Saturday, October 3rd

After a really good breakfast that David fixed for us of sourdough waffles and a wonderful visit with David Sarah and Tom Miller and a wonderful Eskimo people in Kotzebue, Alaska we are home in Caldwell. Joy picked a sack at the airport and I will have to say it is good to be home. We had good flights in Anchorage Bob and Julie Maker came to see us, it was so good to see them.  

Friday, October 2nd

This was our last day in Kotzebue, it has been another really good day. A man in the Bible School fixed a big pot of Caribou stew for lunch, he brought ice cream and the Miller's took a nice fruit salad. In the afternoon Don went with David to get a pick up that came in on the barge. Don said that was really interesting, they had the pick up in a container and David had to crawl through the pick up window because there wasn't enough room to open the door to drive it out. We saw the barge yesterday when we went on the drive but David was surprised that a barge was coming this late in the fall.  Tonight David fixed us a caribou stirfry for dinner and a cabbage salad. It was very good. The millers went to a 50th anniversary surprise dinner, so we have been on our own this evening. We have our suitcases packed as we need to be to the airport early in the morning.  We have had a wonderful time but we both have said it would be hard to live here where it is so cold dark and cloudy for several months of the year.  We are still amazed at the vehicles, they have at least three different cab services, police and fire truck as well, their main transportation could be four wheelers in the summer and this time of the year & snowmobiles in the winter. There are a lot of boats as well & you see a lot of people walking. We pray blessings on these dear people as they endeavor to win Kotzebue for the Lord. 

Thursday, October 1st

This has been a most interesting day after lunch we took a drive around Kotzebue and around the tundra, probably about 8 miles. There was an Air Force Base here during World War II. All that is left is the radar they tore everything else down. We saw where people pick berries and the cemetery that is out of town. We went to the Kotzebue grocery store, it was very very busy. Everyone who lives in Alaska from newborn to the oldest get a check from the government for $2000 a year. The check was just posited in your bank last night. David said that is why the grocery store was so busy. Everything in the store is very very expensive.  We came home & for supper we had raw Bulga & Bowhead whale, dried seal, seal oil, broccoli, apples, carrots, boiled half dried salmon & potatoes, wild cranberry, blueberries & salmon berry Alaska icecream with Alaska bread @ tundra tea. It was truly an Alaskan meal. It was good & certainly an experience. I'm a pic last night it was in the museum of what the tundra looks like, l think you can figure what pic it is. In one tonight it is for all of you who think that all wolves should be dead. Mittens are made out of them on a coat. 

 

Thursday, October 1st

This has been a most interesting day after lunch we took a drive around Kotzebue and around the tundra, probably about 8 miles. There was an Air Force Base here during World War II. All that is left is the radar they tore everything else down. We saw where people pick berries and the cemetery that is out of town. We went to the Kotzebue grocery store, it was very very busy. Everyone who lives in Alaska from newborn to the oldest get a check from the government for $2000 a year. The check was just posited in your bank last night. David said that is why the grocery store was so busy. Everything in the store is very very expensive.  We came home & for supper we had raw Bulga & Bowhead whale, dried seal, seal oil, broccoli, apples, carrots, boiled half dried salmon & potatoes, wild cranberry, blueberries & salmon berry Alaska icecream with Alaska bread @ tundra tea. It was truly an Alaskan meal. It was good & certainly an experience. I'm a pic last night it was in the museum of what the tundra looks like, l think you can figure what pic it is. In one tonight it is for all of you who think that all wolves should be dead. Mittens are made out of them on a coat. 

 

Wednesday, September 30th

This has been a very wintry day it has snowed, sleeted and the wind has blown all day it was very cold. After lunch David took us to the museum and it was very interesting and good then we went to a shop that they make and sell native art, clothing and I'll kinds of things.  We went to the hospital as David needed to pick up a prescription for Sarah, their hospital is very nice, they have an ER, they have another section where they can diagnose in the villages by a computer monitor.  They fly the surgeries to Anchorage. In the hospital they have a care for the elderly, a lady 95 was at the Wednesday night church service and she lives there. They have a church van that picks people up from there to bring them to church. We went by the Friends Cemetery, which is now full and they have started another cemetery out in the country. I have failed to mention a couple of things that amaze us, one is the amount of vechiles that are here, not that I don't think these people should have them but they either come by air or a barge. The other thing is the buildings in part of Kotzebue are built on pileings as the ground is permafrost & they have to go down to the ice where it is solid.