So this is the final day of 2010. I don't quite know what to think about that.
I had planned to do a month-by-month review of the entire year - just as I did last year before 2009 came to an end. I was also going to expand stories that I managed to get the beginnings in but never finished, or to fill in some of the huge gaps that I left out because time ran out - like at the Gwich'in Gathering, the Inuit Circumpolar Council General Assembly in Nuuk, Greenland and to complete the tribute to my late friend, Navajo artist, poet, cartoonist, songwriter, performer, husband, father, grandfather and brother, Vincent Craig.
Plus, there were many little picture stories that I got pieces of, perhaps shot in whole and never posted at all, simply because I ran out of time and energy.
So that is what I was going to devote this blog to these past couple of weeks - a review of what I did post and a glimpse at what I didn't.
But, as it happened, when it came time to review this year, I did not want to go there. I just didn't. And so I'm not. Suffice it to say that it was a year when beautiful and hopeful dreams came to abrupt and crushing ends, when new dreams sprouted, and old dreams, diminished in scope and joy but still determined, pushed on.
I took this picture of myself two days ago as I walked with ravens and breathed frost into my beard and mustache. I think it is a pretty good summation of the year 2010 as I lived it.
I will not here go into the dreams that came to an end, nor even look at those that continue, but will instead focus upon those that began. Here is such a new dream of hope and joy that began in 2010 - little Jobe, born February 12.
I know that right now he has dreams and desires, some in the very early stages, others of which have yet to even begin to shape themselves in his conscious mind.
I have a dream for him, too and it is a very simple dream - that one day, he and I might paddle a canoe together, through a quiet place frequented not by people but by animals, fish and birds, surrounded by a tiny piece of the beauty that is Alaska.
I dream that we would catch a fish or two, barbecue them on the bank or shore and then eat them together.
As for the present, or at least the very near past, this is how I found Jobe when I went into his house the other night to pick up Margie and bring her home.
This is the moment that he noticed that I had entered the room.
Jobe immediately rolled over and began to crawl towards me.
...he drew nearer...
He reached up for me...
Jobe loves his grandpa. His grandpa loves Jobe. One day, I hope, we will catch and eat fish together.
As to Jobe's older brother Kalib, many of his dreams seem to involve a spatula. Before I returned home with Margie, Lavina invited us to dinner at Taco King. Kalib brought his spatula.
Carrying his spatula, Kalib heads to the door at Taco King. Having seen how neat this picture looked large, it pains me to present it so small, but such is the format of this blog. If you click slide show, it will help a bit.
Kalib, his spatula and his mom, at Taco King.
How the moon loves the sun!
When I look at this, I cannot help but wonder what kind of babies the two might make, the sun and the moon? Stars, perhaps? A trillion, zillion, quadrillion stars?
Even more than that?
Star children, without number.
The dad joined us. Two chefs, one spatula, at Taco King.
Sometimes in a restaurant, Kalib will suddenly leave the table and start to run all over the place. I was trying to chase him down, but I had to shoot at least one frame before I caught him.
And this one from India:
Do you ever think of these two ladies when you drink your tea?
To be quite honest, I tend not to, either. But here they are, picking tea in the Ooty area of Tamil Nadu, at about 7,000 feet above sea level.
One must be careful walking about here, because there are cobras and other chooo'weet snakes slithering about amongst the tea plants.
I did not see any men picking tea - just women. Their boss, a man, told me that is because women are the more diligent workers. They stick to the job and don't goof around, he said, but men do.
He also made some kind of joke about how women deal with cobras better than men do, but I can't remember the joke.
Somehow, given the dreams that so recently came to an and abrupt end this year, including dreams that walked together not far from me in the form of a newly wed wife and husband at the moment I took this picture, the phrase "Happy New Year" does not feel quite right to me at this moment.
Yet, happiness is what I wish for us all.
May you all find happiness within the new year that is about to begin.
A request for help to the village of Savoonga
I received this message from Jenny Canfield, concerning the power outage that has left the village of Savoonga frozen:
This note comes from my good friend Ossie. His good friend Yaari is from Savoonga and they're having a tough time right now. Please read the note below and consider informing your readers, listeners, friends, coworkers, etc.
They are mostly in need of non-perishable goods. Era aviation is providing free shipping to Savoonga.
If you're so inclined, have a food drive at your workplace. The holiday weekend is coming up, so many of you may be out of the office. Savoonga will still need your help come Monday, so please don't forget.
You can contact Yaari at 223-4124 or yaari30@yahoo.com for more information.
per my good friend, yaari kineekuk: Savoonga (her village) had power outage for several days now. Some recovered as of yesterday. 150+ stayed at the school to keep warm; 50+ at the City Hall; 20+ at the Fire Dept. Pipes bursted, store is closed, all phones are down. If you can please help...