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A blog by Bill Hess

Running Dog Publications

P.O. Box 872383 Wasilla, Alaska 99687

 

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Wasilla

Wasilla is the place where I have lived for the past 29 years - sort of. The house in which my wife and I raised our family sits here, but I have made my rather odd career as a different sort of photojournalist by continually wandering off to other places to photograph people and gather information, which I have then put together in various publications that have served the Alaska Native Eskimo, Indian and Aleut communities.

Although I did not have a great of free time to devote to this rather strange community, named after a Tanaina Athabascan Indian chief who knew Wasilla in the way that I so impossibly long to, I have still documented it regularly over the past quarter-century plus. In the early days, my Wasilla photographs focused mostly upon my children and the events they participated in - baseball, football, figure skating, hockey, frog catching, fire cracker detonation, Fourth of July parade - that sort of thing. 

In 2002, I purchased my first digital camera and then, whenever I was home, I began to photograph Wasilla upon a daily basis, but not in a conventional way. These were grab shots - whatever caught my eye as I took my many long walks or drove through the town, shooting through the car window at people and scenes that appeared and disappeared before I could even focus and compose in the traditional photographic way.

Thus, the Wasilla portion of this blog will be devoted both to the images that I take as I wander about and those that I have taken in the past. Despite the odd, random, nature of the images, I believe they communicate something powerful about this town that I have never seen expressed anywhere else. 

Wasilla is a sprawling community that has been slapped down hodge-podge upon what was so recently wilderness of the most exquisite beauty. In its design, it is deliberately anti-zoned, anti-planned. In the building of Wasilla, the desire to make a buck has trumped aesthetics and all other considerations. This town, built in the midst of exquisite beauty, has largely become an unsightly, unattractive, mess of urban sprawl. Largely because of this, it often seems to me that Wasilla is a community with no sense of community, a town devoid of town soul.

Yet - Wasilla is my home and if I am lucky it will be until I grow old and die. Despite its horrific failings, it is still made of the stuff of any small city: people; moms and dads, grammas and grampas, teens, children, churches, bars, professionals, laborers, soldiers, missionaries, artists, athletes, geniuses, do-gooders, hoodlums, the wealthy, the homeless, the rational and logical, the slightly insane and the wholly insane - and, yes, as is now obvious to the whole world, politicians, too.

So perhaps, if one were to search hard enough, it might just be possible to find a sense of community here, and a town soul. So, using my skills as a photojournalist and a writer, I hope to do just that. If this place has a sense of community, I will find it. If there is a town soul to Wasilla, I will document it. I won't compete with the newspapers. Hell no! But as time and income allow, it will be fun to wander into the places where the folks described above gather, and then put what I find on this blog.

 

by 300...

Anywhere within a 300 mile radius of Wasilla. This encompasses perhaps the most wild, dramatic, gorgeous, beautiful section of land and sea to be found in any comparable space anywhere on Earth. I can never explore it all, but I will do the best that I can, and will here share what I find and experience with you.  

and then some...

Anywhere else in the world that I happen to get to, such as Point Lay, Alaska; Missoula, Montana; Serenki, Chukotka, Russia; or Bangalore, India. Perhaps even Lagos, Nigeria. I have both a desire and scheme to get me there. It is a long shot. We shall see if I succeed.

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« Grandma Mary returns home from hospital, insundry Wasilla scenes, ending with four images of Kalib in the snow | Main | Real Wasilla - not to be found in Rogue: Snowplow comes down the road, turns around and goes back up again; Kalib loses shoe on sub-zero drive; more »
Saturday
Nov212009

Kalib, for Grandma Mary down in the Navajo Nation: may his image help speed your recovery

DateSaturday, November 21, 2009 at 4:03AM

There was a car crash on the Navajo reservation Friday and it left Kalib's other grandmother, Mary Fatt, badly injured. She had to be medivaced by helicopter ambulance from just outside of Shonto to Flagstaff. Just to set the record straight, because I know that among those who do not know Mary there will be some who will be wondering, yes, Grandmother Mary is a sober person and was driving sober. 

We do not yet know about the other driver, who apparently was not hurt, nor do we know the details of how the accident happened. Lavina and Jacob were in Anchorage until very late in the evening and out here, Margie and I spent several hours, worried, wondering.

I will not try to detail her injuries, but the last word that we received is that she is stable, her life no longer in danger.

I had taken a few pictures earlier in the day as I took my walk and then later after I drove off on a coffee break, but I decided instead to make a special post, just for Kalib's Grandmother Mary.

So, beginning fairly late in the evening, I shot this series of photos just for her.

I hope that she will be able to see them soon - like today, if Kalib's aunts who are with his grandmother can figure out a way to show her - if she is able to look.

If not, then she can enjoy them later.

Whenever she sees them, I know the face of Kalib will bring her cheer and cheer will help her heal.

Here, Kalib rinses a dish for his Grandma Margie.

He prepares to throw paper into the fire.

Kalib takes a bath, #1.

Kalib takes a bath, #2.

Kalib takes a bath, #3 - he watches the water go down the drain.

His mother dries him off and carries him out.

Mom sits down on the couch to finish the job. The TV is on.

Kalib gets pretty excited by something on the TV.

After he gets dressed in his pajamas, Kalib pays a visit to his Grandma Margie. She usually wears glasses that cover up the mole on her nose. With the glasses gone, Kalib finds the mole to be quite fascinating.

Kalib blows his nose.

Then he tries to blow his grandma's nose - with the same tissue!

Grandma puts her glasses on Kalib. Despite all the nose blowing, a little bit of snot trickles from his left nostril.

He draws, then tries to figure out Margie's crossword puzzle.

Mirror-view of Kalib working the crossword puzzle.

Kalib sees himself. Yes, our house is chaos. We are chaotic people, but, since I got hurt nearly a year-and-a-half ago, followed by Margie's two accidents, the chaos has intensified. We must live with it for awhile yet.

Kalib with pillow.

Kalib sees himself in the clock radio.

On this most difficult night, Kalib gives his mom a hug.

As Kalib's mom sends text messages to her sisters, his dad helps him into his bed. Kalib then turns around and pulls his hair.

Get well, Mary!

Many prayers for you.

AuthorWasilla, Alaska, by 300 | Comment11 Comments |
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Reader Comments (11)

Lovely pictures! As a grandmother myself, I know these photos will bring a smile to Grandma Mary's face. There's just something about those grandbabies, y'know?

Best wishes for a full recovery. Grandma Mary will be in my thoughts

Nan C

November 21, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterNan

Prayers for Mary Fatt from Pennsylvania.

November 21, 2009 | Unregistered Commenterdebby

I, too, pray that Gramma Mary will soon be mended. She will definitely get a smile from all these photos. That Kalib! He's a cute one!

November 21, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterWhiteStone

Best wishes for Grandma Mary--how scary to have that happen! I'm sure Kalib's pics will give her a kick when she sees them!

November 21, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterOmegaMom

Wishing swift healing and ease for Grandma Mary from Hawai'i nei... That shot "bath #1" would make anyone smile.

November 21, 2009 | Unregistered Commenterkalaluka

Those photos heal my heart, they'll help Grandma Mary heal, I'm certain!

November 21, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterKelly

Get well soon Ms.Mary...

November 21, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterSandy

Prayers for Grandma Mary.. Hope she recovers soon and sees these lovely pictures..
'Mirror view of Kalib working the crossword puzzle' is a perfect Grandma- grandson picture.. Hope you'll be able to take one like that with Grandma Mary and Kalib, Mr. Hess..

November 22, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterAsh

Prayers for healing from Kentucky!

November 22, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterCynthiaC54

Hey, Bill,
Thanks for all the pictures of kalib...he is so adorable! My mom appreciates that you posted some of kalib's pictures...
my mom is doing fine...she is sore all over, though. i know that she will be healed in time, it will just take time....
just wanted to thank you for all the pictures of kalib.....take care and god be with you...tell your wife i said hello, too....

November 30, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterLaverne Begay

Thanks, everyone - and thank you, Laverne, for the report. It's good to hear that your mom likes the pictures and that she is making progress, even if slow and painful.

December 2, 2009 | Registered CommenterWasilla, Alaska, by 300

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