Same song, different verse...

I hope that my many, many sunset pictures don’t come across like the 99th verse of “100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall.” It's just that I am entirely awestruck each time we are given a glorious sunset and I want to share it with you, even if it is from the same vantage point week after week.

Steve mistakenly called my sunset obsession a “phase.” Ha! Capturing the colors of the evening sun is not a phase or an activity inspired only by the Alaskan landscape.


In high school I would race through our house to locate Mom’s camera, dash out to the patio and take an entire role pictures of the sinking sun. This end-of-the-day scenario continued where ever I had a good view…California, Salzburg, Japan, the roof of my apartment building in New York City and now Alaska.


On a clear evening when the sun is setting, while chopping veggies or stirring soup, I monitor the view to see if the colors will come. When they do, I stop mid-cut...mid-stir, grab my camera, run up the stairs, lean precariously out of my second story window and click away until the sky turns black.

Soccer with Josh

Another visitor from Japan came to visit Hoonah this week.

His name is Josh. His father is an American university professor in Japan and is mother is Japanese and is a teacher there as well.

Josh loves to play soccer and decided to set up some indoor soccer games for the elementary students during his visit. Thursday and Friday were Inservice days so the students were free to play. Moto gave Karate classes from 9 to 12 in the morning and Josh facilitated the soccer camp in the afternoon. Many students attended and all who did had a great time.

Andrew was in seventh heaven. All day he ran, kicked and scored. Flush-faced and sweaty, he didn’t want to stop playing. Thanks Josh!

Poem: A Miss

The land went from sun to snow
Cold night giving us a foot or so…

Our morning vision was icy and still
No paths or print marks upon the hill

We bundled up with gloves and boots
Pulled on our hats and zipped our up suits

We descended the stairs and opened the door
Eager to breathe, to taste and explore

The early hush of our steps were light
But soon we were trudging in deep delight

Lumbering and lifting our knees up high
We stuck out tongues to the flaked white sky

They came and they melted, we shared in the beauty
This magical world, just me and my cutie

We paused and we listened to the snow softly fall
Watching the whispers of heaven cover it all…

I leaned down and wrapped my arms ‘round my son
Flashing to when our time first begun…

Pulling him close, as the flakes brushed us by
My cheek went to his, then I looked in his eyes
I could see the blue hint of sudden surprise….


It was a push and tackle and laugh of sheer joy
That came flying out of my mischievous boy…

I emerged from the snow and chased him a bit
But soon school would start and our play time would quit

I watched him move forward, fast snow marring my gaze
As he skipped and he hopped through the powdery maze.

He turned, waved good-bye and blew a sweet kiss
Only hours to wait yet… I will wait with a miss

Life Long Committment

While New York was getting an onslaught of snow, we received a good share of it ourselves. In a twenty-four hour period we added another two feet to our substantial snowpack.

Andrew looked out the window Tuesday morning and said it looked like a black and white picture.

The last few weeks Steve has been observing two eagles that routinely perch together down by the pier in the harbor. He named them Harriet and Arnold. For Andrew's benefit, Steve acts out silly conversations the two eagles are having as they sit side by side, making Andrew giggle as Steve alternates between his falsetto and bass voice. One afternoon, on my way to the store I saw them perched by another pier. I was able to get a picture of them just as the sun was breaking out through the clouds. I read that eagles are monogamous and mate for life.

In this photo they are not side by side as they are in the morning, but I am deeply touched by their instinctive commitment to always be together, bonded for a lifetime.

Green Eggs and Ham

Monday was Dr. Suess’s Birthday.

The Elementary school celebrated all things Suessical by making Cat in the Hat hats, reading One Fish, Two Fish, Green Fish, Blue Fish and making a feast of Green Eggs and Ham. Here's Andrew posing in hat creation reading Hop on Pop. Despite the appearance the scarambled green eggs were a hit!

Puppy Love

Steve left for a legislative conference in Juneau on Sunday, but before he took off we indulged in some sun time. We walked along the beach down by the pier and as we meandered through the snowy streets we were adopted by this precious doggie.

He found us as we approached the pier, looked at the boats with us, barked at the seagulls and, like us, cocked his head at the enormous star fish in the water. By the time we arrived at the park, Steve was ready to have some fun with our new friend.

This handsome boy chewed our Frisbee to bits and then jumped for, ran toward and caught every snowball we tossed in his direction. We quickly fell in puppy-love. When it came time for us to head home were happy to have him stay by our side. But the he knew the fun was over and few feet from our front door, with a wag of his fickle tail, he ditched us to chase several cats under our neighbor’s stairs. Andrew said it was the best walk he had ever had and for a brief moment we all had dog owner envy…a very brief moment.

Steve flew out on the 3:30 flight and Andrew and I consoled our grief by making chocolate chip, peanut-butter, coconut cookies with lots of red, blue and green food coloring.

That evening we were invited to a friends house for dinner, John and Rosemary Murrey’s home. (He is the blackbelt in Karate and did the sound for Canterbury Tales.) We shared a meal with Moto and Josh from Japan, and their host family Pete and Rory Schneeburger. It was a yummy dinner and lovely evening, but Steve was greatly missed.

Party at the Pines

We had our first party at our house Saturday evening.

The cast of Canterbury Tales gathered to give Bob, our director, a thank you gift and coincidentally celebrate his 57th birthday.
Everyone brought a dish…from freshly baked bread to chicken enchiladas, to spaghetti and homemade Boston cream pie cake for the birthday boy.

Steve was great host and kept everyone awake and chatting with this super strength european coffee :)

I loved having everyone at our place...

and with Steve's 60th birthday just around the corner it will be party time once again.