Got this lovely message a week ago

I'm a grandma again! Tia had a baby girl Friday night. Mom and baby are both fine. Corra Lynn ( don't know the official spelling) 7 pounds 9 ounces. I will be going to see them on Wednesday. 

Lot's of love Aleta

Then today, the pictures followed. 

Rachel took the pictures... Aleta sent them on. Thank you!
Welcome to Corra Lynn (however it is spelled).

There is a reason..

I know, I know... I always ask you few readers to post and then I don't. In my defense... I haven't had a camera.

Let me shorthand this in no particular order.

-5 weeks of bronchitis (including missing a full week of work)

-tetanus shot and stitches after wound to hand (three weeks to heal)

-home burgled (hence no camera)  "violent" break in through large window (weeks of insurance mess and home repairs)

- host visiting artist in my recently burgled home

- Chair Panel at a national conference two weeks after laptop stolen. This is key since my whole portion of the presentation went with the laptop.

_Oh yeah and the regular ol, teach, ship work, do my job business.

(:

Luckily I survived, and 3 months, lots of no sleep and good portion of my savings later I am sequestered in a fortress of security screens, wall spikes and pots liquid nailed to my walls. And... I have a camera again.

These are the first real shots I've taken with it. Crazy is here for a visit (post surgery on her hand) and this is a little homage to our days together so far.


So... Have camera, will post.
Please do so also. (:

I love reading and seeing what you are all up to.

More Weasels

It's Friday night after midnight...so technically Saturday...I'm bleary eyed and exhausted, but can't sleep more than a few minutes at a time. I actually havent slept since Tuesday.  (Not the best way to get over the bronchial thing.)  I'm tired enough that I think I'll eventually succumb in spite of my fears, and I'm writing this to help pass the time.

I know what you are thinking and yes I'll cut to the chase. My house was burgled.
Burgled.
What a silly sounding word for a very horrible violation of your life. This felt particularly violent because the weasles who burgled threw rocks through a huge tempered glass window over my back bathroom tub as a form of entry.  They climbed over the 6ft back wall (in the only strip I don't yet have white pots btw) smashed the window and proceeded to tear my place apart.

It is clear to me they were casing my place. The day before the burgling two UPS packages that were listed as delivered were stolen from my place. I am usually home on Wednesdays, but had a marathon meeting that day in the afternoon.

The good:
 I wasn't home when it happened.
I have insurance
My backup hardrive was not taken
I had good friends who came quickly to help in whatever way
They could have trashed and taken even more, but must have run out of time
They didn't get my iPad (it was with me at the meeting)
I'll get a new window over that tub and this time I'm putting in frosted glass!
I'm fine


The not as good:
I have $1000 deductible on my insurance
6 weeks worth of stuff on my laptop is not on that backup hardrive
I feel not so safe in my house here
I'm not sleeping
I'm further behind at work due to missing another day
The minutia of it all is exhausting; changing passwords, blocking checks, filling out forms,  finding serial numbers, price quotes for window replacement... blah blah

Over and over I've pondered my role in this series of seemingly unfortunate "luck". (re: self fulfilling prophecy of last post) I DO think my magically random opening garage door (which I have never mentioned here) may have been the weight that tipped the scales in favor of burgling my house. It made it much easier to see when I was and was not home. So in a way I think I DID play a part in that "luck" because I kept putting off getting a new opener installed.

My fault or not, it's done. I won't be posting any pretty pictures for a while. No camera.
Burgling weasels!









jjfd

Early Returns

"Weren't you sick last spring?"

"Yeah, what's your point?"

"You injured yourself last year too, didn't you?"

"Again... your point?"

Having clever students who work with you multiple semesters is a blessing and a curse, and I hate that their memories are so clear when it comes to my medical history, but so vague in recalling key points from my lectures.

The first day of my drive toward the hot bowels of the desert began with a very sore throat, and ended with fever, cough, headache, and ears so plugged I couldn't hear my truck engine. In short it was a miserable 2 days drive, and the congestive, bronchial THING I had set in deep enough that I had to cancel my first day of classes. It's four weeks later and I'm still not completely over it! (don't even ask about a doctor)

It has certainly improved from the head splitting ragged throat pain of the first week, but has left me with a pack a day smokers voice and random cough that is quite frustrating. Because of this (well, there is more but I'm putting on this) because of this, my house is still full of unpacked boxes and a tornado kitchen, my work life is a piled up series of projects that have been put off, and I've hardly talked to a soul on the phone, because I cough so ridiculously.

You can understand then, my level of frustration on Sunday last when I managed to ram a rusted broken butter knife (it broke on the spot btw) into the pinky of my right hand while in pursuit of a smoothie. A humbling trip to urgent care the next day provided an updated tetanus shot and the visual fodder for the student remarks above.  (it looked like I had a giant white corn dog attached to the end of my hand)

Am I proof of self fulfilling prophecy?  The long term study will not be complete for several years but early returns say possibly.

Too Much to Take In

This portion of our journey deserves it's own post, but sadly my descriptions and images can not even come close to capturing the overwhelming awe and magnitude of what we experienced.

This flight over Denali was one I had to convince Miss S to take, and she actually thanked me when we were done. This day the weather was on our side. (finally)  The promotion literature claims only 1 in 3 visitors to the park actually get to see Denali because it is so often covered in clouds.  We had a spectacular, scary, thrilling, head bumping, stomach dropping ride.

At one point the pilot was flying straight at the mountain top and it appeared as if we were going to crash right into it. You could see nothing but mountain side straight ahead and on both sides of your peripheral vision.  No picture possible to capture the immensity. At about this point the teenage girl in front of me vomited from the crazy head bashing turbulence and I once again thanked my inner ears.

I cried several times during the hour long flight, not from fear or sadness but from the overwhelmingness. It was difficult to take in and truly amazing.

A 65 year old man from Poland was in the seat behind me. He had been traveling across the U.S. for 10 months and was returning to Poland in a week or so. At the end of the flight he said to the pilot " This is the most amazing experience of my entire life.... I thank you".

Turns out it wasn't just me who found the whole thing pretty impressive.
Here are some shots from among the nearly 1000 I clicked in a desperate attempt to capture the un-capturable.

My Summer Vacation Vacation.

7 days traveling with an 83 year old to Alaska. It’s a long story how this fast and furious trip came about at the last minute, and I know by the end of my posts you are going to ask, “what were you thinking?” Primarily I was thinking hey, a chance to see more of Alaska, a chance to help out a depressed friend....and in many respects, well, I wasn’t thinking.

It’s done now and here begin the highlights. 

GLACIERS IN THE MIST. 

The first two day trips were the ones I was most looking forward too, and were also the days with the worst weather.  (please note there had been sunshine and blue skies for nearly two weeks before our arrival, and the blue skies returned just two days after we left the area...coincidence?... I think not. You may be right Peggy... the travel weather jinx could be me)  

Much of the first two days looked like this.

 In spite of torrential rain and hardly a glimpse of the amazing fjord mountains both trips were pretty cool. I can only imagine what it must be like if you are lucky enough to actually see the terrain and ride on boats where half the passengers are not vomiting from the rough seas. It must be pretty spectacular. It has been years since I tested my sea legs and am so very grateful they still keep me nausea free. Others were not so fortunate. 

I’ve long wanted to see glaciers that calve into the sea, and I did get my wish. The scale is simply impossible to convey.

 No clue what the glacier names are (as if anyone cares) and they are a mix from two boat rides.

Love that blue color!

ANIMAL SIGHTINGS

Apparently the vast majority of tourists go to Alaska with the hopes of animal sightings. This according to our 17 year old high school narrator on one leg of our many train rides. This was not my main purpose, but we did see our fair share. I didn’t get photos of all, but we had good sightings of; wales, sea lions, seals, otters, puffins, dall sheep, moose, bald eagles, and seagull colonies.  (Most inspiring were the Humpback wales who are nearly impossible to catch in a photo) No bears....and I don’t mind that. 

ON THE TRAIN

This whole trip started because of a conversation about the Alaskan railroad, and I have now been on every leg they have to offer. Some miles were obviously more exciting than others.  The line south of Anchorage into Seward was my favorite. 

The train from Anchorage to Denali and onto Fairbanks was nice, long, and a bit tame after the scenic drama of trips to Seward and Whittier. 

VISIT TO A FRIEND
We got in a visit to a good friends house outside of Fairbanks.

Here is her studio.. which makes me envious. 

Sara working on a large commission piece in her studio. I'm still envious.

Sara's little tomato house... also envious.

Sara's year round bathroom (yes year round)  Envy gone.

This is the view from the outhouse. 

 

The BEST sign I've snagged in a while... that's here for you Crazy.

Finally, our smoky and very hot flight into the Arctic circle. 

That's the big overview. I'm saving my all time favorite moment for it's own post.