The Glories of the Kenai...

We spent yesterday doing the Alaskan adventure part of this trip. We took the seniors on a boat trip out of Seward, including a trip to Fox Island, and a cruise around Resurrection Bay. The trip was centered on wildlife viewing, and we saw a plethora of species. The list included humpback whales, Steller's Sea Lions, dolphins, mountain goats, puffins, black-legged kittiwakes, and sea otters. The kids seemed to be pretty entranced. We saw a bald eagle sitting on its nest, and a couple of them hovering over the water and hunting. It was a pretty full 4.5 hours, and we had a 2.5+hour ride each way. All were pretty tired by the time we returned to the hotel. As of this morning, some of the girls are still asleep. Today is a museum day, with trips to the Alaska Native Heritage Center and the Anchorage Museum planned. Tomorrow will mark a visit to the H2O Oasis water park, a favorite on the Anchorage circuit. I fly the kiddies back to Bethel on Thursday.

So far we are all still alive, and everyone is still in possession of all extremities. As to possession of faculties, that is another thing.

More Adventures In Anchorage...

I mentioned that I was originally in Anchorage for a class that I need to renew my Alaska teaching license. Before I left, I was contacted by the AKT2 program, which is how I got the license in the first place. They are introducing a new group of candidates to the classroom segments of the program for the next few weeks in Anchorage. Several of the members of the first class, including me, were asked to come and talk about the realities of the teaching life in Rural Alaska. It was nice to see some of my comrades from 2009. We spent a couple of hours answering questions and trying to be as helpful as we could be. With any luck, we were of some service to this group. I think that the three grizzled veterans enjoyed the interaction with this year's rookie class.

I finished the class on Friday, and completed making submissions to finish my AKT2 portfolio. Saturday brought the invasion of the Napaskiak senior class of 2011. Tomorrow we are off to Seward to ride on a boat and see what we can see. Today started out with a little shopping. I hope that everyone is enjoying themselves, and who knows, they may be...

So, This Is When It Started To Get Complicated...

We drove down to the local Pet Smart, where the dogs were going to board. I whipped out my paperwork to show that good old Dan was as healthy as a well-tended dog should be. The very nice young man asked me politely if I could tell him about Dan's Bordatella status. That is a vaccine that is apparently very necessary for doggies when they stay in kennels. As I found out, not every veterinarian gives these shots as a matter of routine. Yes, we had no vaccinations...not for that, anyway...semi-frantic consultations, and a quick improv...fortunately, there is a nice place that we stay in Anchorage with our dogs, and the had a room open for the two of us.

So Dan and I spent the week at the Puffin Inn, which was probably a little nicer for him. He didn't get stuck in a kennel by himself, and I felt that I should hang around the room a little more so that he was not too lonely. Not a bad workaround all together.

The class for which I had come into town early proved to be a real pleasure. It is basically an Alaskan history course taught by a Russian Orthodox priest who has become well known in the state. His focus is largely on setting up the background for the distinction that he draws between the the Russian period and the American time. Very interesting, a good story told by an excellent storyteller.

Now the seniors are here and we need to go and take them around. More on the story to come...

My Adventures In Oz, continued...

We got to the airport in PKA ready for (if not a little early for) the 9 am flight to Bethel. And then we waited. And waited. And...well, you get the picture. Nowhere fast, and for over an hour. Fortunately, my flight from Bethel wasn't leaving until 2:45. I was even able to get the wonderful Mary Noes to meet me at the airport with stuff for the upcoming senior trip, because I had to stay there with Dan the wonderdog. The flight for Anchorage got off on time.

Great, right? Truly. There was some beautiful scenery to be seen on the flight down once we got past the clouds. My bags came out quickly on the baggage belt. I offered a ride to one of our local citizens, who happened to be in town. Yep, everything was going just fine...

Where Did We Leave Off?

To begin with, I am hideously out of it this morning-barely functional. I keep waking up at 4:30 or so, and I am missing the village and my friends back home. For reasons that I do not wish to contemplate, I have locked myself out of my hotel room on two out of the last three days. My head seems to be stuck in a dark place, and it could use some light and fresh air.

It is, fortunately, a beautiful, sunny day today. I hope to make some use of it at some point. We are in class until 4:30, and I am committed to a trip to Wal-Mart with one of our residents who came into town with me. I also need to work on finishing my remaining two submissions for AKT2. My hope is that I can get that stuff done today, and free up some time tomorrow for skylarking around out in the fresh air after we finish.

Since the last post on this thing, I have helped get as much of the house packed up as we could on Sunday and Monday. Naps kept creeping into the picture, as we found ourselves sleepy at the strangest hours of the day for no discernible reason. I think it is kind of a catch-up kind of thing.

Tuesday was the day for my egress to Anchorage, along with one of the clutch of dogs that call us feeders and walkers. That was the germ of the adventure that was to be my day on Tuesday...more about that in a later post. We (the dog and I) made it to the airport in PKA in one piece and on time. That was the beginning of the end of easy for that day...

This Is A Request Number...

...and you know who you are...it is late, and I have class tomorrow with Father Oleksa, and I really enjoyed today's session, and I want to be on time, and so I am not going to have that much to say tonight. But I have heard the voice of the people, at least part of them, and I will get up and about it tomorrow without fail...I promise.

Packing...

...is when you realize how much crap you have sitting around that you were just too lazy to deal with in the past. Even a small house with only two people gets crowded with crap. We are dealing with it now, as we need to before we leave. And we need to deal with much of it now, because I am leaving Tuesday morning. That still gives us most of the day tomorrow, so I see no reason for panic just now.

We checked out for the year late yesterday afternoon, so we are officially done for the year. Both of us were pretty tired, and I was seriously thinking about a very early bedtime when the call to steam came from Joe. I was glad to go-the third time this week. I got moderately cooked, and walked home watching the sunset at 11:35 or so. It was a good feeling, and I could see us hanging out here some summer, or at least hanging around longer that we have.

My pup had another in a series of nighttime seizures last night, and I have switched to having him sleep in his travel bag. He usually wets when he has a seizure, and the small pad is easier to deal with than the blankets on the bed. Poor little guy. He seems OK after the incidents, but I think that he will have to get medicated in the not too distant future. I am reluctant to start too soon, because he will need blood and liver function monitoring when he does, and that is kind of tricky out here. There may ultimately be no real choice.

I am enjoying my first full day of vacation, even if it involves packing and moving. We are moving at a relaxed pace, and there is no lesson planning in the offing for nearly three months. Nice. That alone makes this Sunday a day of rest...