Beach with Kids

More pictures from last week- took a walk down to the beach to see what I could find, and ended up having company....one kid in my class, and others who have been in my class. As the tide was low, the tide pools were fun for exploring, and the kids collected starfish and made sandcastles. This was one of the last warmer days we had, before things started getting colder...now I wade in the water and get pretty chilled!! KayLynne found a little crab, and was convinced it wasn't moving because it was just a baby....she let it "swim" away...floating with the waves. She also found a baby jellyfish and some other great treasures.

Here are some pickled carrots and onions I got from Mark! ...while I wasn't crazy about the pickled fish, I did like the pickled onions, so he made me a whole jar!! =) And there is some grizzly fur I found near an old skin someone seems to have discarded, or left to rot.

Fall Color Hike

Here are some pictures I took on one of my hikes last week, taking my muck boots and heading out on the trail to the other side of Baldhead. I didn't make it all the way up the hill however, as even when walking fast, the bugs were just atrocious! They were eating me alive! =) I was glad to get out and see the peak colors again though....this week they can't even compare anymore....
I love these little fluff balls I find all over here!

village pictures

Well, I hardly ever take pictures of the actual village of Elim, so I tried to take a few. These were taken about a week and a half ago...

Dividend!

Yay! Dividends came out earlier this year, and with the $1200 heating rebate from our Governor, on top of what we would normally get, I am really happy!! So I spent a couple hours Saturday spending my money, and "poof"!! it is gone!.....but I feel better anyway! I was able to pay off my plane ticket home from the summer, and buying all my supplies and food in Anchorage for the year (and car rental, etc.).....without the $1200 rebate, that would have left me with 48 cents after paying my credit card! Whew! Now I have enough to put another year lease on my storage shed....what a waste of money, but oh, well. And I saved a little bit for my cabin, put a $100 in my overseas travel fund, and bought a few things at the grocery store....about 5 un-needed things I hardly ever buy! Amazing how fast I can spend $3,269!!! =) It never seems to go as far as I think it should, but for money I didn't even work for- it goes plenty far enough!

OK, so I am getting really behind on posting things again, as will probably happen for the next couple weeks. We are in midterms right now, which isn't such a big deal for teaching, but all my Masters papers are due in the next couple of weeks- or at least all the major ones! Have I let this stop me from getting outside and taking more pictures? Oh, no- of course not! The call of nature, and my main way of finding sanity and balance in my life is just too strong. I have been getting outside everyday for at least a little bit, except for today......just need to get through tomorrow and then I should be alright again..... I was planning on having today and tomorrow to really work on my papers, but I found out this morning that I will have to tutor all week....so no time to work on things until 7:30 or 8 at night....and my paper coming up this week is due at 8 tomorrow (12:00 ET)....so I have to get it done tonight- which also was cut shorter for working on it than expected. At least I did the research already this weekend, and already got my other really big paper submitted.
This weekend, instead of working the whole time, I headed out of town on Friday after school with John and we went out past Walla Walla, on top of a mountain to camp. The fall colors are still great, though not what they were already. I got to try out my new winter tent, and watching the sunset on top of the mountain was really beautiful; Haystack actually turned pink in reflection of the sun. The greatest joy of the trip was that, though colder and windy, there were NO BUGS! I didn't get bit once! I was happy to put on some warm clothes and avoid this nuisance! We took the 4-wheeler down the mountain a bit to the trees and loaded it up with wood so we could have a fire at night- sitting up against the rocks and watching the moon come out. I'm surprised neither of us got impaled hauling the wood back up, as we had a hard time balancing it right and also getting enough room to steer, and clear the trees on the sides, but we made it. Actually no real injuries all weekend....shocking! I have been on a rampage to hurt myself lately- nothing serious, just constant annoying cuts in awkward places that refuse to heal...such as slivers between my toes, etc....not easy to see and get out! I finally just left that one in....figure it will work its way out.
John went to bed earlier than me on our trip, and I stayed up sitting by the fire and watching the stars.....something so peaceful about a fire! In the morning I took a short jaunt over to where there are rocks piled all over, and we headed back into town around 2. Probably perfect timing, as both the bugs were starting to come back again, and rain clouds were forming...it did rain a bit later.
Oh! And the blueberries were still good! Not really mushy like they are getting here....I definitely ate my fill!
Well, here are SOME of the pictures I took.....of course I have plenty more! I get camera happy at times- this time was no exception- but it was just really pretty out. And now I suppose I need to get back to wok, so I will update more in a couple of days!