Gulkana Glacier Area ~ Swing Bridge Across College Creek

Exploring near the Gulkana Glacier area. In the above photo we are next to the Gulkana River

The suspension bridge crosses over College Creek that flows southwest to the Gulkana River. It was a bit nerve wracking and scary at first but once I got the hang of the bridges motion and trust of the wood and cables it became easier.  

We camped in the area for two nights and hiked back to the bridge twice for the adventure of crossing over to the other side again. It appeared that most of the spring melt had already flowed downriver so the creek seemed less ominous.  

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Earthquake ~ 7.8 (but we didn't feel this one)

This quake triggered a tsunami warning in several areas last night, and they have all been cancelled. The Alaska Earthquake Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks is our go-to resource for information, and Michael West has written a nice article about last nights earthquake. 

M7.8 EARTHQUAKE NEAR SIMEONOF ISLAND

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Summit Lake ~ Richardson Highway

Beaver swimming towards a gull perched on the leftover winter ice.

It was an amazing sight to see Summit Lake on a calm windless day, not something you witness very often.

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Hike Along the Denali Highway

There are several trails along the Denali Highway to explore, we took a hike on the Southern Landmark Gap Trail on another gorgeous summer day. Our bear bells were a jingling and our conversation was continuous in order to ensure the large creatures could hear us coming and move away from the pesky, noisy humans. 

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Maclaren Summit

Waterfowl Lakes - just west of Maclaren Summit

It was another beautiful day on the Denali Highway and Maclaren Summit sure delivered a fantastic view! Clear and a million!

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Clearwater Creek

Camping by Clearwater Creek on Lucy's Aunt Mable's land. It is part of their Ahtna Native family hunting and foraging land along the Denali Highway. Thank you Aunt Mable for the great place to camp for the night. We collected all the trash we could find that was left behind by other un-thoughtful campers, and left the area better than we found it.

Our supper table view was another fabulous dinning experience, not many restaurants can top these views. 

Hello little Yellow Warbler! Thank you for holding still, if only for a moment, for me to take your photo.

Try as I might these Swallows were too quick for me to get their photo but they sure were great to see flitting about. Plus they kept the area fairly mosquitoes free.

Clearwater Creek - our second favorite camping spot along the Denali Highway.

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Along the Denali Highway

The mighty Susitna River.

On day three we broke camp where we had been staying near the Brushkana campground and headed east towards Clearwater Creek. It was a lovely day for a drive, we only passed a handful of vehicles headed in the other direction. 

Mile 67 to mile 60 were incredibly rough road, filled with potholes and washboard, I think we only averaged 20 miles or less an hour. The mile markers on the Denali Highway are set up east to west, and since we drove west to east we travel backwards through the mile markers. 

This being a gravel road the slower we drove the less dust so the rough road didn't bother us much, plus we were on holiday and had no particular plans which are the best kind of road trips. 

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Peace & Quiet

Camping in Alaska can mean that there is not another person within several miles of you, and there is plenty of time to explore the area to see what plants or trees might be blooming. It also means enjoyable meals, a game of canasta, and an evening spent around a fire.  

Pure joy!

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Denail Highway in Bloom

Arctic Willow

One-Flowered Cinquefoil

Alpine Azalea

White Mountain Avens

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Let our Summer Adventures Begin

It has been a while since I posted, my j-o-b has been tremendously busy - thank you pandemic for adding your layers of confusion and change to my work day - this too shall pass but until that happens we took a much-needed holiday. Away from the work computer, away from the sound of the bustling city streets (yup Anchorage is as busy as every - woof), and away from cell service. 

Living in Alaska it is fairly easy to get off the beaten path and be socially distanced from people and world events. Not that we wish to ignore the important changes that are happening, we do not, and in fact we actively engage in the positive change taking place around us. It is good for the soul to be away. To reflect. To armor up. We did just that, and day one the south side of the Alaska Range shined gloriously.

We have been filled up. We are blessed to live in a state that offers so much glory, and aim not to take that for granted.

Have a great weekend my friends, and power on fighting the good fight.

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The Power We Have

When the world is cloaked in darkness, and our hearts are crying out of peace, may the light of education guide us through these troubled waters. 

Read. 

Learn. 

Be informed. 

Vote accordingly. 

We have the power to make this change happen. Humanity deserves better.

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102 Miles

We have managed to log 102 miles on our bicycles this summer and it is still May. Anchor-town has invested over the years in fabulous trails that weave through town and we have been taking full advantage of the cities forward thinking.

Pedal on my friends, summer is waiting and the trails are cleared of snow and most of the pollen.

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Ride along the Coastal Trail

It has been a fabulous spring for riding bikes around Anchor-town. We have logged 49 miles so far this year. I could not ask for a better riding partner.

Get out there and ride. Ride like the wind.

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Semester Two ~ Final Project

The semester has come to an end, and I have submitted my final piece. 

Any suggestions on a title?   

I will miss my talented classmates and awesome instructor. This summer I hope to continue painting and keeping my skills sharpened and my ideas fluid. 

Summer... the thought of summer makes my inside giddy with anticipation.   

Have a great day my friends and an amazing May Day weekend ahead. 

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Diaries of a Foisted Home Office

Home Office Worker #32620

Work day 19: In just a few short days, I am proud to announce that I am now happy to be working from home. I have recovered from the initial feelings of job vulnerability that working from home caused. I have embraced my new schedule and proven to myself, and hopefully to the college administration, that I can complete 99% of my job working from home. What I am not able to do is help a faculty member operate the copy machine or stock the three copy machines in the building with paper, help distribute the mail or assist the random community member who is having difficulty locating the planetarium in our building. All important parts of working in an office, however since the building is closed to all normal activity no one needs our assistance.

This opens up a few questions in my mind; why do I need to go to an office to do my job? When the pandemic has eased and our movements are no longer limited; should we just go back to the way we were living our lives?

Thoughts to ponder from author Arundhati Roy and her article titled ‘The pandemic is a portal’. This article is a bit of a longer read and starts out making you wonder where it is going but keep reading. It is insightful, and my take away message are the words at the end.

“What is this thing that has happened to us? It’s a virus, yes. In and of itself it holds no moral brief. But it is definitely more than a virus. Some believe it’s God’s way of bringing us to our senses. Others that it’s a Chinese conspiracy to take over the world.

Whatever it is, coronavirus has made the mighty kneel and brought the world to a halt like nothing else could. Our minds are still racing back and forth, longing for a return to “normality”, trying to stitch our future to our past and refusing to acknowledge the rupture. But the rupture exists. And in the midst of this terrible despair, it offers us a chance to rethink the doomsday machine we have built for ourselves. Nothing could be worse than a return to normality.

Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next.

We can choose to walk through it, dragging the carcasses of our prejudice and hatred, our avarice, our data banks and dead ideas, our dead rivers and smoky skies behind us. Or we can walk through lightly, with little luggage, ready to imagine another world. And ready to fight for it.”

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Diaries of a Foisted Home Office

*Because humor is currently my way of dealing with this very stressful time*

Home Office Inmate #32620

Work day 17: I have settled into a routine which always serves me well, as I am sure it does you, and a sense of normalcy has returned to my work tasks. I did return to my campus office the middle of last week, after seeking permission from the administration, to retrieve my full computer workstation desktop and monitors. I thought that working on a laptop would be okay but given the length of time our hunkering down will be, and the type of tasks I routinely perform, it quickly became apparent that I am more efficient working with more monitor real-estate. This change has added stability and comfort to my work day.

The next nuance that I need to master is leaving the job at the home office door, and not bring it into the rest of our home.

I am thankful to be working the type of job that is weighted heavily towards computer based tasks as this allows me the ability to work from home. Something I do not take for granted.

May each of us continue to find peace in these troubling days. Stay strong in mind and spirit, and continued good health to you and yours.

Semester Two Project Three

Project Three ~ Thiebaud's Approach 

Based off artist Wayne Thiebaud.

Project objectives:

Eliminate the horizon line

Dramatic cropping 

Eastern prospective 

Shadow & shape treatments 

I have titled this piece "Climb and Maintain 2000". 

Or it could be "Just Keep Flying"

Or "Chaos"

Or "My COVID-19 Piece", like Picasso's blue period.  

Anywho. Moving on to the final.

Continued health my friends. Stay strong. Share kindness.

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Diaries of a Foisted Home Office

*Because humor is currently my way of dealing with this very stressful time*

Home Office Inmate #32620

Day five: the good thing about my new home office is my refrigerator is always close-at-hand. The bad news is when supper time rolls around I just don't seem to be hungry.

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In all seriousness many among us have food insecurities, whether due to homelessness, poverty, living in war conflict areas, the list seems endless. Add in a pandemic that has created a need for as many of us as possible to hunker down, and food insecurities for these folks increase ten-fold.

There are those among us who are still able to help pack breakfast and lunches for our school children in need, those who help pack food boxes for our local food-banks, and... endless good deeds list here. My hats off to you folks who are able to continue serving our communities. You guys are rock solid!

Stay safe, wash your hands Roger, and keep in touch with your family and friends!

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Diaries of a Foisted Home Office

*Because humor is currently my way of dealing with this very stressful time*

Home Office Inmate #32620

Day three: I have forgotten what day of the week it is (already) and have answered a work call - turned on the computer and proceeded to be helpful. IT IS SATURDAY! Serious personality flaw. What is up with my overwhelming sense of needing to be helpful.

On another note - the office phone received a call - I was able to listen to the message via an email - and called them back on my cell phone - issue resolved. Win!

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In all seriousness I am thankful to have a job that has been able to accommodate me working from home. There are many upon many thousands of people world-wide that are no longer employed or have a steady source of income. These are trying scary days. My heart to everyone who is struggling. Currently my job is to continue to support our students as they too navigate the world of on-line learning - which most of them did not sign up to do.

As we all learn to adjust to our ever changing global situation - I will continue to share a bit of humor - I for one need it. I hope that it does not offend anyone, and that you too can find something in your daily lives that adds a smile or perhaps a laugh.

Diaries of a Foisted Home Office

*Because humor is currently my way of dealing with this very stressful time*

Home Office Inmate: #32620

Day two: the good thing about my new home office is I have access to my own private - clean - bathroom. The bad news is I have to provide my own toilet paper. Commence mindful rationing of bathroom supplies.

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In all seriousness today was incredibly successful, and busy. And wowsers - if I had a larger monitor and my ergonomic chair at home I would barely noticed the difference. The amount of tasks I accomplished today working in my home office equal what I can do in my work office. Plus I made a point to set an out-of-office for my lunch break, and took an hour away from the computer to eat lunch and talk to my husband.  Win-win!

On to the weekend, we'll be back at it again on Monday. Have an excellent weekend my friends! Rock on!

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