Dad, family

I received word Friday that my dad in PA had suffered a heart attack, so spent a restless night waiting for word. He had been doing some work outside the house and started to suffer extreme shortness of breath and profuse sweating. Fortunately, my niece - who's a CNA - was there and knew just what to do. She gave him piece of an aspirin and convinced him to get to a hospital.

He underwent surgery Saturday morning and today was sitting in a chair, off the respirator. He's still on oxygen and very weak, but coming along as expected.

It's hard to think of my parents as getting older. I don't get down there as often as I'd like and the changes I see in them when I do visit seem drastic. My mother seems to have shrunk. She seems frailer and smaller than a few years ago. She has suffered several broken bones in the past two years, one the ball of her left shoulder and the other - just last month - her right wrist.

My dad also seems smaller, and has started moving much more slowly than he did just a few years ago.

I always counted on their strength and can see it waning now. I hate being this far away from them. I was planning a trip down to see them in October, part flying and part Amtrak. I've now shelved the Amtrak trip and will fly down earlier. I want to wait until he's released from the hospital and rehab, so am waiting to hear what will be a good time to get there.

They raised six kids in rural Pennsylvania. We lived a simple life, growing up in the country. They taught us ethics, how to live a good and moral life. Mother taught us how to cook, clean and take care of each other. Dad taught us about nature through walks in the woods just across the yard. We had walnut trees, raspberry bushes and cherry trees just outside the door. We ate game - rabbit, squirrel and venison, among others, that Dad shot. We fished and swam in the Susquehanna River just across the highway.

I miss that simple life now, and especially miss being near all of my family. It will be good to see them all again.

Hawaii

It's so good to be home after two weeks in Hawaii.

I went to Schofield Barracks where I was an observer/controller for an exercise they were doing there. It was good to connect with my Hawaii counterparts and to see that we all do things in pretty much the same way in a crisis - kind of validates our own activities.

There were a total of six of us from our garrison, and we had a fair amount of free time to visit the island, taste the Hawaiian cuisine and take photos. I had some very good Thai-style fried rice with shrimp and pineapple from a camper in a parking lot and fresh seafood at other locations. Most of the food was mediocre, however, or disappointing (the seafood platter, a bit pricy, had just one piece of ahi tuna, two shrimp and two scallops). The fried rice and the rib-eye steak at Sizzler were the two best meals of the entire two weeks.

I was able to link up with Tracey, who worked for me several years ago. Her mother was visiting from Florida, which was very nice. I had the pleasure of meeting her almost six years ago when Tracey's son was born prematurely. Connor is an active little boy, a huge fan of "Star Wars." His little sister Amelia is a smiling good-natured baby. Tracey's husband is deployed and due to return this month. I know she will be glad to have him back home.

Tracey was good enough to take me for a ride on the North Shore, where we visited several beaches and saw Sunset Beach and the Pipeline.

A sea turtle had hauled out on one of the beaches. It's illegal to bother or touch them, so volunteers stay nearby to keep the tourists at bay.

We could other turtles pop their heads out of the water, then almost instantly submerge again. They were so fast I couldn't get a photo of them.

We all spent some time in the town of Hale Iwa, a terrific little surfing town. The shops were rustic and the pace slow. We had lunch (very good) at Hale Iwa Joe's and shave ice on the way out of town. Although I thought it would be a big snow-cone, it was surprisingly good. I had one with mixed flavors (banana, pineapple and something else - I don't remember) and ice cream in the bottom of the cone. Very good.

It was great to see Tracey and her family doing so well. And I truly appreciated her hospitality. She showed me her home, one of the historic ones on Schofield Barracks and took time out of a busy schedule to play tour guide and have dinner another evening.

Our next to last evening we had dinner on the lanai at a restaurant across the road from another beach. The sun was starting to set and I was able to get a few shots, some with outrigger canoes that were paddling back and forth.

I enjoyed watching the birds and seeing the gorgeous flowers. These Brazilian cardinals are among my favorites. Their brilliant red heads are really set off by the white, gray and black.

I truly love seeing tropical plants. I love palm trees and brightly colored flowers. The hotel on Schofield was beautifully landscaped, with plenty of both. I especially liked the Hawaiian red ginger.



This was the first time I'd ever seen the hanging crab claw:

Although the hibiscus and rainbow shower trees (and everything else) was beautiful, I think my favorite is the bird of paradise.

We had good weather, not too hot and plenty of nice breeze. While it was a good trip, the actual travel part was brutal - 5 1/2 hours from Honolulu to Seattle, a short layover, and 3 1/2 hours to Fairbanks.

I'm very happy to be home. May/June is not the time to leave Fairbanks. It's green, warm and so pleasant - my very favorite time of year.

Happy summer everyone.



photo excitement

Several months ago I decided to enter a photo contest, so selected three of what I considered my best. On a whim, I added a fourth, not my best, but I liked the colors. The contest was sponsored by Ruralite, the monthly magazine published by our electric cooperative. The prize was $100 per photo chosen for the covers.

I checked the website and found none of my photos were selected for the cover. This didn't really surprise me, because while I love taking photos, I am certainly not a professional - and at times I think I'm mediocre at it. I'm truly excited when I get something I really love.

A couple of weeks after the announcement of the winning photos, I received a letter from the electric company. They told me that although I didn't win the cover contest, they want to run one of my pictures in a section inside the magazine. I completed and signed the release form immediately, and shortly after that I received a check for $25. The money is just gravy. I'm simply excited that one of my photos was selected to run in a regional magazine.

The winner? It was the fourth picture - the last-minute add-on. It was a photo I shot from the window of a moving bus in Denali Park.

Even though it was a spur-of-the-moment addition, I loved the fall colors and the contrast - the low brush and tall trees, the reds set against the green of the spruce.

This isn't the one I sent in, but it's similar. So I'm now waiting until Sepetember to actually see one of my pics in print!

I will probably spend more time concentrating on photo composition and really working to improve my technique. A lot of the time I simply point and shoot without really thinking about the end result. But the rush of excitement when I read the letter has me wanting more!

travel, travel, travel

I have recovered from the various infections (all respiratory related) and from the trip to San Antonio. The conference was a good one this year, with excellent workshops, especially on social media and an overview of our career field (public affairs).

I was still in the recovery mode for the upper respiratory infection and the heat and humidity in San Antonio didn't help at all. It was 95 degrees during the day (went down to 72 or so at night) and VERY humid. That's weather I really don't like. I'd rather have 35 or 40 below than 90 above with humidity. However, I connected with some old friends and brought back some great information.

As promised, I've got a few more photos from the Las Cruces/Phoenix trip.

I love the palm trees in Phoenix and was able to shoot a few through the windshield as we drove around the city and surrounding cities.

I really liked this tree-lined street.

My cameras are all automatic digitals because I know if I go to DSLR I will end up carrying a huge bag full of heavy lenses. I have one small pocket-size camera with a 10X optical zoom that is with me all the time. My "big" camera has a 20X optical zoom and I'm able to really bring in scenes from a distance with it. Both have a sweep panorama function and various scene modes such as water, snow, dark without flash, sports and fireworks.

One night following the baseball game there was a fireworks show, so I decided to see what happened with the fireworks mode. I wasn't disappointed. Here are two examples.

There's a whole different effect because the lens is open for quite a long time.

On the way back to Las Cruces, we stopped off in Tombstone. The historic town is a little off the beaten path, but was a fun ride. We had to leave the freeway and drive several miles down a two-lane road, past houses and countryside. It was fairly early and there were not a lot of people. It reminds me a great deal of Alaskaland (now Pioneer Park) with gift shops, boardwak sidewalk and historical buildings. We shopped and stopped in a few of the old buildings before hitting the road again.

There were several stagecoaches and one covered wagon traveling Tombstone's dirt streets, but we opted not to take a ride. I rode the stagecoach in Dodge City years ago, and I recall a hard wooden seat and a very bouncy ride - not at all comfortable. Sadly, the OK Corral was closed and we missed the "gunfight" there.

Back in Las Cruces we did more shopping in Old Mesilla and had two wonderful dinners - one at a great Mexican restaurant and another at a Japanese one. We rested and visited with Bonnie and Junior, then hit the skies again to return home.

These cactus are in Bonnie & Junior's yard. I was pleased to see them in bloom.






I've been given a heads-up for another possible trip coming up - this time to Hawaii, again for work. It's not a done deal yet, but I'm on alert for it.

I'm so glad to have warmer temperatures, more daylight and snow melted. Happy spring everyone.

sick day

After a wonderful trip to New Mexico and Arizona, I returned to work and a fairly stressful week, wondering how many people would be working Monday following budget talks and discussion of a government shutdown. Fortunately for a lot of people, everyone was at work yesterday.

Saturday was relaxed and fun, with a birthday lunch for my friend Mae. We enjoyed lunch at the Thai House, had a little fun running around town and talked about how good it is to see signs of snow melting and the onset of breakup.

Sunday I woke up with a sore throat and low-grade fever. Figuring it was sinuses draining, I took some sinus medicine. It didn't help at all. Monday it seemed a little better, but a cough set in. Knowing I have to fly out again soon, I decided to see a doctor to knock it out before getting on the plane. I couldn't get in to see my doctor, so I went to the urgent-care center. I hate going there, for several reasons, but I knew I needed to see someone that day. This place was packed too and I've heard several folks had to leave work today to get sick kids from school. The nurse told me there seems to be a lot of people with similar symptoms all over town.

After two hours, the doctor told me I have a sinus infection. But in addition I have minor infections in the respiratory system (not bronchitis yet, thank heaven) and ear and I have strep throat. A regimen of Predinisone and antibiotics is already working and my throat no longer hurts. The cough, however, is another matter. I can't lie down or even recline a little in my recliner without cough spasms that seem to last forever. My asthma is acting up and I've had to use the nebulizer several times a day. The fever is still here, but not as frequently. I stayed home today, but will return to work tomorrow.

Since I'm upright, either sitting or standing, I tried to be productive. I made a waldorf salad, which I've been craving, and some gravy for the pot roast I made Sunday. I felt too sick to make the gravy then, but now have supper for tonight (hot roast beef sandwich sounds good).

While we were in El Paso, Las Cruces and Phoenix we did some power shopping. I bought a fair amount of new clothes and in Phoenix I found a netbook. I'd been pricing them locally and online, but didn't want to pay the prices they wanted. I got it in Phoenix for several hundred dollars than here or online (can you say "shipping costs?") I didn't do much with it on our trip, other than check e-mail and the Fairbanks paper. So, on my sick day, I downloaded Microsoft Office first. Microsoft has determined that a new purchase of the full version, which I bought last summer when I upgraded my desktop computer, may now be put on both a desktop and one laptop. That saves me the cost of a license fee for multiple computers or the cost of a new full disk. I also set up several other programs and my Favorites on the Internet.

I've been avoiding taking the cough syrup the doctor prescribed because I really don't like taking codeine, but finally gave in and took a half-dose of the noxious-tasting stuff because I'm nearly desperate for some sleep. I got about 3 hours last night and no naps today. If I'm going to work tomorrow I really need to rest.

Hopefully by tomorrow the meds will have done even more magic and I'll be feeling better.

I am glad, however, I was able to get something done today. I'll take the netbook with me on my trip. The hotel has free wi-fi and I can keep up with Fairbanks news.

I hope you all are doing well. More on the Southwest trip next time.

baseball and more

My friend Mae and I have returned from visiting friends Bonnie and Junior in Las Cruces, NM. It was a great trip, if whirlwind.

Bonnie and Junior are doing well and it was wonderful to see them and spend some time with them. It went by far too fast.

We flew into El Paso, Texas and landed to a beautiful sunny day with a nice breeze that helped with the 70+ temperatures and hot sun.

On the way to Las Cruces we stopped at an outlet mall where we hit our favorite stores and stocked up on some much-needed clothing items not available in Fairbanks. That night we had oryx (a species of antelope) for dinner along with green bean casserole and more. The oryx was delicious - mild, lean and not gamey at all.

The next day we hit the road early for the six-hour drive to Phoenix. We watched the sun come up over the mountains and light the desert and pulled into Phoenix in time to stop for lunch. From there it was on to the ballparks. We had scheduled six games of Spring Training into three days. We ensured we would see all three new parks in the Phoenix area as well as a couple of our older favorites.

Our first game was Tempe Diablo Stadium where the Los Angeles Angels train. Although this park has been a favorite of mine since 2000, I was disappointed this year. We had good seats for the game, but the park had replaced its seats since our last visit and we felt like we were in the center seat in an airplane's coach cabin. The new configuration really crammed us in. I'm very short and my knees nearly touched the seat in front of me.

That evening we were at Goodyear Ballpark where the Cincinnati Reds and the Cleveland Indians play. This was one of the new parks, and although we were near the top row of seats and not behind home plate, I still liked the park. The seats were comfortable and we were under a canopy so were shaded from the early evening sun.

We also visited Surprise Stadium, another old favorite, and Camelback Ranch and Salt River Fields, the other two new parks. We noted everything from seats, ballpark configuration and scoreboards to team shops, hot dogs and field views from various areas of the park. We heard a couple of horrendous renditions of the National Anthem. Camelback Ranch featured a fireworks show after the game, but that's for a later post. And we thoroughly enjoyed some major league baseball, complete with home runs, double plays, pick-offs and broken bats.

Although the games involved some serious driving from one side of Phoenix to the other, in one case a distance of some 30 miles in traffic nothing like Fairbanks, we still had time to stop for dinner at a seafood place and a barbecue restaurant. Both had exceptional food and service.

After three days and nights in Phoenix, we hit the road again to return to Las Cruces. After the last game we drove to Tucson to spend the night and give us a little less driving time Sunday morning.

Although we were tired, we all agreed it was a great trip. I could easily spend every March in Phoenix just going from one ballgame to another. I prefer the Spring Training parks to the big city ones. The crowds are much smaller, the tickets and concessions cost less and the ballparks are much more intimate. We can sit closer to the field and even the seats in the top rows are good ones offering views of the playing field without the need for binoculars.

That's all for this post. I'll put up more photos of the trip next time.

Holy Cow! Snow!

It's Monday, Presidents' Day, Feb. 20. We had a little snow late last week, but it was manageable. When I got up (very early - 3:30 a.m.) this morning I could tell it was snowing, but didn't think much of it. I don't normally pay much attention to forecasts, aside from the expected temperatures, so didn't expect what I saw at 9 when I decided to brush off the car so I could go to the doctor.

I was flabbergasted when I realized the snow on my handicapped access ramp was knee-high. I shoved the storm door open and got my shovel out so I could at least get out the door. I managed to shovel a path down the ramp to the sidewalk, but by then my back started to protest, so I stopped. That's what I pay someone to do for me.

The little path I'd shoveled at least gave Buddy a little space to do his business, and he enjoyed sniffing the air and checking out the snow.

His beard and muzzle always come up white with snow when there's a fresh snowfall. He looks so funny. However, he refuses to leave his booties on, so his feet get cold. Even in the summer when the lawn is wet from rain his feet get cold. So we don't stay out too long.

The chickadees and redpolls have been gluttons at the feeders, and I had planned to fill them today. Here's what they look like right now. I will go out and knock the snow off later and bring them to fill them.










However, I am now truly tired of this. Since I don't have a garage, every little dusting of snow means I have to brush off the car. This particular dropping means it will take longer and I'll have to break trail around the car to get to the roof on all sides. I am truly ready for my vacation in the Southwest.

Just looking at these helps me get through the long last couple of months of winter. I've been online looking at various places we might visit while we're in Phoenix and Las Cruces. I've bought new summer clothes and am more than ready. Fortunately, there's in increasing amount of daylight and today the sun is shining. That helps.








It really hasn't been a horrible winter this year, but I am ready for breakup and summer. We're nearly to March - it won't be too far off.