Hobo for Halloween

Untitled, a photo by LakePlacidLMC on Flickr.

Found this at his NY school library photo site. It shows Birk looking unusually glum. Only because they had to wear their costume in school, and it probably didn't seem so hip then. Especially with all the girls around. He cheered up during the Trick or Treat phase. Ann drove his hobo hoarding butt around the best neighborhoods for sugary bounty.Mom sees all.

NYC Marathon Inspires

Birk is a lucky dog says dad as he is in NYC to watch the Marathon race and support his friend Ann's daughter, Martha who is running the race. This is his first trip to NYC so he is a wild eyed tourist from bush Alaska as well.
He is doing great in upstate New York, both with school work  and with family and gaining new friends. Soccer is over, snowshoeing and crosscountry skiing is around the bend. The teachers take their job seriously in Lake Placid and he is given a healthy amount of 7th grade homework each night. Thank You to these teachers who challenge kids to aim higher.
This photo is from July 4th, 2009 when Birk decided to race that morning. He was age 10, running against Age 17 and under racers in a 3 mile loop around Ruby. He came in 3rd. Really good. Hope he is also inspired in the city in all ways-including journaling via this blog and taking photos of this amazing year.
He is in good hands with mentor, Ann of Lake Placid Spirits, in this trip to the city. The natural high spirits and can-do attitude must be catchy as he is soaring to his best potential in the care of his Uncle Mike and the good people of Lake Placid. Email him at Birkolator@gmail.com.

Talk TO a Pirate

Ruby pirate on home shores as a wee one.

"Talk Like A Pirate Day" is officially September 19 and I need fellow mateys
 to do that. Become my long distance pen pal
by contacting me for snail mail address
 or email. Or leave comments here!
I might be having a Aarrrgh day and need you to keep me from going bonkers and taking out my sword and plundering the east coast. All work and no play makes for a miserable captain on a long voyage.

Swimming lessons

Better to jump into 50 foot deep warm NY lake in September or drift in chilly July current of Yukon? Just apples or oranges-choices in life.

Calm waters in Lake Placid

First week checking out my new environment in New York. Not bad!

Long lost maternal ancestors revealed

After 12 years, I meet my Uncle John, Aunt Maggie, cousins Colin and Alec in Vermont.  We share the Mayflower voyage link.

Getting dinner Alaska style-and snowshoe footing from hide

Helping dad with moose he got late the night before.

Geezer gets moose and gal.   August 2011, Ruby Slough.

Dad provided for the family and I helped before I left for school back east. He is skinning the hide and removing the rest of meat. Uses hide for footings on all snowshoes. He shot it very late the night before and came back with the happy news around midnight. 

Hericane Ilene lands "The Birkolator" in the east

Reminds our family of The Last of the Mohicans film scene. Only here, we can see where we are landing. This was Moss Glen Waterfalls on a hike with my Vermont relatives.

Frog River school boy hops south and east

Announcing: Nogheet No'  student has ("Frog River" for the Nowitna River which flows into the Yukon River. It is Denaakk'e -language of Koyukon Athabascan native Indians of Alaska's Interior and a place where my family always hunted.) hopped to Lake Placid  for challenging adventures in learning.

Thanks Family

Even the trampoline in Alaska has bug netting (joke).

Cousins Lance and Theresa were fantastic. They helped Birk in many ways so when he got on the plane he was prepared, calm, full of excitment and surrounded by caring family. Here he is with Jayden at their Fairbanks home. Now he is in Vermont. Thank you all in this hectic week.
 Thank you especially to Hollie and Carlson who come through with thoughtful, important ways to get it done when one is in the bush. You are the best friends. Thank you to Uncle John and Aunt Maggie for a fun filled weekend. Uncle Mike, you are incredible. Thank you in advance to Ann, as the whirlwind is landing as her door as well and I appreciate your acceptance. Set the standard and my little one will grow to reach it and respect and adapt to new circumstances. Thank you for helping him to grow and thrive. Love to you all.

Goodbye My Sonny

Birk dancing to his native beat during the morning session of Yukon River Inter-tribal Watershed Council summit held in Ruby during three rainy days in August. 70 tribes along the Yukon River are members of this river protection and native right organization. The traditional song "Goodbye My Sonny" was being sung by the new Ruby Traditional Native Dance group. As no other boys showed up, Birk had to solo dance and provide the beat as drum wasn't to be found. Little did I know we would be saying this to him a month later as he now is on a great learning adventure.

 He has now arrived in Vermont to meet his Uncle John and Aunt Maggie along with cousins Colin and Alec for three days of kayaking, hiking, Labor Day weekend festivities as well as viewing the aftermath of Hurrican Irene in Burlington. He just went on four planes to arrive there. He is happy but tired. Excited to be leaving Alaska and finally seeing where Mom came from. Mentions things like ice hockey, violin lessons, ski-biathon.  I kid when I say Hericane Ilene has sent "The Birkolator" to hit the East Coast. We are so proud of our 12 year old son with the intelligent curiosity and sweet, accepting manner. Our sensitive son with the Brave Heart is on a quest to gain a strong education, bond with distant relatives, immerse himself in the exotic-to-him culture of the Lower 48 states. He will attend school in Lake Placid, New York and be well cared for and guided by Uncle Mike as well as his companion, Ann.

And to you Birk: We miss you already. We love our enthusiatic,athletic boy with the leadership ability who easily makes friends. Alaska needs you and all the younger generation to raise the education bar here. Dad, Mom, Katrina and the two nephews Sheldon and Nummies want you to put all your energies into school and all the secondary things like knowing the new town, sports, friends and family activities will fall into place. There's lots of kids who would like to be where you are now.Put time aside weekly for calls, blogging journal, snail mail letters and emails to stay in touch with us in Alaska. Call Grammie Edie too! She would love postcards with a paragraph or two of news every now and then, okay? Start checking your email now as you will have pen pals to tell your adventures to. We love you. You are in great hands to guide you. The New York teachers, Lake Placid  community and especially Uncle Michael. Take it all in and read, read, write your journal, blog, do your homework as soon as you come home to a tranquil environment, ask questions and take on extra credit when you feel grounded there. Your brain wants exercise. The sky is the limit. No worries, we are fine and Foster will have pals and will remember you. However the chickens and ducks won't soon. :}

Now it is your turn to take charge and soar.

No lack of wildlife in Ruby



Katrina, Birk, Nummies and Sheldon

Bear, geese tracks next to moose  man (Dad) just killed.

Best pals are there for you.

Foster, the puppy who showed up to adopt me.

The various kids who like playing at our big yard.

Grateful for subsistence resources.

Dad got a moose 2011

We have moose meat thanks to dad's skills and efforts. And "Brownie" the mean domestic duck we have raised this past month was the first to go when we asked the hooded vaporizer to eliminate him from the well-behaved flock.

Teacher Scotty sees to the demise of mean duck.

This year's meat and hide

August 2011

Dad shows how he snuck on resting moose by Ruby Slough and had to remove his squeaky boots.

Here is the sneaky hunter's barefoot impression
so he could get a clean shot before the moose tried to run across the water.

Galena Spring Carnival 2011 First Place Snowshoe race

March 2011 -back yard by birch tree.

I used my dad's racing snowshoes as I outgrew my child size ones he made years ago. My older cousin wrapped myself and nephew Sheldon,8, in a sled under blue tarp and hauled us for almost two hours over the Yukon River to the annual Galena Carnival. I wanted to go for years. My snowshoes untied and I tripped as the race was crowded but I kept running. I hear teens calling "Go Kid!" so I guess I was a surprise favorite. No one really knows me in that village. They gave us trophies, in Ruby we receive ribbons and award money. This was so cool. Sheldon came in 2nd. dad made me a new pair of race snowshoes, so this was a great month. Later I was in Ruby with boys age 10 to 13 and I came in second.

Ruby Traditional Native Dance Group

I am in the center back row.

This is our first appearance ever in front of an audience on Aug. 3, 2011. It is the Centennial of Ruby's founding this year and this was when our village hosted an environmental tribal summit of several hundred.

Ruby boys

Here is a summer shot of boys hanging out at my yard playing zombie tag.

Snowshoe season coming up.

Sunny,slippery March is best snowshoe month. 

My little Centennial farm

David and Nancy left for Australia and New Zealand's summer. I got left holding the 'feed' bag and some fowl feathered friends. Not for long, the ducks seem twice the size of wild ones and will soon be September dinner. The baby chicks are even growing despite the rainy cold nights. They are penned within our garden spot.

YRITWC Summit 2011

The adults forgot to bring the Native drum and the other guys didn't show when we had a 10 am performance (our second ever) of the Ruby Traditional Native Dance Group. So my feet had to provide the drumbeat and the girls sang the Athabascan song from WW II era "Goodbye My Sonny." This was in  a large tent here in Ruby of  the Yukon River Inter Tribal Watershed Council attendees from 70 Canadian and Alaska tribes. They meet every two years and protect the Yukon River's health. I can't wait to perform again, it was fun. My sister is the tall right one. Mom helped sew the regalia, she didn't have time to finish beading moccasins, so dotted the moosehide patch with colored Sharpies for the show!

The boys rock

Nummies and Sheldon did great. They don't get a leather vest until they grow more. This was before our first ever performance. Hundreds cheered us on. Maybe we can get good enough to go to AFN conference.

A hidden gem on the Yukon

Hey, my new wheels-Ruby style. At least it was new-to me. I joke. This was hidden for decades in a shed and is off to the Kenai. I helped David dig out all kinds of old stuff all summer on his new properties full of old crap.

Don't let your life depend on these!

Unless you are a leprechaun who needs 21 inch snowshoes. These were made by Dad for donating to a July 4th Race Raffle and it is his very first pair he ever made in this small unusable size. Good for decorating a wall though. He only used floss and imitation sinew, no moose footing. He had to build a small frame bender for them.

Ice Age Spear

Found this on a chilly walk hanging from a roof.

Proof of Aliens in Alaska

Sheldon at 8 years old is a funny character. He invented this snowshoe pattern in our garden. 

THREE FOR TEAM FOUR IN IRON DOG

Vernon and Kyle starting engines, Ruby 2-26



Sat. 2-26-11 Ruby

 Here I am with my sister Katrina and nephew Sheldon watching my brother Vernon and his partner Kyle on Team # 4 of Iron Dog Snowmachine race take off from Ruby to finish in Fairbanks. Days of bad weather and the other night my brother and Kyle were the lead sno-go racers to plow thru incredible winds and snowstorm just like they had coming into Nome. The total miles of race is over 2,000 miles with a few layovers. Go Bro!

ARM PIT FARTING BRIGADE

Boys WILL be boys.

Cross Cultural Creations

My clever six year old nephew Nummies took a small plastic bow and added duct tape to make a cross bow after he saw me reading about the Vikings and other early peoples.

Yukon River Photographer-later-Of-the World.

Here I am a budding photographer and observer of the universe! Ruby's Spring Carnival Men's Snowshoe Race 2007 featuring my dad.



New Year 2011

We can't really see fireworks on July 4th due to the "Midnight Sun" so we just usually hear kids blowing off steam with firecrackers. In the bush, many villages as well as other Alaskan residents watch colorful fireworks at midnight even if it is cold enough to freeze off your butt. You can see Sheldon and I still have ours despite way below zero degree! Dad also shoots off a shotgun each New Year's Eve as is the tradition in the bush. Only time ya can waste shell.

New Year's advice from Aunt Kate-2009 column



Here I am tending a bonfire again to honor the New Year's Eve 2010 birthday of my late aunt. It was cold so we all roasted marshmallows inside the indoor wood stove. My mom wanted me to reprint this advice my Aunt Kate wrote in her garden column from a January 2009 Norwood Post issue.

 " 'Tis the season to weave what you feel into the fabric of your life. Plant a seed of kindness wherever you go. Nurture the love that you have with friends and family. If a relationship seems to be failing, mend it with faith. Mulch your newly found friendships with care and understanding. Pull the weeds of unhappiness before they get a strong hold."

Sounds good to me. When her newspaper made budget cuts, she wrote that she had been "touched by the terminator." I wish I had known her better, she had a wicked sense of humor I am told. "Ta Ta" to you too.

Frog River School or Nogheet No' flying frog school mascot

I took this photo during the 2011 New Year's eve fireworks show. It looks like a leaping FROG! My homeschool is named after the Nowitna River. Nogheet No' means Frog River in Athabascan. My mom said this is a good omen as it appeared on my Aunt Kate's birthday. She passed away last December. I met her only a few times in Colorado. 

Oh yeah, surf time!

My class schedule - ugh.

I think I have more work now at homeschool and I have to stay on task to finish assignments. I sm still getting used to Calvert since starting in the 2nd semester. Can feel my brain growing.....at least I get xbox time after school.

My desk and textbooks

This is my desk and we have many maps on the wall including Alaskan and native ones. I have lots of supplies.

Home at School

IDEA is my school district and I work on this Dell. My bedroom is just behind the wall.