skiing in fresh powder 3/9/09

Monday after iditarod start was good for a day off
and cross country skiing on the freshly used and powdered
Tour of Anchorage trail. 2 hours out was good for a back-recovery
ski and mexican food at taco king didn't disappoint.
~ mary anne, me and rosemary~ we didn't see any moose, bears
or wolves that attacked a friend's dog yesterday on the trail.

Iditarod 37 - ceremonial start in Anchorage 3/7/09

We had good conditions for the Iditarod's ceremonial start in Anchorage today. 1 degree above was okay for humans and almost cold enough for the dogs. It was clear with sunny skies all day and warmed up to the teens. Horizon Lines was a sponsor and staff had some fire pits going to make the party more fun.

Here's Cecilia and I about an hour before the first team came through.

We hung around with others talking, sledding, waiting. Some little kids got surprise snow machine rides on the nearby lake.

This year the southern route will be used to race from Anchorage to Nome. The race is around 1,000 miles. There are 25 checkpoints, mostly little villages where dog food, supplies, vets have flown into. The greatest distance is 90 miles, Ophir to Iditarod and Kaltag to Unalakleet. Every musher must take one 24 hour stop and two eight hour stops.

the view from the rear never changes

We chatted with musher #6 Allen Moore for a few minutes while the dogs got tangled up. We'll keep track of the mushers' progress to Nome.

back in the saddle again

i'm ecstatic to be back and my back is ecstatic to be fixed. if you ever need to know of a good neurosurgeon in Anchorage, Dr. Kim Wright (Jensen and Wright Neurosurgical Associates) i can tell you that Dr. Wright did it Right. There was nasty dark cloud over me for 7 months, but a quick surgical procedure and a couple of days healing did the trick. So look for more photos coming. Only two more weeks till Daylight Savings Time and an evening hike in and around Anchorage won't be in the dark! YAY, another winter almost over. I'm thankful to walk without pain, be back in the pool and starting to dance again. Remember to take it easy (yah) - Judith

Cecilia at play 1/31/09

at last the Princess is ready for the ball!

























Cecilia's friends came to bring her to the prom at the
Millenium: rhonda julian and michelle.

inaugural speech of President Obama

experimenting now with putting video clips in.
ignore this if it's a mess

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Martin Luther King Day with AFS students 1/20/09

The AFS foreign exchange students get together for their mid-year orientation on Martin Luther King Day. Aside from discussing adjustment issues and ups and downs of life in a different culture, they learn about Martin Luther King.
Cecilia (ci-ci) reads a book about him and his ideals and dreams - a fitting introduction to the Inaguration of Barack Obama.
My blog may take a rest as I remain grounded. just call me Queen of Sciatica
*thanks for hangin in there with me.


 
 
 

Gingerbread house by Riley 12/13/08

Riley made her first gingerbread house today! Mom and Keeley and Judith certainly got in the way, but she prevailed. What a masterpiece. Good job!

 

popcorn ceiling prep 12/7/08

thanks to Tom and Lynda the downstairs is now ready for the popcorn ceiling to be scraped off in the next few days.

 

Thanksgiving 08 in Charlotte

Thanks mom for hosting us all at your new digs! Very impressive. Some shots of those of us who could make it! You're looking great doing your physical therapy.



Most of the cousins

Colorado

What a great idea to leave Alaska for a Colorado vacation at the end of October! AFter flying to Denver, first stop was to see Tammy, Lily and Greg Heimbuck of Colorado Springs! Here's the 3 girls on a hike at Garden of the Gods



Here's a busy Lily at the Cliff House in Manitou



Next stop was in Denver, but no photos. THEN to Boulder which struck me as alot like Anchorage except it was warm and sunny! It as fun to see Ellie and Barry in their mountain home. Here's Ellie dealing with one of a million remodeling decisions.



We did have fun walking and catching up.

October 5th Winter Wonderland

Noel and I hiked this afternoon on powerline trail. It's also snowing down in the flatlands of east anchorage. That first wet snow is perfect for snowballs and snowmen. Time to find the headlamp for Thursday's hike.  

Raspberry Jam Day

Even tho it rained all summer and there was little sunshine, there were LOTS of raspberries to pick at June's and some currants, raspberries and rhubarb at my place to make jam out of. But before the work first we had to have lunch and a fruit tart for dessert. Ruth mashed the berries. Shelley cooked up the fruit, sugar and pectin. June enjoyed last year's rhubarb jam and then got to work, ha ha. Judith was chief cook and jam pourer. In the end we made 20 jars of raspberry-currant-crowberry jam, plain raspberry and raspberry-rhubarb jam.

Fun in the sun back to Homer

thank goodness the sun came out on the last two days of the trip.
time for some fun in the sun. 






we had great views of the Katmais, volcanoes including Mt. Augustine, Iliamna and Redoubt.





















This is Iliamna.  





















Amanda Lofgren and I quite glad to see Homer.
 

Down time in Akutan

I enjoyed wandering around Akutan and exploring the tundra.
Chocolate lillies were everywhere.



it was clear for alot of the day

Colleagues in crime

this is Eric, pushing oral health everywhere we went.


Frankie, financial chief for Eastern Aleutian Tribes and daughter Samantha. They had a lot of fun with vegetables and healthy nutritional counseling.

This is Katherine who wants everyone to have a healthy heart.

Anna, the organizer of the floating health fair and one of the other health fairies Melanie and Akutan helper Ruth.

Akutan