stone_feather

Dawgs

2010-02-07T14:44:00.000-08:00

Today I'm not feeling too swell.

But I am thankful for my dogs. They have changed my life. I think they help satisfy the large part of me that wants to give, to care for something other than myself. Their personalities are like yin and yang.

Joker (the white dog) is mellow and a little bit morose or "Eeyore"; "unbelievably loveable..[and] dismally gloomy for almost eternity. But that’s not Eeyore’s perception of himself, according to him; he doesn’t expect too much of himself and therefore remains quiet for most of the time." I think that is about right for Joker. I would say he is more Yin. Joker is 5. Joker gets really wound up when we come home from work, when he sees the leash, a bike, one of our ski buddies pull into the drive way, and on the way to the dog park. He could care less about toys, but will fetch something for you if Bogie is not around to annoy him (especially if he knows you have a treat). Its pretty flattering to have his undying affection.

Bogie, on the other hand, is about to turn 3. He is yang. He is very crazy and gets riled up easily; he always wants to play. He is obsessive about toys and wont give you any rest if he has a toy, frisbee, etc., or if said object is within sight but out of reach (say, under the couch). We once played fetch with him in a glacial lake, and couldn't figure out why he was whining and acting stressed out while he swam for the ball. Then we got it: he began shivering. But wouldn't get out of the water until we put yhr ball away. But he is oddly calm whenever Joker is losing it (see above). I feel he has no cartoon doppleganger. He is oddly affectionate for such a crazy, high energy dog. I like the spice he brings into our lives. He's a big motivator to get outdoors as well.

Snow Day

2010-02-06T12:17:00.000-08:00

Snowed all night. Joe decided to go skiing, I decided to stay home and get over my sniffles. Stuck with my thoughts. I think there's a reason for that. I need to make peace with myself.

I'm feeling grateful..for the way the snow arcs through the air and into the pile while Joe clears it with the snow plow. For friends like Barkeley that show up to carpool down to the ski resort. For the snow on the dogs backs when they come in from outside. Made the trip to the mailbox and that was enough outdoors for me for now.

I'm baaaack!

2010-02-05T21:23:00.000-08:00

Well no one may read this thing but me, but that is OK.

I have been sensing lately that I essentially need to be creative. Period. For me, part of self care is making time to create..I get little clues here and there that this is what my spirit wants. Like when I'm riding my snow bike through the woods, and a line of a poem goes through my head.

"On the Sasquatch trail, barely wide enough for a gnome, "

and then it's gone. I wonder what would happen if I sat with the words.

Joe riding, cloaked in darkness

Then another time, I got way behind Joe on a big hill, and I stopped to take a layer off because I was getting too hot. I was rewarded by the most awesome frost hoar crystals, they looked like feathers on a bird!

"The mountain fluffed her feathers in the night,
in sun, she is cloaked in glitter"

Again, I wonder. What could happen?

One of the last times we went skiing, we hiked for about an hour to the top of the peak, and when we got to the top and it came to be my turn to ski down, there was a bit of a lip I had to drop off of. It was only like two feet or something, but in the past, this would have freaked me out. I can feel something in me changing. I am getting a little more brave. I am cultivating faith as I drop off the edge, and into the sunlight.

Here is Ryan Skiing down that day.

I am on the edge of something.
I can almost see what it is;
Smell it, taste it, imagine it.
Is it a dream?
Or, if I am brave, can it be my life.

Can I be brave enough to believe?
I can change my own life.

Me at Kirkwood around Christmas

Coming out of Darkness!

2006-04-01T16:47:00.000-08:00

The equinox passed last week, and the pussy willows are coming out. Buds are swelling and I the seeds I planted for our garden in little peat pots in the window are growing like crazy. I can't wait to plant our garden.
The snow is melting fast and only remains in spots where it was deep or in areas in the shade.

Everything is coming out of darkness and waking up, as well as my mind!

Musings Global Warming

2006-01-10T16:49:00.000-08:00

Maybe it's just the SAD creeping in, but I sure have been thinking about it alot recently. There's alotta talk on the news up here seems like at least once a week I hear something about it. Glaciers retreating. Spruce Bark Beetles having their way. 2005 was the warmest year on record next to 1998. Polar bears are having to swim alot more. And the polar ice cap is retreating.

I guess what's got me thinking about all of this happens to be the book that Joe got me for Christmas, Thin Ice, by Mark Bowen

It's Cold: different ways of looking at it

2005-12-04T18:38:00.000-08:00

We awoke to crystal trees
And chain link/ice fences,
Triangles of frozen air
Peeking between superfrozen metal frames.

Looking up toward the sun
through double-paned window,
standing over the heater vent in my bathrobe,
The air is full of glitter.

Today a thin
sand-snow powders down all day long
sticking to the frost
so that ice-trees become snow trees.

Icicles begin to rival men in size
Stopsigns become yield signs.
Another day goes by
That I don't get outside while the sun is up.

Today we drove here in the dark,
To make turn after turn over fresh powder,
Shivering on the way up the lifts before we do it again.
We drive back, a line of yellow lights winding west in the dark.

Humankind Program: Count Your Blessings

2005-11-22T19:22:00.000-08:00

I heard this great radio program on the show Humankind on NPR today about being grateful Humankind Program: Count Your Blessings. Click to Listen to the show.

Things I am grateful for:
my husband
skiing
snow falling
the bow of a fishing pole
seeing your breath in the winter
nutritious food
friends near and far
family near and far
mountains
water
birds
whales
trees
evening light
stars
snow falling in streetlight beams
studded tires...

The Saga of Alaska weather continues..

2005-11-22T18:57:00.000-08:00

So, after all that beautiful snow, it rained for a day and warmed up to a balmy 35 degrees F. Then, two days later, it snowed another couple of inches. I actually went (x-c) skiing here in town on the hillside on Sunday night, and might go tonight as well. If you're wondering how cold it actually is here, visit the NOAA Forecast page for Anchorage.

It Snowed!

2005-11-15T18:12:00.000-08:00

Someone must have been listening to all my ranting yesterday. We got a little dusting of snow this afternoon, while I was working in the field, to my delight! And the weather forecast has now been revised to include snow thru the weekend. I'm hoping to ski soon...

A Prayer for Snow

Each day I wake
and part the curtains of my dark room
to look out into the darkness
white phantoms dancing in my imagination

Will there be a new mantle
of white
touching everything
ever so softly?

All is suspended,
waiting
for winter.

We Want SNOW!

2005-11-14T23:21:00.000-08:00

Sunrise: 9:04AM Sunset: 4:23PM Current Temp 21°F
Yesterday we went x-c skiing at Hatcher's Pass, driving an hour and a half to find snow. There was snow in Girdwood a half hour away, but ski races had everything all shut down. There has been three tiny snowfalls since the day before Halloween, probably adding up to a whole half of an inch total. Just enough to make neighborhood streets icy in the shady spots, and so that some of the brown deadness of late fall in Alaska has been covered up. I want it to dump! I want it to drop a load of white stuff all over the place. I want to taste snowflakes on my tounge, to hear my skis pushing off beneath me, I want the crunch under my feet, to have to shovel the driveway, and to tap my feet together before I swing my feet into the car. I want it all! I want the snow to fall silently under a calm gray sky, covering every detail of the forest, outlining all the intricacies of the branches of trees and shrubs. I want to watch it fall, silently. It falls much slower than rain, and I think it is one of the most beautiful things in life, to watch snow fall. Last year I would wake up and look out my bedroom window, towards the nearest streetlight to see if snow was falling through the peachy-yellow cone that was case below it. The excitement would well up in my heart as I parted the curtains. I am waiting for that feeling to come again as I open the curtains each day to the dark Alaskan mornings.

We just Got MARRIED!!!??

2005-09-02T00:06:00.000-07:00

We just Got MARRIED!!!??
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

Tying "the Knot" for REAL

2005-09-02T00:05:00.001-07:00

Tying "the Knot" for REAL
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

We Finally did it!
09.02.05

The Crew

2005-09-02T00:05:00.000-07:00

The Crew
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

An Amazing Day

2005-09-02T00:04:00.000-07:00

An Amazing Day
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

Russian River

2005-07-20T23:42:00.000-07:00

Russian River
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

Joe and I on a little hike we took to the Russian River in July.

Dip-netting- Joe's Catch

2005-07-20T23:40:00.000-07:00

Dip-netting- Joe's Catch
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

Joe getting food for us back in July at the mouth of the Kenai. We're allowed to catch 30 fish for our two person household, to feed our family.

Michaela's Dolly 6.18.05

2005-06-18T23:43:00.000-07:00

Michaela's Dolly 6.18.05
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

Michaela holds a fond place in many people's hearts, with the exception of this Dolly Varden.

Anchorage

2005-06-14T23:41:00.000-07:00

Anchorage
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

our beautiful anchor-town in the summer.

Joe's Eagle 2.19.05

2005-03-06T12:05:00.000-08:00

Joe's Eagle
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

Sometimes I think Joe is a raptor trapped in a human's body.

Pine Grosbeaks 2.28.05

2005-03-06T12:03:00.000-08:00

Pine Grosbeaks
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

These guys were chowing on berries near me, during a light snow. What a treat of color in the winter!

Morning Light on Denali 2.22.05

2005-03-06T12:01:00.000-08:00

Morning Light on Denali
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

Almost every day here comes a moment in which I just say "wow" to myself. I love living in such a place that takes my breath away. I think I am in love.

Me & Joe Skiing the Coastal Trail 2.19.05

2005-03-06T11:59:00.000-08:00

Me & Joe Skiing the Coastal Trail
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

It's really feeling like spring now. The sun gets very high, and the x-c skiing has been great. This trail is less than a mile from our house, and goes nine miles along the inlet. This was our first time skiing it this year, since there hasn't been much snow. I finally bought my own skis and took some lessons, so I am having much fun and keeping in shape with all the skiing. I like it so much that it's distracting me from climbing!

Plane Landing at Pt. Woronzof 2.15.05

2005-03-06T11:54:00.000-08:00

Plane Landing at Pt. Woronzof
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

Such a beautiful day. A very Anchorage shot because there is so much air traffic here. It was really beginning to feel like spring.

Bohemian Waxwing Cutie

2005-03-06T11:50:00.000-08:00

DSCF2622
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

A whole flock of these guys flew up next to me and were gorging on berries in the golden evening light. They sure put on a show, and got very close.

Me & Joe Skating at Westchester Lagoon

2005-01-25T01:38:00.000-08:00

Me & Joe Skating at Westchester Lagoon
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

We went for a skate in the evening at the Lagoon, just after they had hot-mopped it to make it smooth for skating. It was really fun. A lady took this picture for us, and I asked her to get the mountains behind us. She said, "You must not be from Anchorage." I explained that Joe is, but I'm not. But I think that if I was from Anchorage, I would still want the ding dang mountains behind me! Nobody likes what they've got. I'm not a subscriber to that. When I lived in CA, I liked my green hills in the winter and my golden ones in the summer, thankyouverymuch. Now that I live here, I like my mountains, sea and snow.

Bohemian Waxwing at Pt. Woronzof

2005-01-23T09:41:00.001-08:00

Bohemian Waxwing at Pt. Woronzof
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

These 'brave' birds spend their winters in Anchorage, like the Cedar Waxwings spend their winters on the Central Coast of CA, where I am from. They are bigger and chunkier than the Cedars, and act about the same, calling incessantly, gorging themselves on berries, hanging out in the tops of trees, and lying in tight groups. They breed in the Interior of Alaska.

Amanda at Westchester Lagoon

2005-01-22T22:06:00.000-08:00

Amanda at Westchester Lagoon
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

Me, skating away. Notice that I am beginning to break the 'Grandma'posture while I am skating. I am not so bent over, with the arms sticking out to the sides any more, sashaying back and forth, anymore. One skate is actually almost off the ice!

Back in AK

2005-01-11T01:14:00.000-08:00

Frost covered Devil's Club
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

Joe and I went for a walk the other day in a frosty forest to go see the sunset. I realized that even though Alaska may not be where I want to spend my life, I am happy here now. I'm experiencing my first real winter. That's something I bet I'll never forget: what it feels like to rush at scraping ice off your windshield, in the dark, when you are late for work in the morning, just because you want to be able to see through the windows. Or maybe, I'll remember many nights that I have looked out my bedroom window in the middle of the night, to see snow lazily falling in the cone of yellow light of the streetlight on the corner, and begun to cry (in a good way).

You can never go back...

2005-01-11T01:08:00.000-08:00

Tamara at Montana de Oro
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

They say you can never go back. I think that's crap. Even though my holiday/climbing trip to CA was hampered by bad winter storms (aren't we talking about CA and not AK here?) and sickness, I still enjoyed being in my home ecosystem, with my family and some of my old and best friends. I even got one nice day of weather to go birding at Montana de Oro, San Luis Obispo county, and then eat fish tacos.
But my worst fear, not wanting to go back to Alaska, was not realized. On the day I was to leave, there was nothing more I wanted than to get back home. I was glad to think of it as home. I guess I never considered it home until I left.

Sunset over Knik Arm, Anchorage, AK 12.12.04

2004-12-13T15:09:00.000-08:00

Sunset over Knik Arm, Anchorage, AK 12.12.04
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

One of the times I am reminded of why I love Alaska. This afternoon went from a gloomy gray day with less than 2km visibility to this! The landscape forever surprises me.

Sunset over Knik Arm, Anchorage, AK 12.12.04

2004-12-13T15:06:00.000-08:00

Sunset over Knik Arm, Anchorage, AK 12.12.04
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

ahhh. note cool ring around pancake ice in lower half.

Ptarmigan

2004-12-13T15:05:00.000-08:00

Ptarmigan
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

This very "intelligent" bird kept flying down the road and landing again so I took lots of pics of it...

Pretty snowy trees in my back yard

2004-11-30T22:21:00.000-08:00

Pretty snowy trees in my back yard
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

I love snow storms. Seems that it just always melts off though, I am just waiting for it to finally freeze. The low tonight in Anchorage is supposed to be the same as San Luis Obispo...
I want the snow to stick. Bad. No more of this ice business! Freeze, thaw, freeze, thaw, ice, oops, I ate it again! I want snow on the ground by new years eve, dammit! 6:08 daylight today, 4:27 on Dec 21, but 18:23 on June 21! Ahh, looking forward to two weeks of 'normal' daylight hours in CA for the holidays!
~Amanda

Me Working Hard or Hardly Working

2004-11-30T22:06:00.000-08:00

Me Working Hard or Hardly Working
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

Looking for Beluga Whales, Anchorage, AK, 11.29.04

Sunset, Kashwitna Lake

2004-11-03T15:35:00.000-08:00

Sunset, Kashwitna Lake
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

8.7.04. We took alot of pictures on the drive home from a fishing trip to Montana Creek. A Glorious evening!

Fall colors near Eklutna

2004-11-03T15:33:00.000-08:00

Fall colors near Eklutna
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

I've been working on a beluga whale sutdy since the end of September, which has given me alot of time to spend on land and on a boat in Knik Arm, looking for whales and admiring the scenery.

On Leaving Teshekpuk Lake, AK

2004-08-05T15:00:00.000-07:00

I was at the camp at Teshekpuk for seven and a half weeks, which was about halfway between Barrow and Prudhoe Bay, AK, on the northern Arctic Slope, more commonly called the North Slope. The tundra is an immense space with more sky and tiny lakes than anyone could possibly imagine. If you are up on a hill, you can see the horizon in all directions. I saw many birds, including King Eiders, Spectacled Eiders, Black Bellied Plovers, American Golden Plovers, Red and Red-necked Phalaropes, Long-tailed Ducks, Northern Pintails, Sabine's Gulls, Arctic Terns and many more go through their mating and nesting rituals. I was working on a nesting study of the King Eiders. I walked many, many miles over the tundra in hip waders, which were definitely not designed with hiking in mind, but my body got used to it. I increased the different kinds of surfaces walked on in my repertoire. Squishy low flat tundra. Tussocks. Boot sucking and many other kinds of mud. Floating mats of grass and peat. Ice on the bottom of tundra ponds. I learned to accept mosquitoes as part of life. I squished them with relish whenever I had the chance, prayed for wind on hot days to keep them away, and cherished cold or windy days because it kept them down. They really weren't as bad as I thought they would be. My other greatest fear, seeing a bear, was never realized. I saw the tundra go from gray-brown and snow-dotted to green and dotted with a succession of wildflowers, and before I left it had mostly faded back to that washed out color, rich in seed heads and willow-fluff. Fall. The caribou returned from their hiatus at Teshekpuk Lake, fifteen miles away, where they waded as a respite from the mosquitoes during the time when the bugs were the worst. They would spend their dark winter on wind-exposed hilltops, like the one our camp perched upon, grazing where there was little snow. The sun was getting lower on the horizon each night. One of the last nights I was there, I stood staring at it, burning my eyes some before looking away from the bit of a disc peeping over the northern horizon. The sun would set in Barrow for the first time since May 10th on August 2nd. I knew my time here was about through, and that darkness and blowing snow would soon blanket this vast tundra.

I returned to civilization on July 27. We flew out of camp at Teshekpuk Lake to Barrow, AK. Tears welled in my eyes as we lifted off over our camp. I loved this place. I stared out at the tundra lakes and polygons and caribou trails as we flew back. When we had left camp, I had felt pretty clean, having swum three times in the last two days in the creek by camp. We had wonderful weather in the last few days before leaving, warm and windy. The mosquitoes couldn't land, so we had walked around in tank tops. Now that I was standing on the black top on the helipad in Barrow, I felt very dirty, looking down at my stained wind breaker, and pants that I hadn't washed at all in the last two months except the rinse in the creek I had given them a few days before. After my first shower, repacking and having dinner with the others from the survey, I flew from Barrow to Fairbanks that same night, and met Joe there. I experienced my first darkness since June 2 that night.
After two lazy days in Fairbanks, we drove toward Anchorage. Near Denali NP, we realized the alternator belt was pretty shot, but by then the auto parts store was closed, so we headed on down the road with no music, listening to the whap whap whap, looking for rainbows against the mountains...until we found a nice campsite in Denali State Park. We made dinner and camped in our new tent in the rain. I liked the sound of the rain and sleeping in a quiet tent again. It was mind-numbing to be in the midst of a forest after being on the tundra for two months. The next day (7/30), we successfully made it back to Anchorage. We pulled into Joe's driveway there, and Joe went about replacing the belt. I just stood there, staring at the houses, hearing the planes flying over. I think it really hit me then. I was back. I had an ache in my heart to hear the tundra birds again. To hear the wind playing my tent. Loons wailing and barking on the lake below. To be a hermit again. Anchorage is not a place for hermits, with lots of air traffic, cars, skyscrapers, expressways, neighborhoods, lawn-mowers, etc. I was standing in a typical American neighborhood, feeling very atypical.
Midnight Sun, Teshekpuk Lake, AK
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

Weschester Lagoon, Anchorage, AK

2004-08-05T14:40:00.000-07:00

This is from one of our evening walks in Anchorage. The evening light is beautiful.

Weschester Lagoon, Anchorage, AK
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

Clouds near camp, Teshekpuk Lake, 6.16.04

2004-08-02T20:09:00.000-07:00

That is my tent! We got some thunder and lightening in that storm.

Clouds near camp, Teshekpuk Lake, 6.16.04
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

Amanda holding male King Eider, 6.14.04

2004-08-02T20:05:00.000-07:00

This eider had just been implanted with a Satellite Transmitter. It is 3AM, thus the bags under the eyes.

Amanda holding male King Eider, 6.14.04
Originally uploaded by stonefeather.

Joe on "Viper", Squamish Boulders. 06/2004

2004-08-02T19:42:00.000-07:00

Moses Potter took me climbing in Squamish on my way to Anchorage, AK. This is one of the "classics" I was able to get up.