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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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Wednesday
May122010

Jobe: Five studies shot at the conclusion of today's business trip to town

DateWednesday, May 12, 2010 at 5:49PM

Study #1: Jobe wakes up from his nap with a tear on his cheek

First, I apologize for not getting a post up until so late in the day. It used to be that I would make my posts late at night - usually after midnight - but awhile back I switched to blogging in the morning. This is because I have traditionally used those late hours to shape up whatever projects that I have had going on and doing my blog late at night was interfering a bit with that process.

So I switched to morning, so that I could still devote my nights to my projects.

But this morning, I had to drive to Anchorage to take care of some business and I did not manage to put up a post.

After I took care of that business, I stopped at Jacob and Lavina's for about half-an-hour to see Margie and Jobe. Jacob and Lavina were at work, of course, Kalib was at daycare and Jobe was asleep.

So Margie and I just sat and talked for about 15 minutes - and then we heard a little cry from the master bedroom. Margie got up, disappeared into that room and then returned with Jobe in her arms.

This tear was slowly slipping down his cheek.

Study #2: Jobe rests upon a small spring bed

Study #3: Jobe is admired by his grandmother

Study #4: Jobe at his grandmother's feet

Study #5: Jobe, touched by grandpa's hand, just before I drive back to Wasilla


AuthorWasilla, Alaska, by 300 | Comment6 Comments |
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Reader Comments (6)

I've been away from your blog for a while, spring sunshine keeps me outside more and more. Your Mother's day tribute is beautiful, thanks. My mom is gone from this earth, I assume she's in the beyond laughing with Jay Hammond and Bill Ray Sr. about what's going on in Alaska Politics these days. Thanks for sharing your family.

May 12, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterKelly

was sorry to hear about kelly's loss (the post above this). you've brought us all into one earthly family, bill. the closeup of jobe was amazing! the first one you've done like that, i believe. the nurturing instinct is so strong in some of us - me especially - i wanted to plant a solid kiss on jobe's cheek. i so love those baby photos. it's also amazing how you manage to adhere to your daily bloggin schedule. for two whole days i was so consumed with census work i actually forgot i had a blog. or a mind. reminds me of the recent kurosawa movie on turner classic film about the bureaucrat everyone detests until his doctor tells him he's gonna die in a couple months and he turns into a loving caring man who turns his dept inside out getting a new playground built insteada just rubber-stamping papers. govt work sucks! sorry. thanks for letting me vent.

May 12, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterRuth Z Deming

what a beautiful baby

May 13, 2010 | Unregistered Commentertwain12

aaaaawwwww. that first photo just tugs at the heart.

May 13, 2010 | Unregistered Commenterdahli22

Such a beautiful, solemn baby.

May 13, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterManxMamma

Is Jobe pronounced with one syllable or two? He is lovely.

May 13, 2010 | Unregistered Commentermerryone

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