Finished in July!

Many years ago I started a loon embroidery project.  My Dad had enjoyed birds and loons and my goal was to complete the needlework and frame it for him.  Then in the summer of 2002 he told me he no longer liked loons--one had recently taken a fish off his line when he was fishing in British Columbia.  Loons were now scoundrels and out of favor!  On top of that, Dad and Janet were downsizing and didn't want any more for their walls.  In fact, they were already having to make choices among their favorites.  Well, what was I to do?  I put the embroidery aside until I could come up with a good reason for working on it again.  But it sat there haunting me. 

Finally, I brainstormed with Claudia. Ah! the embroidery could be used as a pillow top.  And, Dad had mellowed.  Then the race was on.  Could I get the embroidery done and make a pillow before visiting in June?  Not quite.  Try again for a visit later in July.  Yes! The embroidery was finished, the pillow made, and here's a photo of me and my Dad.

   

Fascinating bodies

 This could be lengthy - but it seems incomplete without the background. When I was in elementary school, about fourth of fifth grade, my parents gave me an Invisible Woman kit for Christmas.  I was fascinated by the skeleton and organs and to have some idea how they all fit together.  Mind you this was in the early 1960s, long before all the technology that's available today.  (The picture below is the current model.)

Then this summer I heard that an exhibit, "Our Body, the Universe Within" would be at the Alaska State Fair.  Although I hadn't intended to go to the fair, my interest was piqued.   The thought of seeing the exhibit drove me to find the time to go - and hopefully on a non-rainy day.  Finally, on September 1, the last Saturday of the Fair, Uncle Ron and I made the trip to Palmer.

 

I was not disappointed.  The exhibit had numerous skeletons, some just bones, some with muscles, tendons, and ligaments.  In other displays, organs were shown either alone or with systems.  The explanatory information was well written.  The only other thing more I could have wanted was a personal tour guide who could answer all my questions.  Alas, I have to find my own answers.

 

Now the Anchorage Museum is hosting an exhibit called "Body World The Original Human Bodies Exhibition."  I plan to check it out as well. 

 

Note:  What wasn't mentioned above, is that the kit I received, had a second set of abdominal pieces depicting a woman at full term pregnancy.  Dad tells me that the day I took the entire kit to school for show and tell he really heard about it.  Seems even for the early 1960s my parents were more open-minded than some adults.  You may ask with all my interest in the human body why I didn't go into medicine or a related field.  I thought I would until volunteering as a "Candy Striper" and a few personal experiences I discovered I don't do well around bloody people and body fluids.  Seems that I'm more interested in models and exhibits showing me how things fit and work together !   

In Denial

Yesterday was only September 29th.  September is fall, as in "Try to remember the kind of September when grass was green and grain was yellow."  SNOW greeted me early in the morning! Not what I expected.  I had planned to put the garden to bed for the winter.  Had winter beat me?  I couldn't bear to do take out all the flowers on Labor Day weekend when it was sunny and my neighbor was taking care of his plants.  I wanted to give my flowers more time to welcome me when I came home.

On to Plan B.  I took care of other matters and by mid-afternoon beautiful sunshine welcomed me outdoors and I did all that needed to be done.  Lucky for us we had a clear night and another beautiful sunny day today.

Summer has been busy and I didn't post.  I'll do some catch up shortly and share some of the highlights. 

Bike to work

Friday was Bike to Work day in Anchorage.  The bike trails are clear and the weather's good for riding.  Alan rode into town with me then got on the Coastal trail to come home.  I enjoyed riding to work and home later in the day.  It seems the ride to work was easier than the ride home.  Is it just that I'm not so fresh after 5 p.m.?  Maybe I'll do it again this summer - the wardrobe and helmet hair are both challenges to a daily ride to work. 

 This second picture was taken just before going down the hill to the Chester Creek trail.  That ride is so much easier than the ride back up the hill at the end of the day!  But I can make it up.  It just takes a "I think I can.  I think I can" attitude. 

Mother's Day

I had a wonderful Mother's Day.  My sweet husband made sure I had flowers and more music.  And, I want to thank all of you who took the time to call.  I really enjoyed talking with all.  It's a treat to hear from all family members on the same day!  I spent so much time on the phone I didn't update the blog until now. 

 

Biking into Spring

 Some of us can hardly wait to bike again!  Last Friday evening the sun was shining and the temperature may have been getting close to 50 degrees.  The bike rack went on the back of the car and we loaded it up.  Off we went to Elderberry Park to get on the Coastal Trail.  Was the snow gone so soon?  Well, the streets and sidewalks were clear.  Lawns and parks not so clear.  But the sun shines on parts of the trail, so maybe we'd be able to ride.  A friend saw us unloading the bikes at the park and asked if we weren't a bit impatient.  Not wanting to wait another week, we were on our way! Yes, snow was on the trail.  Without mountain tires or studded tires we were hitting the trail!  A few misgivings on my part as I rode on slushy snow for the first time.  Definitely less control for steering and braking.  I noticed it right away as we headed downhill and around a curve.  After a few minutes of getting used to the bike's feel and enjoying the intermittent patches of clear trail, I was happy to be riding again.  I didn't hear any hesitation from Alan.  He just kept going.  Parts of the trail were pretty clear. 

However after a decent ride when we could return the same way we'd come or we could ride through neighborhood street to get back to the car, he opted for the streets, even with the hills.   

We had a fun evening! 

Contrasts

Yay for sunshine and the return of spring. Little white and purple blossoms greeted us from our front door a few days ago.


Looks like the plants are as eager for a change of the seasons as I am!

Enough! 134.5 inches of snow before Easter!

Finally, those Anchoragites who want to break records can quit hoping for more snow. Yesterday, we had, what I hope is the last snowy day until next winter. We woke to snow and it kept snowing all day. A wet spring snow, but enough to add a couple of inches to the total and break the record for snowfall that was set in the winter of 1954-55.



I was okay with snow yesterday and really hoping for sun and blue skies for Easter? And, yes, there were Easter egg hunts. Some outdoors and some were indoors.

Today we got both blue skies and sunshine!



I hope you all had a joyous Easter!

Beauty in Anchorage

As long as we're within 4.9 inches of having a record snowfall for the winter, we decided to enjoy the beauty around us. Here are some photos for you to enjoy. The first is the northern lights. Tuesday evening we drove to Point Woronzoff to see the northern lights. The recent solar flare increased aurora borealis activity and the sky was ablaze like I haven't seen for years. We didn't take these two photos-but we definitely saw the lights dancing across the sky. The first photo is of northern lights over Anchorage; the second is over Flattop mountain. I included this because some of you have hiked Flattop and can appreciate how much sky is visible from that vantage point.


Here's a snow snake resting in our back yard.

And two bald eagles standing sentry over the neighborhood.

Icicles hanging on evergreen trees. The heavy snowfall followed by sun created these icicles-I don't think I've ever seen these before. Several trees in our neighborhood were sporting icicles this week.

And, one more photo of the snow as seen in front of our house.

Here's to 128 inches of snow and counting!

Snow and more snow!

This post is for the young'uns who get excited by a snowfall in the Pacific Northwest. I always thought snow was great when I grew up in Washington. My dad would shake his head and mutter under his breath. Little did we know I would spend a large part of my life in Alaska. Here are a few pictures for the young ones who may not get to experience an Alaskan winter.

I work downtown and walk 2-3 blocks to the office from where I park my car. The walk is partially across a park area where we have the choice of walking on the sidewalk or across the park (where we'd be walking on grass in the summer time).

The snow is deep enough that the path across the park is a couple feet above the sidewalk level. Someone was recently kind enough to sculpt some stairs making it so much easier to take the shortcut across the park. The steps make the descent from the path to the sidewalk reasonable rather than taking a slide and hoping for the best!

If you want to get a feel for the depth of the snow, here's a photo of a waste receptable that's useful in the summer time. There is a bench next to it, but the snow is higher than the back of the bench.

At home, I can hardly thrown a shovelful of snow to the top of the snowbank. Here's what it looks like from the driveway and the sidewalk.


I still enjoy snow and all its beauty. Come visit if you're as fascinated by lots of snow as I once was!