Potlatch Take 2

We're backing up in time here (this won't be the last time it happens, either; you still haven't heard anything about last summer) and heading back to Galena. Remember earlier in the season I wrote about Potlatch? Well, my friends Dee Dee and Shirley invited us. We only made it one night out of the three but it was beautiful, emotional, and I would imagine, healing. 

It starts with a community dinner. And it is a community event. The elders are given the best seats. The adults have organized and prepared the food. The teens and tweens serve, dim sum style. Very small portions of huge amounts of food and everyone gets plenty. Several macaroni salads, soups and bear ribs. Yep. Bear ribs.

After cleaning up, the mourning ritual starts. The families come out, bound together by material and furs ~ bear, moose, and wolf furs are most common. The singers stand in the middle of the circle and/or sit just outside of it. They sing the songs for the dead; the families form the circle, dancing round. This continues for two nights. On the third night, the material and furs are sewn together and the families give gifts to the people in the community who have attended the potlatch.

I was honored to be there.

My friend, Dee Dee

Me, in traditional dress (from Shirley), filming for Dee Dee

Thank God for CVS

Part of life on the road, especially in the (rotor wing side of the) aviation industry is that nothing is settled until you are actually there, doing the job, and getting paid for it. Even then, it's not a done deal the way most people consider done deals. Things can change very quickly. I remember last summer, we were driving from Salem, OR and my (step)daughter's wedding to Medford, OR and the next gig. It's about a three hour drive. In those three hours, we received four different phone calls, telling us plans had changed. It is absolutely nothing for Lithus to come home and say "We're leaving for (wherever) tomorrow morning." Sometimes, we actually do, too.

The point of this is that we have been being told we would be in Fairbanks for this fire season since before we got to Alaska...only first... First, we went to Galena. Then Lithus went to Manley, by way of Fairbanks. Then he came back here. Then we went to Fairbanks together. Then he went to Bettles. I was going to join him in Bettles but he was already turning around before I could get there. So he came back to Fairbanks. Then we were sent back to Galena. But only for three or four days.

That was two weeks ago. This past weekend, we were informed we would be staying in Galena for the rest of fire season. So much for Fairbanks. 

Here's the thing about Galena: it's a village in the Interior. Not a bad place to be. Not at all. However, not a good place to be if you've only brought enough deodorant, shampoo and shaving cream for three or four days. But guess what? CVS.com delivers. To the Alaskan Interior. At lower-48 prices, even.

I swear, I don't think thought of a new razor has ever made me so happy in my entire life.