I met up with sixth-grade student Heather Elizabeth Hoke a few days ago after school; she even gave up a bit of her Girl Scout time for our talk.

            With long brown hair, Heather sat across from me and answered the questions I asked with a quiet voice.

            When asked about school, Heather proclaimed that her favorite subjects are math and art. Math comes easy to her she said and she likes art because it lets her express her creative side.

            Heather was a Nikiski Elementary bullfrog until the schools closure in 2004; today she is one of Nikiski North Star’s shooting stars in Mrs. Barnes’ class.

            “I miss going to Nikiski Elementary, but I like it here too,” she said with a smile.

            Once day a week when the bell rings, instead of boarding a bus home, she spends an hour and a half at her Girl Scout meeting. She said she enjoys being apart of the group and they talk about scouting events and how to raise money, including car washes and bake sales.

            When it comes to bake sales, Heather likes to help out by making cakes and cupcakes. She also is interested in cooking and can be found in the kitchen with her mom, helping to make dinner or a snack for her younger twin sisters. Spending time around food has helped Heather decide she wants to become a chef when she is older.

            Heather has lived in Nikiski since her birth. Her home is a short distance from Captain Cook State Park and Bishop Creek.

            “We go down (Bishop Creek) a lot in the summertime,” she said.

            She and Andrew, her ten-year-old brother, make many trips to the creek to play and swim during the endless summer days.

            Another benefit of living on the North Road is the wildlife viewing opportunities. Heather said she and her family have watched bears, moose and the occasional porcupine near their home.

            While life in rural Alaska can seem simpler, Heather’s life became more chaotic late last year when she and her family learned that she has diabetes. She must watch her diet closely and endure daily shots, yet she does not like to see herself as different.

            “I don’t like when people give me special attention because of it,” she said.

            She is excited about attending a week-long Alaskan diabetes camp this summer to learn different ways to live with the disease.

            My last question to Heather was who her hero was, and I must tell you I was impressed with her answer.

            She said if a hero is defined as looking up to someone, then her hero is herself.

            “I don’t want to be like anyone, I want to be myself, in a way, that makes me my own hero,” she said with a smile.

Around town

            Happy belated birthday to Margarita Diaz.

            Happy birthday wishes for this week go to Winona Lee on February 28, Bill Hanson on March 1, Jim Bradford and Frankie DeRossitt on March 3, T. A. Arledge on March 4, Nelda Lashley and Ken Reinhold on March 5.

            Have a great day.

      Rob Dillingham grew up in Wheaton, Illinois and came to Alaska looking for work and adventure. He found that and much more. Rob graduated from LeTurneau University in east Texas with a degree in aviation technology.
      While working in Florida Rob ran into a college friend who suggested he could attain flight experience by moving to Alaska. “I was single, financially secure, happy with my life, and happy with my church, but felt God was leading me to move,” Rob shared.
      In 1995 Rob went to work in Bethel for Mark Air Express. He later applied for a pilot’s position with ERA Aviation in Anchorage, flying for them for five years.
      Rob met his wife Kristi (Fanning) while attending church in Kenai. They married in June, 1998 and are parents to Leah (3 in March) and Jeremiah (2 next October). Their third child is due in July.
      In 2002, while living in Anchorage, the couple heard of Arctic Barnabas Ministries, an organization that ministers to Bush missionaries and pastoral families.        Arctic Barnabas was incorporated in spring 2000. Joel Caldwell worked for Missionary Aviation Repair Center (MARC) in Soldotna at the time as dispatcher and crew scheduler.
      “He (Joel) saw all these planes coming back from the bush empty. He also saw bush pastors and missionary families burning out. They were starving for fellowship,” Rob said.
      Thus Arctic Barnabas was born. Caldwell suggested filling up the empty planes with church planters, missionaries, and pastors bringing them into town from the Bush communities to take a break. The Caldwell family would often host the people in their home.
      The organization has grown to include seven families with three more raising support. You can read more on the Arctic Barnabas website.
      (If you are interested, you can read more about the organization on the Arctic Barnabas website.)
      “We joined Arctic Barnabas in 2004, but it was almost another year before we were fully supported. We moved (down to Soldotna) and began working with the team in 2005,” Rob told me.
      Rob currently serves as chief pilot, manages technical services, and assists the Director of Aviation. Kristi is office manager for the organization, and, a registered nurse, she also occasionally fills in at area doctors’ offices.
      “Kristi goes on some of the mission tours - hosting tea parties for missionary wives,” Rob shared.
      “There’s a strong atmosphere of teamwork in Arctic Barnabas. We are a body of believers as Christ described it. We all have different abilities that work together,” he continued.
      “As much as we aspire to be supporters and encouragers of people living in the bush we have that same feeling within the staff. When one of the pilots is out on a trip – the other wives will call Kristi, go to the grocery for her or watch the kids just to give her a break,” he said.
      “(Once) while we were gone someone came over and did our laundry. We’ll take out each other’s garbage – we work together. It’s a neat thing to see how the body of Christ works,” Rob said.
      Kristi loves to quilt and scrapbook, and when they’re not flying to outlying communities of Alaska with the ministry, the couple also likes to travel Outside. “We love Soldotna, but we like to go somewhere warm,” they both said.
      “Our family time is very important to us,” Rob shared.
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ON A PERSONAL NOTE:
      I’d like to thank Soldotna for the privilege of being your Neighbors columnist for the past 14 months. This will be my last column. If you are interested in writing here, contact the Clarion for information.

Brittney Sikorski is a 6th grader in Miss Balise’s class at Tustumena Elementary School. She moved with her parents from Nikiski in April, 2006. The family rents part of a duplex from Ed Mallette, just south of TJ Seggy’s.
Though soft spoken, Brittney is actively involved in class. I asked for her favorite subject?
“I like all math. Numbers are fun to me,” she said.
Work is defined in her home and the kitchen is an area for which she is responsible.
“I do the entire kitchen,” she said. “I do dishes, counters, set the table for meals and clear it off afterward, scrub the floor and even clean the windows.”
Her younger sister, Jessica, is in charge of keeping the living room and back room clean. Her two youngest siblings are Allyessa and Joseph. Though their last name is Cossich, the children are all “full” brothers and sisters. Their parents, Anthony and Diane Cossich, lived together a few years before marriage. The oldest two girls have their mother’s maiden name, Sikorski. Anthony is the manager of wholesale at Country Foods in Kenai. Diana is a full time mother who hasn’t added employment to her parenting responsibilities.
Brittney was born in California when her parents lived in San Diego. They moved to North Carolina for a few years and later to Kenai, when Brittney was 7. The Kenai Peninsula attracted them because of its reputation for beauty. Last year Brittney tripped on someone’s leg and fell in a Nikiski school hallway. This broke a bone and caused other injuries in her leg. The damage is serious enough to prevent her from playing soccer, her favorite sport, and she may yet need surgery related to that injury. Nor is Brittney a stranger to surgery. She has been operated on five times for lymphangioma (benign proliferation of lymph vessels) in her legs.
The Cossich family has a bloodhound named Bow (pronounced “Bo”) and a couple of 4-wheelers. Numerous trails for riding are in the neighborhood of TJ Seggy’s. Brittany is also a Girl Scout in the Junior division. Her mom is a Girl Scout leader and the group meets at Tustumena School. Brittney has earned the qualifications to advance to Cadette Scouts, next year.

Around Town

There will be a raffle/auction/dinner for Jamie Lehmon of Kasilof at 2:00 p.m. March 10 at J-Bar-B Club, mile 101.5 Sterling Hwy. Jamie is fighting cancer. Her mom, Nancy Lehmon, was featured in this column a year ago. The younger Lehmon should not be confused with Jamie Leman, the wife of Ninilchik girl’s basketball coach, Danny Leman. Though the two women have similar names, they are unrelated. Back to the J-Bar-B, a $10-per-person, all you can eat pig roast with all the fixin’s will be served at 4:00 p.m. Proceeds will go directly to Jamie for help with medical expenses. Or donations are accepted at Wells Fargo Bank, account # 9511541212. For more information call Kathy Musick of Jersey Subs at 283-9898.

Our sympathy is expressed for Ray and Ruth Osborne of Irish Hills Rd. Their 43-year-old daughter-in-law, Deborah, died of an aneurysm on Feb. 16. She has been married to Mark Osborne (Ray and Ruth’s son) for 19 years. The Mark and Deborah have lived in Anchorage, they setnet with Ray and Ruth at Clam Gulch since 1976. Actually, for several years it has been the other way around. Ray and Ruth have eased back a little and it is hey who fish with Mark.

I couldn’t help over hearing Ludy Ziehmer describing her trip to Disney World as she trimmed photos to place on her scrapbook page. With child-like enthusiasm she told of her adventures and said that her favorite ride was that one that took her right into a pool of water that splashed up and cooled off her face. “It was extremely hot, so I went on that ride 6 times,” she exclaimed. “We had so much fun!”

She went on to describe the wonders of the Epcot Center, Animal Kingdom and MGM Studios. Although she took the week-long trip with her son, Robert Ziehmer, over three years ago, she related the exciting details as if they took place yesterday. She reminisced as she preserved the memories of that trip during the scrapbooking time that takes place each Tuesday afternoon at the Ninilchik Senior Citizens Center.

Ludy was born in the Philippines in 1945. In 1970, she met and married Richard Ziehmer, Sr. who was serving in the Navy in the Philippines, and soon after that they moved to the United States. Richard was born and raised in Auburn, Michigan and they lived there for eight years before moving to California. Ludy said that she studied hard and passed the exam to become an U.S. citizen in 1978.

The couple relocated to Oregon before making Alaska their home in 1997. Ludy said that they were drawn to Ninilchik because of its peaceful setting and nice people. “We wanted to get away from the city.” Ludy explained, “My husband was a country boy at heart, so we wanted to settle in the country.”

The Ziehmers have three children. Richard Jr. and his wife, Melissa, have two children and live in Kenai. Robert and his wife, Emily, also have two children and live in Amarillo, Texas. Ronda and her husband, Adrian Harguess, live in Joseph, Oregon. Ludy worked at Inlet Salmon fish processing plant from 1997 to 2000, then worked for Deep Creek Custom Packing from 2001 until last summer.

Besides scrapbooking, Ludy said that she enjoys sewing, knitting, crocheting and crafting Battenburg lace. She belongs to the Quilters by the Sea and enjoys talking while sewing with friends. She said she speaks a variety of dialects and openly joked about her own heavy accent.

When I inquired how she stays looking so young, without skipping a beat she quipped, “The secret is… Avon.” I then inquired if she sold Avon products, and she sheepishly grinned and said, “I used to…I made lots of friends when I sold Avon.”

Perhaps her energy and joy of living come from her gusto for living. With enthusiasm she shared, “I tell people that when I wake up in the morning, I take a big stretch and thank the Lord for the new day. Then I stick in my hearing aid, turn up the music and dance! At the end of the day, I thank the Lord for giving me such a wonderful day!”

I was out around Sterling the other day and had the good fortune to meet Della Boyer at her place of work, Suburban Propane. She had such a friendly smile and cheerful personality I asked her if I could call her for and interview. 

Della has been working as a customer service representative at Suburban Propane for almost nine years.

“Basically I do the office work, take care of the customers and fill propane tanks,” she said

In the summer, Della finds herself waiting on people from all over the world as they fill their propane tanks in campers and motor homes. 

“I love to see all the tourists come in the summer, but by fall, I love to see them go,” she said with a laugh.

Della moved to Sterling from Anchorage in 1979. 

“When I got to Sterling, I just knew I was home,” she said.  “I don’t even like to go to Anchorage all that much.  I do my shopping right here.”

The people of Sterling have always been one of the things Della enjoys most about living here. 

“People here are great.  Neighbors watch out for each other and are there to help if you need it before you even have to ask.”

Over the years Della has gotten to know lots of the folks that live in Sterling.  Over the years she has seen more and more new families move into the area.  Although she loves to meet the new folks, she is saddened by the loss of so many of the older people in the area.

“I really got to know and love a lot of the old-timers,” she said.  “It is sad when so many of the people I learned to love and enjoy are gone now.”

When I asked Della what she like to do in her spare time she laughed again and said she is basically a workaholic and a home body.  She likes to sit and watch the river in the summer, but in the winter she spends most of her time indoors.  Della does have one outdoor activity she loves; horseback riding.

“I have always loved horses.  It’s great that there are more places around here now that are offering riding.  I would love to own a horse, but it is just so expensive up here,” she said.

Della has always had a dream of going on a long horseback ride.  She has even looked into going on a vacation that includes doing a cattle drive on horseback out West. 

“It is something I have always wanted to do.  Some day I’m going to take the time and go.  It’s always been one of my dreams.”

Della enjoys living in Sterling but would really like to see a few more stores come to the area. 

“I think it would be great to have a few more places to shop.  We could use some more growth and competition in the businesses in town.”

Around Town:

If you have someone in you family that is serving in the armed forces away from home how about giving me a call with an update on how they are doing.  I’m sure your neighbors would love to hear their news.

Hey, Soldotna Neighbors!

I am looking for new folks to interview - from children to seniors. Give me a call or leave a comment here, or email me. (pertinent numbers are listed each week in the column)

I don’t bite, I make it fun. You each have a story - won’t you let me help you tell a bit of yours?

During Moose hunting season last year, Mack Wood, age 13, hopped on his 4-wheeler with his 3.08 mm rifle and joined his aunt, Andrea Morris, for what was supposed to be a short hunt back Chakok Road near Anchor Point. After taking several different forks on the trail, they lost their sense of direction and realized that they were lost.

After awhile, Mack confessed that he was getting pretty scared. He said that they drove around for a whole day trying to find their way back.

“I kept thinking about all the stories I’ve heard about people getting lost- which made me nervous,” he said.

His aunt assured him that they could use one of the cabins that were around if necessary, and that everything would be fine.

“To make matters worse we didn’t even see a moose until we reached the roadway–then we only saw a cow and a calf,” Mack exclaimed. When they finally reached a road, they asked a man in a pickup where they were, and he informed them that they were on Tall Tree/Cottonfield Road. By early evening they reached Anchor Point and Mack was starving so his aunt bought him some food. “She had money with her,” Mack said, “but it didn’t do us any good while we were lost!”

Besides hunting, Mack said he enjoys fishing, snow machining, wrestling and basketball. He plays on Ninilchik’s middle school basketball team, which won 2nd place in their conference last season.

Mack is in 8th grade at Ninilchik School and is the son of Dan and Amy Wood of Anchor Point. He has two sisters, Emily, a 2005 Ninilchik School grad who now lives in Oregon, and Reyna, who is a junior at Ninilchik School. His parents moved up from Oregon before he was born and eventually settled in Anchor Point. Mack commented that he has lived in the same house since he was a few months old. He went to Chapman School before coming to Ninilchik School and likes both Anchor Point and Ninilchik areas, but wishes that there were some place that he could hang out with his friends. “A recreational center in our area would be nice,” He added.

Unashamedly, Mack admits that he actually likes school and looks forward for school to start at the end of the summer. During the summer he does odd jobs for Anchor Point Seafood and mows lawns, but he said that he gets bored without his friends around. Mack’s mother describes him as bright and talented. He plays the trumpet, his favorite subject is math and maintains a 3.8 grade average on the honor role. He said that his dream is to attend Duke University some day and eventually become an architect.

Around Town: I’m thankful for all the kind neighbors who stopped to help me when I ran into a moose near Mile 114 on the Sterling Highway at 6:45 a.m. on February 5. I thank the Lord that no one was hurt.

Jewel Jones came to Kasilof in 1948 when she was about 2 years old. Born in Ketchikan, she is the youngest child of Walt and Vera Franklin. The family lived by the river, next to Vern Savage’s cannery, until they bought property from Ed Lovedahl. Then they built a house there, which is still standing on Ole Timer Way, next to the cemetery.

Jewel attended the Territorial School by the airport. Enid McLane was her teacher for 1st through 3rd grade then George Bonin taught her 4th grade class. The Franklin children walked to school. At that time the area between their house and the school was not forested and the school could be seen from their house.

By 1957 two big events in the Franklin family began to affect Jewel. Her dad bought Ed Lovedahl’s setnet site and her parent’s marriage was breaking. In 1958 Vera left Walt and moved to Soldotna where she and the children started a small store called Vera’s Variety. Jewel and her siblings bused to Kenai for school and Jewel graduated with the class of ’64. In the summer of her junior and senior years she fished with her dad on Humpy Point.

Autumn of 1964 took Jewel to Seattle where she started attending business college. Before finishing the course, though, she moved to Oceanside, California and got a job as a waitress. From her parents Jewel learned good work ethics Throughout her life she has been known to seek work and do a good job. While being a waitress at Oceanside she met a Marine named Dave Jones and they became engaged. Dave, however, was soon sent to Viet Nam for over a year. In 1967, he returned to his home in Maryland and they got married there a few days later.

The next year though, two fires sent catastrophe deep into Jewel’s family. Her only brother, 26-year-old John Paul Franklin, drowned at Scout Lake, near Sterling after his boat caught fire. John was a Marine and known to be a good swimmer, but was trying to rescue a 3-year-old bo who was among five people in his boat. In November Jewel’s mother was severely burned when a neighbor’s propane tank leaked and the gas caught fire. Vera was hospitalized for months and got skin grafts.

In 1970, Jewel, Dave and their son Dan moved to Soldotna. In 1971 their second son, David, was born there. But in 1973 Jewel’s marriage ended.

Jewel struggled to support her sons but managed to do it by working lots of jobs, humbling herself to accept welfare, and fighting to get child support. She worked several years for a temporary service and finaly got a job with the Anchorage Telephone Utility (ATU).

“With the encouragement and support of fellow workers I took the training necessary to become a customer service representative for the phone company,” Jewel said. “I retired after 13 years with the ATU and moved back to Soldotna; having lived in Anchorage 34 years.”

She came back and lived with her son. At this time, she reconnected with a childhood sweetheart whom she later married. This move brought her back to her roots in Cohoe/Kasilof. But this marriage didn’t work out either. Her husband left her in January of 2002 and her mom died that July. As in all the hard times, her faith in God saw her through. Vera was a Christian Scientist and Jewel also exudes that faith.

“With my love of life, losses can only be lessons,” she said. “My greatest joy is my two sons, Danny and David, and two grandchildren.”

Around Town

Happy Birthday Feb. 20 to Trudy Webb, Jeanne Jackinsky, Darryl Misner, and Ginger Johnson.

            I met Linda Machado when I interviewed her husband, Dave, last fall. She is a wonderful person who has many talents.            She was born in California and was raised there and in Anchorage.

            “We moved around a lot when I was going through school,” she said.

            She said she was in Alaska when the 1964 earthquake occurred.

            Dave and Linda met on Halloween in California and have been married 35 years. She is always excited to talk about her new grandson, Brayden Emmett, who lives in California.

            Her husband’s job with Halliburton has kept them moving around the world. In 1982 the family moved to Indonesia.

            “We lived in Jakarta first and it was pretty interesting. Having a maid was the best part,” she said.

            The job later took them to the island of Borneo where they lived in a compound on the beach.

            “The women got together every day to play cards or go to the club to swim or bowl,” she said.

            Yet the harsh reality of a foreign land can be everlasting.

            “Living in a third world country really makes a person appreciate what we have in the United States,” she said.

            The couple moved to Alaska in 1987, they later built a house and have been living in Nikiski since 1995. They were the second home built on the peaceful Bishop Lake, but now there are six visible homes on the water.

            “What I like about Nikiski is the peace and quite and having lots of space. Especially living on the lake where in the summer time you see the swans, loons and ducks. Sometimes we’ll see the beaver swimming across the cove and he flaps his tail, its fun to watch,” she said.    

            “At night, when it’s late and most everyone is asleep, you can step outside and hear the birds talk to each other and it is just amazing. It makes you really appreciate Alaska and all it has to offer,” she added.

            Linda began a new venture last October as a Pampered Chef consultant. While she says it is more of a hobby, her goal is to be a Pampered Chef director on the Kenai Peninsula.  

            “I just love being around people and I love the product, so it’s a natural thing for me to do,” she said.

            She also finds time to sit on the Lee Shore board of directors and has plans to volunteer at Nikiski North Star Elementary.

            “With all that, my goal for the year is getting better organized,” she said.

Around town

            Happy birthday wishes go out this week to Chuck Grimm and Colleen Jorgenson on February 20, Nicki Baier and Charlotte Korpinen on February 21, Bill Baucum on February 22, John Boatright on February 23, Betty McGahan and Tom Prichard on February 24 and Daniel Boatright on February 26. I wish you all a great day.