I am packing up and leaving Alaska. It’s busy and I am sleeping very little (the light and so much packing). I’ll be driving the Alaska-Canadian Highway next week and start a new job with an outdoor adventure company on the 31st. Thank you for watching my blog.
There are some new pictures at http://kristensredwheelbarrow.blogspot.com/.
It’s almost summer vacation!!! This weekend I am packing boxes; three are finished so far, mainly books I can’t seem to part with and clothes I don’t wear. The house is beginning to look bare, which is a nice feeling. Once again I’ll say goodbye… or perhaps I’ll say, see you, since I’ve learned that there really is no word for goodbye, because my soul will always be drawn back and I will always be recognized. This, I am sure, is a strange concept; it really make sense when you out here.
I have been living in an old orphanage that was built in the 1930’s during the TB outbreak. Although the building is connected to a painful history, I’ll miss the windows that make me feel like I am sailing on a ship through beautiful landscapes. I can just see the bay, and picture it’s seals and puffins. I imagine the whales swimming freely through the sea, spinning under the water- how nice it must feel against their skin. I look at the miles of tundra and imagine the lynx prancing through the spruce- how silly those cats are to be living in the arctic. Did they get lost or do they just really love it here? I imagine the musk ox looking at each other thinking “my this really is nice.” I wonder what those musk ox think because every morning when I walk out my door one of them looks right at me. Even though its body is detached, it’s frozen head sits on top of an old oil drum and radiates calmness and liveliness. This confuses me, when I think about it. Without realizing it I have started to call him Musky. “Hey Musky… Good Morning!… I think it will snow today Musky, what do you think?” And yes, I do wonder how is he going to smell when the weather warms up; will he begin to bleed again. As he melts I visualize him walking out into blueberry covered hummocks scattered with spruce trees. He turns as if waving goodbye with his eyes. What a beautiful existence Mr. Musky has… and so well loved.
This week some people from the village I lived in last year contacted me. There is more bad news (so you can skip this part if you don’t want to hear it). Two of the teachers left in March. One of them had the position I had last year. Also, the father of one of my students committed suicide. And, a man was murdered by his brother. As village law goes, the man is still walking around. The kids in that region need so much help. I personally think the school district needs to be shut down. They are adding to the problem. I leave at this, you know there is more to the story.
Well the Italians came and went. I couldn’t actually feed and house the mushers; it’s against the rules. But, I did take good care of some film crews and their guides, and have spent the last week talking with mushers down at the river. Fabrizio, is the italian musher I have tracking since the beginning. I was really impressed when he arrived in how friendly he was given the amount of sleep deprivation he’s been through and the amount of miles his body has traveled. He pretended to be a little hurt when I asked where the film crew guide that had been following him was. Fabrizio was hoping that I was his number one fan and that was the only reason I was there. Really I was there because I promised my mentor Mary that I would take care of her friend Eric. Fab asked, “Have you heard about Italian men?” Of course my reply was, “Yes, they live with their mothers until they’re forty.” It was a good week for meeting men who are impressed with the world I’m living in out here and seek similar experiences. There was a nice camera man from LA, working for the Discovery Channel. We had one of those ‘we know each other’ moments even though we couldn’t pinpoint from where. Still the knowing feeling was strong and he’ll be emailing me. There was definitely an opportunity for me “to do [some of] what they do on the Discovery Channel.” Grandpa Fred- don’t your hopes up. This fish (meaning me) is currently not biting and it may be a while before I do. Rob and I could do some skiing together though. Tonight I am having a poet from New Jersey over for dinner. I am rather excited. We will be discussing a personal favorite poet of mine, Mary TallMountain. Other topics I foresee include our personal connections with landscapes and my current battle with symbolism. This is a tall order, isn’t it? In other news University of Colorado Boulder accepted me for a masters program. I think I will be moving there and I am frightened by that. I have to find a job and a place to live, and leave this incredible place and my incredible friends and students. Is this fear a warning not to go or just panic about changing my world again?
too tired right now. you can see some of this mornings pics at http://kristensredwheelbarrow.blogspot.com.
http://kristensredwheelbarrow.blogspot.com iditarod mushers should start coming in tomorrow.
