Leaving....Tang'rciqamken Nuushniilleraq!

We left Fairbanks this morning and the smoke was so thick the visibility for the first hour and a half of driving was as low as 1/4 mile. There was definitely a presence of firefighting crews along the route, but we did not see any actual fire. Just lots of smoke. I heard on the radio this afternoon that the air quality in Fairbanks is the worst it has been all year, and they may even set up smoke relief sites so people can take refuge from the smoke in borough buildings that have air filtration systems. After a few weeks of intermittent smoke, clean air smells so sweet! An I am talking about Anchorage air. Just imagine Kodiak air...

Last night before we left, Jeremy was attacked by hornets. Due to his quick escape he only got 8 or 9 stings, the worst of which was on his ear. He had been adjusting the dog run, and a large hornet's nest was hanging from a branch right above it. The rope must have bounced up, and those hornets were mad. It took me a while to talk him down from retaliating, since we really had no means of doing it that didn't involve a high likelihood of Jeremy getting more stings. So exciting.

Sun'amen Agciqukut

To Kodiak we will go...
In just few days. My biggest reluctance in leaving Fairbanks is the food. Is that bad?

These past few weeks I have worked very hard on school, but the real work is going to start as soon as I get home. I am establishing a new schedule that will hopefully help me separate school and work a bit better, and have set up goals for each month so that I can have the first full draft of my dissertation done by mid January. I really must get it done. And I will.

How'd she get the red hair?

You have no idea how often we get asked this question, usually with a smirk and a wink. My usual response is that she's a genetic miracle, which people often follow up with even more questions. So, in case you are wondering, some of Jeremy's cousins have red hair, and so did my Grandma and one of my great aunts. Even so, it is pretty amazing for her to end up with red hair since none of her parents or grandparents have it. So there you have it, our little miracle!

Parkour: Extreme Movement

I have heard a bit about the Parkour craze, but have not seen anyone doing it in Alaska yet. And no, with my lack of grace I doubt I will be the one starting the Kodiak Parkour Club. It looks amazing though! Kind of reminds me of Jeremy's "extreme hiking." I hope my posting this does not cause anyone to hurt themselves trying it out! Thankfully we don't have many big buildings on the rock, but I can just imagine seeing someone doing this at Abercrombie! Don't do it! Consider yourself warned.

Fairbanks Photos

Helping Daddy get the gear to the river...

Emmy and Jeremy enjoy the Chena River.

Frog spotted outside the Cabin.

Such a Beautiful Lady...

Best buddies already.

Homesick

One day it's 90 degrees, the next day, choking in smoke, followed by a bit of rain and fog, and now..sun. I just don't know what to expect up here. I am about halfway through this summer institute, and am already thinking about going home. I hear Kodiak has been lovely, and that there is a film crew from the Discovery channel or something staying at our house. I wish I had left it a little more presentable! I wonder how my potatoes and rhubarb are doing. I also get the sneaking suspicion that the alagnat (salmonberries) are ripe. They are, aren't they? You can tell me.

Fairbanks Weather Report: Hot

89 degrees? No problem.

Summer in Fairbanks

Working Hard (not for the $$)

As Friday draws to a close in my dissertation boot camp, I have completed transcribing all of my interviews that I have conducted thus far. I transcribed 8 interviews in 5 days. Not sure if that is good or not. Sorta mediocre I would bet, but then, I never even learned to type. And laptops, I have discovered, are not very ergonomic in the keyboard placement. Oh well. I've recovered from this type of wrist strain before!

This weekend I am going to try out this new qualitative data coding software I downloaded, called TAMS. So far it is not that user friendly, but then it was freeware. I guess I should read the directions before I give it a bad review. Potentially, it will help me comb through the piles of transcriptions, to identify where respondents mentioned "connection between language and culture" or "importance of program continuity" or whatever themes I feel might be there, and organize it, perhaps saving me many hours of shuffling through printouts with colored markers, sticky notes, and the like. Is this exciting stuff or what? Well, anything that can help me save time at this point is exciting to me. How else am I going to graduate next May?

Also this weekend, we are going to go canoeing.

Arctic Thriller

This is great! Researchers at the Toolik Field Station performing the "Most Northern" version of MJ's Thriller.

The mosquitoes remind me a bit of the cabin where we are staying right now, where it is a daily battle to have unmarked skin. Well, to be honest, I am actually trying to get no more than one or two new bites per day. I have to be realistic.

Hansel the Handsome Husky

Hansel is working out really good in our family so far. He is very attached to Jeremy and protective of Emmy. His coat was in terrible shape when we first got him due to shedding, malnutrition, and rubbing from his collar, but after daily brushings for the past week, he is looking pretty good. He and Lady are still working out who is top dog. At first we thought it would be Lady, but now we are not sure. Neither of them is a typical alpha dog, so it may take a while for that to settle out. He just seems so happy and grateful to be with us, and keeps surprising us with his personality. We didn't realize when we got Hansel how much he looks like a scruffy small Siska, but the look is definitely there, even though their personalities are totally different.

Ester 4th of July Parade

We went to the Parade in Ester on the 4th with our friend Mike who lives there. We lived in Ester for a few months last year when we first moved up to Fairbanks, and we just love the people there. They had some very unique floats and a lot of decorated people. Jeremy got to help push the fire truck that broke down, and that wasn't the only break down of the parade. Ester sure has some town spirit!

What? Palin resigns?

I was just going to do a post about how we are sure Hansel is going to be the new dog's name, once and for all, when I see these headlines about Palin resigning! This is almost as big a surprise as when McCain picked her to be his running mate. I have to let this digest for a bit before I can coherently comment on this, but at first thought...it seems fishy to me. Something is going on, and I hope it is more exciting than a book deal.

Fairbanks-men agciqukut

We are finishing our trek to Fairbanks today. Not looking forward to the long drive, though it will be beautiful.

We decided on Hansel for his name. Kind of a reference to the Zoolander movie. But now Mary's suggestion of Damie ( a Pootie Tang movie reference) has us having second thoughts....Well, we'll let you know what it settles on.