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Well, a summer day in Nome, Alaska finds me and my 3 girls on the beach of the Bering Sea. I'd never imagine last summer that we'd be here wishing for earmuffs & watching miners dredge gold on the seashore. After all, it was 107 deg. in Oregon this time last year!
My 3-year-old insisted on wearing a long skirt & tennies for our stroll and I'm overly optimistic in shorts. However, we had a blast collecting beach glass and stomping in the tidepools full of seafoam today. My eldest managed to fall in the seafoam and water while trying to walk backwards against the wind. Home for a change of clothes & then off to Summercize - the community exercise program for kids - where they are going berrypicking today!
Me, I'm hoping for a cup of coffee & some time with Godly women in a little coffee shop overlooking one of the 3 bush airports in town. I know my daughters won't find berries today at Summercize as it's been extremely rainy and cold. The berries are late this year and everyone is pining for them. The fish, however, are fabulous!
Alaska is such a contradiction of personalities! Nowhere else will you find highly educated people mingling with the salt of the earth miners, or cab drivers who retire from the military, and enjoy reading Astronomy journals and listening to classical music!
We are homeschooling here, despite the isolation. The homeschoolers here are pretty independent and keep to themselves. It may be because many of them have large families which are tiny communities. However, we will not give in to the temptation to enroll our children in the public school - even if we will spend many winter days indoors at -50 deg. We may just have to learn how to mush a dog team and get out there!
You will find this an extraordinary weblog as we are proud to be Alaskans and you will not find any typical suburban homeschooling experiences here. My girls and I have had playdates on a houseboat, homeschooled on a ski hill, chased musk ox around the top of a mountain to collect their quivit (or fine fur), and caught pink salmon on Barbie fishing poles.
We've lived in Juneau and Cordova, Alaska as well, but find Nome to be amazingly different like the other two cities. I could write all night, but will have to fill you in as we go.....
May He bless you richly today
Paula :-) |
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