Alaska Day 4: Nome, 08.19.07 - Hello Central!

Jesus of the Puffins. We enjoy a leisurely Sunday morning in Nome. Kelley and I attend Mass at St. Joseph's church, where Kelley can't get past the idea that there's an artwork on the wall showing Jesus surrounded by puffins. During the service, we get to sing an Inupiaq hymn (the Native Alaskans in Nome are largely Inupiaq; in Marshall, they were Yup'ik.) and we both agree that the priest, Fr. Sean, looks like a young Ted Kennedy. At the end of Mass, Father asks if the silvers are running. This apparently has to do with fish. I'm quickly learning that everybody out here is interested in hunting and fishing. Everybody. After Mass, we head to a grocery store and buy ungodly expensive bottled water because we're going to meet up with Mary Alice & Ginger and take a tour with Richard Beneville! A former Broadway Dancer! Who gives tours of Nome!


This is Richard Beneville. Richard is half-French and half-Irish. At one time, he was a total drunk. He has been sober for 17 years. Growing up in New Jersey, Richard would call the operator and hear "Hello Central." This has become Richard's catchphrase and he uses it often. In order to say "Hello Central" like he does, imagine that, like Richard, you were a dancer on Broadway for twenty years. Ah yes, now you're saying it properly.




Anvil Rock Ginger, Kelley & I pose at a famous area landmark called Anvil Rock. Kate Plein also had her picture taken here, and we were trying to duplicate the angle. When I get the old photo of Kate scanned into my computer, we'll see if we got it right.



Nome Cemetery. This tombstone had a poem: Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.
(Note to person buried here: You did die. You have a tombstone.)


Alaska vista Some of the scenery we saw on our tour with Richard. There were some muskoxen around (most of us would have missed them, but Kelley has an immense gift for spotting wildlife) but on this day, they were too distant to make decent photographic subjects.





The Iditarod Musher. German-born Nils Hans with one of his puppies. Nils and his wife Diana, a reporter for the Nome Nugget, have dozens of dogs, some of whom raced in the Iditarod with Nils four years ago.






















More of Nils' Dogs.
Modern sled dogs are not all purebred Siberian Huskies. Many seem to be Husky mixes, though. I also would have expected the dogs to be somewhat aggressive, but they were very friendly animals.






A Sled Dog's Life. Kelley's photo of one of the dogs. Meanwhile, my dog Sarge gets upset if he has to sleep on just one fluffy bed. He prefers a stack of 2 or 3 fluffy beds.























Lizzie. This is Nils & Diana's three year old daughter Lizzie. She showed me her greenhouse, where she and her mom are growing some beautiful strawberries, along with other fruits and vegetables.





Wild Berries!
Kelley shows off some of the blackberries, raspberries and blueberries she collected in Alaskan fields. The state had a great blueberry season this year, and we saw a lot of people park on the side of the roads and go off to collect the berries that were growing abundantly in the wild.