I started this blog on August 21, 2012, with the release of my first book, Titan Encounter. Most of those posts are now in what I call the “Early Blog.” I’m gradually updating their format and bringing them into this new journal. Back then the sole purpose of the blog was to promote my books, but gradually that changed.
That’s how it started but, over the years, I’ve mused about other things that are important to me, such as my family, my farm, rural life, and occasionally about politics and country. However, I try to limit the politics in this journal. If you want to know more about my political leaning go to The Conservative Alternative.
About ten days ago several of our students here in Eek excitedly told me there was an article about me in The Delta Discovery.
The Delta Discovery is the weekly newspaper in our region of Alaska. I had sent them a press release about the book and later someone from the paper had asked me a few questions so, of course, I wanted to read the article.
Read MoreArt is enjoyed by most people.
I’ve written before about the apparent fascination the students of Eek School have for drawing me.
Read MoreYesterday I flew back to the Yup’ik Eskimo village of Eek.
This will be my seventh year teaching in this remote Alaskan village. Getting to Eek starts with a flight to Anchorage, but that is only the beginning. From there you catch an Alaskan Airlines flight to Bethel, about 400 miles west of Anchorage on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, one of the largest river deltas in the world.
Read MoreFriday was Spring Break here in Eek, Alaska!
Okay, actually we had Friday and the weekend off for a grand total of three days! We don’t celebrate many of the holidays, like Veteran’s or President’s Day, in the village schools so three days off is actually nice.
Read MoreNikki was my dog, or perhaps I was her human. Actually, I’m certain that it doesn’t matter. She grew from a tiny puppy on our farm in Washington State. These last few years work has taken me away from the farm more than I would like, but if I was there she was nearby. Whoever was doing the most interesting task, from her perspective, that was who she was with, but she was always close.
Read MoreWhile I was working I was playing a podcast about current technology called This Week in Google. The name is a bit misleading as they talk about a wide variety of cloud technologies on the program. One thing they just mentioned was a site called Chrome Experiments and some of the fun and interesting projects on display there. I was intrigued and visited the site.
Read MoreToday, I'm rereading and editing three short stories that I wrote while in I was in the navy.
I want to release them in 2013 as an anthology. The first story in this group, The Promise, was written while I was on deployment with the USS Sterett (CG-31) in the western Pacific. I’m certain that writing this story while living in the confined grayness of a navy ship gave it an added sense of realism.
Read MoreIt doesn’t matter how cold or snowy it is on that night, Halloween is a big event in the village. On Halloween in Eek, if you need to talk to someone don’t go looking for them. Just wait at home and they will probably come by with their children or grandchildren.
Read MoreIt was a horrid day to be outside; snow, sleet, and that cold rain that seems to seep inside of you.
So, as much as I could, I stayed inside and wrote. I always feel that I’ve done well after a few hours of writing and this day was no exception. I did some short story editing but mainly worked on my upcoming novel.
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