QUONSET HUT SITTING

Friday night, May 17, 2013

I’m sitting in Glenn and Anne’s home, part Quonset hut, part wood structure, looking out of their front room window that faces west.  One can see distant colorful homes of Browerville across the snow fields.  Looking to the south, a field of bright, white, reflective snow, stretching out to the distant horizon can be seen.   In the summer, this will be transformed into green and brown tundra filled with many varieties of birds that have migrated here. 

Spring made a brief appearance, but now Barrow and many communities on the North Slope of Alaska have been plunged back into what feels like the throws of winter.   The sunny days and mud puddles of a month ago have been, for the most part, followed by many gray, windy, cold days with winter storm warnings all along the northern coast of Alaska.  The ground is frozen again and there is no spring or summer in sight for now. 

I’m hoping this change in weather is somehow an answer to the prayers that have been going up by and on behalf of the whalers here and in other villages where ice conditions have been too dangerous to hunt for bowhead whale after initial attempts in April.  The sea ice was blown out from the shore early this year with strong winds from the south.  It was blown back towards shore, but is now unpredictable and much of its expanse unsafe for the whalers to traverse out to very distant open water. 

I’ve been impressed learning about the degree of generosity and altruism practiced by the whaling crews and their families, sharing their harvest in a systematic and generous way with the community of Barrow at large, elders and those who are disabled and unable to hunt or fish for their own food, and these same populations in other villages as well as those in Fairbanks and Anchorage.  Many families and individuals count on a successful whaling season for the food that will sustain them throughout the year. 

The concern I’ve heard expressed with no whales being caught yet this far into the spring, is that they are migrating east and may have all passed this way before long.  The ice is being studied daily for conditions that will allow the hunt to resume.  The Inupiat whalers have faced this sort of situation many times during their long history of whaling in the Arctic Ocean, so although a concern, they also seem to take it in stride as a natural part of their lives. 

Anne and Glenn live approximately four miles east of Browerville, so five miles east of Barrow, near Ilisagvik College and BASC, the Barrow Arctic Science Consortium.  BASC is associated with NARL, the Navel Arctic Research Lab, although I haven’t taken the time to fully understand their relationship yet.   Much research goes on at BASC with scientists from around the world coming to study various dynamics of the Arctic in both winter and summer. 

Glenn and Anne moved to Barrow in the 1980’s and 1990’s, respectively, to work as archaeologists and have made major contributions to the research here.  They seem to be very respected for the work they’ve done over the years.  Anne is currently the chief scientist for UIC, Ukpeagvik Inupiat Corporation, and is working on the Nuvuk Archaeology Project, unearthing, categorizing and analyzing artifacts dating as far back as 900 AD.  Her office and lab are located at BASC, so near to their home, one of a dozen or so Quonset huts that house BASC personnel as well as visiting scientists and students.  My father has often talked about landing his small bush plane in between rows of Quonset huts when it wasn’t possible to land on the sea ice or the lagoon in the 1950’s and has also mentioned NARL.   These are most likely the same ones as they look as though they could have been here as long ago as when he was stationed here as a bush pilot for Wien Airlines. 

Glenn currently works for the North Slope Borough and is involved in all of the dynamics of overseeing CHAP, the Community Health Aide Program, here in Barrow, and in all of the North Slope villages.  The CHAP office is located in the Wellness Center, on the other side of the building from Public Health Nursing and is one of the entities that PHN collaborates with when planning service to the villages.  I met Glenn when first orienting to PHN and enjoyed hearing about some of the archeological studies he and Anne have done here over the years.  I met Anne at a community event and have been fascinated learning about her current work. 

If you are single and have no pets or other personal obligations preventing, there is a strong likelihood that before long, you will be asked about your availability to house sit.  I received an email last week from Annette, the woman who usually house sits for Anne and Glenn, asking me if I was interested because she would be traveling at the same time as they were this month.  “Cozy home, nice cat, use of their vehicle and lots of books,” she wrote when promoting the two week stay.  Housesitting in Barrow doesn’t involve a monetary component, which is refreshing.  It’s a part of being able to count on each other when there’s a need and for me, it’s a good way to become an integral part of this small community.   

There was no reason why I couldn’t volunteer for part of the two weeks needing coverage, so I emailed that I was sure I would enjoy doing it, if they could use me when I wasn’t in Kaktovik for five of the days they’d be gone.  Glenn emailed his and Anne’s gratitude, saying that their neighbor, Andy, who is currently traveling, would be back and would care for things while I’m away. 

When orienting me to their home, Glenn told me that Anne probably has the northern-most garden in the United States.  Small Arctic plants grow just beyond the front room window when the weather is warm enough and the ground conducive to her digging and nurturing them.  One can’t get any further north than this, on land anyway.

I’m hoping that the sewer, water and heat all take care of their systematic chores, not noticing that there has been any change in residents for this next two weeks.  The sewer tank is pumped approximately three times a week, but if the bathtub doesn’t drain, it is a sign that it needs to be done soon, I’m thinking ASAP or in nursing language STAT.  It’s important to unplug the water pump if the tank becomes empty as the pump will burn out and could start a fire.  The water truck usually comes once a day, but not always.  The heat should be kept at 70 degrees as this helps prevent the water pipes from freezing.

I’m enjoying my time here, having a change of pace and scenery.  I’m grateful too for a chance to catch up on bulky loads of laundry that are cumbersome or nearly impossible in my small portable machines that employ my time filling and refilling the washer and wringing out items before they can be put into the dryer.  It’s pleasing to sit and write while at the same time my sheets, followed by my heavy jackets, my back pack and then my bath rugs wash and then dry with hardly any effort on my part.  I could get very spoiled with how easy this process is again.  

Their home resembles an interesting museum filled with artifacts, whale vertebrae, antlers, Inupiat artwork of many kinds, maps, posters, photographs and hundreds of interesting-looking books and magazines.

It’s been easy to make friends with Big Boy, their smoky-colored, long haired cat.  He doesn’t seem to mind that I call him Big Boy and Mufasa alternately.  He’s lying beside me on a big pillow while I’m writing, but occasionally sits up and looks at me with his beautiful green and bronze-flecked eyes.  He looks very regal with his large front paws crossed and peering at me as though we are about to have an intellectual conversation.   I’m afraid that it will have to be one-sided as this week has been an exhausting one and I’m just not up to discussing anything too terribly deep--I’m sorry Big Boy, maybe in the morning.

The varieties of fish seem very animated and active which could pass for enthusiasm and friendliness when I’m dropping algae discs and fish food into the aquarium morning and night.  I’m frightened by the composting worms though and if given to emotions, am sure they might feel the same way about me.   We may have shared a mutually traumatizing moment yesterday morning when I discovered that by lifting up the first tray of small worms, their much larger and more robust-looking compost bin mates were abundant and on the move.   I see a spout at the bottom of the stack of trays where composting tea can be drained and used on the many houseplants Anne has growing in their home.    

I’m digressing and although I have observations I’d like to share about more new and interesting things, I’m not getting any support from my taxed body and mind.  It has been an extremely enjoyable and interesting several weeks since last writing so there is much fodder for the blog.  Fortunately for me, I’ve pushed myself to the extreme long enough to be very willing to succumb to the need for rest.  I’m counting on the clock as my ally tonight; telling me that although it looks as though it’s mid-afternoon outside, it’s actually close to 10 pm.  So I can say with no reserve, "good night snow, good night Mufasa, good night fish, good night worms, good night family and good night friends and hello tempurpedic" = )