Unalakleet...small town, but big living!

This is my town. It may be small, but it's all I know. In a town of 750 people, everyone knows everyone's business (who's pregnant, who's the dad of who, who recently got booze off of Everts, etc etc etc). Much of the town is related to one another. Everyone waves "Hi" to one another as they pass by so when us villagers go into the "big city" (Anchorage), we might catch ourselves accidentally waving to strangers that drive past us and give us funny looks like "do I know you?"

There are no time constraints. There is no traffic so we can get to work in a matter of minutes. Our kids can play outdoors anywhere in town without parents having to worry about them getting kidnapped. Everyone in town looks out for each others' kids.

Posing in front of Whaleback

I'm not saying life is perfect in the village. We pay the price... literally. Everything is so expensive. Last year a gallon of gas was $6.62. A gallon of milk costs about $13. A dozen eggs costs $5. Cereal costs between $6-$10 a box. Life isn't perfect, but it's a lifestyle that I've become accustomed to.

There is so much beauty to my town. We live right next to the ocean so we have great views of sunsets and the nearby island, Besboro.

Besboro Island enveloped by a beautiful sunset :)

Local smokehouse

We can walk out our front door and go berry picking for blueberries, salmonberries, cranberries, and blackberries.

Mmm!!! We are so blessed to have fresh fruit right out our front door!

Keane is a champ berry picker!

To the east and west of our village we have an abundance in seafood (salmon, trout, crab, beluga, and seal).

My son Keane (age 9) is such a good provider. One of his many silvers he caught last summer.

Our providers (husband) take their snowmachines up north to fill our freezers with caribou in the springtime. In the fall, many of us go out boating or drive up the road to look for bull moose. Much of our freezer space is filled with food that we subsist for locally. It's not only a matter of saving money, but it's a way of life.

Unalakleet is my hometown. It's where I grew up and it's where I will raise my kids and where they will raise their kids and so on.