Friends

     What has made this Alaskan experience all the more special are all of the wonderful people we had the good fortune to meet. I wish I had pictures of EVERYONE, but here are a few photos that might explain why we fell in love with Pilot Point, Alaska.

First & foremost were the students we were fortunate to meet. What they lacked in numbers, they more than made up for in enthusiasm and personality! 

We went in early several mornings & made our students
oatmeal for breakfast

Al & Sue

We love our new friends, Al & Sue! Yes, this is the Al & Sue of the evening drive around the village. It is the Al & Sue who provided us with our first ever chance to "take a steam" in their home. Though a summer salmon boat captain by trade, Al keeps himself busy all winter long with a plethora of jobs. He is the school cook who introduced us to moose kabobs, cioppino (a spicy spaghetti with salmon), and bannocks. He meets each plane that lands at the Pilot Point airport. He delivers the mail from the planes to the post office and hand-delivers all the UPS and commercial cargo that arrive. Sue says it is hard for them to ever get away because they have to find so many people to take care of all of his jobs!  Sounds a little like Mayberry, doesn't it? Sue works for the tribal counsel in the village office & organizes the winter community carnival. 

Check out the wolf on the wall above. It was ill and wandered into town a few years back. Al shot it and skinned it himself. That's something you don't see hanging in many Lincoln living rooms. And Sue is well-known in the village for making fur hats. They are hard-working people who welcomed us into their home and hearts. We've invited them to come see us in Lincoln. Hope they take us up on it!   

Bollo, a village elder, is quite the character. He was a regular at Sunday church services.

 Tabitha, a health care aide at the village clinic, makes Alaskan beaded hair clips as she waits for patients. Beautiful!

Trips to the post office were the highlights of the day. Actually, the mail plane only comes on Tuesday, Thursday, & Saturday IF the weather permits. Jan, the village postmistress, always had a smiling face and had our mail on the counter before we got all the way in the door. And now might be the perfect time to thank those of you who sent us special packages. The treats and your thoughtfulness were LOVED by every single one of us! Thank you, Judy Duzan, Mel Duzan, Ruth Sloot, Martha Davenport, Allison Fleetwood & Ruth Pasquale. 

      The first box we opened had a bag of M & M's that had split down the center. A group of us were gathered around the kitchen table where I had opened the box and we began gobbling down the scattered candy out of the bottom of the box like we were starving refugees. Get a grip, teachers! It is amazing how good something tastes when you can't swing by the store and pick one up whenever you want.

What snacks we did not scarf down before Doug & I left, were left behind for those still there to enjoy. (Well...except for that bag of Abe's Carmelcorn that fit just perfectly in my carry on bag)

We crossed paths with Mike & Tracy on a regular basis . You'll probably recognize Tracy as the Village Healthcare Practitioner and our native drum lesson instructor. After church last week Mike, Doug & Matt went out to the quarry to shoot things. I'm not sure what they were shooting. Must be a guy thing...I know the Grossmann's Halloween pumpkin was one casualty. Mike works for the village & like Al, wears many hats. The day I took his picture, he was gathering trash to go to the village incinerator. Nice people. 

And the most important people of all are our friends the Grossmanns. They took us under their wings, answered endless questions, and made the whole experience a JOY!

Matt is a wonderful teacher!