HOPE!!!

After a short visit with a fellow guide and friend, Kathleen, at the Elementary School where she works and a stop at the grocery store in Anchorage to stock up on supplies for the Memorial Day weekend, we made our way down the usually stunning Seward Highway. On this day, however, it was raining horizontally but there were still some very hearty people out dip-netting for hooligan, a type of small, school fish. The bald eagles were eager to get their claws on the fishies, as well.

It’s great to be in our new home – reunited with all of the wonderful people here who have heard about our arrival (in a town of 180 residents, news travels quickly and easily). We were especially happy to see Todd and Barb, Sheri’s bosses and our good friends who helped set up our current living situation in the guest cabin of one of Hope’s residents.

We spent the first full day here moving into our new home and trying to devise clever ways to manage the fact that we have no running water or bathroom. For now, the answer is that we are using the home-owner’s guest bathroom and a 5-gallon bucket (more popularly known around here as a “honey bucket”) for the middle of the night calls of nature. A more sophisticated solution will come later.

We also looked through the mail that had been accumulating for us and were shocked and surprised to see that Michiel had already received his permanent resident card (green card). He is legally allowed to live and work in the U.S. until April 2007, at which time, we have to demonstrate that we are still married.