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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
May102011

Breaking ice to keep this blog alive and hobbling along

DateTuesday, May 10, 2011 at 11:08AM

Due to the impossibility of truly looking at photos on this malfunctioning laptop, this is a random "grab" from a series of ice-breaking shots that I took either late last night or early this morning, I can't remember for certain. Night and day tend to blend together and become to seem as one, this time of year.

I will explain later, when I can sit down at my home computer with a monitor that works and do it right.

I had planned to fly out of Barrow for Anchorage tonight, and then drive home to Wasilla, so that I would have two days to square things away and maybe get a little rest before getting up early Friday morning to make the six hour drive to Tok.

But I think now that I will stay here, mostly on the ice, until tomorrow night. 

I have just come in after three days on the ice to recharge my camera and phone batteries. I will head back out, shortly.

Today, btw, begins the time when the sun remains above the Barrow horizon 24 hours a day, from now until August 2.

AuthorWasilla, Alaska, by 300 | Comment9 Comments |
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Reader Comments (9)

we're hobbling along with you nicely Bill. Breaking ice looks very exciting!

May 10, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterManxMamma

still a great shot, can't wait to see more

May 10, 2011 | Unregistered Commentertwain12

Didn't know you were still going out on the whale hunt. Absolutely beautiful!

May 10, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterLittle Sister

Just hanging out waiting for you to have time and monitor.
Not going anywhere...

May 10, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterAlaska Pi

It is a selfish wish that you keep this up. We consume but how much do you get out of it? Does it put food on your table?

The photo is magical, I can see the ice bend to the horizon. Tricky, gorgeous, dangerous, breathtaking. What a fortunate and exciting life you lead. Quyana, thanks for sharing your gifted eye and keyboard clattering with us.

May 10, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterIcvillages

so close but yet so far would be good to see you here in wainright for nalukataq two landed and four more to go for our season we shall be right back out on the ice in a few days

May 11, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterAhmaogak

Look forward to you getting home, Jobe is running around. I found this link by accident but I thought of you when I read it.

http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Replace_a_MacBook_Screen

May 11, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterJfH

We miss you at the metro Bill!

May 11, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterShoshana

do i read you correctly that the sun will shine for three months straight? it must be great for the crops!

May 12, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterRuth Deming

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