Gingerbread House-off

The neighborhood

Brian and Kirsten get points for detail. Look at Santa and his sleigh, and the angel atop the tree! All made from dots. Ridiculous, right?

Jeff and Andy get serious points for the slanted roof. Their construction was undoubtedly the best. They earn credit for detail as well. Look at the manger and the four-wheeler on the side of the house. They also wanted to appeal to the lady viewers with the heart seen in the neighborhood picture. Minus points for looking like a Christmas bomb went off in their front yard.

This is my adobe structure. Unfortunately, Whitney, my partner had to come late and leave early. And athough I lacked the manger and the tiny details, I think I get points for the neatness and completion the others lacked. Plus, I have snow-go out front and a skating rink.

With little to entertain ourselves besides one another, our regular weekly (sanity) activities include card night, movie night, interactive pizza night, and of course the regular hikes and snow excursions. These regular plans have been especially important as we anticipate our first departures from the area since our arrivals in July. As the holiday approaches, we've added more interesting activities. This week after weeks of anticipation and antagonizing each other - and my cousin Ang sending us two boxes of gingerbread supplies, we finally were able to convene for some healthy (high stakes) gingerbread competition.

The most important rules were:

1. Supplies are distributed as equally as possible into three groups. Straws are then drawn matching each team to his/her supply basket.

2. All parts must be edible. If the object is called into question both group members must consume the object. (Jeff used a wrapper as a window, which resulted in the only minor choking scare of the night).

And you thought your life was uneventful.

(Potential) Bad News

Bauker the main pilot who makes the short flight from Dillingham to Manokotak called school today to tell us that the weather is looking bleak for Friday -- so bleak that planes will likely not fly, not even Bauker who flies when nobody else will. He asked if we could make the flight today. Obviously, that's impossible.

Last year nobody got out for Christmas, so needless to say, I'm concerned. I suppose all we can do is hope for the best, and if the best can't happen, well then, we'll try to make it by snowmobile.

Snow-Go

It's important to remember that I live in a dry village. If a person is caught importing, bootlegging, or consuming alcohol here, they are slapped with a Class C Felony, punishable by jail time. I've never been a big drinker, so living in a "dry village" was no big deal, though as the saying goes, you do always want what you can't have.

Saturday morning, as I rose out of my noon slumber, sleeping off a nasty cold, my neighbor called to ask if I wanted to make the 50 mile round trip journey to Dillingham in sub-zero temperatures for nothing more than a drink at the bar. Naturally, I was giddy with excitement and illness would not and could not hold me back. So I threw on my overalls, seal hat, neck gator and several layers of coats, along with my warmest mittens and ski goggles. I was so padded down I could hardly get my boots on. As I pulled them on, I was sweating and breathing hard. I felt (and looked) morbidly obese, but even as we skimmed across the tundra at high speeds, I was toasty warm.

This day filled with newness, excitement, overwhelming beauty and great people, of course, goes down as one of my favorite days in life. It was so simple but still so thrilling and completely unexpected. I tossed and turned last night before I finally drifted off to sleep. I saw and felt myself flying along on a snowmobile across the blazed tundra trail with the cold wind whipping past me and the bright blue skies and rolling mountains surrounding me. I thought about how lucky I feel to be here and living this really beautiful version of a life.

Crossing the Weary and Snake Rivers were more of a challenge on the return trip because the tide was coming in. You can see the pools of water that accumulating along the banks of the river. I took a deep breath before we sped across the partially open water.

This is the Bearing Sea seen from Dillingham. I was in awe. The chunks of ice were moving so quickly it almost made me dizzy. A beautiful sight, but could you imagine putting your foot in that? Brrrr....