Oliver Family in Kodiak, Alaska

Interview with Excessory artist Jeanette James

2012-01-15T14:46:00.000-08:00

The big news around here is upcoming travel for the kids - first on a family vacation to Hawaii, and then on to Australia with their dad. The trips won't take place until March but they are the topic of daily discussion. Of course, I am so excited for their first trip to Oz, their first international adventure, and the opportunity to spend five weeks with their family in Tasmania. As part of our research into all things Tassie, we even found a you-tube video of their Nana Jeanette! The kids were ecstatic and are convinced that this means Nana is a celebrity. The truth is that their Nana and Great-Nan are accomplished artists, and stewards of an important tradition in Tasmania. Even though it's hard for me to think about being away from Lucas and Maya for so long, I recognize that they are so fortunate to be a part of this family, and have a connection to another extraordinary Pacific island. They are so ready.

Easter Weekend

2011-04-25T20:23:00.001-07:00

As I write this evening, I am still full from Easter Sunday dinner 24 hours before. We started cooking at noon and eating at two - artichoke dip and two kinds of rolls, baked ham, roasted brussells sprouts, mashed potatoes, spinach salad, fruit salad, finished off with key lime pie and frangelico-spiked coffee. Yum!

But before there was dinner, there were the eggs. Our family traditionally blows out eggs before dyeing. When we were growing up in Haines, we competed in annual Easter blown-egg diaroma events, sponsored by the local bank. My sister Anne won grand prize in 1984 with her imaginative scene of a stern watermelon farmer discovering a little boy tasting the prized melons in his patch. Farmer, boy and fruit were are all rendered from blown eggs.

We didn't quite reach that level of awesomeness, but we did provide lots of art supplies and encouragement for the kids. Lucas turned one egg into a menacing dragon. Maya decided to do a self-portrait style glamour bunny. Photos above show some of the fun.

Marine Inspired Art

2011-04-10T13:49:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I took the kids to an art program sponsored by the Kodiak Arts Council and National Marine Fisheries at the Fisheries Research Center. The idea was to create artwork, specifically felt sea anemones, based on inspirations from our local maritime environs. We spent the first part of the program downstairs at the touch tank while a local marine scientist talked to the kids about sea anemone biology, eating habits and, er, lifestyle. It turned out that male and female sea anemones were releasing egg and sperm into the tank that weekend - a special event that was mostly lost on the kids. Lucas was more interested in learning how sea anemone colonies wage warfare against invading hoards (of other sea anemones) by whacking one another and releasing tiny barbed points. I had always thought sea anemones were fairly innocuous, but turns out they are predatory animals.

The kids loved the art activity, too. We created brightly colored anemones using felt and yarn. There's another Marine Inspired Art program on April 30th (http://www.kodiakartscouncil.org/) - check it out!

Banya

2011-03-27T09:53:00.000-07:00

Last spring Toby built us a banya in the backyard. It's made of rough-cut spruce from Island Lake sawmill and features an old US Navy barrel stove. The construction is patterned after the banya at his fish camp in Uganik, which was built by Ronnie Fadaoff in 1979. The kids only stay in for a few minutes. I'm usually good for a few rounds of alternately sitting in the hot banya and standing out in the cold night air. It is during these periods of cool respite that I remember I need to patch up all the missing boards in the privacy fence. If you are unfamiliar with the idea ... "banya" is a Russian word for steam bath or sauna. The Native people of Kodiak also had a steam bath tradition pre-dating Russian contact. Large rocks are heated on a wood-burning stove, and water is periodically splashed onto the rocks producing hot steam. It's lovely.

Swamp Things

2011-03-22T22:23:00.001-07:00

Maya continues to love her twice-weekly dance classes and this spring we are preparing for a recital based on scenes and songs from the Princess and the Frog. Maya gets to play two different creatures from the Louisiana bayou - a frog for her tap dance class and a snake for her creative dance class. I'm completely in love with her costumes this year, as I am every year. And she gets to hop and slither as well as shuffle ball change and port de bras. Everyone is happy!

In Seward

2011-03-19T19:18:00.000-07:00

Over spring break we took the kids to Homer on the Tustumena, then drove up to Seward and Anchorage. I made this short movie of the kids talking about William Seward and their favorite part of visiting the beautiful seaside town.

The video could alternatively be titled "Alaskan children cannot tolerate the sunshine." Apparently there was also something really funny happening at the beginning, unbeknownst to me. But I couldn't quite bring myself to edit out all the superfluous laughter.

When asked to name their favorite thing about Seward, Lucas responds with "the candy store" which is Sweet Darlings (www.sweetdarlings.com) where we bought delicious truffles and taffy. I noticed a sign on the door saying that Seward needs young entrepreneurs, and the business and the National Register building could be for sale for the right buyer. Sounds like an absolute dream to me. Maya says "the SeaLife center" which was also a fun and fabulous place to visit. You can learn all about it at www.alaskasealife.org.

Sibling Love ... or Tolerance

2011-02-27T23:15:00.000-08:00

I don't want to jinx it by writing it down, but the kids have been getting along really well lately. There are even frequent and overt displays of sibling love as witnessed in the photos above. Much of the credit goes to Lucas for tolerating Maya's need to be first/right/in control. He also responds well when she crowds into his space for some cuddling.

Of course there are arguments and moments when he is not feeling so generous. I thought his message to Auntie Anne for the gift of a door alarm was clever and honest, if not entirely appropriate for a thank-you note.

Happy Christmas

2010-12-25T20:13:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone! May your days be as merry and bright as ours have been in beautiful snowy Kodiak. I am feeling nostalgic and posted a photo of the kids in front of the christmas tree from this year and from 2007 (when I started this blog).

The Boston cousin

2010-12-14T17:35:00.000-08:00

My sister Amelia and her family, including the cupie doll in the photo above, recently moved across the country to Boston. While I am excited for her and the opportunity to explore and experience bean town life and culture, I know we will miss them terribly. Last night I discovered the kids huddled together listening to voice recordings of cousin Rostam on Lucas' Nintendo DSi. They consisted mostly of: "Rostam, say Thanksgiving!" "Thanksgiving." "Good job, Rostam!" Laughter. Repeat with new subject.

I know the kids were successful at imparting all sorts of questionable K-2 influence over their verbal young cousin while he was in Kodiak before the move. I'm pretty sure I heard him say, "What the shell?" one afternoon, which is directly from Lucas and a holdover from his previous teenage mutant ninja turtle infatuation. I'm sure my sister can handle it.

I've got a golden ornament

2010-12-09T16:57:00.000-08:00

Isn't this the most poised and graceful and adorable ornament you've ever seen? This weekend, Maya will join 225 other dancers in the local production of the Nutcracker. I blogged about Lucas' turn as a baby mouse three years ago here http://oliverkodiak.blogspot.com/2007/11/of-mouse-and-boy.html, referencing my own (exquisitely awkward) performance as an icicle in the show some 20 years ago.

This year, I have observed Maya take more notice of her technique. She tucks in her thumbs, she is aware of the curve of her arm. Of course she is only five, so there is still a healthy dose of chaos in her dancing. If you are watching the Nutcracker this Friday night or Saturday matinee, look for the six golden ornaments in Act I, Scene I. Maya is the first one on stage right (that's the audience's left!).

I'll be there Friday night selling $1 tickets to benefit the Arts Council. The drawing winner of the night wins two tickets to Beauty and the Beast (local production in March '11) and 2nd place is tickets to the Arts Council Arts and Adventure Auction on January 22nd. You can get your Nutcracker tickets online at http://www.kodiakartscouncil.org/.

Christmas Cards

2010-12-08T15:14:00.001-08:00

Our Christmas cards have arrived! After staging an unsuccessful photo shoot at Mill Bay beach, I decided to build the cards with photographs from late summer. My sister pointed out that the children, at ages 5 and 7, are not changing quite so significantly month by month as they were as toddlers. Thus, a summer photo will work just fine.

I obsessed a bit with card design, layout and photo choice, and ended up with three cards, all of which I desperately wanted. But this is the winner. Now if only I could get them in the mail ...

Thankful Trees

2010-11-29T17:22:00.000-08:00

Thankful trees have become a family tradition. It's an activity that my sister came up with when she was running her early learning program Bright Start. The kids trace leaf patterns and cut them out and write things that are thankful for on them. They then make a collage tree and glue the leaves on each tree. Family always figures significantly on the thankful trees, possibly because we are all there hovering over the children as they work. This year, Maya was determined to do her tree entirely on her own. She didn't want to ask for spelling help either, so she ended up being thankful for a number of three-letter words she was sure of like "cat" and "dog". I suppose I should be thankful for her independence.

Photos above: Lucas is thankful for cousins, Maya with her tree, and my mom's beautiful pumpkin chiffon pie for good measure. For about a month I inadvertently had my camera on 1600 ISO speed, after trying to take jack-o-lantern pics, so these photos are a bit grainy.

Fall photos

2010-11-20T12:16:00.000-08:00

I'm just trying to get back in the swing of things with blogging. Life has been so busy with work and travel. I need to become accustomed to carrying my camera with me everywhere once again. Coming soon will be Maya's turn in the Nutcracker and outtakes from the annual photo shoot for a Christmas card. Photos above: Halloween cookies, pumpkin carving, and what was almost a really nice group shot.

Two Pies

2010-09-12T19:12:00.000-07:00

We are having spectacular fall weather in Kodiak. Last night I had planned on making a smoked salmon quiche for dinner but the temps were so high it just didn't feel right. So we had tacos two ways (beef and salmon) and followed up with the always popular blueberry cream cheese pie, made with blueberries picked earlier in the day from our secret patch. My mom's pie crust recipe makes two crusts so I saved the second crust for the quiche. We baked it this morning and carried it along for an afternoon skiff ride and beach picnic. The children were not as excited about the quiche as they were the blueberry pie ...

Snaggletooth

2010-09-09T17:25:00.000-07:00

Lucas seems to be late bloomer when it comes to growing in his adult teeth. Most of the kids in his second grade class are sporting their full front teeth, or at least large happy gaps. Having lost only two bottom teeth, Lucas still has his baby smile, and it's starting to look a bit odd. One tooth, however, is slowly growing out, or being forced out, at a strange angle. I've started calling it snaggletooth. Lucas fiercely resists any attempt to encourage or wiggle that tooth looser. In the photo above, Lucas is telling his Auntie Natasha "no thank you" as she tries to persuade him to let her yank it out.

UPDATE: Sept. 10th and Snaggletooth is gone! Lucas lost his tooth last night over salmon dinner.

Kindergarten!

2010-08-30T13:06:00.000-07:00

Today is Maya's first day of kindergarten. She's barely old enough and just made the minimum age deadline by two weeks. But she has been waiting all summer for this - I remember counting down the days starting from 95 last May. She's in a big class with a great teacher and lots of kids that she knows. And, as you can see, she's all about the mixed stripes and polka-dots. There's no stopping her.

Uganik Again

2010-08-26T16:40:00.000-07:00

We went back out to Toby's site in Uganik last week to make fullest use of the last few days before school. We were blessed with sunny, calm conditions on both the outbound and return skiff ride. The kids love the boat rides, though there is near constant negotiating over who gets to stand in the tip of the bow. It always amazes me, too, how they can fall asleep in an instant in the most remarkable positions. Maya sits on a buoy and leans her head against the rail. Lucas just keels forward a bit and rests his head on the top of his life vest.

On the way out, we encountered a bear swimming through Whale Pass. We didn't notice him until we were close enough to hear him huffing and snorting. He was swimming against a very quick current and making good time. We were all duly impressed with his swimming prowess. And Maya commented that he looked rather like a teddy bear.

Photos above: 1) the bear in Whale Pass, 2) Maya collecting rocks for a painting project, 3) waterfall at Terror Bay, 4) bath time in totes is always a big hit, 5) an evening round of Chinese checkers, 5) Sunset at East Point, around 10:30, just breathtaking.

The Fairy Birthday

2010-08-17T15:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we hosted a fairy-themed party for Maya's 5th birthday. It was an explosion of pink and glitter and glee. She had requested a tea party so I assembled a mish mash of teacups and served raspberry and cherry tea. My sister Anne made dainty PB & J and smoked salmon spread sandwiches cut in fancy shapes with cookie cutters. And my mother made the most exquisite cake! The girls went searching for hidden eggs filled with beads and jewels and fairy charms. Then they sat together and beaded bracelets on memory wire. I was a little concerned that the beading activity would be beyond their skill level and attention threshold, but even the littlest succeeded with a bit of adult assistance.

Photos above - Top: Maya blowing out the candles on her cake. Bottom: After five years, this little girl has her picture posing down pat!

4th of July

2010-07-05T15:01:00.000-07:00

We had a great holiday weekend for the 4th of July. On the 3rd the kids and I went to my brother Bryce's place for an early evening backyard BBQ and fireworks. He had an entire wheelbarrow full of bottle rockets, roman candles, sparklers, smoke bombs, mortars, fountains, ground spinners, and parachutes. The kids would rummage through the wheelbarrow and take their chosen cracker to the nearest adult supervisor for help. Lucas inevitably made skin contact with a lit punk which resulted in much histrionics that only an ice cream sandwich could quiet. After that we launched watermelon rinds over the cliff and into the sea with a three-person slingshot. So much fun, I hope that he and Marlo make it an annual event.

On the evening of the 4th we had Don Corwin over for dinner. Don had just arrived on the Tustemena for another summer season of preservation work on the museum building, and he brought 3 dozen Kachemak Bay oysters from Homer!! We had a great time shucking and slurping oysters on the back porch in the drizzling rain with some Canadian pear cider. Then it was grilled king salmon, corn on the cob, spinach salad and cherry pie for dessert. God bless America.

Photos above: A lovely fresh oyster about to be devoured; Maya posing with the pie before dinner. She helped whip the cream and was quite proud of her pie-making efforts.

Slug Wars

2010-06-30T20:27:00.000-07:00

In the beginning, I told the kids they could have 25 cents for every slug they picked out of the vegetable garden or flower boxes. After paying out $25 dollars in one weekend, I had to reduce the reward to 10 cents per slug. There is an outright proliferation of slugs this year. Big, ugly, slimy slugs that have decimated the lettuce and scarred the violas. There is no trace of the spinach that we planted, and the red chard is full of holes. It is frustrating, and a little disturbing, to have to revisit the garden three of four times a day to pick and kill all the slugs. Maya calls it 'slug patrol'. After asking around for advice, I'm experimenting with beer traps, eggshells and coffee grounds (the latter recommended by Marion Owen in this article).

I've never before seen so many slugs willing to scale the 3-foot high rock planters that hold my relatively small flower boxes. It's quite a feat of endurance. After a bit of internet research, I've learned that the European red slug (Arion rufus) is moving northward and westward throughout Alaska, hitting new communities every year. Great. Exotic invasive slugs. I'm trying not to be discouraged, but for all the bounty money I'm going to have to pay out to protect a head of lettuce ... here's hoping the garden greens are extra tasty.

Photos from top: 1) this fella is just about to reach the top of the waist-high rock planters in my front yard; 2) Maya points out a sizable Arion rufus in the driveway; 3) heap of slugs; 4) the tools of slug pickin': a) salt, b) an apparatus to remove them from the garden/flower beds, could be tweezers or chopsticks but in this case it's the rib bones of some marine skeleton the children discovered on the beach and deposited on the front porch, c) a willing child helper.

Noodle Dogs

2010-06-27T19:40:00.000-07:00

So this isn’t my finest hour of parenting on display here but I’m sharing our Sunday dinner experiment. Lucas calls it ‘noodle dogs’. I’d heard about the idea from a friend on Facebook and thought it would, at the very least, give us some quality time cooking and eating together. In my defense, we did use whole wheat spaghetti and Hebrew Nation kosher hot dogs (100% beef, no filler).

The idea is you thread hot dog coins with dry spaghetti and then cook them together in boiling water for 10 minutes. The don’t-play-with-your-food rule goes out the window with this meal. But the kids were thrilled with it and ate all the accompanying green pea salad, too. Lucas even gave it his highest compliment. He said, "I bet Nana would like to have this recipe!"

The new pixie-cut

2010-06-26T14:13:00.000-07:00

Don't tell Maya this is a bob. She had her heart set on getting a pixie haircut because she thought it might help turn her into a fairy.

I took the kids downtown to Hairmasters this morning for desperately overdue cuts. Lucas can only go for about 8 weeks before it gets extra shaggy and in his eyes. We've been growing out Maya's bangs for 18 months now and kept her hair long. She has quite a bit of hair and was born with a full head of it, hair so long it covered her ears. But the tangles had become unbearable and if we ever skipped the daily 10 minutes of brushing torture, she'd look like a character out of Oliver Twist. So, at her request, we cropped if off. It might not be an official pixie cut, but for purposes of fairy impersonation I think it will work just fine.

Self-Portrait

2010-06-18T17:05:00.000-07:00

This week Lucas took part in an art class with Liz Mitchell called Painting with the Masters. The kids learned about the styles and techniques of different artists over time and tried their hand at emulating the various artforms. Above is Lucas with his self-portrait in the style of Gustav Klimt's golden phase - notice the swirls and gold paint. He gave himself three gold teeth as well. I think it's just fantastic! But then, I am his mother.

Lucas really enjoyed himself in this class. There was no resistance to returning, on the contrary he even displayed a sentiment resembling enthusiasm. After the first day he described an artist named Andy who painted soup cans(!). The class then had the opportunity to paint their own soup cans, but weren't limited to just plain ol' tomato. Lucas told me he painted fish soup. Naturally, because the everyday is the art.

Weeding and Eating

2010-06-13T17:34:00.000-07:00

Oh, Kodiak. I take back every ill thought I had about you during the depths of that long, dark and wet winter. You truly are the greatest place to live. This weekend we had two full days of glorious sunshine and all the pleasure and productivity that comes with the light and warmth. We planted the flower boxes with violas, pansies and trailing lobelia and made a new raised box for the veggie garden. We mowed the lawns, weed-whacked the dandelions and dug out the hawkweed. We grilled king salmon, smoked red salmon and fried razor clams two ways. We ended the day in full light at 10pm with rhubarb-apple crisp and hornitos margaritas. Summer is so good.

Uganik Weekend

2010-06-09T18:54:00.000-07:00

Last week we went out to Uganik again to help set up Toby's site for the season (well, ostensibly to help but we were likely more distraction than assistance) and catch some fish. Lucas and Maya and I skiffed out with Toby on Thursday morning and my sister Amelia and her son Rostam arrived on the mail plane that afternoon. The kids loved fish camp last year - "this place has everything!" - and this time was equally successful even though the monsoon that arrived with Crab Festival persisted throughout the weekend. We played lots of board games, planted the garden, ate fresh grilled salmon, went hunting for morels, and explored neighboring shore lines. We even played train dominoes using various pieces of beach treasure for the trains. High winds kept us from putting a net in the water, but I'm not too disappointed about that. It just means we'll have to go back later in the summer. This weekend I will smoke the rest of last year's salmon to get the freezer clean and ready.

Photos from top: 1) Maya at the cabin when we first arrived, 2) Maya and Amy ready to plant the garden, 3) the group on a morel expedition 4) I asked Lucas to take a picture of me with the morels I found. He decided my head was not necessary. He took a second picture that was just my face obscured by hair and hoodie. We're working on photography. 5) faint rainbow over the bay.

Anchorage Weekend

2010-03-22T09:26:00.000-07:00

We decided on a whim to get away this weekend and take the kids up to Anchorage via Homer on the ferry. The Kennicott was a huge hit and Lucas asked, "Why would anyone fly when you can take a boat with your own hotel room?" Every little amenity was impressive, especially the shower inside the cabin. Pictures of the first day below: 1) Lucas and Maya hanging out in the ferry cabin before bedtime; 2) We stopped at the beautiful Homer library where Lucas hosted storytime for Maya and friends; 3) more stories in the evening at Auntie Amy's house with cousin Rostam.

Gingerbread Houses

2010-01-03T15:14:00.001-08:00

The kids did a great job with their gingerbread houses again this year. Most of the candy preferred for the houses when I was young - necco wafers, spice drops, red hots - are no longer available locally. So we used red vines, gummy bears, lifesavers, m&m's, reeses pieces, swedish fish, and tiny christmas trees and stars. The variety allows each kid to create a completely unique design.

New Years Bang

2010-01-01T23:42:00.001-08:00

My sister Anne took this series of photos of firecracker fun on New Years Day. We are out at the Peninsula Road house in the thick of a 6pm darkness. Last 4th of July, when Maya was 3, it was clear that she wanted to be amonst the lighting and smoking and blasting of firecrackers. It really isn't Lucas' bag. He was soured on the experience by a sparkler burn last year, plus the whole unpredictable explosion element is not his idea of fun. Maya, however, loves the daredevil aspect. She has been fully briefed in firecracker danger. In summary: 1. Light from a safe distance with a punk, 2. Run away as fast as you can 3. Celebrate. Happy New Year!

Christmas Joy

2009-12-31T09:40:00.000-08:00

We have had a fabulous Christmas this year with Amelia, Jason, Tristyn and Rostam flying in from Anchorage and Gavin coming up from Eugene, Oregon. Every day since Christmas eve has been full of family and food and fun. And the weather has been beautiful on those select days when I don't have to work, which lends itself to long walks in the park and lots of fresh air and pink cheeks. Life is so good.

Photos above: Top - Lucas and Maya on Christmas morning ready to open presents from their friend Owen. Maya received a make-up kit recently and favors an emerald green on the bridge of the nose because "it really shows up". Middle - Even when you are four the packaging material is as fun as the actual present. Here Maya enjoys a bit of bubble wrap. Bottom - My sister Anne, it turns out, is a fabulous counter. She won a Buche de Noel from Mill Bay Coffee for correctly guessing the number of snowflakes adorning the establishment (it was 230). Chef Joel had made a large one for the Arts Council dessert auction which was ultimately sold for $300. I was very happy to sample this one - delicious!

Matryoshka Humor

2009-12-29T17:04:00.001-08:00

My kind of humor! Thanks to Jay for thinking of me.

Abercrombie again

2009-11-22T12:05:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we took the kids sledding in Abercrombie. The road up to Miller Point is closed to vehicles over the winter so it makes for riotous fun, and fairly safe sledding.

While at the top, we scoped out the area that is designated for a parking lot. I recently learned that the park will receive $1.3 million in cruise ship head-tax monies, the majority of which will fund road access improvements (re: paving) and the creation of a large vehicle (re: tour bus) turn-around area at the current Miller Point campground. I have mixed feeling about this plan. I am sympathetic to the need to preserve the WWII installations and structures and understand that the campground may be better suited for another area of the park. I also support the Military History Museum and I have much respect for the people who have built a gem of a cultural institution over the years through hard work and volunteerism. Last summer I visited the Museum three times with guests ranging in age from 4 to 70 and everyone had a great time on each visit. On the other hand, I think it is a tragically terrible idea to pave paradise and put up a parking lot. I believe in access improvements in our state parks, but this seems unnecessary, even detrimental to the resources of value. On a recent radio interview on KMXT, Military History Museum staff estimated that they had around 20,000 visitors over the 2009 summer season. If 20,000 visitors made it up to Miller Point in five months under current entry conditions, I would argue that there is not an access problem.

Abercrombie park is heavily used by locals. My family and many other Kodiak residents use the park year-round for recreation: hiking, running, tidepooling, picnicing, kayaking, berry picking, sledding, ice skating, and more. On yesterday's hike there were countless tracks by people and critters walking through and around the forested trails. I don't necessarily feel that I am more entitled to use the park than a summer day visitor, but I wonder what kind of visitor use pattern is park management trying to encourage? I hope that the State Parks Advisory Board will issue a public statement explaining and defending the plan for a large asphalt parking lot at Miller Point.

November Stroll

2009-11-02T21:47:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, the first of November, was a brilliant day in Kodiak and we took the kids for a walk on Near Island. The back hike with the trail head near Trident Basin is my favorite walk with them. You get woods, beach and beautiful open vistas. I do get anxious with the wee bit of sheer cliff near the end (top photo) so I compensate by hollering, "stay on the trail, don't run, DON'T RACE EACH OTHER!" In the top photo above, we are approaching the trails end and the view of the bay with town to the west. In the middle photo, I wanted to get them contemplating wind power and alternative energy sources ... two out of three isn't bad. And the last photo is my beautiful girl with wind-kissed cheeks, just chillin' in the Alaska sunshine.

H-A-double L-O-double U-double E-N

2009-11-01T09:23:00.000-08:00

We had two Halloweens this year and two days of trick-or-treating. On Friday afternoon we took the kids around the local businesses for Kodiak's downtown trick or treat. This always makes for a nice warm-up. We can drill in the requisite manners - take one piece, say thank you - before they are turned loose to beg candy from people in the privacy of their homes.

On Saturday we dressed the kids up again and wandered around the neighborhood around 5 pm, just as the sun was setting. At six and four, mine are young enough to tolerate about a half-hour of walking around in the cold. They are more excited about coming home to distribute candy to others. I'm happy with that, too.

Photos: 1. The cousins ready to make the rounds. 2. Maya as Dorothy complete with sparkly ruby red slippers and Toto in a basket. 3. Our neighbors up the street created a house of horrors with a chainsaw man cutting up bodies in a tent, and a gorilla and the "IT" clown menacing passers-by. It was truly creepy!

It's a Guy Thing (mostly)

2009-09-29T19:07:00.000-07:00

This weekend I had a small part in the Fairwind Players/Loose Edge Reader's Theater production "It's a Guy Thing." All four scenes were sharply-written, perfectly cast, and well executed. My role was a girl-next-door type playing out a number of different relationship scenarios at a party. We played to a full house each night at the drama pod, and the biggest challenge was keeping our timing without running over the audience laughter.

It's been a rather long time since I've done any theater, and I was nervous about my ability to ride the proverbial bike again. But this was so much fun and everyone was committed and collaborative and supportive. There's a camaraderie with theater work that builds quickly and pays great rewards. I had forgotten how much fun it is... the experimentation, the lingo of the theater, the costuming and make-up (where else do I get to wear a red party dress and bronzer?).

There will be another Fairwind Players production this weekend, "Secrets of a Soccer Mom." This is the natural counterpart to "Guy Thing" except that the ladies will be off-script. Should be great! Check out http://www.kodiakartscouncil.org/ for times. And thanks to Pam Foreman for the cast photo above.

Unalaska Conference

2009-09-20T21:23:00.000-07:00

The Alaska Historical Society annual conference was held this year in Unalaska, September 16 - 19. I've been here since Tuesday along with my daughter Maya and fellow Kodiakans Toby, Aldona, and Sven and his daughter Bella. The Alaska Historical Society alternates conference locations each year between urban and rural destinations. Last year was Anchorage and next year will be Fairbanks. Unalaska is perhaps the most remote place to host the conference. The locals here have been so friendly and hospitable. Everyone - from the President of the local museum to the shuttle drivers to the other moms at the local tot-time gym activity - has been warm and gracious and willing to offer help and entertain. And the food has been great at every restaurant, perhaps especially the seafood buffets put out by the Grand Aleutian hotel. The rural conferences are always unique and memorable experiences.

The photo above is the girls and me at the awards banquet. I was given the President's award, also known as the Beaver Log award. It's an award given at the discretion of the AHS President - the brilliant Katie Ringsmuth - to someone who has worked hard on behalf of the Society. Needless to say I was thrilled ... and completely surprised by it. And yes, it's an actual log glued to a plaque. But it's a lovely little log that Pat Roppel picked up on island near Wrangell.

Blueberry pie

2009-09-07T19:15:00.000-07:00

I have this memory of myself as a 5-year-old outside at a summer fair or festival in Haines, Alaska, bidding in auction for the world's best blueberry pie. It had been made that morning by my mother - a perfectly realized, made-from-scratch blueberry cream cheese pie. But instead of cutting fat slices and serving it up to her four children with glasses of fresh milk, she donated it to whatever worthy cause stood to benefit from the fair/festival dessert auction. I had gone to the auction determined to get that pie back. I remember the auctioneer looking at me with hesitation, maybe weighing his doubt as to whether I was legitimately bank-rolled with his desire to keep the momentum of the bidding going. About 20 seconds into it, I felt my dad's firm hand on my shoulder and heard him say, "Now that's enough of that."

I have made this pie six times since the blueberries reached the edible stage this summer. I am confident that I can rival my mother's, with the exception of the crust. The critical point came last week when a friend who had helped eat one of the six called from Seattle to verify ingredient quantities. She was going to make it as part of the catering for a friend's wedding (congratulations Jenny and Randy!). Yep, I've hit the big time. Next year - I'll enter it in the Kodiak state fair!

Photos above - the boys enjoying the pie. And Maya doing her best impression of an overworked Queensland fruit picker.

Fair Days

2009-09-07T12:47:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I took Maya out to the Kodiak Rodeo and State Fair. I had signed up to work at the Arts Council's booth for a two-hour shift and thought I could go early to squeeze in some horse rides and games. Maya was very pleased to ride this beautiful dark horse with jewels in his tail and mane. Later, Maya latched on to a friend who took her to watch the bull riding while I stayed in the exhibitor's hall talking about Arts Council programs. After three hours and two bowls of french fries she hit the proverbial wall (I think the catalyst was my refusal to buy her a spiderman balloon on a stick) and removed her boots and sweater and began to sob. The long ride home mercifully put her to sleep.

Onward and Upward

2009-08-30T18:36:00.000-07:00

The August 2009 edition of Backpacker magazine has a feature story about a route through Rocky Mountain National Park pioneered by my grandfather, Hull Cook, and a guiding partner Clerin Zumwalt. In 1929, at the age of 19, my grandfather worked as a packer for the Fern Lodge, now-defunct but then an isolated wilderness lodge for early eco-tourists. He led the burros carrying equipment, supplies and luggage over a 5-mile journey to the lodge. In the early 1930s, he worked as a guide on Longs Peak. According to the Backpacker article by Dougland MacDonald, he and Zumwalt worked out of a cabin at 12,750 feet. Twice a day they would guide groups to the 14,259-foot summit and pocket $1 each for their work. The full article is available here: http://www.backpacker.com/august-09-full-circle-the-rocky-mountain-grand-loop/destinations/13239

Today we took the kids up the 2,251-foot Heitman Mountain, south of town. I was motivated by the prospect of cranberries, but they are not yet ready (two weeks, perhaps). For Maya, this mostly meant being packed in and out on someone's shoulders. The fall grass and brush was higher than her head and her xtratufs got stuck in the mud. For Lucas, the climb meant some helping hands and lots of encouragement. About 30 minutes in I decided to give him a pep talk, and remind him about his great-grandfather, the mountain climber. His mood and attitude lifted considerably and at every rough spot he would announce that it was no problem - no help needed. "It's easy for me," he'd explain. "Mountain climbing is in my blood."

First Day

2009-08-26T03:43:00.001-07:00

Tuesday was the first day of school for the local elementary schools and for Lucas this meant the first day of first grade. Lucas is in a K/1 blended classroom, and he will spend the first week with only the other first graders - a core group of seven kids. I tried to pre-empt any possible dispute over school clothes by talking with him the night before about the tradition of dressing up for the first day of school. I picked out several possible options from which he could choose. Nonetheless, battle royale ensued with Lucas opting for an oversized sweatshirt and jeans and me refusing to budge from the collared shirts. The compromise saw a collared shirt with jeans and (sigh) rubber boots - with socks. I don't know what it is with that kid and those rubber boots. Just after we agreed to the terms of the compromise, his cousin showed up looking like this:

Trucker hat and all. Apparently my sister didn't get the memo about the family tradition. She had decided that, as a fourth-grader, Yasent was old enough to choose his own style and identity. That's fair. Not helpful to my objective of presenting a tidy, well-groomed six-year-old for at least one day ... but fair.

Buskin Camping

2009-08-22T17:57:00.000-07:00

On Friday we took the kids out for a quick overnight camping trip. Lucas very nearly stayed behind, but finally agreed to come for the fishing. The Buskin was full of gnarly, colorful, half-dead salmon that I vowed to release if we were so lucky as to catch one. But they must not have been hungry. Despite Lucas' many well-placed casts, we caught nothing. The night was far from a loss, though. We flew a kite, made s'mores, chased squirrels and told stories in the tent. Photos above: Lucas explains his casting technique, Maya and Toby with the kite, dinner of local foods: salmon, elk (thanks Millers) & lettuce salad (thanks Saltonstalls), Lucas and Maya roasting marshmallows.

Princess Party

2009-08-16T19:05:00.001-07:00

Today we celebrated Maya's fourth birthday with a fairy princess birthday party. The party theme was Maya's concept. All her friends arrived in princess costumes. The girls had sandwiches and fruit salad for lunch and then went up to Maya's bedroom to play dress-up and dance. The pinata was a dragon (because naturally princesses slay dragons) filled with jewels and bling. The girls used their pinata bounty to decorate tiaras. It was little girl heaven.

A friend of mine recently discovered she was carrying a little girl and posted notice on her Facebook. She quickly followed up with a note that she would try to be gender-neutral with toys and general upbringing. I remember a time when I tried for neutrality, and I think it is a worthy aspiration. But by this stage I have crossed so far over into the dark side (aka the pink side), I can hardly remember it any other way. I'd like to believe that I'm just following Maya's lead. My sister Anne can attest that an 18-month-old Maya loved to play dress-up, and would happily throw herself on the floor and wait to be dressed whenever we showed her a new outfit. She gravitated to pink and purple without any overt encouragement from me. She'd turn her nose up at a toy car, and pick up and wave about a celery stick, singing "Wiggly wiggly wog, I turn you into a frog." It was just by natural progression that we got to this morning's fairy princess extravaganza.

August Treats: Friends, Berries and Worms

2009-08-12T20:30:00.000-07:00

In early August, Lucas' godmothers Melissa and Katrina both came home to visit. We went for walks, and picked berries, and cooked food, and drank wine and caught up with all the happenings in each other's lives. Maybe it is because good friends tend to visit in August, or maybe it's because of the berries and sunshine, but this month is my favorite. At this moment I am fighting the urge to go for a walk and pick more berries. I've already made a blueberry pie and crisp, and salmonberry cordial. There are berries in the fridge and freezer. I don't think I'm greedy - there are always over-ripe berries falling off the bushes in late August even on the trails in Abercrombie (except for the very bad year of 2007). And I'm certainly not wasteful. When the kids were younger they wondered aloud why candy and fruit leather didn't come in salmonberry flavor? I have to keep reminding myself there isn't any urgency to it, except perhaps for beating the worms to the blueberries.

Photos above: The kids examine an earthworm. Anyone who knows how fastidious Lucas is can appreciate this photo. Maya picking salmonberries. Maya taking a break to pat a spruce tree.

Refuge Visitors

2009-08-09T16:56:00.000-07:00

Every Saturday this summer the Wildlife Refuge visitor's center downtown sponsors a program to teach kids about Kodiak's natural environment. It is clear to me that a lot of content planning and development goes into each activity, and the kids love it. Early in the summer I would promise the kids ice cream from the Chowder House if they were attentive and well-behaved for the program. At this point they've forgotten about my bribe and wake up each Saturday wanting to go downtown. So far this year we have made a birdhouse, tried on eagle wings, created forest creatures with spruce cones and measured river otter pelts. And they definitely retain some of what they learn. Just this morning I heard Lucas warn Maya not to leave any trash outside because "the red fox likes to eat birds and eggs and garbage."

Taking out the Wind-eye

2009-08-07T21:44:00.003-07:00

Late yesterday afternoon we removed one of the final windows at the Museum slated for repair this summer. We had known from the beginning that this particular set of windows could be problematic. For one, it has long been notoriously leaky and on days with wind-driven rain we normally have a plastic tub on hand to catch the drips. We also have historic photographs of this end of the building in the 1920s showing extensive wood rot.

Don Corwin suspected that these would be the most "modern" windows on the building, in part because that photograph evidence suggested an Erskine-era repair job. Sure enough, Don found two trim boards stamped with "W.J. Erskine Kodiak Alaska" (see photo above). The Erskine family live in the building from 1908 - 1948. So these windows were installed in the 1920s, while the windows on the Sargent Park side featured newspaper insulation from the 1880s.

This unit has two windows, each with an upper and lower sash. If I understand it correctly, these windows were intended to be true double hung sliding windows (thought they haven't been operational in more than a decade). Both the upper and lower sash are hung on cords and counterbalanced by weights concealed in the wall cavity. In the second photo above you can see the cords attached to the sashes.

Deck Blues

2009-07-10T22:51:00.000-07:00

I have finally succumbed to all this incredible sunshine and taken on a outdoor house project. We are painting the back deck Robin's Egg blue. My first instinct was to go for a Brick Red color, but apparently that was a popular choice as Spenard's has run out of the pigment. I thought about Espresso brown or Cape Cod gray, but decided I wanted something a little more dramatic. It's not too outrageous, looks nice against the green grass, and the kids certainly love it. Now if we can just squeeze out one more weekend of sunshine I can finish the job. Photos above are my fierce painting crew at work.

Salmon Trio

2009-07-04T11:40:00.000-07:00

Smoked salmon, pickled salmon, gravlax. Very satisfied with my recent and ongoing preservation efforts. And my new favorite breakfast is smoked salmon and strong tea. Happy 4th.

Weekend on the West Side

2009-07-02T19:32:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday we returned from a long weekend at East Point, Toby's set net site in Uganik Bay. The weather was fabulous, the (subsistence) fishing was fine, and it was paradise for Lucas and Maya. The commercial salmon fishery is closed there until July 6, so it was very much like an extended holiday, bookended with three hour skiff rides from and to town.

Unfortunately I only was able to take photos for the first day and a half. Maya got ahold of the camera and took multiple photo of chairs and the cabin's blue floor. She then put the camera down, still on, and it ran out of batteries. So I can't share the untaken photos of salmon barbeques, or post-banya glow, or the kids bathing in blue tubs or the close encounter with the three fin whales that swam under the skiff and surfaced 30 feet from us.

The ride out.

Lucas outside Toby's cabin. Pretty nice lawn, eh?

Maya, in typical attire, demonstrates how to eat corn with a fork.

The view from the nushnik. Uganik Island on the right, the mountains of the Alaska Peninsula on the upper left. Sigh.

Fish Cakes

2009-06-10T00:46:00.001-07:00

Earlier I alluded to Norwegian fish cakes, a treat that really deserves its own post. Fish cakes are very important to my family. We are not Norwegian (that I know of). However, I have special affinity for Norwegians for the following reasons: 1) I love their fish cakes, and their sweaters, and the kringles from Larrsens Bakery in Ballard are not too shabby either, 2) my son was born on Syttende Mai, 3) his godmother, a best friend from childhood, is Norwegian. So ... I’m practically Norwegian.

Anyway, as the story goes, my mother learned how to make fish cakes from the Norwegian cooks at Ketchikan high school when she was a 20-something French teacher there in the 1960s. It’s a long and laborious process whereby a combination of salmon and whitefish is scouted out of the bottom of the freezer, thawed, trimmed, and ground up three times (yes, three times) in a food processor, mixed with canned milk, eggs, onion and nutmeg, and then fried. If you’re practical, you use sockeye and cod. If you’re a fish snob, you use king and halibut, but then you have to add extra butter to make up for the missing cod fat.

I really should stop here, because I’ve never actually successfully executed a batch of fish cakes on my own (and a batch is potentially hundreds of cakes). If you’re really keen on making fish cakes, you should call my mother, or look for her recipe in the St. James the Fisherman cookbook. I can testify that kids love fishcakes. I used to take them to school in my lunch box. My kids love them, too. It’s not just the handy size and agreeable consistency. It’s about hanging around the kitchen for hours, apprenticing with Nana for a decade or two. It's about turning old fish into a fluffy delicacy. It's modern hearth and home, and adopted family traditions.

Adventures in Abercrombie

2009-06-07T23:04:00.000-07:00

No fears of vitamin D deficiency this weekend! The kids are perfectly pinked from two days in glorious sunshine romping around Fort Abercrombie and Island Lake. My sister Anne took Yasent and Lucas camping on Friday night and chose a level cliff site. It offered spectacular views but not a lot of shelter from the wind. Maya and I took a hike on Saturday morning with Jennifer Dennis, a graduate student in Art Conservation who has come to spend a summer working at the Baranov and Alutiiq Museums. We just missed the intrepid campers. Then today, we all returned for a turn around Lake Gertrude. In the afternoon, the kids kayaked around Island Lake with their grand-dad. Throw in a couple games of dominoes, evening barbecues and hundreds of Norwegian fish cakes and you've got a weekend in heaven.

First Sockeye

2009-05-28T19:02:00.001-07:00

Late Tuesday evening Toby caught a red salmon in a gillnet at the Buskin. First salmon of the season! And so last night we dined like kings on grilled sockeye, asparagus and steamed baby bok choy. And we paired it all with homemade margaritas just because we like to think we're cosmopolitan enough to enjoy fusion cuisine. Nothing like an early salmon to fill you with hope and optimism.

Crab célèbre!

2009-05-26T20:39:00.000-07:00

To me, the Crab Festival is like Disneyland, except that you get to go every year and you don't have to deal with dreadful things like heat, or sunshine, or friendly ride operators with veneers. The Crab Festival is here for four days and you enjoy it while you can because there are no rain checks. But whatever the weather, there is sweet burnt pork fat, and cod fish tacos, and papusas, and crab legs and orange pop. There's an armada of hooded sweatshirts with crab logos and sleeve details - the latest must-have in your spring-wear collection. There is creaking old metal giving two minutes of glee with spinning and jolting and shrieking. There is sliding on black felt from mountain tops. There is fishing for prizes where everyone is a winner: a tweety bird or stuffed penguin - your choice! There are happy kids with wet hair and sticky faces falling asleep in the car, insisting "I'm not tired ... one more ride..."

The Crab Festival was started in part to raise awareness of the island's commercial crab industry. In the early years, television crews came to town to film divers bringing up giant crustaceans from the depths of the harbor. The commercial crab fishery in Kodiak waters stopped in 1983. In this year, the legacy of Crab Festival without the commercial industry (1984 - 2009) has matched the history of the festival with the industry (1958 - 1983). The festival is now truly a celebration of spring (or perhaps the first breath of summer's being) and a celebration of all things good about Kodiak - our diversity of food, our solidarity in fashion and our common objective of revelry.

Turning 6

2009-05-18T20:36:00.000-07:00

Every year for the past five years, the weekend surrounding Lucas' May 17 birthday has been blessed with glorious sunshine. It's a great May-baby benefit I never anticipated. I don't know what I would do if had to entertain 10 kids inside my house, but turning them loose in the backyard is a sure win. Yesterday we had a shark birthday party with lots of balloons and pizza and the obligatory shark pinata.

Lucas and I had a small arguement over the cake. I was aiming for something neat-but-spectacular while his version of success included lots of frosting and candy. He reminded me that he is going to be either a chef or an artist when he grows up and then asked, "why can't I just have what I want?" So I made a chocolate round cake with cream cheese frosting and turned him loose with sprinkles and candy and a shark toy. The cake is his vision. He showed remarkable restraint with the use of glow worms and followed his love of pattern with the swedish fish. He was very proud of his work.

Little wild life

2009-05-16T15:01:00.001-07:00

My sister Amelia and her husband Jason made a surprising discovery at their Anchorage home this morning. A cow moose had given birth to twin calves in their front yard! My sister, who is herself the mother of a 7-month-old baby boy, has been watching them all morning - standing for the first time, walking about on shaky legs, and enjoying the sun in their grassy yard. Very sweet little guys.

Benny's words

2009-05-16T11:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday over the noon hour I heard Maggie Wall's Leg Head report on KMXT radio. Maggie has produced a three part series about Benny Benson, designer of the Alaska state flag, using archival audio material donated to the museum by Jim Duros in 2005. I always knew the recordings were special, but admit I had never sat down to listen to them in their entirety. Maggie does a great job building a narrative around snippets of the audio. She also interviewed me last year for the segment, and the first story is our conversation about the Alaska State flag design contest. Skip to parts 2 and 3 if you just want to hear Benny!

Maggie is a recent recipient of awards in several categories from the Alaska Press Club for Leg Head and her work on the Kodiak Maritime Museum's oral history program When Crab was King (www.kodiakmaritimemuseum.org).

The photo above is from the archives of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and available through VILDA (http://vilda.alaska.edu). It shows Benny Benson and Bob Bartlett on either side of the Madsen family's "half-bear" - now also in the collections of the Baranov Museum.

M-day

2009-05-11T08:53:00.001-07:00

The perfect mother's day scenario was fully realized yesterday. There was breakfast at King's Diner, mimosas and train dominoes at the grandparents house, lunchtime feeding of the Island Lake ducks, an afternoon skiff ride and an evening barbecue. Another beautiful sunny day - good enough to make you completely forget the past seven months of cold and darkness. Sometimes Kodiak is the best place on earth.

The Girl with the Tiffany Box Blue Hood

2009-05-08T23:38:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the commencement ceremony for Kodiak College and my beautiful and talented sister Anne Malone has earned her Master's degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Alaska, Southeast. It was truly great to be in the new convention center building with a charged room full of proud family and friends. Director Barb Bolson did a fantastic job leading the ceremonies and I loved seeing all the local faculty in their academic regalia (does Dr. Bane have the coolest robe or what?).

I began bawling as soon as they started playing Sir Edward Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance, before I could even see my sister. Anne has moved with grace through the past years balancing her professional life with parenthood and her studies. I know how hard she has worked and how much effort she put into every paper, and I'm so proud to see this pinnacle of her achievement. She's a superstar. She's my hero.

Define Level

2009-05-06T20:37:00.001-07:00

Every now and again, the ladies at the Baranov Museum will walk through the exhibit rooms and straighten all the artwork. And by "straighten" I actually mean "tip" ever-so-slightly so that the frames are in line with the log walls. With the restored window partially installed, you can see just how askew the building is. The window is level. Once the the window is finished and the trim is in place, I'm certain we can readjust all the artwork and exhibits to make everything appear just so.

Cinco de Mayo

2009-05-06T00:15:00.001-07:00

Skiff ride, beach picnic, watching sea otters, gulls pairing up. Oh spring. Finally.

Crab Festival countdown

2009-05-03T16:52:00.000-07:00

Everyone round here knows you have to buy your Crab Festival shirts early. They are hard to keep in stock and are rarely available, especially in kids sizes, by the time the Festival begins. This year, I was one of the nerds who bought the shirts in April. But I couldn't resist - the design features a bit of Alaska patriotism and has a great sleeve detail. The trouble I face now is early festival anticipation. Every morning for the past three days, Maya's first words have been, "Is it Crab Festival yet?"

The Port Orford connection

2009-04-29T21:46:00.000-07:00

We have started another season of window restoration work at the Museum. Don Corwin, a historic millwork specialist from Skagway, arrived on April 15th and had the first window out the next morning. The windows on the building date to the Alaska Commercial Company period of ownership (1868 - 1911). The glass and most of the wooden components of the windows are in fair to good condition, but the nails and other fasteners have rusted away. This has caused the wooden framing pieces to separate and settle, and that, of course, allows the wind and rain to infiltrate. Don's work, over the course of two years, involves removing each window one-at-a-time, taking it apart, salvaging as much of the original material as possible, restoring individual pieces and then rebuilding the entire unit.

Last summer, Don discovered a puzzling feature in the Baranov Museum windows - sills made of Port Orford cedar. The building itself is made of spruce logs, the lapwood siding on the exterior is redwood and much of the building trim is fir. But Port Orford cedar? This is a wood that has a very limited natural range along the California and Oregon coast and wasn't discovered by the building industry until the mid-1850s. The wood is recognizable by its pale hue and strong, pleasant aroma. It is particularly hard and strong (for a softwood) with natural durabilities to weather, rot and insects. We are not certain how Port Orford cedar ended up on the Museum building, but the fact that it historically has been a prized material for boat-building may explain its presence in Kodiak.

Baby Beluga

2009-04-22T19:17:00.001-07:00

Last night was the North Star Elementary school musical concert at the auditorium. The concert featured a variety of old sing-along favorites like "Don't chuck you junk in my backyard" and "The more we get together". The title track for Lucas' class was "Baby Beluga in the Deep Blue Sea" and you can see Lucas sporting appropriate headwear in the photo above. The beluga hat was taken to Nana's house after school on Friday where it was promptly scribbled on by Maya, slobbered on by Rostam, and flung on the floor by Lucas. It was two days later that Lucas told me he was supposed to wear the hat at the concert. I called Nana in a panic. She dutifully fished it from the garbage, took it apart, reconstructed the soiled and scribbled beluga part and stapled the whole thing back together. When we get to the concert I noticed that only FOUR of the fifteen students in his class were wearing beluga hats! Perhaps it wasn't such a critical costume element after all.

Top photo: Lucas, right, and his buddy Owen Miller, left, rocking the beluga hat.

Bottom photo: Lucas, with his signature popped collar (yes his choice), seemed relaxed on stage watching other children sing.

Sea Anenome - Pink and Sparkly

2009-04-18T12:33:00.000-07:00

Tonight is Maya's dance recital in her debut role as a sea anemone. The show Aaaaargh Pirates is at the Gerald C. Wilson Auditorium at 7 pm. The sea anemones come in three shades of neon and the dance is hysterical. Maya is so ready for this!

De Bestiis Marinis

2009-04-13T19:42:00.000-07:00

The sea lion bellowing was constant today. I can hear them roaring at one another from my office, and it's not unusual to see five or six sea lions lined up behind a boat at the ferry dock. But all morning it was a downright cacophony. I stepped out around 11:30 and counted more than thirty sea lions just at the ferry dock with more swimming about the Near Island channel. Just as I was taking these photos, my buddy the flightless eagle (see Eagle Down post below) hobbled off his perch on the whale bones. He walked right by me and continued down the hill in front of the Museum, crossed Marine Way and started picking at scraps around the dumpster. He is looking much more graceful in his walking now - no more hopping. He just hunches down and puts one foot in front of the other. And it's good to see he has an appetite. He's hanging in there.

Smoking 08 salmon

2009-04-11T08:59:00.000-07:00

For the last two weekends, I have prepped and smoked all of last years salmon. I now have a nice clean freezer (although lots of beef from Northland Ranch to work through) and am ready for the fresh stuff. My picky eater, Lucas, includes smoked salmon on the short list of things he will eat - along with cheese and raw carrots and a host of processed, cleverly-packaged foods. Sometimes he qualifies that he prefers smoked king salmon, but will eat reds or silvers too. Lucky kid. The picture above Lucas and Maya with fish during the rinsing stage.

Eagle Down

2009-04-08T16:07:00.000-07:00

There is an eagle down here at Sargent Park that has been unable to fly for the past two days. FWS is aware of the bird and is monitoring his condition. The word amongst neighbors is that its wings are wet or possibly covered in fish slime and it will eventually dry out and regain its full mobility. I can see the eagle out of my window and have kept an eye on him as he hops unnaturally around the snow, and tries again and again to make the two-foot leap to the top of the whale bones.

Today, the eagle has attracted quite a bit of attention from passers-by eager to take his photo and make a diagnosis. I don't want to contribute to the attention "problem" by blogging about it, but I know that Sargent Park is a popular destination for dogs and their owners. If you bring your dog to the park, please know there is an immobile eagle here that should be protected from harassment. If you do stop to take pictures of the eagle, please keep your dog under control or in your car. If you choose to let your dog loose to harrass the eagle while you photograph it after I have had a specific conversation with you about the eagle - know that I can see what you're doing from my office window.

Spill

2009-04-05T18:53:00.001-07:00

Saturday night at the Museum we hosted an opening reception for the traveling exhibit Spill: Alaskan Artists Remember. It is a thematic exhibit of original art commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Earlier in the week we had traveled to Homer to pick up the artwork from curator Asia Freeman at the Bunnell Street Gallery in Homer.

I have been excited about opening this show all week because 1) it is completely new for us, 2) the quality of work is high and 3) it is a meaningful theme for Kodiak. I also admit to being a bit apprehensive of how the exhibit would be received. The Museum does not typically exhibit contemporary artwork and there are pieces that are somewhat provocative, some with a political bent, some sorrowful and some rather uncomfortable to view.

But now I wonder what was I so worried about? The residents of Kodiak are intelligent and have a sense of humor... The show is up at the Baranov until May 2, 2009.

Top: Deland Anderson's Footprint

Middle: from left - Gretchen Sagan's Proof, Alf Pryor's Seasons Past, Corey Stein's Children at the Beach with Oiled Rocks

Bottom: from left - Michael Walsh's Drill Baby Drill, Dennis Keogh's Jolly Exxon Roger

Spring, yet still Winter

2009-03-26T18:46:00.000-07:00

Kodiak had a remarkable snow storm earlier this week. On Monday night around 10:30 pm, I received an automated phone call from the superintendent's office that school on Tuesday would be cancelled. A snow day! Imagine. I spent my entire childhood in Alaska, mostly in Kodiak, and can only recall one snow day in my academic career. But perhaps there were more and I just don't remember them. I will remember this snow day, however, because of the ungodly amount of snow-shoveling required of me.

On Tuesday morning at 8 am, I threw open my front door and was greeted with three feet of snow drifts up against my entryway. Thankfully I had a shovel within arm's reach. As soon as I had emerged from the small landing on my front porch, I saw my sister (and next-door neighbor) Anne, outside on her porch, armed only with a dustpan. Her Wal-mart shovel, purchased three weeks prior, had come apart the night before. We quickly decided that the first order of business was to shovel a path between the houses. I had fresh coffee. She had coffee creamer. It was an easy decision.

The rest of the day can be summed up like this: shovel, chat with neighbors, break for food, repeat. Around 2 pm we were finally clear and ready to venture out into the world to see how the rest of Kodiak was coping. Anne and I decided we had earned a burger and a beer from Henry's. When we arrived we were greeted by Sedina, our neighbor across the street, who threw open her arms and exclaimed, "you made it!! you're free!!" Nothing like a little snowstorm to bring neighbors together.

Photos-

Top: The view outside my house around 8 am. Yes, mother, that blob on the left-hand side is your car.

Middle: The path I shoveled between the houses. After working for an hour with a dustpan and saucepan, Anne was quite happy to finally get hold of a shovel.

Bottom: After romping around in the snow for a bit in the morning, Maya decided that she would help shovel. It had warmed up to around 35 degrees, so she determined that pants were optional. She also declared, "Girls shovel, boys just play video games."

Deer in the House

2009-03-21T15:55:00.000-07:00

My parents, in their retirement, like to "winter away". They bought property in Botswana, and have several favorite spots in Mexico, and normally spend November through April somewhere warm and exotic. But spending half the year away from home has certain risks. Last year the furnace ran out of heating oil (despite a keep-full agreement with the fuel company), the pipes froze, and then burst during a thaw, and flooded the house. It was flooding for only about 24 hours before it was discovered, but it caused a lot of damage. This year Anne and I vowed to keep better vigilance - we would each check the house once a week and make sure everything was ok.

Well, we did check the house. And every time I went over, I went in through the garage to go look at the furnace. Then up to the kitchen to make sure the temperature was right and to test the faucets. It never occurred to me to go downstairs and make sure there wasn't a wild animal trapped/dead/decomposing inside. I was last on Peninsula Road on Saturday, March 14. Afterward, I sent my mother an email that there was kind of a funny smell in the house, like old xtra tufs or something. She responded that maybe there were some perishables in the fridge that should get thrown out.

What we believe happened is that sometime during the previous week, a spooked deer crashed through a window and fell into the laundry room (located on the lower level of the split-level home). It shattered the double-pane window, but left very little blood on adjacent surfaces. The deer then wandered around the house for a few days, staying only on the bottom floor, drinking from the toilet and pooping everywhere. In a strange Goldilocks-meets-H.G. Wells scenario, it also bedded-down in two of the three beds. Eventually it died at the foot of the big sleigh bed in Anne's old room. It was in an early stage of decomposition when Anne found it last night. I didn't see the deer until the Troopers dragged it outside because I couldn't make it past the front hall without retching from the smell.

The clean-up this morning went better than expected. We opened all the windows, picked up the broken glass, disposed of the bedding and shop-vac'd all the hundreds of dried poop pellets off the carpets. It is a fairly disturbing event, and I try not to think about the deer suffering, or in fear. I like to think that it was only in the house for a short while before dying of thirst or internal injuries. And that even with slightly better house-watching on our part we couldn't have saved it from this horrible experience.

Thank god it is spring and my parents will be home soon. Next year ... better vigilance.

Top photo - the window of entry, Alaska State Troopers, Office Cooper.
Bottom photo - deer droppings at the bottom of the stairs, Colin Underwood.

Kayak X-ray

2009-03-08T19:40:00.001-07:00

This morning I found myself up at the radiology department at the hospital with several model kayaks. Sounds like an unlikely scenario but there is a good explanation. Sven Haakanson has been developing a program to teach model-kayak building to students in the Kodiak villages during the annual Alutiiq weeks. He has been researching kayak construction with models in far-flung collections. But his research got a huge boost when Dr. Hans Tschersich offered to scan models held in local collections through the hospital CT scan. The scans reveal all the interior construction, lashing and scarf joints concealed by the skin coverings. Essentially you get to see the internal anatomy of the kayak.

The hospital recently acquired a new Philips Brillance 64-slice CT scanner and the offer was extended again. Images from the scanner can be viewed individually or in rapid sequence. The radiologist can reconstruct the images into a three-dimensional model that can then be manipulated and rotated around. The resulting files can be saved as .jpgs or as movies in .mpg or MOV. I don’t pretend to understand the technology well, but I can tell you that it is really cool!

We brought up three model kayaks from the Baranov Museum collections. Two were donated by former curator Eunice Neseth and had belonged to her father Herman Von Scheele. He had acquired them in the early 20th century in Afognak Village, where he lived with his wife Eulavia Gregorioff and family, and owned a general store. Their family story is told in great detail in Lola Harvey’s book Derevnia’s Daugthers.

The third kayak model was donated to the museum in the early 1990s by historian John Heath. A kayak enthusiast since the 1950s and co-author of the University of Alaska Press book Eastern Arctic Kayak, Heath was dedicated to studying and understanding the Greenland kayak, and crediting the Inuit with the superb technology they created. His interest included Alaskan kayaks – he also donated a early 20th century Point Hope kayak to the Inupiat Heritage Center in Barrow – and published an article on regional differences in kayak design in the Sheldon Jackson Museum’s centennial publication Faces, Voices & Dreams. I think he would have been really pleased with the scanning activity this morning.

Photos:
Top - Robert Buckingham and Hans Tschersich with the Heath kayak ready for scanning.
Middle - Robert and Sven prepare the kayak for its run through the ct sca.

Bottom - A 3-d image produced of the VonScheele kayak. Note that this is a photograph of the computer screen. The actual images are much more precise.

Shop Girl

2009-03-01T17:10:00.000-08:00

This afternoon I sent Maya outside to check the mail. It's one of her favorite chores when compared with "line up the shoes nicely" or "help with the laundry", and is perhaps the easiest opportunity to earn a star on her chore chart (and star = quarter). Ten minutes later, I found her sitting in the front hallway with a Hanna Andersson catalog and a pen. She was marking an "M", or a mark resembling an "M", next to each item of apparel she wants me to buy. How long do I have before I find her shopping on the internet?

Grant for Basket Conservation

2009-02-26T15:58:00.000-08:00

I learned on Monday that the Museum was awarded an American Heritage Preservation Grant to fund conservation treatment on the 19th century Alutiiq spruce root basket discovered during the archaeological excavations last summer on Sargent Park. Hooray! This is the inaugural year of the program and it is very competitive considering the smallish awards - 39 museums nationwide awarded $3,000 each for conservation projects. The grant period opened in early July, just after we removed the basket from the ground. Seemed like divine timing and I am so happy we were successful. We've had the basket submerged in a container of distilled water in the refrigerator since June, with weekly water changes - it will be nice to get started with treatment.

We are working with Dana Senge of DKS Conservation Services in Seattle for treatment. Dana is the Objects Conservator who led the cleaning and treating of our baidarka (kayak) back in November of 2007. She is super at her work, great at interacting with the public, and was even gracious enough to eat my overcooked Thanksgiving turkey. She also loved Kodiak and took home a Kathleen Skonberg paddle from the Alutiiq Museum. She'll only be with us for a week this year, as the basket treatment - which involves replacing the water in the cellular structure of the basket material with polyethylene glycol (PEG) will take place in her studio in Seattle over a 6 to 8 month period.

The grantors press release is here: http://www.imls.gov/news/2009/022309.shtm and ours is one of four projects highlighted!

Top photo: Dr. Don Clark stands in the excavation unit in which the basket was discovered. The distinctive ash layer from the 1912 Novarupta eruption at Katmai, visible in the left side of the unit, provides a benchmark for dating the find. Photo Mark Cassell.

Bottom photo: Dana Senge talks with students from Jane Eisemann's Maritime Science class about her work on the baidarka. Photo Alice Ryser.

Maya Ballerina

2009-02-24T23:28:00.000-08:00

Consistently, the best 45 minutes of my week for the last seven months has been Maya’s dance class at Woodland Dance Studio. Lucas took dance class all last year and I was never able to watch. This year I decided to arrange my lunch hour schedule around Maya’s class and it has been so fantastic! There are a great group of little girls dancing together. Maya takes it very seriously and loves to practice at home. And it has been wonderful to watch how Miss Ginny encourages both teamwork and free expression, and gets them ready for a group performance at the recital this April.

Around Christmastime, we started to hold regular mock-recitals featuring Maya as the prima ballerina. This normally entails Christmas music on the Hello Kitty cd player, and a typical recital will last around 30 minutes. She commands the attention of her audience by periodically announcing “clap now!” or “get off the stage!”, the latter directed mostly at her brother.

Lately I have been downloading music off of Itunes for her recitals. Last night she danced to the Danse Macabre by Eugene Ormandy (which I have loved ever since it was featured in the movie Tombstone) and Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. Her favorites, though, are Warren Zevon’s Werewolves of London and the theme song from Ted Sadler's Mattress Ranch commercials. She just loves that Sponge Bob tie he wears.

Near Island

2009-02-14T17:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday slush fell from the sky and tomorrow will likely be another wind storm. But today is the best kind of Kodiak winter day. There is snow on the ground and it is sunny and warm outside (low 30s F or just around 0 C). We went for a walk over on Near Island. We had hoped to take the trail on the south end which takes you to a nice little beach and ends up on a bluff with a great view out over Women's Bay. Unfortunately, that hike begins with a fairly steep incline and today it was a sheet of ice. Some thoughtful person had rigged up a rope to assist with the climb, but I thought our chances of success were marginal. Only Maya was willing to give it a try. We ended up walking down to look at the float planes and the kids enjoyed playing in – and eating - the hard snow. It was quite pleasant out and you can see that Lucas is only partially dressed in a coat and hat. I was still surprised to see water skiers in the channel - yikes!

Work in Progress

2009-02-03T17:24:00.000-08:00

The construction work at the Museum is progressing well. Unfortunately, I am finding it more and more difficult to remain in the Museum building during the construction. I am fine with occupying only my little corner office, and am not too inconvenienced by inaccessible filing cabinets or off-line printers or the fire proof safe positioned in the middle of the bathroom. But I’m having a really hard time with all the dust. The contractors are constantly vacuuming and keep the place very tidy. As far as I can tell, I’m the only one bothered by it. But every day around 1 pm I start with the sneezing and watering eyes and runny nose, and every telephone conversation begins with the question of me, “are you sick?” When I was younger I thought I was invincible to physical ailments. Now I’m beaten by a little dust. But I keep going back, in part because I am so curious and excited to see more and more structural elements of the building revealed as the work progresses. Love my job.

Photos above: The floors in the main office on the second floor have been taken up to allow for sprinkler pipe installation. The first picture shows the original hewn planks of the first floor ceiling on the eastern end, and one of the huge support beams for the second floor. The modern planking was put in to reinforce the floor in the mid-1980s at which time the original earth and moss insulation was removed. The hole (bottom-right of center) has been drilled for a sprinkler head. The second picture, admittedly a little blurry, is a nice juxtaposition of an original floor beam and our modern communication system. All those wires travel along the ceiling and down to our individual desks to provide us with internet and networking capabilities. At the end of the project we will have DSL through the phone line, and a wireless network.

Future

2009-01-29T09:01:00.001-08:00

OK, I promise the Obamamania will cease after this post but I couldn't resist. A friend sent me a link to Obamicon.Me where you can create posters fashioned after Shepard Fairy's famous HOPE rendering of the man Himself (actually, if we're doling out credits here, it was built from an image by freelance photographer Mannie Garcia). You can upload photographs from your computer and tinker around with the color settings.

Winter Walk

2009-01-28T08:32:00.000-08:00

This weekend I took the kids for a walk around Lake Gertrude in Abercrombie. The weather was sunny and cold and there were lots of people out on the trails. It seemed to me that a winter walk would be a good pre-emptive strike against birthday dinner (which turned out to be nachos because it's ok to substitute nachos for dinner on your birthday) and cake. We managed to make it around the lake in about an hour. Lucas was entertained by a rock shaped like a weapon (or alternatively an "L"). We came home with perfectly pinked cheeks.

USA Today video from Virginia Railway Express

2009-01-23T19:31:00.000-08:00

Here's a link to the short video produced by USA Today. It's the morning of the Inauguration, traveling into the city from Virginia by train. I'm the first voice that you hear! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3jTqxAv4F4

Purple Ticket Video

2009-01-23T13:51:00.000-08:00

I've joined a group of Facebook called Survivors of the Purple Tunnel of Doom. As of today there were more than 4,600 members, 965 photographs and 50 video clips. Rick Ricioppo of New York put together a great video in the style of the Mastercard Priceless campaign. It is quite cheerful, and it has the best photo montage of the crowd. You can really get a sense of what it was like to be in it. You may have to be registered to Facebook in order to see it:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1094000789383&oid=61444130820

Scenes from the Purple Gate

2009-01-22T13:54:00.000-08:00

Our view towards the platform at the North Standing Area,
Purple ticket section.

When I stood on the lawn of the capital and looked out at the crowd and up at the stage I felt a great sense of joy and relief. We made it! It was 11:15 am. When I turned around, I could see the wide open expanse of the North Standing Area, originally designated for purple ticket holders. I was one of the lucky ones.

I am very grateful that we received tickets, and am thankful that I made it onto the lawn. I will not let my experience at the purple gate define my whole experience at the inauguration. But a huge injustice has been done to thousands upon thousands of people who did all the right things, traveled from all over the country, stood in orderly lines in the freezing cold for hours, and took care of one another. This unprecedented event was handled with unprecedented incompetence by organizers. Here is my experience.

5:00 am: We arrive at the Brooke train station and stand outside in the pre-dawn cold to wait for the train. Everyone is happy, laughing, talking loudly with one another, and taking pictures. We board the train without rushing and everyone has a seat. Our tickets have a picture of Obama on them. A couple stops later, a film crew from USA Today boards the train. I’m sitting at the front of our car and the camera operator asks me for an interview. She asks me where I’m from, how I’m feeling and what this experience means to me. I’m Alaskan. I’ve traveled a long way. I’m here to share this experience with other Americans and bear witness to what will surely be remembered as an extraordinary event in our history. I have a purple ticket.

Outside Union Station, 6:30 am.

6:30 am: We arrive at Union Station. There are no crowds and we walk quickly through the station without obstacle. Outside we see a huge sign directing us towards 1st and C streets. We did a reconnaissance mission the day before, and we know exactly where to go. We make our way down, following the steel fence in place to block off Louisiana Avenue. Soon we see the huge purple archway through which we will eventually pass. It’s on the other side of the fence and there are hundreds of people lined up behind the gate. We have to walk around a series of concrete barriers to take our place in line. There is one policeman in the area.

Her sign reads: For those who couldn't come but wanted to be
here in Washington DC for this historic event, we are
representing you. WE ARE ONE.

7:00 am: Street vendors walk up and down the line with Obama hats and t-shirts. The stream of traffic coming out of Union station is increasing. Every thirty seconds, someone walking by asks, “What line are you in?” or “Are you purple?” A woman holds a sign that reads WE ARE ONE. I take her picture and we smile at each other. Yes, we are one. We have come to this place from all across the nation and the world. And soon they will open the gate and let us in.

7:30 am: There are people everywhere, milling about, confused. People don’t know where to go, there are no additional signs, and no one is providing direction. A man in front of me starts yelling, “Purple tickets this way. Follow the line back. Purple tickets this way!” People pass by and thank him. They are genuinely grateful for some guidance. Then more people crowd around.
- “I have silver tickets, where do I go?”
- “I don’t have tickets. How do I get to the mall?”

Of course, he doesn’t have this information. He wants to help people, but he also wants to move people out of the area so there isn’t a rush to the gate when it opens. Another man yells, “Go down two blocks to third street. The tunnel is open, there’ll be more access points from there.” I can see two people in uniform in the area, but they are not directing the crowds. There are no megaphones.

A rumor comes up from the back that the purple line extends back for many blocks. Someone from behind yells at us, “You need to move forward. There’s no more room at the back and it’s a mob scene.” We scrunch together, aware that the line is becoming wider.

8 am: Toby is standing on his tiptoes looking at the gate through binoculars. It is supposed to be open now, but it’s not. There are two elderly women with walkers directly behind us. One of them has been telling Toby about her experiences as a Freedom Singer in the 1960s. The other lady pushes her walker up against the back of my legs and says, “I hope you don’t mind. I’m gonna keep my walker against you. When you move an inch, I move an inch.” I reply, “That’s just fine. Stick with me – we’ll make it. It'll be soon now.”

We buy “I was there” buttons from a vendor.

Happy to sell you a button!

8:30 am: A woman approaches the two men shouting directions and berates them:

- “Stop sending people back. They've blocked third street and there’s no access. Don’t send people that way. The 3rd street tunnel is overflowing.”
- “Well, where should we send them?”
- “I don’t know, but not to third!”

We are no longer a line. It’s now just a crowd. There’s pressure from behind, pushing us forward. People continue to approach the area, attempting to shove or wiggle through the masses. It is very difficult to move. People are standing on the concrete barriers and climbing lamp posts, screaming the names of lost friends.

Why haven’t they opened our gate?

9:00 am: I look behind me and realize that I’ve only moved 25 feet from my original location 2.5 hours ago. All of the ground gained is because of crowd compression. Eight bodies to my left is a concrete barrier. Ten bodies to my right is an open space on the sidewalk between two buildings. It is now impossible to move. People continue to try and move through our crowd. They see open space and want to get to it, even though it leads nowhere. A woman becomes stuck and starts to sob and hyperventilate. She’s wearing a back brace, she says it is restricting her breathing. She is panicking. A young woman standing on a concrete barrier starts screaming for a doctor. I yell at her, “She doesn’t need a doctor. She needs to get out.” We twist our shoulders and bend forward at the waist, leaning on the people in front of us. Behind me, the woman is led out, passed through many pairs of hands keeping her steady.

9:30 am: There is a commotion behind us. A little boy is in distress. He’s about 10 years-old. His mouth is open, his eyes are unfocused and he is swaying. A woman nearby takes control and yells directions at his mother.

- “He’s overheating! Take his jacket off – unbutton his shirt. He needs water! Who has water for this child?”

Immediately, hands are in the air, passing bottles of water to the mother. She gives him a sip and he blinks his eyes. Then he buckles at the knees.

-“He’s going down!”

The crowd stumbles apart to make room. There is a policeman standing on the sidewalk 50 feet away. He’s looking at us but he doesn’t move. People are waving frantically and shout:

-“Police!”
-“Medic!”
- “We need help for this little boy!”

The policeman still doesn’t move. There are no other uniformed personnel in sight. I’m starting to feel sick. More arms in the air. More yelling.

- “He's unconscious!”
- “It’s a child for god’s sake!”

He wanders over slowly, takes the boy under the armpits and moves him and his mother out towards the sidewalk without saying a word.

- “It’s over for them,” someone says.

There is no authority, no direction, no information. The gate is still closed. The only crowd control is the crowd itself. We have faith in the validity of our tickets. We have an overwhelming desire to share a positive experience. But the cold and the crush are taking a toll.

10:00 am: Word comes from the front that the gate has opened and they are letting people in one-at-a-time. That sounds crazy to me. Twenty-thousand people one-at-a-time? I stand on my tip toes. The gate looks unchanged. It looks closed. But there is some movement up ahead and we are inching forward.

I now believe that the movement was not due to the fabled one-at-a-time progression, but rather because those at the beginning of the line abandoned their posts in search of access elsewhere. That is precisely what we did when we got close enough to see that the gate was definitely closed. It had never opened. Thousands and thousands and thousands of people are lined up behind a dead-end.

I lock arms with Toby and he shoulders our way out of the crowd, moving back toward Union Station. We are approaching another large purple archway, this one marked EXIT. This can’t be right. I see a police officer and shout:

- “Sir! Officer! Where is the entrance gate for purple tickets?”
- “Back there. That’s the line.” He points to the same area with concrete barriers where I had just spent the last four hours.
- “No, no. That’s a line to nowhere. That gate never opened.”
- “That’s the line,” he shrugs.

We stare at one another blankly for a moment and then he turns away from me and starts directing other purple people back toward the restless crowd.

Toby tugs on my arm. He sees a group of people holding purple tickets in the air. He points to what looks like a gap in the fence. Could that be an access point? We merge with the group and I hold up my ticket. Within minutes we are enveloped in another mob scene.

- “This is a yellow area!”
- “Well it’s purple now!”
- “It’s a purple coup!”
- “PUR – PLE, PUR – PLE, PUR – PLE,” the crowd chants.

We finally found an open, unmarked entrance gate for purple
ticket holders. It was implausibly located near the purple exit sign.

We close ranks and cram together tightly. The gap in the fence is about 50 feet in front of us. There is no visible signage. There is a woman yelling something about purple tickets. We can’t see or hear her, and don't know if she is a security guard or a madwoman. But this is our last chance and we will follow the crowd here. The people behind us are Obama campaign workers from Indiana. For as long as we are able to turn our heads, we talk to them about their journey. It takes 45 minutes to get to the front. The closer we get, the worse we are crushed. Toby tells me to just try and keep my feet on the ground. The young woman who had been standing on a concrete barrier has now climbed a tree and is ranting at policemen standing idle on the other side of the fence. The crowd in the area where we had stood for so long is now shaking the gate and adjacent fence and chanting, “LET US IN! LET US IN!”

We are through. We can walk.

I start moving quickly down Louisiana Avenue towards the security screening check-point. It is right outside the gate that never opened. I don’t look behind me because I can’t bear to catch the eye of anyone who has been left behind. We breeze through security. They tell us to open our coats and walk through metal detection gates that don’t appear to be powered. “No fruit,” a man says as he removes an orange from a woman’s bag.

We take our place in the standing section at 11:15. We later hear that Capital Police closed off the one, small, unmarked access point at 11:30. I put my head down for a little while and close my eyes. I'm trying to rest and relax, and trying to feel good again about where I am, and how I got here. It’s bittersweet.

The next day, Senate Sargent at Arms Terrance W. Gainer was quoted in the Washington Post saying, “Apparently we just could not get them all screened in time, and so we were a bit overwhelmed by the numbers. Four to five thousand were discombobulated. There were another 236,000 who were very happy with the service.”

There is a man who has absolutely no idea what happened that day.

Inauguration words to remember

2009-01-22T05:03:00.000-08:00

"And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more."

- President Barack Obama

"What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance.

In today's sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.

On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp -- praise song for walking forward in that light."

- Elizabeth Alexander

"With your hands of power and your heart of love, help us then, now, Lord, to work for that day when nations shall not lift up sword against nation, when tanks will be beaten into tractors, when every man and every woman shall sit under his or her own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid, when justice shall roll down like waters and righteousness as a mighty stream."

- Rev. Joseph Lowery

Fortune Telling

2009-01-15T11:15:00.000-08:00

Above is the prediction I received in my fortune cookie after lunch at Peking on Monday. Bodes well for the DC trip tomorrow! Below is the fortune I received about a month ago. I've been carrying it around in my coat pocket hoping the mojo will still be good for the next trip off-island.

Standing Room Only

2009-01-14T14:29:00.000-08:00

I learned this morning that we have been issued "purple" tickets to the swearing-in ceremony. The map above demonstrates our proximity to Barack. On the positive side, we will not suffer sore necks from having to look directly up at the stage. In addition, all of the Mall standing crowds (silver areas) are directed to enter through the South side capital gates along with Orange and Blue ticket-holders. Yellow and purple ticket-holders can enter through the North side capital gates. Could be a real blessing. Now we just have to make it to Don Young's office between 12 and 4 on Martin Luther King Day to get our mitts on those tickets!

Inauguration Bound!

2009-01-13T20:18:00.000-08:00

Tickets to the swearing-in ceremony? Check
Place to stay? Check
January 20th dinner reservation at Marcels? Check
Souvenir Obama inauguration train tickets from Virgina to DC? Check
Souvenir Obama inauguration DC metro SmartTrip card? Check
Borrowed camera? Check
Ability to wake at 4 am, travel in crush conditions, and stand in the freezing cold, shoulder-to-shoulder with a million ecstatic strangers for six hours? Wouldn’t have it any other way!

Ok I think we’re ready.

On November 5, my friend Toby wrote to our Alaska Senators and Congressman asking for tickets to Barack Obama’s swearing-in ceremony. I never realized that tickets to Presidential inaugurations were a possibility for plebeians. But lo, he received a letter from the Congressman for All Alaska that two tickets were granted. And so we’re off!

I have been reading everything I can about the inauguration and the coverage is coming hard and fast now that we are just one week away. You can tell that the folks at the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies are getting anxious as they have issued three “advisory” news releases. The pervasive sub-text in all of the announcements coming out of this committee is: THIS WILL NOT BE EASY OR FUN. Some examples…

Attendees should be aware that the West Front of the Capitol is entirely outdoors—there will be no tents or other covered areas in case of inclement weather; the only restrooms are porta-potties; and there will be no refreshment stands.

All persons attending the inaugural swearing-in ceremonies should be prepared to wait in long lines to be screened through security, and spend many hours outdoors, both before the event and for the length of time it may take for people to leave the Capitol grounds following the end of the ceremonies.

Please think carefully about whether you can stand outside in cold weather in a large crowd for up to six hours.

Ok, so I’m grateful for all the warnings because I am now mentally prepared for the crowd conditions. But it is going to be fun! I’m still pinching myself that I’m actually going to be there. And it was an excuse to buy myself a fabulous new blueberry-colored winter coat. Hurray for change!

It's a Family Affair

2009-01-11T11:41:00.000-08:00

New blogs are afoot in the Oliver family. My sister Amelia started her family blog (http://pierceanchorage.blogspot.com/) over Christmas. Amy's blog is off the general internet radar, so if you'd like to keep up with her and see photos of her adorable kids, send her an email.

For years, my parents have sent wonderful emails detailing their adventures in Africa and Mexico and Scotland and everywhere else. They also upgrade their camera equipment every year and take great photographs. So for the Senior Olivers (their chosen moniker) blogging is a natural! Visit them at http://susanbill.blogspot.com/

Under Construction

2009-01-08T16:04:00.000-08:00

We have officially entered the Under Construction period at the Museum. From now until March, we will be closed to the public to allow for the installation of new electrical and fire suppression systems. This week our contractors, Wolverine Supply, are demolishing the old electrical system and removing all the wiring and conduit from our log walls. The demo work is going to kick up a lot of dust because this is a 200-year-old building, originally insulated with dirt. We have removed the most sensitive artifacts from the exhibit gallery, secured most of the remaining objects inside cases, and covered everything in plastic sheeting. It gives the building a delightful ghostly ambiance.

Little Drummer Boy

2009-01-04T19:18:00.000-08:00

Here is the totally awesome drum set that Lucas received from Auntie Amy, Uncle Jason and family. In the days leading up to Christmas break, Amy would call me on the phone to discuss potential presents as she and Rostam browsed the aisles at Toys R’ Us in Anchorage. We talked about art supplies and legos and action figures, and on the last shopping day she said, “Well, there’s this drum set…”

Lucas and I built it together on new year’s day and he loves to jam along with the radio. What he lacks in technique he makes up for in unbridled enthusiasm. His left foot works the bass drum pedal and the right foot shakes along, keeping up the frenetic pace so that he is breathless after two or three songs. In addition to the bass drum there is a tom drum, snare and cymbal. The side of the box says in big yellow letters: “Recent studies have shown that playing a musical instrument can measurably enhance a child’s intellectual and emotional development.” I’m always a bit suspicious when unattributed studies are used as marketing devices, though I have no doubt that music is good for little brains. I’m just not sure that Lucas’ erratic rhythm is good for my brain. After a half hour, I find a quiet place and reassure myself that this is all for his emotional development. Fortunately, it is a high quality toy. It just might stay in good enough shape to be passed down to little Rostam one day.

Giving Feels Good

2009-01-02T19:06:00.000-08:00

The beginning of the new year also brings the start of the Alaskan permanent fund dividend application period. In 2009, there is a new opportunity for Alaskans to donate a portion (from $25 up) to their favorite non-profit organizations. I learned today that it’s pretty easy to give away money before it hits your bank account! In all seriousness, this is a great new program and there are many Kodiak non-profits participating including the Baranov, Maritime and Alutiiq Museums, the Arts Council, KMXT public radio, the Humane Society, Women’s Resource and Crisis Center and Senior Center.

One important thing to remember is that non-profits are categorized under judicial districts. Kodiak organizations can be found under judicial district #3. This means we are lumped in with Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula so be prepared to scroll. Also, law requires that the organizations appear in random order and the order changes each time you conduct a search or refresh the page. My sister Amelia, who filled out her application on January 1st, reported that organizations were listed under their legal names. The Baranov Museum was listed under Kodiak Historical Society, the Alutiiq Museum was listed under Alutiiq Heritage Foundation and the Kodiak Arts Council was listed under Kodiak Baranof Productions. When I filled out my application today, however, the common names were listed. Another hiccup - I scrolled through the “Statewide” non-profits and couldn’t find my intended beneficiary, the Alaska Historical Society. But it came up with a simple search. It’s the inaugural year of the program and there’s bound to be kinks in the system so please be tenacious and keep looking!

There’s a great website about the program that you can check out for more information or to search for you favorite non-profit: http://www.pickclickgive.org/

The 2008 presidential campaigns were a testament to the power of modest and meaningful individual philanthropy. We can continue that momentum with charitable giving in Alaska through the pfd program.

New Resolutions

2009-01-01T15:28:00.000-08:00

Last year at this time, I made several resolutions for 2008. I avowed to 1) get a cell phone, 2) read more books and 3) play more music. I’m happy to report that I do play more music as I was gracious enough to relieve my parents of their piano so their house could be re-floored following a burst pipe/flooding incident. I believe the arrangement was that Lucas was supposed to take piano lessons, but he quickly tired of them. Now I dabble in rag time, but mostly play (over and over again) the same classical arrangements that earned me a gold star when I was ten. I had one piano teacher on Larch Street that would reward her pupils with little plastic busts of famous composers. I was able to earn only one (of Austrian Franz Schubert) before I had to stop going to her house because of my imaginary cat allergy. But I’m getting off topic here…

I did buy more books this year, but I don’t know that I’ve necessarily done more reading than in 2007. And I still don’t own a cell phone. So one out of three. Not bad.

I think I can have a better success rate this year if I make fewer resolutions. This year I would like to 1) be more adventurous with my cooking and 2) keep a tidier house. It does not help that I co-habit with two small havoc-makers, one of whom will eat only tortillas, cheese sticks or raw carrots. But today it’s buffalo stroganoff so we’re off to a good start. Happy new year!

The photo above has nothing to do with the content of the post, but it’s a such a sweet photo of Maya and Rostam in matching candy-cane stripes.

Gingerbread Tradition

2008-12-28T21:55:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we held our annual family gingerbread marathon. I say marathon because the dough requires 12 hours refrigeration, and multiple batches must be mixed, chilled and baked in order to create one house for each ambulatory grandchild. And once each child’s design has been planned and executed, parents must step in and carefully construct the house with frosting caulking and coffee cup supports. But the results are spectacular. Lucas displayed his love of symmetry and spatial reasoning with his M&M patterns and uniformly-oriented jelly beans. Maya measured her success by how completely she was able to cover all visible surface with candy. Kudos to my mother, without whom there would be no gingerbread tradition.

Christmas Glee

2008-12-27T10:36:00.000-08:00

With yesterday’s wild winds we were able to stay inside all day guilt-free and play with new toys. Lucas went over to Yasent’s house in the morning to try out his new Wii. In the photo above the boys are in a boxing match. Maya and Anne and I played with her new dollhouse. It’s a fabulous all-wood, three-story, fully furnished doll house finished with a majestic pink and purple color scheme. Unfortunately, the company sent us two right sides to the house so one side now has an upside-down door on the second floor. My dad had to drill holes in the “bottom” in order to secure the roof. My sisters and I all gave Maya toys from the company Melissa and Doug and all three toys had manufacturing blunders. There was an art easel with only three legs and a dress-up doll with three identical left boots. Anyway, Maya doesn’t mind about the window that’s really a door. She’s told me that we just have to be extra careful with that one to make sure that it’s closed. There’s a lesson about energy efficiency in here somewhere.

The Clausman Cometh

2008-12-26T14:00:00.000-08:00

This Christmas Eve, all the cousins descended on my house for some horsing around while the parents gathered in the living room for homemade eggnog. We managed to get all the kids together under the tree for a group photo in their matching jammies. And just as they were running upstairs to play hide and seek in the closets and crannies, we heard the distinctive sound of jingle bells outside the front door. Santa Claus! There he was headed up our driveway in all his red velvet, curly-haired, ho-ho-ho perfection. I’ve never seen Maya run as fast as she did to the front door to greet him. Santa had a big black sack with a present for everyone and the boys quickly became absorbed in their new toys. Maya, however, only had eyes for Santa. She treated him to a half-hour dance recital with Christmas music blasting from her new Hello Kitty CD player. She hasn’t stopped talking about Santa. He was fantastic!

Military History Museum

2008-07-18T19:40:00.000-07:00

Last week we had my dad's family in town - Uncles Denny, Charlie & Terry and Aunties Frances and Linda. We got the chance to show off Kodiak and tour around to all the sights. My sisters and I brought the kids in to the Military History Museum at Fort Abercrombie and they absolutely loved it. They were able to get into costumes and experiment with a variety of restored communications equipment. I had to pry Maya out of the jeep after an hour. In the photo above she sports a helmet, cotton dress and blundstone boots brought back from Tasmania by the Oswalts.

Ice Cream Scooter

2008-07-06T11:48:00.040-07:00

Last weekend Theresa and Owen were over for a barbeque. Late in the afternoon, we heard the characteristic chiming of an approaching ice cream truck. We had read rumors that one might make the rounds this summer and were prepared, with the cost of fuel and all, to have to shell out $4 per treat per child. As the music got louder, we went outside to be ready to flag it down. As you can see from the photo, the "truck" actually resembles an oversized utility Vespa. The ice cream lady was lovely and patient and didn't mind being swarmed by grubby children (or photographed by their parents). Best of all, you could buy her wares with a handful of quarters.

Note: In the photo you can see Lucas' fauxhawk (unsurprisingly detested by his grandmother)

Ivory Kings

2008-07-01T19:56:00.000-07:00

By all accounts, it’s been a slow start to the salmon season. But my folks and their friends Al and Jo Crane got lucky on Sunday with a fishing trip out to ~~Long Island~~ an undisclosed location. To be fair, the expertise of the captain has much more to do with it than luck (see Chaco Pearman with mom's king in the second photo above). They ended up with seven kings - two of which were over 45 pounds and three of which were white kings. A friend of mine from Skagway told me today that in those parts of Alaska white kings are marketed as "ivory kings." In any case, these are some fat, oily, delicious fish. I stopped by last night to assist with the smoking and am back again tonight to assist with the eating.

Thinking about November

2008-06-28T10:27:00.001-07:00

Earlier this month, Anne bought Obama t-shirts for everyone in the family willing to receive, including an “I’m an Obama Mama” maternity shirt for Amy. Maya loves hers.

Crab Fest Bliss

2008-05-31T10:25:00.000-07:00

I’m running a week late here, but the glorious Crab Festival weekend deserves a post. It was the first year in a long time where I went to the festival every day and loved it. Certainly the weather had a large part in the enjoyment and everyone’s equally sunny disposition. But this year I didn’t have to push a stroller through the crowds or wear an over-stimulated toddler in a backpack. Maya is old enough to take on the rides, and Lucas is young enough to stick with the kiddie rides and enjoy them with his sister. Lucas and I marched in the parade with the tee-ball team. I ran into old friends I hadn’t seen all winter. I ate way too much barbeque pork and plied my children with ice cream and orange soda pop and overpriced toys on sticks. It was Kodiak heaven.

Flight of the Bumblebee

2008-05-18T17:59:00.001-07:00

Last night was the Woodland Dance Studio’s spring recital of “The Princess and the Pea”, an elaborate and triumphant production. Hans Christian Anderson fans will recall that a pivotal scene in the story takes place when good Prince Richard is swarmed by a horde of small friendly bees. Lucas loved his role as a bee. More specifically, he loved his stinger. He explained to me over and over again that the girls had to wear tutus and therefore did not have any room for a stinger on their costume. But the boys needed to wear stingers so that everyone would know that they were real bees (and therefore worthy of frightening Prince Richard). It was a 90-second performance in scene two of a 3 hour show (a very good 3 hour show). I gave him roses and scooped him off the stage at 10 p.m. He was so proud and pink-cheeked; I took him into Safeway for some post-production strawberry ice cream. A very good way to turn five.

Practical Bob

2008-03-18T19:53:00.000-07:00

Maya was born with a considerable amount of hair on her head, as evidenced by the photo above taken at three months (by which time she had grown an extraordinary bouffant). As a result, I have always been resistant to cutting her hair. Somehow I have reasoned that her hair is a remarkable natural gift and that cutting it off would be akin to altering her innate character.

It turns out she is well-suited to a practical bob. This weekend I performed the usual patchy haircut on Lucas. We staged one last photo-op with Maya's impressive pigtails and then cut off a good four inches of her hair. She loves it. No more messy, stringy, sticky tangles. And somehow it manages to make her look even more bright-eyed and coquettish.

An Early Easter

2008-03-09T17:08:00.000-07:00

Easter is coming early this year and so then must the holiday activities. I learned my lesson last year when I waited until Easter weekend to buy dyeing supplies and had to pick through the absolute dregs of offerings. I think I came home with PowerRanger and Bratz-themed dye kits and so our eggs featured a collection of space-age weaponry and wide-eyed, scantily dressed tweens. Fantastic.

This year it will be all about bunnies and ducks and pastels and age-appropriate artwork. I blew out 12 eggs so the kids could make an egg tree out of the ficus in our living room. Lucas made an orange egg with an airplane, and a blue egg with a shark and a sea camel. I asked if maybe he meant a sea horse and he said with exasperation, “No it is a camel, with gills.” Maya just enjoyed to opportunity to be shirtless.

37 Valentines...

2008-02-14T19:12:00.000-08:00

Somehow, Valentines Day ended up being quite the production at our house this year. Between Lucas’ pre-school class and his two daycares (one home daycare for mornings and a care center in the afternoons) we had to complete 37 valentines. I underestimated our needs and we ended up having to improvise with thank you cards. I did learn that ~~forcing~~ encouraging your 4-year-old to complete the to-and-from section of each valentine is an excellent way to tucker them out before bed. I also learned that the whole card procedure must begin several days before the actual holiday or else the parent will end up forging valentines in order to get done on time. Photo above is my studious little fella working on his cards this morning.