Denali on the train

At the end of my week off in September, my friend Mae and I took our annual trip to Denali on the Alaska Railroad. I love the ride - four hours of beautiful scenery, eating in the dining car, relaxing in the comfortable seats and reading the Nook. I've decided that I prefer the park in September over May. In May, the leaves aren't fully out yet and it looks too much like winter. In September, the colors are all out - vivid reds, brilliant golds and the dark green of the spruce trees all make a gorgeous palette.

For the first 12 or more years, Mae and I were among the very lucky park visitors who get to see the mountain - Mt. McKinley. Bus drivers in the park say only 25% get to see it, so we felt very fortunate to see this enormous snow-covered peak so often. However, I think the law of averages has finally caught up to us. This year made the third year in a row it's been shrouded in clouds and not visible to us.

This year we only saw two squirrels - no moose, no caribou, no bears, no Dall sheep. But the colors and the scenery were awesome. We did see two moose cows, one with twins and one with one calf; two pairs of swans and a large flock of sandhill cranes flying out as the train made its way back to Fairbanks.

Here are a few of my favorites:



A low-lying fog bank moves in from Savage Canyon below Mt. Margaret's fall colors.





Even the weeds are pretty!



Savage River from the park road.



Healy Canyon & Nenana River from the train.

Two days after we got back I developed bronchitis that hung on for almost three weeks. Am finally feeling much better, able to get some sleep and only coughing a little.

I will be heading to Spokane, Washington, soon to visit my two granddaughters, who live with their dad. I haven't seen them in many years and am really looking forward to seeing them. Then, maybe, I'll stay home for a while and forget packing, trudging through airports and strange beds.

I went to the store early this morning. The sunrise was gorgeous; there was a cute little dog walking his human; Jimmy Buffet was on the CD player and there was no line at the store. Life is good. Happy October everyone.

Taking care of business

I took this week off to take care of things like annual physical, car and furnace tune-ups and use up some leave time.

All went well last Friday with the car and the physical. I came away with a clean bill of health from the doctor and a lower bill from the garage than I expected.

By Sunday, the car wouldn't start - wouldn't turn over. And it was a holiday weekend, so I couldn't even get it checked until Tuesday. So Tuesday morning I ended up buying a new battery.

The furnace guy came out Tuesday and informed me he had disabled the furnace (state law, I think) because it isn't safe. So instead of buying a new furnace next spring as planned, I'm buying it this week. It will be installed tomorrow. The positive angle here is I shouldn't have any problems this winter and it hasn't reached the freezing point at my house yet. I'm still in the 40s at night and 60s during the day, so the space heaters I have do a fine job keeping the place warm and I don't have to run them constantly.

Today is my birthday, and I decided a great way to start the day was at Creamer's Field for sunrise. There were a lot of geese, but I didn't see or hear a single crane. The sun was gorgeous as it hit the yellow leaves of the birch trees, and the sky was blue shot through with a lot of pink. It was a beautiful morning.

I shot a few photos, then came back home to prepare for our upcoming train trip to Denali National Park. My friend Mae and I do this trip every year, and it's something we look forward to.

I whipped up a pot of clam chowder (great lunch!), cleaned up the kitchen and now it's time to take the dog out and relax.

Happy autumn everyone.

Fall's coming

Friday started my week-long break. I'm taking some time off to relax, take care of business and (hopefully) sleep in.

Friday, though, was primarily a business day. I dropped my car off for lube/oil/filter change and check-up for winter. I also visited the doctor for my annual check-up, then went to DMV (!) to renew my disabled parking permit.

There was a lull, though, in the morning. My friend came by to pick me up while the shop worked on my car. We went for breakfast, then for a drive. We stopped by Creamer's Field to see the birds and out to Fox for a short drive.

Although I hate to see summer end, I do love the deep reds of the fall. We saw that the fireweed is topped off and the leaves are red.




Geese landing



Have a safe and happy Labor Day.

Sunny, relaxed weekend

After my fast trip to PA, I got back to work and lots of catching up. I had several hundred emails to answer and some online training to do, as well as what work was tossed at me each day. If I didn't have such a capable staff, I'm not sure what I would do. They took care of a ton of stuff while I was gone, or my return would have been terrible. I'm really blessed to work with the people on my staff - they are absolutely the best team I've ever had.

The last few weeks have been full of my job, calling PA for updates on my dad and trying to find time to simply relax.

My dad is continuing to improve. He was home from the nursing home today for a visit, and if all goes well he will be home to stay in 10 days or two weeks. I know he's looking forward to it, and that today's visit gave him more incentive to work hard at his therapy. He sounded wonderful when I talked with him this afternoon.

I took my daughter and granddaughter shopping for school clothes. Maddy is in first grade now. When we walked into the first store she said, "Grandma, I don't like skirts." I assured her we wouldn't buy any skirts. She is beginning to develop her own style - no dark pink, no skirts or dresses, glitter is good - but is still young enough that she can sometimes be talked into something she's not crazy about. We had a wonderful day, shopping and having lunch. Such fun!

I've made several trips to Creamer's Field for bird shots, but haven't gotten the great sandhill crane shot I want. I'm apparently not there at the best time of day, and this morning when we stopped by I only had my small pocket camera with a shorter zoom lens.



I wish I'd had my better camera. Maybe next trip.





I was able to catch these two geese coming in for a landing - not an easy feat for me!



After the grocery store and Creamer's Field, I had a visit from my daughter, her partner and Maddy. I hang my bird feeders on an arch I bought at the garden department of a home building store, and we moved it so I can see it from my computer chair. It had been moved when I had my porch built this summer, and I didn't put it in the right spot when I replaced it. I love sitting on the porch watching the birds. They come in and perch to eat within 2-1/2 to 3 feet of me. Maddy was fascinated to see them so close. She is beginning to be able to sit still and watch them.

This little black-capped chickadee was eating something from the bark of the birch tree.





This chickadee was on the arch, just about 2-1/2 feet from me.







Catching a bubble on the wand.


 

Trying to bite the bubble. She didn't like the taste of the one she caught. Said she thought it would taste like gum :)







This was one of those great sunny weekends when I slept in, relaxed and spent wonderful time with friends and family, enjoying the simple pleasures I can find in Fairbanks. It doesn't get any better than that.

Pennsylvania

Now that I've recovered from a fast trip back home and had some time to resize and edit photos, I figured I'd share some photos of where I grew up and where my parents still live.

My dad continues to recover and is working hard to leave rehab and return home. I took most of these from his favorite spot on the front porch.



Foggy morning sunrise from the porch





Hummingbird at the feeder





visitor on the grass






Butterfly bush, so named because it attracts butterflies





close-up of butterfly blooms





Another butterfly bush



trumpet flowers growing on a vine on the porch rail





black-eyed Susans outside the kitchen window



Although it was wonderful to see my dad beginning to recover and to spend time with my family - mother, sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews, it was even better to return to Fairbanks. The heat (90s) and humidity (90th percentile) were almost unbearable. I'm much more comfortable here. (Someone remind me I said this come January :O)



Fast trip to PA

Hearing encouraging news from Pennsylvania about my dad's progress, I made reservations to fly out July 18 and stay through the 28th. However, on July 4th my sister phoned and said his kidneys were failing and the doctor said they should call in the family. He had only been in the rehab center for less than two days.

I was frantic. I phoned Alaska Airlines and explained the situation, hoping for an early flight out of Fairbanks. They were extremely helpful, and less than 24 hours later I was in Harrisburg. I spent the entire trip alternately crying, praying and hoping he would still be alive when I arrived.

My brother picked me up at the airport and we stopped at the hospital where he was in ICU. He was awake and alert and his kidney failure had completely reversed itself. The doctor told us later it was caused by severe dehydration.

I spent the next 10 days at my old home with my mother. Much of the time I was on the porch in Dad's chair, taking photos of his flowers, the squirrels and rabbits and his beloved hummingbirds. We went to see him every day, but the time was like a yo-yo. He spent several days in the hospital, then was transferred back to rehab.

The next day, as we were driving to the rehab center to visit him, we got a call that his heart rate was seriously elevated and erratic and he was on his way back to the emergency room at the hospital. We arrived before the ambulance crew had even completed their gathering of equipment. The doctors were afraid he was prefacing another heart attack, so he stayed in the hospital (again) for several more days.

He is now back at rehab, walking with a cane several times a day and is in physical, occupational and speech therapy sessions daily.  I am cautiously optimistic that this time will work. He does not want to even discuss nursing homes.

The stroke has affected his manual dexterity a good bit. He has a tough time holding utensils, but has been feeding himself most of the time since he started.

He sometimes has to think of a word, but his speech is clear enough to understand, though very soft. He appears to have his memory intact and he has not lost any of his sense of humor.

It is very hard to see him struggle like this. More than once it brought me to tears to see this once vital man work so hard to simply bring a spoonful of soup or a sandwich to his mouth. I had to leave the room, because I wanted to remain positive when I was around him. I'm still trying to remain positive and believe that his determination and willpower will pull him through it.

All that said, I'm so grateful I had a chance to see him again and assure myself that he hasn't changed fundamentally - just the shell. I did enjoy spending some time with my mother, brother and sisters, as well as numerous and nephews.

I arrived back in Fairbanks July 14 and was so happy to see it was not 90+ degrees and humid. I love seeing my family - though not in these circumstances - but that weather makes me miserable.

Many thanks to all of you who left comments and e-mailed me with thoughts and prayers for my dad. They were all appreciated.

Dad update, more travel

It's been a roller-coaster week. After I posted last week (or maybe while I was posting) my dad suffered a stroke in the hospital. He wasn't able to lift his right arm and his speech was garbled. By Monday I could understand what he was saying and although it's weak, he can now lift his arm again. He has some problems with manual dexterity, but is working on it.

He has been released from the hospital to a rehab center and is working on various therapies daily. Hopefully he will be home in about 2 weeks, or maybe less. I will head down there to visit for a while after he's back home.

I've been trying to remain optimistic. I know my dad as a strong, determined man. He works hard for what he wants and up until a short while ago took walks in the woods, usually at least a couple of miles. This is at 85 years old. I think he will try to regain his strength as quickly as possible, for he really doesn't like to rely on others to do a lot for him. I appreciate all the prayers that have come his way. I think the prayer is underestimated by a lot of people, but his recovery from the surgery and stroke has been, I think, very good in such a short time.

I had to go out of town last week to Delta Junction. It was a gorgeous sunny day and we saw some beautiful scenery and a poor skinny moose. She was feeding along the highway, and didn't even flinch when we pulled over to take some photos. I'll print a couple of photos off for Dad - he always likes seeing wildlife. I wish he could come up here to see them in real life.



I love these mountains - so beautiful.




Tanana River




Another view of the Tanana



Poor thing - you can count her ribs.



Tanana again

It's hard to believe July is here already. I don't know where June went, but it's gone. Enjoy July everyone.