Myrna and Savik

On Saturday, April 25, 2009, I sat across the table from Savik and Myrna Ahmaogak at Osaka Restaurant in Barrow. It was their 51st wedding anniversary. We shared dinner together and later I joined them at their home for ice cream and cake.

I sat across the table from Savik and Myrna many times, usually not in a restaurant but in their home, which they kept open to me as though it were my home. They fed me everything from bowhead and caribou to hamburgers and french fries. I'm sure I have pictures from some of these meals, but I don't know where they are.

Today, Myrna was buried in Barrow. She passed away right after I arrived in Utah.

I was not able to go to Barrow to pay my respect and honor to this generous woman and her loving family, so I pay them my respect, honor and love here. 

God bless you all. Thank you for all you have done for me. I am far away in body, but close in spirit.

Logbook entry: transition from Rex's hospital room in frozen, snow-buried Salt Lake City to warm, rain-drenched Anchorage

This time I came back for my brother, Rex J. Hess, Jr. who, on my second morning here, had closed his eyes to go into his third open-heart surgery knowing full well that he might never open

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Archer - a hospital interlude of cuteness

I have taken a lot of pictures - pictures of relatives, of a friend not seen for 40 years, of snow falling, of ghosts (figuratively speaking) in my parents old house - now Rex's house, of Pak and Mac taking me to a Thai restaurant where Pak treated me as if she were back in Thailand at her own restaurant (which, Mac assures me, is more delicious than any Thai restaurant in the US) and of course of brother Rex, still in ICU but very much alive and definitely on the improve.

I can't blog it all - not now. Maybe some of it after I get home. Maybe never. But here is Archer Swallow, my ten-month old nephew, or at least the son of my nephew Thos and wife Delaina, whatever that makes him to me - grand nephew? He is pretty grand. I wish he could get together with Lynxton. What a time they would have! They would probably tear each other's hair out, except that Lynx might have a hard time getting a grip on Archer's!

Archer would certainly pull Lynx's hair. He has a great talent for it.

Archer was not allowed into ICU and had to stay in the waiting area.

I won't blog again until after I get back home to Alaska. I head home tomorrow night.

Salt Lake City snow - Rebekah flies away - Rex takes his first walk

When I arrived back here at St. Mark's, I found Rex undergoing a blood transfusion and still thinking about

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In ICU with Rex: BYU can't buy a basket

I am in ICU with Rex right now and we have been watching BYU play Pepperdine in basketball. At half time BYU was behind five points. "BYU can't buy a basket," Rex grumbled. "They play like a jr. high team!" 

The game ended with BYU victorious: 76-51.

If he can help it, Rex never misses a BYU football or basketball game. If it's a home game, as it was tonight, he most often drives 40 miles south to Provo to watch it in person.

Mac was going to be here to watch the game, but a little bit of snow fell and he got panicky and so went and holed up in the hotel with Pak, just in case it got so bad they couldn't drive,

I have lots more to blog about, but I'm going to let this do it.