Icy Straight Point lives up to its name

With the exception of Sunday, it has been cold and snowy all week. The temperatures dipped down to 12 degrees and rarely touched the average of 32. We gained another two feet of snow alone on Thursday morning. By the afternoon the flakes gave way to hard rain making the snow difficult to shovel. The men driving the snowplows busily traveled up and down the streets removing the snow from the “main thoroughfare," curbs and people’s drive ways. Andrew and I cleared a path through the wet snow from our doorway to the street; shoveling, playing and having snowball fight as we went.

The water in the Straight was unusually choppy due to the wind. It was the first time I had seen snow settling on top of the water where the boats are docked. The birds; both raven and eagle were undercover, yet their voices still filled the air. I could hear the eagle screeching from the tall pines behind our house. When the snow piles up the roofs can only bear so much weight. I am still am not accustomed to the unexpected “boom” that shakes the walls each time large amounts of snow slide from our roof to the ground below. At Steve’s school windows break every year because of the sudden rooftop snow slides.

The cold wind, snow and grey sky convinced me to be the spectator to the elements this week and stay indoors. I used the time inside to start packing for our return to Oregon. By the time this posts, Andrew and I will have less than a month left in Hoonah, our departure is set for April 13th. Steve will return to Oregon at the end of May, after Hoonah’s high school graduation.

I also occupied my time planning Steve’s 60th birthday party, which is Sunday. Andrew’s school week was back to normal. A couple highlights for him was that he taught his class how to divide fractions and read Harry Potter to me! (from book one to book five, I have been reading it to him) Steve was busy with board meetings, interviews for new staff, budget committee meetings, a preliminary gathering of those interested in starting a radio station at the school… and trying to avoid sitting down with me for our “birthday interview.”