on St. Lawrence Island, approximately 30 miles from Russia! Hopefully it will be clear skies for a nice plane ride out. Next week I plan to go to Wales. I am traveling to recruit NACTEC students. Along with that, I am school counselor this year at Teller and Wales. This is my fourth year as school counselor in Teller and my first in Wales. The weather here has been interesting. We had a wet, cold summer. Then it got absolutely beautiful out when it was time to start back to work. This summer, we broke heat records twice and a cold record once. Sounds kind of funny. This past Sunday was one of the days we broke a heat record, it hit 70. Right now at 8:45am it is 29 degrees. Brrr... Well, I'd better finish packing and get myself to the airport.

Weathered in at Brevig Mission

This week has been a reminder to never put too much hope into plans made. I was scheduled to fly to Brevig on Monday morning, then on to Wales to overnight Tuesday, and then scheduled to take the helicopter over to Little Diomede and back to Nome today, Wednesday. Well, my flight Monday morning was canceled due to weather, but I did make it to Brevig then Monday night. Above are a couple pictures taken when I arrived, I was still in my snow pants. The one little girl was making a face when the picture was taken. I email with a school group in North Carolina and they sent me Hattie, the travel bear. Hattie is traveling with me and then we write and let the students know where we go and what we do. The students here really love Hattie! Anyway, last night my flight from Brevig to Wales was canceled due to weather, and here it is, Wednesday afternoon, and I am still in Brevig. There goes my plans for the rest of my travel, all because weather can be so unpredictable. The helicopter only flies to Diomede on Wednesdays. The ice there is not frozen enough yet for them to have the ice runway. They are hoping by the end of February now. The weather has been so strange this winter, so cold, then warming up, just back and forth. Right now I am just hanging out here in Brevig, hoping to make it back to Nome tonight. Guess we will wait and see. And, there is always another time to try and make it out to Diomede, which is only three miles from Big Diomede, which belongs to Russia! I just got back from taking a little walk and although it is still snowing, the sky looks like it is starting to clear up some. Hopefully...

Snow and Blizzards and Whiteouts, Oh My!

Wow, we have been having quite the weather the last while. Blizzards and whiteouts! But still we don't close up here, still had school. I was told today we have gotten between 12-14" of snow the last couple of days. Today I went out to my truck, started it, and discovered the heat/ac quit, so no air to defrost my windows. I tried to wipe them with my gloves, but that didn't work so well. I went back in my apartment and called my boss, Jeff. He said the police had said no one is supposed to be out on the roads right then anyway. He came in to town about an hour later and picked me up. We stopped at the store to pick up some groceries for our 24 Jr. High students. After we got things picked up, the store closed up. It is very rare things close up. Got out to school, and no electric. They said the electric was going off and on all day, and it finally shut off for good. Came back on then this even for around an hour, then the utility company stopped out and said they were getting ready to shut it off to work on some bad lines. They didn't know when we would get it back. Luckily I had picked up lots of lunch meat in case that happened. So, what a night we had, rowdy students and no electric. I was so on edge by the end of the night. I had brought along my overnight bag just in case I would get stuck out there, but thankfully one cab was running and he brought a worker out, so I took the cab back in to town so I could go home. Now for some sleep...

Iditawalk 2008

The Iditarod Dog Sled Race is 1049 miles from Anchorage to Nome. There is also an event Iditawalk 2008, where you walk 35 minutes a day for thirty days between February 1 to March 31, for a total of 1049 minutes. If you are interested in participating, here is the website: http://www.idita-walk.com/idw/index.asp

Cold in Nome

Temperatures here in northwestern Alaska have been freezing cold the last while. Saturday the low was -30 and yesterday the low was -27. On top of that, there was a little wind, which makes it feel even colder. I have really been noticing the cold, after arriving back in Nome from spending a week in Florida over Christmas, where temperatures were in the 80s. Right now I am sitting in my recliner, drinking a cup of hot tea, trying to persuade myself to go outside so I can go to work. We are expecting a blizzard tonight, to start sometime around midnight with near zero visibility. Don't expect for anything to be canceled though, it is very rare for something like that to happen. Well, I'd better go ahead and take off for work now.