Dillingham Bible Fellowship

We walked the 2 miles to church today. It was 24 degrees so we bundled up and enjoyed the brisk air. We are attending Dillingham Bible Fellowship. It is a nice group of people and good teaching. The potlucks every Friday night are a treat – salmon and moose! And lots of desserts, too!

Boating on the Lake

Today we took a ride out on Aleknagik Lake in Michael and Suzi’s boat. We traveled about 20 miles to the end of the lake, beached and had a bonfire to roast hotdogs. I picked some high bush cranberries which I made into sauce when we got home. It was a beautiful, clear day. The covered boat made it a very enjoyable ride!

Can You See the Bird?

It was out in front of our house. It looks like some kind of quail but we really have no idea what it is. Anyone know?

Papa Working

When our 2 ½ yr old grandson Connor called us he asked Papa if he was doing projects in Alaska. So Connor, here is Papa doing a project in Alaska! Look at the big bulldozer and backhoe. (Actually our landlord is extending the drain field out behind our house and Scott "supervised.")

Our "Garage"

We don’t know if this will help but the idea is to keep our windshield from being too frozen when we get out early in the morning. It was 18 degrees this morning and our window was clear! It works well when it’s just cold but time will tell when it actually starts to snow a lot.

Our First Package!

A trip to the post office! Yeaaaa! Our first care package arrived today. Thank you Connor, Caitlin, Sharon and Andy! Connor sent a great picture and I hear he helped pick out some goodies, too. We will think of you as we enjoy our tea and special treats.

First Snow!

Sept 28th and snow is in the air!. It only lasted a day – reminded me of Oregon. But I’m sure it won’t remind me of Oregon for too much longer!

REAL BEARS!

An email came to all at work to avoid the beach as bears were sighted down there. So naturally, everyone headed for the beach. Scott and I were no exception! It was thrilling to see them so close up. We drove our car down but stepped out to capture them on film. Apparently, the mother went to battle for her three cubs, getting injured but possibly killing the male bear. It was buried under the sand and rocks. They stayed around for about a week while they feasted on the corpse and then departed. Fish and Wildlife came to take the head for their records. Good Alaskan fun!

Papa Spots a Fox!

There have been several foxes hanging out on the hospital grounds lately. Scott had the camera and snapped these from his building at work. They are rather bold and people don’t appreciate their presence. Maintenance was trying to scare them off with a pickup truck. I imagine other ideas come to mind, also. Our duplex neighbor Loreen has seen a couple foxes lurking at the edge of our woods in front of our house. "Papa,get your gun!"

Down to the Dock!

9/23 We got the call to come pick up our car. We were thrilled to get our “wheels.” We drove a company car down to the dock. We quickly transferred half the stuff from our car into the other car since ours was so loaded down and wouldn’t do so well on these bumpy roads! We couldn’t believe all that stuff came out of such a small car! It was so fun to see all the treasures. We kept finding things for a few days – like sugar in the console, spaghetti under the driver’s seat!

The Car Has Landed!

Scott and I went to town on our lunch hour and on the way back we spotted the barge in the bay. What a beautiful sight to see. The tug boat was pulling this BIG load. What excitement! To know our car was right there after traveling over the ocean for so many miles! I can't imagine how they can navigate on the open seas and not lose more than they do!

Our First Salmon Dinner in Dillingham

Scott took a walk on the beach before I arrived. He ended up helping a guy pull in a net and the guy gave him some fish. Tonight we enjoyed our first salmon dinner cooked at home. It was delicious! Did you know that Dillingham on Bristol Bay is one of the premier fishing locations for all of Alaska!

Dental In-Service Day

Dental Picnic 3628, 43, 47 What a fun way to spend a work day! There are about 14 staff members in the dental clinic. We all went to Aleknagik Lake for an inservice day. We had a relaxed day, lots of good food, games, and team building.

Aleknagik Lake

The evening before the in-service Dr Adele Megli and I went up to her cabin on the lake to spend the night. It was the most gorgeous evening that I have spent in a long time. You can tell from the pictures how beautiful it was. It was a COLD boat ride but we made a fire in the little cabin on Huckleberry Island and spent a toasty night. The fog on the lake the next morning burned off and we had a clear day for the in-service.

Sunrises In Dillingham!

What a beautiful September morning. We drive about 3 miles to work around 7:40 every morning. It is still dark but the sunrises are just gorgeous!

We're Looking for Animals, Connor

We have been anxious to see the wildlife up here in Dillingham. Eagles and other birdsare frequently sighted. But the other day we saw our first bear!!! It resides downtown Dillingham and is carved out of wood. We also saw 7 people we knew in the course of one hour driving around that day. It's nice to feel connected!

Picnic on the Beach

One of our first outings! Rod and Brenda invited us to join them for a picnic on the beach. It was a beautiful evening and a nice bonfire. The hotdogs were delicious! The beach is right below the hospital. You can see Dillingham across Bristol Bay, about 5 miles away by road.

We're Both Employed!

I was able to get a job at the hospital in Dillingham, working as an assistant in the dental department. Yes, this is the same dental clinic that Katie worked in for two years! Yes, it is too bad that we couldn't be up here at the same time! (But Katie and Jarid are back in Portland, both attending OHSU. Jarid is in his second year of dental school and Katie is in the endodontics program.)

Our Home Away From Home

The inside is very nice, too. It is bright and cozy. New carpet, fresh paint, and new light fixtures! Juat like home! Our landlord Ray is going to put in a new bathroom sink and clothes dryer, too. The arctic entrance helps keep out the cold. We have 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, laundry room off the kitchen and a nice sized living room. No furniture yet but someday!

Views From Our New Home

Scott was busy up here while I was busy at home. He found us a wonderful place to live - a duplex very equidistant to our jobs, town, and church. We live very close to the airport but we hardly notice the planes. The setting is really nice because we have really good well water. We have nice views of the woods out our front and back doors.

9/12/10

With help I sold a car, drove a loaded down car to Seattle to put on a barge, put together another barge load, drove a rental truck to Seattle, palletized the stuff, sorted and made 1000 decisions, packed and mailed several boxes, and arrived in Dillingham 5 weeks after Scott. He keeps asking if I packed this or that. I can only say, "we'll see when the car and barge load gets here!" It's all a blur!