Two weekends ago it snowed in White Mountain for the first time this season. We didn't get any accumulation really- maybe a quarter of an inch I would estimate. It came and left so fast I did not see it. Instead I was informed about it later on. Since then it has flurried lightly a time or two. The temperatures are hinting at more significant snowfall to come. Our sister mountaintops are capped in white only a few miles away, but they are at higher elevations. Each day I awake to find dew glistening under the streetlights, frozen on the grass. Tuesday the 1st the temperature dropped low enough for the river's surface to gather ice crystals, and they began rapidly flowing down-river in clusters. Groups of ice gathered at the shoreline of our beach where the boats rest in the still waters. It seems most villagers have begun wishful thinking that soon the river will be frozen solid enough for other recreation.
The days are growing shorter in daylight. Already I am walking to school in mostly darkness. There are bright street lamps sporadically lighting the pathway towards the school. The sky is spectacular when it is visible! While at special education training, I caught a view in Unalakleet of the setting sun casting a glow on the horizon while simultaneously a dark, cloudless sky was filled with many stars competing for attention. A group of us gathered driftwood for a bonfire to celebrate such a beautiful night, and I laid in the sand digging my toes near the warmth of the fire and staring up at the satellites passing by.
A visiting artist came to WMO that same weekend that it snowed to work on some ceramic tile projects with the kids. I welcomed her to stay at my home, as opposed to living at the school for two whole weeks, especially with there being a fully furnished bedroom not in use in my house. It has been nice to have some company at the end of the day. She has so much knowledge about Alaksa, particularly the Anchorage area, but she has been to many rural communities to work on projects. We have chatted about some of these places, art, life here in the village, and many other topics. I cannot wait until the school's new tile mosaic for the cafeteria is unveiled today during our school wide open house. It will be exciting for the kids to find where their tiles are and what the project looks like completed. Unfortunately I will miss the ceremony as I just arrived in Unalakleet for our Youth Leaders Conference. Life is a trade-off sometimes!
Last weekend I visited Teller, another town in our district, for their annual cultural festival. Good times were shared! I saw the King Island dancers, as well as Golovin's, Nome's, Stebbins', and Teller's dance group perform. The dances of the performers seemed so well-rehearsed and natural. I was surprised by how the dancers, drummers, and singers took their time to share their music and dances. The event unfolded at a slow, steady pace. Many times the songs were "invitationals", in which anyone was welcome to join in on the song. Our routine was somewhat limited in comparison to the others, but we learned a lot through observation and will do even better next year!
I left Teller with my new favorite sweatshirt (with an image of their traditional drums on it) and a hand-beaded hair barrette that was beautifully made! Birthday money well spent. We were able to rent a vehicle from Nome and drive there so I got some fantastic pictures of the scenery along the route. I will post them as soon as I can.
For my birthday yesterday I invited the kids to come to my home for treats. They must have been watching for me because they were there within five minutes of my arriving home! We had a lime green and teal marbled cake with orange frosting, ice cream with blueberries I had picked and frozen, cookies, chips, etc. I taught the girls a game similar to a cootie catcher that I used to play when I was their age. They thought it was the bee's knees! I let them play their music for awhile because they don't recognize much of my own. A few people stopped by that had never been to my home before so that was pretty cool. I had company all night. As soon as I sent the kids away, I had some adults over for snacks and refreshments. I decided to make tater tots for dinner because I couldn't resist that luxury. ^_^ It is just one of those days of the year that dietary considerations go out the window.
Thanks for reading! I promise I am attempting to get more photos up, but the internet is not cooperating.
Take care!
Namaste,
Kelly Rae
