Arrival at Atka

Some of the village buildings. The silver-white blob
in the hollow in the foreground is a waterfall.

After a month of travel, we arrived in Atka today. The last plane was tiny; it may have been powered by a giant rubber band! There were 4 rows of 2 seats, and every seat was filled! Shadow's carrier didn't fit under the seat, so he was where my feet should have been, while I sat sideways. Poor Cody had to lie in the aisle. Fortunately, the other passengers kept reaching out to pet and comfort him. I had to give him 2 pills to get him to calm down, even though the prescription said just one-half of a pill. Still, it was only an hour and a half flight, and we arrived with no problems.

My house and car

The plane landed in what looked like a parking lot, especially since there were more than a dozen people and vehicles waiting there. The kids were interested in the dogs. I let one of them hold Cody's leash. There were a few squabbles over whose turn it was to lead the dog. Cody finally dug his feet in and refused to walk for them. Poor Cody! He really had a rough day!

J. is the school district's maintenance man. He took me for a tour of the village in the car that was just bought for us. I have a car! I also apparently have access to ATV's, but no one seems sure how the school has them.

The reddish ridge was glowing in the sunset when I took this,
while the mountains behind were shrouded by clouds.

The buildings are as run down and shabby looking as any beach town. The salt air and winds are mostly responsible for that. However, things are in good repair, for all that they look questionable.

I have a 3 bedroom house. It couldn't exist as a house in the lower 48 because none of the bedrooms have closets! One room has an open unit of white wire shelving, but it doesn't have the "master bedroom" furniture. I'm going to see how much shifting around of furniture I can do on my own over the weekend. I'm sure I can always get J. to help if I have to.

This sign on the school is a reminder that I'm
definitely not in Kansas anymore!

The beauty of Atka was not overstated by the people who recruited me. There are snow-capped mountains, black sand beaches, tundra, and even a few waterfalls. So far, I've only taken pictures with my phone. I should have plenty of time to get out and take better pix. Meanwhile, I'll share what I have.