Some snowy scenes around the village.

Games of the North, PBS     Here's a really good video to watch.  It's about the native olympics that are held every year.  The games are very different from our olympic games.  This year Kotlik will host the district Native Youth Olympic games for school age kids.  We won't have all of the games seen on  the video but I am looking forward to this event.

 These sticks mark the spots where people have ice holes they use for fishing.  These holes are about 40 feet apart and they are used for munucking (I don't know the actual spelling).  They lower a net into one of the holes then tie the other end of the net off at the other hole so it is like a net hanging from a ceiling under water. 

 When they pull the net up hopefully there will be some fish in it.  By the way, the people here have a hard time making the "sh" sound so when they say 'fish' it comes out sounding like 'fisss' which rhymes with miss.

This is just a dirty ice hole.

At noon on the day before the winter solstice this was the brightest it got all day.  In a span of a few hours you can see a sunrise and sunset.  On a cold, clear day like today it is amazing.

It was a cold day in Kotlik.

This is the village cemetery.

An awesome morning

3 November, 2014

     Being outside in the freezing predawn sometimes has its' rewards.  This morning's was better than most.  It was so cold the first draw of breath made the inside of my nose sting. The sky was as clear as it ever has been and putting on an amazing show.  On the western horizon a fat, orange moon was hanging low, lighting a reflective path across the icy Yukon.  To the south the star Serius was sparkling brightly in  red, blue, and white, as if being the brightest star in the sky wasn't enough.  But the greatest show was the Aurora Borealis spanning the heavens from horizon to horizon.  Long ribbons of what looked like sirrus clouds were slowly moving back and forth, glowing a soft whitish gray.  Suddenly a ribbon-cloud would flash on and disapear and then the next one and then the next in rapid succession.  It was like a silent lightning show of a soft diffuse light.  A marvelous glowing exhibition hundreds of miles long and miles high played out for those of us brave enough to endure the frigid morning. Very often a clear sky at 5 a.m. turns overcast by 7 when I leave for work.  It's still pitch dark but those late risers rarely get to see the amazing wonders we early ones enjoy.

     The sky was not the only excitement for Hobart and I.  The village fox was out early.  There is a fox that has been roaming the town for the last few weeks.  He's been chased by kids and adults, on foot and four-wheeler and even been shot at but he keeps coming around.  Hobart and I have seen him on several mornings.  A week ago he spotted us on the boardwalk and curiously followed us during our walk, sometimes coming close enough for me to get a good picture if I had my camera.  This morning he followed us again even being so bold as to dart within ten yards of Hobart then scamper away playfully trying to get Hobart to take chase.  He's a beautiful animal with a full, fluffy tail tufted white on the end.  He followed us most of our walk until we crossed in front of the church then he raced away to some other part of town. 

Mornings like this make me glad I came here.