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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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Tuesday
Mar232010

Thanks to Furless Jim, Royce eats raw meat

DateTuesday, March 23, 2010 at 4:00AM

This morning, I put Royce through the usual routine. I rubbed his thyroid medicine into his ear, then prepared a mix of Friskie's Salmon Senior Blend and Metamucil. Royce dug in.

Shortly afterward, I received an email from Jim Earnshaw, Charlie's dad - now better known to the world as Furless Jim.

He informed me that he had prepared some homemade, raw-meat cat food just for Royce and asked if we were going to be home.

I wrote back to tell him that we would be home, but suggested that rather than drive all the way out here, Margie could pick up the cat food Wednesday morning, after she drops me off at the airport.

About 45 minutes later, I was sitting here, in my office, working at this computer, when I heard Margie knock upon my wall. This is her signal for me to come into the house, so I did and this is what I found.

Royce was wolfing... cougaring... down the homemade raw meat cat food like a ravenous lion. I had never saw him go at food with such tremendous enthusiasm, yet he has always been an enthusiastic eater.

It will be interesting to see if he gains any weight while I am gone.

Even if he doesn't, Furless Jim said, he will enjoy himself and will experience improved quality of life.

Royce and his benefactors, Furless Jim and Charlie. Thank you both.

AuthorWasilla, Alaska, by 300 | Comment12 Comments |
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Reader Comments (12)

that is good to hear..have a save trip

March 23, 2010 | Unregistered Commentertwain12

Have a safe trip. Are you going in to NYC?

Furless Jim is 'good people', don't you think? And apparently it is genetic, because Charlie seems like 'good people' too. It always cheers me up to hear stories about good people. Write on, good person Bill.

March 23, 2010 | Unregistered Commenterdebby

^^^^Oh HaPpY DaY^^^^^

Thank you, Furless Jim and NotsoFurless Charlie, you guys are the BEST!!!

Bill, have a safe & pleasant trip to the East Coast. Hope they have weather that pleases you...fingers crossed.

March 23, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterFunny Face

Love that photo! Have a fun trip!

March 23, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterMichelle

That last photo is the cats meow! I hope the diet helps Royce.

March 23, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterAutumn

That last photo is priceless...I don't know who is happier...Royce? Or Jim and Charlie!

March 23, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterWhiteStone

Furless Jim and Charlie, what fantastic guys! So glad to see that Royce liked the food and gobbled it all down. That last picture is just awesome :)

March 23, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterLisaJ

what a great photo...that last one!

March 23, 2010 | Unregistered Commenterdahli22

By the look of his nose, I'd say Royce REALLY enjoyed that cat food! Brought out his inner tiger, did it?

Good luck to Royce, good luck to you, Bill on your trip, best wishes to all furred and unfurred friends.

March 23, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterKarenJ

Have a great, productive trip. Royce sure enjoyed those raw meat noms, hope it does the trick for him.

March 23, 2010 | Unregistered Commentermocha

Loved seeing Royce chow down!

March 23, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterManxMamma

your extended family (of friends and family) is so wonderful! i am envious! i hope royce will have either restored health or at least really pleasant days with you guys. he is undeniably an older cat, but if this can help all his days to come to be better days (no matter the number) that will be wonderful. he is also a very regal looking cat.

i wish you safe travels.

-laura

March 23, 2010 | Unregistered Commenterluna1580

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