Spring
comes late in the Chukchi Sea and breakup of the ice pack
can come as late as June. I sketched this cluster of homes
in Kotzebue in an area of town known as Busterville. Many
people in Alaska wager on when the ice will officially "break".
This is determined by a tripod-like instrument placed on
the same spot of the frozen Nenana River every year. $5
Tickets are sold for the privilege of choosing an exact
time when the ice breaks enough for the tripod to touch
the water on a certain day. Winner takes all.
rie
muñoz
