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"Thank you very much for your site! I now live in Fairbanks but many years ago, I used to live in Kotzebue! 1979-1983 to be exact! My oldest son was born there, and so was my daughter, so it is with great interest that I read your blog! When I first discovered your blog, (a few weeks ago!) I stayed up till 1 a.m. reading it, and going through your back blogs to look at the pictures. I'm amazed at how much Kotzebue has grown!
When I lived there, I lived in different places. The first place we rented was 'up town'. It was the furthest house up on that end of town. I'd look out the bathroom window and watch the blowing snow, and I'd see a tower close by. Now I hear that Kotzebue has grown beyond that 'last house' that I used to live at! We've also rented a home just right behind Rottmans store. We also lived at the kic apartments, on the first floor. That was probably my favorite place to have rented because of the running water, and not having to worry about running out of fuel oil! Then last of all, I rented a house that used to be located up near the Kotzebue tech center.
I can remember one time we had a snow storm so fierce that it looked just like the pictures you have posted! During that time a little 4 year old boy went missing. He must be around 34 years old now, or thereabouts. I can remember his mothers face, but I don't remember her name. Well during that time he went missing, the whole town was looking for him. They found that little boy out on the ice face down, but he was alive. He was a few miles out onto the ice, because the blowing snow had pushed him out, and he got lost. It was a miracle that he was found alive!
During that time, I rode on a snow machine and we didn't know that we would fly off of a snow drift that covered the street right out front of the kic apartments! I was 9 months pregnant at that time, and we went air born cause the 'road' we were on, suddenly disappeared, and reappeared to be about 15 feet below us! We landed on that snow machine, perfectly intact, and continued on our merry way!
We used to always go out tomcod fishing too! Some days that was to be our meals, not having other meats to eat, because some times that pay check just didn't seem to stretch! I was thankful for the tomcods and thankful that they tasted so good!
I can also remember, walking on front street. I young eskimo man was riding a bicycle, and passed me. He kept wolf whistling at me, not watching where he was going. He ended up in the ocean! I didn't want to embarrass him, but I sure felt like to laugh! Back then I was young and 19! I never did find out his name, or who he was, and I'm sure after that, he'd probably not want me to remember who he was, after landing himself in the ocean!
Well, I will let you go, and I just wanted to tell you, thank you. I sure do enjoy looking at these pictures, and I have never lived in Noatak, but I've always wanted to see that village, and I just did through the eyes of your camera. I sure do appreciate you showing these pictures!"
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