Seward, Alaska

Happy November to all of you! You might be getting tired of my moose stories but here are my two moose friends from last week at school. The big bull moose (rack was about 6 feet) was outside the classroom windows. I did not take my good camera to school so these two moose pictures were taken with my little Instamatic camera. Mr. Bull Moose stayed around for about 2 hours just eating the bushes. The next day a group of us were walking to our cars (after parent conferences) parked along the street so the parent could park in the parking lot. This mom moose was sitting on the other side of the sidewalk form my car. I had someone hold my teaching bag and I took a picture of the moose. If you zoom in you will see that her hair is standing up which is a sign that she was agitated. So I got in my car from the passenger side and slide over to the driver seat. Gosh, I haven't done that since I dated David in high school. Oh what sweet memories! I really am getting less excited about meeting so many moose.

Saturday (Oct 31) my friend, Beth, and I went to Seward, Alaska. Seward is on the Kenai Peninsula and the peninsula is about 9,000 sq miles. That is larger than the Rhode Island, Connecticut and Delaware combined. Seward was named for President Lincoln's Secretary of State, William Seward, who engineered the Purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867. It is a fishing, hiking, kayaking, sailing, cruise stop, and artisan area. It is a typical Alaskan "cute" town. So as we head to the Southern Peninsula traveling through the Chugach Mountain range with some elevation of about 3500 ft. You can see the snow covered mountains and the no snow mountains which are much lower in elevation. Spectacular! Seward is a small community of 2,000 (who live there year round). The picture shows a typical street in Seward - lots of modest and colorful houses. The next is a picture of one of the many small churches around town. This is the pink Episcopal Church. It reminded me of Juneau because the forest is behind it and the ocean and mountain range in out the front door. I had forgotten that the original Iditarod went from Seward to Nome. Nowadays the famous race goes from Anchorage to Nome (1,050 miles in less than 9 days) and the hoopla all takes place in Anchorage. Seward is very proud of the hometown boy, Mitch Seavey, who won the 2004 Iditarod. Our next stop was to Alaska Sealife Center. Talk about amazing. It is the animal (mammal and bird) recovery, rehab and return center in all of Alaska. We happened to show our teacher ID's and found out teachers get in free. That's great. In September and May over 10,000 Anchorage students ride the Alaska train to Seward for a day at the Sealife Center and then they take the train back. I will have to volunteer to chaperon that day trip. I don't know if I have told you I started to wear socks just recently. The weather has turned chilly and I decided to wear my new boots today. As Beth and I walked around and learned all about these wonderful Alaskan rescue sea mammals and birds, my sock on my right foot kept slipping down in my boot. Not my left foot just the right one. So during our first hour of touching and learning I had to stop frequently and pull up my right sock. It was really annoying having my sock all wadded up in the toe portion of my boot. Not the left sock! So I continued taking some amazing pictures, some through thick glass. Finally Beth told me to leave my sock alone. So I decided to leave it alone and ignore it. I did just that. About half an hour later a man taps me on my shoulder and says, "Ma'am, I think you dropped this." It was my sock!!! I ignored it so much it worked its way right out of my boot. Beth and I laughed until we cried. When I got home I googled how to keep socks up and not slipping down your foot. They suggested using calf garters!!! Can you believe that? Can you imagine how cold those metal grippers would be in Alaska in the winter?? I will have to think of something else. Another Warmboldian moment. Beth was glad she was able to witness a Warmboldian moment.

Back to the sealife center. I would be able to tell you more specifically what the pictures are but the Sealife Center flyer flew out of my hand as we walked along the very windy and very cold (16 degrees) ocean walk. I felt bad about littering in the ocean. But that orange thing is an anemone that is about 9 inches tall. Isn't that neat. The next tank is called the "spooky" tank filled with ghostly and goblinny anemones. Next are Salmon eggs that have been buried by a mom. They will hatch in the spring for a delicious meal. The octopus is really ugly up close. His name "Killer Sam". We never found out why they named his "Killer Sam" so we just remembered it. The first bird is cute and the second bird is a Puffin. You probably think of the black, white, and orange beaked bird. This is it in with its winter coat. They really need a winter coat. We were outside for a about 7 minutes and had to go inside to warm up. It would probably have helped if we took our coats and gloves into the Sealife Center. The coats did a lot of good in the car. And now the best part. We took advantage of the hands on encounter with mammals. It was amazing. We spent an hour with sea lions and sea otters. They are only a cute that a mother could love. The Sea lion was putting on show for us the entire time. She was there for a study for pregnant sea lions. She was being trained how to enter the holding carriage so they can take all their data for the study. Then we met Tonga and Spencer. Tonga is the son who I think is ADD and Spencer is the father. Tonga never stopped moving and wanted to be with us every moment. We got to meet them, teach them to roll over, give a high five, and "point" (put their nose on a buoy) and hold that position. When they complete a hand task, they are rewarded with a "good boy" and fish. Lots of fish. I actually touched fish cut in half and fed it to the boys. It took me three attempts to put my hand in the fish bucket because the fish eyes and blood was slimy. ( I know this because Beth went first). These big boys (100-250 pounds) eat a lot of fish. We were surprised to learn that they sleep on land and when the caretakers arrive in the morning, the fur is fluffy and much lighter in color. It was an wonderful learning opportunity for us. The extra reward was being told that Seward is normally cloudy, foggy and rainy but it wasn't today!! Just perfect - sunny and clear but a tad bit cold. So after eating a local dinner, we got ready for our return trip to Anchorage. The final picture is from the Chugach mountains at about 6:45 pm. You can see the beautiful pink reflection on the snow-covered mountains and the blue sky. Now for an extra special treat. Look carefully. Look in the center of the picture, in the blue sky just above the middle of the mountain range and you should see a full moon. I think that was so neat. The gentlemen at the scenic view stop had several tripods, cameras and a cooler of beer waiting for the perfect picture. We pull up and chat a minute and I said I just want a pretty picture. The one guy kind of chuckled and said you will need to frame your picture using a tripod to get a good picture. I am sure his picture turned out great but I like the hidden rising moon on Halloween!!!

I hope you enjoyed your drive and visit to Seward, Alaska - I sure did. My family arrival countdown is 21 days. I am getting excited to show they around this wonderful State. Until next weekend.....

Gee Cun Gee (Inupiq for I love you)

Sheryl the Nanook of the North.

Halloween Festivals

Talloofa (Samoan for Hello). I only put the phonetic spelling because the Samoan spelling has so many vowels I can't remember how to say it.

Pamyua (Inupiaq) for Rejoice or Sing. My vocabulary is growing. I hope yours is too.

Well, another beautiful week in paradise. I am now just like most locals. I have studded snow tires on my Volvo. I am ready. I told my fellow teachers now that I have them on it is guaranteed not to snow until mid-November. The pool is up to $400 for the first snow fall on the ground. I have entered twice hoping to double my chances. We shall see. I have Oct 10 (nope it passed already) and I have November 15. That may be a winner. I hope everyone is doing well.

First, I am sure it made Memphis news that Ft. Richards and Elmendorf Air Bases are going to join and be a bigger and stronger unit. So this week we have been blessed with air show rehearsals. I am not sure what they are for but at recess we stand and watch the formations. It is pretty neat since they are only about 3 miles away and we have a great view. I don't have recess duty but I find myself wandering out there when I hear the jets. They are loud and they look so close together.

You may not know this but Saturday was the "official" Christmas Light sale! You heard me correctly. Christmas lights. I, of course, made an off-hand comment about how I am boycotting purchasing any Christmas stuff until at least after Halloween. I walked away from the cutest snowman and you all know how much I love snowmen!!! Anyhow, the teachers all gave me a scornful look and said I had to get the paper so I would know what's going on. I am too cheap - I will let them keep me abreast of what I need to do and where I need to get it!! So why was Saturday the official Christmas Light sale. Well if the Alaskans wait until December to put up Christmas lights they will be 3-5 feet in snow and can't hang them on the gutters. So the weekend before Halloween (when the weather is nice) is the day most people put their Christmas lights out. I did not purchase any because I don't want to break my boycott. I will purchase them and decorate my porch once Halloween is over. It isn't like they are going to fine me like in Halle Plantation!

Saturday was also the Halloween Festivals at most of the schools in Anchorage. Up in Alaska there is usually snow on the ground for Halloween so they have found a wonderful solution to Trick-or-treating. The city of Anchorage hosts a HUGE trick-or-treat event at the convention center. You have to purchase tickets and you get to stay 2 hours. Then the next shift of kids and families are allowed to enter. They host about 10,000 people every year. This was created because there is usually snow on Halloween and the kids don't get to show off their costumes - just their snow gear. So they have a wonderful alternative to door to door trick-or-treating and the kids get to show off their costume. In addition to the Halloween Town in Anchorage, each school (elementary - High School) host fun games, food, face painting, rides (on tractors or trucks with hay) and cake walks. Cake walks are the big draw. They pay so many tickets to enter to win a cake. Do they know they can buy one at the store for less money than the festival tickets? I know, I know, it is a fund raiser for the PTA but this cake walk thing has me baffled. One little girl, Lika, won her cake shortly after the festival started. She clutched that cake so tightly so it would not be misplaced I am sure that after 3 hours of fun and games, the frosting was moosh and the cake was gooey. So my pictures are from both of my schools. I attended Susitnas for 3 hours and then went to Airport Heights for 3 more hours. I fibbed a bit. Every teacher was suppose to be volunteer for the whipped cream pie in the face booth. I told each school I did it at the other school. No way was I getting whipped cream in my face. I wouldn't waste it like that. I would put it all over my jello or pound cake! So the pictures are my kiddos from both schools. They are cutest little ones! The little girl in the wheel chair is one of my autistic children (Zoey). She looked cute in her costume. The fireman - yep a little boy - is cute but I called him a fire girl. His hair is long and curly. You would think by now I wouldn't make that mistake but I did!! The father was quick to correct me. By the way, the dad was bald. Go figure. Do you notice how "into" it the whole family gets. Parents dressed up as much as the kiddos. The fishing game was interesting. I should have known the fishing game was popular. I love the quilt that was made just for this event. The children have a fishing pole and they throw it in the river to catch a fish. Someone sits behind the quilt and loads up their fishing pole with a goodie. cute. Next is Mike, my principal at Airport Hgts, and the secretary, Deb. They just rinsed the whipped cream out of their hair and face. The gentleman in purple is Ben Elbow. Yep, you read that correctly. He is a northern native. He is the PE teacher. Then there is Emily as Mrs. Frizzle. You all remember Emily from our Juneau trip. She was out of school for 8 school days. She had the flu badly. She is back and teaching and having fun dressed up. The lady in the pink hair is Ms Karen, kindergarten teacher, who I play bunko with each month. The lady getting her face painted in my other principal, Kim. She is originally from Florida. She says she doesn't miss Florida because Alaska is so much prettier. The two boys enjoying the cotton candy are one of my favorite families. Their mom is expecting number 5. ALL BOYS!!!! Then another teacher, 5th grade, and some of her students. It was a fun night. I will tell you it is a big fund raiser. I sold tickets at each school for an hour and I can see why the PTA does this fun event. Apparently there is a winter carnival which is more fun. I hear it involves snow cones (using the snow from outside), sled racing, and snowball fights. I can't wait.

That handsome guy riding his bike is David. He rode 150 miles for Muscular Dystrophy research. His Medtronic team (24 total) did well. The mid-south bikers (about 700 of them) raised over half a million dollars for MS. They rode 75 miles from Memphis to Tunica, Mississippi. Spent the night and rode back. Unfortunately, a lady from Medtronic and her husband were in an accident. No one knows if they were hit by a car or their tires tangled or hit bad pavement, but they ended up in the hospital in serious condition. She was already riding with a broken jaw from hang gliding a few weeks earlier. She is back to work and looking well according to David. I am so proud of his effort and can't wait for him to enter the Iron man contest next. You know, bike, run and swim. I bet with some of your encouragement he would do it. Oh wait, that would have to be the other Iron man contest. Drive, chip and putt on the golf course!!!

So now let me tell you a bit about our daylight. It is getting less and less each week. I sure miss August! I called David on my way to work one morning, 7:30 am Alaska time, and told him it was dark and the moon was at 12 noon position. Strange. I thought it would be getting dark from the sunset side not the sunrise side. So I go to work in dark time. Not much different from Memphis after we turn our clocks back. I frequently drove to my school in Memphis in the dark. The big difference is the sun came up at 7:30 am in Memphis. In Alaska, the sun is rising at about 8:15 and I can already see it creeping towards 8:30 am. I am told that it will probably be 10 am by the time Christmas break rolls around. I guess that is why every classroom has two sets of lights. They think of everything up here. I wondered why there are two light switches. I have been turning on only one set of ceiling lights. I am told that my the end of November I will be turning on both sets to keep it lighter in the classroom. This is a way to avoid SAD (seasonal affective disorder). I have placed my order for a SAD light for my house. But here is what is strange. I drive home at 4:30 - 5:00 pm and the sun is bright and shining on the mountains so beautifully. Gosh I have such a majestic view! I watch my gorgeous sunsets about 7:30 pm now. Again, I am told I will be seeing dark time about 4:30 pm by Christmas break. Remember, Dec 21 is the shortest day of the year and then it starts getting lighter each day. June 21 is the Summer Solstice where above the Artic Circle they get 24 hours of day light for months. Anchorage, Juneau, Nome, Fairbanks and south (Ketchikan) get about 20 hours of day light. Then in the winter, above the Artic circle they are in 24 hours of dark time. So I guess I am glad I will be in Memphis for the two weeks of real darkness up here.

Now let me tell you about our weekly earth quakes. Yes, you heard me correctly. I use to tell Jenna that she would fall into the Pacific Ocean living in San Francisco. Well, I guess I have to eat crow. Anchorage and Alaska have earth quakes all the time. Most of the teachers keep the Earthquake monitors on their computer desktop everyday. Alaska sits on the Pacific Rim where the slabs of the Earth's crusts slides spasmodically beneath and alongside the continents. The largest, yes LARGEST, earthquake to hit the USA was in Anchorage in 1964 (9.2 magnitude). So I have been talking to the science teacher a lot about the earth quakes. I feel them more than I would like to. The first time I felt one I didn't know what was happening except my bedside lamp was shaking off the night stand and the bed was trembling. At first, I thought a truck went down my street but there was no truck. It was an earth quake. It registered about 3.1. at 4:30 in the morning. Just two hours ago Anchorage had one that measured 2.9. it was 77 miles ESE of Anchorage. I guess I am hooked like the rest of the locals. I check the earthquake monitor every couple of days just to gauge how big the tremors are and if I felt them. You can hear the earthquakes in the mountain valley before you can feel the shaking. The sound is a loud crack and then you feel tremors. I guess I am glad I live at the foot of the mountain. I will keep this in mind.
I have started my month countdown until David, Tyler and Jensina arrive for Thanksgiving in Anchorage. I bet that was the last place they thought they would be spending Thanksgiving a few months ago. I tell them I am unpredictable and just when they thought they had me figured out I put myself in Alaska. Isn't that just wonderful?
I hope all of you have plenty of trick-or-treaters visit your houses next weekend. We have parent/teacher conferences this week. We teach 1/2 day and conference 1/2 day for 4 days. I am sure the "gang" will be ready for WooWhoo Friday celebration after talking to parents all week.

Until next blog. Take care.

Sheryl the Nanook of the North.

Native Heritage Month - October 2009

Qua Kai!!! Remember that is Yup'ik for What's Happening or what's new? I hope all of you in the lower 48 are starting to dry out from the never-ending rain in the Mid South. I have to brag for a moment, Anchorage has been in the 60's and sunny for the last week. We had nicer weather than Memphis! I get to say that now because in a few more weeks I won't be bragging as much about the weather.

BIG NEWS!! I got to be the Moose Horn Blower on Thursday!!! What does that mean? Well, 5 minutes before we were to dismiss the kiddos from school to go home (walkers and bus riders) there were 12 - yup, 12 moose in the school yard. Many were looking in the windows at our classes. So I was handed an air horn and told to go to the corner of the building and blow it to make the moose go away so we can dismiss school. I was a bit hesitant since these were BIG moose (dads, moms and teens) so I asked a bus driver to go with me. He laughed at me because I was so excited to have such an exciting job. I was ready to run if the moose came my way. When the 7 teachers blew the air horns the moose looked up and sauntered away. We let the kiddos go about 10 minutes later. Now that is an exciting finish to a school day!!

I have been busy. I went to the Celestial Mead Opening Dinner. It was a 5 course gourmet dinner with a Celestial Mead for each course. Mead is the Anchorage wine made from Tupelo honey. Tupelo honey can be found in Florida and some other place. I had some of the wine and can't remember all of the presentation. I explained to the Mead person that Tupelo can be found in Mississippi - of course where Elvis was born. He said that may be true but they don't make Tupelo honey there. He was probably correct. Anywho, there is black tupelo honey, white and berry tupelo honey. It was okay. I don't drink so it all had the same flavor to me - kind of like drinking cough syrup! I have been busy taking a fused glass class. That is fun but I have discovered that I am not very artistic. I can copy a design just fine but creating one is a challenge for me. I forgot working with glass one can accumulate many cuts on her fingers. I went to school the next day with band aid fingers. I looked like I had battle wounds. I guess I did since the glass won!

My graduate class requires us to take field trips. Since this is Alaskan World Music Festival it was another learning experience. This doesn't quite measure up to the Memphis in May Music Festival but it certainly was cultural. The Native dancers were fabulous. The boys always have the major dance and singing parts. The girls are just decorative! They explained that they don't have many words so they sing stories. This particular group was another Yup'ik moiety (clan or tribe). They said sometimes they have songs with no meaning but it was a way to gather and share time together. I thought the "Family" song was neat. Each family has a special song. Some tell the family history, some family songs tell a special event in the family, and some pass along family medicines in a song. When it is your family song time only your family is allowed to sing and dance. Some family songs go on for hours. Now that is a dance-a-thon. They should try having a fund-raiser and get sponsors to see which family can dance the longest. Please note the wonderful mukluks they all are wearing. The photo is my favorite pair and they are made of moose hide, seal and otter fur, and the most gorgeous beading. I am going to have to save a long time for a pair of these. They start at $500. Next is my friend, Beth, and the two male dancers. We talked to anyone who would talk with us and explain more about the cultures. These young men are Yup'ik and had to come down from the North Slope for the weekend events. Each clan is required to work so many community service hours at the Heritage Center. They said they look forward to it because they can go to movies and eat a wide variety of food. Next is the "women's Yup'ik" house. Those are whale baleens in front. They stand about 14 feet tall. Baleen or whalebone enables the baleen whale to feed. These whales do not have teeth but instead have rows of baleen plates in the upper jaw that are flat, flexible plates with frayed edges, arranged in two parallel rows, looking like combs of thick hair. Whales use these combs for filter feeding to keep the debris out and only the food enters the mouth. I am trying to talk a few of my friends into taking the baleen weaving basket class. It is intense (one month) and expensive but we can be proud of learning a wonderful craft. In the womens house only the married women, female children and other married women (sisters) live in the women's home. Even though the women own the homes the men make them and keep them up. I like this tradition. The Alaskan homes are semi-subterranean which allows for a winter entrance. The ground cover provides a lot of protection from the elements and in the rainy season they would hand seal intestine blankets over the front door to keep the rain out. The Alaskan Yup'iks and Cup'iks did not build snow igloos. Snow igloos were used by the Inuits in Central and Northern parts of Canada. So stop building igloos out of sugar cubes when your children learn about Alaska. Build sod houses instead. Be sure to include a Totem Pole. This is the Raven Tribe. There are only two moiety in Alaska. The Ravens and the Whales. Each clan had many sub-clans. For instance, the Ravens have the frog, the bear, the snake and other sub-clans. Masha, the moccasin maker filled us in on all the clan. She said that the child follows the mothers heritage (just like the Jewish religion). So once a Raven always a Raven. However, when a young person marries, they had to marry to the other clan. That prevented "damage" to the clan. Those were her words and I got the picture. The lady who did the beading (Marge) showed us how to bead using porcupine quills and beads. That flower was part of a vest collar. It took her almost 2 months to complete this portion. I placed several porcupine quills next to her beautiful bead work so you can get an idea how intricate this method is. She has to get the quills (she said she uses road kill and freezes the carcass until she can get all the quills off of it - subsistence living) and then has to hollow out the quill. Apparently the quill is filled with a substance like foam. Her quill needles don't go through it well so she has an extra step in the process. Remember, this craft has been going on hundreds of years and most of these Alaskans wear glasses. I know why! Next is Masha, the moccasin teacher. She travels to Stanford University once a year to teach a beading and moccasin and mukluk class. These moccasins were so soft. Deer or moose hide, beads and lined with seal fur. I am still saving for my pair. I hope to purchase them by Christmas. She had baby ones for a very reasonable price. My friends thought I should by a pair and hang them from my rear view mirror and perhaps my children would get the idea. What do you think Tyler and Jenna? They would keep the little feet warm. By the way, did I mention Masha is 95 years old!!!! She is incredible. She showed us a picture of her 5 generation family - she is a very proud matriarch. Then we traveled to the Iditarod Headquarter Museum in Wasilla. In case you can't read the sign it the mail route, highway and gold avenue from Seward to Nome. It was the lifeline to Nome when the diphtheria epidemic hit in 1925 and mushers carried the vaccine to Nome. The Iditarod Dog Sled race (from Anchorage to Nome is 1050 miles) was created in 1973 by a musher named Joe Reddington. That is a bronze sculpture of Joe and his favorite dog. Joe died in 1999. The next picture is Joe's first dog sled and notice the moose antlers on the back. That was another of his prize hunts on trail and he wanted to display them proudly. There are female mushers and much more but the museum closed a few minutes before we got there. So that is what we learned from the signs around the museum. I am sure I will get back to the museum during the Iditarod in March. David and Poli and are coming up for that.
So now for a little bit of fun. I have been taking pictures of my students and classes for parent conferences next week. I want to see if you can tell the difference between my many cultures. Can you identify the children according to their cultures? (Hmong, Alaskan Athabaskan, Samoan and Caucasian) Don't let those smiling little boys fool you, they are mischievous and sweet all at once. The last picture is my class learning about how the eye works differently when it is light out (summer) versus in the dark (coming soon).

Isn't he just the cutest little Yup'ik you have seen? That is Michael and he is in 1st grade. One of my first grade classes has 17 students and they are missing a total of 55 teeth. When I asked the class to smile for a class picture I broke out laughing. Only 3 students had front teeth! So we sang a verse of "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth."

Etelogi (on the left) is Samoan and Grace of God is Athabaskan (on the right).

Amei (on the left) is Hmong and Jaaden (on the right) is Caucasian.

All the boys are relos or transplants (parents are in Anchorage for jobs) and they are sweetie pies.

I hope you enjoyed my cultural events and children. I am soaking up as much as possible. We have completed one quarter of the school year already. I think time is flying by.

Have a wonderful week. Until next week,

Gee Kun Gee (I love you in Yup'ik) I am learning a word a week.

Sheryl the Nanook of the North

Juneau, AK October 2009

Hello everyone. I am blogging about Juneau, AK tonight. Juneau is Alaska's Capitol since statehood in 1959. The Tlingit (pronounced Kling et) people inhabited the Juneau and Gastineau Channel area. Lots of rich Tlingit culture. Juneau is a tri climate zone. I forgot the real word (from the guide). Picture this. You are walking along the river on the river walk. On your right is the Gastineau Channel and mountains - somewhat covered in snow. The Mendenhall Glacier is very visible. It is phenomenal. The glacier is so blue. You remember why a glacier is blue from previous blogs. The Russians have a strong influence in this part of Alaska. America purchased Alaska from Russians for .02 cents per 1000 square miles. Such a ridiculously low price for the vast resources the state has to offer. Juneau has only 20 miles of paved roads and almost 300 miles of hiking trails! Did you know that Alaska has one mile of road for every 42 square miles of land compared to the US average of one to one? I learned a lot from the walking tour, two museums and talking to locals. So sit back because this is a truly a "Warmboldian" trip to Juneau. I giggle now but I had my doubts as things happened. I have included a lot of pictures with each blog because those of you that know me well know I LOVE pictures. I hope you do to.

By the way, it was a football weekend game day. Have you ever thought about where Juneau is located? It is far far away from most towns. The football team from Nome was on our return flight. I never thought about how expensive it must be to have competitive teams in Alaska. Some teacher's have their children in competitive soccer and they travel to Washington State, Wyoming, Idaho, etc. for soccer tournaments. Talk about expensive - flights, hotels, food, etc.

Okay, here goes. Emily (teacher friend) and I arrive at the airport early (5:30 am). She states that she isn't feeling so and blamed it on something she ate. We board the 737 Alaska Air line. We take off and the view is incredible. The flight is 1 hour and 15 mins. For all of you who select an aisle seat you miss so much. I always select the window. I am in charge of what I get to look at. So I look out and all I see is a massive spread of marshmallow fluff with the sun shining on it so beautifully. Then the mountain tops are peaking through the top of the clouds. It is spectacular and all you aisle sitters miss this. So when you fly to Alaska for a visit, select the window so you can see all of Alaska's glory. I nudge Emily so she can see it too and she said she really wasn't feeling well. Uh Oh!!! The plane enters Juneau through the basin. That means just above the river leading into Juneau. I swear I could reach out and touch the thick forest just past the wings. Both sides full of thick lush greenery. I didn't realize Juneau had 3 climate zones - Rain forest, Glaciers and River basin. The Juneau airport is two small landing strips and a beautiful lake next to the airport. I have never seen so many float planes lining a lake. Again, that is the major travel system in Alaska - float boats. Juneau could be any small fishing village along the east coast. The same house styles, major fishing industry and local gear is rain gear!! According to the guide and locals, it rains more than 3/4 of the year in Juneau. Yikes!! My hair would be really curly and frizzy. So this weekend there was no rain and perfect weather. I boasted that I brought this wonderful weather. So we arrive at the Hotel (Native owned like almost every store and restaurant in Juneau) and Emily is looking horrible. Yep! She has the flu. She tells me to go and explore. I am no dummy so I leave her. I did provide a garbage can next to the bed - just in case. I justified my leaving so I wouldn't catch anything.

So the pictures are of some of the sites of Juneau. First is the State Capital building. The only US capital that has a view of a world famous Glacier on one side of the building and a rain forest on the other side of the building. Then there is the Governor's Mansion. It looks modest but it is nice. It sits on the mountain of the rain forest about 2 blocks from the Capital. The walking tour was great because I got a lot of local flavor with the tour. There were only 3 of us. We hiked up and down the hills all morning. My legs hurt by lunch. The "pigeon preventor" is next. This is what the locals call it. The tops of all the telephone poles, light poles, etc. have wire hair to prevent the pigeons from sitting there and pooping. You know the phrase - Some days you are the pigeon and some days you are the sidewalk! Then we hiked over the western side of town and I counted 40 some steps and we still were not half way up to this person's house. I have been told that there are 97 steps to get to the door of the house. I would hate to bring up the groceries or replace any appliance!!! I think I would hibernate all winter long. How do you shovel 97 steps just to get to the car? Not me. Next is the riverside of Juneau and this is a gorgeous day. No rain, no fog, and lots of color. You can't really see the marina but there are lots of boats lining this Channel. Next are some beautiful trees leading up to the rain forest. You can feel the different temperature on our walk. The rain forest was temperate and somewhat steamy (50 degrees) and the other side of the river where the glacier sits was about 40 degrees.

The sides of the streets were lined with local artwork. I felt like I was in Seattle with the "earthy" lifestyles. This is only one of the many murals that can be sighted all over town. The Totem Poles also can be found all over town. In the visitor season (summer) there is a walking tour for families so the children can locate all the totem poles around town. The guide said there are about 72 of them. I found at least 25 of them. They are so neat. The time put into these poles and the stories each one tells is remarkable. Then there is picture of one of the local flowers. I don't know what it was and neither did the guide. I thought it was very interesting. I was thinking weed vs flower but what do I know!! Next are two pictures of the lush rain forest. The local houses look like they could be located anywhere along the East Coast of the USA. I was trying to be artist with the single white bark birch in the foreground of the rain forest. I tried. Then the same picture as fifth picture (Juneau's river side) but on Sunday with the fog rolling in. This is much more like Juneau weather. The locals told me the only thing missing on Sunday was the rain. They were glad there was no rain because the fog was thick enough. Then the "Fine Dining" in Juneau. This again is a very typical site in Alaska. This is the livelihood for some Native. The locals tell me the best fish kabobs are served from this local establishment. I am sure it is more appealing in the summer when tourist are here. Those are some of the photos from Juneau. I had to take pictures of the furniture. Those chairs are very solid and difficult to move.

So I return to the hotel and no Emily. Apparently she asked to have her own room so I would not be infected. In reality, she told me she didn't want me to have to listen to her sickness all night long. Isn't she sweet? She is thinking of me when she is the sick one!!. Our night plans have been cancelled. I went to eat - some great seafood. I am in heaven with this fresh Halibut, Salmon and crab. When I return I check in on Emily and she can't answer the door at that moment. I go across the hall to my room and get my PJ's on since I am in for the night. I brought with me my book for my graduate class. I am required to take this class for State teaching license. I call it "Another Way To Make Money" scheme. So I get my book, notebook, pens, turn the TV on to the music channel (softly for background noise as I can't hear Emily) and my cell phone. I don't know about you but any time I have to read a class book I get really tired. I turned down the covers just in case. So I start reading. SIDE BAR - much needed for this event. Have I ever told you about Tyler's girlfriend some years ago who was living in Los Angeles and Tyler was living in South Carolina? Laura's house was being broke into and she huddled in the closet and called Tyler in S. Carolina. Tyler asked why she called him instead of the police. Laura admits she didn't know the phone number for the police in LA! TRUE STORY!! You will see the connection quickly. So I am busy studying, curtains closed and ZAP!!! It is pitch dark in my room. All the lights and TV are black. So is the room. I ALWAYS make a mental note of stairways when I stay at a hotel. BUT NOT THIS TIME! I was concerned about getting Emily to a bed and didn't pay attention to the safety information. I won't make that mistake again. So, I DIAL David. David who is in Memphis, TN. See the connection!!! I told him I am sitting in complete darkness and he asks "Why are you calling me instead of going downstairs to see what's up?" He does love me but he and I do not process at all alike! He is methodical and planned, I am spontaneous and I like to fly by the seat of my pants.
He is such a smarty pants. So I remember I always pack a small flashlight in my travel kit. I get it and put on my jeans and sweatshirt to find my way downstairs. I knock on Emily's door to tell her I am going down stairs to find out what's up. Did I mention they up-graded us to the SIXTH FLOOR!!!!!! UGH!!! Emily gave her usual response- the toilet flushing. So I feel my way to the end of the hall and find the stairs. Did I mention to all of you how afraid of the dark I am? I am very afraid of the dark. So my knees are knocking and I am shaking like a leave as I descend the stairs. I have to keep telling myself no one - not even a mugger- would be in the dark stairwell under these circumstances. I was right. There was no mugger. I get to the front desk and it is dark everywhere. The desk people ask if I am alright and I said yes but poor Emily. I ask if they have a candle that we could use and they looked at me strangely. "It is against fire code to have candles in a hotel". Well I think it is against code to have a black out! No one knows anything so I said I would go back up stairs - 6 FLIGHTS if I could find my way. The manager had a bigger flashlight and volunteered to walk upstairs with me. I hate when I get one upped in a black out situations. So what if his flashlight is bigger! So we start going up the flights of stairs. Now I think - I don't know this person and now there is a potential MUGGER in the stairway with me. Gee Thanks David for sending me downstairs!!!!!! Oh what a trip. We knock on Emily's room and reassure her things were going to be okay. I heard the typical response again - flush! So I make my way back into my very dark room. I decided I will sleep now and when the lights come on I will wake up and read/study for Monday's class. So I climb into the bed with my clothes on. I try to get comfortable without wrinkling my clothes. I don't want to be rescued in PJ's so I kept my clothes on. I didn't want to wrinkle my clothes because these are what I am going to wear home tomorrow on the plane. Like anyone on the plane would know me! Please Sheryl - get real. So I lie really really still to prevent wrinkles. Sleep is elluding me. No sleep.
Any other time I read this boring book for class I fall asleep instantly. Then I notice a flash of light in my room. I hold tight to my mini flashlight and go to the window. The person who shares the back yard with the hotel has a flashlight and they are flashing it in my window. So I flash back. That is I shine the flashlight back at them, not a naked me! Get your mind out of the gutter! So I spend 15 minutes playing flashlight tag (indoor style) with some stranger. New game - try it sometime. I think that person was sending S.O.S or love letters, I was sending stick figure drawings of a deer, children, boats, etc. Then it hits me!!! THEY KNOW WHAT ROOM I AM IN. I get scared and run across the hall with Emily. She doesn't care why I am there just turn on the TV so I don't hear her. Let me tell you, no TV can drown out that sound! FLUSH! I try to read her the newspaper with my mini flashlight but she really isn't interested. I try to watch TV and eventually return to my room when I can't stand invading on Emily's private moments with the porcelain throne. I finally fall asleep only to be woken up with the TV blasting, every light on and I am startled. Not exactly as I planned my trip but oh well.

I believe learning is the act of making meaning from experiences. So what did I learn. ALWAYS know where the stairs are in the hallway. I WILL NEVER, repeat NEVER stay above the 3rd floor again. I will always pack candles in my travel bag. And I won't call David in Memphis when I am in a black out. His advice to go downstairs was really not needed. So there you have it. Another "Warmboldian" adventure. Pretty funny now but not exactly when it was happening.

The crowning moment of the trip was on our flight home. Emily went to far as to change her seat on the return flight. She decided she didn't want me getting sick but didn't really care if someone she didn't know got sick. Isn't she sweet. Always thinking of me when she is sick!!! So we are about 15 minutes from landing in Anchorage and the captain said, please look out your window (which I am sitting near) and there was a pod of whales eating the bay. It was spectacular from the plane. It is a shame those aisle sitters couldn't see what I saw. I wouldn't move my head because I was so mesmerized by these majestic giants.

I hope my Blog finds all of you in good health, warm thoughts and a smiling grin on your face. I love sharing my Great Adventures with you. Thanks for all the wonderful comments. I will blog again next weekend.

Hugs to you,

Sheryl (Nanook of the North)