Stewart's Niche

My sister and I worked with the City of Palmer to get a niche for Stewart. We got a 12x12 box with an engraved marker listing his name & birth/death dates, along with a picture of him.

The wall is at the Palmer Pioneer Cemetery just across from the airport. It’s a very nice spot, with a bench where you can sit to talk to him.

We had a family gathering a few weeks back to place some of his ashes into the niche. Noel read a poem and Tabi gave him a picture she had drawn.

It was a very nice “service” and I think he would be happy with his spot. He has a grand view of Pioneer Mountain, one of his favorites.

Fishing The Kenai

Back in July I wrote about winning a drawing for a Fishing Trip on the Kenai River. Well, finally – after a lot more difficulty than there should have been – we actually got to go on the trip.

The trip itself was a good one: I mean, who can complain when you’re floating down a peaceful river with a pole in the water? The fishing sucked, however. The fish just were not there. We spent a good 6 hours and only had two bites: one trout (Bryan caught that one) and one salmon (I caught that one). We had to throw the trout back (it was a small one anyway) but the salmon is in our freezer now!

But I’m not complaining – it was fun to see Bryan doing what he loves to do. The two other people on the boat were very nice, too, and our guide was very good at his job.

My Friend Ellen

When I went to Key West recently for a friend’s wedding, I got to stay at Ellen’s house! Ellen and I met a few years ago when we both went on the Earthwatch Expedition in Arizona to study the Forest owls. We’ve been emailing back & forth ever since.

She went above & beyond friendship, in my opinion! She picked me up at the airport. She chauffeured me around the island for all the wedding events. She took me to visit the Wildlife Refuge where she volunteers most of her time. She took me all over the island so I could see how beautiful it was. Most importantly, she gave me a room in her house and let me stay there for an entire week.

Honestly, I am so very thankful for all she did for me!

Sarah's Wedding

Back about 15 years ago, I got a random email from a girl named Sarah who was writing a book about Voluntourism and wanted to talk to me about my experiences with Earthwatch. At that time, I had two expeditions under my belt, and may have already been planning my third. Turns out, Sarah was really nice – so we started chatting about other stuff; just whatever was going on with our lives at the moment. It’s always nice to have a friend you can talk to.

Fast forward to 6 months ago, and I get an email from Sarah asking me to attend her wedding on September 18 down in Florida. Honestly, it was the sweetest email I think I’ve ever gotten. In it, she said that even though we’d never actually met face-to-face, she considered me her best friend and she really wanted me to be there on her special day. How could I say “No” to that?

So I booked a ticket to Key West!

As luck would have it, I just happened to have a friend, Ellen, from one of my Earthwatch Expeditions (Forest Owls of Arizona) who lives in Key West. When I asked her to give me recommendations on lodging, she wrote back informing me that I would be staying at HER house! Ellen was kind enough to even chauffeur me around the island: to meet Sarah for the first time EVER at a café a few days prior to the big event, for the Pre-Wedding Dinner, and to the Wedding itself.

This trip was way, WAY out of my comfort zone: meeting a complete stranger and attending her wedding! But it was really nice – and I’m happy to say that Sarah is as nice as I always thought she was.