Woody Island excursion

I got to go on a surprise adventure to Woody Island yesterday. Basically we just hiked around the island - a hard days work! No, it is tiring hiking in the cold rain, but I am so thankful for these little adventures. I don't get them enough, but am satisfied I get any at all! Experiences you just don't get living in a city.

Gettin' the skiff in the water.

Arrival on Woody Is. That's Randy, our skiff driver, and Mark, a regularly visiting archaeologist in the background.

The Tustumena in the background. The Alaska Marine Highway ferry we are stuck with.

Back in the 19th century Woody Island cut and shipped ice to California. This is the man-made lake they used to transport materials down to the beach/dock.

Kathy and Mark looking at the 2008 excavation site. You can barely see it, which is the way it is supposed to be.

Daniel Harmon's grave.

http://alutiiqmuseum.org/exhibits/electronic-exhibits.html?start=9

A little boredom?

Ron's place.

Nice floor.

A little fixer-upper.

Note that it is low tide.

Lunch under the dock.

About a week ago there was a grass fire.

It almost took the Madsen house.

The above Chaffin place is really nice. Close to a super sandy protected beach to boot.

Well, the tide came in a little farther than anticipated and washed the line out. He who does not tie the skiff well enough must fetch the line. Unfortunately, the water here is just a wee bit cold, deadly cold actually, and the current was too swift for this very brave 20-year old.

Mark then gave it a try.

And that's Mark coming to his senses. I can't believe they got in!!! It was about 40 degrees out. The water is also about 40 degrees. If he would have gone for it and missed the boat, we could have potentially been attending a funeral. Seriously, you just die in that cold of water.

You can get cold quick here, at least I do! Hello hypothermia. Thank goodness Jill instructed me to wear my puff jacket, in addition to the four layers I was already wearing! All in all it was a great excursion. Ok, so the 10 minute skiff ride is PLENTY for me, especially when it's choppy like that! Will I ever be relaxed on boats and tiny airplanes? Not sure. I'll keep trying.

OHIO

Swampy Ohio.

The first day we went to Wegerzen Garden and the playground. It was sunny and warm. I felt like I got my year's worth of vitamin D.

In front of Patrick Doughtery sculpture.

http://www.wegerzyngardensfoundation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=4&Itemid=12

Oh the Dragons! The Dragons are I believe the most successful minor league baseball team.

It is SO SO so much more than baseball! There silly games with audience members in between innings, they launch T-shirts into the crowd, there is Roofman and the mascots, even the umpires sometimes are teased. Dragons games are FUN!

Some of the time was spent on maintenance. We needed our hair cut, I haven't bought underwear in way too long, etc.

On Sunday, we went over to Aunt Donna's for Mother's Day and "Easter". Morgan's nephew's son is funny. We were laughing hard. It was great to see some of the Howard's.

Abby also got to see Shawen's dad Chappy and her half-brother Shawen Jr.

Abby was SOOOOO happy to get back home and go to dad's so she can play video games, naked!

In Indianapolis at the Dora exhibit - Isa's Flowery Garden.

Pirate Piggies!

My lil' monkey!

Our chauffeur.

A good traveler.

It's the Howard stop - literally, the sign reads "Howard"!!

Mmm, super thick sludgy hot chocolate on a cold windy evening in Chicago.

The chocolate was so good!

I haven't been back to Dayton in a year and a half. Abby is an amazing traveler. Ok, so she was incredibly frustrating me in the Anchorage airport for an hour, but that's pretty awesome considering we were there for five hours! We ate, ran around, and then I got the bright idea of the motorized walkway - she rode that ride for quite awhile. It was a first for her.

Then we had about an hour left, and I discovered that they now have a Cinnabon and a Yogurtland, outside the secure area. I decided that we could go out and go back through security. Oh, the frozen yogurt was so good. We zipped back through security. It's kind of, um, amazing how many TSA agents there are for the three people going through security. I am guessing about 50. I estimate that our excursion to get cinnamon rolls and frozen yogurt cost the government, aka us, about $2000.

Abby and I flew into Chicago this time. I used the companion fare, and AK Airlines only goes to like Chicago and Newark NJ on the east coast. We stayed in a hotel at the airport, and that evening for dinner we took the train into the city. In 24 hours Abby rode in an elevator, an escalator, and the train for the first time. She definitely had a lot of fun.

The drive from Chicago to Dayton took ALL day. We only stopped in Indianapolis so Abby could go to the Dora and Diego exhibit for an hour. In KOdiak, we don't drive much more than 7 minutes, we were in the car for 7 HOURS and she did not complain once. She finally melted when she talked to her dad on the phone when we were five minutes away from the Victorian schoolhouse where my parents are residing. She is such a daddy's girl! All her emotions come out around him!

Stimulate

stim·u·late
v. stim·u·lat·ed, stim·u·lat·ing, stim·u·lates
v.tr.
1. To rouse to activity or heightened action, as by spurring or goading; excite.
2. To increase temporarily the activity of (a body organ or part).
3. To excite or invigorate (a person, for example) with a stimulant.
v.intr.
To act or serve as a stimulant or stimulus.

[Latin stimulre, stimult-, to goad on, from stimulus, goad.]
stimu·later, stimu·lator n.
stimu·lating·ly adv.
stimu·lation n.
stimu·lative, stimu·la·tory (-l-tôr, -tr) adj.

I realized how under-stimulated I am in Kodiak! Going to Anchorage was almost overwhelming, in a good way. Day 1 I had some work tasks to complete, which involved having a car for the day. It was sunny and warm and I cruised down the long straight roads, listening to music, my hair blowing in the breeze. I ate Indian buffet of course, and for dinner, I wanted a salad and dessert, couldn't do take-out cause I had to return the car, didn't want to deal with service, so I went to the Golden Corral! It was delicious.

I also was in Anchorage to present at the Alaska Native Libraries, Archives, and Museums Summit. The conference was at the Univ. of Alaska Anchorage. The campus is way bigger and fancier than I expected! I had fun exploring and walking around. Check out the library atrium above.

The Spine as it is called - a walkway connecting buildings. I like the plants, but wow, what a maintenance cost.

The BFA art show was up, and this neo-noir graphic work was awesome. It was about "infinite moments" - the moments and decisions that define our life, lead to people, places, moments that are important. From taking the stairs or the elevator, different choices lead us to potentially quite different outcomes. This work charted the choices/decisions and the subsequent outcomes a private detective made in one hour from 11pm to 12am.

In one path, based on a decision to stay home, he just slept. In another outcome he was killed, in another he got away with the lusty chick and the cash.

Like I said, I enjoyed exploring the campus. The fragrance, sight, and sounds of the sports complex was powerful - chlorine, plastic-like smell of the squishy padding, hard flooring streaked with rubber soles, male sweat lingering, the sound of ice skates on the ice....

Fancy architecture with an actual style. Nothin' like this in Kodiak.

Sven giving the keynote at the conference.

This open space in the arts building was in one of my dreams. Have you ever had that happen? You have a dream, and then some time later come across a space or have an experience that is almost exactly like the dream?

Yup'ik dancers at the Alaska Native Heritage Center.

Me chillin'.

A selection of her friends.

Abby is something special! I didn't think kids drew pictures and letters (she did not write the names! She can write A of course, and "A" stands for Abby, like, any A, wherever it appears), spoke in complete sentences, did math, and stuff like that until kindergarten. Anyway, here are some of Abby's funny faces.