Ni's Jia

Mad Max: Beyond Pinewood Derby

2009-04-03T20:47:00.006-07:00

William had his pinewood derby this week. He designed his car all by himself. He even built most of it himself. I helped with the bandsaw because I wanted him to keep his fingers. But he did all the sanding, painting, and gluing. He really surprised us with his creativity. It came out kind of "medieval meets post-apocalyptic future". Rebecca called it Mad Max: Beyond Pinewood Derby.

The name really cracked me up. We were coming back from his den meeting last week. I asked him what he wanted to name his car. He jokingly asked for our 20,001 Baby Name books. I thought he was serious so I said, "sure, but what are you going to name it . . . Bob?" We laughed about silly names for the car. I said I had seen Grendel in our baby book. That got us talking about weird names and their meanings. I mentioned the name "Lilith" and how it meant "night hag" and its mythology. Yah it's true, go on and google it. And by the way, who would ever name their girl Lilith. Will thought it was cool name for a car. I didn't think anything about it until he showed us the final painting job. The name does match the car. He had the coolest looking car at the race.

Pinewood Derby Time

2009-03-28T00:24:00.006-07:00

It is spring and that means Pinewood Derby time. This is one of my favorite things about having sons. I loved making and racing pinewood derby cars when I was a boy. And now I am having as much fun watching William do it. And yes I am letting him do most of the work, though I sometimes have to sit on my hands.

It is really easy, as a father, to get too involved in the making of his son's car. In fact it is a running joke in Cub Scouts about how much fathers do just that. Last year I saw the movie Down and Derby, which follows a group of highly competitive fathers who go way overboard with their sons' cars. I just about died laughing because it was so true. The only thing that wasn't real was how much the wives put up with it.

Inside every man is a boy and every boy loves building and racing little wooden cars. The only difference between men and boys is men can finally build the cars they always dreamed about as boys.

Redoubt Erupts

2009-03-23T07:47:00.007-07:00

Mt. Redoubt finally erupted last night on Sunday night spewing (what a great descriptive word) ash 50,000 feet in the air. It looks like the wind is blowing north to northeast. The news broadcaster seemed a little disappointed when he announced that ash cloud wouldn't hit any population centers. I can understand a little. After all the hype over the last couple of months it was a little bit of a let down.

I remember the last time Mt. Redoubt dumped on Anchorage. The falling ash was bending the light so the street lights were looking greenish. It made everything look really eerie. We got a day off of school and afterwards scooped up lots of ash into those little plastic film canisters. It was a cool experience. Yah, it is a shame it will miss us--a crying shame.

I took the above photo while flying to Iliamna. I guess it is out of date now.

The Art of Being a Dad

2009-03-19T21:05:00.012-07:00

One of the best things about fatherhood is being able to play with your kids. They should be wrestling on the floors, having doll tea parties, or telling silly stories. It is the fun part of being a father. If you are doing it right your kids will know it. It also can be an art form where you get to use your imagination and talents to have fun with them.

I recently was introduced to a website where a father has truly turned fatherhood into an art form. He is a father who spends his lunch breaks drawings on his kids lunch bags for the following day. Each day he posts his creations on his tumbleblog. These are the coolest lunch bags ever. My kids thought so too. We had a lot of fun picking out the characters and pop references. They picked out their favorites:

William: Pikachu.

Gwenna:Hair Band Unicorn.

Benjamin: Roger, Roger.

My favorite was probably the Surfing Samurai Squid or Armor Mothra, though it technically wasn't a lunch bag. Now, I have to get going . . . I need to find some paper bags and crayons.

Following the Iditarod

2009-03-10T21:15:00.000-07:00

We have been following Iditarod on the web. Here are some of the websites we have enjoyed:

Official Iditarod Website: It has all the official stats, updates, current listings, musher bios.

Iditarod Blog: This has personal stories and dog profiles.

Anchorage Daily News: Has stories and read submitted photos.

Ultimate Iditarod: Not official, but lots of cool facts, information, and trivia.

Iditarod Fever!

2009-03-09T23:41:00.007-07:00

Saturday was the start of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. I don’t ever remember being into the Iditarod when I was growing up here. I remember when Susan Butcher was winning and some of the other big names, but we didn’t follow it. Then we moved back to Alaska. In 2006, I took our two oldest, Will and Gwen, downtown to see the start of the Iditarod race. I don’t even remember why we went. It was probably just something to do on a Saturday morning or to give Rebecca a break. Either, way I packed up the kids and a stroller. I was surprised by how exciting it was to see the dogs and the mushers get ready. It really is the dogs that set the tone. They are all riled up, barking and pulling at their traces. The kids loved seeing all those dogs and the sleds. There is just something really fun about dog mushing.

While we were watching a musher prep her dogs--she was putting booties on the dogs’ feet--she started talking to Gwen who was sitting in her stroller. Gwen was really cute and chatty. When she was done she handed Gwen one of the doggie booties and told her it had been on the Iditarod trail. Gwen clutched that bootie the rest of the day. She was really proud of it when she showed it to Rebecca.

For the past three years, we have tried to go the Iditarod start, but for one reason or another we never did. This year we put it on the calendar in advance and kept the day open. Last Friday night, I brought home a huge map of the Iditarod Trail. That night we each picked a musher.

I chose Ed Iten of Kotzebue, AK. I met him this summer in Selawik. I got to know him a little and he is a really nice guy.

Rebecca chose Sven Haltmann of Willow, AK. She liked his name and the fact that he was from Willow.

When William was asked who he wanted he shouted Lance Mackey of Fairbanks, AK. He is the Tiger Woods of sled dog racing. No really, he is.

It came as no surprise to us that Gwenna chose DeeDee Jonrowe of Willow, AK. She is the top female competitor and one of the most well known mushers. She also seems to like pink a lot. It was an easy sell for Gwenna.

Benjamin chose Ray Redington Jr. of Wasilla, AK. Ben picked him because as Ben put it he is the son (actually grandson), of the King of the Iditarod.

Timothy chose Rick Larson of Montana. It was a tough pick for our four-year-old, with several other mushers being picked then dropped.

Xianli chose Judy Currier of Fairbanks, AK because I have worked with her husband. He races in even years.

Ransom, at six months, played it safe and went with Martin Buser of Big Lake, AK who holds the current record for the fastest Iditarod run ever.

So once we picked our mushers, we headed off to the race on Saturday to cheer them on. We had a great time walking around downtown and watching the dogs. We tried to track down our mushers. William and I got to shout “Good luck!” to Lance Mackey. I don’t think he heard. There were too many groupies in front of us. Gwenna got to see DeeDee’s team but not DeeDee. We saw several others too. In all, it was really fun and now we are tracking them as they race towards Nome.

Alaskan Winter Barbeque

2009-03-02T07:32:00.005-08:00

We have been having a lot of adventures and misadventures moving into our new house. We finally moved out of our three bedrooms into a four bedroom. That is a lot bigger than it sounds. We have room to grow and remodel. Plus there is a real yard.

So last weekend we rushed to move out of our old house. And this week we have been working on make the new house a home. It has been a lot of work and late nights. On Friday, we found out that we were not supposed to have taken our washer and dryer. Oops! They were part of the sale of our old house. So Saturday I spent half the day getting a truck and hauling them back to our old house. I got to meet the buyers for the first time. They were really nice and made it easy. When I got back I continued the unpacking and organizing that seems unending when you move into a new house.

While unpacking, I found our little propane barbeque. Rebecca had some steaks and asparagus, so we decided to barbeque. Of course it was February in Alaska. And it was about 20 degrees outside. And it was in the middle of a snow storm which dumped over eight inches on us.
Timothy and Benjamin helped me set up the barbeque on the back deck and cook everything. We had to shovel the deck just so the barbeque wasn’t under the snow. The boys had me make up a story about Miss Tongs and Mickey Knife, a story of forbidden love. The steaks and asparagus turned out fine. We had a blast as the snow whirled around us. So the adventures and fun are beginning again in our new home.

Who's Flying This Plane?

2009-02-09T21:24:00.004-08:00

Last December I took a trip out to Pilot Point, Alaska. It is about two hours southwest of Anchorage. I was the only person on the flight so they took out all six seats and stuffed the plane full of cargo. I had to sit in the co-pilot's seat. Great view but not so much room. After we took off and the pilot leveled the plane he put it on autopilot. He didn't touch the controls again until we saw the runway at Pilot Point. I have flown a lot and I have never seen a pilot do that before. It was a little weird because there was quite a strong cross wind bouncing us around and he never touched the stick. You have got to love flying in the Bush.

It Says Something about Us

2009-01-31T10:26:00.007-08:00

Rebecca and our five year old, Ben, had a funny conversation. It went something like this . . .

"Mom, I want to go on a date with you."

"What?"

"Not a smooching, cuddling, buying diapers date like with dad, but alone time with just you and me."

"OH!"

He got us there. Our dates usually do include Costco or Walmart. I can only image what his perception of dating will be when he gets older. He picks up his first date and they head striaght to Walmart . . . you just got to have those diapers.

Catching Up

2009-01-30T23:49:00.010-08:00

It has been a while since my last post. A lot has happened since I last posted. Here is a succinct bulleted list of some of the highlights.

Canoed Nancy Lake loop

Family camped at Eagle River campground

First moose hunting experience

Went to Arizona, visited family & hiked in San Tan Mountains

Visited Disneyland

Built a deck

Ice fished for sheefish on Kotzebue Sound

First family pinewood derby

My wife and I painted the complete interior of my house

Skied the Kuskokwim River

Put our home up for sale

Attended the Arctic Thunder Air Show

Car broke down on family camping trip

Had three buyers back out

Took house off market

Had our sixth child, boy named Ransom

Built another deck

Christmas tree hunting

Put our house back on the market

Summer Fun

2007-08-08T07:42:00.000-07:00

I took this two Saturdays ago. We had just come back from a camping trip. While I unpacked, cleaned, and put away all the gear the boys ran inside for their swimming shorts. They ran back outside and started playing with the garden hose. I hauled our wading pool out and they splashed around. Since it was such a sunny, hot day they didn't get cold for a while.

I like this picture because it catches both Ben and the water in action. The only question I have is how did he get the water to flow up.

Bridge to Brevig Mission

2007-08-01T07:48:00.000-07:00

I took this picture on a trip to Brevig Mission. This is the bridge used to walk from the beach into town. The bridge is an old rail track, which we believed was for launching life boats. A group of kids were on the bridge to greet us.

Brevig Mission is a located on the western end of the Seward Peninsula, about 65 miles north west of Nome. Brevig Mission is a Inupiak Eskimo village of about 325. It was started by a Lutheran missionary from Sweden named Brevig.

Brevig Mission made international news in the late 1990's when scientists exhumed a body from a grave site. They were looking for the 1918 Spanish Influenza virus. This virus is considered by some to be the most deadly virus of modern history. It killed an estimated 50-100 million people in 18 months. With recent fears of bird flu and other possible pandemics, scientists were trying to get a live sample of the virus to study. They found it in Brevig Mission among the graves of influenza victims. The virus was kept alive because the graves were located in permafrost or frozen ground.

p.s. I am updating my flickr site for the first time in almost a month. I have already added 20 pictures and should have another 50 or so up today.

Nome Gold Dredge

2007-07-25T12:31:00.000-07:00

I took this picture in June when I traveled to Teller from Nome. This gold dredge was abandoned in one of the many streams along the road to Teller. It was a perfect day for taking pictures.

Fifth of July: Denali and Savage River

2007-07-20T07:50:00.000-07:00

Continuation of Tuesday’s post

On July 4th we had camped at Riley Creek Campground located at the entrance of Denali National Park. The next day after breaking camp we piled all fourteen of us into two vehicles and headed off to explore the park.

Our first stop was the Denali National Park Visitor Center. Now Denali actually has at least four visitor centers, but this one is the main one. It is located two miles into the park just after the roundabout. You can’t miss it.

The Denali campus is quite large. Since the National Park Service considers Denali one of its jewels almost everything at the park is state of the art and new. Since I have occasionally worked for the National Park Service I have had a chance to visit many of their facilities around the state. And Denali’s main visitor center really is one of their jewels. We were amazed at its size and displays.

The first thing we did was watch their movie Heartbeats of Denali. This was perfect for us since we weren’t going to take any of the park bus tours. We couldn’t image sitting on a bus for several hours with three infants in our group. Heartbeats of Denali has a concise overview of the park’s history, environment, wildlife, and geography. It also had amazing photography. This was especially nice since we never did see the mountain on our trip because of the weather. Several of our visiting family members felt that was a perfectly acceptable backup to see the mountain in person. Heartbeats of Denali was a worth the 30 minutes.

After the movie we started to explore all the displays at the visitor center. Once again it didn’t disappoint. They had full-size mockup of a trapper’s cabin which you could go into. They also had a huge display which included a life-sized wolf with a caribou carcass. There were even had ravens picking the bones. They also had displays for a bear, moose, beaver, pica, and other animals. There were lots of hands on stuff for the kids to touch and play. It also had some really interesting facts and trivia about the animals and the park. We probably spent an hour running around and looking at the displays.

After a tailgate picnic, we all piled back into the cars and head into the park. We drove about 20 mph and took lots of stops and photos. It was a really pleasant drive. The scenery was beautiful even though it was cloudy. Just before the Savage River Bridge we saw three caribou cooling themselves along the river. Rebecca was excited because she had never seen a wild caribou. She promptly exclaimed that the whole drive was worth it just to see them.

In order to preserve its wilderness, Denali only has one road. And only the first 12 miles are open to private vehicles. Only park buses are allowed further into the park. So at mile 12 we had to stop at the Savage River day area.

The kids went straight to the river and began throwing rocks. Fortunately they never got near the nesting gulls. After exploring and taking pictures of the beautiful river valley we went for a hike. There are several trails. One heads along the river and one up to a large rock outcrop above the parking area. The kids chose the steep one and we had to catch up with them. The trail was one of the neatest I have seen. The park service had made steps out of the scree boulders which made the steps look almost nature made.

As I neared the top, I thought I heard a baby cooing. I stopped and looked around a boulder. There was a family of ptarmigan pecking its way along a trail. The mother and eight babies were in their brown summer molt. The father, with his red crest, still had about half of his white winter feather. I watched and took pictures until William came running down the trail shouting.

Benjamin, our four year old, had run off ahead and they couldn’t find him. So I headed up the trail at a trot. I wasn’t too worried because he couldn’t have gone that far. Well, I was wrong. Ben had decided to do some rock climbing. I found him 90-percent up the back side of the rock outcrop. I had to scramble hand over hand to get up to him. When I reached him there was a group of teenagers who had stopped him from going further. They were thoroughly impressed with Ben. He had made it up in a fraction of the time it had taken them. I guess being so small and having a lower center of gravity really helps. Under protest, I picked up Ben and carried him down, which was no easy task.

It was then when everyone was up at the top we noticed the outcrop was only a false peak. The trail went upward to a higher point. We decided we were done hiking and headed back to the parking lot. After more wet shoes, rocks, and pictures we all piled into the cars and headed back.

On the way back we saw more caribou running along the river plain. The drive to Savage Creek was well worth the effort. There were plenty enough to do and see to keep anyone busy for a day.

Once we were out of the park we headed north. About a mile north of the park entrance is where all the non-park hotels and gift shops are. We spent a while going through the shops and picking out t-shirts and stuff. Then we were off driving back towards Anchorage.

We spent the night at my parents’ cabin in Willow. We did the usual things like running around, throwing rocks, riding the four wheelers, and in honor of the Fourth belated fireworks.

The next day I played river guide as I took two groups down the Kashwitna River. The river conditions were perfect for floating. Even though we didn’t get a chance to fish, because the fishery was opened yet, we had a great time. That afternoon we headed back to Anchorage. On the way back we stopped out Miller’s in Houston and got ice cream cones. It is a tradition that the kids won’t let us forget. And I am ok with that.

It irony of the trip came on the next day. We drove all the way up to Denali National Park, but never saw the mountain. It was always covered in clouds. On Saturday morning, my in-laws look out there hotel window and there was Denali as clear as a bell. I guess the only thing you can count on in Alaska is that the weather will be unpredictable, but you can still have fun.

(I will post more pictures later)

Summer Vs. Winter in Alaska

2007-07-19T13:47:00.000-07:00

These last few weeks we have really been soaking up our Alaskan summer. This has led me to contemplate the differences between our winters and our summers. So here are thirteen differences between our two extreme seasons.

1. Everything is Green Instead of White. This is first thing people notice when they visit. In Alaska these two colors dominate their seasons unlike anywhere else I have been.

2. Mosquitoes. This is probably the first sign of summer. Gratefully you only have to worry about the Alaskan State Bird in the summer.

3. Moose Eat Your Garden Instead of Your Bushes/Trees. You stop worrying about your lilacs and start putting up fences around your broccoli and cabbages. Either way they are everywhere.

4. The People Wearing Parkas are Tourist. You can see people wearing big coats year round in Alaska. The only difference is in the summer they are tourists.

5. People Walking Everywhere with Suitcases. It is the tourists again. Everyday I see someone walking down a sidewalk towing a rolling suitcase or lugging a huge backpack.

6. Constant Buzz of Small Airplanes. Of course we do live next to the world’s largest float plane base. But you know when the ice goes out on the lake, because the next Saturday starting at dawn there will be a constant roar of planes. And believe me those float planes can get loud.

7. Fishing, Hunting, Berry Picking. Summer is the time to store up for winter. We are heading out dip netting this weekend. We are eagerly waiting for berries to ripen. And I have a tentative moose hunting trip planned for the fall. All to stock the pantry while you can. The only difference between us and bears it takes us several more months before we involuntarily put on our layer of winter fat.

8. Bears. We never have to worry about bears in the winter. Come summer time I always keep an eye out and a can of bear mace ready in case I meet one.

9. Doesn’t Take 30 Minutes to Send the Kids Out to Play. This is one of Rebecca’s favorite things about summer. There is no bundling to go run around in the yard for five minutes before something falls off and they come crying back inside.

10. Visitors. Alas no one visits much in the winter. But it seems like there are always a string of visitors throughout the summer. We love it and only wish it would happen all year round.

11. The Time Flies By. In the summer we never complain that it’s too long or start counting the weeks until it is over. Every minute is enjoyed and appreciated.

12. No Sleep. It is a combination of everything mentioned above. We just don’t sleep in or go to bed early ever during the summer. We sleep in the winter.

13. The Daylight. This is the most noticeable difference between winter and summer. Every visitor notices it. Every Alaskan basks in it. The extra daylight is also the reason for everything else on the list.

Nugget Inn Mile Post

2007-07-18T07:41:00.000-07:00

I took this picture last month when I was up in Nome. This was the first time I had a chance to walk around Nome and do the tourist thing. The Nugget Inn is one of the few truly historic buildings still left in town. I believe it is famous mainly for its owner bringing his daughter, the first girl, to Nome. I liked it because of the mile post sign. When I saw Taipei 4312 miles written in Chinese I knew I would have to take a picture. It wasn’t until after I took the shot that I noticed is also had Taiwan written in English.

You can learn a couple of interesting things from this sign. Dallas and Miami are farther away from Nome than Taipei, Taiwan. Moscow is closer than all three. New York is closer than Miami or Dallas which can seem counterintuitive until you remember the world is a sphere.

Fourth of July Fun: Riley Creek Campground

2007-07-17T12:54:00.000-07:00

Summer is a time for visitors in Alaska. This year has not been an exception. What started out as a simple visit from grandma and grandpa snowballed into a mini-family reunion. So on the Fourth of July this year we woke up with fourteen people in our three bedroom house. There were grandparents, aunts, cousin, and mayhem everywhere. It was awesome and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

For the Fourth of July we had decided to go up to Denali. I was excited for several reasons. First, it has been a long times since I have had five days off with my family. Second, Rebecca had never been north of Talkeetna. Third, this was our first real camping trip this year. Plus we had lots of family with us, most of who had never been to Alaska.

Rebecca and I planned for months to get this trip ready. So by 9 AM, with relatively little effort, everyone and all our gear were piled into two large cars and we were on the road headed for Denali National Park.

It took us seven hours to get to Denali National Park. 240 miles in seven hours isn’t bad considering there three infants. The trip wasn’t bad because we factored in stopping every hour for food, stretching, photographs, and just general boredom. We actually arrive at Denali on schedule because we planned to take all those breaks.

We had a walkie-talkie in each car, so I got to play tour guide on the way up. Rebecca had to revoke my privileges a couple of times when I became too inane. We like to use walkie-talkies when we travel. It makes everything go so much smoother.

Eight of us camped at the Riley Creek Campground, while the rest stayed at the Denali Princes Wilderness Lodge, though “lodge” was deceiving. Most communities in Alaska are smaller than that complex. Riley Creek is located just inside the park, just past the park sign. This was convenience because we were only a mile apart from each other.

Riley Creek has 150 campsites divided into three camping areas. We drove around each area and decided on Caribou Loop because the sites were more wooded and private. We picked a site right next to the bathrooms because we had so many kids. The facilities at this campground were the nicest I have ever seen.

We set up our two tents and got everything unpacked. We than broke out the food for dinner. Within seconds we had a squirrel running around us and stealing food. The kids thought the squirrel was the coolest and he had to earn everything he stole that night.

Half way through dinner, a park ranger came around and announced they were doing a presentation about the park later. So when it came time we rounded up the kids and hiked off to the campground’s amphitheater.

It had rained on and off all the drive up, but while we were setting up camp it had cleared up. Well, it decided to start raining as soon as we headed over to the amphitheater. It wasn’t so bad while we were on the trail under the trees, but when we got to the amphitheater we started getting wet. Throughout the presentation the park ranger kept asking if we wanted to move to the bus stop, but most people just wanted to stick it out.

The presentation was really cool and we learned a lot about the park and what makes it so special. My boys were really quick with answers during the presentation. Of course, judging by people’s gear, we looked like the only Alaskans there so they had the advantage.

My three boys and I were pretty wet by the time we got back to the tent. I think Tim and Ben jump through every puddle on the way back. We all went straight for the tent and climbed into our sleeping bags even though we didn’t go to sleep for several hours.

It rained all night. Our mega-family tent held up better than I expected. We stayed mostly dry. I love having a mega-tent when we camp as a family, because we need all the room we can get with five kids.

By the morning the rain had stopped. Ben and I were the first out of the tent. Since I was trying to let everyone else sleep in a little, we walked down to Riley Creek. It was a beautiful glacier stream with huge boulders and fast water. Ben and I explored the banks and found a section of rails for a ore cart. Ben also threw lot of rocks.

When we got back we had a cold breakfast of muffins, pop tarts, fruits, and juice. We broke camp by 10 AM and headed into the park. I was really surprised by Riley Creek Campground. It was perfect for our group. We will have to go back again, maybe even this fall if we get one of the fall driving permits.

Check back on Friday for our trip into the park.

Me Money!

2007-07-11T12:55:00.000-07:00

I have been away playing this week, so I have not posted lately. We had several relatives in town this last week. I got to play tour guide and show off the state. Since they didn't go fishing this trip we took them down to 10th & M Seafood to get some fish. The kids were thrilled by the gaint lobster mounted on the wall. They also went straight for the novelty oven mitts. Tim walked around with the store pretending to be Mr. Crabby from Sponge Bob. The kids also got to watch one of the butchers fillet out a big king salmon. They thought that was pretty cool. In the end we walked out with a box of frozen fish all packed up and ready for the airplane.

Chinese Propaganda Posters

2007-07-03T06:59:00.001-07:00

Today I bring you a SWEET Chinese propaganda poster from Stefan Landsberger’s aptly named Chinese Propaganda Poster Pages. I find the Chinese propaganda art very fascinating. They are highly stylized and completely lacking in subtleties. These posters are as much art as a window into the political and cultural undercurrents of their times. You have to appreciate their power or boldness even if you don’t agree with the messages or powers behind the posters.

This poster, entitled "Space Flower Garden", was commissioned to celebrate the glorious Chinese space program. It is so fascinating. There is a child taikonaut (Chinese astronaut or taikongren) skipping hand in hand with the Monkey King on an idyllic alien planet. The Monkey King is probably the most beloved character in Chinese literature from China’s golden age. The poster invokes the glorious past to promote the glorious picture of the future. All to promote, or justify, the Chinese space program. On top of it, it is aimed at children.

So enjoy this link of the week. Posts may be spotty for the next while because I will be playing away from internets and phones.

Thirteen Things For Fathers With Daughters

2007-06-28T07:52:00.000-07:00

My oldest daughter, Gwenna, had her sixth birthday last week. As my daughters have grown it has made me think about their future and my responsibilities to them. The problem for me is I understand my sons’ situations but my daughters can sometimes be a mystery. Having never been one, little girls’ lives are new to me.

Fathers generally know their part in raising their boys so they are prepared for life. You wrestle with them. You take them camping and fishing. You have them help you with the car. It is easy because you just show the things you were shown as a boy, but raising girls requires more of a learning curve for fathers. So here are thirteen things I have learned, or advice I have been given, that fathers should do with their daughters.

1. Be a Gentleman. Treat your daughters, and your wife, the way you want others to treat them and they won’t settle for less.

2. Take Them With The Boys. Play catch with them. Take them to the game. They shouldn’t feel like there are separate activities they can’t do. The world will try to give them boundaries; don’t give them any to start with.

3. Camp With Them. Camping teaches them to survive on their own. Teach them how to light a fire with one match while it is raining and they will have the confidence to weather the other storms in their lives.

4. Play Dolls With Them. Show them that your love for them is big enough to do what they like. Real men let their daughters practice putting curlers in their hair.

5. Tell Them They Are Beautiful. They are entitled to a healthy body image from their fathers even if the world is full of bad ones. Every father knows their daughters are beautiful; just make sure they know that you do.

6. Tell Them They Are Smart And Talented. Show them there is more to them then just their looks. Help them to develop their talents and skills.

7. Teach Them How to Fix Things. Teach them not to be afraid of technology or life. Show them how to solve their own problems whether it’s a flat tire, crazy computer, or broken relationship.

8. Go on Daddy-Daughter Dates. Take them dancing, go to dinner, or just go shopping. Make sure to spend one-on-one time with them. I usually hate shopping, but the most fun I ever had was when my daughter dragged me all over a mall looking for her Mom’s birthday gift. Gwenna’s excitement was contagious even for me. It’s a special memory just between us.

9. Listen, Talk, and Listen Some More. Take the time to really communicate with your daughters. When you talk you learn about them, their needs, and their dreams. Listening shows them you care about them. It will also help them build strong communication skills.

10. Don’t Ogle Other Women. Actions speak louder than words. You can’t teach them to respect themselves when you are objectifying others. When they see you drooling over the college cheerleaders on ESPN or reading a “Lad Mag” you will lose credibility.

11. Help Out Around The House. Show them there is no women’s work, only house work. Show them what an equal partner looks like.

12. Kiss Your Wife In Front Of Them. When there are so many unhealthy representations of physical relationships in the media, show them what a healthy one looks like.

13. Love Their Mother. My grandmother use to say the most important thing a father can teach his children is that he loves their mother more than anything, even them.

Caswell Creek, Alaska

2007-06-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

Two Fridays ago I was at my parents' cabin and William, Ben, and I jumped on a four wheeler and drove up the highway to Caswell Creek. Caswell Creek is a sleepy little clear water creek located near mile 85 on the Parks Highway. I say sleepy because 99% of the time I head down there I never see anyone else, but one-percent of the time when the salmon are in thick, its banks are covered with people. I have to confess. I headed down there to see if the king salmon had come in early. There wasn't a fish to be seen, but I got lucky. It was a perfect day for taking pictures and I certainly took home my limit in photos.

I chose this photo because you can see where the clear water of Caswell Creek meets the silty Susitna River. The dividing line between the two waters is amazing. And for a bonus the clouds reflected off the water nicely. We calls those clouds "Simpsons Clouds" because they look like the clouds in the opening credits of the TV show.

P.S. I finally updated my Flickr site with the recent pictures. I added around 30 new photos.

Anchorage Web Cam

2007-06-26T07:13:00.000-07:00

One thing I like about being an engineer is I occasionally get to hang out at construction sites. There is just something about the heavy equipment and watching things being built. I guess I never outgrew playing in the sandbox.

In March, I got a chance to take William and Gwenna with me to visit a construction site. It was a Saturday; the site was shut down except for three guys waiting to finish up a test. Once I was done with my work, the foreman for the site let William and Gwenna a quick look at the equipment. They thought that was pretty cool.

Well, my part of the project is pretty much completed but the building is just getting started. It is going to be a fourteen story building with four floors of parking. It is a pretty big project and it is located right in the mid-town area of Anchorage at the corner of the C Street and Northern Lights Boulevard. Since the project is high profile the building owner started a website for the project. Interestingly enough they have also installed a real-time web camera of the construction site. The camera is located across the street and has a bird’s eye view of the site.

So, the link of the week is the 188 W. Northern Lights project site with its web camera. Besides getting a chance to watch one of my projects, it is also a great way for anyone planning a trip to see what the weather is really like in Anchorage. This would have come in handy last Firday. Enjoy!

A Day in Teller, Alaska

2007-06-25T07:58:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday, I had a chance to travel to Teller, an Inupiat Village with a population of 290, along the west coast of the Seward Peninsula. Teller is a unique place in that it is accessible by a regional road. I drove the 72-miles from Nome along a narrow dirt road. It was a perfect day; sunny with hardly a cloud in the sky. Along the way I saw a bear, musk oxen, moose, ptarmigans, abandoned gold dredges, and lots of beautiful country. The drive went quickly even with the frequent stops to take pictures.

When I got to Teller, I had a chance to spend some time talking to the mayor, Joe Garnie. After our business was completed we hung around and started talking about dog sledding. It was obvious that Joe was knowledgeable in only the way a life time musher can be. When he told me he raced, I asked if he had ever done the Iditarod. He gave me a wry smile and said he had. Then I asked him how well he had done. He smiled again and said second place and third place. It then dawned on me; this was JOE GARNIE the legendary Iditarod musher. Libby Riddle raced his dogs to win the Iditarod back in 1985 when they were partners. The next year he placed second behind Susan Butcher with the same dogs. In fact he has placed in the top 25 all 15 times that he has raced. That is an amazing feat considering it is an honor to be able to even finish the race.

Joe is unique among Iditarod mushers in that he is a traditional Inupiat musher. Most of his training is just using his dogs to stay alive in the arctic. He wears traditional clothes. His kennel only has as many dogs has he can support from his subsistence hunting and fishing.

Joe claims dog sleds are the best transport in the arctic. He doesn’t use snow machines, preferring the traditional way. He says he starts traveling earlier in winter and continues longer through spring with his dog sled than anyone else can with a snow machine. He also claims to have never been stuck, broken down, or stopped by a hill he couldn’t climb with his teams. And I believe him.

Later that day, I watched as Joe finished clearing out his fishing net. He had hauled in a load of white fish, cod, herring, and a few dollies. Joe then explained that most of the fish would be dried and used as dog food, but the dollies would be saved for his personal use.

The dollies were going to be dried for a couple of hours until the pellicle forms then tossed into the freezer. The pellicle protects the meat and prevents freezer burn. I asked Joe how he eats them. His response was, “frozen.” I wasn’t sure if he was pulling my leg, but I later asked several other Inupiat friends and they all said it was true. In fact they all said it was their favorite way to eat fish. You just take it out of the freezer, sprinkle a little salt on it, and dip it into seal oil. After those rave reviews, I think I will have to add frozen fish in seal oil to my list of foods I have to try.

Anchorage, Fires, and Taiwan

2007-06-22T12:52:00.000-07:00

This morning when I got up to ride to work it was dark, darker than when I went to bed. At first I thought it was going to rain. Then I got a whiff. It wasn't dark from rain clouds but haze from the forest fires north of Anchorage.

With the haze, smoky smell, warm air, humidity, and the bike ride it was like I was back in Taiwan. It was mainly the smell that brought on the flood of memories. Some of my strongest memories in Tiawan are associated with smells. So the ride in this morning was quite the trip down memory lane.

The smoke was also blending the morning light in funny ways. Greens were much more vibrant, like I was looking through a polarized filter. It must have been the smoke in the air because I remember the same thing happening with the fallout from the last Mt. Spurr erruption.

On the brightside, the forest fires usually mean more moose and fireweed. It could also open up some new trails around Trapper Lake.

P.S. The Anchorage photo was taken by seanexmachina and the Taipei photo was taken by Paogao.

Side Note: I have been in the Norton Sound region for most of the week. So I have not had time to update. I should be back on schedule next week with lots of new stories. I will also be updating my Flickr with the trip photos soon.

Thirteen Reasons I Love Being a Father

2007-06-14T06:14:00.000-07:00

I love being a father. One of the best things that ever happened to me was becoming a father. Next to my wife, my five children are the best things in my life. So in honor of Father’s Day this Sunday I have put down thirteen reasons I love having children:

1. They are Great Tax Deductions. Sure they are a net loss, but come tax time five more dependents looks pretty good.

2. They Keep Me Smart. My kids are always asking me questions and testing my knowledge. Why is the sky blue? What are the colors of the rainbow? What would happen if a black hole formed around the car? I am very grateful for Wikipedia and Google.

3. They Give Me Excuses to Buy Gear. It is easier to convince my wife to let me buy new gear such as fishing rods, stoves, camping equipment, etc. when I am going to use it with the kids.

4. They Keep Me in Shape. Whether it is wrestling with the kids or chasing them around trying to dress them, my kids always give me a workout. I get more exercise at bedtime then most people get all day. They especially keep me in shape when they make me carry them.

5. They Are The Best Pick-Me-Ups. Kids are the best distractions. No matter how bad or stressful work was, when I get home and get tackled with kisses and hugs it all melts away. You can’t help but have a smile on your face when someone is that happy to see you.

6. They Give Me Excuses to be a Kid Again. I can still watch TMNT, discuss Star Wars, read Harry Potter, and build things out of trash. With the kids, I am a good father. Without the kids I am just another aging geek.

7. They Keep Me Laughing. Whether it is the jokes they tell or things they do or say, they are always making me laugh.

8. They Inspire Me. Everything is exciting and new to my kids. They are always learning and discovering. It is impossible for that not to rub off on me.

9. They Give Me Excuses to Take Off Work. It is always easier to justify cutting work when it is for family time.

10. They Never Let Me Get Bored. There is never ever a dull, or quite, moment in our house. My wife and I wonder what people without kids do. We don’t remember, but they must have a lot of free time.

11. They are Cheap Labor. It is always nice to have several small helping hands. It always makes the work more fun, though not always easier. You get what you pay for.

12. They are a Captivated Audience. Like Ulysses Everett McGill, I too have “been endowed with the gift of gab.” Rebecca often has to gently remind me that I have already told her that story . . . today . . . twice. The kids are always begging to hear stories from when we were children. And their attention spans being what they are, they don’t mind hearing the same ones over and over again.

13. They Introduced Me to a Whole New Life. My life has been enriched by having kids. I have enjoyed greater sorrows and joys then ever before. I have experienced things I never would have imagined without kids and for that I am grateful.

A Humpy at Hope

2007-06-13T06:54:00.000-07:00

This picture cracks me up. Several years ago, I took William on a Father & Son campout with our church. We all camped in the hay flats around Hope, Alaska. We did some fishing that night for pink salmon or humpies. It is pretty easy to see how they got that name. In most cases they turn ugly as soon as they reach freshwater. We were still in the tidal area of Resurrection Creek when this one was caught. It was William’s first close encounter with a humpy and he was none too interested. The next day we decided to go hiking instead.

Honey, Where is My Shovel?

2007-06-12T08:05:00.000-07:00

Scribbit recently posted about her son, Spencer, reconstructing a mouse skeleton from an owl pellet at school. The story reminded me of similar things that I did when I was young. My best friend, who lived two doors up, had a cat that was always bringing home dead birds. One day we got the idea to bury the birds and wait until nature reduced them to bones. Then we would dig up the bones and put them back together. Why would we want to, you might ask? Because we would then have a really cool skeleton bird sitting on the bedroom shelf. To us, it was the only logical thing to do with the dead birds. Just giving them a proper burial would be such a wasted opportunity. Now we could combine the fun of treasure hunters, archeologist, builders, and mad scientists into one seemingly simple task.

So with much anticipation we buried our first bird in the woods behind my friend’s house. We even made sure to mark the spot, not with any kind of gravestone, but with an ‘X’ in the dirt. Then we waited, but boys’ attention span being what they are, we could never remember where or when to unbury the birds. That didn’t stop us though. With youthful optimism, we continued to bury the dead birds each time, completely convinced it would work out this time. We buried so many birds that it is a wonder that we never discovered a previously-burried bird while digging the hole for the next.

Eventually we did succeed in digging up one bird. We collected every bone we could find. There weren’t many. We dutifully placed them in a shoe box and then realized we had no idea what to do with the bones now that we had them. That didn’t dampen our spirits. We kept that box of bird bones as a prized treasure that some day we would get around to putting together. I don’t know whatever happened to that box with its bones. It quietly faded from memory. I suspect a mother helped it along its way.

The reason I am telling this story is to better explain my fascination with this story.

While listening to Alaska Public Radio recently, I heard a program entitled Do It Yourself from March 10, 2007. With my love of DIY, my interest was piqued and as I reached to turn up the volume the lead-in announced that one segment would be about rebuilding a 36-foot whale skeleton. Having read the story above, it should come as no surprise to anyone I was instantly awed and riveted to my radio as the desires of a lost project from my youth came alive again.

As the program unfolded I learned that Stacy Studebaker, a retired high school biology teacher, had discovered a 39-foot gray whale washed ashore near her Kodiak cabin. I totally related to her when she said her first thought was to rebuild the skeleton. "Who the heck was going to clean up the mess?" didn’t even cross our minds.

I listened with fascination at how over seven years and lots of help she essentially rediscovered the art of rearticulating whale skeletons. I won’t go into any more detail here, because Stacy Studebaker has a done a better job than I ever could chronicling the process step-by-step on her webpage. The project is now near completion and the skeleton will be housed in the new Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, which is being built to specifically display the skeleton.

As the program ended, the DIY and biologist in me were stoked and I was left enviously wishing I could find a 39-foot whale washed up at my doorstep. Though this would probably leave my neighbors extremely perplexed, especially when I gleefully started digging a pit in my backyard.

P.S. I add "Link of the Week" over on the right, which will feature webpages that I want to share.

Tips: Ziploc Omelets

2007-06-11T07:35:00.000-07:00

This past March, I went winter camping with my kids. It was one of those campouts when, in the rush to leave, things were left behind. While trying to fix breakfast the next morning I realized I had forgotten to bring a frying pan or spatula. Without either, I was unable to scramble the eggs for breakfast. While pondering what to do, I remembered I had once seen a friend cook scrambled eggs by boiling them in a plastic bag. I had often cooked oatmeal in Ziploc bags by pouring boiling water into it, but I had never tried it with eggs. I had always been curious. So, I pulled out a Ziploc and cracked a couple of eggs into the bag. I zipped up the bag and squished it in my hands to scramble the eggs. Then it went into the boiling water. The results were pretty fair. It would have been better if I had remembered salt and pepper. The only thing was it didn’t really taste like scrambled eggs but an omelet.

That got me thinking. All I would have to do is to chop up normal omelet ingredients (orange peppers, onions, etc.) and toss them into a Ziploc bag. And make sure to pack a couple of eggs. Then all I would have to do is crack in the eggs, squish it up, and boil them. Since that campout in March I have wanted to try it out. Who wouldn’t like a delicious hot omelet (without the mess) on a cold morning while camping? But alas, I have not had the opportunity to do that. So this last Saturday morning after I fixed the kids breakfast I tried it. I chopped up onion, green pepper, mushrooms, cheese, and sausages which I tossed in a Ziplock bag with a couple of eggs. I also put in some salt and pepper. After squishing it up in my hands I dropped the whole bag into some boiling water.

Almost immediately one of the kids came screaming to me about some disaster and I had to help them out. Since the omelet was boiling instead of frying, I didn’t have to worry about burning it. After a few minutes I came back and it seemed cooked. So I pulled it out, dropped it on a plate, and ate it. Let’s just say it was perfect. It tasted just like a regular omelet. It was also shaped nicely because I didn’t scramble it while trying to flip it. My wife tried a bite and loved it too. Best of all, the only clean up was throwing away the Ziploc bag. So now we have a new recipe in our camping cookbook.

Ziploc Omelets would also work well for a multiple day trip. You just have to make sure the ingredients will stay fresh without refrigeration. All the ones I listed above will last several days, but you would have to use vegetarian sausage. Eggs are fine as long as you leave them in the shell.

While I was “cleaning up”, Rebecca reminded me of another tip. Since the boiling water is still clean, you can reuse it for your morning cup of hot chocolate, reducing your fuel needs for the meal. That is true for us since we always boil water in the morning for hot chocolate anyways. With this meal we cooked everything in one pot at the same time.

My Favorite Camping Gear

2007-06-07T07:56:00.000-07:00

On my twelfth birthday, along with joining the Boy Scouts, I received my first sleeping bag and backpack. The sleeping bag was a grey synthetic mummy bag. The backpack was blue with an aluminum frame. I still have them and even occasionally use them. That humble beginning marked the start of my ever growing collection of camping gear. Since then almost every present or gift I have received for Christmas or my birthday has been camping gear. Now I mostly get gift certificates to REI and I love it. It is about the only store that I enjoy shopping at. Whenever I get a gift card I do not spend it right away. Spending REI credit is a solemn event and must be done right. I make several scouting trips to collect information and prices. Then I develop a spreadsheet with my wish list and prices. It is only after I have determined the optimal potential of the gift card do I make my purchases. Sometimes I will wait several months so I can combine my REI membership refund with the latest sale. The only thing that has stopped my collection from getting out of hand is my frugal streak that I inherited from my parents. I am grateful to them because I would probably be inundated with gear if I didn’t have that check. Here are some of my favorite products that I have collected over the years:

1. Princeton Tec Aurora LED Headlamp. This is an ultra light weight but highly effective headlamp. It is the best headlamp on the market and it is under $30. I carry it everywhere and even use it in bed to read when my wife is sleeping. I even use it when I work on the plumbing or the car.

2. Leatherman New Wave Multi-tool. After a northern pike wrestled my first Leatherman away from me, I was multi-tool-less for about a year. It was a dark time. Then for my birthday my parents gave this to me. It is the only Leatherman on the market to really have improved the original design. The best thing is it has two locking blades on the outside. You don’t have to open up the pliers each time you want to use the knives.

3. Coleman Peak 1 Single Burner Backpack Stove. It works on butane/propane fuel cartridges, which is more efficient than straight propane. I also have never had it freeze in cold weather. It is also very small and indestructible. The best part is I bought it at Wal-Mart for $10. The only way I would need anything more expensive is if I took up mountaineering.

4. North Face Arrowhead Tent. This is an expedition quality tent I inherited from my dad. It is probably 15 years old but it looks brand new. It has stood up to 65 mile per hour winds and my kids jumping on the poles. Now that is tough.

5. REI Andora Down Mummy Bag. It is warm and lightweight. I bought this great bag in Taiwan from “Eddie the Coat Man”. I kid you not, that is what his card said. When I bought the bag from him for $30 I couldn’t believe the price, but he insisted. It wasn’t until his wife came by that we found out he had been drinking heavily just before we had arrived. It is my daughter’s favorite sleeping bag too. She likes its purple color.

6. Sierra Designs Microlight Jacket and Pants. Everyone should have a rain coat and pants that stuff into a little bag. They are perfect in Alaska where the weather changes so quickly especially when you don’t want to carry your Gortex shell around. I carry my set everywhere.

7. Keen Newport H2. This is the latest buy that made it on my list. I have wanted a pair since last summer when I heard all the rave reviews. I finally got a pair on clearance at REI with some birthday money. I have not been disappointed. They are very comfortable and my feet don’t get hot when hiking in them. I can’t wait to try them out while rafting next weekend.

8. REI Insulated Mug. It is just a lightweight and durable insulating mug. When I really want to pack light, I will eat all my meals out of it. I know there is nothing particularly special about this mug, it’s just I have grown attached to it.

9. Flatworld Orikaso Fold Flat Bowl. I hate packing plates and bowls. Maybe that is why I eat out of zip-lock bags and mugs when I can, but that can limit your diet. The first time I used this was when I traveled out to Nikolski and had to bring all my own food. Both weight and space was a huge issue. This came in so handy that I fell in love with it. It is one of those great products that you just say, “It is so simple, why didn’t I think of it?” It is just brilliant and it doesn’t even take up any space in my garage.

10. Nalgene Wide Mouth Bottles. These bottles are the best. Gone are the days of having rusty or plastic flavored water. These bottles are as inert and strong as they come. The wide mouth is a must for when you get ice build up. In Alaska, they are even considered the must-have fashion accessory.

11. Seattle Sports Dry Compression Bags. This is one of those things I use every trip. They work great shrinking your sleeping bag or extra clothes. Plus they keep them dry.

12. Rhino Trekking Backpack. Rhino is a top name brand in Taiwan. This one is an internal frame top-loading backpack. It sold for about $80, but the thing I liked best about it is its versatility. About a third of its storage capacity can be removed or reconfigured to meet the trip needs. At full capacity it can work as a week long trek pack. When all the extra stuff is removed it makes a great two day bag for traveling, especially when you have to go through an airport.

13. REI Day Pack. This bag is a top loading single compartment with a flip over pocket that cinches it down. It has nice padded shoulder straps and a minimal lap belt. It is made out of heavy weight canvas with leather reinforced bottom. I have had it for over 15 years and taken it on almost every trip I have ever gone on. It is great for an overnighter, day hike, or book bag. In a word, it is perfect. Day packs nowadays have too many pockets, straps, bells and whistles that you don’t need or get in the way. Plus they would never last very long. Something breaks or tears. I am not looking forward to when I will have to replace this bag. I don’t think I will be able to.

Chinese Landscape in Alaska

2007-06-06T07:57:00.000-07:00

Last March, I found myself with in Valdez with a van full of architects and engineers and six hours to kill. It was also one of those rare sunny days in Valdez. So we drove around site seeing and taking pictures.

We headed up Keystone Canyon and I took this picture of a frozen waterfall at Bridal Veil Falls. I liked the shot but it wasn't until afterwards that I noticed the ice climbers. Can you spot them? Then I really liked the shot because it reminded me of Chinese landscape paintings, especially those of the Song Dynasty.

In the Song Dynasty (960-1279) Chinese landscape paintings often represented people in ant-like fashion against wild, exotic landscapes. This suited both the Taoist and the Buddhist philosophies of the time. Toaist with their focus on the natural instead of the man-made or Wu Wei. Buddhists with their focus on the realization of emptiness or Shunyata. I think Song painters would have liked this photo too.

P.S. I have added about 25 photos to my Flickr site (see right)

An Afternoon at Spenard Beach Park

2007-06-04T20:33:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Rebecca wanted to do something as a family, so we spent the morning running errands. After lunchtime and naptime we packed the kids up on bikes, and into the bike trailers and headed off for a ride. We rode a half mile to Spenard Beach Park at Lake Hood. It is one of our favorite places for a quick family trip. For those who don’t know, Lake Hood is the world’s busiest seaplane base and is part of the Anchorage International Airport. Actually, there was a seaplane base before there was an airstrip.

The Spenard Beach Park borders the northeast shore of the lake. It is rather small and only has a swing set and some picnic tables. After a few minutes of swinging the kids had found the water. They promptly began building dams. Every minute, at least one float plane taxied past sending wakes over their walls. They were kept busy rebuilding and fortifying their dams. We had a lot of fun and I was able to give the kids some pointers on building brake waters.

When we weren’t securing the shoreline we were watching planes take off or land. Then it was back to building walls. The kids discovered that water weeds and pebbles work better than the beach sand. It was a wonderful hour at the park and after a snack, and Tim deciding to break the “No Wading” rule, we herded the kids back onto the bikes and headed home.

Eklutna Lake Review: Memorial Weekend Adventure

2007-06-01T06:53:00.000-07:00

When we were planning our family activities for May we had decided that Memorial Day would be perfect for our first real camping trip of the year. It wasn’t until Friday night that I remembered why we usually go earlier in the month, but I am getting ahead of myself.

We were getting all excited to go camping. Earlier in the week, Rebecca and I had bought a cargo carrier that attached to our towl hitch. You wouldn’t think a Ford Expedition would need more cargo space but it fills easily with five kids and all their gear. The blankets and stuffed animals alone take up a huge amount of space.

The car was mostly packed so when I got off work early on Friday we were on the road before 5 PM. I think that was a personal best for us. The traffic was surprisingly light.
We drove north to Eklutna Lake. The turn off is about 26 miles north of Anchorage, but then it is another 10 miles up to the lake. The road is paved but narrow and very curvy. The max speed on the road is 25 miles per hour so it will seem like a crawl after the Glenn Highway, but the scenery is really spectacular. I would have taken a picture but I had to keep both hands on the wheel.

Eklutna Lake is nestled in the mountains of Chugach State Park. Eklutna Glacier carved out the valley and when it receded long ago it left a 7 mile lake with steep mountains surrounding it. It is a really pristine place and you can see why Anchorage gets 75% or so of their water from it.

Eklutna Lake has something for everyone. There is fishing and boating on the lake, though no motorized crafts are allowed. There is even a kayak rental place. Eklutna also offers miles of trails. The main trail is a 13 mile (one way) packed gravel trail along the north rim of the lake. For the first 8-miles it is wide enough to drive down and easy enough for a stroller. For the more adventurous there are several trails which offer steep hikes to the summits of the surrounding peaks, some only 5 miles long. There are also park cabins at the other end of the lake for extended trips.

The Eklutna Lake campground has 50 regular sites with 15 overflow sites. I have never seen the campground full . . . until Friday night. When we finally got to the campsite every site was filled. It looked like we had missed it by 20 minutes. Well, we had to make a quick decision after that. We decided instead of driving for another two hours trying to find an open campground on Memorial Weekend, we would head over to the day-use or picnic area. We were the only people there. Since the day-use area is separated from the campsites, it made for a lot more room and privacy. We were able to let the kids run around and yell more than if we had been over at the other place.

We roasted our hotdogs and made our s’mores. The kids got to get filthy and play with fire. After we cleaned up we all headed down to the lake. Instead of hiking the north trail like we usually do we headed east along the shore to the spillway. The water level in the lake changes a lot over the summer. We hiked along the high water mark where all the driftwood had been pushed up on the beach. The kids were having a great time exploring and picking up neat sticks. William started talking about giants in the mountain. I then mentioned that all the driftwood looked like ogre clubs. That set the kids’ imagination off. Ben and William were clamoring to tell me about the ogre battle that must have gone on. They imagined that the old wooden piles sticking out of the ground were the tombstones of the fallen heroes. They had great fun with it, even Gwenna got in to it.

Once we got to the spillway, we saw a nesting pair of golden eyes and a small beaver. There was a small ice chunk still floating near the edge of the lake, which provided an excellent target for the kids. After the kids were tired of throwing rocks they moved on to building a fort out of the spillway stones. That went along pretty smoothly until Tim walked out onto some stepping stones and dunked himself in the lake.

Luckily, since we had been planning to camp we had brought extra clothes. It still ended up being a good stopping point for the night. Once Tim was dry we packed the kids into the car and passed out the chips. The drive back was uneventful and later that night while Rebecca was soaking in a bubble bath she commented, with a relaxed smile, that it wasn’t the worst camping trip she had been on. It actually was pretty good, all of the fun stuff and not having to sleep with five kids in one tent.

(P.S. I uploaded additional photos on my Flickr site, see side bar,)

Thirteen Ways to Prepare for a Trip to Alaska

2007-05-31T20:35:00.000-07:00

One thing all Alaskans know is with the arrival of summer comes the warmer weather, outdoor activities, and visitors. Rebecca and I are no exception. This summer we are looking forward to multiple groups of friends and relatives visiting. In honor of all the tourists and visitors coming this summer, Rebecca and I came up with this list of thirteen ways to prepare for a trip to Alaska.

1. Get a Sleeping Mask. Rebecca can attest that sleeping can be difficult during the summer without blackout curtains or sleeping masks. Or you can install a dimmer light switch in your bedroom at home and slowly turn it brighter each night to get yourself used to sleeping with the lights on.

2. Bring Bug Spray. I don’t care where you are from, or how bad the bugs are there, you will need bug spray. The mosquito isn’t the state bird for nothing. Bug head-nets may also be necessary if you will be traveling into the interior of Alaska.

3. Learn How to Layer Clothing. Alaskans have a saying, “If you don’t like the weather wait five minutes.” You are likely to see rain, sunshine, clouds, wind, hot and cold temperatures, and even snow during your trip, and often in the same day. So with such a variety of conditions carrying one big coat will not work. You have to be prepared put on or pull off a T-shirt, long sleeve shirt, fleece, sweater, rain coat, hat, etc. as the weather dictates.

4. Bring Sunglasses. This one surprises people who are not familiar with Alaska. You have to remember that it is the Land of the Midnight Sun. It is always fun when your visitors realize they are putting on their sunglasses at 10 PM.

5. Bring Sun Block Too. Sun block is also a must if you are planning to be on the water or snow. A combination sun block and mosquito repellant is also convenient.

6. Bring Good Rain Gear. Not just a rain coat but rain pants are a must too. A lot of people, mainly East Coasters, think you can get by with an umbrella but they are wrong. Rain gear also comes in handy on windy days; make sure it is breathable (see #3).

7. Read a Good Book on Alaska. Whenever I travel I like to read up on the place before I go. I also like to have a travel book that matches the theme of my trip. For Alaska I recommend Velma Wallis’ Two Old Women which is a beautiful Athabaskan legend of survival and self worth. For the more adventurous try Larry Kanuit’s Alaskan Bear Tales which will give anyone a more than healthy respect for bears.

8. Get in Shape. Alaska is an outdoor place. If you can’t get outdoors to enjoy it then you will miss a big part of the experience.

9. Get Reservations in Advance. Alaska is a popular place so make sure you get all your reservations in writing months in advance. Last month I went to reserve a camping spot at Denali National Park for July and there were only four spots left.

10. Develop a Taste for Seafood and Wild Game. Alaskans love their crab, salmon, moose, caribou, and halibut. So everywhere serves fresh seafood and reindeer on the menu. You don’t want to miss out on a taste of Alaska or some of the freshest fish you can ever have.

11. Get American Money. There are people who still don’t know Alaska is part of the United States. So bring lots of those good old green backs and you can leave them here. We won’t even mind.

12. Learn to Dress Casual. In Alaska jeans and flannel are acceptable attire everywhere, ties and sport coats are not. There isn’t a restaurant in Alaska that requires a tie or sports coat. And thank goodness. Here North Face, Carharts, and Patagonia are the fancy name brands.

13. Get a Huge Memory Card for Your Camera. There is so much to see and so much beauty that you will want to photograph it all. I can easily take 200 pictures a day. So unless you bring a laptop spend the extra money and get the mega-gigabyte card for your camera.

Too Much Anime: Astro Boy and Stinkoman

2007-05-30T06:34:00.000-07:00

You know your kids are watching too much Anime when they do this.

On Saturday morning Tim walks up to me and says, “I’m a robot.” He then proceeded to fly around the room with him new robotic arms. I was kind of curious how that worked. He does kind of look like Astro Boy wearing nothing but a diaper.

Of course, since we were laughing at his silliness the other kids wanted in on the action. Gwenna here is doing a great impression of Stinkoman’s “Are you asking for a CHALLENGE!?!” for those of you who know Strong Bad.

Trail Review: Thunderbird Falls

2007-05-25T06:54:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we hiked Thunderbird Falls. Thunderbird Falls is located 25 miles north of Anchorage in the Chugach State Park. This is an easy hike with rolling terrain. The trail is packed gravel and 10-feet wide. You can easily push a stroller along the trail. The main trail ends at a boardwalk overlooking Thunderbird Fall which is 200-feet high. There is also a side trail near the end that goes along the river to the base of the falls, but the trail is not as well developed.
We love this hike and it is usually the first hike we do each year. We can easily do the whole hike, including the driving, in approximately two hours. It is also an easy hike to get the kids excited for the summer. Our two year old, Tim, didn’t have any problems on this trail.

It really is a beautiful trail. Most of the trail is high above Thunderbird Creek providing great vistas. Except at the beginning, where you can see the back of a few houses, the scenery feels more wilderness than suburban. The spring is the perfect time for this hike. It is still cool and there are no mosquitoes. If you do hike it in the summer than bring lots of bug repellant but that goes for most of Alaska.

One of our favorite things about this trail is the Pooh Bear Tree. The side trail down to the river goes right by an ancient cottonwood tree that is hollowed out. It makes for great pictures. The kids also love to throwing rocks in the creek and picking horsetails. In the fall there are lots of high bush cranberries and raspberries ripe for the picking. Thunderbird Falls gets our stamp of approval.

P.S. I added pictures to my Flickr site. (See stage right)

Thirteen Great Read-a-Loud Books

2007-05-24T06:07:00.000-07:00

I love reading to my children. I read to the boys each night while Rebecca reads to the girls. My favorite books are the ones that are fun to read out loud. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. This was one of the first books I read with William. He picked it out and I thought it would be too difficult for him. I was wrong and I have learned that kids understand a lot more than most people give them credit. It is a beautifully written story.

2. The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. I read these stories several years ago to my boys and they were riveted. There is nothing better than talking animals, magic, and children heroes. The relations between the children are also wonderfully done.

3. The Witches by Roald Dahl. Anything by Roald Dahl is great. I just listed The Witches because I do a great Grant High Witch voice. “Vitches of Inkland you good for nothing vorms.”

4. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. It is a great adventure book, which our whole family got into. We would go on drives just so we could all read it together. The dialog makes for great voices.

5. The Grimm Brothers. This isn’t the watered down Disney version but the real fairy tales. There are lots of difficult words and archaic language but the stories are so fascinating. The kids love them even if they can’t understand every word. Plus a lot of the stories have great lessons like don’t go walking off into the woods alone or obey your parents.

6. Journey to the West. This is one of the great four classic Chinese novels. It tells of a monk’s journey to fetch the Buddhist scriptures in India. The journey if fraught with danger and monsters, but the monk is protected by four magical servants. The greatest of which is the mischievous Monkey King. It is written like the old radio serials or something you might here from a street storyteller with each chapter ending with you wanting to tune in next week. I prefer the Anthony Yu translation over the Arthur Waley’s Monkey. It keeps the feeling of the original Chinese.

7. Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne. The stories are so fun and the narration read like a father telling a bedtime story. The narrator’s dialog is great, though it is probably the hardest book on this list to read smoothly out loud.

8. Dr. Seuss. All Dr. Seuss books are so fun I couldn’t chose one. He was a master at tongue twisters and lyrical rhymes. The Lorax and the Horton Hears a Who are some of our favorites.

9. Berenstain Bears. We like the early Berenstain Bear books, like Spooky Old Tree and Inside, Outside, Upside Down, which are just fun and simple. The later books are all about lessons like The Berenstain Bears Learn About Bike Safety, which just aren’t very fun.

10. The Trouble with Trolls by Jan Brett. Most of Jan Brett’s books are really amazing, but this one has fun trolls which keep shouting “Want Dog!” The kids love it.

11. The Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling. Anyone with a name like Rudyard Kipling must have a way with words. The stories are short and imaginative. Most deal with origin myths like How the Camel Got Its Hump. Trust me “O Best Beloved” stories are made to be read out loud.

12. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett. It is a book about a town with weather problems. What that doesn’t sound interesting? Well is it when the weather is food. Haven’t you ever wished it would rain donuts? Mmm . . . donuts.

13. Charlotte's Web by E. B. White. I can’t stand the voices in the cartoon, except for Templeton, and didn’t think I would like the reading the book out loud. But that all changed once we found out that Wilber wasn’t such a whiner and was actually deserving of Charlotte’s friendship and sacrifice.

Hickel's Highway

2007-05-23T00:10:00.000-07:00

I took this picture yesterday in Bettles, Alaska. In the summer, Bettles is only accessible by air. In the winter, it is accessible for a limited time (sometimes for only two weeks in March) by truck over an ice road. The ice road is part of the famous Hickel’s Highway. The Hickel’s Highway is one of those interesting tales of Alaskan independence from the state’s history. The story goes that when oil was discovered on the North Slope there was an argument between the federal government and Alaska about access to the fields. The only land route to the state-owned North Slope fields is through hundreds of miles of federal land. Alaska’s governor Wally Hickel got so frustrated with the federal government that he ordered a dozer train to bulldoze a road several hundred miles to the North Slope. Mind you, they didn’t survey or engineer anything, they simply cleared a trail three dozers wide all the way to the North Slope. The road was a complete engineering failure. Within one year, maybe a little longer, it turned into a mud bog and was impassible. But the road was a complete political success. It reasserted the right of states and individuals whose land is blocked or surrounded by federal land. There is little left of the original Hickel Highway with the exception of the ice trail into Bettles.

Hello From Bettles Alaska

2007-05-22T23:26:00.000-07:00

I am currently typing away in the Aurora Lodge in Bettles, Alaska just above the Arctic Circle. The weather is beautiful and sunny even though it is almost 11 PM. But it finally has started to cool down a little. The only problem with that is it brought the mosquitoes out. The mosquitoes haven’t come out yet in Anchorage but here, in the evenings, they are out in force. They aren’t the little ones either; they are the really big ones that are the first to come out in spring. I have smashed several that were as large as my thumb.

I am behind in submitting posts because this trip to Bettles came up suddenly. I was too busy getting everything in order to make any posts. Then on Monday, I was flying off to Bettles and didn’t have any way to access the Internet until now. I have not even been able to call my wife yet because of a lack a phone service.

If you are wondering where Bettles is, it is approximately a one-hour flight north of Fairbanks. It is just south of the Gates of the Arctic National Park. It is a big stopping point for summer access into the Brooks Range, ANWR, and the surrounding park. In the winter is it a hot Japanese tourist spot for looking at the northern lights. It is a cool little town of 25 people with a really large runway.

Today I was busy all day with work. I think I put ten miles on my feet. That is pretty impressive when you consider that Bettles only has three miles of road. I have been up and down the length of it several times today. I have also toured almost every building in town and talked to every person. It is a friendly little place. Even though I was busy, I was able to take a few non-work related pictures. Here is a quick snapshot of some of the things I did or saw today.

Here is a fine example of Alaskan decorating. This was taken inside the National Park Service's visitor center. I don't think I have ever seen so many dead animals on one couch before.

The park rangers give everyone a lecture on safety in the park. Here is their visual display on what a bear can do to your steel fuel bottles. Those holes are puncture marks from a bear's teeth. They had lots of stories about animal encounters, such as the wolf who developed a shoe fetish and would sneak into hiker's camps and steel one hiking boot.

They say every inch of paw is a foot of bear. We saw this little guy down by the river.

It was a hot and sunny day. Near the end we had a big cloud burst above us. You can see the rain streaking down, but it near hit the ground. Since it has cooled off the sun as come out again.

Driving Conversations: Knock! Knock!

2007-05-18T06:59:00.000-07:00

When I was a Cubmaster I was always collecting cheesy jokes, the kind boys like, such as knock-knock jokes and silly puns. Ever since our kids, especially William, have been making up their own jokes and trying them on us. The jokes are kind of hit or miss. Here are a couple ‘hits’ from a while back when I was driving William to school.

Joke 1
Will: What is a shark’s favorite dessert?

Me: I don’t know. What is a shark’s favorite dessert? By the way that is the only allowable response to any joke question.

Will: Octo-pie!

Joke 2
Will: What is a whale’s favorite lunch?

Me: I don’t know. What is a whale’s favorite lunch?

Will: Krill cheese sandwiches!

He really was in good form that day and had me cracking up. After that most of William’s jokes were sea/food oriented.

William has a really silly and dry sense of humor. He will say really ridiculous things so seriously that you think he is being serious. The twinkle in his eye or that goofy grin of his is what usually gives him away. He did again this morning over breakfast.

Will: I wish we were professional rhyme makers.

Me: What? Does he mean rappers and how would he know what rap is?

Will: I wish were were professional rhyme makers. Then we could go all over the world performing rhymes in circuses. We would be famous and would perform behind a curtain like this . . .

He then launches into a rendition of “rain rain go away” complete with some hand actions. He described how we would make it appear as if rain was falling from finger tips. I just stared at him. Then he gave one of his big smiles and we both started laughing. He is so weird and I love it. (The picture if from a year ago when Will was in a school play. He was a radish. We call this shot Radish N Da Hood. Maybe this is why he wants to be a professional rhyme maker.)

Thirteen Rules for Family Camping

2007-05-17T06:43:00.000-07:00

I love to camp, hike, fish, and just spend time outdoors. When I got married I wanted my wife to enjoy those things too. So I introduced her to them during our summer break in Alaska. When we started having kids I wanted to do all those things with them too. In the beginning I had varying degrees of success in my attempts to introduce them to camping.

I quickly realized that I was going to have to approach camping differently if my kids and wife were going to enjoy them as much as I do. Since then we have had a lot of fun experiences camping and playing in the outdoors. Here are some of the things I have learned that help my family enjoy camping.

1. Plan, Plan, Plan. You can’t go off half cocked or on a moment’s notice like you did when you were single. You can’t just hope it will all work out . . somehow. If you forget something you don’t want to have to rough it with kids or someone new to camping.

2. Don’t worry if they don’t follow the plan. Don’t get angry if everyone wants to turn around early on the hike you planned. You have to roll with the punches. You have to do what works and is fun and not necessarily what is planned. The plan was just to help you get started and make sure you have at least some fun things to do.

3. Start simple. You shouldn’t take your wife on your dream 50-mile wilderness hike of Denali or two-week whitewater trip down the Yukon for her first camping trip. You have to remember you started out roasting marshmallows at a state campground and that is when you fell in love with camping.

4. Keep it close. Kids don’t do well on long drives. And if you get there and they are already grumpy you may have a difficult time convincing them camping is fun. Until your kids are old enough for longer rides just go to the nearest campgrounds.

5. Suspend the rules (within reason or close to it). Well most of the rules. Let the kids stay up late. Let them scream and shout their heads off. Throw table manners out the window for that one or two days.

6. Get dirty. This applies to the kids and you. Let them roll around in the mud and leaves and all those things kids love to do. Just remember you can hose them down in the front yard when you get home. You may also want to lay an old sheet over the seats in the car. It helps with the clean up.

7. Let them eat treats. For us this goes along with #5. Make lots of s'mores, trail mix, candy bars, banana boats, or whatever. Don’t worry about eating the vegetables or all the normal food rules. Just let them enjoy the gooey marshmallows. Remember no one ever gains weight camping.

8. Keep them dry and warm. I can have a good time even when I am wet and cold, but kids just can’t and a lot of first time campers can’t either. So pack extra socks, jackets, and sleeping bags. Assume the worst possible weather then pack more.

9. Keep them full. Kids need lots of food to fuel all the extra running around. What kid can’t be happy with a stomach full of pancakes, hotdogs, or s'mores? Hungry kids are whiny kids and no one has fun when there is whining.

10. Lower your expectations. Things don’t have to be perfect to enjoy yourselves. Kids can find fun in anything. You might be bored out of your mind throwing rocks in a lake or picking up pine cones, but the kids will love it.

11. Do all the work. Do all the cooking, cleaning of dishes, packing the car, setting up the tent, etc. If you want your wife to enjoy camping make it a day off for her. If you do, I guarantee your wife will want to go again. If your wife has to do all the work just to get the family out the door she will cringe every time you suggest a camping trip.

12. Pamper your wife. This follows the previous one. Make an effort to ensure she has fun and can relax. Get her a camp chair and set it up by the fire. Bring her a pillow and nice mattress even if that is not ‘real’ camping. She will only love the experience more.

13. Remember what it is all about. It’s not about completing the hike. It is not about anything, but having fun with your family in the outdoors. It’s about creating special memories that they will remember always. All the other rules are just a means to this end.

Gwenna and Goliath

2007-05-16T06:20:00.000-07:00

I took this picture as Gwenna stood watching this sea lion swim around. She just stood there quietly for a while in awe of the giant. This is from a trip to Seward several years ago where we visited the Alaska SeaLife Center.

Write-Away Contest

2007-05-15T22:42:00.000-07:00

When I saw that Michelle at Scribbit was doing a vacation themed writing contest, I thought about my trip out to Nikolski. So I dug out my journal and started to adapt it to the contest. I have learned that my journal was a lot rougher than I thought. I also learned I have about twenty pages of material that I had to cut down. But I did it and without further ado here it is.

The Unexpected Vacation

2007-05-15T21:48:00.000-07:00

For most people, their vacations are exotic and their business travels are ordinary. For me, it is the opposite. Our vacations are for family visits or reunions. Don’t get me wrong, I love relaxing and visiting family, but for me to get to the exotic it has to be for work. I have crossed the Arctic Circle into the Land of the Midnight Sun. I have walked on the frozen Chukchi Sea and looked out towards Russia. I have been to the birth place of the winds straddling the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean. My work has taken me to places all throughout Alaska.

Traveling to the far reaches of Alaska comes with its challenges. One of which is weather delays. You always have to plan for weather delays because weather delays always happen. It is a rare trip when I leave and arrive by the emailed itinerary on my etickets. Many people are frustrated by travel in Alaska, but not me. I have learned to accept these delays as unexpected vacations, because this is when the ordinary business trip becomes the extraordinary.

The most extraordinary of these unexpected vacations happened on my first trip to the village of Nikolski along the Aleutian Chain. It was my last scheduled day after a week in Nikolski. So far everything had gone as scheduled getting out to Nikolski. I knew I had been lucky and as the weather began to deteriorate I wondered if my luck had run out. I was relieved when we received word from the satellite phone that the weekly plane had left on time from Dutch Harbor. In an hour the plane buzzed overhead and we walked out to the lake where it was landing. When we got there the pilot beached the amphibious plane and got out. We had our luggage ready to load. There were seven people flying out that day, a full flight. The pilot then stopped us and said he would not be taking any passengers. It took me a while to understand what was going on. The plane’s left engine was missing its cowling, or engine cover. It had blown off mid-flight. No one was sure what was going to happen next. Ernie, a native with the school district who was flying out with us, just laughed and said he had jinxed us. He had made a joke earlier about weather and having a safe flight. In the end we all left to wait for news.

Several hours later, the other amphibious plane in the Aleutians showed up and everyone went down again to the lake. I do mean everyone—almost the whole town showed up. Doug, my traveling companion, mentioned that this was the most excitement a lot of people had had in a while. It was pretty funny. There were three guys working on the plane and 20 people huddled around in the freezing wind talking about them. It took quite a while. I had expected the second plane to drop off the parts and fly us back immediately. I was wrong. I guess they wanted to fly the planes back together. Since it was taking so long I was a little nervous because we were using up daylight fast. It takes at least an hour to fly to Dutch Harbor and since we were an hour behind there was even less time than usual.

Finally the plane was fixed. Most of the luggage was packed on the first plane, while we crammed into the other. I wondered what they would have done if there had not been two planes. They could not have taken everyone and the luggage in one plane. With a roar of engines and water spraying over our head, we took off. Through the turbulence I finally relaxed and began to hope for spending the night in a real hotel.

We flew for quite a while but it was slow going because of the 40 knot headwinds. It was also a pretty bumpy ride. We had gotten about two thirds of the way when we started out over the last stretch of open ocean before we reached Dutch Harbor. Halfway across, right before the point of no turning back, a giant snow squall appeared. It stretched from the ocean to several thousand feet above us. Black storm clouds pushed by heavy winds churned towards us. The pilot turned around. I prayed we would not have to turn back to Nikolski. When we reached the middle of Umnak Island (Nikolski’s island), we met up with the other plane. It was a lot lower than us and going full boar forward. The pilot turned again and followed it. As passengers we had no idea what was going on. I assumed we had turned back to more closely follow the other plane. But when we reached Fort Glenn the pilot quickly landed.

After landing and taxiing back to the other end of an old dirt airstrip, the pilot shut down the plane. He finally explained that since it was rapidly getting dark he did not have time to fly around the storm or if it was even possible to. He did not want to risk a night landing at Dutch Harbor. It has a very bad runway. He had intended to fly back to Nikolski but was told by the other plane that there was a squall now over Nikolski. So our only option was to land at Fort Glenn and wait until we could get out.

Fort Glenn is located at the east end of Umnak Island, 60 miles east of Nikolski. It was a major Army base during World War II and played an important part in the Pacific Theater. At one time it had four runways and over 20,000 troops. It had been abandoned intact since the1950’s. Now it is an organic beef ranch. The ranch house is pieced together from salvaged base parts.

Before landing the pilot had radioed in to the ranch house and had been told they would be there to pick us up when we landed. No one was there. By the time the pilot turned off the engine it was pitch black. The ranch house was only a speck of light in the distance. We sat there huddled in our seats listening to the howling wind. Our pilot had jumped out the back door for a smoke. As we sat shivering in our seats, I couldn’t help but think we were in one of those stories where a group of lost travels stumbled upon a house in the middle of nowhere during a storm. We only had to wait before we started mysteriously disappearing one by one. Finally the pilot was able to get the ranch house on the radio and they sent someone out to pick us up.

At the ranch we got a welcome that only comes when someone hasn’t seen a new face in months. In the short time it had taken to pick us up they had stoked the big pot belly stove, made up extra beds, and readied eight more spots for dinner. After a quick thawing by the stove we were herded to the kitchen. Food was pushed on us as soon as we sat down at huge half-log tables. We were served fresh steak, potatoes, corn on the cob, salad, and fresh rolls. For desert it was homemade pies with ice cream. I hadn’t eaten that good or anywhere near it, since I left home.
I was in awe of my surroundings during dinner. I was just amazed at where I was and the impossibility of the situation. I was in a ranch (the largest ranch in Alaska producing more than half of all the cattle in the state), which I had never heard of before, having dinner in a very warm handmade ranch house.

There were only 35 people living at the ranch, but they were a very diverse group. To my left were four Mexicans straight from Mexico, eating their steak wrapped in corn tortillas. To my right were a New Zealand cowboy and a helicopter pilot. There was also a Canadian couple that ran the place with their Dutch engineer. In front of me were four Aleut Elders who had been on the plane with me. There were so many people, cultures, languages, accents, and wild experiences happening all at once that I was in complete surreal shock. I just quietly ate my meal just thoroughly happy to be soaking in my environment. I must have sat for a half an hour after I was finished eating before I moved.

After dinner, Pat the owner, took us on the tour of the slaughter house. He explained how there are 5,000 head of cattle on the island which they round up each year using helicopters. They slaughter about half the heard and package the meat. They then fly it out to Dutch Harbor where it gets shipped to high-end restaurants and grocers in Seattle.

The tour of the slaughter house was interesting; unfortunately they were already done cleaning up for the night. They showed us where the cattle where brought in and sprayed with ozonated air and then killed. They showed us where they hung them up and bled them. At this point, out of professional curiosity, I asked about their sewer system. Slaughterhouses have a real problem with disposal of the waste materials. Well I won’t go into detail, but the manager jumped right up and began to give me and Doug a detailed tour of the plant and how it worked. He was really proud of how sophisticated the plant was and he seemed really excited to have someone to talk to about it that understood how cool it was.

They have a state of the art facility, which they need, because all the meat is certified as USDA 100% organic (there actually is an inspector who lives there too). This is the top and hardest labeling to get. Meat can be graded as natural, organic, or 100% organic. 100% organic means that not only is the animal raised in a chemical free environment, it is slaughtered and process includes no chemicals or additives. They even have to wash all surfaces off with special soaps after they are cleaned with chlorine. To disinfect the meat, they soak it with mists of ozonated water. Soaking the meat with water actually makes the meat taste better. It was a fascinating tour.

After the tour, we all sat around the fox den or common room with its huge pot belly stove, the only heat in the house. Everyone talked and talked for hours. It was really entertaining. I heard cool stories about mad cows that attack helicopters and a lot about the history of the island. The shelves were covered with artifacts from the old base. They salvaged a mural painting from the officer’s mess hall, which, as luck has it is a picture of some cowboys . . . and a buxom blonde cowgirl. They had a stone seal oil lantern that had been found.

This started an amazing discussion with the Aleut Elders talking about the old ways and the Aleut people during the war. Patty, the oldest Elder, had lived in the Aleut intern camps and lived much of the history we were talking about. The first time she had seen anything taller than a man, was when their boat sailed into Ketchikan interment camp and she saw the towering trees. She lost much of her family during the interment. I cannot describe how much I learned that night and how much closer I came to understanding what it means to be a native.

It was late when everyone started to head off to bed. There wasn’t a real phone only an emergency satellite phone. I could not impose upon such gracious hosts in that way, so I emailed my wife instead. Oddly enough, they had email but not a phone. I was afraid that Rebecca would be worried about me. I didn’t want that to happen. I had not been in any danger and I was very well fed. The slaughterhouse tour was fascinating and worth the delay. The conversation was moving and enlightening and I would not have wanted to miss it.

I finally fell asleep on a couch next to the stove in the middle of nowhere. I couldn’t help but think I was surrounded by the most interesting collection of people I will probably ever meet. What a bizarre set of circumstances that had placed me in this most wonderfully dream like place. The daylight of the next day only slightly lessened its aura. We did get to see the slaughterhouse in action. We helped out with chores. We waited as squall after squall swept over us. Finally there was an opening in the weather and we hurriedly piled into the plane. We were all anxious to get to our destinations, but couldn’t help feeling a little sadden at leaving. I now look back on my unexpected vacation to Fort Glenn as more than a weather delay. It was a journey in itself and one of my favorites.

Beats Saturday Morning Cartoons

2007-05-14T06:47:00.000-07:00

Saturday, after breakfast I packed up the fishing gear and the kids and we headed to Kincaid Park. We stopped at one of our favorite in-town fishing spots, Little Campbell Lake. When we got out of the car several large fish jumped and made big splashes. That got the kids all excited. We went out on to the dock and fished for close to an hour. We saw several fish jump and even had a large one follow a lure, but we didn’t catch anything. It probably would have been better earlier in the morning.

A stiff wind was blowing across the lake. It was cold and we hadn’t brought warm enough jackets. So we packed up to head home. Just as we were about to climb in the car, Will suggested we go for a hike. So we headed out along one of the many trails that looped around the lake.

We had a wonderful hike. The kids, except for Tim, hiked the whole two miles by themselves. Each time the kids complained about being tired we stopped. Except instead of resting they ran around exploring. There were just too many spruce cones, stick swords, and cool stumps for them to sit around resting.

William correctly identified mother and baby moose tracks that ran along the trail. We followed them for a while until they headed off in the wrong direction. The kids also found a bunch of dried cow parsnip stocks. The hollow stocks stood taller then most of the kids. They made perfect walking sticks and later, as the kids found out, swords.

It didn’t take long for the kids to warm. There was no wind in the woods. So they quickly shed the extra layers they had put on while fishing. Guess who ended up carrying all the coats.

We had a lot of fun hiking. We even got back home before lunch. It was a good way to start a Saturday morning. This morning William said we have to go hiking next weekend.

Bears and Wolfs and Webelos OH MY!

2007-05-11T00:52:00.000-07:00

For several years I volunteered as a Cubmaster for our local Cub Scout pack. One of the coolest things I learned about was ARLIS (Alaska Resource Library & Information Services). ARLIS is a library that specializes in Alaska climate, mineral rights, fish counts, or other natural information. This means most people stay clear of it, but the library also carries educational kits. It has a huge collection of animal skills, bones, and mounts. All of which can be checked out by anyone with a library card. The librarians at ARLIS are also the most helpful I’ve met, probably because they are happy someone uses their facilities. They often would help me carry items out to my car and give me free parking passes.

Why did I care as a Cubmaster? Well, in Cub Scouts ranks are based on animals; bobcat, wolf, bear, and webelo. Ok, the webelo rank isn’t an animal, but I will get to that later. So in our pack when boys advanced rank I would check out the appropriate animal fur for their rank. A bobcat pelt for the bobcat rank. A bear skin for the bear rank. For webelos we settled on a beaver skull and pelt. It would have been a muskox skull except it was checked out the first time. The boys looked forward to each pack meeting just so they could play with them.

Another time, we had a bird themed pack meeting. So I got four different full bird mounts; teal, snowy owl, merganser, and a ptarmigan. We had a game where the kids had to identify each bird. The snowy owl was the favorite thanks to Harry Potter.

My kids loved them too. Well, most of the time. The first time I went to ARLIS, I decided to surprise my kids. So when I got that home that night, I draped the wolf skin over me. It practically covered me. Then I snuck into the play room. The kids didn’t see me until I started growling. Surprisingly, two year old Ben saw right through it and laughed. It was our four year old Gwenna that started screaming. She was not happy with me after that.

My kids liked it when I went to ARLIS because we got to keep the skins or birds for several weeks at home. ARLIS makes it possible for anyone to bring home a museum.

Thirteen Reasons Mom is the Best Mom

2007-05-10T06:08:00.000-07:00

In honor of Mother’s Day coming up I decided to interview the kids, asking them why they think their mommy is the best. They gave me lots of reasons and ideas for my list today. The trouble was trying to edit them all to match this comment. I listed them from least to most coherent.

1. She helps me brush my teeth and gives me kisses. (Tim) This was the most coherent response from Tim but it was very enthusiastic.

2. She plays race cars with me. (Ben) I saw Ben sitting on her lap the other day using her as a highway. Rebecca just laughed and made beeping sounds with him. I love how Rebecca is funny and knows how to be silly on their level.

3. She helps me ride my bike. (Gwenna) She went on to say it was mommy that taught and encouraged her to ride.

4. She does my hair. (Gwenna) Gwenna then reminded me that I don’t kinow how to do GIRL hair. She also reminded me that I always part Tim’s hair on the wrong side. Well, I do get it right 50% of the time.

5. She takes me out for Mommy/Daughter dates and ice cream. (Gwenna) Rebecca is always mindful that Gwenna (until Xianli was born) was surrounded by boys and made sure Gwenna has a chance to be a girl. Sometimes it is taking her shopping or painting her room pink. Gwenna just loves it. The opposite is true too. Rebecca loves go camping, wrestle, or play dinosaurs with the boys.

6. She is nice to us. (Gwenna and Will) I thought it was interesting that this was the first response both Gwenna and William gave when I asked them about mom. Ben also concurred with this response.

7. She makes the best pineapple upside down cake. (Will) This was quickly followed by muffins, cookies, lunches, etc. What can you say? She is a great cook.

8. She reads Tom Sawyer to us. (Will) Rebecca keeps the book in the car for all the down time while she does all the driving around with them. Every time I get in the car the kids start asking if we can read Tom Sawyer.

9. She takes us to Family Fun Night. (Will) Will was referring to the school fun and games night we recently attended. Rebecca is always willing to spend the night at a picnic, school night, etc with five kids. She is a remarkably brave woman.

10. She knows the answers to their questions. Rebecca got a degree in biology (with emphisis in zoology). She always able to answer the kids’ questions. I remember watching this last pregnancy as Rebecca opened up an anatomy textbook with Gwenna to explain the stages of fetus development. Gwenna thought mom was pretty cool.

11. She works her butt off for this family. Rebecca has made sacrifices to be a stay-at-home mom. It takes a lot of energy to take care of five children. There are some days when she is exhausted or frustrated, but she always works hard to take care of us. And we greatly appreciate her.

12. She is creative. Whether it is making birthday cakes, costumes, or finding ways to keep us in budget, Rebecca is creative. She always surprises me about what she can come up with. She is never afraid to take on a project.

13. She is loved by her kids. Even though the kids cycle through mommy/daddy phases, she is the one the most often wanted when the nightmare strikes or the knees are skinned. They always miss her when she is not around.

I also wanted to add “She is HAWT!” but the kids just said I was being silly. I guess that is the way it is supposed to be.

We love you Rebecca. Happy Mother’s Day.

Wordless Wednesday: 1950's 7UP Baby

2007-05-09T06:45:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago Sweet Junipers! posted a forward-thinking 1959 ad. When I saw it I knew I would have to post its exact opposite. This ad is so wrong on several levels, and yet it makes you want to laugh at its absurdity. Someone actually thought this ad would sell more 7UP and others bought 7UP because of this ad.

The credit for finding this 1950’s 7UP ad goes to David Kellett of the webcomic Sheldon. He was doing a little research on 1950’s advertisement for the cover of his next book.

Give the Monkeys a Hammer

2007-05-08T06:13:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, we cleaned out the garage and shed. It was the first warm Saturday in a while and we decided to put away the winter gear and get out the summer stuff. The kids were not pleased with having to turn off the Saturday morning cartoons. I can understand that, those TMNT can be pretty addictive. As things were turning into a full scale revolt, I had a stroke of brilliance.

During fall and winter, several items had ended up in our backyard. Since I don’t have a truck to haul them away, they sat there until the snow covered them up. Once hidden from view they were forgotten, until now. That Saturday had been decreed as the day they would be hauled off to the dump in the afternoon when I could borrow a truck. So, I hauled them out to the front yawn. There was a lawn mower, old carpet, and a dishwasher. I then told the kids they could do whatever they wanted to them and handed over my tools. Will was bouncing with excitement. He had been watching PBS’s kid "Junkyard", where teams of kids compete by building cool things out of junk. In no time he had a thousand crazy ideas. I left them to it and went off to do my spring cleaning.

I would check up on them and help out every few minutes. They quickly realized that Bosch dishwashers are pretty tough. So they mainly alternated trying to unscrew the millions of screws and just pounding it with hammers. They later reminded me of the opening scene in 2001 Space Odyssey.

Around lunchtime Rebecca came out and was a little shocked at their progress. Though the garage was looking pretty clean the front yard looked like a junkyard. There were pieces and parts everywhere with tools mixed in for good measure. It looked pretty bad. Rebecca made us promise to pick everything up by the end of the day. So as soon as I got the truck, we backed it up and loaded everything on it. The kids were really good about hunting down all the tools. In the end, the garage and the yard were cleaned up. And the kids had not spent the whole day in front of the TV.

Fun Filled Saturday: Cleanup 2007, Bike Ride, & Barbeque

2007-05-07T06:25:00.000-07:00

Many people complain that Alaska only has two seasons; winter and the other one. As for me I like to think there are five distinct seasons; summer, fall, winter, breakup, and spring. What’s ‘breakup,’ you ask? Well, breakup is the season when the snow is melting. It is a muddy, bleak time. It is a time that only locals can find beautiful, because they are just so glad the snow is disappearing and the sun is reappearing. Part of the problem is the six months of accumulated trash final is visible as the snow melts. So to combat it Anchorage gets mobilized and sponsors a citywide cleanup.

While growing up, the first weekend in May was cleanup day. Everyone would get out on Saturday with orange garbage bags and pickup their neighborhood, park, or trail. Then you just take the bags to the nearest schools and the city takes them away. To encourage people’s own spring cleaning there also is free dumping at the landfill. Add the first heavy shower and by mid-May everything is cleaned up and greener than ever.

When we moved back to Anchorage I was glad to see the city was still doing it. This year the kids’ school really promoted it. For each bag of trash they brought in they got a raffle ticket for a chance to win an ipod shuffle. It was a bike when I was a kid.

So Saturday morning we road over to a school by our house and picked up the orange bags. This year the city also provided t-shirts for the cleanup. The kids thought that was pretty cool. So wearing our new shirts we set about picking up trash. We started along a trail next to our house. I was glad we did because some of it looked like it could have come from us. Then we walked our neighborhood. The kids turned it in to a treasure hunt with the mom and dad bringing up the rear with the bags. Every bottle cap and old board was a find. At one point, Gwenna exclaiming, “Eew! an ear plug,” and then a few minutes later shouted proudly, “Oh! I’ve found the match.”

We had originally intended to ride bikes to a nearby park for cleanup, but with five kids you have to be flexible. So when Xian decided she needed to be fed, we stuck around the neighborhood. We even ate our picnic lunch on the front lawn. After lunch, we decided we still had time to ride to the park. So we packed up two bike trailers with kids and rode off. Gwen and Will raced the whole way. Once we got to the park we quickly realized that someone else had beaten us to the cleanup. So we ended up playing instead. It is a really cool that over looks the inlet. There is boat shaped jungle gym and a real climbing wall. The kids had a blast.

There park was crowded with thirty or so people having a barbeque. Even though we had just ate, the smell made us all hungry again. After an hour we decided to head back home. Once home we all hopped in the car and drove to the local school to drop off the filled bags. We also picked up the raffle tickets, but since the tickets have to be dropped off at the kid’s own school, we then drove across town to Northern Lights ABC. We got there right at 2 PM just before they closed. On Monday the kids will find out if they won the ipod or not. Of course, what is a five or seven year old going to do with an ipod? Maybe a Father’s Day gift?

On the way home, we decided that we needed to have a barbeque too. So we stopped off at Costco. After trying all the free samples, we left with the reindeer dogs, buns, chips, and other goodies necessary for a barbeque. Thanks to cell phones, we were also able to call my sister who is back from college to come over.

During our short bike ride we realized William’s bike was way too small for him. So I broke out the next sized bike and made some repairs. The bike was left in the house, with tons of other junk, when we moved in. I only need to repair the flat tires and add a missing petal to get it running again. I also installed training wheels on our smallest bike. In no time, we had just upgraded half the kids to ‘new’ bikes. I sat back and grilled hotdogs on the driveway as the kids tried out their new bikes. Will even hauled out some scrap wood to make a sweet jump.

Later that night after the kids were in bed, Rebecca and I sat around playing Scrabble with my sister. As we talked about the day we realized that a simple cleanup day had ballooned into a bike ride, park time, shopping trip, bike repair, and barbeque day. And we loved it. Saturday is always a packed and fun filled day.

Driving Conversations: Living In a Tae Kwon World

2007-05-04T06:11:00.000-07:00

This conversation happened on Wednesday while I was dropping Will off at school on the way to work.

Will: That lady behind us in the white car looks like grandma.

Me: Really? I look and it does kind of look like my mom.

Me: Which grandma?

Will: The one that lives in a tae kwon do?

Me: What?

Will: The grandma that lives in a tae kwon do?

At this point my mind is racing around trying to find a connection. Tae kwon do = Rex’s Tae kwon do school = Napoleon Dynamite = Idaho = my grandmother who lives in Downey, Idaho.

Me: Do you mean Great Grandma who lives in Idaho?

Will: No, the one who lives in tae kwon do.

Me: Do you mean my parents who live in Anchorage or mom’s who live in Arizona?

Will: Neither, the ones who live in tae kwon do.

Me: Will, those are your only grandparents.

Will: No Dad, there are the ones that live in tae kwon do.

OK! I realize I am going at this the wrong way. Time to change directions.

Me: Will, I don’t understand tae kwon do. Tae kwon do is a martial art form . . . like
karate. Is that what you mean?

Will: NO! You know tae kwon do is a place that you live where it has a rope to pull if you need help.

What the crap?

Me: What did you say?

Will: The ones that live in a tae kwon do . . . pause . . . a tai con do . . . pause . . . a kwondo.

Me: CONDO! Do you mean a CONDO?

Will: Yes, that’s it a condo!

Me: Aaaah! You mean Great Grandpa and Grandma Ni?

My grandparents just moved out of their house where they have lived for fifty years into a retirement community. I still have not seen their new condo, but Will has.

Will: Yeah.

Me: Oh Yeah, I totally see it. She does look like Great Grandma Ni.

At this point, the lady in the white car passed us as we turned right to Will’s school.

Thirteen Weird Foods

2007-05-03T06:41:00.000-07:00

I pride myself in having a flexible pallate and my iron stomach. I never turn down a chance to try something new. My philosophy is if someone is offering you something to eat, you try it. First, it’s polite. Second, if they are serving it someone has to think it tastes good. You never know, that person may be you. In general, I have had a lot of fun trying things and it has opened me up to whole new experiences and flavors. But it has also provided me with several interesting stories. Here are thirteen weird things I have eaten.

1. Fish Eyes. I hear it takes 14 tries before you start to like a new taste. Let’s just say I’ve been offered fish eyes enough to start to like them. As for the taste, think egg yolks.

2. Jelly Fish. Nature’s bubblegum. It was cooked in a very spicy Szechwan sauce, but it was so chewy I couldn’t swallow it. Burned my mouth with every chew.

3. Sea Cucumber. Nature’s jell-o. Clear, no flavor, and pointless.

4. Sow’s Ear. I hear you can make a purse out of these, which is got to be better than putting them into fried noodles.

5. Pigs Snout. Tastes just like you think it would.

6. Stinky Tofu. This is a favorite street food in Taiwan. It consists of fried rancid tofu. Even the locals will tell you it smells like death while cooking. That is why you never eat it right away.

7. Black Ants. I was at a friend’s house in Lotung, Taiwan. His mom served us a standard diakon soup. As I drained my bowl, I noticed that some of the pepper didn’t look right. Just as another friend was asking for seconds it dawns on me the pepper were black ants. Later I asked my friend if the soup was suppose to have ants in it. He said it wasn’t and they must have fallen in while his mom was cooking. I am not sure I was comforted by that statement.

8. Stinky Fruit (durian). This spiky Southeast Asian fruit looks more like a weapon than something to eat. Its tag line is “smells like hell, tastes like heaven.” I’ve got another six more tries before I will believe the second part.

9. Dragon Eyes (longyan). The Chinese call these dragon eyes because they have a large nut surrounded by juicy grape-like flesh. Consequently, that makes them feel like eyes when you are chewing on them. Very delicious though.

10. Dragon Fruit. This is a popular fruit in Asia. It is oval shaped and with varying shades of pink and green all over it. It also has these curvy little soft thorns. It looks like something from a B-grade sci-fi movie. The inside meat is white with tiny black seeds. It tastes like a sweet kiwi or sour strawberry. Very tasty in my book.

11. Chicken’s Feet. Not the legs, just the feet with claws incuded. They were fried in a hot sauce. The reminded me of the Colonel’s secret recipe. Only the fried skin has any flavor.

12. Bai Bai Food. Many people through China and Taiwan would have home shrines to ancestors and various gods (usually a combination of Taoist, Buddhist, and Confucian figures). They often would offer food and incenses as sacrifices on the shrines. I had always been careful to be respectful about the shrines when I was in people’s homes. One day a lady I was visiting asked if I wanted something to eat. She then looked around the room. When she spied the shrine she grabbed an orange from her father’s picture and handed it to me. She thought my shock was pretty funny.

13. Whole Baby squid. I was at a cafeteria in Taipei when I saw these bite-sized babies. You had to be careful not to swallow the beaks and pen. One bonus is it turned your mouth black from the ink. Oddly enough that too tasted like egg yolk.

Bonus: I always wanted to try dog when I was in Taiwan, but never found any. The Chinese call it xiangrou which euphemistically translates to fragrant meat. Also I have always wanted to try Eskimo ice cream, which consists of caribou fat whipped with berries, sheefish, and sugar. Most people tell me it is to die for. Some day I can add these to the list.

Wordless Wednesday: New Meets Old

2007-05-02T06:01:00.000-07:00

I took this picture in Nikolski, Alaska. Nikolski is the first Aleut village on the Aleutian Chain and is located on Umnak Island. Literally the village borders the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean. It is 900 miles west of Anchorage or about four hours flight time. There are 25-30 people living in Nikolski, almost all of them of Aleut descent.

Nikolski is considered to be the most archeologically important site in Alaska and is the oldest continually inhabited site in North America. There is evidence that Aleuts have been living in the exact village site for over 4,000 years and in the bay for 9,000 years. There are middens, graves mounds, bones, and artifacts everywhere. Most of the houses are built atop of older dwellings. As I walked around the village I would accidentally kick up old fish and seal bones.

The houses are mostly modern, but traditional Aleut sunken houses with sod and driftwood roofs are still standing. You can also see the traditional sweat houses. Everyone lives a subsistence life style which includes caribou, salmon, halibut, seals, sea otters, clams, and wild plants.

Yet with all this history and tradition the first day I walked into the tribal offices everyone was logged on and playing World of Warcraft. In one corner there was a Night Elf priestess. In the other a female dwarf warrior. While one person was trying to find out if her friend from South America was logged on yet. They had a pillaging appointment. It was surreal. Nikolski is truly a place where the new meets the old.

In the picture you can see where the wind had blown out sections of a derelict house, exposing the old spring bed and other house furnishings from the early 1900’s. You can also see the Chaluka Hotel in the background. It was the comfortable double wide where I have spent many a windy night.

Chinese and Charlie's Bakery

2007-05-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

Ever since I lived in Taiwan I have loved Chinese food. This has been a blessing and a curse. It opened me up to all the wonderful foods, dishes, and tastes of China. Unfortunately, I am now tainted because I know what real, good Chinese food should taste like. I still enjoy the occasional Carrs/Safeway Chinese takeout, not as authentic Chinese food, but something completely different.

As odd as it sounds, Anchorage has a pretty good selection of Chinese restaurants. This probably has to do with the sizable Asian population and proximity to Asia. The best place I have found in town for authentic Chinese food is Charlie’s European Bakery. Yeah, you read that right European bakery. (Actually they have changed the name to just Charlie’s Bakery, but you can still see signs and stuff with the old name.) It is a little café and bakery located on C Street and Northern Lights. They do sell some European breads, but their main staple is their Chinese food.

One of the reasons Charlie’s is so good is its authenticity. It is owned and operated by a Chinese Family from Taiwan. Their “niu ruo tang” (braised beef noodle soup) and the “hong dou bao” (red bean paste buns) are the best. The only difference between what I use to eat from noodle shops and street vendors is the size. The proportions are definably American.

The other thing I liked about Charlie’s is the atmosphere. It feels like the little bakeries and noodle shops of Taiwan. It has that relaxed, family run feel of all small Taiwanese shops.

Yesterday, I stopped by to surprise my wife with lunch. I got there right at 11 AM right as they opened. They were still just getting started and I had to wait as the hong dou bao came out of the oven. Now I have to confess. I am a horrible eavesdropper when it comes to Chinese. It was a habit I picked up living in Taiwan and trying to learn the language. While I waited, I listen to two ladies behind the counter talk back and forth about sales at Costco, whether or not the today’s portions were too small, or other such routine things. I just smiled as I listened to their wonderfully thick Taiwanese accents. The Taiwanese accent is the Chinese equivalent of a Southern American accent. They soften their vowels and slur syllabus together.

Every once in while they would call back to “mei mei” for an update on the day’s baking. Mei mei literally means little sister, but is also used as a familiar name for any younger female. In this case, mei mei was a lady roughly my age. Still a mei mei at thirty.

I left Charlie’s with four piping-hot fresh hong dou bao, lunch, and smile from ear to ear. Speaking or even passively listening to Chinese always puts me in a good mood.

Heart Run 2007

2007-04-30T12:57:00.000-07:00

Saturday was the annual Heart Run. It is a 5K run sponsored by the American Heart Association and helps raise money to fight heart diseases. This is our second year participating. We have had so much fun, that it is quickly becoming a family tradition.

So Saturday morning we piled all five kids and the jogging stroller in the car and headed out to the race. We had to park at Providence Hospital and walk the half mile over to the starting area. We were glad we got there early so we had plenty of time to take a detour and climb all over the UAA art building’s sculpture. You have got to love modern art that seconds as a really cool jungle gym.

Since we got to the start area around 9 AM and the non-competitive event didn’t start until 10 AM we walked around sampling all the booths. Our favorite was the Great Harvest Bread Company’s booth. William was first in line, bouncing up and down with excitement, waiting for the ladies to open up shop. Their cinnamon chip bread really is that good.

After start of the competitive event started we headed over to the starting area. They announced that over 6,500 people were participating year. It seemed like most of them were in the non-competitive event with us. We hung out in the back with the rest of the strollers. Rebecca was carrying Xianli in her baby sling while pushing Ben and Tim. I was assigned William and Gwenna. This didn’t seem fair at the time, but Rebecca insisted. She said someone needed to run ahead with those two. While waiting a reported from the Anchorage Daily News came by and interviewed Rebecca for about five minutes. I think he was just awed by the five kids. In the end we didn’t make the cut for the article.

At 10 AM the horn sound and with a cheer from the crowd the race started. Ten minutes later we crossed the starting line. It was pretty slow going at first then the competitive spirit hit and Will and Gwen decided to take off. Their little bodies were quickly dodging and weaving through the crowds of people. Then I started earning my keep. Rebecca was right; it was all I could do to keep up with them while not knocking anyone over.

Once things thinned out they really took off. I was impressed at their stamina. Then Gwenna at the three quarter mile mark wanted to be carried. So I tossed her on my back and trotted ahead to keep up with William. I ended up carrying her on and off for about half the race. Most of the time I carried her after one of her several falls so she could recoup. William stayed ahead of us by about 100 feet or so, always slowing down to stay in sight of us. At the last corner, he slowed down to wait for us when we passed him on the other side. We lost sight of him and crossed the finish line just ahead of him.

Gwenna, William, and I finished the 5K run in 37 minutes. I was feeling pretty good having done half of it with 45 pounds on my back, especially since those pounds like to swing her legs a lot. Rebecca and the other kids finished around 45 minutes, not bad for pushing 100 extra pounds. Rebecca told me that Ben had acted as her horn. Anytime they had people in front of them, he would shout, “Get out of the WAY!” Ben and Tim were especially proud of their medals.

To celebrate the race we all when out to Subway for lunch. As a sponsor Subway had given out coupons for free 6-inch subs, which we eagerly took them up on. After lunch, Rebecca and I just about crashed, while the kids all ran outside to play to get so more exercise.

Camping Trips and Spatulas

2007-04-27T06:30:00.000-07:00

One year I took just William and Gwenna camping. We drove down to Trail River Campground at Kenai Lake and slept the night crammed in my two man tent. The next morning I got up to fix breakfast only to find I had forgotten all the cooking utensils. Luckily we didn’t need much. Except we were going to have scrambled eggs and I couldn’t find anything on my leatherman that resembled a spatula.

So I had the kids look for a suitable piece of wood. Soon they found a large piece of cottonwood bark. Cottonwood bark is great for carving because it is soft and easy to split. Now the leatherman came in handy! In no time, we had ourselves a spatula. The kids thought it was the coolest thing. We had a blast scrambling eggs with it.

This is one of the reasons why I love camping. Something unexpected always happens and it inevitably tests your knowledge and skills. On every campout something is forgotten or lost. Once I spent a week cooking on a flat rock because we lost the stove when the raft over turned. I love that. It must be the MacGyver in me. It’s those experiences that make camping so fun.

Will and Gwen loved that trip and making a spatula is one of the best memories from it. You can’t schedule or plan memories like. We still have that spatula and we still take it camping. Though, we now know if we forget it we can always make another one.

Things I've Learned About Marriage

2007-04-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

Rebecca’s and my wedding anniversary is coming up. On Monday, April 30th we will have been married nine years. I can honestly say they have been the most educational years of my life. Here are thirteen things about marriage that I’ve learned in those nine years:

I knew nothing about marriage. There are great examples in my life; my parents and my grandparents, so I thought I knew something about marriage. I was wrong.

Marriage greatly increased my standard of living. Before I was married I lived in an apartment with six guys. I thought we were clean and lived well, and then I saw how the other half lived. It’s really things like decorations on the wall, cleaning regularly, and not eating the same thing all week.

Jane Austin is actually pretty cool. In nine years I have seen five versions of Pride and Prejudice. Being married has introduced me to many new things.

Marriage is not as easy, but it is more than worth it. I was off on the cost/benefits analysis on both sides of the equations.

I am less perfect, and she is better. Marriage has a way of holding up a mirror to all your flaws for closer inspection. Rebecca faired better than me.

There is a lot more sharing and sharing is more fun.

Women use a LOT more toilet paper than men do. I still have not figured out why, but it is true by a factor or two.

My wife gets more beautiful each day. My father always said this about my mom. I respected him for it. I trusted him, but I did not understand how it was possible until it happened to me.

Rebecca really is my best friend. She has been there and done more than any other friend. There is no other person I would rather spend time with than her.

Back massages cover a multitude of sins. Every husband should learn this. Remember for best results do it early and often.

We knew nothing about being in love. We thought we loved each other when we got married, but comparatively we did not even know the meaning of love. I didn’t know I could love someone this much. Love is like concrete it grows stronger over time.

If you don’t plan to be romantic you won’t be. Scheduling a regular date night or writing on your calendar to buy flowers will make you the most romantic husband in the world.

It’s going to last forever and I couldn’t be happier. We agreed at the beginning divorce was not going to be an option. Still marriage was a great unknown and I was filled with my own uncertainties. Now, nine years later I can clearly see us growing old and being together forever. Nothing makes me happier or is more comforting than that.

Wordless Wednesday: Dillingham Cemetery

2007-04-25T06:15:00.000-07:00

Last summer I had a day to kill in Dillingham. I had flown out to do an inspection at the Kanakanak hospital, but that took less than an hour and my flight didn’t leave for six more hours. So I headed to Dillingham to have a look around.

I find old cemeteries in small towns fascinating. Anchorage doesn’t have much history. Dillingham does having been around almost 200 years. This cemetery was very old and peaceful.

Most of the names were Norwegian or Swedish. All of them seemed to have drowned, accepted for the infant sized crosses. Though most graves had neat white crosses, each had something unique about it. There was no gird or pattern. Graves were placed every which way with a path meandering through the tall wide grass.

As I took this picture I couldn’t help but wonder who Viktor Bertel was and what happened in 1903. When I got back I tried searching several genealogical websites with no luck.

TMNT Fans

2007-04-24T06:15:00.000-07:00

Fads seem to cycle through every twenty or thirty years. My theory is that advertisers and toy CEOs get together and figure out how to cash in on the nostalgia of parents. Since my generation now seems to be producing offspring, all the shows, toys, superheroes, etc. from when we were kids are being dusted off and brought back from obscurity. It always makes me laugh when I see Strawberry Shortcake, Scooby-Doo, G.I. Joe, Cabbage Patch Kids, or Transformers reappearing on the shelves. Though I have to admit I do get nostalgic when I see my kids getting exited about something I loved as a kid.

One case in point is the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or TMNT as they are now known. With the cartoon show coming back and the new movie out, it is a favorite with my kids. Personally, I have a soft spot for those turtles. One of my best friends introduced me to them back with the original TMNT graphic novel. From then on I was hooked. I watched the cartoon and read the comics regularly.

While I was in high school I was really into martial arts. The same friend who introduced me to TMNT also introduced me to martial arts. He was a pretty cool friend. A big highlight of the year was when our dojo would attend a big Tae Kwon Do tournament. For three of the years the tournament coincided with each of the three live action TMNT movies. So a big group of us would go out the night before the tournaments and watch the latest installment getting all jazzed up on soda and cheesy kung fu moves.

So, with that background, it has been fun watching my kids get into the TMNT over the past year or so. It is one of the few Saturday morning cartoons that I enjoy watching with them.

A while back, I was helping a young man work on this Boy Scout Eagle Project. Jack’s project involved making several hundred flannel tie quilts to pass out to women's shelters. There ended up being lots of scraps left over. William was with me and wanted to take several scraps home. I too saw the value in them, but neither of us knew what we were going to do with them. That problem was quickly solved once we got home.

It was Ben’s idea. He was the most obsessed with TMNT at the time (they each take turns for that title). He grabbed a long orange piece and presented to Rebecca demanding to be made into a ninja turtle. Rebecca being both quick and skilled with a pair of scissors soon had four masks that would have made any ninja mother proud. After all the masks were on and the initial bout of wrestling and judo chops the kids settled into the critical debate of who was going to be which turtle. When the dust cleared it was agreed upon that Gwenna was the leader (Leonardo), William the brain (Donatello), and Ben the party dude (Michelangelo). Tim our two-year old (not featured above) was stuck, oddly enough, as the muscles (Raphael). The masks were the number one toys for weeks. Ben wouldn’t take his off at bed. I laugh every time I see pictures with them in their masks. Ah, my little ninjas. I wonder what fad will cycle around for them and their kids to enjoy together.

Life Lessons Learned: Whipped Cream vs. Skin Cream

2007-04-23T06:44:00.000-07:00

In engineering we are supposed to do Lessons Learned for each project. What’s that you ask? At a project’s end, or some other milestone, you catalog and discuss the lessons learned. This way your team builds knowledge and increasing skill bases, all the while decreasing the risk of future mistakes. Great idea, right? So why does it feel like nobody does it for Life? With that I present a Life Lessons Learned.

This post is the reason why I am starting my life lessons learned. I am on my fourth two-year old and I still have not learned this one.

Last Saturday, I was fixing waffles for the kids. It was great because we had a gallon of fresh strawberry toppings and a metric ton of whipped cream. We’re not talking about Cool Whip or other crap. This was the real deal. My wife had a birthday luncheon for herself and had served strawberry shortcake. The kids and I were reaping the leftovers.

With all this gooey deliciousness it was no surprise that Ben, our four-year old, and Tim, our two-year old, were covered in toppings. I wiped them both up and sent them on their way. I then began to work on the stationary messes. Everything was almost put away, except for the whipped cream, when Tim appeared behind me covered in whipped cream. It was all over his face with a big glob on his finger. Realizing the danger I grabbed his hand and looked around for the washcloth. It was still in the sink and out of reach. Not wanting to be wasteful I just licked off the glob of whipped cream.

The following thoughts then ran through my head: “What funny tasting whipped cream?”, Wait he just came from the hall, not the kitchen?”, “It’s not whipped cream!”
Rebecca watching from the couch noticed my odd paralyzed behavior.
“What’s the matter?”
“Iss naw wip ceam!”
“What?”
“ISS NAW WIP CEAM!!!”

Two things happened at this point. First, I started to hear laughter. Second, my mind finally made that leap of logic and I ran down the hallway. When I got to the bathroom my suspicions were confirmed. It was not whipped cream but Equate dry skin cream. Tim had obviously made the same mistake as me and had attempted to sneak a treat. I quickly washed my mouth out. For the rest of the morning, the inside of my mouth was feeling silky smooth.

Life Lesson Learned: don’t ever stick a two-year old’s finger in your mouth, even if you think you know what is on it.

But wait! You ask, “how does Equate dry skin cream taste?” Let’s just say I don’t foresee the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook adding it to their emergency substitutions page.

Tips: Homemade Camping Stoves

2007-04-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

When camping with kids you have to bring a lot of extra equipment. If you can’t afford the latest ultralight REI gear, or a Sherpa, you have to stick with car camping or find creative ways to reduce pack weight. Getting rid of bulky stoves is one way.

In the past, I have used homemade hiking stoves. They tend to be cheap and light weight, while being rugged enough for kid-friendly trips. Plus you get the extra bonus of building one with your kids, because that’s what being a dad is all about.

This summer I am planning (there is that word again) to build an alcohol “cat stove”. I have been wanting to for a while and I think this year is going to be the year.

There are other homemade stoves out there. William and I have had good times with Hobo stove. It doesn’t get easier than that. It’s a converted number 10 can that uses paraffin and cardboard as fuel.

If you really want to get serious Backpacker Magazine had a contest to see who could make the best alcohol stove. The results are really interesting with some stoves performing like a high-end mountaineering stove.

As the summer goes by, I will keep posting updates on the stove project.

The photograph is brought to you by Jim Wood’s website which also has excellent instructions.

Thursday Thirteen: Great Outdoor Websites

2007-04-19T06:06:00.000-07:00

Spring is here! And I am starting to get that summer itch. I want to go fishing, hiking, camping, or anything just as long as I'm outside do something. But since the fish aren’t running and there is still snow on most of my favorite trails, I still have a couple of weeks before I can really do anything. So instead of doing something, I do the next best thing, plan something. So here are thirteen website I love to visit when I can’t actually do anything . . . yet.

Alaska Outdoor Journal. This is a great site for update fishing reports and tips for Southcentral Alaska. They are still in ice fishing mode but that should change any day now. It also has claming, hunting, and gold panning information.

Alaska Fly Fishing Online. If you are an Alaskan fly fisher, or want to be, this is the site for you. I visit this more in the winter when the only fishing activity I can do is tie flies.

Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Sport Fishing Division. A must visit page to see fishing forecasts, tips, and updated regulations. On top of it you can buy your annual license online.

Alaska Hike Search. This is the best list and review of hiking trails in Southcentral Alaska. It has detail descriptions, photos, and maps.

Trails of Anchorage. This is great for those day trips with kids. It covers a lot of trails around Anchorage. There are some that might surprise even the Sourdoughs around here.

Alaska Trail Head. Another resource for finding trails around Alaska.

Alaska Department of Natural Resources’ Park and Rec Site. This has a wealth of information. You can find cabins, parks, trials, campground for state lands. You can also get season permits or make reservations. It also has a lot of cool information and photos.

Chugach National Forest: This has everything you need to know about playing in this national forest, which covers most of Southcentral.

Kenai Fjords National Park: For those of us who pine for the fjords.

Denali National Park. Just as soon as my little hiking buddies are big enough (more of that planning) I will do a true back-country hike through the Denali.

Outdoor Action. A great place to brush up on all your outdoor wilderness and survival skills. Remember this is Alaska.

REI. All the gear you could want. Really, do I need to say more?

Wal-Mart. All the gear you can afford. No really, they got great prices.

Wordless Wednesday: Alaskan Jungle Gym

2007-04-18T07:18:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of William climbing around a piece of driftwood at Kenai Lake. It was taken on a camping trip in May 2004 and is one of my favorites. We had a blast beach combing and exploring. I don't think we saw another sole the whole time we were there.

Dinner Conversations: Women's Expo & Robot Babies

2007-04-17T07:12:00.000-07:00

Dinner at our house is always loud, often silly, and never boring. Rebecca and I are always cracking up at the conversations overheard at our dinner table. This one started last night right after the food had been passed out.

Rebecca: Do you mind if I take Xianli (4-month old daughter), and maybe Gwenna (5-year old daughter), with me to the Women’s Expo they are having on Saturday.

Me: Sure, no problem. I’ll look after the boys.

William (7-year old son): What’s a women’s expo?

Me: Is that where they expose women?

Rebecca tries to ignore that comment while giving a look like, “you’re lucky the kids aren’t old enough to catch that one.”

Rebecca: It is where businesses who sell items for women come together to show them off . . .

Me: Like babies. You can buy and sell babies there. Mom is going to take Xianli down to see what we can get for her.

William: Really, Dad?

Me: Oh yeah. A healthy baby can fetch up to forty thousand dollars.

Rebecca: We are not going to sell Xianli. . . . But they do sell robotic parts for babies. I going to see what kind of cyborg parts we can get for Xian.

William: Why would we want to have a robot baby!?!

Me: William, if you have to ask that question you have not thought it through. WHY WOULDN’T YOU WANT A ROBOT BABY?

At this point Rebecca turns with a smile and says, “I love your responds to that question.” See why I love her so much. The conversations then headed off into other silly directions with lots of laughter. We were lucky no one spewed their drinks that night.

Alaskan Snapshots

2007-04-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

This post is for Tyson, my best friend from college. Recently Rebecca (previously mentioned wife) and I were waxing nostalgic and decided to drop him an email since we have not heard from him in years. Well, the email was obsolesce so I had to pull out my crazy Goggle Kung fu and tracked him down.

He has asked for picture of Alaska so here they are:

(Left) Ben, Rebecca, Will, and Gwenna in 2003 going to our secrete blueberry spot located by Turnagain Pass.

(Right) Moose under my window at work.

(Left) Abandoned WWII bunker looking out at Dutch Harbor on Unalaska Island.

(Right) Fish rack in Shungnak north of the Arctic Circle along the Kobuk River.

By Way of Introduction

2007-04-16T13:43:00.000-07:00

By way of introduction, this is the blog of Ni Yachen. Yes, that is my name . . . in a way. It was my name for two years while I lived in Taiwan. I have found it very convenient for use on the web. It’s always available as a user name or address. It’s also honest as well as discrete.

Since Taiwan, I have moved around until I was able to settle back down in my native Alaska in 2002. I am married to a wonderful woman and have five children. For purpose of this blog, our last name is Ni. Thus Ni Jia can be translated as Ni Family. I work as a civil engineer and travel around the Last Frontier a lot.

I am still working out the intended audience, and thus the content, for this blog. The current prevailing opinion is that I will post for family and friends. (If some web denizens are amused then all the better.) Updates will focus on the comings and goings, stories, adventures, and so on of the Ni family. There may also include the occasional musings from me. . Between family life, village hoping, and the general mayhem that is my life, I should have no shortage of material to report. Though I probably will have a shortage of time. For now I will try to post something most days, with the exception of Saturday and Sunday.

Winter Moon

2007-04-13T12:45:00.000-07:00

I took this last winter from the deck of my parent's cabin. It was a crystal, cold day. As the sun was setting around 3 PM there was that eerie silience that falls over a snowy woodland landscape. The moon was already rising and the sun had painted the mountains with amazing colors. It was breathtakingly beautiful and peaceful.

This is a Test. It is only a test.

2005-02-17T13:48:00.000-08:00

Check! Check! One, Two, Three. Mic Check.

There you have it folks. It's alive!