Phone images

It seems like I take my best pictures of Kodiak on my stupid cell phone, when I don't have my really crappy camera.

Love the dying yellowed grass.

Just on a stroller ride after work, when there was light after work. Must have been late Sept. or early October before the time change.

Love seeing the sun sets....and my workplace too!

Dreams

I had the most lovely dream. I was back home, my childhood home on Park, and after a heavy late afternoon summer rain, I decided to go on a walk. I walked around the boulevard and back through the alley, and at the approach of home I noticed I got bit on my forehead my a mosquito. I walked in the house, said hi to my mom and Debbie M. and looked in the mirror in the bathroom to see I had a lot more than one mosquito bite!

Weekend!

Shawen spilled a full glass of carbonated beverage, it went e v e r y w h e r e. The two ladies yucking it up next to us thought that was hilarious. Maybe too much wine...

Out of focus, but evidence of first chop stick attempt!

Sacked in front of the boob tube.

The family had yet another fabulous weekend. As mentioned, Saturday was the bazaar. Then Sat. night I went with the girls to see Harry Potter. On Sunday we went to church, which I am really thankful for, then Shawen took Abby swimming, followed by the sushi at the Powerhouse. That night after Abby went to bed we watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail, during which Abby woke up. She snuggled with dad and Venus and watched Monty Python for a little bit. We are raising a Brit com fan apparently! We will get her on Black Adder next.

Let's see, Monday was a doctor visit. Abby was VERY brave. She got a shot and a prick to the finger blood draw. All she said was "ouch". Super cute as always. After that we rang the bell for the Salvation Army at Safeway, but by that time her "cuteness" had worn off, she was tired. She said Happy Thanksgiving and thank you for awhile, but then switched to Happy Halloween, followed by NO. People thought that was funny. She made it through grocery shopping, but by the time we got home, it was meltdown. She was way over-tired. This summer, she stopped taking naps, but now with darkness she gets tired, but is stubborn about taking a nap sometimes, and on those days by 8pm she's a little mess.

Sold Out

My Kodiak wares sold out at the bazaar - awesome! Funny enough, not even one Gothic pimp cup sold! Everyone commented on them, but were not brave enough to take the plunge into utter coolness. The photo was just one hour into the bazaar, when I was almost sold out....

Gothic pimp cup.

Can't even remember what I was going to say....!

Did I mention too much to do? I know I have a lax life in comparison to many, but I am am very self-driven person. I am self-motivated however to do things for others, not just myself. I work, Abby-time, baby daddy, maintaining household, volunteering, 14 weeks of parenting class.... yes, 14 weeks of parenting class. It's was Shawen's idea. I went along with it and am glad. I am learning, so I am happy about that. It is a very slow-paced class, but habits are hard to change, it's a slow process (So I have learned in the last year). These past two weeks we have been working on rewarding good behavior. Sounds easy, and of course I already knew this, but how often so you thank your kid just for putting on his shoes or sitting down to eat? You may be relieved he actually did it without you having to ask 500 times, but did you say, "Good job Eric, thanks for getting ready to go so quickly."

Changing behavior with positive loving words......what a notion.

I am so thankful I have too much to do, and am not a human slave or completely destitute, or some other horrid fate.

Blow up!

Master potter Marnie does it again - blew up my first wall piece. Just because it looks dry, does not mean it is. I have to let things dry. I just always am trying to meet a deadline....this time I wasted just a week. At least I laugh about it now! I used to cry, but live and learn. Everything else in the kiln is fine. I am almost done glazing, so I can fire on Thursday for a bazaar on Saturday. However, I slept on my stomach last night, and hurt my back!!! So, now I don't know if I will be able to do the bazaar! I have some minor glazing to finish, but loading the kiln, lifting kiln shelves, unloading kiln, packing everything up, loading it in car along with a table etc etc., not so sure! My back doesn't hurt that bad, but I am still sick (my muscles feel weak and I am very unbalanced) and there is just too much to do!

Cincinnati Dreams

Video star

Vodcasts - no, not podcasts, vodcasts baby. Take 30 minutes to visit Cape Alitak for free, rather than for several thousand $ and weeks of your time....you can also see me as a big dork in there somewhere. You just never know what you'll be doing when you show up for work at this museum!

Revelry

Kukak razor clam cannery revelry, 1930s

Courtesy AM

I just can never think of anything mean enough....

Nothing as mean as what you did.

I can't even think that cruelly.

From grandmum and grandad

Abby's 3rd Birthday PartIES

The girls were TRYING to blow up balloons! Abby is looking to Kori to see how, but Kori and Zoe can't do it either!

Sorry, but this is funny!!!

Delicioso!

I am princess Abby, put my tent together pllleease!

Jill and Zoe

Abby just got tired out at the first party. By 9pm she was watching TV!

Day 2

Don't drop the cake, don't drop the cake...

Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you...

I wonder what she wished for!

Abby so likes this cooking set. I have a feeling I will be eating a lot of plastic eggplants.

Yep, two parties for this pumpkin. We have been talking about it for months, and now it's over. She had a blast. Thank you everyone for coming to eat cake! And thank you for the presents that I said were not necessary. The toys are fabulous and will come in VERY handy over the winter. Thank you.

Gene's funeral service was so beautiful by the way. I could totally envision him very happy with it, and there were several moments when I had tears in my eyes and a smile on my face.

The service began with the academy ladies singing, and the sound was almost like hearing angels sing. Of course, almost everything is sung. It was the first Russian Orthodox funeral service I have attended. We lit real beeswax candles and listed to Father Innocent and the choir sing many verses to pardon "Yevgeniy" (sp?) for his voluntary or involuntary sins. It took me awhile to figure out this was Russian for Eugene!

One of the moving parts was when the cross for his grave site was blessed. I got choked up a few times, but that was definitely one. Also, when Father Paisius read the bit about Gene and Father Gerasim, which I mentioned previously, was very touching. And it is just like Gene to write own eulogy! Finally, the "Last Kiss" was rather emotional. Each person approached him to say goodbye, many taking the icons on his chest, kissing them, making the sign of the cross with the icon over him, and kissing him goodbye. I blew him a kiss.

Gene Sundberg

Gene Sundberg passed away about a week ago. I knew him of course through the museum. The Sundbergs had decided to loan a collection of Father Gerasim's vestments, a digital scrapbook about Father, and a video I believe one of the seminarians helped make with Gene. In that particular year, and the year previous, we happened to obtain many collections regarding Father G - photos of him, his cross stitchings, songs he used in his services, his archive of correspondence - all of this culminated in the Orthodoxy in Alutiiq Life exhibit I curated, part of which focused on Father Gerasim.

It was great working with Gene and getting to know him. I saw him in September and he looked great. It's really sad he passed so suddenly. I really feel like I should have spent more time getting to know him better. I will definitely regret it, but I am really happy I got to hear some of his stories and I know his endearing qualities, and when I pass I will make sure I stop by and have tea with him and Father in Monk's Lagoon.

Halloween

Abby, Shawen and I had a fabulous Halloween weekend. On Friday we trick-or-treated downtown. It was packed! Kodiak has wide sidewalks downtown (and only has sidewalks downtown), and they were packed full with herds of children! On Saturday we went to the AA "party". On Sunday we went to church, went swimming, and then over to a friends house for "trick-or-treat". It was only blowing 50 mph winds and horizontal rain, so no house to house for us that night! The one visit was perfect. Abby got to meet the brave trick-or-treaters at their door and say "Happy Halloween!" They usually get about 150 kids, but this year they only had about 50, which I thought was astounding considering the weather, which was bad even by Kodiak standards. I actually have never had a trick-or-treater at my house! Location, location, location is right - no one bothers with mine!

Swimming was also really fun. Shawen had a great time and played with Abby like I cannot. He is very imaginative. He pretended to be a shark and was trying to get her toes. So funny to see her squeal with delight. Then on Monday Abby and I ran around to do errands. One stop was the playground. At that time all the kids came out for playtime - it was mayhem. Abby is about a year younger than those kids and she was someone different to play with, so she was quite the novelty. Some of the girls adopted her and gingerly led her around the playground, taking her up and down the slide over and over again! Abby had a lot of fun.

And I forgot to mention the haunted CG ship! I go just to get on the boat! It's fun climbing up and down the ladders, and haunted, it's super fun. I had to stand out in the freezing weather way under dressed for 45 minutes, but it was worth it. Funny, the boat started rocking just before I got on, and wow, let me tell you, I have no idea how people live and work on boats! it made me woozy for a minute and it's tied to the dock!

I just found out the article Amy Steffian and I wrote is not only in AALSH's History News, but it's the cover story!!! So exited about this. The article talks about how the museum formed an agreement with Kodiak's major landowners to be able to accept artifacts of unknown origin. We are the only museum in the country, well on Earth probably, that has such an agreement. One of the many reasons I love my work!