The first week of August brings the annual Alitak family camp. The girls have skipped a couple of years, but Sven has gone faithfully for I think 11 years! The camp is a different sort- people bring activities for the kids, but the kids aren't forced to participate and there is a lot of unstructured time for kids to play, carve, do art and connect to the beautiful place. The Alitak petroglyphs lie in a couple different locations on a long, skinny strip of land jutting out into the Shelikof straits. On one side the petroglyphs face the open sea and feature sea animals and whales, on the other side they face the bay and feature faces. There are various theories about why this is, but the theories evolve constantly as we find out more. Every year that Sven has gone he has learned something new, refined his map of the area, or found new petroglyphs!This year's camp was (weather-wise) one of the most miserable in history. It rained every day except one (on which the kids dried clothing and went swimming). Tents, boots, clothing... everything was soggy and clammy. But kids rallied- wore raingear and played on the beach, sat by the fire and carved maskettes, helped to collect firewood and to cook meals. In the end, we were happy we went, but even happier to get home (after an unexpected delay in Akhiok because of weather).
Our noble leaders, Mitch and Judy Simeonoff!
Cousin Elijah with the Simeonoff dog, Blue.
Water color painting with Cecile.
Cecile doing a rubbing
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