So, first boat trip of the season is next weekend! D and I will be making the 4 hour trip to Homer for some fishing and springtime camping. He's being especially nice by bringing along a little heater for the cabin of the boat. Because regardless of what the calendar says (warm spring weather my foot!) it's still freaking cold out on the water here in Alaska.
I was just thinking about how happy Drift will be to see the boat all ready to go! He knows what it means when D pulls it into the garage for outfitting. That dog is freakishly attached to all things water-related.
D is heading out for another round of brown bear hunting via snowmachine this weekend, so I'm on my own again. The girls and I are seeing some comedian tonight, and then hitting up the 5K Heart Run tomorrow. I might try to look for doorknobs again -- Walmart is not cooperating by restocking the ones we need. We've been skunked 2 weeks in a row now. I installed one on the new coat closet door last weekend while D was gone and you would have thought I cured cancer with how impressed he was. Hey, I owned property for 9 years -- I'm independent and handy too!
Friday, April 24, 2009
Choo choo 3
Additional train trip photos! It's hard to tell in this image, but we're passing the Rabbit Creek Rifle and Shotgun Range. D comes here to shoot once in a while.
Did you know that Alaska is the flying-est state in the nation? We have more small-planes per capita than any other state.
I have lived in Anchorage my whole life and have never even heard of this small-plane landing strip between the train tracks and this neighborhood. All of the houses on this side are sporting a plane in their backyards. It would make me nervous to land here though -- no tower!
Sometimes I wonder if these interesting features along the route have sprung up within the last 10 years. In high school I trained to be a tour guide on the railroad (didn't make the final cut, unfortunately) and we learned TONS of random Alaska information. But the aforementioned plane landing strip and this mountain of cars aren't ringing any bells.
Nice view of the Chugach Mountains and Westchester Lagoon near downtown. I used to run along the lagoon and the Coastal Trail. There are some crazy expensive houses along the water here and the Inlet - think million-dollar homes.
Did you know that Alaska is the flying-est state in the nation? We have more small-planes per capita than any other state.
I have lived in Anchorage my whole life and have never even heard of this small-plane landing strip between the train tracks and this neighborhood. All of the houses on this side are sporting a plane in their backyards. It would make me nervous to land here though -- no tower!
Sometimes I wonder if these interesting features along the route have sprung up within the last 10 years. In high school I trained to be a tour guide on the railroad (didn't make the final cut, unfortunately) and we learned TONS of random Alaska information. But the aforementioned plane landing strip and this mountain of cars aren't ringing any bells. 
Nice view of the Chugach Mountains and Westchester Lagoon near downtown. I used to run along the lagoon and the Coastal Trail. There are some crazy expensive houses along the water here and the Inlet - think million-dollar homes.
More of Cook Inlet, as the train gets closer to the depot.
Overall a great trip! I'm glad I tore myself away from work and enjoyed the experience.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Choo choo 2
The weather wasn't so fabulous yesterday (like I expected) for the train excursion, but the precipitation stayed away and that's always appreciated on a trip!
Trains can't exactly turn around on the track, so our 3 cars were sandwiched between two engines -- when we reached Indian, the train stopped for about 15 minutes and we reversed direction. Here is the train as we waited to board in Anchorage:
The huge glass windows are fabulous for spotting animals -- we saw 5 moose in Potter Marsh and 2 dall sheep on the mountainside as the train rolled by.
One of our "volunteers" is a therapy dog named Zoe - she and her handler come to our facility and hang out with people undergoing treatment. I even made her a special certificate (the Auxiliary all get them during the luncheon) with her volunteer hours on them. She is the sweetest dog -- so quiet and well-behaved. I'm surprised they let her on the train though!
I absolutely love Mt. Susitna -- although we locals usually call it "Sleeping Lady." She lies across Cook Inlet from Anchorage.
Chugging along the tracks which border Turnagain Arm.
Played with my the macro feature on my camera for a bit:
More photos to follow!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Resolution
I wasn't sure how to talk about this because I get upset everytime I think about the circumstances and to what extent chance played into what happened, but the court verdict is finally in and this monster is going to jail. I thought about going to the courtroom for the announcement but couldn't. It's hard for me to even watch the news coverage of the trial on tv.
My friend was murdered in December of 2007 by this person and although nothing can bring Jason back, we can rest a little easier knowing that the person who did it will be sentenced and put in jail. I don't care if he goes into a mental facility or prison or they chuck him off Denali, just as long as he doesn't hurt anyone again. It's not right that a good and giving person was taken away from his friends, family and the world in general.
My friend was murdered in December of 2007 by this person and although nothing can bring Jason back, we can rest a little easier knowing that the person who did it will be sentenced and put in jail. I don't care if he goes into a mental facility or prison or they chuck him off Denali, just as long as he doesn't hurt anyone again. It's not right that a good and giving person was taken away from his friends, family and the world in general.
Choo-choo
I'll be taking a little train trip today -- and if you can believe it, the weather will be cooperating! The skies have been blue and sunny, no clouds in sight. And the temperatures are finally hitting 50 degrees so more and more snow is melting every day.
Back to the train - my workplace hosts an annual luncheon to honor our committed band of volunteers and for the 9 years I've been with the company, the event is held at a hotel. It's always nice, but a tad bit predictable. However, this year we'll be cruising along Turnagain Arm in a swanky dining car on the Alaska Railroad -- all the way to Indian, Alaska! Indian is only about 30 minutes from Anchorage by car, but the railroad goes WAY slow, so the trip will take twice as long. Like if you take the train to Seward (a 2.5 hour trip by car) it's a mind-numbing all day trip. Which is great for tourists but most Alaskans like to get around fast!
Hopefully I'll have time to take some photos because that stretch of highway is GORGEOUS! It runs right next to the water.
Back to the train - my workplace hosts an annual luncheon to honor our committed band of volunteers and for the 9 years I've been with the company, the event is held at a hotel. It's always nice, but a tad bit predictable. However, this year we'll be cruising along Turnagain Arm in a swanky dining car on the Alaska Railroad -- all the way to Indian, Alaska! Indian is only about 30 minutes from Anchorage by car, but the railroad goes WAY slow, so the trip will take twice as long. Like if you take the train to Seward (a 2.5 hour trip by car) it's a mind-numbing all day trip. Which is great for tourists but most Alaskans like to get around fast!
Hopefully I'll have time to take some photos because that stretch of highway is GORGEOUS! It runs right next to the water.
Monday, April 20, 2009
B-day wishes
Oh shoot, I've been so bad with birthdays lately. Just wanted to give a shout-out to my cousin Stacy -- her birthday was this past weekend. Happy birthday!
Weekend exploring
On Sunday, Drift and I went out for a nice long walk to enjoy the lovely spring weather (for now). For some reason we always seem to get a big snowstorm in April or May and I'm hoping that doesn't happen this year.
The roads near our home are undergoing constant construction, which means minor annoyances for the short haul but a nice finished product in the long run. Because you know the old saying, there are only two seasons in Alaska: winter and construction.
Previously, this road had no sidewalks so we walked in fear of being run over by cars -- the city has since redone the street and left space for sidewalks, although they have yet to be paved.
Our house is about a mile away from the equestrian corridor, and many homes in the area feature hay barns and horse stalls. It's pretty common to see horses and their riders sharing the sidewalk with bikers, walkers and runners -- and to see horse patties along the route too, which is gross. I wonder if horse people get a lot of grief over that, because I know pet owners get yelled at for not picking waste in public areas. Anyway, Drift FREAKED OUT when he saw this duo getting ready to cross the street. They waited for me and the crazy dog to get a good distance away before coming to our side of the road.
It may be dry and green Outside, but winter snows are stubborn up here. This trail was nice and quiet, but bears are emerging from their dens now so we tried to make some noise on the hike.
Another trail that we tried to take but the ground was still way too wet (at least it was for me -- the wetter, the better for Drift).
You know that dog sledding saying, "the view never changes unless you're the lead dog?" Well, guess who the lead dog is and what my view looks like...
The roads near our home are undergoing constant construction, which means minor annoyances for the short haul but a nice finished product in the long run. Because you know the old saying, there are only two seasons in Alaska: winter and construction.
Previously, this road had no sidewalks so we walked in fear of being run over by cars -- the city has since redone the street and left space for sidewalks, although they have yet to be paved.
Our house is about a mile away from the equestrian corridor, and many homes in the area feature hay barns and horse stalls. It's pretty common to see horses and their riders sharing the sidewalk with bikers, walkers and runners -- and to see horse patties along the route too, which is gross. I wonder if horse people get a lot of grief over that, because I know pet owners get yelled at for not picking waste in public areas. Anyway, Drift FREAKED OUT when he saw this duo getting ready to cross the street. They waited for me and the crazy dog to get a good distance away before coming to our side of the road.
It may be dry and green Outside, but winter snows are stubborn up here. This trail was nice and quiet, but bears are emerging from their dens now so we tried to make some noise on the hike.
Another trail that we tried to take but the ground was still way too wet (at least it was for me -- the wetter, the better for Drift).
You know that dog sledding saying, "the view never changes unless you're the lead dog?" Well, guess who the lead dog is and what my view looks like...
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Lazy Sunday
Go ahead, take the day off and relax. Here, Pepper will show you how...
First, hunt for a cozy space to snuggle up in:
First, hunt for a cozy space to snuggle up in:
Then launch yourself in and get comfortables:
Ah, nothing like a space of your own!
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