October 21

(South end of un-named main street)

My phone was connected yesterday, and I have called about getting the Internet connected.

I washed my hair today and have a load in the wash machine. I leave home every morning with a clean shirt and pants and within an hour, there are dirt streak on my pants and/or mud splashed on the cuffs. Since roads are not paved, they have either dust or mud. The roads were originally made with river silt and that was probably glacial powder. So, they say, when you walked or drove a vehicle you could barely see for the dust. Then when they discovered the limestone to quarry and built the 16 mile road, they used that linestone, but as it pulverized, it became as dusty as the silt. Now the government oils the road a couple times a year.

I was amazed at the number of vehicles in McGrath. One of the first questions I asked Laural was how they got them here. A car can be brought in an air cargo plane, a truck has to come by barge and the river is long and not always deep enough for a barge. But, since most people live outside a mile of town, the vehicle seems fairly important. I may have to get a four-wheeler. It can be used year-round. The trick in cold temperature is to go very slowly. The inclination is to get where you are going fast and that just makes it colder.

I talked to a friend from North Carolina yesterday. She had her office in the CMMC for several years while she wrote a scope and sequenced computer learning program, Kaleidoscope, for the state of North Carolina. I told the assistant superintendent, about the program because it sounded like something that could be used up here and she was interested. Donna has expanded the program since the time I knew about it and when she said that Kaleidoscope is not just for computer education any more. It's for improving reading, writing and math skills, I knew I was on to something since reading, writing and math skills are the aims of the grant I'm on. She's working up a package and presentation to give to the Iditarod Area school superintendent. IASD is not happy with the learning aid program they have now, and were considering discontinuing it anyway

Yesterday the kindergarten put on a play and I was working so hard I completely missed it. Innoko Fish and Wildlife had their annual open house and I did get there for lunch before they folded up - hamburgers and hot dogs. I was able to meet a lot more community members. One of the rangers told me she has a fairly large nature library on the first floor and she is hoping I can find time to help her with it. They have a lot of the animal puppets made by Folkmania that I could never justify purchasing for the CMMC.