Damon Hargraves

It started with a few flecks on Linda's (another teacher) coat. Then it started collecting on the Honda seat. Soon it was piling up. Winter is just around the corner. --------------------------------------------------------- Updated: October 1, 9:20 am --------------------------------------------------------- October is here, and it brought snow. I woke up to the sound of Heidi yelling "It's a winter wonderland!" Winter is here, at least for a little while.

Heidi made it back! She's tired, has a cold, and is glad to be back. Neffy and I are glad too. Among other things, Heidi traveled on the plane with curtain rods, my shotgun, and goldfish for the school.

This isn't going to make national news (barely state news), but here in our own corner of the country we are having our own flooding. It all started a couple days ago when the radio stations out of Nome started reporting that a huge weather front was on its way. I noticed some extra activity around town, but didn't really think too much about it until someone said that some of the old people were being evacuated to St. Michael. After school I decided to take a walk. Above: I immediately noticed the coastal road had been built up at least two feet, and lots of rocks had been placed to break waves. It was to act kind of like a levy. Below: I also noticed the wind. It was incredible. Below is a shot of a breaking wave. Look at how far the spray is being blown. The wind was blowing hard enough to knock you over if you weren't careful. Above: At some point during the night, the wind blew the water high enough to break the levy in several places on the south side of town. This ...

I took Heidi to the Stebbins airport today. She's off to Nome where she will rendezvous with some other BSSD folks and then head off to Anchorage tomorrow. She will be attending a conference and won't be back until Sunday night. Along with the conference, Heidi is going to do some shopping, and visit with my family in Wasilla. Yes, I'm a little jealous, but I made a giant mound of sloppy joe for dinner which made me feel better, and will also provide sustenance for the rest of the week. She doesn't look sad at all.

Heidi and I rounded up the troops yesterday for a beach party. Hotdogs, burgers, brownies, an assortment of chips, a thermos of hot chocolate, and we were set to go. We went to North Beach, which is on the north side of the peninsula directly north of Stebbins. Here's a map. It's a short ride by fourwheeler.

Above: Yesterday Below: Today

My cloned Honda has been sitting quietly in a dusty Unalakleet hanger for over a week now, awaiting its final delivery leg. I have been persistent but also patient, calling the freight company no more than three times a day. Last week I was told that it would be here Friday. No dice, I was told that they didn't have enough cargo to warrant a delivery. Then I was told Monday, until I accidentally told the guy that it was a holiday. Next I was told Tuesday, but the plane never flew in from Nome. Yesterday the guy was excited to tell me that it would "almost certainly come in on Wednesday." Well, I'm sitting here and it's Wednesday, and my Honda is still on the other side of the Unalakleet River. Apparently the one plane that they use for large deliveries in this area is broken. Yes, that's right, the plane itself is now broken. I was given no other details, but the guy was happy to promise that my Honda would be in tomorrow. I told him that I would co...

Okay, so one month and counting. School's going great, our co-workers are awesome, the kids are great, Neffy is packing on the blubber for winter, and my fourwheeler is coming tomorrow. Life is good.

Yeah, this is my first vlog, also known as a videoblog ! Click this link to see the video tour of our apartment. If you just don't have the bandwidth, or the patience, I've also taken some pictures. We've been very happy with our new place. It's roomy, smells good, has lots of windows, and lots of storage. What more could we ask for? Above: Neffy and me in the kitchen. This is the biggest kitchen that Heidi and I have ever had, which is nice because we do a lot of cooking. The closest restaurant is in Unalakleet, which is a 30 minute plane ride away. Below: Our fridge is completely stuffed full of salmon, and this is only half of it! Nick and Janna have been nice enough to let us use some space in their freezer chest. Above: Out lovely living room. No TV or radio, although we do have Netflix and watch as many movies as we can get our hands on. We watch movies, listen to podcasts, as well as internet radio on my trusty Apple iBook. It's been nice not having a T...