Tuttu soup at Pat and Beverly's

Pat and Beverly Hugo invited me over for dinner tonight – tuttu soup - tuttu being caribou, of course. Pat is originally from Anaktuvuk Pass and this caribou came from there. Their grandson Mike could hardly wait for the blessing to conclude but he did and then helped himself - as did we all. Audrey is visiting from Anaktuvuk. I recognized her right away, because she danced so beautifully at Kivgiq. It was an excellent meal – the likes of which you will not find in a restaurant. Fresh homemade biscuits too.

In the fall of 2012, I had gone out to do some coverage during the Barrow fall whale hunt and traveled on the Savik boat. Pat was part of the crew and made a number of appearances on the blog series I posted - all shot with my "real" cameras. Here is a link to one picture of Pat from that series, taken as Savik crew helped tow a whale to Barrow. This year, he went out again but unfortunately broke his back. He is recovering well but still has a ways to go.

Text added at 10:42 PM. The Squarespace nightmare continues - day 56 and counting.

Breakfast at Sam and Lee's, part 2: Mrs. Lee finds comforting warmth in the coldest city in the US

This is Louise Lee, of Sam and Lee's. The Lee's have had their restaurant here for a long time – I am not certain how long, but it seems like they were here when I flew in for my first visit 31 or 32 years ago, but I wouldn't swear to it. Just as so recently happened to Pepe's, Sam and Lee's burned down a few years back, but they rebuilt and once again conduct what appears to be a thriving business. This past week, she has taken note as I have come in for breakfast and have greeted friends who have shown up at the same time. She told me that this is how it is for her, too, when she goes away for a while and then comes back. She may sometimes get off the plane to feel the coldest blast of air imaginable yet with that blast comes the rush of greetings and welcome home's. "I feel such warmth every time I come back home."

Each time after breakfast when I am about to leave, she expresses great concern that I am walking. She is afraid I will freeze. I won't, but her concern feels nice to me. 

Text added at 11:03 AM. The Squarespace nightmare continues - day 56 and counting.

Breakfast at Sam and Lee's, part 1: A harpooner, his phone and a whale

As I have done every day since I arrived here Monday evening, I got out of bed this morning and then walked straight to Sam and Lee's for breakfast. The school district has provided me use of a vehicle while I am here, but I like to walk and it is only a few blocks away. In the past, I would split my breakfast visits up – some to Sam and Lee's, others to Pepe's, but of course with Pepe's burned to the ground, I can't go there anymore. I stepped in to find one other patron having breakfast – Larry Aiken.

Here, Larry gestures to where he had placed his phone as he hunted bowhead this fall with the George Adams crew. Larry was harpooner and when the whale came, he harpooned it. Immediately afterward, he saw something small and red in the water. It was his phone. It sunk and now lies somewhere on the bottom of the Chukchi, near Cooper Island. Another crew member used his own phone to shoot a video of Larry throwing the harpoon. Even as we ate, Larry made a call to see if he could get a copy of the video to upload into his new phone.

Text added at 10:26 AM. The Squarespace nightmare continues - day 56 and counting.

Food security in a time of huge change

Believe it or not, I did not come to Barrow this time to do a photo shoot - but of course I shoot photos wherever I go and whatever I do, even if only on my iPhone. I came to do research. Today, I have been doing research at the Iñupiat Heritage Center where, it happens, a food security meeting is being held, sponsored by the Inuit Circumpolar Council - Alaska. Participants invited me to listen in and join them for lunch - bowhead whale maktak, dried bearded seal soaked in seal oil and caribou soup - the very food the people here seek to keep secure. The challenges are great, due to climate change, offshore oil development, and a big increase in shipping in the Arctic Ocean - Tagiuq in Iñupiaq, with a dot over the "g," - as the Northwest Passage becomes ever more navigable in summer. 

On this map, Barrow is Utkiagvik, also with a dot over the g - the place to hunt snowy owls.

Barrow elder Wesley Aiken blessed the food. William Leavitt of Barrow and Caroline Cannon of Point Hope stand alongside him.

Text added at 3:48 PM. The Squarespace nightmare continues - day 54 and counting.

Last Abby's breakfast for a while– no school buses rolling out there

I wondered if they would hold school in the valley today. I thought they might take Veterans Day off as a holiday, but since Kalib had to go to school in Anchorage today I wasn't sure. But there are no schoolbuses rolling by out there so today must be a holiday for Mat-Su students. As for me, I just finished what will be my last breakfast at Abby's for at least three weeks. This afternoon, I jump on a plane and go to Barrow. 

Text added at 9:17 AM. The Squarespace nightmare continues - day 51 and counting.