Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Another busy camp

This past week has been much sunnier, but the clear night skies sent the temp down to 34 degrees the other morning.
What we won't do for our youth. The beautiful blond dressed in blue (with the grey beard) is our pastor Mark, our program director. He has joined another staff and a cabin of girls in a tea party.

The boys have other games in mind. Here a dozen young men help lift a newly constructed, 20 foot long carpet ball table onto the bed of a truck for transportation to the games building. Dale and Mark designed the new game. Dale spent most of his spare time refining and building the monster.

 
Yes, we still have cold days, but when the sun is out Alaskans will play. How do you like the size of this slippy-slide?

Two of our counselors stopped by the kitchen. I noticed one was barefooted  in spite of her sweatshirt.

Our Mission Force (counselors in training) are so dedicated that the center girl drove her 4-wheeler to camp. This is common transportation. the following day she arrived on her bike.

A sunny day gave these girls an opportunity to model their tie-died T-shirts.

While in Fairbanks for our weekly shopping, we stopped to visit the WEIO, or World Eskimo-Indian Olympics. The even we witnessed was a painful ear weight. contestants hook a string over their ear. Attached to the string are 16 one pound weights. This strong man has lifted about 8 pounds off the floor.

Not to be out done, the lady has raised about ten pounds, that's more that the weight of a gallon of milk, with her ear!! So what's the point? the games of WEIO show some of the skills and physical abilities, such as strength, balance, tolerance to pain, and endurance that are required to survive in the Artic. The ear weight is a test of pain tolerance and endurance and simulates the pain of frost-bitten ears.

Included at the WEIO are booths of crafts by Native artists. I am most fascinated by the beaded baby belts shown above. The designs are created by sewing individual seed beads to animal skins.

As much as I'd like this pare of mukluks I don't think they would be practical in Texas.

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