Qayak

Here are some pictures of the North Alaska retrieval kayak that our friend Mark Kuhlman is building for Jeremy. It is based on a traditional qayak design from our area, built to allow a hunter to navigate small sloughs or leads between ocean ice sheets to retrieve geese or seals. Mark is building this one in his home shop outside Florence, Montana. It is a skin-on-frame design. The frame is formed with a multitude of mortise joints held together by wraps of lashing.




















Some of the curved pieces are carved to form, others are steam-bent into the proper curve. The frame is then stitched inside a covering which envelopes but is not fastened to it. It makes for a beautiful, light, supple boat.











Sadly, no one here in our area of the Norton Sound is still building traditional boats and old boats are exceedingly, vanishingly, rare. Now there's one more in the world.

Community dog sled race

Community sled dog race! Mush kids mush!
We were unable to have the Easter sled dog race because it was freezing (literally below zero), and snowing.




We were able to have it on April 18th and it was beautiful. So beautiful I came home with red cheeks and nose not from frostbite but from SUN!!!





Here is Isa getting ready to race. She took second in her age group. Not too bad. We figure she is ready to race the Iditarod next year.....















For those of you who do not know what a "real" sled dog looks like, well here they are! These are some of Middy's dogs that ran the Iditarod this year. They might not look like much but they are all energy and power!
















Of course some of the kids were more interested in horsepower instead of dog power.



















Jeremy raced but I was not there to get pictures. He tells me he came in second too. A much better showing then last year when he came in last. Maybe we are starting to adapt.

GAP tooth smile!

It is official, this seven year old has lost her two front teeth.

Still winter here

Yea it is still winter here! I am so excited, actually I am not, this is one long spring. We are trying to enjoy our selves.

A couple of weeks ago we went out to enjoy some "towing". Here is Isa on the back of the sled, she was a natural. I think we will get some dogs.










Then we checked out some very thick ice. Here is Isa and Jeremy looking to see if there are any fish caught in the ice.
















We did not find any fish but we did find some jellyfish.


















And this one is very cool.....warping reality.....


















I never said that the winter was not beautiful or mind blowing... just long.

empty pages

I know, I know this has been empty for a long time but there is a problem with our internet and it has not let me upload photos for about a month. So.... know that we are thinking about you all and I will try and get photos up as soon as I can!!!

wendy