Cody and Shadow

Dogs in Atka run free. Cody and Shadow have both lived on the streets, so I know they're capable of running free safely, but they haven't done it while also having a loving home. One of the things I've had to do is train them to be Atkan dogs.

There are no animals on the island that pose a danger to humans: no bears or wolves. Dogs only face one danger: humans on ATVs. Fortunately, ATVs make a lot of noise, and most dogs are smart enough to get out of the way. However, most of the dogs are Cody's size. The foxes on the island are not a danger to them. If Cody *had* to, he could take a fox in a fight. Shadow? Little 9 pound frou-frou poodle? Not so much.

And then there are the eagles. I've had people tell me that eagles don't want dogs; they want fish. And then someone else would say that I need to keep an eye on Shadow lest an eagle carry him off. I couldn't even figure out who to listen to! I finally decided to follow the advice of one guy who seems to know what he's talking about. He said that as long as the salmon are running, eagles won't be interested in a dog. If the eagles start to go hungry, better hold onto Shadow!

For the first day or two, I walked both dogs on leashes. I figured they needed to learn where "home" was. Once they seemed to know that, I started letting Cody off the leash, staying outside where he could see me. His "rule," just as it was in China, is that he has to respond when I call him. He learned that he just needed to show me where he was. I would say "thank you," and he would go back to what he was doing. He went farther and farther at each walk. Finally, he was gone long enough that I wanted to go back home without waiting for him.

There are 3 doors between the outside and the living area of my house. The first door opens into what is essentially an airlock, shielding the rest of the house from wind and rain. The second door opens into sort of a mud room, with shelving for winter wraps and a big chest freezer. The third door opens into the living room/kitchen. I went into the house, leaving the airlock door open so Cody could get in. In theory, he would bark to alert me to his presence. Apparently he didn't get the memo on that part. He will enter the airlock space, and then just wait. Or leave because I don't open the door right away. I usually hear him enter, but not always. We're still working on that system.

Shadow wasn't happy about being left behind when Cody would take off for parts unknown. I know that I have a responsibility to keep him safe, but he's also a dog. I have some responsibility to let him be a dog. I started letting him off the leash, but following where he went so that he was never far from me. It turned out that he didn't want to go far off anyway. The world is big and scary when you're little! He would start to follow Cody, but turn back toward me when Cody got too far away from home. Shadow also seems to understand that he's outside for potty purposes; he comes in as soon as he's done, and he doesn't try to come in before he's finished.

Both boys are well on their way to living the doggy dream. They have as much freedom as they want, plus meals, soft beds, and all the tummy rubs they can handle!

On the Beach

The stream flows over rocks, creating
white water "rapids."

Today started bright and sunny, so Shadow and I walked to the beach. Cody was busy doing dog things, but he joined us later. I found a place to sit and just enjoyed the sights and sounds of the beach.

The pool is deeper than it looks. Note the
white rocks at the bottom. The little black dots
poking out of the water are fish.

From the pool (lower left) the stream
continues to the ocean.

Rocks rising from the sea. I wonder if the
kids dare each other to swim there.

Just below my perch was one of the mountain springs, making its way to the ocean. It formed a stream, with little rapids as it flowed over the rocks. Then it formed a large pool which was filled with fish. Lots of fish. I didn't see them well enough to describe them, let alone identify them. They kept breaching the water. I think I saw two of them playing the fish equivalent of tag. Past the pool, the stream had split to form an oxbow. After that, it ran straight to the ocean.

What with the stream, the ocean, the birds, and the fish, there was plenty to amuse me for an hour or so. It's wonderful just to watch and be.

Yiya and Yogurt

One of the hardest things to deal with in Atka is getting the food I want. I have some experience in dealing with that problem from my time in China. Some things, like cheese, were hard to get and rather expensive when found. Other things, like "ethnic" foods, just weren't available. As a result, while in China I did *not* learn to cook Chinese food; I could buy it everywhere. Instead, I learned to make Italian sausage and bagels!

There's a decent grocery store here, but it has a limited inventory--and it's even more expensive than China! And there's little in the way of dairy or produce. I'm having to learn a new set of cooking skills. My first venture was making yogurt.

The process is pretty simple. Heat the milk to 185º. Cool the milk to 110º. Add yogurt. Keep it at 110º until it's yogurt. Except, I don't have a thermometer. I was heating and stirring the milk, figuring that 185º would be just short of boiling. I think I got that ok. Then I was trying to figure out how to know when it was 110º. I remembered that Yiya used to make yogurt. I couldn't imagine Yiya standing at the stove with a thermometer. She would have relied on her common sense and experience to figure it out.

Channeling Yiya must have worked, because I ended up with a batch of thick, tangy yogurt. I even started with powdered milk! I'm really proud of myself.

Thanks, Yiya!

Star Gazing

When I was a kid, I loved astronomy. My favorite place to go was the Hayden Planetarium. By the time I was in 4th grade, I had read every book on astronomy in my school library. For my birthday that year, I got a telescope. Not that I could see much from my bedroom window in Queens!

There are two things I've always wanted to see. The first is the Milky Way. I've never been away from light pollution enough to see it. The second is the aurora borealis. When I asked about my chances of seeing either on Atka, I was told that it's usually too overcast to see the former, and the latter is too elusive to predict.

I was blessed with sunshine during my first 36 hours here. Sunny days are rare on Atka. The second sunny day was followed by a perfectly clear night. The Big Dipper was hanging in the sky in exactly the orientation it is on the Alaskan flag. With no other lights to compete with it, it looked huge and brilliant. I didn't have my camera with me, and who knows if I'll see it like that again. But if I do, I'll take a picture to share with you!

On such a clear night, the Milky Way was visible. It wasn't as amazing as I expected it to be. The cloud of stars that is actually a view of our galaxy didn't have the pinpoints of light from other stars that I expected. Still, it was definitely something different in a stripe across the sky.

I have a star gazing program on my iPad. I'll have to start taking it with me when we go for night time walks!

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.

Where in the world is Atka?

As you can see from the map, Atka is one of the islands in the Aleutian archipelago. In fact, it's the next-to-the-last inhabited island. Adak is the last inhabited island. During WWII, Adak had a military base. Although the base is no longer active, many of the buildings from the base remain. The population of Adak is around 350 people. Atka is smaller, with only about 100 people year-round. The number fluctuates according to the season, since fishing is the biggest industry on the island.

With such a small population, the number of school-age children is likewise small. This year, we expect to have 12 students, evenly split between primary and secondary students. There must be at least 10 students to have a school.

I'm spending a few days in Anchorage on my way to Atka. Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska, though not the capital. The school district office is here, so I'm meeting the administrative people I'll be answering to. I'm also buying groceries and supplies to ship to Atka. The only store on the island is sort of like a convenience store, with a limited inventory of goods for sale. I leave in a couple of day for Dutch Harbor, where I'll buy perishable foods. Then, the next day, finally, I'll go to Atka.

The dogs and I have been living out of suitcases for the last month, since we left Zibo. It will be so nice to unpack!