7.20.23

ONE WEEK (and some change) IN AND I LOVE IT ! !

Seriously this place is so cool. I've probably walked the equivalent of a marathon around town by now becuase there's just so much to see. And long strolls are my preferred way of orienting myself. I've never lived in a place with less than 30,000 people and now I'm in a small beach town, often it feels like I'm living out a book plot.

But I know what you really came for, the pictures!

chickens couped up outside someone's home

Chickens couped up outside someone's seaside home. I love walking past this place and getting cluck-called.

really colorful fishing boat I spotted in the harbor

This is a cool shot of the harbor. There's always some fishing boats with silly names docked here.

blue house with muskox skin hanging off the porch

This is a house I passed on one of my walks. It has what I believe to be muskox skin hanging over the porch.

image of the ocean with a cruise ship in the distance

This was the first cruise ship of the season to come into our port! There will be 12 more over the next few months.

I love the colors of Nome. They really stand out against the fog of this seaside town.

So how was my first week? Oh simply wonderful, overwhleming, exciting, adventerous and strange. I love the stage of transition I'm in where everything is so brand new.

I began working last Thursday, jumping right into things, and I already have three stories published in this week's paper!! Which came out today! I can't really put into words the pride I felt seeing my name on the front page. It's crazy I get to work really hard on stories and then physically see the fruit of my labor. A very validating experience.

I made a friend and she took me on a hike Saturday! She is the daughter of the owners of the paper and a student at University Of Alaska Fairbanks home in Nome for the summer. She's lived here all her life and so graciously agreed to take me under her wing and befriend the new girl. Which is extremely lucky for me.

Our adventure began with hiking Anvil Mountain. It was mind-boggling to see Nome's beauty from such a height. And to walk on tundra! I did not fully understand what it was until I was bouncing around on the lush carpet. That's magic ground for sure. After our hike (with Gidgit the best hiking dog) we took a trip to the fish market and picked up some crab legs. Back at her place we boiled and ate those leggy treats with butter potatoes and a big ol' salad. One of the best meals I've ever had.

2 gals and a dog

happy hikers :)

girl doing a handstand at the top of a mountain

Of course I had to do a handstand. Don't worry, it wasn't that close to the edge.

a table with a beautiful bounty of food and two girls sat before it

My mouth is watering just looking at this image. Look at that steamy crab!

So that's my first week rundown. Currently I'm working on stories for next week's paper. I'm loving learning about Nome through writing about it.

Nome Fact: The DMV is in the same storefront as the pawn shop. So you could go in to apply for your license and walk out with a gun.