Here we are, we finally made it to Port Alsworth! We didn't fall of the face of the earth...just the part that has easily accessibly internet. ;D
So, what is Port Alsworth like? What have we been doing here? How is our apartment? Who have we met?
Port Alsworth is absolutely lovely! The views are simply gorgeous, even better than the ones on the way up! (Probably because they stay the same each day which is a nice change for us.) The town seemed really remote and rugged on Tuesday, the day I arrived; stepping off the plane onto a dirt runway, everything seemed dusty, but since then I've gotten used to it, and even appreciate the absence of rough cement or harsh asphalt roads. Of course, the rocky shores and roads are harder on my shoes, but it's refreshing to my spirit. :)
Our apartment became liveable a few hours after I arrived. They finished putting the carpet in, and set a bed on the floor for us. All we had at that point was our sleeping bag and our clothes. No sheets, or anything to eat or cook with, in fact we had to leave our groceries in storage because we didn't have a freezer or frig. But at least we were finally both home together.
For the first few days we ate at the Farm Lodge. Jonathan was in pilot training and I sat nearby, trying to keep busy. They were still putting some finishing touches on our apartment, so I couldn't be there. Finally, on Thursday all of our belongings arrived in one big shipment. It felt like all of the Christmases of my life, plus our wedding and my bridal shower all over again! We had so much fun unpacking, organizing and cramming every spare inch of our apartment. (Which, by the way, is a tad bigger than the 200-sq-feet we expected.)
We both started work on Thursday, the 23rd. Jonathan in the hangar and me in the dispatch office.
Working in dispatch has been a huge learning curve for me, but I'm starting to feel like I'm getting the hang of it. It's a lot of responsibilities to remember during training but, once I started working, I only had to deal with about two at a time. ;)
So, what have we been doing besides work? Well the sun doesn't set until after 11PM here so, there's plenty of daylight after we get off of work. A lot of times Jonathan works later and we're too tired to do much walking (Which is our only mode of transportation here), so we'll watch a movie or just go straight to bed after dinner. Occasionally somebody will have a bonfire down by the lake or a game night and those are lots of fun!
One night we went fishing, (or Jonathan fished and I photographed) and boy, was the fishing good! Jonathan was reeling in pike almost as fast as he could cast and he even caught a nice-sized rainbow trout! (Unfortunately, the mosquitoes were biting just as bad...)We stayed out late enough to see the sunset that night and it was spectacular. (I can't wait to post pics!) The mountains looked like they were on fire!
The people here in Port Alsworth are very friendly and helpful. We've met so many people that I often have trouble remembering who goes where and with whom! We've been to church two Sundays now and have been impressed with their good teaching and hospitality.
The reason we haven't been in contact for a while is because we've been having trouble getting our internet set up. We do have a phone (refer to our parents for the number), but it's a landline hat we share with two other apartments. We're hoping to have everything straightened out pretty soon, but we'll have to see. Until then, no FB or pictures. :(
Well, I think that brings you up to date, except for the Sourdough Fly-In which deserves it's own post with pictures. :)
We miss you all!
