Two Month Anniversary in Hoonah-lulu

Steve is entering his fourth month of living in Hoonah. Andrew and I have just crossed off November 6th, marking our two month Hoonah anniversary. The time change has made the cloudy, wet days start at 7:00 am and turn black around 4:15 p.m. No snow on the ground, but the sky has given us everything from mist to heavy down pour to flakes…ending with some heavenly sunshine on Friday. As far as the Halloween bear scare, there has been no definitive news on the where-a-bouts of our furry friend, although, we did get an update. It is not an Alaskan Black Bear but a Grizzly!

Andrew’s had another fun week, filled with the usual gallivanting, scooter-style… our early morning commute was accompanied by lots of “oooo-ing” and “ahhh-ing” as he slid over and on various frozen mud puddles, innocently enjoying the shapes, cracks and glistening surfaces. (I love him) Monday through Thursday was a smorgasbord of activities; baseball, Boy and Girls Club, piano lesson, Cub Scouts, Chinese checkers, Lego creations, Chess, loads of hand-crafted paper airplanes and….. watching the latest performances of Dancing with the Stars…our only weekly TV indulgence, aside from the news. (Andrew is rooting for Cody.) A self proclaimed future president, Andrew was also very keen on watching the election results Tuesday night, but fell asleep half way through Obama’s acceptance speech. At school, his entire class was bleary-eyed from lengthy benchmark testing. Required by the current curriculum, this test gives the students, teachers and parents a thorough picture of where the student’s strength and weaknesses lie. The results are discussed at Parent Teacher Conference next week. Friday was another in-service. Thankfully, the sun shone brightly. Andrew and I got a healthy dose of vitamin D, while playing more baseball, football and taking a lazy walk along the shore, flailing rocks into water. (even when the sun is shining it is still 30 degree outside)

We just started reading “James and the Giant Peach” and the fifth Harry Potter book this week. Andrew’s school book of choice is “The Adventures of the Littles.” I started a new book in my Book Club…more details in the following post.

I taught my first Hoonah voice student this week! Her name is Stephanie and she is the High School English teacher. She plays the Banjo and likes to sing Folk music. I am trying to pass on all the great stuff I have learned from Madeline over the last couple of summers. We had a fun time and I am happy to be able to make a little extra money using the skills that I have.

Developing some of my other skills….I have joined the local theater group in their production of the “Canterbury Tales.” It is a “reduced, modernized and written for school age audience” version. I love the parts I am playing. I am the Prioress….a uppity woman of virtue, who takes great care of her little French dog and a “pants” role of a roguish Knight, who saves his life by discovering what women really desires from their husbands. It is a light-hearted, campy adaptation and a fun group of people to work with…here is a picture of four of our cast of eight. I have rehearsal 6 evening a week. With Steve gone in Anchorage for three weeks…Andrew is being a great sport and hanging out at rehearsals with me….occasionally, sneaking across the hall to play basketball in the gym. Show time for “Canterbury Tales” happens the last weekend in January.