May is the month for...

Bikes! Yep, that's right. May is national bicycle month.

Bicycling is great exercise. It strengthens the legs, burns calories and gives a good cardio workout. Plus it's a great way to get outdoors and see the world.

So dust off the two-wheeler, oil up the chain, pump up the tires and start pedaling...but not right now. You may want to wait until it stops raining : )

The Cook-out

Friday we had a cook-out at the Rec., sponsored by the Nulato Life Project and the Nulato Wellness Team.

Grilled burgers and hot dogs, chips, beautiful weather, chillin' in the Rec., hanging out with people in the community, etc. It was a fun afternoon.

We served about 50-60 people of all ages.

We'll do it again next month. The photo was taken last year; I was too busy cooking to pull the camera out of my pocket.

Break-up; 5-7-10

We can expect the ice to move any day now, with break-up to follow. That means it's time to get prepared. Be ready!

While the threat of flooding is relatively low this year (thin ice and not much snow) we should still be ready. Anything can happen. Here are some things you can do now, just in case. Be ready!

-Be ready to haul / store water. If the wellhead goes under, the water supply will be threatened. Find your buckets, water jugs, barrels or water ever you use to haul water and keep them handy. Be ready!

-Be ready with a honey bucket / outhouse. If the water goes out, flushing the pot will go with it. Some toilets will work using the "bucket flush" method, some won't. Are you prepared to deal with human waste? Be ready!

-Be ready and store some gas. The fuel depot is easily flooded. If that happens it could also suffer damage that would shut it down. Don't get caught without an adequate supply of fuel for the truck, 4-wheeler and boat. Get the gas now and store it in an approved container in a safe place (not in the house or on your porch). Be ready!

-Be ready with an adequate supply of food. Even a moderate flood will put the bridge under water, cutting off access to the airstrip. Local stores can run low on supplies quickly, so now is the time to make sure you are prepared. Be ready!

-Be ready around the house / smokehouse. If you live downtown, be prepared for high water. Pick up around the house, move stuff to high ground, etc. Even if you live back town, you may need to move things around the summer house or smokehouse. Check it out now. Be ready!

-Be ready to stay informed. Do you have a radio to listen to KIYU? A vhf? Do you know where you can get accurate information? During any emergency, rumors and stories spread quickly; some true, some not. Know where to go for updates and other info. Be ready!

-Be ready to help others. People living in low lying areas along the river may need help if the water gets high. If they do, they will need help quickly, so be prepared. Be ready!

Hopefully it will be an easy break-up, but you never know. Be ready!

Geese; 4-19-10

The Geese are here!

Well, I'm not sure if they are actually HERE, as in Nulato, but they are in Kaiyuh.

Reports of successful hunters are going around, and I saw the proof. Check out the pic.

Time to oil up the shotgun, dust off the decoys and head for your favorite spot. (Make sure you have a valid license and use non-toxic / steel shot.) Spring geese hunting is a healthy, traditional spring time activity, it's lots of fun, and if you can shoot, it's a great way to put some subsistence food on the table.

Good hunting!

AKD Health / Career Fair

AKD is hosting a "Healthy Lifestyles & Career Fair"; April 21-23. It kicks off Wednesday at 6pm with a coverdish, runs all day Thursday and concludes Friday.

Guest presenters include:
-U.S. Army representatives
-Rachel Perkins (TCC)- Youth Employment
-Karen Eddy* (TCC)- Health Educator
-Alex Hwu- UAF Distance Ed.
-Larry Hausman-Coord. YK Center
-Alaska State Troopers
-Christine Truncali-UAF
-Kerry Boyd-YKSD Superintendent
-Melissa McGinty*-Doyon
-Click Bishop-Commissioner DOLWD
-Larry DeDoux-Commissioner of Education & Early Development
-Bernice Joseph*-UAF Vice Chancellor
-Adrienne Stanley-TCC Dietician
-William Miller-TCC Fitness Manager
-Brother Bob & other local residents

Everybody come on out and participate / enjoy the Fair!

*denotes individuals residing elsewhere who consider Nulato "Home"

Grace

Grace paid us another annual visit. A cool time was had.

Probably the highlight (or one, at least) was the Grace crew hangin' out at the Rec. What a trip!

Grace teamed up with some of our local guys to build a shed for AKD, to be raffled off as a fund raiser. Work has been coming along real good; the roof went on this week before Spring Carnival. Next week we'll finish up by building and installing the doors.






Oh yeah, and it wasn't me that messed up on that corner

"Broken Walls"; 3-11-10

Wow! That was a good time.

Jonathan, Bill and Chris (guitar / flute, drums and bass) can really get it done with the tunes. What an awesome band, and an awesome bunch of guys too.

Props to them for coming to perform and speak good words of healing and encouragement. "Thanks" to Zach and Tom too, for helping out.