Middle School Damp

We are experiencing that wonderful age of middle school. Junior High kids are bigger, louder and eat a lot more. They are also unpredictable and stay up way too late.

I'm the documenting photographer but I have had my hands in the fifty pounds of beef, sausage, turkey, bread crumbs, eggs, etc and seasonings that go into making 14, 3 pound meatloaves. Double check my math and you'll find we also made a few hamburgers. Teens are BIG eaters.

 This year we did not receive donations of moose meat for our meat loaf. She looks happy about that.

On our Saturday shopping trip to Anchorage, we visited the All Nations International Pow Wow. I did not understand the deep meaning of this ceremony, but a Marine  was presented an eagle feather for heroic valor. He was not a Native American. We understood that the feather should have gone to a comrade that he had saved. He was presented the feather by the chief. The family of the fallen Marine accepted the feather from him. This is a high honor. The Marine wore several metals including a Purple Heart. He joined in the dancing to the beat of several drummers.

I especially enjoyed the tribal regalia and the dancing. I spent some time scrutinizing Native beadwork. Their regalia is so elaborate and has meaning to the wearer.

Back at camp, Dale and Mark work hard to complete another project. Since we don't have a lake or pool at the camp, these ingenious men have built one complete with a "found' water slide that they are installing.

To get the real picture, Lynne is sitting on the edge of the blue tarp that has been lining the water hole all winter. To the left is a portion of the slide. Several of our mission force girls ventured into the nasty water to bale it out and get rid of the leaves. A new tarp was added on top of this one.

Watch for further developments.

 

I was able to sneak away from kitchen duties to hear Cassie speak to the youth. Cassie was a missionary for six weeks in Japan. She has graduated from high school and is heading to college this fall.

Lynne and I braved the wilds of Alaska to take a hike with the church youth on Sunday after church. Between the gray-brown horizontal stripe is a lighter strip of raging glacier-silt filled river. Our hike took us 1.7 miles along the boulder strewn shore, up and over moraine (that's the terminus of the glacier) and into the alders to the head of the glacier.

Almost two hours later, we arrived at the head of the small receding glacier. What looks like rock formation is hard pack ice covered with silt and rock dust. The cave extends through the tunnel toward the other side. Notice the girl in the pink jacket and the boy taking pictures.

We had just turned back for our return hike to the car when it began to rain. Cold, hard rain for about an hour, then the sun came back out. Note the shadow. I had to document our adventure before stripping out of the poncho.

Next time I should have water slide pictures. Pray for those brave kids who attempt the slide.