A short trip to Point Lay, Part 1: Logbook entry: I fly to Point Lay for lunch; the squirrel evades me; the bond of the Belly Buddies

Here I am at the Era terminal at the Will Rogers-Wiley Post International Airport in Barrow. These two were sitting across the room from me. I did not meet them, but I did talk to another member of their party. They are part of a federal commission looking into public safety issues in Rural Alaska.

Their destination: Anaktuvuk Pass.

My destination: Point Lay.

Soon I was sitting in a passenger seat in a Cessna Caravan - just like the one hanging from the ceiling in the previous picture, except that it was painted red, white, and blue. Down below, the surf broke on the beach near the Barrow gravel pit. Once the ocean freezes, people will be driving snowmachines where the surf now sizzles.

The flight was light on passengers, but fairly heavy on cargo.

A little bit of ice formed on the struts.

I didn't note the time exactly, but probably a bit over an hour after we took off from Barrow, we came in on approach to Point Lay.

Soon, we were on the ground.

I did a bit of visiting at the school, where the evening festivities would take place, then got hungry. I went to visit a friend who never lets me leave without eating, but she was not home. So I walked over to Cully Camp, where in the past I have gotten some pretty good lunches for about $25.  As I neared the door, I saw this marmot. "Maybe I will have squirrel instead," I mused.

"No! No!" the marmot squealed. "You can't eat me!" Off it fled.

I went in to buy lunch but they don't serve until 12:15 and it was only 11:45. Plus, the cook informed me that the camp is so full of workers right now that they take up every available table space, so orders to people in the community and to non-camp passers through like me must be take out.

I did not really have a place to take a take out meal, so I headed back to Cully school to see if the young students would let me join them for lunch. They were very happy to have me join them. The cook, Lena, had made lasagna, and it was good!

After I sat with these two for awhile, Gwendolyn "Apple" Pikok invited me to join her so I did and then Julie Itta sat dwon with us. Soon, they started to talk about their six olds, who they referred to as "belly buddies."

During their pregnancies, Apple and Julie would touch tummies so that the babies could feel each other kicking from the opposite wombs. Pretty soon, the babies quit waiting for the touch - they started kicking as soon as their mothers saw each other.

The "Belly Buddies" at the Eskimo Dance: Marjory Pikok and Spencer Itta. They have remained fast friends since leaving their mothers' bellies. They hang out and play together all the time. If one gets sad or hurt, the other does his or her best to cheer him or her up.

They stand up for each other against all threats. The bonds they formed from within the wombs that held them remain strong and unbroken.

I will post about the Eskimo dance later - if not in part 2, then part 3. I will post all parts no later than the end of the day, tomorrow, Sunday, as I must move on to Kaktovik.

Comments

[Mrs Gunka]

Lovin' your trip so far! Hope you don't get the nasty weather they are having back home! Stay warm and dry. Did Melanie beat the rain home?

[dahli22]

Awwwww I just love the story about the belly buddies!