- Phillip

The Real Northern Exposure
by Phillip May

         “The show Northern Exposure put Alaska on the map, Talkeetna is the real northern exposure,” said Tori Rinehart. This really gets me wondering. What is the real life northern exposure like? Tori Rinehart is a black haired woman living in Talkeetna, Alaska. She was born in Colorado, and her husband asked her to come to Alaska with him. She has been living on the outskirts of Talkeetna for 18 years now. She works at the Alaskan History Museum downtown, the same job she has been working since she moved to Alaska. She doesn’t really know how or why she loves Talkeetna, or even why she chose to move there. All she knows is that she is not going anywhere soon.
         Tori likes the small town feel of this little village on the outskirts of nowhere. “This is our busy season, the summer, like when you guys [the AGLP group] are here”, Tori stated. “We will be pretty busy from May to August. During the winter not much really goes on, we sort of hibernate, just like the bears.” Tori has learned that you have to plan for the harsh weather. “Kids still have to go to school, and adults still have to work in the winter, even under the bad conditions. You usually get up around four hours before you have to go somewhere, just in case you have to shovel snow out of the way, or coax your car to start,” Tori said.
         As the seasons change, so do the habits of those living in Alaska. “In the summer you don’t really sleep, and in the winter you hibernate just like the bears and other animals,” said Tori. She also knows that you have to make sure that you are prepared for the worst. “You always want to have extra food just in case, and you also always want to have another form of power, like a generator. The power does tend to go out in the winter occasionally,” she informed.
         In Alaska there are a lot of small towns and interesting cities, but no two are exactly alike. Similar to that, no two people are the same and none of their stories are alike. With Tori in particular, she has an interesting story with a fairy-tale ending; the happy couple found a nice place to live that they love and are living there happily ever after.

Hannah : should he explain what the show Northern Exposure is? Because I have no idea so the beginning of his writing leaves me confused.