On Thursday Carmen's husband, John, flew in from McCarthy in this plane he built himself. The plane landed nearby on less than the length of a football field from our house and coasted over here on the fozen lake on these, well, skis. He got here alive. We had them over for supper last night and listened to bear and wolf stories half the night. I honestly did not know that one could eat bear meat. The plane is parked right outside our house and as soon as I can get to a camera, I'll post a picture.

Folks are driving over on their snow machines to take a look at the plane, kids are hanging out over here asking questions. It is pretty exciting. Now, we would ask for a ride - but gas is $5.00 a gallon up here and I wouldn't dare - but that would be fun to ride in a homemade airplane. John was a plane mechanic in Vietnam and builds everything on their place. He is building their retirement home in McCarthy now. That's over there near the Wrangell Mts, the Kennicutt Mine area. In the summer Carmen works with crews to recontruct those buildings at the mine area in a historicially correct fashion. We're planning on going there in August for the weekend.

I am still working hard on my grant application. It is very unlikely we will get it two years in a row - but I like writing the grant and dreaming about what we could get and most importanly, I can use this information for other grants, I'll get back a response evaluation form which will detail the strengths and weaknesses of the grant application. So that will be helpful.

We are down to one dog, Roxie. Life is so much easier. I wish she weren't so jealous but we have made her a big baby. What I'd give for some hindsight before the mistake happens.

Oh, we bought Maretta's snow machine. She had a really good price on it and we snatched it up. The very first night some creep siphoned the gas out. Then Tom tried to start it not realizing the gas was gone and I think something happened to the carborator. That was a week ago - Tom has been in this really bad mood ever since. We remember now why we had some doubts about getting a snow machine and this goes back to my comment about wishing I had that hindsight before the mistake was made. Carmen's husband is going to work on it today - hopefully he can fix it for us. Another neighbor called over here last night wanting him to help them too. I think someone could run a snow machine repair business up here and do really well. Once the machine is fixed, we are selling it. The 4-wheeler is all we need.

Our superintendent and his wife, the curriculum director, are leaving at the end of the year. I am really disappointment because they are just wonderful folks and add a bit of class to the place. Our assistant principal is also leaving so this will be a completely different school next year. Most people only last a couple of years in the bush. Life is just too hard. Those of us used to life in regular civilization just miss it too much. There will actually be at least four people here with babies next year - umm. Maretta is leaving too - she has been here nine years and is a real stable influence around here. So - we might be considered old timers next year. At this point, I think I could stay five years - I mean I really like the remoteness, and the weather is simply fascinating, the sunsets, the changing landscape, the culture of these people. I just wish the planes that carried us back and forth to Bethel were a tad bigger.

Okay I am going to school to work on my grant. Tom will be watching John work on the vehicles.

I've been busy writing a grant the past couple of weeks - that Improving Literacy through School Libraries and really have done nothing else! We had another blizzard last week - this time the winds were whipping up the snow so bad it stung our faces. You have to keep every inch of skin covered. I bought a beaver hat from Carmen. She made it herself. I just love it because it is so cozy and warm.

Hmm, the snow is really interesting. The lake now is quite shiny - since the winds have blown the snow off. So it looks like water in places and then piles of snow elsewhere - except it is all frozen solid. Around our housing you have really slick iced places where the snow has been blown away and then there are these huge mounds of snow taller than we are. Every time we have high winds the whole landscape changes. At first we had to traverse a narrow ledge of snow to pass over one area - now that narrow edge had turned into a high flat road - as we have more high winds.
We are having some second thoughts about a snow machine - they are always breaking down. Any day you can walk outside and there's folks working on their snow machine or getting someone to work on them.I really don't think Tom wants to do that -not when we can easily walk -and the 4-wheeler works in the flattened snow just fine. You can't drive it too well is fresh snow though.

The dogs continue to love the snow. Right now we are keeping Libby - an eleven year old Black Lab. She is really old and decrepid compared to Roxie. Roxie contiues to be jealous - although the extent of her jealousy seems to be just being between us and Libby at all times. Tom is reading dog poetry. The cold weather doesn't seen to challenge Roxie at all- just poor Tom. Oh, Tom made some snow steps for us - just like steps but made of snow. We are rather lucky because we are right on the lake - the folks behind us, the whole row of housing, have to dig tunnels to their doorsteps because the snow is so high.

I signed my contract so I guess we are coming back. I am really looking forward to traveling around Alaska this summer.

Not much to tell, so I won't go on.