Well we have survived our first two weeks of school...barely. Actually, we’re doing quite well despite certain circumstances. Kaitlyn still doesn’t have books for her Environmental Science class and I have a college textbook for Alaska History (definitely not made for high school students). On Monday, the sun came out and it was a beautiful day. It’s interesting how after long periods of overcast the sun isn’t as welcome as one might think. The sun feels really bright and takes some time to get used to. Go figure. Anyhow, we both went with some other teachers for a ride along the beach and had a bonfire between First and Second Creeks. It was Kaitlyn’s first opportunity to wear her new “Xtra-Tuffs” (rubber boots) outside, and she took the opportunity to trounce through the mud. She said that she went out as far as she could, until she felt like if she went any further that she’d lose her boots. The mud was very soupy, and I’m somewhat surprised that she didn’t sink sooner.
It is always fun when we get the opportunity to get on the four-wheelers and just ride. I (Tim) put in my headphones and just listened to music as I rode along the beach. I must say, I resisted some big urges to play around like a teenager when driving the four-wheeler without anyone on with me. I don’t know what it is, but driving the four-wheeler without any purpose other than getting from point A to point B instills some type of emotion that makes me want to be goofy and make stupid decisions. :) While we were there, we rode our four-wheelers up a “big” hill and looked over the bay. I think Kaitlyn really liked “muscling’ her four-wheeler over the hill. We had to follow deep tracks in the mud all the way up the hill. The tundra is just to soft, and incredibly bumpy, to drive on. We probably live about one mile from the beach, but that’s driving over the tundra, which we can’t quite do yet. So, the only other alternative is to drive the three miles to town and then the other 3-5 miles out along the beach to get to First Creek (where we are in this picture). We’ve found out a few items that are necessary when riding a four-wheeler in Togiak. First, sunglasses. Actually, you need glasses with clear and dark lenses. It’s crazy how some clear shop goggles really helps cut down the wind in your eyes. Second, gloves. Those fingers get cold real fast. Third, rain gear from head to toe, literally. It rains almost everyday and when you main source of transportation has been sitting outside, exposed to the elements, you begin to think how not to get your rear-end all wet.
The rest of our week is truly a little mundane. We got up, really early, went to school and stayed until really late. This upcoming Monday (tomorrow) we have an all-day inservice. It’s mostly geared toward elementary and middle school teachers, which means we’ll have more time to lesson plan. Let me tell you, we definitely need it. It really stinks planning one day before you teach, because you don’t really get good lesson material, just quick planning and move onto the next subject. Kaitlyn’s and my plan this week is to have all of next week planned out before school starts on Tuesday so that we can get a week ahead of students. This will make our lives so much nicer.
