Au Revoir, My Zoom-a-room

It was lovely Saturday night when I left work. I started my Subaru and made my customary phone call home. Since we live a ways from town, I always call before I come home to see if we need anything from the market. Tom had reached his limit on the kitchen sink and had ripped it out. He asked if I could stop at Freddie's and pick up a few parts. We also needed milk.



I drove the few miles from the airport to the market, everything seemed fine. I did notice a little steam coming from the grill, but it had rained earlier. When I got to the parking lot and turned to get into my spot, the car acted funny. It made loud, metallic clunking sounds and it seemed like I was driving over big river rocks, like a hesitation and then a go. I went in and did my shopping.

When I got back, there was some fluid on the ground. Hmmmmm.... I fired her up, tried to back out and the sounds and feelings from before were there and bigger. I pulled back into the spot. The car parked in front of me was leaving, too. I let her back out then I tried to pull through, thinking maybe it was limited to backing. No doing. I did not feel safe driving home. Thank heavens for cell phones. I called Tom and waited about twenty minutes for him to arrive. I was very grateful to have a little knitting tucked in my work bag.

Tom and I walked around the car. We found a big puddle of transmission fluid, cherry red and slick. Yuck. He jumped in, made it halfway around the parking lot without incident. I was thinking "Oh, great, it will only act funny for me, with no witnesses. Grand!" Finally, it started clunking for him, too. We took anything of value out of her and left the Subaru for the night.

We knew we were going to get a new (or new to us) vehicle this year, we just were hoping to do it on our terms. The Subaru was on it's second engine. This second engine had leaked oil from the get go, one cylinder was down to half compression. However, we had never had any transmission issues at all.



Sunday we went back to the scene of the crime. Tom drove the Subaru to the shop. They are hopefully going to buy it. They told us when last we were in that they would like to purchase it. That will give us a bit of a down on the next one. There we pulled everything out of it. Of course, I had a load to go to the ASPCA thrift store. Zoey and I talked about all her memories from the Zoom-a-room. We got that car when she was two and for a long time that is what she called it, her Zoom-a-room. She also had great fantasies about it being a lander/explorer like on Lost in Space.

Vivi cried, she is not as good with change as Zoey. She had all her stickers on her window. She was rather upset.

To bribe Vivi we drove along Turnagain Arm, looked for belugas, had burgers and IPA at Chair Five in Girdwood. Sigh...



Now we are down to one car, waiting for the first paycheck of the school year, limping by. If I promised to mail anything to anyone, or do some favor or chore, it may be a little while longer. Sorry!

I am just really grateful that the Zoom-a-room had the grace to kick the bucket in a parking lot in the fall with no children. It could have been much more awkward with stressed out children, loads of snow, below zero temperatures. Thanks for the timing, Zoom-a-room.

Puffin On Through

It has been such a crazy busy six weeks.

Zoey was in theatre camp and played Titania in a Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Vivi was in gymnastics camp and got invited onto the competition team.

My car is dying a slow, painful and expensive death.

Our fridge quit for about a week. It healed up once Tom figured out the problem.

The powers that be at work decided that we needed a re-model and to change some practices in the middle of our busiest season and while understaffed. Also, there are some serious power struggles going on there, they do not effect my job except that all the managers are trying to put their stamp on something and look highly effective.

We are tying the record for coolest and cloudiest summer since 1915.

Let's just say some wine has been going down at our house.

I did have the last week off and we were going to go to Portland, but Kasotochi Volcano out along the Aleutians decided to send up some ash. Many, many flights to and from the lower 48 were cancelled. So, we just stayed put. Darn! I could have used the nice summery 80F+ degrees Oregon had to offer.

We did go to the SeaLife Center in Seward. The girls were thoroughly engaged. They had different speeds and desires, so Tom took Vivi to all the mammals and Zoey and I stayed in the aviary. It was near closing time and there were no cruise ships in port, so it was quiet. We had the place to ourselves. Zoey made friends with a tufted puffin named Dorrie.

How Dirty is Dirty?

Yesterday we went on a bike ride along the shores of Eklutna Lake. It was a bit damp with some showers for about the first two miles of the trail, but then it dried up. The sky was overcast, but there was no wind. We had a gorgeous reflection of the mountains on the turquoise lake.



We rode with another family, friends of Zoey's from Mighty Bikes. Besides having a fabulous daughter named Hannah who is Zoey's age, they have a nine year old daughter who can ride! She was great. Her name is Zoe, too. I didn't bring my camera on the ride, it was too bulky, so no pictures along the way.



Vivi rode on her sticked together bike and won the Dirtiest Biker Ever contest. Doesn't she look fantastic? A lovely patina of glacial silt can do wonders for the skin.



Tom is my hero for riding nineteen miles to the airstrip and back with a trail-a-bike and Vivi. We all rode the nineteen miles, just the rest of us did not have the add bonus bike and biker.



Believe it or not, all the clothes have come out sparkling! I was exceedingly doubtful when I started the washer, but have been pleasantly surprised.



This just in...our comrade-in-arms Gerry passed along these last three shots. We ALL enjoyed the ride.



I love how Vivi looks transcendent here. Despite all the mud she really enjoyed her ride. Thanks for the photos, Gerry and Kathy.

Twig Wishes You A Happy Fourth of July!

Here in Alaska we have a little zoo. They have interesting Arctic and boreal animals including Amur tigers and snow leopards. The zoo has a very folksy feel, with little split rail fences, gorgeous flowers and a lovely woodland setting.






They even have several kinds of birds, all injured and flightless now. There are two ravens who are a hoot to watch. One raven loves twigs, so Tom and Zoey will place twigs in a place where this raven can snag them. They have named the raven Twig. Here is Twig talking to us. Sorry for the guy who comes up mid-way through and needs to talk, too.

Really, She Does Make Noise!

Sorry for the technical glitch on the last try. This is the musk ox momma calling to her cute baby. When I heard her at the zoo, my back was turned and I could not believe until I actually saw her make this noise that it was the musk ox. Check her out, I am sure you will be amazed.

Momma Musk Ox

Have you ever heard a mother musk ox call to her baby? We got treated to this display when we visited the zoo on Monday.

Mammals, Mammals Everywhere

It has been a cooler June here in the north. Our temperatures have been mostly at or below average. The skies have been grey and damp, some wind. I have not been walking or birding much. My life has been busy with kid activities, work, extra stuff (like a building remodel at work), doctor's appointments, and car trouble. Yuck!

However, in the last two weeks the bigger mammals have been coming around. We have had several moose visiting.



This young male has been frequently our house in the mornings. He looks like this might be his first year on his own. Many moose have liked to hang out around the swing set. One bull a few years ago liked to walk between the swings and get them moving with his antlers. He would walk through and then turn around and watch them move. When the swings slowed down, he would do it again.



This bigger, older bull has been a visitor in the evenings.







And just in the last week have we had a fury black friend attempt to get into our new garbage can. So far the new and improved bear-proof garbage can is holding.

On a more serious note, a friend and team-mate of Zoey was attacked by a grizzly bear on Sunday morning. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts.

Northern Sunset

I know I post a good many sunset shots. It is one of the best benefits of living where I do. I love watching the sky and it's changes. After a day spent in a grey, dusty, contentious warehouse during fish season I need to see the sky change.



Last night after work, the sky put on a real show. Watch how the sun plays with the sky. Being passed the solstice the sun will begin to see a wee bit farther south every evening. Nothing stops the inexorable march to the winter solstice. Right now the sun is still setting to the west northwest.




In this last shot you can see the shape of Mt. Foraker in the shadow on the clouds as the sun sets behind the second highest peak in the Alaska range.



Thanks for the great show, Mother Nature, I sure needed it.

What to do when summer is chilly

My friend, Kristy, needs some serious knitting help. She is going to an orphanage in Ukraine and wants to take a hat for each child. Since our spring has been chilly, I have had the time to knit ten hats. I used Patons SWS. It has a lovely feel and sheen, with a great deal of color choices. It is a blend of wool and soy, it can felt and holds up nicely.



My kids have been the testers and models for the hats. Through their input, I decided to line these with a little fleece. Now, they are extra warm and comfy. I think this will be a good hat for the Ukrainian winters.



I also got to use my long dormant Russian language skills to make a nifty tag for each hat. Now, I just have to get them in the mail to Kristy. If anyone else out there has the time or inclination, I would happily supply an easy, easy pattern.

Solstice

Over hill, over dale,
Thorough bush, thorough brier,
Over park, over pale,
Thorough flood, thorough fire,
I do wander everywhere,
Swifter than the moon's sphere;
And I serve the fairy queen,
To dew her orbs upon the green.
The cowslips tall her pensioners be:
In their gold coats spots you see;
Those be rubies, fairy favours,
In those freckles live their savours:
I must go seek some dewdrops here
And hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear.
Farewell, thou lob of spirits; I'll be gone:
Our queen and all our elves come here anon.

A Midsummer's Night Dream Act II William Shakespeare

Damn Fine Dad

I like when you take me skiing
And I like when you bring home cherries to eat
I hug you a lot
Because you are so sweet

by Vivi

Happy Father's Day to all the dads I know. I am so impressed with the fathers in my life. Tom is fantastic with his girls and his ski team kids. He is such a good role model, parent, mentor. He spends so much time with his girls, he loves them so much. He is teaching them to be good kids, women, stewards of nature, citizens, athletes. Wow! And he learned it all from his dad, Pepere. Thank you for giving me my beautiful girls.





Isn't this the sweetest picture of a daddy with his girl. That is a baby Zoey, my Moon Faced Girl.

A Pilgrimage, Of Sorts

One afternoon this winter Zoey's Godmother, Sarah, innocently asked Zoey if she had read any of the Twilight books. That was the beginning of an obsessive reading jag. I had to buy two books still in hard cover! For a tween! Zoey cannot stop talking about these books and she has read them each three or four times.



My week of vacation came and we had no plans. Tom and I looked at weather all up and down the west coast. It seemed to be uniformly 50 to 60F with clouds and rain. So, we headed to the Olympic Peninsula of Washington since it is always 55F and rainy. We treated Zoey to a pilgrimage of the Twilight settings. This is the story of a vampire, a werewolf and the human girl they both love. It is definite chick lit. I have to put away my inner lit crit so I do not dampen Zoey's enjoyment.

Our first stop for the Twilight tour was Port Angeles. We dined where the characters Edward and Bella dined. Having had scads of mediocre Italian food in my life, I was skeptical, but game to eat at Bella Italia in Port Angeles. Boy, was I surprised! There was a decent kids menu which Vivi enjoyed. We had the calamari as an appetizer and it was so tender and sublime. Yum! Their wine list was extensive and varied. Tom highly recommends the Camaraderie Cellars merlot he had. It was divine on the palate.






Then it was off to Forks. It is the main setting for the novels. It is a typical logging town, surrounding by amazing scenery. Small, friendly, damp, damp, damp. We saw many houses that could have been Bella's. This was the one that stuck in my mind.



Forks is a small, easily navigable town. We had no problem finding the high school. It is ambling and varied in it's paint and architecture. There seemed to be at least three main entrances.




Zoey got a real kick out of walking where these fictional characters once walked. She enjoyed gaining new insights into the landscape. She was putting together how landscape can influence plot. I think she learned a great deal. She has some girlfriends who are now quite envious. All for a trip to Forks.






We even spotted a Forks Police Department patrol car.



Next we went to the Hoh Rain Forest in the Olympic National Park. What a spectacular place. Again, Zoey gathered valuable information. She remarked on how this forest matched her conception of place in the books. Stephenie Meyer choose this area for its cloud cover and its rain. Her vampires could easily hide here as there are very few sunny days.











There were monsters for everyone. Vivi got to hang a bit with Bigfoot. She has been fascinated with the idea of Bigfoot for over a year now, so seeing a chainsaw sculpture along the way was thrilling.



We ended our pilgrimage with a walk on First Beach in La Push. Bella cements her friendship with Jacob, the werewolf, here. In the second book Bella also dives off one of these haystacks into the ocean. Bella spends many hours contemplating her life among the monsters here.



We all enjoyed our visit to the Olympic Peninsula. Tom wants to go back and base us out of the Sol Duc Hot Springs. Then have he and Zoey hike over to the Hoh Rainforest. I think that would be pretty nifty. Although, I think I need a trip to sunny Oregon first.