Life on the Moon

Hey everybody,

It has been a slow few months in Nome. Kind of stuck in a routine. Good and bad, but getting better.

I went shooting a week or so ago with Laura and Kristina. We drove 10 miles outside of town and saw a moose down off the road. We unleashed a couple hundred rounds from the Mossberg, Glock, 410, high standard and Kel-tec, on pop cans and cardboard boxes. On the way back we saw a herd of musk oxen and a bunch of reindeer and their calves along the road.

Yesterday was the warmest day in Nome since I arrived in September. 63*F. I was sweating outside, then couldn't sleep. I don't know what to do with myself with this heatwave! It snowed three times in Nome so far this month, but I'm thinking we're past that.

Sometimes it feels like I live on the moon.

It's June 13, so the solstice is almost a week away. I was up until 2:30 a.m. last night. It was still bright out. I finally got to sleep, then woke up at 5 a.m. to get a drink of water. It was still light out. I went back to sleep, and when I woke up to go to work three hours later, the sun was shining in my bedroom window. I couldn't find a dark corner in Nome if I tried.

I can still remember December, when the sun shone from about 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Then the cold and dark kept me inside, and night ruled. Now it's the dry wind and stinging, caking dust that I try to avoid. The light shines horizontally through windows and keeps me awake all hours. It seems I still haven't found a month in Nome that I quite agree with. Three more left.

The sun this time of year circles the horizon. It never seems to fully rise, but spins around town, dipping for a few hours when it gets to the Northwest, then rising again in the Northeast after a few hours of dusk/dawn. That might not be astronomically correct, but that's my take on things.

Someone gave us a bicycle. We went outside in the morning, and it was locked to our porch with a note thanking us for the work we do. That was nice. I'll probably take it out next week.

At KNOM, we have been having technical difficulties the last couple weeks. We had to ship in a replacement for our broadcasting computer system. Everything is almost back to normal now.

Work at the youth facility is going well. It's tough to see those kids there, sometimes knowing how they got there, sometimes only wondering. Most of the guys (no girls since I've been there) behave themselves. Pretty easy work, and I'm getting used to the rules and routine. It keeps me busy on the weekends. Now I just have to find something to do with my weeknights.

It's always good to hear from back home. Thanks again for all your prayers. Take care, stay busy, and God bless!

Jacob