Greetings earthlings and other lower 48-ers! Like the picture, it feels like we are living on another planet here in Aniak. It was -40 to -50 most of last week and even -65 in a near by village. For a good part of the time nothing was working: quads, snow machines, planes, our walking legs......
When it is that cold you really begin to appreciate the warmth of zero degrees! Unfortunately I have seen my fair share of frost bite in the clinic as well. It happens so quickly, that even with the best winter gear, the chilling cold will find its way to your skin and INSIDE your home......
This is the INSIDE of our window. All of our windows had about 4-5 inches of ice along the sides and bottoms. Ian and I kept checking the thermostat and it said it was 70, but I guess when you are battling -50 outside you can form ice no matter where it is.
This is the INSIDE window handle, completely frozen.
So what, you may you ask, are we doing then when it is that cold? Well.....
And, we did warm up some wonderful guests as well.
This is Barbara and Ceatin Green, they were here with ABI (Alaska Bible Institute) to help our local pastor cut wood for the winter. They are extra special, among many reasons, because Barbara is the daughter of my parent's pastor, Russ, back home. To think, from a small town in Michigan, two people with such close ties to my loved ones found their way out here.
We really enjoyed hearing how God is working in their lives (they just got married this summer) and Ian especially enjoyed their presence for a game of Risk. We were sad to see them leave, but happy to have established a closer friendship with them both.
Now back to being to being alone and by ourselves.....
I pass this sign every morning as I ski to work and it always makes me laugh. Before I glide through I first look both directions as I know, this is a moose crossing! Here, crossing the street doesn't mean that you are only checking for snow machines and quads, but also for large furry animals too. Thankfully I have yet to cross paths with such a gigantic (and often aggressive) creature, but, they are frequently spotted around town.
It still amazes me that these creatures can survive the winters here. Recently we lost power for for almost 2 days and our little apartment was beginning to get pretty cold. In addition to long periods of darkness (it gets light around 11:00 am and dark around 4 with dusk in-between) we have also had some -30 degree days, and that is without the wind factor. So, as the wind was whipping around in the darkness I wondered how animals now and people long ago survived.
During our power outage, Ian and I had plenty of time to ponder this and how we could occupy our time without the internet (Ian) or in my case The Office. However, with our 10+ candles not only was our home a sweet aroma of fragrances (thanks Frontier Family Farms!) but it provided the necessary light and heat to put in many long and romantic hours of the game Logic...haha. Not to mention, it gave us a whole new appreciation for interior illumination (not to be confused with Clark Griswald's exterior illumination).
So, if you have ever wondered where Aniak gets it protection from, let me introduce you to the Underground Secret Ninja Ring....or so they believe. In addition to his weekly basketball games, Ian also likes to practice his ninja moves.
He and our neighbor are both very skilled, as you can tell. And, knowing that I have not one but two secret ninjas around for protection is a great comfort.
Here Ian is teaching a few lessons that he learned as a small boy. Listen close to the instruction given and you might figure out just where he received this wisdom from. As a result, he is very selective to whom he entrusts his knowledge to.
Here is a picture of my new and much loved hobbie, quilt making. These are my first two lap quilts. The blue one is for Ian's parents and the pink one is for my parents. I had so much fun doing these (and I am sure that my neighbors also enjoyed hearing the constant bong bong of the sewing machine) that I have already started another project, or two.
Ian even helped with a few stitches so that we could honestly say that the gifts were hand-made by both of us. As you can tell, he is thrilled to have helped.....LOL. Now he can add to his many titles (husband, great white hope, ninja) the honor of being a seamstress....I can see Matt Lake shaking his head right now.
We are continuing to enjoy skiing. Aniak got a lot of snow over the last couple of days and earlier today Ian and I went on a 4 mile ski. Below are some of the pictures.
And, this my friends is evidence of a moose. Also evidence that he or she needs to get more fiber in their diet!
Here are some of the moose tracks that we saw along the way. We did not run into any live moose out there, but we did see plenty of tracks.
Other than that, we have been very good. After my long month (intubations, inserting my first chest tube) work seems to have slowed down. Last week I went on two village trips to Shageluk and Anvik. They are both small villages of about 80 people and Shageluk still does not have running water or electricity.
I really enjoy traveling to my villages as I always leave feeling like I have made a difference. Not only do the people seem to appreciate the care, but I am often more humble and grateful when I return home. Life can be very difficult out here and I am thankful that people allow me to be a part of their journey.
Ian is also doing wonderful things (besides protecting Aniak). His monthly elder lunches are very popular and he continues to build trust and friendships with the community. Like I mentioned earlier he is playing basketball weekly and apparently his team is even winning. He is also traveling to villages once a month and continues to enjoy his work. I think I will have him blog next time so that he can update everyone in his own words........
And, PRAISE GOD, my student loans are officially paid off!!!!!!!!!
This morning Ian and I went for a 4 mile ski and we learned that there are actually several ways of making icicles. Some of the different types, at least here in Alaska, are hat-cicles, eyelash-cicles, and lastly but most importantly snot-cicles. The weather is cold (go figure) but when I say cold I mean like -30 degrees cold even with the sun. So, forming any of the above is actually quite easy.
In an attempt to get more exercise I have been skiing to work everyday. The 1 mile trek doesn't take that long, and it is actually very relaxing.
Aniak has several trails into the woods and mountains that would make any skier jealous. Ian and I are anxious to safely explore them all. Actually, on Thanksgiving morning, in preparation for the afternoon carb loading, about 5 of us skied a 5 mile trail. We call ourselves the Aniak Ski Club, even if we are all middle aged and slightly out of shape, we persevere through the elements.
Here is an example of the eyelash-cicles....Fortunately Ian wiped away the the cicles found proximal to the nose.
So this picture is not recent, but I wanted to put it in the blog anyway. About 2 months ago Ian and I went with our good friends to their fish camp and helped them winterize. On our way back we caught a beautiful sunset (along with a moose grabbing a drink in the river) that was definitely picture worthy.
As some of you may have heard, Thanksgiving this year was the close of a very sad and long week. In just two weeks, our little village lost two people under the age of 32. One of which was a friend and colleague who froze to death. I have heard that the incident made the USA Today News, but here in Aniak we were all shocked by this tragedy to such a sweet person. She was only 21 and leaves behind a 14 mo old son.
As the only medical provider for the last two weeks (and for about 400 miles), I was at both incidents and along with a full schedule at work, was both physically and emotionally drained come Thanksgiving. The hardest part about my job is wanting so desperately to help and save lives, but knowing that sometimes after you have done everything you can, you have to make the decision to stop.
Both deaths were very difficult on me (and on Ian), but in drawer closer to God I have been able to reestablish my footing and regain peace.
Well, our Hawaii vacation has come to an end. In addition to the sun, I had the most wonderful time with Ian. It was like re-living our honeymoon all over again. I even made him stop by our original honeymoon hotel, I was feeling nostalgic, what can I say?
Two of the highlights on the trip was scuba diving and our Molokai hike. The scuba dive was phenomenal! I got down to over 70 ft and the visibility was great. It felt like I was swimming in a giant aquarium filled with miles of brightly colored coral. At one point I was swimming with a school of at least 200 fish, unbelievably cool. I tried to keep my buoyancy and be very still as to not disturb or startle any of the animals. Thankfully I was able to and therefore was able to swim very close to the fish. I could have touched them most of the time....it was just amazing
This is the beginning our our hike down to the Leper colony in Molokai. It was a 3.2 mile hike covering 1664 ft in elevation, it was not easy!
The serpentine trail hugged the cliffs and boasts some of the most beautiful views of the island. Even though it was physically demanding, it was really fun exploring with Ian. On the way down we also encountered a herd of midget mountain goats. It was pretty cool to see them up close in the natural habitat. Unfortunately we were not fast enough to get any pictures.
However, what hike would be complete without a little surprise? As we were just about finished a dark ominous cloud decided to open up on us. Even though Ian and I were completely drenched when we finally made it to the end, we were still two very happy hikers.
This is outside of Father Damien's church. Although little was known about how leprosy was contracted or spread, the physical disfigurement was no secret. In an attempt to contain and limit its spread, the Hawaiian government sent anyone with the disease away to this isolated part of the island. From the late 1800's to the mid 1940's thousands of lepers were dropped off and quarantined here. Apparently there are still 10 lepers living in the tiny village.
Ian is standing in front of Father Damien's grave. Out of compassion for the people and his devotion to God, this Catholic priest spent the remaining years of his life converting this "death village" to a community. Unfortunately he contracted leprosy after 15 years of serving and died with the people he loved so much. It was a very touching story.
Behind us is the drop off location for the people. Our guide told us that often people were not taken to shore, they were literally dropped off in the ocean and expected to swim or die.
Kalapapua, the leper colony.
And we made it back up!
Here is a little secluded beach we found on the west side of Molokai. We were the only people on this beautiful beach.
My Hawaiian Princess.
So, here we are back in Anchorage. A cold winter storm welcomed us and gave us a 20 degree hug. Snow is prevalent, and so is our thankfulness for a wonderful trip.
We have finally seen the light! And, it only took us one week of SPF 40 to be able to bear it. Thankfully, we have managed to avoid sunburns and are cheerfully soaking in the warm rays.
We are currently in Molokai, Hawaii having spent the last week in Maui. I went to a medical conference and Ian had the daunting job of being my chaperone :)
We will be staying here in Molokai until Thursday then headed back to Anchorage. Molokai is a small and quaint island (we seem to have a new found love for isolation) in-between Maui and Lan'ai. Many say that it resembles Maui 30 years ago, not very populated and very quiet. However, it does boast a famous landmark, a leper colony run by Father Damien in the 1800's. Tuesday we are hiking down a winding 3.2 mile mountain range into the valley where the colony once lived. Ian and I are both very excited to do this.
This is the view from our hotel in Maui. We really enjoyed sitting on our balcony and looking out over the ocean.
One of the best parts about our hotel was the landscaping. As you can see from the following pictures they put a lot time and money creating a tropical atmosphere.
They even had 6 live pink flamingos..I am still not sure how I feel about this...... to call PETA or not? In the beginning I was convinced that they were chained in place (thanks to Ian) as they never changed location, but after much worry and observation, I finally saw them move. Whew!
Out to dinner
As usual, Ian is most happy in the shade with a good book. Here he is waiting for our ferry to Molokai in the Banyon Tree Park.
On our ferry to Molokai.
Our condo in Molokai.
The condo complex in Molokai.
View from pool.
After much anticipation, tomorrow I am going scuba diving along the Molokai reef, yeah! Hopefully I will be able to get some pictures and post part 2 of our vacation. Ian is looking forward to finishing his 3rd book and continuing to develop his inner self :)
