At Home in Nome: 1st big snow

Sunrise--a couple days before Thursday and Friday's storm.

I can't remember if I've posted pictures of what goes on at the NACTEC house--the place where I spend the majority of my working hours. We have CAT simulators at the house where kids can get hours of heavy equipment training in their free time.
Students come from the 15 villages in the Bering Strait School District, Nome Beltz Jr/Sr High, and the Chugach School District. Our maximum capacity is 26 kids. We usually have 2-4 classes going each session. During the current session we have driver's ed (we have the only driver's ed program in 80,000 miles) and welding.
During my shift we make dinner, do chores, and have an evening activity. For example, tomorrow night students have the option to go to the rec center to watch city league basketball or go to a bread making class. Usually I plan the first week's menu and then the kids plan the second week.

Kids

Mike (houseparent & neighbor) with student.

We got some snow last week. Thursday I thought it was a lot and then it didn't stop. Friday there was a lot more. Here's the door Friday morning. Believe it or not, Beard's plane landed that afternoon.

Lots of snow

We won't be driving in there for a while.

Highlight of the month, so far, Fireman's Carnival! Lots of stuff given away--snowmachine, 4-wheeler, freezer, etc--on raffle. And...

Bingo Bango Bingo! We DID NOT win. Anything. No turkeys, no goggles, no shovels.

Who can I give my dollars to?

The losers are home! Notice that we did a lot of shoveling Saturday day. Look--even the mat's clear!

Back to the NACTEC house--Kids on the simulators

More simulators. These are on the 2nd floor of the NACTEC house.

Jr. High kids at the museum, learning about the Iditarod.

Nathan and Mark "working" AKA teaching Mark how to use his iPhone4. I say that b/c Mark calls it his iPhone4. If you look closely at Nathan's white board you'll notice all his to-do headings are AC/DC songs.