Rotary and a Tuskegee Airman

I'm going to a Rotary luncheon today at the Hilton in Anchorage. I was invited by the wife of someone I work with. They are both Rotary members and are currently hosting an exchange student from Taiwan. I had gotten in touch with them to get more information on the Rotary Youth Exchange in case Tess decides she'd like to do that during her junior year.

The luncheon should be very interesting. The speaker is a surviving Tuskegee Airman. There was an article in the Anchorage Daily News about it back on Feb. 22 if you're interested.

By the way, we were 0 for 2 on the driver's documents yesterday. NY State is still holding up my process because I neglected to return my license plates to them when we moved to Virginia. And Tess failed her written test by one question. But she can take it once a day, so we'll go back maybe tomorrow. It seems odd that they'd be asking her questions about "how long does it take one beer to clear the system?". Seems like they'd have a teenage test for the learner's permit.

Drive

I'm going to attempt to get my Alaska driver's license today (again). And perhaps Tess's learner's permit. We'll go after I pick her up from basketball practice.

I know we've lived here 8 months and I should have it well before now. But it isn't for lack of trying. I've made this attempt 3 times so far. And before any of you get any ideas... no I did not fail the test! Generally, (as has happened in every state I've ever lived since I have been able to drive) it takes me at least 3 tries to get a new driver's license because I can never seem to bring all the correct paperwork on the first try. Alaska is the most complicated state yet requiring an original marriage certificate to prove my name is what it is and not what it says on my birth certificate. You'd think my previous license and social security card would be verification enough. And of course, because we had just moved (thus the need to get a license in the first place), I had no idea where my marriage certificate was so I had to order a new one from the town clerk in Groton, NY.

Anyway... we'll try again today now that I've once again rid my head of grey hair and the adult blemish crisis is at a lull. It's really all about the photo, right?

Photo update

I've added some Fur Rondy photos to the Dropshots page....

Chilly Fur and Bikini Bottom

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?









We bought this pineapple for Survivor night consumption. But it seems to have been absconded by one Spongebob Squarepants and his merry band. We'll allow him to reside there for a few days before slicing it up!

In about an hour, we're heading out. Donald will be dropped off at the high school to ride the bus to his game. The rest of us will head downtown to scope out the Fur Rondy festivities before heading to Service High School to watch Donald's 12:30 game. Tess's team isn't playing today because Service no longer has a C-Team girls' team. So she has the day off.

After the game, we'll be heading to the carnival at Fur Rondy and maybe taking in some more of the dog sled races. Apparently, this Fur Rendezvous World Championship Dog Sled Race is on the same caliber as the Iditarod... minus the 1100 mile course. From what I could figure, it must be run in heats or something around Anchorage. The teams are sent off at 2-minute intervals from the start line and it's a race against time to run the course.

I strolled over to 4th Avenue yesterday at noon to watch the send off of several of the teams. The road was lined with fur-clad folks... Lots of beautiful fur collars and coats. I saw a pair or two of fur boots as well. This festival is, of course, all about the fur. We'll be wearing our fur cap today.

The dogs were yelping and straining at their harnesses as they waited for their countdown to start... I had to wait till the 15 second countdown to whip my glove off, pull my camera from my pocket, turn it on, hope it warmed up in time to snap a photo then turn it back off, quickly shove it back in my pocket and replace my glove before my fingers snapped off with the cold.

Today is expected to be just as chilly. We'll be riding the ferris wheel.

Dogs, Snow, Tea and Donuts

I've got my cup of tea and a lovely chocolate covered donut. I stopped by the grocery store this morning on my way in to pick up some non-dairy creamer (aka Fake Yummy Milk Dust) for the office. We ran out about a week ago and after my first cup of straight tea, I swapped over to cocoa until the supply was restocked... As my stop for milk dust assured my tardiness, I felt obligated to soften this blow by carting along a dozen donuts for the Friday morning troops. That... and I'll be working a half hour later this afternoon.

I heard on the radio weather report this morning that it was -23 degrees in Eagle River. That's close to our house and on the way in to Anchorage. For some reason, it was only like -4 in Anchorage. Must be some sort of black hole heat-sucking vortex in the Eagle River valley. Who knew?

*** adding another bit of sweet sweet sugar to my tongue blistering cup of tea ***

On my lunch hour today I plan to head over to 4th Avenue (I work on 7th Avenue) to see the World Championship Dog Sled Races which begin at noon today. They'll be going on for 3 days as part of the Fur Rondy celebrations. Here in Alaska, we don't put as much effort into clearing snow off the streets as we apparently do in loading the snow back on to the streets. At least 4th Avenue from A Street to Cordova Street. They've closed that section so they can line the street with snow. I've not been here that long, but I hear dog sled races work best on snowy surfaces. I'm just wondering where the sleds go once they hit Cordova Street. If that's the end of the race, it's more like a short Dog Sled Sprint. But what do I know?

Okay, the tea has reached it's ideal sipping temperature. Later.

Mush

Photo by Jeff Schultz, official Iditarod photographer.

Alaska is gearing up for the 35th official running of the Iditarod Dog Sled Race. Starting March 3rd, the dog teams will pull their sleds more than 1100 miles through parts of Alaska where there are no roads. Dog and human food is now being dropped at checkpoints along the route. The race will take from 9-12 days to complete as teams race from the Anchorage area to Nome on the far western coast of Alaska. For more information, visit www.iditarod.com.

This year, Tess, and possibly Stephen, will be working the Yentna Station checkpoint. The family Tess babysits for apparently works this checkpoint every year. So they've invited Tess to join them to assist with their daughter (almost 2) and help out with the dogs... Options for getting to the checkpoint include a short ski-plane flight from Anchorage or a 35-mile snowmachine trip from Willow. The details are still being ironed out.

What cake?

Rednecks in Alaska

We're bringing this cake to the church potluck today. I don't actually care much about the Daytona500, except I have a sister in Daytona so I sympathize for her hearing loss and inability to find a parking spot at the local Piggly Wiggly due to the influx of speed craving redneck fans. But it's as good an excuse as any to bake a cake!

We're also bringing some jambalaya in honor of Mardi Gras on Tuesday... But it's not as picturesque as the cake...

Alaska Bush

Sometimes I think it would be great to buy a remote log cabin or homestead in the Alaska Bush with fly-in or snowmachine access only. When I'm daydreaming along those lines, I browse www.remoteproperties.com. I also recently found a 7 acre island with 4 houses on it for sale down near Homer & Seldovia off the Kenai Peninsula. All yours for a mere $2M.

Large parts of Alaska have no roads at all. It's convenient that we're in the northern climes where snow is prevalent for much of the year. Because snowmachine trails and frozen rivers are the main thoroughfares. Dog sleds are also still popular. They are mostly for hobby/sport these days. There are mushing clubs even in our town which hold races throughout the winter.

Next weekend starts Fur Rendezvous (Fur Rondy). It's a festival which will last for a week in Anchorage. Historically it was when the trappers would come in from the Bush to trade their furs. There is still a little fur trading done, but mostly I think it's a time to have fun with parades, dog sled racing, music, carnivals and wacky competitions. Next month we'll have the Iditarod.

Here we go again...

Well, Tess is back on the injured list. She injured her knee at Wednesday night's game. We spent yesterday afternoon at the orthopedic physician's office. She's wearing a knee brace and is out for at least a week (from sports activities). She'll go back to the doctor next Wednesday and hopefully be given the okay to play in Wednesday night's game against those brutes at Bartlett....

Little Pumpkin has been making good progress on the potty training. She goes several times a day at home and at the daycare. It'll probably be a long road still, mostly because we're not quite as dedicated to the process as she might be. But we're trying.

The kids got their progress reports yesterday. Tess has straight A's! Yay Tess! We'll abstain from going into Donald's grades right now... Let's just say, he's working on it.

Daylight hours are increasing. Temps are in the 20's and 30's. Life in Anchorage is pleasant now. However, I had a dream that someone said there was a Shoney's restaurant in Anchorage, which I know to be completely false. But it didn't stop me from dreaming of Hot Fudge Cake. I've really got to go on a diet or something! (We didn't hit the half-price chocolate sale TOO hard yesterday... that's a start!)

PS There's an interesting story in the Anchorage Daily News today about the people in Barrow preparing their seal skin boats for whale hunting.
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/rural/story/8645990p-8537732c.html

Happy Chocolate Lovers Day!

It's that wonderful day of the year. Chocolate lovers have been camping out in parking lots in anticipation of the Big After-Valentines Day Chocolate Sale! Heart boxes the size of your car, filled with bon bons, truffles and caramel delights. All at 50% off! The competition is fierce and it's "survival of the strategic"... (Let's face it, no one in the category of "the fittest" has entered this race.) Elbows will be thrown, calories will inadvertently be burned in the quest for chocolate victory.

Play hard, but play fair. Now get out there and win one for the Jenny (Craig, of course...).

Happy Valentine's Day

Stephen and I took a spin over to Wasilla yesterday evening to check out a free truck camper. It turned out to be too big to fit in his pickup. But the drive was nice. We saw a ton of moose on the Palmer Hay Flats which are at the northern end of the Knik Arm of Cook Inlet. The moose were speckled throughout that area like haybales in a field.

I spent the rest of the evening making delectable angel food cake rolls with raspberry whipped cream filling. One is for the office birthday party today and the other is for the family for Valentine's Day.

Alicia May brought her little Pooh Bear valentines to daycare today along with little boxes of conversation hearts for her friends.

I whipped up a healthy breakfast for the older kids this morning at 6am since they both have games today. And I filled a breakfast tray for Stephen and Alicia who were actually both still snoozing upon the delivery.... I and the older two leave the house at 6:20am. Stephen and the little one don't leave till 8am.

Neither of the big kids has an official valentine that I know of. But Donald did make a card for a girl who asked him to the Sadie Hawkins dance this weekend, to which he can't go because he's grounded for poor grades, etc. Maybe they'll get together after he's un-grounded. I know he has been interested in her for a little while now.

Moose Hunt

After church yesterday, we decided to go for a Sunday drive/moose hunt. Someone had told Stephen that he always sees moose down on Knik Goose Bay Road on the other side of the Knik Arm. So that's where we headed.

The first moose we came upon was a completely irate mommy moose and her unruly child. The mom was jumping around with her ears back and her fur standing on end. It looked as if she was actively scolding her child for venturing too close to the road. The child on the other hand, was actively trying to stay out of reach of his (or her) mother. He or she must've known they were in for it... Due to an approaching vehicle behind me and no shoulder on which to pull off, I could only snap a quick photo as I whizzed by. You can just make out the hind legs of the mother behind the tree and the "baby" bolting for the woods, checking to make sure Mom is sufficiently outdistanced...

The next character we encountered was Enrique Suave of the moose world. We nicknamed him GQ for his posing finesse. He was standing near the roadside, munching away. I stopped, snapped this first photo, and Stephen hollers out the window, "Could we get a side shot, please?!" GQ turns his head to the side, I snap the next photo, holler "Thank you..." and off we go. GQ trotted off into the trees, another successful photo shoot under his belt.

We drove about a 100 miles in total. Some of that involved the Susitna Flats Wildlife Refuge. Apparently "wildlife" refers to crazy folks on snowmachines, because we saw no other signs of life in that area. However, the crazy snowmachiners were kind enough to shove the minivan out of the snowbank I'd wedged it in when trying to retreat out of the refuge.

Here is a view of the Knik Arm from the far side from where we reside in Peters Creek. This is close to the historic site of Knik (pronounced k-nik), which was an Alaska native village and settlement during the gold rush days.

Sunday... day before Monday

Here we are in our cute little Gap outfit we got for Christmas from our Chicago cousins... Unlike big sissy, we really like hats. We must take after Daddy in that respect... No such thing as a "bad hair day". Just slap on a hat and you're good to go! Pigtails a little lopsided? No problem, just pull up your cute Gap hood. :o)

This outfit is a little beachy. It makes us forget for a minute that we've just gotten fresh snow and there are some icicles hanging from our eaves.

Alicia was actually a little ill yesterday. She spent the night before tossing cookies every couple hours. Okay, more like tossing gummies... but I don't make up the cliches. We're not sure if she had a stomach bug, food poisoning, or just ate too much junk. She's better today.

We're off to church in a little bit. Tess has been going to choir rehearsal on Saturday evenings so she can be part of the "sing team" during the 11am service. If we got her there earlier, she could also sing during the 9:30am service, but we're not that ambitious.

We're still really enjoying our church. I think they have a website (www.riversidecommunity.net) where you can actually hear the previous week's sermon/lesson. I've yet to see how that works as I generally hear the lesson on Sunday. But it might be neat for other folks to see how things are done at this church.

Stephen went to the Men's Breakfast again yesterday morning. Then he spent some time at the Cook Inlet Archers outdoor shooting range which is near our home. He's recently become a member and this was the first time he actually went out to check out the course. He really enjoyed that and may head back out there today. He got the family membership, so once Donald's bow is repaired, he'll be able to accompany him sometimes.

Beautiful Boggy Alaska

Stephen made it back from Bethel at around 8:30 last night. Sorry to say, he missed Survivor since it comes on at 7pm here. We generally see TV airings at the "Central" time listing, which has taken some getting used to. We've actually missed shows we wanted to catch because we turned the TV on just in time to see the end credits scrolling.... I know, not a major life crisis, but still annoying.

Anyway... back to Bethel. This town sits near the mouth of the Kuskokwim River. The Kuskokwim flows into Kuskokwim Bay which is part of the Bering Sea. Of all the rivers in AK, I believe the Kuskokwim is 2nd largest after the Yukon which empties into the Bering Sea a little ways north of the Kuskokwim.

[Sidebar: The word Kuskokwim is cumbersome to type... Must practice: Kuskokwim, Kuskokwim, Kuskokwim. Nope... not helping.]

Stephen reports that the region around Bethel is very flat and full of wetlands. I believe, contrary to popular belief, a VERY large percentage of the state of Alaska looks just like that. Treeless, flat, boggy. Yes, we do have high mountains and wide rivers... but we have a lot of room up here and those mountainy features don't actually take up the majority of it.

When Stephen arrived home last night, he almost crawled up the stairs. Apparently, he'd thrown his back out as he was leaving the house (loading supplies into his truck). And he'd spent the whole day hobbling around in pain. Then his flight from Bethel was delayed, so he was pretty well whooped by the time he got to the house. Poor guy. :o(

Bethel and B-ball

Stephen has flown to Bethel, Alaska this morning for the day. He's inspecting a boiler room as part of a new school construction site for asbestos. He flew out of Anchorage at 6am this morning after not sleeping a wink last night. He's bound to be working on 1/2 cylinders today! He flys back this evening and should make it home in time to watch the season premiere of Survivor unless he misses the early flight.

In other news, both kids' b-ball teams won against Eagle River yesterday. Tess scored 11 of the team's 33 points. They won fairly easily at 33-13. Donald's team also won, but it was a much closer game. Stephen said it was one of the best games he's ever watched, so that's cool. Donald scored 3 points (all free throws), so he was pleased. Alicia May made her basketball debut yesterday evening. She had her mini b-ball jersey on as we watched Tess's game. I guess she decided it was time she was subbed into the game. She lept off the bleachers and bolted onto the court in the middle of the game. The ref called time out, scooped her up and returned her to me with a grin. Go team!

Moose Fun

Bit met her first funny-looking deer (aka moose) this morning. Stephen let her out to empty her bladder. Of course, it was pitch black outside. So he didn’t notice the two giant moose in the front yard. Bit started barking at the “deer”. Stephen opened the door just in time to find a moose trying to escape this ferocious predator (that’s right… we’re talking about Chubbo Bit). He said the moose looked like she was about to run into the house to get away from Bit. Thankfully, that didn’t happen. It’s a split level and it would have been mighty cumbersome trying to maneuver a moose up or down a flight of stairs…. Hard enough on flat terrain.

Stephen was able to snatch Bit (terrified to the point of peeing on the doorstep) back into the house and slam the door. Lesson learned: Look before you pitch pooch out the door…

Followup on Health and Hoops

Stephen did go to the VA Hospital on Friday and got a prescription for his neck issue (as well as the migraines…). The pain has improved, but there’s still something going on there. So we’re monitoring.

Tess’s team took 3rd in the tournament. They lost again to Bartlett. And no offense to any Bartlett fans or parents, but those girls are just mean. Chugiak did go on to beat West HS on Saturday to place 3rd. I didn’t watch that game as it was Craft Day at the church that afternoon. So I dropped Tess off after her French Poetry Recitation competition at East HS that morning, and then I drove back to Eagle River to the church for the afternoon. Stephen brought Alicia to West HS (where the tourney was being held), to watch the game. I later got reports from both Tess and Stephen that the girls on West also played extremely rough. One girl got a technical foul and tossed out of the game for intentionally ramming into Tess in what sounded like more of a football tackle. At another point, Tess was knocked so hard she went somersaulting down the court. Stephen was livid and I didn’t have to be present to know how he reacted! I guess those girls figured if they weren’t going to win, they might as well maim the other team!

Anyway, that’s over. This week they play Eagle River (easy win) and then we haul ourselves down to Soldotna (on the Kenai Peninsula) on Saturday.

This afternoon, I’m signed up for a Remote Sensing course over at the BLM (federal Bureau of Land Mgmt) Field Office here in Anchorage.

The temps today are back to Anchorage normal. Highs in the mid-20s, lows in the low-teens. It’s just after 8am and black as tar out there…

Cityscape and SuperBowl

This is the City of Anchorage looking south from atop the JCPenney parking garage at the 5th Ave Mall. The city is surrounded on 3 sides by lovely mountains and on the fourth side by the Cook Inlet. The mountains help maintain the milder climate. Those early settlers really knew what they were doing... It's a great location for a city.

After my day at work, this is what my winter commute looks like north to Peters Creek. We've had some pretty warm temperatures as of late. So snow's been melting.

Right now, it's Super Bowl Sunday. Tess is over at a friend's house watching the game on a big screen TV and lounging in their hot tub. We're whipping up velveeta/hamburger dip here at the house to go with our tortilla chips. I also made some brownies which I've sliced into football shapes. The game's just started. It's 2:40pm our time. The fellas are rooting for the Colts, so I guess that leaves the Bears for Alicia May and me.

Go Bears!

Heat Wave

It's 50 degrees in Anchorage this morning. The ice sculptures in the park are melting rapidly. I swung through there on my way from the parking garage to my office building to snap some photos. They are backlit in various colors. It is, of course, pitch black outside. The sun won't come up till after 9am. But we are getting about 5.5 minutes more of sunlight each day. We're up to about 8 hours, which is completely tolerable.

In other news... Tess's team squeaked out a win against East HS in the first game of the tournament yesterday. They play today at 2:30. We assume they'll be playing Bartlett. So keep your fingers crossed because that's they only team they've lost to in the league. Hopefully they ate their Wheaties this morning because yesterday's game was like watching people run through mud. On both sides....

Stephen has been having some pain in the left side of his neck/throat. It's causing him to lose sleep (a lot of sleep!). He's been having the pain for a couple days now. He says it hurts to swallow solids, but not liquids. Not sure what is going on there. I've told him to consult a physician. Maybe he'll do so today. Anyone out there with medical knowledge, feel free to get in touch!

Sports Report

Tess and her team have a basketball tournament at West High School starting today. As you know, the boys' tournament was there last weekend and Donald's team won. The mascot of WHS is the Eagles. This eagle mount is on display outside their main gym.

We are the Chugiak Mustangs. We don't have a mounted horse on display at our school though. :o)

Both teams had a regular season game last night against Dimond. This is the team Donald's team beat in the championship game on Saturday. However, their winning streak did not extend to last night's game and they lost (their first loss!) by 3 points.

Tess's team also had a tough time against Dimond. It was a very close game from start to finish, with Chugiak either behind or with a tie score until the last quarter when they edged ahead and won it by 2 points! Yowza! Very low scoring game... only 21-19. I think about 9 of those points were Tess's. She made 3 of her 5 free throws. Go team!