12 jun 11 gala in the garden

Paul made his artistic debut at the Alaska Botanical Garden's annual Gala and Art Show. His cedar-and-red torii gates were quite striking on the sunny Thursday evening that the Gala was held. The one he named Tranquility sold that evening, and Paul donated all of the proceeds to the garden. (The other one - Balance - is now in our garden.)

The art was up through the weekend for the Garden Faire. We biked to the garden on Sunday to see if the other torii gate had sold and to check out the vendors. All of the plants, crafts, and art were very tempting, but I only bought two strawberry plants and a few thoughtful Alder Patch cards, which was about all I could fit into my pack.

11 may 15 2 months in a post

This may be the longest that I haven't updated the blog in the last 5 years that I've been doing it. I keep wanting to simplify my life but saying 'no' can be a problem for me. It's been a busy 2 months with existing responsibilities, new obligations, and some fun. I'll focus on the fun to catch up on the transition from late winter to spring. I start with Bhikkhu because he is fun and the last two weeks have been busy with vet visits to make him healthy, too.

The end of March featured the glorious weather that we come to expect of that month. We took advantage of warm temperatures and soft snow to explore some trails that we normally bike in the winter.

Taking a bone from a scruffy white dog is not like taking candy from a baby... Paul found this for Bhikkhu during a spring ski at the end of March in Talkeetna.

On Aprils Fools Day we skied out to friends' cabin at Dalteli Lake with three other couples. Roger snowmachined our stuff in and left us a message in the snow at one of the intersections. We stayed for two nights, skiing to another lake on the full day, to visit other Talkeetna friends.

Alaska Airlines treated passengers to a fantastic view of Denali in early April. I was on my way back from a small conference at Chena Hot Springs, east of Fairbanks. The springs are nice but the best part may have been the fresh salads, including tomatoes and basil, that they grow in the greenhouse. The Ice Palace is also a trippy (and cold) experience. If you haven't been to Chena in the past decade, it's worth a trip.

By late April, the daffodils on the south side of the house were beginning to bloom. The snow was slower to leave the rest of the yard. In fact, there's still a small patch on the north side under a birch tree.

May has been beautiful, too. Here is sunset around 10:00 on May 2nd. It barely gets dark at night now.

Last weekend we went to Talkeetna for our annual episode of voyeurism of mating birds. We didn't set any personal records at Birdathon, but we had fun hiking and biking.

I can't promise anything, but I do hope to get better about updating the blog. We've got a new computer which has made photo uploading and editing a little faster.

highlights 2010

Over dinner on New Year's Eve, we remembered some of the fun and travels of 2010. Again, we are grateful for the good fortune that continues in our lives: good friends, great family, stable jobs, good health, and being with each other.

Here are some of the highlights of each month of 2010:

January: Good skiing when the snow was fresh and great mountain biking on packed trails in the local parks. Never a dull moment in Anchor-town.

February: An active trip of hiking, biking, and snorkeling with good friends in Hawaii.

March: We skied out to Dalteli, a small lake in the Alaska Range foothills with a group of friends.

April: A warm sun made spring skiing solar powered and brought a smile to everyone's face. Even the ptarmigan got friendly.

May: With the return of the green came more biking and hiking, and gardening. This little footpath became a regular route on evening walks in Bicentennial Park.

June: When we weren't on the boat in Prince William Sound, we rode the singletrack trails in Bicentennial Park.

July: We spent most weekends and an entire week on the sailboat in Prince William Sound. One of the highlights of our time in the Sound were hikes through bogs with abundant shooting stars.

August: A silver-lining of the wet summer were the mushrooms. We spent many evenings harvesting boletes in the parks. This red bolete dramatically and quickly exhibited a change in coloration to blue when cut, which signifies a poisonous bolete.

September: The annual backcountry bike trip with the Alaska Dirt Divas to the Serenity Cabin near Eklutna Lake in Chugach State Park. Blue skies, stunning fall colors, and fun friends.

October: Mountain biking with the Alaska Dirt Divas on the White Rim Trail, in Canyonlands National Park, Utah - an adventure with good friends

November: Spending Thanksgiving with my mom, step-dad, brother, and sister-in-law in central New York. My brother and I wandered the farm's woodlands, just the two of us, and appreciated the big trees.
December: Santa found us in Talkeetna, bringing us more than we deserved and helping to remind us how blessed we are with friends, family, and a happy pack.

A post about the highlights of the year begs a mention of the sadnesses of our year as we lost family, friends, and acquaintances who have touched our lives and hearts. In August a plane carrying three young maintenance workers from Katmai National Park disappeared in bad weather on the coast. Paul knew one of the young men and they worked with some of our friends at Katmai. In September Sandy Kogl, a good friend of good friends in Talkeetna, died after a gracious struggle with ALS. In October Paul's aunt Norine succumbed to a rare form of lung cancer caused by her exposure to asbestos as an infant. We saw Norine each Christmas that we spent with Paul's parents and we traveled to Italy twice with Norine. Norine and Sandy were both just 68.

21 may10 bike to work

Habitat through Habitat

If every day was like this Friday, I'd bike to work everyday.

After a week of clouds and wind, the end of the week dawned clear and bright green. Paul and I pedaled away from the house around 8:00. Less than half an hour later we were at the Bacon Station, one of the energizer stations set up around town for this official Bike to Work Day. We chatted with Anne, the municipality's BtW coordinator, about the event. I met Dawn from Bicycle Commuters of Anchorage ; she is planning a garden tour on Memorial Day weekend and I told her I'm in.

Paul enjoyed the bacon

Two strips of bacon and a smoothie didn't fully fuel my commute, so I stopped at a coffee shop downtown and picked up some pastries for myself and my co-workers. I finally rolled into the office around 9:15.

This isn't a Friday that I normally work; I had decided to bike in for a little camaraderie with the rest of the bicycle commuters, especially those at my office. So after doing some low-key work, like filing and asking people about their commutes (I am the office BtW coordinator after all), I put my helmet back on and rolled over to the museum to meet Rose for lunch.

After locking up our bikes, we toured the grounds which have only recently been opened. We circled the new sculpture, Habitat. Like most city artwork, it has its fans and its dis-fans. I decided I liked it. The photos in the paper don't do it justice, nor does driving past in on 6th Avenue.

Rose wanted to climb on everything, including the don't climb sign.

We had a leisurely lunch at Muse, the new restaurant in the museum. The Marx Brothers did not disappoint with a roasted beet salad, Bristol Bay seafood chowder, and a porkloin empanada. We lingered over cappuccinos to fuel our commutes home.

Then Rose led me through the Fairview, Airport Heights, and Nunaka Valley neighborhoods and Russian Jack Park to Baxter Road on the east side of town. Near Tudor we parted. I pedaled up the hill on Campbell Airstrip Road to the Bivouac trailhead, then on the dirt trail through Bicentennial Park to my neighborhood. I finally rolled into the garage around 4:00.

Crossing over Campbell Creek, where snow is still clinging to the banks and the grasses are waiting to green up.

7 mar 10 snow and sun return

It's a happy weekend in Anchor-town. Over 4" of snow Thursday evening through Saturday and blue-bird skies on Sunday.

Despite the fresh snow, we both decided to go biking on Saturday -- Paul because he's still being careful with his ankle and me because that's what my friends wanted to do. Paul and I biked similar routes, just not together. Rose, Jo-Ann, Wendy, and I circled Far North Bicentennial Park (FNBP) mostly on singletrack trails packed by the fat bikes. The skies almost cleared when we started out but the snow was falling heavily when we finished late in the afternoon. I've posted a few more photos of my ride, including my most spectacular crash of that day, on the Alaska Dirt Divas site.

Paul would have gone for another bike ride today but I hated to pass up the opportunity to ski on this new snow. We just haven't had that much snow this year or been skiing much. His ankle felt good so we skied the little-used skijor trails on the east side of FNBP. The fat bikes have been out there as much as the skiers and dogs. We saw a few people and as many dogs but mostly had the trails to ourselves. The sun was blasting and is definitely emitting heat again.

I'm so glad for the new snow and the snow. This is one of the best times of year to be here.

24 sep 09 footprints

could i have pedaled away from whoever made these tracks?

I work up at 4:00 this morning. I laid there for a few minutes, listening to Bhikkhu fluff his bed, before I realized that my thighs were burning. I took two ibuprofen and laid in bed, wide awake, for a while longer. When I got up at 5:15, I knew that I was not riding my bike to work. My legs hurt and my energy level would be nil on less than five hours of sleep.

So ended my attempt to go car-free for a work week, maybe even a week. I had thought of the challenge as a way to get in shape fast - my own boot camp. Maybe if I'd been biking more this summer, riding 23 miles a day, with a 700 foot elevation difference between home and work, would have been sustainable for a few days in a row. I knew it was going to be hard; I just didn't know it was going to hurt.

So I carpooled with Paul to and from work today (still earned 2 points for the Green Commute Challenge). I had missed this time that we had to talk about the day ahead or debrief about the work day behind. And the irony that most of my biking meant that he was the sole occupant of our car did not escape me. That's why the challenge was not really about reducing our household's carbon footprint. It was about reducing the imprint my own feet make and pushing myself to try something new.

I was disappointed but I'm not beating myself up. Now I've got incentive to bike to work more often because I really think I should be physically able to bike it everyday. And I realized that I've got a much better car commute than most people because I get to spend it with my best friend. Either way - bike or car - I've got it good.

22 sep 09 world car free day

North fork of the Eklutna River

I don't know how many other cyclists were commemorating World Car Free Day today but I do know that there are many more people cycling to work in Anchorage than when I first started doing it 9 years ago. Maybe it's the new Elmore Road from my part of town. As much as I didn't want that road to slice through those wetlands, it sure has improved the bike commuting with its wide path, bike lanes (if you like to ride in the street), and limited intersections. Plus the view is nice.

Paul and I pedaled downtown together on this fine morning with the clouds lifting and no rain. From Elmore we could see that the snow line has come down quite a bit further in the last two days. During the day, I could watch dark clouds lower over the mountains. The wind picked up downtown and I wondered how wet and breezy a ride it would be home. The rain held off and the wind abated, and the ride home was almost as pleasant as the ride in.

I forgot to lube my bike chain when I got home last night after riding for an hour in the rain, and the chain squeaked all the way home today. I don't know if that made the pedaling harder or not, but it certainly distracted from the tranquility of the Chester Creek trail. Surprisingly, my legs didn't feel as tired as I had expected for my second day of riding 23 miles round trip.

This was also my fourth ride in the past five days. This last weekend was the Divas' annual fall trip to the Serenity Falls cabin east of Eklutna Lake. On Friday we loaded our bikes with provisions for 3 days, 2 nights, in panniers, bob trailers, and/or a pack on our backs. Then we rode out 12.5 miles to the cabin. The trail only has one technical spot and it mostly follows the 9-mile lake shore, so the elevation gain isn't great. There are a few long hills past the lake on the way up the river to the cabin. Without an extra 30 - 40 pounds of gear, it's a fun, fast ride. With the weather and fall colors we had this last weekend, the weight is just another reason to slow down and enjoy the scenery. On Saturday we hiked 8 miles and on Sunday we loaded back up and rode out.

So tonight, my legs are a little tired. I have lubed the touring bike and the mountain bike, and the touring bike is hanging back up on its hook. It's the one I outfitted for commuting, but the mountain bike has two more chain rings that come in handy for hill-climbing. I think I'm going to need them tomorrow for the third day of my motor-free work week.

28 apr 09 time for change

Maybe it's just the energy and hope that comes with spring ... but it feels like things are changing. This morning I told Paul my (new) theory that we should introduce change to our lives periodically to keep ourselves mentally flexible. That way when life throws you something you can't control, you've got some experience, some reference, for making the necessary alterations.

Our life is pretty comfortable these days. We've been considering making a change that would shake up our routine a little. So maybe my theory is just an attempt to convince Paul to make this voluntary change. But I do believe that we can't become too stuck in our ways or we will stop growing. The phrase about the old dog ... I don't want to be old ... I want to be able to learn new things and be open to the positive and negative changes that will come.

That's why I love living in a place with extreme seasons. There's always a change a'coming. Welcome back to Alaska, Spring.

The photo is Paul on a raft trip in western Colorado in 1995. My wonderful in-laws gave me a scanner when I was in Colorado and I'm pulling out my black-and-white negatives.

20 dec 08 Half a Century

celebrating Kathy and Paul's 50th birthdays,

the impetus for our trip,

at the trippy Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

23 November 2008 Nostalgia

The blog had to wait until I finished my two nostalgia projects. One was a present for me -- a memory book of little Alex and her 19 years in my life. The other a present for Paul to celebrate his 50th birthday. He has been very patient since I showed him a preview back on his birthday in late May. Once summer hit, I just couldn't see spending daylight hours sitting at the computer. Then September and October were so crazy busy. November -- had to finish before we take off for a winter sojourn. So I chained myself to the computer most of Saturday and finally hit the upload button on Sunday.

To see a preview of Paul: The First 50 Years, click this box:

Paul: The Firs...

By Paul's Family & Fr...

Book Preview

15 November 2008 Five seconds of fame

Bocce on the beach in Tebenkof Bay Wilderness Area in SE Alaska

Assuming that I'm like most people, I will admit that occasionally I google my name to see what comes up. If that fiance who dumped me in college wants to know what would have happened if he'd taken that road, what would he read about me? My last name is extremely common, however, so typing my name alone doesn't bring me up in the top 20 (I'm too lazy to click farther than that). Adding 'Alaska' to the search brings up quite a few hits related to my job. But will those from my distant past even guess that I did almost a 180 in my career AND moved to Alaska? To get my blog to come up, I have to type in so many search words as to be ridiculous.

If you've had similar disappointing experiences while googling yourself, you might understand why I was very pleased to find out that my blog was the 6th hit when Paul was googling something other than me the other day. Back in May 2007 I posted about playing bocce on a gravel bar in the Susitna River. Paul was googling to find out the meaning of the Italian word 'palino,' which is the name of the small ball tossed at the beginning of each bocce round.

Why does Google think I'm a bocce expert? It doesn't. Seems that Paul and I both misspelled 'palino.' Google gave Paul the option to correct his mistake, and he soon clicked on "did you mean 'pallino'" and found the answer to his question. Thus my 5 seconds of extremely minor fame with the guy I've spent almost half my life with. But if you can still surprise someone, albeit unintentionally, that you've lived with that long, it's a good thing and gives you something to talk about on the morning commute.

I tried his google search as soon as I booted up my computer at work. 'Palino' - no Corinne blog but an Italian article about Sara Palino, governor of Alaska (ugh!). 'Palino' and 'bocce' - still no blog. Ah, the vagaries of Google and the fruitless search for 5 more seconds of fame.