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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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« Four pose for couple's fifth anniversary; spatula in the snow; tissues on the floor; Jobe stands | Main | One Kivgiq and three Jobes »
Friday
Mar182011

One King Island Kivgiq, one Jobe-Rex

DateFriday, March 18, 2011 at 12:23PM

I stated that today I would finally get around to putting up some good and broad Kivgiq material, but I was wrong. It is going to take at least one more full day. I have no more time today, I will have no time at all tomorrow, so that means hopefully Sunday and that means I will probably not post them until Monday.

In the meantime, here is one image from the performance of the King Island Dancers.

And I know that Jobe's mom and dad are missing him, as are many others, including his Aunt Suji who never does get to hold him but can interact with him only through this blog, and then there is all his aunts and uncles and cousins down on two reservations in Arizona who also need to see him, so here he is.

He is with Rex, who has not had a car now for almost a year, when he let his ex-wife take the one they had bought together and then pledged to go a year without one. He has been riding his bike a lot, even on the coldest, snowiest days and has been hit by a car once.

He came out to the valley last night in Melanie's car to look at an old Volvo that he might buy. Then he stopped to eat some burritos and to visit Jobe.

I know - my blog is kind of crashing a bit here lately - as am I.

But sooner or later, both the blog and I will pick back up again.

I wish that I could do something substantial for the people in Japan.

Today, by the way, is Jacob and Lavina's fifth anniversary.

Congratulations, Jacob and Lavina. How truly wonderful your union has been for this entire family.

 

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AuthorWasilla, Alaska, by 300 | Comment7 Comments |

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Reader Comments (7)

Bill, your blog never crashes. I love it.

March 18, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterManxMamma

Happy Anniversary to them. Jobe looks happy

March 18, 2011 | Unregistered Commentertwain12

That is just the cutest baby ever!

March 18, 2011 | Unregistered Commenterdahli22

Bill...don't you worry. Your blog is always fine with me, and I'm sure your other readers, too. We aren't going anywhere and would love it if you let go of that specific stress. Just do what you need to do...we'll all still be here!

March 18, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterDeven

Yes to what Deven said.
We're here and we'll be here.
--------------------------------------------
King Island dancer's mask is stunning!
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Congratulations to J and L!

Hoping lil Jobe is feeling better and that granpa gets to just goof off and enjoy this time with him.

March 18, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterAlaska Pi

Manx, Deven and Alaska Pi - I appreciate the sentiment and I believe you, but sadly it is a fact that when my blog takes a downturn, my readership falls off. Today brought in fewer readers than any other day for about four or five months.

Still, I must keep the presence and be optimistic that when I can, I can bring the readership back up and take it higher.

Twain - You are right. He is as happy a baby as I have ever known.

Dahli - agreed.

March 19, 2011 | Registered CommenterWasilla, Alaska, by 300

Yeah.. I miss him so!!! :) Love the way he follows his big B's steps! :) Good for him !
My hearty wishes to J n L! Lav is surely a sweetheart!

March 20, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterSuji

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