Road Closed!

As many of you may remember from previous postings, most of the roads in Bethel are dirt/gravel roads. One road in particular is the source of a bit of controversy lately. Apparently this road that has been running through the middle of private property since it was created some number of years ago. The owner of the property has (for some reason) decided that he is no longer interested in allowing people to drive on his property, so he has taken matters into his own hands...The house above reminds me of the wizard of oz. It just looks like the house fell into the middle of the road from out of the sky. Farther down the road, he has barricaded the road with a succession of obstacles. Because we live out on the edge of town now, having that road open would be a convenient cut across to the other side of town. Imagine the main road to be a big loop...what happens if you erase the top of the loop? You get a big "U". So, basically the main road in town is now a big "U", so if you want to get from one side of town to the other you are forced to drive out of your way. The house in the background is the owners residence and it makes me wonder if having the road blocked off isnt as inconvenient to him as it is to the rest of the residents of Bethel, Alaska.
Sounds strange, eh? Actually, we have another road in town that is paved for awhile and then not and then paved again. I always wondered why they wouldnt just pave the whole thing. Come to find out that the unpaved portion runs through private property. While the owner of that property hasnt thrown any hissy fits and put up a blockage, the state wont pay to pave that portion of the road because it doesnt belong to them. Only in Alaska...

In other news...tomorrow is the first day of school! Already! I'm excited and looking forward to a really great year. My classroom was remodeled this summer and is nice and fresh. I also ordered a bunch of new supplies for this year so that I can do some labs with my Biology students. I even got some little fetal pigs for dissection in the spring! Yay!

The gnats (noseum's?) here are unbelievable. I have so many bites on my arms that I look like I have chicken pocks or something. They itch like crazy. I feel like I'm being eaten alive.

We've pretty much settled into our new house and like it very much. It's nice to be in an actual house (not a duplex) with all the space and amenities that come with it. Avery has a real nice set up going in his room with a bed and couch and a little flat screen tv to play video games and watch cable with his buddies. I will take some pics and get them up when I get a chance (Kevin).

I havent been reading lately, so no reading updates. I did manage to watch several movies the other night, but nothing spectacular.

Hmmmm...what else? I think I better get some sleep before the first day of school...