UPDATE ON MY WORKOUTS AND THANKING ALL MY FANS!!!

THIS VIDEO IS DEDICATED TO ALL MY FANS WHO SUPPORTS MY BLOG.  ALSO MY OHANA AND FRIENDS AND KAHEALANI...  I LOVE YOU ALL TOO!!!

TAKE CARE & GOD BLESS!!!

AWWWRITE!!!

WAIPA

ANOTHER REPO JOB IN BETHEL, ALASKA!!!

HELPING OUT MY FRIEND JOEY ON ANOTHER REPO JOB, EVERY NOW AND THEN WE HAVE TO DO THESE TYPES OF JOBS, EXTRA CASH FOR THE POCKETS AND A LEARNING AND HEADS UP EXPERIENCE ON HOW TO AVOID REPOS!!!

AWWWRITE!!!

WAIPA

AT SHOGUN'S TO HAVE "HOT SOUR SOUP".

ANOTHER GET TOGETHER WITH KA'IWA, KEKOA, JOEY, & LUCILLE AT SHOGUN'S FOR DINNER.  I ORDERED THE "HOT SOUR SOUP" BECAUSE IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE.  ALSO I ENJOYED THE COMPANY OF LAUGHTER AS ALWAYS WHENEVER I'M AROUND THEM.

AWWWRITE!!!

WAIPA

MY FUN WEEKEND OF SNOWMACHINE RIDING WITH MY WIFE AND FRIENDS!!!

ME & SHIRLEY EATING DINNER AT " 1 2 3 BBQ RESTAURANT" AFTER RIDING SNOWMACHINE ON A WARM SATURDAY AFTERNOON ALL OVER TOWN AND OSCARVILLE, ALASKA!!!

WE BOTH FELT LIKE EATING SEAFOOD!!!

SHIRLEY & HAWK.

MY DEEP FRIED SCALLOPS...  MMMMMMM!!!

SHIRLEY'S DEEP FRIED SHRIMPS!!!

AND MY VERY FAVORITE, "MUSSELS"!!!

THE VERY NEXT ON SUNDAY, KA'IWA CAME AND JOINED ME AND SHIRLEY TO GO SNOWBOARDING DOWN AT THE PIT OUT AT B.I.A.

UNFORTUNATELY, THE WINDS WERE BLOWING TOO STRONG WITH SNOW MAKING IT PRETTY MISERABLE.  SO WE DECIDED TO GO CRUISING ALL OVER THE OUT SKIRTS OF BETHEL, STARTING FROM LARSON SUBDIVISION PASSING THE OUTSIDES OF TUNDRA RIDGE AND ONTO HAROLDSON'S SUBDIVISION, THEN RIGHT ONTO HANGER LAKE TO THE BETHEL BOAT HARBOR THEN ONTO THE KUSKOKWIM RIVER CUTTING INTO THE BACK OF TRAILER COURT BLUFFS AND ALL THE WAY AROUND THE AIRPORT ENDING AT KASAIYULI SUBDIVISION AND THEN BACK TO OUR HOME.

AN AWESOME WEEKEND FOR ME AND SHIRLEY WITH MARY ON SATURDAY AND KA'IWA ON SUNDAY.

KA'IWA TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF HE'S REALLY OUT OF GAS...  LOL!!!

MY RIDE WITH MY SNOWBOARD ON THE BACK!!!

KA'IWA STILL WORKING IT OUT...  AND THEN FINDS OUT IT WAS HIS "KILLSWITCH" THAT WAS LOOSE INSTEAD...  LOL!!!

BEAUTIFUL BETHEL HARBOR IN THE BACKGROUND.

MY SNOWBOARD THAT I WASN'T ABLE TO USE.  SO SAD!!!

AWWWRITE!!!

WAIPA

GOING OUT FOR BREAKFAST AFTER WORKING A GRAVEYARD SHIFT.



ME AND JOEY JUST GOT OFF FROM GRAVEYARD SHIFT AND I WAS CRAVING FOR "EGGS BENEDICT" FOR SOME REASON.  WE WENT TO SHOGUN AND FOUND OUT THEY WEREN'T OPEN SO WE RELOCATED TO THE "YKHC HOSPITAL CAFETERIA" INSTEAD.  ON OUR WAY THERE, WE PICKED UP KA'IWA TO JOIN US.

THE CAFETERIA DIDN'T SERVE "EGGS BENEDICT" SO I WENT FOR THE "BELGIUM WAFFLES" AND IT WAS PRETTY GOOD!!!

I ALSO RAN INTO QUITE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT I HAVEN'T SEEN FOR AWHILE, SO IT WAS A GOOD EVENT AFTER ALL.

AWWWRITE!!!

WAIPA

MY BEAUTIFUL & LOVING EXPERIENCE OF POTLACH IN EMMONAK, ALASKA!!!



ALOHA EVERYONE!!!

MY TRIP TO EMMONAK, ALASKA WAS AN “AWESOME” EXPERIENCE!!! I ATTENDED MY 1ST POTLACH AND WAS MOVED AND AWED BY THIS WONDERFUL & BEAUTIFUL CULTURAL EVENT. THE PEOPLE OF EMMONAK, ALASKA ARE BEAUTIFUL AND VERY FRIENDLY. I ALWAYS ENJOY AN UNKNOWN AND UNEXPECTED EVENT BECAUSE IT KEEPS ME ANTICIPATING ON WHAT’S NEXT!!!

AS SOON AS I ARRIVED AT EMMONAK, I GOT OUT OF THE PLANE, GRABBED MY BAGS, AND HOPPED ON A SNOWMACHINE. I ALSO HAD THE WONDERFUL PRIVILEGE OF DRIVING IT TOO!!! HOW COOL IS THAT??? AS I WAS DRIVING, I TOOK MY TIME TO ENJOY & TOUR THE TOWN. ALL THE PEOPLE I PASSED BY ALL WAVED AT ME EVEN THOUGH THEY DIDN’T KNOW WHO I WAS… LOL!!!

AS SOON AS I ARRIVED AT MY LOCATION, I WAS GREETED BY MY IN-LAWS & RELATIVES. AND WITHIN MINUTES, I WAS BROUGHT TO A TABLE OF WONDERFUL NATIVE ESKIMO FOODS!!!

BELUGA BLUBBER, WILD ROASTS DUCKS, ASSORTED TYPES OF PREPARED SALMON DISHES, FRY BREADS, AND TUNDRA TEA!!! I WAS IN FOR A TREAT AND ATE LIKE THERE WAS NO TOMORROW AND I DIDN’T FEEL GUILTY BECAUSE I DON’T KNOW WHEN I’LL BE ABLE TO EAT LIKE THIS AGAIN.

RIGHT AFTER DINNER, WE WENT TO THE EMMONAK COMMUNITY HALL AND I GOT READY TO ENJOY MY 1ST POTLACH EVENT. I WAS ANXIOUS AND COULDN’T WAIT, BUT AFTER AN HOUR OF WATCHING PEOPLE COMING IN AND LOOKING FOR SEATS, THE PLACE WAS PACKED AND READY TO GO.

THEY OPENED WITH PRAYER, THEN THEY PASSED OUT GIFTS, NOW THIS UNEXPECTED AND I RECEIVED MANY COOL GIFTS AND FOODS TO EAT AND SAMPLE AS WELL. I WAS SOAKING UP THIS WONDERFUL MOMENT AS I WAS TELLING MYSELF, “WHY DID I WAIT THIS LONG TO FINALLY ATTEND POTLACH???”

AFTER THE GIFTS PASSING WAS FINISHED, THEN CAME THE DANCERS!!! I WAS TOLD THAT THEY WERE VISITORS AND DANCERS FROM NUNAM IQUA, ALAKANUK, KOTLIK, AND STEBBINGS. THE DANCERS ARE AMAZING AND VERY UNIQUE AND BEAUTIFUL. I ENJOYED EVERY MINUTE OF THIS EVENT!!!

THE NEXT DAY MY AUNT GAIL FROM POINT HOPE MADE BELUGA SOUP AND AGAIN, I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW DELICIOUS THIS SOUP IS. THIS HAS NOW BECOME MY FAVORITE SOUP!!!

IN RETURN, I MADE A HAWAIIAN DISH, “SPICY POKE” WHICH IS RAW TUNA MIXED WITH SPICES AND SERVED IMMEDIATELY!!! THEY ALL ENJOYED IT AND I ALSO SAID THAT THEY CAN USE RAW SALMON AS WELL. I’M VERY GLAD THAT THEY ENJOYED IT.

AND THE NEXT DAY I RETURNED TO BETHEL, ALASKA. I MUST SAY IT WAS A SOMEWHAT SAD FEELING FOR ME TO LEAVE SO SOON. I SAID THIS TO MYSELF, “I WILL COMEBACK SOMEDAY AND PROMISE TO GIVE BACK SOMETHING THEY WILL NEVER FORGET!!!”

I WANT TO THANK THE FOLLOWING:

SHIRLEY FOR INVITING ME OVER TO EMMONAK, AND BEING A WONDERFUL WIFE & MOTHER DESPITE OUR PERSONAL STRUGGLES. FOR BETTER OR WORST, MY LOYALTY IS ALWAYS THERE FOR YOU. AND NO MATTER WHAT, “I’LL ALWAYS LOVE YOU!!!”

THE HOOTCH FAMILY FOR HAVING ME OVER YOUR PLACE AND THE WONDERFUL HOSPITALITY THAT CAME WITH IT. THE FOODS, TRANSPORTATIONS, THE GATHERINGS, GIFTS, AND “LOVE” IS ALL APPRECIATED AND WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTENED.

TO THE NEW & OLD FAMILIAR FACES I’VE MET AT “POTLACH”. FORGIVE ME IF I FORGET YOUR NAMES, BUT I’LL NEVER FORGET THE WONDERFUL FEELINGS I FELT FROM ALL OF YOUR FRIENDLY, WARM, AND LOVING HEARTS!!! GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU!!!

GRANT AVIATION FOR A SAFE ROUNDTRIP “TO & FROM” BEAUTIFUL EMMONAK, ALASKA!!!

AND TO ALL THE PEOPLE OF EMMONAK, ALASKA… I LOVE YOU ALL AND I CAN’T WAIT TO RETURN!!!

AWWWRITE!!!

WAIPA