the Alcan.

This past weekend we drove up from Seattle to Anchorage in 3 days, camping for free (arriving close to midnight and departing early from great sites, legitimately), and animal spotting. Thank you Q for the tent :)

The green British Columbian forests were a wash in reds, both from wildflowers and from the pine beetles killing trees. The forests of the Yukon came with purple wild flowers, dead spruces with gray-purple hues and a few green ones that looked like some artisan giant had taken fingers dipped in blood and brushed their tops. Sunsets were stunning color symphonies, changing by the second from peach to orange, to fuchsia and then coral. Unfortunately, rain and clouds prevented staring into the heavens above.

The final animal count is: an entire herd of wood bison (like 25 including babies), 2 grizzly bears, 6 black bears (including two cubs who climbed a tree while we watched--the one sibling climbing too far out on the limb, the branch broke and they tumbled 5 feet down to the ground. their mother looked over nonchalantly and went back to eating grass), lots of moose, lots of deer, a bobcat, three marmots, an Arctic ground squirrel, two owls, and millions of mosquitoes who found their death on the hood of the car.

about Quakes of all kinds

**just for clarificatin: q-u-a-kes not q-u-a-cks**

1. My father is unusually obsessed with earthquakes...being in them mostly. When we were in Chile early last decade it was on the wish list. Sure enough, there was one the first night which I was sure he slept through. However, he insisted it jolted him out of his slumber.  So, now--nigh on ten years later--he and my mama have been here visiting and we have been awaiting the ground shake. Yesterday, they decided to take a little road trip and sure enough, no sooner were they out of town and in a car than the ground swirled (it was a swirly one for those of you familiar with how earthquakes come in different motions) and they were not here to feel it. i deem this tragedy a result of not asking God specifically enough. I asked that there be an earthquake while they were here, rather than that they get to feel the earthquake while they are here.
2. Starting a new job always comes with a few settling in issues. When you work at a place long enough, your body just mindlessly goes wherever you need: cafeteria, dark corner, bathroom. At my last job, the only thoughtful things about the bathroom were to check for ants twice a year when they seasonally came in. One of the first days I was here, I went into a different stall and proceeded upon sitting to be CONVINCED we were having an earthquake, only come to find out that the toilet quakes. To make matters more awkward however, i can't remember this--and am always surprised at the "toilet quake" for a split second. *insert old lady joke here*.
3. Last night was spent watching "Good Indian Girl" videos in an attempt to figure out how to wrap my sari in advance of Trev & Angie's wedding reception tomorrow night in Vancouver. The last time this creation saw the light of day was 6 years ago in a strange land called Lucknow--hours by train from Delhi. Let's call this adventure in dressing a "marquake" because I nearly shook myself to death trying to get the pleats right.

my no bears song

"No bears!

NO MOOSE!

No mountain lions, or cougars, or mosquitoes,

No anything else i forgot to name"

"You said mountain lion twice," Adam says. i'm singing off key (the only way i know how) as we walk through heavy brush on either side. "huh, oh yeah cougar is mountain lion--i really don't want to see any," i reply. We haven't seen anything other than a few tracks to imply any of the aforementioned critters are around except the unceasing buzzing of the mosquitoes. Nevertheless, i am armed with my trusty bear spray and keep singing my song (much to neah's chagrin as she started woofing at the end of each refrain).

We were somewhere around 3 hours and 1500 feet up, too far into the valley near Chugiak to see the Knik Arm. The rain fell intermittently, not enough to deserve the rainjacket, but too much to not wear it. Neah decided to make herself a little seat to rest her legs on some grass....and give you a chance to check out her pack-pack.

As we crossed into the tundra, around 1800 feet, it became markedly colder, with some lurking snow. My song seems to have worked. Nothing moved, not even birds--well, one tried and Neah barked her displeasure. Second lunch happened on the ground, "in brown bear country" with Neah eyeing Adam's chili until he flicked a morsel towards her and me eyeing the mountain faces for any of the song's animals.
 
In 6 hours, we see four people.
 
Upon reaching the car, the usually energetic Neah curled up on my lap, nestled her head into the curve of my elbow and tried to sleep her way home. It took all her might to get back out of the car. i felt her pain--i have four impressive new blisters. At least i thought they were impressive until Adam starts telling me a story of blisters worse than mine followed by several more days of hiking. Apparently, my blisters are not so impressive afterall. harumph.

nothing in particular

it has been cloudy for a few days, putting a damper on my mood. to quote Golriz, she's only happy in the sun. i think the dog agrees too, although hers might be, she's only happy when the lawnmower isn't going. i guess i should have anticipated that the reaction to the riding lawnmower would be proportionately larger than the reaction to the vaccuum, whoops. not to be outdone by the dog, i have found that the viciousness towards things that make noise can be overcome with the proper use of CHEESE. yes, cheese. the magic soundproofer/world righter. seems Adam and the dog have someting in common. plus, i vaccuumed the floor, so poor lawnmower-tized neah had to shift napping spots every 35 seconds in search of somewhere that smells like her bone pile.

yesterday, i whittled away the afternoon by chatting with this guy on skype: (funny enough, three years later we look almost exactly the same as this picture, how'd that happen?

let me tell you a little about how this occurred. i sent him an email that said, "I hate you." Mostly, i was grumpy because of the sheer brilliance of said person (not me) and his first class honors law degree. Secondarily, i was pissed because he was eating yummy food in Vietnam. Truth be told, i am smart enough to know how to get a reaction. hah. He wasn't satisfied with Gchat so to Skype we went. i was worried. Sometimes the internets get jumpy when i am trying to watch Vampire Diaries on Hulu. Would Skype have the same jumpy, lethargic, ire inducing fate??

No dear friends, it didn't. so, let it be known the world over that i am going to hang out on Skype more since my stupid phone has little to no reception inside this apartment. Then i get to see you and not hang up on you. yay. double bonus. let's all put one hand up in a high-five of solidarity for Skype. word.

toe shoes and mosquitoes

It has been making it to 60 on a regular basis. i think this is what the locals call summer. My friend Leili joked that she was wearing a tanktop because it was hot..i'm pretty sure hot was 50 F or so since they are in Ft. Smith in northern Canadia. so, in honor of summer, i am listening to Bachata music, dancing in the livingroom, and continuing the job hunt. There are some great options out there, as always the question is whether they think i am a great option too. In the meantime, sing on Prince Royce.

We've been trying to allow "summer" to usher in new fun things to do. We went hiking again last weekend to some falls just outside of Eagle River. It was a good opportunity to break in the Vibram Five Finger toe shoes. I think there may be a whole series of posts about the adventures of the toe shoes this summer. brace yourselves. The first time i saw a pair of these, Logan had them in Hawaii and i was convinced that this strange shoe fetish must be some crazy hippie stuff. truth be told, the rubberized toe-socks grip better than my hiking boots, are way lighter, and dry out faster.  Back to the hike: the first part of the trail was very wet/muddy. i spent the hike trying not to get my feet muddy, dantilly prancing along the edge of the trail and forging my own way through trees, much to the irritation of the dog who was pissed her herd was not being herded. feel free to mull over the idiocracy of wearing toe shoes and trying to keep them clean and pretty in the mud then sloshing though a stream. the second half, dry and mosquito filled. mosquitoes are the Alaska state bird. they are huge. they swarm. they are out to eat me alive. yes, me personally, no one else.

Back to the picture, yes that is still snow. It is in a shaded area. Also, that's a river (read stream) that comes down from the falls. We had to cross it twice. it was about ankle to calf deep. let me make this clear. THAT ISH WAS COLD. like barely above freezing. but, the shoes were great for getting across because (drum roll please) your feet freeze immediately and once numb you feel nothing. Neah, however, was PISSED that we took her through freezing cold water to see some water thing with a bunch of mosquitoes.

The falls were pretty..mostly it was just nice to get out and moving. And because there must always be a cute picture of the dog:

Time Flies

Let's compare early January with early May:

Wowza. or:

 

current events

last night, while i talked to my parents half a world away, we watched together as President Obama announced that after nearly 10 years bin Laden had finally been killed. while i listened to what seemed a momentous statement--one that hopefully provided some closure for families who have lost those they love to 9/11 and in the aftermath decade long war--i thought about where i was that day, waking up in DC to a changed world, watching the shock on the faces of those around me, understanding that the threat that so many in the world live with every day had finally come to the US.

the scenes from outside the white house make me sad. there is no joy in the murder of others, justified or not. justice does not equate with felicity or exuberant patriotism. too many have had to sacrifice their lives for me to celebrate the death of one. i honor our soldiers and their families. I honor the people of the countries we have invaded and their continued struggle. i think about those who fight against terror in their country every day of the week without hope. and i leave you with this quote from Martin Luther King Jr.:

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that"